NBA Capsules: Bosh joins Wade in Miami, as they wait for LeBron
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Dwyane Wade’s future was muddled and uncertain, until Chris Bosh told him where he wanted to spend the next few years.
“I’m feeling Miami,” Bosh said.
Those three words were all Wade needed to make his decision.
Will they be enough to sway LeBron James to Miami? Stay tuned.
Ending months of speculation, Wade and Bosh announced Wednesday that they’ll sign with Miami, two decisions that vault the Heat back into the NBA championship picture and put them two-thirds of the way to hitting one of the biggest trifectas in NBA history. Wade, Bosh and James all have talked about playing together. On Thursday night, James will say why that will or will not happen.
“It’s over,” Wade said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s not all over-over, but for me, it’s over.”
James can’t say that yet.
Wade told the Heat that for him to re-sign, the team had to add either James or Bosh. For good measure, they might get both.
“It had to be one or the other,” Wade said in the AP interview. “Of course, there’s a lot of talented players in this league. But you want to look at players that complement my game, and Chris and LeBron are two of those guys. I had a decision to make. Chris had a decision to make. It wasn’t a lock that he would come to Miami. So I had a lot to think about.”
James averaged 29.7 points for Cleveland last season, Wade averaged 26.6 points for Miami and Bosh averaged career-bests of 24.0 points and 10.8 rebounds for Toronto.
They were the three kingpins of this long-hyped free-agent market, a trio of All-Stars who came into the league together seven years ago and structured their last contracts just to hit the open market together this summer, the last under the current terms of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
Now, the ball is in King James’ court.
“I expect us to compete for a championship,” Bosh told ESPN. “I think both Dwyane and I, we both wanted an opportunity where right away we would be competing. ... We’re ready to sacrifice a lot of things in order to do that. It’s not about the money. It’s not about anything else except for winning. I’m a winner. Dwyane’s a winner. We’re going to bring winning to Miami.”
That was Heat president Pat Riley’s plan.
Around the NBA, the immediate reaction was that Miami is poised to be in the mix for the 2011 title.
“It just makes the East that much better,” Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said in Orlando, Fla., where he was watching summer league games.
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was more succinct, lauding Bosh as “one of the best forwards in basketball.”
“I think they’re instant contenders,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt. They’re instant contenders to win an NBA championship.”
Wade’s summer of change is now almost complete. He settled four civil lawsuits stemming from failed business deals, finally completed a long-awaited divorce and was awarded temporary custody of his two sons. And the question he’d been hearing for years — staying or going? — has an answer.
It wasn’t easy.
For Wade, the decision came down to Miami vs. Chicago, adopted hometown vs. actual hometown.
The Bulls almost pulled it off, until Bosh said he was bullish on Miami.
“The good part of this was controlling your own destiny,” Wade told the AP. “It really meant a lot to me, and I’m sure if you ask Chris or ask LeBron, they’d say the same. You have a say-so. You can control the destiny of where and what’s best for you. And it’s not many times in your life or your career if you’re going to have that. This is it.”
Wade does not know what the terms of his contract will be (he could receive around $126 million for six years but told AP he would take less if necessary to make other deals work). Bosh doesn’t have terms of his deal done either. It’s all contingent on what James says Thursday night, and Wade insisted he knows nothing about what the two-time MVP will say or where he’ll be saying it from.
“I won’t speak to him again until he makes his decision,” Wade said in the AP interview. “And when it’s over, I will congratulate him.”
The Heat still have only four players in the picture for this coming season: Wade, Bosh, Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers. Miami is in discussions with several free agents, including Brendan Haywood, Mike Miller, Raymond Felton and Udonis Haslem — whom Wade has played with in all seven of his previous seasons.
The salary cap released for the 2010-11 season on Thursday was just over $58 million, about $2 million more than teams expected, and that extra money could likely be yet another free-agency edge for the Heat.
“We’ll see what the best thing is for us to win,” Wade told the AP. “I’m going to make a lot of money, no matter what happens. I’ve been blessed. I’m not counting every dollar and every cent. Let’s sit down, let’s see what the best thing is for us, for the long haul.”
Miami came into free agency with what turned out to be roughly $46 million of cap space, not including $16.5 million or so earmarked for Wade, thanks to years of avoiding just about any deal where money would have been committed for the 2010-11 season.
It was high-stakes poker, and Riley went all-in that he could get something done to make Wade happy.
Citing league rules, the Heat couldn’t express their glee Wednesday, since the NBA’s signing moratorium was ongoing.
