MrDollarBills wrote:I'm not being a dream killer my friends, i am being realistic here....unless the CBA has changed w/o my knowledge, Cleveland can offer Lebron a higher contract than we can...so our max is different from the max that the cavs can give him.
As of now, the "Lebron to NJ 2010!! OMG!!!" talk is pure fantasy if you ask me and I also blame Nets management(not Rod and Kiki, but that snake Ratner and his crew of scumbags who are taking this team out of this state for nothing more than a shady real estate deal) for continuing to add fuel to the fire of this...POPPYCOCK...about lebron coming here...and if the Cavs continue to try and build a team around him that works, he's not gonna jump ship for less money and uncertainty that the Nets will offer. We have to be very mindful of how Cleveland conducts business over the next two seasons...its not some foregone conclusion.
Its not a sure thing either way, but realistically, if we are going to have money free in 2010 im not getting my hopes up that lebron will walk away from less money to sign to us just because Jay Z is his idol....and the Nike 100 million rumors are not based on any facts. We have to pray that the next two seasons in Cleveland go AWFUL basketball wise and FINANCIALLY, and that i doubt because Lebron probably makes then so much cash that they'd have no problem doing what it takes to keep him there and surrounding him with talent...the money isnt just the only factor here.
Let's say the cap is set at about 63 million in that Lebron year. This would put the maximum salary ANY team can offer at about 19 million (30% of the cap). The team that has Lebron's bird rights (Cleveland) can also offer 105% of his previous contract if that is more than 19 million (which it isn't) Cleveland has a slight advantage in that it can offer one year longer on a contract (a player of Lebron's wouldn't want too many years since 3 years after 2010 he can be signed for 35% of the cap) and also can offer 10.5% annual raises while other teams can only offer 8%.
The Cavs offer would be:
19,000,000
20,995,000
23,199,475
25,635,420 - player option
28,327,139
31,301,488
The Nets offer would be:
19,000,000
20,520,000
22,161,600
23,934,528 - player option
25,849,290
Yes the Cavs can offer a bit more money and more years. The Nets can offer New York, and everything that comes with that. NY means that ownership has all the money needed to pay for a winner. It is yet one more draw to prospective free agents, MLE or otherwise. It is a marketing goldmine. The increase in regional endorsements (let alone everything else) would more than cover the difference in contracts. The Nets can offer Lebron a chance to be bigger than Jordan and Chicago.
The key will be for Cleveland to fail to win a championship, and for the Nets to add other pieces that could make the Lebron led Nets a dynasty. As far as the Cavs having money and being able to surround Lebron with talent.... The Knicks have shown that money alone (though it helps... see Portland) doesn't get talent. Patience, cap flexibility, draft picks, and trade assets are the key to amassing talent, and frankly I don't think the Cavs can do it in the next two years. They would need a Gasol type deal to fall right in their laps... and there are other teams they have to outbid.
We also have to keep in mind that something like this is a best case scenario. There are a lot of variables to Lebron coming to NY, but still, the reward is multiple championships, and even if the Nets don't get Lebron they can still become a contender in 2010.
BTW, Ratner and Brooklyn are the best possible things for this franchise.
