To borrow a cliched line, I feel like we've jumped a shark by making a news story out of Dez Bryant refusing to carry Roy Williams' pads. This is what passes for news nowadays? This is a story that affects nobody. It has nothing to do with their play on the field, and come September this story will be completely forgotten because, you know, it's meaningless. And yet for a couple days in July, this story was being covered by all sports media outlets, most notably ESPN. We've lost something here.
What I do like, though, is how this story is used as a springboard to examine the psychology of Dez Bryant. Remember, he fell in the draft because of off-the-field issues, so maybe this proves that he's a problem child. Or maybe not? Well let's go to our resident psychologist to find out, Herm Edwards. I mean, what a fucking joke. Let's sensationalize a meaningless story, and then dissect to see if it means Bryant really does have issues.
There's nothing worse than when sports media personalities talk about a player's psychological makeup. They don't know a fucking thing more than you or I do about it, and they are not qualified at all to talk about it. Herm Edwards knows football and should stick to that; he does not know what makes a player tick mentally. It's like when they built up Tim Tebow for his "excellent intangibles" while criticizing Jimmy Clausen for his "questionable intangibles." What makes Todd McShay or Mel Kiper qualified to make that judgement? Absolutely nothing.
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Here's a fun thought experiment. I'm going to paste a line taken from ESPN's AFC West blog, and then you determine what this line would look like if the player in question was Jimmy Clausen instead of Tim Tebow:
" Because of his reputation as a hard worker, expect Tebow to try to get to camp as soon as possible."
Rookie camp for the Broncos began on Wednesday, meaning Tebow is officially a holdout. Jimmy Clausen got signed on time for Panther's training camp. Can you imagine Clausen getting the benefit of the doubt like that had he held out?
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An awesome quote from Broncos' LB Darrell Reid on Tim Tebow:
"Whether it's working on his throwing motion or in the weight room or running, he's almost always the last guy out of the building."
The "first guy in, last one out" line is as cliched a phrase as there is in sports, but notice how Reid doesn't say Tebow is always that guy, but rather almost always. It's like he was trying to lie about how hard a worker Tebow is, but he couldn't quite go all the way with it.
Another thought experiment; if a team has two or more players who are the "first one in, last one out" type, then who exactly is the first one in and last one out? It's can't be all of them, so do they all just stand at the exit at the end of the day and wait for the others to leave?
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Timing is everything in sports. Derek Fisher's miraculous turnaround shot against the Spurs, Robert Horry's last-second three against Sacramento...if the clock ticks a tenth of a second shorter, these plays don't happen. And now we have Brett Favre's ankle.
"Favre's surgically repaired ankle isn't expected to be healed until a day or two after the Minnesota Vikings break training camp next month."
Damn the luck, it just won't be ready until a day or two after training camp ends. What do you know. If I were the cynical type, I might say he's just milking this to get out of training camp.
(Back to Horry; what was he doing standing at the 3-point line to begin with? The Lakers needed two to tie, the rebounds are all happening in the paint, he's a forward for God's sake...why was he waiting on a one-in-a-million bounce? I've never been satisified with the fact that Horry was basically just being lazy on that play, and he somehow got a lucky bounce and became the hero)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
The Drive, The Fumble, The Decision
Cleveland fans are bitter right now, and understandably so. Their city has yet again been punched in the gut by the cruel hand of sports. The Browns, the Indians, the Cavs...they've all been tormented over the years. But this time their agony was plastered all over ESPN for one full night. LeBron's decision to hold an hour-long special was an unprecedented "fuck you" that makes him either the most tone-deaf athlete on the planet or the most cold-hearted one. I don't think there's a middle ground.
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The first thing people need to realize is that athletes are not tied down to one city. The fans in Cleveland seem to believe that LeBron should have stayed there because he's a local kid. Well I'm sorry, but just being from Ohio does not marry you to the Cavaliers for eternity. LeBron has a career to worry about, and he needed to make the best decision for his career. Blind loyalty to the city of Cleveland would be stupid when he could somewhere else, win championships and cement his legacy.
