What Happens to the Cavs If They Lose LeBron?
What are the Cavs without LBJ? (photo. Mannion)All summer long, we’ve been hearing about Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni aligning the stars and the moon for 2010 when LeBron James becomes a free agent. We’ve heard that King James’ favorite borough in the Big Apple is Brooklyn, giving love to his boy Jay-Z and the dream that he could end up as a Brooklyn Net once his contract expires in Cleveland.
But the one thing that we haven’t heard about is what happens to the city of Cleveland and the Cavaliers if LeBron heads out of town.
In the blink of an eye, this team turns into a 30-win bunch, season ticket holders run for the hills, and then…
David Stern, seeing an opening here, makes a secret proposition to Microsoft’s Paul Allen. He tells him that he’s got a team for him that just so happens to be up for sale and none of their fans would care if they left anyway. Allen cuts a fat check to Gilbert and promises to buy a few shares of Quicken Loans and like THAT…another team leaves Cleveland under the cloak of night. Seattle gets the NBA back, Clay Bennett keeps his $30 million, and Clevelanders are left holding their dicks.
Can’t say it much better than that, thanks to The Money Shot.
If the Cavs lose LeBron, what happens to them? Do they become the Seattle Cavaliers?
July 24th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Richie Cunningham says:
They trade him beforehand and pray to god they get something great back in return !!!
July 24th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Ross says:
I’d like to think LeBron will stay in Cleveland, but money talks.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Jeffrey says:
You can’t trade in a rolls royce and get back a honda accord!!!!
July 24th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Benoit Benjamin says:
Nah, Lebron bolts for some team in moldavia, becomes president for life there, and Cleveland, memphis and seattle makes a tri-cities team with training camp in seattle, practice in memphis and home games in cleveland. then Stern goes crazy.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Justice says:
who do u trade for this guy? i would have to be like that barkley deal,where the other team can’t even find 8 people
July 24th, 2008 at 11:46 am
yallallreadyknow says:
l train is outta cleveland. that city sucks and its time for him to move on.
the day after lebron leaves, danny ferry will be fired.
the cavs will become the east coast version of the 90s sacramento kings.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:48 am
doc says:
Theyd have to give up 10 first round picks and they top 2 stars.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:58 am
the mamba says:
I would say right now only two teams could make a play at lebron. Portland and chicago. The more likely senario being chicago if they have another bad yr. For fun lets say d rose has a good yr but they end up in the lotto again. Lebron is bout to bolt and chi town offers derrick rose, their lottery pick, ben gordon and noah. Does cleveland turn down being able to trade for 4 guys that would start for them? Its tough to trade lebron but they don’t wanna lose the hometown here w no compensation.
Chi would still have….
Hinrich
Thabo
Lebron
Deng
Tyrus
Noccioni as the 6th man
July 24th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Luigi says:
LBJ needs some player support. n since he is a superstar. i suggest bringing back Ricky buckets since he can make shots by himself i highly doubt that he will destroy the team.
but then again Money talks. look what hapenned to Elton Brand.
n if LBJ pulls off a Booz or an EB. then HE WILL BE THE MOST HATED MAN IN OHIO!
very good. and now the cavs will be in the lottery for the next 10 yrs if LBJ leaves them in ‘10. while when LBJ retires in about 12 yrs. he will be in the HoF as representing either the Brooklyn Nets or the NyKnicks. not the Cavs. n when LBJ leaves CLE. the Ohio-ans will BURN the james jerseys
muahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
i sound evil
July 24th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Nathan Gugliotta says:
for the one-thousandth time:
if money talks, LeBo stays in Cleveland. Cleveland can offer LeBron the most money out of any team the summer he becomes a free agent. he would be taking a significant pay cut to play elsewhere.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Ross says:
For the first time:
Money talks as in, bigger cities, more endorsement deals, and a bigger following. He’d make a lot more money in a bigger market, regardless of what little more he’d get from Cleveland for his contract.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Cleveland suffers the same fate as Seattle.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
dt says:
“Nathan Gugliotta says:
for the one-thousandth time:
if money talks, LeBo stays in Cleveland. Cleveland can offer LeBron the most money out of any team the summer he becomes a free agent. he would be taking a significant pay cut to play elsewhere.”…
Wrong… He’d make way more in NYC due to the killing he’d make on endorsements, acting, modeling, whatever
July 24th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
doc says:
@Nathan he gets dam near triple in a lot of endorsements if he go to a big city.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Homeless J says:
Is there a rule against someone owning more than one NBA team?
