Posts Tagged ‘delonte west’

NBA Rumor: Smush Parker Wants To Return To the League

August 10th, 2010

No, it's not breaking news worthy, nor is it even article worthy, but I thought I'd  give a shout out to Smush Parker. Since entering the NBA, Smush has played with:

Cleveland - 66 games (2002-2003)

Detroit - A whopping 11 games (2004-2005)

Phoenix - A mind-blowing 5 games (2004-2005)

Lakers - During the "dark times" playing 82 games both seasons. That just goes to show you how desperate the Lakers were during that time frame (2005-06, 2006-07).

Miami Heat - Nine games during their dominating 15 win season (2007-08)

Clippers - 19 games during the Clippers' 23 win season (2007-08)

He's played the equivalent of three full NBA seasons in the the six he's been around, boasting an impressive NBA career stat sheet of: 9.0 ppg, 1.2 spg, 2.9 apg, 70 percent free throw percentage, 34 percent three-point percentage, 42 percent field goal percentage, 25.8 minutes per game.

We all remember Smush dissing Kobe.

People who follow the Lakers remember this special guy.  He helped the Lakers to an impressive 45-win season (2005-06) and a remarkable 42-win season (2006-07).

I still can't believe the Miami Heat gave this guy $2.2 million one year, and $1.6 million the following season. I still laugh about that to this day.

Parker hasn't played ball in the USA since the 2007-08 season. Since his great departure, he has taken his "talents" to China, playing in the Chinese Basketball Association, for the Guandong Southern Tigers Hongyuan. He has taken them to new heights, helping them win back to back titles!

Rumor has it though, he wants to come back to play top-level ball in the NBA.

I wonder if any teams will be looking to acquire Parker for his services? Maybe Cleveland will take him back! They are short a guard after dropping Delonte West.

Smush Parker, you have officially had your 15 minutes of fame on B/R.

Good luck on your awaited return to the NBA, where the world's elite play.

 

Delonte West: Worth the Trouble?

August 5th, 2010

As expected, Minnesota waived recently acquired guard Delonte West, whose $4.6 million salary was only guaranteed for $500,000. 

Much has been made of West's struggles over the past year. 

He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  He plead guilty to weapons charges.  Rumors swirled about an affair between him and LeBron James's mother.

Not surprisingly, his play on the court suffered.  Being released by David Kahn—a man who has never met a backup point guard he didn't love—is just the latest indignity.

But Kahn's move was largely for financial reasons.  West simply isn't worth paying $4.6 million.  But forget about money: Is Delonte West worth a roster spot period?

I say yes.  For all his troubles, he's a 27-year-old, 6'3" combo guard who is good defensively, can run the pick and roll, and is a decent spot up shooter with three point range.

He probably can be acquired cheaply, and if he struggles either on or off the court, he could easily be released.

But which teams should take a look at Delonte?

Boston Celtics

The Celtics recognized their need for a backup point guard when they drafted Avery Bradley.  But Bradley—as highly touted coming out of high school as John Wall—disappointed in his lone year at Texas.

Ball handlers Nate Robinson and Marquis Daniels are also coming back for the Celtics, though each has their own shortcomings.  Robinson has a scorer's mentality, and his size makes him a defensive liability.  Marquis Daniels meanwhile is injury prone and while he can handle a little, he is probably best reserved for backing up Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

Boston is also an older team, which means fewer teammate MILFs for West to prowl. A definite plus.

Could a homecoming be in store for West?  Rumor has it that the Celtics are in discussions to sign Shaquille O'Neal.  If Boston is willing to sign one Cavalier who might cause issues, why stop there?

Charlotte Bobcats

After losing Raymond Felton to the Knicks in free agency, the Bobcats point guard job will fall to either D.J. Augustin or Shaun Livingston.

Yeah, I'm not impressed either.

Augustin has a nice outside shot, but is undersized and took a step back in his sophomore campaign.  Livingston has nice size at 6'7", but has a limited outside shot on a team that desperately needs shooters. He's also injury prone, as he's never managed to play in more than 61 games in a year.

West would be a good fit for the Bobcats.  He could split time with Augustin and even play shooting guard alongside Livingston and then cross-match on defense.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers recently traded West away in a deal that netted them Ramon Sessions. Could he be headed right back?

Well, with Sessions, Mo Williams, Daniel Gibson, Anthony Parker, and rookie Christian Eyenga, there's really no minutes left for West in the guard rotation.

And given the headaches West gave the franchise, it's probably best he gets a fresh start somewhere else.

Still, I'd love it just because of the "You can head SOUTH! But your mom is riding WEST!" t-shirt that is spreading through Cleveland.

Anything that helps Cleveland get under LeBron's skin is worth doing, am I right? Eh? Eh? Ok, maybe not.

Dallas Mavericks

Ok, the Mavs don't make much sense basketball-wise for West, as they've got a packed backcourt rotation.  But with West and Jason Kidd, Dallas could really corner the market on point guards with the most Yahoo Answers threads asking what race they are.

Indiana Pacers

T.J. Ford could be their starter again this year.  Combustible rookie Lance Stevenson could be the backup.  I think I've said enough.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers still need to fill out their roster, and with Jordan Farmar gone and Shannon Brown contemplating more money elsewhere, another guard will be needed.  The Lakers also managed to win a title with Ron Artest, so I doubt they won't be able to handle West's issues.

