What's the purpose of clearing extra cap room if ppl r picking LJ to go to Chi & Mia?

What's the purpose of clearing extra cap room if ppl r picking LJ to go to Chi & Mia?

I need someone to help me out with this one.For the past couple of days all I've been hearing and reading about is how Lebron James won't want to play for the Knicks due to their short handed roster and how the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are the two favorites in the Lebron sweepstakes.From the time that the Cavaliers were still contending for a championship all the way until after the Cavs were eliminated from the playoffs it seems like the Knicks went from being the most likely destination for Lebron outside of Cleveland to being the forth desirable team for him to go to.This brings me to my question:Why did Donnie Walsh trade draft picks to clear cap room if the Knicks are now one of the least likely destinations for Lebron? What was the purpose of Walsh creating enough cap room for another max free agent if the Bulls already have a Joakin Noah and a Derick Rose and the Heat already have a Dwayne Wade to lure Lebron James?

I know Donnie Walsh has been trying to evade the Lebron to NY discussions by stating that the reason he depleted the Knicks' roster was to give himself unlimited options.But it is obvious that Lebron James has been his number one target ever since he took over the Knicks.It seems like his goal is to sign Lebron and his Scottie Pippen.There is no way that he would think about not signing another superstar if Lebron James came to the Knicks and asked him to sign one.I just think it was a giant risk for Donnie Walsh to clear extra cap room when a lot of people are overlooking the fact that Lebron could team up with another max free agent in New York.Every time I hear these rumors about Lebron and Chicago or Miami they just worry me as a Knick fan.

knicksin60 said:

I need someone to help me out with this one.For the past couple of days all I've been hearing and reading about is how Lebron James won't want to play for the Knicks due to their short handed roster and how the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are the two favorites in the Lebron sweepstakes.From the time that the Cavaliers were still contending for a championship all the way until after the Cavs were eliminated from the playoffs it seems like the Knicks went from being the most likely destination for Lebron outside of Cleveland to being the forth desirable team for him to go to.This brings me to my question:Why did Donnie Walsh trade draft picks to clear cap room if the Knicks are now one of the least likely destinations for Lebron? What was the purpose of Walsh creating enough cap room for another max free agent if the Bulls already have a Joakin Noah and a Derick Rose and the Heat already have a Dwayne Wade to lure Lebron James?

I know Donnie Walsh has been trying to evade the Lebron to NY discussions by stating that the reason he depleted the Knicks' roster was to give himself unlimited options.But it is obvious that Lebron James has been his number one target ever since he took over the Knicks.It seems like his goal is to sign Lebron and his Scottie Pippen.There is no way that he would think about not signing another superstar if Lebron James came to the Knicks and asked him to sign one.I just think it was a giant risk for Donnie Walsh to clear extra cap room when a lot of people are overlooking the fact that Lebron could team up with another max free agent in New York.Every time I hear these rumors about Lebron and Chicago or Miami they just worry me as a Knick fan.

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It wasn't just for Lebron James that the space was cleared. Everybody is just assuming that and I think that is an easy way to get let down.

Walsh had no choice but to clear the cap space to allow the franchise to have the flexibility to go in many different directions. Sure you make a strong pitch to Lebron because he is the number 1 free agent out of the bunch BUT you don't put all your eggs into one basket.

The infatuation with Lebron has been media and fan driven.

Walsh as a basketball guy from the Bronx could in no way have liked what he saw out of the king in game 5. A red flag had to have gone up.

For a team in the largest market in the country to have the amount of cap space Walsh has is priceless.

So I implore to Knick fans don't have tunnel vision for Lebron James. Emphasize your hopes more on having a cohesive competitive young team with great chemistry.

OK, let's say the Knicks spent the cash for 2 all-stars, 4 sophs, no pick.. & 6 slots

ibraheim718 said:

It wasn't just for Lebron James that the space was cleared. Everybody is just assuming that and I think that is an easy way to get let down.

So I implore to Knick fans don't have tunnel vision for Lebron James. Emphasize your hopes more on having a cohesive competitive young team with great chemistry.

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Hear, hear!
With this much cap space, the Knicks can effectively retool their entire team... which they'll have to since (at worst) they won't have a 1st round draft pick this year, zero all-star caliber starters, a weak-to-moderate bench, Eddy Curry, and Eddy Curry's equally bloated contract.

