Lebron James, Dwayne Wade AND Chris Bosh all to the Miami Heat!!!

[Pat Riley]

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_ar...se_miami_heat/

It will be official in about 12 hours time, but Lebron James will confirm that he is joining both Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to play with the Miami Heat (my favourite team since 2002!) in the greatest free-agency period ever in the history of the NBA.

Lebron James averaged 30 points per game, 7 rebounds per game and 9 assists last season. Dwayne Wade averaged 27 points per game, 5 rebounds per game and 7 assist per game. Chris Bosh averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds per game. The three of them are regarded as 3 of the top 5 players in the NBA.

Whilst Wade and Bosh have agreed to terms with the Miami yesterday via a press conference, Lebron James remains the final big-named free-agent yet to agree to terms with an NBA team.

Never has anything of this nature or magnitude ever occurred in the NBA previously. Each player will sign for the maximum NBA salary, approximately $17M (in the first year, and increasing every year) for what will likely be 5 or 6 year contracts.

The Miami Heat were the only team in free-agency that began planning for the 2010 free-agency back in 2007. They did so by ensuring all of their players contracts expired after the 2009/2010 season to ensure they had maximum cap space to chase the highly prized pool of free-agents in the 2010 class and there were around 20 all-star / high quality players in the 2010 free-agent class. For those contracts past the 2009/2010 Miami entered into several trades over the last few years to ensure that they limited all salaries post 2010. Currently, the only players signed for the 2010 NBA season are are Michael Beasley at $5M pa and Mario Chalmers at $800k pa. With their $48M of free cap room currently, if Miami cannot arrange a trade to dump Michael Beasley in a sign and trade to Toronto or to another team with cap space in a one-sided deal for more or less nothing in return, it is believed the trio of Lebron, Wade and Bosh will agree to take a pay-cut of approximately $1M each in their first year (ie $15.5M or $16M) just to play each other.

Lebron, Wade and Bosh grew close playing together for the US Olympic team and have discussed playing with one another since 2008.

Lebron will be on ESPN to officially announce his decision on Thursday 9:00PM (US Time) in a 1 hour segment. Some people believe the reason for the 1 hour segment is due to both Wade and Bosh possibly joining him in the press conference with the media.

As a Miami Heat fan since 2002, I have been mashing my F5 key several times over the last week to try and see where each of the "Big 3" were going. I knew it was possible, but I never imagined that would all actually sign with Miami. In the basketball scene, this is the modern day equivalent of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley all agreeing to play for the one team.


http://www.nba.com/playerfile/lebron_james/index.html
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/dwyane_wade/index.html
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/chris_bosh/index.html

[BOSHOG]

this has not been confirmed yet. there are also sources stating Lebron will go to New Jersey as well as some sources stating he will stay in Cleveland

also, Wade will be on more than Bosh and James as he isnt changing teams, unless he signs for less which could happen to keep the other 2 happy.

[Pat Riley]

Originally Posted by BOSHOG

this has not been confirmed yet. there are also sources stating Lebron will go to New Jersey as well as some sources stating he will stay in Cleveland

also, Wade will be on more than Bosh and James as he isnt changing teams, unless he signs for less which could happen to keep the other 2 happy.

Lebron James to Miami has been confirmed from multiple credible sources within the NBA. The reason why it has not been officially called yet is due to the fact that ESPN is providing a 1 hour special on who Lebron is signing with in about 12 hours time. Chris Broussard of ESPN has confirmed that New Jersey is out of the picture.\

"All indications are that LeBron James is leaning toward signing with the Miami Heat on Thursday night, according to several sources with knowledge of the situation.

Barring a late change of heart, sources say James has decided to join fellow All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form a potential NBA powerhouse."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5363055

[BOSHOG]

ive been watching everything on ESPN. nothing is confirmed yet, ive seen too many free agent seasons to listen to "sources". ill wait until Lebron confirms it himself

[BOSHOG]

in saying that, i hope he does sign in Miami, itll make great viewing

[Pat Riley]

Originally Posted by BOSHOG

in saying that, i hope he does sign in Miami, itll make great viewing

;)

I bet once over the cap, Miami targets some of the following players with ~ the minimum salary to chase a ring:

Shaquille O'Neal
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Juwan Howard
Raja Bell
Carlos Arroyo
Joel Anthony

Can't wait!!

