A Teen And A Ping Pong Ball Symbolize Change For Two NBA Franchises

14-year-old Nick Gilbert sits quietly by with a stoic look in his eyes behind his dark, obsidian-black framed glasses. His bowtie sits neatly above his button-up white dress shirt and midnight-navy blue blazer, with all ten fingers interlacing one another perching above the table top of the Cleveland Cavalier’s podium.

A small smirk creeps just slightly upward to the left of his mouth as they introduce him as the representative for the team and the owner (who happens to be his father).

After the presentation for the rest of the other NBA Lottery team’s representatives commences, the league proceeds with the selections for the order of the 2011 NBA Draft. Little Ping-Pong balls with a black number imprint bounce around in a device like the machines at movie theaters with hard, yellow kernels bursting into fluffy, white popcorn.

Each team rep sits with an uneasy, stone face with hope that their selection would be the shocker to nab one of the top picks. Yet, Gilbert sat idly by with a tranquil demeanor on his face and belief that his team would be in one of those lucky slots. He understood the chances were high for his father’s franchise; they had the second (19.9%) and eighth (2.8%) possibility that their ball would pop out as that number one pick.

The selections went in order for picks fourteen through nine. Then came the result for the eighth pick, which pops up as the Detroit Pistons. The Cavaliers now have a guarantee that their lowest selection would be a top three pick, along with their highest probability winner for the top pick. That would eventually garner the fourth spot for the upcoming draft.

Gilbert is now one of the three final reps that stands before the cameras prior to the unveiling for the order of selections three, two, and one. The team logo for the third pick flashes without the words Cleveland or Cavaliers on it (Utah would win that choice). Even though his father’s team now has a 50% chance for the top pick in the NBA Draft, Gilbert is chilling atop the stage, his hands in his pockets, with the same coolness he was exuding all night.

That would quickly change when the Minnesota Timberwolves are the winners of the second overall pick, and the young teen throws up his hands in triumph. His father’s Cleveland Cavaliers are now the sole owners of the first pick in the 2011 Draft.

Not only can they thank their good luck charm, the owner’s son, and the a miniscule ping pong ball for their victory, but also the Los Angeles Clippers.

In a swap that was formulated at the NBA Trade Deadline, the Cavaliers sent PG Mo Williams and swingman Jamario Moon over to the Clippers for PG Baron Davis and that would-be number one pick. Thinking the pick would be of little use to them because of their chances (again, a 2.8% probability to get the number one pick) and a weak draft class, as well as the need to dump Davis’s exorbitant contract and the chance to upgrade his spot with a younger, former all-star point guard; Los Angeles figured they were on the winning end of this trade.

That is, until a little ball bounced in favor of the Cavalier’s young teen representative.

As of now, the trade will still point to the Clippers as the winner, but it may drastically come back to haunt them in a few years. Losing the contract and baggage of Davis will be a load off the franchise’s shoulders, but Williams is not as great an upgrade as some might think.

The eight-year guard was at his best during the two-year period he played with LeBron James, but any player will benefit greatly playing alongside the most dynamic player in the league. The lone all-star appearance can be attributed to the fact that, along with being James’ sidekick, he was the second option on the top franchise that year. He was the only player who could merit the selection out of the rest of the roster. His career averages for points (13.9) and assists (5.0) are pedestrian at best and don’t highlight him as an elite player at his position.

This illustration is important because of the position Los Angeles could have been in with the top selection. Although the draft pool is limited with possible stars, there is one player who has the chance to be great: Duke PG Kyrie Irving.

Standing six feet, two inches tall and 185 pounds, the 19-year-old freshman breakout star may not be in the discussion as an upper echelon point guard (a group that features Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams), but he has the tools and potential to reach that point somewhere in his career. He was the most dominant player on the Duke squad this season and showed consistency running such a veteran team as a first-year player.

(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

His potential to be great is certainly higher than that of Williams and his style of play fits the current roster of the Clippers better as well. Irving loves getting up-and-down the court and can get great looks for his teammates, which would have been the perfect complement to the freakish athletic ability of Blake Griffin and the sweet, shooting stroke that Eric Gordon is armed with.

Aside from the upside and ability edge Irving has over Williams, there is also the age factor. Irving is a much younger player (19) than Williams (28), which would have created a great young nucleus with Griffin (22), Gordon (22), and DeAndre Jordan (22). With the younger Irving at the point, Griffin would see the potential of his team and most likely sign an extension a few years down the road. Yet, it will take Williams to play at the high level he performed at during his All-Star season to keep the Clippers’ superstar power forward to believe his franchise has the right components to be competitive in the future.

Although Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling may live to regret the day he watched the younger Gilbert strike a pose after the Cavaliers’ ping pong ball came up with the top pick, those symbols may be the start of a revival in Cleveland.

After the departure of King James, the Cavaliers lineup was left for despair with more holes than a whole pack of Swiss cheese. Decent role players are sprinkled at various positions (Williams, Anderson Varejao, Ramon Sessions, J.J Hickson, Daniel Gibson, Jamario Moon), but James represented everything to this team and the sum of their parts could never equal his greatness.

So the team decided to take a chance and trade their best asset, Williams, and a player with significance, Moon, and received Davis and the Clippers’ 2011 first round pick in return.

The gamble was well understood when they pulled off the trade back at the deadline; they’ll get an often injured, usually out-of-shape, 31-year-old point guard who will cost them $30 Million over the next two years. The big seller of the trade was the pick, which was probably going to be in the top ten, and the ability to pair it up with their own selection, which would probably end up be in the top five given their record at that time.

Their own pick was in the top five, but the Clippers’ one vaulted over everyone to be number one.

Now, the Cavaliers control their own destiny for the future. They can grab the coveted Irving and have him become the new face of their franchise. They can then complement their top selection with any of the other top players in the draft (Derrick Williams if he falls that far, Enes Kanter, Donatas Motiejunas, Jan Vessely) or trade that pick for extras selections or to a team willing to swap an impact player.

While a drastic change of improvement may not be on the horizon for Cleveland anytime soon (even with the first and fourth pick in the draft), there is now a glimmer of hope breaking through the metropolitan in Ohio.

In the end, both teams may look back at that late February trade as the moment that altered their franchise’s future. Yet, it was ultimately the composed demeanor of a teen and the lucky bounce of a Ping-Pong ball that will forever be remembered as the moment everything changed.

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This Day in Black Sports History: February 10, 1989

In the mid-1990s, as he inched closer to becoming the National Basketball Association’s all-time leader in coaching victories, Leonard Randolph Wilkens exhibited the same type of quiet resolve that began to develop during his childhood, growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.

Born on October 28, 1937 to an African-American father and an Irish mother, Wilkens had to quickly adjust to the ostracism he would receive for his mixed heritage, either from the taunts of other children or the contemptuous remarks of racist adults.

While still a preschooler though, his emotional maturation was further accelerated when his father died suddenly, leaving Wilkens, the oldest of four children, as the “man of the family” at the tender age of five.

Living in a Brooklyn tenement, and supported only by the wages his mother earned working in a candy factory, Wilkens managed to keep his emotions under firm control while keeping his nose in the books and resisting the temptations of the street.

"I couldn't have sympathy," Wilkens told Sports Illustrated.

"I couldn't trust. I couldn't get involved with people because then I'd have to feel. What scared me so much was seeing no one going out of their way to help my mother and family after my father died. Seeing people look down their noses at us. You realize that no one really cares.”

