Shaq....

It's unfathomable that the NBA writers fucked up the 2004-05 MVP ballot like they did.

 

the nba should institute a policy of fining anyone who compares anyone to jordan. no one is the next jordan. even if wade or lebron surpasses his airness' six rings, jordan was jordan.

 

Exactly, 'Bron will win multiple rings. Where not looking at the Jordan of this era in Wade. Were sort of looking at the Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson of this era in LBJ and Wade. Wade is great and all, but I don't even think he's the best in the league. But I have to say this to all NBA fans. Let's just step back and REALLY look at this. I am very excited to see the NBA back. When LeBron wins his first championship, the NBA will have a chance to surpass the NFL.

 

I think LeBron will find it difficult enough to win just one title. Nothing against him; that's just the reality of the situation he's in.

1. His team is nowhere near championship quality at present.

2. It won't have a high draft pick anytime soon.

3. Cleveland is not exactly a hot free-agent destination. Nor is it a place that, say, Shaquille O'Neal would have agreed to go to in 2004.

 

1. The Cavaliers will be back in the playoffs next season with 13 more playoff games' experience under their collective belts than they had a few months ago. As we saw this year, anything can happen in the playoffs. (Miami over Dallas? Really? Did anybody pick that?)

2. A lack of high draft picks has never completely hindered teams before. There are, after all, still good players after the first 10 or 15 picks. Utah, for example, drafted Andrei Kirilenko No. 24 overall in 1999; Portland and Cleveland drafted Jermaine O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas Nos. 17 and 20, respectively, in 1996; and Golden State picked Latrell Sprewell No. 24 in 1992. Those are the best examples, but if memory serves correct, they have all been All-Stars and have played big roles on good teams.

3. Everybody wants to play for a winner, right? If a player feels his best opportunity to win a ring is in Cleveland, I'm sure he'll have no qualms about signing with the Cavaliers. (Look at the players the team signed last off-season — Larry Hughes, Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall — with only LeBron as a selling point. The Cavaliers hadn't made the playoffs for seven years and they still managed to sign three decent players. To quoth Tony Bennett, the best, I think, is yet to come.)

 

I know Shaq was traded.

But HE was the one who was in position to say  where he would (and wouldn't) go. Ultimately, it was Shaq's call.

He came to Miami because of its glamour quotient and because of Wade. Not because "that's where the Lakers traded me to."

Sure, the Cavs can make smart personnel decisions. They HAVE to. They just don't get the free pass of being a hot destination like some teams do. They simply have to work harder, be smarter.

Winning a title is hard. It's not impossible for LeBron. Just harder than it would be if he were somewhere else (or with a more talented team).

Lots of terrific players advanced to the Finals without ever winning a title. Other terrific players (Jerry West) barely achieved one.

 

I don't see the NBA ever catching the NFL. But you're right, Chuck, it's starting to look a helluva lot more interesting than it did five years ago. A lot of individual talent, and some great teams. This was fun Finals to watch. Not the Best Ever!, but fun to watch. I'm sensing enthusiasm for the NBA rekindling a bit.