It's really not. They would have to add Lebron and still move pieces. They just lost Spencer Hawes and likely will lose Luol Deng.

And what position is Wiggins going to play if Lebron comes? You have Dion Waiters at SG. They have Bennett as a SF/PF.

No matter what, you'll have at least one #1 overall pick as a redundancy on the bench.

And if Lebron is on the Heat, the Cavs are back in the lottery.

He hoping and praying that Lebron dont leave or watching Heat's games next year wont be fun.

No Wiggins is totally ready to play SG all he needs to do is learn how to dribble and go to his left in the next three months.

So the Cavs main problem is that they'd have to bench a #1 pick.

The Heats main problem is the 2nd best player will miss 50 games.

Hmmm...what's the worse problem?
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I'd take him over Wade.

Yes, but then you have Dion Waiters as your redundancy. And WTF do you do with Bennett? Unless the guy learns how to not float around the 3 point line like it's a Shoney's buffet he has no place on the team. That's two guys you're going to have to turn into a veteran if you can.

The Cavs currently have one PF (Thompson) and one C (Verajao) on their roster. Like I said... there's still work to do on that roster even with Lebron.

Yeah, big deal, they are losing Deng but signing a LeBron. Hawes isn't some huge loss.

The Heat still would have to add pieces too - unless you think McBob and Danny Granger are putting them over the top.

LeBron could play the 2. It's really not going to matter. Wiggins would start. Waiters and Bennett will be shipped off - but if they stays, this bench dilemma isn't really a problem at all in Cleveland. They have the 2.7 exemption and the MLE to spend.

You play them as the 7th and 8th men off the bench.

The Cavs would have an easy time getting some secondary big to come to Cleveland if LeBron is there.

The Cavs' main problem is they have a 3rd overall pick who hates the 1st overall pick, a 1st overall pick who sweats when he eats and cries when he's done, and absolutely no front court depth.


The Heat's main problem is that they don't have anyone on their roster right now.

We'll see which one changes.

He isn't as good defensively as Battier is though. He is a great passer though and I imagine him playing the Boris Diaw role in Miami.

They definitely need to find a veteran PG, Jameer would be a nice pickup for them.

As I stated before if the Big 3 come back they are a lock for the Finals they just need to get better bench players and find someone who can reliably take some minutes away from Lebron and Wade.

Of course if Lebron went to Cleveland and they were able to land Kevin Love they would be a lock as well if he went to Chicago (which isn't going to happen). He probably needs to stick to the East and either stay with Miami or go to Cleveland and hope they can build around him some more and that the Bulls don't add Melo.

I'm not convinced sending Waiters to the bench won't actually hurt the team more.

I think the bigger problem is that you're projecting all these guys but they haven't actually shown jack yet except that Irving is a blossoming point guard. They have no idea how to win as a team or play defense or as a cohesive unit whereas the Heat with LeBron have actually shown it. You can't just say "put LeBron on the Cavs and they're the best!" I don't care how good he is. It takes time.

Yep. I think the right play for him would be to stay in Miami with a 1-2 year max deal but what do I know.

I literally never said they were going to win it. I said they were in the discussion though and one of the best teams, which is completely true.

Cavs only had LeBron when he went to the finals. They have Irving now. Waiters and Wiggins both have all star potential.

Honestly you are completely ****ing reeruned if you don't think everything about the Cavs are better than the team he took to the finals. He's even better now. More than likely even better coached now too.

What's the better lineup as of now?
PG- Irving
SG- Wiggins
SF- James
PF- Thompson
C- Zeller
Bench: Waiters, Bennett, Karasev, Varejao, Dellavedova

PG- Napier
SG- Wade(career basically over)
SF- James
PF- McRoberts
C- Bosh(probably gone though)
Bench: Cole, Granger

They'll have to move Waiters and Bennett to clear the space, and then move Jarrett Jack without taking on salary in the process.

That would free up enough to probably sign Pau Gasol. If they got an expiring contract in the Waiters/Bennett deal(s) they could be looking at enough cap space to aggressively go after Kevin Love next offseason.

I'd love to see this happen, but it most likely will be Bosh, Wade, and Lebron back in Miami. Sigh.

Not true at all. If we cut ties with Bennett and/or Waiters it's in the trade for Love that's on the table. The Cavs already had a trade for him but backed out because Love refused to sign an extension in Cleveland.. And later said he would if LeBron was there.

Unclear what you're saying here...

Right now the absolute best thing that could happen to Cleveland is Bosh signing with Houston.

