Lebron to LA

y2h said:
Life after Lebron...what in 5-6 years when he retires?

Satisfied with one title? Get the hell out of pro sports if that's the case.
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Maybe in one year. No one knows what's going to happen. Is it likely he stays 5-6 years? Sure. Is it possible he leaves after next year? Of course. Only a blind homer would shut down the notion. He's left before, he could very well do it again.

I think it's more of the case "satisfied with one title while losing $40 million dollars and paying $170 million for only $115 million in player salary." I don't think you want to tell the only sports owner Cleveland has had in your lifetime that is willing to pay more than enough to win a title to get the hell out of pro sports.

What an incredibly moronic post.
 
joesports said:
This cracks me up ... no one knew anything about David Griffith before he was hired ... it seems like he did a decent job ... no one really know who or how the next GM will do ... the next one may be better ... just because they parted ways with a GM does not necessarily mean they are a mess.
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I agree. In the context of the NBA I don't think anyone knows anything about David Griffith even to this day. However, lots of people knew plenty about David Griffin before he was hired by the Cavs.

And I agree that just because they parted ways with a GM does not necessarily mean they are a mess. But in this case, they are absolutely a mess. He's one of the best GMs in the NBA, highly regarded among every FO, days before the draft, in the midst of making trade calls, while being denied the opportunity to interview elsewhere.
 
If LeBron was making his decisions about "Where should I finish my career" based on the quality of the GM, he would have stayed with Pat Riley in Miami. GM doesn't matter to LBJ. He will have the ear of whatever GM gets hired.

Griffin might be good, but name any draft picks he made that were so great? Any amazing trades/pick-ups?

If LeBron is going to leave, it is due to the owner. Period.
 
wolves82 said:
If LeBron was making his decisions about "Where should I finish my career" based on the quality of the GM, he would have stayed with Pat Riley in Miami. GM doesn't matter to LBJ. He will have the ear of whatever GM gets hired.

Griffin might be good, but name any draft picks he made that were so great? Any amazing trades/pick-ups?

If LeBron is going to leave, it is due to the owner. Period.
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Well it's not like he's had much of a chance to draft any game changing draft picks. He's had 4, 3 of them came at 25+.

Draft picks:
1) Didn't pick often injured Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid. Picked Andrew Wiggins
2) Joe Harris in the 2nd round. No minutes for him in Cleveland, put up 8.2 ppg in 22 minutes for Brooklyn this year.
3) Tyus Jones
4) Sir Dominic Pointer

Trades/Pick-ups:
1) Traded Andrew Wiggins, possible biggest #1 pick bust Anthony Bennett and 2016's 24th pick for Kevin Love
2) Cleared cap space to sign LeBron James
3) Turned garbage Dion Waiters, Lou Amundson, Alex Kirk and a 2019 2nd round pick into JR Smith and Iman Shumpert and a 2016 1st round pick
4) Turned 2 heavily protected draft picks into Timofey Mozgov
5) Flipped Tyus Jones for cap space
6) Signed Delly
6) Signed Richard Jefferson
7) Turned Varejao, Cunningham and a 2018 1st round pick into Channing Frye
8) Turned Dunleavy, Mo Williams and a 2019 1st round pick into Kyle Korver

For a team as cash strapped as the Cavs have been since he took over, that's a damn good job.
 
Taco MacArthur said:
Maybe in one year. No one knows what's going to happen. Is it likely he stays 5-6 years? Sure. Is it possible he leaves after next year? Of course. Only a blind homer would shut down the notion. He's left before, he could very well do it again.

I think it's more of the case "satisfied with one title while losing $40 million dollars and paying $170 million for only $115 million in player salary." I don't think you want to tell the only sports owner Cleveland has had in your lifetime that is willing to pay more than enough to win a title to get the hell out of pro sports.

What an incredibly moronic post.
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You can't assume he's leaving otherwise you sacrifice today worrying about the future...now that would be moronic.

And it doesn't take a blind Homer to see this is his best opportunity. Going anywhere else makes 0 basketball sense.

If Gilbert is suddenly worried about the cost then he should absolutely get out. This is what is required to compete for titles and titles are all that matter in pro sports, especially when you have the best player in the world.

He also owns the Monsters, the Gladiators and I believe gets a cut of concert tickets through Flash seats...his pockets aren't empty.
 
y2h said:
You can't assume he's leaving otherwise you sacrifice today worrying about the future...now that would be moronic.

And it doesn't take a blind Homer to see this is his best opportunity. Going anywhere else makes 0 basketball sense.

