According to notes obtained by ESPN.com, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in his final meeting with team brass that he felt certain that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would sign with the Heat.
Also, regarding LeBron:
On the conference call, he categorized the options he believes James has before him: The “hometown angle” of remaining with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The choice to play with Wade and Bosh in Miami, where James would have a “very high chance to win two or three titles” but where he could also “diminish the LeBron brand.”
Hmmm.
He also outlined the Nets’ strategy:
First, he said they must get one or two of The Big Three to sign with New Jersey. If the Nets land James alone, he wants them to sign either Carlos Boozer or David Lee to play beside him. As the veterans lead the Nets to the playoffs, he expects the club’s young talent, most notably rookie lottery pick Derrick Favors, to grow and develop their games.
The bit about diminishing “the LeBron brand” makes me wonder if these ‘notes’ were leaked on purpose. Maybe he’s trying to light a fire under LeBron and get him to go somewhere on his own. But it doesn’t appear likely that he’s going to sign with the Heat to play with Wade and Bosh, so if this were intentional, it was probably unnecessary as well.
Each of LeBron’s potential landing spots has its own set of pros and cons. Chicago has a good supporting cast but the specter of Michael Jordan still lingers. Cleveland is home, but the roster is not championship-ready. Playing with two other stars in Miami is appealing, but the Heat have always been ‘Wade’s Team.’ The Knicks play in the biggest market, but the supporting cast isn’t up to snuff, and both Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler technically play the same position as LeBron.
As for the Nets, they were miserable last season and will play in Newark for two more years, but they have new ownership, a new Brooklyn stadium in the works, a new coach, a future All-Star at center (Brook Lopez), a pretty good point guard (Devin Harris) and a good young prospect at power forward (Derrick Favors). Prokhorov also told LeBron that he’d continue to pursue a trade for his good friend Chris Paul.
Also, Prokhorov sounds awfully certain that Wade and Bosh will sign with the Heat, but I’m sure there are some Miami fans sweating things out in South Florida as Wade weighs playing in Chicago.
