LeBron, Bosh, Wade Take Less Money
Amidst the hysteria and celebration last night, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh made their reign over the city of Miami official by signing six-year contracts.
According to ESPN, Bosh and James will earn $110 million, while DWade will earn $107 million, with each of them taking roughly $15 million less than the max.
The Heat’s two newest superstars signed matching six-year, $110.1 million contracts, sources told ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher. Dwyane Wade took an even bigger discount to stay in Miami, signing for six years and $107.5 million, according to the sources.
Sources told ESPN.com’s Chad Ford that James and Bosh are scheduled to make $14.5 million and Wade $14 million in 2010-11.
Each player took $15 million less over the life of the contract to sign with Miami, but the deals came with a caveat.I t was a party in South Beach on Friday night as Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James donned Miami Heat jerseys at a welcoming celebration.
All three contracts, sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, have an early termination option after the fourth season that would allow LeBron, Bosh and Wade to return to free agency in the summer of 2014. Each player also possesses a player option entering the final season of the contract (2015-16).
Other than the three second round rookies the Heat selected this June, the rest of the roster is looking scarce. Not that it won’t or can’t fill out quickly. Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers are more than serviceable pieces who could potentially start. Udonis Haslem will likely be re-signed.
Jason Williams, Raja Bell and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are all possible veteran adds the Heat can make for minimal money.
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Young Buck is in the driver’s seat.
Out of interest, does anyone think, when these termination clauses come into effect, its possible the Wade leaves but James stays.
Not saying theres any reason, but how weird would that be?
I don’t get it.
NOBODY HAS EVER WON A RING BY THEMSELVES.
It is a team game and every competitor wants good teammates. I seem to remember many people calling Kobe an idiot for letting his ego get in the way of a dynasty with Shaq.
Are MJ’s rings tainted because he never won one without Pippen?
The definites: Lebron, Wade, Bosh, Mike Miller, Chalmers, Haslem, Joel Anthony, the three-second round draft picks
Okay, so hypothetically, the Heat have an actual team. Seven NBA players (more or less) and three second rounders who MAY be able to blossom into five minute players (Although the only one I think who will is Jarvis Varnado, and he’s a power forward)
So who do the Heat need?
The possibles: Derek Fisher, Jason Williams, Raja Bell, Quentin Richardson, Juwann Howard, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas…. anyone I’m forgetting?
Out of all of those guys, I’d say grab one point, BOTH Howard and Big Z, and Raja Bell… and yer set. For good. Really.
Starting five: Fisher, Wade, Lebron, Bosh, Joel Anthony (Substitute Fisher with Mike Miller if Lebron wants to play the point)
Bench: Jason Williams, Raja Bell, Mike Miller, Udanis Haslem, Juwoan Howard
Injury/cheerleader guys: Chalmers, Big Z, those three second round draft picks
I say Joel needs to start cause, well, with Wade/Lebron/Bosh, you want a lineup that can run as fast as humanly possible. Joel Anthony can run— matter of fact, that’s all he can do, since he’s offensively dead and defensively, he makes more mistakes than George Bush in a 10th grade Math class (ie a lot). Perhaps Riley can find a dude in the D-League who can run the floor, rebound, protect the paint, and throw down wide open dunks— that’s all they need!
That’s a solid team.
If it happens.
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^true statement. But there’s a difference between winning with a grade A sidekick, or winning with a good/great supporting cast….as opposed to THREE superstars (2 of the top 3 of the L, and 3 of the top 10) in their PRIME, making a collective decision to use free agency, to play altogether on the same team, forfeiting the opportunity to lead a city to a championship as the guy.
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Is there anything inherently wrong/pathetic about making a choice like this?
Of course not.
But does it separate the truly legendary players (Jordan, Magic, Kobe, etc) from the really talented ones (LeBron) who are great, but not really GREAT?
Yup, you bet. I don’t think anyone who really follows basketball would disagree with this, and I’m probably stating the obvious…but it feels necessary based on some of the comments on this site of late.
2010 season can’t come fast enough.
I think it’s silly to write off LeBron’s, (or Wade’s), legacy so early though. They both, (I hope), will have long carears that any fan should enjoy watching. Why not worry about their legacy’s when they retire.
LOL wow
@Andre Pruitt- Do you even watch the nba ?
Moses Malone is WORSE. Malone did EXACTLY WHAT LEBRON DID: Right AFTER his MVP award, Malone SIGNED WITH PHILI who ALREADY HAD TWO SUPERSTARS IN DR. J (ie wade) and ANDREW TONEY (ie Bosh) and WON A CHAMPIONSHIP! No one holds this against Malone, who needed two other stars to win a championship. People consider Malone a top-10 to top-15 caliber player all-time.
Bird, Magic, and Jordan have ruined the perception of stars in the NBA. Magic and Bird had championship caliber teams since they entered the NBA. Magic played with legends like McAdoo, Kareem, Worthy, Cooper, Nixon… Larry had McHale, Parish, Dj, Archibald, Ainge… They never HAD to be on losing teams. I think Bird had one or two losing seasons but it was never continuous, and Kevin McHale even admitted that Bird might have bolted if he wasn’t winning.
Jordan may be another case entirely. I think Jordan was going to die a Chicago guy, cause Jordan was originally more obsessed with STATS than winning… but Jordan signed an eight year deal two/three years into his rookie contract and never was in a POSITION to test free agency.
So, really…. some of you guys need to cut the crap.
He’s leaving a team that finished with the BEST regular season record in back to back seasons….
