| 14 May 2010
Big fan of Wilbon's little clip about LBJ.
But yeah, so it happened. A little of Bulls fans' prayers were answered tonight. And it wasn't easy rooting for the Celtics. Glad I don't have to do that anymore. But hey, the Cavs got bounced. And so the anticipation begins. The painful agonizing anticipation. Immediately afterward, this is what Chad Ford had to say:
Boston Celtics fans were chanting "New York Knicks" during Thursday's Game 6 every time that LeBron James went to the foul line. Maybe they should've been chanting "Chicago Bulls." Within minutes of the Cleveland Cavaliers' elimination at the hands of the Celtics, the speculation about LeBron James' next destination resumed in full force. In the space of five minutes I heard from three NBA GMs via text, e-mail and phone. All three said that based on the information they have, they believe LeBron will leave the Cavs. More surprisingly, all of them said they believe the destination will be the Chicago Bulls. Two said they believe that John Calipari will be the Bulls' new head coach. One GM went a bit further in a phone call a few minutes later. "I think the Bulls are really going to go for it. Look for them to offer the Cavs Luol Deng in a sign-and-trade for LeBron. That will allow them to retain most of their cap space. Then they'll go after Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh as well." I'm sure we'll hear various scenarios involving the Knicks, Nets and Heat over the course of the next month. But it's hard to come up with any other scenario that would be quite as appealing for LeBron.
Looks like Chad Ford is a believer. But Sam Smith isn't. Immediately after the Chad Ford report broke, Smith said the following via his twitter page.
"Just heard from 3 GM's who told me they don't know what LeBron will do. How amazingly stupid are reports already he is going to Bulls."
Sammy boy has a point. Every report released right now is raw and incredibly speculative. Even the GM's who are contacting Ford aren't necessarily being rational and they're all guessing anyway. Of course GMs know more about the ins and outs than we do, so I don't dismiss Ford's report completely. In fact I do think it is significant. But I think Sam has a point as well. It's all pure speculation. But hey, the LeBron to Chicago movement has a ton of momentum and I don't see it slowing down any time soon. In fact, www.sendlebrontochicago.com was even mentioned on CSN Chicago on Sportsnite tonight. How soon until it is being mentioned on ESPN? Thatta boy, AJ.
As for LeBron...no fancy LBJ sweater vest in this post-game press conference. No Bling. No shades. Humbled. But it's almost like something's different. From this point forward, everything else is gonna be on the backburner for him. It's going to be all about winning. Now. He cannot do that in Cleveland. He's tried now. If he can't do it with the team he had this year, it ain't happening. This year's team is much better than last year's...and it fared worse. He knows he has to get out now...
Options...yessir.
And Chris Broussard continues to be a strong believer in the fact that this is now a 3-horse race between the Cavs, Bulls, and Knicks. He says the Cavs are frontrunners, but the Bulls are right behind with the Knicks falling to 3rd. And if he had to pick right now, he'd pick the Bulls. There's a laundry list of reasons why the Bulls are the best option. Broussard knows it. Bulls fans know it. Knicks fans, as much as they deny it, must know it. LeBron has to know it as well. The list includes Rose, Noah, trade and sign pieces to get another star free agent, the opportunity to pick his coach, the chance to win for the next decade and a half and start a true dynasty with young superstars...all of which will be discussed ad nauseum this summer. But not right now. Let us enjoy the city of Cleveland's continued misery and the fact that they never win at anything...ever. Just kidding, I do feel bad for them. Well, not really. Man...I am exhausted...but excited.