“So how do you get through? You start building the wall. You never let anyone know what's inside. It sounds awful now to say I'd never cry."

After acquiring a grocery delivery job at the age of seven, Wilkens spent his leisure time playing basketball with various youth leagues in Brooklyn, becoming a standout over the course of his adolescent years.

At Boys High School, Wilkens made enough of a mark to win an athletic scholarship to Providence College, a private, Catholic university in Rhode Island.

As one of six African-Americans in a school with 1,200 students, Wilkens was re-indoctrinated to the ugly reality of racism. But Wilkens allowed brilliance in the class room and stellar play on the court do the talking.

"There were people looking at me like I was some kind of insect," Wilkens recalled of his college years. "People who assumed that because I was from Bed-Stuy, I was carrying a knife or gun.”

“One drop of black blood in this country ... and you're tainted. If I let that hurt me, who has the anxiety? Me. I was not going to let anyone hurt me or make me feel anxious. I'd learned something by then. If I could control myself, I could make them feel anxious."

Wilkens’ controlled aggression helped him become a two-time All-American at Providence, leading the team to its first National Invitational Tournament (NIT) appearance in 1959 and the NIT Finals in 1960, where he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Wilkens graduated from Providence with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1960.

In the 1960 NBA Draft, Wilkens was drafted sixth overall by the St. Louis Hawks, and in a matter of years became a perennial All-Star.

Between 1963 and 1973, Wilkens was named to nine All-Star teams as a member of the Hawks (1960-1968), Seattle SuperSonics (1969-1972) and Cleveland Cavaliers (1972-1974). In 1968, Wilkens finished second in the NBA’s MVP voting to Wilt Chamberlain.

At the time of his retirement in 1975, Wilkens was second on the NBA’s all-time assists list, behind only Oscar Robertson, and finished his career with 16.5 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Wilkens would begin the coaching portion of his basketball journey as a player-coach in Seattle (1969-1972 and for the Portland Trail Blazers in 1974, which was his final year as a player. Wilkens became a full-time coach in 1977 when he took over the 5-17 SuperSonics.

Their dismal record notwithstanding, Wilkens’ knack for teaching the fundamentals of the game became glaringly evident as he guided Seattle to a 42-18 record the rest of the season, and an appearance in the 1978 NBA Finals, where the SuperSonics succumbed to the Washington Bullets in seven games.

The following season, Wilkens took Seattle back to the NBA Finals and, this time, the SuperSonics defeated Washington in five games.

Despite Seattle’s dramatic turnaround under Wilkens’ steady hand, Wilkens was overlooked for the Coach of the Year Award in 1978 and 1979 for reasons that more than one observer considered racist.

After eight seasons in Seattle, Wilkens moved on to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers, transforming a team that won only 29 games in 1985-1986 into an Eastern Conference powerhouse that won 50 games or more in five of his last six seasons.

In 1994, his first year as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, Wilkens finally won Coach of the Year honors for taking a mediocre Hawks team to the playoffs with a 57-25 record.

Two years later, Wilkens would surpass Red Auerbach as the NBA’s all-time leader in coaching victories and, after brief stints with the Toronto Raptors (2000-2003) and the New York Knicks (2004-2005), retire with 1,332 victories, which is now only second to former coach Don Nelson.

During his coaching career, Wilkens also served as an assistant coach on the gold-medal winning 1992 United States Olympic Dream Team and as the head coach for the 1996 United States Olympic Team, which also captured gold.

On February 10, 1989, Wilkens’ exploits as a player were rewarded with election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

And with his induction as a coach in 1998, Wilkens became only one of three players to be enshrined in Springfield as a player and a coach (Bill Sharman, John Wooden).

In 1996, the NBA named Wilkens one of its 50 Greatest Players and one of its 10 Greatest Coaches, the only individual named to both lists.

According to Newsweek, Wilkens "has earned the respect of two decades' worth of NBA players by being patient, by being demanding and by asking no more of his players than he asked of himself.... Nothing can detract from Wilkens' historic accomplishment. He has proved himself a man for all seasons, not just any one."

Click here to read the original article at Examiner.com.

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Cleveland Washes its Hands, Stores and Walls of LeBron James

No city and organization were impacted more by the departure of LeBron James than the Cleveland Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland.

In response, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert appointed himself spokesperson for the masses with an incendiary letter in which he called James’ announcement “a cowardly act of betrayal” and guaranteed that the Cleveland would win an NBA Championship before the self-titled ‘King’ did in South Beach with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Furthermore, Gilbert’s Fathead LLC, a company that sells life-size wall stickers of LeBron James in a Cavaliers uniform, slashed the prices of the memorabilia from as much as $99.99 to $17.41; which, by no coincidence, is the birth year of Benedict Arnold, one of the most notorious traitors in American history.

The healing process for Cleveland continued Saturday, but with much less fanfare than Gilbert’s boisterous demonstrations to express his displeasure with the most controversial member of ‘Miami Thrice’.

According to ESPN.com, workers began dismantling the 10-story-tall iconic image of LeBron James on a mural in downtown Cleveland, a billboard that dominated the city's skyline for years but is being taken down now that the NBA’s two-time reigning MVP has taken his talents to Miami.

"We are removing the LeBron James Witness mural in downtown Cleveland and expect the process to be completed within a few days," Nike spokesman KeJuan Wilkins said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

As further evidence of Cleveland’s desire to completely wash their hands of ‘The Chosen One’, merchants are selling No. 23 jerseys at discounted rates in an effort to get rid of the inventories for James and businesses are offering perks, like free beer, in exchange for a James jersey or T-shirt.

What has this world come to when a basketball player, who merely exercised his right to seek employment elsewhere, ignites the passion of millions with whom he has absolutely no personal relationship?

Truth is, the blame for this fiasco rests with the fans and the media who placed James on a gradually loftier pedestal from the moment he was selected by the Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

As the old adage goes: “Don’t hate the playa, hate the game.”

Click here to read more about LeBron James and 2010 NBA free agency on Examiner.com.

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The Most Compelling Reason for LeBron James to Stay in Cleveland

“Born here. Raised here. Plays here. STAYS HERE.”

Are these the words that were echoing through the mind of LeBron James as he listened to the impassioned recruiting pitch of New York Knicks owner James Dolan, President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh, Assistant to the President Allan Houston and head coach Mike D’Antoni?

Possibly.

What can be said for certain though is the New York contingent that met with James and his team gave the two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player ample food for thought about the prospect of trying a Knick uniform on for size.

In addition to playing in the Big Apple, a city that he has called his favorite, James would have the opportunity to resurrect one of the league’s marquee franchises, with the assistance of another elite free agent player, while achieving iconic status in, arguably, the greatest city in the world today.

And from the Chicago Bulls to the Los Angeles Clippers to the Miami Heat, this enticing vision is what no other organization in the league can realistically offer to the most sought-after free agent in professional sports history.

But, if he truly cares about where his place will be among the pantheon of greats in the NBA annals when he steps away from the game, LeBron James should reject every offer placed in front of him over next several days, including the one from the Knicks, and elect to finish what he has started in Cleveland.

Now before the comments come flooding in to have this article burned in effigy due to its seemingly pro-Cavalier stance, one must take a moment to reflect upon the greatest winners in the history of the National Basketball Association.

Bill Russell won an astounding 11 championships in 13 seasons while anchoring the paint for the Boston Celtics from mid 50’s to the late 60’s.

Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson brought ‘Showtime’ to the Great Western Forum and, as a by-product of his rivalry with Larry Bird, changed the way the game was played as the main contributor in helping the Los Angeles Lakers raise five championship banners in the 80’s.

