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CPD

Top picks Brown, Gibson sign deals





Saturday, July 08, 2006 Branson Wright


Plain Dealer Reporter
While the Cavaliers wait for word from LeBron James on the team's offer of a contract extension worth about $80 million over five years, they have made progress on another front.

The Cavs announced Friday that first-round pick Shannon Brown and second-round pick Daniel Gibson have signed contracts. Brown, a guard from Michigan State who was the 25th overall pick, signed a four-year deal worth about $5.5 million. Gibson, a point guard from Texas, signed a two-year deal for about $800,000. Only the first two years of Brown's contract are guaranteed.

Meanwhile, the Cavs and their fans are anxiously awaiting word from James.

<SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s4/s4cav/@StoryAd"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="/cgi-bin/donotcount/formatp.cgi/dhtml/jspop/jspop.ata?NAME=PAIDPOP&EXP=1"><table width=420 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr valign=bottom><td width=383> [COLOR=#436442;][FONT=Arial,sans-serif]Advertisement[/FONT][/color]
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</td></tr></table>http://ads15.udc.advance.net/RealMedia/ads/adstream_lx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s4/s4cav/1369145368/StoryAd/CLEVELANDLIVE/NextHome01a_CL_RoS_Story/blank.html/34356130646533383434616665323630?_RM_EMPTY_&
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"><!--if (parseFloat(navigator.appVersion) == 0) {document.write('<IFRAME WIDTH=468 HEIGHT=60 MARGINWIDTH=0 MARGINHEIGHT=0 HSPACE=0 VSPACE=0 FRAMEBORDER=0 SCROLLING=no BORDERCOLOR="#000000" SRC="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_sx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s4/s4cav/@StoryAd"></IFRAME>');}--></SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT>He cannot sign the extension until Wednesday because of league rules but he can make his intentions known. Two other prominent members of the 2003 draft class, Denver's Carmelo Anthony and Miami's Dwyane Wade, have said they intend to sign extensions with their teams.

If James does not sign, he will become a restricted free agent next summer. Meanwhile, the Cavs will begin serious discussions with agent Calvin Andrews in Las Vegas this weekend about his client, restricted free agent Drew Gooden. The power forward averaged 10.7 points and 8.4 rebounds last season.

While waiting for James and between discussions about Gooden, the Cavs have continued to talk with agent Mark Bartelstein. He represents forwards Aaron Williams, Devean George, point guard Jannero Pargo and power forward Darius Songaila.

"We're talking about a bunch of things," Bartelstein said. "We'll just continue to work and see where it all goes."

Bartelstein also represents Brown.

In Las Vegas Summer League action on Friday, the Cavs fell, 95-71, to the New York Knicks. Sasha Pavlovic led the Cavs with 20 points, Gibson had eight points, four rebounds and four assists. Brown had five points and one assist.
 
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<TABLE class=bdy cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=770 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>AP NewsBreak: James agrees to extension with Cavaliers
<SCRIPT> function BlogThisStoryTools() { var headline = "AP NewsBreak: James agrees to extension with Cavaliers"; var url = document.location.href; var destination = "http://blogs.foxsports.com/BlogThis.aspx?r_title=" + escape(headline) + "&r_url=" + url; //alert(destination); //return; window.location.href = destination; } </SCRIPT><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR align=middle><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px" align=left>Story Tools:</TD><TD> </TD><TD> </TD><TD> </TD><TD></TD></TR><TR align=middle><TD></TD><TD> Print </TD><TD> Email </TD><TD> Blog This </TD><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=440 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>Associated Press
<!-- Meta Tag For Search --><!-- meta name="author" content=""--><!-- meta name="source" content="AP"--><!-- meta name="eventId" content=""--><!-- meta name="contentTypeCode" content="1"--><!-- meta name="editorContentCode" content="1"--><!-- meta name="blurb" content="LeBron James won't be leaving home anytime soon.Cleveland's All-Star forward accepted a five-year contract extension worth about $80 million from the Cavaliers on Saturday, a huge relief for the rising team and its fretting fans who worried he might be planning an escape.James, who in three seasons as a pro has turned the Cavaliers from doormats into NBA title contenders, will sign the deal once the league's moratorium ends Wednesday, said his agent Leon Rose."--><!-- meta name="modDate" content="July 8, 2006 17:55:48 GMT"-->Posted: 11 minutes ago<SCRIPT> // front-end hack to remove postedTime from Rumors page until a better way can be determined if (document.URL.indexOf("/name/FS/rumors") != -1) document.getElementById("postedTime").style.display = 'none'; </SCRIPT> </TD><TD width=10> </TD><TD align=right><!--this is for sponsorships or brandings--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><!-- workingCategoryId: 73--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=bdy cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=770 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=5></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=bdy cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=770 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=10></TD><TD width=440><!-- search:</noindex> --><SCRIPT> if(fanid.length > 0 && typeof(nflDefaultLeague)!= "undefined") { leagueId = nflDefaultLeague; //find teamId of default league (if exists) for(var i=0; i < teamsInfo.length; i++){ if(teamsInfo[4] == leagueId){ defaultTeamId = teamsInfo[0]; } } var fantasyLeaguePlayerJsPath = 'http://msn.foxsports.com' + '/nugget/200002_' + leagueId + '|||' + fanid; } </SCRIPT>CLEVELAND (AP) - LeBron James won't be leaving home anytime soon.

