Lakers to Play Howard's Rockets on Opening Night, Gasol's Bulls on Christmas

LOS ANGELES — Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol have distinctly different legacies in Los Angeles, but these days they share a link: They're moving on in life as former Lakers, having leftKobe Bryant behind.

And in the established and admittedly irresistible tradition of NBAscheduling with a vengeful accent on the not-so-dearly departed, Bryant will be going up against Howard on opening night and against Gasol on Christmas Day in two of the Lakers' and the league's highest-profile games of the 2014-15 season.

Although the schedule won't be officially announced until NBA TV unveils it at 3 p.m. Pacific time Wednesday, the Lakers are set to face Howard and the Houston Rockets at Staples Center on Oct. 28 and visit Gasol and the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 25, according to league sources. The games will mark the first times Bryant plays against Howard and Gasol as former teammates.

As an added boost to the old revenge angle, Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin (former Rocket) and forward Carlos Boozer (former Bull) can circle those same dates on the calendar. Even better!

The Dwight-less Lakers were relevant last year, too, playing (and beating) the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the NBA's TNT opening night showcase. With Bryant plotting his return, it's logical that the league thinks enough of the Lakers to feature them again on the opening Tuesday night broadcast.

But it's a testament to how much the Lakers' past remains prominent in their future when the NBA makes Bryant's first game back from Achilles and knee injuries last season against the guy who deserted him while he was down.

No matter how much diehard Lakers fans are ready to embrace Julius Randle and Byron Scott and savor whatever small victories they earn along the rebuilding road, the reality is that the Lakers' 2012-13 car wreck was massive enough for rubbernecking still to be taking place years later.

Bryant, Howard, Gasol and Steve Nash were supposed to make magic as Lakers, but they so didn't. And just as we don't want to forget underdogs who rise to stunning success, we don't want to let favorites forget their epic fails.

Bryant's injuries meant he didn't play against the Rockets last season, which was Howard's first after snubbing the Lakers' "Stay" ad campaign to move to Houston. Now Gasol, whom Bryant has said he considers "a brother," has left the Lakers via free agency in hopes of winning his first NBA title without Bryant in Chicago.

We could argue for years about which was truly the first domino in the Lakers' 2012-13 mess. Nash suffering what would be a career-threatening injury in just his second game as a Laker certainly tilted the court immediately into an uphill battle.

But would Nash have even been effective in Mike Brown's undefined offense (or Phil Jackson's triangle offense)? Would Gasol have ever been effective at forward in Mike D'Antoni's spread-floor offense? Did the team ever have any real chance on defense or at greatness with Howard never buying into being a Laker?

As intriguing as those questions remain, the guy who is being scheduled to play those mind games on opening night and Christmas Day most assuredly has already left them behind.

Bryant has been known to hold a grudge, but his modus operandi is just as certainly not to wallow. He is all about going onto the next thing he can control, and right now that's his body, mindset and whatever ways—individual and team—he can continue his pursuit of excellence.

If the Lakers are to have a successful season, that's the theme that must pervade: forward progress.

Bryant will need to be healthy and strong enough to make his comeback a singular story of inspiration that transcends whether the guy he's scoring over is evil Dwight or good Pau. Scott, Lin, Nash and Boozer will all have to be rowing meaningfully in that same boat toward individual redemption, and guys such as Randle, Jordan Hill, Nick Young, Ed Davis, Ryan Kelly, Xavier Henry and Robert Sacre will all need to have a lot of look-what-I-can-do nights.

If not, then it's going to be a long season in which the most meaningful storylines are indeed about the opponents and the past.

The only good news on that front is that Gasol, even with his clear decline, is a lot more likely than Howard to be the one winning the post-Lakers title this season.

The Rockets were weakened by Chris Bosh not coming and by Chandler Parsons going, while it's nearly impossible to find anyone with the Lakers who begrudges Gasol future success. Given the obvious defensive deficiencies on LeBron James' new Cleveland team, Gasol has an excellent chance at following Derrick Rose and Tom Thibodeau into another immediate NBA Finals.

