Wade, Bosh, Haslem opt out.

[Cheesebeef]

Yes. I paint the picture as an extreme with more of them at less money. I don't think it needs to get to the point I paint it to be bad, but I was doing so to illustrate my point. When I referred to it as Team USA, I was thinking of the one with Magic, Jordon, Barkley, ect. The first super one.

Man...I just think elite NBA players have too big of egos to take that much of a salary hit to get that many of them on one team. Maybe when they're all super old like that Hakeem, Barkley, Drexler, Pippen squad which was a disaster, but the top guys in their prime want their rings AND their money, IMO and are usually delusional enough to think they don't have to sacrifice one for the other until they're too old to really create that type of team.

 

[KloD]

Man...I just think elite NBA players have too big of egos to take that much of a salary hit to get that many of them on one team. Maybe when they're all super old like that Hakeem, Barkley, Drexler, Pippen squad which was a disaster, but the top guys in their prime want their rings AND their money, IMO and are usually delusional enough to think they don't have to sacrifice one for the other until they're too old to really create that type of team.

I think that's what the league front office believes too. I think they bank on players wanting theirs and this not happening. But look at how much money these top guys get outside of their salaries. Look at the marketing of that first super team USA. Companies would be throwing cash at that teams players for endorsements. If a group of 10 of the top players played it right, they would make crazy money winning almost all games or all and winning many championships in a row. I'm not even a marketing guy and I can picture scenarios where they can make up the money from low salaries. My point is it could happen. It's not unrealistic. It probably won't, but it sure could. When the 3 got together and planned this union in Miami, it was the first step IMO to making my nightmare come true. Now, I don't like slippery slope arguments and I think I have a pretty good grip on logic, but this scared me as I realized if enough of them realized what they could if willing to set aside ego's and how much money they could make doing it outside of salaries. To me it would destroy the league and I don't feel irrational because it could be done. Like you say, it likely won't and hopefully the league could prevent that so I don't worry too much about it, but that is why I did not like how Miami's team was put together.

 

[hsandhu]

Can i just say i hate fat ass brian windhorst. Forget the fact he's been stalking lebron james like a pathetic groupie since he was in high school, but does he actually get things right?

Now he is on sportscenter saying heat are telling free agents they have 7-8 million or 11-12, that's a pretty big difference. And he was the one who quoted some dude from oregon's report that bosh was taking 11 and wade 12, now that does not seem to be correct.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Can i just say i hate fat ass brian windhorst. Forget the fact he's been stalking lebron james like a pathetic groupie since he was in high school, but does he actually get things right?
.

I'm stunned they let him on the air. Dudes the definition of "he's got a face for radio".

 

[Arizona's Finest]

I'm stunned they let him on the air. Dudes the definition of "he's got a face for radio".

He's Lebrons guy, just like Ahmad Rashad was with MJ.

 

[sunsfan88]

Gortat just reupped with the Wiz for 5 years $60 million. Seems high but not silly high.

$60 million for Gortat?

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[slinslin]

Can i just say i hate fat ass brian windhorst. Forget the fact he's been stalking lebron james like a pathetic groupie since he was in high school, but does he actually get things right?

Now he is on sportscenter saying heat are telling free agents they have 7-8 million or 11-12, that's a pretty big difference. And he was the one who quoted some dude from oregon's report that bosh was taking 11 and wade 12, now that does not seem to be correct.

Does ESPN have any reliable reporter at all?

Chris Broussard - famous for fabricating his own rumors
Ramona Shellbourne - Lakers groupie
Brian Windhorst - Lebron stalker

 

[PDXChris]

Gortat just reupped with the Wiz for 5 years $60 million. Seems high but not silly high.

I agree, but I will repeat a quote, 'You can't teach size'.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I agree, but I will repeat a quote, 'You can't teach size'.

Yep, most big men are stupid, can't teach them anything.

Steve

 

[PDXChris]

Yep, most big men are stupid, can't teach them anything.

Steve

 

[SO91]

Does ESPN have any reliable reporter at all?

