The Bizniz, Volume 4, Issue 1

I have not written for some time but I have recently decided to once again take up the cross… er, keyboard, and distill knowledge, humor, and fer shizzleness.

Today being July 1st, the natural topic is NBA free agency. We now enter the biggest free agent extravaganza the league has ever seen, with available superstars abounding. Clearly the crown jewel is two-time MVP LeBron James, with Dwyane Wade a close second. In my mind, those are the only maximum contract guys out there. However, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer, Dirk Nowitzki, and Paul Pierce all figure to be asking for close to max dollars and David Lee, Ray Allen, and Richard Jefferson, among others, will be seeking higher end ducats as well. (As an aside, it is humorous, and must be underscored, that, along with Carmelo Anthony who can opt out next year, 4 of the top 5 picks of the 2003 draft will all be making at or close to max money as bonafied NBA superstars. The lone exception? Darko Milicic. Good times.)

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have averaged for their careers 28/7/7 and 25/5/7, respectively. And Wade has the upper hand as a champion (although many agree that the ’05-‘06 Heat were one of the worst teams to win a title). Wade has established himself in Miami but is from Chicago, thus the Bulls beckon. It seems that Wade only has two destinations, staying in Miami or going to Chicago. However, I don’t see how a backcourt of Derrick Rose and Wade would work. Frankly I don’t see how Rose and LeBron would coexist, but more on that to come. Miami is attempting to be pluckers, rather than pluckees, by going after, among others, James, Bosh, Stoudemire, and Boozer. Pat Riley is already waiting in the wings with a freshly pressed Armani suit and a gallon of hair gel to once again patrol the sidelines, helming a Heat team with Wade, James, AND Bosh. At least, that is the fantasy. If nothing else, the Heat could obtain another superstar to complement Wade, likely one of the power forwards mentioned above. As for LeBron, his future is much hazier. Personally, I think Cleveland is the best fit in multiple ways. First, the Cavs can pay him more as the incumbent team thanks to the current CBA arrangement that favors the home team. Second, he is a native of nearby Akron. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I think he has a better chance to win in Cleveland. Back to back 60 win seasons and a solid, if unspectacular, supporting cast (Mo Williams, 16/5; Antawn Jamison 19/8 and role guys like Anderson Varejao [can someone explain to me the difference between Varejao and Joakim Noah, one of the guys inevitably mentioned as one of the key pieces for LeBron in Chicago?] and up and comer J.J. Hickson). I certainly think Cleveland can use to add (frankly anyone who does not win the championship has room to improve) but a nice nucleus is in place, a good combination of veterans and young players. You can’t tell me that the Knicks or Nets offer James a better chance to win. The Knicks haven’t won a playoff game in 10 years and have to be wondering what they’re getting for the big money they are paying Mike D’Antoni. The Nets flirted with the worst record in NBA history. I think Chicago and Miami offer LeBron a chance to win but each comes with a caveat. In Chicago, no matter what he ever does, he will NEVER surpass the level of Michael Jordan. His best hope is to be a franchises’ all-time #2. And Derrick Rose needs the ball in his hands so having another alpha dog, even if it's LeBron James, could be a problem. And word is that LeBron wasn't crazy about playing for a defensive minded coach (i.e. lacking offensive creativity) in Mike Brown, but Chicago is going to have a defensive minded coach in Tom Thibodeaux. In Miami, he would join Wade as Alex Rodriguez joined Derek Jeter, a hired mercenary that comes in to help out an extant star, both on and off the floor. That is Wade’s team and it’s hard to envision the Heat as Wade and James’ team. Other destinations have been thrown out, such as the Clippers and Mavericks, but neither is likely to happen. Basically it comes down to what LeBron really wants. If it really is the glitz and glam and global icon status he could obtain in New York (Manhattan or Brooklyn) then fine. If it’s a business decision, I understand. However, if the decision is based on basketball, then Cleveland makes the most sense. Plus he will be expected to be a franchise savior in the Big Apple, and frankly he hasn’t delivered so far in his otherwise brilliant career. New Yorkers are not the most patient fans. If The King does not deliver a championship (or more likely many championships) there will be hell to pay. Conversely, no matter what he does in Cleveland, he will be beloved as the hometown kid who stayed true to his roots. If he leaves, Cleveland (and many other NBA observers) will forever look at him as a coward who left with the job unfinished. If he stays, he will rule Ohio with love and adoration. LeBron must really decide if the allure of New York is truly worth it. So do I think James will do the right (and what is ultimately, to me, the best) thing and stay in Cleveland? I would not bet on it (but I hope he does).

