NBA Free Agency
What should each NBA team do in free agency? Well not every team can sign Lebron James, but also not every team needs Lebron James. I mean it would be nice to have Lebron James on your NBA team but it is certainly possible to field a team of players and win a championship without him on your starting five. Here are my proposals for what each team should do if they cant sign Lebron and what they should do if they can sign Lebron.
Miami Heat
The Heat have been the team nobody saw coming into this free agency looking for a chance to sign Lebron. When everybody saw them shedding contracts and creating cap room they assumed it was to resign Dwyane Wade and bring in either Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire, not Lebron James. But now that they have the most cap space of any team in the NBA and the attractive expiring contract/potential of Michael Beasley they have become real players for Lebron James. Stephen A. Smith even reported that Bosh and James were going to join the Heat with Wade. But the Heat seem to be in the backseat now as the Nets and Bulls look like they would be Lebron's team if he was to leave Cleveland. Why have they fallen in the James race? One would assume James wants to go somewhere where he would already be surrounded by talent, and he would have another marquis free agent to play next to him. In Miami he would have zero talent already there, Beasley and Mario Chalmers are the only players with guaranteed contracts for next year and Beasley could very well be dealt to create even more cap space. So the Heat do have enough cap space to bring in all three players hypothetically speaking, Beasley would probably have to be gone. To bad basketball is played with five men not three. Chalmers is not mature enough to be the starting PG on any NBA team. Bosh doesn't like to play center so they would have to bring in a center who would probably be average at best. And then fill out their bench with rookies and low salaries. Not a formula for success. What should they do? Well personally I think their number one priority should be to bring back Wade. He has been the biggest sports figure in Miami since Dan Marino. However, unlike Marino he won a championship in Miami. If they can resign Wade then their next priority should be to bring in another player for him to play with. I'm not thinking Bosh or Amare, I'm thinking spend less money and spread the wealth. I would give David Lee a pay raise from his seven million dollars he made this year, and offer Carlos Boozer not a max contract but close to it. In this scenario Wade would have two big men to play with. Wade hasn't had quality big men to play with since he had Shaq in 05-06, and as we learned this year Haslem is best when coming off the bench. They could keep Beasley and let him play small forward where he would have a much easier time scoring and playing defense than at power forward. Raymond Felton would be an upgrade over Mario Chalmers, but I'm not a cap expert so I don't know if there would be money left over. The combination of speed, scoring, defense, and experience with a lineup of; Chalmers, Wade, Beasley, Boozer, and Lee would be good enough to compete with any team in the east.
New Jersey Nets
Unlike the Heat and Knicks the Nets have a plethora of talent waiting for whatever free agent they sign to play with. They may have had the worst record in the league this past year, but believe me they have an excellent foundation in place. They have a young point guard who can also play shooting guard, Devin Harris, and an all star caliber center, Brook Lopez. Last years first round pick Terrance Williams is toolsy player who ran Louisville's basketball team his senior year from small forward. Williams can play small forward or shooting guard. Williams seems like more of a sixth man with Courtney Lee entrenched at shooting guard. We all remember Williams as being a crucial part of the Magic when they went to the NBA finals last year. Their first round pick Derrick Favors has high potential but shouldn't receive immediate playing time as it is expected for him to take some time for the 18 year old to get ready for basketball at the NBA level. Point guard, check. Shooting Guard, check. Power forward, check. Center, check. What's missing, small forward. Now which free agent would be the perfect player to fill in that gap? Lebron James, duh. The Nets are doing what I think they should, going after James hard and making a name for themselves. Just look at this ad. You need three legs to make a tripod stand, and James would be the perfect person to stand next to Mikhail Prokhorov and Shawn Carter in that ad. In the scenario that they don't get James all hope is not lost. They do have an excellent core to complete with. Williams can play small forward. And if they don't get James they still have serious money to spend and could bring in a power forward to mentor Favors and play while he learns the game. Bosh, Stoudemire, and Boozer seem like the best candidates.
New York Knicks
The Knicks are sort of a cross between the Nets and the Heat. They have young players to build around and players for James to play with, but not nearly at the talent level of the Net's or the next team I'm going to write about. The problem is that the young players they do have both are suited to play small forward, James' position. Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler are both suited to play at small forward, at power forward Chandler would not be strong enough, and Galinari has the height to play at 6-10 but lacks the bulk. It would be very difficult to use Galinari's three point shooting skill at power forward, not to mention he would have trouble guarding heavier guys. Also, the Knicks lack a point guard who has experience. It would be to much to ask Toney Douglas to start with the lack of experience he has. Amare Stoudemire seems to be leaning toward the Knicks, which could entice James to come to New York and play in MSG, But still who would play center and point? If I were the Knick's I'm in the same scenario as the Heat. They should bring back Lee and his signing wouldn't hurt the cap since he would be resigning. I would pass on Amare to take Boozer who would be less expensive. And then if their is any money left over they could bring in James. James cant come because they don't have enough money? That is fine, they have two players under contract for next year to play small forward. Sign Raymond Felton and move Toney Douglas to shooting guard where I believe he is better suited to play and he wont be under as much pressure. Just like the Heat this team needs big men and an experienced point guard. The Knicks and Heat are both in the same boat. They have money to spend, if they spend it all on big names they wont have anybody to surround the big names, and they don't have any sort of foundation for the future on their team.
Chicago Bulls
The favorite to sign Lebron the last month or two is the favorite to sign him for a good reason, it makes the most sense for him to go there. The Bulls have the talent that the Knicks and Heat don't have, and their talent is far superior to the talent of the Nets. In my opinion this is the only team that should be James or bust. Pretty soon they are going to have an opening at the small forward position if Luol Deng does get traded to Portland. In return they would get Jerryd Bayless, who is one of my favorite players. Bayless is blocked by Brandon Roy in Portland, he's a natural shooting guard, and would fill the current vacancy at that position. Joakim Noah proved that he could play against the best centers in the league this season especially in the playoffs. In the propsed trade Portland would also give the Bulls Joel Pryzbilla, another center if Noah goes down who can play great defense and is a great rebounder. Sophomores Taj Gibson and James Johnson would both competing for the starting power forward position. However, it has been rumored that Bosh wants to play with James and Bosh could easily play power forward for the Bulls. Gibson and Johnson would be great off the bench. I have several questions though. Will they have enough Money to sign Bosh and James? If they dont get Bayless who will play shooting guard (I'm assuming Kirk Hinrich is still going to be traded to the Wizards)? And how will James play in new coach Tom Thibodeau's defensive style of play and with so many defensive minded players around him?
In the end a team I didnt even mention, Los Angels Clippers, may be the best "fit" for James. But the fact that their owner is one of the worst in all of sports, they are constantly in the shadow of the Lakers. In Chicago and Miami he would have to share the town with Rose, Michael Jordan's legacy, and Wade. In Los Angeles he wouldn't even share the town, he would be completely overshadowed by Kobe Bryant.
If I were James I would stay in Cleveland. It's my home, It's all I know, It would be awkward to wear any other jersey, Byron Scott seems like the coach to help me get my first championship, and players like Antwan Jamison, Mo Williams, JJ Hickson, Anthony Parker, and Anderson Varejao aren't bad supporting cast members. His team played like a championship team for the entire regular season. All he has to do is figure out how to transfer that play into the postseason.