If Gilbert is suddenly worried about the cost then he should absolutely get out. This is what is required to compete for titles and titles are all that matter in pro sports, especially when you have the best player in the world.

He also owns the Monsters, the Gladiators and I believe gets a cut of concert tickets through Flash seats...his pockets aren't empty.
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When did I say he should sacrifice today to worry about the future? That's right, I didn't. But it's obviously a discussion Gilbert and Griffin had, hence why Griffin is no longer with the team.

Well that's debatable.

Or he could scale back on player salaries and not lose $40 million. He owes you nothing. No other team lost more than $10 million. Let me know the next time you run a business and choose to let it operate in the red for multiple years. What a stupid, homer statement.
 
Taco MacArthur said:
When did I say he should sacrifice today to worry about the future? That's right, I didn't. But it's obviously a discussion Gilbert and Griffin had, hence why Griffin is no longer with the team.

Well that's debatable.

Or he could scale back on player salaries and not lose $40 million. He owes you nothing. No other team lost more than $10 million. Let me know the next time you run a business and choose to let it operate in the red for multiple years. What a stupid, homer statement.
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How do you know what discussion occurred between them? It could just as obviously been about money and organizational structure. You honestly believe one or the other decided they needed to blow up the roster, cut payroll and sacrifice next season because Lebron might leave after the season? Again that would be moronic.

It's not Gilberts primary business. Even if the team took a loss he isn't feeling it. Owning a sports franchise is different than a typical business. Success isn't measured by an accountant, it's measured by results on the field of play.
 
Who knows for sure what will happen, but IMO staying with the Cavs is clearly his best bet to have a chance to win another title within the next few years. The odds of pairing with another player on or above Kyrie's level is very slim, and the East is still thin. Boston is the only immediate threat, but they still don't have a bonafide star.

I can't see him going out west with the Warriors likely being loaded for at least three more years. The Cavs are probably guaranteed at least two more Finals appearances before Boston has the pieces. Adding Hayward isn't putting the Celtics over the top in a best of 7. There'd have to be major trade and free agent movement to form an LA team that would have an equal or better shot than what he has in Cleveland.
 
joesports said:
This cracks me up ... no one knew anything about David Griffith before he was hired ... it seems like he did a decent job ... no one really know who or how the next GM will do ... the next one may be better ... just because they parted ways with a GM does not necessarily mean they are a mess.
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brian is just an echo of the last blog he read or broadcast he heard.
 
y2h said:
How do you know what discussion occurred between them? It could just as obviously been about money and organizational structure. You honestly believe one or the other decided they needed to blow up the roster, cut payroll and sacrifice next season because Lebron might leave after the season? Again that would be moronic.

It's not Gilberts primary business. Even if the team took a loss he isn't feeling it. Owning a sports franchise is different than a typical business. Success isn't measured by an accountant, it's measured by results on the field of play.
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Because they both said the reason for the departure was they couldn't agree to the future of the team. :shrug: You can speculate all you want and believe a bunch of conspiracies behind the scenes, I'll go with what they said.

So? Just because it isn't his primary business he should be okay with losing $40 million? No, that's your measure of success. That doesn't mean it is the standard, no matter how bad you want it to be.
 
Taco MacArthur said:
Well it's not like he's had much of a chance to draft any game changing draft picks. He's had 4, 3 of them came at 25+.

Draft picks:
1) Didn't pick often injured Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid. Picked Andrew Wiggins
2) Joe Harris in the 2nd round. No minutes for him in Cleveland, put up 8.2 ppg in 22 minutes for Brooklyn this year.
3) Tyus Jones
4) Sir Dominic Pointer

Trades/Pick-ups:
1) Traded Andrew Wiggins, possible biggest #1 pick bust Anthony Bennett and 2016's 24th pick for Kevin Love
2) Cleared cap space to sign LeBron James
3) Turned garbage Dion Waiters, Lou Amundson, Alex Kirk and a 2019 2nd round pick into JR Smith and Iman Shumpert and a 2016 1st round pick
4) Turned 2 heavily protected draft picks into Timofey Mozgov
5) Flipped Tyus Jones for cap space
6) Signed Delly
6) Signed Richard Jefferson
7) Turned Varejao, Cunningham and a 2018 1st round pick into Channing Frye
8) Turned Dunleavy, Mo Williams and a 2019 1st round pick into Kyle Korver

For a team as cash strapped as the Cavs have been since he took over, that's a damn good job.
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Wow. Impressive details for sure, thanks. Are you writing his memoirs or something?

Anyway, I've bolded what are good moves in my opinion. Clearing cap space for LeBron doesn't count, any accountant with a pulse could do that. Most of the others are meaningless. The underlines are big mistakes in my opinion.
 
