[jcmanson]

Yahoo Sports reporting that it's down to Miami and Cleveland for Lebron.

[flamesbball84]

sportscenter is reporting wade and bosh are going to sign with miami. not going to leave much money to fill the rest of the roster, so I'm still waiting to see where Beasley goes seeing as how he's being shopped around to every team imaginable, they'd trade him to a team in China if they could find a taker just to get rid of his contract.

[jcmanson]

They have enough money to sign Lebron. If Lebron doesn't come, they'll have enough money (even with Beasley) to fill out their roster nicely.

[flamesbball84]

Just showed on sportscenter, if the Heat get all three, which would require trading Beasley, the Heat would have $11,755 left in salary cap space. The salary cap guy on ESPN, Tom Penn, says if they get all three, they can only sign their second rounders and veteran minimum players, so the Heat are looking at a fairly pitiful supporting cast. The only thing holding ou the Heat getting all three is their insistence on getting fair value for Beasley, which isn't going to happen since every NBA GM knows they want to get rid of Beasley ASAP. If they really want all three, the Heat might as well just accept the best they can get for Beasley and live with it.

If they don't get LeBron and keep Beasley, they will have $11.1 million in salary cap space, which will get 1-3 quality FAs, depending on what route they go, but it's still going to be lacking in much help in the supporting cast as right at half the team will have to be second rounders and veteran minimum players. Honestly, I think this option would be better than getting the big three.

[Sly Fox]

While everyone is drooling over the signings of guys who are headed toward the backside of their careers, in OKC a rising star just inked a 5-year extension. I hate to see a Longhorns stuck in the Land of Dirt Burglars for any extended period of time, but congrats to Kevin Durant nonetheless.

[jcmanson]

The backside of their careers???

Lebron is 25
Chris Bosh is 26
DWade is 28

[flamesbball84]

so the raptors were willing to do a sign and trade with bosh. then they weren't willing to do it with any team at all. then they were willing to do it with the cavs but not the heat. now they are willing to do a S&T with the heat. i wonder if they are ever going to make up their mind?

[jcmanson]

so the raptors were willing to do a sign and trade with bosh. then they weren't willing to do it with any team at all. then they were willing to do it with the cavs but not the heat. now they are willing to do a S&T with the heat. i wonder if they are ever going to make up their mind?

source?

[flamesbball84]

so the raptors were willing to do a sign and trade with bosh. then they weren't willing to do it with any team at all. then they were willing to do it with the cavs but not the heat. now they are willing to do a S&T with the heat. i wonder if they are ever going to make up their mind?

source?

Chris Brousard on SportsCenter and ESPN with all that news on the S&T indecision.

[Hold My Own]

is that the same guy that had you believing that the Heat couldnt afford all 3?

[flamesbball84]

is that the same guy that had you believing that the Heat couldnt afford all 3?

The Heat can't afford all three with their current roster. It's not a belief, it's a fact because it's mathematically impossible with Beasley on the roster. As long as Beasley is on the roster, the Heat can't afford all three because they will be five million short. Then when Toronto said they wouldn't do a sign and trade for Bosh at all, there was no reason to think the Heat would be able to have the cap space for all three. Of course, the Raptors are changing their mind on the sign-and-trade nearly daily, so who knows what they will ultimately decide.

[Sly Fox]

Come on, jcmanson. I said "headed toward the backside of their careers". Yes, all three are in their prime ... but they won't be by the time their new contracts end. Because players are taking more abuse on their bodies by starting NBA careers at younger ages, IMHO they are aging quicker. 30 is the new 36.

[thepostman]

wow i just read the news of a 1 hour special where lebron will make his choice...

seriously?? this is what it has come to? I always was annoyed at how the media drooled over him, but this is ridiculous...i have no respect for that man whatsoever..just sign with a team and focus on how you can actually make your team better...not progressively worse

[flamesbball84]

bosh and wade to miami, official straight from their mouth on live tv. although bosh doesn't know yet if he is going to sign directly with the heat or with the raptors via sign and trade. Both are willing to take less money, which could open the door for Lebron if they can't sign and trade for Bosh. I wonder how much less? It would still take quite a significant chunk of money on a yearly basis for them to keep Beasley and sign any other FAs that are worth a darn.

[TDDance234]

wow i just read the news of a 1 hour special where lebron will make his choice...

seriously?? this is what it has come to? I always was annoyed at how the media drooled over him, but this is ridiculous...i have no respect for that man whatsoever..just sign with a team and focus on how you can actually make your team better...not progressively worse

I would have felt the same way but ESPN is allowing LeBron to sell sponserships to raise money for charity. That changed my perspective a bit.

