One man held the entire world, well, just a few cities in America hostage for a few brief minutes to announce his “decision” on where he would play for the next 5-6 years.  I for one don’t hold LeBron James in high regards.  Yes he is a great player, but this whole free agency fiasco has put him in bad company.  It was also incredibly selfish to announce on national television your choice, but as I’ve come to that conclusion, can I really blame him?

I mean, who am I to say what he should and what’s best for him?  It was his decision and his alone.  He will have to live with it for the rest of his life.  Yes, deciding on playing for the Miami Heat was a tough decision, but was it really?  Did we really know LeBron the athlete?  Did he already make up his mind sooner than we thought?  What does loyalty really mean this day and age?  You have to ask those questions and honestly answer them before you can cast judgment on his choice.

LeBron was not and is not the athlete we though he was.  We assume that in the individual sport that basketball is that these guys want all the glory for themselves.  A recent example points to Kobe Bryant.  Kobe wanted Shaquille O’Neal out of town so he could “win on his own.”  Kobe got his wish and it was awful in the beginning.  Only then did Kobe realize that he needed to have a talented roster around him, plus his old coach (Phil Jackson) back to win more championships.

LeBron essentially has come to the same conclusion.  I need a talented roster around me to win a championship.  For those demeaning him for leaving for a championship are going on a double standard.  Isn’t that what you want these guys to play for?  Not fame or money, but the hardware.  He is not a one of a kind athlete in the sense of his reasoning behind going to Miami.  He made this choice for basketball reasons.  Is that too much to accept?

Sure, he probably made up his mind a long time ago to leave Cleveland.  Not shaking the hands of the Orlando Magic after Cleveland had lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.  That was frustration for what was a good roster during the regular season for Cleveland that turned into an average one during the playoffs.  LeBron had everything on his shoulders and it was too much to bare.  He should have shaken hands, but his mind was on his future in Cleveland.

Did he mail it in during the semifinals this past season against Boston?  Maybe.  Cleveland was up 2 games to 1 in the series, but when Boston responded after their worst home loss in playoff history in Game 3, it appeared Cleveland was starting to unravel.  LeBron, in my estimation, potentially gave up in Game 5.  In a 120-88 beatdown in Cleveland, LeBron had 15 points on 3-14 shooting.  Nine of his points came from the foul line.  Not the typical stat line you had expected from your MVP. 

Who says that LeBron has to stay in Cleveland?  Cavaliers fans, the owner, certain pundits and analysts.  His words today say as much about him as anything he’s done on the basketball court.

His biggest factor in his choice to leave Cleveland was wanting to win.  Who had the best chance of winning right away?  We all assumed Chicago or even Cleveland.  Chicago had a proven point guard and Cleveland won 60 plus games the last two seasons with the roster they had, LeBron included of course.  Miami getting commitments from Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh the day before LeBron was to decide certainly had an impact at the last minute for him.  Miami was now the favorite.  Win with proven talent or continue to struggle with what you’ve already struggled with?

He puts the team concept before individuality all day long.  When you look at his stats and his overall game, yes it’s true.  He is this generations Magic Johnson.  No one thought we would see this type of player again.  For so long, folks would criticize him for passing the ball when he could have taken the last shot.  If a guy is open, and two defenders are on you, preventing you from taking the last shot, why not pass the ball to the open man?  Yes, he has passed on a few, but he has put the team ahead of himself so many times.

He made an excellent point in that it’s a business and the Cavaliers could have traded him at some point down the road.  Yes, that is definitely true.  Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s reaction is typical, but rare that he would demean someone to the level of calling them “cowardly, disloyal and heartless” is a bit much.

Here is the link to Dan Gilbert’s open letter: http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/gilbert_letter_100708.html

I was a bit perplexed.  Coming to the realization that LeBron wants to win I have to wonder, what was the pitch Dan Gilbert made to LeBron?  The Antawn Jamison experiment is not going to work.  Bringing Shaquille O’Neal didn’t help.  Mo Williams is no longer the answer.  Where was Cleveland’s next move?  Was LeBron supposed to continue to struggle with what he’s already struggled with?

Ultimately my mother wanted me to do what makes me happy.  I’m paraphrasing.  That is what helped him to make the move to Miami.  Family first and everything else second.  Cleveland does lose big time, but can they really blame LeBron?  Is there really anyone to blame?  LeBron made up his mind to win now.  Does Cleveland offer that now?  History says no.  Is Dan Gilbert and the Cavaliers fans reaction understandable?  Yes, but understand that the NBA is a business first and no longer a sport.  It’s hard to think he was going to stay in Cleveland forever.