Yes, there are those with the Lakers who were disappointed with Gasol's level of aggressiveness and commitment to earn the massive contract extension Jerry Buss gave him. But if the Lakers are OK with having to visit anyone on Christmas, it's Gasol.

The Lakers haven't had to hit the holiday road often. They've played on Christmas every year since 1999, and the only times in that 15-year span they've had to load up their sleigh and leave Staples were in 2005 and 2006 to play at Miami.

Those games followed the original Kobe-Shaq Christmas Ice Show at Staples in '04, and that three-game Christmas series after their breakup just goes to show how the NBA tries to help out: by giving families at home for the holidays the chance to bond together while watching people on TV not get along!

Although Gasol did choose to leave the Lakers, it's different in this case. Christmas might pit brother against brother, but you know Kobe and Pau will have a heck of a hug right after.

What Bryant will have to prove that night and every other is that the Lakers' season isn't about the guys they no longer have.

We Remember: 22nd Anniversary of the Dream Team Winning the Gold Medal

Twenty-two years ago today, the Dream Team completed its domination of the 1992 Summer Olympics by beating Croatia in the gold-medal game.

Michael Jordan dropped 22 points and six other players scored in double figures in a 117-85 victory.

The Dream Team, which was the first Olympic team to use NBA players, still remains the greatest basketball team to ever take the court. The team went 8-0 in the tournament, with an average margin of victory of 43.8 points.

Although Jordan gets all of the attention, it was Charles Barkley who was the team's leading scorer.

Here are the players on the team who were eventually inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Jordan, Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson and John Stockton.

After the Dream Team's dominance, every great United States Olympic team is compared to the greatest team in basketball history.

Michael Jordan's Final Contract with Chicago Bulls Up for Auction

In the world of sports memorabilia, finding a Michael Jordancollectible is like the holy grail. You can imagine what people would do to get anything with his name and signature attached, let alone the last contract he signed with the Chicago Bulls prior to the 1997-98 season.     

According to ESPN.com's Darren Rovell, collectors now have their chance to bid on that contract via Dallas-based Heritage Auctions:

The Chicago Bulls' original copy of Michael Jordan's $33 million contract -- the most valuable single-season contract in NBA history -- has hit the auction block. ...

... The contract is signed by Jordan, himself, and initialed by him on each of its 24 pages. It's also signed by Jerry Krause, former Bulls general manager, and Irving Mandel, the man in charge of the Bulls' finances. The lot also includes a two-page cover letter from Mandel to the NBA.

Rovell also states that the value of the contract was estimated at $30,000 but that the bidding, which closes July 31, "already has topped $28,000."

As ESPN coordinating producer Desmond Wallace noted on Twitter, Jordan is so money that his paper is more valuable than any other human being's:

Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions for Heritage Auctions, is quoted in the piece as saying that this contract is unlike anything the company has ever put up:

"It's hard to compare this to anything we've sold," Ivy said. "It's Jordan, who is in a class by himself, and, to our knowledge, this is the only Jordan playing contract to ever surface."

For a comparison, Jordan's $33 million paycheck in 1997-98 is nearly $10 million more than the highest-paid player in the NBA today (Kobe Bryant at $23.5 million, per HoopsHype.com). If you take inflation into account, per Rovell, Jordan's salary from his final season would be equivalent to $49 million today. 

As impressive as the bidding for Jordan's contract is, it's likely not going to come close to matching the record holder. Babe Ruth's 1918 contract with the Boston Red Sox, which was worth $5,000, sold at Goldin Auctionsin New Jersey for $1.02 million earlier this month, per Rovell. 

No retired athlete who is still living draws as much attention as Jordan. He was recently voted the second-most popular male athlete in a Harris poll, via ESPN.com, despite the fact he hasn't played a professional game since 2003. 

Jordan remains a fixture in sports with his global brand and ownership stake in the Charlotte Hornets, so his popularity isn't hard to figure out. 

It remains to be seen just how much money his final contract with Chicago will fetch on auction, but there's no doubt many folks would love to get their hands on such a unique piece of memorabilia.

