Even more important than your hatred for the city of New York is your hatred for the city of Dallas, Texas.  A sports fan from Philadelphia is trained to despise the city of Dallas harder than any other city in America, but the 2011 NBA Finals has caused me to go against everything I have been taught from birth.

In the 2011 NBA Finals, my cheers are reserved for some fine German hops in the form of Dirk Nowitzki. (Credit: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

I find myself cheering for the Dallas Mavericks harder and louder than I have ever cheered for any team from the city of Dallas in my entire life – which isn’t too hard to do considering I’ve been booing teams from that same town for the bulk of my fandom (except the Stars because I secretly had a man crush on Mike Modano in my young hockey watching career).

When the NBA Finals are displayed on my beautiful, high-def television, I’m sitting at the edge of my seat hoping beyond hope and wishing beyond wishes that every shot from Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, little J.J. Barea and every Mavericks player in between goes in.  I hope that LeBron and Wade go a combined 3-45 from the field.  I hope that Chris Bosh gets embarrassed trying to post up Tyson Chandler – something that wouldn’t happen because Bosh, a power forward, seems to have forgotten his post game since moving to Miami.

After game one, I started to feel a little down even though I’ve never cheered for the Mavericks before, but I absolutely lost it when Dirk Nowitzki drained a pretty three pointer and followed with game two winning lay-up after driving right by Chris Bosh from a high isolation set.

My friends and family back home in Philadelphia probably view this column as sacrilege or an act of Philadelphia sports treason. Still there’s reason to cheer for Dallas if you don’t live in the greater Miami metropolitan area. The Dallas Mavericks collectively represent George A. Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh playing the parts of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Chief Gall.  The Mavs are the last stand of true NBA basketball, and the basketball purist in me wants Dallas to win so badly just to protect the sanctity of the sport.

The best thing in any sports league is parity – the idea that any team can win a championship at any given time.  When the Heat brought James and Bosh to Miami to team with Wade, it, to me, started the beginning of the end of my NBA watching.  Even if Kobe Bryant had Pau Gasol, there was the chance that the Boston Celtics with their big three or the Orlando Magic with Howard, Turkoglu & co. could win a championship.

Call me a “Heat Hater”, a “LeBron Loather” or a “Bosh Basher” if you like, but I stand by my opinion that what came about in South Beach is absolutely bad for the NBA.  The Miami Big Three are three of the best players in the game today, and they’re young, which means they could theoretically win every NBA Championship until their contracts run out at the end of the 2014 season (unless they all accept their player options for the next two years).

The Philadelphia sports fan in me would pretend not to know me, but the NBA purist in me smiles proudly when I say: Go Dallas.

If you don’t win, I won’t be watching the NBA until 2016.

If those situations happen to be good moments, then most people don’t have a problem experiencing them again.  Of course, if they are events that lead to gunfire and people dying (a la “The Matrix”), then maybe that cat walking through the hallway is something you want to avoid.

Lebron James and the Miami Heat can't seem to make new experiences vs. the Celtics.

Similarly, the Miami Heat seem to have bad cases of deja vu this season whenever they play against guys wearing green jerseys with white “Celtics” lettering on the front.  Yesterday’s 85-82 loss in Boston reminded everyone why the Celtics are simply not afraid of the “Big 2 featuring Chris Bosh”.

Not only is yesterday’s loss significant because it gives the Celtics control of the #1 seed in the east, but it makes the April 10th game in Miami a must win game for the boys in South Beach.

If you talk to my colleague, Dr. Sports Fan, he may frown at my use of the phrase “must win” because it’s one of those phrases that gets thrown around liberally to get teams to find that hidden gear… but I say, “To hell with you, DSF.  The Miami Heat MUST WIN that game.”

Why?

Think about it.  If the Heat can’t beat Boston in the regular season, there is absolutely nothing that leads me to believe that Miami can do it in a seven game series in the playoffs — when Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, et al seem to always have that fourth, fifth and sixth gear.

Confidence remains an important quality to have when entering the postseason in any sport.  Lebron James and Dwyane Wade have little to be confident about as both men were bounced by the Celtics last year when they were on separate teams in the playoffs — a trend that may continue this year playing together if the Heat can’t figure this thing out.

Watching the Heat play yesterday, it was reminiscent of any pick up basketball game I’ve ever played at the local playground.  One guy has the ball isolated at the top of the key, and the next time around someone else would have the iso play.  Essentially it’s a modified version of the Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James offense.  Lebron gets the ball, and everyone else stands around to watch.  It’s more like an And-1 Mixtape game rather than an NBA game.

The difference in Miami is that two players take turns with this philosophy — LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.  A strategy that doesn’t work against a team like Boston that plays outstanding team defense.  Not only do the Celtics play very well against the iso, but defenders stay home on their men limiting open shots when the pass comes.

Watching the Heat play makes me want to tear my hair out sometimes because I keep yelling at the television begging Lebron or Wade to make the extra pass instead of chucking up horrible shots.  I swear if the camera panned to Spoelstra every time a bad shot went up (about 80% of the Heat’s possessions), you could probably see him on his knees in prayer hoping the ball would go through the nylon.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I’m going to do it anyway.  Pat [Riley].  Erik [Spoelstra].  Who is the point guard of this team?  Do you realize that’s the difference between your team now and the team that owns you?