You asked if he made any good moves or not. If you don't want an answer, don't ask. :shrug:

Turning Dion Waiters, Lou Amundson and Alex Kirk and a guy who will likely never play in the NBA into JR Smith and Iman Shumpert is a good move. They don't win a title last year without JR's Game 3. He scored 30 points and limited Klay Thompson to 10 points on 13 shots. Cavs won by 30. While Klay scored 25 in game 6, JR made him work for it. He took 21 shots to get it. Chipped in 14 himself. Cavs won by 14. Held Klay to 14 points on 17 shots in game 7. That was a good move. They don't win a title in 2016 with Dion Waiters playing in place of Jr Smith.

Assuming LeBron stays, those picks will be in the very high 20's, which has an incredibly low hit rate. For a team that is in win now mode, it's the right move to make. 99% chance Korver, even this year, is better than anyone they could get with the 26th+ pick. Frye? Maybe, but hindsight is 20/20 and to judge that pick with it is dumb. They needed more shooting and they got it.

They don't win a title without Delly harassing Steph. Richard Jefferson added big moments and glue guy stats too. Turning two picks that will likely end up as 2nd rounds for Mozgov is a good move too. Just because many people can move cap space doesn't make it any less of a good move.
 
joesports said:
He already owns the Cavs ... just not on paper.
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As his play declines, depending upon the roster moves, he does set up to be Gilbert's best potential buyer/partner buy-in.

Another scenario is for Gilbert to cash out as unexpectedly as Kyrie asking for a trade, someone else losing value, and LeBron "rescuing" the franchise a second time as a buyer.
 
Lebron is going to be a part owner of a franchise in the future but I don't see it being the Cavs. Most likely will be in some glamour city like LA, Miami, or New York.
 
SLAGuy said:
Lebron is going to be a part owner of a franchise in the future but I don't see it being the Cavs. Most likely will be in some glamour city like LA, Miami, or New York.
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He'd be a part owner in those towns, for sure. Their values will remain up.

Now the Cavs, on the other hand, may fall more in value. It's the most likely place for him to be a majority owner, he likes control, and an owner doesn't want their stake to be too large a part of their investments. We'll see.
 
ESPN ran a speculative "next super team" piece yesterday, and the only destination that would remotely make any sense is the Lakers. The Spurs could have the space to sign a max player and another larger contract to add to Kawhi, but I can't picture LeBron ever playing for Popovich.

L.A. could in theory clear the space to sign two max deals with little difficulty. It leaves two big questions. Will one of George/Westbrook be willing to leave the other (and a contending team) to go to their hometown Lakers? Can a team with LeBron, George/Westbrook and an early 20s Ball be good enough to beat GSW in the next 3-4 years? Will he be willing to share the spotlight and headlines with the Ball circus? Navigating the improving contender list in the West hinges heavily on Ball being a stud immediately.
 
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This may be an unpopular opinion, but I can't see an L.A. team with LeBron getting past GSW with Paul George as the #2 offensive option. He helps you guard KD, but he's nowhere near the explosive secondary scorer LeBron has always had to have to win (Wade, Kyrie). To win titles in L.A., he'd have to have Westbrook and be able to figure out how to balance both of their ball-dominant styles with Lonzo's play-making skills, or the Lakers would have to trade Lonzo and Ingram for a third wheel that helps space the floor like Love and Bosh before him. That's the only scenario that makes sense to me that presents better opportunities to win titles than the Cavs.
 
F--- Lebron James.

Shut up and play basketball. Sell sneakers and headphones to morons. Stick to something you understand, fool.
 
I don't get why you'd be surprised at LeBron's comments. He's always spoken about social issues and has made no secret he's quite liberal(as was cabe until 2 years ago.) He campaigned for Hillary for god's sake
 
You don't have to liberal to know that white nationalist demonstrations should be condemned. You just have to not be a piece of person. :shrug:
 
I am tired of this act ... LeBron has repeatedly forced teams into unwise short term transaction ... which has caused his teams to be handcuffed with little wiggle room to improve ... then he leaves ... while I am grateful for the championship he and his teammates brought to Cleveland ... I have had enough of the drama ... trade Kyrie for young talent and picks ... then go to LeBron and offer to trade him to where he wants to go and get the most possible for him ... I know this will cause the Cavs to fall, but give them a better chance of rebuilding quicker with (I hope) more team centric nucleus and (hopefully) less drama. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I enjoyed rooting for the Price, Daugherty, Nance, etc. team more than this current addition.
 
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