The conjecture has already been firing away in the minds of most sports fans for over 24 hours now. What will be Lebron’s next move? Where will King James take his court? The candidates are going to be teams that have enough money to sign James, help him be in yearly contention, and assure a continued growth in his marketability. Who are these candidates?
If you believe what you read in the papers, this is a New York or Chicago decision. Of course, you also have to realize where you are reading these points of view – most likely trapped in a source from a NY or Chicago newspaper. And now even president Obama wants the King in Chicago?
Can either of those destinations really provide all of the criteria stated above? No. Neither the Bulls nor the Knicks can contend anytime soon. In fact, personnel wise, it would be better for Lebron James to stay in Cleveland. They can all offer him the $98 million he will likely fetch, too. So there really is little incentive to leave Cleveland except to increase his marketability and that would best be found in New York rather than Chicago.
Still, look at the coaching situations in all three cities. NY, Chicago, and Cleveland all have tenuous spots – sure D’Antoni is solidified in NY but for how long? The impatience of the Knicks fans could chase him out and his teams never have shown a tendency for any shred of defense.
What about Miami? The Heat really are a player away from contending. They have Dwyane Wade who has won a championship already. They can not only offer the money to James, but a chance to realistically contend every year with Wade as his partner. Besides, what’s a king without a crown?
Marketability is not a problem – look at what Wade has been able to accomplish in Miami. All the sizzle and sexy of south Florida living can be embedded into Lebron’s marketing campaigns.
Still not convinced? Why not bring Pat Riley out again as coach for another title run. Another way in which Miami not only contends for the King, but stands out. It’s happened before why not again?
And one other thing – not only can Miami add a hall of fame coach, but they can even maneuver into gaining enough cap space to acquire another marquee player. Carlos Boozer anyone? Talk about a big three.
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Yeah, he’ll do it again if he has a legitimate chance to win a title. He did it before when he unseated Stan Van Gundy (a basketball lifer) under the false pretense of Van Gundy wanting to spend more time with his family. But wait…Van Gundy apparently had a change of heart and returned to coach the Magic just 18 months later. Pat the Rat will do it again so quickly it’ll have Spolelstra’s head spinning. Very curious to see what excuse he uses this time. Maybe it’s “Spoelstra wants to go back to school” or some other odd endeavor. Pat the Rat…continues to live up to a very appropriate nickname. He turned his back on the Knicks, Stan Van Gundy, and with a big free agent signing Spoelsta will soon be in his crosshairs.
If it gets Lebron to play in South Florida, would anyone really question it?