LeBron...LeGone?
As Cleveland scuffles and slides down to the 9th spot in the East and out of the playoffs, it will become the first team in over three decades to miss the postseason after being 10 games over .500 through the 50-game mark in the season. Unless some serious help is brought in, why would LeBron consider staying in Cleveland? Nike has a contract stipulation with LeBron, giving him millions more to play for a big market team (namely, NY and LA). The Cavs, barring any major free-agent signings THIS offseason, would potentially lose James (who enters the final year of his contract in '05-'06). Enter NY...a team not afraid of taking on a bloated salary with some room to make a sign-and-trade deal. Most think the Knicks couldn't pull of a trade, but those people aren't desperate NY fans struggling to keep their remotes in one piece and TV screen un-cracked. Without further ado, I give you my proposed trade:
CLEVELAND GETS: SF Tim Thomas- The best thing that happened to NY down the stretch is that Thomas finally started playing to his potential that teams have drooled over for years, averaging 18.7 ppg from the end of Feb to the end of March, before playing injured and missing a couple games in April.
PF Malik Rose- One of the best leaders and hardest workers in the game, Rose would provide solid minutes and leadership for young'ns Drew Gooden and Anderson Varejao.
SG Jamal Crawford- Lots of upside after this season- scored a ton at first (about 18 a game), then upped his assists and defense. A better fit than Ira Newble at the 2 for Cleveland.
NEW YORK GETS: G/F LeBron James- Rather than lose him to free agency and get nothing, Cleveland opts to bring in some core guys.
PF Robert Traylor- With Rose and Thomas, along with Gooden, the forward slots are all taken. That, and Traylor doesn't do much but sap money from the team...a problem NY would gladly accept.
PG Eric Snow- When new coach Brendan Malone started him, it looked like a good move. Well, we all know where Cleveland sits in the standings now (hmm, maybe ex-coach Paul Silas was onto something when he constantly put Snow in the doghouse). With both sides unhappy, the Cavs will be pleased to move Snow.
posted by Jay @ 1:05 PM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
While the proposed trade seems like a win for the Knicks (i'm a fan) and does take into account the fact that whoever trades for Lebron woudl have to take on the bloated contracts of useless players (Traylor) I don't think that trade is realistic.
I imagine the Cavs would want a few things from the Knicks not offered there. The first being, a bona fide star. The Knicks have one in Marbury, but I think part of the pull of a move like this, would be to have the two of them(Marbury and Lebron)...together.
Also, a legitamate, young, scoring big man. Well, the Knicks would love one of those too...as would just about every team in the league. The Knicks would probably have to part with either the established and steady Kurt Thomas, or the space-eating promising forward, Michael Sweetney. A third element that seems to be key to all big NBA trades the past few years is the inclusion of expiring contracts. A player with a huge contract who has been immovable for years, suddenly becomes a hot commodity in his walk year. That contract comes off the books for whatever team has that particular player's rights, giving them invaluable cap room. As the last year of Allan Houston's contract comes up, expect to see him included in any attempt to the Knicks make to aqquire talent.
solid points. however, with young forwards drew gooden and anderson varejao, plus big Z in the middle, kurt thomas wouldnt be as valuable as a mentor who does the hustle work like Malik Rose...and sweetney is a bit undersized, and is almost in HIS final year, so the cavs might lose him after 1 yr. I agree that the knicks might have to give up marbury, but his huge contract might be a bit much for the cavs to want. other than that, his ball-hoggin tendencies would be a great thing for NY to trade if they get LeBron in return. Finally, not only has Houston been injury plagued (his knees no less, a vital part of his only weapon- jumpshooting) but he is entering the twighlight of his career. The Cavs wouldn't want to get a player they haven't seen in awhile, nor would they want a guy who won't come close to his previous stats. Crawford gives them the outside threat, the youth, and the marketability that you want when getting rid of somebody like LeBron James.
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