Big Three Idea Falls by the Wayside
By the time the sun sets this Friday evening, the respective sagas of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade will have taken very definite turns, with each player choosing a new locker and a new course in history.
But time is still ticking, and the feelings down to the minute are increasingly showing that what was initially predicted to be a seismic shift in the basketball climate—with a few of its top players joining forces to take out Bryant and the Lakers—will be a lot quieter on the Richter scale.
Remember a week ago when Stephen A. Smith reported on his radio show that the triple threat was taking their business to Miami for a fact? Remember news reports that the three were hanging by the poolside, discussing hip-hop tracks and the possibility of championship rings? Neither do we. Only days after the frenzy, the idea that Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will sign on with the same team is looking less and less feasible.
Things change fast when a bunch of young men get together trying to decide the most significant moves in their professional lives.
From its inception it was a more attractive idea in the abstract that the meat of the 2010 free agency would work together towards a common future. In reality, the three couldn’t even manage a summit before the markets of various teams got to them with their pitches and cornucopian selection of wines.
In the ‘hail-all’ world of cash-money, gone is the idea that the three will cooperate. If they shared all the available salary-cap slots in Miami, each and every one of them would have to take significant pay cuts. And the reality of the sport and of these star athletes today is that legacy and championships just aren’t enough. Plus, if they were to join forces and win a championship, who would get all the credit? What would the dynamic be?
The logic of cooperation makes individuality a muddy thing.
Tuesday reports were suggesting that James is likely to stay home in Cleveland, and that Bosh won’t be joining the party there. Sources still weren’t willing to rule out Bosh with the Raptors. One executive recently said that at this point “nothing would surprise me.”
The idea of Bosh and Wade joining in Chicago, as well as Bosh and James, has been thrown around. But for these things to take form, someone would have to commit first, and that goes entirely against the nature of the courtship on deck. It would also entail one of these guys bidding farewell not just to a franchise, but to the media image and attention they’ve garnered over the past week. Finally, it would entail trust. Someone would have to say:
“I’ll do it. I’ll take a big step and trust that you’ll follow.”
Sources say it’s not likely the Bulls would have enough assets to sign-and-trade two “max” players, so of the three who would sacrifice that six year of money for a new best friend? Is any basketball buddy worth giving up $30 million?
Bosh and Wade in Miami still seems plausible, if not entirely realistic. Miami has no resources to sign-and-trade with Toronto. And probably Bosh won’t be taking less money to be Robin, when he’s spent over six years trying to fit into the Bat suit.
James has seen the best of offers, and it’s obvious that he’s fond of Cleveland. The trouble is it’s unclear whether he has championship opportunities with the Cavs, and according to various analyses it’s unlikely he’ll be able to reach billionaire status there (according to New York Knicks’ brand consultants, staying with the Cavs would be reducing his billionaire status from 46.6 per cent to 1.3 per cent).
Still, in the coming days, it’s as up for grabs as a half-time shot.
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