Calabro’s take on NBA free agent news
Jul 7, 2010, 3:52 PM | Updated: Apr 4, 2011, 7:55 pm
Some of the big names in NBA free agency are beginning to make their decisions. Today Dwyane Wade announced he’s staying in Miami. Chris Bosh will join him to try and get the Heat back to the finals. Carlos Boozer also signed an $80 million contract with the Chicago Bulls.
The big announcement comes tomorrow at 6 p.m. when LeBron James will make his decision live on ESPN. Here’s Kevin Calabro’s take on what has happened so far in NBA free agency and where he thinks LeBron will sign:
Chris Bosh goes to Miami to join Dwyane Wade. This is something that Bosh, Wade and LeBron James have dreamed about for some time. They all signed contracts that coincided with the same free agent year. They have a history together and they would seem to meld together well as a team.
When you consider it, LeBron James is selfless. He likes to create plays for other players, as well as get his own, but primarily a guy with great vision and can pass extremely well, particularly when he’s on the perimeter.
He is not a guy that is known around the league as one of the most efficient finishers in the game – Dwyane Wade is. Wade has won a championship; Wade is a guy that you would put probably in the same category as Kobe Bryant when it comes to closing down a game in the last minute of play.
You have Dwyane Wade, who could actually play point – LeBron could move to a forward position with Chris Bosh playing at the other forward position, even playing a small forward position. Bosh is not a guy that wants to lead a team or is capable of carrying a team on his shoulders as much as he tried there in Toronto. But he’s an extremely efficient player when it comes to offensive glass and mid-range shot. He has some post up game but is not a dominating post up player.
He would prefer to play forward rather than center … But for now Dwyane Wade, Chis Bosh, good starting point for the Miami Heat – much better than they have had in the past with a player like Udonis Haslem, who was limited offensively at the power forward position. And of course Michael Beasley, who has been a huge disappointment since he was drafted out of Kansas State just a couple of years ago.
This is a good start for Miami and it may mean that Pat Riley will come back and coach for the Heat if that’s what it takes to get LeBron James down to Miami. We’ll find out tomorrow when he makes his big announcement at 6 p.m.
As for Carlos Boozer going to the Chicago Bulls, you put him out there with Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose and Luol Deng if they don’t part company with Luol Deng to make room for LeBron James. If James decides he’s not going to Chicago, boy, that’s an impact lineup as well.
Don’t write LeBron out of the New York situation. Amar’e Stoudemire is there, needs someone, but they also need a point guard there in New York. There in Chicago they have an extremely fine point guard, one of the elite point guards in Derrick Rose, now joined of course by Carlos Boozer. They can run a lot of pick and roll, Joakim Noah going to the glass and then Loul Deng spacing the floor and running the floor on the wing as well. Pretty good team, even without LeBron James.