Cleveland's All-Star forward accepted a five-year contract extension worth about $80 million from the Cavaliers on Saturday, a huge relief for the rising team and its fretting fans who worried he might be planning an escape.
James, who in three seasons as a pro has turned the Cavaliers from doormats into NBA title contenders, will sign the deal once the league's moratorium ends Wednesday, said his agent Leon Rose. "I am very excited and happy to be re-signing with the Cavaliers. Staying in Cleveland ... provides me with the unique opportunity to continue to play in front of my family, friends and fans," James said in a statement released by his publicist. "I look forward to working toward bringing a championship to our great fans and the city of Cleveland."
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:oh: LONG LIVE THE KING! LONG LIVE THE KING!:io:

What a relief, he was starting to scare me. I guess he was just waiting so all the attention would be on him. No big deals have happened for a few days.

We can now all sleep at night.
 
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I figure another article on the King staying can't hurt.

James agrees to extension with Cavs


Associated Press

<!-- dateline -->Cleveland<!-- /dateline --> — LeBron James won't be leaving home anytime soon.
Cleveland's all-star forward has accepted a five-year contract extension worth about $80-million (U.S.) from the Cavaliers.
It's a huge relief for the rising team and its fretting fans who worried he might be planning an escape.
<script type="text/javascript">aPs="boxR";</script><script type="text/javascript">var boxRAC = fnTdo('a'+'ai',300,250,ai,'j',nc);</script>
James, who in three seasons as a pro has turned the Cavaliers from doormats into NBA title contenders, will sign the deal once the league's moratorium ends Wednesday, according to agent Leon Rose.
"I am very excited and happy to be re-signing with the Cavaliers. Staying in Cleveland ... provides me with the unique opportunity to continue to play in front of my family, friends and fans," James said in a statement released by his publicist. "I look forward to working toward bringing a championship to our great fans and the city of Cleveland."
Unlike fellow 2003 NBA draft classmate Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, James waited a week before announcing his intention to take the deal, a delay that had Cleveland fans, who have been burned by broken promises before, fearing the worst.
Ever the showman, James let the drama build before agreeing to a deal that will start after the 2007 season and run through 2012-13.
James will make $5.8 million next season, the final year on his rookie contract. The exact amount of James' extension won't be known until later this summer when the league determines the salary cap for next season.
James, who wasn't eligible for restricted free agency until after next season, has said for months that he loves playing in Cleveland and wants to help the Cavaliers win their first NBA championship.
James was the final member of the "Big Four" from the '03 draft class to accept the extension. Wade, Denver's Carmelo Anthony and Toronto's Chris Bosh all earlier announced their intent to sign.
Almost from the moment the club selected him with the No. 1 overall pick three years ago, insecure Cleveland fans have worried about a day when James would bolt for a bigger paycheque and brighter spotlight in a bigger market such as New York, Los Angeles or Chicago.
It didn't help that James often wears a New York Yankees baseball cap, a fashion accessory looked upon as blasphemous in Northeast Ohio.
 
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Updated: July 8, 2006, 4:41 PM ET
LeBron to sign up to five-year, $80M extension


<!-- end pagetitle --><!-- begin bylinebox -->Associated Press

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<!-- begin text11 div --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-TOP: 10px" vAlign=top><!-- begin leftcol --><!-- template inline -->CLEVELAND -- LeBron James won't be leaving home anytime soon.
<!--------------------------START PLAYER CARD------------------><TABLE class=tableheadFixWidth cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width=200 align=right><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD class=whitelink colSpan=2>LeBron James</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow align=right><TD align=left>
3704.jpg
Small Forward
Cleveland Cavaliers