With this extended summer, hopefully the franchise can have the money to completely retool the entire roster and then the time to retrain an entire unit.

ibraheim718 said:

It wasn't just for Lebron James that the space was cleared. Everybody is just assuming that and I think that is an easy way to get let down.

Walsh had no choice but to clear the cap space to allow the franchise to have the flexibility to go in many different directions. Sure you make a strong pitch to Lebron because he is the number 1 free agent out of the bunch BUT you don't put all your eggs into one basket.

The infatuation with Lebron has been media and fan driven.

Walsh as a basketball guy from the Bronx could in no way have liked what he saw out of the king in game 5. A red flag had to have gone up.

For a team in the largest market in the country to have the amount of cap space Walsh has is priceless.

So I implore to Knick fans don't have tunnel vision for Lebron James. Emphasize your hopes more on having a cohesive competitive young team with great chemistry.

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I understand what you're saying, but you don't think the first thing that Walsh will be doing July 1st is making a phone call to Lebron and his agent? I believe Walsh has Lebron as his number one target right now.

I'm not saying that Walsh moved all of his chips just to pursue Lebron James this summer but it's very difficult to figure out the reason why Walsh made an aggressive attempt to trade Jared Jeffries and his contract.The only thing I could assume is that Walsh didn't want to turn off free agents by presenting them a roster of only Gallo, Chandler, Douglas, Jeffries, Hill, Curry and draft picks.I think Walsh realized that that roster would have not been enough to entice James, Wade or Bosh to come to the Knicks.

The Knicks have to come out of the summer with a much improved roster.I don't doubt that Walsh has other plans for the Knicks besides Lebron James.But if the Knicks don't end up pursuing either James, Wade or Bosh, the mid-season trade involving Jeffries, Hill and draft picks will look like a failure.That's why I believe that Walsh took a giant risk when he decided to deplete the roster that was given to him.

you're having a difficult time understanding why Donnie would trade JJ?? How ...is.. that possible...

Donnie came in here with a plan in mind, which was to rebuild this team with free agency..... we aren't bad enough to tank and get players via the lottery, and that would have taken another 6 years.... so we cut all the fat off this team the last 2 season, stripping us down to a young core and money to spend....

Donnie has said, and it's true, that this isn't a Lebron or bust deal... we were in a terrible position with mediocre / bad players with even worse contracts... there was no choice other to simply rid them all and start from scratch.... and with the biggest 'FA in history' upon us, it happens to have worked with perfect timing....

Regardless of who speculates where LeBron James is or isn't going (no one knows where he's going, so stop criticizing the plan bc espn says Chicago), and the knicks remain a top contender for landing a world class / lifetime player.... that chance in it self is worth where we are.... I happen to think if he leaves it would be for NYC - and it's seeming pretty likely that he leaves... :crossfingers:

If we don't get James, we are still left in an infinitely better position with young players who we can build a future with, as well as money to spend on stars

You do realize all this hype about Lebron to Chicago and especially Miami has only been coming in the past week since the Celtics game.

Previously the only free agents people saw going to Miami was Amare/Bosh.

As for Chicago there was always the idea that Lebron might go there but most of the hype was surrounding Wade "going home".

There was a lot of things that contributed to the sudden hype of Chicago, such as Coach Calipari being rumoured to be taking the Bulls job.

The purpose of clearing cap is obvious enough, but that cap was cleared 4 months ago and these recent reports of Chicago/Miami are just that, recent, not 4 months old.

Man, it'll be raining media hogwash for the next 50 days.

I bet if I type here........ say............

Rumour:

Cavaliers and Bobcats Talking Trade For Lebron?

NBA inside source close to Michael Jordan (Lebron's basketball hero) and the Charlotte Bobcats has been quoted saying: "Charlotte and Cleveland are currently in discussions for a potential trade that would send Boris Diaw, 2 first round picks and Gerald Wallace to Cleveland for Lebron James"

That someone will wind up here, on this page going: "WTF?" in their search for information on James' situation.

It's going to be the most misinformed month and a half of our lives.

Knicker23 said:

you're having a difficult time understanding why Donnie would trade JJ?? How ...is.. that possible...

