New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

[Steve Williams]

Great season guys and yes truly LBJ emerged as the king. He matured greatly during this series and desrved the win. They truly demoklished OKC yesterday with tres falling from everywhere except the rafters of the building

They deserved it and Frantz is right on with his evaluation

 

[MylesBAstor]

What you think guys? OKC and the Heat odds on favorites to meet again in next years final?

 

[Steve Williams]

Very high although hopefully the Bulls will be back

 

[rblnr]

We'll see how Derrick Rose progresses. Bulls fan I am, but I think they would have played the Heat much tougher than OKC. OKCs team defense was horrible throughout the series. LBJ and DWade shredding the paint at will. Last night, Wade gets trapped in the corner, LBJ cuts thru the lane from the top of the key unfettered. Gets the pass, scored. Constant breakdowns like this.

Disappointing performance by OKC. While I think LBJ is the most talented guy to ever play, I don't think the Heat are a great team.

 

[FrantzM]

We'll see how Derrick Rose progresses. Bulls fan I am, but I think they would have played the Heat much tougher than OKC. OKCs team defense was horrible throughout the series. LBJ and DWade shredding the paint at will. Last night, Wade gets trapped in the corner, LBJ cuts thru the lane from the top of the key unfettered. Gets the pass, scored. Constant breakdowns like this.

Disappointing performance by OKC. While I think LBJ is the most talented guy to ever play, I don't think the Heat are a great team.

What is scary about the Heat is how good they can become with a better bench and a real center .. Think a guy like Chandler or even Perkins or better a Bynum provided they find a way to sign him ... They have two Hall of fame players and third player most teams in the NBA would be happy to be their superstar ... The coach is learning still and will develop with his players ..A team which in its very short existence has been in the FGinals three times and won 2 ... LBJ transformation is real and extraordinary. They have a player for the ages as leader and that usually translate in many championships ... I don't know how you define greatness in a team but this Heat team is very capable and looking at it any other NBA team would have suffered the same fate as OKC ... OKC shrunk under their relentless offensive and defensive pressure ... Moreover beating the Heat in a playoffs is very difficult especially when LBJ becomes ... well ... LBJ, breaking down defenses, bodies and records .. suddenly obscure players have a field day so focused a team has to be on him and his sidekicks (Wade and Bosh) .. Damn!! I hate them Heat!!!but I am resigning myself to the fact that we will see a lot of them and OKC for sure ...
OKC needed the experience to expose the mental lapses and arguably, arrogance ... They tend to fall behind and count too much on athleticism to catch up .. I sincerely believe that the Lakers with a better coach could have beaten them or to give some respect to Mike Brown if the Lakers were more attuned to his system... OKC will be back and will win a few championships of their own... likely over the Heat but I would not discount the Bulls, nor the Knicks or any contender that secures lands the service of Dwight Howard .. The Heat can be disturbed by a good team with a real center to clog the lane and put offensive pressure on their interior defense ... Hyper-coach such as Doc Rivers can give them a run with the appropriate personnel (Read young, smart and athletic) but for now they are the champions and the league must respect them and prepare for them; else they will repeat, now that they know how it's done and how sweet it tastes.

 

[Steve Williams]

What is scary about the Heat is how good they can become with a better bench and a real center .. Think a guy like Chandler or even Perkins or better a Bynum provided they find a way to sign him ... They have two Hall of fame players and third player most teams in the NBA would be happy to be their superstar ... The coach is learning still and will develop with his players ..A team which in its very short existence has been in the FGinals three times and won 2 ... LBJ transformation is real and extraordinary. They have a player for the ages as leader and that usually translate in many championships ... I don't know how you define greatness in a team but this Heat team is very capable and looking at it any other NBA team would have suffered the same fate as OKC ... OKC shrunk under their relentless offensive and defensive pressure ... Moreover beating the Heat in a playoffs is very difficult especially when LBJ becomes ... well ... LBJ, breaking down defenses, bodies and records .. suddenly obscure players have a field day so focused a team has to be on him and his sidekicks (Wade and Bosh) .. Damn!! I hate them Heat!!!but I am resigning myself to the fact that we will see a lot of them and OKC for sure ...
OKC needed the experience to expose the mental lapses and arguably, arrogance ... They tend to fall behind and count too much on athleticism to catch up .. I sincerely believe that the Lakers with a better coach could have beaten them or to give some respect to Mike Brown if the Lakers were more attuned to his system... OKC will be back and will win a few championships of their own... likely over the Heat but I would not discount the Bulls, nor the Knicks or any contender that secures lands the service of Dwight Howard .. The Heat can be disturbed by a good team with a real center to clog the lane and put offensive pressure on their interior defense ... Hyper-coach such as Doc Rivers can give them a run with the appropriate personnel (Read young, smart and athletic) but for now they are the champions and the league must respect them and prepare for them; else they will repeat, now that they know how it's done and how sweet it tastes.