Profile

</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD align=middle><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 width=190 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR class=stathead align=middle><TD align=middle colSpan=6>2006 SEASON STATISTICS</TD></TR><TR align=right><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">GM</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">PPG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">RPG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">APG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">FG%</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">FT%</TD></TR><TR align=right bgColor=#bcbcb4><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">79</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">31.4</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">7.0</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">6.6</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">.480</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">.738</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!---------------------INLINE MINI-PLAYER CARD ENDS HERE--------------------->
Cleveland's All-Star forward agreed Saturday to sign a contract extension of up to five years and worth as much as $80 million with the Cavaliers, a huge relief for the rising team and its fretting fans who worried he might be planning an escape.
James, who in three seasons as a pro has turned the Cavaliers from doormats into NBA title contenders, will sign the deal after the league's moratorium ends on Wednesday, said his agent Leon Rose.
"I am very excited and happy to be re-signing with the Cavaliers. Staying in Cleveland ... provides me with the unique opportunity to continue to play in front of my family, friends and fans," James said in a statement released by his publicist. "I look forward to working toward bringing a championship to our great fans and the city of Cleveland."
Unlike some of his fellow 2003 draft classmates, James waited one week after the team made the offer before announcing his intention to take the deal. The delay since July 1 had Cleveland fans, who have been burned by broken promises before, fearing the worst.
But as he has always done, the 21-year-old from nearby Akron came through in the clutch.
Ever the showman, James let the drama build before agreeing to a deal that will start after the 2007 season and could run through 2011-12.
James will make $5.8 million next season, the final year on his rookie contract. The exact amount of James' extension won't be known until later this summer when the league determines the salary cap for next season.
James, who wasn't eligible for restricted free agency until after next season, has said for months that he loves playing in Cleveland and wants to help win the Cavaliers their first NBA championship.
Usually the first to do things, James was behind Denver's Carmelo Anthony and Toronto's Chris Bosh, who have already announced their intent to sign extensions. Miami's Dwyane Wade, the NBA Finals MVP, is still negotiating with the Heat about his contract.
Almost from the moment the club selected him with the No. 1 overall pick three years ago, insecure Cleveland fans have worried about a day when James would bolt for a bigger paycheck and brighter spotlight in a booming market like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago.
That fear was well founded since big-name athletes like Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and Carlos Boozer all left Cleveland as free agents despite saying they would stay. It didn't help that James often wears a New York Yankees baseball cap, a fashion accessory looked upon as blasphemous in Northeast Ohio.
James, though, kept his word. And at least for now, he plans to stay with Cleveland. He has said repeatedly that he wants to bring the city its first world championship since the Browns won an NFL title in 1964 -- three years before there was even a Super Bowl and 20 years before James' birth.
Following the Cavaliers' impressive run in this year's NBA playoffs, that title might not be far off.
Rose said he hopes to have the deal signed before James reports July 19 to training camp for the U.S. team playing in this summer's World Championships.
With James' extension looming, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert did everything he could to keep the superstar happy.
Last summer, the club spent millions on free agents Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones and re-signed center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a player James personally campaigned to keep. In addition, Gilbert renovated Quicken Loans Arena, upgrading the Cavs' locker room and remodeling a family area partly to accommodate the overflow of James supporters at every home game.
The club also is building a high-tech, $20 million training facility in Independence, a short drive from James' suburban home.
At 21, James has more scored more points, handed out more assists and grabbed more rebounds at a younger age than any player in history.
Last season, the 6-foot-8 standout became just the fourth player to average at least 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists, joining an elite group with Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Michael Jordan. He was named the youngest All-Star game MVP in history, and he finished runner-up to Phoenix's Steve Nash for league MVP honors.
James led the Cavs to 50 regular-season wins and carried them back to the NBA playoffs for the first time since 1998. He recorded a triple-double in his first postseason game against Washington and averaged 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists as Cleveland advanced past the Wizards before losing in seven games to Detroit in the second round.
Off the floor, James' No. 23 jersey is everywhere and he's easily Cleveland's most recognized athlete since Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown ran roughshod over NFL defenses for the Browns.
Last season, Nike hung a 10-story banner of a dunking James with the phrase "We Are All Witnesses" written across it on a building across the street from the Cavs' arena.


