The Month of July Belongs to LeBron

July 1st, 2010.


A date that any professional sports fan has been waiting for all summer. I am more excited than a 12 year old girl going to a Justin Biebler concert because this will alter a professional sports if some the major players decided to take the game elsewhere. Obviously, the biggest player in this game is LeBron James and I have already told people this will be Brett Favre times 10 in terms of media coverage starting on Thursday. So I recommend staying away from ESPN if you will be sick of this by hour two of free agency. Hell, they might break in from the World Cup to tell us if LeBron has signed with a team. Anyone who has a blog is writing their own theory about where LeBron will go and what needs to happen to land the biggest fish in NBA history. I, myself cannot wait and I am ready to tell you what I think might happen.

Originally, I thought James would go to New York because in my opinion, he loved the city and wanted to be the 'king' of it. He relished his opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden and I assumed the Knicks would make all the right moves with Donnie Walsh calling the shots. Once again, the Knicks find a way to screw things up and they look more out of it than the Memphis Grizzlies. I think James doesn't want to deal with a batshit owner like James Dolan. I will only spend a couple sentences on another batshit owner Donald Sterling of the Los Angeles Clippers, there isn't a snowball chance in hell that LeBron lives in L.A. either where for a couple years he shares the stage with Kobe Bryant, his ego wouldn't allow second fiddle. The other thing about the Knicks more so than the Clippers is they are a team that could drawn strong comparisons to his Cleveland Cavaliers.

Speaking of the Cavs, they are out of it. You cannot convince me otherwise, LeBron's entourage benefits big time if he leaves the city of Cleveland so why would they spin anything positive for Cleveland? LeBron doesn't want to break the city's collective soul but he doesn't give a shit about Cleveland and their heartbreaks. Not once did he come out and say "Man, I remember where I was when Jose Mesa cost us Indian fans the World Series." or "When Art Modell took the Browns from us, I stopped caring about the NFL for awhile." If you find something like this please comment, but LeBron's fanhood (New York Yankees & Dallas Cowboys) speaks volumes of the type of person he is. James doesn't want to see losers, he wants winners therefore James is a 'fan' of two of the most successful franchises when he was growing up. James' ego will be bruised like a peach when he returns to Cleveland with more boos than Modell, but in the long run, he knows I might see Cleveland twice a year, that's it. He will move out of Akron and live wherever his new destination is.

I have already destroyed three fan bases, and now I will give the four candidates that have the best chance bringing LeBron on to their team. We will first start with the land of the Situation.  The Nets are the Charlie Day wild card in all of this. I firmly think LeBron is intrigued by Mikhal Prokcohaov and the fact that he makes LeBron the biggest star in the tri-state area plus Russia. The fact his buddy Jay-Z is a part of the team helps out a lot and I know the Jigga man will use his pull to try to lure LeBron in.  It would have helped them tremendously if they knew the new arena and the move to Brooklyn was legit, nothing has been finalized and LBJ could be playing in Newark for the rest of his career. I do not think they land LeBron but I am willing to bet a bigger name free agent will play the Bond Villain next fall.

Now let's move to South Beach where they are probably throwing a Free Agency Rager down there. I found it hilarious that Stephan A. Smith already broke the story about it's a done deal, stick to trying to pronounce Slava Medvedenko buddy. Now on to the Heat, I believe that Dwyane Wade will resign with the Heat and then he will make his best pitch to Bron to come play with him and probably Pat Riley. I almost hope for this because I know Riley will not take any of his occasional baby back bullshit and make all the decisions for LeBron, not the other way around. The Heat right now do not have a team with all the cap space they have cleared out therefore Wade can not only bring LeBron in, but also Chris Bosh or Amar'e Stoudamire. That leads to a super team for the next decade where they complete a hostile takeover of the NBA and win about four to five titles. One reason that could deter LeBron from sipping champagne in Florida is the lack of fans the Heat really have. No one in Miami cares about their professional teams and LeBron understands that no matter what he does, people still won't embrace him. If you see all the viral campaigns for LBJ, where is the Miami one? Nowhere to be found, they are just expecting DWade to deliver.