Rajon Rondo has been Boston's cool breeze when there's Heat in the arena.

When KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were assembled together, there was a little guy named Rajon Rondo that no one knew about.  The big question was if Rondo was good enough to handle playing with three superstars.  Of course, we found out the answer to that question: 10.6 ppg, 5.1 apg & 4.2 rpg in the Celtics championship season of ’07-’08.

Rondo, of course, has evolved since then (even if his jump shot hasn’t), and for obvious reasons — i.e. Miami’s lack of a point guard — Mr. Rondo has been Boston’s refreshing drink of water on a hot day dealing with the Heat:

• October 26, 2010 – 4 points, 17 assists
• November 11, 2010 – 8 points, 16 assists and this dunk
• Yesterday – 11 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists

Rondo has flourished in the immense spotlight of being the engine that drives the Celtics offense, but Miami hasn’t found the same lightning in a bottle.  They tried Chalmers at the point, and that failed.  Eddie House worked about as well as a square peg in a round hole.  Most recently, Lebron has been the point-forward of the team (a la Magic), and that has worked to an extent, but if you’re the Miami Heat, wouldn’t you rather have someone else distributing?

The Heat may get past the lower echelon in the Eastern Conference in the playoffs with the style of ball they’re playing, but it’s clear that doesn’t work against the Celtics or some of the other upper tier teams in the NBA — a group where Miami has a record of 1-6.

Clearly, there is a glitch in the Miami Heat’s matrix that needs to be corrected.  If no changes are made, then it’s hard for me to believe that this team is “the one” until they utilize more of the team based basketball the Celtics deployed to win their championship in year one.

(DISCLAIMER: Erik Spoelstra, head coach of the Miami Heat, did not make those comments, nor do I have any kind of personal relationship with him.  It’s called “scene setting”, folks.  Enjoy!)

As worried as Coach Spo looks, here, he needs to realize he's not the problem in Miami.

Listen, Eric.

The relatively flat season opener in Boston.

The rematch in Miami – (where Rajon Rondo did this).

Paul Milsap channeling his inner Reggie Miller with 11 points in 28 seconds leading to another home loss in overtime.

Last and certainly not least, the 93-77 home loss to the Indiana Pacers – yes, Danny Granger’s Indiana Pacers.

Needless to say, it hasn’t been the NBA record shattering season that you and the Heat planned for when LeBron James proclaimed he was taking his talents to South Beach – the newest way my friends and I here at TBS refer to dropping a deuce, by the way.  In fact, some Heat fans may actually describe the start of the season thus far as those “talents”.

Early last week, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson made comments hinting at a possible mutiny by James, Wade et al to force you out and President Pat Riley to the bench (see Stan van Gundy circa 2002).  I’m not saying Jackson shouldn’t have made those comments because, after all, it’s Phil Jackson.  He’s the best coach in the league and he has a right to his opinion – along with a right to tell people to “kiss the rings.”

No matter how bad things may get in Miami – and they stand to get MUCH worse if you lose to Cleveland on Thursday night in LeBron’s homecoming – you shouldn’t be the scapegoat, and you aren’t to blame.  Look at me, Erik.  Do you believe that statement?  Repeat it because it’s the truth.  I know Dewayne Wade and Pat Riley were the masterminds behind this little cluster-eff that has stumbled to a 10-8 start.

Wade, James and Bosh were all given max contracts but neither your franchise guardyou’re your team president thought to themselves: “Hey, do we need a point guard? Or a physical presence down low? Or, you know.. A BENCH!?!”  No matter how much faith they may have had in Mario Chalmers and/or Carlos Arroyo, you knew sooner or later that wouldn’t work.

When this whole masterpiece was concocted, I saw a glaring weakness in this team, and you’ve seen this reiterated five times this season: Miami will struggle against elite point guards.

• 

  No point guard has killed the Miami Heat this year more than Boston's Rajon Rondo.

  Two games vs. Rajon Rondo: 12 pts, 33 assists – both losses

• Deron Williams: 21 pts, 14 assists – L (granted much of that loss had to do with Milsap’s 46)
• Chris Paul: 13 pts, 19 assists – L
• Steve Nash: 17 pts, 2 assists – W (good moral victory)
• Jason Kidd: 5 pts, 13 assists – L

Kidd’s “elite-hood” may be questionable, but you see my point, right?  Rondo will continue to haunt this team going forward, and don’t even think about what’ll happen when you guys have to play Derrick Rose, Tony Parker or Stephen Curry.  It’ll be frightening.

“I have another problem.  I have nightmares of Karl Malone, Larry Johnson in a dress and Rik Smits having amazing nights against my interior.”

Um.  Spo.  I hate to break this to you, but that was the reality of Paul Milsap, Emeka Okafor and Roy Hibbert.  (How you thought Smits was Hibbert baffles me, by the way.)

