NBA Offseason Thread

[Steve9347]

Am I the only one who sees D-Wade as a VAST downgrade from LeBron? (not that i think anything will happen with Wade, jsut reading a few of the latest posts.

[chw42]

Am I the only one who sees D-Wade as a VAST downgrade from LeBron? (not that i think anything will happen with Wade, jsut reading a few of the latest posts.

 

Everybody is a vast downgrade in comparison to LeBron.

[SoxFan1]

Am I the only one who sees D-Wade as a VAST downgrade from LeBron? (not that i think anything will happen with Wade, jsut reading a few of the latest posts.

Probably.

[Jenksismyhero]

Am I the only one who sees D-Wade as a VAST downgrade from LeBron? (not that i think anything will happen with Wade, jsut reading a few of the latest posts.

 

I'd be concerned about his health in year 2 or 3 of any contract. He takes a beating every year.

[Chisoxfn]

this reminds me of the big 12 realignment. Hopefully my the bulls don't get screwed like mizzou.

I actually thought about that. Right now we are hearing rumors of all these superconferences, yet at the end of the day I think a lot might end up staying the same.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Am I the only one who sees D-Wade as a VAST downgrade from LeBron? (not that i think anything will happen with Wade, jsut reading a few of the latest posts.

 

No, Lebron is not that much better than a healthy Wade. Healthy obviously being the key word. But I'd take Lebron 10 times outta 10, obviously. But I certainly wouldn't cry if we ended up with Wade and somebody like Boozer.

[Steve9347]

No, Lebron is not that much better than a healthy Wade. Healthy obviously being the key word. But I'd take Lebron 10 times outta 10, obviously. But I certainly wouldn't cry if we ended up with Wade and somebody like Boozer.

But D-Wade in 2012-2013 is probably going to suck.

[whitesoxfan101]

No, Lebron is not that much better than a healthy Wade. Healthy obviously being the key word. But I'd take Lebron 10 times outta 10, obviously. But I certainly wouldn't cry if we ended up with Wade and somebody like Boozer.

 

The bolded is the key. Healthy Wade is the 3rd or 4th best player in the league (behind Lebron and Kobe, very close with Durant), but you cannot trust him to stay healthy, which is a concern.

[Jordan4life_2007]

But D-Wade in 2012-2013 is probably going to suck.

 

So would you really be upset if we ended up with Wade because you think he might "suck" in a few years?

 

The bolded is the key. Healthy Wade is the 3rd or 4th best player in the league (behind Lebron and Kobe, very close with Durant), but you cannot trust him to stay healthy, which is a concern.

 

I agree. The only sure things in this entire FA class are Lebron and Bosh.

[Chisoxfn]

At the end of the day, it is going to be hard for any team to turn down the extra 30 or so mill that they could get by getting a full max deal from there existing team.

 

Bosh is the one guy that will probably for sure go, because TOronto will do a S&T. Amare/Johnson aren't worth the money if they are getting full maxes, imo.

 

So the Bulls are going to have to hope LBJ is ok not getting full max because of the plethora in endorsement money he could get.

[LittleHurt05]

LOL @ Bill Simmons:

 

sportsguy33 "Hey Joe Johnson - thanks for leading us to that 4-game 2nd round sweep when we lost by 20+ per game. Here's $119 million."

[Jordan4life_2007]

At the end of the day, it is going to be hard for any team to turn down the extra 30 or so mill that they could get by getting a full max deal from there existing team.

 

Bosh is the one guy that will probably for sure go, because TOronto will do a S&T. Amare/Johnson aren't worth the money if they are getting full maxes, imo.

 

So the Bulls are going to have to hope LBJ is ok not getting full max because of the plethora in endorsement money he could get.

 

You're evolving.

[Jordan4life_2007]

LOL @ Bill Simmons:

 

sportsguy33 "Hey Joe Johnson - thanks for leading us to that 4-game 2nd round sweep when we lost by 20+ per game. Here's $119 million."

 

I'm lovin' me some Bill Simmons lately. His Sabermetics article a few months back was a masterpiece.

[whitesoxfan101]

Yeah, Simmons is great. He's also right in this case, a true max deal for Joe Johnson? Have fun with that.

[LittleHurt05]

I'm lovin' me some Bill Simmons lately. His Sabermetics article a few months back was a masterpiece.

 

More good stuff:

 

sportsguy33 Joe Johnson in Magic sweep w/ Vince/Barnes/Pietrus defending him: 12.8 PPG, 30% FG, 9-39 3FG, 19 FTA. His team quit by Game 3. $119 million?

 

sportsguy33 Paul Pierce (also a 2010 FA) vs. Vince/Pietrus/Barnes 1 round later: 6 games, 24.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 51.2% FG, 13-29 3FG, 56 FTA.

Edited July 1, 2010 by LittleHurt05

[Steve9347]

NBA free agency tips off tonight at 12:01 a.m. ET. How will it all go down? We asked our experts for their best guesses on where the top 10 free agents will land this summer.

 

Where will LeBron James sign?

Henry Abbott, TrueHoop: Chicago Bulls. Though if playing with Wade and Bosh trumps all, he'll end up in Miami. More likely than 50-50? No.

