The Nets organization is operating under the premise that the NBA Board of Governors will officially ratify Mikhail Prokhorov’s purchase of the team during All-Star Weekend in Dallas. Also that weekend, Prokhorov has his first planning meeting scheduled with CEO Brett Yormark and president Rod Thorn, according to an official who is not authorized to speak for the team.
The Russian Cuban is taking aim at controlling ops.
Now, let’s switch over to what some handsome young writer wrote over at FanHouse (quite brilliantly, I might add):
But the Nets are terrible! They’re the worst team in the league! They’re the team with the worst winning percentage. But they feature a good-to-great starting center in Brook Lopez, depth at guard in Chris Douglas-Roberts and Courtney Lee, and oh, yeah, another late first round draft pick from Dallas. So you’ve got a foundation, the best player in the draft, you’re moving in two years to the biggest market on earth, and all the money you can have to throw at James. James can love Cleveland all he wants, but that sounds like a very attractive offer. That’s before you bring the possibility of Wade joining him somewhere for less money. The Nets would be able to give both players, or James and another free agent (Chris Bosh, Amar’e Stoudemire) enough money to make a slight paycut not so horrid. Their new billionaire Russian owner certainly sounds like he’s willing to put the money forth to build a winner. They have Yi Jianlian to cash in on the Chinese market, which is huge.
via A “LeBron to New Jersey By Way of Wall’s Kentucky” Exercise — NBA FanHouse.
Think about all the factors we have coming together. The Chinese market. A team with enough to pay LeBron and another star. Depth. Superstar talent. The potential number one pick. A big move to the big city. An open coaching spot. We’re looking at a confluence of forces that could reshape basketball.
It won’t happen, because, well, life’s not that cool. But I keep returning to how the league has reacted to the Pau Gasol trade. There’s this overwhelming sense of “Jesus, is this what it takes? Two mega-stars, two supporting stars and some great role support?” And if you’re LeBron/Wade, aren’t you looking at this and saying “If the old man can dominate like this with that kind of team, what could we do?” That’s why I think the possibility of them taking less money to play together is real. If Kobe can accomplish what he has with Pau Gasol, what can they do together? These guys have a very real sense of their legacy at their young age. As truly great as they are on their own, they have a better chance of being remembered as the best if they sacrifice money and ego in honor of something special.
New Jersey offers these guys what they want. It all. They want it all. Contention: I know they’ve lost a ton of games but you can’t look at their roster and say this is worse than the Pacers, Wolves, or Wizards. Upside, solid players in key positions, and reasonable contracts. No anchors. The biggest market. Endorsement and business opportunities to cover what they’d lose in salary. An easy division with Boston’s eventual slide. They could choose their coach (and conceivably their President of Basketball ops).
It’s such a special opportunity, but it’s simply unlikely to happen because of the number of moving parts. Nonetheless, I can’t say that I don’t see a pattern in the moves. Brooklyn. Prokhorov. Yi. Jay-Z. LeBron. Wall.
Camelot.
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Kobe rulez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111!!!!!!!!!!!!
The end of the article (Brooklyn. Prokhorov. Yi. Jay-Z. LeBron. Wall. Camelot.) is the exact reason why this won’t happen: you forgot one part of the equation (Wade).
James is a better player than Wade, but Wade is good enough to refuse to be anyone else’s sidekick (at least until he’s on the right side of the 30s – after that I can see him embrace the role).
Keep up the excellent work!
Best,
N
I just wonder how much Wade really wants to be a second banana. What if you’re right, and all this goes through? Then in five years we’re talking LeBron as the greatest since Mike, and Wade is an afterthought.
Wouldn’t it be more fitting to have Bron in NY/Cle/NJ and Wade in another place as his rival and foil.
If LeBron moves and adds a four from the Boozer/Amare/Bosh mix, and Wade gets one of the others, we could see some classic playoff series. That seems more Wade’s speed.
Been saying this all season. There a million different moving pieces for the Nets right now that could result what was written above. Personally, I think it all hinges on the Nets getting the #1 pick in this years draft. If they get the pick, all the other variables seem to be moving in the right direction and I could definitely see LeBron + (fill-in star) signing with them this off-season. I can only hope.
Nets may suck…
but there is litle doubt that they can turn a 180 very soon
NETS WILL GET LEBRON! Check out this salary cap analysis.. Jigga gonna do this! Jersey shore, bitches!
[...] Matt Moore at Hardwood Paroxysm is enamored by the potential turnaround of the Nets organization, looking at their cap space, draft picks, move to Brooklyn, marketability of Yi, and other factors. [...]
The world want the Ohio boy but all true Ohio boys want only one thing…to bring the ring home! If Lebron wins it all in NY it’s good but just another feather in the NY cap. If he doesn’t the the NY fans/press will chew him up, spit him out. If he wins it all in Cleveland he will be the King of Cleveland for ever!!! Immortal like Jim Brown. Or Paul Brown. They’ll name the team after him! the Cleve. Lebrons!! Plus, newsflash…. Lebron is already the endorsment king. He doesn’t need to be in NY for that! Better for you NY fans to become Cleveland fans, hope They make the Jamison deal and get you tix for the championship in C-Town!!