[BOSHOG]

Originally Posted by BA Falcon

;)

I bet once over the cap, Miami targets some of the following players with ~ the minimum salary to chase a ring:

Shaquille O'Neal
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Juwan Howard
Raja Bell
Carlos Arroyo
Joel Anthony

Can't wait!!

Shaq will not be signed by Miami. he will clog the lane to the point where Wade and James cant penetrate. if he goes there Miami WILL NOT win a title

they need to find shooters and defenders. there is only so many points that can be scored and Wade and James will get 55 of them, Bosh will average a career low in points but will be important on defence and the boards.

Beasley is a goner but they will get rags for him because of his offcourt issues (drugs and depression). watch for the veterans lining up for the minimum to get their rings!

all this is IF Lebron goes to Miami

[BOSHOG]

happy Lebron day, 15mins until the ESPN special airs

i dont think hes going to Miami (but i might be wrong)
if he wants to be on an awesome team he should sign with Chicago
if he cares about his legacy and wants to be talked about with Jordan, Magic, Bird etc he needs to stay in Cleveland and finish what he started

time will tell

[BOSHOG]

Miami it is, i was wrong lol

South Beach is gunna be fun this year

[prasac]

Lebron bien venido a Miami, he must have really wanted the sunshine, not that he needs the cash, i would have liked to see him stay with the Cavs

$60 million salary cap was used just on those 3, hope the friendship lasts and focus on winning the ring and not get into petty fights.

Heat need a Center big time, Bosh and James are forwards.

Shaq maybe going to the Spurs? i'd prefer the Spurs ask The Admiral to come out of retirement best centre ever

[BOSHOG]

Originally Posted by prasac

Lebron bien venido a Miami, he must have really wanted the sunshine, not that he needs the cash, i would have liked to see him stay with the Cavs

$60 million salary cap was used just on those 3, hope the friendship lasts and focus on winning the ring and not get into petty fights.

Heat need a Center big time, Bosh and James are forwards.

Shaq maybe going to the Spurs? i'd prefer the Spurs ask The Admiral to come out of retirement best centre ever

oh

my

god

a killer capri and an admiral fan! Robinson is the most talented big man ive seen, except for 94/95 :(

[Fireblade]

Damn I miss those days Prasac, the Admiral was superb centre, funny how evolution in sports is, most of the starting players are of the calibre of Michael Jordan these days with athletic ability and prowess on the court, Jordan just happened to be 20 years before his time so stood out in what was a stacked NBA anyway.

With those 3 on board Miami should've tried to aquire Dwight Howard as their centre, sure fire championship Rings and most probably a record win-loss ratio. I'm not 100% sure but I think Chicago still holds that at 70-12 which was no mean feat in their second of three championship years in the first 3-peat.

The NBA has really been worth watching in the last couple of years with the great talent that takes to the floor, for me it was just a shame to see LA get the ring as Boston put in some hard yards this year to get there, the only positive for me was to see the greatest NBA coach of all time get his 11th championship ring.

I don't doubt Wades clutch prowess but I'm unsure on Lebron's as he seemed to choke in a big way in the finals this year. Maybe with Wade and Bosh's support he might be able to do better, he has more of an ability in the clutch than Kobe IMO just no support around him when he needs it.

Interesting times ahead.....

[BOSHOG]

Originally Posted by F6 FOON

Damn I miss those days Prasac, the Admiral was superb centre, funny how evolution in sports is, most of the starting players are of the calibre of Michael Jordan these days with athletic ability and prowess on the court, Jordan just happened to be 20 years before his time so stood out in what was a stacked NBA anyway.

With those 3 on board Miami should've tried to aquire Dwight Howard as their centre, sure fire championship Rings and most probably a record win-loss ratio. I'm not 100% sure but I think Chicago still holds that at 72-10 which was no mean feat in their first of three championship years in the second 3-peat.

The NBA has really been worth watching in the last couple of years with the great talent that takes to the floor, for me it was just a shame to see LA get the ring as Boston put in some hard yards this year to get there, the only positive for me was to see the greatest NBA coach of all time get his 11th championship ring.

