Bam Bam Baklava
Member
He's taking Melo and Bosh with him.
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The Deuxcision: LeBron opts out, not one, not two but three teams.
- Thread starter Blablurn
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He's taking Melo and Bosh with him.
Shamrock7r
Member
Will be a cool story if he goes back to Cleveland. I'd love to see him win one there after the Spurs are done 3peating.
Velcro Fly
Member
Bringing a title to Cleveland in any sport would mean more for his legacy than winning scads of titles. Even if he goes back there and only wins 1 or 2 more. Cleveland has been the loser sports city by the lake forever.
WesternHeretic
Member
The spurs can't even repeat how they 3peat? None of their titles have been a repeat.
Dion Blaster
Member
It's funny that people doubt Melo to the Lakers so much. Why would he sign here? I think "because it's the Lakers" is still a viable answer. And I have to laugh at people saying an old Kobe is a detriment and then suggest Chicago as a good alternative.
What the fuck. Crazy if he actually goes back to Cleveland, I never expected that.
I'm not a Wade fan , but I almost feel bad for him. Opting out was pointless. Hindsight is 20/20, but he could have made his 40 mill and then went to the Spurs or the Clippers or something as a sixth man Ginobli type and try to win a fourth ring.
I'm not a Wade fan , but I almost feel bad for him. Opting out was pointless. Hindsight is 20/20, but he could have made his 40 mill and then went to the Spurs or the Clippers or something as a sixth man Ginobli type and try to win a fourth ring.
elrechazado
Banned
I think he could sign there because he doesn't seem to care about winning. If he signs up with Kobe, he certainly won't be winning anything.
Randolph Freelander
Member
Bosh might find it hard to turn down (potentially) max money.
friskykillface
Banned
wow, smh , the owner Dan Gilbert treated LeBron like shit after he left, acting like he owned LeBron
why go back, now i hope you lose in the first round , i only hated Wade but respected LeBron for leaving that garbage team
what if Bennant did the ultimate troll and will be a beast now, don't care if i misspelled his name wrong
why go back, now i hope you lose in the first round , i only hated Wade but respected LeBron for leaving that garbage team
what if Bennant did the ultimate troll and will be a beast now, don't care if i misspelled his name wrong
Ninja Scooter
Member
Bulls owner is a cheapskate. Dude is raking in money yet is still trying to find trade partners for Boozer in order to free up cap space for Melo? Just amnesty his ass. That shit is not a good look.
Deadly Joker
Member
If Bosh goes to Houston, who in the hell in the East could stop the LeBron and the Cavs?
Randolph Freelander
Member
The dynamic two-man tandem of Hugo the Hornet and Al Jefferson.
MarauderShields
Member
That wouldn't make a difference. Melo would still have to take less.
friskykillface
Banned
Wizards
i'm serious, Beal x Wall x Gortat x RZZA(if he returns) x Nene god
would take the cavs to 5/6 games and lose
hell maybe the Pacers if they don't get shook anymore
Says a guy about a team with the second most championships in league history and a player with 5 rings. I don't know where this myth that the Lakers can't win anymore and no players want to play there came from. I beginning to figure it's just that Laker dislike or the hope the Lakers won't recover.
BertramCooper
Banned
Aside from wanting LeBron back because I want the Cavs to be competitive again, I'd love for him to return to Cleveland so that Brian Windhorst, his personal hagiographer, has to eat a shitload of crow.
Colonel Nasty
Member
Even with Melo the Lakers aren't suddenly contenders. They might still miss the playoffs with him. The team from two years was much more talented (and younger) and barely made the seventh* seed. Who would they be better than 1-9 in the west? All Melo going to LA says is LaLa really likes LA. They were literally the worst team he met with. And he met with the Knicks.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
I remember arguing with Ninja Scooter and others that the biggest story for the league in years would be Lebron returning home to win a title. It would be massive. They all insisted it would never happen, but there's a chance. I fully believe the league has been pushing for this (not that has any sway).
BadAss2961
Member
Maybe Chicago being a better team than LA with or without Rose has something to do with it. Not to mention being in the East.
Big Baybee
Member
Shiiiiiiiiiit I love NFL and NBA free agency.
There is no chance. LOL. Free agency has been hilarious this year. PEACE.
You mean that team that had over 180 games missed from injuries? A Dwight Howard coming off major back surgery and wasn't healthy the whole season? That does matter a bit.
Kind of hard to say who they'll be better than since we don't have a coach and the rest of the team filled out. Melo has only missed the playoffs one time in his career....he played most of it in the West too.
They need Rose...the MVP Rose...to win a chip though. If he isn't there, there's no sense in going to the Bulls really. Melo has always been a playoff guy.
BertramCooper
Banned
Windy has been pissing all over any possibility of LeBron returning to Cleveland for ages.
If LeBron comes back (and don't get me wrong, I'm in no way convinced that he is), Windy will get a shitload of grief from everyone in Cleveland.
