Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Dan Gilbert: Douche

If you're reading this, then you probably have already read Dan Gilbert's ridiculous open letter to Cleveland fans. Apparentl Cleveland fans love it. Let me be the first to welcome you fans into my, Circle of Gullibility". Dan Gilbert is playing you. And good for your stupid self. You don't deserve to have a player of Lebron's abilities.

Gilbert knows full well that Lebron did not have to stay in Cleveland. He fulfilled his contract and played his heart out for the team. Lebron didn't owe him anything. Gilbert already got a lot from having Lebron on his team. He made him a lot of money. Both as a member of his team and he helped him move lots of Fatheads at $99.99. Not cheap. I have to say this again: Owners and GM's do not give players the benefit of speaking to them ahead of time when they're deciding to trade them or cut them. And now if owners get their way, at the end of this season they will be pushing for non-guaranteed contracts for players. I hate that so many are trying to pretend that they knew that Lebron made his mind up to leave weeks, months or even years ago. They don't know that. And neither do you or I. Do I think he made up his mind the morning of his hour long show? Probably not. But I don't know if it was a couple of days before that. Even if Lebron did know, they still wouldn't have been able to get Amar'e, Bosh or Wade anyway. Plus, there's no way that the Cavs would have gone after Boozer after the way he left them years ago. So the Cavs would not have benefitted from finding out a week before the show. Besides, you know that Gilbert would have leaked it out the info out of spite. If you didn't know before the letter, you damn well know for sure after reading his letter that he would have been spiteful and spread the news before Lebrons televised event. You can decide to not like Lebrons decision to have that show, but if he wanted to keep it a secret, he could NOT let Gilbert know.

So yeah, back to those gullible Clevelanders - and the rest - who believe Dan Gilbert. He was being strategic. He needs to keep your fannies in the seats. In 7 years the best he could do by Lebron was get him an old Antawn Jamison. That was the best he could do. It's HIS fault you lost out on Lebron. I do believe Lebron when he said that he didn't want to be 31 with bad knees and no ring. I also believe that he took Kevin Garnett's words to heart when speaking about loyalty to a franchise when he said,

"Loyalty is something that hurts you at times because you can't get youth back. I can honestly say that if I can go back and do my situation over, knowing what I know now with this organization, I'd of done it a little sooner."

And by "it", he means ask for a trade out of Minnesota. I can't pretend to know what it is to be a Lebron or Garnett and play your heart out for an organization, but I do know what it is to leave a job for greener pastures. He's happier in Miami. I may question how competitive he is and how much "heart" he has, but I can't say he's wrong for trying to be happy. I mean, we all know Jordan wouldn't have made this decision, but Lebron is Lebron and Jordan is Jordan. They're different people. Lebron may be incredibly talented, but he doesn't have Jordans heart. You know what? 99% of the worlds population doesn't have MJ's heart. That's not a knock on Lebron, its a testament to the competitor that MJ was. BTW, that competitive streak also made him a compulsive gambler. Let's not forget the bad that comes with the good.

So to sum up: Gilbert = Douche.

Friday, July 9, 2010

The Hangover: Part Deux

This is horrible. As a Knick fan, I literally had a hangover this morning. Lots of rum and coke will do that to you. So there is some egg on my face since my prediction was wrong. The crystal ball was a little cloudy. Feces happens. What can I say?

What just happened?

First off, I like the sign and trade that the Knicks pulled off with Golden State for David Lee. Anthony Randolph is a really good athlete with some good passing skills. He's a great shot blocker and finisher. Something we really haven't had since the Big Fella (Patrick Ewing). Kelenna Azubuike is a strong guard with a very good mid-range game, has a good post game and can shoot the 3. I think Knick fans will be happy with him. He's a personal favorite player of mine. The only drawback to him is that he isn't a good passer. And then there's Ronny Turiaf who I don't like. He's a very good shot blocker with a mean streak, which I like. The drawback to him is that he doesn't have much of a back-to-the-basket game and he gets hurt a lot. He's pretty cheap though, so if we can get 15 productive minutes out of him (6 points, 5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game) i'll be very happy.

Honestly, I wasn't a very big fan of David Lee. While I think he was a complete steal because of where they drafted him, he was never going to be a great player. He can't play defense, and while he is a very good athlete, he lacks lateral quickness. We will miss his rebounding and improved shooting. No doubt. But if a team decided to shut him down, he was done. He was not a go-to player down the stretch. Is Amare? I'm not sure. He's an incredible athlete who can finish as good as anyone in the NBA, but he's not a good shot creator. He's limited. The only guys that aren't limited are Lebron and Wade. They're in Miami. Forget about them. No we have to get a team that can beat them.