One team that could sneak in and steal LeBron is Dallas. I know it sounds crazy with their lack of cap space but they have a super weird deal with Erick Dampier (quick tangent, Fant, Eric, and I introduced ourselves as lowly NBA players at one all day drinkfest in Eau Claire, Fant went with the Mississippi State alum, high comedy) that allows for a sign and trade. Out of all the owners, I personally believe LeBron will want to play for Mark Cuban especially after resigning Dirk, he can play a year with Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, and Dirk plus a growing star in Rodrigue Beaubois. Cuban will pimp him out more than West Coast Customs does to all those shitty rides and make no mistake about it that Cuban saying he would want to play a couple of games in Jerryland was a subtle hint to LeBron. I mean imagine the pitch when Cubes tells LBJ, "Think about you versus Kobe, Saturday night prime time on ABC in Jerryland with a near sellout and everybody cheering for you against Kobe." If that's me, I am like where is the contract to sign? Even if it's a smaller market than others, LeBron knows that Dallas had the biggest stars in the 90s and could again in 2010 and beyond. 

Finally, the team that I and others believe LeBron will play for next year is Chicago. I mean why wouldn't you right now?  Derrick Rose running point guard and a physical force down low in Joakim Noah.  If they could bring in another guy to complement Bron such as a Bosh or Dirk, they would be in awesome shape. Everything started to move towards the Bulls way after they hire Tom Thibodeau who has an agent with Worldwide Wes' company and helped Boston win a title plus get their this year. The inexperience might scare LeBron but only a couple teams who are fighting for King James have longstanding coaches.  People argue that he wouldn't want to play under Jordan's large shadow but I think the opposite, he loves Michael and wants to be like him to the T.  He wore his jersey in honor of him and said it should be a retired number anyways. He knows with the young talent they have plus a Stanley Cup Hockey, LeBron could make the Windy City, the epicenter of sports.

Should be a fun one

-Charlie.

Western Conference NBA Playoff Picks

I am a bit late but still that doesn't matter.  Honestly, pretty exciting times for me because I really have got myself into the NBA this season, the Milwaukee Bucks are one of the 16 teams in there, and I think the playoffs are WIIIIIDE OOOPENN.  I think this will as unpredictable as ever. 
1. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 8. Oklahoma City Thunder- Other than the Bucks, I am pretty pumped for this series because of the Durant-Kobe matchup and the youth of the Thunder could be a preview of things to come.  I think the Thunder could push this series to the sixth or seventh game of this series but I do think they need to get one win in L.A. to really believe they can actually do it.  The difference maker will be Russell Westbrook because he will be facing a washed-up Derek Fisher therefore he could run him all over the court throughout the series. I think the Lakers win but this will be a bloodbath for sure.  LA in 7 

4. Denver vs. 5. Utah- A series that could have been a lot better if the Jazz had Andrei Kirinlinko and you have to worry about Carlos Boozer's rib injury.  The Jazz do have Deron Williams who has been playing out of this world lately and they have a mismatch with Chauncey Billups which they could expose.  I hate to bet against Carmelo Anthony because I think he is one of the best late-game closer and continues to not get enough love by the national media.  I think this will be a dogfight but the injuries of Utah pull me towards the Nugs.  DEN in 7

3. Phoenix vs. 6.Portland- Once again, a better series if Brandon Roy was healthy. The Suns have arguably been the best team since the All-Star Break.  I hate to bring it up like everyone else but Amar'e Stoudamire decided to play basketball again.  He looks like a tyrant out there and will create problems for the Trailblazers.  I will give Portland a game at home due to their rabid homecourt advantage but Steve Nash will take control of this one.  PHX in 5 

2. Dallas vs. 7. San Antonio- Two teams that have had some epic series in the past couple of years and I think this will be the proving point that the Spurs are indeed washed-up.  I haven't seen anything from them that makes me think they can beat a much-improved Maverick team with the additions of Caron Butler and Brenden Haywood. BUT remember when I wrote how Butler/Haywood have not delivered results in the playoffs?  Just keep that in mind if the Spurs find a way to win on in the Big D.  I think both teams win at home then the Mavs get knocked out in the final two.  DAL in 6

-Charlie.

