OffSeason Free Agent Thread...Let's build a DYNASTY! 3.0

[Roscoe Sheed]

The Nets just signed Blatche. I think the Heat should have gambled on him. They really need some more skilled size

[Vertical Limit]

We'd be doing Chicago a favor by trading for Boozer.

Yep. But if you want Miller, Jones and Joel for Gibson we accept.

[This IsMy House]

Miller/Anthony/Jones ($12.9M) for Boozer ($15M)

Chalmers/Cole
Wade/Allen
LeBron/Battier
Boozer/Haslem/Lewis
Bosh/Birdman/Pittman

Why would we take their washed up PF whos a total waste of that contract? Its great when the Heat play them because it allows Bosh to just light him up. No thanks, leave him in Chicago.

[SmushedPennies]

Boozer after being eliminated by PHI:

"I thought I played well, especially with the kind of season it was," Boozer said, when asked to assess his second season in Chicago. "We had the best record again in basketball, won our division again, had the top seed again, that's all that matters, yo."

If his awful play since joining the Bulls and fake hair isn't enough for you, this should be the line. (I like the way he mentions three things that could've been summed up by simply seeing "We had the best record in basketball.")

And I am a little upset we didn't go after Blatche (feels weird to say). He did only get a non-guaranteed deal from BRO, so its not like we were bidding for him or there was a market.

Lastly, Minny is working out Whiteside. Intercept that **** Riles! Hassan to the Heat, please.

[Miamis3rdRing]

(I like the way he mentions three things that could've been summed up by simply seeing "We had the best record in basketball.")

I love that quote. All these years of hating on him finally paid off when he came out with that gem of stupidity. It felt so good.

A certain poster here was in love with him, trying to convince us how good he was back during the 2010 playoffs. As if the rest of us were blind and couldn't see him getting wrecked.

[SmushedPennies]

I recall, but don't remember who it was. To be honest, before that FA period, I wavered back and forth between the top 3 PFs (Stat, Boozer, Dinobosh). Boozer's rebounding numbers were very impressive, and he, at least in theory, had the best post game. Stoudemire's offense and finishing ability couldn't be ignored (many cried during his early 2010-11 tear). But I kept coming back to Bosh's numbers and being really impressed. We'd been discussing that FA period since 2008, at least, and there was more of a debate until Bosh put up that statistical masterpiece of a season. That, combined with his age, made it an easy choice.

I'm pretty positive it was the right one, we can finally say for sure.

Looking at the name Miamis3rdRing got me thinking: Boston/LAL/Chicago fans are quick to point out their trophy total over the Heat's, but I'm beginning to feel privileged to be able to watch my favorite franchise's first 2 (and hopefully more) banners go up. Hard to say I wouldn't prefer to root for a team with a storied history, but it doesn't mean as much when you weren't present for the first 10+. Its really cool to root for a franchise as it begins to engrave its history. Maybe I'm crazy...

[Alleyooops]

Former Wizard Andray Blatche is expected to find a new NBA home soon and Yahoo! Sports and ESPN.com are already reporting that he has agreed in principal on a deal with the new-look Brooklyn Nets.

But according to two sources close to Blatche, the 6-foot-11 forward has yet to make a decision and is also considering an offer from the Miami Heat. One person close to Blatche said, “Nothing is finalized.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wizards-insider/post/andray-blatche-to-brooklyn/2012/09/06/7a3717c4-f7d8-11e1-8398-0327ab83ab91_blog.html

Interesting...I wonder if Riley would one up the Nets and offer him a guaranteed 1 year contract at the vets min.

[Rodrizzle]

This is from Ira's twitter feed

Heat still in Andray Blatche running, according to Washington Post, which reports,"the 6-foot-11 forward has yet...

to make a decision and is also considering an offer from the Miami Heat. One person close to Blatche said, 'Nothing is finalized.

[orangeparka]

Looks like Blatche is signing with Brooklyn.

Thank god.

