2009/2010 NBA Thread

[Blaze09]

If LeBron cares about winning, he'll go to Chicago or the Clippers (I *think* LA can pay him). He won't, because his ego is too big to play second fiddle to Jordan's legacy or the Lakers, but they have the most talent. Third would be the Knicks, who can pull a Boston and get real good and real relevant real quick. Then staying in Cleveland, who doesn't really have money to get much better, and would need to wait for the Cs to fall off and hope to beat Orlando. Nets should be a distant fifth, except for the Jay-Z connection. Pimp their talent all you want, but they're shit in a shit conference, they suck.

Switch the Knicks and Nets and thats right. I think you need to remember that David Lee is gone after the year, and I'll take Lebron with the Nets over Lebron with Cleveland or the Knicks any day of the week

[theburninator77]

The interesting thing about the Knicks is that they'll have enough money to sign LeBron and another max level contract guy (like a Chris Bosh).

I honestly think the Nets are the best team for him because if you watched them last year they have talent but had injuries to Lopez, Lee, Yi, Harris at one point during the entire year. The last 10-12 games or so when everyone was fully healthy they were fairly competitive, all they needed was a big name and a few role players.

I think (if) the Nets draft Favors, sign LeBron and a couple of cheap role players and they are a dangerous team.

C: Brook Lopez:

F: Yi Jianlian/Derrick Favors

F: LeBron James

G: Courtney Lee/Terrence Williams

G: Devin Harris

Bench

F: Yi Jianlian/Derrick Favors

G: Courtney Lee/Terrence Williams

A lot of options with those guys too, you can bring Favors and T-Will off the bench as super 6th men (play ~30 mins) keeps your offense good while your starters rest.

All in all this is probably just a mad dream, because we likely aren't getting LeBron.

[theburninator77]

But how are the 76ers not drafting Turner? With that, they could move Iggy to the 3, and give them a solid backcourt (they start Jrue, right?) with Jrue and Turner. And if they wanted, they could go small and play Turner at the 1 and Iggy at the 2...

My friend (who is a 76ers fan) heard they are drafting Turner to replace Iguodala, which I think is a bad idea.

[naiwf]

If LeBron cares about winning, he'll go to Chicago or the Clippers (I *think* LA can pay him). He won't, because his ego is too big to play second fiddle to Jordan's legacy or the Lakers, but they have the most talent. Third would be the Knicks, who can pull a Boston and get real good and real relevant real quick. Then staying in Cleveland, who doesn't really have money to get much better, and would need to wait for the Cs to fall off and hope to beat Orlando. Nets should be a distant fifth, except for the Jay-Z connection. Pimp their talent all you want, but they're shit in a shit conference, they suck.

Switch the Knicks and Nets and thats right. I think you need to remember that David Lee is gone after the year, and I'll take Lebron with the Nets over Lebron with Cleveland or the Knicks any day of the week

You seem to keep ignoring the fact that the Knicks can sign 2 max players and not one. If they got LeBron + another superstar, it wouldn't take much to fill out the roster. They can also do a sign and trade with Lee and pick up bench/role players in exchange.

[Colossus]

But how are the 76ers not drafting Turner? With that, they could move Iggy to the 3, and give them a solid backcourt (they start Jrue, right?) with Jrue and Turner. And if they wanted, they could go small and play Turner at the 1 and Iggy at the 2...

My friend (who is a 76ers fan) heard they are drafting Turner to replace Iguodala, which I think is a bad idea.

That would be an horrendous ideia. Turner and Iggy could be a good combo, and if EB EVER gets back in his Clippers form, they could be a very dangerous team...

[livid]

If LeBron cares about winning, he'll go to Chicago or the Clippers (I *think* LA can pay him). He won't, because his ego is too big to play second fiddle to Jordan's legacy or the Lakers, but they have the most talent. Third would be the Knicks, who can pull a Boston and get real good and real relevant real quick. Then staying in Cleveland, who doesn't really have money to get much better, and would need to wait for the Cs to fall off and hope to beat Orlando. Nets should be a distant fifth, except for the Jay-Z connection. Pimp their talent all you want, but they're shit in a shit conference, they suck.

Switch the Knicks and Nets and thats right. I think you need to remember that David Lee is gone after the year, and I'll take Lebron with the Nets over Lebron with Cleveland or the Knicks any day of the week

You seem to keep ignoring the fact that the Knicks can sign 2 max players and not one. If they got LeBron + another superstar, it wouldn't take much to fill out the roster. They can also do a sign and trade with Lee and pick up bench/role players in exchange.

