Every fucking day, E!spn has a segment on "Is LeBron's future in New York?". Every fucking day. It's still almost two fucking years away before it could even possibly happen.
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billmac91
Head Coach
NFBuck;1338441; said:Every [censored]ing day, E!spn has a segment on "Is LeBron's future in New York?". Every [censored]ing day. It's still almost two [censored]ing years away before it could even possibly happen.
I enjoyed Rachel Nichols coverage tonight.
She said "New York is the main player, but don't forget Jay Z has a great relationship with LeBron and he wants LeBron as a Net when they move to Brooklyn. And don't forget about Cleveland. They want to throw their hat in the ring as well."
I thought Cleveland would just let him walk. No?
I will say LeBron doesn't ease my nerves. He's already giving the CC response of we'll talk about it when the time comes.
I think our best shot at keeping him will end up being if we can win a championship this year or next year. I just can't see him leaving if the Cavs have won a title. It'd just look greedy and superficial. If he never won another title all he'd ever hear about is leaving titles on the table to play in NY.
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The Knicks are absolutely horrible right now. Put Lebron and Bosh on that team and they still aren't better than the Cavs are now.
JJ having a nice game so far.
JJ having a nice game so far.
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billmac91
Head Coach
exhawg;1338534; said:
I agree with that...plus the Cavs can offer Bosh in 2010 just like the Knicks can.
I can just see LeBron jumping ship if the Cavs haven't won at that point. The nucleus of the team is LeBron....give him another superstar in Bosh, Amare, Melo...It's not a matter of if he will win championships, but in what city?
Chris Broussard wrote an excellent piece on ESPN today. He said the contract clause from Nike has expired, so the extra 25 mill for being in a major market isn't relevant. Chris didn't mention the contract is up in 2010 though. I'm not sure if it expires before or after LeBron signs his deal that year. He will 100% be giving up money in overall dollars to stay in Cleveland. The Cavs can offer an extra year and 25-30 million b/c of the Bird rules, but his endorsement money will easily exceed the 25-30 mill difference for being in NY.
Another good point he made though, was to be considered the best he needs to win multiple titles. And if you consider Jordan the best ever, Jordan built the Bulls. If LeBron leaves for NY, and they assemble an All-Star team, he'll forever be remembered as the guy who needed to jump ship to NY to win his titles. If he stays in Cleveland, and even if they bring in another superstar in 2010, it is LeBron's creation. And if they've already won a title before 2010, why end a potential dynasty?
ESPN - LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers isn't a foregone conclusion
After LeBron James dropped 31 points on the Nets and survived the voracious New York media last Tuesday, I told him, "You know tomorrow's newspapers are going to have you heading to New York.''
He laughed, shook his head and said, "Everybody thinks they know where I'm going before I even know."
That, of course, was before two Knicks trades last Friday cleared boatloads of cap room for the offseason of 2010, also known as "The Summer of LeBron.'' Now, with the Knicks in position to add not only LeBron but another superstar, as well, many are assuming it's only a matter of time before he's wearing blue and orange.
That will be the theme Tuesday night when the Cleveland Cavaliers visit Madison Square Garden to face the Knicks. And even though there is certainly reason for optimism in New York -- and even though several national pundits are claiming LeBron's days as a Cav are unquestionably numbered -- this fact still remains:
He doesn't know what he's going to do.
So how can anyone else?
I've had several conversations with LeBron about his future, and I can tell you that anyone who says he's definitely leaving Cleveland doesn't know what he's talking about.
"It's not a foregone conclusion that he's leaving,'' a person close to LeBron said. "It's premature to make that assumption.''
Money probably won't play much of a role in LeBron's decision because he'll obviously be filthy rich no matter where he goes. Cleveland can pay him the most, roughly $133 million over six years, while everyone else can offer about $102 mil over five. And contrary to popular opinion, LeBron does not get more money from Nike if he plays in New York. That clause in his contract expired after his rookie season.