Bosh shouldn't ever be the guy you solely depend on for interior defense. Toronto knew that, and Miami's learning the hard way.

Anyway, Erik, you’re not to blame for the GAPING hole in the paint area.  Say what you will about Bosh: great rebounder, shot blocker, etc, but I know something that no one bothered to mention.  Bosh has NEVER been a banger.  He never really struck me as the guy that’s going to get his hands dirty and pull down those traffic rebounds or play insane defense on a physical big man.  He was too busy putting together his All-Star vote for me commercial.

In Toronto, that was Andrea Bargnani.  In Miami, that was Udonis Haslem.  He’s gone now for the year, and that’s something you’re going to have to live with from here on out.  Riley in his infinite wisdom has sought the services of Erick Dampier, which is the equivalent of putting a band aid on a severed arm.

As utterly tragic to watch as Milsap’s 46/9 game was, you guys still haven’t played against Tim Duncan (*yawn*, I know), Carlos Boozer or .. (dramatic pause) .. Pau Gasol & Andrew Bynum.  Now, I don’t want to speculate, but I already bet that Pau Gasol will score 50 points and get 20-25 rebounds… in the first half.

(Okay, this is the point where Spoelstra fainted, so after I revived him, he asked me the following:)

“Well, the one saving grace is that Mike Miller will come back and make everything better.  That’s still going to happen, right?”

Unless Mike Miller averages 20-25 points, 14-16 assists, 15-20 rebounds and plays lock down defense on guys over 6’9” tall, you have misplaced hope.  Miller could help with the whole “not having a point guard” problem, but that’s dependent on LeBron playing the point guard – which he has made it clear he won’t do.

A healthy Mike Miller is the last thing you should be praying for at this point.  You need a point guard who can defend every once in a while, make a few buckets and just assist.  You could also use a banger, a physical guy who does nothing but the dirty work – think Erick Dampier but about 300 years younger.

But everything’s not all bad, Spo.  Your team is fifth in points differential, top-15 in FG% and sixth in points allowed.  If you clean up the fact that you’re in the bottom half in the league in rebounds and overall interior toughness, there’s no reason that you can’t do well.  Of course, I’m one of the many outside of the metropolitan Miami area who wants this thing to go south faster than migrating birds in November, but that’s beside the point.

“This system worked in Boston, though, and they won a Championship in their first year.”

That is true.  It did work.

Because Kevin Garnett was a defensive god in 2008, Ray Allen was the “Jesus Shuttlesworth” of old, and Paul Pierce was, well, Paul Pierce.  Look at that team compared to your Heat.  Rondo and Chalmers were in similar “all I have to do is not screw up” states of mind, but Rondo was a rookie at the time.  No one knew and Rondo became one of the next great point guards.  Chalmers has been in the league for a few years now.  We know he sucks.

We've seen a formula like this work, but these three all deferred to one Paul Anthony Pierce.

The other reason why the ’08 Celtics worked so well is because everyone knew their place.  Yes, they had Ray Allen.  Yes, they had Kevin Garnett, but they (and everyone else basically) deferred to Paul Pierce… the captain.  Ray Ray knew all he really needed to do was knock down open jumpers and drive the lane when Garnett or Pierce got free.  Garnett knew all he had to do was block shots, put up 20/10 every night and hit that sweet 18 foot jumper he loves to put up.

My question to you is this: who is the leader of this team?  It looks as if it’s James, and that should not be the case.  James shouldn’t be leading this team in points, Wade should.  It’s Miami “Wade” County for a reason, Eric.  All James needs to be doing is driving the lane, defending and putting up the occasional jump shot.  If you really want to get frisky, tell LeBron his assists per game average needs to be hovering at around 9 or 10 (7.7 currently).  The mayor of Miami Wade County shouldn’t be deferring to James – needs to be the other way around.  Tell Dwayne to reaffirm himself as the man in this town.

He’s the alpha dog.

He’s Batman.

He’s the Train Man from The Matrix.  (James is Neo in case you’re lost.)

Here’s what I will say.  If Adrian Wojnarowski’s report in Yahoo! Sports is correct and James is unresponsive to actual coaching, who cares.  Keep doing it.  If LeBron is being an impetulant child, then someone needs to pull him aside and set him straight.  You may not be Wade’s guy anymore (as stated in A-Wo’s piece), but you’re THE guy right now.

This look from Riley says it all, but Riley and Wade need to take more of the Heat (no pun intended).

You’ve got 90 wins in your first two seasons with a team that was pretty much Wade plus a bunch of guys fresh out of a World War I infirmary – and the head case formerly known as Michael Beasley.  I wouldn’t blame you if you simply stepped down and told Riley, “You created this.  You coach it.”

But then again, in a perfect world, David Stern would never have allowed this nonsense to go down.

(*If you don’t see a column from me for a while, it’s because David Stern had me arrested and beaten senselessly for that last pot shot.*)

“Miami is going to win the NBA Championship because…”

“Kobe Bryant is going to get his sixth ring this year because…”

“Why does Carmelo Anthony have to leave/stay in Denver?”

