NBA free agency...Lebron anaelekea wapi?

Ab-Titchaz

JF-Expert Member
Jan 30, 2008
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The NBA's most celebrated free-agent market is open. And one of the top stars already could be close to accepting a deal


Free-agent buzz: Johnson gets max offer


The Atlanta Hawks offered Joe Johnson a six-year, $119 million contract Thursday morning, and sources close to the All-Star guard expect him to accept the max deal soon.

The Hawks moved quickly at midnight ET to try to secure their franchise star and offered the contract that Johnson’s agent Arn Tellem sought from the organization. Sources say ownership OK’d the max offer and general manager Rick Sund delivered it in Los Angeles.

After receiving the Hawks’ offer, Johnson met with a contingent from the New York Knicks that included coach Mike D’Antoni, Johnson’s former coach with the Phoenix Suns. Knicks GM Donnie Walsh didn’t attend.

The Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks were pushing for meetings with Johnson on Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles where they could discuss possible sign-and-trade scenarios. The Chicago Bulls also have interest in Johnson.
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Pacers show interest in Farmar

The Indiana Pacers are targeting former Lakers point guard Jordan Farmar for a one-year contract. The Portland Trail Blazers and Knicks have shown interest, too.

– Adrian Wojnarowski, 3:15 a.m. ET, July 1

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Mavs to meet Nowitzki on Thursday

Dallas Mavericks president Donnie Nelson will offer Dirk Nowitzki a new contract on Thursday during a meeting at Nowitzki’s home in Dallas.

“I’m going to show up on his doorstep, get on one knee and hope he says, ‘I do,’ “ Nelson said. “He gets in [from Germany] tomorrow afternoon and once he settles in we’ll talk. We’re hopeful and optimistic he will re-sign.”

The Mavericks expect to re-sign Nowitzki, who opted out of his contract this week.

“They’re going through all the hoops, but I’d be shocked if he went anywhere else,” a source close to the situation told Yahoo! Sports. “He’s going to get [a new contract] done before they change the rules and structure of the collective bargaining agreement.

“I’d say the chances of him leaving are slim to none. Dirk is a loyal guy. He and Mark Cuban are as close as they come. It would be shocking if he talked to other teams.”

Meanwhile, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle plans to meet with free agent center Brendan Haywood on Thursday in Charlotte, N.C. Nelson called Haywood’s agent Andy Miller once the free agency period began, but has yet to extend an offer.

Haywood also received calls from Miami, Cleveland, Toronto, New York and Detroit. The Heat and Cavs are expected to meet with Haywood on Thursday.

“We are starting the process to re-signing Haywood,” Nelson said.

– Marc J. Spears, 2:45 a.m. ET, July 1

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Stoudemire meets with Heat

Miami Heat president Pat Riley and team officials are planning to meet Amar’e Stoudemire shortly after midnight ET Thursday in Los Angeles, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Stoudemire is competing with Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer to join Dwyane Wade with the Heat.

After opting out of his contract on Wednesday, Stoudemire is set to meet with several teams, sources said. The Suns have offered him a five-year maximum contract with injury protections in the fifth year. Nevertheless, Stoudemire has been slow to commit to Suns owner Robert Sarver, whose financial commitment to compete with the Western Conference elite has been unclear.

Several teams without salary-cap space, including Cleveland, Orlando and Houston are interested in making presentations to Stoudemire. They hope to acquire him through sign-and-trades.

Ishu zaidi nenda HAPA.
 
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Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov will try to use his global standing to woo LeBron James.



The presentation of New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has been designed to reach LeBron James(notes) on his deepest and most superficial of levels. The self-made mogul has carefully crafted a detailed and daring plan to make James a billionaire. The Nets will show him the map of the world, where the mogul has gone in China and India and Russia to make his billions and convince James that there's a blueprint here for him too.

LeBron James wants the world, and the 6-foot-9 owner capable of staring him in the eye will walk into his first free-agent meeting on Thursday and offer it. The Nets will offer him the borough of Brooklyn and pledge to overtake the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden. They'll promise him a vision of turning the franchise into a global basketball destination. Two self-made global moguls, Prokhorov and minority owner Jay-Z, will come calling to convince James to join up and make it a threesome.

Mogul making: Prokhorov sells LeBron - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
 
Akishindwa Chicago, basi N.Y kNICKS wanachukuwa mzigo. Mayor Bloomberg ameahidi kuname mtaa moja maarufu wa NY City Bob James (May be 34TH St) ?.
 
Abuu,

Nilisikia huyu Prokhorov alikuwa anachat na kocha wetu Jackson, kama anataka ku-procure services zake huenda akafanya at least one big contract baina ya Le bron au wengine. Ingawa kitakwimu za msimu uliopita, Nets hawamvutii star yeyote kwendako.
 
Kesho kitaeleweka, maana naona watu wanasubiri kwa hamu kusikia hawa miamba wanaenda wapi.
 
Hiki ni kitendawili ambacho ni kigumu, lakini inaelekea kuna uwezekano mkubwa wa kurudi Cleveland au kwenda Da bulls yeye na CB.
 
