So, today's supposed to be a really important day in the sports world. LeBron's announcing who he's playing for next year.
Firstly, I want to comment on how silly it was for LeBron to get a one-hour special JUST to say where he's playing. He is sending the message that he is above the rest of the NBA, which is completely untrue, as he has failed to win a championship on multiple occasions, and I can probably think of one player in the NBA who is more skilled than LeBron is. Plus, even if he was good enough to warrant a one-hour special on ESPN, I expect a certain level of humbleness and professionalism in the way superstars conduct these manners. I would refrain from watching the special to protest against his ridiculous attitude, but I kind of want to find out where he goes too, so I'll just make an angry blog post like many other people have already.
Secondly, I'm gonna make my official prediction. We'll see how accurate I rank them.
From least-likely to most-likely:
1) LA Clippers
LeBron is NOT going to be a clipper. He'll have to compete in the same market as Kobe, which he doesn't want to do.
2) New Jersey Nets
LeBron wants to win NOW, and wants to maintain the fame that he has NOW. Jersey's a weak team (even weaker than the spare parts in Cleveland), and they're not moving to Brooklyn until a few years from now. So, not gonna happen, no matter how tight LeBron is with Jay-Z.
3) Miami Heat
Here's where it gets interesting. Bosh and Wade are already in Miami. A lot of people are saying that LeBron will join them, so that they kill the rest of the league. I agree that IF they joined forces, the NBA would become a joke. But that's not gonna happen for a few reasons.
Firstly, there's salary cap issues. The only way this would work for Miami's salary stuff is if Chalmers and Beasley get traded to either Toronto or Cleveland in a sign and trade. And even if that does happen, then the total of the Big 3's salary would be at least 60 million, probably more, so the team would have about 10 million to spend to fill up the rest of the spots on the roster before they hit luxury tax territory, something that won't happen. And hell, even if it does happen, they're not going to win with 3 good players (all injury-prone) and a whole bunch of minimum-salary players. People assume that other players are going to take pay-cuts to join this team, but there are other teams that would still be able to compete with the Big 3 who are able to pay more in salaries, like Boston, Orlando, LA, and Oklahoma City.
Secondly, I'm going to examine the idea of creating a legend. I don't know about Wade and Bosh, but I can assure you that LeBron James wants to retire from the NBA as a legend and possibly the greatest player the game has seen. He will NOT do that if he wins championships with 2 other superstars; it'll just be the "Big 3", not King LeBron's team. Look at Boston, whose team is that? Also, it won't look good for his stats, and as much as you may think LeBron values winning, he also values his stats because he knows he can win anywhere (just because he's that good) and he'd like to be a perennial MVP candidate, something that won't necessarily happen if his shots and minutes are shared with Bosh and Wade.
Even if LeBron wants to go to Miami, the Miami management aren't going to allow it to happen, for salary reasons and because they want to build an entire TEAM.
4) Cleveland Cavaliers
There are two factors that could lead LeBron to staying in Cleveland. Firstly, there's the loyalty factor, and that's just a test of his personality. How much does he feel attached to Cleveland? We don't know, but it certainly didn't look like he was very attached when he was throwing that jersey off after his team got eliminated.
The second, and probably more important factor, is the legacy factor I mentioned above. A large majority of the best basketball players the world has ever seen stuck with one team all the way through. Larry Bird, Dr. J, Magic, Jordan. Legends. And that's exactly what LeBron wants to be. Also, keep in mind that he's been pretty close to winning a championship (I mean being 1st in the East twice in a row is a big deal, and he's been to a few conference finals).
I'm not sure if I see a return though.
5) Chicago Bulls
This is a good idea for LeBron. He's got great support in Boozer, Rose, Noah, and Deng, who can easily handle the pressure when LeBron's on the bench. A fairly big market. Home of Jordan.
LeBron probably would like the idea of adding to that Bulls legacy, however he may be intimidated by Jordan's legacy already being there. Jordan's pretty tough to top. The good thing is that he has teammates who are good enough to help him win championships but not good enough to take away from his legacy.
Also, there are salary cap issues with this, so a sign and trade would be necessary. However a sign and trade would be good both for Chicago and Cleveland, so it could work out.
6) NEW YORK KNICKS
This just fits his character. In SO many ways.
Roster-wise, they have Amare and Curry, plus a whole bunch of salary cap room to sign more depth players. New York hasn't won a title in forever, so LeBron could build a legacy there by breaking the slump. And hell, it's NYC.
It's estimated that he could get $1 BILLION in endorsements. That's right, LeBron could become a billionaire. That's something that ANY athlete would succumb to, including LeBron. Also, NYC is one of two centers of media attention in the US (LA being the other), so LeBron's "I-need-my-own-special-on-ESPN" attitude would fit in PERFECTLY.
It's a match made in heaven. LeBron James with the New York Knicks.
Another very important thing to look at, if it were a sign-and-trade, the GMs would have probably announced it by now, and since more people would be involved in the trade, there could've been leaks by now. And since it's difficult for LeBron James to announce his own sign-and-trade (GMs announce trades, not players), the chances of Chicago and Miami go down.