While as many as 18 teams could have major cap space, my gut feeling is that LeBron is going to either stay in Cleveland or leave to resurrect the Knicks.
Sure, he's boys with Jay-Z, but now that the Nets' move to Brooklyn is postponed until at least 2011 (if it ever happens), their chances of landing him appear ruined. Detroit? San Antonio? Why leave Cleveland to go to those markets? I guess Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Miami can't be written off, but I still think it's a two-team race, one that ultimately will be determined by these two things: legacy and lifestyle.
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Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
Will this locker still be LBJ's beyond the summer of 2010? Who knows?
LeBron knows he's not competing against only Kobe, Dwyane Wade, Boston's big three and the rest of the league's stars; he's got to approach Jordan. That obviously takes plenty of titles. One, two and maybe even three, won't do. So, in 2010, what team is going to give him the best chance to win ring after ring after ring?
But Jordan didn't just win championships. He built a dynasty from scratch. That's the mentality LeBron was raised with by his coaches in Akron -- that you have to build something to have a legacy.
LeBron has built Cleveland into one of the league's elite teams -- without another star alongside him. If he's able to win a championship within the next two years without a major change to the roster, that will be more impressive than any title that Kobe has won, since Zydrunas Ilgauskas is not exactly Shaq (or even Pau Gasol).
One of the greatest arguments for Jordan's Top Dawg status is that his supporting cast, while a perfect fit for him, was less star-laden than other dynasties have been. Winning with what he had was more impressive than Magic's winning with Kareem and James Worthy or Bird's winning with Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. LeBron may be on that same track in Cleveland, with even less help.
Some believe a Cavs title by 2010 will make LeBron even more likely to leave since he'll be able to say, "Mission accomplished. I've brought my hometown a championship.'' But will he want to leave a proven winner -- especially if Cleveland has the cap room to add Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire or Yao Ming -- for the unknown?
Of course, the Cavs don't own the legacy argument. If LeBron brought titles to New York, which is going on 36 years of NBA championship withdrawal, he would become the savior/kingpin of the nation's biggest city. The league's largest market, which likes to call itself "the basketball capital of the world'' (even though it's not even close at the high school, college or pro level these days), would finally truly be the mecca again.
What makes the Knicks major players here is the ability to sign a second star. LeBron was never going to New York to play with a bunch of scrubs. But going there with say, Bosh, would position him to contend for a title in Year 1. Such positioning is an absolute must for him to move.
All in all, I'd give the Cavs a slight edge basketball-wise, especially if they win a title in the next year or two and are able to keep all that cap room. A longtime friend of LeBron's is convinced he's staying in Cleveland.
"He loves home,'' the friend told me yesterday. "That dude is a homebody more than people know. People think he's out all the time, but he'd be so happy to be at home.''
But it may come down to the issue of lifestyle.
"He's obsessed with living in New York,'' another friend told me recently.
LeBron is a fashion plate, and what better place to show off your wares than New York. He clearly likes the limelight and the Hollywood scene, so playing in front of the Garden's famous actors, actresses, athletes, rappers, et al would undoubtedly appeal to him. Also, some of the people around LeBron would rather see him in New York, where they believe he's more marketable, than in Cleveland.
Two years is a long way off, and all sorts of things can happen between now and then -- new developments will continue to reshape the league between now and July 2010. The Cavs could win two championships and the Knicks could play so poorly that they scare folks off. Who knows?
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tsteele316
Mr. Such and Such
billmac91;1338541; said:
you keep saying he'll be giving up money in endorsements to stay in cleveland. but that is nothing but assumption on your part. there is nothing that he can endorse in NY that he isn't already endorsing, unless Sal's pizza in the Bronx has an extra $20 million laying around.
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Maybe Stern can force the Cavs and Knicks to swap rosters in the off season since it is very important to have a winning team in New York. :p
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billmac91
Head Coach
tsteele316;1338562; said:
completely incorrect.
