Cuban: NBA should examine how Heat got BIG with the Big 3

[Papatrichs]

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told reporters at the Vegas Summer League that he intends to ask the league’s Board of Governors to take a look what transpired. The three star friends came together perhaps to arrange going to the same team before the free agency period officially began.

“I’m going to bring it up to the league that we really do have to re-evaluate the issue of player tampering,” Cuban said. “Who knows what will happen? But I have to suggest it to them because there has to be more definitive rules.”

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/07/mavericks_mark_cuban_urges_nba.html

[Celtics4ever]

Definitely was some collusion there.  But Stern would not care he runs a dirty games and its probably the only way he was going to get LeBron to the finals as James isn' going to play his way there.  He did once and it was a sweep worst finals ever.

[nickagneta]

Moot point

Link

The Cleveland Cavaliers have no plans to push for an NBA probe into the circumstances that led to LeBron James joining Team USA colleagues Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, according to sources with knowledge of the team's thinking.

NBA commissioner David Stern said Sunday that the league would investigate the Heat's signings of James and Bosh for any illegal negotiating or planning before free agency officially started if the Cavaliers or Toronto Raptors make that request.

Reached Sunday by ESPN.com, Stern said: "Whenever a team lodges a tampering charge, it is investigated."

The Cavaliers declined official comment Sunday, but one source briefed on Cleveland's intentions told ESPN.com that -- in the wake of owner Dan Gilbert's vitriolic open letter to Cavs fans that slammed James for leaving his home-state team -- the organization wants to try to keep the focus from here on its post-James future as much as possible.

Toronto likewise declined comment, but one source with knowledge of the Raptors' thinking indicated that they will not press for an inquiry, either, preferring to let league officials decide if any sanctions are warranted with regard to recent acknowledgements from the three players that they have been talking about teaming up for some time.

[Rondo2287]

Moot point

Link

The Cleveland Cavaliers have no plans to push for an NBA probe into the circumstances that led to LeBron James joining Team USA colleagues Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, according to sources with knowledge of the team's thinking.

NBA commissioner David Stern said Sunday that the league would investigate the Heat's signings of James and Bosh for any illegal negotiating or planning before free agency officially started if the Cavaliers or Toronto Raptors make that request.

Reached Sunday by ESPN.com, Stern said: "Whenever a team lodges a tampering charge, it is investigated."

The Cavaliers declined official comment Sunday, but one source briefed on Cleveland's intentions told ESPN.com that -- in the wake of owner Dan Gilbert's vitriolic open letter to Cavs fans that slammed James for leaving his home-state team -- the organization wants to try to keep the focus from here on its post-James future as much as possible.

Toronto likewise declined comment, but one source with knowledge of the Raptors' thinking indicated that they will not press for an inquiry, either, preferring to let league officials decide if any sanctions are warranted with regard to recent acknowledgements from the three players that they have been talking about teaming up for some time.

I did see this and agree that its moot at this point and Cleveland probably should just try to move on.  But i also think there were some shady dealings going on throughout this whole thing.

[Cman]

Moot point

Link

The Cleveland Cavaliers have no plans to push for an NBA probe into the circumstances that led to LeBron James joining Team USA colleagues Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, according to sources with knowledge of the team's thinking.

NBA commissioner David Stern said Sunday that the league would investigate the Heat's signings of James and Bosh for any illegal negotiating or planning before free agency officially started if the Cavaliers or Toronto Raptors make that request.

Reached Sunday by ESPN.com, Stern said: "Whenever a team lodges a tampering charge, it is investigated."

The Cavaliers declined official comment Sunday, but one source briefed on Cleveland's intentions told ESPN.com that -- in the wake of owner Dan Gilbert's vitriolic open letter to Cavs fans that slammed James for leaving his home-state team -- the organization wants to try to keep the focus from here on its post-James future as much as possible.

Toronto likewise declined comment, but one source with knowledge of the Raptors' thinking indicated that they will not press for an inquiry, either, preferring to let league officials decide if any sanctions are warranted with regard to recent acknowledgements from the three players that they have been talking about teaming up for some time.

I did see this and agree that its moot at this point and Cleveland probably should just try to move on.  But i also think there were some shady dealings going on throughout this whole thing.

Cleveland  and Toronto were paid off -- "witness" the trade exceptions and draft picks they received, even though they didn't need to.

[Papatrichs]

The Cavs might not initiate the inquiry because of their Owner's headstrong open letter. And Cuban tried to get one of these guys and failed...

[screwedupmaniac]

I find it ironic that Mark Cuban out of all people wants the NBA to investigate and check if there was any tampering or breaking of the rules. 

[indeedproceed]

Moot point

Link

The Cleveland Cavaliers have no plans to push for an NBA probe into the circumstances that led to LeBron James joining Team USA colleagues Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, according to sources with knowledge of the team's thinking.

