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Community Shootaround: LeBron James’ Future

June 8th, 2017 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers are one game away from being swept by the Warriors, and Chris Mannix of The Vertical makes the case that Cleveland won’t have a legit chance to knock off Golden State anytime soon. In fact, Mannix suggests that if they hadn’t won last year’s Finals, the Cavs would likely be headed for a Buffalo Bills-esque run — good enough to come out of their conference, but not to win the championship.

With that in mind, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer explores the idea that LeBron’s second stint in Cleveland may not be permanent. James came back to the Cavs with a goal of bringing a title to Cleveland, and did so last year, meaning there likely wouldn’t be as much animosity if elected to take his talents elsewhere for a second time.

According to O’Connor, there are rumblings around the NBA about the possibility of LeBron heading out west when he becomes eligible to opt out of his contract in 2018. Multiple league sources that spoke to O’Connor suggests that Los Angeles is a potential destination for the reigning Finals MVP, with both the Lakers or Clippers as viable possibilities.

O’Connor lays out both of those hypothetical scenarios, writing that LeBron could theoretically team with Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Paul George for the Lakers, or with his “Banana Boat” friends – Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony – for the Clippers.

At this point, both of those outcomes seem like long shots. Either L.A. team would have to complete a series of challenging roster moves to put together the groups O’Connor mentions, and there’s certainly no guarantee that LeBron will leave Cleveland anyway when he has the opportunity to reach free agency next summer. Heading west also wouldn’t necessarily improve his chances of toppling the Warriors, since he’d be in their division rather than in another conference.

Still, with the Cavs on the verge of defeat in this year’s Finals, it’s an interesting subject of speculation. What do you think? Will LeBron finish his career with the Cavaliers, or do you expect to see him eventually change teams again? If he heads elsewhere, are the Lakers and Clippers the most likely landing spots?

Weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts!

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Community Shootaround: Media Obligations

June 4th, 2017 at 11:04pm CST by Austin Kent

Displeased with how the media scheduling has been set up in the NBA Finals, LeBron James opted out of speaking at the podium after Game 2, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. James also chose to bypass the podium after practice on Saturday.

Per Vardon, James wasn’t happy having to wait for the Warriors to finish their own interviews before he could give his own following the Game 1 loss last Thursday. Instead, on Sunday, James opted to speak to the media in the team’s locker room as soon as he was available to do so.

This begs the question of whether James’ response is appropriate given the situation. We’d like to hear what readers have to say about it in the comments section below.

Should athletes like James, paid handsomely to serve as professional athletes (a role that comes with inherent media obligations) speak whenever they’re scheduled by the league’s media department? Or does James have a point here?

In contrast, should the league’s media department be more sensitive to the fact that frustrated players aren’t likely to be enthused by the thought of sitting around waiting just to answer questions?

Ultimately the majority of fans acknowledge the media commitments that come with playing in the NBA but perhaps there’s a compromise that would appease all parties.

Weigh in below!

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Eastern Notes: Lopez, Thompson, LeBron, Bucks

May 30th, 2017 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have a combined 41-123 record over the last two seasons, but Brook Lopez remains optimistic about the franchise’s direction, and doesn’t seem eager to go anywhere, despite the trade rumors that have consistently swirled around him as the club has struggled. As Randolph B. Leongson of Inquirer.net details, Lopez believes there’s “a lot of positivity” in Brooklyn as the team builds a new foundation.

“Moving forward, I’m just all-in, trying to do all I can to help my team be successful,” Lopez said. “We’ve got a great group of guys who really have that team-first attitude and we really believe that we can do something special as long as we put the effort out and we put the work in.”

Here are a few more items from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson is by no means a prolific scorer, but he has developed into a key rotation piece for the club due to his ability to rebounding and defensive ability, as well as his high motor. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com takes a closer look at Thompson, providing a handful of interesting tidbits on the big man’s history with the Cavs, who considered taking Jonas Valanciunas over him in 2011.
  • LeBron James will be the subject of countless Michael Jordan comparisons by the time he retires, and those comparisons may eventually extend to endeavors beyond his playing career. As Ken Berger of Bleacher Report writes, the Cavaliers star has interested in being part of an NBA team ownership group down the road. Jordan, of course, is currently the principal owner of the Hornets.
  • Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder, who played professional ball in Germany before arriving in Atlanta, believes current Brose Bamberg big man Daniel Theis is capable of making the leap to the NBA — preferably to Atlanta. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando has the details, providing an English translation of a German report.
  • Jabari Parker is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, but it would make sense for the Bucks to table contract talks until the summer of 2018, after the former No. 2 pick has recovered from his latest ACL injury, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical.
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Cavaliers Notes: James, Durant, Lue, Blatt

May 28th, 2017 at 10:48pm CST by marksuleymanov

Kevin Durant, much like any other young player, sought out LeBron James for advice in the early part of his career. Now, both men will now face each for a second time in the NBA Finals starting next week when the Cavaliers and Warriors begin their series. Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal writes that James is fully prepared to take on Durant and company.