In terms of the remaining free agent class, as I said before, there are many really good, All-Star caliber players, but none worth max money. Chris Bosh seems to be a lock for max money (depending on whether the Trinity unites for slightly less). He’s a good player, 20/9 career. Amare Stoudemire career: 21/9. Bosh is two years younger, which I guess is his best asset in the comparison between the two. As a Suns fan, I really like, but do not love, Amare and I do not think he is worth max money. Thus, the fact that he was not traded at last year’s deadline looms large with the thought of no compensation coming back to Phoenix (assuming, as with all deals, it is not a sign and trade scenario). But I would rather him walk than to overpay. Maybe it’s because Bosh has played his entire career in relative obscurity in the basketball hotbed of Toronto but I am just not blown away by the guy. Again, he’s a very good player. But max money for him would be hard to swallow if I’m an NBA GM (which the Suns need… and I need a job… hmmm). One rumor that’s floated around is that if Amare walks, the Suns would then target David Lee, who despite averaging only 13/10 career is coming off a 20/12 year and is only 27 (almost 6 months younger than Stoudemire), and could be had for far cheaper than Amare. Lee is your classic hustle garbage man, a position the Suns could use. (And as for Suns’ free agents, lock up Louis Amundsen and Channing Frye on the double!) It’s looking like the Hawks are going to overpay Joe Johnson (a Yahoo sports article today decried the possible signing as “the worst ever”). This is what I’m saying. It’s not worth overpaying a guy just because you’re more afraid of losing him with no compensation. Johnson is a good player (18/4/4 career) who is now a 20-a-night guy. But he’s a complementary piece, not a franchise player. The one guy that is both worth it and not worth it in terms of max money is Dirk Nowitzki. Dude is the most unique 7 footer ever. Big and physical, yet silky and clutch anywhere on the floor, Nowitzki is a fabulous player with some questions; namely, does he make you a championship team? He’s been an MVP and led his team to the Finals but somehow he hasn’t sold everyone on his status as franchise cornerstone, myself included. Basically, a max money guy to me is a guy that can deliver a championship and/or is an All-NBA first team no-brainer year in and year out. This year’s stellar crop includes many great players, but few max money guys in my estimation. That said, I foresee more guys than perhaps should walk away with max deals walking away with max deals.

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Since I did not write at the time regarding the Lost finale, I will do so now. Lost is my favorite show of all time. I did not watch season 1 when it aired. I remember seeing the commercial and thinking, "So it's a dramatic Gilligan's Island?" But prior to the beginning of season 2, I caught an hour long recap of the first season and I thought it looked incredible so, armed with the knowledge gleaned from the recap, I began watching season 2, and never missed another episode (and I subsequently watched season 1 in its entirety on dvd later that year). After a lot of thought and reading of forum boards and talking to other Lost fans, I have determined that Lost was a show broken into two main camps-1) those for whom the show was entirely based on the characters and their relationships and 2) those for whom the island's mysteries and the show's mythos was the most important thing. Obviously, most people are a combination of both camps, on some sort of sliding scale. For me, Lost was about 65% about the characters and 35% about the mythos, give or take 5%. The finale did an amazing job of wrapping up the character end of things. Absolute love letter to the fans in terms of the relationships we have come to love in 6 seasons. Very emotional. But as a big fan of the mythology side, I was rather unfulfilled. With mysterious websites and alternative reality games, among other things, the show clearly established a major aspect that was tied into the mysteries of the island itself. And these questions were left almost entirely unanswered (I do concede that this is stated with somewhat of an asterisk because there have been promises of dvd extras for season 6; here's hoping). Also, I would say that the series finale did an amazinng job of wrapping up season 6, but not the series as a whole. It was, after all, a series, not season, finale. I read an article following the finale where the author stated he "loved and hated" the finale. I think that exactly sums up my feelings. All in all, I still freaking love that show and I'm still in a bit of post partum depression now that it's no more. I own season 1-5 and will be first in line for season 6 so I can always, and believe me I will, have The Island in my life. To Jack, Locke, Sawyer, Kate, Hurley, Jin, Sun, Desmond, Penny, Sayid, Charlie, Claire, Michael, Walt, Rose, Bernard, Mr Eko, Ben, Richard, Christian, Juliet, Faraday, Charlotte, Miles, Frank, Widmore, the Dharma Initiative--and especially Nikki and Paulo--etc, etc, etc (for the Danielle's, Ana Lucia's, Boone's, Shannon's, Tom's of the world), and to J.J., Carlton, and Damon, thank you for 6 years I will always cherish (make fun of me all you want... I love Lost!)