From ESPN's Chad Ford: "How did it go? A source close to the Nets said their meeting with LeBron was 'tremendous.' How tremendous? 'Front runner tremendous.' "The Nets continue to project confidence that they have the inside track on LeBron. If they get him, sources say they have a deal in place to move Kris Humphries to clear additional cap space to make a max offer to Chris Bosh or another free agent of his choosing." --- The Nets are the first team to meet with LeBron James on Thursday. According to the New York Post, his buddy and part owner of the team, Jay-Z, has some ideas up his sleeve for James. "Hip-hop mogul and longtime James friend Jay-Z will propose James' own clothing line plus a new fragrance, as well as opportunities in entertainment," Fred Kerber wrote. We noted Thursday that new billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov will talk of his successes around the globe and try to convince James he can become a global icon with the Nets. While the Nets certainly have an interesting tag team to throw at James -- two guys that can't be ignored -- remember, the Bulls will also be talking business and marketing opportunities, as will other teams. So while the Nets' duo is certainly a unique, tantalizing combo, they aren't the only ones speaking to James' global icon aspirations. Source: ESPN
Doesn't the new Nets owner remind you of what Artie did when he took over the Angels? He started a similar turf war with the Dodgers.
Keeping it classy... LeBron James, the free agent himself, arrived in a white Cadillac a few minutes before 11 a.m. wearing a white T-shirt and sweatpants and headed up to his offices. He declined to comment to The Plain Dealer. LRMR CEO Maverick Carter arrived before him.
Not saying anything about the Nets chances, but you have to take these anonymous "sources" with a grain of salt. B.S. is all over the place. I hope LeBron realizes that anything he can do in NJ he can do in NY.
I was saying that the other day to one of my customers I regularly talk sports with @ work. Very similar.
If it were me... I wouldn't sign with a team that got posterized in front of their own building. Nor would I sign with the team that did the posterizing.
Simple. Far better supporting cast, by a mile. Even though the Nets were 12-70, they're an all star short of becoming a contender with all that talent. With a young Amare-like (his ceiling, maybe higher) PF in Favors, a future all star C in Brooks, and guys like T-Will and Harris out in the perimeter, Lebron would fit in perfectly with this team. Surely, the Nets will never be the Knicks by name value (even when they move to Brooklyn), but they're still going to be a NY team + a far superior personnel. Moreover, even if they were 12-70 last year, it doesn't mean they're as bad as their record indicates, but that they were also horribly coached and managed. For any team in the league, all you need is one superstar to catapult you from bottom-tier playoff team (which is where I believe their talent level is at) to a legit contender for many years.
I don't know of any team in the history of the NBA that has lost at least 70 games and was an all-star short of contention. A team that loses 70 games is more than just a single all-star from contending with the Lakers, Magic, Celtics (assuming they re-sign everyone). Even if they sign LeBron, the Nets with LeBron is still a worse team than the Cavs last year. Now, let's address their young core: Favors was quite underproductive in college and is at least a few seasons away from contributing at a high level. Sure, he has lots of potential, but the Knicks likely already have the player he is projected to be in Stoudemire. Terrence Williams is immature and is merely just decent, and I don't think he's a significant factor in LeBron's decision. I would argue that he has not had a better season than Toney Douglas or Bill Walker. Devin Harris greatly underperformed last year and has played under 70 games in each of his past three years. Lopez is a very good center, but is not better than Stoudemire. The issue of chemistry has also been brought up. Harris and James both need the ball in their hands to be effective. They have absolutely no shooters; they were the second worst 3-point shooting team in the league last year. Compare this with the Knicks who, in their core, have three legitimate threats from downtown in Gallinari (38%), Douglas (39%), and Walker (43%). This team might be a better fit for LeBron as it provides him with adequate spacing. Now let's analyze both rosters: C: Eddy Curry PF: Stoudemire (assuming he signs) SF: Gallinari SG: Chandler/Walker PG: Douglas vs. C: Lopez PF: Favors/Humphries SF: Williams SG: Lee/Ross PG: Harris/Dooling I would say that the Knicks have a team that compliments James better. They have a much stronger inside-out inside presence than do the Nets and a better chance at winning now, and that's what LeBron wants. Further, what hasn't been mentioned yet is the $11.3M expiring contract of Eddy Curry. This is a huge asset. Here are some players rumored to be available: Chris Paul, Parker, Okafor, D. Collison, Biedrins, Melo, Ellis, Arenas, Al Jefferson. With Curry we have the ability to acquire some of those players. The Nets do not have that. LeBron has always expressed appreciation for MSG and I believe he said it is his favorite place to play. But everything about NY from MSG, fans, to the financial opportunities, to the opportunity to be the biggest star in the biggest city is an opportunity that the Nets can't offer even if they move to Brooklyn. Their record is a strong indication of the team. The Knicks, for example, were had worse coaching and had far worse management decisions during the past few years and never lost 70 games. I also don't know how you can say all you need is one superstar to catapult you from bottom-tier to title contention, yet the Knicks, who were significantly better last season and are better now (again, if Amare is coming), can't contend for a championship.