What we have failed to realize is that one man has proven to us all what we have always believed.  An athletes ultimate goal is to win as many titles during their career.  LeBron James wants to win probably as much if not more than any other athlete in any sport.  LeBron knew what he wanted.  It’s time we stopped saying we know what’s best for athletes.

With all the talk of the free agent players, (yes I will have thoughts when the dust settles) I think there needs to be more discussion on who will be returning to the bench or will be the head coach for the first time.  Seven teams will have new head coaches next year and most of them have impressive resumes.  Here is a breakdown of who the new or returning head coaches are.

Atlanta Hawks – Larry Drew replaces Mike Woodson

Larry was part of the coaching staff for Mike Woodson during his six year reign in Atlanta.  Woodson deserves most of the credit for turning around a franchise that was going no where when he arrived.  His last three years there resulted in playoff appearances and two straight in the semifinals.  However, with the team falling straight on their faces against Orlando, a change seemed imminent.  Drew is getting his first head coaching job in the NBA.  He is a former player which is probably a good thing.  The Hawks will stay relatively intact as far as their stars go (Johnson, Smith, Horford, Bibby and Crawford).  They will be expected to make it to the playoffs for the fourth straight year, but can’t be expected to be any higher than the five seed.  A good place to get your first head coaching gig, but Drew was apart of the meltdown last year.  He is on a short leash for a first time head coach.


Chicago Bulls – Tom Thibodeau replaces Vinny Del Negro

Tom was hailed as the defensive genius in Boston.  Which Boston was considered one of the best defensive teams in the league.  He stresses team defense and that’s the only way you can win is with team defense.  Something Chicago needs a little of Thibodeau’s defensive remedy to get out of the cellar in the Eastern Conference.  Del Negro didn’t do a bad job by any means.  His first year was a great success.  Taking the defending champion Celtics to seven games in the first round of the 2009 playoffs.  This past year the Bulls clinched the last spot to get in, but had the daunting task of playing the Cleveland Cavaliers.  They didn’t get blown out any of the five games, but Chicago management was tired of Del Negro disobeying orders with the handling of the players playing time down the stretch.  It won’t matter with Thibodeau if Chicago can get some players to go with the good core of Rose, Deng, Noah and Gibson.  This is Thibodeau’s first crack at the top and he doesn’t want to give it up that easily.

Cleveland Cavaliers – Byron Scott replaces Mike Brown

Mike Brown wasn’t a terrible coach by any stretch, just a bad motivator.  It showed during the semifinals against the Boston Celtics.  Not making any adjustments when they clearly needed to be made.  It had a ripple effect on the team.  LeBron was put in a no win situation that lead to Brown’s ouster and the possibility of LeBron leaving as well.  Byron Scott is a proven winner not just as a coach, but a player as well.  The New Jersey Nets glory days can be attributed to Scott getting them to back-to-back Finals appearances.  Yes, Scott had a falling out with Jason Kidd at the time of his firing, but his next job in New Orleans was almost another success.  The Hornets were the leading candidate to leave for Oklahoma City with the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, but Scott stepped in and turned New Orleans into a winner and nearly got them to a Western Conference Final.  Apparently he doesn’t get along with elite point guards as Chris Paul wasn’t happy this past season and led to Scott’s dismissal.  Cleveland doesn’t have an elite point guard and LeBron has been quoted saying he would love to play for a coach who was a former player.  Scott is in the perfect scenario so long as LeBron is there.

Los Angeles Clippers – Vinny Del Negro replaces Kim Hughes

This sad franchise could be turning around quicker than most in the 2010-11 season.  Mike Dunleavy stepped down as the head coach to focus on being the GM this past season.  Apparently owner Donald Sterling saw that as a chance to just fire Dunleavy from the GM position too.  Hughes did an admirable job as the interim coach when Dunleavy stepped away, but the Clippers haven’t had stability on the bench since Bill Fitch.  Yes, mid 1990s.  Del Negro is a proven winner in this league.  In two years at Chicago with a decent roster, he took them to the playoffs and nearly upset the defending champion Celtics in 2009.  Imagine what he can do with a roster that has Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman and a healthy Blake Griffin.  Yes, the Clippers do need to add a few more pieces, but this is the smartest move the Clippers have made since, well, I’ll get back to you on that.  Hopefully Del Negro won’t butt heads with management like in Chicago, but I don’t see that happening here because Sterling doesn’t really care what happens on the court of play.  If the Clippers make the playoffs and Chicago doesn’t, you will be able to hear the grunts from Chicago to LA.