From 1991-1998, the only time the Chicago Bulls didn’t win the NBA Championship was when Michael Jordan took two years off to try his hand at baseball.

And when many thought Kobe Bryant couldn’t win a ring without Shaquille O’Neal, he proved his critics wrong by leading the Lakers to two consecutive championships to bring his title count to five.

The common link among all these players is that they achieved their greatness with the teams that originally drafted them (Bryant's draft rights were acquired by the Lakers less than a month following the 1996 NBA Draft); and, without a shadow of a doubt, there is a certain ‘Je ne sais quoi’ about a player elevating the franchise that drafted him to heights it had never seen before, much like Tim Duncan has done with the San Antonio Spurs in recent years.

This is what LeBron James, a native Ohioan, needs to do to be deserving of being mentioned in the same breath as Russell, Jordan, ‘Magic’ and Bryant, who all fulfilled their promise and left nothing undone in Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles respectively.

LeBron James needs to finish what he started in Cleveland. Otherwise, he may never be truly fulfilled as a player for the rest of his life and the mark on him will always be that when the going got tough ‘The King’ got going.

“Drafted here. Played here. Stayed here. Won here.”

This is what can be said of the Jordan’s and Russell’s of this world as it applies to a particular NBA team; but James has the rare opportunity to take it to another level and become a transcendent figure in the game of basketball by lifting the state where he was born and raised to championship glory.

And if changing his jersey number from Michael Jordan’s #23 to Bill Russell’s #6 means anything to him, James’ decision should rapidly crystallize as he mulls over the numerous offers he’ll be receiving in the next week.

Make no mistake about it; his legacy will depend on it.

Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and special video presentations featuring LeBron James.

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Independence Week: July 101

As with real time experience, nothing is regular and...OtB brings you a long-form joint re: NBA and its ontological extension unto all of sport. Epochrypha: writings or statements of questionable authorship or authenticity, but always impassioned and always with an eye on the times we're spectating in. Enjoy.

Huge.  This is huge.  But you know that already, O! imagined reader o' mine.  Today is July 1st, the day basketball fans have been waiting for since...well, for the truly initiated, since LeBron and fellow c/o 2003 names Wade and Bosh signed those shorter deals three years ago.  It was a revolutionary move by this age's luminaries of the game.  It gave them leverage over their teams and, more importantly, over their own futures that free agents who've signed six or seven year deals haven't traditionally held.  It allowed them to hold this sway over the league as they move into their primes rather than as they move out of said golden years.  It allows us to have basketball dominate ESPN instead of being relegated to the bottom-line ticker. (I know this is an all sport blog, but I have always been an unabashed and unapologetic basketball-over-all-else enthusiast.  Thanks for enthusing with me.)

James said he'd make a decision by next week.  Thus, with July 4th coming up, we at OtB celebrate the biggest NBA free agency summer ever with Independence Week 101.  Now, in e-mails with Thatchmo, my erstwhile college roomie, the question came up: If you were one of the most powerful men in your field, in your mid-twenties, and you had maneuvered yourself into a position where an entire association was prepared to tremble in your wake, what would you do?  Thatchmo inevitably said Chicago if he was James, because it makes the most basketball sense.  I like that.  The idea of playing with Derrick and the ineffable Joachim Noah is certainly an enticing one.  However, I wonder if there are other elements that would dissuade me and, potentially, the real LeBron.  J.A. Adande is on the same tip as I was a month and a half ago (I'm not saying people be stealing from me, but damn!), when I said LeBron leaving Cleveland is less like KG leaving Minnie as it is like Shaq leaving Orlando.  Adande, being credentialed and all, went and got an interview with Shaq's agent at the time Leonard Armato.  Here's the key line for me: "...he sold the history of the Lakers, and it’s undeniably a storied franchise...He sold owner Jerry Buss."  That's Armato speaking on how Jerry West sold the idea of coming to the Lakers to the Big Precedent.

When I first wrote on this topic, hoping that LeBron would stay with the Cavs, I based my opinion primarily on the fans and the impact his leaving would have on them.  Lately, I'm feeling the need to change my tune.  Armato makes a good point, and half of it is that which New York would like to make.  The history matters.  The organization matters.  I think a free agent's decision should be broken down into five components, at least from an objective standpoint (since we're etching our flames on Plato's walls).  It comes down to teammates (potential or extant), coach, franchise (which includes history and owner/management), cash, and city.  Here's a breakdown of how James' potential suitors stack up in terms of the five components.

Eric B & Rakim - Paid in Full, originally uploaded by dcancel.

Cash: Let's just get this out of the way.  King James isn't worrying about cash unless it's an issue of respect.  He goes to the bank as a global advertising power, so the salary's really just symbolic, though you'd expect any team to give him whatever he wanted.  Thus, no cash considerations here.  We'll go through these in the order LeBron's meeting with them.

New Jersey Nets:
Teammates: The Nets sport two promising players in Devin Harris and Brooks Lopez.  Beyond that, the question is who could James bring with him.
Coach: Avery Johnson fits the bill LeBron is charging teams with (former player), and he has the highest winning percentage of any coach ever, but he didn't leave the Mavs on the greatest of terms.  The Lil General comes off as a bit of a death's head screamer.  Pluses and minuses here.
Franchise: The Nets have been bogged down in The "Meadow"lands lately, but there are glory days here in several Finals appearances and Dr. J.  The new owner and Jay-Z are cool, flashy even, but how much trust can you put in them with Rod Thorn a step out the door?
City: Brooklyn is waiting.  Can LeBron bide his time?  Would The Nets still be NYC's B-team even with the King?  The Nets got the first meeting, but that may mean they have the smallest chance.

New York Knickerbockers:
Teammates: There's not much here.  David Lee is on the way out.  The only player of note would be Danilo Gallinari.  Maybe they can trade Eddy Curry for someone useful.
Coach: Mike D'Antoni is the real selling point here.  Definite positive, though D'Antoni isn't always the most tender of ego stokers.
Franchise: The Knicks had been mired in shame through the Isaiah Thomas years.  Then came D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh.  Bottom line, though?  James Dolan sucks.  End of story.
City:This is the other selling point.  Bring a championship to New York and claim divinity forever.  The thing is that the franchise often gets in the way of the city, though the city has traditionally loved the franchise.  Knicks people have always said the city expects winning now.  That's what James wants too, but I'd be worried that the franchise worries too much about the city.  D'Antoni sounded optimistic, but the resources just seem too slim.

The Flaming Lips, originally uploaded by Kyle Dean Reinford.

Miami Heat:
Teammates: Dwyane Wade. Lots of roster space yet to be filled.  Lots of question marks, which could be good or bad.
Coach: Pat Riley?  It's yet to be seen.  But Riles is the coach with the best pedigree among James' options.
Franchise: The Heat don't have the longest of histories, but since Riley came to town it's been pedal to the metal.  The owner?  In conversations, it's not even an issue, since everything goes through the man with the perfect coif.
City: Miami is a nice town.  I live in Hawai'i.  You tell me what I'm supposed to say here.

LA Clippers:
Teammates: This could actually be the strongest team James is looking at.  This group sports TWO all-stars in Chris Kaman and Baron Davis and two up-and-comers in Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon.  Slot in James at the SF and you've got a HUGE starting five.
Coach: It's still unclear, which is not a good sign.
Franchise: It's the Clippers, the biggest joke in sports.  They're owned by Donald Sterling, who makes Dolan look balanced.  This is the reason there's no way this is happening.
City: You get to play in LA with bright lights, and you get to take a direct stab at Kobe's empire.  But it's the same idea as with The Nets.  You're the B-team.  People like to root for the underdog, but that's not quite LeBron's M.O., is it?