[d1n9]

VS John Henson

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzJPPodywL4[/youtube]

[Rodrizzle]

He really does have a very good handle for a guy his size and looks like a decent shooter.
I think we should be all over this guy trying to sign him and see if he is willing to work hard to establish himself once again

[Slot Machine]

Assuming we gave a similar offer to Andray as Brooklyn did, why would he choose them over us? If he came here and worked hard, he'd have a real chance to start at the 4, and even if he didn't start he'd probably get more minutes here. I think Andray could help, and if he doesn't, cut him, no real risk.

[LikeABosh]

I recall, but don't remember who it was. To be honest, before that FA period, I wavered back and forth between the top 3 PFs (Stat, Boozer, Dinobosh). Boozer's rebounding numbers were very impressive, and he, at least in theory, had the best post game. Stoudemire's offense and finishing ability couldn't be ignored (many cried during his early 2010-11 tear). But I kept coming back to Bosh's numbers and being really impressed. We'd been discussing that FA period since 2008, at least, and there was more of a debate until Bosh put up that statistical masterpiece of a season. That, combined with his age, made it an easy choice.

I'm pretty positive it was the right one, we can finally say for sure.

It's kind of funny. They'd all have a similar offensive role, but the thing that really made the different was Bosh's defense. Back in 08, who would see that list and look for the best defender? None of them were known for it. If we had boozer or amare we would have an even bigger center problem.

[SmushedPennies]

John Lucas, who has been working out the forward, tweets that Andray Blatche has signed with the Nets. So that...

should be that when it comes to Heat speculation. (At least as far as Twitter goes.)

Ira. So long.

Breaking news in the shoe world today as SneakerWatch has received confirmation that Dwyane Wade will no longer be repping Jordan Brand. Instead Wade has made his way to Chinese brand Li-Ning in a speculated multi-million dollar deal. No official words from either side yet but expect an announcement some time in the next few days.

The move comes after 3 years with Jordan where Wade served as the temporary face of the signature Air Jordan line and which led to the development of two signature Fly Wade shoes. As Li-Ning continues its strides to make its presence felt in the NBA expect more big name athletes to follow along. For now look forward to the first Dwyane Wade x Li-Ning release and expect Jordan Brand to possibly add another hooper to their roster.

http://www.sneakerwatch.com/article/013230/confirmed-dwyane-wade-leaves-jordan-brand-for-li-ning/

Wow. I loved Dwyane being on Jordan, and thought he did too. Li-Ning and PEAK are slowly taking over the league. China is stepping on Nike/Adidas/Reebok. Oh well, I like Li-Ning better than PEAK and seeing as Dwyane is now their biggest star he should be getting sweet kicks from them.

[OtW]

Same. Wade belonged on Jordan brand. He fits much more there than anyone on their roster. I loved both of the Fly Wade shoes, I tried them both and still own my Fly Wade 1's. IDK why they were disappointing. Maybe it's because of the Heat hate at the time of it's initial release that people were turned off from Wade, or maybe being in NY allowed Melo to really market his signature shoe? Then the process repeated itself with CP3 in LAC?

[orangeparka]

VS John Henson

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzJPPodywL4[/youtube]

All he did was hit a bunch of jumpers against crappy D. He looks hella slow and heavy there lol.

[Woolyy]

wade plz go back to converse. i'm tired of you being hurt every other week.

[SmushedPennies]

Same. Wade belonged on Jordan brand. He fits much more there than anyone on their roster. I loved both of the Fly Wade shoes, I tried them both and still own my Fly Wade 1's. IDK why they were disappointing. Maybe it's because of the Heat hate at the time of it's initial release that people were turned off from Wade, or maybe being in NY allowed Melo to really market his signature shoe? Then the process repeated itself with CP3 in LAC?

I think the problem was Wade's deal was bigger. They'd probably be willing to keep making sig's paying him less.


Here are all the answers:

This is a tricky situation. When DWade switched from Converse to Jordan Brand during the summer of 2009 – an inter-brand move under the Nike, Inc. umbrella that had all kinds of top-level exec input – the initial campaign for Wade that the since-'98 subsidiary ran with was centered around a “W3LCOM3 HOM3” theme.

