LeBron James

Southeast Notes: Bobcats, Magic, James

A few notes from around the NBA's Southeast Division.

Odds & Ends: Kobe, LeBron, Rivers, Roy, Mavs

We covered many of the pertinent points from Sam Amico's latest NBA report at FOX Sports Ohio earlier today in a post that rounded up today's Cavs rumors. But Amico's piece also features a few more notable tidbits, including word of the Blazers exploring moving up in the draft, the Bucks preparing to make a splash, and league executives beginning to believe Dwight Howard will sign with the Rockets. In addition to Amico's notes, we're hearing plenty of news and rumors from around the league, with the draft just three days away, so let's dive in….

  • Although Kobe Bryant has talked in the past about possibly retiring when his current contract ends in 2014, he recently said on Brazilian television that he could see himself playing for "another three or four years." Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times has the details and a link to the video clip.
  • A year from now, we could be looking forward to a sequel to The Decision, as LeBron James decides whether to exercise the 2014 opt-out in his contract with the Heat. For now though, LeBron tells CNN's Rachel Nichols that he hasn't thought about potential free agency, and will address it when the time comes (link via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel).
  • A source tells TNT's David Aldridge that Doc Rivers will have more say in the Clippers' basketball decisions than he did for the Celtics.
  • While he stopped short of officially declaring his NBA career over, Brandon Roy acknowledged to ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton that it's no secret his basketball days are "numbered" (Twitter links).
  • With Chris Paul seemingly on track to re-sign with the Clippers, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes that the Mavericks will have to move on to their Plan B at point guard, and identifies a few possible targets.

LeBron James Wins MVP Award

No surprise here, LeBron James has officially been named the NBA’s 2012/13 Most Valuable Player.  This marks James’ fourth MVP award and he now becomes just the second player in NBA history to earn at least four NBA MVP awards before the age of 29, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

James earned the honor for the second consecutive year and the fourth time in five seasons, becoming just the second player, joining Bill Russell, to win the award in four of five seasons. Additionally, he becomes just the fifth player to capture four MVP’s and the first since Michael Jordan to accomplish the feat.

James totaled 1,207 points, including 120 first-place votes, just one first-place vote shy from becoming the NBA’s first unanimous MVP winner.  The one vote that didn’t go to James went to Carmelo Anthony, though there’s no word on who the intrepid voter was.  The panel consisted of 121 voters of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada as well as an NBA.com MVP fan vote.

Southeast Links: Bobcats, Mack, LeBron

The Southeast Division champion Heat have plenty of time to chill in advance of their second-round opener, which won't be until Monday. The division's other playoff team is engaged in a much tougher first-round fight than Miami endured, as the Hawks are batting the Pacers in Game 5 tonight with the series tied 2-2. There's news on both the Heat and Hawks tonight, along with more from the Southeast: 

  • A pair of head coaching candidates are lined up for interviews with the Bobcats next week. TNT's David Aldridge reports, via Twitter, that the team will sit down with former Suns coach Alvin Gentry, while Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Elston Turner will also interview for the job. Turner served as an assistant under Gentry in Phoenix.
  • When Shelvin Mack signed with the Hawks in March for the rest of the season, the deal included a team option for next season, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). It's probably for the minimum salary.
  • LeBron James appears to be a shoo-in for the MVP award, and it's likely he'll officially receive the honor on Sunday, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has a chance to become the first unanimous selection for the award, and Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida hears all three votes from Oklahoma City went to James instead of Kevin Durant

LeBron Unlikely To Sign With Jay-Z

Ever since rapper Jay-Z announced that he would be making a foray into sports representation with his Roc Nation company, there has been speculation that he could sign longtime friend LeBron James.  However, there is no reason to believe that James will abandon Klutch Sports to sign on with Jay-Z, a source tells Sam Amick of USA Today.

The theory that James would hook on with Jay-Z's company centers around the star's relationship with William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley.  Wesley is a part of CAA Sports, the company that has partnered with Jay-Z but also lost James as a client in September when he left for the newly formed Klutch Sports, captained by former CAA agent Rich Paul.

However, James has long since moved on from the "Worldwide Wes" chapter of his life and according to one source, the two hardly, if ever, speak these days.  Without that bridge, there's little reason to believe that James would consider a reunion with CAA.  Even if that connection was still in place, it would still be a stretch for him to come back to his old agency less than a year after parting ways.

You can keep up with the latest in NBA player representation with Hoops Rumors' brand new Agency Database.

Broussard On Cavs, Bucks, Suns, Wolves

Cavs fans worried about what the hiring of Mike Brown might mean for the team's potential pursuit of LeBron James in 2014 shouldn't put too much stock in the move one way or the other, says Chris Broussard in his latest ESPN.com piece (Insider-only link). Brown's return to Cleveland doesn't mean LeBron is coming back too, but it also shouldn't be a deterring factor, according to Broussard, who notes that there will be plenty of other factors in play over the next 14 months. The ESPN.com scribe explores that topic and a number of others in his article, so let's round up the highlights….

