July 1st is here and the mayhem has begun. The most anticipated free agent period of recent history (maybe even all-time) is open. Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, and other extremely talented players are all out on the market, and the teams have begun to jockey for position to land these big stars first. But of course, it all revolves around one man: LeBron James. Here's a quick summary of the teams most in the running to sign him.
Miami Heat
Reasons to sign: The allure of Miami beach is a great outside point for the Heat's presentation. There is a good chance that Dwyane Wade will return to Miami, and the team could also lure in top power forward Bosh. With those two and LeBron, there's almost a guarantee that Pat Riley would take over as head coach.
Reasons not to sign: Signing Wade, Bosh, and James would be impossible for the money all 3 are seeking, so LeBron would have to take less money to sign with the Heat (it would still be a ridiculous amount of money for us mere mortals, but a comparison is a comparison). While Miami has a great climate and nightlife, the fan support is, like most Florida sports teams, slim. The crowd number every night at American Airlines Arena is never near capacity. Finally, all the critics would question whether this was Wade's team or LeBron's team, and also if LeBron could win a championship as the star, as opposed to winning one as Wade's sidekick or equal.
Los Angeles Clippers
Reasons to sign: ...Umm...well, they do have some young talent with Blake Griffin coming back from injury. Aside from that, this is pretty much a joke.
Reasons not to sign: I could probably fill multiple blogs with this section, but I think I'll just slim it down. The Clippers have a history of being cursed, not only with bad seasons, but with star players that end up spending more time with the trainer than on the court. Also, there's no way LeBron wants to be in the same town as Kobe, where he and his team would play second fiddle.
New Jersey Nets
Reasons to sign: Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire and new majority owner of the Nets, has promised to spend the money necessary to turn the Nets into a championship team, and has already hired Avery Johnson as the new head coach. Rap mogul Jay-Z also is an icon to lure LeBron to the Nets, who will relocate to Brooklyn in a couple years. He would also be surrounded by young talent, including Brooke Lopez, Devin Harris, and newest draft pick Derrick Favors.
Reasons not to sign: The team is coming off a 12-win season (for those of you who aren't great at math, that's 70 losses). And while this is a talented young roster, there's no guarantee they can land another big free agent star to help LeBron out. Plus, like the Clippers, this team plays second fiddle to nearby rival New York Knicks.
Now we get to the 3 main candidates to land LeBron James on their squad.
New York Knicks
Reasons to sign: The main selling point for the Knicks is their city. The New York city lifestyle can be very enticing to someone who constantly wears a Yankees hat, even to Cleveland sports games. Playing for a New York team would push LeBron to ultimate stardom. If he decides to sign with the Knicks, it would be for his own personal fame and legacy.
Reasons not to sign: Unfortunately, the city is the best reason to come to New York. While Mike D'Antoni has proven in the past to be a playoff-worthy coach, the team lacks any kind of current team chemistry or overall look. The Knicks will have to flex some of their financial muscle and convince LeBron that they can land a couple more big name free agents to help him out.
Chicago Bulls
Reasons to sign: The Bulls currently have the best roster available for LeBron to land on (which he experienced first hand in the playoffs) with names like Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, and of course, star point guard Derrick Rose. And after dumping a few players, they have cleared cap space to add at least one more big name free agent to accompany LeBron, such as Bosh or Stoudemire. Add their current roster and potential to the rich franchise history of the Bulls, and they appear to be the most logical option for James. If he goes to the Bulls, he would be doing it for his career and for the best chance to win a championship right now.
Reasons not to sign: Again, the Bulls cannot offer LeBron as much as another team can, but that's not the biggest issue. If LeBron signs with the Bulls, he will have to understand that, no matter how well he does, he will always be in Michael Jordan's shadow and can never be the symbol of the franchise.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Reasons to sign: The Cavaliers will offer LeBron the max contract, something no other team will be able to do. They also made a great move by hiring Byron Scott, as LeBron as said before that he wanted to play for a former player. And, the biggest selling point, LeBron is from Akron, and has been with the Cavs for 7 seasons and if he leaves now, it will be seen as a failure. If he signs with with Cleveland, it will be about loyalty and finishing what he started (and a little bit about money).
Reasons not to sign: The problem with staying in Cleveland for LeBron is that he is taking a risk of just more of the same. If Cleveland just keeps adding mediocre players and not focusing on skill or chemistry, LeBron will never get any closer to that championship. Cleveland needs to pick up a Bosh or Stoudemire and bring someone else in via a trade to boost their roster and really win LeBron over.
Personally, I hope and believe that LeBron will stay in Cleveland, and Wade will stay in Miami. From there it's hard to tell. Being a Rockets fan, I hope we land at least Bosh or Stoudemire.
Predictions Record: 5-3
United States and Portugal were very disappointing in their games, with Cristiano Ronaldo not even showing up. The Paraguay-Japan was a tough call and, honestly, I changed my mind a couple times before picking Japan. Still, 5-3 is a positive record so I'll take it, considering I'm not at all an expert.
Quarterfinals Predictions:
Netherlands v. Brazil: Netherlands appears to be one of the few teams that can take down Brazil, but Brazil is starting to catch fire with a 3-0 victory over Chile. ESPN analyst Alexi Lalas still has faith in the Dutch, and despite my past mistakes, I still can't believe that the #1 team will make it all the way. This is probably due to my college basketball experience where the top team never wins the tournament. Netherlands is my pick.
Uruguay v. Ghana: There is no way I'm going to pick Ghana in this game. They are the youngest team in the World Cup and they are going against a South American nation. On a personal note, of course, they defeated the U.S. Also, Uruguay has really impressed me since the beginning of the World cup. Uruguay is my pick.
Argentina v. Germany: Germany has been really impressive so far, knocking England out 4-1 in the previous round. They look to be a real darkhorse along side Netherlands. However, Argentina has been even more impressive, with the World Cup scoring leader Gonzalo Hiquain, and of course, Lionel Messi. And because I picked Argentina from the beginning, I have to pick them here. Argentina will advance.
Paraguay v. Spain: This is easily the most lopsided game of the quarterfinals. Paraguay barely skimmed by Japan in PK's, while Spain took down a much tougher Portugal by one goal. David Villa is absolutely on fire right now, and if Torres can catch any of that, Spain will be unstoppable. Spain is moving on.
Anyway, I'm dead tired and I kinda rushed the end of this blog anyway. Next blog should be about after the quarterfinals. Until then, thanks for reading.
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