Chris Bosh Puts The Heat On LeBron
Another domino falls in line. Now that we know Chris Bosh is doing the smart thing and heading to Miami, what does it mean for everyone else?
For one, LeBron James’ decision just got way more interesting. Bosh reiterated all along that he did not want to end up in Cleveland. Yes, he loves ‘Bron and would like to play with him, but not at the expense of ending up in Ohio. Miami was, and still is, the best place for him. They have a ton of money (how much depends on whether Bosh signs outright or agrees to a sign-and-trade), they have Pat Riley and a strong organization set in place, they have South Beach and they have Dwyane Wade.
Don’t get it twisted: Wade will be in Miami and I don’t think he ever truly wanted to leave. Consider all that Chicago talk an ode to his family and a call for the Heat to get active.
LeBron has to be thinking: “If Bosh doesn’t want to come here, who will?”
In my opinion, it comes down to Cleveland and New York. Chicago was considered the frontrunner for a while, but I don’t see it. Being in the shadow of you know who doesn’t appeal to LeBron. Look at it like this: the Cavs are a pie and a delicious one at that. But, they are a small pie, already completely finished and ready to eat. New York is nothing, but they have all the ingredients – flour, fruits, a huge plate, etc. – to make something huge, something special.
The decision by Bosh, basically choosing Wade and Florida over James and Ohio, proves once again, the potential of New York City far outweighs what Cleveland has to offer LeBron James.
The rest of the heralded free agents of this year can now start to fall in line. Miami will have the money to sign another big-name player. Perhaps Ray Allen? Riley wants the shooter badly to pin him next to Wade. With the money they have, they might be able to offer Jesus more money, or years, than Boston is willing to give him. They could also go for a couple of smaller name guys, perhaps Brendan Haywood to plug in the center hole and a point guard like Raymond Felton.
There are also rumors of interest in a few Portland guards: Andre Miller and Rudy Fernandez. They have a ton of possibilities for next year.
The Knicks can do much of the same. Mike Miller is high on their list. He would make a killing playing in that system. They could make a deal for someone like Tony Parker too. And next summer, they will be players once again with Eddy Curry’s expiring contract.
New Jersey and Chicago might have ended up with the consolation prizes in guys like Carlos Boozer and David Lee. Not bad. In any other offseason that would be excellent.
So now, it’s up to LeBron. The possibility of the big trio teaming up in South Beach will rise again, but don’t expect it to come to fruition. It’s more fantasy than reality.
If he stays in Cleveland, we now know it’ll be solely because he can’t leave his friends. Looking at the decision through almost every other lens, it’s got to say New York.
What do you think?
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July 7th, 2010 at 10:43 am
DGtheEnigma says:
It’s a forgone conclusion…LBJ will be in CLE.
ESPN special, twitter, and new website are all to raise his profile (he must not understand how big he already is) since he’ll be in small market CLE for three more years.
Sorry NY.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:44 am
Simon says:
I hope the Raptors can grab Beasley just so they get something in return for Bosh. What’s his contract like anyways?
Any chance of Shaq Diesel going back to the MIA to play with Ru Paul?
July 7th, 2010 at 10:44 am
Heckler says:
no matter what he decides, i can already hear all the sports pundits telling their “i told ya he would go/stay there”. i told ya so”.
f*cking clowns.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:46 am
David says:
Wade and bosh in south beach!
Add some other veterans and championship time.
Chicago missed out…can’t lebron think to himself…how good
will these guys be with me here!
Rose, deng etc ready in the mix.
Great offseason bring on November!
1st!!
July 7th, 2010 at 10:46 am
JAY says:
@DIME: “If he stays in Cleveland, we now know it’ll be solely because he can’t leave his friends.”
