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July 1, 2010 will officially go down as the most anticlimactic day in sports history. I guess people thought that as soon as the clock struck 12:01 AM, all their questions would be answered. Star players would immediately announce the team they intend to sign with and therefore, we wouldn’t have the drama that we have had for the past week and a half. But instead, the public saw absolutely nothing happen. I’m not disappointed, because I didn’t expect anything, but with all this hype for the past few years over this 1 day, it seemed like Y2K all over again.
Knicks
With the official signing of Amar’e Stoudemire, the Knicks have a low post presence that they have missed since the Patrick Ewing days. Both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, Amar’e should be able to stake his claim down low and not only increase points in the paint on offense, but
also impede them on defense. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that in the process of gaining Amar’e, we had to lose David Lee, a bright spot on our roster who never stopped working, developing a great mid-range shot last year. A player who had to play out of position night after night, Lee toughed it up and banged bodies with some of the biggest guys in the league. The only problem with Lee was that nobody could tell if his stats were just a product of the Mike D’Antoni run and gun system. That question, however, will not be answered as he is heading to the Golden State Warriors where Don Nelson essentially runs the same type of system. In exchange for Lee, Walsh received 3 quality players in forward Anthony Randolph, center Ronny Turiaf, and guard Kelenna Azubuike. Randolph gives the Knicks a lengthy player who, going into only his third year, is loaded with potential. Turiaf is a player who can fit well with Stoudemire as he does not fill up the stat sheet, but does the intangibles. And Azubuike is a nice spark plug off the bench who has no trouble scoring, sort of like a much better and smarter Nate Robinson. Even though Donnie may not know a good draft pick if it came up and punched him in the face, I can’t say I am disappointed in the free agency work he has done thus far.
also impede them on defense. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that in the process of gaining Amar’e, we had to lose David Lee, a bright spot on our roster who never stopped working, developing a great mid-range shot last year. A player who had to play out of position night after night, Lee toughed it up and banged bodies with some of the biggest guys in the league. The only problem with Lee was that nobody could tell if his stats were just a product of the Mike D’Antoni run and gun system. That question, however, will not be answered as he is heading to the Golden State Warriors where Don Nelson essentially runs the same type of system. In exchange for Lee, Walsh received 3 quality players in forward Anthony Randolph, center Ronny Turiaf, and guard Kelenna Azubuike. Randolph gives the Knicks a lengthy player who, going into only his third year, is loaded with potential. Turiaf is a player who can fit well with Stoudemire as he does not fill up the stat sheet, but does the intangibles. And Azubuike is a nice spark plug off the bench who has no trouble scoring, sort of like a much better and smarter Nate Robinson. Even though Donnie may not know a good draft pick if it came up and punched him in the face, I can’t say I am disappointed in the free agency work he has done thus far.
The glaring weakness in the Knicks lineup is the lack of a point guard, a position that is in slim pickings in this year’s free agency. Rumor is that that Donnie plans on signing either Luke Ridnour or Raymond Felton. As long as they don’t give one an outrageously big contract, either would be a quality signing for the Knicks. It appears that Felton is the one who will sign, which gives the Knicks a very good point guard can also shoot when needed. If he can develop a stellar pick and roll offense with Amar’e, that can be a dangerous combination. With a potential starting lineup of Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Stoudemire, and Ronny Turiaf it’s a significant step forward from last year with Randolph and Azubuike coming off the bench. I would also like to see them resign Jersey native Al Harrington, who played so well for them last year but was criticized over and over again. Al is not a franchise player, but he was forced to play like one due to the lack of talent on the Knicks’ roster. He could be a very valuable piece coming off the bench if the Knicks are smart enough to get him back.
If, somehow, the Knicks can manage to sign Carmelo Anthony next year as a free agent, when Eddy Curry’s $11 million comes off the books, then New Knick is a basketball town once again. But focusing on the 2010-11 season, the Knicks are definitely in playoff talks and for the first time in a about decade, it would be a disappointment if they didn’t play in the post season.
If, somehow, the Knicks can manage to sign Carmelo Anthony next year as a free agent, when Eddy Curry’s $11 million comes off the books, then New Knick is a basketball town once again. But focusing on the 2010-11 season, the Knicks are definitely in playoff talks and for the first time in a about decade, it would be a disappointment if they didn’t play in the post season.
