14 Million Reasons

In news that should be a surprise to zero people, it was reported by Brian Windhorst this morning that Tristan Thompson and the Cavs are still $14 million apart in their now stalemated negotiations. Questions abound as the clock has nearly run out on these protracted discussions between TT’s camp (namely Klutch Sports Group’s Rich Paul) and Cavs’ management, which could result in Tristan “betting on himself” and signing the team’s $6.9 million qualifying offer for next year by the end of this week.

Questions like: “Who is really pulling the strings, TT or Rich Paul?” “How much is a backup PF/C actually worth?” “What’s the highest luxury tax CavsDan is willing to spend?” “Will LeBron insert himself into the situation at the 11th hour?” “Would TT really leave next year if he signs the Q.O.?” and “How will this all resolve?”

For the answers to those questions (and many more), stay tuned for a thorough dissection of the TT situation coming this week from Nate. In the meantime, I found myself wondering just what else the Cavs could get for their extra $14 million instead…

This 35,000-square-foot mansion in the Atlanta metro area just went on the market for $13.9 million. That’s actually $26 million less than the mansion’s mysterious current owners spent to build the lavish home — and they never even lived in it. The gigantic house is currently one of the biggest homes for sale in the US, according to toptenrealestate.com. It features an insane number of ridiculous touches, including five kitchens, 17 bathrooms, eight bedrooms, a home theatre, a gun room, a wine cellar, a saltwater pool, and so much more. Plenty of room for road games against the Hawks…

To cut costs, NASA has recently considered shutting down operation of the Opportunity rover, which landed on Mars in 2004 and is still collecting data, surviving 40 times longer than its original projected lifespan. It costs $14 million a year to operate, so the Cavs could chip in to keep the information flowing from the red planet through 2016, and immediately lay claim to the first off-world expansion franchise…

Clocking in at just under $7 million per episode, Game of Thrones is one of the most expensive shows on television. Where does the cash go? With period costumes and epic battle sequences, not to mention the expenses of moving the cast and crew to shoot locations like Ireland, Iceland and Croatia, the money trail isn’t too hard to follow. That said, wouldn’t it be worth it to CavsDan to snag an Emmy next year by bankrolling a two-episode arc of the popular show? Maybe they’d even give him or LBJ a cameo as some long lost Lannister…

A Ferrari is a rare thing. The brand makes just 7,000 or so cars a year, because if it made more, each would risk becoming a mere commodity rather than a practical work of art. But there are rare Ferraris, and there are one-of-a-kind Ferraris. This 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Speciale is a design made just for Nuccio Bertone, the man behind one of the industry’s great boutique design firms, responsible for masterpieces like the Lamborghini Miura and Countach. Inspired by the championship-winning Ferrari 156 F1 race car, designer Giorgetto Giugiaro crafted a shark nose front end for his boss’ ride. The car is expected to sell for $14-16 million at auction. Imagine how it would look in wine and gold…

Or how about just a license plate… Saeed Abdel Ghaffar Khouri paid $14 million for an Abu Dhabi license plate with the number 1, breaking the previous record held by his relative Talal Ali Mohammad Khouri, who paid up to 7 million dollars for the Abu Dhabi plates with number 5 and number 7. After the auction of 90 plates Khouri said he would have bid as much as 26 million dollars to get the desiriable plate. When asked what he intends to do with the plate he stated that the plate will be kept on one of the family cars and that he has no intention to sell it. Still, I’ll bet CavsDan can make him an offer he can’t refuse…

And, you can never go wrong with a review-proof Hollywood programmer. The Perfect Guy cost just under $14 million to make, and in it’s second week of release, has made almost three times its budget ($41.3M). Sure it’s some seriously schlocky stuff, but what a return on investment!

With a fulfilling career and a loving relationship, lobbyist Leah Vaughn (Sanaa Lathan) seems to have it all. Things come crashing down when Dave, her long-term boyfriend, questions her future plans for marriage and a family. The resulting breakup leaves Leah heartbroken, until she meets the charming and handsome Carter Duncan (Michael Ealy). Soon, the budding romance turns dangerous as Carter reveals his volatile nature, forcing Leah to turn the tables on the man she thought was Mr. Right.

Only the Cavs know if TT is Mr. Right…

These are just a few of the many things the Cavs could spend an extra $14 million on… Just thought they should know their options before deciding how to resolve the TT situation.