Wade’s oldest son, however, isn’t bound by any restrictions.
Zaire Wade, 8, got woken by his father Wednesday with the news: Daddy’s staying in Miami.
“For real? Cool,” Zaire replied.
Wade knew he made the right choice.
“I felt great this morning, waking up knowing I’ve got another chapter behind me,” Wade told the AP. “Coming into the summer, I knew that I had a court case here, court case there, custody, all these things. Just took one step at a time, and this is another step in the journey of where I wanted to go, forward, not backward.”
LeBron’s Day arrives
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — More than two years of hype, drama, conjecture and expectation have dwindled to a few more hours.
LeBron James’ big moment is here — not as an NBA champion but as a free agent. There will be no parade, no ring ceremony, no banner raising.
Instead, on a prime time made-for-TV special his handlers contracted with ESPN, James will announce Thursday night where he’ll play next season and beyond. Fans from coast to coast will tune in to watch, with the ones in his home state of Ohio praying they won’t have their hearts broken again.
The Decision, it’s been dubbed.
In Cleveland, they can only hope it doesn’t join The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot and The Move in the lexicon of sports misery.
James has kept everyone waiting. It’s time to come clean.
“I’ll be watching,” said fellow free agent superstar Dwyane Wade, who agreed to re-sign with Miami on Wednesday and may be trying to recruit James. “We’ve scheduled it. I’ll make sure I’m in front of the TV tomorrow at 9 to watch like everyone else.”
James will announce his plans within the first 10 minutes of the special, Norby Williamson, ESPN’s vice president of production, told The Associated Press. He said sportscaster Jim Gray, who was hand-picked by James’ team, will handle the introduction, announcement and initial questions. A person familiar with the plans tells the AP the interview will take place at the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, Conn.
James offered no hints about his plans on his final, full day of free agency. His secret remains safe, despite an information frenzy and growing speculation the 25-year-old superstar might join Olympic teammates Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, a move that would rock the league.
That’s exactly what new Cavs coach Byron Scott doesn’t want. He showed up unannounced at James’ summer camp at the University of Akron and spent an hour watching the two-time MVP and Cleveland players Jamario Moon, Danny Green, Christian Eyenga and assistant coach Chris Jent scrimmage.
Scott, who was part of the Cavs’ presentation team that wooed James last week at the megastar’s business office in downtown Cleveland, said he did not speak with James but was keeping his fingers and toes crossed that James’ loyalty to his home state will sway his decision.
“I’m always hopeful,” Scott said.
Hope and home are what’s sustaining Cleveland’s die-hard fans. Although the Cavs could offer James $30 million more on a maximum-length contract than any other team, money might not be enough.
James wants to win championships. Without any salary-cap space, the Cavs, who also could try to swing a last-minute trade to make their roster more appealing to James, don’t have enough money to acquire the Robin to his Batman.
But in Cleveland, this goes deeper than dollars.
James is one of their own. Although he led the Cavs through the most successful stretch in their 40-year history, the Akron native came up short in winning a championship and snapping the city’s pro sports title drought dating to 1964. In Clevelanders’ minds, James has unfinished business. If he decides to leave them dry, he will be viewed as a villain on equal footing with Art Modell who packed up the Browns and bolted for Baltimore.
In the other NBA cities where James’ courtship has dominated the summer’s headlines, fans will hope their teams did enough to land LeBron:
— The New York Knicks are counting on the magic of Manhattan, Madison Square Garden and their recent agreement with Amare Stoudemire.
— The New Jersey Nets appealed to James’ global ambitions with Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, rap mogul Jay-Z — a close friend of James — a young roster and their planned move to Brooklyn.
— The Chicago Bulls, who at one point looked to be at the front of the line for James’ services, have rising stars Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, money to spend and just secured free agent forward Carlos Boozer, who played with James in Cleveland.
— And then there’s the Heat. Miami’s now got two All-Stars and is eager to make room for a third. It’s assumed Wade, Bosh and James all would have to take less money to play together, but the chance to win one, two, three or more titles might be enough to convince them to join forces and build a dynasty under president Pat Riley, who might even wind up as their coach.
There have been signs James is preparing for a new chapter in his career.
In recent days, he has relaunched a website that was dormant for two years and opened a Twitter account, which drew more than 250,000 followers in first two days of existence. Now, he has scheduled a TV special to tell the world what he’s doing next.
It’s a new LeBron, one moving faster than ever.
And maybe moving on.
