Hello… you play to TIE the game. Ok so they did not beat England, but as a USA fan, you should be happy walking away from the game with at least one point. England deserved to win outplaying the Americans especially in the second half. The game was a tale of two goal keepers. One was remarkable, making his World Cup debut {and just happens to be from the same great state as Tony Soprano and Bruce Springsteen} the other was as dreadful as watching Celebrity Rehab. Tim Howard led the Red White and Blue with 6 crucial saves while playing with injured ribs. The Brits Robert Green on the other hand as I am sure you have seen, will most likely receive a lifetime V.I.P. pass into the Sports Center Not Top Ten. The goal he allowed to Clint Dempsey was pathetic. England is a world class team yet there goalie proved otherwise. Better to be lucky than good sure explains the USA game against England.
Slovenia and Algeria are the next two opponents on tap for USA with both being winnable games. No disrespect to either club, but results of a tie or loss would be considered a vast disappointment. Look for the 20 year old striker Jozy Altidore to get his name in the scoring column with Landon Donovan continuing to impress providing speed out of the midfield. There is no reason why the USA should not be able to get out of their group. After that, it is anybody’s guess as to how far they will go, but I am expecting a trip to the quarterfinals. The one thing that remains a question mark for this team though is their defense. A positive you can take out of their last game is that after giving up a quick goal, the U.S. was able to shutout 3rd ranked England for the remaining 85 minutes of action. If the Americans are to advance in the World Cup, it will be on the shoulders or rather ribs of Tim Howard who without a doubt is one of the best goalies in the world.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
LBJ to NYK
Everyone has their own spin on the Lebron James saga. Rumors have surfaced such as John Calipari or Phil Jackson leaving their respective organizations to coach the King. Other stories consist of Lebron following his friend Jay-Z to play in New Jersey or the web which has a ridiculous soap opera of Lebron’s current teammate Delonte West apparently sleeping with his mother. {Google this if you don’t believe me} His zip code will remain unknown for at least another month, but the answer to the million or rather billion dollar question should be New York. Of course I am biased here and do not dispute this for one minute, HAVING SAID THAT it makes the most sense from all perspectives to live in the city that never sleeps.
Besides winning titles like he ultimately will accomplish, he also wants to become the global icon and richest athlete in the world. New York is the destination where that becomes a reality. Lebron would surpass Tiger Woods as the most famous active sports star thanks to Tiger’s Hugh Hefner like impersonation. Living in the city is an attractive proposition and too tempting for him to pass up. Now I know your saying he already is a worldwide star and does not need New York, but putting on a nightly show at the Garden is different than anything he has ever done. The entire city would shine with Lebron being at the center of the spotlight. New York not only provides celebrities at courtside but arguably the most passionate basketball fans. New York was 5th in total attendance last year after another horrible season. Imagine if they were actually winning?
In addition to being the biggest act in town, he also wants to win multiple championships and New York can surprisingly now provide that thanks to their league leading cap space. Other teams have superstars to pair along with Lebron, but their remains serious questions regarding these potential suitors. Let us take in-depth look into some of these scenarios:
The Chicago Bulls
They are becoming the emerging favorite in this sweepstakes, but I am not sold. Chicago has Derrick Rose but can two players who demand the ball in their hands constantly be effective alongside each other? They also have Joakim Noah a nice young player, but last time I checked isn’t he a clone of Anderson Varejao. {Strong defender, yet terrible when it comes to having offensive skills or decent looking hair} It is difficult to imagine a team with its starting lineup of Lebron James, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, and Taj Gibson being that much better than the current Cavaliers roster. This does not sound like a team of legit title contenders considering they will not have additional cap space to sign another significant player.
Also there is another major reason Chicago is not the answer and it is because of a guy named Michael Jordan. If you think the New York Media is bad which it is, Chicago and the national coverage would be even worse. Even if it is not fair, James will directly be compared to Jordan for the rest of his career. No matter what he achieves with the Bulls, anything less than 6 titles will be considered a failure. Winning two rings for example in any other market is a success except in the Windy City. Playing in Jordan’s shadow is not the ideal circumstance for a free agent of James’ caliber.
The New Jersey Nets
Since they lost the draft lottery and the rights to John Wall, this seems to be less realistic. Remember they had a grand total of just 12 wins this season and were the worst team in the league. To make the argument that by going to the Nets he will become a champion seems about as ridiculous as Lindsay Lohan cleaning up her act. They have young talent, a rich Russian owner, and cap space which are all appealing characteristics; however they are still missing the skill and glamour to be competitive instantly. Playing in Newark for two or three years before moving to Brooklyn and never even being the most famous team in your own state seems quite undesirable as well.
The Miami Heat
They could make a serious run at James pairing him with another star in Wade. A move to Miami offers great weather, a chance to win, and the possibility of bringing the Hall-of-Fame coach Pat Riley out of retirement. The question then becomes is James that unselfish? Meaning would Lebron accept the role of co-star. He would still be an all-star but never a legit MVP candidate. Since James would be joining Wade’s team after all, he would never be considered the most valuable player on his own Heat squad let alone in the entire league.
