LeBron dropping a hint?

David Stern is praying to the Tebow's that LBJ goes to New York. The Knicks have been irrelevant for so long, Stern needs this to happen.

Cleveland can survive without LeBron playing for the Cavs. The NBA can't survive without New York and the Knicks.

 

How have they survived for the last ten years?

Obviously, it's better if your bigger markets are successfull but I think saying a league can't survive is a bit over the top.

 

There are about 23,000 exceptions to the cap and ways to get around it. You do know, for example, that the Knicks' payroll this season is $73 million.

$73 million > $51 million.

Which is why the cap is not viewed as much of an impediment in this discussion.

 

He thought it was important enough to fix the 1985 draft lottery.

There are four teams the NBA needs to be competitive almost every season. The Lakers, the Knicks, the Celtics and the Bulls. Ideally, there would be another west coast team, but there really isn't any team that has the following that any of the aforementioned four teams have.

These are the only four teams that have true national followings. If there's a fifth, it's probably Detroit, but that would be a pretty distant fifth.

San Antonio had one hell of a run, but according to the ratings, nobody really cared.

The Cavs have a nice following now, but they'll go away the second LeBron leaves.

 

The years the Spurs played the Pistons in the Finals; I'm sorry, but that was worse than watching the WNBA, and that is horrifically bad.

Orlando threw a fly into the ointment this year, but nobody really expects them to be there year after year.

Imagine a Kobe-led Lakers team against a LBJ-led Knicks team in the Finals. Every picture taken of Stern will be of one with his cock in his hand.

 

Yes, but it's not going to happen. Stern is not this "Wizard of Oz" guy behind a curtain, pulling the strings. If that was the case do you think the best player the Knicks have had over the last 10 years would be someone like Allan Houston? Would Stern ever have allowed the Knicks to draft Michael Sweetney? Chicago was an NBA wasteland until Jordan showed up. Cleveland is going to be the same way ... you do not need the best teams in the biggest markets to make money for the NBA. That's such a tired, pointless argument. Why did Stern not force Tim Duncan to leave San Antonio? Why did he let Chris Bosh end up in Toronto? How did he allow Chauncey Billups leave Detroit, one of these so-called markets with "national followings" to end up in Denver? And the reality of the cap is going to disappoint a lot of Knicks fans.
LeBron is not going anywhere, plain and simple. If you think he is you are thinking with your heart and not your head. He's not going anywhere and has said as much. The ESPNs and Knicks fans of the world were just not listening.

 

David Stern is a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them.

While I could see him occasionally fixing a lottery when a dominant player was available. I doubt he does it regularly. Let's be honest, how many "can't miss" players have there been since 1985? Ewing, Robinson, Shaq, Duncan, LeBron? That might be it.

While I could see him possibly letting it be known that a series goes beyond 4-5 games, I doubt he does it regularly. I could see him trying to make sure that a big market team makes the finals over a tiny market team, but I don't think he's going to try to make it look obvious.

 

You really are clueless.

 

I think he and his agent are just posturing well ahead of contract time.

LeBron is telling ownership to do whatever the hell it needs to do to put the pieces in place right this very second for the most important 5-year stretch of his career. He turns 25 on Dec. 30, and he'll be at his most dynamic for the next 5 years -- 7 years tops -- and then after that he's just an old veteran in the twilight of his career.

These "hints" are a threat. I don't think he wants to leave Ohio.

But he will leave Ohio to spite the Cavs if they don't commit money for the players he wants on the team to push the Cavs over the top.

 

If you don't agree with my theory, that's your right. No need for name-calling...

 

What are they based on? You seem to be quite the conspiracy theorist.

 

JC...is this your first day on SJ? You're just now noticing that Mizzou is quite the conspiracy theorist?