 

J.A. Adande, ESPN.com: Chicago Bulls. They have max salary space and they're playoff-capable even without him. But with so many other teams vying for his interest, it's not an even money bet. More likely than 50-50? No.

 

Kevin Arnovitz, TrueHoop: Chicago Bulls. Along with the Nets, they are the only team in the field that features youthful assets (Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah) and the cap space required to sign an additional max contract to play alongside James. More likely than 50/50? No.

Larry Coon, ESPN.com: Chicago Bulls. Big city, a team that's clearly his to lead, and a nucleus that can be competitive right away all add up to the biggest free-agency defection since Shaq in 1996 -- but nobody really knows the mind of LeBron. More likely than 50/50? No.

Chad Ford, ESPN.com: Chicago Bulls. They offer the best combination of a huge market and a chance to win now with a young supporting cast. More likely than 50/50? No.

John Hollinger, ESPN.com: Chicago Bulls. I see Chicago and Cleveland as slight favorites, but Miami, New York and New Jersey are very much in the game. More likely than 50-50? No, not even close.

 

Chris Sheridan, ESPN.com: New York Knicks. He has done some of his best flirting at Madison Square Garden. (I was a witness.) More likely than 50-50? No.

 

Marc Stein, ESPN.com: Cleveland Cavaliers. I still see this as a 50/50 deal with at least four other teams (Chicago, Miami, New Jersey and Dallas) about to get serious consideration from LeBron. So I'm going with the Cavs by default -- for now -- for two reasons:

 

(1) I can't believe no one else in this group thinks he's staying and (2) I think leaving his hometown team is far more emotionally wrenching than any of us on the outside realize. Watch this space, though. More likely than 50-50? No.

Edited July 1, 2010 by Steve9347

[ZoomSlowik]

They've tried and failed miserably at getting that legit #2 man to pair with Lebron. Larry Hughes? Fail. Mo Williams? Fail. Antwan Jamison? Fail. And they've lacked athletes and multi-skill players for as long as Lebron has been there. The reason they've had the success they've had is because they play in a clearly inferior conference. If they were in the West, they'd be an annual 6-8 seed every year.

 

This is a ridiculous argument. It's not like the MLB where only 10% of your games are against the other league. The Cavs played 30 games against the west this year (36% of their schedule) and went 23-7. That's a 76.67 winning percentage, better than their overall percentage and a 63 win rate. They were even better the previous year, going 26-4 against the west (86.67%, 71 win pace). They'd still be the #1 or #2 seed and it's hard to argue that their struggles in the playoffs would be any worse than they have been.

 

The west is a bit tougher at the top, but there are still some really s***ty teams at the bottom like Minnesota and Golden State, and moderately talented teams like Memphis and Houston are still around the .500 mark.

Edited July 1, 2010 by ZoomSlowik

[jenksycat]

At the end of the day, it is going to be hard for any team to turn down the extra 30 or so mill that they could get by getting a full max deal from there existing team.

 

Bosh is the one guy that will probably for sure go, because TOronto will do a S&T. Amare/Johnson aren't worth the money if they are getting full maxes, imo.

 

So the Bulls are going to have to hope LBJ is ok not getting full max because of the plethora in endorsement money he could get.

 

Their current team can do one extra year, is that the extra 30 mil? I don't understand why thats an issue unless these guys think they will be out of the league in 4-5 years, just sign another deal when the current one ends.

[Balta1701]

Their current team can do one extra year, is that the extra 30 mil? I don't understand why thats an issue unless these guys think they will be out of the league in 4-5 years, just sign another deal when the current one ends.

Part of that is consideration of the new CBA. It's likely that there's going to be a severe drop in the max salary levels, so that last year might be worth a lot less. Factor in the possibility of injury, and you're still talking about a possible loss of $10 million if you're healthy and never regress if you don't sign with your current team, and maybe more if you blow out a knee.

[Steve9347]

Some pretty big and important information on Kobe's right index finger.

 

Kobe's finger is toast

 

This lends credence to the big question between going for it (and in this case winning it all) and resting the finger in hopes of future success.

For Bryant, the sacrifice for success could well be visible for the rest of his career in the form of something that is not another championship ring to go around his finger.

 

He might never play again without wearing support for his damaged right index finger.

 

The middle knuckle on that critical finger on Bryant's shooting hand is so debilitated by arthritis after the past season of misuse and overuse that there may be no real way to fix it. Bryant will consult with specialists in July to figure out his options, but arthritis is not a problem that can just be cleaned up with arthroscopic surgery or wished away with a little rest.

Edited July 1, 2010 by Steve9347

[SoxFan1]

Wade is done with his meeting with the Bulls. It lasted 90 minutes.

[Balta1701]

Wade is done with his meeting with the Bulls. It lasted 90 minutes.

Some loyalty. That meeting should have lasted 18 years.

[chw42]

Some loyalty. That meeting should have lasted 18 years.

 

[Balta1701]

Hey, the TWolves signed Milicic last night.

[SoxFan1]

Hey, the TWolves signed Milicic last night.

And Nikola Pekovic the day before. My new 2nd favorite team.