Bennett and waiters were part of the package the Cavs wanted to trade for Love. The deal was done other than Love signing a long term deal. He'll sign if Lebron is there though. Though the deal will need to be reworked cause the draft already happened and one of the pieces the Cavs were trading was their number one pick.
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Number one pick wasn't in the trade. At least not this years first overall.

If Bosh signs with Houston, then Melo is headed to Miami to play with LeBron.

So who gets forced to play out of position if that happens?

Why do you say that? Melo hasn't visited Miami and Riley hasnt talked to him. He's going to choose between Knicks Lakers and bulls.
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According to Woj it was.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>All eyes on LeBron, Bosh playing leverage games and meanwhile... <a href="http://t.co/pc44mFWKn6">pic.twitter.com/pc44mFWKn6</a></p>&mdash; Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianMFloyd/statuses/486259722958692354">July 7, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Exactly.
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As much as I like Frye, that is way too much money.

I love how Wiggins & Waiters are all-stars while Wade's career is over and Bosh is in Houston. LMAO


Will someone please tell me the last time a team with multiple 23-and-under starters won a NBA championship?

It was but it wasn't. It was when it was assumed to be the #9

literally nobody wants Bennett's worthless ass.

Stephen A Smith said it today and then was rightfully pointed out to him who was going to play the 4 and 5. Also Bosh isn't going anywhere as long as Lebron comes back and as been reported this evening the moves today the Heat can now offer Bosh close to a max contract.

It's over dude. You've been dumped yet again.

LeBron signed back with the Heat?

The writing is on the wall. You would have to be in denial to not see it.

I haven't seen anything either way. I don't care, where he plays doesn't effect me unless he plays for Golden State. Miami just isn't that appealing to me, that roster? Yuck. Wade is old and done and Bosh.. well, he is ok. The rest? No.

I don't see it. Why would Bosh turn down 4 years/88 million from the Rockets? He'll never get that kind of opportunity again in his life.

It appears you are the one in denial

This is all getting to be pretty stupid. Nobody except Lebron himself knows what he's doing. All the return to Cleveland was premature. He's shown interest in like 6 teams. If it's true from the beginning of FA where he just wants a 1-2 yr deal at max his best bet would probably be to stay in Miami.

This.
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Sam Amico ‏@SamAmicoFSO 3m

Kyrie Irving has made recruiting pitch to LeBron James, sources say. ESPN reports Kyrie as saying Cavs will get LeBron all the help he needs

I'm told the Cavs primary focus upon signing LeBron would be to acquire more shooters. Ray Allen would be a target.
https://twitter.com/Probballdraft

Um, the Cavs have a new coach, a new #1 pick, and in this scenario would have a LeBron. Of course when you compare a team with LeBron to a team without LeBron, there's going to be a big difference.

The Heat without LeBron are a much bigger shit show than the Cavs without LeBron. I get why LeBron would want to stay in Miami and applaud it if he chooses that route. But it's laughable that anybody would rather have Miami's roster as a supporting cast over Miami's.

The Cavs would need more a few shooters to build around LeBron. If they do that, I don't see why they wouldn't win the East next year with him.

It's not a bad idea for LeBron to take a 1-2 year deal with Miami, let the young guys in Cleveland mature, and see if Blatt is a good coach which I think he will be. I think that's a very real option. But it's not like Miami is an attractive option right now. He'd stay there out of loyalty. That's it.

Miami's ceiling as a team right now is what we just saw them do (winning the East and losing to a team like the Spurs in the finals). And even that took LeBron carrying them completely with next to no help. Wade and Bosh are not getting better and these additions (McRoberts/Granger) will do nothing in helping them overcome the gap. Beyond loyalty to Riley/Wade, I don't see what's keeping him there.

The Ray Allen thing is big for the Cavs. Him and Lebron got real close the last 2 years and were even on vacation together last week. Telling Lebron that you'll also sign Ray will go a long way toward getting Lebron to move.
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They drafted a shooter in the first last year, and again with the top pick in the second this year. Obviously young and inexperienced, but last years shooter played for Blatt on team Russia I believe when they got the Bronze.

The Cavs could easily snag a guy like Jamal Crawford in a sign and trade, which is almost ideal for a one year fix if you can get rid of Waiters to free up the space. You'd also have an outside shooter in Kyrie, and you'd hope that someone like Karasov or Bennett can grow as outside shooters in an offense that is designed to get guys good outside looks.

More importantly, less about this year. They actually have really good flexibility next year to do a lot more. I don't know that Lebron makes Cleveland a deep playoff contender right away. But the team actually has a situation set up for the team to improve every year vs. Miami, which is just going to steadily decline.

