Coach Blatt, NBA Draft, and Soccer in the USA, While We’re Waiting
June 24, 20142014 NBA Draft: Joe Gilbert’s Top Five Small Forwards
June 24, 2014
In a bit of a shock—the timing, if not the context of the actual news—Miami Heat forward LeBron James will exercise his Early Termination Option and become an unrestricted free agent this July. This news was first reported by ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard.
James was thought to be one of the few players to opt in for his final year where he was due to earn $20.3 million. Opting out allows him to re-sign with the Heat on a multi-year basis in addition to exploring his options to sign elsewhere. If James were to re-sign with the Heat, it is believed that he would have to take less money in order for the Miami front office to have more flexibility in building out a more complete roster.
James has been relatively mum on his future, stating that he had not given it much thought upon the completion of the 2013-14 season where his team fell to the San Antonio Spurs for the NBA Championship, four games to one. It was believed that the four-time MVP would push his free agency off one more year, allowing the Heat more time to steer toward their future.
“I don’t think we’ve got to recruit Chris, Dwyane or LeBron,” Heat president Pat Riley said on Thursday. “I’m not dropping rings on the table for those guys. They could drop their own.”
Teams are thought to be making a big push to sign James include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.
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(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
33 Comments
Wow. Let the fun begin.
I used this gif in another thread, but it’s just so apropos
http://www.brainlesstales.com/images/misc/bitcoin-roller-coaster.gif
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/biz1966/Ani%20gifs%204/tumblr_mdrwi67Yka1qhlq75.gif
Who?
I would still bet he ends back up in Miami. This is the only card he could play to both free up cap space for the Heat and put pressure on them to do something with it.
I thought he signed a six year deal, with player options for the final two? Wouldn’t 2015/16 be the “final year” of his contract?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVtqZgfFKgQ
It looks conspicuously like a Browns logo on the coin
It doesn’t look like an empty orange oval to me…
we changed it to incorporate the $ sign once we signed Manziel
http://insidepitch.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/man.jpg
Just realized my loathing of Pat Riley now exceeds my distaste for LeBron. Because that’s the correct reaction by LeBron to a request that he take a pay cut, after carrying 65 year old Wade, Bosh and the rest of that group to the Finals. Go talk to Wade and the rest of the dead wood, Riley. LeBron is the only special thing left in Miami.
You just don’t understand Harv. LeBron needs to show Miami loyalty and he cannot just run out because things are hard. He needs to stick it out and help them build it up again.
You know, the same exact speech Riley gave him back in 2010. Right?
Oh man, I totally forgot this. Awesome.
Yeah, I love how quickly he has adopted the “real men earn championships!” attitude. You don’t just abandon the team you abandoned your team for!
2014 Miami Heat home opener…
THEORY: Johnny MAnzeil is made of bit coins
could have also been 3 minutes before Game 3 of this past year’s finals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-ImCpNqbJw&feature=kp
Yeah, like sign Carmelo Anthony. Ugh!
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9hk8tC4ZI1rqruky.gif
Don’t the Cavs own the Heat draft pick next year (top 5 protected)? If he does leave the Heat, there is yet another better than we hoped asset as I do not think the Heat will be able to adjust on the fly as well this time.
Sources: Brian Windhorst has opted out of his contract with ESPN and is awaiting instructions from LeBron.
Now that is funny!
Protected 1-10 through 2016. Unprotected in 2017.
gotta believe the Cavs are a front runner. LeBron has always wanted to play with a PF who can’t shoot and a fat guy.
Game on. At least we don’t have to wait for this summer of 2015 BS. The Cavs can finally set the future course of the franchise – with or without LBJ. Either way, we get a big reconciliation or finally some closure to this whole thing and the team can finally move on.
THIS is why I have pretty much ignored the NBA post-2010. All of the talk I heard today on Sportscenter is teams making a pitch as to why their roster is the most stacked for LeBron to ride in and win titles. The NBA has allowed ESPN to turn its league into a collection of mercenaries. Star players collude with each other to form super teams, leaving fans high and dry across about 25 of the markets, and everyone turns a blind eye because HEY IF LEBRON, DEREK ROSE, AND CARMELO ARE ALL IN CHICAGO TOGETHER ITS BIIIIIG RATINGS AND LEBRON CAN COAST BACK TO THE FINALS BECAUSE NOTHING MATTERS IF HE DOESN’T MATCH JORDAN’S AND KOBE’S RING TOTALS.
What’s the point?
you provide the exact reason why i dislike the nba so much now. i used to like it as a kid. i much prefer college basketball now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM1RChZk1EU
The NBA didn’t allow ESPN to do it. The NBA did it to themselves starting back in the 80s when they figured out that if they made the game just about the STAR PLAYERS then they could get bigger ratings. Thus, Magic v. Bird. Then Jordan.
When the NBA starting marketing players-first, the kids took note and made the game about themselves first. AAU stepped in and ratcheted things up tenfold and on and on we went.
But, back in the 50s-80s, we had teams colluding or just out-spending to get all the star players on their team. Those Celtic teams were so stacked it makes the current teams look like parity. Heck the West IS parity at it’s best.
It’s not all bad and I doubt many put LeBron in the same category as the truly top players ever if he keeps jumping team to team every few years.
This is true, also. I was just thinking of it in terms of the way that ESPN has handled these “free agency” situations over the last handful of years. They’ve set the parameters of the free agency dialogue by making it about “what’s the best place for LeBron to go and win more titles” instead of what’s best for the league as a whole.
I mean, it’s only been a week or so but they seem to have already forgotten that the Spurs HOME GROWN team completely destroyed LeBron in the Finals.
Homegrown teams may win titles, but they make for a boring offseason. ESPN needs that offseason to be exciting!
Yeah, I hate that aspect too, but the rabbit doesn’t fit in that hat anymore.
Oh, I know. Pandora is standing by the box with that bewildered look on her face at this point.
It just makes me sad to know that there’s not much the sport can do to win me back at this point, because this is now the new normal.