LeBron Sweepstakes

[Phenom]

Lol. I wonder how many players and executives have seen LeBron’s top 3 list? I honestly don’t think he’ll sign here, even though I boldly predicted yesterday that he will, but my honest assessment has nothing to do with Ant’s little fib about seeing a list.

I really hope people don't think Ant was serious lol. He's clearly poking at the media, their top 3 claim and how dismissive they've been about the Wolves.

Unfortunately, Ant’s obviously joking comment has spread like a virus on the Internet as if it was serious. Ant mentioned that he and LaMello talked about being more mature and professional in their media comments. He specifically mentioned cutting down on their profanity. But being more mature and professional is more than just reducing profanity. For Ant (I don’t know about Melo), it means being more self aware and circumspect in his comments. I wouldn’t want him to become robotic or lose his boyish charm. But in a situation like this where his team is very serious about recruiting LeBron, he shouldn’t make a silly quip like that and should, instead, use the opportunity to publicly help sell LeBron on coming to the Wolves. No one knows for sure what matters to LeBron, but maybe a public pitch to LeBron would have an impact. At the very least, I think LeBron puts a high value on professionalism and that’s not what Ant projects with quips like that. The quip itself in this instance probably has no impact on whether LeBron comes here, but is shows a failure on Ant’s part to fully appreciate the context and how seriously his team’s front office and ownership take their pursuit of LeBron.

Bron might like how Ant handled it actually. He's known to get salty and is very well known to be secretive, as we are seeing.

[Monster]

Lol. I wonder how many players and executives have seen LeBron’s top 3 list? I honestly don’t think he’ll sign here, even though I boldly predicted yesterday that he will, but my honest assessment has nothing to do with Ant’s little fib about seeing a list.

I really hope people don't think Ant was serious lol. He's clearly poking at the media, their top 3 claim and how dismissive they've been about the Wolves.

Unfortunately, Ant’s obviously joking comment has spread like a virus on the Internet as if it was serious. Ant mentioned that he and LaMello talked about being more mature and professional in their media comments. He specifically mentioned cutting down on their profanity. But being more mature and professional is more than just reducing profanity. For Ant (I don’t know about Melo), it means being more self aware and circumspect in his comments. I wouldn’t want him to become robotic or lose his boyish charm. But in a situation like this where his team is very serious about recruiting LeBron, he shouldn’t make a silly quip like that and should, instead, use the opportunity to publicly help sell LeBron on coming to the Wolves. No one knows for sure what matters to LeBron, but maybe a public pitch to LeBron would have an impact. At the very least, I think LeBron puts a high value on professionalism and that’s not what Ant projects with quips like that. The quip itself in this instance probably has no impact on whether LeBron comes here, but is shows a failure on Ant’s part to fully appreciate the context and how seriously his team’s front office and ownership take their pursuit of LeBron.

Or maybe Lebron will think it's funny as hell and decide fuck it I'm going to Minny.

Speaking of ownership being serious about Lebron...Arod was asked about Lebron and he started talking about Jay Wright. He apparently isn't serious about Lebron either. Lol

[TheGrey08]

I really hope people don't think Ant was serious lol. He's clearly poking at the media, their top 3 claim and how dismissive they've been about the Wolves.

Unfortunately, Ant’s obviously joking comment has spread like a virus on the Internet as if it was serious. Ant mentioned that he and LaMello talked about being more mature and professional in their media comments. He specifically mentioned cutting down on their profanity. But being more mature and professional is more than just reducing profanity. For Ant (I don’t know about Melo), it means being more self aware and circumspect in his comments. I wouldn’t want him to become robotic or lose his boyish charm. But in a situation like this where his team is very serious about recruiting LeBron, he shouldn’t make a silly quip like that and should, instead, use the opportunity to publicly help sell LeBron on coming to the Wolves. No one knows for sure what matters to LeBron, but maybe a public pitch to LeBron would have an impact. At the very least, I think LeBron puts a high value on professionalism and that’s not what Ant projects with quips like that. The quip itself in this instance probably has no impact on whether LeBron comes here, but is shows a failure on Ant’s part to fully appreciate the context and how seriously his team’s front office and ownership take their pursuit of LeBron.

Or maybe Lebron will think it's funny as hell and decide fuck it I'm going to Minny.

Speaking of ownership being serious about Lebron...Arod was asked about Lebron and he started talking about Jay Wright. He apparently isn't serious about Lebron either. Lol

Too many people online are heavily lacking comprehension skills (or love clickbait) and this is another example of that. I too think Lebron is far far more likely to laugh at and enjoy Ant's quip. Also not surprised about Arod as there's zero chance he was going to speak on the convo he had with Lebron and Ant wasn't going to either. Without question they both pitched Lebron directly in some way and I think it's safe to assume the things they said to him privately are much more important than playing with the media.

