Stephen A. Smith: LeBron is Headed to Miami

[Heat3]

Riley needs to get in Lebron's ear. How he shouldn't be following Jordan but Bill Russel! 50 years later and when you talk about NBA champions he's the first name on the list. Rings matter not stats!

Bosh/LBJ/Wade!!!!!!

[ZzAzZ]

I'm a Sixers fan and if you guys land them with Wade, it won't matter what we do for the next decade and I still think it will be awesome.

[BigDaddyPR]

This is BS, one gm says one thing, the other says another, same with the media, what a bunch of bs. All i know is that Miami along with Chicago looks to be locks to came out on top this summer, im pretty sure well be in a great position when the season starts.... asides that, i dont know crap, and neither does the media or this gm's.

They are just playing with our feelings!! This is WRONG!! LOL!!

[BigDaddyPR]

Dream scenario for Miami. While I don't believe this is what will happen, I'll entertain it for a moment.

If there were a group of players who broke the mold, put egos aside, and signed for the same team, this would be the group. Pat Riley will be stressing the fact that his Lakers' teams featured KAJ, Magic, and Worthy, and that their personal legacies and titles won were not hurt by the fact they played together. And he'll also be telling them they could form the greatest team in NBA history. That's the potential.

Anyway, I think egos will triumph and LeBron will sign elsewhere. I think he'll listen to the sales pitch Riley has, but in the end he'll be picking between New Jersey, New York, and Chicago.

Hope youre wrong.... i mean in the egos will triumph part... let us dream a little!! But, if anyone can pull it off, its Riley, plus imo, should be a no brainer for them if they want to win, and they wont loose as much money cause of the low taxes in Miami.... it can happen.... hopefully!!

[CoolD]

Not to burst any bubbles but SAS is hardly credible and has been wrong about dozens of trades in the past.

He's wrong a lot.

yup.
But let's hope is one of the few times he is right.
I still think we need Bosh first.
Then Bron has to choose between
Rose and Joe Johnson or Boozer
or Heat
Wade and Bosh.

[kyphi]

Smith said that? gawd, the Heat are doomed

[Meatcookie]

Dream scenario for Miami. While I don't believe this is what will happen, I'll entertain it for a moment.
...
Anyway, I think egos will triumph and LeBron will sign elsewhere. I think he'll listen to the sales pitch Riley has, but in the end he'll be picking between New Jersey, New York, and Chicago.

If Bosh comes to play with Wade in Miami, does LeBron think teaming up with Rose in Chicago or Amare/Boozer/Johnson or whomever in NY, that they could compete against Miami or LA? If he thinks that Miami will not be "his" team, then maybe.

[Lane1974]

Sedano spoke with Stephen A about this report

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sedano-s ... -bosh.html

UPDATE!

Okay, just got of the phone with Stephen A. Smith.

Here's how the conversation went.

JS: So, what is the genesis of the report?

SAS: I spoke to my source and felt comfortable enough to go with my report. The report was that LeBron James has basically decided that he's going to South Beach. Dwyane Wade has done a nice job recruiting him and that it would be the best way to win multiple championships.

As far as Chris Bosh, it was a forgone conclusion and he was going there (Miami) because that's where he wants to be. I reported months ago, that I thought Bosh would end up there.

It was a matter of what Pat Riley wanted. It was either going to be Chris Bosh or Amar'e Stoudemire and Pat riley would rather have Chris Bosh.

Now, there are two scenarios at play here. Either all three of these guys take less money to make it work or there will have to be a sign & trade somewhere. Here's how that conversation went.

JS: Who's more likely to walk without needing a sign & trade?

SAS: LeBron is willing to walk -- the Cavaliers are not inclined to help LeBron bye any stretch. If they lose LeBron there nothing they can do -- they might as well start from scratch. They will have lost a superstar and a home grown product.

Again, this is highly likely. With LeBron you can't be 100 percent sure. As this report circulates the pressure on LeBron will mount and with a guy as fickle as him I wouldn't say anything is a done deal until he signs.

For Toronto, losing Chris Bosh is not as devastating. If you can get something of quality in return you pull the trigger.

A max deal needs to be more important to Chris Bosh because of the endorsement dollars -- those dollars -- they're funneling in to Lebron and Dwyane Wade. It would behoove him to get those extra 30 million to make up the money he would not be getting in endorsements.

