Lebron to pick Miami Heat.

[ElNono]

EXCLUSIVE: LeBron James Plans Weekend Party in South Beach!

LeBron James has rented six cabanas at the W Hotel South Beach this weekend to celebrate his team decision, two sources confirm to UsMagazine.com.

That adds more fuel to the fire that James, 25, will announce he's joining the Miami Heat Thursday night, as several insiders told ESPN this morning.

The basketball great will make his announcement from the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Conn. Thursday night during an hourlong sports special called The Decision, to be aired on ESPN at 9 P.M. ET. Proceeds from commercial sales will be donated to the club.

If James goes to the Heat (where he'd play alongside All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh), he'd likely take a $30 million pay cut, ESPN reported. His current team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, has offered him a six-year, $128 million contract, while Miami would sign him to a five-year deal worth $99 million.

Both the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets (who are relocating to Brooklyn) have been wooing James as well, with campaigns starring everyone from Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Jay-Z, a Nets part-owner.

Joked Diddy on Twitter Wednesday night, "Breaking news!!! Lebron signs with the Knicks!! I just saw him leaving the knicks owners house!!! He lives next door to me! Let's go NYC."

[MiamiHeat]

ok, i guess i will lean towards believing it now.

holy .

[ALWAYS bet on BLACK]

LeWaOsh will the NBA

[bostonguy]

This has all the makings of Lebron resigning with the Cavs. Brilliant ploy to fool everyone that he is really leaving Cleveland. I just don't see it. He isn't passing up on 30 million guaranteed cash from the Cavs.

[kamikazi_player]

ok, i guess i will lean towards believing it now.

holy .

don't celebrate so soon, wait till tonite.

[Warlord23]

This has all the makings of Lebron resigning with the Cavs. Brilliant ploy to fool everyone that he is really leaving Cleveland. I just don't see it. He isn't passing up on 30 million guaranteed cash from the Cavs.

I'd be really surprised if James signs with Cleveland, because:
1. They didn't manage to get Bosh or another big name via trade. I don't know whether that team will improve next year and contend.
2. He didn't meet Tom Izzo once when his name came up for the coaching vacancy.

If he's smart, he'll go to Chicago to team up with Rose/Boozer/Noah/whoever they trade Deng for - that's a talented team. If he wants to establish a bigger brand and sell more shoes he'll go to NY. If he wants to team up with another top 5 superstar, he'll go to Miami.

Cleveland can offer him the most money, but if money were a concern he'd probably go to NY with his Nike contract.

[objective]

Lebron in Miami would close the windows of every other team in the league.

There's no way that team wouldn't win every le for the duration of their primes, and that's the cold truth.

It's the same feeling I had Pop gave Rodman to the Bulls, it was the final nail in the coffin for the league except it's 10x worse with Lebron the Coward with Bosh and Wade.

So if that happens it ultimately wouldn't even matter if Splitter is signed or not, nobody is winning anything except the Heat.

[Brazil]

The best fit for lbj IMO is Chicago

[nevitt_&_smrek]

If true, congrats to Miami fans. It must be exciting. I still like the Lakers' size advantage. Rebounding and height wins basketball games.

[Muser]

He's staying home, book it.

I agree, he's gonna pull a KG.

[Fpoonsie]

@jadande Still hear Miami, but source says it changes every half hour." If LeBron does return to Cleveland it would be for 3-year deal. 25 minutes ago

How does it "change every half hour'? Are they implying that LeBron hasn't made up his mind yet?

[Muser]

God damn LeBron is a dumbass. He's had all year to think.

[Cane]

go gag on kobe's some more, "piston fan"

if lebron actually makes this pipe dream come true, i will enjoy watching you get pissy that your lakers are not the best stacked team anymore.

3 straight NBA Final appearances for the Laker cheaters since the gasol trade.

its time for them to be shown the door, so i hope lebron chooses miami.

[nevitt_&_smrek]

Lebron in Miami would close the windows of every other team in the league.

There's no way that team wouldn't win every le for the duration of their primes, and that's the cold truth.

It's the same feeling I had Pop gave Rodman to the Bulls, it was the final nail in the coffin for the league except it's 10x worse with Lebron the Coward with Bosh and Wade.

So if that happens it ultimately wouldn't even matter if Splitter is signed or not, nobody is winning anything except the Heat.

Rodman gave the Bulls a guy that did all the dirty team, which is something every team needs. I'm not saying the Heat won't find guys like that to help them. They also lack some post presence.

But go ahead, write the Lakers' epitaphs. We'll see.

[scampers]

If this happens, most teams in the NBA will be building rosters specifically to match up against the new "big 3". They may steamroll their way to a le their first season but I don't think it will be as easy as people think to get a dynasty going.