Chicago Bulls
Teammates: James would have Derrick Rose and Joachim Noah, which is a small step up from The Nets' duo of youngsters.  Noah's great, but he's butted heads with James a bit.  The Bulls also have Luol Deng and Taj Gibson, and would potentially look to bring in a big like Bosh or Stoudemire.  Personally, I'd like to see LeBron paired with Nowitzki...
Coach: The Bulls signed much coveted Tom Thibodeau, which is a great pick up if you want to improve your D.  This is a team that's not very far from hounding the D with Scott Skiles (okay, Vinny Del Negro's kind of far).  James just finished playing with a defensive minded coach with Mike Brown, and again he's expressed desire to play with a former NBA player, which is not something Thibodeau can boast.
Franchise: Yeah, there's six championships there.  But before that? A lot of nothing.  After that?  Dismality.  Horrific losing that begs made up words.  Respectability.  The first sweep of a defending champ ever.  Hope.  And then flame outs.  One name counts here.  Jerry Reinsdorf.  Traditionally a penny pincher.  He's said he'll pay to keep LeBron happy.  But Rose is still on his rookie contract.  Can Reinsdorf realistically bring in a third star to play with James and Rose, and then pay Rose when it's time?  Maybe, but I just don't trust that man.
City: The fans are great.  We know that.  There's a statue of Jordan out front that James would be chasing.  We know that.  It's the third biggest market in the U.S., and I guess it's close to Akron.  This is where it gets personal and only James can provide answers.

Welcome Home, originally uploaded by karenmeyere.

Cleveland Cavaliers
Teammates: Anderson Varejao, a host of guards like Boobie Gibson, Delonte West, Mo Williams, newcomers Antawn Jamison, Jamario Moon, Anthony Parker, and Leon Powe.  Big Z.  Maybe Shaq.  These are known quantities.  It's unclear if James could bring in another free agent to bolster this almost there roster.
Coach: Byron Scott is exactly what James has asked for in a coach, but I wonder about how he hasn't lasted in either NJ or NOLA.  I think Scott is actually better suited to coach this team without James.
Franchise: Cleveland has been solid for awhile, and it'd be a true accomplishment for James to bring a championship to this team and this city.  Danny Ferry and Dan Gilbert have not been stellar in any respect, but at least Ferry's been solid and with a longer term commitment from James, he could grow into a strong GM.
City: Cleveland is home.  Again, the question in this week is how big this remains for James.  They already worship him in Cleveland.  Can you imagine what it would be like if he decided to stay and brought a championship to the city?  Chills.  (I guess I'm still feeling this)

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LeBron James Could Become the Patrick Ewing of this Millennium

With the unceremonious ouster of the Cleveland Cavaliers from the NBA Playoffs by the Boston Celtics, the entire sports world has now become nauseatingly fixated on every single move made and every single word uttered by LeBron James in the days and weeks leading up to July 1; which is when the NBA reigning two-time MVP becomes an unrestricted free agent.

More specifically though, the frenzy that has permeated the atmosphere in New York City over the past several weeks, as James' 'countdown to freedom' became the hot topic of conversation, harkens back to the days prior to the first ever NBA Draft Lottery in 1985.

During that time, the New York Knicks were coming off a dismal season in which they won only 24 games and failed to reach the playoffs for the second time in four years.

However, unlike this season, which saw New York finish with an equally appalling 29 victories, the Knick organization had a prime opportunity to rebuild through the Draft, with the hope they would be fortunate enough to win the right to select the first overall pick.

And when NBA Commissioner David Stern pulled the Knick logo out of the envelope to officially signify that New York would have the first selection in the 1985 NBA Draft, Knicks Director of Basketball Operations Dave DeBusschere couldn’t be more ecstatic as he was well aware that the team’s pending pick would change the fortunes of the franchise for years to come.

That consensus first overall pick turned out to be none other than Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing, who led the University of Georgetown to the NCAA Championship Game in three out of four years before closing the book on his legendary collegiate playing career.

Ewing would go on to post career averages of 21.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game while being the center piece in the transformation of the Knicks from cellar dwellers to perennial contenders.

Coincidentally enough, the 25-year anniversary of Ewing’s selection in the 1985 Draft was on May 12; just one day before LeBron James’ season came to an end in Boston.

Now James, arguably the most sought after free agent in league history, has all the time in the world to browse GetLeBron.com, a website created by NYDailyNews.com that is devoted to all the LeBron James’ news that’s fit to print and/or post.

In addition, James can also take note of the fact that prominent members of the last New York Knicks championship team, Clyde Frazier, Earl Monroe and Willis Reed, have thrown their full support behind the site and New York’s recruiting effort to entice him to sign with the Knicks.

So, like 1985, New York is in the hunt to acquire a marquee star that, in all likelihood, will resurrect the franchise and turn the city into the center of the basketball universe.

Twenty-five years is a long time to wait for this type of player to become a part of your organization; especially when it’s located in the largest media market in the National Basketball Association.

Is the wait finally over for a success-starved franchise such as the Knicks?

Will history repeat itself?

If it doesn’t, it won’t be due to a lack of effort on New York’s part.

Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a video recap of the end to LeBron James' season.

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LeBron James could become the most overrated superstar in sports history

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years or completely oblivious to the world of professional sports, it is common knowledge that Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James will become an unrestricted free agent when he opts out of his contract on July 1.

And knowing that this day would eventually come, several NBA organizations have utilized or, if you prefer, sacrificed the past two seasons to position themselves to sign the two-time reigning Most Valuable Player to a maximum contract. But none of these organizations have sacrificed more than the New York Knicks.

At the expense of placing a product on the floor that had the best chance for success, Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh made no less than eight transactions, involving a total number of 25 players, over the past couple of years to not only make a strong run at James but to sign another member of the highly touted 2010 free agent class; including Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh, Amar’e Stoudemire or Dirk Nowitzki.

As a result of Walsh’s machinations though, New York won only 61 out of 164 games in the past two seasons and extended their playoff drought to six years.

However, if these two seasons of futility and ineptitude culminate in the signing of LeBron James all will be right with the world and the ends will have certainly justified the means.

So, as soon as the Cavaliers were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, New York’s courtship of the 25-year-old superstar was thrust into high gear.

But not by the Knicks front office of course, because any implicit or explicit recruiting of James by the organization prior to July 1 would be considered tampering and come with a hefty fine as Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Phoenix Suns general manager Steve Kerr have already found out.

No, the Big Apple’s wooing of the man dubbed ‘King James’ has come from entirely different sources altogether.

For instance, as part of their ‘Get LeBron’ initiative, NYDailyNews.com has appealed to James by saying:

Hey, LeBron: You belong in New York. Come and feel the love. The heart of the city will beat for you. The rush will be such as you have never felt. That's life when you have the greatest 8 million fans on the planet behind you.

And recently, to launch the ‘C’mon LeBron’ movement, the Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, made his own feelings known by adding:

“Willis on one leg. Clyde with a steal. Dr. J soaring from the line. C’mon, LeBron! Write the next chapter in NYC basketball history."

"As the good book says, 'Lead us to the promised land.' And that’s a quote from the King James version.”

King? Deliverer? Messiah? Is this how LeBron James is now being viewed through the eyes of New York?