--By TOM WITHERS
Nets don’t see their hopes as LeBron or bust
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — With Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh going to Miami, the New Jersey Nets don’t see their hopes for the future as being reduced to a LeBron James-or-bust scenario.
Far from it.
An official within the league who is close to Nets management says the team is still in the hunt for New York Knicks forward David Lee, and they believe they are going to get other players at bargain rates once the initial phase of free agency passes.
Of course, new owner Mikhail Prokhorov and his minions believe they have a chance of landing James.
The two-time MVP is scheduled to announce whether he plans to stay in Cleveland or play elsewhere in a nationally televised show on Thursday night.
Nets president and general manager Rod Thorn wrote a text message to The Associated Press on Wednesday night saying they were still involved in some talks.
With Wade and Bosh announcing on Wednesday that they will be playing for the Heat in Miami next season, the Nets spent a good portion of the day trying to set up a meeting with Boozer, who averaged team highs of 19.5 points and 11.2 rebounds for the Jazz last season.
The plans fell apart late in the afternoon when Boozer agreed to leave Utah and join the Chicago Bulls.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for the Nets, said the team was not going to overpay for free agents. The official said Boozer got $80 million for five years.
Boozer wasn’t the first free agent the Nets failed to persuade to come to New Jersey to play for a team that won a league-low 12 games last season.
Rudy Gay, who was possibly the Nets’ second choice in free agency, decided to stay with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Knicks and former Phoenix forward Amare Stoudemire then agreed to a five-year contract for roughly $100 million.
New Jersey, which also had meetings with Wade and Bosh on July 1, the first day of free agency, learned the pair was headed to Miami on Wednesday. Wade is staying. Bosh is joining a contender after years in Toronto.
“I think at the end of the day the New York Knicks and Chicago had to overspend on players,” the official within the league said. “We are not in the same situation as either team.”
The Nets are believed to have offered Boozer about $5 million less than the Bulls.
Mark Bartelstein, who represents Lee, said on Tuesday that the lines of communication have been open between him and Thorn about Lee, who averaged 20.2 points and 11.7 rebounds this past season.
Bartelstein did not immediately return two telephone messages left by the AP at his office in Chicago.
--By TOM CANAVAN
Clippers hire Del Negro as their new coach
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vinny Del Negro could have taken it easy after being fired by the Chicago Bulls. They still owe him money, so there was no pressing need to jump back on the NBA coaching carousel.
Still, he couldn’t resist.
Del Negro agreed to a three-year deal to coach the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, taking over a team that went 29-53 last season and missed the playoffs for the 15th time in 17 years.
“I know how difficult it is, I know the challenges that we have, but that’s what makes it interesting, that’s what makes it fun for me,” he said. “I love the competition, I love the challenge.”
He replaces Kim Hughes, who finished the season as interim coach after Mike Dunleavy stepped aside in February to focus on his GM duties before leaving for good in March.
Del Negro coached two seasons in Chicago, compiling an 82-82 overall record and leading the team to consecutive playoff appearances before being fired in May.
The Bulls still owe Del Negro $2.3 million for the final year of his contract. That amount will be offset by what the Clippers pay him in his first season, which Del Negro’s agent, Lon Rosen, declined to disclose.
“The opportunities, when they present themselves, you have to jump on them sometimes,” Del Negro said. “It’s the only one (job) I really went after.”
The Clippers went 8-33 on the road last season, their worst mark away from home since 1999-00, when they went 5-36. They are overshadowed by their Staples Center co-tenants, the two-time defending NBA champion Lakers.
“I don’t look in the rearview mirror, I just look forward. I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t feel I could make an impact. How it will all turn out, we’ll have to see,” Del Negro said.
“I can assure you the players will improve. If players are not going to perform the way I feel they should, they won’t be on the court. I have the support from management and ownership.”
Though he got Chicago back on track after a poor start last season, he feuded with team president John Paxson, and the two had a postgame physical altercation on March 30 involving Joakim Noah’s playing time.
Paxson later said he was wrong in how he handled the situation and that he was embarrassed about having put the Bulls in a bad position.
“John came out publicly and apologized, so that kind of answers all that,” Del Negro said. “I’m very proud of the job that my staff and myself did in Chicago for two years.”
Interim Clippers general manager Neal Olshey downplayed the incident.
“We didn’t think it was an issue,” he said. “You put a bunch of competitors in a room, that’s what’s going to happen. At the end of the day, the result was they won. It certainly didn’t affect the product on the court.”
Olshey was impressed by what Del Negro’s teams accomplished in his first two seasons as a coach.
“Vinny’s teams got better both years as the year went on,” he said. “In both instances they were better after the All-Star break than before and I don’t think that’s been our history here. This is a guy who wasn’t burning teams out.”
Blake Griffin, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft who missed the season because of a knee injury, was on hand at Staples Center to greet his new coach.
“He seems like a great coach. Obviously, he’s done a good job with Chicago,” Griffin said. “I like how he talked about developing the young players, and making sure that they are aggressive and they’re playing and not worried about making mistakes.
“I haven’t done a lot of snooping yet, but I’ll get to it.”
Clippers point guard Baron Davis, who is overseas, said in a statement, “Coach Del Negro gets his teams to play hard and play together, and that’s what we need. He is a former player who is not too far removed from the game, and I’m looking forward to doing whatever it takes to listen and learn from him to help this team win!”
Del Negro will begin assembling his coaching staff while giving consideration to last season’s assistants, whose contracts expired June 30. He will be in Las Vegas to watch the Clippers’ team that begins play in the summer league on July 12.
Before joining the Bulls, Del Negro served as assistant GM of the Phoenix Suns in 2007-08 after being promoted from his job as director of player personnel, which he held for one season. He moved to the front office after working three seasons as a color analyst for the Suns.
Del Negro played 12 seasons in the NBA, including stints with San Antonio, Milwaukee, Golden State and Phoenix before retiring in 2002. His contract was briefly acquired by the Clippers in 2001 as part of a three-team trade, but he never played for them before retiring.
--By BETH HARRIS
AP source: Boozer agrees to deal with Bulls
CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Boozer is headed to the Chicago Bulls. Now what about you, LeBron James?
A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that Boozer, a two-time All-Star forward, agreed to a deal on Wednesday and is leaving the Utah Jazz after six seasons. The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the contract can’t become official until 12:01 a.m. Thursday, did not reveal the terms.
Several outlets have reported it’s a five-year deal, and the Chicago Tribune cited a source saying the Bulls would still have enough room to offer a maximum salary contract to another free agent. The NBA set the salary cap at $58.04 million for next season on Wednesday.
Boozer becomes the latest chip to fall on a day when Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh confirmed they will play in Miami next season.
James, the jewel of this star-studded class, is still out there. While everyone awaits his announcement on Thursday night, the Bulls at least know they’re not coming away empty-handed after landing Boozer.
Anticipating about $30 million in cap room, the Bulls were looking to make a big splash in free agency after consecutive first-round playoff exits. Adding Boozer strengthens their standing in the Eastern Conference — and maybe makes them more attractive to James, his former teammate.
Boozer averaged 19.5 points and 11.2 rebounds last season. His arrival gives the Bulls a formidable pair in the frontcourt with Joakim Noah, not to mention a good pick-and-roll partner for All-Star point guard Derrick Rose.
There is some irony to this. Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson’s brother, Jim, was Cleveland’s general manager when Boozer left the Cavaliers following the 2003-04 season.
Cleveland, which could have exercised a one-year option after Boozer’s second season, thought they had a six-year, $41 million agreement in place and let him hit the market. Boozer wound up accepting a six-year, $68 million dollar contract as a restricted free agent that Cleveland chose not to match.
Jim Paxson is now a Bulls’ consultant and scout.
Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor did not immediately return a voicemail seeking comment Wednesday.
With Boozer, the Bulls finally have a big man who will command double-teams — something they’ve craved for years — and can hit the jumper. They now have two double-double players, with Noah averaging 10.7 points and 11.0 rebounds last season, and can still add a perimeter player.
If they don’t get James, they could go after someone like Kyle Korver, Mike Miller or even Ray Allen, although he has said he wants to return to Boston.
Boozer, meanwhile, has been limited by injuries in three of his six seasons with Utah and has clashed at times with management. But he played in 78 games the past season.
The U.S. Olympian would be one of the top prizes in free agency most summers, but this one has been anything but typical with the likes of James, Bosh and Wade available.
The Bulls put themselves in position to be major players by allowing Ben Gordon to sign with Detroit a year ago and trading John Salmons during the season. That gave them enough room to offer a maximum contract, but they didn’t stop there.
They agreed to trade Kirk Hinrich and his $9 million salary along with the 17th pick to Washington on draft day, putting them in position to land two stars. That deal becomes official Thursday, when the Wizards can take on Hinrich’s salary for next season without having to send back something of similar financial value.
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
Salary cap is $58.04 million, more than expected
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA salary cap for next season was set Wednesday at $58.04 million, a higher number than projected that could help Miami fill out a roster around Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and perhaps even LeBron James.
The cap goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, ending the league’s moratorium period and allowing free agent contracts to be signed.
It’s a slight increase from this season’s $57.7 million cap, a surprise for teams considering what they were bracing for last summer.
Teams were warned in a memo last July that the economic crisis could send the cap spiraling to somewhere between $50.4 million to $53.6 million, some $10 million below what teams were once anticipating.
Apparently, the league underestimated its revenues.
Commissioner David Stern said in April the league was projecting the cap to come in at $56.1, a result of creative work by teams in selling tickets and sponsorships that drove up revenues, and the number announced Wednesday even surpassed that.
The nearly $2 million more could be key for the Heat if they are able to persuade James to join Wade and Bosh, who announced Wednesday they plan to sign with Miami. The cap has no bearing on their first-year salaries in a maximum contract, which would be $16.6 million.
It means the Knicks have about $36 million to spend before contracts are signed, leaving them about $18.9 million left after Amare Stoudemire signs an expected five-year, $99.7 million deal.
The midlevel exception is $5.8 million and the tax level is $70.3 million. Any team that exceeds that will have to pay a $1 tax for every $1 it is over.
The minimum team salary is $43.5 million, 75 percent of the cap.
--By BRIAN MAHONEY
Durant says he’s reached 5-year deal with Thunder
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Kevin Durant didn’t go for a spectacle in announcing where he’ll be for the next five years.
Instead, Durant simply posted an update on his Twitter page Wednesday, saying he’d agreed to a five-year contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant can’t sign the deal until Thursday and team spokesman Brian Facchini said he could not confirm the deal under NBA rules.
“Exstension for 5 more years wit the thunder....God Is Great, me and my family came a long way...I love yall man forreal, this a blessing!” Durant tweeted.
Another post soon followed, presumably about the contract: “First time i cried n a while ... RIp Chucky, we doin wat we dreamed about..i swear i love all my bros!! yessir!!!
“Chucky” is one of Durant’s former coaches, Charles Craig, who was shot to death in Maryland in 2005.
The reigning NBA scoring leader is signed with the Thunder through next season under his original rookie contract, which would pay him about $5 million next year.
Oklahoma City, which is well under the salary cap, could offer Durant more than two times that much, depending on where the cap is set for next season.
Neither Durant’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, nor Durant’s spokeswoman, Mary Ford, immediately returned messages seeking comment. Yahoo Sports reported that Durant is expected to receive $85 million over five years and that Goodwin said the contract has a no opt-out clause after the fourth year.
Durant said last month that he wanted to stay in Oklahoma City, one of the NBA’s smallest markets.
“I hope it happens, man,” he said then. “I’m really emphasizing how much I really enjoy playing for the Oklahoma City team and playing for that city.”
Durant was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 draft and won the Rookie of the Year award. Last season, he was selected as an All-Star for the first time and averaged 30.1 points to become the youngest player to lead the league in scoring.
He led the Thunder to a 50-32 record — a 27-win improvement over the previous season — and the first round of the NBA playoffs. Oklahoma City fell to the eventual NBA champion Lakers in six games.
Knicks believe they still have a shot at James
NEW YORK (AP) — A day before LeBron James’ decision, the New York Knicks believe they still have a chance.
A team spokesman says the team has not been told it is out of the race for James, who is set to announce where he will play next season during an ESPN special on Thursday night.
The Knicks made their pitch to James last Thursday in Cleveland and believe they became even more attractive to him when All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire agreed to sign with New York on Monday.
Stoudemire said he would try to recruit James to come along. He wrote a message to James on Twitter on Wednesday, telling the MVP to join him in New York and saying “Oh let’s do it!!”
New York has enough salary cap space to sign two players to maximum level contracts, and learned Wednesday it will even some money left over. The salary cap was set at $58.04 million, nearly $2 million higher than the $56.1 million that was projected.
That means the Knicks will have about $18.9 million left after Stoudemire signs an expected five-year, $99.7 million deal. The team will introduce him at an afternoon news conference, then turn its attention to James’ announcement planned for 9 p.m.
A person familiar with the plans told The Associated Press the interview will take place at the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, Conn., not far from where the Knicks practice in Westchester County, N.Y.
If they don’t get James, the Knicks will begin turning their attention to other players, with point guard being one of their biggest needs. Chris Duhon, the starter most of the last two seasons, has agreed to sign with the Orlando Magic.
--By MURRAY EVANS