[Lipoli390]

Unfortunately, Ant’s obviously joking comment has spread like a virus on the Internet as if it was serious. Ant mentioned that he and LaMello talked about being more mature and professional in their media comments. He specifically mentioned cutting down on their profanity. But being more mature and professional is more than just reducing profanity. For Ant (I don’t know about Melo), it means being more self aware and circumspect in his comments. I wouldn’t want him to become robotic or lose his boyish charm. But in a situation like this where his team is very serious about recruiting LeBron, he shouldn’t make a silly quip like that and should, instead, use the opportunity to publicly help sell LeBron on coming to the Wolves. No one knows for sure what matters to LeBron, but maybe a public pitch to LeBron would have an impact. At the very least, I think LeBron puts a high value on professionalism and that’s not what Ant projects with quips like that. The quip itself in this instance probably has no impact on whether LeBron comes here, but is shows a failure on Ant’s part to fully appreciate the context and how seriously his team’s front office and ownership take their pursuit of LeBron.

Or maybe Lebron will think it's funny as hell and decide fuck it I'm going to Minny.

Speaking of ownership being serious about Lebron...Arod was asked about Lebron and he started talking about Jay Wright. He apparently isn't serious about Lebron either. Lol

Too many people online are heavily lacking comprehension skills (or love clickbait) and this is another example of that. I too think Lebron is far far more likely to laugh at and enjoy Ant's quip. Also not surprised about Arod as there's zero chance he was going to speak on the convo he had with Lebron and Ant wasn't going to either. Without question they both pitched Lebron directly in some way and I think it's safe to assume the things they said to him privately are much more important than playing with the media.

All very true. But I still think Ant needs to be a bit more circumspect with his public comments in large part because of the fact that there are so many people online lacking comprehension skills That’s the world we’re in. Again, this latest quip isn’t a big deal and won’t impact LeBron’s decision. But being perpetually glib can be dangerous.

[FNG]

I think two things are true here. I agree that Ant's comments will have no impact on LeBron's decision...we still have the same 20% chance of landing him. But Lip is correct that Ant needs to mature and be more careful with comments he makes. And especially that we now have another guard with a history of odd or foolish public comments/actions. I think without a doubt the Wolves now have both the most talented, entertaining, and immature backcourt in the Association!

[Lipoli390]

I think two things are true here. I agree that Ant's comments will have no impact on LeBron's decision...we still have the same 20% chance of landing him. But Lip is correct that Ant needs to mature and be more careful with comments he makes. And especially that we now have another guard with a history of odd or foolish public comments/actions. I think without a doubt the Wolves now have both the most talented, entertaining, and immature backcourt in the Association!

That’s right, FNG. You probably read the following Strib article wondering about the immaturity of the Wolves. On the one hand, it lends itself to LeBron’s desire to assert leadership and be a mentor. On the other hand, it runs counter to LeBron’s stated desire to go to a team that has championship habits. I wonder if the challenge of leading and mentoring Ant and LaMello is ultimately more than LeBron wants to take on in his final year or two at age 42.

I think LeBron is a perfect fit for the Wolves right now. That’s not just because he fills a positional hole. He also seems to be exactly what Ant and LaMello need at this critical juncture in their respective careers.

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-t ... /601867400

[Lipoli390]

LeBron has mentioned his family’s wishes as a major factor in his decision. That makes sense to me. What also makes sense is that Minneapolis is closer to his family in LA than any of the other possible destinations except Golden State. Also, the Wolves have more games in California than any of the other teams except the Warriors. Yet, the Warriors are the one team in the bench that doesn’t seem to have any realistic chance of competing for a title next season.

Again, in spite of my impulsive prediction, I don’t think LeBron will sign with the Wolves. But I honestly believe he should.

[Phenom]

The idea that has been percolating around the xverse is that there could be a second wave of moves being tied to LeBron's decision.

Could the Wolves have an actual trade pivot if LeBron doesn't choose the Wolves? One thing that is overlooked is that while Josh can't be aggregated in a trade until some date in the future, it is possible to make 2 separate trades with the same team in which a sweetener such as TJ could be "added".

For instance, the Wolves could trade Green for Jalen Smith and then trade TJ into the Bulls room exception and some seconds or for Leonard Miller.

[Lipoli390]

If you do a google search on Timberwolves news here’s what you get:

Here are the latest roster updates and news:

The LeBron Pursuit: Minnesota made a strong push to court free agent LeBron James, but star Anthony Edwards has since indicated that the team is not in James' top three choices.

Summer League Recap: The Timberwolves wrapped up their NBA Summer League schedule with a 2-3 record. Second-year player Joan Beringer and draft pick Trey Kaufman-Renn are top candidates to fill out the remaining two-way roster spots.

Front Office Moves: Prior to acquiring Ball, Minnesota made a three-team blockbuster trade that sent Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets and gave the team the 33rd overall pick in the draft.

One unfiltered quip becomes definitive news.

[Lipoli390]

The idea that has been percolating around the xverse is that there could be a second wave of moves being tied to LeBron's decision.

Could the Wolves have an actual trade pivot if LeBron doesn't choose the Wolves? One thing that is overlooked is that while Josh can't be aggregated in a trade until some date in the future, it is possible to make 2 separate trades with the same team in which a sweetener such as TJ could be "added".

For instance, the Wolves could trade Green for Jalen Smith and then trade TJ into the Bulls room exception and some seconds or for Leonard Miller.

Good point, Phenom.