NBA Offseason Thread

[Felix]

I love our superstar.

I think you use the term superstar too loosely. He might be one some day, but he's not there yet.

[chw42]

I don't know if anyone put this in here but I saw this on a friends' facebook. Fathead.com, an online retailer owned by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert dropped the price of its LeBron Fathead wall decals from $99.99 to $17.41, which happens to be the same year Revolutionary War traitor Benedict Arnold was born. Hahaha, Oh Dan Gilbert

 

HAHAHA

 

lawl, this guy is trying everything.

[HuskyCaucasian]

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/11/1725...miami-heat.html

 

Some NBA owners accuse Miami Heat of tampering

 

LAS VEGAS -- Rival team executives suspicious of the Heat's efforts to lure LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Miami will collectively have the commissioner's ear Monday.

 

League owners are scheduled to meet in Las Vegas on Monday amid concerns there may have been collusion and tampering by the Heat on its way to landing the top three free agents on the market.

 

An executive in NBA commissioner David Stern's office stressed Sunday that Monday's meeting was scheduled in advance of free agency. It also was not specifically called to address any potential issues from what was the biggest offseason frenzy in league history.

 

Executives from at least five teams have privately accused the Heat of tampering with James. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on Sunday details of an alleged November meeting in Miami with James, Heat president Pat Riley, James and the-Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan.

 

James and the Cavs were in town to play the Heat on Nov. 12, and Jordan was in Miami for a Nike event to launch Wade's Jordan Brand shoe. According to the Plain Dealer's report, citing unnamed sources, the meeting did not involve a recruiting pitch to James, but rather a discussion about how Jordan's legacy should be honored.

....

The Heat declined to comment on whether the team has been in contact with the league over tampering allegations. The Heat will be represented in Monday's meeting by vice president Nick Arison, son of team owner Nick Arison.

 

But Heat executives believe they operated above board throughout the process and simply worked some advantages.

 

Miami had the most salary-cap space in the league, an inside tract to re-signing Wade and the added bonus of Wade's longtime friendships with James and Bosh.

 

James, Bosh and Wade, all members of the 2003 draft class, have long discussed the possibility of joining forces on an NBA team. They all took less money than the maximum they could have received to sign with the Heat.

 

Tampering and collusion violations could result in the nullification of a player's contract. But such allegations are generally difficult to prove. The futures of James, Wade and Bosh in Miami do not appear to be in jeopardy.

[WHarris1]

I like the Korver pickup and the contract.

 

Kind of indifferent to Redick, if they don't match I'll be pleased because I think he would be a good fit, but if they do match I'm not gonna lose sleep over it. Redick isn't really a defensive liability, the guy works his ass off on D and is actually pretty respectable.

 

Also, the Bulls have been in negotiations with Ronnie Brewer which would be perfect for the big/defensive/finishing 2.

[iamshack]

I like the Korver pickup and the contract.

 

Kind of indifferent to Redick, if they don't match I'll be pleased because I think he would be a good fit, but if they do match I'm not gonna lose sleep over it. Redick isn't really a defensive liability, the guy works his ass off on D and is actually pretty respectable.

 

Also, the Bulls have been in negotiations with Ronnie Brewer which would be perfect for the big/defensive/finishing 2.

It was a tough pill to swallow being a Saluki alum, but I will have to be a team player and put my past grudges away...

[zenryan]

And now Jesse Jackson is getting involved in the Lebron James story.

 

Jesse Jackson Defends LeBron Against Cavs Owner

 

47 minutes ago by TMZ Staff

 

Jesse Jackson has come to the defense of LeBron James -- even though no one asked him to -- and compared Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert to a "slave master."

 

In a harshly-worded statement, Jackson took Gilbert to task for his open letter to Cavaliers fans which slammed LeBron's decision to sign with the Miami Heat. Jackson says, "He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave."

 

He goes on, "LeBron is not a child, nor is he bound to play on Gilbert’s plantation and be demeaned. He has been a model citizen and has inspired the children of Akron, Cleveland, the State of Ohio and the United States."

 

Not sure if Cleveland fans would rush to LeBron's defense right now.

 

tmz

[Palehosefan]

And now Jesse Jackson is getting involved in the Lebron James story.

 

 

 

tmz

 

I'm going to have a party the day that dude takes his last breath.

[EvilJester99]

Jesse Jackson has never met a TV camera or reporter he hasn't liked....the man is trash. I can't believe anyone would want that clown sticking up for them.

[HuskyCaucasian]

Dear Mr. Jackson,

No matter how hard you try, you will never be Martin Luther King Jr. You were 30 years too late.

