[OC Guy]

Originally Posted by 1ForAll

Lebron = Miami. We have the chance of getting Lebron and Bosh.

I know Micky is rich but I don't see them getting 3 max players. Perhaps Lebron and Boozer or Joe Johnson and Bosh, but I don't anticipate seeing 2 more max players there. Lebron won't want to play second fiddle or share the spotlight with Wade County.

[SpacE82]

Originally Posted by 1ForAll

One major benefit of Lebron or Bosh coming to Miami, would be the fact that here in the state of Florida we don't have income tax. On average Lebron could be saving an additional $500,000 per year.

On another note, Pat Riley said he would come back to coach if the organization was to pick up another star player.

Honestly, i dont think $500,000 is a big concern to him.....he probably carries that in his wallet now.

[OC Guy]

Originally Posted by SpacE82

Honestly, i dont think $500,000 is a big concern to him.....he probably carries that in his wallet now.

As rich as these players are a lot of them are cheap. I'm not saying LBJ but Kevin Durant was begging for an ESPN insider password on his twitter the other day. Even after ppl gave him grief, he still didn't pay for it.

It costs $3.33/month if you sign up for a year.

[SpacE82]

^Lol that shit pisses me off. I can afford $3.33/month and I'm not making millions of dollars a year....

[1ForAll]

Got this in an email:

1. "We can create a Dream Team in Miami."

In November, I spoke to a Heat source who put forth an idea that sounded compelling though farfetched: Miami could team Wade with LeBron and Chris Bosh this summer. I detailed the possible scenarios here, but let's review with updated salary-cap numbers given the league's new projections of a $56.1 million cap.

Assuming the Heat re-sign Wade for the max, the team would have $23 million in cap room left this summer. That certainly would not be enough to sign both Bosh and LeBron without each player taking a significant pay cut (each player should be able to earn a max starting salary of $16.5 million). But there are at least three ways to make it happen.

Plan A: The Heat could engage in a sign-and-trade for LeBron or Bosh, most likely Bosh. Sign-and-trades are notoriously difficult to pull off. But they aren't impossible.

If Bosh and the Raptors would cooperate, for instance, the Heat could send Michael Beasley and Daequan Cook and return Toronto's No. 1 pick (owned by Miami) to the Raptors and slide Bosh in under the cap at a starting salary of around $13.5 million.

Of course, we know Bosh is unlikely to agree to a deal that starts at $13.5 million, especially if Wade and James are getting $16.5 million. But what if all three players -- close friends from Team USA -- decide to take a small pay cut to play together? If James and Wade both were to agree to a starting salary of $15.5 million, the Heat could offer Bosh $15.5 million as well.

Plan B: Another way for the Heat to make the acquisition of James and Bosh more plausible -- without the help of the Raptors -- would be to clear more cap space. For instance, they could trade Beasley and Cook to teams that have enough cap space to take on their contracts.

A number of teams will be under the salary cap, and most of them do not have a realistic shot at LeBron, Wade or Bosh. Would they be willing to use some of their money to acquire a player with Beasley's upside? What about a shooter like Cook? Even James Jones could hold some appeal for veteran teams.

Plan C: The last scenario might be the most farfetched because it would require three superstars to take a sizable pay cut. In this scenario, each player would take considerably less than market value in an attempt to leave the Heat enough wiggle room to retain Beasley and/or sign or trade for other supporting free agents in the summer.

How much of a pay cut would it take? If LeBron, Wade and Bosh all agreed to a starting salary of $14 million, the team would be able to keep Beasley and could just waive James Jones. Keeping Beasley on the roster would bolster the supporting cast, but the Heat would still be looking at filling out the roster with a number of players at the league minimum.

If the threesome agreed to a starting salary of $12 million per year, the Heat would have around $6 million in cap room to sign additional free agents. In that case, if they also moved Beasley, they could have around $11 million in cap room to sign role players.

Of the three scenarios, the first is the most likely. As I've reported, the Raptors are open to a sign-and-trade and the Cavs may be too if they know LeBron is going to walk.

So the question really is: Do Wade, LeBron and Bosh want to play together, and, if so, how much?