But again, I think what really burns people is the manner in which he handled it. If he had just held a simple press conference in which he thanked the city of Cleveland for their years of support and then went on his merry way...well, fans would still be disappointed, but I don't think they'd be feeling the rage they feel today. The way he dragged the city of Cleveland through the mud last night really makes you wonder what exactly is in his heart. Has he surrounded himself with such yes-men that he didn't see the backlash coming? This hour-long special was a disaster from minute one, and everyone knew it.
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I don't mean to harp on that special too much, because at the end of the day he was leaving for Miami regardless of how it ended up being covered. But not only did LeBron burn Cleveland in the worst way, but I think he also offended NBA fans in general. I think Miami fans are the only ones today who are feeling good about how last night played out, and even then they'd probably admit that the coverage was over-the-top. I think the whole affair leaves us all with a bad taste in our mouths. Free agents have left before (Shaq leaving Orlando for Los Angeles being the closest parallel), but never before in this fashion. And it felt tawdry.
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If Cleveland fans want to blame anybody for LeBron leaving, they need to look at management. The team that was assembled around LeBron was, quite frankly, unacceptable. Look at what Oklahoma City has put around Kevin Durant in a few short years. They've given him young players to grow with, like Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green. The best Cleveland could do for LeBron was Mo Williams. Trading for Shaq was both a short-term and long-term disaster, in that he helped the team in no way and also cemented the fact that Cleveland was incapable of surrounding LeBron with an acceptable supporting cast. Trading for Shaq was merely a ploy to make it look like they were serious, and LeBron saw right through it.
Remember at the trade deadline when they would not part with J.J. Hickson in order to acquire Amar'e Stoudemire? I'm not a bid Stoudemire fan, but he undoubtedly would have made Cleveland much better, and perhaps could have been the difference in beating Boston. Instead they ended up with Antawn Jamison, who would have helped them more had he simply sat out the Boston series, and on top of that, Hickson barely played during the postseason. Don't think that LeBron didn't notice this. Cleveland's management was clearly clueless about building a contender around LeBron, and I'm glad he chose not to waste his prime years in NBA purgatory like Garnett did. Garnett's loyalty may have been something to admire, but his legacy was almost permanently tarnished by staying in Minnesota. Had Kevin McHale not shipped him off to Boston as a gift to Danny Ainge, Garnett's career would be viewed as a disappointment. Championships matter in a player's legacy, and LeBron knows this. Ultimately, that's why he's no longer in Cleveland.
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With all of that said, I'm still perplexed as to why he went to Miami. I really wonder if he just got tired of trying to carry a team, and has decided to share the heavy lifting with Wade. Because no matter how well LeBron plays in Miami, it will always be Wade's team and Wade's city. He's the established star there, and he's won a championship. And I wonder if LeBron knows this to be the case, and wants that to be the case. I wonder if he wants Wade to be the Jordan to his Pippen, which would be very disappointing to me.
LeBron has been given a rare gift, in that he's gifted enough in all facets of the game to potentially go down as one of the best ever. There aren't many players born with this gift. Guys like Charles Barkley and Karl Malone were very good, but even they were not born with this gift. There have been maybe 10 players with this type of transcendent ability, Jordan being the tops among them. Even Kobe, for as good as he's been, was not born with as many gifts as LeBron (LeBron's size allowing him to physically dominate in ways that Kobe couldn't).
But by choosing to sign with Miami and play with Wade, I wonder if LeBron truly has the temperament to be an all-time great. Being an all-time great carries large responsibilities, chief among them being that you lead your team to championships. If LeBron does win championships in Miami, it (probably) won't be because he led them, but rather because he AND Wade led them. And that would be thoroughly disappointing to me. I wanted to see LeBron go somewhere and put his signature on that team, and become an all-time great as his own man. Instead he's chosen to tag along with Wade. Maybe that's the way he wants it, and winning championships will not hurt his legacy regardless of how he gets it. But it would be disappointing to me if he fell into a Pippen-like role in which Wade ultimately takes the big shots. I wanted LeBron to be that guy, because damnit, he's been gifted like so few have. And he may not realize his FULL potential tagging along with Wade.
