Could LeBron end up in Boston?

[TonyMontana]

The only trade that has any legs I think is PP, Rondo, 3 firsts, 3 mil and any of Baby, House, MD, Sheed, Williams, and the kids for LBJ and any junk they want to add to him to make the numbers work.

This................

[sam_I_am]

Pete,

I disagree with your point about Rondo. Rondo would be an awesome fit for Lebron. Lebron could handle the ball whenever he wanted but wouldn't have to. Having a shoot last PG is exactly what you want with Lebron. Rather than have him create easy shots for JAGs, having a ball hawking, rebounding, loose ball retrieving guy like Rondo would just create more opportunities for Lebron - and easy baskets which is what he needs more of in my opinion. Rondo creates possessions and doesn't waste them with his own shot.

Lebron is the best finisher in the game..... as a Magic Johnson type he is wasting his natural dominance which is size and speed in order to set up weaker players.

Sam

[Octolor]

Lebron not getting traded out of Cleveland = Garnett not getting traded out of Minnesota

To quote Garnett, "Anything is possible."

Additionally, you can read the below:

"Dan Gilbert is reportedly terrified that if the Cavaliers are unable to return to the Finals, LeBron James will leave Cleveland for New York, says a source close to the owner that spoke with Peter Vecsey."

All the authoritative posts in this thread ruling out a trade are quite ridiculous.

Also, anyone believing Lebron won't make more money playing in NY has either never taken a business class or worked in sales and marketing. Flat out he will make more money in NY and will become more of a global icon being based in NY. The publicity opportunities (photos in US weekly etc with Beyonce, Jay Z, etc.) are far more bountiful in the Big Apple. The social lifestyle in NYC is far better than Cleveland as well.

Don't forget too that his teamate is Shaq. I watched Shaq leave Orlando high and dry and now he's the one that is supposed to make Lebron stay (pretty foolish move on the owners part.)

I personally don't think Lebron is staying in Cleveland, he has every excuse in the world to leave.

If Cleveland wins a title this year he's done his duty.

If Cleveland doesn't win this year Lebron can use the excuse that he does't have enough pieces around him.

Don't forget that Lebron is young, he may want to leave his hometown. Many people in their twenties leave home for their careers (outside of sports.) It can't be dismissed that Lebron might just might want to run away from home.

The threat of Lebron walking for nothing is very, very real.

Anyone who has put themselves in a position to own an NBA franchise recognizes this.

There are a handful of deals that would make sense to Cleveland and Rondo and Pierce is one of them. Ainge has been very critical of the Celtics for their handling of the original big three so a trade of Pierce, Garnett or Allen is inevitable in the next three years.

Why not for Lebron?

[chakdaddy]

Lebron not getting traded out of Cleveland = Garnett not getting traded out of Minnesota

Well, yeah, they might trade him in another 10 years when he's old like KG...those situations aren't even close.

Rondo and an aging Pierce aren't worth conceding defeat in his leaving.


btw, why doesn't anyone mention Chicago as a potential landing spot for him? He's been a loyal fan of the Cowboys and Yankees, and he grew up a bandwagon Bulls fan - going to Chicago and being the heir to MJ would be a great draw for him. Much more likely than the Knicks, similar likelihood to Brooklyn or Miami. I believe Chicago will have cap room, at leats if Salmons opts out; and they have a much better core than the rest.

I still can't get over the idea that people think Cleveland will trade LeBron for 50 cents on the dollar to a team without cap space. For one thing, if LeBron is asking for a sign and trade to a team with no cap room, it means that NY or NJ or whatever isn't even his first choice!! It's even less likely he'd betray his team and hometown to go to a team that isn't even his first choice.

We'll see what happens, I still don't think he'll go anywhere unless Cleveland REALLY goes down the tubes this year. He's the biggest athletic icon on the planet already, being just another celebrity in NY shouldn't change much - and I'm sure he has enough money to hang out in NY with Jay if he wants to, regardless of where he's playing. And I don't think kids in China or Montana or California or anywhere are going to buy more Nikes because LeBron plays in NY instead of Cleveland.