As both future lawyers, i'm pretty certain none of us will convince the other that they're wrong . To keep it short, I think the Nets roster is better than the Knicks. And so is their personnel. Obviously the possibility of Lebron on the Knicks astounds me, but if he were to go to the Knicks after talking about 'winning a championship' all this time to the Cavaliers (as his reason of leaving), then he would be considered a traitor to the city of Cleveland. It just doesn't make sense for him to go there. The Nets have a lot of pieces in place to make a championship run for many years if Lebron signs there: 1. An all star center 2. An up-and-coming wingman with the potential to be an all star in T-Will 3. An above average PG who can be used as a good trading piece 4. A young uber-athletic PF who (can) be an all star 5. the personnel to make the moves that will keep Lebron (really) happy. And just a note on Favors, he was severely underrated this year and often overlooked due to the system he was playing in. If he had played in Kansas or even Kentucky, his numbers would catapult him to the #2 and maybe even #1 spot. He's got THAT much of a ceiling. Iunno, I hope i'm wrong though seeing as how i'd love to have him in NYC which would place the two biggest stars in the two biggest cities (NYC, LA). Oh, and Chris Paul isn't coming to NYC, I just don't see that happening, no matter how in-debt George Shinn is. There are far better deals than the one above. Monta Ellis is the only one I could see being shipped for Eddy curry, and even then, he's not exactly the peach of the bunch (at least not to Lebron). Brook Lopez (I could argue) is more valuable than any player on the Knicks (even with Amare).
Haha, you're probably right, I guess we'll just have to wait and see whose argument LeBron likes better. I disagree on the Nets roster and personnel being better, though. Donnie Walsh is experienced, proven, and respected in this league and Mike D'Antoni has also been successful and has more experience than Avery Johnson. Now that the Nets don't even have Rod Thorn anymore, how is their personnel better? Isiah Thomas never even let his team slip to just 12 wins in a season. I don't know of any decent personnel that allowed their team to win just 12 games in a season. I disagree also that Cavaliers with James will are a better team than the Knicks will be with James. Shaq is rapidly declining, and Jamison is already 34 years old. It was quite obvious that LeBron needs a legitimate second fiddle, and the team has no real assets to acquire one. The Knicks, however, have a legitimate second fiddle in Stoudemire, who is a perennial all-star and All-NBA type player. Further, LeBron will for the first time have a legitimate threat in the post, and someone who can consistently draw double teams, loosening the pressure on him. This threat down low will be accompanied by some outside threats in Gallinari, Douglas, and Walker. Make no mistake about it: The LeBron-Amar'e pick-and-roll will officially be the most dangerous play in basketball. I submit that LeBron James in New York with Amar'e Stoudemire has a better chance at winning a championship than he does in Cleveland. Their core is decent. Brook Lopez will probably be an all-star someday, but he is absolutely not as good as Stoudemire, who has proven to be one of the best big men in the game. I'm a bit skeptical of Terrence Williams. He's a low-percentage shooter and has NBDL decision-making. If we are to call him a future all-star than automatically we must call Wilson Chandler and Gallo all-stars. Harris, in my honest opinion, is overrated and is not a top 10 point guard. He can't shoot, he needs the ball in his hands to be effective, and he isn't an elite scorer. There are many uncertainties surrounding the Nets. Will Harris play less than 70 games and shoot only 40% and 27% from downtown again? Will Terrence Williams become less immature, more consistent, improve his decision making, and shoot a higher percentage? Favors hasn't played a game in the NBA yet so he is difficult to evaluate. He certainly won't be putting up 20+ points and 8+ rebounds in his first few seasons like Amar'e will be doing immediately on the Knicks. I also think Curry's $11M contract is a more significant factor than you are making it out to be. There are several quality NBA players that we can acquire because of his contract. At worst, we will clear up $11M and we can sign someone over the summer, which is an asset that neither New Jersey or Chicago have.