Recalling his past days and workouts with Durant, James understands that the former NBA Most Valuable Player is one of the elite talents in the game.

“I think it reaches a point where that guy thinks he’s good enough where he doesn’t want to talk to me,” James said to reporters, including Ridneour after practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts on Saturday. “I always have an open-door policy. When those guys get comfortable and they feel like they got enough of the blueprint, they’re like, ‘OK, I got enough, I’m done with you.’ ”

Durant made headlines this past offseason when he departed Oklahoma City to create a super team in Golden State. Durant joined Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, forming a foursome of talent that is four wins away from capturing a championship.

“He’s one of the most dangerous guys we have in the world already,” James said. “So it makes it even more dangerous when you equip that talent, that skill, with those guys.”

The series kicks off on Thursday evening in Oakland as the Warriors host the Cavaliers for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

  • The Cavaliers are also just four wins away from a title, which would mean back-to-back championships for Cleveland. George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal writes that coach Tyronn Lue‘s demeanor has helped the team in its chase for gold.“I just think it’s just his level of calmness no matter what’s going on,” James said. “He always talks about, at the end of the day, he’s already won in life so whatever else happens after this is extra credit.”
  • Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt has  reportedly left his role as head coach of Darussafaka Dogus in Turkey but is drawing interest from other EuroLeague teams, according to Sportando. Maccabi Tel Aviv — where Blatt has already coached — and Barcelona were reportedly in Istanbul to discuss their coaching vacancies. Blatt led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2014/15 but was fired midway through last season in favor of Lue.
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Cavaliers Notes: James, Korver, Williams, Love

May 27th, 2017 at 10:48am CST by marksuleymanov

While returning to the NBA Finals is a thrill for LeBron James, the Cavaliers superstar is thrilled Kyle Korver and Deron Williams will get to experience the big stage for the first time, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes.

The Cavaliers wrapped up the Eastern Conference Finals with a 135-102 blowout win over the Celtics on Thursday, setting the stage for a third consecutive Cavaliers vs. Warriors NBA Finals matchup. This third installment will feature new faces as Warriors’ All-Star Kevin Durant tries to secure his first title. However, it’s the decade-plus veterans in Cleveland who are getting their first crack at the gold — which excites James.

“I think the first thing for me was seeing the excitement on Kyle [Korver’s] and Deron [Williams’] face,” James, who will appear in his seventh consecutive NBA Finals, said. “You’ve got one guy with 12 years, first Finals appearance, and another guy 14 [years]. So that’s the first thing I picked. And just to see the excitement around my teammates — I do it for them, and they give it back to me as well.”

The Cavaliers struggled after acquiring Korver in January and issues with their backup point guards forced the team to acquire Williams. Now, the team and its reinforcements are four wins from bringing a second consecutive NBA title to Cleveland.

Here are some additional tidbits surrounding the Cavaliers:

  • In a separate piece, Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor reveals that Cavaliers forward Kevin Love refused to join James for a dual media session after the team’s Game 5. Despite the duo appearing simultaneously after previous contests, Love explained that James deserved to have the spotlight on just him after the team secured its third straight Finals appearance.”I just told [communications director] Tad [Carper] I wouldn’t share a podium with him because tonight is a night where he deserves to be on his own,” Love said.
  • Former NBA champion and Pistons legend Bill Laimbeer appeared on The Rematch Podcast with Etan Thomas recently and explained why he prefers James over Michael Jordan. While Laimbeer and the Pistons engaged in several wars with the Jordan-led Bulls decades ago, he feels James’ skills supersede the Chicago legend. “LeBron can do anything. Michael couldn’t get all the rebounds. He couldn’t be the assist man like LeBron James can,” Laimbeer said (via USA Today). “He was very focused on scoring, a deadly assassin, but the rest of the part of his game, LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan.”
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No Paul George, Gordon Hayward On All-NBA Teams

May 18th, 2017 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its All-NBA teams for the 2016/17 season, and neither Paul George nor Gordon Hayward is among the 15 players honored. That’s big news for both players and their teams, since they’ll be ineligible for the Designated Veteran Extension, reducing the amount of money the Pacers and Jazz – respectively – could offer their star forwards in contract extensions this offseason.

