Lebron James Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: James, Gibson, Draft, Stuckey

March 27th, 2012 at 5:48pm CST by Michael Pina

It's being reported by ESPN.com's Chris Broussard that early on in Miami's 105-90 loss against Indiana last night, LeBron James may have dislocated the ring finger on his left hand. In 41 minutes, James scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds in what was Miami's second straight loss.

According to the Associated Press, Georgetown junior Hollis Thompson is planning on hiring an agent, and will enter the NBA draft. This year he shot 43% from behind the three-point line, which led the entire Big East. Thompson finished the season as the Hoyas' second leading scorer, and third leading rebounder.
Cavaliers shooting guard Daniel Gibson has a torn tendon in his right foot and may miss the remainder of the season. Gibson is currently seeking multiple opinions pertaining to the injury's severity, but with only a month left in the season and Cleveland all but out of the playoff picture—not to mention the fact that they recently signed guards Donald Sloan and Manny Harris—it's more than likely he won't see the court again.
In a recent USA Today article, Rodney Stuckey told writer Jeff Zillgitt that he saw a psychologist in order to cope with all the recent losing he's experienced with the Pistons. Stuckey is in the midst of a resurgent season that last saw him hit a game-winning shot against the Wizards last night.
Since being traded to the Nets, Gerald Wallace has experienced loss after loss, but he's keeping a positive attitude, according to the Newark Star-Ledger's Colin Stephenson.
The Bobcats haven't found the most success this season. The Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell writes that if they don't turn things around, they could go down as the worst team in NBA history.

LeBron Stresses Commitment To Heat

February 17th, 2012 at 9:35pm CST by Sean Highkin

LeBron James sparked controversy earlier this week with comments that he would be open to a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played the first seven seasons of his career. However, on Friday, he clarified these comments, as reported by the Associated Press (via The New York Times):

"I love the fans of Miami. I'm here," he said following Friday's shootaround as the Heat prepared to play the Cavs. "The question was asked of me, could I see myself playing back here. I said yeah, in the sense of I don't know what my future holds and I don't want to take that out. I love the fans of Miami.

"I've got everything thing invested with this team. I'm looking forward to the years to come."

These latest comments are intended to diffuse the firestorm caused by some earlier comments that hinted at a return to the Cavs for James in the future. He signed a six-year deal with the Heat worth $110MM in July 2010 and can opt out after the fourth year, giving him the ability to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2013/14 season.

LeBron Laying Groundwork For Return To Cavs?

February 17th, 2012 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Heat set to face the Cavaliers in Cleveland tonight, the focus is on LeBron James, who yesterday expressed an openness to eventually play in Cleveland again before telling Heat fans not to worry today. While both remarks struck me as attempts by James to make everyone happy, Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo Sports says LeBron came to Cleveland on a mission this week, and that his comments were no accident.

According to Wojnarowski, James delivered the same message he expressed publicly yesterday to Cavs owner Dan Gilbert months ago via "an emissary or two." Wojnarowski says LeBron is legitimately interested in the possibility of returning to Cleveland when he can opt out of his current contract (2014) and is already putting out feelers. Says one source to Yahoo: "[LeBron] has started to lay the groundwork, and he’s waiting to see what Dan Gilbert’s reaction to it is."

Under NBA tampering rules, Gilbert can't reply to James' comments, so we shouldn't to expect to hear anything out of the Cavs' camp. And with over two years until he even has the chance to opt out of his current deal, the two-time MVP could easily change his mind a few more times before he even hits free agency again. However, according to the Yahoo report, LeBron has nagging doubts about Miami.

Wojnarowski is blunt in his assessment of LeBron's motives, writing that the former Cavalier "lives for the recruitment, lives to be wanted elsewhere," and rightly pointing out that the Heat and president Pat Riley must be "livid" about James discussing free agency already.

Whether or not James is serious about a potential return to Cleveland, this week has made one thing clear: The road to The Decision: Part II could be even longer and more winding than the first time around.

Cavs Notes: LeBron, Varejao, Jamison

February 16th, 2012 at 10:15pm CST by Alex Lee

With LeBron James stirring up a hornet's nest with his surprising comments about potentially wanting to return to play for the Cavaliers, let us take a look at some other recent news in Cleveland:

The announcement that Anderson Varejao will officially miss 4 to 6 weeks while he recovers from a broken wrist likely ends any lingering trade talk involving the Cleveland center. With Varejao out for at least a month the Cavs are unlikely to make a run at the 8-seed in East, and may be more likely to be active at the trade deadline.
Luke Adams examined Antawn Jamison as a trade candidate yesterday, concluding they won't get an offer more valuable than having Jamison's $15MM come off the books in the offseason. John Hollinger agreed in an ESPN.com chat today, saying that a post-deadline buyout is looking more and more likely.

Odds & Ends: LeBron, Chandler, Lin, Barnes

February 16th, 2012 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

LeBron James raised some eyebrows earlier today when he told reporters, including Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, that he wouldn't rule out eventually returning to Cleveland:

"It would be fun to play in front of these fans again," said James. "I had a lot fun times in my seven years here. You can't predict the future, and hopefully I continue to stay healthy. I'm here as a Miami Heat player, and I'm happy where I am now, but I don't rule that out in no sense…. And if I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me."

While James sounded contrite about the way he left the Cavaliers, I can't bring myself to put much stock into his comments about potentially returning. It strikes me as an attempt to mend fences and shed the villainous reputation he earned in Ohio following "The Decision."

Here are a few more links from around the league:

While J.R. Smith seemed anxious to leave China as soon as possible, Wilson Chandler had nothing but positive things to Sun Xiaochen of China Daily about his experience in the CBA: "It has been a very good learning curve and experience for me and has helped me mature in some ways and develop parts of my game that I hadn't worked on in a while."
The latest "We could have had Jeremy Lin!" story comes out of Boston, as Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports the Celtics twice hoped to claim Lin on waivers, but lost out to the Rockets and Knicks.
Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle doesn't blame Rockets GM Daryl Morey for letting Lin go.
Sophomore Harrison Barnes tells Chris Thomasson of FOX Sports Florida that it'd be a "no-brainer" to declare for this year's draft if UNC wins the national championship this year. I'm betting Barnes, who figures to be a top-five pick, will be entering the draft even if the Tar Heels are bounced from March Madness early.