Donnie came in here with a plan in mind, which was to rebuild this team with free agency..... we aren't bad enough to tank and get players via the lottery, and that would have taken another 6 years.... so we cut all the fat off this team the last 2 season, stripping us down to a young core and money to spend....

Donnie has said, and it's true, that this isn't a Lebron or bust deal... we were in a terrible position with mediocre / bad players with even worse contracts... there was no choice other to simply rid them all and start from scratch.... and with the biggest 'FA in history' upon us, it happens to have worked with perfect timing....

Regardless of who speculates where LeBron James is or isn't going (no one knows where he's going, so stop criticizing the plan bc espn says Chicago), and the knicks remain a top contender for landing a world class / lifetime player.... that chance in it self is worth where we are.... I happen to think if he leaves it would be for NYC - and it's seeming pretty likely that he leaves... :crossfingers:

If we don't get James, we are still left in an infinitely better position with young players who we can build a future with, as well as money to spend on stars

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I have a difficult time understanding why Walsh traded Jeffries because he's mentioned multiple times that the plan for the Knicks might not consist of acquiring two superstar free agents this summer and might extend beyond 2010.Why would he desperately trade away Jeffries if he could have waited until after his contract expired to start adding more pieces? If Walsh doesn't sign Lebron, Wade, or Bosh and has Johnson, Boozer, Amar'e as his remaining options in the superstar free agent class, do you really think that signing one of these left over free agents and over paying for a couple of mid level players will be better than holding on to first round draft picks and Jeffries' expiring contract?

Who says that if the Knicks go through the summer empty handed they won't have one of the worst records in the NBA next season? I'm not trying to be pessimistic but to say that there will be little to no chance that the Knicks won't be bad enough to tank next season is complete speculation.There is a good chance that David Lee won't be re-signed by the Knicks this summer and there is also a possibility that Walsh won't overpay for any free agents if he misses out on Lebron, Wade and Bosh.With a Knick roster that doesn't have Lee, Harrington, and any of the players in the 2010 free agent class, do you think the Knicks will be fortunate enough to have more than 29 wins next season?

Unless Gallo develops into some elite NBA player, the Knicks would probably be a top 5 lottery team with such a roster.Why is it that teams like the Jazz, Blazers, Magic and Thunder could rebuild their rosters in less than five years but people give the Knicks an estimated time limit of at least 6 years or more to rebuild theirs? Are people implying that Walsh is competent enough to deplete his roster and throw money at free agents but he isn't competent enough to draft players and be on the same level as successful general managers of other NBA teams?

The problem I have with Walsh trying to rebuild the Knicks through acquiring free agents is the fact that very few teams throughout recent NBA history have went from being terrible to being championship contenders via free agency.I know Walsh isn't limiting himself to free agency but his decision to get rid of Randolph, Crawford and Jeffries was based on the 2010 free agent class.There is no guarantee that the Knicks will win a championship if they signed Lebron James, Chris Bosh or Carmelo Anthony.None of these free agents besides Wade have won championships and still have to prove that they can carry a team to a title.

I wasn't criticizing the plan.I was questioning the people in the sports media for overlooking the fact that the Knicks would have more to offer Lebron if they signed Bosh or Amar'e than the Bulls and Heat would have to offer him.I was very optimistic when the Cavaliers lost game 6 until I began to read these columnists and listen to these reporters' predictions on Lebron's future.I thought it was unfair of them to place the Bulls and Heat as favorites to acquire Lebron and make NYC and MSG seem like an unlikely destination for him.

smokes said:

You do realize all this hype about Lebron to Chicago and especially Miami has only been coming in the past week since the Celtics game.

Previously the only free agents people saw going to Miami was Amare/Bosh.

As for Chicago there was always the idea that Lebron might go there but most of the hype was surrounding Wade "going home".

There was a lot of things that contributed to the sudden hype of Chicago, such as Coach Calipari being rumoured to be taking the Bulls job.

The purpose of clearing cap is obvious enough, but that cap was cleared 4 months ago and these recent reports of Chicago/Miami are just that, recent, not 4 months old.