This is the ultimate battle over alter egos. While they genuinely like each other, it is hard to imagine Lebron being able to accept that Miami would never solely be his team. If he truly wants to win putting aside everything else, South Beach might be the answer. Although, a stay in Florida also means making less money than his team mate Dwayne Wade. While on the surface this could work, I do not see the premier free agent of the NBA taking less money than he is worth. He surrounds himself with a team of smart business men and they will convince him he should at least be the highest paid player on his respective team. Rightfully so, Lebron will feel he deserves to be treated like royalty since after all he is a king.
The Cleveland Cavaliers
Lebron’s heart is probably telling him to remain in his home state; on the other hand his brain should be screaming to get out. He must be tired of having a team with the best regular season record only to get knocked out early in the post-season. It is not like the Cavs are improving anytime soon. They have no real cap space to make significant improvements and are only getting older. Shaq is no longer the dominant force he once was. Antawn Jamison, Moe Williams, and the Big Z are all nice complimentary pieces, but not overwhelming reasons to convince a superstar of James stature to stay. Other than JJ Hickson, there are no young exciting players on the Cavs roster. They are a solid team and will remain that way for an extended period of time, but they have not proven to be champions. Any team Lebron plays for will be an instant playoff contender, which is what Cleveland has now become. I understand he wants to be loyal to his fan base, but at some point he has to look at his legacy and realize there are better options to win now.
So that brings me back to the Knicks, the only team that can provide the combination of everything valuable to him which includes winning, the glamour of being a superstar in a super market, and developing talent. It may be ironic, but out of all the teams previously mentioned only the Knicks provide stability in their head coach. Mike D’antoni was his assistant coach during the Olympics who he enjoyed playing for. Lebron’s criticism towards former Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown was that their offense was not creative enough during the playoffs, something D’antoni could never be accused of. The other teams James is linked with all have coaching vacancies or question marks about their current coach. {If it meant getting Lebron or keeping Dwayne happy, the Heat would dump their current coach by the wayside} Some suggest this is tempting for James to have to ability to pick his new coach, but I look at this as a weakness of the other franchises. It is important to have an established coach and philosophy that a team has on a nightly basis with Lebron already being on record for admiring Coach D’antoni’s style of play.
Besides the coach, the players surrounding James are obviously important in his decision. Since he is after all the marquee player, other free agents will be attracted to him and not the other way around. If Lebron signs with the Knicks, don’t you think Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, or another free agent will want to join him in New York? The Knicks compared to the rest of the league are the only team that can afford to sign not one but two max free agents this summer. The Knicks are hoping to follow the similar blueprint laid out by the Boston Celtics; bring together a group of stars that have never won a title and collectively achieve greatness.
Role players such as the sharp shooting Danilo Gallinari and the slashing forward Wilson Chandler would be great complimentary players to play off of James. While not as popular as other teams’ stars, they are better fits to play alongside him. What also is not being talked about is that Eddy Curry will come off the Knicks payroll the following year. This means the Knicks would be allowed to spend an extra 10 million on free agents in the 2011-2012 season. So, if they do struggle, they would have the necessary cap room to once again improve their roster and sign a free agent to be like Carmelo Anthony or Tony Parker.
At the end of the day, arguably the best basketball player in the world deserves nothing less than the best stage to perform on and supporting cast. As Lebron’s buddy Jay-Z put it, New York is the, “concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York.”
Besides winning titles like he ultimately will accomplish, he also wants to become the global icon and richest athlete in the world. New York is the destination where that becomes a reality. Lebron would surpass Tiger Woods as the most famous active sports star thanks to Tiger’s Hugh Hefner like impersonation. Living in the city is an attractive proposition and too tempting for him to pass up. Now I know your saying he already is a worldwide star and does not need New York, but putting on a nightly show at the Garden is different than anything he has ever done. The entire city would shine with Lebron being at the center of the spotlight. New York not only provides celebrities at courtside but arguably the most passionate basketball fans. New York was 5th in total attendance last year after another horrible season. Imagine if they were actually winning?
In addition to being the biggest act in town, he also wants to win multiple championships and New York can surprisingly now provide that thanks to their league leading cap space. Other teams have superstars to pair along with Lebron, but their remains serious questions regarding these potential suitors. Let us take in-depth look into some of these scenarios:
The Chicago Bulls
They are becoming the emerging favorite in this sweepstakes, but I am not sold. Chicago has Derrick Rose but can two players who demand the ball in their hands constantly be effective alongside each other? They also have Joakim Noah a nice young player, but last time I checked isn’t he a clone of Anderson Varejao. {Strong defender, yet terrible when it comes to having offensive skills or decent looking hair} It is difficult to imagine a team with its starting lineup of Lebron James, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, and Taj Gibson being that much better than the current Cavaliers roster. This does not sound like a team of legit title contenders considering they will not have additional cap space to sign another significant player.
