<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Jwohl:</div><div class="quote_post">LeBron aint goin no where. He is playing close to his family, they will be able to offer him as much if not more money than anyone else, he will get the same endorsement there as he will get anywhere else and by the time his contract is up chicago will have be spending the money on hinrich, deng, and gordon. Not happening.</div> No He wont.
As soon as one of these double your endorsement deals hits the fan-and if it was Lebron it would hit it big,you'd have 50 lawsuits and several new league rules on collusion and conspiracy. Further,far less than half the consumers live in NY-CHI-LA,so what happens if all the other fans BOYCOTT Nike or whoever trys to pollute this sport with mercenary excess like how Stienbrenner spoiled baseball. Now I know NY fans feel entitled,but if I'm Lebron,I don't want to live in New York City-once you have $50 million or more in the bank why whore for another mill?
very big WHAT IF there. Money talks heaps. Why wouldnt NY want him? I meen he is a SG anyway. When u got a guy who is a contender for season MVP and the unofficial best player in the leauge right now scoring a triple double every second night its hard not to want lebron in any team. i agree with ya cash-money he is goin to the bulls and they will be champs once he heads there. Money talks. im gona keep sayin it. money talks. The only way that NY will get lebron is if they cut down their already huge salary cap and im sure that lebron would rather play for a young team then for a team with alot more older players. TIM THOMAS AS GOOD AS JORDAN. LOL MAN I COULD BEAT HIM IN BASKETBALL! i sense ur sarcasim knicks fans so its alrite. Lebron moving to one of the big cities may become reality because the way cleveland is travelling they need lebron to be in full health to be title contenders. they lost to the knicks afta their 11-1 past 12 games without him. unless cleveland does somethin money wont be the only thing talkin, championship rings and a dynasty in the making will be the thing that drags lebron from cleveland!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Purple Fever:</div><div class="quote_post">The Knicks don't need LeBron, they have Sweetney.</div> yeah he's twice the player lebron will ever be...literally...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Bobcats:</div><div class="quote_post">Why would LeBron go to NY when the Knicks already have a stud SF in Tim Thomas?</div> lol
Another reason he wont want to leave is if they do indeed get Michael Redd. THen they could survive without James for a few games and some of the pressure would be lifted off his scoring.
LeBron is a Cleveland native. He is also DA MAN in Cleveland. Sure, technically he could leave for some bigger dollars but i doubt very much he would. Why would you leave your hometown where he has always dreamed of playing just for the bright lights of a major city? He won't. LeBron will be to Cleveland Cavaliers what the great Michael Jordan was for the Chicago Bulls. The hero, the franchise, the spirit....DA MAN!
I think it'll depend a lot also how close he is to a championship in 2007, and how close his suitors are.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting fatballer_10:</div><div class="quote_post">LeBron is a Cleveland native. He is also DA MAN in Cleveland. Sure, technically he could leave for some bigger dollars but i doubt very much he would. Why would you leave your hometown where he has always dreamed of playing just for the bright lights of a major city? He won't. LeBron will be to Cleveland Cavaliers what the great Michael Jordan was for the Chicago Bulls. The hero, the franchise, the spirit....DA MAN!</div> How can u say this when theres so many rumours about lebron wanting a million to be in the dunk contest!!!! money is obviously makin decisions for him. he will move unless cleveland does pick up some fresh young talent to play with lebron cause even jordan needed pippen to win every title. who could be his running buddy? well thats why chicago looks good cause im sure kirk hindrik would like to have lebron as his passing option on the fast break. unless chicago didnt get pippen and horace for the first 3 and rodman,longley,kukoc and kemp for the second 3 im sure there wouldve been rumours of jordan wanting to move to get that championship that whole life was working towards. hopefully cleveland will get someone like maybe even Carmelo which would be nice but doubtful as someone who can play with lebron and help them win some championships.