I guess we'll find out on "LeBron James: the Decision tonight."...
Firstly, I want to comment on how silly it was for LeBron to get a one-hour special JUST to say where he's playing. He is sending the message that he is above the rest of the NBA, which is completely untrue, as he has failed to win a championship on multiple occasions, and I can probably think of one player in the NBA who is more skilled than LeBron is. Plus, even if he was good enough to warrant a one-hour special on ESPN, I expect a certain level of humbleness and professionalism in the way superstars conduct these manners. I would refrain from watching the special to protest against his ridiculous attitude, but I kind of want to find out where he goes too, so I'll just make an angry blog post like many other people have already.
Secondly, I'm gonna make my official prediction. We'll see how accurate I rank them.
From least-likely to most-likely:
1) LA Clippers
LeBron is NOT going to be a clipper. He'll have to compete in the same market as Kobe, which he doesn't want to do.
2) New Jersey Nets
LeBron wants to win NOW, and wants to maintain the fame that he has NOW. Jersey's a weak team (even weaker than the spare parts in Cleveland), and they're not moving to Brooklyn until a few years from now. So, not gonna happen, no matter how tight LeBron is with Jay-Z.
3) Miami Heat
Here's where it gets interesting. Bosh and Wade are already in Miami. A lot of people are saying that LeBron will join them, so that they kill the rest of the league. I agree that IF they joined forces, the NBA would become a joke. But that's not gonna happen for a few reasons.
Firstly, there's salary cap issues. The only way this would work for Miami's salary stuff is if Chalmers and Beasley get traded to either Toronto or Cleveland in a sign and trade. And even if that does happen, then the total of the Big 3's salary would be at least 60 million, probably more, so the team would have about 10 million to spend to fill up the rest of the spots on the roster before they hit luxury tax territory, something that won't happen. And hell, even if it does happen, they're not going to win with 3 good players (all injury-prone) and a whole bunch of minimum-salary players. People assume that other players are going to take pay-cuts to join this team, but there are other teams that would still be able to compete with the Big 3 who are able to pay more in salaries, like Boston, Orlando, LA, and Oklahoma City.
Secondly, I'm going to examine the idea of creating a legend. I don't know about Wade and Bosh, but I can assure you that LeBron James wants to retire from the NBA as a legend and possibly the greatest player the game has seen. He will NOT do that if he wins championships with 2 other superstars; it'll just be the "Big 3", not King LeBron's team. Look at Boston, whose team is that? Also, it won't look good for his stats, and as much as you may think LeBron values winning, he also values his stats because he knows he can win anywhere (just because he's that good) and he'd like to be a perennial MVP candidate, something that won't necessarily happen if his shots and minutes are shared with Bosh and Wade.
Even if LeBron wants to go to Miami, the Miami management aren't going to allow it to happen, for salary reasons and because they want to build an entire TEAM.
4) Cleveland Cavaliers
There are two factors that could lead LeBron to staying in Cleveland. Firstly, there's the loyalty factor, and that's just a test of his personality. How much does he feel attached to Cleveland? We don't know, but it certainly didn't look like he was very attached when he was throwing that jersey off after his team got eliminated.
The second, and probably more important factor, is the legacy factor I mentioned above. A large majority of the best basketball players the world has ever seen stuck with one team all the way through. Larry Bird, Dr. J, Magic, Jordan. Legends. And that's exactly what LeBron wants to be. Also, keep in mind that he's been pretty close to winning a championship (I mean being 1st in the East twice in a row is a big deal, and he's been to a few conference finals).
I'm not sure if I see a return though.
5) Chicago Bulls
This is a good idea for LeBron. He's got great support in Boozer, Rose, Noah, and Deng, who can easily handle the pressure when LeBron's on the bench. A fairly big market. Home of Jordan.
LeBron probably would like the idea of adding to that Bulls legacy, however he may be intimidated by Jordan's legacy already being there. Jordan's pretty tough to top. The good thing is that he has teammates who are good enough to help him win championships but not good enough to take away from his legacy.
Also, there are salary cap issues with this, so a sign and trade would be necessary. However a sign and trade would be good both for Chicago and Cleveland, so it could work out.
6) NEW YORK KNICKS
This just fits his character. In SO many ways.
Roster-wise, they have Amare and Curry, plus a whole bunch of salary cap room to sign more depth players. New York hasn't won a title in forever, so LeBron could build a legacy there by breaking the slump. And hell, it's NYC.
It's estimated that he could get $1 BILLION in endorsements. That's right, LeBron could become a billionaire. That's something that ANY athlete would succumb to, including LeBron. Also, NYC is one of two centers of media attention in the US (LA being the other), so LeBron's "I-need-my-own-special-on-ESPN" attitude would fit in PERFECTLY.
It's a match made in heaven. LeBron James with the New York Knicks.
Another very important thing to look at, if it were a sign-and-trade, the GMs would have probably announced it by now, and since more people would be involved in the trade, there could've been leaks by now. And since it's difficult for LeBron James to announce his own sign-and-trade (GMs announce trades, not players), the chances of Chicago and Miami go down.
I guess we'll find out on "LeBron James: the Decision tonight."...
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