“What can we expect from Clippers F Blake Griffin?”

Why should I regurgitate something you’ve already read and have already gotten mad about?  Seriously, how many times in how many different ways can it be reiterated that LeBron James’ decision was one of the worst PR moves in the history of basketball?

It’s a shame that ESPN has regulated the casual sports fan to exhausting one story over months and months in the interests of advertising and ratings.  (Another cheap shot at ESPN.  This is becoming a theme in my columns.)

As the resident guru of Taking Back Sports (in the sense that I write more about the NBA than any of the other columnists), let me help Joe and Jane NBA fan unplug from the ESPN matrix with my Twitter-style review of all 30 NBA teams for the 2010-2011 season.

(For those of you that are new to this, I describe each team in 140 characters or less – not counting the team title.)

Eastern Conference

Atlanta Hawks

Joe Johnson ran to that max contract faster than Michael Vick ran from the feds in ’07. How long before ATL regrets? November?

Boston Celtics

BOS causes most matchup problems for MIA. James/Pierce. Wade/Allen. Who’s keeping Rondo from getting into lane? Legitimate threat to MIA.

Charlotte Bobcats

Wallace & Jackson need more than Tyrus Thomas to help him when CHA lost Felton (12 ppg, 6 apg). What good is this lineup w/out a true PG?

Chicago Bulls

As long as Boozer isn’t getting guarded by a gym bag, the Bulls should be okay with him, Rose and Noah. #3 team in the east on paper.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Really hope Cavs fans aren’t too enthusiastic about a 4-1 preseason. It’ll probably be their best win % all season long. Circle 12/2/10.

Detroit Pistons

Monroe/Villanueva/Prince/Gordon/Stucky with Hamilton & McGrady in the rotation. If McGrady has N.E.THING left, DET could be #7 or 8 in E.C.

Indiana Pacers

Remember when Dunleavy started every game and averaged 19 ppg? Yeah, Pacers fans barely remember that, too, and Granger needs the help.

Miami Heat

Not much else need be said that ESPN hasn’t covered. Waiting patiently for the LeBron jealousy factor. 70 wins is nuts, pencil 60-65.

Milwaukee Bucks

Jennings definitely came as advertised from Italy (15.5 ppg/5.7 apg)..Bogut=doub/doub machine..Salmons=key glue..Maggette=already hurt(EFF!)

New Jersey Nets

Drafted Favors but paid $35 mil for Outlaw. Thank god for Lopez & Harris or there may have been rioting. Can’t get any worse than 12 wins.

New York Knicks

Turiaf/Stoudemire/Gallinari/Mason/Felton=40-45 wins.. Add Carmelo? More or less the same cuz of lack of depth if Gallinari gets traded.

Orlando Magic

Howard is training with “The Dream”, and year 2 of ORL Vin-sanity will be improved from the first. Team still shoots 40% from 3 = deadly!

Philadelphia 76ers

More ?’s about this team than re: Ryan Seacrest’s sexuality.. Who’s the SG? Who’s the SF? Is Turner a bust? When will Brand get hurt?

Toronto Raptors

So, Nets won only 12 games last year. Is it too farfetched to think TOR will be worse? No Bosh + No LEGITIMATE 20 ppg scorer = long year.

Washington Wizards

The plan is to start Wall + Arenas .. I hope Wall is happy with the Gilbert Arenas black hole offense: balls go in, but don’t come out.

Western Conference

Dallas Mavericks

The 2011 Mavericks in 3 sentences: Mark Cuban will run his mouth. Dirk Nowitzki will wear #41. Dallas will lose in the 1st Rd. Book it!

Denver Nuggets

‘Melo. Do yourself a favor. STAY IN DEN! When the Lakers decline, you and Durant will rule the West. Just take ur $60 mil. Trust me.

Golden State Warriors

How does GS recover from this? (http://bit.ly/bHGgpD) – Signing David Lee is a start. With him Ellis & Curry, more favorable moments coming.

Houston Rockets

Yao Ming is turning into the next Shawn Bradley which isn’t a good thing. Hopefully he can come back b/c he makes HOU a player in the West.

Los Angeles Clippers

ON PAPER the Clips can win 40-45 games. Eric Gordon could have breakout season if his performance at FIBA World Champs were any indication.

Los Angeles Lakers

‘11 is the only year I OPENLY ENDORSE THE LAL – simply b/c I dont want MIA to win. I never ask for anything, Kobe. Give me this.

Memphis Grizzlies

Only contract as bad as Joe Johnson’s = Rudy Gay’s. Why didn’t MEM just say “thanks, but no thanks” and build around Mayo? Life’s mysteries.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Drafting Rubio AFTER Flynn was grounds for Kahn’s firing. Giving Milicic $20 mil over 4 yrs calls for termination and exile from Minnesota.

New Orleans Hornets

Nash. Rondo. Paul. The 3 PGs in order that I enjoy watching. Will I be watchin him in NOLA much longer? Probably. Nowhere for him to go.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Watch EVERY OKC game! I (much like many others) am ALL IN on Durant. Durant for scoring title. Durant for MVP. Durant for President.

