Minnesota Sports Forum

CoolBreeze44 wrote:Lebron definitely wants more cracks at the Warriors. I expect him to go to Houston or possibly Philadelphia. I think he's a better fit with Houston. I don't think the Celtics are a possibility. I dont think he wants to go to the Lakers either. The Celtics have a great thing going and i don't see them wanting to bring in a potential distraction to that.

There isn't an obvious answer that's for sure. It makes the offseason pretty interesting. I wouldn't rule out him staying in Cleveland for one more year. The guy they could get at #8 could end up being a really good player. Nance is a young player that could help them or be an asset to another team in a deal. There is some upside to that group they threw together before the trade deadline. Is Lue a really good coach or just good enough to do what needs to be done to work with Lebron? I'm a fan of Lue in general but I really don't know how good of a coach he is and honestly so am skeptical. Love is still an asset. They signed Okaro White to a deal at the end of the season and he is a cheap youngish player that could end up being a solid type guy they need. Cedi is an interesting player. He looks like he grew taller since he was drafted. I ripped that roster as much or more than anyone but it's probably not as bad as it looked at times in the playoffs and they did sweep the Raptors.

To me a key to what happens with Lebron could be what Paul George does. Yes Paul George. If he stays in OKC that's one guy Lebron could team up with somewhere. It also means one guy other top teams can't pursue. It sounds like he is leaning towards staying with Westbrock in OKC. There is going to be some other pretty good player that ends up on the move that isn't exactly expected. Last year was a bigtime movement of star players. I'm actually looking forward to the offseason. I'm going to be enjoying it more as a bystander.

LeBron James should maneuver his way to the Boston Celtics.

- Eastern Conference. ?
- Join an elite defensive team. ?
- Join a contender with youth/upside/depth. ?
- Play for a top head coach -- Brad Stevens. ?
- Offensive sidekick in place -- Irving OR Hayward. ?

There isn't an option available to him as attractive as this one, and knowing that LeBron James is an intelligent man, I'm sure he realizes this. He'd have to opt-in and then request a trade. Boston then trades Hayward, Morris, and draft pick(s) to Cleveland. Done deal.

Or if there really is bad blood between LeBron and Kyrie, Boston can keep Hayward and facilitate a deal where Kyrie goes to a third party for resources that are then sent to Cleveland. Point is, this scenario is feasible. Minimal brushback from this move too. LeBron beat the Celtics practically by himself. Very different from when Kevin Durant joined Golden State after playing them in Conference Finals.

Wouldn't be joining another superstar like he did in Miami, but joining a TEAM and CULTURE.

LeBron isn't going to Boston. Kyrie isn't having any of that and if you are Boston why are you trading away your 26 year old star PG on a super young and talented roster so you can get a 33 year old Lebron? Boston made the conference finals missing Kyrie and Hayward. Even if Lebron goes somewhere in the east they are still in prime position to make it out of the conference with a Kyrie/Hayward/Tatum/Horford big 4.

khans2k5 wrote:LeBron isn't going to Boston. Kyrie isn't having any of that and if you are Boston why are you trading away your 26 year old star PG on a super young and talented roster so you can get a 33 year old Lebron? Boston made the conference finals missing Kyrie and Hayward. Even if Lebron goes somewhere in the east they are still in prime position to make it out of the conference with a Kyrie/Hayward/Tatum/Horford big 4.

My question for him going to Boston is would Lebron be willing to be a part of Brad Stevens system/coaching and would Stevens be able to make it work with Lebron? That's not knocking either guy it's just that Lebron does so much it seems difficult to see him be a cog even though I think he can do it.

If all Boston has to do is trade Kyrie (who is injury prone) to get Lebron for a couple years in a way it's a no-brainer. Heck there are reports Boston is worried about resigning Kyrie anyway and it's not like Boston doesn't have plenty of young talent (including Rozier) plus another likely higher draft pick coming next year. In theory it's almost a perfect spot for Lebron. Young talent that can probably take over when he starts fading. Imagine Lebron winning 3 championships with Boston and maybe 1 of them when he is 40 or something similar to what Kareem did. I'm not saying it's going to happen or it completely makes sense but I don't think it should be dismissed either.

I like LeBron in Boston and if anyone can get it done it would be Danny boy

If Boston is serious about winning a title, they do whatever they can to get LeBron on their team. It's that simple.

Q12543 wrote:If Boston is serious about winning a title, they do whatever they can to get LeBron on their team. It's that simple.

Let me go on record. #1, it's not happening. #2, it would not be a good thing for Boston. This team is going to be built around Tatum and Kyrie if he can get his health together. And that's how it should be. Ainge hasn't been collecting prime assets for 5 years so he can take one shot at a title with a 34 year old Lebron James. They are set to win for a long time and unlike Thibs, Ainge won't cash that in early.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:If Boston is serious about winning a title, they do whatever they can to get LeBron on their team. It's that simple.

Let me go on record. #1, it's not happening. #2, it would not be a good thing for Boston. This team is going to be built around Tatum and Kyrie if he can get his health together. And that's how it should be. Ainge hasn't been collecting prime assets for 5 years so he can take one shot at a title with a 34 year old Lebron James. They are set to win for a long time and unlike Thibs, Ainge won't cash that in early.

