The Lebron Safari 2014

[shoes22]

@KingJames: @KyrieIrving is definitely a All-Star this year #nodoubtaboutit

So it begins...

[Rondo]

LBJ is sucking Kyrie's nuts on twitter...rofl

[chrisrich91]

@kyrieirving All-Star! Went for 40 tonight and W

— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 23, 2013

Fine, I guess he might come back...BUT not for any sentimental story or to get the Cleveland fans back on his side or anything like that.

For all you drooling over the return of LeBron, the ONLY chance it happens...and it's a small one...is if we are the best team, talent wise, with cap space when he opts out. If we don't give him the absolute best chance to win immediately in 2014, nothing else matters.

He's not coming regardless, but tonight it just seemed abundantly clear to me. He's a bandwagoner...if we're stacked with young studs, sure he'll come. If there's a better spot, there he goes.

[lebrownsfan]

He's just saying that so Kyrie will join him in Brooklyn. I don't care what happens, I still hate the bastard.

[shoes22]

He's just saying that so Kyrie will join him in Brooklyn. I don't care what happens, I still hate the bastard.

That doesn't make any sense for him...if you were LeBron, wouldn't it make more sense for you to come back to Cleveland and have everyone love you again, as opposed to trying to pry Kyrie from Cleveland when he's a free agent and play with him somewhere else? Because if that ever happens, no matter what the circumstances are, the hatred for LeBron would be double what it is now. LeBron is incredibly image-conscious after the Decision debacle, there's no way that ever happens.

[CodyL1121]

LeBron must have watched the game tonight. We performed good too. You've got to think that LeBron must be at home, pondering a return to Cleveland. Playing alongside Kyrie, TT and Dion. Having Cleveland once again be on his side.

[randymoss1881]

That doesn't make any sense for him...if you were LeBron, wouldn't it make more sense for you to come back to Cleveland and have everyone love you again, as opposed to trying to pry Kyrie from Cleveland when he's a free agent and play with him somewhere else? Because if that ever happens, no matter what the circumstances are, the hatred for LeBron would be double what it is now. LeBron is incredibly image-conscious after the Decision debacle, there's no way that ever happens.

Everyone already does love him and if he dosent opt out in 2014 but does it in 2015 brooklyn has money and dwill. An idk what recruiting plann they did with the russian and Jay-z but they got D12 begging even to this day to go there. If anything his friendship with Jay-Z is more powerfull than this phantom home town thing we are talking ourselves into

[Marcus]

He's just saying that so Kyrie will join him in Brooklyn. I don't care what happens, I still hate the bastard.

What are they gonna do, sign them to the vet min? They've got all their cap space tied up in terrible contracts.

[KI4MVP]

Everyone already does love him and if he dosent opt out in 2014 but does it in 2015 brooklyn has money and dwill. An idk what recruiting plann they did with the russian and Jay-z but they got D12 begging even to this day to go there. If anything his friendship with Jay-Z is more powerfull than this phantom home town thing we are talking ourselves into

Kyrie >>> Dwil

And Brooklyn doesn't have any money in 2015. They have $72 million committed to 4 players (Joe Johnson, Williams, Lopez and Wallace). The amount only goes up if they land Howard.

[KB]

Everyone already does love him and if he dosent opt out in 2014 but does it in 2015 brooklyn has money and dwill. An idk what recruiting plann they did with the russian and Jay-z but they got D12 begging even to this day to go there. If anything his friendship with Jay-Z is more powerfull than this phantom home town thing we are talking ourselves into

In 2015 the Nets will still have the below players under contract

D-Will
Lopez
Joe Johnson
Gerald Wallace
Brooks

For those players they have 72$mil cap number for 2015/2016

2016 is when all of them but D-Will come off the books. Unless D-Will opts out in 2015

So Brooklyn has no money in the 2015 FA market

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/brooklyn.htm

Kyrie >>> Dwil

And Brooklyn doesn't have any money in 2015. They have $72 million committed to 4 players (Joe Johnson, Williams, Lopez and Wallace). The amount only goes up if they land Howard.

Damn, beat me too it

[Marcus]

Kyrie >>> Dwil

And Brooklyn doesn't have any money in 2015. They have $72 million committed to 4 players (Joe Johnson, Williams, Lopez and Wallace). The amount only goes up if they land Howard.