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I got so tired of listening to these Lebron to Chicago and Miami rumors that I made a vow to myself not to tune into NBA TV and ESPN until after Lebron makes his decision.The anti NY sentiment coming from these people is too exasperating to assimilate.

Crazy8s said:

Man, it'll be raining media hogwash for the next 50 days.

I bet if I type here........ say............

Rumour:

Cavaliers and Bobcats Talking Trade For Lebron?

NBA inside source close to Michael Jordan (Lebron's basketball hero) and the Charlotte Bobcats has been quoted saying: "Charlotte and Cleveland are currently in discussions for a potential trade that would send Boris Diaw, 2 first round picks and Gerald Wallace to Cleveland for Lebron James"

That someone will wind up here, on this page going: "WTF?" in their search for information on James' situation.

It's going to be the most misinformed month and a half of our lives.

Click to expand...

It will become very intense and nerve wrecking once July 1st arrives.Even the day of the mid season trading dead line felt like game seven of a playoff series.Most of these rumors will probably go by the waste side once Lebron holds his press conference.I just hope that there isn't a rumor that says Lebron's reached a multiple year agreement with the Knicks for it to later be publicly dismissed by his agent.

knicksin60 said:

I got so tired of listening to these Lebron to Chicago and Miami rumors that I made a vow to myself not to tune into NBA TV and ESPN until after Lebron makes his decision.The anti NY sentiment coming from these people is too exasperating to assimilate.

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We have to remember though, that potentially signing Lebron has always been a beacon for fans, as the Knicks get out of salary cap hell. We're gonna be better and have more options. Losing more picks is the only back breaker throughout this process.

Don't get too wrapped up in it all. It's extremely likely that James'll only play in the garden 3-4 times next year.

Crazy8s said:

We have to remember though, that potentially signing Lebron has always been a beacon for fans, as the Knicks get out of salary cap hell. We're gonna be better and have more options. Losing more picks is the only back breaker throughout this process.

Don't get too wrapped up in it all. It's extremely likely that James'll only play in the garden 3-4 times next year.

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I wouldn't be too upset if Lebron turned down the Knicks.I would really hate it if he signed with Chicago or Miami since those were the two teams that I despised the most growing up.Those teams have won a combined seven championships since the Knicks won their last one.The last thing Knick fans need to see is more championship banners hanging down from the rafters of the United Center or American Airlines Arena.

Donnie Walsh put all his eggs into one basket

Donnie Walsh put all his EGGS into one basket just to lower the Knicks team salary cap one year earlier than what the Knick salary-cap were originally set to be deleted.
RED-FLAG
If we wouldve waited that extra year to let all the high expensive contracts expire we wouldve missed out on the oportunity of the biggest star FA market in the NBA. Or would we? we were given 2 seasons to rebuild the Knicks by adding a larger coaching staff, a new G.M. to draft and trade, while the new large coaching staff raise the value of each young and veteran player on the roster season after season for the 2010 big offseason.
The only players on the Knicks 2007-8 roster with a guaranteed contract for the 2011-12 season were whomever we selected with 6th pick in the 2008 draft. At the hiring of Walsh the Knicks salary cap was already condition to be reduced to little of nothing, just a year after Walsh plan.

So dont anyone get it misunderstood......
Donnie Walsh number one goal and intentions March 2008, hiring celebrity-coach Damntoni, trading the 3 year remaining contracts of Zach, Crawford, and Jefferies, along with our future first-round picks were just to get one or two of the "TOP" star players in the 2010 FA market.
We spent extra millions to lower our salary-cap within those 2 years.
Is Walsh 2 year plan going to work?
or was it a waste of a plan?
b/c plan-B lowering of the 2011 salary-cap was in effect in 2007.

If the Star FA market was in 2011 instead of 2010 ......
do u think we wouldve made so many stupid decisions over the last two years, hiring a nondefensive celebrity-headcoach, not drafting any needs, accepting Mobley failing the trade physical, and trading first round draft picks?

knicksin60 said:

The problem I have with Walsh trying to rebuild the Knicks through acquiring free agents is the fact that very few teams throughout recent NBA history have went from being terrible to being championship contenders via free agency.I know Walsh isn't limiting himself to free agency but his decision to get rid of Randolph, Crawford and Jeffries was based on the 2010 free agent class.There is no guarantee that the Knicks will win a championship if they signed Lebron James, Chris Bosh or Carmelo Anthony.None of these free agents besides Wade have won championships and still have to prove that they can carry a team to a title.