On the surface the answer seems obvious. They are all friends, have been teammates on Team USA and in the All-Star Game and, together, would headline the most formidable team in the league.

But there are other considerations. Going this route would force the Heat to sign a lot of role players to minimum contracts, weakening the team's bench. It also would eliminate something that LeBron and Wade both seem to enjoy -- playing against each other at the highest level. And finally, while Bosh's game would mesh with both LeBron's and Wade's, less clear is how Bron and Wade would play together. Each excels with the ball in his hands, so with both of them on the floor, there might be a shortage of touches.

[SpacE82]

And finally, while Bosh's game would mesh with both LeBron's and Wade's, less clear is how Bron and Wade would play together. Each excels with the ball in his hands, so with both of them on the floor, there might be a shortage of touches.

This is why I dont think Lebron will end up in Miami. Wade and Lebron are both star players. I just dont think it would work out, just cuz they are friends, doesnt mean they will play together. They would be much better on their own, because like that message said, they would have to share the ball causing one to be getting the ball less, therefore making that player less effective. They would be more affective on different teams than they would be together. Just my two cents.

[1ForAll]

2. "There's more than one way to create a Dream Team."

Riley's pitch to LeBron won't just be about the above scenario, because there's a good chance Bosh prefers the Lakers or has other options in mind.

Even so, the Heat would love to start with a foundation of Wade and James -- and could build on it in a lot of different ways, starting with Michael Beasley.

While the No. 2 pick in the 2008 draft hasn't quite lived up to expectations, he's still developing as a player. Beasley, who turned 21 in January, averaged 14.8 ppg and 6.4 rpg in his sophomore NBA season. He has tremendous gifts, especially on the offensive end, and if he ever gets his act together, he could be a star.

Also, Daequan Cook is a proven 3-point sniper, though he struggled with injuries and seemed to lose his shooting touch last season. As someone who can spread the floor with Wade and LeBron in the game, he could be valuable. And Mario Chalmers, while far from being an ideal starting point guard, is solid coming off the bench.

If the Heat signed Wade and LeBron to max contracts, they'd also still have between $5 million and $6 million in cap room to add another piece to the puzzle.

Or they could explore sign-and-trade scenarios that could land Amare Stoudemire or Carlos Boozer in Miami.

The team also has the 18th pick in this year's draft, where we currently have the Heat selecting Kentucky point guard Eric Bledsoe.

No matter what happens, the Heat will have to be smart and add a number of veterans at the minimum. But with Wade and LeBron on their roster, they should have a pretty easy time recruiting them.

[1ForAll]

3. "The South Beach Special"

Riley can also sell LeBron on location. Miami's South Beach is widely regarded by NBA players as a premier destination. The city, beach, nightlife and all-around lifestyle have made Miami an NBA favorite for years, and LeBron is one of its admirers.

Florida is also popular among NBA players because there is no state tax. In 2009, NBA reporter Sam Smith had a tax expert calculate that a player making max money would save around $500,000 per year by playing in Florida. Over the course of a six-year deal, a player would save $3 million in taxes. In other words, just playing in Florida would offset some of the lost income if LeBron and/or others decided to take less than the max to play for the Heat.

[1ForAll]

4. "We are a five-star organization."

Expect the Heat to sell LeBron on the organization itself. Micky Arison is one of the most respected owners in the league and has never been afraid to spend or make a big move.

Riley also will be a big factor. Having won multiple championship rings in Los Angeles and Miami, he has as much credibility as any executive in the league. And he's had his greatest success coaching superstars, including Magic Johnson and Kareem in L.A., Patrick Ewing in New York, and Shaquille O'Neal and Wade in Miami, giving him a unique reputation both as a coach and a team president.

Although Riley has been running the Heat from upstairs since 2007, part of his pitch to LeBron & Co. could be a return to the sidelines -- Riley himself has opened the door to that possibility in recent weeks. As we all recall, in 2005 he moved down to coach Wade and Shaq and delivered a championship that season.

If that's what it takes to bring LeBron to Miami, then Riley the executive might just hire Riley the coach one more time.