Pau Gasol leaving Lakers for Bulls

The Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers have been working on a sign-and-trade package to bring Pau Gasol to the Bulls on a multiyear contract that starts at approximately $10 million a year, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

If a sign-and-trade doesn't come together, the Bulls will sign Gasol to a multiyear deal with a salary starting in the $6.5 million-a-year range, sources said. To clear some salary-cap room, the Bulls will trade center Greg Smith to the Dallas Mavericks, sources told Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears on Saturday.

Smith will make $948,163 next season. He didn’t play for the Bulls after being signed late last season, but averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds for the Houston Rockets last season in 11 games.

Gasol announced on Twitter Saturday evening that he was leaving the Lakers to join the Bulls.

Once the Bulls began to believe they had lost out on free agent Carmelo Anthony in recent days, they moved to make the deal for Gasol. For the Bulls, Gasol joins a frontline that includes All-Star Joakim Noah and forward Taj Gibson. The Bulls are considering using the amnesty clause on the final year of forward Carlos Boozer's contract.

Gasol, 34, turned down a two-year, $22 million deal to stay with the Lakers in recent days, signaling an end to his seven-year run that included two NBA championships.

Gasol averaged 17.4 points and 9.7 rebounds for the Lakers last season. In 13 NBA seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and Lakers, Gasol has averaged 18 points and nine rebounds.

pau gasol chicago bulls uniform

LeBron James announces return to Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James is going back to Cleveland, agreeing to join the Cavaliers franchise that drafted him in 2003, he announced in a story on Sports Illustrated.

Four years and three days after The Decision aired, James is leaving the Miami Heat, choosing to join an up-and-coming Cleveland team rather than stick with the one that has been to the NBA Finals every year since he arrived. The terms of the contract have not been negotiated yet, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, who added that James is expected to sign a long-term deal and Cleveland is (obviously) prepared to pay him the maximum of $88 million over four years. James' words, from the SI story:

When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn't had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what's most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.

I always believed that I'd return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn't know when. After the season, free agency wasn't even a thought. But I have two boys and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl. I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn't going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy.

James won the NBA championship and the Most Valuable Player award in 2012 and 2013, and disappointingly lost to the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs in 2010 and 2014, respectively. With improved three-point accuracy and a more developed post game, he will return to the Cavaliers a better player than he was when he left, an amazing feat considering he registered a PER of 31.7 in 2008-09 and 31.1 in 2009-2010, two of the best individual marks in league history.

Miami's lack of depth, youth and athleticism was exposed against the Spurs, but it was still an elite team. In Cleveland, James' chances of winning another title next season might not be as great, but there is no shortage of young, talented players. He will team with fellow No. 1 overall picks Kyrie Irving, Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins, as well as recent top-five selections Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. James will also reunite with Anderson Varejao, and the Cavs reportedly are trying to acquire some of the sharpshooters who spread the floor for him with the Heat. There's also the whole Kevin Love thing.

In the story, an as-told-to with SI's Lee Jenkins, James addressed his decision at length, including Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's infamous letter.

To make the move I needed the support of my wife and my mom, who can be very tough. The letter from Dan Gilbert, the booing of the Cleveland fans, the jerseys being burned -- seeing all that was hard for them. My emotions were more mixed. It was easy to say, “OK, I don't want to deal with these people ever again.” But then you think about the other side. What if I were a kid who looked up to an athlete, and that athlete made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left? How would I react? I've met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man. We've talked it out. Everybody makes mistakes. I've made mistakes as well. Who am I to hold a grudge?

I'm not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We're not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I'm realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that. I'm going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. I will be the old head. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn't know they could go. I see myself as a mentor now and I'm excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Irving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. And I can't wait to reunite with Anderson Varejao, one of my favorite teammates.

James focused on his Northeast Ohio roots, thanked the Heat organization and said he had the responsibility to lead. He'll also lead the NBA into a new era, where Cleveland is once again a powerhouse.