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Chicago, in my opinion, would have been the place to go. The pecking order would have fallen into place nicely, with LeBron-Rose-Boozer-Noah comprising a pretty good top-four that could definitely win championships. And it would have featured LeBron as the man, with Rose being the sidekick, and Boozer providing some interior scoring and rebounding while Noah does the dirty work and becomes a modern day Charles Oakley. That was the dream scenario to me. LeBron could have realized his full potential with a good supporting cast, and he could have done so playing in the same city where Jordan did it. But again...maybe LeBron didn't want the challenge of living up to Jordan. It's a lofty standard to live by, and maybe LeBron didn't want that. Which, again, is disappointing to me.
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I don't know how LeBron's time in Miami is going to go. I kinda feel like if there's karmic justice in this world that it won't go well, with how much he hurt the city of Cleveland by leaving on national TV. Miami, outside of LeBron, Wade and Bosh, is a bare-bones roster that still needs outside shooting, interior defense and rebounding. Apparently they're going to sign Mike Miller, but it seem to me that it's been years since he's been an effective player. It's going to be very interesting to see if two superstars and a good player can carry a team that probably won't have much else.
But I do know that I'm not satisfied with how last night went. I'm not satisfied with the hour-long ESPN special (as a fan who's lived through a lot of sports-related heartache, I can relate to Cleveland), and I'm not satisifed with his decision. I did want him to leave Cleveland, because I don't think he can win a championship there. But I didn't want him to tag along with another superstar. I wanted him to become his own man on a team with a good supporting cast in place. I wanted him in Chicago. I don't know what's in LeBron's heart, but I'm worried that he just doesn't quite have what it takes to realize his full potential. He may realize 95% of it, which would still be a very good career and probably top-ten all-time. But this is a guy born with the ability to challenge Jordan's status as the NBA's all-time best. And I just don't think he wants it.
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The first thing people need to realize is that athletes are not tied down to one city. The fans in Cleveland seem to believe that LeBron should have stayed there because he's a local kid. Well I'm sorry, but just being from Ohio does not marry you to the Cavaliers for eternity. LeBron has a career to worry about, and he needed to make the best decision for his career. Blind loyalty to the city of Cleveland would be stupid when he could somewhere else, win championships and cement his legacy.
But again, I think what really burns people is the manner in which he handled it. If he had just held a simple press conference in which he thanked the city of Cleveland for their years of support and then went on his merry way...well, fans would still be disappointed, but I don't think they'd be feeling the rage they feel today. The way he dragged the city of Cleveland through the mud last night really makes you wonder what exactly is in his heart. Has he surrounded himself with such yes-men that he didn't see the backlash coming? This hour-long special was a disaster from minute one, and everyone knew it.
-----
I don't mean to harp on that special too much, because at the end of the day he was leaving for Miami regardless of how it ended up being covered. But not only did LeBron burn Cleveland in the worst way, but I think he also offended NBA fans in general. I think Miami fans are the only ones today who are feeling good about how last night played out, and even then they'd probably admit that the coverage was over-the-top. I think the whole affair leaves us all with a bad taste in our mouths. Free agents have left before (Shaq leaving Orlando for Los Angeles being the closest parallel), but never before in this fashion. And it felt tawdry.
-----
If Cleveland fans want to blame anybody for LeBron leaving, they need to look at management. The team that was assembled around LeBron was, quite frankly, unacceptable. Look at what Oklahoma City has put around Kevin Durant in a few short years. They've given him young players to grow with, like Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green. The best Cleveland could do for LeBron was Mo Williams. Trading for Shaq was both a short-term and long-term disaster, in that he helped the team in no way and also cemented the fact that Cleveland was incapable of surrounding LeBron with an acceptable supporting cast. Trading for Shaq was merely a ploy to make it look like they were serious, and LeBron saw right through it.