2009-2010 A Sports Year to Forget for Washington

This All-Star weekend generated the first trade of the season between the host team Dallas Mavericks and the Washington Wizards. It's a good thing something has happened because this weekend has been awful to say the least.  The Dunk Contest was something I think I saw at Wauwatosa West's gym, there were about two or three really good dunks and Nate Robinson of the Knicks won because he puts on a show so people vote for him.  So here's the deal....

Dallas GETS: SF Caron Butler, C Brendan Haywood, and SG DeShawn Stevenson  
Washington GETS: SG Josh Howard  PF Drew Gooden  G Quinton Ross  F James Singleton.

Now ESPN.com's Marc Stein said that this mostly done financial for the Wizards and they are starting their rebuilding process plus maybe freeing up more money in the next couple of days if the Wiz decides to trade Antwan Jamison. If I am Wizards fan, I am happy that we have a great NHL team in the Capitals because seriously, this team becomes very bad for the rest of the year especially if Jamison gets traded as well. These next two weeks with no hockey will be brutal for the fans of Washington professional sports. 

The Mavericks I feel move ahead of the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz in terms of biggest threat to the Los Angeles Lakers. I think they are really good defensively with Haywood, Shawn Marion, and Butler and those three cancel out the careless defense of Dirk Nowitzki.  They also get a dangerous three-point shooter off the bench in Stevenson who does have an attitude issue but he has been know to make big shots for the Wizards.  

The big question in terms of the playoffs has to be whether the newly acquired Mavs will step up?  They were on Wizards team who failed to get out of the first round in four consecutive years. I mean you can blame them having to play LeBron James, but still that doesn't explain the choke jobs they have had  in the NBA playoffs. 

-Charlie.

NBA Southwest Division Preview

Keep it going, I am not really that tired so you are getting more of the preview....

1. San Antonio Spurs: KEY PLAYERS: PF Tim Duncan, PG Tony Parker, SG Manu Ginobili OUTLOOK: I think the Spurs have a chance to win the NBA Finals with the additions of Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, and DeJuan Blair. They have to stay healthy though to have a chance. PREDICTION: 2nd in the Western Conference.

2. Dallas Mavericks: KEY PLAYERS: PF Dirk Notwitzki, SG Josh Howard, SF Shawn Marion OUTLOOK: I wasn't as excited as everybody else about the Marion deal but it should improve them in many ways especially on the defensive end. The Mavs will have a good year from Dirk who isn't dealing with that crazy bitch. PREDICTION: 5th in the Western Conference.

3. Houston Rockets: KEY PLAYERS: PG Aaron Brooks, PF Luis Scola, SF Chuck Hayes OUTLOOK: This seems to be the definition of a scrappy team with a bunch of maybe players and they will be dominated by bigger teams. It will be interesting to see what happens when T-Mac comes back in November. PREDICTION: 9th in the Western Conference.

4. New Orleans Hornets: KEY PLAYERS: PG Chris Paul, C Emeka Okafor, PF David West OUTLOOK: Could create some problems inside with the West-Okafor combination but they have no real mid-range player that makes a difference, please don't say Peja because he is over the hill. PREDICTION: 10th in Western Conference

5. Memphis Grizzlies: KEY PLAYERS: SF Rudy Gay, SG OJ Mayo, PF Zach Randolph OUTLOOK: This has more an And-1 Mixtape team, big time offense with no defensive concepts whatsoever. If they could somehow find a way to play defense then maybe they could do some things. I highly doubt it though. PREDICTION: 12th in the Western Conference.

-Charlie.

The Illness Known as Marion is now a Maverick

I believe I told everyone that I felt Marion would be dealt when the Raptors sign Hedo last week and now it comes to fruition. You want to talk about a move that I cannot stand in the NBA off season so far and that would be the deal that sent Shawn Marion to Dallas in a three-team deal. First off lets break down the deal and then I will explain why its pretty much proven with Marion is a bad teammate for whatever reason denounced to man.