[Octolor]

Rondo and an aging Pierce aren't worth conceding defeat in his leaving.

Yeah this is probably true.

In fact I would agree with you that Chicago would be a great destination for Lebron. Rose, prospects and picks would be better than anything the Celts could offer.

The Garnett analogy is pretty accurate when you consider the trade that was actually made for him. And ten years from now Lebron will be older than Garnett is now.

It is a pick'em bet whether Lebron stays or not.

Don't forget too that if Cleveland wins the title Shaq is going to take credit for it. Lebron may want to win somewhere on his own.

[GuyClinch]

^^^ Cleveland isn't going to win a title. Look how much better Phoenix is without Shaq..

[Captain_Caveman]

Octolor, just to add to that, LeBron's hometown is Akron, not Cleveland. And he has already recently stated that his loyalty lies with Akron, and not Cleveland.

Ouch.

Barring a crazy trade, Cleveland is going exactly nowhere this season. They are in trouble.

And while the first reply in this thread was a doozy, the absolute worst take here is the idea that AFTER Cleveland offers him the max and AFTER he PUBLICLY refuses it and tells them that he is leaving for Destination A unless they trade him to Destination B for such-and-such, that Cleveland would prefer to let one of the BEST PLAYERS EVER leave for nothing in return, just to prove a point or something, rather than get back a good young prospect like Bynum or Rondo or whoever.

Spend two seconds thinking about that and get back to us, people!

If you had $20m in cap room and had a team in a place where no one wanted to play, you wouldn't want Rondo or Bynum or whoever?

[Hemingway]

A few points:

1. If we could ever trade for LBJ, Rondo would be going. There is really no point in talking about how well Rondo and LBJ could play together. It would be Rondo and one of the big 3 for LeBron.

2. No one is talking about a LBJ trade happening before the end of the season. I saw a few posts alluding to that, its not going to happen

3. LBJ can force his way pretty much where ever he wants. NY or Brooklyn would not be bad options at all and he can always go there. If your the Cavs your not thinking, "We can't be the team that traded LBJ" your thinking, "We can't let his end up in the East"

4. I hate to say it but the Knicks just make a ton of sense as a destination for LBJ. Not that everything that makes a ton of sense ends up happening.

[IEcelticfan]

i can make a decent case of the queen coming over here.

he knows he and bryant are prolly the top 2 alpha dogs in the association right now and for the next 2-4yrs. what better way than to pretty much *almost* guaransheed a finals meet every yr. and there is no better show than fakers vs gang green - in the finals!! the queen: you can also lay claim to fame that you will EXTEND the greatest and winningest # of banners and chips, pull away from that #2 team.

cmon, the queen, it's a no brainer, man. you already know you can earn all your money from endorsements. what's a few, errr...i mean more than $20mil/yr easily for the next 8-10yrs?
just think about it, bron. your chance to come closest to bill russell to 11 rings.

[GuyClinch]

Okay to respond to Sam.

Yes Rondo would help on the break and Lebron is a great finisher. The problem is while fast breaks and easy baskets make for great highlights they are a small part of NBA basketball. Most of the time a team is stuck in the half court - even Lebron and Rondo.

Mo Williams is more useful for Lebron in the half court. Why? Lebron might finish great on breaks but he isn't so spectacular at moving without the ball. He is the one to set up plays in the half court. Mo WIlliam sticks those open jumpers Lebron gets him - whereas Rondo can't or worse won't.

I don't believe in the Lebron just needs jump shooter school of helping Lebron. Nor does he need huge lane clogging buffoons. Lebron like most versatile players would benefit from being with other vesratile players.

There is a synergy to be had from having complete players as your teamates that can outweigh superior (in a few dimesions) but flawed players. For example the C's don't have anyone as effective in the post as Shaq anymore but that doesn't mean I am dying for him to be our center..