I don't doubt Wades clutch prowess but I'm unsure on Lebron's as he seemed to choke in a big way in the finals this year. Maybe with Wade and Bosh's support he might be able to do better, he has more of an ability in the clutch than Kobe IMO just no support around him when he needs it.

Interesting times ahead.....

fixed it for ya, basketball has taken up too much of my life lol

[Fireblade]

Didn't the bulls have a 70-12 record when I said?

Thanks Hog, obviously it still stands anyway. When I was younger I was obsessed with the NBA, Scottie Pippen was and still is my all time Favourite player but now I'm really getting into Dwight Howard.

[BOSHOG]

Originally Posted by F6 FOON

Didn't the bulls have a 70-12 record when I said?

Thanks Hog, obviously it still stands anyway. When I was younger I was obsessed with the NBA, Scottie Pippen was and still is my all time Favourite player but now I'm really getting into Dwight Howard.

the record is 72-10, the only time in history a team has got 70, the 1971 lakers got 69

Pippen is probably the most underrated player in history, Jordan wouldnt have won without him. and Pippen was the better defender of the 2 as well

[Fireblade]

Thanks for clearing my misinformation mate, Pippen had long arms that were great for the steal, I have about 120 individual player cards of Scotties that I collected in the early 90's, some gold mines too. Would've been nice for the Bulls to get some one like Lebron to get that winning spirit again but oh well.

[BOSHOG]

Originally Posted by F6 FOON

Thanks for clearing my misinformation mate, Pippen had long arms that were great for the steal, I have about 120 individual player cards of Scotties that I collected in the early 90's, some gold mines too. Would've been nice for the Bulls to get some one like Lebron to get that winning spirit again but oh well.

i still have my old cards stored in boxes too. some are worth hundreds to the right buyer. i have a good David Robinson and Mourning collections.

i still think Chicago wouldve been a better fit for Lebron

[Fireblade]

Yeah but he wouldn't have been able to wear number 23 though, Chicago just need one stand up player like Lebron and I think they will start to get somewhere again, thought that the Bulls management was a bit ruthless with Vinnie Del Nagro as well. Not much love shown in sports these days.

[BOSHOG]

Originally Posted by F6 FOON

Yeah but he wouldn't have been able to wear number 23 though, Chicago just need one stand up player like Lebron and I think they will start to get somewhere again, thought that the Bulls management was a bit ruthless with Vinnie Del Nagro as well. Not much love shown in sports these days.

Lebron wont wear number 23 again, he stated last year he will now wear number 6. he also said everyone in the league should retire the number 23 in respect for MJ. for me the number 6 has more history to it with Dr J and Bill Russell both wearing it throughout their careers.

people in Cleveland have been burning Lebron jerseys, i think thats a bit rough considering the lack of loyalty there is in sports today, the Cavs wouldnt have hesitated to trade Lebron if it helped them. gone are the days where a player in any sport stays at the one team for his career, and it makes it hard to build rivalries.

[Pat Riley]

Yep all confirmed now - I watched it live on ESPN just to hear it haha.

No you are correct, the Bulls did go 70-12 but they also went 72-10. 2 different seasons.

I don't expect them to go 72-10 in the upcoming season. But the following year/s I can definitly see them challenging for that record.

All they need is shooters and defenders now. They have Joel Anthony and my favourite draft pick in Jarvis Varnado - that guy is the all-time NCAA shotblocker (beat Shaq's record). Carlos Arroyo had the 2nd best assist to turnover ratio after Chris Paul so I'm confident he can run things if need be.

Don't forget that also drafted Dexter Pittman and D'Sean Butler. Butler in particular is a fantastic player. He was a lock to be a 1st round pick before his injury and he probably won't suit up in Miami until the first quarter of 2011.

But the key will be who they trade Michael Beasley for - what they get in return for Beasley will likely be their key player, unless he is dumped completely. I think they may be better off trading him for someone being paid around $2M, that way Lebron, Wade and Bosh can still all get the max.

[Pat Riley]

Yep Lebron will wear #6 as he agreed to do like 6 months ago, and it has been recently confirmed that Mario Chalmers who is currently wearing #6 for the Heat will be going back to #15 which he wore in college at Kansas.

