I want To hear The Ways LeBron Could Be A Celtic!

[BudweiserCeltic]

LeBron will end up in Miami. Although it'll be a skeleton roster starting out, Wade and LeBron together is going to be very very scary with just about anyone you surround them with.

[Roy Hobbs]

What makes the Nets closer to winning now then the knicks exactly? Im not saying its not true, just curious why their youngs are a league ahead of the nets.

I personally like the Nets core a lot better.  Brook Lopez is a top-tier center, Devin Harris is an extremely good young point guard, and Courtney Lee is a nice role player.  They also have the cap space to sign Lebron and another complementary piece (although not to a max deal).  Chris Douglas-Roberts and Yi could be decent in the future, as well; CDR is having a good year, especially.  If the stadium financing comes through, they'll be moving to Brooklyn, and will have a billionaire owner.  It's a fairly bright future, if things fall into place.

Then, look at the Knicks.  I just don't see Gallinari and Chandler as being building block players.  David Lee is the best player on the team, and he could leave in free agency.  I'm not all that impressed.

[BudweiserCeltic]

If not mistaken, the Najera and Dooling deals for next year aren't fully guaranteed, so that might explain why they haven't been moved yet. It seems that they are in an even better position than I previously thought, and might be able to sign TWO max level talents if they are available.

[WeMadeIt17]

The nets are a better team because they have 2 or 3 set core guys right now in Devin Harris, Terrance Williams, And brook lopez. I am getting a lot of crap for it i know its not going to happen like i said but a boy can Dream right! And please don't tell me he will end up in Miami... I live in South Florida and my best friend is a huge miami Heat fan and idk what i would do if he came to Miami.. Please God NOOOOOOOOO

[blake]

I'm not exactly sure what you mean, so I'll try to hit a few points.

Next year, the salary cap is projected to be around $53 million.  In order to sign Lebron, we'd have to be able to fit his entire salary (plus all of our existing salaries and "cap holds") underneath that number.  Right now, even if Pierce and Ray both walked away for nothing, we have committed salaries of around $43 million, and another $3 million+ tied up in cap holds.  That means we'd have $7 million to sign a free agent (keep in mind these are very, very rough numbers).

A max contract for a guy of Lebron's tenure is going to be around $16m - $16.5m in its first year.  In other words, we just don't have the money to fit him under our cap.

Now, Cleveland can resign him to a max deal -- and go over their cap to do so -- because he's their free agent, and they have his "Bird rights".  However, the only way another team can sign him as a free agent is if they have room to do so.  (Another mechanism is via sign-and-trade, where Cleveland resigns Lebron and trades him to another team that either has cap room, or that sends back contracts roughly within 25% of Lebron's deal).

For details on the basics (and some specifics), see here: http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=28668.0

Roy, as soon as I buy a team you will be hired on to double check the complexities to my GM of Salary Cap issues.

[EJPLAYA]

[Brickowski]

There's no realistic way in my mind that Lebron could be a Celtic.  We don't have the cap room to sign him, which leaves us with one of two options:  a sign-and-trade, or signing him for the MLE.

In a sign-and-trade, we'd have to trade Rondo and probably a resigned Ray Allen to even get Cleveland's attention, and I doubt they'd ever bite on that.

I doubt Lebron would agree to the MLE, either.  In order to gain Bird rights, he'd need to sign a three year deal.  He'd be giving up roughly $10m+ each year of the deal, meaning he'd have sacrificed in excess of $30 million in salary before he could sign a max deal (with us) again.  I just can't see it happening.

I think Lebron's realistic options are Cleveland, New Jersey, the Clippers, the Knicks, and the Heat.  Outside of those teams, I don't forsee anybody else landing Lebron.

I think Cleveland would take Rondo, Perkins and Allen.  The question is whether or not the Celtics would offer that.

I also think that Cleveland would consider a sign and trade with the Lakers with Andrew Bynum as the centerpiece.


I think Cleveland is realistic, particularly if the Cavs use Shaq's money to get an all-star.  Miami is also possible if Wade elects to stay there.

I do NOT think any of the crappy teams like the Knicks, Nets or Clippers is a possibility.  Why should LeBron go there?  He has a better chance of winning in Cleveland.

Let me add that I do not see Devin Harris or Brook Lopez as championship caliber players.  Besides, it takes 8-9 decent players to win a championship, and the rest of the Nets roster is atrocious.  But hey, maybe the new Nets owner can give LeBron an oil field or two on the side.