Chris Broussard - famous for fabricating his own rumors
Ramona Shellbourne - Lakers groupie
Brian Windhorst - Lebron stalker

I like Stein, or Woj over at Yahoo.

 

[Covert Rain]

One idea that I haven't seen floated here is doing what the NFL does and instituting a FRANCHISE PLAYER rule, where each team can "Franchise" a guy for a number of years after their first contract, but that means you have to pay a super premium for that player. And even there, I'd think that you could only do that for so long. But that's the only solution that makes any sense. If you can't build a winner around someone withn say 7 years, they deserve to go tail-lights on your ass.

OK...so I was in a mind numbingly long and boring leadership meeting and my mind started to wonder. This post popped in my head.

This isn't perfect by any stretch. However, how about each team designating who their franchise player is. That doesn't mean that the team has to resign said player when their contacts is up. Only that the player is their designated Franchise player. Each team is allowed to sign their franchise player and only 1 other franchise designated player as long as their franchise player is under contract. If there franchise player leaves, they can sign up to two teams other designated franchise players.

Naturally there would have to be established criteria for you could designate a franchise player and I think ultimately the league should approve those designation so you don't get any "playing" with the system from teams. That way you could seemingly limit each team to no more than 2 franchise designated players and no longer have these stacked super teams.

I am sure someone will poke holes in this but just a thought.

 

[CardsFan88]

Well here's some tweets about the Heat (first legitimate FA news from Heat)

http://espn.go.com/nba/thetensquared#

Marc Stein

Message here is Heat are chasing realistic targets to fit in around LeBron, Wade and Bosh. Never had a real shot at the Lowrys and Gortats

12:59 PM
Ethan J. Skolnick

Can confirm @ESPNSteinLine report on Heat interest in Morrow. Miami trying to line up some "smaller" deals. Morrow interested in Heat.

12:55 PM
Marc Stein

Word is both Heat and OKC Thunder are chasing Morrow. As was Orlando, I'm told, until Magic secured their deal with Ben Gordon as well

12:54 PM
Marc Stein

Name of one target Miami is trying to secure for LeBron has emerged: Sources say Heat making push for perimeter specialist Anthony Morrow

Also
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11173277

In this video Broussard seems to think Miami doesn't know what the big three will cost so they can't make any firm commitments to free agents.

Of course since the Heat know Lebron want the max, and if Bosh and Wade want to return so strongly and have the same agent, why aren't the Heat contacting their agent to figure it out? Maybe they are....so what's the holdup?

Perhaps because they got a rough figure and it's too low to get anybody major, and thus they are going after lesser guys.

Of course, there's still competition with these guys too.

 

[Mainstreet]

OK...so I was in a mind numbingly long and boring leadership meeting and my mind started to wonder. This post popped in my head.

This isn't perfect by any stretch. However, how about each team designating who their franchise player is. That doesn't mean that the team has to resign said player when their contacts is up. Only that the player is their designated Franchise player. Each team is allowed to sign their franchise player and only 1 other franchise designated player as long as their franchise player is under contract. If there franchise player leaves, they can sign up to two teams other designated franchise players.

Naturally there would have to be established criteria for you could designate a franchise player and I think ultimately the league should approve those designation so you don't get any "playing" with the system from teams. That way you could seemingly limit each team to no more than 2 franchise designated players and no longer have these stacked super teams.

I am sure someone will poke holes in this but just a thought.

Good luck with all this.

However in the bolded area, if a team has two franchise players and one leaves, the team cannot sign two more franchise players. The limit is two right? So if a team has two franchise players and one leaves, the team can only sign one more. The limit is two franchise players no matter what the circumstance, if I understand you correctly.

 

[Covert Rain]

Good luck with all this.

However in the bolded area, if a team has two franchise players and one leaves, the team cannot sign two more franchise players. The limit is two right? So if a team has two franchise players and one leaves, the team can only sign one more. The limit is two franchise players no matter what the circumstance, if I understand you correctly.

The limit would be two..correct. Sorry if that was not clear. Just trying to think of a way to do it. I agree that it's sort of far fetched but just trying to think of a way to do this. Just having fun bantering an idea around.