It is not like it was the most carefully hidden secret in the whole wide world, but still it is finally out there as public information, because LeBron James said it. What did he say? LeBron James will become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Yes, he actually said that. Sorry, Cleveland, but that means you may lose LeBron. It does not mean you will definitely lose LeBron.

LeBron has a possible extension of 3 years offered by the Cleveland Cavaliers on July 18. Without the extension, then the free agency happens.

He has until June 30, 2010, to either sign the extension, which could keep him with the team through the 2013-14 season, or exercise his option. If he exercises the option, he would remain with the Cavs through the 2010-11 season. If he declines to exercise the option or sign the extension, he would become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2010. He could then elect to sign a new contract with the Cavs or with any other team. The Cavs, however, always will be able to offer him the longest deal and pay him the most money because of the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
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It is now the job of fans and management alike to convince LeBron to stay in Cleveland. Can they do it? Well, the fans will go all out for sure, but Cleveland’s management has managed to bring in Mo Williams and Shaq in all the years that LeBron has played in Cleveland. They need to do better than that if they want to keep him.

LeBron James may drain game winners for someone else

Now that may not be the only problem. There is the issue of how much money LeBron would make in New York City. The endorsements would be off the scale. It may turn LeBron into the marketing machine that Michael Jordan was when he played with the Bulls in Chicago. It would be harder to achieve that in Cleveland.

And what a prize LeBron would be for the Nets or Knicks and how their fortunes would instantly change as they would go from also rans to league favorites over night.

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Joe D has done it again. This time he has lured high scoring combo guard Ben Gordon to the Detroit Pistons for a reportedly 55 million buckaroos and 5 years. A hefty price, but well worth it.

So what does Gordon bring to the Pistons? Ben Gordon brings the ability to shoot and score from range in a playoff situation. If you watch enough NBA ballgames, you will notice that some players can accumulate stats in the regular season and not do it in the playoffs. It is actually a rare ability to score when well guarded. Rip Hamilton can do it on the Pistons and now Ben Gordon will also bring that ability to the Pistons.

Gordon, 26, has been nailing three-pointers and creating his own shot since he came into the league as the third pick of the 2004 draft.

He is scorer who is a great shooter and adept at running the pick-and-roll. He stands 6-feet-3 and carries a career scoring average of 18.5 points. His compact body allows him to get into the paint and finish through contact. The only real knock is that he’s too short for shooting guard since he lacks the playmaking skills to play the point. That leads to defensive mismatches when paired against taller and more athletic players such as Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.

Gordon has been on the Pistons’ radar for quite some time. and he upped his value when he averaged 24.3 points during a classic seven-game series against the Boston Celtics in this year’s playoffs.

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Will Ben Gordon co-exist with Rip Hamilton? Many think so.

With the trade of Chauncey Billups to the Nuggets, the Pistons needed a long distance scoring threat at guard and now they have one. Rip can only shoot threes from a set shot position. Nothing wrong with that, but you do not get a lot of those opportunities in the playoffs.
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Cleveland knows the clock is ticking and they want to do something about it. The clock is the time it takes to get to next year when LeBron James becomes a free agent and the whole state of Ohio holds its breath while suitors come out of the woodwork with all kinds of enticing deals for LeBron.

Think about it. Why did Cleveland easily go after Shaq? There is some question as to whether he is a good fit, because the guy guarding Shaq never has to go more than 5 feet away from the basket, thus cutting off the LeBron drives to the hoops. Shaq is also late in his career and will have a hard time averaging over 25 minutes or 45 games.

Shaq will be key to LeBron's future in Cleveland

But Cleveland had to do it. They had to show LeBron they were trying and if it works, then LeBron would go to the finals and probably stay in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers also have some free agent money and although not a lot, it may be crucial to land a shooter or defender. Here are some possible inexpensive free agent options for Cleveland.

Matt Barnes, Suns — Another lanky wing who is a solid shooter and has the size the Cavs want. His defense is a question, but he has the tools. Excellent spot-up shooter and good in transition going to the rim.

Anthony Parker, Raptors — The Raptors love him and may not let him walk, but they have cap space and other needs. It is well known the Cavs attempted to sign him when he came over from the Euroleague three years ago, and the tall, smooth shooter is very much still on their radar.

Dahntay Jones, Nuggets — Unheralded player with stats that won’t impress many, but has worked to establish himself as a strong outside defender with good size. Was an overlooked key in the Nuggets’ success last season.

Desmond Mason, Thunder — Limited offensively and coming off an injury but also one of the better wing defenders in the league and fits the Cavs’ character requirements. Won’t be the Cavs’ first choice, but they certainly will have him on their list.
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The latest greatest almost impossible to dream rumor about is the Bulls picking up Dwyane Wade with a max contract. Can you imagine rookie of the year Derrick Rose and perennial MVP candidate Dwyane Wade in the same backcourt? Hand them a few average big guys and you are talking title contenders for years to come.