*****************

:groove:



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ABJ

7/9/06

Cavaliers report

Gooden next to talk about new contract

By Brian Windhorst

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->Behind the scenes, the entire Cavaliers organization celebrated Saturday when LeBron James announced that he will accept a contract extension.
Outwardly, though, it was back to business. The team enters what could be a dicey negotiation with their new No. 1 priority, free agent Drew Gooden. They had asked Gooden's agents to be patient until James' situation was settled; now talks will begin in earnest.
He is a restricted free agent, which means the Cavs can match any offer he receives. Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry has said he wants to re-sign Gooden but also won't let him go with nothing in return.
The Denver Nuggets agreed last week to a six-year, $60 million deal with restricted free-agent forward Nene, who has career averages of 10 points and six rebounds and is coming off major knee surgery.
The Cavs were probably not considering going that high for Gooden, who has career averages of 12 points and seven rebounds.
``That (Nene) deal set the market; we'd like to get into that environment,'' Gooden's agent, Calvin Andrews, said Saturday.
If planned talks early this week don't go well, things could get tense because there are no teams left with salary-cap room that are believed to be seriously interested in Gooden. That might lead to Gooden exploring sign-and-trade possibilities or playing on a one-year, $5.4 million contract that would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Rookies sign
The Cavs signed draft picks Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson. Brown got a two-year guaranteed deal worth $2 million with team options for two more years. Gibson signed a two-year deal worth $1.1 million.
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RealGM

<TABLE cellSpacing=8 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=wiretap_key_header>Cavaliers Interested In Banks And Butler</TD></TR><TR><TD>9th July, 2006 - 1:28 pm</TD></TR><TR><TD>Beacon Journal - Now that LeBron James has signed his extension, the Cavaliers can begin thinking about bringing in pieces that will help him win a title.

They are reportedly interested in Marcus Banks, who played with Minnesota and Boston last season, as well as Jackie Butler, back-up center for the Knicks. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

I've heard Butler is staying in NY, but he'd be great for this team.

Banks doesn't have a great outside shot, but that's as of last year. We kind of need a good shooting point gaurd. But since there's no better option, I'll take him.

Make it happen Ferry!
 
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Good article by Marc Stein--

ESPN

Bringing title to Cleveland more valuable to LeBron

I read all the reasons my man Bill Simmons trotted out to explain why LeBron James very well could have turned down a five-year, $80 million contract extension from the Cleveland Cavaliers and actually started second-guessing my recent pronouncement that LeBron was a lock to stay put.
nba_g_lebron_275.jpg

David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Cavs clearly revolve around LeBron, but he isn't likely to get a Shaq-like sidekick any time soon.




The Sports Guy was right. If anyone on Earth could let that kind of money sit on the table and wait two years for unrestricted free agency, it's LeBron.

However ...

I quickly remembered the two crucial LBJ truths to offset the reality that, yes, he really could have played out two more seasons on his piddling rookie wages, signed a contract starting at the $5 million mid-level exception with the Knicks or Nets in the summer of 2008 even if they couldn't manufacture any salary-cap space to chase him and still make more money in endorsements than anyone in the league.

Truth No. 1: As scared and reluctant as the long-suffering fans on Lake Erie were to believe this, after every sporting tragedy to befall them over the years, LeBron is a proud Ohioan. He gives back tons of money to his community as an All-Star philanthropist. I've said it before and I'll say it again: LeBron grew up in nearby Akron and DOES NOT WANT TO LEAVE. What he really wants is to be the guy -- the first modern-day athlete in any sport -- who beats the Cleveland curse.

That would be pretty rich and meaningful, wouldn't it?

Truth No. 2: LeBron has to live with the fact that 2003 draft classmate Dwyane Wade led his team to a championship before James did. That will never change. But let's face it, Wade couldn't have won a ring in Miami in his third season unless he had Shaquille O'Neal as a sidekick, no matter how brilliant Wade was. LeBron doesn't have anyone close to Shaq's stature as a Cavs teammate and isn't likely to see one any time soon.

So ...

The only way to one-up Wade is doing what LeBron started to do Saturday: Commit to sign the Cavs' extension offer and then lead the Cavs -- the Cavs -- to a championship. Preferably while Shaq is still playing.

Of course, it's not like this is going to be easy. The Cavs don't have the cap space to pursue a helpful free agent like Al Harrington or Bonzi Wells, after last summer's free-agent splashes on Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones and the re-signing of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. They've also had no luck yet this offseason shopping Ilgauskas and Jones in hopes of making significant alterations to the current mix.

That's why many pundits would rate Chicago ahead of Cleveland in the East if the season started today. The Bulls signed Ben Wallace away from Detroit and drafted Tyrus Thomas to join an on-the-rise young mix. The only improvement that the Cavs can count on, at present, is the progress James makes in his fourth season.