According to ESPNNewYork.com, Donnie Walsh wants as many New Yorkers as possible to help convince James to choose Madison Square Garden when NBA free agency opens July 1, including members of the New York Yankees.

"If there's Yankees that want to help us, we would involve them," Walsh told the New York Post on Sunday.

But Yankees captain Derek Jeter doesn't see the point. "You don't have to sell winning in New York," Jeter said.

To take it one step further, Jeter could have also said you don’t have to sell New York.

Therefore, the figurative and literal groveling at the feet of LeBron James by the city of New York must come to an immediate halt. No one man deserves this much attention and praise, especially from one of the greatest cities in the world, for doing so little.

And the more these ludicrous campaigns to recruit him continue, the more likelihood there is that LeBron James will become the most overrated superstar in the history of professional sports.

Click here to read original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a video of the launching of the 'C'mon LeBron' movement as well as videos of LeBron James' interview with Larry King on CNN.

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The Summer of 2010 will see LeBron James sign with the New Jersey Nets

In light of the elimination of the Cleveland Cavaliers from the NBA Playoffs by the Boston Celtics, speculation has become even more rampant about where LeBron James will choose to call home this summer. That being said, let's take a look back at my take on where James will sign when he becomes a free agent on July 1st. Bear in mind that this article was published in December of 2009 and, although many factors have changed, the New Jersey Nets will remain my pick. Just remember that you heard it here first.
___________________________________________________________________

And why not? Despite all the maneuvering by team president Donnie Walsh to place the New York Knicks in the best position to sign arguably the most coveted free agent-to-be in NBA history, inking a deal with the New Jersey Nets would be the most attractive option for LeBron James if making the tri-state area his basketball home is under serious consideration.

According to an ESPN.com report, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov’s Onexim Sports and Entertainment Holdings, Forest City Ratner Cos., which is led by Nets majority owner Bruce Ratner, and Nets Sports and Entertainment announced last week they completed their agreement to create a partnership that would own the NBA team and develop the Atlantic Yards project in New York City. The NBA Board of Governors is expected to rule on the sale and relocation by early next year.

The agreement is a significant step toward Prokhorov becoming the majority owner of the Nets and subsequently moving the team to Brooklyn, New York by 2012.

Brooklyn native Shawn Corey Carter, better known as hip hop mogul and entrepreneur Jay-Z, is a minority owner of the New Jersey Nets and has been a staunch supporter of the project to relocate the team to Brooklyn. Coincidentally, LeBron James has been good friends with Jay-Z since his sophomore year in high school. In fact, during an interview, James referred to Jay-Z as "a big brother, a mentor, and a role model" and stated that he "would support Jay-Z in whatever he did throughout his career."

The plot thickens.

More compelling evidence for the increasing likelihood that James will sign with the Nets can be found in the make-up of the team itself.

Despite having the worst record in the league at 2-23, the Nets have a solid core of young talent that, with the addition of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and/or Amare Stoudemire, will only continue to flourish.

Center Brook Lopez is quietly having an All-Star season, averaging 19.5 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game. Point guard Devin Harris is averaging 16.9 points per game, 1.7 steals per game, and 5.2 assists per game, a total that will dramatically rise with the acquisition of finishers like Bosh, James, Stoudemire or Wade. Small forward Chris Douglas-Roberts is averaging 16.2 points per game and Courtney Lee is averaging 11.2 points per game and 1.9 steals per game. In addition, power forward Yi Jianlian, despite a season plagued by injuries, will form a formidable front court duo with Lopez upon his return to action.

Not one of the aforementioned core players will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2010.

Let’s also not forget the fact that, in all likelihood, the Nets are going to finish with the worst record in the league, giving them the best chance to win the NBA Draft Lottery and potentially ending up with the number one pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, which will undoubtedly be the freshman phenom point guard from the University of Kentucky, John Wall.

One more thing. The Nets will have at least $20 million to spend in the summer of 2010 so team president Rod Thorn has the team brilliantly poised to make a big splash in the free agent market this coming offseason.

The Knicks, on the other hand, don’t present a viable alternative for last year’s NBA Most Valuable Player. Don’t allow the fact that the team’s play has dramatically improved over the past couple of weeks fool you. Unless Donnie Walsh makes a trade, the Knicks won’t have a first round pick in next year’s draft, lost in the trade for Stephon Marbury, their core group of talent (Chris Duhon, Nate Robinson, Larry Hughes, Al Harrington, David Lee, and Eddy Curry) will all become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, they will have a little less money to spend than the Nets in the free agent market, and they don’t have someone as influential as Jay-Z to convince James to bring his services to Madison Square Garden.

Bottom line here, LeBron James is not signing with the New York Knicks. However, don’t be at all surprised to see LeBron James AND Dwayne Wade in Nets’ uniforms next season. As blasphemous as this may sound, check out some of the lyrics to Jay-Z’s ‘Empire State of Mind’:

“Eight million stories out there, and they’re naked
Cities is a pity, half of ya’ll won’t make it
Me, I gotta plug, Special Ed ‘I Got It Made’
If Jesus payin’ LeBron, I’m paying Dwayne Wade”

James and Wade have talked about the possibility of playing together on the same team. The 2010 offseason may present the perfect opportunity to do exactly that, which would represent a key step in the ‘Blueprint’ toward the resurgence of the New Jersey Nets.

Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes a link to video where LeBron James talks about his relationship with Jay-Z, additional revelant links and a special video.

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Mobius Strip Narratives

mobius, originally uploaded by gaminrey.

In case you're not one of the initiated: OtB brings you a long-form joint re: NBA and its ontological extension unto all of sport. Epochrypha: writings or statements of questionable authorship or authenticity, but always impassioned and always with an eye on the times we're spectating in. Enjoy.

Hey.  Howzit.  What's up.  It's been awhile since I was last here.  A lot has changed in the blogosphere.  Shoals is writing for Fanhouse again.  Skeets is no longer at Ball Don't Lie.  Forum Blue and Gold is no longer run by Kurt.  Blogging is a business too, I guess.  What else happened since I went ghost around October?  Um, Tiger Woods slept with some women.  Agent Zero did NOT save us, although Brandon Jennings might.  (It all takes time, perhaps is the lesson to learn here)  Arizona turned into a place where the Right and the Left collide.  And, I don't know, somewhere along the way it stopped mattering.  Who cares if the world is going to end in two years or if it actually ended ten back?  It doesn't matter if we're living in a post-apocalyptic, post-mis-understanding-of-apocalypse world.  We just keep going.

Oh, and what else is new?  Right.  Lebron's human.  That one's just in.  But you knew we were heading there all along.  Before I build a full head of steam here (if you're new to this, yeah, I'm just getting started), I want to offer a bit of full disclosure.  I've been hiding from basketball for 9 months like it had something growing in it for me to father.  And, while basketball gets pregnant with...something, I've been cheating on her with professional wrestling or "sports entertainment."  I won't belabor you with my observations in that arena, but I will say I think I overdid it leading up to this basketball season.  I wrote all these previews, and I guess it got to a point where I had said too much and had devoted too much time and thought to something that was quick becoming something a little too vast and untenable for me.  The regular season's a beast, I won't lie.  I just learned that I'm not that shining armor guy who can lie it down and put it into words for y'all.  Sorry.  I'm human.  Like Lebron.  Whaaaaat?!?