Drama King James
Now time to talk about the biggest decision of the free agency, but first let’s talk about just that, “The Decision.” The 1 hour ESPN special that LeBron and his camp suggested that ESPN make just for him. If you weren’t a LeBron hater before free agency, you should be after. It’s pathetic enough for ESPN to create the special on their own, but for James to initiate it? It’s down right pathetic. As if his ego needed an extra boost. Just because the proceeds are going to the Boys and Girls Club means it’s OK? He didn’t do it for the charity; he did it for the attention. And it was one of the saddest and most pathetic acts in sports history. Between leaving his hometown of Cleveland and doing the special, LeBron has become hated by everyone in the U.S. except for the people in Miami. As for ESPN, shame on them for giving a player that kind of power. They let James pick all of the people he would be interviewed by and where it would take place, among other things. Speaking of interviews, the one with Jim Gray before LeBron made his decision was awful, not because of the questions, but because of the timing of the questions. All anybody wanted to hear out of LeBron James’ mouth was 1 word, the team he was planning on going to. ESPN decided, however, that it would be more fun to ask a few introductory questions, all of which could have been asked after the decision was announced. At the time, did anybody care if LeBron could count the number of people who knew his decision on one hand? Did anyone care if he was humbled by the experience? Did anyone care if he was still a nail biter? No, no, no. The one thing that did come out of it, other than most people hating LeBron now, is that Jon Barry was a man, stepping up and being the only one to question this decision and say that a title is far from guaranteed. Congrats to Jon Barry for not staying with the mainstream reporters. In addition, a new nickname for James arose that I hope sticks to him, “Drama King.” And I can’t help but put a smile on my face.
Heat
As for his choice to go to the Miami Heat, it was one that, I admit, I suggested all 3 players do. They are all giving up a little bit of money to play together for a championship and I credit them for that because in the end they will all be measured by the number of championships they have. However, what I didn't see coming was what happened, and that is the hit that LeBron's legacy took from this. In the process of being unselfish and playing for a championship, he told everyone that he can't do it with his team, he can't be the main guy. I might have been wrong about James not choosing championships over money, but in a move that typically would diminish the idea of narcissism in James, it instead grew exponentially with his decision to do "The Decision." With his choice to go to Miami comes the tarnishing of his reputation.
Let’s say optimistically, the Heat win multiple championships. That doesn’t mean that LeBron will be seen as the best player ever. Quite the opposite. In choosing Miami to play with Wade and Bosh, LeBron has guaranteed that he will NEVER be seen as the greatest player of all time. If he had stayed in Cleveland and won a championship or two there, the talks would come because that is HIS team and those are HIS championships. But if he wins in Miami, Wade’s town, those will be Wade’s championships because Wade, already with one ring, didn’t need all the help that LeBron obviously needs to win, and Kobe and Jordan didn’t need all the help that LeBron needs to win. In doing this, LeBron has admitted that he isn’t as good as those players, and he even pretty much admitted it during his interview. LeBron James actually said, AND I QUOTE!!! “We don’t have the pressure of going out and scoring 30 every night or shooting a high percentage.” Would any star player ever say that? What superstar has ever complained about the pressure of producing? It comes with the territory and clearly LeBron cannot handle it. If you want to be the best, you have to play like the best. However, LeBron didn’t stop there when it came to quotes that made him look bad. “I know how loyal I am.” Do you? If you know that you aren’t loyal at all, then yea, you know how loyal you are. The man just dumped his hometown. He abandoned them when they were starving for a championship and were behind him in everything he did. And he still thinks he is loyal? Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cavs, wrote a letter about LeBron, tearing him to shreds, accusing him of quitting during the playoff series against the Celtics and called LeBron leaving “cowardly betrayal.” It doesn’t sound like the people of Cleveland see him as loyal. The thing is, it wasn't the fact that he left Cleveland that has everyone so outraged, it's HOW he left Cleveland. He gave him hometown so much hope and dragged this on for so long. If he had simply had a press conference, said he was going to Miami, and thanked the Cavs and the fans for the last 7 years, then it would have been much better. Cleveland would have been hurt, but they would have gotten over it. But the way they were so disrespected is why there is such uproar. “This is the greatest challenge for me.” Really? Playing alongside 2 of the best players in the league is the best challenge you can come up with? No, this isn’t the greatest challenge, it’s the easiest one. People don't hate LeBron now because he didn't pick their team, they hate him because of how he went about the whole situation. Clearly LeBron has permanently hurt his image and will no longer be looked at the same way again.