Why do you think there WAS a 25 million dollar clause in his contract if he was in a major market? (LA, Boston, NY) Think about this for a second...LeBron signed a 7 or 8 year deal for just over 100 millions dollars with Nike before he was drafted. That deal had a stipulation, if he was playing in a major market by the end of his rookie season, they'd give him an additional 25 million dollars.
The Nikes, Coca-Colas, Upper-Decks want him in a major market and they're willing to pay for it. They will plaster him all over Times Square, the inter-state, and inner-city billboards. And he won't just be another superstar, he will be their superstar.
As an FYI....New York City has a population of 8 million people. All of Ohio has 11 million. All of New York is over 20 million people. How many additional shoes will be sold b/c kids want their superstars shoe? Yes, he currently sells shoes in NYC, but it's split between Kobe, KG, AI, Melo, etc. Put LBJ in NYC and Jersey sales go through the roof. Moreso than him being a superstar in Cleveland. Does the NBA benefit by him being in NY? Do you think they'll be able to charge more for TV rights with LeBron in New York City?
In 2010, you don't think the additional dollars from all of his endorsements will easily surpass the 30 mill extra in Bird Rules?
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tsteele316
Mr. Such and Such
billmac91;1338581; said:
nope. superficial analysis. it was a 1-year provision in his original contract. why was it only 1 year? because it would allow nike to pimp him as the next greatest thing. guess what? he's already a household name worldwide. this is a red herring argument.
only two athletes made more money in endorsements, tiger woods and phil mickleson. both have lost endorsement deals in the last year. guess who will be #1. yes, he really needs that NY market.
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Napoleonbuck
Hall of Fame
My point is this.
If Lebron leaves the Cavs for the Knicks, I never want to hear him say he cares most about winning a championship. NEVER.
If Lebron leaves the Cavs for the Knicks, I never want to hear him say he cares most about winning a championship. NEVER.
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Why do I get the feeling that Lebron would be the type of recruit that we would all hate to deal with if he was a HS kid looking to play at OSU? Everywhere he goes he has nothing but good things to say about everyone that wants him and tells every audience what they want to hear.
He is using this as the college recruitment that he never had except these will be spare no expense do whatever it takes recruiting trips.
IMO if the Cavs can win the NBA one of the next two years it will be hard for him to leave.
He is using this as the college recruitment that he never had except these will be spare no expense do whatever it takes recruiting trips.
IMO if the Cavs can win the NBA one of the next two years it will be hard for him to leave.
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billmac91;1338581; said:
Did nobody send a telegram or a messenger on horseback to let the fine people of New York know about this LeBron James guy? If only they knew who he was, they might buy his shoes.
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
CPD
Cavaliers Insider: LeBron James, Microsoft end partnership
by Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer Reporter Tuesday November 25, 2008, 8:50 PM
Scott Shaw/The Plain DealerLeBron James and MSN, have ended their contract for the award winning Web site LeBron James.com
NEW YORK -- After less than two years, LeBron James' partnership with software and Internet giant Microsoft is over.
James and MSN, Microsoft's main web product, have terminated their contract, a source close to James said. As a result, the MSN web page upon which the two sides collaborated and James' personal page, LeBronJames.com, have been shut down.
Though the two sides said they had big marketing plans when the deal was announced over All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas in 2007, Microsoft never really activated the partnership. James had a brief cameo in a commercials for Windows Vista, Microsoft's latest operating system, but the child-targeted website was the only major project ever developed.
Continued............
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billmac91
Head Coach
jlb1705;1338935; said:
I knew who Michael Jordan was too, but I never asked for his jersey on Christmas. I wanted a Mark Price jersey.
I liked Charles Barkley, but had a poster of Dougherty, Nance, and Price.
Put LeBron in NY, and shoe sales, merchandise sales, and his marketability increase. If for no other reason than population size vs. Cleveland. But it's more than that...
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