The deal goes down like this according to Ric Bucher via Twitter "Here's the deal: Marion/ Kris Humphries/ Greg Buckner to Dallas Devean George/Antoine Wright to Toronto Jerry Stackhouse/ Quincy Douby plus cash to Memphis. I like the deal for Toronto as Bucher said because they free up more cap room and now are able to sign Chris Bosh next year. I will go out on a limb and tell you this, I think Douby could have a break out year in Memphis because he gets an opportunity to actually play watch out for Douby.

This is why I hate this deal for Dallas. It has been proven over and over again that Marion doesnt work with teams. Phoenix, he just didnt seem to work with Nash and he wanted the ball way too much during his time there. Then things do not seem to work in Miami with Wade and then it seemed like his career went to die in Toronto. I mean he hasnt panned out the way he should have; shoots the ball way too much and even though he brings it on defense at times, he seems to give up again. Also the other Marion issue is he seems to react differently to coaches and it takes him awhile to get comfortable there. In addition, a lot like Boston they have become very old all of the sudden... Jason Kidd-Dirk Nowitzki-Josh Howard-Marion-Eric Dampier. Other than Howard, all of those guys are hovering around thirty plus Jason Terry being your first man off the bench. I have a gut feeling this will not work as well as Cuban hopes it does.

-Charlie.

NBA Western Conference Semifinals Pics

Here they are and I went 2-2 in the West. I really should have went 4-0 if I thought with a brain but as you all know, I am idiot sometimes.

1. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 5. Houston Rockets- Now there is a part of me that feels that the NBA should adopt the NHL rule because if an underdog wins, they should have to go through the gauntlet if they want to win a championship. This is a series that I think will be overhyped and not as exiciting as people probably will want it to be. One of the reasons why is because Kobe Bryant gets up for Ron Artest. He hates Artest for some reason and always wants to prove that he is one of the best offensive player in the game against one of the best defender in the game. I am still not convinced with Yao because now we will see Yao's teeth going up against Pau Gasol-Andrew Bynum who minus game 3 did a pretty good job with Carlos Boozer. Rockets are going to need to have their bench like Kyle Lowery and Von Wafer to have big games almost every game if they want to get ahead at any point in the series. There is a part of me that wants to take L.A. in five but we will go Los Angeles in six.

2. Denver Nuggets vs. 6. Dallas Mavericks- They have already played a game but it really wouldnt have changed my opinion. I have already wrote an article about how much I forgot how clutch Chauncey Billups is in the postseason. Billups can also have a good series with going up against an even older Jason Kidd and Juan Jose Berra whose defense is nowhere near Billups' offense ability. I think the matchup between Kenyon Martin-Dirk Nowitzki will be an awesome matchup with K-Mart refounded defense. The key x-factor will be Josh Howard if he has the series like he did in the first round, the Mavs may be able to push through into the Western Conference Finals. There really isnt a player who can stop Howard on Denver, I mean Melo is a great offensive player although not so much on defense. Bench play will be a big time factor as well. I will take Denver in seven.

On to the East....

-Charlie.

Impressions from an NBA Game

Last night my buddy Mach and I decided to go to the Milwaukee Bucks versus Dallas Mavericks. We asked ourselves "When was the last time we went to an NBA game?" Both of us struggled for that answer but the reason we went is because my father provided some free tickets. So here are few thoughts from the Bucks 130-99 complete ass kicking of the Mavericks.

-I told Mach, Bucks games now are like Brewers games in the 90s. You either hope somebody gets ejected or there is a fight. Almost happened with Ryan Hollins-Francisco Elson, they got chippy and I believe I caught Elson tripping him although he deserved it, such a punk.

-I thought it was funny that most people in the arena were very critical of the NBA. They missed some obvious traveling violations which are not a stunner to any of us and everyone goes "Oh thats just the NBA." Then it needed riot control when the refs did call a travel on Michael Redd. Also most of them were sure the refs were going to screw the Bucks to let Dallas back in the game.

