Even though it’s been ‘official’ for barely an hour, chances are you’ve heard the news by now:
The Atlanta Hawks have waived John Salmons.
Oh, and LeBron James is heading back to Cleveland, as announced via a letter penned by James himself with Lee Jenkins on SI.com.
Apart from being easily the biggest domino to fall in the NBA’s silly season, James’s decision is a truly unprecedented move in the history of sports: The best athlete on the planet—in any sport—leaving his team in his prime and returning within five years, still in his prime.
So what does this mean for the NBA? The ripple effects will reverberate indefinitely, as the landscape of the league transforms instantly—and while there is so much up in the air in regards to what’s fact and what’s fiction, that doesn’t mean it’s too early to break down how the following are impacted by The Return.
The Cavaliers: Don’t be surprised to see more moves coming out of Cleveland as GM David Griffin looks to surround James with a roster that can contend for a title immediately. The question becomes: Do they have that roster right now? As we’ve seen in the past, any team with LeBron on the roster has a shot of making the Finals (the starting lineup for Cleveland in game one of the 2007 finals: Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlovic, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas…and James).
While Cleveland has talent at all positions they’re a very young team with players like Dion Waiters, Anthony Bennett, Matthew Dellavedova, and even Tristan Thompson and Kyrie Irving still in the development stage of their careers.
If the Cavs did nothing else, a lineup of Irving/Wiggins/James/Thompson/Varaejo as your starters (swap Wiggins with Waiters if you want, but Waiters has the makings of an ideal scoring option off the bench) is most certainly good enough to reach the Finals next season and beyond. But I suspect there is plenty more news coming out of Cleveland before it’s all said and done.
Andrew Wiggins: So what does this mean for the draft’s top pick? For starters, just a few weeks into his career he’ll already get a good taste of what it’s like to be the focus of the NBA’s trade rumour mill and those who perpetually keep it churning. The talk of a potential deal with Minnesota for Kevin Love (one that makes sense for both sides, for what it’s worth) began when LeBron-to-Cleveland was still itself a rumour.
But to further complicate things, as Michael Grange pointed out this morning, Wiggins has yet to sign his rookie contract, and once he does he can’t be traded for 30 days should Cleveland go that route. Keeping him raises questions in terms of his role on the team and what position he’ll play.
Wiggins is a natural small forward, but we can see him moved to shooting guard in order to play alongside James. And it’s hard not to get starry eyed over the defensive potential of both James and Wiggins patrolling the wings in Cleveland over the next few seasons.
Chris Bosh: It’s now expected that Bosh will sign a max deal with the Houston Rockets. And why wouldn’t he? Honestly, is the sun and the sand of South Beach really enough to lure Bosh back? The Rockets present the best basketball destination for Bosh by far, where his increasing distaste for manning the low post is a complete non-issue thanks to the presence of Dwight Howard.
A Bosh/Howard/Harden trio might not be a surefire Finals team, but can certainly make noise in the West. Let’s put it this way: Bosh’s next move speaks volumes about his priorities.
Carmelo Anthony: Simply put, Melo becomes a complete afterthought for the moment. He could announce his retirement to move to India to study under the Maharishi with Ricky Williams, and it wouldn’t move the needle. But you have to wonder if this impacts his decision at all. It’s already been reported that he’s now re-thinking his presumed return to New York, and the notion of Melo signing with the Chicago Bulls would certainly create an instant rivalry in the Central division. Speaking of….
Central Division: LeBron never had a legitimate division rival in Miami, but with Derrick Rose supposedly looking like his old havoc-wrecking self, Joakim Noah asserting himself as the conference’s best centre, and the possibility for a big free-agent addition—like Melo or Pau Gasol—the Bulls and Cavs are positioned to be the East’s next great rivalry. Plus, of course, LeBron’s current Eastern conference rival, the Indiana Pacers, also call the division home, meaning the Central should be getting more than its fair share of national TV time this season.
Kyrie Irving: So far in his career Irving has proved he can be one of the most exciting point guards to watch and a scoring force at the position. But a leader? Not so much. With LeBron coming to town, it takes a lot of pressure off of Irving in that department and allows him to just focus on his game. Also, keep in mind that, save for the Olympics, LeBron has never played with an elite point guard before (come to think of it, he’s almost exclusively played with dregs at the position), so it will be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out. Expect more spot-up threes from Irving this season.
The Eastern Conference: Balance of power, consider yourself officially shifted. Regardless of what they do from here, it’s hard to see Miami near the top of the standings next season. The Wizards are getting better, but aren’t exactly world-beaters quite yet and have yet to re-sign Trevor Ariza. The Hornets are still one significant player away from mattering. The Knicks, even with Melo, are a walking uncertainty.
The East’s lottery teams from last season look destined to be heading back there again, with maybe the exception of Detroit (and, of course, Cleveland). And so, looking at how things shake out today, you’re probably looking at an Eastern Conference throne that will be fought over by those Central teams mentioned above.
The Western Conference: The NBA’s best team will still live in the West, and, depending on what Chicago does, will still be the biggest obstacle to LeBron’s pursuit for a third championship.
David Blatt: Not a bad spot to be in for your first time in charge of an NBA team, huh? At first it was thought that the unproven Blatt could be a deterrence for LeBron. But James has played for Mike Brown, so clearly he can play for anybody. And Blatt is an extremely respected coach who has had massive success overseas. So he’ll be fine, to say the least.
Chicago Bulls: It just got real for the Bulls. If they do nothing from here on out, as long as Rose is healthy they’re still good enough to challenge the Cavs. But bringing in another substantial piece will go a long way to helping them get past LeBron in the playoffs and assert themselves as the team to beat.
Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat: Oh god. What now? With LeBron gone, and Bosh likely following suit, Miami may have just gone from the Finals to the lottery. And high in the lottery, too. Wade isn’t completely useless, despite what you’ve read otherwise, but he’s nowhere close to being good enough to be the best player on his team anymore. Miami does have some cap space now, but who will they spend it on? Luol Deng?
There’s a distinct chance the Heat can walk away from the off-season having lost the best player in the game (James) and an all-star (Bosh), and adding only Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger. That’s… not good. Miami will always be a destination city for free agents, and with an ownership group that wants to win, the Heat will get a crack at righting the ship over the next few season. But right now the Heat has essentially been dunked in an Atlantic Ocean–sized ice bath.
