Don wrote:I think it was really stupid how they announced LeBron was going to announce his decision in the first 10 minutes and it dragged on half an hour before it got to that part. I mean seriously nobody really cares the photoshop pictures of LeBron in various jerseys (didn't make one for Cliippers!) or what his history is. The whole show seems like some kind of PR disaster especially to Cleveland. He should've told them ahead of time or just announced he's leaving Cleveland, that way there's still plenty of suspense but he wouldn't screw his hometown on national TV. Actually there really wasn't much suspense since everyone swears he was going to Miami from 'inside sources'. This is a good example of how to ruin the goodwill you built up in one night.
From basketball point of view, I think Heat will only be able to offer like 2-3M to people, and they can't offer the exceptions since they're actually not over the cap. So the quality of the team will largely dependent on who they can pick up for next to no money, but after the first year they'll be over the cap and then they get their mid level exception + bi-annual exception and that should be able to bring in some quality players. Barring injuries, it's hard to imagine a team that has 3 out of the best 10 current players in their prime (the Big 3 in Boston were clearly on the decline) not be the favorite to win it all, but just because you're favored doesn't mean you'll win for sure.
If Wade and LeBron still gets the call like they do, I imagine some of the game will look like stuff you'd expect from manga where the entire opposing team fouled out.
I saw a simulation that says if you got Lebron, Wade, Bosh, and 9 second round scrubs, that team is still projected to win around 60 games which would make them a pretty strong team overall. That's pretty scary when you think about it.
Yeah, that did take forever. And the whole thing seemed kinda overblown and a little ego-boosting on the surface, but I give LeBron and his camp credit. They fed off of the crazy hype and ended up raising $1M for the Boys and Girls club when he didn't have to do anything at all. Good on him. And it didn't matter what he did, anything short of staying with the Cavs makes him enemy #1 there for the rest of his life. I've been saying it for a while now, but this new generation of players (ie. post Marbury and Iverson) aren't solely me-too players. I got to watch Bosh for 7 years and I can definitely vouch for him. He was always unselfish and honestly very refreshing to have around. He has a hockey-player attitude (ie. hard working, no BS) which is why he was so well liked here. I have a little more respect for the new crop now. And the fact that they're all willing to sacrifice some coin and terms on their max contracts and share the spotlight to play together is saying something. Remember, this was Wade's team all the way and now there's a bigger fish in the pond that he helped recruit there and another player that will get a good amount of spotlight too. Bosh was popular in the US even though he played in Canada.
Well, if I'm not mistaken, the cap is at what, $60M or so and the luxury tax at $78M. I know Bosh is getting a 5-yr, $96M contract, so that's $19M there. Assume the other two get the $20M each and you have the $59M on the three players. So you've got $19M to spend on 5 players (I'm going to assume they only need to fill in up to the 8-hole with the last 4 spots being taken up by warm bodies) assuming you don't go into luxury tax territory. So that's nearly $4M per person, or $5M for a couple of guys and $2-3M for a couple of guys. You still need two centers, a backup power forward, and a half-decent point guard to spell off Wade here and there and jobbers in the other roles. You need some perimeter shooting in your shooting guard / backup small-forward position and a good rebounding center to play with those guys (Bosh averaged a double-double last year so he's no slouch himself; and should do better with a lot more focus on the other two guys). That's where the bulk of the rest of the money would go, to those two players. And I can guarantee that there will be a few fading A-list players (not AA or AAA) who would take a 1 or 2 year smaller contract or even the exceptions (we have to assume they're going to be up against the luxury tax) to play with that trifecta. Easily doable IMO. Shaq would almost be a moron not to want to go there and he can be had for $1M no prob for a 38 year old star on the decline (he is a free agent, no?). And he'd be perfectly fine as the backup or even 1B centre (and he was successful and well-liked in Miami). Riley's smart and very experienced, he'll get what his team needs and people will sacrifice if those three are not taking max contracts (all three have said they're not). It's really a question or whether or not they're going to be able to beat Orlando, Boston (well, next year at least; after that, the team might be done), and the Lakers. On paper they should, but it will all depend how the big 3 gel together.
The great thing for that team will be is if one or even two of those big players are having off nights, there's still one that can dominate the game. They just have to be able to draw the double-team or one good defender. And how many teams are going to be able to leave Wade or Bosh on their own all game? Wade has proven in the past that he can completely take over a game and Bosh averaged a double-double last year being double-teamed all night as the only fish in Toronto's pond. If they can make it work, it's going to be scary.