Phoenix Suns

Not sure how far PHX will go w/ Hedo at PF. With Nash & J-Rich’s 47% 3pt, PHX will be entertaining. May pass the 110 ppg avg in ‘09.

Portland Trail Blazers

Not sure what to make of team that fires a GM days b4 the draft. Still have talent (Roy, Matthews, Oden-if healthy), but decline is coming.

Sacramento Kings

As long as Evans plays SG, SAC will be REALLY good. Also not bad to have DeMarcus Cousins who’ll be on a season-long “eff you” tour.

San Antonio Spurs

Duncan, Parker, Ginobili .. *yawn* .. what sucks is that SA will still be one of the top 4 teams in the West despite how boring they are.

Utah Jazz

Utah lost Boozer but added younger Jefferson in the “2 piece & a biscuit” trade of the offseason. Not having legitimate 2 guard hurts.

As always with these columns, feel free to email me with your team request if you want a summary lasting longer than a virgin male’s first time.

Dez Bryant lugged his pads and equipment along the baked field at Cowboys training camp workouts early Tuesday morning, when the rookie suddenly felt like something was wrong.

Bryant turned his entire body around in his tracks, glancing behind him as teammates started to trudge towards him, many of them dripping with a combination of perspiration and ice-cold, cool-down water. He sensed a few menacing glances from his squad, and saw a couple of heads whispering amongst each other.

Why, Bryant wondered, did he seem to have so few friends on his new team? All he did was bust his tail every single day in practice, often running that extra route, putting up the extra reps in the weight room and even hanging out one-on-one with Tony Romo so that he can develop good chemistry with his quarterback.

Things had been going so well for Bryant at camp, in fact, that he had taken a leap that he was sure would propel him to good standing among the veteran ‘Boys. While other first-year players in the league had to carry pads, suitcases and pay for meals out on the town, Bryant knew he was destined for much greater things than the other neophytes. After all, Romo was already calling this No. 88 “my own Michael Irvin.”

Bryant knew people. He knew a lot of very important people. He was getting great career advice from another young sports star who had it all figured out. He knew what was right for him.

The day LRMR came beckoning was a very exciting day for Bryant. He got to meet and sit down with one of his favorite stars in all of sports — and one of the world’s biggest Cowboys fans — the NBA’s LeBron James.

It was James that initially got him thinking about his future in the game. A star that will surely go down as one of the greats to ever play his sport, James assured Bryant that in order to lift yourself to legendary status, you must lift yourself above all of your teammates, and even the entire league.

“Do you think Jerry Rice ever carried anyone’s shoulder pads at training camp? No way,” said James at a recent meeting for new clients.

Picking up pads? That’s for the second-round draft picks, not him.

Riding with the team on charter flights? Bryant didn’t think so. In order to put himself in a true class of his own, he would have to ride in style on his own. A private jet meant publicity, and publicity meant the first step towards becoming the best receiver ever.

As the sun in the Texas sky began to rise higher, Bryant’s teammates made their way to the dining hall to eat lunch. Not Bryant. He was on his way to meet James for a meal in a hotel suite near the Cowboys’ training facilities. As Bryant and James began digging in to their first course, complete with caviar and champagne, James said something that caught Bryant off-guard.

“If you want to really get people’s attention, really get them talking about you, then you should go on TV and let them know that you are not happy with your contract terms,” James said. “Rip it up and have them draft a new one. The ball is in your court when you are a superstar. Trust me.”

It was then that Bryant knew what he had to do. He had seen James’ hour-long TV show. It initially seemed a little unnecessary to him, but for the first time in his life, Bryant didn’t feel like The Man on his own team. He had to get that feeling back.

“OK, so why don’t I just go on ESPN and let everyone know that I’m…unhappy,” Bryant reticently suggested.

“Now you are seeing it,” James said, grinning ear-to-ear as he sipped bubbly from his champagne stem.

Comforted, Bryant slunk back into his chair, feeling like the power of a King was behind him.

And just like that, the transformation was done. Another one of sports’ young, promising stars had seen the light, seen that the business side of the game that drives individuals to perform makes a star truly that: an individual. Individuals build the brand. And the team is merely a vehicle to showcase their talent. Players like James — and now Bryant — just get it.

So here’s to the bright future of professional sports, and to all of us out there who call ourselves fans.

We’re following the leader. The leader. The leader. We’re following the leader, wherever he may go…

Welcome to the NBA in July of 2010, a league where superstars playing on a team without other superstars is akin to bringing a knife to a gun fight. When Lebron James and Chris Bosh joined forces with Dwayne Wade on the Miami Heat, the rest of the NBA took notice. Reigning two-time MVPs tend to create waves when they join another great player’s team. Call it unselfish, call it giving up, call it whatever you want. The fact is that Lebron has changed the NBA. (Check out this re-enactment of Lebron’s destruction of Cleveland from our resident cartoonist, Milton.)

