Needs More Ditka

Could LeBron be wearing this next year?

Is LeBron James gradually making his shift to the Chicago Bulls organization? Recent news makes me believe, yes, LeBron will be a Bull next season. With developing recent events, this summer is shaping to be another great rivalry between the Cavs and Bulls, the Bulls and Knicks.

In the offseason, the Bulls will have roughly $32 million dollars to spend. That would put them over the salary cap, but under the luxury tax threshold. Take $10 million off that number, and that’s what the Bulls can spend on Mr. James. The rest of that money can go to resigning players on the roster. The maximum salary James can be allotted is 30% of the salary cap. This year, that is $17,310,000. Not a problem for the Bulls. The Cavs will be able to sign LeBron using their Larry Bird exception, the same exception that kept Kobe Bryant with the Lakers. The Knicks will have unbelievable amount of money coming off the books (they’ll drop from $85 million to $27 million in the offseason - but will still pay Eddy Curry $11,276,863 in all likelihood) and they could sign LeBron, just like the Bulls. They’ll also have a team of Curry, Jared Jeffries, Danilo Gallinari, Jordan Hill, Wilson Chandler and Toney Douglas. That’s the entire team that would be under contract next year - six players. James recently said that winning was more important than money - I doubt that the Knicks will entice LeBron too much, and there is no way the Knicks can bring in another star player to coerce James that they will not be a losing team.

So it’s down to the Bulls and Cavs. There are several pros and cons for each, and both will be able to sign him to the contract he deserves. Both are winning teams, which is apparently more important than the money.

One could argue that the Bulls have the better squad, and not have delusions. Based on conjecture, it would be easy to see the Bulls squad, with LeBron, doing better than the Cavs with LeBron. While it’s hardly a argument that would hold up in court (sorry for the pun), LeBron will certainly take the supporting cast of each team into consideration. Not having to be defended anymore by Luol Deng? That’s a big positive for LeBron, and I doubt he will fret too much about Delonte West checking him if he moves on. D-Rose? talk about upside, and while Mo Williams is a nice player, he’s not in the same talent stratosphere. Perhaps you lose something at center with Noah v. Shaq and Big Z, but those dudes are old, and Noah has developed into a very underrated player. Tyrus Thomas v. Varajao, that’s a push. But toss in the wild cards, John Salmons and Taj Gibson against the bench of the Cavs and really, the argument that the Bulls are the better team makes sense. Add in LeBron, and the Bulls immediately become the favorites in the Eastern conference.

But if the teams are similar, and winning is most important, why would LeBron leave his hometown team? The answer is simple, marketability. LeBron has said that he wants to be the first billionare athlete, “I say all the time, and I tell my friends and teammates, that you have to go global,” James said in 2006. “In basketball and business.”

While New York and Madison Avenue obviously have the upper hand in appeasing LeBron’s lofty goals, but Madison Street isn’t the worst option. The most famous athlete in the world played in Chicago, the third largest city in the United States and a national and international center of business. Cleveland is not even close to being a center to business, and losing 50 games will do nothing to increase LeBron’s marketability. Chicago is a winning team in a international market - Jordan proved that you can be global in Chicago. LeBron can carry that torch to similar levels.

Barring the Cavs winning the title, LeBron has a tough choice to make, as each city has its own areas that appeal to LeBron’s aspirations. Both Chicago and Cleveland can win the NBA title, but LeBron would sure love to bring the O’Brien trophy back to his hometown. New York is marketing heaven, but Chicago isn’t just another Midwest city. The happy medium is Chicago, and LeBron is far too rational to leave his future and his aspirations to chance.

In poker, the smallest things are sometimes the biggest tell. The same could be said in business. That’s why LeBron’s statement that he will change his number last night might be showing his hand. Lebron said that no player should wear number 23, in honor of Jordan. So, LeBron will change his number to 6 for next season - regardless of team. What does that say?

It says that he has been thinking about the Bulls, perhaps even about his future with the Bulls, because he obviously can’t wear 23 in the Windy City. Sometimes the smallest, most benign things can have larger meanings - like a Dan Brown book. Everyone would like to crawl into LeBron’s brain and know what he’s thinking, but it’s not far fetched to think that the Bulls are on LeBron’s mind.