Here are this year’s All-NBA teams:

All-NBA First Team

All-NBA Second Team

All-NBA Third Team

Based on this year’s All-NBA voting results, Wall is now eligible to sign a Designated Veteran Extension this summer, while Leonard is eligible to sign one next summer. Harden, Westbrook, and Curry are also eligible to sign DVEs this summer, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical notes (via Twitter).

Those Designated Veteran Extensions – which are dependent on a player making an All-NBA team in the year before he signs an extension, or in two of the previous three years – apply to players finishing up their rookie scale extensions. They allow a player re-signing with his own team to earn up to 35% of the salary cap, rather than just 30%. So, if we assume a $101MM salary cap for 2017/18, a player like Curry could sign a new Warriors contract with a starting salary of $35.35MM, instead of $30.3MM.

The Pacers and Jazz will still be able to offer George and Hayward larger and longer contracts than any other team, but the advantage won’t be as significant as it would have been if those players had earned All-NBA spots. Teams can offer their own Bird-rights free agents up to five years (instead of four) and 8% raises (instead of 5%).

Hayward figures to opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer, while George is expected to reach free agency in 2018. George could still become eligible for the DVE in ’18 if the Pacers hang onto him through next season and he earns All-NBA honors a year from now. However, there’s no guarantee that Indiana will be willing to take that risk.

As for the rest of the All-NBA votes, there weren’t any major surprises, particularly on the first two teams. Perhaps the biggest surprise, in a year which was dominated by four clear-cut MVP candidates, is that Harden was the only player who received 100 out of 100 possible First Team votes. Westbrook and James received 99 apiece, while Leonard received 96.

Note: Hoops Rumors readers voted last month on All-NBA teams, and our squads looked awfully close to the official ones, with a couple notable exceptions. You can check out the results of our voting right here.

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LeBron Turns Up Support For David Griffin

May 4th, 2017 at 1:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James continues to express support for Cavaliers GM David Griffin, whose contract will expire after the playoffs, writes Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.

A source said that when James left the practice floor Tuesday, he asked why Griffin “wouldn’t be able to get a new contract.” James didn’t direct the question to anyone, but said it loudly enough to make sure it would be heard.

Sources tell Amico that James has been dropping regular hints about Griffin to team officials, but he doesn’t plan to meet with owner Dan Gilbert to discuss the situation.

Gilbert reportedly finds James’ support for Griffin admirable, and nobody in the organization considers the statements to be a distraction.

However, there’s no evidence that James is making a difference. Someone Amico describes as a “dialed-in source” says the current relationship between Griffin and ownership is “not good” and the GM may not be re-signed this summer.

The Cavs were unable to reach an extension with Griffin last summer, setting up a free agent situation where he is free to join another organization once Cleveland’s playoff run ends. Griffin is reportedly the front-runner to become team president in Orlando.

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Eastern Notes: Sessions, Magic, Rondo, LeBron

April 27th, 2017 at 6:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Hornets have an important decision to make with Ramon Sessions, Bobby Marks of The Vertical writes. The point guard has a $6.2MM team option for next season and Charlotte is over the salary cap, so declining it wouldn’t net the team additional room to sign a replacement. If the franchise decides to let Sessions hit the open market, it would have to find another option off the bench either in the draft or by using the mid-level exception.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Magic need to build through the draft and work the trade market this offseason rather than look to sign high-priced free agents, Marks contends in a separate piece. Orlando has made a quite a few major signings over the last few seasons and the moves haven’t helped the team in the win column.
  • Rajon Rondo, who was reportedly unable to play over the last three games because of a thumb injury, revealed that he also has a torn ligament in his wrist, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com tweets. The point guard remains a “longshot” to play in the Bulls‘ first-round series, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
  • Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue isn’t worried about giving LeBron James too many minutes in any one playoff game, as he tells Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. “Bron today just said he feels worse when he doesn’t play,” Lue said. “Like right now, he said he feels worse, so, we just got to gauge it and see how he feels. Everyone else’s minutes were great outside of LeBron. He said he feels great. He didn’t really have a defensive assignment. He was able to roam off guys during the series and, so, it was good for him. With him playing the minutes he played during [the] course of the regular season, it has helped him in the playoffs.”
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Pat Riley Talks Wade, LeBron, Future, More

April 25th, 2017 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

At his season-ending press conference last week, Heat president Pat Riley admitted that this season was a difficult one for him, and that he was disappointed his club wasn’t able to nab a playoff spot after its incredible second-half run. In a fascinating piece for ESPN The Magazine, Wright Thompson takes a deeper dive into Riley’s year, examining the 72-year-old’s reluctance to retire, his thoughts on the end of the Heat’s Big Three era, and much more.

