Posts Tagged ‘Knicks’

The big free agency period that anyone who has even a slight interest in basketball is finally here. Why should we wait any long? Honestly, this wait is pissing me off. I want LeBron James to finally commit to a team, whether that is his hometown Cavs or any other suitor out there. Just sign already!

I do realize that this is easier said than done, for LeBron that is. Other top free agents should sign with a team and force James’ hand. Maybe this would make the decision making process easier for LeBron.

Let’s say that Chris Bosh signs with the Nets (obviously I want him to sign with the Nets because there is no way he is remaining with the Raptors), wouldn’t Bosh’s decision incline James to sign, even a tiny bit, with the Nets? Same goes if Bosh signs with the Knicks.

If Dwyane Wade wants to sign with the Heat, he should get that over with and in the same manner as Bosh force James to decided if he wants to play alongside him.

It’s becoming abundantly clear that the chances of James, Bosh and Wade signing on to play on the same team are almost down to zero. It’s wishful thinking, but the reality is that none of them would take a pay cut and be the defacto 2nd or 3rd option to James.

Most ironic would be the pairing of Wade and Bosh, leaving James alone to go back to Ohio or to sign with the Knicks just for the money. But that won’t happen, will it?

As NBA teams wait until July 8^th so they can start signing free agents, all that is left is hopeful pondering. Yes, even I wonder if James will sign with the Nets, enticed by Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-Z. Still, I hope!

What does every NBA fan have to look forward to until July 8th? Speculation, speculation and more speculation. This might be the most exciting free agency time ever in the history of basketball. As well as the the time when the most nonsense and the least amount of facts are being discussed by the guru’s of basketball.

What else is there to talk about?

However, don’t sleep on the overlooked free agents such as David Lee. He, and other like him, could become an important part on an already strong team and prove to be the missing piece of a championship contender. Would LeBron’s wait have been worth then?

Seriously, LeBron has to keep in mind the implications of signing to a team with a max salary free agent and how the salaries would impact the teams ability to fill out the rest of the roster. How good can a team be if it has two great players but the rest wish much to be desired.

What is wrong with the New York Knick? Is it the lack of money? Doesn’t appear so. Knicks boast one of the leagues highest team payrolls, but the return on James Dolan’s investment is iffy at best…who am I kidding, Knicks are one of the best, yet at the same time worst, franchises in all of sports.

It must be hard to stay loyal to the Knicks and support them throughout the tough years. The decline of the great New York Knickerbockers began after the 1999 season and the teams glorious run to the NBA Final’s in the lockout shortened season which I remember for a few reasons: shortly after the league and players agreed to settle their differences and save the fledgling season Michael Jordan announced his retirement, although he would come back and play for the Wizards some years later. And, that was probably the last time that I was truly be on the Knicks side.

What can you say about a franchise that trades away its iconic player? What can you say about a franchise that doesn’t hire its arguably most famous player? I wouldn’t blame Patrick Ewing for staying as far as he can from the Knicks as possible.

It still amazes me to know that New York Knicks fans haven’t started a riot because of the atrocious play of their home town squad. For an organization that boasts of great tradition Knicks haven’t been doing a great job at keeping up there with the likes of the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Take a look at the team’s last game against the Atlanta Hawks, a game in which the Knicks led by 14 points in the first half. What separates a good team from a bad team is the ability to close out the games. In their usual fashion, Knicks had their usual performance that has now become commonplace.

Late in the game against the Hawks Al Harrington fumbled the ball on a clear path to the basket and that probably killed the Knicks chances to comeback in the game which any other descent team wouldn’t let get out of hand.

Jamal Crawford, whom the Knicks traded early last season in a salary dump, certainly thought that Knicks could’ve been a better team with him on board. “Yes, we would’ve made the playoffs last year. I think 37, 38 wins is the playoffs last year. We would’ve got there.”

It will be a long time until the New York Knicks finally go back to their good old days of glory. Nothing cures past ills better than success. Fans are sure to forget about tough times when the team is winning now and then they forget about the gloomy past. A matter of concern of Knicks fans is how long will it take for their team to contend again.

Something is rotten in the state of Cleveland, and that something is the play of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Six games into the season there is talk already of how their offseason moves are not having the desired effect…make LeBron James want to stay in Cleveland.

Already it looks like the signing of Shaq isn’t working out. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is off to a horrific start in his new role the back-up center.  Role players aren’t performing how they did last year…oh yeah, Delonte West is trouble with the law!

What else can go wrong for a team that was supposed to tear through this season just as a puppy goes through a kid homework?!?

Probably things can get worse for Cleveland if King James declares that he is no longer interested in playing for the Cavs.

What will happen then? What ensues could be the biggest sports story ever…ever. Imagine Michael Jordan declaring that he no longer to play for the Chicago Bulls after they were unable to get past the Detroit Pistons in the late 80’s.

Many people think that LeBron is ready to bolt for New York if things don’t change soon. Well, they could be at least partially right. The chances are slim that LeBron will want to go to a team that is horridly incapable of getting its act together. There must be much better suitors for the King.

If LeBron wants to play for a major market team, New Jersey Nets are positioned more favorably to lure him out of Ohio. Primed to move to Brooklyn (New York), Nets are partially owned by James’ buddy Jay-Z and that can only boost Nets odds. Besides, if LeBron is intent on becoming a serious businessman, then there is nothing better than learning from a really rich guy, Russian steel magnate Mikhail Prokhorov.

What do Cavs do if they want to keep James in town? Well…there is nothing that they can really do. James’ departure would lend itself perfectly to the case of Kevin Garnett wanting out of Minnesota, so that he can have a real chance to win.

As much as athletes like to tout their horn about being loyal to their teams (and in the end their never do), reality is that some teams are naturally predisposed to winning, while others are just trying to emulate them.

Signing Shaq didn’t help the Phoenix Suns. Why should it work any differently for Cavs? Isn’t it obvious that Shaq is no longer the dominant force of old? He had it in him to bring the Miami Heat to the pinnacle of the NBA. No such luck in Phoenix. And as much as I would have loved for Suns to have won one with Shaq on their side, the chances of that happening in Cleveland are slim to none.

Not many people seem to learn from history. Wilt Chamberlain’s tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers did bring success, but that success wasn’t achieved by Chamberlain alone. And in as much as LeBron might believe that Shaq will be that missing piece of a championship puzzle, reality is sure to prove otherwise. I will then have the last laugh when LeBron gets fed up with Cleveland and bolts for New York…but not the Knicks, but my New Jersey Nets.