Huh? He can’t leave his friends? His friends work for him. They travel with him. Lebron is talking about making his name a global brand. A person doesn’t have global aspirations but can’t leave his friends at home. Get outta here.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:47 am
ToAn says:
well, i don’t think this changes something for lebron, he definitely knew where he was going before this became official, i can’t imagine he âgreed on a live tv event on espn without knowing what team he is going to announce as his next destination…and like said today already i think it’s going to be CLE for the next 3 years…but i still have no clue what he will talk about for 60 minutes
July 7th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Heckler says:
btw…
why would toronto do a sign-n-trade with cleveland and not with miami?
miami doesnt have much, but sheeeeeit, neither does cleveland. miami would have HAD to have offered mikey beasley in a sign-n-trade. who could the cavs have offered?
$42mil varejao? $35mil jamison? convict delonte? ask for anthony parker back?
July 7th, 2010 at 10:50 am
JAY says:
@Simon
Raps better not want Beasley “just because”. That’s ridiculous. The player has to fit. Beasley’s head isn’t fit. Raps should be asking for Chalmers or Haslem, their own 2011 first round pick and a med-exception if MIA still has it. Where is Beasley gonna get minutes?? Split with Ed Davis?? Bargnani??
July 7th, 2010 at 10:51 am
JAY says:
Just a check for everyone…. there are other assets to trade boys. Not just players. These teams have cap space so players don’t necessarily have to be involved.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:52 am
My Favorite Superhero says:
@2….Beasley is pulling around $5 million this season I think…
If LBJ wants to win a chip, he goes to NY, it’s a proven formula…go-to-guy, quality big = Championship
Go-to-guy, okay role players = post season
As much as I hate all this Lebron hype, I think that’s going to be his announcement…
“…I grew up here…blah blah blah….I love the organization…blah blah blah…I love the fans…blah blah blah…but I’ve decided that I want to win and I’m going to New York…blah blah blah”
July 7th, 2010 at 11:01 am
dapro says:
Bron’s not staying in Cleveland. He’s looking at the moves other teams are making and seeing that he has no chance of winning with the current roster in Cleveland.
Miami is probably number 1 for him right now. They’re in the best position to win then Chicago is number 2.
NYC signed Amare but that doesn’t get him into the finals same with just Bosh and Dwade.
I’m pushing for my city Chi-Town to get Bron, Boozer, and either Ray or Mike Miller and that makes us a solid contender.
July 7th, 2010 at 11:05 am
OneLife says:
Man,that’s just my opinion but..If he leaves Cleveland for the Knicks he won’t be making a smart basketball-wise decision..New york is all about the ‘lights’,the market,and all that..But hey, that’s just the way I see things, I might be wrong but…Call me old-fashioned but if I were LeBron I’d stay in Ohio,win some chips for my hometown state and show everyone that u can mix the ‘star’ crap with loyalty and will..Once again, that’s just me..
July 7th, 2010 at 11:13 am
Simon says:
I looked up Beasley’s contract and this is what it looks like according to rotoworld.com
2009/10: $4,638,600
2010/11: $4,962,240 (Team Option)
2011/12: $6,262,347 (Team Option)
2012/13: $8,172,362 (Restricted Free Agent)
I’m not exactly sure how it works, but I am assuming the team option is for after the next season. Therefore this can be a one and done if he doesn’t work out. It’s not like the Raptors are making noise this year anyways. He shoots decent percentages across the board, he’s young, he’s athletic, as far as I know he can play the 3 as well, but I think his assists are extremely low.
Now I know he has been known to be a head case, I also know the Raptors are stacked with guys who are around 6’10. I think this deal would also depend on trading Hedo because he is currently the starting 3. He was shit last year and has appeared to have given up on Toronto. He’s also in his 30′s so isn’t necessary in the Raptors rebuilding process.
What do you guys think about this? If Beasley comes in and becomes a 20 and 10 guy which he can given the minutes, then great. If he comes to Canada and gets high all the time and doesn’t work out, then let’s move on.
