well, the cavs are out, where will LeBron be in 2011?

[Sauru]

If LeBron leaves it'll be a big Cleveland Steamer on the chest of the Cavaliers.

i knew i liked you benji

[rise]

i knew i liked you benji

WTF? gay?

[Sauru]

maybe a little. the anteater does shit to me what can i say

[rise]

maybe a little. the anteater does shit to me what can i say

Oh, yeah, it's saying 'Fuck you.'

[Jackal]

I'm going to fucking stomp you through the internet.

[air gordon]

benji:
how much can NYK offer Lee (assuming they give out 2 max contracts- prolly to Boozer and Johnson )

[benji]

They can offer the max to Lee no matter what. They just have to sign him AFTER they sign the two max FAs they want.

That assumes they don't renounce him in an attempt to get three max FAs if the cap figure winds up high enough.

[air gordon]

thx. yes- i meant to ask after/should they renounce him

[Confusious]

What is the player max? I don't really know much about the salary situations. I've been more focused on the NHL to be honest.

[benji]

http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm

[palomo-lv]

Hello, I made mixtape about Lebron James. Hope you'll like it! Also I want to know your thoughts about Lebron James future. Where he gonna play next season? Chicago, Miami, Cleveland, New York or somewhere else?

phpBB [video]

[Dan's Brain]

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=73160

7 page thread devoted to this..

[Andrew]

Went ahead and merged the LeBron mixtape thread into this one.

[NovU]

Nice vid, though music kinda boring. Guile theme woulda done good for this mix.

[shadowgrin]

Done.

[Rip32]

Done.

Win.

[air gordon]

no revelations as of yet but rotoworld reports...

Tom Izzo still hasn't decided whether to coach the Cavaliers. He sent a text message to the Associated Press on Sunday, saying only that he is "still gathering."
Izzo is reportedly trying to figure out what the Cavs' specific plans are, both with or without LeBron. Meanwhile, the Cavs have contacted potential head coaches Byron Scott, Mike Woodson and Brian Shaw. One worrisome detail -- Cavs players (including LeBron) are said to be unhappy with the team's efforts to rebuild post-Danny Ferry and post-Mike Brown.

[Rip32]

I hope Izzo doesn't go there and not have LeBron at his disposal, that would just be a slap in the face to both him and those at Michigan State.

It also doesn't look like the Cavs are making much of an effort to improve last year's faults. I mean, they were a helluva team last year in teh regular season, but if you're the Cavs GM what do you actually do?

Resign LeBron obviously, but then do you try to acquire a real outside scorer/distributor to pair with LeBron? I don't think the Cavs really need a try "run the offense" point guard, they need a guy who can do a little more than shoot threes (Mo Williams). Do they go get a SG? I don't really know who would fit them now-a-days. The old standby was always Michael Redd, but no one in their right mind wants his contract/corpse.

Michigan is buzzing about this Izzo to the Cavs stuff and for some odd reason they keep saying, "Oh, well, if Tom leaves he can possibly have LeBron AND Chris Bosh in Cleveland."

I may not be a salary expert, but there's no way in hell that can happen-- right? I'm under the impression that the Cavs can offer LeBron the max because they're his original team, but just because they can offer him a huge deal doesn't mean they can do the same for someone else. Even if they lose LeBron, they still can't go grab a max player I don't think.

[benji]

Michigan is buzzing about this Izzo to the Cavs stuff

Off The Record even ended with it this week.

Oh, and the Cavs can get Chris Bosh theoretically in a trade that sends half the team to take back Bosh and Turkoglu.

The question is if Izzo wants to coach in the NBA more than anything. He might have the best team in college basketball next season, and at the minimum he'll have a contender for the national championship, does he pass that up without LeBron saying he's coming back? Especially when the Cavs have no GM which is a death sentence for a coach?

I'd say Izzo should punt, see if he can pick up another national championship, then take on the Pistons job in two years when Kuester and Joe D are gone.

Unless he can get a Coach/GM deal from the Cavs. Although I don't see him getting great success at the NBA level. I've never been impressed with his offense, he gets by in the college game because it's so low possession and low pace. Butler almost took down Duke because of this. Due to the shot clock alone the NBA is 45% faster. And will NBA players suit up in football gear to learn how to rebound?

