duncan228
02-08-2010, 02:32 PM
Cavs Official Believes a Finals Berth Brings LeBron Back (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-cavsofficialbelieves&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
Everyone’s waiting to hear where LeBron James will move this summer. It’s the story hanging over this entire season, the looming event that could change the course of several of the league’s franchises, or at least the Cavs and Knicks.
If you believe some people, though, the decision will be made before the playoffs are even finished. Frank Isola of the Daily News has more (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2010/02/08/2010-02-08_cavs_and_cavnots.html):
The worst-kept secret in sports is that James, a pending free agent, is the Knicks’ primary target starting July 1. The best thing the Knicks have to offer is Madison Square Garden and endless marketing opportunities—although James appears to be doing pretty well in the marketing department while wearing a Cavs uniform.
Cleveland is also providing James with the best chance to win, which James says is his top priority. The Cavs have now won 11 straight games and are on pace to lock up the NBA’s best record for a second straight year. The Knicks have to root for Boston, Orlando or Atlanta to knock off Cleveland during the postseason because a second trip to the NBA Finals would likely result in James re-signing with the Cavs.
"That’s what we’re thinking," said one Cavs official. "You never know what could happen but I think he’ll stay."
It’s unclear who this "Cavs official" is, but let’s assume he’s not a janitor for the sake of this post’s relevance. On the face of it, this line of thinking makes sense: LeBron wants to win, and he’ll go wherever that’s most likely. But the Cavs are only contenders because of LeBron, and it’s difficult to say exactly where they’d be without him.
As Isola’s source says later in the article, the Knicks are trying to make Danilo Gallinari seem like a building block, but the Italian sharpshooter is pretty one-dimensional right now. Fair enough, but Mo Williams wasn’t exactly an All-Star-caliber player before he teamed up with LeBron, nor was any other player save the now-aged Shaq. Minus LeBron, the Cavs are an ordinary, even substandard squad. Who’s to say that His Royalness couldn’t turn the Knicks’ motley band into a serious contender within a few months? Oh, plus he’ll likely have another well-regarded free agent to play with, as well.
This is to say nothing of the fact that a Finals berth doesn’t prove anything as far as the Cavs’ title chances are concerned. What if Cleveland gets swept or is generally embarrassed by the West champion? That’s unlikely, sure, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a Finals loss would convince James that his Cavs teammates just don’t have what it takes to get him over the top. That would be as damning an outcome as any.
The general point here is that it’s ridiculous to predict LeBron’s summer decision now when so many things could happen in the interim. Even potential outcomes are not useful predictors. There are just too many possible permutations to assume so much in February.
SportingNews
Everyone’s waiting to hear where LeBron James will move this summer. It’s the story hanging over this entire season, the looming event that could change the course of several of the league’s franchises, or at least the Cavs and Knicks.
If you believe some people, though, the decision will be made before the playoffs are even finished. Frank Isola of the Daily News has more (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2010/02/08/2010-02-08_cavs_and_cavnots.html):
The worst-kept secret in sports is that James, a pending free agent, is the Knicks’ primary target starting July 1. The best thing the Knicks have to offer is Madison Square Garden and endless marketing opportunities—although James appears to be doing pretty well in the marketing department while wearing a Cavs uniform.
Cleveland is also providing James with the best chance to win, which James says is his top priority. The Cavs have now won 11 straight games and are on pace to lock up the NBA’s best record for a second straight year. The Knicks have to root for Boston, Orlando or Atlanta to knock off Cleveland during the postseason because a second trip to the NBA Finals would likely result in James re-signing with the Cavs.
"That’s what we’re thinking," said one Cavs official. "You never know what could happen but I think he’ll stay."
It’s unclear who this "Cavs official" is, but let’s assume he’s not a janitor for the sake of this post’s relevance. On the face of it, this line of thinking makes sense: LeBron wants to win, and he’ll go wherever that’s most likely. But the Cavs are only contenders because of LeBron, and it’s difficult to say exactly where they’d be without him.
As Isola’s source says later in the article, the Knicks are trying to make Danilo Gallinari seem like a building block, but the Italian sharpshooter is pretty one-dimensional right now. Fair enough, but Mo Williams wasn’t exactly an All-Star-caliber player before he teamed up with LeBron, nor was any other player save the now-aged Shaq. Minus LeBron, the Cavs are an ordinary, even substandard squad. Who’s to say that His Royalness couldn’t turn the Knicks’ motley band into a serious contender within a few months? Oh, plus he’ll likely have another well-regarded free agent to play with, as well.
This is to say nothing of the fact that a Finals berth doesn’t prove anything as far as the Cavs’ title chances are concerned. What if Cleveland gets swept or is generally embarrassed by the West champion? That’s unlikely, sure, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a Finals loss would convince James that his Cavs teammates just don’t have what it takes to get him over the top. That would be as damning an outcome as any.
The general point here is that it’s ridiculous to predict LeBron’s summer decision now when so many things could happen in the interim. Even potential outcomes are not useful predictors. There are just too many possible permutations to assume so much in February.