Tag: 2010 NBA free agency (Page 32 of 57)

      Thibodeau hire a sign that LeBron is coming to Chicago?

      June 6, 2010 /

      Adrian Wojnarowski thinks there may be a connection…

      World Wide Wes has been telling everyone that he believes LeBron James(notes) is leaning hard toward signing with the Chicago Bulls. No one can be certain if basketball’s most famous middleman has been whispering honest insights to friends or amping the anxiety of Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert. Just know this: It wasn’t until Tom Thibodeau – who swore he never again wanted an agent – signed with William Wesley’s CAA that the Chicago Bulls grew serious about the coach’s candidacy.

      Something pushed Bulls officials to get on a plane, fly to Los Angeles on the eve of the NBA Finals and meet with the Boston Celtics assistant coach. Within 48 hours, the Bulls had a deal for Thibodeau to become their head coach. For several weeks, the Bulls had chances to interview him. They never did. Just a year ago, Thibodeau couldn’t get offers from the Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia Sixers and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Celtics see him as a career assistant and wouldn’t even consider him as a candidate to replace Doc Rivers.

      Only now, Tom Thibodeau has a three-year contract to coach the Chicago Bulls.

      William Wesley is a known confidant of LeBron and if he’s running around telling people that LeBron is headed to Chicago and Thibodeau signed with his agency just before being hired by the Bulls, there could be something here.

      Wojnarowski also discusses the Heat’s situation as well as what happened to Danny Ferry in Cleveland. It’s a good read.

      Another interesting bit came from an unnamed front office exec:

      As one front-office executive with a franchise that has significant salary-cap space this summer said, “I think all the big free-agent deals will be done by July 1, if not the draft. The NBA would have a cow if [it] knew what’s going on now.”

      If this is true, it makes LeBron’s planned free agency tour all the more ridiculous.

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      Cavs GM Danny Ferry resigns

      June 4, 2010 /

      Brian Windhorst has the details:

      In an interview with the The Plain Dealer, Ferry said the decision was mutual after the sides had talks about a new contract earlier this week. Ferry’s five-year deal that he signed when he came to the team in 2005 was scheduled to expire at the end of June.

      Ferry will be replaced by top assistant Chris Grant, who has been functioning in the role of a co-general manager for the last several years.

      On his Twitter feed, Windhorst wrote the following about LeBron’s possible involvement:

      High level sources: LeBron did not play a role in decision, he liked Ferry. This was about power. Ferry wanted same level as in 2005, with the stakes [owner Dan] Gilbert didn’t want to give it. So they parted ways.

      It’s very tough to judge a general manager because we’re not privy to all the details of the trades that were available to them. Things get especially murky when the team has someone like LeBron, who seemingly has his fingers into everything.

      Ferry did acquire talented players like Mo Williams, Shaq and Antawn Jamison, but the pieces didn’t mesh very well, at least not at playoff time. And it’s not that tough to acquire talent, especially when your owner is willing to open his checkbook in this economy.


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      David Stern: “There is no free agent summit.”

      June 4, 2010 /

      David Stern answered a few questions yesterday about a number of topics, including the proposed free agent summit that was first mentioned by Dwyane Wade.

      Q. Can you talk a little bit about your thoughts on the free agent summit and how the League and the Board of Governors might feel about that strategizing?

      COMMISSIONER DAVID STERN: There is no free agent summit.

      Q. Some of these players conferred when they signed their most recent contract.

      COMMISSIONER DAVID STERN: Our players talk to each other all the time. They talk to each other on Team USA. They talk to each other. I think they have a meeting every year around our draft. I’ve been assured at the highest level that there is no summit. But I would expect our players to talk to one another, and we don’t have any problem with that. If some kind of tampering is implicated, I will have a later and different view, but we’re not expecting that.

      Q. There is no free agency summit, you told them there isn’t or they told you?

      COMMISSIONER DAVID STERN: No, they told me.

      Q. Would you have told them there isn’t?

      COMMISSIONER DAVID STERN: No. They can have it. I was wondering whether they would get together, eight players and they’ll all look at D Wade’s ring? They’d be better off watching these Finals to see how you construct a team and how you play and the like. There’s not going to be a summit.

      I put that bit in bold because it seems important. Is Stern saying that a couple of players can’t get together and decide where they want to play? Ultimately, it’s up to the team to agree to sign each player, so that’s why there are such strict rules about tampering with regard to owners and franchises.

      So if Wade calls up LeBron and they agree to play for the Heat, is that considered tampering? If not, where is the line drawn? Three? Five? What if there are eight players in a room discussing their options?

      What constitutes tampering?


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

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      LeBron is going to milk this for all it’s worth

      June 4, 2010 /

      Some disturbing news via FanHouse…

      James, according to the source, is in discussions with Nike to create a new shoe for every visit along his free agent path starting July 1. The shoes would have the date of the visit printed, with James already having scripted his itinerary for the Free Agency Tour 2010.

      The source insists that he’ll head for New York first to visit with the Knicks, and then spend time with the Nets. Chicago will be next, with the Bulls hoping he wants to follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan and become the Windy City’s beloved star. Depending on the level of sustained public interest and the discussions with the teams in the respective cities, James will decide at that point whether to continue on to Miami and possibly Los Angeles to see the Clippers.

      Remember, this is coming from a source, but if it’s true — as Charlie Brown would say…good grief!

      First, the fact that he’s planning to hawk shoes for all these different cities seems a little shady, especially since he’ll be saying “no” to every team but one. On top of that, depending on “the level of sustained public interest,” he may go to Miami and Los Angeles as well. In other words, he doesn’t plan to sign with either team, but if the public is interested in his free agent courtship, he’ll go to those cities to hold a media event or two and hawk more sneakers.

      Not only is this plan ridiculously egotistical, but it will effectively hold the free agency process hostage until he’s done selling shoes and basking in the collective love from fans around the country.

      However, by creating such a spectacle, he definitely runs the risk of alienating fans of those teams he rejects, and if he’s not careful, he could become one of the most reviled players in the league. LeBron would be wise to realize that his reputation is not bulletproof.

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      Transcript of LeBron’s interview with Larry King

      June 2, 2010 /

      CNN.com has the transcript of the entire interview. Here are the highlights as it relates to his pending free agency.

      On what’s important in picking a team:

      JAMES: Well, I mean, to me, I think my ultimate — my ultimate goal is winning championships and — and I understand that me going down as one of the greats will not happen until I, you know, win a championship. So for me, the team that I decided to go toward (INAUDIBLE) in Cleveland, that ultimately has — has the best chance for me to win a championship not one year, but multiple years. But for me to continue to get better and help that team win, I think, ultimately, would be my decision. I’m going to do what’s best for me and my family.

      On Cleveland’s advantage:

      KING: All right. Do you lean at all toward the place you know the best? I mean do they have an edge going in…

      JAMES: Oh, absolutely.

      KING: — your home team?

      JAMES: Absolutely. Because, you know, this city, these fans, I mean, have given me a lot in these seven years. And, you know, for me, it’s comfortable. So I’ve got a lot of memories here. And — and so it does have an edge. But it’s a — it’s a very — it’s going to be a very interesting summer and I’m looking forward to it.

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