-The Bucks couldnt miss and I am positive that they will score around 75-82 points against a poor Sacramento King team on Saturday night. The Bucks are the most inconsistent team in the National Basketball Association so nothing will shock me on Saturday.

-I would love to know Coach Scott Skiles philosophy on his point guard situation because he will play Luke Ridnour for awhile and Ramon Sessions for almost the same amount of time. I think it probably had to do with the fact Sessions couldnt miss last night.

-I said this earlier on in January, Charlie Villanueva is playing like an absolute monster and had another huge night. If this continues to happens, they will make the playoffs. Also Michael Redd is having a great January as well, it mind-boggles how this team isnt .500.

-I found it hilarious on all of the xenophobic comments about Dirk Nowitzki that happened last night. "Go back to Germany!" Things of that nature. I got into that as well after Redd did an AND1 move with Nowitzski and I said "Just like the 2008 Olympics, Dirk!"

-We sat around the basket so we were given thundersticks which if you havent expierenced the difficulty of blowing them up, you are lucky. Its like Jack Bauer trying to fight 17 guys by himself, we know he will do it but it just takes time.

-The Energee Dance Team looked like they belonged at Beansnappers (I was looking for a logo but couldnt find anything, I did find this strip club in Cheyenne, Wyoming.) and not an NBA court. Granted, I was the more vocal for the dance team then the Bucks themselves.

-Dan Gadzuric sucks. Worst player in a Bucks uniform, and I have realized that my hatred for him is to the same level as Jose Hernandez. He shot SEVEN times in the first eight minutes and missed them all, he got a nice clap for that too.

-Charlie.

Smoke More Weed Josh.... Seriously Smoke More Weed

Josh Howard of the Dallas Mavericks may be the dumbest player in all of professional sports. First, he admits to smoking weed on a regular basis and that most NBA players do it which I personally not going to knock what you do in your free time, but why make it publicize for all of the kids in the Dallas area that look up to you plus putting unneeded publicity on your team?

Now, he might be even hotter water as he disrespected the National Anthem at Allen Iverson's charity flag football game saying and I quote, " The Star Spangled Banner going on right now, I dont even celebrate that shit, I'm black." Now say what you will about freedom of speech but Josh, are you really that fucking dumb?

First off, you are already in the public relations doghouse, why keep yourself in there for the rest of the year probably if not longer? Second of all, have you been that racially discriminated in life to make you think that America does not help you at all? I just do not understand how Mr. Howard thinks that because of his race, he has no reason to honor the Star Spangled Banner." Trust me, he has plenty but his dumbass probably hasnt read a textbook in his life.

Josh why dont you do us all a favor and move your sorry ass to Europe, where you can listen to their anthem and smoke as much weed as you like.

-Charlie.

Coaching Changes Galore in the NBA

Something that I forgot to blog about this weekend was the new coaches of the New York Knicks and the Dallas Mavericks.

First off with the Knicks with the hiring of Mike D'Antoni, I think anytime you get a guy whose won 254 games in four years, its usually a good pick up. I thought they overpaid for D'Antoni because he has not done anything in the playoffs. Granted that was out west where the entire conference is stacked and you get to the East where three good teams are out there. Also people have made the comment why didnt he go to the Bulls where he had the perfect fit but D'Antoni would get pushed by Paxson just like Kerr and Reinsdorf is a prick. Simple as that. I think he will end up completely changing the make-up of this team with them drafting fifth (Projected), they can get a guy like Jared Bayless or if they move up to one/two getting Rose/Beasley. That will start a young foundation and maybe in two years getting LeBron James.

The Mavericks went with the guy who I wanted to see the Bucks get in Rick Carlisle. I think anyone the Mavs get is not going to last very long as for the team is getting old. Jason Terry is becoming past his prime, Josh Howard is not as good when he is looked as a main scorer. Dirk seems to get hurt too much and they have no inside presence. The dumbest thing Mark Cuban ever did was trade for Jason Kidd. It has aged the team in so many ways. Unless moves are made, Carlislie is probably out in three years in my opinion.

Charlie.