NBA 2014 Off-Season Thread

Just pulled my old Witness shirt out of the bottom of my dresser. These last four years were hot fucking garbage to sit through. Bar time!

I don't think its fair to say Wiggins becoming a superstar should be a part of Lebron's legacy. He was the top pick in the deepest draft of the last 10 years

It'll be quite comical if the Bulls sign Wade and becomes as injury ridden(which he is very due for) as Rose is.

As a Lakers fan living in Cleveland suburbia, today has been a pretty *eyeroll* day for me. Facebook just blowing up and the local radio is lolworthy so far. That said, as long as the Cavs are not facing the Lakers in a Finals, I guess it would be nice to see the city win something. Would satisfy me a lot more if it was the Browns or Indians to deliver one first though.

As a Clevelander it's a mixed bag for me. It's absolutely true that most of us weren't upset with him leaving (even if the Cavs have been unwatchable the last few seasons) but it was HOW he left that angered us. It was a debacle. Personally I don't care for the guy but I have to acknowledge that he's the best player in the NBA right now. So in that regard I'd rather have him on my team than not on it. Besides, from a, purely, practical standpoint having Lebron back is good for the city of Cleveland's economy.

So I'll ask the dumb question, is he sticking with his Heat number? Going back to MJ's 23? Or doing something totally different?

Man, Bosh should not be getting a max contract at this point.

Houston just made a huge move by not only getting rid of Jeremy Lin, but also keeping him in the conference.

Sixers would be willing to give up a first rounder or 2 for Wiggins so Cavs can get Love=P

I hear Pat Riley is going into motivational speaking.

Ambiturner_sl said:

I wonder if he would have done the same thing if the Cavs didn't get Wiggins

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Are you suggesting starting from the draft after Lebron took his talents to South Beach that the league somehow secured Cleveland 3 out of 4 top picks to help the franchise out? Sir, that is outrageous and The New York Knicks and Patrick Ewing think so too!

Generol_sl said:

I think the best the Wolves can do here is a package that includes one first (maybe two) and Anthony Bennett who supposedly is looking good. I don't see the Cav's getting rid of Wiggins who is a good defender and has a huge ceiling and I especially don't see them getting rid of him when they know Love will likely come to them next year anyhow. It isn't out of control that the Wolves would trade Love and another player (for them to clear a contract) for two 1st round picks and Bennett. The wolves are in a bad position and since Love has openly stated he will go to the Cavs and sign a long term deal they are stuck with either dealing with a shitty trade or watching him walk and getting not a single thing in return. The Cavs can sit on this and rip the Wolves off.

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The Cavs are not getting Love for Bennet and a couple firsts (especially since with Bosh's re-signing, the Miami 1st that Cleveland has may not be all that great). There are other teams still out there in the mix who have already offered more. It'll be interesting to see exactly what happens with Love. I don't know if I'm the Cavs that I'd want to unload all my assets right away for a guy that is going to be a FA next year anyways. They're in a really good position as is.

Just cause Love said he'd be open to playing in Cle it doesn't mean he'd sign there if he actually made it to FA. If he makes it to FA, I'd see him signing with the Lakers or some other WC team.

I'd say Crown the Cavs, but if Gasol goes to the Thunder or Spurs, that team is the clear favorite IMO.

Been a crazy 4 years but everyone knew Lebron was going back to Cleveland at some point. I thought he would sign a 1 year deal with Miami and see how the new contracts play out with the new TV agreement coming in 16. No ill will or hard feelings for Lebron. I'm still going to cheer for Miami first, but the last 4 years has been a blessing and there shouldn't be any Heat fans out there that are more disappointed than they are grateful for what we've had. I'll never hate Lebron but he's a rival now, so I'll admire and cheer against him every time the Cavs and Heat play.

Also, Bosh staying is a big, big way to end the day and takes a lot of the sting out of it. Bosh is such a cool dude that even if we don't win championships it's a ton of fun to cheer for someone like him. Miami is still a playoff contender(It's the east so I think every east team gets to go) and has the space to add pieces to have a chance to face Lebron in the ECF. Cleveland will probably be the #1 seed, followed by Chicago (with Melo), Toronto, Washington, and Miami in no particular order.

If you are/were a Lebron hater, does the letter and choice to go back to Cleveland change the way you feel about him?

p.s. Riley should just sign the anti-Lebron team. Got McRoberts who elbowed him in the neck once. Just need to get Lance Stephenson, Luol Deng, and whoever else (Kawhi Leonard? No? The Spurs don't want to trade him? Damn!)

Adam12_sl said:

Houston just made a huge move by not only getting rid of Jeremy Lin, but also keeping him in the conference.

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Ugh. Houston had a really promising team last year. They got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, but you could really see them starting to get it together. They were a team I was really excited to watch this coming season, but between trading Jeremy Lin, going after Bosh, and potentially losing Parsons, it reminds me of the Mavericks basically dismantling their team after they won the Championship so they could chase big names. Perhaps it'll work out for them, but after seeing what happened to the Mavericks, it's hard to be optimistic.

OUAriakas_sl said:

Fucking LOL.

In all seriousness, what teams are actually getting better next year besides the Cavs? The Heat will be worse, looking like Houston will be the same or worse, my Thunder are going to be the same unless they use the Kevin Martin MLE that expires a 11PM tonight.

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Well, Jason Kidd's Bucks have nowhere to go but up. He probably only has to show up a couple times a month and they'll improve.

Cavs wouldn't have the cap space for both Love and Wiggins. Wiggins will be traded to the Wolves if they want Love. They won't land him in FA because he will bolt to LA which is his preferred destination anyways. Bosh just wanted the max I guess? or Houston couldn't clear enough cap space? I thought for sure he would be going to Houston and want to go to a contending team.