I wish I could thank the bolded a thousand times. D-Will is an All-Star caliber point guard, but Kyrie in all honesty is going to be a superstar in this league some day. Here's how I think the East stacks up when it comes to PGs, assuming 100% health:

1. Derrick Rose* - The guy won the MVP for a reason. When he's healthy, he's the best point guard in the game in my opinion. The * is there because we obviously don't know if he will ever be the same after his knee injury. Some are, and some aren't, but he is an outstanding athlete so I really think he stands a good chance of making a full recovery and comeback.

2. Rajon Rondo - Probably the best pure point guard in the game right now, he's an elite defender and is just superb at setting up his teammates. That's what a point guard needs to do, outside of just scoring the ball. He's a triple double threat every time he steps out on the court and rebounds very well for his position.

3. Kyrie Irving - Currently leads the league in isolation scoring. He can beat you from anywhere on the court, but he still needs to do a better job of making it easier for his teammates to score, and he needs to dramatically improve on the defensive end if he wants to be the best. When it comes to scoring for PGs right now, though, there's no one better in the league.

4. Jrue Holiday - He is enjoying the best year of his career, currently averaging 19/8, and in my mind is the far and away front runner for the Most Improved Player award. The unfortunate thing is that some of these extremely talented PGs are not going to make the All-Star roster -- but he should not be one of them.

5. Deron Williams - Kind of having a "meh" year. Still better than most PGs, but not having a spectacular year by any means. His team has been playing better as of late, though, so that bodes well in his favor and he may just sneak into the All-Star Game based on his reputation.

Honorable mentions: Kemba Walker, Raymond Felton, Brandon Knight, John Wall

Fuck Brandon Jennings. The dude is nothing but an inefficient chucker and if he makes the All-Star roster then it will be an absolute travesty.

[theSTEREO.]

@kyrieirving All-Star! Went for 40 tonight and W

— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 23, 2013

Fine, I guess he might come back...BUT not for any sentimental story or to get the Cleveland fans back on his side or anything like that.

For all you drooling over the return of LeBron, the ONLY chance it happens...and it's a small one...is if we are the best team, talent wise, with cap space when he opts out. If we don't give him the absolute best chance to win immediately in 2014, nothing else matters.

He's not coming regardless, but tonight it just seemed abundantly clear to me. He's a bandwagoner...if we're stacked with young studs, sure he'll come. If there's a better spot, there he goes.

This is the only reason I give even partial thought to any kind of Lebron return.

He doesn't need to come back here to redeem anything, and no one outside of Cleveland is expecting or wanting him to. Would it make for a good story? Yeah probably and it will make people tune in. But it'll never be Lebrons reason.

IMO, Lebron will be leaving Miami because the corpses he's about to be playing with are going to start rotting soon. I don't see too many possibilities of places for him to go, and honestly I think that barring another team making major changes, the only two realistic landing spots for him are Los Angeles and Cleveland. And that is purely from a basketball perspective. He'd just get the added bonus of Cleveland being home for him if he somehow ended up here.

In the end, it will be a basketball decision and that's it. 100%.

[Rob]

@kyrieirving All-Star! Went for 40 tonight and W

— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 23, 2013

Fine, I guess he might come back...BUT not for any sentimental story or to get the Cleveland fans back on his side or anything like that.

For all you drooling over the return of LeBron, the ONLY chance it happens...and it's a small one...is if we are the best team, talent wise, with cap space when he opts out. If we don't give him the absolute best chance to win immediately in 2014, nothing else matters.

He's not coming regardless, but tonight it just seemed abundantly clear to me. He's a bandwagoner...if we're stacked with young studs, sure he'll come. If there's a better spot, there he goes.

You just realized this lol? He was a Cowboys, Bulls, and Yankees fan as a kid. The 3 major sports dynasty's at the time. Go figure.

[JiggleIt]

Is it safe to say that if he plugs another player for Allstar status that he wants to go play for their city too?

This is the only reason I give even partial thought to any kind of Lebron return.

He doesn't need to come back here to redeem anything, and no one outside of Cleveland is expecting or wanting him to. Would it make for a good story? Yeah probably and it will make people tune in. But it'll never be Lebrons reason.