Now, carefully good sirs (and madams, if any ye be), this is not another blog post dedicated to piling the hate or disappointment on Lebron James.  Me?  I got sympathy.  For Lebron and Cleveland both.  Full disclosure, I am a lifelong Lakers fan who lived in Ohio for four years and loved the idea of Lebron being there while I was.  Those of you who are familiar with my writing here at OtB will also recall that I'm an unapologetic follower of the bigger voices out there in the basketball blogosphere.  Some days all I get is Ball Don't Lie, Truehoop, Fanhouse, and the odd freedarko joint.  So, yes.  I feel Dwyer's take is important (nut shell: people in Cleveland's organization are just trying to keep their jobs; Lebron's just trying to keep his head), and I certainly peeped Abbott's run down of what Lebron's career arc will now look like (in a word: Garnett), but Shoals has always been the last word for me, whether at fd or Fanhouse.  So Shoals goes, un-verbatim, it's fear that Lebron showed, which differs from doubt because "in doubt, you have yourself to blame. Fear is the awful possibility that you can bring it like mad and still have life thrown back in your face. Fear is to be overcome, just like doubt, and is undoubtedly less humiliating. But LeBron James isn't supposed to feel fear. It's human, way too human."

Rewind a bit.  In case you missed it.  Lebron and the Cavs just got ousted in 6 by the Celtics.  In Game 5, it seemed Lebron wasn't trying.  There are questions about his elbow's health, but no concrete answers.  He looked better in Game 6, but he's still being vilified by some as having one foot already out the door.  We know the future is unwritten, but people are always trying to get ahead of themselves to write the present.  Sometimes that act leads too quickly to judgment and vilification of someone however well or poorly we ourselves would've acted in a similar situation.  Perhaps we're more like Vince Carter?  (More Shoals)  The question is why is that bad?  How and why do we hold certain perspectives between ourselves in the wild, nebulous world of fandom and the stars from whom we get our (writing) lights?

Me, I feel bad for both sides.  James could've done better for Cleveland.  He could've been less of a businessman, and I've always disliked that about him.  At the same time, it doesn't mean he should be hated for making decisions that, in the long run (hopefully), work towards making him a happier individual.  I would say some of those decisions should make us hold him on less of a lofty platform, but that's not the point of this post.  There's enough of that out there already.  On the Cavs' side, they could've done better for James as well.  Forget the mistakes in personnel.  They did as well as most franchises do.  It was the perspective.  They were just trying to hold on to Lebron as long as they could.  He didn't help when his actions baited them towards such decisions.  As with a relationship, the blame lies on either side of the divide.  The Cavs have employed James since he was fresh out of high school.  It was their responsibility to mold him into a stand up employee.  In that sense, they failed him.  They allowed him to grow into a diva, and it could have been prevented if only someone had told him no.

NBA Store, originally uploaded by TREEZZAYYY.

It was difficult, I understand.  When you have a precocious child or lover, I guess, if we're to maintain this metaphorical scheme, it's difficult to do anything but be in awe at the outset.  The problems only arise later, when the individual begins to struggle living up to the ridiculously high standards.  You can't bring roses and chocolates to every date, and you wouldn't want someone to.  But in sports, we do.  We want athletes to go all out.  And James did, for the most part.  He tried to learn.  When he heard you're supposed to save something for the playoffs, he tried that.  When he heard you're supposed to share the ball, he tried that.  He was accused of being less than superhuman for these things.  Maybe it's time we just admit to ourselves that Lebron is human.

Sometimes, when you're single and you see the perfect couple acting like a perfect couple, it makes you sick to the skin (all the way to the stomach and back out again).  For awhile, Lebron and the Cavs were that.  Lebron went to his hometown team - how often does that happen? - and somehow he lived up to the ridiculous hype.  He even went ahead surpassed it.  Now he's suffering the repercussions of assumed perfection.  We're all asses.  The Cavs were having too much fun, and we were having too much fun picking them apart for it.  And now the Celts have had the last laugh.  When you're single, sometimes it feels SO satisfying to watch the perfect couple fight and perhaps even fall apart.  But if we're honest, really honest, and a little self-actualized, we'll get over our jealousy and be able to feel sorry to see a beautiful thing die.  Then, if we're teachers and philanthropists (heh...), then we might actually hope to see the perfect couple grow and learn and become more serious and mature.  That's my hope, at least, for Lebron and the Cavs.

Coming from a place where I was good and ready to kick Kobe to the curb as a Lakers fan, it has been highly fulfilling to see him and the team grown and mature together.  My hope as a fan of basketball and someone who's seen firsthand the economic and social situation around Cleveland, I'm hoping he stays.  Mike Brown's gone, and I think that's a step in the right direction.  If Lebron was the perfect boyfriend who got a little carried away in being that, then I sincerely hope the Cavaliers organization can be(come) that girlfriend who steps up and puts him in his place.  I sincerely hope Lebron doesn't run away to "greener pastures" where he'll find the same thing happening over and over again.  Kind of like Shaq.

. The Ruins - Part 2 ., originally uploaded by 3amfromkyoto.

Part II:
Yes, I have been a Shaquille O'Neal apologist for awhile.  I'm growing away from that.  You can peep my history on it.  But here's why I'm segueing this way.  The Abbot piece is all about Lebron now looking at the KG path as one he is potentially following.  I'd argue that when it comes to excellence combined with repeated playoff frustration, Dirk's the biggest candidate to be found filling KG's old shoes (or T-Mac...).  No one's the same.  C'mon, I know we know that.  But that doesn't mean we don't let ourselves fall into these patterns.  So if your thinking on the matter is going to fall into any pattern, let it be that path that Shaq has blazed.  In fact, it lines up quite nicely.  Shaq left the Magic after 4 years.  If you account for the two years Shaq spent at LSU, he and Lebron are practically step for step.  Shaq got swept from the finals in his third season.  Lebron got swept in his fifth.  Again, account for the two years of college and this one's exactly the same.  Shaq hit his peak of off-court silliness with 1996's Kazaam and 1997's appearances in Steel and Good Burger.  Oy.  These were his first years in LA, after torching the Magic.  It seems Lebron needs to get a little of that media star attention out of his system before he can get serious like Shaq did in 2000-2001.  Let's hope Lebron can do it from Cleveland.

Part III or perhaps 2a:
I'm almost done ;-).  When speaking about career arcs or, y'know, narratives, there is an interesting argument for Durant to be farther along in his than James now is.  If a narrative is defined by what one overcomes internally and externally, Durant has navigated his first hurdle more gracefully than has King James.  I recognize this is perhaps where I stretch it a bit and let my *$%! get contentious, but bear with me.  In this age of instant critique, athletes are often at the mercy of their detractors fingertips.  How an athlete negotiates this brand new world is quickly coming to define him.  Over the past two seasons, Lebron has garnered somewhat of a reputation for sulking and, well, giving the media the Patrick Ewing treatment.  Now, when perhaps circumstances are stacked against him, there are no lucid explanations, no exemplary actions to throw off his detractors.  This started last season, and sure he had a great season this year, but in no way did he combat any of the things his detractors have said about him.

Durant, on the other hand, was held over the fire just this off-season.  He was criticized because his plus/minus rating sucked, meaning the team was worse off with him on the floor than on the bench.  Weird to hear that about a star player, right?  He's now ranked as one of the best players in the league according to adjusted plus/minus.  The rating is a little confusing, and Durant himself expressed frustration at being criticized by a rating system that is not generally (as far as I can tell) understood by players.  I still think it would be a more enlightened age if it was, but maybe enlightenment is no longer the point?  Still, all advanced stats point to Durant improving defensively, and his team did manage a 27 more wins this year...although it's disputed whether or not wins count in advanced stats land.  Still, Durant wins this round, and we all win in the end if James' can create the kind of relationship Durant seems to have going in OKC.  Here's to growth, not gigantism.