That being said I don't think Rondo would play BAD with Lebron. Almost anyone is going to look good with Lebron. Just that its not a dream matchup if your picking guys you want Lebron to play with.

I'd go with Deron Williams because I think he looks a little stronger off the ball then Chris Paul who seems to have too much "pound the ball into the groud for 24 seconds" style for my taste. I could be wrong about that though I have only seen maybe a dozen Jazz games.. Also that could be the sloan effect.

Pete

[kevin_405]

Kobe has a no trade clause too..

this topic is full of fail

1. celtics are not trading Pierce or Rondo

2. Magic are not trading Dwight for Lebron, its an insanely counter productive trade.

3. Lakers are not going to ever consider kobe for lebron, how much weed did you smoke tonight?

[LAKESHOW]

lets make it short and simple.

no.

[chakdaddy]

Octolor, just to add to that, LeBron's hometown is Akron, not Cleveland. And he has already recently stated that his loyalty lies with Akron, and not Cleveland.

Ouch.

I'm from the area originally, right between Akron and Cleveland actually - I certainly think of it as the same metro area, and that sports loyalties in Akron certainly lie with Cleveland.

I would certainly agree with the 'ouch' sentiment though; and we've already seen from LeBron's bandwagon fandom of the Bulls, Yankees, and Cowboys that he has no loyalties to Cleveland's team. But he's got to know that if he leaves, he's ripping the heart out of Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and all of NE Ohio; especially Akron.

Barring a crazy trade, Cleveland is going exactly nowhere this season. They are in trouble.

And while the first reply in this thread was a doozy, the absolute worst take here is the idea that AFTER Cleveland offers him the max and AFTER he PUBLICLY refuses it and tells them that he is leaving for Destination A unless they trade him to Destination B for such-and-such, that Cleveland would prefer to let one of the BEST PLAYERS EVER leave for nothing in return, just to prove a point or something, rather than get back a good young prospect like Bynum or Rondo or whoever.

Well, that's the only situation I could see them trading him. But an intricate public declaration of LeBron's intent like that would be awfully weird. A private declaration to the owner, saying "Look, I'm leaving no matter what. I'd rather go to the Lakers, but if I can't, I'm going to the Knicks. You should try to get something out of it."

That's plausible. But still - Cleveland would think hard about it, because he might be bluffing - he's already shown that his first choice is LA or whatever...but would he REALLY take less money to go to his 2nd choice and leave Cleveland? Or is the team with cap room only being used as leverage.?

It's a big poker game; the other factors are just how distasteful it would be to trade him cheaply to a contender; and how big a disaster losing him would be even if you did get a decent prospect back.

The other factor is making the salarys work; you'd have to take a lot of garbage back to make Bynum or Rondo for LeBron match.

[sully00]

Lebron not getting traded out of Cleveland = Garnett not getting traded out of Minnesota

To quote Garnett, "Anything is possible."

Additionally, you can read the below:

"Dan Gilbert is reportedly terrified that if the Cavaliers are unable to return to the Finals, LeBron James will leave Cleveland for New York, says a source close to the owner that spoke with Peter Vecsey."

All the authoritative posts in this thread ruling out a trade are quite ridiculous.

Also, anyone believing Lebron won't make more money playing in NY has either never taken a business class or worked in sales and marketing. Flat out he will make more money in NY and will become more of a global icon being based in NY. The publicity opportunities (photos in US weekly etc with Beyonce, Jay Z, etc.) are far more bountiful in the Big Apple. The social lifestyle in NYC is far better than Cleveland as well.

This is nonsense. First off you are citing Peter Vescey who is a NY basketball writer facing another year of nothing to write about. More important NYC has the highest tax rate and highest cost of living on millionaires in the country. Yeah sure when someone is paying you more than anyone else to go there or if you need to be there to make the money then you suck it up. He would need a ridiculous endorsement deal to overcome the loss of salary, the taxes and cost of living. Nobody is handing out those deals anymore, he is already at the top of the endorsement pile.

