Tag: Dwyane Wade (Page 14 of 31)

LeBron leaning Miami?

Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) reacts after a disputed foul by Los Angeles Lakers' Derek Fisher in the second half of their NBA game in Los Angeles on December 25, 2009. The Cavaliers defeated the Lakers 102-87. UPI/Jim Ruymen Photo via Newscom

It appears so, according to the groundswell of sources who are pointing that way. Chris Broussard outlines the decision:

All indications are that LeBron James is leaning toward signing with the Miami Heat on Thursday night, according to several sources with knowledge of the situation.

Chris Paul, one of James’ best friends, has urged him to stay in Cleveland and let new Cavaliers coach Byron Scott coach him, according to sources. With such strong sentiment around him to not go to Miami, it’s possible James could alter his decision.

James’ family and friends are divided over his decision to play in Miami, according to sources. Opinions range from understanding his desire to play with All-Star teammates, to feeling he is selling himself short by joining Wade’s team, to concerns that playing on such a power-packed squad will hurt his brand even if he wins championships.

While sources close to James insist his heart is in Cleveland and remaining with the Cavaliers was his preferred choice, they say he had concerns about signing a six-year deal there and ending up “31 years old, with bad knees and no title.”

Brian Windhorst:

Newsday has reported LeBron has decided on Heat. Only a couple of people can truly confirm this. None have to me at this point.

ESPN has followed Newsday with #LeBron to MIA report. Uptick in salary cap plus no state income tax helped with $:

I still have no direct confirmation from LeBron’s inner circle on Miami. Maybe they’re trying to save suspense in some way.

Ric Bucher:

But the insanity is rising: the 1 source came at me hard that LBJ to Mia is done. Only way I go w/one source on that is if it’s LBJ/Mav.

J.A. Adande:

Part of me thinks LeBron’s camp is just floating this Miami thing to gauge the reaction. And what I’ve seen has not been positive.

I’m going to write more about a possible “Miami Thrice” combination in South Florida a little bit later, but right now I’m going to go have breakfast with my wife and try not to think about LeBron Freaking James for at least an hour.

Where do the Bulls go from here?

Chicago sports radio is predictably on fire right now with the news that hometown hero Dwyane Wade is going to stay with the Heat, and that he’s taking Chris Bosh with him. Couple that with the fact that it looks like the Bulls are a long shot to land the services of LeBron James, and Bulls fans are understandably panicked.

They can still improve their pitch to LeBron, but they need to move quickly. Here’s how they do it.

1. Sign Carlos Boozer (or David Lee). Boozer would be a very nice fit alongside Joakim Noah because he can score in the post and Noah can cover for Boozer’s lack of defensive. This is move #1 because the Bulls need to make this signing anyway to improve the roster. If Boozer wants the max, Lee would be a good backup plan. He’s not a good post scorer, but he can hit open jumpers and that would be appealing to both Derrick Rose and LeBron, if he were to come to Chicago. Lee is also younger and more durable.

2. Quickly work out an extension with Noah. The Bulls are known around a league as a franchise that has never paid the luxury tax, so if they were able lock up Noah long term, LeBron’s camp would take it as a sign that ownership will be willing to spend to win.

3. Ask LeBron for another meeting. Explain how the Boozer/Lee signing and the Noah extension makes Chicago the most attractive place to play. Ask LeBron if he really wants to face a loaded Miami team, the Magic, or the Celtics with the current roster in Cleveland. Underline how he’ll be the leader in Chicago, while the perception will be that he followed Wade and Bosh to Miami.
If LeBron decides to stay in Cleveland or bolt to Miami or some other team…

4. Go out and get drunk
, or do whatever someone does when they lose the love of their life. Get over it.

5. Wake up, drink a big glass of water and pop a couple of ibuprofen. Use the remaining cap space to sign a good shooting guard, like Ray Allen or Mike Miller, either guy would be a good fit in a lineup with Rose, Deng, Boozer and Noah. That lineup needs shooting and Allen/Miller can provide it. Kyle Korver or J.J. Redick are also options, though they will have trouble defending starter-caliber shooting guards.

The point is, all is not lost. The Bulls still might have a chance to sign LeBron, but they need to bring in a PF like Boozer or Lee and extend Noah so that he knows that the Bulls clearly have the best supporting cast this side of South Florida.

If they miss out on LeBron, they can still together a very nice lineup building around Rose, Boozer and Noah.

Step off the edge, Bulls fans. There are still a few balls in the air.