Pencil Vs Camera - 10, originally uploaded by Ben Heine.

After effects:
Oh, btw.  If Lebron does move from Cleveland to Chicago or wherever, just dream that I wrote a thousand words about it as a metaphor for the movement of the American psyche/soul.  Because you know how that one goes.  We are a nation of consumers, so the midwest that used to produce things like cars will see a kind of drift that will not be seen in cities like OKC, for all its small market claims to free-agency bane.

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Bill Simmons Is A Twitter Genius

Bill Simmons, being the sports/life wiz that he is, has decided to take advantage of Celtics tweeters by creating a "Celtics Chants" twitter account.  The objective behind this idea is to get all fans on the same page with obnoxiously catchy chants.  Fans will be able to submit ideas by mentioning @CelticsChants in their tweets, and then the best will be chosen and retweeted by Simmons. With the explosion of twitter on mobile devices, fans will know exactly what to chant at what time.  It's pure genius.  I'm not sure if Simmons is the first to do this, but he damn sure if the right dude to take action, and for that he deserves at least a HJ from every Celtics dancer.  By the looks of it, fans are quickly jumping on board, compiling over 6,000 followers in a matter of days.  Now let's ream out 'Bron 'Bron and sink the Cavs ship yet again. Hey Lebron, how about...#Boo-kies-pissed-off

Follow @CelticsChants Here

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Daily Dumbass: Lebron James Rapper

I don't know who this kid is or what he was thinking, but this is one of he most pathetic attempts at a parody song that I've ever seen. Good job bro, got yourself a spot on F2DD as the Daily Dumbass.

Shouts to barstool for posting this earlier!

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NY Bribing 'Bron 'Bron With Boobies & Beef

TMZ: May 11, 2010: 

 "LeBron James just got the sweetest offer in the history of mankind to move from Cleveland to the New York Knicks -- a lifetime of free stripper action.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star -- who will become a free agent after this season -- is getting million-dollar offers from several franchises to make the switch to their team ... but if LeBron inks a deal with the Knicks, New York's premiere strip club Scores says it'll give the basketball star: 

- A free lifetime of lap dances

- A "LeBron James Day" when all the strippers will wear his jersey

- And free food for life at the strip club's very own steakhouse

Good luck competing with that Utah!  

Well Lebron, you've got quite the offer served fresh on a NY platter.  I mean how can you beat free lap dances, steaks, and honey dips wearing your jersey on a designated Lebron James day?  At some point you have to cut your losses and realize that life's necessities don't include a ring. Food, a city wide day in tribute to you, and strippers are a token of survival.  Sure you may not have the ice to flash while some dip is grinding on your junk, but at least you'll have a nice cut of beef at all times, right?

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New Nickname for LeBron: Queen James… as in Drama Queen

Is anybody falling for this bullshit about how LeBron’s right elbow hurts? Michael had the flu, Kobe’s got the broken finger, and now LeBron is saying, “Hey, look at me. I’m banged up too.” Does he really need anymore attention? Knock it off with the wincing after every shot, and the lefty free throws. You’re fine. We all know you’re the MVP, give it a rest. As a result of the LeBron media frenzy, now we’ll have to listen to countless sideline updates from Craig Sager and Erin Andrews during the Celtics-Cavs series about how LeBron’s elbow is holding up. In all seriousness, what’s the over/under on the number of sideline reports on LeBron’s elbow during this series: 17? 18? 342?

Here’s a thought. If your elbow is really bothering you, why don’t you quit all the theatrics, the dancing, the flexing, etc? There’s no need to put all that added stress on your tender joints.

Look, nobody is falling for all your crap. We all know you’re going to average 35 points a game against the Celtics. But hey, at least now you have a built in excuse when you lose.

Quit the drama queen act. Just shut up and play ball, Queen James.

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Daily Dumbass: Shaqueer

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Shaq only needs to play a complementary role for the #1 overall Cavaliers, which bodes well for his re-introduction to the rotation. Another good sign -- according to the Plain-Dealer, "[Shaq] lost around 20 pounds by running and cutting out cheeseburgers during his absence."

So this is what Shaq does when he's sidelined with a "thumb" injury huh? Seems to me like the Cav's have some bigger issues on their hands that Shaq's phalangees. Sure Shaq has participated in his fair share of antics over the course of his career, but c'mon Diesel, keep the wig off and your shirt on, you're starting to act like Starbury.

Who am I to judge though, we all know Shaq is in Cleveland for one reason and one reason only; to harness Dwight (assuming the possibility that somehow the Celtics lose). Maybe Shaq's antics are simply an attempt of intimidating Superman, who himself, has impersonated Rick James. I'd have to give Dwight the upper hand on this one. I mean at least he got paid a few milli from Vitamin Water. It appears Shaq did it out of pure boredom over his Ustream channel. Here's an idea Shaq, get back on those cheeseburgers and off the Super Freak streak.

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Baby Rajon Burnin' Cats Early...

I hate to jinx their game, but the Celtics, Rondo in particular, have started on absolute fiaaaaaarrrrrr!!!  Let's GOOOOOOOO!!  And Scal's spray tan is yet to be seen...man this night keeps getting better and better!

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Brian ScalaSprayMe...Check

As promised, Scal follows through and is no longer the whitest irishmen in the NBA.  Pictures courtesy of 98.5, The Sports Hub, "Get that man a tan"!  Make sure to tune in to TNT Thursday evening for the Celtics/Cavaliers game to see the bronzed bimbo live. 

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Antawn Jamison Shines in CLE Debut

In the words of the great Charles Barkley, "That was turribleeeeee"

Charlotte 110 defeats Cleveland 93 

"Antawn Jamison basically needed Mapquest to find the hoop.  Luckily he was in his old stomping grounds cause he's going to need some consoling after this one." -Jalen Rose

Solid start Antawn, keep it up.  

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BREAKING NEWS: CAV'S ACQUIRE SEBASTIAN TELFAIR!

Shotgun Slangin' Sebastian

All this buzz about Antawn Jamison going to Cleveland, but Sebastian Telfair is really the key in this deal.  I'm pretty sure Danny Ainge paid off Telfair to jack up the chemistry in the Cleveland locker room.   We all know Sebass packs the heat.  Hey, ya never know maybe he'll go Gilbert on them and bring a 9 milli into the locker room to show off to Lebron, Lebron gets caught with it, charged with illegal possession of firearms, suspended indefinitely by D-Sterny, sentenced directly to the slammer bypassing the court system, just in time for the Celtics to make a run in the NBA playoffs...ANYTHINGS POSSIBLEEEEEEE (making KG face while yelling).

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NBA Off Season Rankings (1-10)

P A T I E N C E, originally uploaded by TheProgrammerAnalyst.

I've been waiting for the last domino to fall. Ramon Sessions was that last domino, and he fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the wake of Ricky Rubio signing with Real Barcelona. So much for New York's summer. Anyway, I'd been writing pretty regularly about the off season for the first few weeks, but then it started to leave a bad taste in my mouth. Thus, the last domino approach. I know Nate Robinson and David Lee are still up in the air, but I've written anything having to do with the Knickerbockers off for the next 14-ish months. 'Kay? M'kay.