[OC Guy]

^ LOL

NBA Players have egos. It will NEVER happen.

"Such and such makes more than me. I'm the best player in the NBA, I'm going to get paid like one damn it."

Look, the Heat have 3 guaranteed contracts on the payroll. You need a minimum of 12 guaranteed contracts. With adding those 3 you will have 6. If you move Beasley, you'll most likely be taking on contracts as well. How are you going to move him without taking like salary on (Read the rules)? Trade him to a team under the cap? Are teams under the cap really going to use up their available cap space for Michael Beasley when Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudamire, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, David Lee, etc. are out there?

Good luck signing an additional 6 guys for 6-11 million in the NBA.

[SpacE82]

^exactly. Their egos would never let them share the limelight, as much as they say they dont mind it...

[OC Guy]

Pipe dreams for the extremely biased. You'll be lucky with 1 superstar signing. Lebron is looking more at 20+ million, not anything else.

[SpacE82]

^Bulls have that and have their check books ready

[OC Guy]

Originally Posted by SpacE82

^Bulls have that and have their check books ready

Exactly. They have a better team than Miami does too.

[SpacE82]

With Rose and Noah, and a pretty solid bench/rotation, the addition of even JUST LeBron would make them a contender for a long run in the playoffs and possibly the finals. Add another big ticket free agent like Bosh or Staudomire, to Rose, Noah, and Lebron and that would make them an INSTANT contender for the championship and could potentially shift the power to the Eastern conference.

[OC Guy]

Originally Posted by SpacE82

With Rose and Noah, and a pretty solid bench/rotation, the addition of even JUST LeBron would make them a contender for a long run in the playoffs and possibly the finals. Add another big ticket free agent like Bosh or Staudomire, to Rose, Noah, and Lebron and that would make them an INSTANT contender for the championship and could potentially shift the power to the Eastern conference.

I honestly think with the team they have, adding any of the Max-level free agents (Bosh, Wade, LBJ) plus adding another near-max level player (Joe Johnson, Boozer, Amare, etc) will be better than adding two max level players.

I would rather have another more role players to surround the stars rather than adding another Superstar.

These guys have egos and most of the ones listed are ball dominant. DRose needs the ball to be successful and so does Wade. Perhaps they can share it with another Superstar, but it will be hard to get enough shots with 3 total.

[SpacE82]

^Good point, maybe like a james johnson with the addition of lebron would be a better fit. It should be an interesting day on July 1st. All we can do is speculate, but ultimately, its up to the players and owners haha. With the way things go in sports/NBA, Lebron could end up in Portland and be the head coach and part owner

[BTM]

Heard report on the radio today that World Wide Wes said "Lebron is going to Chicago and is bringing Bosh with him"

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slu...reeagent062510

“We’re going to Chicago,” William Wesley tells people, “and Chris Bosh(notes) is coming, too.”

[SpacE82]

Originally Posted by BTM

Heard report on the radio today that World Wide Wes said "Lebron is going to Chicago and is bringing Bosh with him"

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slu...reeagent062510

“We’re going to Chicago,” William Wesley tells people, “and Chris Bosh(notes) is coming, too.”

[OC Guy]

wow ^ world wide wes

[wj4]

Originally Posted by SpacE82

^Lol that shit pisses me off. I can afford $3.33/month and I'm not making millions of dollars a year....

These guys are getting smarter. There was an article stating that 60% of NBA players go broke within 5 years of retirement.

They don't understand that the money they make now in the league is suppose to last a lifetime. Numerous former players who got paid well over $100 million have declared bankruptcy, ie Walker and Pippen.

And if you want to talk about stingy, refer to the GOAT himself....MJ. Despite having gambling problems, he's well known to be really tight with his money.

I feel bad for the city of Cleveland when James leaves. It's going to be a depression within a recession.

[wj4]

Originally Posted by OC 335i

Pipe dreams for the extremely biased. You'll be lucky with 1 superstar signing. Lebron is looking more at 20+ million, not anything else.

Yep. No matter where he is going, I doubt he will take less than 20 a year. I've been arguing this with my friends for a minute. He's a business man when it's all said and done. He's not going to play for peanuts.