n****4
发帖数: 12553 | 1 LeBron James can’t beat the Warriors by himself. He is averaging 37.7
points on 52.5 percent shooting, 10.7 assists, and 9.0 rebounds a game in
the NBA Finals, and the Cavs are still down 3-0 heading into Game 4 on
Friday. With Kevin Durant confirming that he will re-sign with the Warriors
this offseason, Golden State clearly isn’t going anywhere, so creating a
team that matches up with them should be James’s main priority as a free
agent this summer. There are many interesting destinations he can choose
from, but there’s one under-the-radar option that stands out. LeBron should
go to Boston. It gives him the best chance to not only win a title next
season, but also create a dynasty.
LeBron saw the Celtics’ potential first-hand in the Eastern Conference
finals, when they took him to seven games despite not having Kyrie Irving or
Gordon Hayward. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, one of the most talented
young duos in the league, are the perfect wingmen to complement him on both
sides of the ball, while Al Horford combines the best elements of Chris Bosh
and Kevin Love in one package. Boston also has Brad Stevens, the best young
coach in the NBA, and a creative front office with a treasure trove of
future first-round picks to add more talent going forward, either in the
draft or through trades.
Kyrie, who left Cleveland last season to strike out on his own, is the
obvious complicating factor. He may not want to play with LeBron again, but
his opinion doesn’t actually matter that much if Boston decides to go after
James. The quartet of LeBron, Horford, Tatum, and Brown matches up well
with Golden State’s four All-Stars. Kyrie, as the point guard in that
starting lineup, would have an embarrassment of riches to play with. The
Celtics could still use him, but they wouldn’t need him, either.
LeBron would need to take the same path to Boston that Chris Paul took to
Houston. He could opt into the final year of his contract at $35.6 million,
and the Celtics could trade for him with a package based around either
Hayward or Irving. Since both teams are over the salary cap, the first step
would be matching salaries, which would be easier with Hayward (who will
make $31.2 million next season) than Kyrie ($20.1 million). The Cavs might
prefer to acquire Hayward, who they once chased in free agency, over Kyrie
considering all the prior history between the two parties. Hayward is also
under contract for two more seasons, while Kyrie could be free next
offseason.
The simplest deal would be trading LeBron for Hayward, Marcus Morris, and a
first-round pick. Cleveland, as much as they might hate to trade LeBron
within their conference, would have to do it. If Hayward returns at 100
percent from his ankle injury, he would be their new franchise player, and a
team built around Hayward and Kevin Love would immediately be relevant in
the Eastern Conference. They could round out their starting lineup with some
combination of George Hill, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr.,
Morris, and the no. 8 overall pick.
The optics of trading Hayward would be horrible from Boston’s perspective,
but it wouldn’t be the most ruthless trade of Celtics GM Danny Ainge’s
tenure. They already shipped off Isaiah Thomas after he gutted through a
severely injured hip and the death of his sister in last year’s playoffs.
Hayward has played a grand total of five minutes with the franchise. They
don’t owe him anything in comparison to Thomas, who may have ruined his
career by playing through the pain and not opting for hip surgery. The NBA
is a cold world, and no GM is more cold-blooded than Ainge.
LeBron, much like Paul last season, has the bargaining power to make this
happen. If the Cavs refuse to trade him, he can opt out of his contract and
sign with the Lakers. In that scenario, Cleveland would still be way over
the cap with nothing to show for losing LeBron, and the team would be faced
with the possibility of losing Love in free agency the following offseason.
At that point, the Cavs might have to trade Love for pennies on the dollar
and begin yet another rebuilding project, which can’t be too appealing
considering how poorly that went the last time LeBron left.
Trading Kyrie would be more complicated financially. Boston doesn’t have
that many salaries it can use for matching purposes. Horford, Hayward, Brown
, and Tatum would be off-limits in that scenario, while Marcus Smart couldn
’t be moved if he signs a one-year qualifying offer with the team. A trade
would work as long as the Celtics aren’t absorbing more than 125 percent of
their outgoing salary, so they could give up Kyrie, Morris, and either
Terry Rozier ($3.1 million) or Guerschon Yabusele ($2.7 million) to get to
the roughly $28.5 million they would need to send out. Cleveland could ask
for minimum-salaried players like rookies Semi Ojeleye and Daniel Theis, as
well.
Another alternative would be including a third team in a trade and sending
Kyrie to another team like the Knicks, who Yahoo Sports’ Chris Mannix
mentioned as a threat to acquire Irving in free agency next summer. One
trade-machine possibility that Ringer CEO Bill Simmons threw out was sending
Kyrie to New York, with the Cavs getting at least two more first-round
picks in the deal (no. 9 and no. 27 in this year’s draft) as well as a
bunch of expiring contracts (Marcus Morris, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Enes Kanter
). There are plenty of other alternatives that the Celtics and Cavs could
explore, and both front offices would have the motivation to get something
done.
The bottom line is that LeBron can get himself to Boston if he wants to, and
he should, because none of his other options are as appealing from a purely
basketball perspective. He could go out west to Houston or one of the Los
Angeles teams, but that would mean battling Golden State before the Finals
and exposing himself to the wear and tear of competing in the superior
conference. Philadelphia is the other option for him if he wants to stay in
the East, but the on-court fit between LeBron, Ben Simmons, and Joel Embiid
isn’t as natural as the one between LeBron and the young Celtics. Given
Bryan Colangelo’s resignation, there are concerns about Philadelphia’s
organizational stability, as well.