Paul sees this, and he wants a piece of the pie. So naturally ESPN is reporting that he’s requested to be traded away from New Orleans, via anonymous sources. Yay! More rumored stories sources. (Didn’t we already leave this party?) Rumors are already swirling, and he’s either going to the Knicks to join Amar’e Stoudemire (and eventually Carmelo Anthony) or to Orlando to play with Dwight Howard, the latter of which sources close to him believe is his preferred choice. Ugh.

Can we really blame anyone in this situation? I say yes and no.

Lebron James has every right to sign and play with his BFF’s and “take his talents to South Beach” just as Chris Paul also has every right to want a realistic shot to win a title. In today’s NBA, he has no shot on the Hornets.

David West, Peja Stojakovic, Marcus Thornton, and Emaka Okafor — not a bad starting five, Paul included. But compare those names to some of the other starting lineups in the NBA, and do you think those five have a shot in hell against these teams?

Los Angeles Lakers

• Derek Fisher
• Kobe Bryant
• Ron Artest
• Pau Gasol
• Andrew Bynum/Lamar Odom

Boston Celtics

• Rajon Rondo
• Ray Allen
• Paul Pierce
• Kevin Garnett
• Kendrick Perkins/Jermaine O’Neal

Miami Heat

• Mario Chalmers/Mike Miller
• Dwyane Wade
• Lebron James
• Chris Bosh
• Any 7-footer on the planet

Are we seriously expecting Paul — a guy who’s competitiveness led to some pissiness with Michael Jordan during a charity pool tournament — to look at some of those lineups and feel like the Hornets have a chance at winning a title anytime in the near future? If the best players in the league are all on the same four or five teams, that leaves the rest of the league with a lower class of players. For now, the NBA Championship discussion begins and ends with the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat.

As for the rest of us who root for the other 27 NBA franchises? Enjoy watching teams with pretty much no chance for a championship.

You can’t blame the players for wanting to win. In fact, it’s a nice change of pace that these guys are more than willing to sacrifice individual numbers for a shot a postseason glory. Congratulations, sports fans, we’ve finally got the “unselfish” star players we’ve always wanted!!

With that said, the future of sports as we know it have irrevocably changed. And it’s not for the better.

“The Decision” was a new low for sports media coverage. Forget about how he ripped the hearts out of his hometown, championship-starved fans.  An hour of programming to hear seven words was asking a little too much from the viewing public — not including the hours and hours and hours (and hours) of coverage on ESPN devoted entirely to debating where LBJ should go and why. He’s a great player and all, but for crying out loud we don’t need to spend our lives endlessly wondering where he’s going.

Lebron doesn’t live under a rock. He knows that the Worldwide Leader in Sports stopped everything to give him an hour of programming for free. If that’s not a boost to the old ego, I don’t know what is.

Other NBA superstars had to take notice as well. After watching the Lebron love-fest summer of ‘10, you know that the next group of stars that were born and bred in the reality TV era want a piece of that pie. In a world when teams usually hold all the cards, the players can sense the pendulum switching to their side of the court.

It’s also no coincidence that a proud man like Chris Paul is now publicly stating that he can’t win by himself. When the leader breaks rank and changes the rules, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of those in line follow suit.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

In short, you have a right to voice your opinions. Needless to say, thank god David Stern has nothing to do with the federal government.

Why is Dan Gilbert being crucified for speaking his mind? (SOURCE: Associated Press)

After losing the now despised hometown hero Lebron James to the Miami Heat, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wrote an open letter to heartbroken and betrayed Cavs fans voicing his opinions on how Lebron went about his public humiliation of the city. Gilbert’s letter was about as warm and loving as a kick in the crotch, but to be fair, that’s just what Lebron did first.

Whenever you are blindsided with bad news, psychiatrists always suggest that you talk out your problems. That’s what Gilbert did, and he was fined $100,000 by David Stern as a result because NO ONE can talk badly about things that Stern is responsible for.

But if you’re a fan, player, front office guy, beer vendor, etc., you have to be encouraged by what Dan Gilbert did. He showed passion, and he showed determination. Gilbert has a team that really isn’t that great on paper, but that’s okay because he’s got heart.

Some say that Gilbert’s letter will cause future free agents not to sign with the Cavs. Why? Can anyone make sense of that? He was only burned by arguably the best player in the NBA. You can give him a pass for being a little upset about it.

Of course, David Stern wasn’t the only person to voice his opinion about Gilbert’s letter. Leave it to the Reverend Jesse Jackson to take a story that has nothing to do with race and possibly turn it into a story that’s racially charged. When the Rev decided to open his mouth, you knew it couldn’t be good.

“His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality.  He sees Lebron as a runaway slave.”

Sometimes you really have to wonder whether or not Jackson thinks before he speaks. First, would be the obvious chronological problem with that statement (Jackson was born in 1941, so how would he know what a slave master mentality is); and second, NBA players make millions of dollars every year, so they’re actually paid for their work.

You can only discard that aspect of the story because its so ridiculous, but Gilbert continues to be criticized for his remarks. In an age where many see the super team in Miami as being beneficial to the league (something totally wrong in my opinion), it’s nice to know that at least one person disagrees. Because of that, I give Dan Gilbert full permission to bad mouth whoever he wants as it relates to Mr. James and the unholy alliance he has become a part of.