Think of your average Chicago Bulls fan tainted with the memory of the great one, Michael Jordan, still fresh in their minds and his 6 titles. They have to be hurting right now. There was the close miss with the Celtics that were without the services of Kevin Garnett and the thought that Derrick Rose is a few years away from being able to carry the team.

Could Rose be teamed up with Wade?

Oh, it could be great. In a couple of the OT games with the Celtics the Bulls went to Rose in tie breaker situations at the end of games. How nice it would be to hand the ball to Dwyane Wade instead. No knock on Derrick, but it would be his job to set Wade up for the victory shot.

Wade could walk right into a backcourt with Derrick Rose, two potential all-league players with a nice supporting cast with Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and John Salmons. Such a plan likely would preclude making a big offer and bringing back Ben Gordon. But then you also risk Miami pulling off a coup, and, say, getting Bosh and then ending up with the 2010 version of Ron Mercer.

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LeBron James thinks about all the money coming his way

Just learned some stuff from ESPN the Mag. It is all about the NBA free agent market. No longer are GM’s just looking for talent to seal the deal and pave the way for the NBA title.

Guess what? Money is important. Yeah, even in the uber-rich NBA money counts, but evidently it counts for more and adds up to less. You see, the NBA salary cap is set to go down. This is unheard of, it never goes down, but sure enough, right before the trade deadline the commissioner, his emissary David Stern sent a mass e-mail out to all GM’s that the cap would go from 71 mill plus change down to 69 mill.

Suddenly GM’s are not making deals for talent, but deals to save money so they don’t get the luxury tax. None of the top teams pulled off any blockbuster deals like usual. It was just plain unusual and it is going to stay that way.

My own beloved Pistons stood pat before the trade deadline after listening to many possible deals. Get this; most teams were willing to give up more talent to the Pistons to get salary relief in return.

Next summer the Pistons will have more money under the cap than anyone other than Oklahoma.

Joe D is licking his chops at the deals that may present themselves. Now most likely that won’t be LeBron, but it could be a couple of other 1st class free agents or trade deals.

It should be an interesting summer.
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Josh Childress will be taking his game to Greece

Hey, it is called free agency and Josh Childress took it to its extreme by signing with a Greek team. The team is called Olympiakos.

So did Josh just get Olympic fever and get confused?

No, he got 32.5 million bucks. Comparable to what the NBA was offering and for fewer years.

Read that again, comparable to what the NBA was offering and for fewer years.

Atlanta had offered him a five-year, $33 million contract. But the Hawks’ slow-paced negotiating tactics and the limits of restricted free agency, combined with what Childress called Wednesday the “opportunity of a lifetime,” resulted in his decision.

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The luxury tax and slow U.S. economy are changing the landscape.

This year, it’s changing even more. Over the past couple of weeks, those NBA free agents with international roots seemed inclined to leap. Carlos Delfino has left the Toronto Raptors and opted for BC Khimki; Bostjan Nachbar is finished with the New Jersey Nets and is on his way to Russia to play for Dynamo Moscow; the Memphis Grizzlies were so excited about acquiring Juan Carlos Navarro last year only to find him heading home to Spain to play for Barcelona next season. And Nachbar’s teammate with the Nets, 7-footer Nenad Krstic, is reportedly mulling over an overture from Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli league.

The reasons are obvious. A lot of young restricted free agents are getting nothing more than qualifying offers in the $2.5-million range, and the European teams are offering them twice that money with the much stronger Euro also trumping the dollar. Splitter, meanwhile, scoffed at the Spurs’ offer because — thanks to the rookie salary cap — a handcuffed San Antonio front office was only able to offer half of what he got to stay in Spain.

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Seems bizarre doesn’t it. We just got used to Europeans coming over here to play.

David Stern has taken notice and you can bet he will step up his effort to create more NBA ties in Europe.

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Ronny Turiaf says “Oh yeah, no more purple outfits”

Image details: NBA Finals Game 1: Los Angeles Lakers v Boston Celtics served by picapp.com

The Lakers reluctantly did not match the offer of the Golden State Warriors for Ronny Turiaf. He was a restricted free agent and the Lakers had the rights to match any offer.

The Warriors signed Turiaf, a restricted free agent, to a four-year, $17 million offer sheet last week. By rule, the Lakers had seven days to decide whether to match it. The three-year veteran from Gonzaga averaged 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 78 games with the Western Conference champions last season, making 21 starts.

The Lakers played much of last season without starting center Andrew Bynum, giving Turiaf the opportunity for more playing time than he would have had otherwise. But, Kupchak said, Bynum is expected to be healthy when training camp begins in early October, and Turiaf’s opportunities figured to be diminished significantly.

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Even without Ronny Turiaf, with Andrew Bynum coming back the Lakers are loaded, including Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant.

The Golden State Warriors lost Baron Davis to the San Diego Clippers, but signed Corey Maggette from the Clippers for what many are calling a draw.

Turiaf should see a lot of playing time with the Warriors.

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