NBA commissioner David Stern said Sunday that the league would investigate the Heat's signings of James and Bosh for any illegal negotiating or planning before free agency officially started if the Cavaliers or Toronto Raptors make that request.

Reached Sunday by ESPN.com, Stern said: "Whenever a team lodges a tampering charge, it is investigated."

The Cavaliers declined official comment Sunday, but one source briefed on Cleveland's intentions told ESPN.com that -- in the wake of owner Dan Gilbert's vitriolic open letter to Cavs fans that slammed James for leaving his home-state team -- the organization wants to try to keep the focus from here on its post-James future as much as possible.

Toronto likewise declined comment, but one source with knowledge of the Raptors' thinking indicated that they will not press for an inquiry, either, preferring to let league officials decide if any sanctions are warranted with regard to recent acknowledgements from the three players that they have been talking about teaming up for some time.

I did see this and agree that its moot at this point and Cleveland probably should just try to move on.  But i also think there were some shady dealings going on throughout this whole thing.

I think Cuban's point is the central one. There needs to be more definitive rules to prevent player tampering.

[Coach]

Moot point

Link

The Cleveland Cavaliers have no plans to push for an NBA probe into the circumstances that led to LeBron James joining Team USA colleagues Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, according to sources with knowledge of the team's thinking.

NBA commissioner David Stern said Sunday that the league would investigate the Heat's signings of James and Bosh for any illegal negotiating or planning before free agency officially started if the Cavaliers or Toronto Raptors make that request.

Reached Sunday by ESPN.com, Stern said: "Whenever a team lodges a tampering charge, it is investigated."

The Cavaliers declined official comment Sunday, but one source briefed on Cleveland's intentions told ESPN.com that -- in the wake of owner Dan Gilbert's vitriolic open letter to Cavs fans that slammed James for leaving his home-state team -- the organization wants to try to keep the focus from here on its post-James future as much as possible.

Toronto likewise declined comment, but one source with knowledge of the Raptors' thinking indicated that they will not press for an inquiry, either, preferring to let league officials decide if any sanctions are warranted with regard to recent acknowledgements from the three players that they have been talking about teaming up for some time.

Not that I care, but it's not a moot point.  Just because the Cavs or Toronto aren't going to ask, doesn't mean that another team won't.  It affects the whole league, not just those two teams.  Each and every team is entitled to be able to sign a free agent.  Tampering affects these teams ability to do so.  That is why owners like Cuban want the league to look at it.  However, I'm not sure that there will be anything that can be done.  There is no way the the league can tell you who you can and can't talk to.

However, I'm sure that Stern and Co don't want to look at it, as it is bad press for the league.  They would rather spend their time marketing these guys, not penalizing them.

[footey]

A tampering charge would resonate if there was a smoking gun, like an email or text from Riles to Wade, instructing him on how to pitch Bron or Bosh.  Short of that, it would be impossible to prove. I posted about this a few days ago, nice to see the main stream media finally catch up.

[get_banners]

hard to prove, unfortunately. i know stern loves lebron, but if there was clear evidence of tampering, i don't think he'd let it just go. i mean, he paralyzed the wolves for years, even though they had a young KG, over the illegal joe smith situation. if they do find something, even something minor like taking away a few #1 draft picks and taking away their MLE would be a serious blow. but again, minus any emails, etc., it will be very hard to prove there was tampering.

[nickagneta]

It's a moot point because the NBA will only investigate if the teams that were effected by said tampering were going to lodge a complaint. They are not, and as CMan so intelligently referred to, they have taken their payoffs(huge trade exceptions and draft picks) and moved on. So for this particular incident, the point is moot.

Do Cuban and other owners who may agree with him about an investigation into this matter have a point? Of course they do!! But under the rules currently in place there is nothing they can do about it because Toronto and Cleveland ownership aren't going to file a protest.

Tampering is very, no, unbelievably difficult to prove. Even if Toronto and Cleveland filed the grievance there's no guarantee that the NBA finds anything(if they even want to) or that those teams receive anything in compensation that will be better than what they have already received from Miami.

So Cuban should just try to get a major block of owners together and attempt to change the tampering rules. He has really no other recourse at this time.

[Finkelskyhook]

If Stern won't allow traveling or a foul to be called on the messiah, Does anybody think he's going to care about possible messiah collusion?

[Yakmanev]

Anybody else hear the guitar riff from Jesus Christ Superstar playing in their head while reading this thread?

[Who]

Maybe the league should put in a maximum for the amount of cap space you can have in one off-season.

To avoid 2-3 stars all heading to one team in such a fashion.

Set a ceiling of $20 million or something along those lines. Force teams to do more team-building than praying on multiple top notch free agents.