LeBron James is teaming up with Kyrie Irving in Cleveland. (USATSI)

Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry join US basketball stars in ‘Gilas Last HOME Stand’ in Manila

Reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs and free agent point guard Kyle Lowry have been added to the lineup of NBA talent for the Gilas Last Home Stand exhibition game, SBP President Manuel V. Pangilinan tweeted out, Tuesday morning.

Also in the mix is former Arizona Wildcat Nick Johnson, a combo guard selected 42nd overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets.

The trio joins previously announced names Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard, Paul Pierce and DeMar DeRozan for the July 22-23 event at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The game is seen as a tuneup for the Gilas Pilipinas squad in advance of their FIBA World Cup stint. - AMD, GMA News

Gilas to play NBA stars Blake Griffin, Lillard, Pierce, DeRozan in Manila benefit games ahead of World Cup

Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin will lead the all-star team that will also include Paul Pierce, Damien Lillard, and Demar DeRozan and have NBA legend John Lucas as coach. AP

GILAS Pilipinas will play an all-star team led by NBA superstars Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers in tune-up games in Manila before embarking on their historic stint in the Fiba World Cup in Spain.

Aside from Griffin and Lillard, Brooklyn Nets veteran Paul Pierce and Toronto Raptors gunner Demar DeRozan will also beef up the team to be coached by NBA legend John Lucas in the games set on July 22-23 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The one-off games dubbed 'PLDT Last Home Stand' will be for the benefit of the PDRF and serve as Gilas’ final tune-up matches at home before competing in the Fiba World Cup in Spain beginning on August 30.

The matches will also serve as a birthday celebration for top Gilas patron Manny V. Pangilinan, who announced the holding of the games on his Twitter account @iammvp on Wednesday.

“Happy to announce that PLDT HOME will bring in the biggest basketball charity event ever! Blake, Damian, Truth, DeMar in #GilasLastHOMEStand”,” Pangilinan said.

Before plunging into action against Griffin and Co., the national team will actually be coming off a weeklong stint at the Fiba Asia Cup in Wuhan, China, where Gilas will try to improve on its fourth-place finish from the 2012 edition.

Gilas coach Chot Reyes said bringing in the NBA players could help rally the Filipino spirit as the Philippines mark its return to the Fiba world stage for the first time since 1978.

“This is a fitting send-off for Gilas as they defend the Philippine flag at the 2014 FIBA World Cup,” Reyes said in an official statement.

“This is our grand comeback to the world stage, so having a special pick-up game with a powerhouse cast of players will definitely rally the spirits of Filipinos and inspire the boys to play harder,” added the Gilas head coach.

Rockets Poised to Make Texas-Sized Offers in NBA Free Agency to LeBron, Melo

There is a chance, however small, that LeBron James will take his talents away from South Beach next month, reversing his infamous decision in 2010 and torpedoing the Miami Heat's self-esteem—along with their title hopes.

If it happens, executives around the league will rejoice and raise a boisterous toast to the end of the Heat and the superstar model they represent.

Rival execs might even write a few Jimmy Fallon-style thank-you notes:

Thank you, San Antonio Spurs, for making the Heat look ordinary and unworthy of the Chosen One's presence.

Thank you, Dwyane Wade's knees, for eroding prematurely.

Thank you, Father Time, for making the Heat's aging reserves appear better suited for a shuffleboard tournament than an NBA-title chase.

And thank you, 2011 NBA lockout, for producing a labor deal that made the Big Three model nearly impossible to sustain.

If James flees, presumably in search of younger, livelier teammates, it could signal the end of the NBA's Big Three era.

The Spurs have three stars, but two are nearing retirement. The Boston Celtics' Big Three broke up two years ago. No other team currently has three certified stars who are all in their prime.

Given the extreme constraints imposed by the 2011 labor deal, it will be nearly impossible for any franchise to replicate the Heat's roster-building feat of four years ago.

However, one franchise is quietly plotting to at least try to revive the Big Three model. And before you dismiss its chances of doing so, consider the fact that it's the same team that stunned the NBA in each of the last two summers.

Teammates on the 2012 Olympic squad, LeBron James and James Harden could become partners in the NBA if Houston can lure the Heat superstar this summer.