Sad but true Frantz. I was stunned by the Heat bench and all of the 3's and great defense from unknowns whereas the OKC bench starting with Harden were DOA but they are young indeed and I am sure this year will mature them. If KD ever got to the weight room and started to buff up it would be a far better match up between LBJ and himself

 

[MylesBAstor]

Very high although hopefully the Bulls will be back

But they'll be without Rose for the better part of next season and it will take him a while to return to form. Unfortunately he plays a sport and position that requires a lot of multi-directional motion and that's the last thing that comes back with ACL repair and in his case meniscus repair. Plus I hope he's got the best rehab specialists because the repaired knee could become stronger as a result of therapy than his good knee and create an muscular imbalance that leads to another injury. Also looking at his injury, it really looks like he has hip weakness and needs to strengthen his hip musculature and neuromuscular input. Remember his non-contact ACL tear is very rare in men (usually it's a contact injury involving knee flexion and internal hip rotation leading to ligament laxity and loss of knee stability) and usually seen more in women (70 pct of ACL tears in women are non contact!).

 

[jadis]

To me, the biggest advantage of this Heat Big 3 is their strong friendship even prior to the 2 coming in to join Wade. I don't see any ego outburst ever since these three joined hands. Lakers once had a Super 4 in Shaq, Kobe, Karl Malone and Gary Payton together with nothing less than a title in mind but they lost to Detroit that season and the 4 just split up with only Kobe remaining. The bond of James, Wade and Bosh makes the job for a GM easier in even structuring their salaries, as the ego factor again is not evident. James gets $16, Bosh also $16, and Wade, the veteran with a ring, gets $15m. Kobe, for the record, gets $25m a year. And Miami is already about $20m over the salary cap. Imagine if James got $22m, Wade got $22m, and Bosh got $20m, which is my own estimation of their worth, MIA will be almost $40m over the cap. But that is not going to happen as these 3 signed a multi year contract that prompted James to announce that they are going to win more than 7 championships during their welcome party. Now that they have one, the scary part is that they might really end up with 7. And as it is, many proven veterans like Steve Nash and Ray Allen had voiced their liking to join the Heat, though Nash of late has spoken of NY being his preferred destination.

 

[Steve Williams]

I'm shocked that Bosh makes the same as James

 

[JackD201]

LBJ makes over 20M a year from endorsements. If I recall correctly the three of them took pay cuts so they could play together. The endorsements will more than cover that especially after winning a championship.

 

[Steve Williams]

LBJ makes over 20M a year from endorsements. If I recall correctly the three of them took pay cuts so they could play together. The endorsements will more than cover that especially after winning a championship.

LBJ is on track to become sports first billionaire

 

[jadis]

I'm shocked that Bosh makes the same as James

Yes, Steve. That shows how much he bent over in joining the Heat in The Decision. He talked to Riley and apparently, the 'pay cut' was needed to make the Big 3 deal look favorable to the owner.

What is more shocking to me is when I learned the other day, while reading about the Ariza, Okafor trade for Rashard Lewis was the mention of Lewis' contract worth almost $120m for 6 years. That is $20m a year! More than the Heat Big 3, and close to Garnett's or Duncan's $21m. Dwight Howard makes 'only' $18m. And looking up, what surprised me even more was that Rashard Lewis was a 2nd round draft pick in his rookie year. I thought there was a misprint but another source confirmed he was only a 2nd round pick. And earning $21m annually. Though he's a great shooter, I never would have guessed he earned that much.

 

[jadis]

LBJ makes over 20M a year from endorsements. If I recall correctly the three of them took pay cuts so they could play together. The endorsements will more than cover that especially after winning a championship.