The social lifestyle argument is a joke, is he really going to hang with Jay Z more than he does now? He is supposed to be the great basketball player in the world, I don't think a ton of clubbing is going to help him win a 'chip.

And that is the most important point. You want more fame more endorsements, win a title. I guess CHI is a nicer city than CLE but it doesn't matter to all those people who wore MJ gear and it doesn't matter to those rocking LBJ gear they are never going to those cities over it.

More importantly is that LeBron can be a star in CLE and not win a title, he is a failure in NYC if he doesn't win a title. No excuses will be made.

Now if you tell me LeBron is going to the Nets because there is something in it beyond basketball, sure there are players involved in that situation that could certainly make things interesting. But how do they do it without violating the salary cap.

But sure I think that a piece of a Jay Z's recording company and a piece of the Brooklyn Nets would be enough to get him to leave the money behind and go to CLE, of course the rest of the league will go nuts if it happens because it violates the salary cap.

But no the City of New York is not going to deliver buckets of money to LeBron's front door each day if he signs there actually quite the opposite they will be taking it away.

[MyInsatiableOne]

^^^ Cleveland isn't going to win a title. Look how much better Phoenix is without Shaq..

Agreed...Cleveland already had a problem with being plodding and inept on offense...they needed to go the opposite way from what Shaq is doing to them...INCREASE the tempo, not decrease it...and he kills them in transition with his inability to get up and down the floor...

Octolor, just to add to that, LeBron's hometown is Akron, not Cleveland. And he has already recently stated that his loyalty lies with Akron, and not Cleveland.

Ouch.

Barring a crazy trade, Cleveland is going exactly nowhere this season. They are in trouble.

And while the first reply in this thread was a doozy, the absolute worst take here is the idea that AFTER Cleveland offers him the max and AFTER he PUBLICLY refuses it and tells them that he is leaving for Destination A unless they trade him to Destination B for such-and-such, that Cleveland would prefer to let one of the BEST PLAYERS EVER leave for nothing in return, just to prove a point or something, rather than get back a good young prospect like Bynum or Rondo or whoever.

Spend two seconds thinking about that and get back to us, people!

If you had $20m in cap room and had a team in a place where no one wanted to play, you wouldn't want Rondo or Bynum or whoever?

Absolutely right. Unless something drastic happens, they're #3 in the East behind us and Orlando (in that order)

[MyInsatiableOne]

And to address the KG/Queen James comparison, the difference is KG was loyal (to a fault) to Minny...Queen James seems to have no such loyalty to Cleveland...

[Wolves2011]

And to address the KG/Queen James comparison, the difference is KG was loyal (to a fault) to Minny...Queen James seems to have no such loyalty to Cleveland...

As a Minnesota fan, let me give another perspective on that. KG said everything right about wanting to stay. [He was traded the year before his contract was up.] But he also said he wanted long term extension for $20 million plus [the type of deal he got from Boston] to stay.

If we didn't give him the long term extension he was going to leave in free agency, with no compensation for the wolves. So the wolves options were to sign KG [for $20 million per year] but have no cap space to bring in other veterans to help him. Trade him or let him leave in free agency, the next summer.

I personally think KG wanted to "pick" his destination by going into free agency.

If KG was totally "loyal to a fault" he would have signed a deal for "reasonable" money to stay [He'd already made $160 million before his last extension.] I think KG was smarter in his PR than Lebron, but KG was also looking out for himself, more than the team or city.

[MyInsatiableOne]

KG stayed in Minny longer than anyone could have asked, especially these days, and except for 2004, that team was never going anywhere around him, and he knew it...

LeBron, on the other hand, is a local kid anyway (which KG wasn't) and has been talking/hinting about leaving the better part of 2 years...