Through his agent, Lebron James has notified the Miami Heat that he'll opt out of the remainder of his player-option contract and become a free agent. This comes as a surprise to -- well -- actually nobody.
Had the Heat three-peated for another NBA championship, things might well be different. But seeing as how they were trashed in the finals by San Antonio, who likely will be just as good next year, evidently James wants to survey the landscape and see if there is another destination where he would have a better chance at winning another championship. And, oh my. How the rumors and possibilities have run wild already. Analysts are analyzing, "experts" are offering their expertise, and the TV talking heads are once again flapping their gums at warp speed trying to bring us the latest news flash -- even though they don't have any idea how this is going to work out.
Remember when Anderson Cooper and CNN devoted an entire month to that missing Malaysian plane? Their ratings actually went up. Three months later, the plane is still missing and nobody knows anything. It's amazing how much interest can be generated when newsy folks talk about things they have no clue about. Or perhaps that's an indictment on a gullible public that is desperate to buy into something -- anything -- that will make their lives more interesting, even if the story has absolutely no basis in fact. But I digress. Back to the hoopsters.
It's not just Lebron that will be hitting the open market on July 1. Teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can opt out as well. For that matter -- can this be right? -- the only player on the entire Miami Heat roster under contract beyond next year is back-up guard Norris Coles. It would appear their front office has some serious work facing them in the near future.
Throw New York Knick Carmelo Anthony into the meat market mix as well. Madison Square Garden might be a great place to play, but Melo has realized he'll never win a ring in the Big Apple. So he's looking for another competitive landing spot as well.
Scenarios have been offered. The Chicago Bulls seem to be high on most lists. Any of these free agents might go to the Windy City and team up with the likes of Carlos Boozer, Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah, and even former MVP Derrick Rose, if he can stay healthy.
Or maybe the Houston Rockets. If they off Jeremy Lin to create cap space, point guard extraordinaire James Harden and "Superman" Dwight Howard seem to have the long and short of it covered when it comes to the nucleus of a team. Throw in a couple super-stud free agents, and these guys could be contenders in a hurry.
There was even a rumor Kobe Bryant was going to have a talk with Lebron, and possibly some of the other free agents to be. That's a joke. Kobe's on his last legs and the Lakers look to be terrible for the next several years. If an aging high profile free agent is seeking a title, LA is not the place to go -- unless it's with the Clippers. Playing with the likes of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and for head coach Doc Rivers could definitely be inviting, if they can get around that pesky salary cap. That, and the whole Sterling mess is likely far from being resolved, so nobody knows for sure who the owner's going to be in the near future.
Regardless, when it comes to players like Lebron, Dwyane, Chris, and Carmelo seeking further fame and fortune -- two words come to mind. Who cares?
No matter where they end up, all will make over $20 million a year to play basketball. Throw in various endorsements, and that number likely at least doubles.
You know what's ironic about this? Lots of teams would bend over backwards and break the bank to sign some of these guys. But not the San Antonio Spurs. They don't need them, and probably the last thing they want is some big ego guy coming into town that wouldn't mesh with their system, and create a bunch of me-me waves. Though it doesn't make for good press and hype -- yours truly is of the opinion that it's very refreshing to see humility and team play win a championship. Especially with a head coach like Gregg Popovich, who besides being a great basketball tactician and player personality handler, has an even more special knack of putting reporters with dumb questions in their place.
One place none of the above free-agents to be will land? The Detroit Pistons. Not a chance. Besides the team itself being woeful with no help in sight, the Pistons' management hierarchy has recently become a paradox. While owner Tom Gores is likely off chasing his next billion in equity trading, he hired Stan Van Gundy as the president and head coach. Stan hired another guy as general manager. In the whole scheme of things, it's difficult to figure out who's reporting to who. Would Stan the president fire Stan the coach if the team continues to be terrible? Would the GM be consulted, which is underneath Stan the prez, but technically Stan the coach's superior? And if Stan is in charge of all basketball operations, then just what, pray tell, will the GM be doing, other than collecting a few million bucks from the platinum equity guy?
Pretty sure Lebron and the other guys have better things to do than trying to sort out that mess, while chasing a ring.
On an unrelated note, big time congrats to Vanderbilt, the college baseball champions. Vandy's got the Rodney Dangerfield treatment for decades, and now they finally have something to celebrate. Very cool.
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