If there's a positive, I wouldn't have to see Izzo's wife anymore when I watch State games. (And if LeBron leaves nobody has to watch Cavs games anymore.)

[air gordon]

from realgm via cleveland plain dealer:

LeBron Won't Commit To Anything For Cavs Until Free Agency Begins


LeBron James has not spoken with Tom Izzo about the job or his future and currently has no plans to do so, according to a source.

James intends to become a free agent on July 1 and does not plan on committing to anything until after he explores his free agent options.

James is not expected to make any sort of promise or guarantee that he'll re-sign with the Cavaliers no matter who the team ends up hiring

what i'm wondering is what is Cleveland's contingency plan should LBJ leave??

[Sauru]

suck balls until they can win the top pick in the lotto again?

[Rip32]

I'd say Izzo should punt, see if he can pick up another national championship, then take on the Pistons job in two years when Kuester and Joe D are gone.

Unless he can get a Coach/GM deal from the Cavs. Although I don't see him getting great success at the NBA level. I've never been impressed with his offense, he gets by in the college game because it's so low possession and low pace. Butler almost took down Duke because of this. Due to the shot clock alone the NBA is 45% faster. And will NBA players suit up in football gear to learn how to rebound?

Agree, I don't think his system is something that works in the NBA today. It might have been a plausible idea during the early 90's, but I don't think it's that way now. I think making him a GM could be a terrible idea, it would almost guarantee a Mateen Cleaves NBA revival.

If there's a positive, I wouldn't have to see Izzo's wife anymore when I watch State games.

phpBB [video]

what i'm wondering is what is Cleveland's contingency plan should LBJ leave??

kinda like what Sauru said actually lol. I don't think this roster minus LBJ is anywhere as terrible as the Ricky Davis-Darius Miles' era, but these Cavs are just good enough to float around 25-35 wins for the next few years until they find another semi-superstar. Whether that guy is through the draft or otherwise I don't know, but the team itself wont be much worse than Detroit was this year I don't think.

[benji]

I looked at the stats and I guess Izzo's State offenses haven't been as bad as I thought. Generally top 30 in the nation (adjusted), same with their D. Guess their slow pace and the fact that they don't look like they have any actual plays or gameplan's hides that.

I don't think Izzo would be THAT bad of a GM really. He's arguably the best recruiter outside of Roy Williams and Coach K. (Assuming you want to build a program and not try to gather up every one-and-done prospect you can and bail before the investigations come. *cough* Calipari *cough*) Although I doubt that will work to the effect in the NBA unless he can put in a system players like. (I see him as being more like a Larry Brown in the NBA than the standard college coach screamer. In terms of trying to enforce a system rather than scream at players. *cough* Calipari *cough* I can't recall any serious conflicts he's had with players who aren't stupid and overrated like Marcus Taylor.)

But I digress from my point. I think he'd be a solid GM because of the way he recruits. He identifies a couple of top prospects, generally one or two guys who could be All-Americans and a couple top prospects who can transition over four years into a key role player or starter. And the rest is picking up guys who can be role players on a four year program. He also seems to have an eye for chemistry, as he had with the Flintstones from the title team and he does poke around getting guys who have known each other.

I still don't think Izzo is a guaranteed success, but I think he could be one of the best college to NBA coaches. I think he'd need to mellow a lot though. The guy's freaking out on the sidelines 25 or more games a year. How is he going to handle 80 (or up to 100 if LeBron stays and they go deep) games without having a heart attack on the sidelines? But again, I think his knack for finding and using guys in good roles for them wouldn't hurt in the NBA. I'd like to imagine he's one of those coaches who could get a guy who's been in and out of the league for seven or eight years and find them a key role as a ninth or tenth guy, he seems to manage that with his lesser recruits.

