Here we are again. “The Decision 2.0” is upon us as NBA superstar LeBron James is opting out of his contract with the Miami Heat. James had until June 30 to decide whether to opt out of the final two years of his contract with Miami. He was scheduled to make $20 million next season and had two years and about $42.7 million remaining on his deal. This doesn’t necessarily mean the Heat won’t fight to keep him but it certainly means he may be a little bit more expensive.
Now the question is, who has more to offer for James? Not just monetarily but what team will attempt to build a team catered to him. One in which he can yet again go to the NBA Finals with. Now, I would like to focus on the one team that WILL NOT and SHOULD NOT be an option. Many talk about this team being a destination but that’s if James takes the money.
We all have to face it. The New York Knicks are a sub-par team. Carmelo Anthony was the one reason why they ALMOST made the playoffs in the dreadful Eastern Conference. They may have the money to afford him but there has been much money wasted on players that did little to nothing for the Knicks organization. Yes, they have Phil Jackson as President and Derek Fisher as their head coach, but they need immediate change if they want James. Since the changes have been too soon, I seriously doubt James will find much appeal with such a team.
Now, who has the best opportunity to nab James? How about taking a look into Southern California? Both Los Angeles teams have quite a bit of room to play with if they want to be championship contenders. The Clippers, despite having a great team on both ends of the floor, are not of the elite caliber. Having James would automatically turn them into an elite team. The same could be said about the Lakers. We all know who controls the Lakers and who’s team it is. Kobe is probably going into the last two seasons of his storied career and has been the face of the team for many years. But, suppose James were to sign with the Lakers, Kobe should very well know to give some command to the man that would bring some legitimacy back to the troubled franchise. Kobe would not have made the current team a contender, thinking so would be absurd. Bringing in James and some good draft picks could automatically turn this team around. The Lakers have just three players under contract for next season, Bryant, Nash and Sacre. They also have a player option they could exercise with Kendall Marshall. This was to clear cap space in order to go nuts during free agency. They have the resources to pick up James and much more.
We also have to put the Chicago Bulls as one the top destinations for James. The Bulls are one major piece away from a trip to the NBA Finals and that pieces last name is not Rose. Joakim Noah has been the face of the franchise since Rose fell to injury and I don’t see that changing any time soon. So, now is the most opportune moment for the Bulls to add a key piece to play alongside the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. It’s no secret the Bulls will participate in the Melo Sweepstakes and will only be able to pick him or James. Who would they rather have? Well, when was the last time Carmelo has been to the NBA Finals? Wait a second… Now this is where the fun begins. The Bulls have two huge targets to go for and now we’ll see who they really lean towards in the next few weeks.
Behind the Bulls, we have another team that is in the Melo Sweepstakes. The Houston Rockets are also a piece away from being a championship contender. After being defeated in 6 games by the Portland Trailblazers in the very first round of the Western Conference Playoffs, the Rockets are looking to add Melo but now seeing that James is available could shake this up. Dwight is a character. We all know that. But he knows what is needed to win a championship. Harden has also been a valuable piece for this team that is only bound to get better. Give the right price to James, and we could very well see him in a Rockets jersey in 2014.
Next, we have Cleveland. It’s home for LeBron and it wouldn’t shock any of us if he were to go back. Now, do the Cavaliers want him back? This past week, the Cavs hired David Blatt as their head coach, who is virtually unknown in the United States. He has very high expectations for his new team, as the team does for him. Now, we all know this team has been one of the worst teams in the league since James left it for South Beach. Their “savior”, Kyrie Irving, has been more of an individual talent and has no idea what the playoffs looks like. The addition of Anthony Bennett has been a bust so far but the team made up for it during the season when they picked up Luol Deng. Now, they have another #1 pick in the draft and could use this to their advantage. The Cavs may not be the best team around but they are in a position to improve drastically.
Now, bear with me on this one. Let’s throw the Phoenix Suns into the mix. Despite the Suns just missing the playoffs this past season, they have a very young and solid team. To top it off, they have 3 picks in the first round of the draft; and 4 of the first 50! This team is bound to have some success soon and adding a player like James would be like dumping gasoline on a forest fire. Yes, they are a small market team but James has shown that he’s in it for the rings, not the value of the contract. Playing alongside Dragic, Bledsoe, and Green would suit James’ run and gun, fastbreak style of play.
Let’s finish this off with the Miami Heat. 53.7. That is the number of points the Heat’s top 5 scorers, other than LeBron, averaged during the NBA Finals . The 2010 Cavaliers, James’ last season in a Cleveland jersey, scored more. The Heat have a lot of great names on paper but we saw this past NBA Finals that they could not hold up. Dwyane Wade’s career may come to an end soon with his knees giving out on him. Chris Bosh’s time in Miami may be up since James is leaving. Ray Allen should be retiring in a year while Shane Battier is already done. There are rumors of the Heat entering the Melo Sweepstakes but it doesn’t seem as if Melo is interested in being the #2 guy behind James. The future of this team is very uncertain and I will not be surprised if James is not a part of it. But, the fact that he opted out doesn’t mean he wants out or more money. In a way, this forces the Heat to add some supporting players and get younger. The draft will tell us which team is looking at making a bigger splash for James and the Heat will have to follow suit.
The next few weeks will decide what James will do. For now, we get to sit back and enjoy the ride that is NBA free agency.
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