  • The Cavs are hoping to upgrade the roster before next summer in an attempt to lure James (or another impact free agent, presumably). As we heard from Adrian Wojnarwoski of Yahoo! Sports yesterday, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, and draft picks could be dangled as trade chips. Broussard mentions LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love as potential targets.
  • The Bucks would like to keep all three of their free agent guards this summer, but recognize that they'll probably only be able to retain two, with Brandon Jennings the player most likely to stay put.
  • Several sources around the league believed Lance Blanks, who the Suns fired earlier this week, was a scapegoat for the team's poor season. According to Broussard, the widely panned signing of Michael Beasley was Lon Babby's call, and Blanks had "little to do with" Alvin Gentry's firing as well.
  • Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman is viewed as the frontrunner for the Suns' GM opening, says Broussard.
  • Former Suns assistant Elston Turner may join Rick Adelman's staff in Minnesota, with an understanding that if Adelman steps down, Turner would take over as the Timberwolves' coach. We've heard in the past that Adelman "badly wanted" Turner on his staff when he first took the Wolves' job.
  • While Kevin McHale isn't expected to step down as Rockets head coach anytime soon, Broussard hears from sources that the team would have "strong interest" in Stan Van Gundy if McHale left.

Wojnarowski On LeBron, Cavs, Brown, Aldridge

Now that the Cavaliers have made it official, announcing that Mike Brown has returned as the team's head coach, one looming question is what effect the hire will have on Cleveland's potential pursuit of LeBron James in the summer of 2014. LeBron told the Associated Press (link via Cleveland.com) that he's "very happy" for Brown, adding that he's a "really good coach," but would James be interested in playing for his former coach again? Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tackles that subject in his latest column, so let's round up the highlights….

  • One former Cavs staffer told Wojnarowski that "the way Mike had to bend for LeBron weakened him as a leader. They'd be crazy to put him through that again. It's pointless."
  • One league source tells Wojnarowski "there are still some scars" when it comes to Brown and the Cavs, primarily centered on the coach's relationship with Dan Gilbert, who fired him in 2010.
  • Agent Rich Paul has created anticipation for LeBron's possible return to the Cavs in 2014, but according to Wojnarowski, "the idea of returning as the conquering hero is probably much more romantic than reality." Wojnarowski suggests that it's "unfathomable" that James would trade Miami, Erik Spoelstra, and Pat Riley for a return to Cleveland.
  • According to Wojnarowski, the Cavs have privately pitched the idea of trading young players and draft picks to the Trail Blazers for LaMarcus Aldridge.
  • Such a deal with Portland is unlikely to ever happen, says Wojnarowski, since the Cavs value their young players like Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters more than other teams around the league do.

Pat Riley On Big Three, Andersen, Spoelstra

Heat president Pat Riley held court with the media today for the first time since July, and offered insight on how the 66-win Heat were built, as well as a few hints about his plan to keep the defending champs together. Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com all provide detail. We'll round it up here:

  • Riley suggested the team may need a new, high-dollar local television contract to absorb the tax hit necessary to keep LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh together beyond 2014, when they can all opt out and become free agents. A report last summer suggested the team was in talks with Fox Sports about a deal that would pay them $80MM-$100MM per season, but both the team and Fox denied it. 
  • Riley thinks keeping the team together is "doable" and said the front office has already begun to craft its plan for doing so, but said it's ultimately up to Micky Arison to decide how much he wants to shell out.
  • Coach Erik Spoelstra was the driving force behind the team's midseason acquisition of Chris Andersen. "If I got another text from (Spoelstra) about getting Chris Andersen, I was going to put my hands around his neck," Riley quipped.
  • Riley declined comment on Spoelstra's contract, which runs out after next season.
  • The team believes Wade can handle point guard duties in case Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole goes down, and that's why they didn't seek more depth at the position this season.
  • It doesn't seem as though the Heat will fully embrace analytics anytime soon, as Riley said proponents of advance metrics "make me squeamy a little bit," Haberstroh tweets.

Odds & Ends: James, Clark, Sixers, Collison

When Heat general manager Pat Riley spoke out against Celtics general manager Danny Ainge last week, it was a calculated move on his part to keep LeBron James around after 2014, writes the Daily News' Mitch Lawrence.

 

Southeast Notes: Heat, Riley, LeBron, Korver, Kaman

Last night, Heat president Pat Riley released an official statement to the press that wasn't fit to print regarding Celtics president Danny Ainge.  Ainge said that it was "almost embarrassing" that LeBron James complained about the hard fouls he received during the club's loss to the Bulls, and Riley fired back in defense of his star.  "[Ainge] needs to shut the [expletive] up and manage his own team. He was the biggest whiner when he was playing, and I know that because I coached against him," said Riley, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.  Was there more to that comment than meets the eye? Here's more on that and  other notes out of the Southeast..

  • The aim of Riley's comment was to show his loyalty to James, who can become a free agent in the summer of 2014, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.  While the image-conscious James was reluctant to attach himself to Riley's profane language, he was clearly appreciative of the gesture.  "It was big-time to see that," James said after the Heat's win over New Orleans.
  • The Hawks' Kyle Korver will be a free agent in demand, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.  The veteran believes that he has a good four or five years left and wants to spend them with a winning team.
  • Chris Kaman could have been a free agent target for the Heat this summer, but it won't happen after recent comments made in a radio interview, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.  "I’m not much of a Dwyane Wade fan, but I’m a  [James] fan..I just never really got along with (Dwyane Wade). I guess I just don’t like his style or whatever. I didn’t like the year the Mavs lost when he got all the foul calls. I didn’t like that," Kaman told 104.1 FM The Ticket.