And James can very easily make even more from product endorsements like Kobe, Jordan, Rose, Dwight etc. but who would want to take a pay cut moving from your 'mother team' to another team with other superstars? KG got a pay increase or at least the same figure he had with Minnesota when he moved to Boston. Pierce, and old hand in Boston, takes in only $15m while KG gets more at $21m. Clearly, James sacrificed a lot in having a salary similar to Bosh, all for winning a title. That is truly commendable. Contrast that with say, James Posey, who won a title in Boston but immediately left to join the Hornets for more money. It was so fast that they say the ink of his championship DVDs to fans has not dried when he was already pronounced a Hornet. That after winning a title. I can think of Tyson Chandler similarly, leaving a champion team which he helps so much in the season for a more lucrative contract. And my guess is Trevor Ariza did the same in leaving the Lakers after getting a ring himself. $5m in pay cut is still $5m lost in salary money regardless of what one makes in endorsements, bonuses, etc. And Lebron is basically locked at $16m for the next 3 years. That shows how badly he wanted a ring in the first place when he moved to Miami. And true enough, how many 'great' players have not won a ring in their entire careers while getting big contracts? Glenn 'Big Dog' Robinson, Larry Johnson, and my recent 'discovery', Rashard Lewis (well, he almost did with the Magic).

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

Very interestin article about the Heat system... It makes them scarier click Here
I can't believe a team offering so much for Rashard lewis a good player but nothing superlative .. Not even a star ... Larry Johnson at least seemed to be on the verge of being a formidable Power Forward before his back injuries made of him a (barely adequate) jump shooter ... Rashard Lewis ??!!??

 

[Steve Williams]

So Scott Brooks' contract is up and even though management wants him back and offered him an $11M/3 year contract, his agent has turned it down. I personally believe him to be a terrific coach for this young team and hope he re-signs however what do you think? Is he the right man for this coaching position?

 

[MylesBAstor]

So Scott Brooks' contract is up and even though management wants him back and offered him an $11M/3 year contract, his agent has turned it down. I personally believe him to be a terrific coach for this young team and hope he re-signs however what do you think? Is he the right man for this coaching position?

Haha....thinking Phil Jackson

 

[Steve Williams]

Interesting thought. Doesn't Phil live in Idaho now

 

[MylesBAstor]

Interesting thought. Doesn't Phil live in Idaho now

Seems according to this but this info might be dated:

http://keynotespeakers.com/speaker_detail.php?speakerid=3734

Commands a hefty speaking fee

 

[FrantzM]

HI

Is Doc Rivers under contract by the Celtics? IMHO the best coach out there and you can include Phil Jackson in the "out there". Proven, incredibly sophisticated in his approach of the game, capable of extracting the max of any cards stack he is dealt and has proven to regularly outcoach any coach in the NBA and again call this blasphemy if you want , Phil Jackson whom he beat when the Celtics overtook the Lakers in the NBA Finals .. The Celtics weren't the better team they had the better coach .. This year if it weren't for LBJ out-of-this-world play in the East Finals they would have faced the OKC Thunder
Carefully watch a tape of the Celtics defense, at one point we thought it was a Thibodeau defense .. No it is Glenn River's defense that was implemented by THibodeau .. His offensive playbook is as intricate with strange curls that allow people to be open without having to move heaven and earth .. Wacth the Way Paul Pierce seem to always pop out of his best shooting position .. or Ray Allen to be open or KG to be right where he is more comfortable after a Rondo penetration. I love this kid by the way his Basketball IQ is Himalayan, if Westbrook had half his Basketball IQ he would be the best player in the game... I wouldn't mind Doc coaching the Lakers as they are right now with Kobe, Gasol and Bynum .. You would then see what they are still capable of ...

 

[MylesBAstor]

HI

Is Doc Rivers under contract by the Celtics? IMHO the best coach out there and you can include Phil Jackson in the "out there". Proven, incredibly sophisticated in his approach of the game, capable of extracting the max of any cards stack he is dealt and has proven to regularly outcoach any coach in the NBA and again call this blasphemy if you want , Phil Jackson whom he beat when the Celtics overtook the Lakers in the NBA Finals .. The Celtics weren't the better team they had the better coach .. This year if it weren't for LBJ out-of-this-world play in the East Finals they would have faced the OKC Thunder
Carefully watch a tape of the Celtics defense, at one point we thought it was a Thibodeau defense .. No it is Glenn River's defense that was implemented by THibodeau .. His offensive playbook is as intricate with strange curls that allow people to be open without having to move heaven and earth .. Wacth the Way Paul Pierce seem to always pop out of his best shooting position .. or Ray Allen to be open or KG to be right where he is more comfortable after a Rondo penetration. I love this kid by the way his Basketball IQ is Himalayan, if Westbrook had half his Basketball IQ he would be the best player in the game... I wouldn't mind Doc coaching the Lakers as they are right now with Kobe, Gasol and Bynum .. You would then see what they are still capable of ...

Doc signed a five year extension with the Celts last May. 35 mil for 5 years.

And just to be argumentative--my vote goes to Pops as the best coach. Unheralded and always has the team at the top of the West every year!