Lakers are gonna get Isiah Thomas and Melo

LeBron by himself is enough to make a team a deep playoff contender. I don't think such a Cavs team could beat the Spurs yet (or other West equivalent), but what team in the East would?

Because the Heat can give him close to a max contract now.

Game over.

If that's true, that means McRoberts and Granger would be the only additions on a Heat team that wasn't close to good enough. Is that supposed to entice LeBron at all?

I don't quite understand all the nuances to the NBA salary cap but apparently they used exceptions for these 2 guys so they have about $6 million free or so to sign some more players.

Attaboy!!!

If the big 3 all resign as the roster stands now, they are still at best as good.. But likely worse as they were this year.

Still a lock for the Finals and the Spurs have never repeated

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but when I ordered my Wiggins jersey they said it would ship in 10 days after Wiggins get a number. I got an email today saying it will be a few more weeks and they are waiting until he signs his contract... Could be they are entertaining trading him.

Then again, Wiggins is one of only like 200 people LBJ follows on twitter, and I would think he would be very interested in playing with him.

KCC is right. Heat have anywhere from 5-9mil in cap room depending on the discount Wade and Bosh take. If they decide to give Bosh the max deal or close to one, then McRoberts is likely their biggest addition this off season.

I don't think this changes anything. The best option for Bosh is still Houston.

Nobody isn't going anywhere until LeBron decides where he's going.

Wasn't it game over the moment Wade opted out?

Again, this is absurd.

I don't think Waiters is an all-star at all, I do, however, think Wade is completely shot and only a true homer, like yourself, would take him over Wiggins at this stage.

Irving over Wade is an absolute landslide too.

Let Bosh go to Houston. Melo will be in Miami the next second that happens. Its not like the Heat haven't played a similar lineup in the past with Battier and Rashard Lewis essentially playing the same position that Melo would.

I'm torn. I love Isiah Thomas the fantasy player. The NBA player, not so much. If he can be had for 6-7 million a year, I'm OK with it.

Melo, I guess they have no choice at this stage because they have to acquire more top end talent.

My fear is Gasol comes back if Melo comes. I don't want a 36 year old Gasol making anything over 5 mill.

Love the confidence of Heat fans here. Bosh isn't going to move until LeBron does and Melo, from everything said, is deciding sooner than later.

The Melo to Miami is a pipe dream.

Bosh is a smart man. Be LeBron's butt buddy and get rings.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>.<a href="https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA">@WojYahooNBA</a> on what Bosh told the Rockets: &quot;I want to be in Miami, I want to play with LeBron.&quot;</p>&mdash; FOX Sports Live (@FOXSportsLive) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSportsLive/statuses/486344899986341888">July 8, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

You're in another world right now.

I don't think it's too crazy to think the Heat aren't smoking out Bosh so they can bring in Melo. There are definitely better options for LeBron than the Heat. If Cleveland gets him I'm betting Wiggins gets packaged for Love. Not even a Heat fan can say Lebron/Irving/Love isn't greater than Lebron/Wade/Bosh at this point. Phoenix would be a great spot as well though I don't think he's even considered it. It's Cleveland or Miami IMO. I'm about 50/50 at this point. These guys dig the attention though. I bet this carries on at least a few more weeks.

I really don't want love traded, but he and Lebron in Cleveland would be awesome.

Don't think Wiggins is going anywhere.

I don't think there's any doubt by this time next year he won't be in Minnesota. Might as well get something.

The Thunder continue the full court press on Gasol. If they can get him and Miller or Morrow I'll like their chances. If not it's a uphill climb.

I'm loving McGary in the summer league games. That kid is all energy.

Huestes pick looks terrible as expected.

What do you mean smoke out Bosh to get Melo? Both are free agents, they can scoop up Melo now if they wanted without Bosh going somewhere first.

I just don't understand the Huestis pick with Roberson already on the roster. Guys like Joe Harris, Early and GRIII seemed to be better upside/shooter types to help spread the floor.

Agreed

I'm saying getting Bosh to leave by giving him the idea LeBron might be leaving. Instead of just saying **** you we'd rather have Melo. Probably not true but just a thought. If Lebron is really dead set on staying in Miami with Wade and Bosh he has a funny way of showing it. I find it funny that some people now think he's more likely to stay because they added McRoberts and Granger. Huh?

LMAO

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>As an aside to all this NBA free-agency madness, I&#39;ve been told Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has removed his plane from public tracking.</p>&mdash; Sam Amico (@SamAmicoFSO) <a href="https://twitter.com/SamAmicoFSO/statuses/486249356149141505">July 7, 2014</a></blockquote>
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