[olldflame]

How long does it take to announce where you are going to play? It's the part where they have to fill in all that time talking about him that will end up being self-serving garbage.

[flamesbball84]

He will be making the announcement from Greenwich, CT.

Also:

Chad Ochocinco and Jared Dudley wrote on Twitter Wednesday that LeBron James is going to New York.
Dudley just came right out and said LeBron will announce he's playing for the Knicks tomorrow, while Ochocinco wrote "Empire State of Mind" as a clue. The song is by Jay-Z and about New York, meaning he's probably saying LeBron is going to the Nets. These guys may or may not have some inside scoop, but Dudley appeared to be very confident in his post.

[thepostman]

wow i just read the news of a 1 hour special where lebron will make his choice...

seriously?? this is what it has come to? I always was annoyed at how the media drooled over him, but this is ridiculous...i have no respect for that man whatsoever..just sign with a team and focus on how you can actually make your team better...not progressively worse

I would have felt the same way but ESPN is allowing LeBron to sell sponserships to raise money for charity. That changed my perspective a bit.

not mine...people like lebron do crap like that to make people think they are better then they are...this is all about him and nothing more...

[TDDance234]

wow i just read the news of a 1 hour special where lebron will make his choice...

seriously?? this is what it has come to? I always was annoyed at how the media drooled over him, but this is ridiculous...i have no respect for that man whatsoever..just sign with a team and focus on how you can actually make your team better...not progressively worse

I would have felt the same way but ESPN is allowing LeBron to sell sponserships to raise money for charity. That changed my perspective a bit.

not mine...people like lebron do crap like that to make people think they are better then they are...this is all about him and nothing more...

Come on, if you had the basketball world waiting on you to make a decision -- you wouldn't milk it for just a few more minutes?

[thepostman]

Come on, if you had the basketball world waiting on you to make a decision -- you wouldn't milk it for just a few more minutes?

no..I would sign with who I wanted to and do my job and become even better...there is no way I would act like this...its all about him and nobody else and that is why his team hasn't gotten any better over the past few years...because its all about him...it took kobe a while to learn...and now he is head and shoulders above lebron...maybe one day lebron will learn

[TDDance234]

Come on, if you had the basketball world waiting on you to make a decision -- you wouldn't milk it for just a few more minutes?

no..I would sign with who I wanted to and do my job and become even better...there is no way I would act like this...its all about him and nobody else and that is why his team hasn't gotten any better over the past few years...because its all about him...it took kobe a while to learn...and now he is head and shoulders above lebron...maybe one day lebron will learn

I don't buy that for a second. He's got the whole basketball world sitting on the edge of their seats and he's got a chance to promote himself even more -- who wouldn't do that if they had the chance? And to raise money for charity on the side? Easy decision.

[flamesbball84]

courtesy of espn.com rumors page [espn insider info]

The Bulls have won the Boozer sweepstakes.

According to ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher, he's agreed to a five-year, $80 million deal with Chicago.

Such a deal still allows the Bulls to offer a max contract to a current free agent.

But whether Boozer will help the Bulls land LeBron remains to be seen.

[RubberMallet]

i like boozer. and i actually like him better over the next few years over bosh.

why?

bosh takes games off...did he do this because he was on a turd team? who knows.
bosh's 21/10 came on a team with nobody. boozers 20/11 came while on a team with stars.

[thepostman]

Come on, if you had the basketball world waiting on you to make a decision -- you wouldn't milk it for just a few more minutes?

no..I would sign with who I wanted to and do my job and become even better...there is no way I would act like this...its all about him and nobody else and that is why his team hasn't gotten any better over the past few years...because its all about him...it took kobe a while to learn...and now he is head and shoulders above lebron...maybe one day lebron will learn

I don't buy that for a second. He's got the whole basketball world sitting on the edge of their seats and he's got a chance to promote himself even more -- who wouldn't do that if they had the chance? And to raise money for charity on the side? Easy decision.

there are far more admirable ways to raise money for charity...and honestly it doesn't matter if you believe me or not..there is no way I would do this if I were in his shoes...the only way his "brand" will truly grow is to win..simple as that...and that is how I would view it if I were him...

[flamesbball84]

i like boozer. and i actually like him better over the next few years over bosh.

why?

bosh takes games off...did he do this because he was on a turd team? who knows.
bosh's 21/10 came on a team with nobody. boozers 20/11 came while on a team with stars.

And Boozer's jumper is better than Bosh. His midrange J is one of the best of all post players in the game [not the best, that would be Dirk!]. And he plays better D, he's not that great of a defender, but Bosh gets abused sometimes - Michael Beasley had some of his best games in his career playing against Bosh. Of course, Bosh played almost entirely center for the Raptors and he is definitely not a center, so that could lead to some of the defensive woes.