It’s not a sh*tty team. They were perennial contenders…
So this isn’t the same as:
-AI’s “how the hell am i going to make my teammates better”
-Kobe’s “ship his ass out”
(^both bad attitudes, both bad ways to go about it, but those were worse situations, don’t even pretend otherwise)
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Things got a little tougher in Cleveland than he’d imagined, that’s all. Regular season dominance that didn’t translate into ultimate success. 7 years, no ring — wasn’t in his plan.
Got a bit tough.
He could have fought through it. He chose not to.
This isn’t hate, his legacy isn’t “RUINED” like he’s no longer a HOFer. He’ll likely go down as one of the sport’s most talented players with a couple titles under his belt. 1st ballot, no problem.
He’ll be remembered among the greats. Just not the greatest.
1) No one ever argues Moses Malone as the GOAT.
2) Did Kareem leave a team that was a (or one of the) perennial favorite(s) to win a championship?
1) NO ONE SHOULD CONSIDER LEBRON THE GOAT. Maybe that’s the issue so many people have? Lebron’s ceiling was Larry Bird. That was always it. When Michael was in his third season, people were already proclaiming him the best ever— causing people to raise Bird and Magic crosses and shout that whole title nonsense. No one ever said that about Bron.
I think Bron can possibly be top-5 all time… that will be determined by him winning a title without Bosh and Wade, just to show “he could do it” (just like Kobe now). We’ll see how his career plays out.
If you just release this stupid f’ing notion that Lebron could ever be better than Jordan, maybe you’d be happier
2) Lebron’s team wasn’t winning a championship. Bottom line. It was a team that was built for the regular season and its STARS (Delonte, Williams, Varjao) wilted under pressure TWICE when the stakes were the highest. Shaq was gone. They just weren’t gonna win jack, not with the Lakers getting better every year.
So yeah, Kareem left a crap team, but he went to a damn good team that unfortunately faltered cause of injuries and terrible coaching, until Magic came over and changed everything. You’re nitpicking though, my point still stands… these guys left for greener fields and escaped relatively unscathed. It wasn’t until Magic/Bird/Mike when people started getting bashed for switching teams. Like at Shaq!
I’ve never thought LeBron could be the GOAT, but go back 4-5 months ago, MANY people had those sentiments, with a select few (pundits, even) who already proclaimed him to be the greatest, or the destined greatest.
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All I’m saying is that this move to Miami, should give a hint to those people who think that way.
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Re: NITPICKING– it’s necessary, when discussing the greatest players of all time. It does make a considerable difference between leaving a crap team, and leaving a team that was good enough to run through the league in the regular season.
You can say his supporting cast wilted away when the stakes were the highest. Yeah, very true. But they’re the SUPPORTING CAST; you’re one of the greatest, right?
OK, so if you’re a TOP 5 player of ALL TIME, and you’re running with a crew that was good enough to dominate the regular season, you better step the eff up and carry that squad when it MATTERS.
That’s just my take.
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And Shaq, I acknowledge his dominance but don’t rank him nearly as high as SLAM does.
Selective memory. Very, very few felt he was the GOAT. Far more people though Kobe would surpass Jordan over Lebron.
Ask Jordan what happened when his team wilted against the Boston Celtics and Pistons, and he was the only one scoring… Ask kobe what happened when he needed his TEAM to beat the Phoenix Suns in game 7. You’re looking at things in a vacuum and it’s annoying. A player simply can’t step up like that at any whim. We all remember Jordan taking over and saving the Bulls at the tip of a hat, but that same team went to the conference finals without Michael and probably deserved to get to the finals if not for terrible calls. How do you think the Cavaliers will fair?
Lebron James had his performance “take over”, against the Pistons, and many times against the Magic… his teammates utterly collapsed against the Magic with Lebron doing everything in his power to stop that.
Whatever, it doesn’t matter.
Wade puts up 25, 5 boards, 4 assists.
Bron averages 18-20 points, 10 boards, 10 assists.
Bosh gets 18 and 10.
The rest of the supporting cast gets in where they fit in.
I’m curious how that hurts anybody’s legacy. I mean, yes, I wanted to see Lebron lead a team as “the guy.”
But, as I’ve thought about this, Lebron was not cut out to be the main scorer on a dominant team. Maybe he just doesn’t have that game.
What he can do is become the greatest big point guard since Magic, and possibly surpass Magic because of his defensive ability. He could be like a Magic/Pippen hybrid.
And, what you all are saying is that even if he does that, his legacy is still shot because he did it while playing with D Wade and Bosh?
Please.
Magic did it with Kareem, Worthy and several other good players.
Bird had McHale and Parrish.
Jordan had Scottie, Horace and Rodman.
If you beast out, people are going to respect it.
And if Lebron averages the triple double I just mentioned and wins multiple rings, his legacy will be just fine.
So will Wade’s.
Yes, their decision was kinda shady, but it’s not like it can’t be dealt with.
You mentione people who “really” follow basketball.
You know damn well nobody who really follows basketball felt like Lebron had a championship contender in Cleveland after the last two playoff performances.
Jamison and Mo Williams don’t have it and likely never will. Period. The rest of the cavs are scrappy, but they don’t match up witht he other best teams in the league.
I know you know this, regardless of their regular season record.
You could be right about the coaching. But, it’s also that teams have more time to game plan to take away strengths and players with obvious liabilities are more likely to get exploited in the playoffs. You have to have a more well-rounded game, and you have to be able to adjust. Plus, you have to be able to deal with pressure, and NOBODY on Cleveland’s team was great with pressure. Not Lebron, not his teammates and not his coaches.
The Phoenix Suns are another team that killed in the regular season, but has had trouble in the playoffs when the style of play changes. Not as much trouble as the Cavs, but stil trouble.
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