July 7th, 2010 at 11:19 am
richgetzitin says:
are u people serious if he goes to new york better chance to win? all they have is amare the cavs roster is the best he could choose from unless he played in chicago with bosh. miami wont be too good unless they got lebron but then it would be wade lebron soft bosh & some miami ymca night league players lo
cleveland is the best bet lebron wouldnt crush the city’s heart right on national tv
July 7th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Arrogant says:
Bulls need to sign boozer or Lee ASAP to at least try to get in the race again, t
July 7th, 2010 at 11:30 am
Heckler says:
bulls shouldnt be looking at david lee. he cant help them. bulls (still) need a low post scoring threat. boozer would suffice, but no david lee.
you cant lineup david lee, noah, taj gibson, james johnson or any such combo and have any interior offense. not to mention, the bulls (still) dont have a shooting guard.
so bulls dont need david lee. david lee would actually be a good fit in san antonio next to tim duncan. milwaukee would have been good too, but they already got drew gooden.
david lee would be supreme lined up besides a good center
July 7th, 2010 at 11:37 am
LMNOP says:
Wade and Bosh will be good for the heat, but not Chip good. Think about it, Wade isnt as good as Kobe, Bosh not as good as Gasol, the Lakers have a full team with Ron, Bynum and Fish, plus they got a decent 6th man with Odom an all time great Coach and 3 years experience together…
the high point for a wade/bosh team will be loosing to the lakers, but the reality is that Wade and Bosh, a few role players and some Vets wont be better than the Magic or wherever Lebron plays, they might not even be better than the Bucks, Hawks or Celtics.
July 7th, 2010 at 11:42 am
easy yeezy says:
the bulls will be just fine. joakim has been working hard on his former college teammate david lee and it wouldnt surprise me to see lee in a chicago uniform next year. he’s a 20-10 guy, hustles and fills a position of need for us. this will still be derrick rose’s team and i expect him to take some monster steps over the next 2 years.
the difference is that in 2000, we lost out on free agents AND we didnt have anyone worth a shit on roster to begin with.
i dont see lebron going to miami. wade and bosh showed their true colors by running to south beach where they’ll win nothing. wade and bosh surrounded by a bunch of minimum guys and michael beasley… sounds like a winner to me.
et tu dwade? you are no longer welcome in chicago. take your punk ass to miami and stay there.
July 7th, 2010 at 11:45 am
boomshakalaka says:
I think you guys should use way more pie analogies
July 7th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
OverPowered says:
No post on Durant’s extension? Good indicator of what KD is all about. 5/$86mil…my money’s on him passing up lebron/wade/bosh in terms of just overall greatness. if he doesn’t go down as a top 3 player in the league i’m buying a everybody in a south african village a subscription to Dime
July 7th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
carmikal says:
Just don’t think that this cat would go through all of this to stay in Cleveland. Especially, being that Bosh isn’t going there and I’d be shocked if Boozer wanted to go back to Cleveland. So it has to be Chicago, NY and New Jeru. Chi-town can get James and Boozer but I’m not sure if they want to max out Boozer. I just don’t see LBJ sharing marketing opportunities with Wade for less paper.
July 7th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Dave says:
The past few days have made me realize that Lebron needs to leave Cleveland..
In New York he will be part of a rebuilding plan, but somewhere down the line players will definitely want to go there..
Cleveland on the other hand, has nothing to offer. When’s the last time a big name free agent chose Cleveland? Bosh wants to play with bron, but he reportedly didn’t agree to a sign and trade to go to Cleveland.. I bet that wouldn’t be the case if Bron was in New York in the same situation.
I’d love for bron to be a Cav for life, but if he wants to content for multiple championships and not just one or two, he needs to go to New York.. The only way Cleveland can get better is by trades, New York will always be attractive.
July 7th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
dimemagreader says:
Chicago needs to pick up Booze. They need a low post threat and Boozer’s lack of defense can be somewhat made up by Noah’s hustle.
July 7th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Sean Sweeney says:
@JAY Friends aka Akron, n Cleveland. If this was not his hometown/state/ the Cavs would have NO chance of keeping LeBron.