IMO, Lebron will be leaving Miami because the corpses he's about to be playing with are going to start rotting soon. I don't see too many possibilities of places for him to go, and honestly I think that barring another team making major changes, the only two realistic landing spots for him are Los Angeles and Cleveland. And that is purely from a basketball perspective. He'd just get the added bonus of Cleveland being home for him if he somehow ended up here.

In the end, it will be a basketball decision and that's it. 100%.

I agree with most of this. But people are putting Wade in his casket about 3-4 years too early and Bosh will likely go where either or both of them go. Wade isn't as devastatingly unhealthy people are making him out to be. Yeah, if he's regularly missing 20-30 games every year, it will be safe to say he's on the downswing. But I got news for people...last year was the first time in four seasons that he missed that many games. He's still getting it done out there at an elite level. Not to mention, Bosh is still in his athletic prime and healthy.

I don't see any legitimate reason to believe Bosh and Wade can't continue to go out there for the length of another LeBron contract and contend. There's no evidence suggesting they can't. When we say old, are we referring to the bench? Because the bench has sucked the whole time they've been together, so I don't see why that would change his mind next contract.

If it's not the Heat, then the Lakers could have Dwight Howard available to him along with whatever Pau nets them.

In the Lakers, the Cavs are contending with a team that pulls major coups personnel-wise every other 3-4 yearsin order to contend. They're also contending with Riley, a man who has sold his soul to the devil and would pull out all the stops to keep him.

And since everyone keeps referring to image (which likely is a very minor factor)...how does that look on LeBron when he promises 7 titles and bails after 1 or 2?

So what weighs on his conscience more...his unfulfilled promise to win 7 titles or a team that he currently has no actual allegiance to and specifically dismissed as his hometown multiple times when he was in Cleveland?

People are reading into things that just aren't there and LeBron's crew is doing it to you on purpose. You're also counting on three years of Waiters and Irving looking better than three years of Wade (maybe) and three years of Thompson to look better than Bosh (highly doubtful) nd/or the next draft pick making up for whatever shortcomings those two have (no way to know).

It's actually not impossible that the Cavs propose more raw talent at that time than the Heat. But LeBron now has allegiances to the Heat and currently has none to the Cavs. Wade and Bosh are proven playoff assets and Kyrie, Waiters and Thompson...who knows? The team is currently a loser, a bad failure. Having a big year next year might be cause for a little more optimism, but it does not guarantee you that it's a more attractive destination for a player who can go ANYWHERE he wants.

It's not going to happen. You've gotta stop doing this to yourselves. Not on my watch.

[ajz20]

I agree that it is foolish to "expect it will happen 100 percent" but many think it is 50/50 at best he will stay in Miami, A large indicator is Wades play next year. If he is still playing at a very high level and the Heat are back to back champions then he will stay. However, if the Heat dont win it all this year, and Wade starts to slow down next year, and Lebron does not even reach the NBA finals, and feels like he is starting to have to carry the team then the Idea of playing with Irving, TT, Waiters our upcoming draft picks... and whoever we add via trade in the next 13 months (i think there is no way Grant sits on the roster for another 13 months) will be very appealing to him.

He will be about to hit 30 and in no mood to "carry the Heat" with Wade no longer playing at an all star level which I believe is 2-3 years away. Basically, the ending of the next two seasons are going to determine what happens. If they are winning titles, he wont leave. If they lose in 5 or 6 games in the ECF next year and he starts to get any type of frustration, then he is out! He has no ties to Miami, and no incentive to stick around if they do not give him the best chance at winning a title. As for LA, lets wait and see what trades they make in the next year and if they sign Howard to a long term deal. It is no guarentee they will have the cap space in 2014 like some have suggested. Basically, it is too early to make firm predictions either way. There is still a lot of scenarios to play out over the next 18 months!

I know if I were him by 2015 I would take irving over Wade 100 percent of the time. And, here is the thing by then I am starting to think that TT will be almost or just as good as Bosh. He may not score as much, but I think he is starting to show he can become a 15 and 10 guy for his career. Bosh is going to be 30 in 2014 and is currently averaging 17 a night, by that time TT will be 24, starting his prime and Bosh will be about to start to decline. That is a very objective way at looking at it. Again, if Miami is winning titles then we can forgot about it, but if they are not, then I would be shoked to see him stay!
By this time next year, we should have a much better idea of how realistic his return is!