http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbsoWKXbO2E
Charles Oakley says it's Miami or Chicago. Maybe Knicks or Clippers? In a 4 way hand to hand combat between the Heat, Knicks, Clippers and our Bulls, the winner by technical knock out would be...DA BULLS.

Da Mare, D'Obama and I'm sure Da Coach would be in favor.

Da Coach probably couldn't care less unless LeBron could run routes.

Espn just said something about it being Miami or Chicago.

From newsweek I guess.

How can Miami afford him? I am assuming this would be with Wade staying?

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Maybe all these "my buddy's gf's ex-pimp's younger brother has this friend who walks LeBron's neighbor's pet dragon and he says he saw LeBron's mailman delivering a 'great homes for sale in Chicago' catalog to LeBron" could be put in one thread?

They have enough cap room to sign Wade and another max guy. They could squeeze 2 if they were able to dump more salary. He would make more money in Miami because they don't have a state tax but he wouldn't be the man. It would still be Wade's team.

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You're mistaken. Wade wouldn't stay if he couldn't get some help. They have enough money right now for Wade and another max guy and will will have a few dollars left over. If they were able for dump Beasley and a couple other guys in a sign and trade for a guy like Bosh they would be able to still sign Wade and another max guy. That would give them a total of 3 max guys.

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It LeBron wants to be the only superstar on a team, then he should probably give up trying to win a championship. Teams like the Lakers and Celtics are stacked with superstar talent and have bench players who would start on most other teams in the NBA. If LeBron wants to challenge those teams, he's going to need a gunnery mate.

He'd have that in Chicago w/ Rose and Deng.

YOU FORGOT CAPTAIN KURT!

I agree. Most people aren't high on Deng but 18 and 7 isn't bad for 25 year old. Plus they could always package Deng in a deal for a guy like Bosh. LeBron playing the 2 wouldn't be fair but the Bulls wouldn't have any shooters on the court. Something would have to give. Getting Bosh may cost you a guy like Noah. That's worse case. Here is my fantasy lineup for next year:

Bosh
Noah
James
Allen
Rose

It really could happen but a lot of things would have to fall in place. The Bulls would need to include another team in a sign in trade with Toronto because they don't have a need for another SF with the signing of Turk last season. Of course if they worked out a sign and trade with the Cavs for LeBron then none of this would matter. They could sign Bosh without making another deal or they could go after David Lee/Boozer and a guy like Gay.

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Chad Ford

Boston Celtics fans were chanting "New York Knicks" during Thursday's Game 6 every time that LeBron James went to the foul line. Maybe they should've been chanting "Chicago Bulls."

Within minutes of the Cleveland Cavaliers' elimination at the hands of the Celtics, the speculation about LeBron James' next destination resumed in full force.

In the space of five minutes I heard from three NBA GMs via text, e-mail and phone. All three said that based on the information they have, they believe LeBron will leave the Cavs.

More surprisingly, all of them said they believe the destination will be the Chicago Bulls. Two said they believe that John Calipari will be the Bulls' new head coach.

One GM went a bit further in a phone call a few minutes later. "I think the Bulls are really going to go for it. Look for them to offer the Cavs Luol Deng in a sign-and-trade for LeBron. That will allow them to retain most of their cap space. Then they'll go after Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh as well."

I'm sure we'll hear various scenarios involving the Knicks, Nets and Heat over the course of the next month. But it's hard to come up with any other scenario that would be quite as appealing for LeBron.

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If the Bull had this lineup there's no reason to play the 2010-2011 season.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

Possibly. The real question is would all of these young guys be willing to put their egos and stats aside to win championships? I think egos would play a big role in that lineup coming together. That being said I would love it. They would likely be the best team in the NBA and a lot of older players would come here to be fillers on a roster that would likely be contending for championships for many years to come.

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Sign and trade isn't likely.
But of all the NBA franchises for the Cavaliers to do a sign and trade with, the Bulls are the least likely. Cleveland isn't going to help Chicago sign the new Jordan.

If a sign and trade were to happen, Cleveland would send James to the Western Conference.

