Paying My Dues – From A Kobe-Hater

Kobe,

Congratulations on your NBA Finals victory, you had one hell of a season. It’s funny how people are all of sudden comparing you to Michael Jordan because you now have four titles compared to his six. If you get six, are people really going to call you as good or even better? I enjoy it when people talk about you like you were the ONLY person to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, as if you didn’t have the best starting line-up in the NBA. Don’t get me wrong, you’re good and every good team has an outstanding player, but you literally had a team full of really good players. Remember Jordan’s 72-win team back in the day? They had Scottie Pippen, he was pretty good. And then they had that rebounding guy with the crazy hair. Oh, and they had a guy named Luc Longley as their starting center. And remember Toni Kukoc? Your teammate Lamar Odom has already passed him with flying colors in just his 10 years in the league.

Anyway, I don’t want to get into the details of it all but your first title without a sidekick must feel pretty good. No Shaq, no Pippen-esque player. Perhaps it’s Shaq that needed a sidekick this whole time, not you. Remember Phil Jackson’s book entitled “The Final Season” ? He said that you were “uncoachable” and that he was “done with you”. Funny how things change right? You grew up Kobe, and I’m proud of you.

What does all this gibber – jabber mean coming from some poor pathetic blogger on the East Coast? Nothing at all my friend, just had to congratulate you and kind of throw in a very slight apology for being a Kobe-Hater. Trust me, I’m not the only one.  Hopefully people quit with the bullcrap comparisons and realize that no one will ever pass Michael Jordan. Here’s to a LeBron title in 2010.

Congrats again Big guy,

The Box

Shaq To Join LeBron? Trade Talks Fade

What started out last February as a possible deal that would send Shaquille O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers has now quieted down again, as it did when the Cavs were making their serious playoff run.

First talks of the trade that would send Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavolic to the Suns in exchange for the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer surfaced in February but they soon died down in order for the Suns to see how the team chemistry changed with the promotion of head coach Alvin Gentry. Now that the Suns have officially declared themselves as “rebuilding”, they are looking to ship the oldest and highest-paid player on their team.

Shaq could certainly help the Cleveland Cavaliers, joining fellow ol’ guy Zydrunas Ilgauskus in the frontcourt of a title-ready team. It may seem like a sense of urgency for the Cavaliers who many feel need to win a title in order to keep LeBron in Cleveland. Will the addition of Shaq help the Cavs? Absolutely, and I would even go as far as to say that they would get the better end of the deal. Sure Shaq is 37 but he has at least one more solid year left in him. He played the most games last year than in the last nine years of his career and recorded his highest ever field goal percentage. Shaq is a dominant force that would shine if he returned to the East for one last title run.

Shaq has said he is open to a trade and that he would prefer Cleveland. Cavs GM Danny Ferry and Suns GM Steve Kerr are longtime friends from back in their playing days and I wouldn’t doubt that Steve Kerr helps out a fellow GM friend in a different conference that is far closer to a title than the Suns are.

How do the odds change for the Cavs in 09-10 if they land Shaq?

“LeBron James has surpassed Kobe Bryant…”

Finally! Someone with some credibility comes out of the woodwork and tells it like it is. Yes, it is true, LeBron James is the best player in the world and he has the opportunity to become the greatest player ever.

No more of that damn Kobe talk. Kobe’s this, Kobe’s that. Kobe is the next Jordan. Stop! Kobe Bryant is a great player and the best pure scorer in the game today. However, LeBron James is better than Kobe, hands down.

Jerry West was recently reported as saying that LeBron has in fact surpassed Kobe, and West was the guy who drafted the 18-year-old Bryant. Oh, and as far as Jerry West having credibility, the dude is the silohuette for the NBA…

Let’s not get it confused anymore, LeBron is above Kobe. And, when LeBron grabs his first title this June, all those Kobe fans should quiet down just a bit.

When it’s all said and done, LeBron James will have been the best player to ever play in the NBA and he’ll probably have made the most money than anyone to ever play in the NBA (yea, Jordan too). You heard it here.

Ahhh…The NBA Rumor Mill, So Entertaining

I know that a majority of the trades completed in the NBA today are for the sole purpose of clearing cap space in higher hopes of landing a completely different player, I have spoken of it before. But you can’t help but become intrigued when you hear of a basketball superstar being shipped halfway across the continent.

The most recent rumor amongst the mill? The New Jersey Nets contemplating the dealing of Vince Carter, and the Houston Rockets possibly biting.

ESPN has reported that the New Jersey Nets have been involved in a possible trade scenario that would send Vince Carter and Josh Boone to the Rockets for Ron Artest, Shane Battier, Luther Head, and Carl Landry. Although Vince had his name come up in a different scenario with the Rockets that included a straight swap for Tracy McGrady, I find the multi-player deal to be more interesting.

The Nets are, and have been, trying to deal Vince Carter and his hefty contract. What for? To clear some money off the books before the summer of 2010 when King James becomes a free agent…of course. That’s right, the Nets are ALL UP IN the LeBron sweepstakes (although I firmly believe LeBron will stay in Ohio).

