Quote:
Originally Posted by BGMaverick9
Lol...ok then my question is now, does it matter who gets to him SECOND?
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Only if Lebron wants it to matter.
j/k...sort of.
Lebron's the star of the show this summer, and he and his agent will decide who he meets with in what order, so:
1) I don't think the teams that come bidding for his services will have much say in whether they're first, last, or anywhere in between, regardless of how aggressive and proactive they are, and...
2) I don't think that Lebron will be so honored and bowled over by his first outside suitor (c.f., Nash), or so insulted by his former team (c.f., uh...Nash) that the ordering of the proposals will give any team an advantage.
That said, I do think that Lebron and his agent will be very deliberate about scheduling meetings. I think they'll give Cleveland the honor of the first meeting, and it wouldn't surprise me to see the Knicks get the second, if for no other reason than because nothing will generate more buzz than the prospect of Lebron going to New York. If somebody else gets let into line ahead of the Knicks, though, I'd be inclined to read something into that.
You know, actually, I suspect it's with the other free agents, including Wade, that getting there first (or at least making it known that you'd like to get there first) could make a difference. Those are some proud, competitive guys out there, and as July 1 nears they're all going to be getting pretty damn tired of hearing Lebron's name, no matter how friendly they are with one another at their little free agent summit. The smartest play might very well be to go hard and heavy after your favorite non-Lebron free agent (that being Wade by a mile in my book) from the get-go and make it clear to them that you're prepared to make them your first priority the moment they're ready to commit to your franchise, regardless of whether Lebron's allegiance is still up in the air.