I don't hate Lebron for going somewhere to be happy. He went to win some rings and - from what i've read - play with his friends. I can't begrudge someone that. I couldn't bare to watch the rest of his show last night so I didn't hear if he said why he chose to make this announcement 14 effing miles away from the Knicks practice facility. A friend of mine thinks it was to start the rivalry again. He and his boys may just be THAT oblivious. Okay, that was a shot at him. I repeat: I ain't mad at ya, Lebron. But you could have had it all here. I already outlined why the team would have been perfect for him. What's past is past.

What now?

After the sign and trade that the Knicks pulled off, the Knicks are still about $10M under the salary cap. We should overpay for Luke Ridnour for one year and save the cap room for next year when Carmelo and CP3 become free agents. There is word that Carmelo - stop me if you've heard this before - wants to come to NYC. Plus, he's getting married tomorrow here in New York to Lala of Black Entertainment Television. So every Knick fan should hope that this marriage stays together. At least for about a year and a half. Personally i'd prefer Chris Paul. NYC needs a great PG again, and he would fit the bill perfectly.

We will have a pretty athletic team next year. Amar'e is a beast and Randolph I already told you about. I hope people haven't forgotten how athletic Bill Walker is. And he was coming off knee surgery last year. He's going to be in even better shape last year. Wilson Chandler was coming off ankle surgery last year and didn't start hitting his stride until after the all-star break. His shot selection suffered last year since he was called upon to score more, but with Amar'e into the fold now, he won't have to take those bad shots anymore. Next year - sigh, again - will be about building towards becoming an elite team. The young guys on the squad get more seasoning and learn to play with Amar'e and get ready to bring in another max-type free agent in CP3 or 'Melo. This team will have more depth than Miami, they just won't have guys that no weaknesses like Wade and LBJ. But we will have some guys that will be able to make some athletic plays, including playing defense and blocking some shots. Plus, don't forget Gallinari and Toney Douglas who I predict will make some big strides next year. I know my predictions don't hold much weight right now, but here it goes: 44 wins and the 7th seed in the playoffs. Tell me different.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

You heard it here first: Lebron will be a NY Knickerbocker. Now here's why....

You are about to look eerily into the future. Courtesy of me.

Lebron is NOT staying in Cleveland. Just stop it.

Okay. So make believe you are Tom Izzo. Head coach of the men's basketball team at Michigan State University. You are in discussions with the Cleveland Cavaliers to take their vacant head coaching job. Except for one tiny detail: Is Lebron staying in Cleveland? Let's be real. Without Lebron on that Cavs team, they're a lottery pick waiting to happen. I know what a lottery team looks like too: I'm a Knick fan. I've seen lottery teams up close. 82 disgusting games at a time. For the better part of a decade. Anyway, you're Izzo. Wouldn't you move heaven and earth to find out if Lebron is staying in Cleveland? Better yet, if you're Lebron, would you want to put your hometown team through the gut-wreching process of wondering if they can retain your services for the next 6 or so years? Right. If you're Izzo you wait to find out if Lebron is staying and if he's not, you suddenly pull your name out of consideration for the job. Done. LBJ, not a Cav this coming year.


The Knicks signed Amare Stoudemire days after speaking to LBJ

So let me get this straight: The Knicks decide to throw $100 million dollars at Amare after meeting with Lebron? Doesn't the inverse of the prior paragraph about Izzo hold true? Do you think that after calculatingly disassembling the Knicks roster the last couple of years to get the chance to sign LBJ and another max-type free agent, that you would take the chance of blowing the whole thing just to sign Amare? I like Amare and all, but he's not the type of player you build a franchise around.

The Knicks have money coming off the books NEXT year too...

So I recently read something that I didn't know: LBJ's best friend in the NBA is none other than Chris Paul. Eddy "Mmm is that bacon?" Curry's contract comes off the books next year. So let's recap quickly: The Knicks sign a potentially gimpy Amare after meeting with LBJ and his people for the second time in two days, and they're the only team of the big 4 (NYC, Miami, NJ, and the Bulls) to have salary cap space NEXT year when Carmelo Anthony and CP3 are free agents. CP3 happens to be LBJ's best friend in the NBA and was seen with Lebron at the Nike skills camp yesterday. Or, the same day that Amare gets signed. Okay, I hear what you're saying: Lu, you're stupid. That's not enough. Okay. Let's keep going...