Don't necessarily disagree with you on #1, as I am not actually trying to predict where he goes. I just think Boston makes a ton of sense, which is where we disagree.

As for #2, neither Tatum or Irving look like a potential top 5 player to me and you need at least one of those to beat Golden State. Brad Stevens can only get them so far....

Also, I'm not sure why it's only one shot at the title with LeBron. He just had one of the best postseasons in NBA history and played the most minutes by far. Sure, he's going to slow down, but he won't have to play nearly as many minutes with Boston and they have the horses and system to give him a bunch of help. I could see him playing at least three or four highly productive seasons there, with minutes gradually ramping down. I mean, the second he goes there, they are the Eastern Conference favorites and will be for years to come.

If I'm Ainge and I have a shot at LeBron, I could care less what Irving thinks at that point. In fact, he might be the guy I have to part with anyway to help free up the cap space.

Q12543 wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:If Boston is serious about winning a title, they do whatever they can to get LeBron on their team. It's that simple.

Let me go on record. #1, it's not happening. #2, it would not be a good thing for Boston. This team is going to be built around Tatum and Kyrie if he can get his health together. And that's how it should be. Ainge hasn't been collecting prime assets for 5 years so he can take one shot at a title with a 34 year old Lebron James. They are set to win for a long time and unlike Thibs, Ainge won't cash that in early.

Don't necessarily disagree with you on #1, as I am not actually trying to predict where he goes. I just think Boston makes a ton of sense, which is where we disagree.

As for #2, neither Tatum or Irving look like a potential top 5 player to me and you need at least one of those to beat Golden State. Brad Stevens can only get them so far....

Also, I'm not sure why it's only one shot at the title with LeBron. He just had one of the best postseasons in NBA history and played the most minutes by far. Sure, he's going to slow down, but he won't have to play nearly as many minutes with Boston and they have the horses and system to give him a bunch of help. I could see him playing at least three or four highly productive seasons there, with minutes gradually ramping down. I mean, the second he goes there, they are the Eastern Conference favorites and will be for years to come.

If I'm Ainge and I have a shot at LeBron, I could care less what Irving thinks at that point. In fact, he might be the guy I have to part with anyway to help free up the cap space.

You would have a diminishing Lebron from the day he arrives. That combined with Boston's current roster minus Irving isn't enough to beat Golden State. That's why it's not happening. Ainge is smart, his team will be ready to pounce as soon as Golden State starts to crack. And the reason it shouldn't happen is Lebron has demonstrated a lack of patience with a veteran team, he's less of a fit with a young team. The best fit is Houston. With Lebron they would have a 2-3 year window to win championships. He would be playing with his peers instead of a bunch of kids learning their way.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:If Boston is serious about winning a title, they do whatever they can to get LeBron on their team. It's that simple.

Let me go on record. #1, it's not happening. #2, it would not be a good thing for Boston. This team is going to be built around Tatum and Kyrie if he can get his health together. And that's how it should be. Ainge hasn't been collecting prime assets for 5 years so he can take one shot at a title with a 34 year old Lebron James. They are set to win for a long time and unlike Thibs, Ainge won't cash that in early.

Don't necessarily disagree with you on #1, as I am not actually trying to predict where he goes. I just think Boston makes a ton of sense, which is where we disagree.

As for #2, neither Tatum or Irving look like a potential top 5 player to me and you need at least one of those to beat Golden State. Brad Stevens can only get them so far....

Also, I'm not sure why it's only one shot at the title with LeBron. He just had one of the best postseasons in NBA history and played the most minutes by far. Sure, he's going to slow down, but he won't have to play nearly as many minutes with Boston and they have the horses and system to give him a bunch of help. I could see him playing at least three or four highly productive seasons there, with minutes gradually ramping down. I mean, the second he goes there, they are the Eastern Conference favorites and will be for years to come.

If I'm Ainge and I have a shot at LeBron, I could care less what Irving thinks at that point. In fact, he might be the guy I have to part with anyway to help free up the cap space.

You would have a diminishing Lebron from the day he arrives. That combined with Boston's current roster minus Irving isn't enough to beat Golden State. That's why it's not happening. Ainge is smart, his team will be ready to pounce as soon as Golden State starts to crack. And the reason it shouldn't happen is Lebron has demonstrated a lack of patience with a veteran team, he's less of a fit with a young team. The best fit is Houston. With Lebron they would have a 2-3 year window to win championships. He would be playing with his peers instead of a bunch of kids learning their way.

Sure it's all theoretical but Boston with a player like Lebron absolutely would have a chance without Kyrie. This isn't the POS roster Lebron dragged though the leastern conference to get to the finals this year. It would have legit good NBA players that actually are used to taking and making 3's with a guy that likes passing. Which guy is likely to be better next year or even 3 years from now? Lebron or Kyrie the guy that struggles to play 70 games a year and is getting older? Kyrie has missed significant games in the playoffs twice in his career already. The Veltics have been accumulating assets to get what they want. If it's Lebron damn and again they have plenty of young assets/players they can keep this thing rolling for like 10 years if they kept other guys. Can you imagine being able to put out a lineup of say Rozier Hayward Lebron Tatum and Brown? That's quite the lineup.