As good as LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are, they still are no Jordan/Pippen.

[poop]

i hope he goes to miami just so the Lakers fans can see their manufactured team dethroned by another manufactured team.

[ginobili's bald spot]

I love gray spurfan and their perpetual "anyone who might beat the Lakers" bandwagon jumping. 0 for the last two years and still going strong.

[Cane]

I love gray spurfan and their perpetual "anyone who might beat the Lakers" bandwagon jumping. 0 for the last two years and still going strong.

I love purple Laker fans that post on Spurstalk.com that named himself after Ginobili

[nevitt_&_smrek]

i hope he goes to miami just so the Lakers fans can see their manufactured team dethroned by another manufactured team.

Gasol was gonna get moved at a discount price to somebody. It just happened to be the Lakers, who had the largest expiring deal. Get over it.

[Roddy Beaubois]

@jadande Still hear Miami, but source says it changes every half hour." If LeBron does return to Cleveland it would be for 3-year deal. 25 minutes ago

How does it "change every half hour'? Are they implying that LeBron hasn't made up his mind yet?

"Media: 'It changes every hour!' I doubt it. YOUR sources' words change. But LeBron decision cant be changing every hour."

[Giuseppe]

i hope he goes to miami just so the Lakers fans can see their manufactured team dethroned by another manufactured team.

The San Antonio Heat.

Nutty baby.

[Cane]

Spurstalk.com Laker fan

Nutty baby.

[j.dizzle]

i hope he goes to miami just so the Lakers fans can see their manufactured team dethroned by another manufactured team.

Spurfan gonna be butthurt about the Gasol deal even after he retires probably hahaha. San Antonio Heat up in this beeee-ach.

[024]

Why do you keep changing your argument? First it's LeBron has no ego on or off the court. Then it's LeBron has no ego as it pertains to basketball. Now it's Lebron doesn't do anything that affects his team or teammates. You're going to keep changing the parameters of what you meant just so you're not wrong. Ummm ok.

I'm not mad at LeBron at all. All I was arguing was your notion that he has no ego. Clearly he does. This entire free agency has been about his ego. I think it's naive and foolish to think he doesn't.

And you want to know how it affects his team and teammates? LeBron is so consumed with being the greatest personality in the NBA, being buddy-buddy with everyone that he doesn't have the asshole tendencies to be a winner. Michael Jordan was a . Larry Bird was a prick. Kobe is an asshole. LeBron is everybody's favorite guy. He's like Magic Johnson off the court without the killer instinct on the court. That's because his off-the-court ego affects his on-the-court game. You have to be a little bit selfish to reach greatness. You have to be a little bit of an asshole on the court to be great. LeBron worries about his brand more than winning. That's ego.

You can believe what you want. And LeBron can do whatever the he wants. He's the best player in the league. And he has the league at his feet. He's been the best for a few seasons now. Better than Kobe. Better than Wade. Better than anyone in the league. He's the most dominant individual basketball player on the planet. I don't like him. But I don't hate him or how great he is. I've said LeBron passed Kobe as the best player in the league for the last couple seasons. You see me laughing at you thinking LeBron has no ego as hate. To me, it doesn't really have to do with LeBron. It's more about just me not understanding how anyone could think LeBron has no ego.

just because you can't respond to my argument, don't say i've been changing mine. i've been consistent in saying lebron has a marketing side and basketball side and people should learn to separate them. you're the one who can't answer how lebron's marketing antics affect his basketball play. lebron not having an asshole tendency is the best you can do? duncan, parker, and ginobili didn't have the asshole tendency and they've done fine. it's the compe iveness that matters, which lebron clearly has on the court or else he wouldn't have exploded for nearly a triple double at MSG after kobe scored 61, walked off the court without shaking hands, or willed the cavs into the finals by beating down the pistons. scoring 48 against the pistons? the duel with pierce in game 7? the buzzer beating game winning 3 against orlando? no compe iveness my ass. he's equally as compe ive as duncan, ginobili, wade, dirk, kobe, and garnett, without the asshole tendency of the latter two.

you don't like his marketing ego fine, but it takes nothing away from lebron as a basketball player. he's unselfish on the court and unselfish as a teammate. he doesn't go out trying to score 40 every night even if it hurts the team just so he can sell more shoes. he doesn't chuck off balance contested fadeaway shots just for the sake of scoring or buffing up his individual brand. he does everything he can to help the team win. he doesn't think he's better than he really is so he passes the ball and gets his teammates involved. he not so buried within himself that he hurts the team. that's lebron's basketball side. ignore the marketing if you don't like it but like you said, lebron is a great basketball player. learn to separate them.

[Giuseppe]

Cane, this is the Lakers Board at ST.

ha, ha.