Lebron, Wade and Bosh understand how big their decision is for the NBA..

Unlike Joey from Ronkonkoma, I know that LBJ and Wade are savvy enough to understand that this decision will shape the future of the NBA. They know that if Wade and Bosh go to Chicago (And yes, they are both going there) and LBJ, Amare and maybe CP3 go to NYC, there will be young superstars in 2 out of the top 3 markets in the NBA. The rekindling of the rivalry between the Knicks and Bulls will happen again. LBJ even said as much to a reporter. He alluded to the fact that they (meaning LBJ, Wade and Bosh) will be shaping the face of the NBA for years to come with their forthcoming decisions. Wade and Bosh already sat in on the same pitch meeting from the Bulls. Amare came to NYC, and I bet that Joe Johnson may have been a part of this too. Except NOBODY thought that Atlanta would be stupid enough to offer him a max contract. Did you?

Eddy Curry again.

Lebron, who has the same agent as Curry, reached out to that fat bag of excrement to work out with him. Lebron, if you haven't noticed, is in impeccable shape. Curry? Not so much. LBJ doesn't like, hang with Curry. He's not going to get any nutrition tips from him or learn how to do a better push up because of him. Could this also be a means of getting his new team mate in better shape for when he joins him this season? I'm betting yes.

Lebron wants to run..

He has said it numerous times. He wants to run. He's been shackled by the stagnant Cleveland offense which apparently only has the old Allan Houston play: give Lebron the ball at the top of the key (or 3pt. line), everybody clear out and let him do his thing. With D'antoni, as much of a douchebag as he may be, coaching he'll never have to worry about not being able to outcoach the other team on offense. Supposedly he and D'antoni sat and talked X's and O's for about an hour and a half. Then, after D'antoni sold him how he can make the Knicks run with Lebron, they go out and sign the best running big man in the NBA to a contract. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Plus, the Knicks right now have a bunch of shooters in Gallinari (who in basically his first year of play led the league in 3's), Toney Douglas ( who will be a very good player) and just drafted two more guys who do nothing but shoot the 3. There are reports that the Knicks need to sign a real good PG right now, or trade for one to run the pick and roll. Perhaps Tony Parker even. They won't need it. If LBJ comes to the Knicks, they will have one of the best pick and roll combos EVER. Who's going to stop the 6'9", 260lb. forward throwing it up to the 6'10" athletic big man? No one. You thought Stockton to Malone was good? Just wait till you see LBJ to Amare. And if that gets bottled up for a second, they'll kick it across court to Gallinari who won't have a guy on him when he shoots his 3 now. This combination could rule the NBA for years. And I think D'antoni sold him on it.

James Dolan is a good owner. Yeah I said it.

Basically the guy will spend the money to make sure the team wins and he doesn't interfere with the front office. That sounds like a good owner to me. He'll let Walsh build a team around Lebron that will continue to win. Period. As long as he drafts better than missing on Brandon Jennings.

Lebron loves NYC.

He proved when he went to Yankee Stadium and wore a Yankee hat when they played the Indians in the playoffs a couple of years ago despite knowing that there would be negative press. That's ballsy love for the Yankees. And most importantly, he knows that if he wins here, it'll mean more than if he won anywhere else in the world. Mark Messier found that out when he won ONE championship here in NYC. Part of the problem was he was playing Hockey. He won like, 6(?) rings in Canadia and no one cared. He wins one in NYC? He's bangin' Madonna. Not real old, body builder Madonna either. The kind of a MILF Madonna.

So to sum up: Lebron will be playing in NYC this coming season and Wade and Bosh will be playing in Chicago reigniting their rivalry. And you can take that....to the bank.

******** UPDATE ********

ESPN has announced that the Lebron broadcast of his free agency decision will be broadcast from Greenwhich, Connecticut. Now, this doesn't guarantee that LBJ is coming to NYC, but gosh darnit, it's pretty close. Why would you broadcast this from Greenwhich if you're going to stay in Cleveland? Plus, why do this just to announce you're staying in Cleveland?

Obviously, I was wrong about Chicago. I thought Wade was going to go for Chicago since his kids will probably be there. This just means he doesn't love his kids. Now i'm glad the Knicks didn't get him.

It's LBJ this year and CP3 next year people. Knick fans rejoice!


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