In 2012, the Houston Rockets snared James Harden in a blockbuster trade.

In 2013, the Rockets lured Dwight Howard in free agency.

Now, Rockets officials are aiming for the trifecta, with their sights set on the biggest prize of all: LeBron Raymone James.

A long shot? Perhaps. But the Rockets have defied expectations before.

League sources say that Houston is preparing to make an all-out push to land James when free agency opens on July 1, assuming James opts out, as expected. If the Rockets miss out on James, they will turn their full attention to Carmelo Anthony. Chris Bosh is also on the radar.

There are rumblings that James will start weighing his options this weekend. One rival executive pegged his chances of leaving Miami at 40 percent.

The competition for James' affection will be fierce, but Houston's pitch may be tough to beat.

The Rockets already have the league's best guard-center tandem (Harden-Howard), solid young role players (Chandler Parsons, who is set to become a restricted free agent, Patrick Beverley and Terrence Jones) and an owner (Les Alexander) who is willing to spend. Houston also has all of its first-round picks for the next couple of years as well as a knack for finding talent late in the draft.

Like Florida, Texas has no state income tax, negating Miami's advantage on that front and giving the Rockets a big selling point in their pursuit of Anthony. (A player pays about 10 percent more in taxes in New York than in Texas.)

What the Rockets don't have is salary-cap room. But they could clear about $19 million by unloading a few players, starting with Omer Asikand Jeremy Lin, who are taking up a combined $16.7 million in cap space.

GM Daryl Morey has methodically built the Rockets into a Western Conference power, adding James Harden and Dwight Howard over the previous two offseasons.

However, their contracts are unique and potentially difficult to move:Asik and Lin are each due a massive $15 million balloon payment next season, although they count as $8.37 million each for cap purposes. Then again, their contracts expire in 2015, so the commitment is minimal.

Sources say the Rockets are confident they can trade both players to teams with cap room and thus take back no salary in return.

There is ample interest in Asik, an elite defensive center who could start for most teams. Lin will be tougher to move, although the Rockets could include a draft pick to pair with him as a deal sweetener.

Houston would then need to trade two minor pieces—DonatasMotiejunas and Isaiah Canaan—and waive a few players with non-guaranteed deals to create the $19 million slot. Once they sign a star, the Rockets would re-sign Parsons by using his Bird rights.

The new starting five would be James, Harden, Howard, Parsons and Beverley. That's worthy of title-contender status, even in the ultra-competitive West. Indeed, that lineup is arguably superior to the one James joined in Miami four years ago.

Harden and Howard are a younger, better version of Wade and Bosh. Parsons and Beverley are more talented than any of the Heat's current supporting cast.

Sub in Anthony instead of James, and the Rockets would still have an incredibly dynamic team that would be capable of challenging the Spurs and the Thunder.

Carmelo Anthony is expected to test the free-agency waters by opting out of the final year of his contract with the Knicks next week.

That $19 million starting salary would mark a slight pay cut for James or Anthony, but both are inevitably heading for pay cuts this summer anyway, wherever they end up.

The crowd chasing James will be thick, of course.

Cleveland can offer promising young players—including the No. 1 pick in this year's draft—and the allure of coming home. It's the storybook ending everyone would love (except for those in Miami).

The Los Angeles Clippers can offer their own Big Three vision, withChris Paul (a close friend of James) and Blake Griffin. But their path to cap-room relief is much more complicated than the Rockets', and it would cost them DeAndre Jordan.

The Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers will likely come calling, too. But the Lakers roster is barren, the Bulls' best player is coming off two knee surgeries, and the Mavericks' franchise star—Dirk Nowitzki—is 36.

The Brooklyn Nets are hopelessly capped out. The New York Knicks are cap-clogged and talent deficient.

If the Heat were just another suitor, they would have a tough time selling James based on their roster alone. Miami has no depth, no young talent in the pipeline and little payroll flexibility thanks to the massive salaries of its three stars. But they could all take a pay cut and extend the era.

Or James could flee for greener pastures once again.

The Rockets, as much as ever, will be waiting.

