hoops23;412298 wrote:JA Adande reporting that "LeBron's opinion on chicago has been cooling off"....
I think he was enticed with chicago, not enough to go there though.
I also don't think Miami was ever a real possibility. I think that would have hurt his legacy.
NY was never a real threat... They botched this entire process even after preparing for 3 years..
I think the only REAL legit threat is NJ and I don't think they're ready for LeBron yet and I think he knows that.
I expect another 3 year deal with a 4th year option... NJ will be moved to Brooklyn by then, and if Cleveland still hasn't delivered by then, Lebron will be gone.
I'll be VERY surprised if he signs a 6 year Max deal.
Oh he'll sign the 6 year deal just as insurance incase his body breaks down on him or he has some sort of debilitating injury that basically neuters him. He knows at least come hell or high water he is guaranteed his $120 mil if he has to go that route.
That said, it will have an opt out after year 3 . Management are not going to like it at all, but considering the alternative is not signing him Gilbert will gladly bend over and take it.
While the opt out is smart for him professionally to avoid getting trapped somewhere in his prime years, he almost undercuts the teams ability to build a champion because everyone is on Defcon 1 constantly over his pending departure if they don't win it all. There is never time to develop proscpects because they are always giving away their draft picks or picking bums to stash in Europe. The roster has been turned over now like 3 times int he past 5 years, and when you look at the championship teams they have considerable continuity.
It won't be but a year and a half from now we will be talking about the "summer of Lebron" again for 2013, as it was about a year and a half out it really kicked into high gear last time. He will be a lame duck by that third season, and if they don't have a title by then it is going to be unbearable around that team with the pressure of knowing he is not coming back without a ring in year 3.
Even signing on for a 4th year would make a huge difference, as it would give them a year to restructure the roster without knowing now they're down to 2 years, and just 1 season away from lame duck Lebron. I just think if he's gonna stay he needs to be a bit more realistic about everything. You can't turn the roster over and win a title in the same year for the most part, as Boston is the only team I can think of where it worked.
It just kind of feels like for a guy who supposedly wants to win so bad that he could do more to take away some of the perpetual chaos about his future does little to help this team and I think the pressure of the "win or I'm out of here" makes it worse.