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There's no gurantee that we'd win with James? What are you saying? that it isn't worth doing everything in our power to land him? I think it is

And recent teams building through free agency - how bout KG and the celtics? going from where we are to a championship the very next year.... and lets be honest, KG is not LeBron as far as impact goes...

As Donnie has been saying, and as the truth of the matter is, good teams have stars on them - usually more than one.... whether it's being extremely lucky and landing a Durant, or trading for a star like the Celtics did.... you're not going to win without them... and with many becoming free this off season, no time is better than now..

But as i said, this isn't about 'James or bust' ... it's about bettering our future, whether it's this off season, or next, we now have the mere capability that we havent had in many many years...... getting rid of the awful players like starbury/craw/jj/rand was essential... keeping those players keeps the 'lets throw a few mediocre players together and see what happens' persona with the knicks.... and that's not what we want... we don't want a bunch of okay players w bad contracts... we want a star or two and a group of young committed players... and i don't think we could ask for more of the latter in Gallo/Chandler/TD... and as for the former, we will sign them... hopefully james/bosh duo... but if not, we'll continue on with money and players that will build us a future, and not simply be al haringtons or chris duhons..

im not worried

chicago?
i dont see bron wanting to go to chicago and live in the shadow of jordan and his 6 rings. no matter what he does his critics will try to not deem it enough. hell always be number 2. chicago has pieces but so do we. the biggest advantage at a skill position chicago has over us it at the pg position with rose. honestly its not that big of a deal because lebron is a play making forward that is ball dominant. the ball is in his hands with him running the offense the majority of the times which is why the cavs got by with mo who is nothing but a under sized 2 playing the point position. tony douglas has lots of potential and is solid defensively. he would pair well with lebron

mia?
bron i feel wants to play with another superstar but im sure he would prefer said player is a big man. chris bosh could be his pau gasol, making his new team a threat both inside and on the perimeter. i dont see bron playing with another perimeter oriented superstar like wade. i could see them working well together but would he want the added media bs. haters like skip bayless who have already started their nonesense will say bron couldnt do it in the clutch, he needed another star perimeter player to hit shots and cover for him on the big stage. espn and other media outlets will constantly ask whos team is it? should bron or wade have taken that last shot? etc etc. bron wants to win but like most stars im sure he would want to do it as the man a la kobe. can bron truly be the man on a team with wade?

nets?
simple. why play for the mets when you can play for the yankees. yes the knicks dont have the yankees storied championship history but their still one of the leagues most popular franchises. the nets will always be number 2 in the hearts of new yorkers, and is number 2 good enough for lebron? the knicks have the cap flexibility, curry's expiring contract, and players currently on the roster to field a team at worst just as talented as the nets could to surround bron. i dont see bron passing on us to play with for our little brother

a team that went from nothing to something was the boston celtics .... in the 06 season they finished with a record of 24-58 .... in 07 they made moves by trade landing kevin , and ray .... we can do the same with curry's expiring and get good piece/pieces .... yes i am excited about july but not more dan draft night .... cuz donnie will try to make a move .....

goldenchild1688 said:

im not worried

chicago?
i dont see bron wanting to go to chicago and live in the shadow of jordan and his 6 rings. no matter what he does his critics will try to not deem it enough. hell always be number 2. chicago has pieces but so do we. the biggest advantage at a skill position chicago has over us it at the pg position with rose. honestly its not that big of a deal because lebron is a play making forward that is ball dominant. the ball is in his hands with him running the offense the majority of the times which is why the cavs got by with mo who is nothing but a under sized 2 playing the point position. tony douglas has lots of potential and is solid defensively. he would pair well with lebron

mia?
bron i feel wants to play with another superstar but im sure he would prefer said player is a big man. chris bosh could be his pau gasol, making his new team a threat both inside and on the perimeter. i dont see bron playing with another perimeter oriented superstar like wade. i could see them working well together but would he want the added media bs. haters like skip bayless who have already started their nonesense will say bron couldnt do it in the clutch, he needed another star perimeter player to hit shots and cover for him on the big stage. espn and other media outlets will constantly ask whos team is it? should bron or wade have taken that last shot? etc etc. bron wants to win but like most stars im sure he would want to do it as the man a la kobe. can bron truly be the man on a team with wade?