Remember at the trade deadline when they would not part with J.J. Hickson in order to acquire Amar'e Stoudemire? I'm not a bid Stoudemire fan, but he undoubtedly would have made Cleveland much better, and perhaps could have been the difference in beating Boston. Instead they ended up with Antawn Jamison, who would have helped them more had he simply sat out the Boston series, and on top of that, Hickson barely played during the postseason. Don't think that LeBron didn't notice this. Cleveland's management was clearly clueless about building a contender around LeBron, and I'm glad he chose not to waste his prime years in NBA purgatory like Garnett did. Garnett's loyalty may have been something to admire, but his legacy was almost permanently tarnished by staying in Minnesota. Had Kevin McHale not shipped him off to Boston as a gift to Danny Ainge, Garnett's career would be viewed as a disappointment. Championships matter in a player's legacy, and LeBron knows this. Ultimately, that's why he's no longer in Cleveland.
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With all of that said, I'm still perplexed as to why he went to Miami. I really wonder if he just got tired of trying to carry a team, and has decided to share the heavy lifting with Wade. Because no matter how well LeBron plays in Miami, it will always be Wade's team and Wade's city. He's the established star there, and he's won a championship. And I wonder if LeBron knows this to be the case, and wants that to be the case. I wonder if he wants Wade to be the Jordan to his Pippen, which would be very disappointing to me.
LeBron has been given a rare gift, in that he's gifted enough in all facets of the game to potentially go down as one of the best ever. There aren't many players born with this gift. Guys like Charles Barkley and Karl Malone were very good, but even they were not born with this gift. There have been maybe 10 players with this type of transcendent ability, Jordan being the tops among them. Even Kobe, for as good as he's been, was not born with as many gifts as LeBron (LeBron's size allowing him to physically dominate in ways that Kobe couldn't).
But by choosing to sign with Miami and play with Wade, I wonder if LeBron truly has the temperament to be an all-time great. Being an all-time great carries large responsibilities, chief among them being that you lead your team to championships. If LeBron does win championships in Miami, it (probably) won't be because he led them, but rather because he AND Wade led them. And that would be thoroughly disappointing to me. I wanted to see LeBron go somewhere and put his signature on that team, and become an all-time great as his own man. Instead he's chosen to tag along with Wade. Maybe that's the way he wants it, and winning championships will not hurt his legacy regardless of how he gets it. But it would be disappointing to me if he fell into a Pippen-like role in which Wade ultimately takes the big shots. I wanted LeBron to be that guy, because damnit, he's been gifted like so few have. And he may not realize his FULL potential tagging along with Wade.
-----
Chicago, in my opinion, would have been the place to go. The pecking order would have fallen into place nicely, with LeBron-Rose-Boozer-Noah comprising a pretty good top-four that could definitely win championships. And it would have featured LeBron as the man, with Rose being the sidekick, and Boozer providing some interior scoring and rebounding while Noah does the dirty work and becomes a modern day Charles Oakley. That was the dream scenario to me. LeBron could have realized his full potential with a good supporting cast, and he could have done so playing in the same city where Jordan did it. But again...maybe LeBron didn't want the challenge of living up to Jordan. It's a lofty standard to live by, and maybe LeBron didn't want that. Which, again, is disappointing to me.
-----
I don't know how LeBron's time in Miami is going to go. I kinda feel like if there's karmic justice in this world that it won't go well, with how much he hurt the city of Cleveland by leaving on national TV. Miami, outside of LeBron, Wade and Bosh, is a bare-bones roster that still needs outside shooting, interior defense and rebounding. Apparently they're going to sign Mike Miller, but it seem to me that it's been years since he's been an effective player. It's going to be very interesting to see if two superstars and a good player can carry a team that probably won't have much else.
