Joe Johnson to Cavs?

[lefty08]

The difference is those teams built around their stars. Cleveland refused to. They thought LBJ would stay there forever because he was an Ohio boy, and brought in players like Jamison and Shaq on the tail end of their careers. Miami would spend to build a team. Cleveland is now spending. How he did it was foolish, but in my opinion it was a good career move for him. I am not sure he would have a ring to this day had he not left, simply because Cleveland refused to spend the money.

He left.......

[husker71]

Dan Gilbert was convinced that Delonte West, Mo Williams, JJ Hickson and Daniel Gibson were young stars on the rise who could surround LeBron in the future along with centers Ilgaukakis (10 years) Ben Wallace (12 years) and Lorenzon Wright (12 years)   He gave an interview trying to say LeBron and those 4 young players could win a title (they did win 66 games)  free agents were not coming to Cleveland 

[lefty08]

On top of that he left when he was 25, not exactly in "veteran desperate for a title" mode

[jry04]

He left.......

What part of my post did you not understand? I said him leaving was a good move because Cleveland wouldn't build around him. He was in the NBA when he was 18. He left after 7 years with the Cavs. They had 7 years to build around him, and all they did was bring in washed up veterans, for the most part.

What was the point of telling me he left, when my entire post was about him leaving being a good thing. How he did it was stupid, but doing it helped him win a championship. That is the goal of just about every player, and he probably wouldn't have done it the first time in Cleveland.

[jry04]

Dan Gilbert was convinced that Delonte West, Mo Williams, JJ Hickson and Daniel Gibson were young stars on the rise who could surround LeBron in the future along with centers Ilgaukakis (10 years) Ben Wallace (12 years) and Lorenzon Wright (12 years)   He gave an interview trying to say LeBron and those 4 young players could win a title (they did win 66 games)  free agents were not coming to Cleveland 

LBJ could see they weren't young stars, and needed a better team. They didn't see eye-to-eye, so he left. He was immature with how he left, but it was better for his career. It took leaving and winning elsewhere for Gilbert to realize what he had with LBJ. Now they cater to LBJ. It rubs most people the wrong way, but strictly from LBJ's point of view, it was great for his career. Now he is the king of Cleveland and Gilbert is his puppet.

[husker71]

LBJ just signed 2 years at $46 million   

[husker71]

jry04   +1   

[jry04]

LBJ just signed 2 years at $46 million   

And will opt out next season for an even larger pay day.

[usf15cc]

Wish i could do that with my job...

[Hogimus Prime]

Doubt JJ gets traded now that the Nets bought out Deron Williams.  Williams is expected sign with the Mavs.

[husker71]

has there ever been a worse 2/3 year plan than the Nets and their billionaire Russian owner.  The starting 5 (on paper)  of Williams, Johnson, Lopez, Garnett and Pierce looked good but if they had one injury or one of the 5 did not play up to what was expected it was over which is what exactly happened.  Now the owner wants to sell and Williams Garnett Pierce gone and Johnson may go.  On a further note I hope Williams can still play enough to help the Mavs. 

[NostraHOGus]

No player has dropped in value more than Deron Williams.  One reason the Nets sprung for Joe's max contract with Atlanta was to convince Williams to stay. The failure of the entire experiment with Pierce, Garnett, and Johnson probably hinged on William's injuries and decline. (not to mention the problem of Wade, Bosh, and Lebron James).

Now, the Nets are happy to buy Williams out for a sizable fraction of his contract, with the difference cutting into the total that allows the  Nets to avoid a 30 to 50 million dollar luxury tax. (Williams may also find new life in his home town.  Word was he did not like the spotlight in such a massive media market).

The only reason the Nets were shopping Joe was that he was more marketable, despite his massive salary.

Since the Nets have already traded their 2016 first round pick, they have no incentive to "go young," and tank next season for lottery purposes. As a result, the Nets will likely keep JJ for his "veteran presence," scoring, and reliability.

It probably also doesn't hurt that Joe is a fan favorite because of the league leading propensity during his time at Brooklyn to hit dramatic game-winning or game-tying shots at clutch time.

[ErieHog]

The decline of Deron Williams was sad, and can be drawn almost directly to the combination of his feud with Jerry Sloan and his injuries.

Sloan was a phenomenal coach, and the Jazz haven't been the same since either left.