LeBron Sweepstakes

[TAFKASP]

This morning I asked Google AI for the latest news on LeBron. Here’s what I got:

LeBron Watch: As James' decision stretches into its third week, front offices are still actively recruiting him. While Cleveland and Golden State appear to be the leading suitors, teams like the Philadelphia 76ers (bolstered by their connection to Tyrese Maxey) are also in the mix.

The Wolves can’t even get any respect from artificial intelligence! lol.

ANo true intelligence would condem itself to the annual misery of being a fan of Minnesota sports. So there's that.

[Q-is-here]

Since AI sources it's material from human-written material, it should be no surprise that Minnesota isn't mentioned. Dane Moore said no one in Vegas from other teams' front offices, scouts, reporters, etc. thought there was a chance LeBron would land in Minnesota.

At some point, the bottom is going to fall out when it comes to LeBron's productivity. What he did last year and in the playoffs was amazing, but I just have to believe the dropoff is going to quicken.

[Lipoli390]

Since AI sources it's material from human-written material, it should be no surprise that Minnesota isn't mentioned. Dane Moore said no one in Vegas from other teams' front offices, scouts, reporters, etc. thought there was a chance LeBron would land in Minnesota.

At some point, the bottom is going to fall out when it comes to LeBron's productivity. What he did last year and in the playoffs was amazing, but I just have to believe the dropoff is going to quicken.

Agree on both points. While I’d still like to see LeBron sign here, I’m fine if he doesn’t. It’s hard to know what we can expect to get from LeBron at age 42. How many games will he miss? He missed 22 last season. Will his outside shooting continue to decline as it did last season when his 3-point percentage dipped to 31.7%? On the other hand, he was terrific last season averaging 21 points, 7.2 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while hitting 51.5% of his field goal attempts. So to be clear, adding LeBron to the Wolves would likely be a big help and far better than any other PF will might be able to sign.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I don't know.

I'm not a James fan... but the guy is amazing. Averaging 21/6/7 on 52% shooting at 41 years old is pretty incredible.

I wouldn't expect too much of a drop this season. He's just too smart. He'll find ways to keep producing, whether it's more of a facilitator, rebounder, whatever. And when those stats start slipping... take a few days off... so he can get refreshed and get back to posting impressive stats.

[Lipoli390]

The Miami Heat scenario would involve LeBron working behind the scenes to linw up DeRozan and Klay Thompson to sign with the Heat for the vet minimum, adding necessary talent and shooting to a pretty sparse Heat roster around Giannis and Bam.

LeBron would likely style his return to Miami as “unfinished business” to pursue the 3+ titles he appeared to promise when he went to the Heat before abruptly taking his talents back to Cleveland. But in truth, I think returning to Miami would be his most self-indulgent decision. I recall how LeBron rationalized abandoning his home town team for the Heat as “going away to college.” Well, no one goes back to college. People often return home or move on to a new adventure. But they don’t go back to their college town. If LeBron goes back to Miami it will be for the weather, year-round golf and South Beach vibe which he apparently loves. But there’s no way to credibly spin a return to Miami as enhancing LeBron’s legacy. To the contrary, I think it would diminish it.

This whole drama is intriguing and I certainly don’t have any insight into what LeBron will decide. But his decision will tell us a lot about who he is and what drives him. Is he a guy who takes risks and seeks out challenges? Does he gravitate towards the tougher road that can lead to a big payoff? Or is he drawn to the easier path with less risk? If he’s the sort of guy who welcomes the big challenge and is willing to take the tougher path, he’ll choose the Sixers or Wolves. If he’s the sort, as I think he is, to gravitate towards the easier lower risk path, he’ll choose the Cavs or Warriors. If he’s just a self-indulgent dunderhead, he’ll choose Miami.

[Lipoli390]

I don't know.

I'm not a James fan... but the guy is amazing. Averaging 21/6/7 on 52% shooting at 41 years old is pretty incredible.