[Roy Hobbs]

I do NOT think any of the crappy teams like the Knicks, Nets or Clippers is a possibility.  Why should LeBron go there?  He has a better chance of winning in Cleveland.

You think?  Which offers the better set of teammates?

Brook Lopez (21)
Devin Harris (26)
Courtney Lee (24)
Terrence Williams (22)
Yi Jianlian (22)
Chris Douglas-Roberts (22)

or

Mo Williams (27)
Delonte West (26)
Shaq (37)
Big Z (34)
Varejao (27)
Anthony Parker (34)
Jamario Moon (29)

I'd got with the first team.  There's more talent there, and they're younger.

[Spilling Green Dye]

Roy, thanks for the reply, and TP.

I'm inclined to agree with Brickowski.  The cavaliers, if they almost know that Lebron won't be staying, will be somewhat realistic about trading him.  You mentioned Allen, Perk, and Rondo.  I'm assuming you mean Ray Allen.  Even still, I would do that as a Celtic fan, hands down.  Rondo would be the only difficult one to replace from that trade, but it'd be manageable.

One thing to consider is that there is an inherent loss for Lebron if he leaves Cleveland/Ohio.  It's the loss of leaving "his" state, and the price for deflating all of the local fans who route for him.  I'm not saying he wouldn't leave, but there'd have to be some sort of guarantee for his success.  I don't think going to NJ would be enough of a guarantee, nor would the Knicks.  It'd be exciting for him until the first 10 games of the season.. then reality would set in.

Does anyone have a tangible projection as to his marketability value in the NY area versus other teams?  "Unbuntu" would fly in the face of Lebron's market plan.

[JSD]

There's no realistic way in my mind that Lebron could be a Celtic.  We don't have the cap room to sign him, which leaves us with one of two options:  a sign-and-trade, or signing him for the MLE.

In a sign-and-trade, we'd have to trade Rondo and probably a resigned Ray Allen to even get Cleveland's attention, and I doubt they'd ever bite on that.

I doubt Lebron would agree to the MLE, either.  In order to gain Bird rights, he'd need to sign a three year deal.  He'd be giving up roughly $10m+ each year of the deal, meaning he'd have sacrificed in excess of $30 million in salary before he could sign a max deal (with us) again.  I just can't see it happening.

I think Lebron's realistic options are Cleveland, New Jersey, the Clippers, the Knicks, and the Heat.  Outside of those teams, I don't forsee anybody else landing Lebron.

I think Cleveland is realistic, particularly if the Cavs use Shaq's money to get an all-star.  Miami is also possible if Wade elects to stay there.

Amazingly, even with Shaq and Z coming off the books for $30+ million this can't happen. Ferry does not have Cleveland in a position to sign a max player this off-season. Because of the Varejao, Gibson and West signings they are who they are with little room to improve through FA.

[JSD]

Technically the Celtics could renounce Allen and Pierce (if he ops out) and sign James.

[Celtics17]

I keep reading people say that if we being realistic here then Lebron can only go to a few teams. Make no mistake about it, EVERY team in the league wants Lebron and wants him in a bad way. It is not only realistic that teams make trades to get him but also that they make any trade required. Do we trade a newly signed Rondo and whoever else it takes? You better belive it. I dont see us making any trades like that this season though. Can you imagine Lebron in Celtic Green? I sure can.

[Fafnir]

Technically the Celtics could renounce Allen and Pierce (if he ops out) and sign James.

Pierce isn't going to opt out unless he knows he's getting an extension. We still wouldn't have enough room for a max contract, though we'd have a signifigant amount.

[JSD]

Technically the Celtics could renounce Allen and Pierce (if he ops out) and sign James.

Pierce isn't going to opt out unless he knows he's getting an extension. We still wouldn't have enough room for a max contract, though we'd have a signifigant amount.

That first sentence is A truism.

Roy taught me that word 

[JSD]

Technically the Celtics could renounce Allen and Pierce (if he ops out) and sign James.

We still wouldn't have enough room for a max contract, though we'd have a signifigant amount.

$56,174,681
- $21,513,521
-----------------
= $34,661,160

If the cap is set at $55 Million, how is $21 Million or so that not enough to sign a max guy?

http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/celtics.jsp