New Jersey Nets – Avery Johnson replaces Kiki Vandeweghe

Normally when the head coach is let go during the franchises worst season, the team starts to play better with new energy coming from the bench.  That wasn’t the case as New Jersey seemed to play worse under Vandeweghe after Lawrence Frank was let go.  Vandeweghe wasn’t even considered to be the full-time head coach with new owner Mikhail Prokhorov taking over the franchise.  Prokhorov wanted to make a splash with a big time head coaching hire.  He looked at Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, but that wasn’t going to happen.  They wouldn’t be caught in Newark with the worst team in the NBA.  He did land a big name in Avery Johnson who is well respected throughout the league.  His record with the Dallas Mavericks was phenomenal, but early playoff exits doomed him there with the talented roster put together.  He does have a Finals appearance to his resume.  Johnson will demand every player to work hard everyday and it has already shown in the teams top two players, Devin Harris and Brook Lopez.  More work is to be done if New Jersey wants to make it to the playoffs, but getting to more than 30 wins would be a tremendous success.

New Orleans Hornets – Monty Williams replaces Jeff Bower

Williams gets his first head coaching job after getting a start with San Antonio under Gregg Popovich during their 2005 championship season.  After that year, he has been an assistant under Nate McMillan in Portland.  He certainly got the attention of New Orleans as Williams was third in line behind Avery Johnson and Tom Thibodeau who both took jobs elsewhere.  Williams is now the youngest head coach in the NBA, one year younger than Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra (39).  Hornets GM Jeff Bower finished just 5 games under .500 as the interim to Byron Scott whom Bower fired.  Bower is determined to keep New Orleans in contention, but it will be tough with a new ownership group about to take shape and trying to keep the salary from exceeding the luxury tax line.  That’s why rumors persisted of a Chris Paul trade, but they were quickly denied.  Monty Williams has his work cut out for him.  He has to keep New Orleans in contention for the sake of his and Bower’s job.  The new owner, whomever it is will not like taking control of a losing franchise.

Philadelphia 76ers – Doug Collins replaces Eddie Jordan

We wondered if Michael Jordan was going to come out of retirement and play with Doug Collins now that he is back coaching in the NBA.  Sadly, it didn’t happen.  Collins is not a terrible coach, but it is surprising that he would come back to coach one of the worst teams in the NBA last season.  Eddie Jordan it seemed right from the start wasn’t getting to the players.  They had no idea how to run his Princeton offense and the defense suffered as well.  Jordan will get another chance, but this experience will leave a lasting effect on his next job interview.  Collins has a proven star in Andre Iguodala, a solid draft pick in Evan Turner, and an aging veteran in Elton Brand.  That will be the key.  Getting the fire back in Elton Brand.  If Collins can do that the 76ers will be a contender for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  A few more pieces will need to be put in place and glued together, but this isn’t as bad a team as their record showed.  It will be nice to see Collins turn the team he played his entire 8 season career for into a contender after spending so many as a TV analyst.

This guy is a double-double machine.  The Knicks were reluctant to give him a big contract last season as was everyone with cap space last year.  Funny how it will still work out for him.  He could have shut it down since he didn’t get his big contract, but he kept working hard and will get rewarded.  The Knicks have plenty of space to keep him, but they have bigger fish to catch.  Lee will find a nice place to land and have the contract he deserves.

It truly was a great series.  Everything you would’ve expected from a Lakers-Celtics championship series.  There was no way it was going to end up like the ’08 Finals.  The Lakers established the theme of the series by pounding it in the paint.  The Celtics made their adjustments and turned the focus back on the Lakers.  Rumblings started of another Lakers meltdown that would give Boston another title against the Lakers in both their storied histories.  History won’t always be repeated though.

There were so many great players involved that it’s almost hard to keep track.  The Celtics had their big four in Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.  The Lakers to start had only Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.  However, the Lakers showed that they too had a “big four.”  Derek Fisher and Ron Artest emerged as great complements through different parts of the series.  With Lamar Odom coming off the bench, the Lakers had an immediate impact player to which the Celtics struggled to match.

Boston couldn’t get Kevin Garnett involved until Game 3 in Boston.  Ray Allen was present for only Game 2 with a record 8 3-point shots made in a Finals game.  Paul Pierce was on and off for most of the series, but that can attributed to Ron Artest’s defensive presence.  The only consistent player was Rajon Rondo. 

Rondo would’ve easily been the top candidate to be MVP for the Boston Celtics.  Game 2 was his highest scoring game of the series (19).  But he had a triple-double in that game and nearly a second in Game 7.  His skill level is still not at its peak yet, but he has established himself as a force in the league as a top 3 point guard.

The Celtics did miss Kendrick Perkins during games 6 and 7, but the Celtics had him for 1 and 3 and lost those games.  Perkins was not a scoring machine, but a defensive wall that bothered Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.  Great defense can lead to good scoring offense, but in the Celtics case they were winning until the fourth quarter of game 7.

