http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2014/07/09/sheridans-top-25-free-agents-july-9-edition/

VDesai wrote:Chris Sheridan saying LeBron to Cleveland IS DONE

http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2014/07/09/sheridans-top-25-free-agents-july-9-edition/

VDesai wrote:Windhorst, Wojnarowski and Aldridge saying meeting is over but no decision made. Sheridan going out on a limb here. Woj IMO has the most accurate sources.

Sheridan was the only ESPN guy outside of Stephen A that had Lebron not only leaving the Cavs (in 2010), but going to the Heat. Stein, Broussard, Adande had Lebron staying in Cleve, and felt that if he did leave, he was going to the Bulls..

He's going going, back to back to, Cleveland Cleveland.

H1AND1 wrote:The one thing that has me thinking Lebron is "going home" is that he has been SO QUIET this FA period so unlike last time in 2010. Combine that with Lebron's public acknowledgement of fault in 2010 and I'm sure he also realizes how much he wounded CLE fans with how he acted and I just CANT see them letting "Lebron back to Cavs" become such a huge rumor only to just go ahead and spurn them again. It would just be such a diiik move.

He's going going, back to back to, Cleveland Cleveland.

Chris Broussard ‏@Chris_Broussard · 3h
Source: After meeting with Pat Riley today, LeBron James & Rich Paul will not meet with any more teams. LJ will talk w/family & make choice.

Ken Berger
NBA Insider

Sources: James made no counters to Heat; no meetings set with other teams
July 9, 2014 11:11 pm ET

The odyssey that is LeBron James' grown-up version of free agency hits its ninth day Wednesday with no resolution -- only a deepening sense that the finish line is near.

Oh, and one more thing: Everyone, given the choice, presumably would opt for LeBron's immature version of free agency from four years ago. At least that was over fast.

Here's what we know: James and his agent, Rich Paul, met with Heat president Pat Riley and assistant GM Andy Elisburg Wednesday in Las Vegas for about an hour. James gave the Heat no commitment on a new contract with the team, and didn't say no, either. As of Wednesday night -- about 90 minutes before free agents could begin officially signing new contracts -- James had no meetings set with any other teams, league sources said.

Now, James wants to weigh all the information that has been put in front of him with his family, a person familiar with his strategy said.

But what is he weighing, exactly? The Heat's roster currently consists of Norris Cole, Justin Hamilton, Shabazz Napier and, once they officially sign, Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger. Dwyane Wade has not been heard from, though he has dined and worked out with James in Las Vegas this week. Chris Bosh, as was evident all along, will have other options if the Big Three scatter after four straight Finals appearances and two championships in Miami.

A key point is that James did not propose any alternate arrangement to Riley -- such as a shorter max contract with the Heat -- in their meeting Wednesday, a person briefed on the matter said. It is possible that he'll do so after further deliberation, but he didn't on Wednesday.

As far as what he could be weighing from the other teams without even meeting with them, the person briefed on the matter said those details -- including the well-known parameters of the max offers on the table and the roster composition surrounding James -- were gathered by Paul, which is sort of his job.

So in essence, James has all the information he needs to make his decision. He just hasn't made one or communicated it to anyone yet.

The clock, clearly, is ticking. Intrigue over Bosh's situation deepened Wednesday as the Rockets braced for a three-year, $46 million offer sheet from the Mavericks for their prized restricted free agent, Chandler Parsons. Once the offer sheet is signed -- likely on Thursday -- Houston would have three days to match. The Rockets also are contemplating a four-year, $88.4 million arrangement with Bosh.

The Cavs -- who, along with the Rockets, Mavs, Lakers and Suns have spoken with James' agent -- cleared the final swath of cap space needed to fit James into the new league-wide max established Wednesday of $20.64 million. They did so by dumping Jarrett Jack, Tyler Zeller and Sergey Karasev in a three-way trade with Brooklyn and Boston.

Cleveland GM David Griffin also is working to pull off a trade for Minnesota's Kevin Love, contingent on James going to Cleveland. That outcome -- James returning to the city that he spurned four years ago -- is the only way that Love, a free agent in 2016, would be amenable to such a deal.

Meanwhile, something has been lost in the analysis of what James might do -- other than the fact that "he doesn't know what he's going to do," one of the people with knowledge of his situation said. And that is, what it always is: money.

Whereas Carmelo Anthony's free-agency decision has been forever portrayed simply as a calculation of how much money he'd be leaving on the table to leave the Knicks (the New York Daily News reported Wednesday that he's staying), James' decision is analyzed in terms of intangibles. Though contract length is not a deal breaker for James, who would have an opt-out in the deal as he did in the one he signed four years ago with the Heat, let's not forget: He's eligible for a five-year, $119 million deal with Miami. With Cleveland, or with any other team with max space on its books for next season, he can only get four years, $88.4 million.

Something tells me that comes up in the conversation with the family, which for everyone's sake is a quick one.

The entire NBA, meanwhile, has a new free-agency timetable: LeBron time.