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.

LeBron Gets his Robin

Finally.  That is what most Cleveland Cavalier fans are saying today as they learned that they got Power Forward Antawan Jamison from the Washington Wizards.  Now it appears that the Cavs are the most unstoppable team in the Eastern Conference.  Lets break down the deal...

CLEVELAND GETS: PF Antawan Jamison, PG Sebastian Telfair
WASHINGTON GETS: C Zydurnas Ilgauskas, SF Al Thornton 
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS GETS: PF Drew Gooden 

Starting with the Washington Wizards, I am ready to put Ernie Grunfeld in the bottom five of worst General Managers.  He did an awful job with the Milwaukee Bucks, and now Grunfeld is self-destructing the Wizards.  They are just dumping their entire team all together and basically now has all this money to play with for the upcoming big summer 2010, yet who is left to play with?  I cannot believe that the Wizards didn't even include ultra-talented J.J. Hickson in this deal.  Big Z, really?  He is alright, but he is not an All-Star by any means.  Once again, Washington I feel bad that the Capitals are on break. 

The Clippers give up on Al Thornton who I thought had a promising future and yes his numbers are down this year, I am kind of surprised that the Clips gave up on him so quickly.  Also this will now be Gooden's ninth team and the second time in as many years he has been shipped right away. 

Now on to the Cavs, this is a great deal for them.  They get a bit of depth in their backcourt with Telfair. Yes he is sort of a headcase, but I think we have learned that LeBron is the type of guy who can keep all his teammates in line.  Jamison is averaging 20 and 8 right now plus he can defend pretty well against the Rashard Lewis and Rasheed Wallaces of the Eastern Conference.  In addition, if they meet the Lakers in the Finals, he can cover Lamar Odom. Basically, bringing in Jamison shores all of their problems with covering the big forwards.  

Finally this means tomorrow when the deadline ends, the Celtics and Magic MUST make deals.  They need to upgrade if they want to compete on the level of the Cavs. Because right now, I could see Cleveland sweeping through until the NBA Finals if everyone in the East stays the same.

-Charlie.

The Clips Cease to Amaze Me

Another trade goes down in the NBA and I am trying to break things down like I am Ric Bucher, Marc Stein, or J.A. Adande with every trade going down this week.  Honestly, I will try my best not to rip a team, but usually in trades especially in the NBA, there is one team that gets completely screwed.  The latest trade is between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Portland Trail Blazers.

CLIPPERS GET: PG Steve Blake SF Travis Outlaw
BLAZERS GET: PF/C Marcus Camby

Honestly, I have no idea why the Clippers pulled the trigger on this one.  It's not like the Clippers established Blake Griffin already and had no use for Camby, not to mention his contract on the bench.  They do not even know if Griffin will be the same player when he comes back next year.  So why do you give up Camby for a shitty back-up point guard and a guy who just hangs out on the three-point line?  You couldn't pull away a first-round pick or maybe Rudy Fernandez straight up for Camby?   Once again, this is proof that the Clippers will always be the second team in Los Angeles.

As for Rip City (for those who don't know, it's a nickname for Portland), this is a fantastic trade for them. Camby is a guy that is a complete game changer on defense and can block shots like no other. They have been using the lifeless body of Juwan Howard for God sakes, obviously Camby is the better option. Not to mention, Nicholas Batum has been improving by the day and now will be great force off the bench.  A starting five of Miller-Roy-Webster-Alridge-Camby, which becomes a pretty powerful force.  I am not saying they can get past the divisional round, but they are definitly able to advance past the first round. 

-Charlie.

NBA Pacific Preview

Here the deal I am not going to give you another post on playoff predictions because its too early first off and second of all, I just am done with the NBA for awhile in terms of writing. I like it will be the Lakers-Celts again, I trust in KG's knee to stay healthy and I like the aggressiveness that Boston will play with all year. The Lakers just seem way too deep to be stopped in the postseason. In addition, watch out for the Spurs and Magic to make some noise though.

1. Los Angeles Lakers: KEY PLAYERS: SG Kobe Bryant, SF Ron Artest, PF Pau Gasol: OUTLOOK: You could added Lamar Odom, or Andrew Bynum to that list as well because like I said up top, they are so deep. It can be any of those five guys on a given night and I am beginning to really like the comparison of Dennis Rodman-Ron Artest with Phil Jackson. PREDICTION: 1st in the Western Conference.