LeBron inabidi afuate nyayo za JORDAN na KOBE ili awe LEGEND.......abaki CLEVELAND na kubadili status ya timu na city......otherwise atarukaruka one team after another kila mara akishindwa ku-win title......
 
looks like the emotional variable is strong and significant. It is a tight race between United Center and Cleveland. He has a huge emotional investment in Ohio, being from Akron, so far Cleveland seems to be the front runner.
 
Package Deal?

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This is an attempt to make sense of the market, which has been boiled down to four big names remaining in the pot (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer), five teams with max cap space (Miami, New Jersey, Chicago, New York and the Clippers) as well as the franchise with the most to lose (Cleveland). James will announce his decision Thursday night at 9 p.m. on ESPN, and my reading is that he will be left to choose from as many as three compelling teams that clearly are offering him the best opportunity to win -- and winning has always been the No. 1 criterion, according to James himself.
Team #1: Does LeBron stay in Cleveland?

A league source insists that Bosh has ruled out a sign-and-trade to Cleveland. With the Cavs unlikely to sign-and-trade for Boozer -- whose bridge to Cleveland was torched when the Cavs made him a free agent in 2004 and he responded by signing with Utah -- it appears likely that the Cavs will make no major changes this week around James, other than to pair him with a new coach in Byron Scott.
Maybe Scott's impressive résumé is enough to keep James in Cleveland. After all, the Cavs won 127 games the last two seasons, and Scott -- who won three championship rings alongside Magic Johnson -- promises to command more respect from James while installing an up-tempo offense to feature him in the open floor.
Team #2: LeBron to Miami?

The longer the three biggest names -- James, Wade and Bosh -- remain available while the Heat keep open their cap space, the more credible becomes the option of all three joining with team president Pat Riley in Miami.
But these three questions have to be answered first:
• Can Wade and James play together? All the Shaq-and-Kobe warnings won't matter so long as James and Wade believe they can thrive as a tandem. Why should they care what anyone else thinks? If they think it can work, they'll have the opportunity to make it work.
• Will each accept less money to make it work? The obvious way for each player to approach a max salary of more than $16 million next season is for Miami to acquire Bosh in a sign-and-trade that would send Michael Beasley to Toronto. But the Raptors are not interested in acquiring Beasley, according to a well-placed league source. Maybe the Heat can create the space by dumping Beasley's $5 million salary elsewhere. Or maybe James, Wade and Bosh can be convinced to accept less money than they could earn elsewhere -- which in itself would be a public-relations benefit as proof that winning championships together was more important than maxing out financially as individuals. Even so, this is a major obstacle.
• Would Bosh accept being the No. 3 option? If James and Wade are willing to share the credit, shouldn't Bosh be willing to do the same? If Bosh doesn't come, Riley can turn to rival power forward Boozer -- the other remaining big name in play, who also happens to own an offseason home in Miami -- to serve as the finisher in the post.
Since James would be giving up the sixth year of his contract by signing outright with the Heat, he could reduce his risk by signing a shorter deal that could enable him to become a free agent in a few years, just in case things aren't working out for him in Miami.
If this is a game of poker, Riley has been sitting quietly at the table with the biggest pile of chips and the most mysterious hand of cards. If James, Wade and Bosh were to team together in Miami, they would be proving emphatically that winning championships is more important than the individualistic goals associated with young NBA players. They don't have to stay together forever -- when Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant broke up, each went on to win a championship or two on his own.
For the first time I'm viewing Miami as a serious option for James. Otherwise the Heat would have headed down another road by now.
Team #3: LeBron to Chicago?

A third credible option for James is to move to Chicago, where he would join with All-Star point guard Derrick Rose, center Joakim Noah and either Bosh (through a sign-and-trade, in which the Bulls would try to avoid losing Noah) or Boozer at power forward. Luol Deng could also start alongside James (forcing one of them to play out of position) or come off the bench.
Chicago has a rookie coach in Tom Thibodeau, and that is one concern for the Bulls. Another is the lack of shooting around James.
Miami faces similar questions of shooting and depth, but it has Riley to step in as coach if need be -- he's already hinted at that possibility. And the group dynamic of Riley managing James, Wade and Bosh or Boozer surely trumps Chicago's package of Thibodeau overseeing James, Rose and Bosh/Boozer.
The other contenders don't measure up. The Knicks have room for one max player to join with Amar'e Stoudemire, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler; they are now embarking on a longer-term two-year plan to add another star next offseason after Eddy Curry's contract comes off the books. Everything about the Nets is under construction: their Brooklyn arena, their hiring of a GM and their roster around young Brook Lopez, Devin Harris and raw rookie Derrick Favors. Then there are the Clippers, who are and always will be the Clippers.
My view is that James has no choice but to narrow his final choice among Cleveland, Miami and Chicago.
Can he play with Wade? That remains the fundamental question. Do the basketball math on a quartet of James, Wade, Bosh and Riley. The Cavs should be very worried indeed.
Wade's options?