I wouldn't expect too much of a drop this season. He's just too smart. He'll find ways to keep producing, whether it's more of a facilitator, rebounder, whatever. And when those stats start slipping... take a few days off... so he can get refreshed and get back to posting impressive stats.

Yep. I’ll take my chances on a potential decline given what he did just last season and the high IQ play he brings to the court. I’m trying to manage my own expectations to avoid disappointment. So I’m trying to focus on the negatives of LeBron and the potential upside of alternatives to LeBron. But there’s no getting around that LeBron signing here would be a huge positive for the Wolves.

[FNG]

I don't know.

I'm not a James fan... but the guy is amazing. Averaging 21/6/7 on 52% shooting at 41 years old is pretty incredible.

I wouldn't expect too much of a drop this season. He's just too smart. He'll find ways to keep producing, whether it's more of a facilitator, rebounder, whatever. And when those stats start slipping... take a few days off... so he can get refreshed and get back to posting impressive stats.

Yep. I’ll take my chances on a potential decline given what he did just last season and the high IQ play he brings to the court. I’m trying to manage my own expectations to avoid disappointment. So I’m trying to focus on the negatives of LeBron and the potential upside of alternatives to LeBron. But there’s no getting around that LeBron signing here would be a huge positive for the Wolves.

I get why James rubs some people the wrong way at times. But I'm a fan of his...he's demonstrated excellence on the court for over 20 years while avoiding the public pitfalls of the NBA lifestyle. He's also the #1 hero of my little brother in the Big Brother program, so I have an interest in him coming here that goes beyond what he can deliver on the court. One of the most impressive things about him is how he deferred to Luka and Reaves throughout much of the season, but then turned back the hands of time in the playoffs when all of a sudden he was the first option again. I predicted a 4-0 sweep by Houston in round one, but James willed them to a series upset. Impressive, but the real point is that his regular season behavior shows me he will be willing to defer to Ant and Ball if he comes here. Like most here, I think he will choose another team...but it sure would be fun if he became a timberwolf.

[Q-is-here]

I don't know.

I'm not a James fan... but the guy is amazing. Averaging 21/6/7 on 52% shooting at 41 years old is pretty incredible.

I wouldn't expect too much of a drop this season. He's just too smart. He'll find ways to keep producing, whether it's more of a facilitator, rebounder, whatever. And when those stats start slipping... take a few days off... so he can get refreshed and get back to posting impressive stats.

But we know with almost 100% certainty that he's only going to get worse, not better. And we also know with near certainty that the decline will accelerate, not slow down.

To me the best way to combat this would be for him to come off the bench and help quarterback our second unit, with a minutes restriction that caps him at about 20-25MPG at most. But I doubt he'd sign up for that as a competitor and what coach would want the 2nd or 3rd best player on the squad playing less than 30 MPG???? Finch couldn't quit Conley, so no way could he avoid putting LeBron back in the second TJ does something stupid!

But to me that's the best way to slow his productivity decline and reduce his odds of injury.

[BeenLurkin]

Yesterday here I mentioned LeBron probably not being interested in MN because we would ask him to be the PF we are currently missing to match up with the physical offensive minded bigs in the west. I mentioned that at his age he probably is not interested in going somewhere to bang around the paint all year.

But from MN perspective let’s say he actually wanted to do that…At what level are we to expect his ability for physicality on defense to hold up? It seems like a gamble even with his attention to health and his body that a 40 year old guy can do it. There’s a reason he was rumored to be demanding whatever team he does choose to acquire Anthony Davis. Bron shouldn’t be asked to be a plus defender in the paint at his age and we shouldn’t expect him to.

Our offense is already odds on favorite to be top 3 in the league. So if we aren’t getting LeBron because we need to raise iur offensive ceiling and he shouldn’t be saddled with raising a teams defensive ceiling the really what is the point?

He Absolutly makes us better offensively but we do not need that. He doesn’t fit here.