Sincerely,

Everyone

Edited July 11, 2010 by Athomeboy_2000

[chw42]

And now Jesse Jackson is getting involved in the Lebron James story.

 

 

 

tmz

 

Oh great, we're going to make this about racism now aren't we? Christ...

[Kyyle23]

It was a tough pill to swallow being a Saluki alum, but I will have to be a team player and put my past grudges away...

 

 

LOL me and some buddies shared the same sentiment, but at the end we agreed that he can just go off and score like crazy so it is acceptable. But goddamn that guy was a guaranteed 20-5-5 against the Salukis everytime

[GoodAsGould]

Jesse Jackson has never met a TV camera or reporter he hasn't liked....the man is trash. I can't believe anyone would want that clown sticking up for them.

 

Thats a bit of an overstatement, he isnt perfect by any means but id imagine he has done more good than bad in the world.

[chw42]

Dan Gilbert is a true idiot. If he's so mad at LeBron, why not file a tampering charge on the Heat to the league? It's one of the only ways you can get back at LeBron. Yet, he just sits there...

[GoodAsGould]

Dan Gilbert is a true idiot. If he's so mad at LeBron, why not file a tampering charge on the Heat to the league? It's one of the only ways you can get back at LeBron. Yet, he just sits there...

 

He might of already done that, just because it hasnt been reported main stream doesnt mean it hasnt happened.

[chw42]

He might of already done that, just because it hasnt been reported main stream doesnt mean it hasnt happened.

 

No, it's been reported that the Cavs and Raptors aren't going to do anything.

Edited July 12, 2010 by chw42

[GoodAsGould]

No, it's been reported that the Cavs and Raptors aren't going to do anything.

 

Well they probably have looked into their options and realize there was no case to be made.

[chw42]

Well they probably have looked into their options and realize there was no case to be made.

 

Maybe, but that's not stopping Mark Cuban.

[MurcieOne]

Thats a bit of an overstatement, he isnt perfect by any means but id imagine he has done more good than bad in the world.

 

are you just saying nice things about him because he threatened to "cut your nuts off?"

[GoodAsGould]

are you just saying nice things about him because he threatened to "cut your nuts off?"

 

Lol he hasnt changed with the times is his flaw, but still I'm not going to call him trash or anything of the sort.

[Soxbadger]

At least one of the articles has finally corrected people's misconception about state income tax.

 

 

[Quin]

I'd love for there to be tampering...

 

The Joe Smith T-Wolves cost was 3 first rounders and the last year of his contract voided.

 

So in theory, it would cost the Heat 6 first rounders and a year off the contracts of Bosh and James. That would be hilariously awesome, especially since they essentially gave all their picks to the Raptors and Cavs.

[WHarris1]

Jesse Jackson would never make a non racial situation about race

[Quin]

Jesse Jackson would never make a non racial situation about race

 

Your signature implies that black men aren't full men and participate in a degrading business.

[DBAHO]

Some moves were made last night.

 

Hedo got traded to PHX for Barbosa. PHX also signed Childress to a 5/30 offer sheet.

 

Diaw's gonna move to TOR for Calderon, and Chandler's going to TOR for PHX's trade exception they got in the Amare S&T.

[Balta1701]

We had this discussion a few days ago with poeple saying that whatever the basketball version of WAR was said that the Heat weren't yet a 50 win team with these 3 guys. Here's a roundup of the various other models, click through to this link to see the full set of links.

In general, pundits have been cautiously optimistic about how well Miami's roster might perform. But for the record, the stat geeks are all over it.

 

Haralabos Voulgaris put LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and nine scrubs into his database and it predicted 64 wins, with the caveat that's based on all three playing 82 games.

 

John Hollinger's PER-based analysis suggests about 61 wins.

 

David Berri's model suggests those three would account for about 55 wins even before counting any impact from the rest of the roster, and he says he's inclined to pick the Heat to win the 2011 title. He makes an interesting point, though, which is that as much as Boston is the obvious comparison with three stars, he also suggest the Rockets with Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon. They were a bit older, but they lost in the Conference Finals.

 

Meanwhile, Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference calculates that statistical plus/minus suggests the Heat could win 68 games by filling the roster with scrubs.

 

But he points out that the performance of big three in Boston when Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen first arrived was underestimated by every model except one: adjusted plus/minus. And what does that model say about the Heat? Paine writes:

 

If the big three play like they did last year, the Heat's differential would be a monstrous, Redeem Teamesque +21.2, which I can't even give a wins estimate for because it breaks the linear equation that relates efficiency differential to winning % (it would have them winning more than 100% of their games). No team has ever had that kind of performance in the history if the NBA, meaning there is a pretty decent chance they'd obliterate the '96 Bulls' record for most wins in a season.