If there's a sign & trade for Bosh -- then Michael Beasley would have to be part of that transaction. Now, Stephen A. Smith told me he didn't know yet if Toronto would be amenable to that, but he did provide insight into what Beasley's value could be.

JS: Does Michael Beasley still have enough value to get a sign & trade done?

SAS: People like his skill set even though beasley has underachieved. His salary that he's making as the number 2 overall pick is a bargain.

In this possible scenario, he'd want to renegotiate his deal and that could help facilitate the process.

Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sedano-s ... z0sABC6Omf

Don't quite know whom he is talking about in the last sentence, Beasley or Bosh. Beasley can't renegotiate his contract. I don't think he is eligible for an extension or anything like that yet, he is still under team control as far as I know.

Just more idle speculation from a talking head.

[TMIMITW]

I use all of these speculations, just to argue points at work, thats it. It makes great arguments

[Heat3]

I will make a shrine to SAS if this is true lol

[ifrosty13]

I've actually always remembered SAS as a pretty reliable source, I still feel its pure speculation though.

[Scum Freezebag]

Remember that episode of the Simpsons when the teachers go on strike and Principle Skinner refuses to spend any extra money and school is canceled indefinitely and Bart says "overload, pleasure overload" and then kisses Santa Little Helper?

This offseason has been a lot like that.

[maginno]

Stephen A is a little transparent here. His exit strategy if this doesn't happen is clear

"Again, this is highly likely. With LeBron you can't be 100 percent sure. As this report circulates the pressure on LeBron will mount and with a guy as fickle as him I wouldn't say anything is a done deal until he signs."

Taking him even less serious than before.

[Teddy Bruckshut]

@ the Bulls board right now. God I hope this happens.

[Heat3]

haha, yeah the Bulls jump over every report about Bosh and LBJ going to Chicago but they are jumping all over SAS on this. They turned on Wade. Half of them have turned on Bosh cause there aren't enough Bosh to CHI stories. This is good stuff however it turns out. More entertaining than the playoffs for sure!

One thing is for sure there will be big time withdrawal once the dust settles and we have to wait months for the preseason.

[Hallstar]

For the first time, Miami appears to be waning as a potential destination for Stoudemire. “Everybody thinks he’s going to Miami,” a source in the Stoudemire camp said, “but that probably won’t happen.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... suns062810


Our preferred options @ PF were always Bosh or Amare with Amare seeming the easier to get but Bosh the more coveted. Now the only way imo that Miami appears to be waning on Amare is if Bosh has started to signal a commitment.

[Wade2k6]

I'll believe it when I see it. There's a report coming out every day about LeBron and Bosh going to Chicago, then Bosh changes his mind and wants Miami, then they're teaming up in NY. These reports are getting annoying because none of these reporters know anything, it's all just pure speculation.

[Cliff Levingston]

I'll believe it when I see it. There's a report coming out every day about LeBron and Bosh going to Chicago, then Bosh changes his mind and wants Miami, then they're teaming up in NY. These reports are getting annoying because none of these reporters know anything, it's all just pure speculation.

Right. Before the Boston series, LeBron to New york was the hot topic until Broussard came out and spoke about Chicago. Before that, no one really gave the Bulls much of a chance for him.

It's a lot of run-around by sports talkers, reporters and fans. Cliff Levingston is guessing that a lot of those free agents are giggling about all the conflicting reports, probably wondering where some of them came from.

One thing is for sure though; with the Bulls having nearly enough for 2 maxes and the Heat having enough for at least one other after Wade, it sure makes New York a lot less attractive. Why would LeBron pass up Miami and another top 5 NBA player (Wade) or Chicago with a 22 year old star and a great young center to play in New York with Gallinari and Eddy Curry?

[Tim_Hardawayy]

Remember that episode of the Simpsons when the teachers go on strike and Principle Skinner refuses to spend any extra money and school is canceled indefinitely and Bart says "overload, pleasure overload" and then kisses Santa Little Helper?

This offseason has been a lot like that.

Wow, that's what's great about classic Simpsons. The way you described that scene, I just remembered it perfectly in my head.

[HEATVols865]

I do not like the fact Amare is cooling off on us...I hope it's a smoke screen or that Bosh has signaled he's coming down...