But I do know that I'm not satisfied with how last night went. I'm not satisfied with the hour-long ESPN special (as a fan who's lived through a lot of sports-related heartache, I can relate to Cleveland), and I'm not satisifed with his decision. I did want him to leave Cleveland, because I don't think he can win a championship there. But I didn't want him to tag along with another superstar. I wanted him to become his own man on a team with a good supporting cast in place. I wanted him in Chicago. I don't know what's in LeBron's heart, but I'm worried that he just doesn't quite have what it takes to realize his full potential. He may realize 95% of it, which would still be a very good career and probably top-ten all-time. But this is a guy born with the ability to challenge Jordan's status as the NBA's all-time best. And I just don't think he wants it.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The LeBachelor
I've got to be honest; I've lost a little bit of respect for LeBron James for holding this one-hour special on ESPN on Thursday night to announce his free agency decision. I mean, how full of yourself can you be? "I'm so important I need a one-hour special dedicated to me." I'm not saying he need to be a hermit, but there is such a thing as humility, and LeBron appears to have none right now.
If LeBron signs with the Knicks, Nets or (laughably involved somehow) Clippers, I will lose all respect for him. If he leaves the Cavaliers, and effectively kills basketball in Cleveland for the forseeable future, it needs to be so he can win a championship. The Knicks, Nets and Clippers are not championship-caliber rosters. The Knicks signed the all offense/no defense Amare Stoudemire, who I'm not convinced is much of an upgrade over David Lee, and also have Danillo Galinari. Otherwise they have nothing. The Nets are young and years away from competing. The Clippers are a joke of a franchise. I will not respect him if he kills Cleveland for those three teams.
The Bulls and Heat, on the other hand, are good situations. The Bulls have a great second banana in Derrick Rose, and a good role player in Joakim Noah. The Heat announced today they'll be signing Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, so adding LeBron would give them the greatest collection of NBA talent in a long time. Those are worthwhile situations where LeBron could put them over the top.
If he signs with them, that tells me he cares about his legacy and knows it won't be complete without a championship. If he signs with the Knicks, Nets or Clippers, that tells me he's more concerned with increasing his marketability than he is in winning championships. And I will have no respect for that.
If LeBron signs with the Knicks, Nets or (laughably involved somehow) Clippers, I will lose all respect for him. If he leaves the Cavaliers, and effectively kills basketball in Cleveland for the forseeable future, it needs to be so he can win a championship. The Knicks, Nets and Clippers are not championship-caliber rosters. The Knicks signed the all offense/no defense Amare Stoudemire, who I'm not convinced is much of an upgrade over David Lee, and also have Danillo Galinari. Otherwise they have nothing. The Nets are young and years away from competing. The Clippers are a joke of a franchise. I will not respect him if he kills Cleveland for those three teams.
The Bulls and Heat, on the other hand, are good situations. The Bulls have a great second banana in Derrick Rose, and a good role player in Joakim Noah. The Heat announced today they'll be signing Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, so adding LeBron would give them the greatest collection of NBA talent in a long time. Those are worthwhile situations where LeBron could put them over the top.
If he signs with them, that tells me he cares about his legacy and knows it won't be complete without a championship. If he signs with the Knicks, Nets or Clippers, that tells me he's more concerned with increasing his marketability than he is in winning championships. And I will have no respect for that.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
The most wonderful time of the year
Ahh yes, the start of NBA free agency, when teams hand out ridiculous sums of money to average players. Let's see what's happening so far:
Once strongly considering a return to Europe, Darko Milicic, the man selected after LeBron James in the 2003 draft, has decided to give the NBA another chance, thanks to a four-year, $20 million deal from the Timberwolves, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.
Do I even need to comment on this? I'll be married with children before Darko Milicic ever helps a winning team, besides being the 12th man. David Kahn is like Cartman trying out for the special Olympics. David, why did you give Darko $20M? "duhhr I don't know, I'm retarded."
Drew Gooden reached a five-year, $32 million contract with the Bucks, reports Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Explain to me what Drew Gooden brings to the table that a minimum-wage NBDL prospect couldn't? The Bucks could bring in 20 different NBDLers and find someone who can do what Drew Gooden does, which is essentially nothing. Defend and rebound a little? This is not worth $32M. The inability of teams to recognize how invaluable certain players are annually astounds me. Every year a below-average stiff like Gooden gets $30M, when these teams could find someone much cheaper just by holding tryouts, and get the same production. I can't wait until the Bucks sign John Salmons for $30-$40M, tying up approximately $70M in those two.