As Thompson details, despite Riley’s plans for his eventual retirement, the Heat president remains committed to his work with the team, joking that the idea that he’s retiring to Malibu is the “greatest lie in the world.” According to Thompson, Riley signed a new five-year contract with the Heat last year that allows him to work from anywhere, meaning he’s able to spend a little more time in Malibu and less time in Miami. However, he’s determined to win at least one more title with the Heat before riding off into the sunset, even as he recognizes that last championship “will be the toughest to get.”

Here are a few more highlights from Thompson’s feature on Riley:

  • According to Riley, Dwyane Wade‘s agent asked to deal directly with Heat ownership last summer, so Riley honored that request. However, he wishes he could have done things differently, especially after hearing that Wade was put off by Riley’s lack of involvement. “I know he feels I didn’t fight hard enough for him,” Riley said. “I was very, very sad when Dwyane said no. I wish I could have been there and told him why I didn’t really fight for him at the end. … I fought for the team. The one thing I wanted to do for him, and maybe this is what obscured my vision, but I wanted to get him another player so he could end his career competitive.”
  • When the Heat made their pitch to LeBron James during his free agency in 2014, Riley became worried that it was something of a courtesy meeting — Thompson notes that LeBron and his reps had their eye on a World Cup game during the meeting, and that Riley asked at one point to mute the volume. After flying home from the Las Vegas sit-down, Riley received a call from James and agent Rich Paul indicating that LeBron would be leaving Miami.
  • Riley on his initial reaction to LeBron’s decision: “I was silent. I didn’t say anything. My mind began to just go. And it was over. I was very angry when LeBron left. It was personal for me. It just was. I had a very good friend who talked me off the ledge and kept me from going out there and saying something like [Cavs owner] Dan Gilbert. I’m glad I didn’t do it.”
  • Riley on ultimately recognizing and respecting LeBron’s decision: “He went home because he had to go home. It was time. It was really time for him to go home, in his prime. If he’s ever gonna do anything in Akron again, this was the time to do it. Otherwise, he’d have had a scarlet letter on his back the rest of his whole life.”
  • With James gone to Cleveland, the Heat were at risk of losing Chris Bosh to the Rockets, prompting Riley to sign Bosh to a long-term, maximum salary deal. According to Thompson, Riley wishes in retrospect that he had said no to Bosh and given that lucrative long-term contract to Wade instead.
  • For more, be sure to check out Thompson’s full feature, which is a great read for Heat fans and non-fans alike.
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Central Notes: Canaan, Teague, James

April 23rd, 2017 at 9:57pm CST by Austin Kent

Consider Isaiah Canaan the latest beneficiary of the point guard carousel in Chicago. The reserve guard with more DNP-CDs than minutes played since the All-Star Break logged heavy minutes in Game 4 of the Bulls first-round tilt, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes.

With Rajon Rondo out for the series with a fractured thumb, Michael Carter-Williams in foul trouble, Jerian Grant rendered ineffective and Cameron Payne inactive, head coach Fred Hoiberg turned to the 25-year-old journeyman to lead his Bulls.

“I was really proud of Isaiah for coming out after a lot of DNPs and being on the inactive list,” the Bulls coach said. “We wanted him in there because he can pick up the ball full-court. He hit a few shots for us as well. The plan was if we didn’t get off to a good start, he was going to get his opportunity.”

Though the Bulls would fall to the Celtics in the contest, Canaan posted 13 points and three assists in 34 minutes, an adequate stopgap for the latest hole in the club’s volatile point guard rotation.

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • Indiana native Jeff Teague‘s future with the Pacers is uncertain, Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star writes. The point guard will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after a disappointing 2016/17 campaign. “I have no clue, I’ve never been a free agent, I don’t know how it goes. I love it here, but you never know, how they feel about me or whatever. I love being in Indiana, it’s great, got a home here. But you never know.“
  • The Pacers are no closer to a title than they were a year ago, Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star writes. Now, after a four-game sweep at the hands of the Cavs, they could be one year closer to losing Paul George.
  • Could LeBron James be the best first-round performer in the history of the NBA? Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon suggests as much after the Cavaliers sweep. The King hasn’t lost an opening series in 12 seasons and hasn’t lost a single first-round game in five years.
  • Consider Cavaliers leader LeBron James’ record in the first-round as much a sign of his ability to be mentally prepared to tackle lower-seeded opponents as it is a sign of his unique skills, Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal writes.
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