You're missing the point of a sign and trade in the NBA. The sign and trade would be agreed to before he signed. The Cavs couldn't sign him and trade them to any team they wanted. Cleveland would make the deal because they know LeBron won't sign with them. It benefits Lebron because he would be able to get all the money Cleveland can pay him. In a sense both would be doing each other a favor. Orlando worked out a sign and trade with Seattle a few years ago (when they overpaid Lewis by $40M more than anyone else would give him) where Seattle received a trade exception and a 2nd round pick.

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I understand how the sign and trade benefits LeBron and how LeBron has to approve--but there are 28 other teams that the Cavs are likely to do a sign and trade with before the Bulls.

Then you really don't get it. If the Cavs didn't agree to the deal he would just sign with the Bulls and they would get nothing. They don't have the option of dealing with the other NBA teams.

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Getting saddled with glass toe Loul Deng's awful contract is worse than getting nothing for LeBron.

Now, if the Bulls were going to offer them D. Rose, I could see Cleveland doing that deal.

If they see it that way then they wouldn't do it. My guess is he doesn't care. He will make back the $1M a year in salary he would lose in the first 5 years in Chicago before the ink drys.

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If they know he is already gone then trading him in the division gives them more games with him that will for sure be nationally televised. This would keep them more relevant than if they shipped him far far away which they still would have to get him to agree to.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Deng's contract runs another 4 years @ about $15 million a year with incentives--and the league is about to have a lockout and redo the CBA--Nobody this off-season is gonna take on a contract like Deng's that runs beyond the lockout year by 2 years.

Great, the Cavs can get stomped by LeBron on national tv 4 times a season instead of 2. Maybe TNT or NBC will show the Jordan over Ehlo shot during those games. Cleveland fans will love that.

Luol will make $11M next season and at no point in Luol's contract will he ever make $15M a year. Let's stick with the facts here. Luol is the same age as LeBron and he is coming off a season where he averaged 18 points and 7+ rebounds a game while playing the same position as LeBron.

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/chicago.htm

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You do realize the Cavs don't have an option when it comes to where LeBron plays next season? You do realize if they had that option they wouldn't trade him?

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On one of Simmons podcasts, he had a Cleveland sports writer on who mentioned that if LeBron leaves Cleveland, he'd put the chances at 50/50 that Cleveland still has an NBA franchise post lockout.

The current owner of the Cavs is actually from Michigan and has already started moving his company (Quicken?) to downtown Detroit. There's talk that if he/the Cavs lose LeBron, he'd let the Cleveland franchise go (sell it to another owner who'd most likely move it to another city or sell it back to the league) and then take over the Pistons franchise.

Deng's contract was for 6 years and up to $80 million dollars (WITH INCENTIVES! ). So he's been paid about $20-22 million so far? So someone still POTENTIALLY owes Deng--with incentives--$58-$60 million dollar over 4 years.

regardless if it's $12 million a season over 4 seasons or $15 million a season, Deng ain't worth it. Esp not with the lockout and new CBA coming up.

On one of Simmons podcasts, he had a Cleveland sports writer on who mentioned that if LeBron leaves Cleveland, he'd put the chances at 50/50 that Cleveland still has an NBA franchise post lockout.

The current owner of the Cavs is actually from Michigan and has already started moving his company (Quicken?) to downtown Detroit. There's talk that if he/the Cavs lose LeBron, he'd let the Cleveland franchise go (sell it to another owner who'd most likely move it to another city or sell it back to the league) and then take over the Pistons franchise.

There's a big difference between LeBron choosing to go to Chicago on his own and the owners of the Cavs facilitating that process to an extent that Chicago is able to be even better and stomp Cleveland all the more. How much do the Cavs owners hate their fans anyhow? Or how much do they want their fans to hate them?

And the only player Chicago has that Cleveland would possibly want is D Rose, and that ain't happening.

I wouldn't buy that. Gilbert and his team just purchased the Cavs and the arena 6 years ago and renovated it. No way anyone would invest that much money and then walk away for the right to possibly own the Pistons.

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