Yeah but you seem to act as if the Nets don't have a fair amount of cap room themselves where they can sign a max player and an almost max player. Also, I'd imagine that Prokhorov would be willing to go into the luxury tax to get some more pieces as well.

[naiwf]

Yeah but you seem to act as if the Nets don't have a fair amount of cap room themselves where they can sign a max player and an almost max player. Also, I'd imagine that Prokhorov would be willing to go into the luxury tax to get some more pieces as well.

You can't go over the cap to sign someone else's free agents, so it doesn't matter if Drago's willing to go into the luxury tax threshold by adding salary. The Nets already have most of their guys signed and need to pay some rookie whatever it is that the #3 overall pick will make. They aren't going to trade one of their young pieces to get some cap relief, because that diminishes the value of what they have in terms of trying to lure LeBron+1. The Knicks probably won't get him either, but they're the only team that can afford to add two max free agents from other teams as of now. If they get that done, I'm sure they'll swing a sign and trade with Lee since I believe that they can go over the cap to pay him and someone would want him.

At the end of the day I don't think it really matters but the Knicks are the only team that can offer LeBron his choice of a similarly valued playing partner unless he chooses to go to Miami to play with Wade or Washington to play with Agent Zero and Wall.

[JStarr]

At the end of the day I don't think it really matters but the Knicks are the only team that can offer LeBron his choice of a similarly valued playing partner unless he chooses to go to Miami to play with Wade or Washington to play with Agent Zero and Wall.

This is what SHOULD happen. Will it? Probably not. But it should. And I'm not a Heat fan.

In other moderately related topics, would any of you give Joe Johnson the max after his toes-up, claws-out bitchfest against Orlando? Seems to me that whoever can't get Wade, LeBron, and Bosh at this point will have to turn to him and shrug like he's the fat kid in a dodgeball game.

[naiwf]

At the end of the day I don't think it really matters but the Knicks are the only team that can offer LeBron his choice of a similarly valued playing partner unless he chooses to go to Miami to play with Wade or Washington to play with Agent Zero and Wall.

This is what SHOULD happen. Will it? Probably not. But it should. And I'm not a Heat fan.

In other moderately related topics, would any of you give Joe Johnson the max after his toes-up, claws-out bitchfest against Orlando? Seems to me that whoever can't get Wade, LeBron, and Bosh at this point will have to turn to him and shrug like he's the fat kid in a dodgeball game.

I wouldn't give Joe Johnson anything near approaching a max contract. That would be the more recent equivalent of what happened with Rashard Lewis. The guy's getting paid max money, but is MAYBE the 4th best player on his team.

[theburninator77]

I think Joe Johnson would be a good fit on the Thunder if he's willing to take a pay cut.

But more than likely I think he does a sign and trade with the Hawks.

[DMN in the House]

The only players I'd give a max contract to would be James, Wade, and MAYBE Bosh.

[maninblack]

There's a rumor going about the internets that's LeBron's very poor showing in the playoffs was because he found out Delonte West was sleeping with him mother

[theburninator77]

There's a rumor going about the internets that's LeBron's very poor showing in the playoffs was because he found out Delonte West was sleeping with him mother

There's a rumor that, that rumor was started by Delonte West.

[naiwf]

The only players I'd give a max contract to would be James, Wade, and MAYBE Bosh.

I agree with that. Sadly I think all three of those guys plus STAT & Joe Johnson will get max deals just because too many teams have a lot of money sitting around. In the entire league the only guys worth max money are Durant, Kobe, LeBron, Wade and perhaps CP3 if he's healthy. There are another handful of guys close to it, but the NBA really needs to look into the payscale when Rashard Lewis is making max money and stiff like Eddy Curry can make tens of millions of dollars for sitting on the bench.

[naiwf]

Someone might want to tell the Magic that the Eastern Conference Finals started before they lose by 50 on Monday, because they're about to go fo', fo' and oh fo'. [/Moses Malone]

[theburninator77]

The only players I'd give a max contract to would be James, Wade, and MAYBE Bosh.

I wouldn't give Bosh a max contract, because he's not a great defender. LeBron is pretty good (not all-NBA) and D-Wade is a good defender as well.

[Guest JukeboxHero]

Okay, NOW Mike Brown has been canned.

So, what happens now?

[gunnar hendershow]

Mike Brown's been fired as Cleveland coach. No huge surprise, but one would assume whoever they hire will be someone LeBron wants to play under.

[theburninator77]

More than likely I'd say it'd be a former player.

[maninblack]

Hopefully the Cavs don't hire John Calipari.

And oh look, the Magic finally realize they're in the fricking Eastern Conference finals!

Edited May 25, 2010 by maninblack