The Atlanta Hawks have offered Joe Johnson a six-year, $119 million contract, two NBA sources told SI.com.
The award for most untradeable contract in the league goes to...Joe Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks! The Atlanta Hawks are apparently following the blueprint of the Washington Wizards, in locking down the 4th best team in the Eastern Conference (a couple years ago, the Wizards gave big contracts to Arenas, Jamison and Butler, even though they couldn't get out of the first round; the Wizards just last week had the top pick in the draft, so you see how well that went). It won't take two years for Atlanta to regret this contract, mark my words. Joe Johnson is a good player in a complimentary role, he is not a max contract, face-of-the-franchise type player. This is absurd.
The Houston Rockets have identified Chris Bosh as their primary target this offseason, a source told SI.com. The Rockets visited Bosh in Dallas just after midnight Thursday morning and are discussing sign-and-trade options to bring Bosh to Houston. Among the trade candidates that could be sent to Toronto are forward Luis Scola and guard Aaron Brooks.
I mean, I suppose Chris Bosh is worth it, but it would sadden me to see Aaron Brooks go. The Rockets drafted him late in the first round, and developed him into a pretty decent player. And to be honest, I'm not that big of a Bosh fan. He was the best player on a couple playoff teams in Toronto, but the Raptors also folded badly last season. When Charles Barkley was in Philadelphia, he carried some uninspiring 76er teams to the playoffs, so I don't think it's too much to ask of Bosh to do the same, especially considering how weak the East is after the top 3-4 teams. If you're a max player, you're damn right I'm going to ask a lot of you.
The Timberwolves have plans to meet Grizzlies restricted free agent Rudy Gay Thursday night, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
You know, you guys could have just kept O.J. Mayo and you'd already have your inside-outside combination of Mayo and Jefferson. Instead they'll have to trade for Rudy Gay, and then probably turn around and trade Jefferson, giving them Gay-Love (tee hee) which isn't nearly as good in my opinion. This is why you can't make stupid mistakes; you end up spending the next couple of years trying to make up for that mistake.
Amar'e Stoudemire has exercised the early termination option in his contract, his agent, Happy Walters, confirmed to SI.com.
I feel bad for whoever gives Stoudemire a big contract. I don't care how many points you score, I have no use for a power forward who is as allergic to defense and rebounding as Stoudemire. It's not that he can't defend and rebound, he just doesn't care. All he wants to do is score points. He should stay in Phoenix, which understands his strengths and weaknesses better than anybody. A different team might ask him to defend the rim, which would turn the paint into a layup line.
Perhaps feeling skittish about their chances to entice LeBron James, the Knicks are feverishly trying to peddle center Eddy Curry and his remaining $11.3 million contract, reports the Chicago Tribune.
What the Knicks are doing to their fans is cruel and unfair. For the past two years, they've been telling their fans, "Don't worry folks, in 2010 we'll get LeBron or Wade so all of this losing will be worth it." Now that they've finally realized they won't be getting LeBron or Wade, they have to throw other bullshit out their to show they're really trying. "Just gotta dump Eddy Curry's contract and we'll have superstars on the way!" I hope Knick fans are prepared for Carlos Boozer, because I'm afraid that's about the only star player they're going to be getting. The Knicks forgot that they actually have to put a competitive team on the court before a superstar would actually consider going there. Danillo Galinari and David Lee just aren't going to cut it. Considering what the Knicks have put their fans through, there might be torches and pitchforks at Donnie Walsh's office before this is over.
Once strongly considering a return to Europe, Darko Milicic, the man selected after LeBron James in the 2003 draft, has decided to give the NBA another chance, thanks to a four-year, $20 million deal from the Timberwolves, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.
Do I even need to comment on this? I'll be married with children before Darko Milicic ever helps a winning team, besides being the 12th man. David Kahn is like Cartman trying out for the special Olympics. David, why did you give Darko $20M? "duhhr I don't know, I'm retarded."
