The Chicago Bulls became the celebrated stars of the NBA draft for nothing more than a salary dump. LeBron James could only add to the madness if he turns his back on the Cavaliers, Bud Shaw writes.
Tom Thibedeau may not be the biggest name in NBA coaching circles, but the Chicago Bulls are touting a talented roster and the legacy of their six Michael Jordon-inspired NBA championship trophies in wooing LeBron James.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's a mad, mad NBA world when the Chicago Bulls become the celebrated star of draft night for dumping the salary of Kirk Hinrich, one of their better players.
LeBron James would only add to the madness if he rewards fawning overtures from underachievers by punishing the Cavaliers for going all out to bring a championship to town.
Leaving is James' right through free agency. That doesn't make it any less unseemly if he decides to go elsewhere on the basis that another team has more roster flexibility and a younger talent pool to build a title contender.
Gee, wonder how that happened? How did the Cavs get so far over the cap, so handcuffed in comparison to Chicago, Miami, the Knicks and the Nets?
A mystery it is, but only if he conveniently forgets they tried to win a title in the three years James gave them when he signed his contract extension.
James kept ownership on high alert by shortening his term of employment last time around. Good business, it was. At least for him. For the Cavs, it was a dangerous game of Russian Roulette in which the contracts of Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison became extra bullets in the chamber.
After the first playoff crash against Boston a few years back, James cried out for more help. The Cavs couldn't chance that again. So they signed Shaquille O'Neal a season too late. They took on Jamison's contract, then watched him and Williams slip out of view in the postseason.
(Of course, James did, too, in Game 5. If he's who he says he is, he doesn't leave like that. End of story)
Meanwhile, the Bulls have only occasionally been worth the price of admission since Michael Jordan's retirement. That's 12 years ago now. There's a reason they were in position to draft Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.
This season they won 41 games and finished 20 games behind the Cavs. They fired their coach and hired a rookie in Tom Thibodeau from Boston. And now, they're the sexy option, the one given a serious chance to catch James' eye when the free agent equivalent of "The Bachelor" begins Thursday?
OK, so maybe what goes around comes around. Jim Paxson's Cavaliers were far less concerned about winning than the Bulls were when they stripped their roster during James' senior year in high school to increase their chances of landing him in the lottery.
Look, I don't blame them, the Bulls or any other team for doing whatever is necessary to acquire James.
The choice is his. The blame sits with him if he goes head over heels in free agency and dumps the area he claims to love and the organization he so recently praised for its efforts in building a championship team around him.
If the Hinrich trade goes through on July 8 as expected, Chicago could have $30 million or so to attract free agents. That was the sole motivation for the deal.
According to Yahoo! Sports, William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley is telling people James is ready to leave Cleveland for Chicago. Take that for what it's worth. I'm only "West Park Wide," but I believe James re-signs with the Cavs despite the hard sell from Chicago and elsewhere.
That Chicago billboard wooing him with the words "Unfinished Business?" That's an odd pitch.
The way this past season ended here is nothing if not unfinished business for LeBron James.