July 7th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Chainfire says:
As a raptor fan, i say good riddance to Bosh. Over the past year or so he has become more and more of an egotistical media attention whore. His behaviour leading up to and during the free agency period has been pretty disrespectful to a franchise that tried (and failed) to build a team around him. We put the franchise label on what is clearly a non-franchise player. We gave him the keys to the city and BC ran all the trades through him. He is soft and i don’t think he has 6 more years on those knees. Bosh is a stat-stuffer on a weak team. Bosh stated he wanted to be the man but now he is off to Miami to play second banana to wade. Enjoy your time in south beach, Bosh and the stark realization that you’re robin to wade’s batman and the fact that you’ll get less touches. It’s time for the Raptors to rebuild properly (more defensive-minded and athletic players). It’s now Bargs and Derozan’s team…let’s see what the young guns can do! I don’t see the raps getting into the playoffs for another 2 years at least.
July 7th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Beth G says:
Bosh and Amare are the only free agents that wanted to go somewhere and they did. LBJ has never shown that he wants to leave. He’s got a job to there and he’ll look like a quitter if he leaves.
July 7th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
RapTOr says:
That picture is downright evil.
July 7th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
Legend 33 says:
Move over Kobe and Gasol, here is a better and younger version. Start sizing them for rings in South Beach for 2012, cuz Boston is winning in 2011.
July 7th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Chise says:
D-Wade needs to keep his number 3 jersey, Bosh needs to rock number 0 and Lebron needs to change his jersey to number 5 so them boys could be 3-0-5 TILL THEY DIE!!!! Let’s get it.
July 7th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
alex says:
right now the best signing in the off season is Phil Jackson and Steve Blake. I’m not a Laker fan and I hate KB but that just puts them over the top again – even if LBJ, Wade, and Bosh team up. They’re at the point in their careers where they all want to build a legacy by scoring and making highlights. That never works. Bringing 3 stars together only worked for the Celtics because PP, KG, and Ray had nothing else to prove individually.
LBJ’s best move is with the Bulls, and then with the Nets. Both teams have pieces that complement him, and each other. Both teams have a young nucleus – a decent point guard, quality big men that can rebound, defend, and finish.
July 7th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
natzkieboy says:
For me, I guess the Heat will be a contender and maybe can win a championship on the coming season because of DWade experience from his past 2006 championship and can single handedly carry the team. I agree from the one critic saying that Wade must be the number one player from the market instead of Lebron cause James cannot carry his own team with a powerhouse rosters. No questions regarding the most talented player on earth is Lebron but his attitude has no will to win and even no heart for winning. For the last season Wade is a one man team go to guy with a scrap of teammates such as Beasley that plays like a player from the barangays… hahahaha. The heat must dump beasley, Bosh will fit on the slack of power forward position. Add to its roster a cheap but great guards such as felton or andre miller then pick david lee on the center slot also add mike miller on#3 spot. Then presto, eat your heart out LA… Heat is coming and will create a dynasty squad that can pull out many championship that they may get….
July 7th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
natzkieboy says:
Best team for Lebron to get a championship will be Rockets because of Yao will be healthy on this coming season. They will be a dominant force inside and out with a bunch of good players such as Aaron brooks, kevin mart and the very reliable luis scola…
July 8th, 2010 at 6:53 am
lakerfan says:
we will find out soon what kind of man LBJ is…
if his a loyal man he will stay in CLE
if his a gold digger, selfthinkg, greedy man. then he will go to NYC.
if he truly wants to win then he will go to the heat and becme a winner.
July 8th, 2010 at 6:55 am
lakerfan says:
oh and i love that picture of the future dynamic 3.. nice pic
July 9th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Jim says:
Looks like LeBron took the easy way out to me. Taking on the challenge of winning a title for his hometown in Cleveland would have been worth several championships with the new, stacked “Big Three” in Miami. He should have stayed the course in Cleveland, and his popularity would continue to soar, which automatically increases his income with more endorsements!
July 9th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Vivian Piker says:
Wow is all I can say right now. Could this team be better than Jordan’s Bulls?!