LeBron James is tampering (so what?)

One nice upside of the NBA lockout is that tampering rules are not fully in effect.

Yes, team executives cannot talk about other teams or other players or even their own players, but LeBron James is not a member of management and thus is exempt from the rule until the lockout is settled.

So call it tampering, or call it recruiting. But whatever the case, James is making the countdown to settlement day all the more interesting.

From Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

“Amid the NBA lockout NBA players no longer are finding themselves on tampering lockdown when it comes to addressing the acquisition of other players, even those under contract to other teams. Last week, that had New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony in full recruitment mode when it came to New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, who cannot become a free agent until at least next summer. Thursday, LeBron James playfully hit his own recruiting trail in cyberspace. First, the Miami Heat forward posted on his Twitter account, “Would love to see @JCrossover in a Heat uni! What u guys say?” That Twitter account belongs to Atlanta Hawks guard Jamal Crawford, who happens to be an impending free agent, albeit one expected to fall beyond the Heat’s salary-cap means. Crawford and James have been spending time together in recent NBA lockout exhibitions, including the one hosted by James at Florida International University. James then posted on his Twitter account, “Maybe @SteveNash in a Heat uni! So we can help each other get our 1st ring.” That would be point guard Steve Nash, who is under contract to the Phoenix Suns for $11.7 million this coming season. Under NBA rules, which are not in force during the lockout, players may not publicly lobby for the acquisition of a player under contract to another team. The only way the Heat could trade for Nash under current salary-cap rules would be a deal involving James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh. There is a chance, however, the Suns work out a buyout with Nash to allow the All-Star to pursue a championship, either at the conclusion of the lockout under the proposed salary-cap “amnesty” program or after the midseason trading deadline.
For his efforts, James found himself with a friendly Twitter rebuke from Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden, who posted, “chill out with all this recruiting!”