Reaction to Wade and Bosh’s interview on ESPN

Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh just announced in an interview with Michael Wilbon that they’ll be signing with the Miami Heat.

Here are a few random thoughts about the interview:

– Wilbon did a pretty good job of asking pointed questions (Wade-Chicago, Spoelstra-Riley, Bosh-Toronto, Bosh-Cleveland) but when Bosh sidestepped the Cleveland S&T question, he let it go.

– Wade spoke as if he didn’t have any inside info about where LeBron will play next season. He said he’ll be in front of the TV like the rest of us.

– Wade said that he’d take less money if it meant that the Heat could bring in better players. How much less is the real question.

– Wade said that he chose the Heat because Bosh wanted to play in Miami. That’s interesting, because Bosh seemed open to joining the Bulls as well. Basically, Wade put the onus of his decision NOT to play in Chicago on Bosh’s desire to play in Miami.

– Wade on Chicago: “Chicago, they had my heart. I tear up a little bit right now just thinking about the opportunity I had.” Of course, Wade has said before that his heart was in Miami, so it must own a couple of homes.

– Wade said that Erik Spoelstra is his coach, and is Bosh’s coach, but he accidentally called Pat Riley “Coach Riley.” Freudian slip, I say.

– When Wilbon asked Bosh to give LeBron one last pitch, he declined, saying that LeBron already had enough people in his ear.

Broussard: Miami is the front-runner for LeBron

Chris Broussard was just on SportsCenter and shared his thoughts on a few different items:

– He thinks the Heat are the front-runner for LeBron, but the Cavs, Knicks and the Bulls are still in it. He’s not hearing much about New Jersey. He said that if LeBron was going to go to the Bulls, Bosh would have gone with him, so Chicago’s chances seem slim.

– He’s hearing that LeBron will sign a five- or six-year deal, which makes sense because he wants to lock in his monster salary before the next collective bargaining agreement. I’d say this reduces the Cavs’ chances because it seems unlikely that LeBron would want to commit that long to that roster.

– He said the Knicks have jumped back into the conversation because Carmelo Anthony is “telling people” that he wants to join the Knicks next season. LeBron might go to NY with the idea that Melo would join him in a year.

Report: Wade, Bosh to join forces in Miami

Multiple sources are reporting that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are both going to sign with the Miami Heat, and one source says they’ll announce their decision sometime today. The Sun-Sentinel confirms the report.

Whether LeBron James, the kingpin of this summer’s celebrated free agent class, will join them remains to be seen. James will announce his decision Thursday night at 9 ET during a one-hour special on ESPN.

Both players are expected to get the maximum amount allowable under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, though the addition of James could change the players’ salaries. Contracts cannot be officially signed until July 8.

It was not immediately clear whether Bosh will sign with Miami outright or join the Heat through a sign-and-trade deal. Bosh could earn $125 million over six years via sign-and-trade, but only $96 million over five without it.

“Either way, he’s definitely going to Miami,” the source said.

Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo did not confirm the story, but he didn’t deny it, either. According to Heat beat writer Ira Winderman, Bosh’s decision blindsided the Raptors, who are now scrambling to get something in return.

It looks like Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov was right about Wade and Bosh joining forces in Miami.

It’s not clear where LeBron is heading, but if he has already scheduled his announcement for tomorrow night (9 PM ET) on the Worldwide Leader — pardon me while I throw up in my mouth a little — then he has already made up his mind. Why keep everyone hostage?

Recent events, especially the report that LeBron was trying to recruit Bosh for the Cavs, would indicate that he’s going to stay put in Cleveland, probably on a two- or three-year deal. I think if he were going to Miami, he would announce with Wade and Bosh, not drag this thing out further. (But who knows with this guy? For their part, the Heat think they have a real shot at LeBron.) Chicago, New Jersey and New York appear to be still in the running, probably in that order.

For what it’s worth, Adrian Wojnarowski said this on his Twitter page:

Official with team that made a formal presentation to LeBron James tells Y! Sports: “It’s down to Cleveland or Miami for him.”

The Wade/Bosh combo is huge news for the Heat, who retain their marquee player while adding an All-NBA big to be his running mate. Now Pat Riley has to get busy adding pieces to give this team a serviceable supporting cast. He probably can’t start in earnest until he finds out what LeBron is going to do.

The big loser? Barring an announcement that LeBron is heading to Chicago, it’s the Bulls. They need to get busy with Plan D or Plan E or whatever plans they have left. They should get Carlos Boozer and/or David Lee on the phone and get a deal in place. They could also use a shooting guard since they traded John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich away to dump salary.

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