It takes a grip of money just to get one but if there’s a handfull of people who could do it, one of them is Paul Allen.
Imagine some foreign oil billionaire or Columbian coke lord buying up four or five NBA teams and just swapping them around in different cities and swapping their own draft picks and players with each other. shit, maybe Jerry Buss secretly owns Memphis and that’s how they got Pau for next to nothing? CONSPIRACY!
July 24th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Ashlov says:
Wade-Beasley-Lebron in 2010. Write it down.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Kobeef says:
@Nathan
Yeah…see the three comments above this one. As you see with Tiger woods, the money Lebron will make from his team is only a small portion of his possible income.
@Dime
I agree with the logic in the story. Stern does not want to see Clay Bennett fork over $30 Million to the Sonics. He will help move a team to Seattle. Before Lebron came along the Cavs were the Clippers of the east (always sucked..poorly managed…no fan support) so that could work. And yeah, the fans will hate the organization for losing the Chosen One.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Prof. TX says:
Moving to NY won’t help with endorsements. The media coverage from a big market can help turn role players into overrated ’stars’ but it’s not like fans don’t already know who LeBron James is. He won’t suddenly get a bigger check from Nike just because he changes zip codes. The guy is known all over the country, and the really big companies won’t care where he lives. He’s not looking for advertising money from a local car dealership or something.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
TJ says:
Yea, I think people exaggerate the marketing thing. He is already one of the most famous athletes in the world. I doubt he would make significantly more being in a “big” market.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
cavs all the way says:
First of all, Lebron isn’t going anywhere. End of story. THe whole bigger market arguement is a bunch of bs. Lebron is already famous worldwide. Secondly, why would Lebron want to sign with a team that has unproven talent and is the rebuilding stages? It doesn’t make any sense. Lebron wants to win now, not wait a couple years to be on a title contender.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
BlazeMcHerbs says:
LeBron is gonna join Childress in Europe….
It could happen.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
the mamba says:
Lebron would have more marketing pull in ny cuz there would be 8 million people that would ride for him, buy jerseys, shoes etc. Plus him and jay are both gonna push a billion sooner or later and never underestimate a throwed game plan artist. Yi for jefferson was brilliant cuz that jus gives u another billion fans that would see lebron as god. The nets should lose enough games to get a great draft pick and are gonna have a ton of cash to blow. Who wouldn’t wanna go play in ny w/ lebron? U add one more star to lebron and its over. He carried this horrible cavs team 2 the finals and one game away. Wade or bosh wouldn’t wanna join forces?
July 24th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
doc says:
its some shit in his sneak contract that doubles his income if he play in New York or LA.So yall keep screaming BS and when he leave Ohio go jump in the lake.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
sans says:
I can hear the “china is a huge market” concept in Jersey, not to mention the manlove between Bron and Jay Z, but even Jay would have to tell Bron to take the extra $26Mil from Cleveland. It’s just the smart thing to do. I know I’m a fan, but I think he’ll stay. And anyone dreaming of an ‘03 reunion with anyone from that draft class, it won’t be a pairing of LBJ, Bosh, Wade, or Melo–they all make too much cash to sign on the same squad. I don’t see anyone in the NBA being the big man that takes less money to chase a ring, at least not in their mid20s.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
K Dizzle says:
“30 wins” without Bron?
That’s optomistic…