So, the Nets would receive two contracts that expire this summer (Artest and Head) and they would gain two other guys that could serve as solid pieces for a puzzle that includes LeBron as the focus point. Battier is a solid all-around player with very good defensive skills while Carl Landry is a young guy with a lot of energy. Both of which could be a great complimentary piece to a player like LeBron.

The Rockets? They get Vinsanity to team-up with his cousin, T-Mac, in a Toronto-like reunion. How will the egos handle each other? Can T-Mac ever stay healthy? And let’s not forget that Josh Boone is not a lost cause. I liked him in college and he’s a body off the bench.

I love the trade for New Jersey and their high hopes of landing LeBron. I do doubt that LeBron is signing with the Nets in 2010, but at least their trying.

Amare Stoudemire Joining LeBron In Cleveland?

Yahoo Sports has reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers contacted the Phoenix Suns earlier this week to discuss a bid for All-Star forward, Amare Stoudemire.

The rumored offer included Cleveland sending Wally Sczerbiak, J.J. Hickson, and a first-round draft pick to the Suns for Stoudemire. Yahoo Sports also mentioned that Cavaliers’ forward Anderson Varejao was included in possible scenarios. Cleveland GM Danny Ferry said that there were “No discussions at this time” when contacted by Yahoo Sports on Friday.

Amare Stoudemire will become a free-agent in 2010 and he will surely draw attention from teams all over the league. But if the Cavs can pull him in now and resign him AND LeBron in 2010…look out.

The Cavaliers, however, are not the front-runners for Amare. A couple other teams are offering packages with a little more juice in order to bring in the big man. League sources say that Chicago wants in on Stoudemire, with a potential scenario that would send Drew Gooden, Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha to Phoenix.

I know the NBA seems to be about nothing but expiring contracts and money hungry players, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. And for a year when my beloved Wizards are the worst team in the NBA, I’m pulling for the Cavs to land Amare.

LeBron + Amare + Mo Williams = Guaranteed NBA Title

Not A 1-On-1 Showdown, But Kobe Leaves Cleveland With A Win

The hype. The everlasting comparison between two of the game’s greatest players. The office arguments of which guy is better and who you would take on your team. It was all settled on Sunday afternoon. Or was it?

Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers traveled to Cleveland to take on LeBron James and the Cavaliers. The result, in my opinion, was a surprise as the Lakers handed the Cavs their first home loss all season. I can’t say that I thought Kobe and LeBron would go head-to-head, but I thought they would both perform better than they did.

Kobe finished with 19 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds. LeBron had a horrible day shooting as he went 5-20 from the field, finishing the game with 16 points, 12 assists, and 8 rebounds.

The Lakers finished a tough road-trip that included both the Cavs and the Celtics, both games of which they won. Are the Lakers still the real deal without Bynum?

I’ll stick with the Cavs to win it all. I’ll stick with LeBron as the best player in the game. And I’ll gladly listen to the insults and bashings.

MSG Showdown: LeBron wins

As sick as I am of the Kobe Bryant – LeBron James comparisons, I’m going to take part in the small argument that has plagued the sport world in recent days.

Kobe’s record-setting 61-point performance at Madison Square Garden the other night was phenomenal, and then some. But make no mistake about it, LeBron James’ outing at the Garden was better.

LeBron scored 52 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out 11 dimes…the second-highest scoring triple-double in history (only behind Wilt the Stilt). But we must also remember, MSG is NOT what it used to be and the Knicks play absolutely NO defense with D’Antoni at the helm (or for the past eight years with any coach). With that being said, Kobe and LeBron’s performances would be better gauged for judgement had their teams played a team like Boston.

The comparison of Kobe and LeBron is almost like comparing apples to oranges, they are both completely different players. Kobe is an assassin, the best SCORER in the NBA today. LeBron is more of a distributor, the best PLAYER in the NBA today. If there’s three seconds left in the game and we’re down by two, I want the ball in Kobe’s hands. If I am a general manager with the opportunity to bring in ANY player I please, it would be LeBron.

LeBron James’ triple-doubles will win the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant’s 61 points will win the Western Conference.

In a New York Minute

Please don’t be alarmed, we all knew this was coming. The New York Knicks are currently performing an executive front office strategy called “dumping”. Dumping is when a team makes some trades in order to get some decent players in return with the ultimate goal of trading away some large contracts. New York has dumped Jamal Crawford’s contract and Zach Randolph’s contract. In return, the Knicks receive some guys that have contracts that are due to expire by 2010. Coincidentally, LeBron James will be a free agent in 2010. You’re getting it now, right? That’s right, the New York Knicks will make an extremely hard move to try and sign King James in 2010. I would guess that the Knicks’ main competitor in the King James’ sweepstakes will be New Jersey, which has also dumped some contracts and has LeBron’s buddy, Jay-Z, as a co-owner. Other possible free agents in 2010 include Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, and Manu Ginobili. The most interesting part about all of this is to watch the New York Knicks and see how they finish; are they going after a solid draft pick or trying to win as much as possible? Are they going to make anymore trade splashes? Keep an eye on Quintin Richardson and Eddy Curry as possible guys that might want to get ready to pack their bags. Some deal between New York and Charlotte that sends Curry to the Bobcats may be an interesting find…stay tuned.