It seemed like a perfect match. A brand built on legacy-defining performance and design that was struggling with an aging roster of endorsers and no clear vision for its game shoe sort of lucked into snagging one of the League's top two guards just three years removed from a heroic NBA Finals title. Oh, and he was from Chicago, too. As far as Dwyane was concerned, he was certainly home.

Despite literally all of the stars aligning, the endorsement deal somehow didn't end up working out for either party. Wade signed on with the understanding that he would be the lone man to lead the annual Air Jordan shoe each February, a huge undertaking and passing of the torch for a guy who grew up on the south side of Chicago and as a teen idolized MJ during the Bulls' legendary '90s run. Once Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace and others rocked the Air Jordan 2010 during Wade's very first All-Star Weekend with the brand, the plan seemed to already be in disarray and the relationship more fractured than anyone wanted to admit at the time.

By all accounts, Wade can certainly be sensitive to work with at times and indecisive when it comes to product feedback. The brand's efforts to make up and launch his very own signature Fly Wade series for each spring's playoff run churned out two models that struggled mightily at retail. With an endorsement price tag of nearly $10 million a year and all kinds of athlete service stress to deal with in the form of custom sneaker modifications and extra attention, perhaps Jordan Brand doesn't see the value in extending Wade's deal this summer.

As it stands, there isn't a product plan in place for DWade with his third Fly Wade shoe already scrapped for this season. After starting on such a promising note with so many complementary qualities seemingly working in both Wade and Jordan Brand's favor, it's looking like that partnership will come to an end just three years in. Ideally, the two sides could come to some kind of agreement and continue on together, with Wade competing for titles every year, conveniently wearing black, white and red and sharing so many of the on-court traits that make him such a great fit, from a performance standpoint, to carry on the Air Jordan series. Seeing Wade switch back and forth between the newest Air Jordan and upgraded Retro PE models of whatever is set to launch throughout the year, all while ditching his own signature line, could be quite a workable compromise.

Unfortunately, I just don't think it happens. Maybe he stays with the Inc. and moves to Nike Basketball at a discounted rate, where the brand can capitalize on Miami's Big 3 with campaigns including LeBron, Wade and Bosh together as a trio. Or maybe a Chinese-based brand sitting on ample cash – like 361 Degrees, Peak or Li-Ning – throws a boatload of money his way and offers him the chance to be the face of their company and the promise that he can build his brand in China with its ridiculously expansive marketplace of basketball consumers. With Wade already topping the age of 30, he might be looking to life after basketball and the allure of growing his name throughout China, where he's also likely to hear his highest annual offer, might be tough to pass on.

There's early indications that he's been in contact with Li-Ning already and if he were to leave, that would be the likely move. It also might be enticing enough if he's looking to do “what's best for me and my family” from a dollar standpoint. It's just too bad things didn't work out with Jordan Brand, where it appeared to be a perfect match for both Wade and furthering MJ's brand into another decade.

http://solecollector.com/news/the-industry-the-top-5-sneaker-free-agents-this-summer/

[diablerouge]

Assuming we gave a similar offer to Andray as Brooklyn did, why would he choose them over us? If he came here and worked hard, he'd have a real chance to start at the 4, and even if he didn't start he'd probably get more minutes here. I think Andray could help, and if he doesn't, cut him, no real risk.

i think there's a bigger chance that he never gets in the rotation, starting would be absolutely out of the question. have you seen him move around? there's no way he can play heat defense in terms of helping and recovering.

[Slot Machine]

Assuming we gave a similar offer to Andray as Brooklyn did, why would he choose them over us? If he came here and worked hard, he'd have a real chance to start at the 4, and even if he didn't start he'd probably get more minutes here. I think Andray could help, and if he doesn't, cut him, no real risk.

i think there's a bigger chance that he never gets in the rotation, starting would be absolutely out of the question. have you seen him move around? there's no way he can play heat defense in terms of helping and recovering.

Rashard didn't look good at all last year either and we brought him in. We had Eddy Curry last year, the Heat are trying to look for reclamation projects to get a productive player. Blatche fit that term. Obviously, now that he's in Brooklyn it doesn't matter much, but we can get almost anybody to be at least a somewhat serviceable defender in our system in some way. Think about James Jones, not a great defender but he makes up for it in activity and taking charges.