Let’s say optimistically, the Heat win multiple championships. That doesn’t mean that LeBron will be seen as the best player ever. Quite the opposite. In choosing Miami to play with Wade and Bosh, LeBron has guaranteed that he will NEVER be seen as the greatest player of all time. If he had stayed in Cleveland and won a championship or two there, the talks would come because that is HIS team and those are HIS championships. But if he wins in Miami, Wade’s town, those will be Wade’s championships because Wade, already with one ring, didn’t need all the help that LeBron obviously needs to win, and Kobe and Jordan didn’t need all the help that LeBron needs to win. In doing this, LeBron has admitted that he isn’t as good as those players, and he even pretty much admitted it during his interview. LeBron James actually said, AND I QUOTE!!! “We don’t have the pressure of going out and scoring 30 every night or shooting a high percentage.” Would any star player ever say that? What superstar has ever complained about the pressure of producing? It comes with the territory and clearly LeBron cannot handle it. If you want to be the best, you have to play like the best. However, LeBron didn’t stop there when it came to quotes that made him look bad. “I know how loyal I am.” Do you? If you know that you aren’t loyal at all, then yea, you know how loyal you are. The man just dumped his hometown. He abandoned them when they were starving for a championship and were behind him in everything he did. And he still thinks he is loyal? Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cavs, wrote a letter about LeBron, tearing him to shreds, accusing him of quitting during the playoff series against the Celtics and called LeBron leaving “cowardly betrayal.” It doesn’t sound like the people of Cleveland see him as loyal. The thing is, it wasn't the fact that he left Cleveland that has everyone so outraged, it's HOW he left Cleveland. He gave him hometown so much hope and dragged this on for so long. If he had simply had a press conference, said he was going to Miami, and thanked the Cavs and the fans for the last 7 years, then it would have been much better. Cleveland would have been hurt, but they would have gotten over it. But the way they were so disrespected is why there is such uproar. “This is the greatest challenge for me.” Really? Playing alongside 2 of the best players in the league is the best challenge you can come up with? No, this isn’t the greatest challenge, it’s the easiest one. People don't hate LeBron now because he didn't pick their team, they hate him because of how he went about the whole situation. Clearly LeBron has permanently hurt his image and will no longer be looked at the same way again.
The only question left is ‘when is Eric Spoelstra going to “step down” as head coach?’ The last time Miami was championship contenders was 2006 when Stan Van Gundy “stepped down” in the middle of a championship season. It was clear then that Pat Riley wanted the credit of a championship, so he forced SVG out, and it will be clear if he does it again that Riley cannot handle the tough times, but desperately needs the credit for the bright times. No coach would ever step down with Wade, Bosh, and James on their team, only is he was forced out, and Pat certainly has a history of that. If Riley does decide that Spoelstra needs to “step down,” it won’t be until later in the season, so that Pat Riley can see for sure whether or not the Heat is a championship contender. But this combo in Miami won’t necessarily mean championships for years to come. When you compare Boston’s Big 3 to Miami’s you’ll see how different they are. First off, Kevin Garnett was and always will be better than Chris Bosh. Next, between Paul Pierce and Ray Allen you have a slasher/mid-range shooter and a spot up 3-point shooter. They complemented each other well, but Wade and James play too similarly. They both are guys who get into the paint to score and if necessary will take an outside shot. It’s not like LeBron is going to drive and kick the ball out to Wade for a spot up 3, that’s not Wade’s game and neither player is going to want to change their game so much in order to accommodate the other.
Chicago
While the Bulls were probably most hurt by free agency, losing in on James and hometown hero Wade, they did alright in the signing of Carlos Boozer. Is he a top tier player in the NBA? No. But he adds another body next to Joakim Noah, and with Derrick Rose and Luol Deng the Bulls certainly don’t have a bad team, they just need to fill out the rest of their roster with the money they were planning on spending on max. contracts.
Atlanta
The Hawks did what they had to do, resign Joe Johnson. Is he worth the 6 years $123 million that he signed for? Maybe not to other teams, but to the Hawks he is because if they had lost Johnson, they would have gone from a second round playoff team to nothing. Although they signed him for more than he is worth, the Hawks couldn’t afford to leave anything on the table and risk losing him.
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