LBJ goin NY's way? I have heard rumors of LBJ going to the Knicks in 07 He would get such a large endorsment boost that it would more than compensate for whatever pay cut he would have to take to fit with their cap numbers. Im praying
No LeBron Move Even though I live in Chicago and would love to see LeBron move to a major market I just don't see it happening. People can already see that he will be a star comparable to Jordan, Magic, Robertson, and Bird. Cleveland will do everything in their power to keep him and surround him with the talent to keep him happy and win championships. I see them signing a new big name player like Michael Redd this summer and retaining Z. If they don't get Redd I could see them going after Ray Allen whose contract is up this summer. I think these players might even prefer Cleveland as a destination so that they can play with Lebron. And for those who think Cleveland doesn't have the money remember that they have nearly the highest amount of cap room in the league right now, moreover, since Lebron has come to the team the team has become a cash cow (granted they were broke before)...but now they're raking in money from all over. On top of that when you take the number of professional sports teams in the market and compare it to the population of NE Ohio they actually have a better ratio of potential fans to teams than Chicago or LA. Remeber Cleveland only has three major league teams vs. at least five in the other markets. That said don't be surprised to see Cleveland go over the cap in a couple years and pay the penalties because they'll have the money to do it. I think we're looking at the beginning of the next great basketball dynasty in Cleveland and as fan of basketball in general it will be fun to watch how this era and dynasty unfold. It also will be kind of cool to see a league powerhouse come from a middle-market area.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting JWohl:</div><div class="quote_post">I have heard rumors of LBJ going to the Knicks in 07 He would get such a large endorsment boost that it would more than compensate for whatever pay cut he would have to take to fit with their cap numbers. Im praying</div> Imagine if the Knicks cleared cap room plus he got his endorsements!?!?! That man would be <u>filthy</u> rich!!!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting bball_spida:</div><div class="quote_post">How can u say this when theres so many rumours about lebron wanting a million to be in the dunk contest!!!! money is obviously makin decisions for him. he will move unless cleveland does pick up some fresh young talent to play with lebron cause even jordan needed pippen to win every title. who could be his running buddy? well thats why chicago looks good cause im sure kirk hindrik would like to have lebron as his passing option on the fast break. unless chicago didnt get pippen and horace for the first 3 and rodman,longley,kukoc and kemp for the second 3 im sure there wouldve been rumours of jordan wanting to move to get that championship that whole life was working towards. hopefully cleveland will get someone like maybe even Carmelo which would be nice but doubtful as someone who can play with lebron and help them win some championships.</div> I said that before the talk of wanting a million to do the dunk comp, which by the way is still just a rumour!!! Also, he has a good nucleus around him, like Mike did. He has Drew Gooden and Big Z Ilgauskas who are just like Rodman and Longley were to Mike. All they need is a nice free agent to join him and its a lock. I would almost guarantee LeBron is now and forever will be a Cav. He has loyalty and the adoration of a home town. He won't go anywhere!!!
Gooden and Rodman are in different worlds. He already gets 90 million from NIke ova 7 years and imagine if he went to chicago the money!!!! Cleveland needs to get someone young to be with Lebron as his running buddy lol. Mike had pippen! michael redd or ray allen would be really nice. he would stay if they can do that. but we can only wait and see. thing is ray allen wants more money on his contract and im not sure of clevelands salary cap space.
economicly speaking <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Cleveland will do everything in their power to keep him and surround him with the talent to keep him happy and win championships. I see them signing a new big name player like Michael Redd this summer and retaining Z. If they don't get Redd I could see them going after Ray Allen whose contract is up this summer. I think these players might even prefer Cleveland as a destination so that they can play with Lebron. And for those who think Cleveland doesn't have the money remember that they have nearly the highest amount of cap room in the league right now, moreover, since Lebron has come to the team the team has become a cash cow (granted they were broke before)...but now they're raking in money from all over. On top of that when you take the number of professional sports teams in the market and compare it to the population of NE Ohio they actually have a better ratio of potential fans to teams than Chicago or LA. Remeber Cleveland only has three major league teams vs. at least five in the other markets. That said don't be surprised to see Cleveland go over the cap in a couple years and pay the penalties because they'll have the money to do it.</div> Even with the bird rule the extra money from cleveland cant compare to what a larger market can offer. Especially if owners get their way in the new collective bargaining agreement and lower the maximum years they lose most of their leverage. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Imagine if the Knicks cleared cap room plus he got his endorsements!?!?! That man would be filthy rich!!!</div> I was discussing this with Knicks analyst (see sig) and we realized that even if NY doesnt clear the cap space for their mid-level exception plus the clause in his nike contract where he gets nearly double the money for going to NY plus the other countless endorsements he would get becuase he was in NY it would end up being more money than anywhere except for maybe LA (depending on cap sitation) could offer. I never thought i'd say this but please LeBron follow the money not you heart (i have just died a little bit inside)