Drew Gooden reached a five-year, $32 million contract with the Bucks, reports Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Explain to me what Drew Gooden brings to the table that a minimum-wage NBDL prospect couldn't? The Bucks could bring in 20 different NBDLers and find someone who can do what Drew Gooden does, which is essentially nothing. Defend and rebound a little? This is not worth $32M. The inability of teams to recognize how invaluable certain players are annually astounds me. Every year a below-average stiff like Gooden gets $30M, when these teams could find someone much cheaper just by holding tryouts, and get the same production. I can't wait until the Bucks sign John Salmons for $30-$40M, tying up approximately $70M in those two.
The Atlanta Hawks have offered Joe Johnson a six-year, $119 million contract, two NBA sources told SI.com.
The award for most untradeable contract in the league goes to...Joe Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks! The Atlanta Hawks are apparently following the blueprint of the Washington Wizards, in locking down the 4th best team in the Eastern Conference (a couple years ago, the Wizards gave big contracts to Arenas, Jamison and Butler, even though they couldn't get out of the first round; the Wizards just last week had the top pick in the draft, so you see how well that went). It won't take two years for Atlanta to regret this contract, mark my words. Joe Johnson is a good player in a complimentary role, he is not a max contract, face-of-the-franchise type player. This is absurd.
The Houston Rockets have identified Chris Bosh as their primary target this offseason, a source told SI.com. The Rockets visited Bosh in Dallas just after midnight Thursday morning and are discussing sign-and-trade options to bring Bosh to Houston. Among the trade candidates that could be sent to Toronto are forward Luis Scola and guard Aaron Brooks.
I mean, I suppose Chris Bosh is worth it, but it would sadden me to see Aaron Brooks go. The Rockets drafted him late in the first round, and developed him into a pretty decent player. And to be honest, I'm not that big of a Bosh fan. He was the best player on a couple playoff teams in Toronto, but the Raptors also folded badly last season. When Charles Barkley was in Philadelphia, he carried some uninspiring 76er teams to the playoffs, so I don't think it's too much to ask of Bosh to do the same, especially considering how weak the East is after the top 3-4 teams. If you're a max player, you're damn right I'm going to ask a lot of you.
The Timberwolves have plans to meet Grizzlies restricted free agent Rudy Gay Thursday night, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
You know, you guys could have just kept O.J. Mayo and you'd already have your inside-outside combination of Mayo and Jefferson. Instead they'll have to trade for Rudy Gay, and then probably turn around and trade Jefferson, giving them Gay-Love (tee hee) which isn't nearly as good in my opinion. This is why you can't make stupid mistakes; you end up spending the next couple of years trying to make up for that mistake.
Amar'e Stoudemire has exercised the early termination option in his contract, his agent, Happy Walters, confirmed to SI.com.
I feel bad for whoever gives Stoudemire a big contract. I don't care how many points you score, I have no use for a power forward who is as allergic to defense and rebounding as Stoudemire. It's not that he can't defend and rebound, he just doesn't care. All he wants to do is score points. He should stay in Phoenix, which understands his strengths and weaknesses better than anybody. A different team might ask him to defend the rim, which would turn the paint into a layup line.
Perhaps feeling skittish about their chances to entice LeBron James, the Knicks are feverishly trying to peddle center Eddy Curry and his remaining $11.3 million contract, reports the Chicago Tribune.
What the Knicks are doing to their fans is cruel and unfair. For the past two years, they've been telling their fans, "Don't worry folks, in 2010 we'll get LeBron or Wade so all of this losing will be worth it." Now that they've finally realized they won't be getting LeBron or Wade, they have to throw other bullshit out their to show they're really trying. "Just gotta dump Eddy Curry's contract and we'll have superstars on the way!" I hope Knick fans are prepared for Carlos Boozer, because I'm afraid that's about the only star player they're going to be getting. The Knicks forgot that they actually have to put a competitive team on the court before a superstar would actually consider going there. Danillo Galinari and David Lee just aren't going to cut it. Considering what the Knicks have put their fans through, there might be torches and pitchforks at Donnie Walsh's office before this is over.
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