[BOSHOG]

they only had the 72 win season, no 70 win season

http://www.nba.com/bulls/history/Chi...-24393-42.html

[Pat Riley]

Originally Posted by BOSHOG

they only had the 72 win season, no 70 win season

http://www.nba.com/bulls/history/Chi...-24393-42.html

I stand corrected - the other season I was thinking of was when they equalled but did not beat the Lakers record and went 69-13.

http://www.nba.com/bulls/history/Chi...-24393-42.html

[Fireblade]

Spoke to soon.

[4Vman]

Far out.... my head is spinning with all of this, they'll need someone to control all the ego's there.. remember when Shaq and Kobe were at LA..??

[Pat Riley]

Reports now that Michael Beasley and his $5M salary have been dumped to the Minnesota Timerwolves for a 2nd round pick in next years draft so that each of Lebron, Wade and Bosh can actually get the full max contract they deserve.

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_ar...hael_beasley/#

This means the ONLY player remaining on the Heat who is signed is Mario Chalmers at 800k pa LOL.

[BOSHOG]

i thought they wouldve got more than a second rounder for Beasley, thats giving him away! looks like the offcourt issues played a part as well as the financial side of things

edit; it looks like a first round pick. and the Twolves pick should be a high one next year so thats not a bad deal

[Pat Riley]

Originally Posted by BOSHOG

i thought they wouldve got more than a second rounder for Beasley, thats giving him away! looks like the offcourt issues played a part as well as the financial side of things

edit; it looks like a first round pick. and the Twolves pick should be a high one next year so thats not a bad deal

Haha they edited their article from a 2nd rounder to a 1st rounder as RealGM always does!! It looks like from the below tweets from Marc Stein that it is a 2nd rounder and a swap of 1st rounders in next years draft. I'm really happy with, and even moreso that it is next years so it doesn't eat into this years cap room. This is a good deal for both teams. Because Minnesota play in the West and if you don't make the playoffs you are in the lottery, this will almost definitely be a lottery draft pick, and potentially a # 1 pick. I suspect it will be a top 3 or top 5 lottery protected pick though. We shall see.

Basically RealGM have been reporting anything and everything as soon as anyone tweets anything. They have jumped the gun on a few things so far, but at least it gets reported literally the second it comes out. I can't wait for the final details regarding the Beasley trade.

# Wolves/Heat also agree to unspecified swap of future first-round picks. Heat turned to 'Sota after four-way trade w/TOR, HOU, CHA dissolved 20 minutes ago via TweetDeck

# Wolves-Heat deal, sources say, calls for 'Sota to absorb Beasley into cap space and send its 2011 second-round pick to Miami to seal deal 25 minutes ago via TweetDeck

# ESPN.com sources: Miami has agree to a trade with Minnesota that will send Michael Beasley to the Wolves. Link forthcoming 30 minutes ago via TweetDeck

[BOSHOG]

that pic will have a very high chance of being top 3. Minnesota wont make the playoffs in the west, they wouldnt even make the playoffs in the east with the roster they have

[prasac]

BOSHOG im a child of the 90's good to see some Admiral fans here in Oz, i tell people about David Robinson they are like who?? i played Centre for all our basketball teams even though im only 6'3'' always wore the number 15 (would have wore 50 but our league at Parklea and school teams only allowed numbers up to 15. far and away to me anyway the best player to ever play and if im not wrong the last to ever record a quadruple double. also off the court from what i heard he was a truly genuine nice guy. i loved the Olajuwon v. Admiral matchups he was the only player to ever give the Admiral a go. apart from Manute Bol

i think those Bosh, Wade and James have been good mates since there Olympic/FIBA days together, it was planned for them to play together back years ago.

agreed Pippen was most underrated player but most players who played with MJ were. forward wise back then i was a Charles Barkley fan, i mimiced my game around him, i was never the tallest but i was built like Sir Charles around 100kg when i played so i used my weight to my advantage, i was the Round Mound of Rebound in our team

im 33 now but i still go out and play a few times a week, just hard finding anyone my age that plays anymore, i play with some youngins 17-23 but the old body aint like it used to be