Going to Boston would kill two birds with one stone. LeBron would be in a
position to break Bill Russell’s record of 10 consecutive NBA Finals
appearances (he is currently at eight between Miami and Cleveland), while
simultaneously removing the biggest obstacle in his path. It would be the
exact opposite move that Kevin Durant made. Instead of joining a team that
eliminated him and had already won a title, LeBron would be partnering with
a group of young up-and-comers whom he had beaten almost single-handedly.
Nike could sell it as LeBron imparting his wisdom to the next generation of
players.
There would be pushback from fans and the media, but LeBron knows how
quickly that can change. He was the most hated athlete in America after The
Decision, and no one holds that against him anymore. Even his hometown fans
in Cleveland wouldn’t be that mad this time around, since he’s leaving
after “winning one for the Land.” American society is a prisoner of the
moment. It won’t matter how LeBron’s move to Boston is initially perceived
if he ends up beating Golden State, arguably the most talented team of all
time. It would be great for the NBA as well, since LeBron going up against
the Warriors on equal terms would likely create the highest-rated Finals in
the past 20 years.
The possibilities are tantalizing. Brown is 21 and Tatum is 20, and both
have so much room to get better. Brown would relieve LeBron of his defensive
responsibilities during the regular season, while Tatum could step up on
offense when he needs a night off. They could be the Manu Ginobili and Tony
Parker to LeBron’s Tim Duncan, allowing him to extend his career deep into
his 30s. With Stevens as its version of Gregg Popovich, Boston could be San
Antonio Northeast, and the Celtics would have the flexibility to keep adding
talent for years to come.
It’s obscene how many more picks the Celtics have in the pipeline. Boston
has the no. 27 pick in this year’s draft, and it could have as many as four
first-round picks in the 2019 draft. The most notable is the Kings’ 2019
pick, which is only protected if it’s no. 1 overall. They also have a pick
from the Grizzlies that is top-eight protected in 2019, top-six protected in
2020, and completely unprotected in 2021. Given how well the Celtics have
drafted lately, it’s not hard to see a scenario in which they add two more
All-Stars over the next four years.
The other wild card on the horizon is Anthony Davis, who has two years left
on his contract before a player option for the 2020-21 season. Considering
all that could happen with DeMarcus Cousins, who is entering free agency
this offseason after tearing his Achilles, the situation in New Orleans
could go south in a hurry, and no team could outbid Boston for Davis. The
Celtics may have enough assets to give the Pelicans an offer they can’t
refuse. Davis is eight years younger than LeBron. They could have the same
dynamic as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, except with the big man as
the younger player.
Everything is on the table for LeBron. Get to Boston and he could make a run
at Jordan’s six championships, Russell’s 10 consecutive Finals
appearances, and Duncan’s streak of 19 playoff appearances. He may be able
to top Jordan on longevity alone, much less if he can create one final
dynasty. He could also turn the tables on Durant, who is 7-1 against LeBron
in the Finals since signing with Golden State. LeBron vs. the Warriors isn’
t over. It’s only begun. | h**j
发帖数: 2033 | 2 和二文里应外合？
Warriors
should
【在 n****4 的大作中提到】
: LeBron James can’t beat the Warriors by himself. He is averaging 37.7
: points on 52.5 percent shooting, 10.7 assists, and 9.0 rebounds a game in
: the NBA Finals, and the Cavs are still down 3-0 heading into Game 4 on
: Friday. With Kevin Durant confirming that he will re-sign with the Warriors
: this offseason, Golden State clearly isn’t going anywhere, so creating a
: team that matches up with them should be James’s main priority as a free
: agent this summer. There are many interesting destinations he can choose
: from, but there’s one under-the-radar option that stands out. LeBron should
: go to Boston. It gives him the best chance to not only win a title next
: season, but also create a dynasty.
| n****4
发帖数: 12553 | 3 文中说了，二文早就不想再跟乐布打了，可是牌面不够，还得被迫，要不就会被换掉
【在 h**j 的大作中提到】
: 和二文里应外合？
:
: Warriors
: should
| k*2
发帖数: 2867 | 4 欧文：我腿就这么粗吗，甩都甩不掉。。。
Warriors
should
【在 n****4 的大作中提到】
: LeBron James can’t beat the Warriors by himself. He is averaging 37.7
: points on 52.5 percent shooting, 10.7 assists, and 9.0 rebounds a game in
: the NBA Finals, and the Cavs are still down 3-0 heading into Game 4 on
: Friday. With Kevin Durant confirming that he will re-sign with the Warriors
: this offseason, Golden State clearly isn’t going anywhere, so creating a
: team that matches up with them should be James’s main priority as a free
: agent this summer. There are many interesting destinations he can choose
: from, but there’s one under-the-radar option that stands out. LeBron should
: go to Boston. It gives him the best chance to not only win a title next
: season, but also create a dynasty.
| A******8
发帖数: 294 | 5 看来老詹该出来辟谣了，意淫的詹黑太多
: 欧文：我腿就这么粗吗，甩都甩不掉。。。
: Warriors
: should
【在 k*2 的大作中提到】
: 欧文：我腿就这么粗吗，甩都甩不掉。。。
:
: Warriors
: should
|
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