So, Pera and new CEO Jason Levien take an unpopular trade and assign it to Wallace in the news release. He's waiting until they agree on the terms of his inevitable parting. Only, Wallace had nothing to do with the trade. The Grizzlies issued a statement on the trade late Wednesday, and embarrassingly had "general manager Chris Wallace" throw out the obligatory organizational quotes on the deal. Once again, the breaking down of this Grizzlies roster is a reminder that every NBA star had better make sure he understands the track records of the owners and executives with whom he's turning over his future. Whatever James does in 2014, he'll make a decision with the highest of basketball IQs on what will work and what won't.
These Heat aren't perfect, but they're well-constructed, well-coached, and there are never mixed messages from their ownership and management. As Yahoo! Sports reported last February, James' associates had been feeling out members of the Cavaliers organization on a possible return in 2014.įor now, though, James understands that he'll get two more chances at a championship with Wade and Bosh, and that's precious in this evolving NBA landscape. Rich Paul has stayed back in Cleveland to run his business and now represents Thompson, the Cavaliers' young forward. He had second-guessed himself that night, but once Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert released that vitriolic letter, James understood: There was no turning back.
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James has been thinking about a return to Cleveland for most of his time with the Heat, including the night of his cable TV special. How long Riley will stay on the job is a different matter, and that uncertainty will play a part, too. In the end, Riley and Miami owner Micky Arison will make it hard to walk away, because there will forever be a commitment, a competency, in South Beach. As much as anything, that's the biggest thing the Heat will have going for them. Irving is fabulous, but that wouldn't be enough. To return to the Cavaliers, James has to believe that general manager Chris Grant can construct a champion around him.
"Cleveland would always be there with that deal." "Beyond a panic move," one Eastern Conference GM said. Several league executives insisted Memphis could've waited until closer to the deadline, traded the parts individually and, minimally, received returns on Speights and Ellington. Across the NBA, front offices were incredulous with the way that Memphis unloaded Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington and Josh Selby, along with a future first-round pick, in a salary dump to Cleveland last week. They could've hung in there for this season, but instead bailed on it. These Grizzlies aren't the Lakers, and they don't get a lot of chances at making a deep playoff run. Owners are virtually guaranteed profit in this changing economic setup, and small-market owners can play the NBA's corporate welfare game off the profits that the LeBron Jameses, Kobe Bryants and Chris Pauls produce for the sport. It could've waited until the summer to move its star and made one more run in the Western Conference. Indeed, James is a champion, and he could win two more titles before he has to make a choice on his opt-out in the summer of 2014.īefore trading Gay, Memphis had already moved under the tax threshold with a trade last week. "No one knows what it takes until you've done it," James said. James marched into the Barclays Center and dismantled the Nets with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a 105-85 victory. That didn't turn out too well for Brooklyn on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets' Reggie Evans disputed the legitimacy of the Heat's shortened lockout-season championship on Wednesday morning, declaring James a comparable talent to the Nets' Joe Johnson. For Rich and Maverick, they all see the benefits of getting the credit for bringing LeBron home again."Īs significant as sentiment could play into the possibility of James returning to the Cavaliers, there's an understanding that as Dwyane Wade pushes into his 30s, past his prime, Cleveland's Kyrie Irving will emerge as the planet's preeminent point guard in two years. "Riley has never given them the run of the place in Miami," one high-level associate of James' inner-circle said, "and they could all be back in business together in Cleveland. And its client, Tristan Thompson, would assuredly benefit with an eventual rich contract extension should Paul deliver James back to the Cavaliers. Klutch Sports – Paul's new agency – calls Cleveland home.