(If you’re interested in where the rest of the top tier free agents should sign, check out the Phoenix’s NBA free agency column.)

Jack of All Sports

Let me kick things off by saying that Lebron should go west, like Fievel, to the Clippers, that is if owner Donald Sterling –a.k.a. Notorious C.H.E.A.P. — is willing to pony up a max contract. LeBron on a team with Blake Griffin and Baron Davis, and playing in the same town as Kobe? Yowser! Imagine all the extra sponsorship money for LeBron with new Nike puppet commercials!

The Phoenix

I can’t argue with the Clippers. Los Angeles already has a good young nucleus in place, and LeBron instantly makes them players in the west. I mean, the starting five for the Clips would be Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Lebron James, Blake Griffin and Kaman. To quote Jim Ross, GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY! Unfortunately, Donald Sterling gives me the same feeling I got when Rush Limbaugh joined the ESPN NFL Countdown crew. To quote Star Wars, I have a bad feeling about this.

Honestly, LeBron, stay in Cleveland. You are not what went wrong. Shaq was what went wrong. Yeah, I get the Dwight Howard factor, but the Celtics beat Orlando this year without an overpaid, broken down 300-pound roadblock. Why? They simply put bodies on Howard and had athletic guys on the shooters. All O’Neal ended up doing in Cleveland was the same thing he did in Phoenix — get in the way. When your primary offense involves getting to the rim, putting Shaq’s big ass in the way is not exactly the right thing to do.

Here are a few names to consider this off-season. Number one, Ronnie Brewer. He’s 6-foot-7, 220 pounds and plays lock down defense. This frees up LBJ on the offensive end because he wouldn’t have to guard the best guy on the floor every night. Number two — he’s what Dr. Sports Fan refers to as an “Adio Royster Guy” — Mike Miller. They SHOULD HAVE gotten Miller in the Jameson trade. He’s deceptively athletic and shoots 40 percent from three point land. You can start Miller (because you don’t have any other shooting guards) or bring him off the bench (since he was the ‘06 Sixth Man of the Year).

Dr. Sports Fan

No question, Mike Miller is a charter member of “Adio Royster Guys”. But back to the issue at hand. While each of you make strong arguments that Lebron should go to Los Angeles or stay in Cleveland, why shouldn’t LBJ should go to the Knicks. IN NEW YORK! Those streets will make him feel brand new, right?

Ok, corny jokes aside. Do we really want to be in a world in which Lebron James is in every single commercial like Kobe Bryant circa the 2001 Finals, you know pre-rape and before his cat fight with Shaq? That’s the reality we’re looking at if James signs in L.A. or N.Y.C. I mean, if he’s already in a bunch of commercials now, it’s only going to get worse when he can shoot one on an off-day midseason.

As I’m writing this response on Tuesday evening, the big reports are that King James has met up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and the trio plan on signing together, most likely in Miami. While this instantly puts the Heat in the NBA’s penthouse suite with the Lakers and Celtics, are we — as fans — ready for the media frenzy of an LBJ/D-Wade alpha male combo? How long until we start getting stories from Dan Lebatard in the Miami Herald quoting anonymous sources that say Lebron wants a trade? This free agency needs to reset the pieces of the NBA chess board for the next ten years. We can’t have any alpha male drama between Wade and James.

So I’ve decided to agree with the Phoenix on this one. Lebron must stay in Cleveland to deliver a title. After all, he is the chosen one right?

Jack of All Sports

As cool as it would be to see LeBron in Los Angeles, I am ultimately also with the Phoenix and would like to see him stay in Cleveland. The city certainly needs him to stay — the Cavaliers were really hanging by a thread before LeBron arrived –and the team has the cap space to bring in help for him so that he can win a title. The pressure on LeBron’s shoulders will be immense if he signs a deal anywhere besides Cleveland, and that is a distraction he needn’t subject himself.

In a sports era defined by a distinct lack of loyalty, wouldn’t it be a great story for LeBron to stick with his home-state club for his entire career, bring home a title, and save the NBA in Cleveland?

My condolences to Spike Lee and Jay-Z. The Empire State didn’t win out on this edition of 5-Min Break.

Dr. Sports Fan

Score one for the Phoenix! Any parting words or a victory lap, Mr. Royster?

The Phoenix

Victory lap? What do you think I am, some kind of egotistical maniac? I’m totally fine with the joy of a successful argument as I sip the finest wines from glasses comprised of old windows of the Sistine Chapel.

When Michael Jackson died last year, I was eating an Oreo cookie. Mid-dunk, I saw the bold red ‘breaking news’ font that just about every online news agency uses. When it was revealed that Pamela Anderson had a sex tape, I was frantically searching online despite the fact that my parents checked my browser history at the time. I just didn’t care.

