http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2513416

Lebron has finally signed his extension with the Caviliers. If he had sprurned them for New York, LA or Chicago, Im pretty sure the entire city of Cleveland would have burned to the ground. If it was me I probably wouldnt of signed and left for New York or something, there are rumors that there is something in his Nike deal that will double his contract if he were to sign with one of the big 3 markets. That is a lot of dough to turn down.

He grew up very close to Cleveland. Why would he leave?

$$$

Terpy Wrote:$$$

i kinda disagree. the contract he just signed is the max, so he couldn't get more contract money with any other team. i suppose it could be argued that he could get more endorsement money in a better market, but you can't eally prove that. i think the only reason for leaving would be the chance to win a championship. right now, the cavs have limited cap space and a very weak supporting cast.

you did not read my post.

This just in Lebron didnt apparently isnt going to sign the max deal. He is going to sign a 3 year deal with an option for the 4th year. Less money short term but long term he will be able to make more, either with Cleveland or someone else. He is a smart guy. If Cleveland isnt where he wants them to be in 3 years he can go somewhere else, money is never going to be an issue with him anyways.

Terpy Wrote:you did not read my post.

This just in Lebron didnt apparently isnt going to sign the max deal. He is going to sign a 3 year deal with an option for the 4th year. Less money short term but long term he will be able to make more, either with Cleveland or someone else. He is a smart guy. If Cleveland isnt where he wants them to be in 3 years he can go somewhere else, money is never going to be an issue with him anyways.

wait, what am i not getting?

Quote:there are rumors that there is something in his Nike deal that will double his contract if he were to sign with one of the big 3 markets.

Its more than him possibly being able to make more off endorsements in a larger market, There are rumors that Nike will actually double his contract if he plays for one of the big three. Maybe I cant prove it per say but it has been substantiated on espn.com

Terpy Wrote:

Quote:there are rumors that there is something in his Nike deal that will double his contract if he were to sign with one of the big 3 markets.

Its more than him possibly being able to make more off endorsements in a larger market, There are rumors that Nike will actually double his contract if he plays for one of the big three. Maybe I cant prove it per say but it has been substantiated on espn.com

oh, ok. yeah, that would be a huge $$$ increase. i think he should start worrying more about winning a championship, just my opinion.

Jordan was in his 7th season before he won a championship, Lebron is doing fine. He is absolutely a guy you can build a team around, Im not saying he will win one for certain but hes got a really good chance. Personally I dont buy the argument that guys like Barkley or Karl Malone are any worse players because they didnt ever get a ring. I think out of all the major sports it is the hardest to win a championship in the NBA, just because one single player can do so much damage. I mean there was a heck of a lot of really great players playing when Jordan was in his prime but none of them had a chance at winning a championship just because Jordan was that good.

Terpy Wrote:Jordan was in his 7th season before he won a championship, Lebron is doing fine. He is absolutely a guy you can build a team around, Im not saying he will win one for certain but hes got a really good chance. Personally I dont buy the argument that guys like Barkley or Karl Malone are any worse players because they didnt ever get a ring. I think out of all the major sports it is the hardest to win a championship in the NBA, just because one single player can do so much damage. I mean there was a heck of a lot of really great players playing when Jordan was in his prime but none of them had a chance at winning a championship just because Jordan was that good.

i agree with the barkley and malone statement. winning a championship usually has nothing to do with greatness of one player. and i do understand that it took jordan a little while, but what i'm saying is that the cavs don't have the pieces in place to win a title in the near future. ilgauskas and hughes both have long term deals.

Quote:winning a championship usually has nothing to do with greatness of one player.

In the NBA that just aint true swoosh.

Look at the NBA titles from just the past 10 years. In all but one year (Pistons '04) you can point to one player who was clearly the reason that team won the title and if ten years aint good enough for you, you can actually go back much further than that.

In the NBA more than any other sport, it is great players more than great teams that win championships.

Terpy Wrote:

Quote:winning a championship usually has nothing to do with greatness of one player.

In the NBA that just aint true swoosh.

Look at the NBA titles from just the past 10 years. In all but one year (Pistons '04) you can point to one player who was clearly the reason that team won the title and if ten years aint good enough for you, you can actually go back much further than that.

In the NBA more than any other sport, it is great players more than great teams that win championships.

one player? let's see: the bulls had pippen (one of the top 50 players of all time) and rodman (possibly the best rebounder ever. the lakers had 2 players, both HOFers. The Spurs have used Robinson, Duncan, Ginobili and Parker.

Shall i go back to the Celtics who had at least 6 HOFers on each team? Obviously those 4 teams had one clear 'best' player, but they all had amazing supporting casts, or in the case of the lakers, a second HOFer.

You are wrong. Look at it this way. Take Dwayne Wade off of Miami and replace him with almost any player in the league and there is no way in hell they win. Take the Spurs the previous year, and replace Duncan with anyone and they dont win, LA never would of had a chance without Shaq. Chicago never would of had a chance without Jordan. The only team that does not fit this trend in the past several years is Detroit and maybe Miami this past season just because there are maybe one or two players in the league capable of doing what Wade did.

so are you telling me the lakers could've replaced kobe and still won it all. Or the heat could've replaced shaq and still won? or the spurs could've replaced parker and still won?

Yes

When the Lakers were good Shaq was the dominant player, Kobe was very good but there were still a handful of players in the league capable of what he did for them, he showed glimpses of what was to come in the last season he and Shaq played together but they lost that series. Now with the heat Shaq is a has been, his production is replaceable look at the numbers.

Tony Parker is garbage.

You dont even watch the NBA swoosh, I dont know why you are trying to argue this.

Terpy Wrote:When the Lakers were good Shaq was the dominant player, Kobe was very good but there were still a handful of players in the league capable of what he did for them, he showed glimpses of what was to come in the last season he and Shaq played together but they lost that series. Now with the heat Shaq is a has been, his production is replaceable look at the numbers.

Tony Parker is garbage.

You dont even watch the NBA swoosh, I dont know why you are trying to argue this.

why don't you look at kobe's numbers when they won 3 in a row. they're awesome. Kobe was a top 10 player then. As for Shaq, he had some pretty amazing games in the playoffs.

I admit parker is a tad overrated, but he is not garbage. calling him garbage shows your lack of knowledge.

I'm not trying to say your "1 player can win a title" theory is wrong, i'm just saying it's very hard to prove. Just look at your examples, they all have flaws.

flyingswoosh Wrote:As for Shaq, he had some pretty amazing games in the playoffs.

.

show me

Terpy Wrote:

flyingswoosh Wrote:As for Shaq, he had some pretty amazing games in the playoffs.

.

show me

for starters he averaged 18.4 ppg, and 10 rpg. not too shabby. as for great games:
1) the 1st game of the playoffs- vs. CHI- 27 and 16
2) the next game, not amazing, but not bad either- 22 and 7
3) the final game vs. CHI- 30 and 20 (i think that's amazing)
4) @ DET- 21 and 12
5) vs. DET- 27 and 12
6) vs. DET- 28 and 16
7) vs. DAL- 17 and 13, not a lot of points, but did it on only 8 shots

again, for the most part i agree that basketball is the easiest sport to win a title in, with only one dominant player but, your examples are weak and to get back to the point, i think LeBron's supporting cast is so much worse than those other champions' it's not even funny.

compare that with his playoff numbers with the lakers and even the magic. He averaged nearly double those numbers. Shaq is no longer the focal point of the offense and he plays lazy on defense. He is a shell of his former self.