nets?
simple. why play for the mets when you can play for the yankees. yes the knicks dont have the yankees storied championship history but their still one of the leagues most popular franchises. the nets will always be number 2 in the hearts of new yorkers, and is number 2 good enough for lebron? the knicks have the cap flexibility, curry's expiring contract, and players currently on the roster to field a team at worst just as talented as the nets could to surround bron. i dont see bron passing on us to play with for our little brother

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Re Rose, as brilliant as he is, he's a good passer, but not a great one. If he gets any recognition for an outstanding game it's the games in which he scores.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with 6 assists a game, but considering how much of the ball he has, he creates less for others than your prototypical PG. His career high for dimes is 13.

As a sniper, he's borderline hanus. 26% this year from the arc, and were he to have less of the ball, he'd need to contribute from 3 to add effectively/be a factor as a second option to anyone who'll have more of the ball than him.

If paired with the King, I don't think it's unreasonable to say that Rose's game'd take a turn for the worse. Speculation perhaps, but if Wade and James are too much to put together, then so are Rose and James. Perhaps more so.

Yeah. Derrick Rose is NOT a distributor, he is a scoring PG.

knicksin60 said:

I need someone to help me out with this one.For the past couple of days all I've been hearing and reading about is how Lebron James won't want to play for the Knicks due to their short handed roster and how the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are the two favorites in the Lebron sweepstakes.From the time that the Cavaliers were still contending for a championship all the way until after the Cavs were eliminated from the playoffs it seems like the Knicks went from being the most likely destination for Lebron outside of Cleveland to being the forth desirable team for him to go to.This brings me to my question:Why did Donnie Walsh trade draft picks to clear cap room if the Knicks are now one of the least likely destinations for Lebron? What was the purpose of Walsh creating enough cap room for another max free agent if the Bulls already have a Joakin Noah and a Derick Rose and the Heat already have a Dwayne Wade to lure Lebron James?

I know Donnie Walsh has been trying to evade the Lebron to NY discussions by stating that the reason he depleted the Knicks' roster was to give himself unlimited options.But it is obvious that Lebron James has been his number one target ever since he took over the Knicks.It seems like his goal is to sign Lebron and his Scottie Pippen.There is no way that he would think about not signing another superstar if Lebron James came to the Knicks and asked him to sign one.I just think it was a giant risk for Donnie Walsh to clear extra cap room when a lot of people are overlooking the fact that Lebron could team up with another max free agent in New York.Every time I hear these rumors about Lebron and Chicago or Miami they just worry me as a Knick fan.

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We finally have the ability to spend money on whoever we want for multiple years....donnie isnot foreced to settle for only 1 year contracts which killed our chance to get Ramon Sessions, Grant hill, and Jason Kidd, and Andre Miller.

So without LBJ we can stll be a dominate team in the East.

We can sign and trade David Lee, or keep Lee and sign a big time PG and Center...we would have easily been a playoffs team last year with some interior defense and a PG who could distribute to Lee.

Throw in a super star, hopefully LBJ, Wade, Bosh, Nowitzki, Bosh, possibly Parker in a sign and trade, and we can easily go far with our team.

We can also get many starters, sign a bunch of 8 million dollar players, why spend so much on one player if no one but Joe Johnson isleft? not worth it.

If LBJ goes to CHI, he has an infinitely better chance of winning rather going to any of the other mentioned teams with cap space. In rose you have a stud pg, in which the "other teams" clearly do not have. A stud C who's a double double a night guy, proved his toughness in the playoffs. a deep bench, a young an up and coming PF. really the other teams don't have much in comparison (excluding D.Wade) two proven all stars already on the team perfect spot. with regards to KG he went to a team that had a stud on the team.. they got Ray Allen, a deep bench, and the emergence of a stud PG and a quality C. Sadly New York is unproven. If LBJ wants money and fame it's a no brainer NY is the spot.. If he wants championsip(s), go to a team that already has proven all-stars, who've played with each other for a while..LBJ wants to win rings now not 4-5 years from now imo.