In 24 hours, I’ll most likely be at work — despite all my urges to take a half day — with my cell phone on waiting text messages and Twitter updates with a general theme: “NBA Player X signs with Team A”. When some of these players sign with teams, I want to be able to look back on July 1, 2010 — the beginning of the most ballyhooed free agency period in professional sports (..yes, I used the word ballyhooed in a sentence..) — and say simply that I called it.

Everyone and their pets are trying to predict where LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer and (now) Dirk Nowitzki are going to sign. Of course, I have my own theories. I apologize in advance for making sense in some of these, but I just can’t help myself.

Keep in mind, I am merely concerned about the top tier free agents. If you want to know where Tyson Chandler is going to end up, you can find that out. But if you’re one of those fans on ‘Amir Johnson watch 2010’, you’re in the wrong place.

Another thing to note is that I’m assuming everyone exercises their early termination. Anyone with one of those can’t call their agent fast enough, anyway. Last, but not least, I think signing two or three max guys is a bit foolish. Yeah, you’ve got two or three of the best guys in the league, but who else. With that in mind, I only see one team that logically should do it. Now that’s out of the way, let’s get started.

LeBron James — remains with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The King of Cleveland should stay that way since he can hand pick his coach and general manager. Byron Scott and Kevin Pritchard, come on down. After that, it’s just a matter of getting the right people around LeBron James. A 300-pound roadblock and a guy who has too much in common with Gilbert Arenas is not what they should have in mind.

Dump Shaq and get more athletic. I get the Shaq for Howard argument, but there’s a better way to do it: like Boston’s way (bodies for Howard & athletic guys for the shooters). Enter Tyson Chandler and Mike Miller. All Chandler does is block shots and grab rebounds. Perfect. All Mike Miller does is shoot 40% from 3PT and be surprisingly nimble on the wing. Perfect. Done and done. If that doesn’t work, Antawn Jameson’s contract ends at the end of next season … Perfect.

Dwyane Wade — resigns with the Miami Heat. There’s something lovely about being the guy that everyone wants to play with. LeBron wants to play with him. Bosh wants to play with him. Wade is like the kid in the neighborhood that always gets picked first. He already has a ring, and he knows how to get there if the ‘09-’10 season is any indication. The fact that Miami made the playoffs is still baffling.

Miami can take another max contract even after giving Wade one, and this is the only team where two max guys makes any sense. Add Carlos Boozer to the corpse of Jermaine O’Neal in the front court. Use what’s left to pry Raymond Felton from Larry Brown’s fingers, move Michael Beasley to small forward (where he may be more productive) and watch the wins pile up.

Chris Bosh — signs with the Chicago Bulls. The rumor is that wherever LeBron goes, Bosh is sure to follow like Mary’s little lamb. Take a look at some of these recent inside-outside combos:

• Magic Johnson/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• John Stockton/Karl Malone
• Steve Nash/Amare Stoudemire
• Mark Jackson/Rik Smits

Okay, maybe not the last one, but there’s a point. Take an all-world point guard, give him a big man and build around it. A Chris Bosh/Derrick Rose union instantly makes the Bulls major players in the East. Only problem is they don’t have a shooting guard. Solution: Use that money you were going to spend on another max guy to get Ray Allen. The Finals performance may scare you away, but he’s still Jesus Shuttlesworth. He’s still the guy who can rattle off 20-25 ppg.  If you don’t want to overpay for Allen, Randy Foye is a younger and capable substitute.

Amare Stoudemire — signs with the New Jersey Nets. Okay, before everyone’s jaw drops simultaneously, hear the plan. Remember the reason for Chris Bosh joining Chicago and Derrick Rose? Same rule applies here to adding Amare Stoudemire to a team that has a top-10 point guard in Devin Harris. Add Brook Lopez and an emerging young shooting guard in Courtney Lee. Chris Douglas-Roberts becomes the guy in the starting five that concentrates on lock-down defense, and suddenly, you’ve got a 35-40 win team for the ‘Mad Russian’.

If the Nets really wanna take a giant leap, see if Paul Pierce wants to join in on the action. Pierce won’t command the ball like a Rudy Gay or a Joe Johnson, but he does bring a winning attitude to a team which, quite frankly, didn’t do a lot of winning last year. The Nets probably don’t want to become the Detroit Lions of the NBA, so changing the culture of the team is necessary.

Joe Johnson — signs with the New York Knicks. Basically Johnson goes to the Knicks because New York will probably miss out on everyone else. Why, you ask? Because with the exception of Mike D’Antoni, the Knicks have nothing to build around. Johnson will join David Lee and invest in Kevlar because when the Knicks panic when their fans make like Los Angeles in 1992 … wait for it… Gilbert Arenas will be traded to the Knicks! The best the Knicks could possibly hope for is a Johnson/Rudy Gay/David Lee combo with Chris Duhon running the point and a decaying talent in Eddy Curry at center.

At 12:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 1, it would only be fitting if NBA Commissioner David Stern walked out of the NBA offices and played a trumpet like they do before the Kentucky Derby. At the end of the day, some teams will win, others will show and some will just flat out lose. Needless to say, it’s going to be fun to see which NBA horse ends up in the winner’s circle.