Also there is another major reason Chicago is not the answer and it is because of a guy named Michael Jordan. If you think the New York Media is bad which it is, Chicago and the national coverage would be even worse. Even if it is not fair, James will directly be compared to Jordan for the rest of his career. No matter what he achieves with the Bulls, anything less than 6 titles will be considered a failure. Winning two rings for example in any other market is a success except in the Windy City. Playing in Jordan’s shadow is not the ideal circumstance for a free agent of James’ caliber.
The New Jersey Nets
Since they lost the draft lottery and the rights to John Wall, this seems to be less realistic. Remember they had a grand total of just 12 wins this season and were the worst team in the league. To make the argument that by going to the Nets he will become a champion seems about as ridiculous as Lindsay Lohan cleaning up her act. They have young talent, a rich Russian owner, and cap space which are all appealing characteristics; however they are still missing the skill and glamour to be competitive instantly. Playing in Newark for two or three years before moving to Brooklyn and never even being the most famous team in your own state seems quite undesirable as well.
The Miami Heat
They could make a serious run at James pairing him with another star in Wade. A move to Miami offers great weather, a chance to win, and the possibility of bringing the Hall-of-Fame coach Pat Riley out of retirement. The question then becomes is James that unselfish? Meaning would Lebron accept the role of co-star. He would still be an all-star but never a legit MVP candidate. Since James would be joining Wade’s team after all, he would never be considered the most valuable player on his own Heat squad let alone in the entire league.
This is the ultimate battle over alter egos. While they genuinely like each other, it is hard to imagine Lebron being able to accept that Miami would never solely be his team. If he truly wants to win putting aside everything else, South Beach might be the answer. Although, a stay in Florida also means making less money than his team mate Dwayne Wade. While on the surface this could work, I do not see the premier free agent of the NBA taking less money than he is worth. He surrounds himself with a team of smart business men and they will convince him he should at least be the highest paid player on his respective team. Rightfully so, Lebron will feel he deserves to be treated like royalty since after all he is a king.
The Cleveland Cavaliers
Lebron’s heart is probably telling him to remain in his home state; on the other hand his brain should be screaming to get out. He must be tired of having a team with the best regular season record only to get knocked out early in the post-season. It is not like the Cavs are improving anytime soon. They have no real cap space to make significant improvements and are only getting older. Shaq is no longer the dominant force he once was. Antawn Jamison, Moe Williams, and the Big Z are all nice complimentary pieces, but not overwhelming reasons to convince a superstar of James stature to stay. Other than JJ Hickson, there are no young exciting players on the Cavs roster. They are a solid team and will remain that way for an extended period of time, but they have not proven to be champions. Any team Lebron plays for will be an instant playoff contender, which is what Cleveland has now become. I understand he wants to be loyal to his fan base, but at some point he has to look at his legacy and realize there are better options to win now.
So that brings me back to the Knicks, the only team that can provide the combination of everything valuable to him which includes winning, the glamour of being a superstar in a super market, and developing talent. It may be ironic, but out of all the teams previously mentioned only the Knicks provide stability in their head coach. Mike D’antoni was his assistant coach during the Olympics who he enjoyed playing for. Lebron’s criticism towards former Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown was that their offense was not creative enough during the playoffs, something D’antoni could never be accused of. The other teams James is linked with all have coaching vacancies or question marks about their current coach. {If it meant getting Lebron or keeping Dwayne happy, the Heat would dump their current coach by the wayside} Some suggest this is tempting for James to have to ability to pick his new coach, but I look at this as a weakness of the other franchises. It is important to have an established coach and philosophy that a team has on a nightly basis with Lebron already being on record for admiring Coach D’antoni’s style of play.
Besides the coach, the players surrounding James are obviously important in his decision. Since he is after all the marquee player, other free agents will be attracted to him and not the other way around. If Lebron signs with the Knicks, don’t you think Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, or another free agent will want to join him in New York? The Knicks compared to the rest of the league are the only team that can afford to sign not one but two max free agents this summer. The Knicks are hoping to follow the similar blueprint laid out by the Boston Celtics; bring together a group of stars that have never won a title and collectively achieve greatness.
Role players such as the sharp shooting Danilo Gallinari and the slashing forward Wilson Chandler would be great complimentary players to play off of James. While not as popular as other teams’ stars, they are better fits to play alongside him. What also is not being talked about is that Eddy Curry will come off the Knicks payroll the following year. This means the Knicks would be allowed to spend an extra 10 million on free agents in the 2011-2012 season. So, if they do struggle, they would have the necessary cap room to once again improve their roster and sign a free agent to be like Carmelo Anthony or Tony Parker.
At the end of the day, arguably the best basketball player in the world deserves nothing less than the best stage to perform on and supporting cast. As Lebron’s buddy Jay-Z put it, New York is the, “concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York.”
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