Ninja Scooter
Member
They're not. But Melo would be signing a 4 year contract. Kobe will be around for 2 of those and then it's Melo and a ton of free cap space. That could be what they are selling him on. Being the face of the storied Lakers and building around him. As a Laker fan, I don't like it, as I don't think rebuilding around a 32 or 33 year old Melo is a good idea, and I'd honestly rather not sign him at all, but it's not like Melo is only looking at 2014, otherwise he wouldn't be considering the Knicks at all either, who are just as far away from contention.
If you are strictly talking about ring contenders, you can talk about Chicago but that situation isn't all rosy either. For one, he'd have to take a pay cut. Then you have an owner that might unload Boozer (and maybe Butler and Gibson? via S&T to make the cap hit even easier to swallow) which takes away some of the depth you have on paper. On top of that you have the uncertainty with Rose's health, and your next best player, Noah, has had injury issues of his own and seems to have a lot of wear and tear thanks to a head coach that seems intent on playing guys until they drop dead.
Colonel Nasty
Member
With a Melo max they can't even pay Pau anything over the minimum and Kobe and Nash are even older. Phoenix won 48 games last year and missed the playoffs. I don't understand how injuries matters but players being older and worse doesn't?
Exactly. I'm not saying Melo isn't a great player but clearly winning really wasn't his priority if he picks the Lakers. But fuck 96 mill and living in LA seems pretty okay if you don't care about winning.
elrechazado
Banned
This is terrible logic. Who said Kobe didn't win rings? Lakers have a crap owner and no cap space to build a great team that can come out of the west. Delusional much?
Hypemaster
Member
Dion Blaster
Member
For the next, what, two years? There is life after Kobe. I'm sure they will lock and reload as soon as his contract ends.
Ninja Scooter
Member
Crap owner based on what? Jimmy Buss hasn't done anything. The moves he did sign off on (trading Bynum for Dwight, trading for Nash) since his dad passed haven't exactly been terrible. The issue with D'Antoni over Phil is a genuine concern, but a lot of the noise around that choice (hearing that Phil wanted ownership stake, wanted to take road games off) make it cloudier than it is perceived to be. Granted I'm guilty of joking around about how much of a doofus the guy seems like, but let's wait before anointing him a "crap owner".
Fatalah
Member
Well, now you've made me turn on my TV.
BadAss2961
Member
It's in the team's best interest to trade Boozer. They shouldn't amnesty him until they're a 100% sure a trade isn't going to happen. Would be a waste of money and less cash to offer Melo.
Of course we need Rose. I'm just stating the obvious that LA is in no way a better fit than Chicago.
JustProgress
Member
Bosh to Hou is cool with me
elrechazado
Banned
Even if you assume for argument's sake that he's a great owner (which I don't), my point remains - that appealing to Kobe's 5 past rings to insist this will be a good team is a joke.
Really? They have Pau's Bird rights. You cap experts understand what that means right? Even if they sign Melo...they can sign Pau to whatever contract they want.
You don't understand how injuries matter in making the playoffs? You don't understand that if your best players aren't playing or aren't playing at their best it makes it harder to perform.
The irony is thick.
The both of you don't understand the cap and it's cool.....but not really.
His jet went to Miami today. That's how the rumor started that he went there. It's now appearing that Zydrunas Ilgauskas (one of LeBron's former teammates in Cleveland and current Cavs front office member) was actually on the jet, purportedly to woo Lebron. Basically, funny season is in full swing!
Ninja Scooter
Member
I don't think he's a great owner, I don't think he's done nearly enough to make a judgement. At the very least, he seems to not meddle, which is a huge pet peeve I have with owners, and lets Mitch run the show for the most part. I doubt the ownership situation is causing Free Agents any pause with regards to the Lakers.
No, I hear ya. That's just where the city is at. It's getting exponentially worse as the night progresses.
elrechazado
Banned
maybe if you could actually read you might see what I wrote, which was no "cap space to build a great team". Not no cap space period. But keep talking about Kobe's rings bro.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
The same roster with Carmelo instead of Bosh? That still ends up in a Finals loss.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
Swapping Bosh for Melo on the current Heat team is a downgrade IMO. They'd have zero post presence.
Heat just gonna start bird man or some shit? Lmfao
Colonel Nasty
Member
Pau also has a cap hold relative to his salary last year (1.something) which they have to renounce to fit Melo. Also they were injured because THEY ARE OLD AS FUCK and even older now.
That's what I'm saying. I think it's even a step back because their would be so many holes in that team, especially up front.
Now Bosh in Houston is actually really scary. Bosh and Howard together could be a nightmare. In a good way.
Pretty much. Bosh is a better shooter and defender. He's also longer and still the best center we'd be able to get. I want Melo, but with the rest of the Big3. Bron can't get the max for that to happen though. PEACE.
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