His default position is to re-sign with Miami -- just as James' default is to remain in Cleveland -- unless he's faced with a more compelling offer. What if James decides against moving to Miami and the Heat are unable to acquire Bosh in a sign-and-trade?
If no stars are headed to Miami to play with him, then suddenly the opportunities for Wade to play in Chicago, New York or even New Jersey may grow more attractive to him.
It makes sense for Wade to make his decision before James, because why should James declare his intentions before everything is in place? He has undoubtedly spent the last few days communicating with and gauging his fellow free agents while negotiating different scenarios that would put him in the best position to win. It figures that Bosh and Wade will be off the board by the time James makes his announcement.
Bosh's options?

This is the guy to watch. If he commits to Miami, you can expect Wade to join him there because Bosh is the most attractive big man on the market. If word should leak that both Bosh and Wade are willing to accept less money, James may be on the way to Miami too.
If Bosh goes to Chicago in a cap-clearing sign-and-trade that leaves the Bulls with enough room for another max player, that opens the door for Wade to join him there.
Here's a third one: Let's say Bosh goes to Chicago in a sign-and-trade and Wade ends up committing to New York. Would that mean Wade was unable to return to his hometown of Chicago because James has decided to go there?
And now for another possibility: Bosh could choose to accept a sign-and-trade to his home state of Texas -- in which case he's likely headed to the Rockets -- which would throw the market into further upheaval.
All season I've predicted that James will re-sign with Cleveland, and that may yet happen. But with decisions expected to come soon, it is going to be difficult for the Cavaliers to watch from the sideline as these maneuverings play themselves out.

Source: Sports Illustrated

 
Bosh to join Wade in signing with Heat

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Posted Jul 7 2010 8:34AM - Updated Jul 7 2010 11:29AM​


MIAMI (AP) -- Chris Bosh wants to contend for a championship. Dwyane Wade wants some star-powered help.The simplest solution, apparently, was for them to team up in Miami.

A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Bosh decided to join the Heat and play alongside Wade, another All-Star free agent. Bosh told Wade it was "definite," says the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because no contracts had been signed and no one authorized the person to reveal the decision publicly.

Still unclear, however, is this: Whether Miami's acquisition of Bosh will come through a simple free-agent signing or a sign-and-trade deal with the Toronto Raptors.

ESPN first reported Bosh's decision.

TNT's David Aldridge reports that as of Tuesday evening, Bosh officially eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers from his list of potential destinations in any kind of sign-and-trade deal.

Bosh and Wade are friends, were Olympic teammates on the gold-medal team in Beijing, dined together at times during the free-agent interview process last week in Chicago and were part of that star-studded draft class in 2003 - Bosh went fourth, Wade fifth.

Now all eyes turn to the No. 1 pick in that class, LeBron James. The two-time MVP plans to say which team he'll play for next on ESPN Thursday night.

Bosh, Wade and James have talked about playing together. If that plan is to be truly hatched, it would have to happen in Miami.

Henry Thomas, the agent for both Bosh and Wade, did not return calls or e-mails early Wednesday from the AP. Calls to Wade and two representatives for the 2006 NBA finals MVP also were not returned.

Bosh and Wade could formally become teammates as soon as Thursday, when the NBA moratorium on signing contracts expires. Under NBA rules, the Heat cannot confirm any contracts until 12:01 a.m. Thursday, although players are allowed to agree to deals before the signing window opens.

"I have nothing official from anyone," Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo said in a text message to the AP.

The Raptors do have several sign-and-trade options from teams interested in acquiring Bosh, who averaged career-bests of 24.0 points and 10.8 rebounds last season for Toronto.

Wade said when free agency began that he would likely only stay in Miami if the Heat lured either Bosh or LeBron James to South Florida.

NBA.com: Report: Wade, Bosh to team up in Miami
 
I am here to announce my decision that I'll be joining King Dwayne of Miami Heat.

Question: Why did you have to create this crap of "media event" in order to announce your decision?

LJ: Blah Blah blah blah blah

We have 23 minutes to go before the "big announcement"
 
Kwa sababu za kifedha, hawezi kwenda Miami. Salary cap inawabana Miami na sioni kama LBJ anaweza kukubali apate package ndogo kwa ajili ya kwenda Miami tu. Labda atabaki Cavs kwa makubaliano kwamba afanye kazi ya kusaka wachezaji wengine yeye mwenyewe kwa kusaidiana Kocha mpya Bwana Scott.
 
Sasa hawa jamaa mbona wanapiga soga tu? Leteni news ili tufunge mjadala wa free agency season.
 
Keil naona hiyo saa nzima hakuna cha maana ni blah blah blah tu na hiyo dakika moja ya kutangaza anaenda wapi.
 
BAK una uhakika ataenda Miami?

Sina hakika ndugu yangu ila nimejumlisha na kutoa na kuona uwezekano mkubwa ni wa yeye kwenda Miami. Inawezekana pia akaenda Chicago, New York au New Jersey. Hii kitu inaudhi sana blah blah blah blah kwa saa nzima! 25 minutes zimekatika hatujajua anaenda wapi.
 
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