1) Lebron wants to win championships, first and foremost. His best chance to do this will be in Jersey with the Nets.
-They already have an all star point guard in Devin Harris, who should become even better.
- Brook Lopez will be in his 3rd year, he is already one of the best young centers in the NBA, will be even better by 2010.
2) The Nets absolutely suck this year. Many people think that this is a bad thing as Lebron won't want to go to a lousy team, but saying Lebron won't go to the Nets because they suck this year is SO wrong. It means they will have a high draft pick for next year in what appears to be a very strong draft. They are 0-6, dead last in the league. If they win the lottery, or even pick in it, they could get a very good player for a great rookie price.
Dream scenario for the Nets (and I believe, this would completely seal the deal for getting Lebron to go to the nets) would be If they get the top overall pick, then they could get John Wall who has
been described as a better version of Derrick Rose . The thing about this though, they'd have to ship out Harris likely, but they would definitely be able to do that since he has a great contract. Who would they ship Harris to?.....
The Cleveland Cavaliers, in a sign and trade (6 year max contract) for Lebron. If the Cavs don't do this, they lose Lebron anyway for nothing, and he still signs with the Nets. It would be in their best interest to essentially be given an all star point guard on a very reasonable salary. Why would the Nets give up Harris for nothing, assuming they will get Lebron anyway in free agency? This would give them Lebron's "Bird Rights." With Lebron's bird rights, they now have all the cap room in the world to go out and:
3) sign Chris Bosh to a max contract too. Lebron has said that he wants to play with his Olympic team mates, the best fit would easily be Bosh, as he is a dominant power forward, arguably the best PF in the league right now, rather than a perimeter player like Wade.
Note, as of now, we could theoretically have a starting line up of:
PG- Wall
SG- Lee (who is decent himsel)
SF- Lebron,
PF- Bosh
C- Lopez
But, if they are going to have both Lebron and Bosh on the roster with max contracts, while they will be allowed to spend more than the salary cap because they have Lebron's Bird Rights from the sign and trade, sending Harris to the Cavs, they would be likely way above the luxury tax line. So, the Nets would need an owner who is willing to spend luxury tax money. This is possible, with the Nets being bought by:
4) Russian Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, worth about 10 billion dollars, which would make him the NBA's 2nd wealthiest owner (next to the Blazers Paul Allen, of Microsoft/Vulcan fame). The thing about Prokhorov though is that he is willing to pay whatever it takes to win, and would not give a **** whatsoever how much the Nets overspend the salary cap, and have to pay luxury taxes. This is a guy that will take a 2 week vacation that costs him 10 million dollars at the most exclusive resorts, spends millions on private jets, girls, and he even spent almost $19,000 when he picked up the tab for a lunch! Who knows the amount of "under the table" bonuses he's willing to give his players for winning.
Bottom line, this guy is willing to spend like Steinbrenner if that is what it takes to win. I'm not entirely positive how the NBA's cap works, but I think I have an idea. Since it is a soft cap, the Nets could spend essentially whatever they want, with once they exceed the "tax level", they have to pay the NBA a luxury tax of "one dollar to the League for each dollar by which their payroll exceeds the tax level", which is normally redistributed to teams that are under the luxury tax line.
5) Jay-Z being part of the ownership group. Lebron and Jay-Z are very close friends, with Lebron looking up to Jay-Z as a mentor in business endeavors. Jay-Z just started a company, Translational Advertising. This article describes the mind boggling, completely limitless sponsorship opportunities that would be available for Lebron by playing in New Jersey.
6) The Nets are likely moving to Brooklyn in 2011. This brings
- A new stadium, which the current design shows is essentially a palace.
. What an incredible building, which you can bet with Lebron playing there from its inception, would likely be forever nicknamed as the "King's Castle". - Lebron playing in a huge market, which would certainly make Nike and his other sponsors happy, which I'm sure would lead to more money for him.
So, with all this in mind, the Nets are by far the best fit for Lebron, he could win multiple championships, garner even more sponsors and global fame, play in the nicest arena in the league in a city James loves (Brooklyn), and he'd be playing for an owner who lives life like a king himself, which he'd share with his players.
Tell em Jeff!