The Dugout - June 25
LeBron James - Free Agent (AP)
The Decision: Part 2
All hell broke loose this morning when LeBron James notified his agent that he would be opting out of his contract with Miami. He is now a free agent, and has some big decisions to make. It’s not like the money is a huge thing for LeBron, given his Nike contract and the fact that any team in the league would sell their grandmother to get LBJ in on a max contract (If indeed franchises have grandparents).
The timing is interesting. He didn’t have to say anything until the start of Free Agency in July but this way he gives other teams the time and opportunity to make the necessary moves to free up the necessary cap space and all that.
It’s weird that he’d opt out of a team he’d taken to four straight NBA Finals. I think he saw the writing on the wall though. Dwyane Wade is old and ravaged, Bosh was ineffective, the rest were rubbish. Instead of waiting around another season to see another drop in standards, he’s forced the issue. I’m not completely convinced that he’ll leave the Heat, this is probably just be a wake up call to a franchise not shy in making deals when they need to. If they can prove to him that they’re serious, he’ll probably re-sign, and maybe even for a little less. They can’t be building a championship roster, however, while still paying a combined $40m to Wade and Bosh. Both of them could opt out too, and it’s in Miami’s best interests that they do – only it isn’t in those players’ best interests. Wade would struggle to get half that in the open market and while Bosh could probably bag $15m/year, neither can match what they’re getting now.
So if LeBron leaves, where does he end up? He likes the Clippers, we know that. He has a great relationship with both Chris Paul and Doc Rivers - only LAC have next to zero cap room. They’d have to dump DeAndre Jordan and one or two others to make it happen. Sign-and-trade?
The LA Lakers have been exploring options in trading Steve Nash and their 7th overall pick to clear room for Carmelo Anthony. Obviously LeBron is an option there too then. Possibly even both Melo and Bron? The Rockets are interested as expected (both Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik are on the trading block), and the Cavaliers reckon that they can clear $30m in cap space without even trading Kyrie Irving. Did someone say Chicago too? Up to 15 teams have a realistic chance of clearing the room for LeBron. Except that LeBron clearly wants to win and win now. How many can offer that assurance?
NBA Draft
Marcus Smart, Tyler Ennis, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Noah Vonleh, Doug McDermott and Aaron Gordon (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
The cream of the latest crop (who harvests cream? Sounds better than ‘corn of the crop’, I guess…) have gathered for the 2014 NBA Draft, where legacies will be born and franchises will be ruined/saved depending on their luck/insight. We’ve been hearing for ages about how this is the deepest draft class for years, and we’re finally gonna find out if it’s true.
Joel Embiid had emerged as the unanimous number one pick after a year of tussling with other guys such as Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins and Dante Exum, only for that to change drastically this week. The Cavaliers, who fluked the first pick, had been leaning towards Embiid but had issues over his fitness and durability. Well, that only got worse when they discovered a pretty serious foot injury. Embiid has a bit of a history with injuries and It seems to have scared some people off.
It now sounds like Jabari Parker is now the man for Cleveland, and Embiid – despite his natural gifts – could slip as far as the Lakers with too many teams not willing to risk such a valuable pick on a potential Greg Oden.
The 2014 NBA Draft commences on Friday.
Redskins Trademark Revoked
Uh-oh. A major development in the Washington Reds***s name debate this week, with the US Patent office removing the trademark on the name, citing that the term is disparaging. Which it is, really. Still it’s a surprising move from a government agency, the likes of which you’d expect to stay well clear of this debate. The rescinded trademark thing doesn’t make any difference to how the team is run, it just means that they’re vulnerable to counterfeit jerseys on ebay and that sorta thing. So, Reds***s fans, this is actually a good thing if you’re looking for a cheap team snapback. Or racial equality.
Don Draper Does His Best to Get LeBron Back in Cleveland
2014 NBA Draft Order:
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Orlando Magic
- Utah Jazz
- Boston Celtics
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Sacramento Kings
- Charlotte Hornets (via Detroit Pistons)
- Philadelphia 76ers (via New Orleans Pelicans)
Melo Opting Out Too
As we all expected, Carmelo Anothony will opt out of the final year of his Knicks contract according to his agent, in order to ‘explore his options’. He’s one of the premier scorers in the game, so those options should be plentiful, although his contract demands will price many out of the market. He is eligible to sign a max contract of $129m with the Knicks over 5 years, or a 4 year $96m max deal with someone else. I doubt he’ll get all that, though money clearly isn’t his number one priority if he’s willing to leave New York. Anthony has apparently shortlisted the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, with the Miami Heat also interested. Teams can officially meet with him come the start of July when the free agency window opens.
Other Major Free Agency Q’s
LeBron?
What happens in Miami with The Big Three and their respective player options?
Where will Kevin Love be playing next season? Or the season after?
Are the Lakers/Celtics ready to start making moves and climbing up the ladder once more?
How much will the strong draft affect the value of the proven veterans in the free agency pool?
Nice Hat, Bro
Alex Torres of the San Diego Padres rocking the new MLB commissioned padded caps. They were released at the start of the season though Torres is the first to wear one on the mound. It looks pretty dumb but tell ya what, if a line drive were headed for your head you’d wish you had one on.
Good Week:
- Basketball – Because Tim Duncan has reportedly opted in to the final year of his contract, slaying any imminent retirement rumours and ensuring we’ll get at least one more glorious season with the greatest power forward of all time. You get the feeling that when he does retire, it’ll be low key and with almost no build up. No victory laps or parades, just a quiet announcement one day before riding off into the sunset.
- LeBron James (Miami Heat) – We can talk about the other sides of this, but as far as LeBron is concerned, he made the best possible call. He has options on the table now, and this was his only was of forcing the Heat board’s hand. LBJ is the number one asset in the game and he deserves the power that he now has.
- J.D. Martinez (Detroit Tigers) – Signed as a back page free agent after a few uneventful years at the Houston Astros, Martinez is suddenly one of the best sluggers in baseball! In his last seven games he’s hitting .458 with 11 hits, 3 doubles and 3 homers, and his 12 game hit streak is the best active one in the majors.
Bad Week:
- Miami Heat – Hard to see how they act now. Losing LeBron is a distinct possibility, and their best chance of keeping him is reliant on Dwyane Wade, who, let’s be honest, is not in a position anymore to turn down a single dime. Time to cut some ties and make a few tough decisions.
- Evan Turner (Indiana Pacers) – Oh, man, don’t you just hate it when your Ferrari runs out of gas on the motorway (#humblebrag)? Well it happened to Pacers forward Evan Turner, and his buddy PJ Hill (who played for Ohio State) let the world know. The relatable problems of NBA players.
Player of the Week:
Clayton Kershaw (LA Dodgers) – Being the highest paid pitcher in the league could be considered pressure by some. Not Kershaw though. He continues to be the absolute man, hurling an incredible 15 Ks on the way to a 107 pitch no-hitter against Colorado. Only the legendary Nolan Ryan ever threw more strikeouts in a no-no. Kershaw was a walkover NL Player of the Week (as well as the namesake award in this-here column!), and for the month of June he’s 4-0 with an ERA of 1.24 and K/BB ratio of 40/1 in 29 innings.
Upcoming Dates (NZ Time):
June 27 - NBA Draft Held
July 16 - MLB All Star Game
August 4 - NFL Preseason Begins