End this madness people First of all, I'm a long time reader here and just had to post here for the first time because of all the silly stupidity that I see on this thread in particular. Nothing personal to that Lakers fan who keeps thinking up of whatever ways LeBron can leave the Cavs, but you're full of it. First of all, your team has no chance of getting LeBron with your overstuffed cap, especially if you pick up Boozer's bad contract like the reports from Fox Sports say. Secondly, I'm a Knicks fan and have lived in Cleveland for a while. LEBRON IS NOT LEAVING THE CAVS!!!! Get it through your head. I'm a hardcore Knicks fan, hardcore, with strong New York roots, and I would cream myself if the Cavs were somehow stupid enough to let him go to NYC. And if you are gonna be dumb enough to point out that Shaq left Orlando for LA, why don't you point out all the facts if you're gonna bring that up. Shaq left Orlando because Orlando was flat out dumb. They were out-bid. The cap wasn't as stringent back then and LA offered 7 years, $121 million. Orlando should have found a way to exceed that offer, but they didn't. Under the new rules, nobody can offer LeBron more money than the Cavs. On August 1st, 2006, they can offer him a maximum 7 year deal for $112 million. They will give him that. The Cavs ownership is strong, living in Cleveland I am more than familiar with the Cavs, even the pre-LeBron Cavs. They just had a dude shell out $375 million to buy the Cavs from Gund...you think he paid that much just to see his prized asset walk away in 2 years for nothing? Secondly, there are quite a lot of loopholes to jump through to get LeBron out of the Cavs possession. His contract is up in 2007, but the Cavs have the right to match ANY OFFER...ANY...REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY STAND IN THE CAP. That is assuming that he doesn't sign an extension with them. Think about it, what is he gonna tell Cavs fans if he doesn't sign an extension with them, even if the team is doing well? "Uh, sorry guys, I don't want to sign my extension because I want to go to a bigger market, F you all!" Living here, I know he's not like that, and he has helped build 5 playgrounds in his native Akron, 20 miles south of C-Town. If LeBron signs with nobody after 2007, then he signs his one year tender for 2007/08 and becomes unrestricted after that and can sign with anyone. Even then, the Cavs can offer him more money than anyone regardless of salary cap for them. But if LeBron let it get that far, the fans in Cleveland would clearly know what his intentions are, and playing at his hometown and home arena, where he is loved beyond words right now, would be a nightmare for him. Fans would keep demanding answers. Think about it...winning team, max contract, hometown fans, family, friends...why would he want to do that just for endorsement money? The guy has all the money in the world already and the additional endorsement money he gets from playing in NYC will just make up the difference from the "smaller" contract that Knicks can offer him. The guy is already super-popular...how much more popular can you get? Kids in freakin Somalia can be pimping LeBron #23 Cleveland jerseys for all I know. Again, I'm no Cavs fan, I'm not a Cavs hater either, but living in Cleveland, I can assure you that he will not be leaving the Cavs for a long, long time, if ever. Get your facts straight, learn the collective bargaining rules, and realize that when you are already set for life at the age of 20, it isn't all about the money. LeBron has a chance to bring his hometown its first championship of any sort since the 1964 Browns. I think that is more important to him than MONEY at this point of his life.
Seriously though, why all the hate for the Cavs, guys? They are a feel-good story and proof that small market teams can make it big in the NBA. You don't have to be NY, Chicago, LA, Houston, Detroit to be a good team. That's what the NBA needs. I'm not a Cavs fan but I wouldn't mind seeing LeBron turn them into a dynasty for years. Why do you guys hate the Cavs so much, have you even been to Cleveland or checked out the city? It's no New York or LA, but a successful sports team can thrive here because the city loves its teams. The Cleveland Indians were awesome in the 90's (couldn't get past my Yankees though, LOL, but that's another story), and the city was passionately in love with them. If you win here, Cleveland will treat you like a God. In New York or LA, he will be under the microscope even more and not only that, he will have to share the spotlight with tons of other celebrities. In Cleveland he will always be THE MAN, not only that, but A GOD. Plus how much more endorsement deals are we talking about? Nike, Sprite, the bubble gum...the guy already has commercials out of the butt. Why do you guys not only hate the Cavs and Cleveland so much, but also why do you think that money determines everything even when you have a $90 million shoe deal and your hometown team pays you a $112 million extension, more than any other NBA team can give you? Stop the madness guys, I'm going to bed. Peace.