Yet that's a bigger booster shot than most teams can count on.
Don't forget what he did last season seemingly by himself at times. James powered the Cavs to 50 wins after the injury loss of Hughes ... and then helped trigger the unraveling of the Pistons as we knew them by overturning a 2-0 series deficit to drag them to seven games in the second round.

Since Wade is only going to get better, too, Cleveland will have to be proactive and fortunate. Maybe the James-Hughes tag team blossoms after a full season together, uninterrupted by injury. Maybe Cavs general manager Danny Ferry eventually finds a better sidekick for James by trading Hughes. Maybe they get lucky and a deal materializes for Ilgauskas that provides the injection of frontcourt athleticism and versatility that the Cavs need.

What we know for sure, and officially so now, is that James is willing to give Ferry and aggressive Cavs owner Dan Gilbert time to assemble a title-worthy supporting cast. Reason being: LeBron wants to bring a parade to Cleveland more than he wants the extra Nike bucks allegedly waiting for him as a Knick or a Net or a Laker.

He'll play one more season on his rookie contract and then won't have an opportunity to be a free agent until after the fourth season of his extension, in the summer of 2011. Winning a championship by then will be a massive challenge, but what if the 21-year-old pulls it off?
To Ohio's own LeBron James? The payoff from lifting all those curses and winning it all, in the land where Browns, Indians and Cavs disciples know only heartbreak, is fatter than anything those big-city teams could have ever thrown at him.
 
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LeBron may take less now, for much more later

<!-- end pagetitle --><!-- begin bylinebox -->ESPN.com news services

<!-- begin presby2 -->
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<!-- begin text11 div --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-TOP: 10px" vAlign=top><!-- begin leftcol --><!-- template inline -->
LeBron James showed himself to be a shrewd businessman as an 18-year-old when he signed gigantic endorsement contracts before even entering the league. The Cleveland Cavaliers star may have pulled off another smart deal. <!--------------------------START PLAYER CARD------------------><TABLE class=tableheadFixWidth cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width=200 align=right><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD class=whitelink colSpan=2>LeBron James</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow align=right><TD align=left>
3704.jpg
Small Forward
Cleveland Cavaliers

Profile</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD align=middle><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 width=190 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR class=stathead align=middle><TD align=middle colSpan=6>2006 SEASON STATISTICS</TD></TR><TR align=right><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">GM</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">PPG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">RPG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">APG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">FG%</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">FT%</TD></TR><TR align=right bgColor=#bcbcb4><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">79</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">31.4</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">7.0</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">6.6</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">.480</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">.738</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!---------------------INLINE MINI-PLAYER CARD ENDS HERE--------------------->
Sources have told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that James has agreed to a four-year extension worth approximately $60 million, and he can opt out of the deal after three seasons. It had been widely reported that James would sign a five-year, $80 million maximum contract Wednesday. He could have very good reason to settle for less now.
With the NBA's collective bargaining agreement set to expire at the end of the 2010-11 season, James could be positioning himself for an even bigger payday as a free agent when the cap goes up. Under a new agreement, James and other big stars could be in line for deals in the neighborhood of six years and up to $150 million.
Unlike others from his draft class, James waited one week to agree to the Cavs' contract offer. Cleveland, which saw Carlos Boozer bolt for Utah after verbally agreeing to a deal, started to worry. It could be that James' representatives and the Cavaliers were fine-tuning this aspect of his deal.
No contract can be signed until Wednesday, after the league sets the salary cap for teams. That will establish the exact figure for a "max contract," a number that only the Cavaliers, as the team that drafted James, can offer him.
James is heading into the final year of his rookie contract and will earn $5.8 million this season. He would have been eligible for restricted free agency in 2008, but James has said all along that he wanted to return to Cleveland, which is close to his hometown of Akron.
"I am very excited and happy to be re-signing with the Cavaliers. Staying in Cleveland ... provides me with the unique opportunity to continue to play in front of my family, friends and fans," James said in a statement released by his publicist this week. "I look forward to working toward bringing a championship to our great fans and the city of Cleveland."
That a superstar would ask to be paid less than that max would be a groundbreaking maneuver. Then again, James has made a habit of redefining the league. Last year, he became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 30 points per game over the course of a season. His averages of 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game allowed him to join Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in a single season.

Now, he could be in line for even more record-setting numbers, these ones on his paycheck. How this affects other superstars around the league remains to be seen. Miami's Dwyane Wade and Denver's Carmelo Anthony also agreed to max contracts this past week. According to Smith, James discussed the deal he was planning to sign with those players. LeBron could be leading the league again ... in business acumen. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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