This is my first blog post and I know a lot of people are going to think I'm crazy (which I might actually be) for even thinking LeBron would go to Texas. As odd as it may sound, I think LeBron would be a fool not to consider signing with the Mavericks this summer, and its not as far fetched as it may seem. First and foremost, I am a Blazers fan. I'm not some die hard Mavs fan who's just dreaming about seeing King James bring his once-in-a-generation talent to North Texas.
Personally, I think LeBron should stay in Cleveland. However, If he were to leave the Buckeye state, Dallas would be his best option. Yes, Dallas, not the Knicks.
Here's why it could work:
* Mavs can renounce Josh Howard and his 10M contract
* Erick Dampier's 12M contract can come off the books for 2010-11
* Drew Gooden is in the last year of a 4.5M deal
* LBJ listed Dallas as one of his favorite cities (along w/ NYC, LA, Washington, DC and his hometown of Akron)
* No state tax in Texas
* He can play w/ J Kidd and Dirk
* He's a big Cowboys fan
* Mark Cuban and a class organization
Sure, there's more star power in NY, but on July 1st if Mark Cuban, Jerry Jones, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd knock on his door who can offer a better deal?
I wouldn't be surprised if LBJ's trip to the new Cowboy stadium's grand opening was an unofficial recruiting trip that Cuban and Jerry Jones had worked out.
If anyone knows anything about Dallas, Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban will do ANYTHING to make Dallas the best sports town in America. Anything.
The American Airlines Center is the best arena in the NBA, we all know about the billion dollar stadium the Cowboy's call home. Recently Jones and Cuban have worked together to bring the All Star game to DFW and they're promoting it as the biggest all-star weekend ever. Would you be surprised to see they're working together to court LeBron and give him the red carpet treatment all weekend?
MAVS FLEXIBILITY
If Dallas decides to renounce the rights to Dampier and Howard that will open up 23 million dollars in cap room this summer. 23M is enough to sign LeBron to a max deal, but it will also allow him to play for a title contender with 2 sure fire 1st ballot hall of famers. If he signs w/ the Knicks he wont even have an all-star sidekick and barely would play with another starter who could crack the top 5 of a good playoff team.
NO STATE TAX
A big factor that a lot of people will overlook is there's no state tax in Texas. This past summer Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza switched teams and both signed 5 yrs 33M contracts. Artest signed w/ the Lakers and Ariza w/ the Rockets. Because Ariza is playing in Texas w/o having state taxes deducted from his check, he'll net around 5 million dollars more than Artest. Now imagine how much money LBJ will save if he signs a contract w/ the Mavs (or any other team from Texas or Florida) this offseason.
SORRY KNICK FANS
For all the Knick fans who say " He wants to go global, so he'll sign with New York" or "He'll be a bigger star playing for the Knicks"...Pump your breaks and slow down.
Everyone says NY has the big media, mecca etc. I think Dallas can offer the same thing if not more!
Dallas is a great sports town and the Cowboys are known as America's team. Dallas is the type of city where an above avg QB like Tony Romo can become a tabloid star, just like in New York.
LeBron in Dallas would even be a bigger deal than the billion dollar stadium in Arlington.
James' star power would automatically put the Mavs as the favorite in the western conference, guarantee more matchups w/ Kobe Bryant and the Lakers and make the Mavs just as popular if not more popular than the Cowboys. Yes, more popular than the Cowboys.
Oh yeah, unless the Knicks can work out a trade for Eddy Curry and Jard Jeffries, they wont have the money to sign LeBron and upgrade their current roster. Not to mention, New York does not own a 1st round pick in the 2010 draft and must resign their best players David Lee, Al Harrington and Nate Robinson to contracts. The shrinking cap, bad contracts and drafting Jordan Hill over Brandon Jennings may have cost the Knicks a shot at signing LeBron.
GOING GLOBAL
There's no doubt LeBron going to New York would make him a bigger global star, but don't sleep on Dallas. James is arguably the best player in the world and going to the Mavericks would make him teammates w/the the best European to ever play in the NBA. Not only would LeBron and Dirk Nowitzki be the best 1-2 punch in the NBA, but their impact across the globe would be enormous. More fans in the US would appreciate Dirk's skill set (I think Dirk is grossly underrated) and LeBron's celebrity would expand in European countries especially Germany.
Although Dallas is not New York, Dallas- Ft. Worth boasts the U.S's 5th largest media market and Texas has recently passed New York for the lead in Forbes Fortune 500 company headquarters. At the minimum, playing in Dallas would offer more marketing opportunities than Cleveland and just as many as playing in Gothman City.
In conclusion, I think LeBron should stay in Cleveland. However, If he were to consider leaving the Cavs, Dallas would be an ideal fit. He'd play w/ a pass first PG that who can knock down open shots, a 25 ppg scorer in Dirk who's led a team to the NBA finals, a great owner and winning organization.