Heat stars reportedly mulling new contracts to add Carmelo Anthony, create Big 4

When the Miami Heat signed free agent starsLeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade in the summer of 2010, it registered as an immense achievement by Pat Riley and his front office and the source of much consternation for basketball fans intent on upholding a certain ideal of competitive balance. If new reports are to be believed, then the Heat have another superstar team-up prepared for this upcoming offseason. Somehow, it's arguably even more daring and creative than the last one.

According to a new report from Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com, the Heat are currently exploring options that would allow the franchise to add current New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony to their preexisting Big Three of James, Bosh, and Wade:

The mere concept would require the star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to all opt out of their current contracts by the end of the month and likely take further salary reductions in new deals that start next season to give Miami the ability to offer Anthony a representative first-year salary. The Heat also are prevented from making any formal contact with Anthony until July 1 and can do so then only if he opts out of the final year of his current contract. Anthony has until June 23 to notify the Knicks of his intentions, according to sources.

But the success of the Heat's 2010 free-agent bonanza has established them as the NBA's undisputed destination franchise, with owner Micky Arison empowering big-thinking team president Pat Riley to attempt to pull off another coup in the market despite new collective bargaining agreement rules aimed at preventing it. [...]

James' off-court business is booming, thanks to a string of investments paying off massively and the prospect of new opportunities in endorsements and entertainment projects promising to expand his wealth significantly in coming years. [...]

With cooperation from their stars and role players Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen, who also possess player options for next season, the Heat could open up in excess of $50 million in cap space this summer and have the most financial flexibility in the league. The only Heat player locked into place for next season is Norris Cole at a salary of $2 million, though Riley will have to contend with a handful of cap holds for pending free agents as well as their upcoming first-round pick in the draft later this month (No. 26 overall).

It's necessary to note that this report refers to an early planning stage and not a set of imminent decisions by all involved parties. For one thing, the biggest barrier is likely out of the Heat's direct control. If Anthony chooses not to opt out of his salary, he stands to make more than $23.3 million in the last season of his current contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer. If he opts out and re-ups with the Knicks with a new max deal, he would make even more money. Because free agents can earn more money by re-signing with their current teams, signing with the Heat would require Melo to accept a salary at a lower max level even if these plans didn't require him to forgo a max salary entirely. Plus, without the global bargaining power of LeBron, Bosh, and Wade may decide that they won't have such an easy time recouping their money via endorsements and other business deals. Essentially, all four stars (to say nothing of various role players) would have to decide a championship is worth more than ludicrous amounts of money — possibly as much as eight figures in salary per season for each player — left on the table.

No matter the likelihood of this scenario coming to pass, the mere mention of it is likely to rub some fans the wrong way. In 2010, the Heat became villains for a perceived unwillingness to win fairly. LeBron, in particular, was seen as escaping the hardship of sole stardom for the comforts of a manufactured All-Star team in which championships were virtually guaranteed. While the Heat's various challenges and struggles over these past four seasons would seem to serve as evidence that no title is ever assured, the prospective acquisition of Melo would set off a whole new round of criticism, even as each player gets older and commentators ask critics to consider the past Hall of Fame teammates of past greats. James and the Heat have rebuilt their reputations, but this move would not be popular.

On the other hand, it would reinforce the idea that imposing salary cap restrictions is not a particularly good method of engendering competitive balance. During the 2011 lockout, owners used the aftermath of Miami's Big Three acquisitions to push for limitations on player movement and less lucrative contracts overall. If Miami's stars and Anthony all opt for smaller sums of money for a chance to win championships, then they essentially will have molded the same desires and incentives that existed prior to 2011 to the contours of this new collective bargaining agreement. (In fact, it's arguable that artificially limiting earning potential makes it more attractive for great players to take sub-max salaries to win.) What these players will not have done is change the essential facts or spirit of the CBA, which mostly decides the money that players and owners get to earn. Competitive balance cannot be legislated so easily.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/heat-stars-reportedly-mulling-new-contracts-to-add-carmelo-anthony--create-big-4-013631820.html