2. Phoenix Suns: KEY PLAYERS: PG Steve Nash, PF Amare Stoudamire, SG Jason Richardson OUTLOOK: I love that this team can run again with guys listed above and I think Earl Clark will be a hell of a rookie for them too. I think they have a rebound year back in the playoffs. PREDICTION: 7th in the Western Conference.

3. Los Angeles Clippers: KEY PLAYERS: PG Baron Davis, PF Blake Griffin, SG Eric Gordon OUTLOOK: The Clips let me down last year playing like complete dogshit but Davis looks much more trim than last year plus when Griffin returns from injury, they will have a nice inside-outside game. PREDICTION: 8th in the Western Conference.

4. Golden State Warriors: KEY PLAYERS: SF Stephen Jackson, SG Monta Ellis, F Anthony Randolph OUTLOOK: People are real high on Randolph becoming an absolute stud and I think Jackson will be out of Golden State before November is over letting him take control of the team. They are a mess though and will continue to be all year. PREDICTION: 13th in the Western Conference.

5. Sacramento Kings: KEY PLAYERS: SG Kevin Martin, PF Jason Thompson, PG Tyreke Evans OUTLOOK: Could be a very ugly season for the Kings and shooting for that top spot in the draft seems very likely. Martin is their only scorer and the rest do not do much for me. OUTLOOK: 14th in the Western Conference.

-Charlie.

The Answer to the Clips? Rut-Roh.

I had already claim that Shawn Marion going to the Mavs was the worst deal of the NBA Off Season so far but let me tell you if Allen Iverson is on the Los Angeles Clippers that will be the worst deal. Talk about heading for the hills and running if you are a fan of the Clippers.

Seriously can you even comprehend Clipper head coach Mike Dunleavy trying to tell A.I. what to do? I mean Baron Davis whose a bit of a headcase has big problems with Dunleavy and then Iverson who seems to be only controlled when his coach is Larry Brown is supposed to work with this guy? Cmon now, we all know this is a complete and utter disaster. The other thing about Davis is he isnt a true point guard, he likes to get to the basket, shoot the three, and take control. He is a lot like Mo Williams from the Cleveland Cavaliers. So now you have two guards that are thinking me before team once again another reason why this will not work.

I dont understand why Iverson wouldnt think about heading to the Charlotte Bobcats or the Memphis Grizzlies. I mean they might not be the best teams but they will let the Answer be "the man" which he hasnt been since his days as a Philadelphia 76er. There has always been someone else taking the spotlight from Allen and it seems like that does bother him. He wants to be the main attraction still at this old age and he has fail to accept being a supporting cast member.

Now if some way Dunleavy could figure out a way to control Ivo and Davis together to convince one of them that they need to pass more often then we might be looking at a playoff team. They have a great set of tools with the likes of Marcus Camby, Eric Gordan, and newly added Blake Griffin. But then again this is the Clippers.

-Charlie

Clippers Make a Good Deal? What the Hell?

I dont know what to make fun of in this article. I thought about making fun of the Los Angeles making a good decision or the General Manager of the Memphis Grizzles Chris Wallace making another awful one. I choose the Clips because I am in the nice mode for awhile. The deal that went down to today was the Clips sent disgruntled, always troubled Zach Randolph to the Grizzlies for Quentin Richardson's expiring contract.

The Clippers free up a bunch of money for the 2010 year and now the Michael Wilbon theory about LeBron James being a possibility for Los Angeles with a bunch of young talent and now a bunch of money looks like a complete reality. But the true question is can it really happen? I hate doing the 2010 thing but I have a hard time seeing Kobe-LeBron in the same city. Doesnt seem like the town is big enough but it would bring to life a Clipper fan base like never before. I also like the deal in terms of chemistry, Richardson isnt the greatest teammate but a helluva lot better than Randolph. They now have a very exciting back court with Baron Davis-Richardson-Eric Gordon and will provide some good minutes off the bench.

Oh Chris Wallace....this goes down in the books as another one of your screw ups. I mean it makes sense in terms of not wanting to throw Hasheem Thabeet their second overall pick to the wolves right away but really Randolph? Like I said before this guy isnt a good locker room guy and not someone you want Thabeet to learning life lessons from. In addition, he will not give your fans something to get excited about... Randolph! Gasol er.. Marc! and any other foreign country you can think of! Come cheer on your Grizzlies in 09-10. That being said, I think Randolph will be a complete disaster for Memphis in the long run.

-Charlie.