And I wasn't hating on his wife as much as I was lamenting the whole "thirty awkward seconds showing a wife or celebrity on camera for no clear reason that goes on six times longer than it should" much like the Eva Longoria fest or Jason Kidd's battered wife and ugly kidd from earlier in the decade. It's doubly annoying when they're invested in the game (Izzo, who prays and is almost as intense about the game, although quietly so, as her husband) or blindingly oblivious (Longoria-Parker and the Kidd's) yet the camera lingers and lingers. I prefer the "interested but recognize they're on camera so they're watching themselves on the scoreboard so it's boring and the angles wrong forcing the cameraman to find the oblivious ones" style. (If they aren't going to do the "yell or try to talk to the players/refs/coaches" of a Chris Rock or Jack Nicholsen.) There was someone at game five who did this to perfection. (There's also the stare into space method as shown in three straight games by John Havilcek. NBA players tend to be pretty good at this. Larry Bird in particular. Lastly there's the "I'm on camera, I need to do something to get noticed but I have no idea what so I'll either call someone or force myself into the frame strangely." Game five had some good ones including the twelve year old girl who just happened to reach across her mom for something after Rondo or someone spilled into the guy three seats over, or the people during the long shot on the announcing crew who randomly stood up and down, leaned in "listening" or just had to see around them.)

Lastly, if LeBron leaves, the Cavs are "fine." They punt this season no matter what (in the New East, without LeBron, I think they can still win 35-40 games), then everyone but Varejao starts falling off the cap. If they don't draft like they did in most of the decade before the second round of 2002 they could retool relatively quickly. Look what the Thunder and Blazers have done in just a short term relying on draft picks. Or the Jazz using picks and cap space. They could clear space and get picks even quicker if/when contenders would/will come calling for Mo Williams, Jamario Moon, etc. or Jamison's contract when it becomes one of those no-risk ones teams trade for. What they've really got against them is the city of Cleveland.

But at least they aren't Detroit.

[NovU]

Good debate. I enjoyed reading.

Lastly, if LeBron leaves, the Cavs are "fine." They punt this season no matter what (in the New East, without LeBron, I think they can still win 35-40 games), then everyone but Varejao starts falling off the cap. If they don't draft like they did in most of the decade before the second round of 2002 they could retool relatively quickly. Look what the Thunder and Blazers have done in just a short term relying on draft picks. Or the Jazz using picks and cap space. They could clear space and get picks even quicker if/when contenders would/will come calling for Mo Williams, Jamario Moon, etc. or Jamison's contract when it becomes one of those no-risk ones teams trade for. What they've really got against them is the city of Cleveland.

That sounds like a long proccess without a guarantee that they'll return to the playoffs as a contender anytime soon. However, it seems that's clearly what CLE needs to do if they lose Lebron.

[benji]

Good debate. I enjoyed reading.

I'm not sure we're disagreeing. I think Rip32 will AGREE mostly with me as I agreed mostly with him. Izzo's great but we're unsure of his translation to the NBA, I just think he has some aspects that may help him better than most college coaches. (WHICH IS NOT SAYING MUCH!) Which Rip32 may agree on!

To your other points.

Let me be clear, I would always want to be be cap flexible and relying on the draft than I would be capped out and good enough to just miss or make the playoffs.

See the earlier discussion on the Bulls vs. the Cavs. I prefer the Cavs ability to dump everything by 2011/2012 and start over than the Bulls having two or three guys guaranteed to be getting $30+ million without guarantee of full contention.

As I mentioned, look at the Thunder and Blazers. Both teams spent the decrease from their high in the late 90s trying to flip players and stay relevant and it BOMBED. Then they decided to stockpile picks and use their space. Now they're 50+ win teams, one of whom is a contender if healthy, and the other has raced out of nowhere to 50 wins and has space to add another star or a bench. The Pistons punted on big contracts to add Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups, and then at mid-season Rasheed Wallace and it won them a title. The Heat brought themselves into a flexibility that let them first add Shaq, and then stockpile a team of "failures" to win a title. The Celtics turned players they drafted and space into a title. So on.

I've noted before, you can only do the roster tinkering if you're already contending with one of the best players. And it's hard if you're not good enough and capped out (Hornets, Rockets, Denver, etc.) trying to add more pieces.

The difference between the Cavs losing LeBron and Miami losing Wade on the future of those teams (assuming the two teams were equal in everything else) would be that people want to live in Miami. People only live in Cleveland if they have to.