Kobe Bryant earning his second MVP of the NBA Finals and 5th championship is well deserved.  He was a facilitator through the first three games and became a one man show in games 4 and 5.  Did it hurt the Lakers?  Not really.  The Lakers lost game 4 by seven points and game 5 by six points.  It could have easily gone in the Lakers favor, but it became apparent that others would need to get involved in order for the Lakers to win a second consecutive championship.

Ron Artest, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom combined for 40 of the Lakers 89 points in game 6.  The home court advantage had now shifted toward the Lakers side with the “win it or go home” game 7 at Staples Center.  Boston had a 3 games to 2 lead going back to LA, but now had what seemed to be an impossible situation, beat the Lakers in Los Angeles in a game 7. 

Kobe didn’t have a fantastic game (6-24, 23 points), but his 15 rebounds were essential to the rebounding advantage the Lakers had throughout game 7.  Kobe also did something that Jordan had done during two of his championship runs.  Passed to a teammate for a game clinching shot.  Who would be the one to make that shot?  Ron Artest made it with 1:02 left in the game to put the Lakers back up by 6. 

Artest finished with 20 points and Pau Gasol added 19 points and 18 rebounds.  Artest’s hustle and Gasol’s toughness, yes toughness, proved valuable to the Lakers in their run.  Derek Fisher made only two 3-pointers in the entire series.  Both were in game 7.  His 10 points were probably the biggest of them all.  He too wanted a 5th ring just as bad as Kobe Bryant.

Kobe was the MVP, but this series proved that opposites attract.  The Celtics played selfish when they were supposed to play like a team.  The Lakers were deemed selfish, but played like a team when it mattered.  Can this team be beat?  Yes, but I only see them beating themselves.  No one can beat the Lakers when they play like they did in the 2010 NBA Finals.

It is officially back to the good old days where the two best teams in the NBA are from Los Angeles and Boston.  2008 saw both the Celtics and Lakers in the NBA Finals with Boston’s “Big Three” in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce win their first NBA title.  The only knock was coming Lakers fans saying that the outcome would’ve been different had Andrew Bynum been healthy at the time.  Boston, however, was the better team.  Sure Bynum could have helped protect the paint from the undersized lineup the Lakers had put out there.  That is purely speculation though.  What we do know is that the Lakers were branded a soft team that still resonates in the back of their minds today.

2009 could have easily been another Lakers vs. Celtics matchup.  Boston was bounced in the semifinals by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic.  The Lakers had a healthy, but mostly ineffective Andrew Bynum last year.  It wouldn’t matter much as Kobe Bryant was his usual self and Pau Gasol put to rest the “soft” label by almost everyone, including Lakers fans, with his brilliant play throughout the playoffs.  The Lakers easily beat the Magic in 5 games to win number 15 only two behind Boston as a franchise.

The point being made about Boston was that they were finally healthy (no KG in 2009) going into 2010.  There were rumblings that if Garnett had been healthy, the Celtics would have made it to the 2009 Finals.  Maybe so, but you can’t dwell on the past.  The Celtics breezed by the Miami Heat in 5 games in the first round.  Cleveland was taken out of their game early and lost in 6 games to the Celtics in the semifinals.  Orlando had the same problem losing in 6 to a resurgent Celtic squad.

The Lakers were the unanimous selection to repeat as Western Conference champs before the playoffs and still were going in.  The youngest team in the league in Oklahoma City took the Lakers to 6 games and thanks to a game winning tip in by Pau Gasol finished the series in Oklahoma.  Los Angeles wasted no time in sweeping the Utah Jazz in the semifinals.  Phoenix, however, was not going down without a fight as they nearly stole a game in LA, but Ron Artest’s buzzer beating bank shot in Game 5 gave the Lakers the momentum to finish the Suns in 6 games. 

Both teams have new identities now.  The Lakers are seen now as the better team.  Boston is seen as the underdog.  Boston doesn’t have James Posey or Leon Powe on their bench anymore.  Two important pieces to their title run in 2008.  The Lakers have Andrew Bynum healthy, sort of.  And Ron Artest as a defensive stopper to try and disrupt Paul Pierce.  Also it pits two of the games best coaches in Phil Jackson, who will be after his 11th title as a coach and Doc Rivers who is one of the best at making on the fly adjustments during a series. 

There’s no doubt it will be a tough, hard fought series.  As predicted in this post back in October, “NBA Preview 2009-10” the Lakers would meet the Celtics in the NBA Finals.  Sure I had my doubts going into the playoffs.  I figured Cleveland and Orlando would meet in the Conference Finals, but what I didn’t figure is that the Celtics would prove myself and everyone else wrong about who they were.  A championship caliber team that might well be trying to win their third title in a row.  It was quite possible, but it isn’t 2008.  It’s 2010.  Different time and the Celtics are playing a different team.  Lakers to win in 6 games.