Today is the big day. The day that could change the fate of a team for the next couple years. At 8pm Lebron James (during an hour-long segment on ESPN no less) will announce where he plans to play. Clearly I will be writing a reaction post to that, including what the teams who were not so fortunate as to have him around should do now, but for now, lets see what has happened so far today...
-Toronto Raptors sign Linas Kleiza to a 4 year, $20 million offer sheet.
-Milwaukee Bucks officially sign John Salmons and Drew Gooden (both former Bulls thank you very much).
-New Jersey Nets agree to a 5 year, $25 million contract with Travis Outlaw.
-Carlos Boozer announces he will now wear the number five with the Chicago Bulls.
-Brendan Haywood re-signs with Dallas Mavs for 6 years, $55 million.
-Jermaine O'Neal agrees to sign with the Boston Celtics.
-Miami Heat offer Mike Miller a 5 year deal.
On top of this, one of my favorite basketball writers, Bill Simmons has released an article essentially explaining how and why Wade and Bosh ended up in Miami together, and what a joke this entire summer has become. Personally, I agree with 99% of what he has to say (though I'm not going to agree or disagree with the parts about Wade, Bosh, Lebron and Paul all deciding to play together before Lebron announces his selection tonight) and think everyone should read it for themselves: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons%2F100708
Similarly, Mark Schanowski updated his blog this morning with ideas for where the Chicago Bulls should go from here, and again, though I will tackle this subject later tonight or early tomorrow morning, I think everyone should read it themselves as well: http://www.csnchicago.com/pages/blog_beyondthearc
And last but not least, since I'm not sure all of my readers also follow me on/read my Twitter, just for the hell of it, I'm going to paste my little outbursts on the topics of Wade and what Lebron's decision should be. Clearly if you've already read this, please feel free to skip to the end...
"Please, no one get me wrong. I am a Wade fan. And a Miami fan. I just think he treated this summer like a joke and I don't think thats cool. In my eyes, he knew all along he was going to stay in Miami, and so, he should have said that from the start, and that could have been that. If he wanted Bosh with him (and he clearly wanted SOMEONE), he could have done all of that dealing behind closed doors. Instead, twitpics (though this might have been Bosh, not Wade) were put up of them at dinner, meetings were announced, etc. It became somewhat of a circus, not a serious and professional matter, like it is. People and teams got their hopes up, and for nothing. I'm not saying Bosh wasn't involved. Or that he didn't add fuel to the flame. It just seems as though Wade planned it all out. Especially if he is indeed going to release a documentary or reality tv show. That just proves he took all the meetings for 'drama'. And if that is indeed the case, if it was all a setup, all a scam, I think the league should fine him, at the very least. It compromises the integrity of the entire NBA and makes it seem like its all about tv ratings and endorsements and celebrity status. It becomes less about the game itself, and the raw talent of the players. Which again, Wade has more than a lot of. Though Simmons claims that Lebron and Paul were also somewhat involved in this, I'm not going to put in my two cents on that, I have no idea. Especially when Lebron has yet to announce his decision, aka its not a sure fact that he too is joining Wade and Bosh in Miami. Overall, the whole point of my rant is this: I respect Wade as a player, but I don't agree with how he manipulated himself this summer."
"Heres my breakdown of Lebron (for anyone who is interested)...Bias aside, he SHOULD sign with the Bulls. I get its following in MJ's footsteps, but is that a bad thing? He does idolize him after all. He would already have a superstar point-guard in Rose, and a constantly improving center in Noah, aka he would have support. He would play for a great city, not only in terms of Chicago as a location, but an organization with an awesome reputation. He would have a new coach who has never been a head coach (though I see the downside to this too) to shape and work with. And with all the money room the Bulls have made, he would get more than a fair contract. If he stays in Cleveland, yes hes being loyal, which I somewhat want him to be. And he has a new coach I heard he likes. He could also get almost anyone to join him, because a) hes Lebron James and b) who doesn't want to play for the Lebron-lead Cavs? And he'd continue to be treated like a King, which (and I mean no disrespect) we all know he loves, no matter what he says. However, would he get closer to the ring? I'm not sure. The pluses would be a new coach, new team members, and a familiar court but it may so happen that none of those things would change a damn thing. Moving on to the Knicks...I see no reason to go there. Ok, Amare is there now, and I like him, but I don't think that would be enough. The Knicks have struggled for quite some time now, and are in the process of rebuilding their whole team, ground up. That takes time. If Lebron signs with them, sure, in five years or so he might be a contender, but who wants to wait five years? Contracts run out by then. The appeal is the history of Madison Square Garden, the game of basketball, and the players, but I don't see that as THAT important. And lastly...Miami. Personally, it would disgust me if all three agents would freeze out the rest of the league, solely for their egos. On top of this, all three of them would suffer financially. And don't give me the "its not about money, its about winning" speech. Please. If you're fame hungry enough to create drama for an upcoming documentary or reality tv show, money matters to you, plain and simple. And despite all this, would Miami even benefit from such a threesome? Would it guarantee wins? A championship? In the past, all the big stars have had incredible HELPERS on their teams, not COMPETITION. We're talking three HUGE names, all together. Personally, I think Lebron is a leader. He needs to be set apart. So there it is. I don't know where he'll go. And I admit saying Chicago is his best option may sound selfish, but its the truth. Guess we'll all find out in a little over two hours."
So far this summer has been crazy for the NBA. But the shit might just hit the fan tonight. Stay tuned.
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