Still, continuity would probably be best for the champions, who should only consider West if they can't bring back Brown.

Memphis Grizzlies

Quick, name the Grizzlies' back up point guard! 

What's that?

Why yes, you're right, it's rookie Greivis Vasquez!

No wonder the Grizzlies experimented with O.J. Mayo running the point during the summer league.  (An experiment that was a miserable failure, I might add.)

If the Grizzlies are willing to hand the backup point guard spot to the likes of Jamaal Tinsley and Marcus Williams, they should have no hesitancy to give West a chance.

Miami Heat

With Carlos Arroyo, Mario Chalmers, Eddie House and a host of guards fighting for 15th roster spot, point guard is one of the Heat's few weaknesses.

House can shoot, but he can't defend or bring the ball up.

Arroyo can initiate the offense, but has no three point shot and isn't a great defender.

Chalmers theoretically could be the answer, but took major steps back in his second season.

Basketball wise, Delonte West would make a lot of sense.  His three point shooting and defense are what the Heat need out of the position, as LeBron and Wade will no doubt be the primary ball handlers.

Of course, if the rumors about West and LeBron's mother are true, there's no way LeBron would allow this to happen.

New York Knicks

The Knicks already have Raymond Felton and Toney Douglas manning the point, but Mike D'Antoni has never been afraid to go small and put shooters on the floor.  The Knicks could use some guard depth, so West makes some sense for them.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings have both Tyreke Evans and Beno Udrih, but neither can guard opposition point guards particularly well.  Evans and Udrih shared the court a decent amount last year, with Evans running the point but cross matching on defense.  West could fill a similar role. 

However with Francisco Garcia returning from injury to play the two, there probably won't be as many minutes available.

 

How about it?  Where should Delonte West land? Is he worth the trouble?



Delonte West to the L.A. Lakers? It’s Not Worth the Headache

August 5th, 2010

The Minnesota Timberwolves waived guard Delonte West in an effort to save money, and while there will undoubtedly be more than a few NBA teams who may request his services, I just hope the Los Angeles Lakers are not one of them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that West is a decent defensive player, and he would give the Lakers more size in their backcourt, but it's West's underlying issues that have me a little wary.

When West was pulled over by police carrying a large number of guns and an ounce of marijuana, the first thought that crossed my mind was, where in the hell was he going?

When it was revealed that West suffered from bi-polar disease the situation was explained, but it didn't lessen the circumstances surrounding West's arrest, especially the small arsenal of weapons he was carrying.

It should be safe to assume that West failed to take his medicine that day, but what if his transgression had occurred under the lights and media scrutiny of Los Angeles?

That's not to say West shouldn't be forgiven for his mistake, but considering what his mistake involved and West's volatile condition, should the Lakers really take that chance?

West's situation reminds me of Seth Rogen's character Ronnie in the movie "Observe and Report," because both suffered from the same disease, and both decided to eschew their medication, which led to damaging results.

In the movie Ronnie's decision led to him not being accepted into the Police Academy and being forced to witness his life spiral downwards, but in West's case the consequences could have been far worse.

What if he had made it to his destination before police pulled him over while carrying six guns?

It could be argued that West didn't make it to his destination so any speculation is a moot point, but does that mean it would never happen again?

This goes beyond basketball because I'm sure Lakers' coach Phil Jackson could deal with West's sporadic, volatile attitude, considering the variety of personalities Jackson deals with on a daily basis.

Lakers' fans appreciate the talents of their team, but they also love the diversity of their personalities, and all the weird quirks of their nature.

Most people assumed Ron Artest would implode the Lakers' locker room, but beyond a few weird hair styles, and his tendency to create sound bytes, he easily assimilated to the Lakers' culture.

Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum also have quirky sides which endear them to Laker fans, but unlike West, none of their quirks involve guns or the potential for violence.

The Lakers may lose Shannon Brown to free agency and West would appear to be the ideal replacement since there are parts of his game that are actually superior to Brown's.

West is a better outside shooter, he may be a better defensive player, and he can rival Brown's athleticism as well. But it's not West's physical talents that I am worried about.

West's mental state concerns me more than anything pertaining to basketball, and even though he may have his disease under control, can the Lakers live with the potential of it happening again?

 

 

Delonte West : The True Culprit of LeBron’s Departure From Cleveland?

August 4th, 2010

Did Delonte West have an affair with Gloria James?

That's the question that everyone wants to know the answer to this NBA off-season. Delonte West was as well known outside of Cleveland as Jamario Moon or Anthony Parker, but then he was rumored to do the unthinkable. 

He apparently had an affair with the mother of the former savior of Cleveland sports, LeBron James. Now, this rumor was denied by both lawyers of James and West, but there are indications that the rumors are true. 

In the video below, Bill Simmons gives his thoughts on the nasty Delonte West rumor, but he has to do this on a radio show because ESPN policy is not to talk about rumors of that nature on the job.

Simmons confidently states, "It's true." 

This is referring to the rumor that Delonte West had an affair with Gloria James, and West was the possibly the cause of LeBron's disinterest after his stellar Game 3 performance. 

Rumors had circulated that before Game 4, Mo Williams decided to break the news to LeBron that everyone in the Cavaliers locker room knew. