NBA Odds: Where is LeBron James Going?
It just might turn out to be the hottest prop bet of the summer. While LeBron James and the rest of the Cavaliers are sitting at home watching the rest of the NBA playoffs, suitors are lining up for the King's services. Cleveland ended its season in total disarray, yet the Cavs will have the most money to throw at James. Where he lands for next season and beyond could depend on Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
What if Michael Jordan had injured his elbow way back in 1991? Maybe that prevents him from leading the Chicago Bulls to their first of six NBA championships. Maybe Jordan leaves town and seeks his fortune with a winning organization – like the New York Knicks. What becomes of the Bulls franchise then?
Here we are nearly 20 years down the road, and the Cleveland Cavaliers may be about to lose their Michael Jordan. Two-time and reigning MVP LeBron James is staring at free agency now that the Cavaliers have been sent packing from the NBA playoffs.
The Cavs were just 4-7 ATS combined against the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics; James was bothered by a mysterious injury to his right elbow, and the supporting cast of players in Cleveland wasn’t terribly supportive in the end.
Fans in Cleveland (named the Most Tortured Sports City in America by ESPN in 2004) are understandably anxious that King James may be on his way to greener pastures. But they should take some comfort in the betting odds: James is 1-1 to make his 2010-11 season debut with the Cavaliers. Here are LeBron’s other likely destinations according to the props market:
Chicago Bulls 2-1
New York Knicks 5-2
New Jersey Nets 5-1
Miami Heat 15-2
This should be the hottest prop bet of the summer. Armchair GMs across the country have been buzzing about the 2010 free agent crop for the past two years; Cleveland’s early exit from the playoffs has only added fuel to the speculation over where James, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, and Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors will choose to sign. And much of that speculation isn’t grounded in reality.
For example, there’s the ongoing idea about James playing for his good friend Jay-Z, part owner of the Nets and one of the figures behind the push to move the franchise to Brooklyn.
But that move has been on the back burner for quite some time, and according to former basketball insider and LeBron confidant Sonny Vaccaro, James has no interest in playing in Newark next year. That makes New Jersey’s chances look more like zero to me than 5-1.
The rationale for James staying in Cleveland is twofold. One, the Cavs can offer James more money than any of the other 29 teams in the NBA. Two, James has built up a tremendous amount of goodwill playing in his home state, and that will be difficult to abandon even if it improves his chances at an NBA title – and Cleveland is already tantalizingly close to winning it all. But again, Vaccaro says he’s under the impression LeBron is leaving, and Vaccaro specifically mentioned the Bulls as “the perfect fit.”
It’s entirely possible Vaccaro said this to the press as part of a larger disinformation strategy to improve James’ bargaining position. This kind of thing happens all the time. But Chicago does indeed fit Vaccaro’s profile. The Bulls have three very useful pieces in Derrick Rose (18.69 PER), Joakim Noah (17.96 PER) and Luol Deng (16.14 PER).
The Bulls also have a vacancy at head coach; rumor has it John Calipari could leave Kentucky to coach LeBron in Chicago. And they might even scrape together the cap space to land Wade or Bosh, as well.
As they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. James has told reporters that he, Bosh and Wade will all sit down at some point and see if any of them have a mutual interest in playing for the same team. Bosh’s name has already come up by itself in discussions about the Bulls. Wade appears to be more likely to stay in Miami, which is already a popular free-agent destination.
I think the chances of LeBron (and Bosh) ending up with the Bulls next year are nearly one in one, with a very small window of opportunity for the Cavaliers as the incumbent to find a way to keep their hero in wine and gold.
It just might turn out to be the hottest prop bet of the summer. While LeBron James and the rest of the Cavaliers are sitting at home watching the rest of the NBA playoffs, suitors are lining up for the King's services. Cleveland ended its season in total disarray, yet the Cavs will have the most money to throw at James. Where he lands for next season and beyond could depend on Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
What if Michael Jordan had injured his elbow way back in 1991? Maybe that prevents him from leading the Chicago Bulls to their first of six NBA championships. Maybe Jordan leaves town and seeks his fortune with a winning organization – like the New York Knicks. What becomes of the Bulls franchise then?
Here we are nearly 20 years down the road, and the Cleveland Cavaliers may be about to lose their Michael Jordan. Two-time and reigning MVP LeBron James is staring at free agency now that the Cavaliers have been sent packing from the NBA playoffs.
The Cavs were just 4-7 ATS combined against the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics; James was bothered by a mysterious injury to his right elbow, and the supporting cast of players in Cleveland wasn’t terribly supportive in the end.
Fans in Cleveland (named the Most Tortured Sports City in America by ESPN in 2004) are understandably anxious that King James may be on his way to greener pastures. But they should take some comfort in the betting odds: James is 1-1 to make his 2010-11 season debut with the Cavaliers. Here are LeBron’s other likely destinations according to the props market:
Chicago Bulls 2-1
New York Knicks 5-2
New Jersey Nets 5-1
Miami Heat 15-2
This should be the hottest prop bet of the summer. Armchair GMs across the country have been buzzing about the 2010 free agent crop for the past two years; Cleveland’s early exit from the playoffs has only added fuel to the speculation over where James, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, and Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors will choose to sign. And much of that speculation isn’t grounded in reality.
For example, there’s the ongoing idea about James playing for his good friend Jay-Z, part owner of the Nets and one of the figures behind the push to move the franchise to Brooklyn.
But that move has been on the back burner for quite some time, and according to former basketball insider and LeBron confidant Sonny Vaccaro, James has no interest in playing in Newark next year. That makes New Jersey’s chances look more like zero to me than 5-1.
The rationale for James staying in Cleveland is twofold. One, the Cavs can offer James more money than any of the other 29 teams in the NBA. Two, James has built up a tremendous amount of goodwill playing in his home state, and that will be difficult to abandon even if it improves his chances at an NBA title – and Cleveland is already tantalizingly close to winning it all. But again, Vaccaro says he’s under the impression LeBron is leaving, and Vaccaro specifically mentioned the Bulls as “the perfect fit.”
It’s entirely possible Vaccaro said this to the press as part of a larger disinformation strategy to improve James’ bargaining position. This kind of thing happens all the time. But Chicago does indeed fit Vaccaro’s profile. The Bulls have three very useful pieces in Derrick Rose (18.69 PER), Joakim Noah (17.96 PER) and Luol Deng (16.14 PER).
The Bulls also have a vacancy at head coach; rumor has it John Calipari could leave Kentucky to coach LeBron in Chicago. And they might even scrape together the cap space to land Wade or Bosh, as well.
As they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. James has told reporters that he, Bosh and Wade will all sit down at some point and see if any of them have a mutual interest in playing for the same team. Bosh’s name has already come up by itself in discussions about the Bulls. Wade appears to be more likely to stay in Miami, which is already a popular free-agent destination.
I think the chances of LeBron (and Bosh) ending up with the Bulls next year are nearly one in one, with a very small window of opportunity for the Cavaliers as the incumbent to find a way to keep their hero in wine and gold.