That said, I wanted to give you a last look at the off season as we move steadily closer to some real games. Following is a run down of how well each NBA team fared this off season, starting with the very best and ending with the abysmal. Questions? Okay, good, let's get right to it.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: The sneaky harboring of Leon Powe from the Celtics unsavorily cold shoulder pushed Lebron and Co. over the top. Just a strong, strong off season. They got Shaq, okay. That was the big splash. The rest of their moves were down right heady, and for the most part unsung. I’m singing. Here’s to you, Cleveland. Jamario Moon can play, and Anthony Parker has been a quiet stalwart for Toronto. They retained Varejao (no pouting off to Brazil in the near future for the Big Flopper) and did not retain Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic. Good stuff, Danny Ferry. To top it all off, sounds like Lebron might be talked into signing with the Cavs for a shorter contract than most superstars are after. Anything to keep him in wine and gold, yes?

John makes a big splash, originally uploaded by Iversonic.

2. Orlando Magic: Yes, the acquisition of Vince Carter might be a wash with the loss of Hedo Turkoglu, but the Magic made so many strong moves this summer to say, “We’re here. You will reckon with us.” Maybe it’s too much. It’s like (to steal a played out Bill Simmons gimmick) when a decent looking girl gets really hot and tries to flaunt it but by doing so just reminds us how she wasn’t as hot before and is actually kind of indelicate and gaffe-prone. It could be that, or it could be like the beautiful girl donning the evening wear and solidifying her rep as bangin’ hottie. Either way, the Magic growed up this off season. Carter is the obvious push-up bra in this sordid metaphor, but Ryan Anderson is something more subtle…like the perfect set of garter belts. Brandon Bass was the acquisition that cemented their off season in my mind as one to remember, and Matt Barnes is certainly a contributor. However, retaining a barely used Gortat seemed a bit much (though I kind of dug that strong arm message it sent), and Jason Williams could just be the one step too much that they took (though by all accounts he was a team player in Miami and shouldn’t mess with the dynamic Jameer needs to get settled into right away). Time will be the fingers that undress this off-season, and a title will be the only way this ends well.

3. Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks didn’t make any huge waves this summer, but that’s not a bad thing when you’re emerging from a decade of mismanagement and instability. Atlanta was fourth in the East last year, and they look to remain so. It wasn’t like they didn’t do work this off season. They re-signed Mike Bibby, Zaza Pachulia, and Marvin Williams. Then they acquired Jamal Crawford for garbage time guys and Joe Smith via free agency. Not bad. Sure, they likely won’t get past the big three in the East, but at least they’re not bottoming out to “wait for 2010 free agents” (that won’t come; thus the quotes). The fans of Hot-lanta should be excited about this team, as a core of Joe Johnson and the still developing Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Marvin Williams is very, very solid.

4. Dallas Mavericks: Gortat would’ve been nice, but the Mavs didn’t waste time crying in their spilled (un-spilled?) milk. They re-signed Jason Kidd, who was solid last season at least on offense, and they traded for Shawn Marion. Sure, in this off-season’s trend of stacking up on past-their-prime players, Dallas didn’t really one up any of their competitors, but at least they broke even. Drew Gooden? Good. Tim Thomas? Bad. Losing Devean George and Jerry Stackhouse? Finally! Losing Brandon Bass? Sigh. Angling for a 7th seed to match up with the Spurs in the playoffs? Bring it on!

Ron Artest Los Angeles Lakers Signature, originally uploaded by wiley09.

5. Los Angeles Lakers: They added Ron Artest after losing Trevor Ariza, and they re-signed Shannon Brown and Lamar Odom. The Lakeshow did what they needed to do this summer and then some. Let’s just hope the and-then-some doesn’t come back to bite them in the behind. If the Candyman can go the entire season without worrying about being traded, then Ron Artest can be as crazy as he wants. Getting that contract could ease Odom’s troubled mind some, and that could be big. He’s always picked up his play after the trade deadline, when he didn’t have anything to worry about. This off season had the potential to make those concerns go away forever, but the way negotiations played out, it’s just one of at least two big questions the Lakers have to answer this year.

6. LA Clippers: The Clips lost a player to Armani Jeans Milano. Remind me to write about that someday. Sorry, on to things that “matter.” The Clippers have positioned themselves to look like a playoff team this year. They picked up Blake Griffin and got rid of Z-Bo. They even picked up internet mogul Mark Madsen. By all standards, a good off season. Maybe having “names” like Baron Davis, Marcus Camby and, yes, Chris Kaman will mean something this season. Eric Gordon hopes so. But maybe they’re still the Clippers. Yeah, that sounds right.

Watching the 2008 NBA Eastern Conference finals between Detroit and Boston at Mike's in Somerville, MA: Battle of the Jerseys (Phone photo), originally uploaded by Wayne Flower.

7. Detroit Pistons: Are they going to be a good team this year? Probably not. Did they have a good off season? Well, they needed to in order to even be in the playoff hunt. Time will tell, but at least they did something, and at least they got younger. Ben Gordon, Charlie V, Ben Wallace (with a new number), and Chris Wilcox. They lost more than they gained, but that was the point. Good bye Rasheed, Allen, Antonio, and the odd pair of Walters. Why didn’t you take Rip with you?

8. San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs, by all accounts, had a good off season. They shed some veteran detritus and picked up Dejuan Blair in the draft. Then they went out and got Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, and Theo Ratliff. In my opinion, the McDyess and Ratliff acquisitions show that San Antonio is still valuing vets way, way too much. Roger Mason was a good pick up last off season, and Jefferson will be a help as well, but are they still starting Michael Finley? Can Manu Ginobli stay healthy? They’re saying out of the Alamo that RJ is the most athletic wing they’ve had since Shawn Elliot, but regardless of whether that’s true or not, it doesn’t bring David Robinson back. I mean, are the Spurs really going to continue starting Matt Bonner? This team lacks size, not athletic wingmen for crying out loud, and McDyess is just not the answer.

9. Toronto Raptors: Picking up Hedo Turkoglu will hamstring the Raps financially a few years down the road, and I don’t know how much it’ll help keep Bosh north of the border, but it should certainly help them for at least this coming season. The Raptors picked up a lot of bit players this summer, and frankly I’m not sure I see how it all fits together. See if any of this makes sense to you: Marco Bellinelli, Devean George, Antoine Wright, Rasho Nesterovic. Huh? I could see what they were going for with Jarrett Jack, but they should’ve seen if they could’ve gotten a renege on T.J. Ford. Jack is not the tempo change from Jose Calderon that made the pairing with Ford so potent. Amir Johnson and Reggie Evans (acquired just before the draft) look like difference makers on paper, but how will they help with Bosh and the showing-signs Andrea Bargnani taking most of the PT?

Hornswoggle!, originally uploaded by Sir Awesome.

10. Boston Celtics: Don’t get me wrong. This is a good, good team, but I just can’t see them improving on a year where they looked to have one foot in the re-tooling mode that should see Rajon Rondo lead the team into the 2010s. I still have questions about Garnett, and some of them tell me his injury last season won’t be an isolated incident. I also wonder what Rondo’s mind set will be this season after Ainge wasn’t exactly delicate with him. Marquis Daniels and Shelden Williams are nice pick-ups, and keeping Glen Davis was important. The big move, though, of picking up Rasheed Wallace? I just don’t see it working out. The Celts are going to regret losing Powe right around the All-Star break.

Y'know what, this is getting a little long. Why don't I give you a break, come back tomorrow with the ten middle teams, and then hit you with the worst of the worst on Thursday. Cool? Cool.

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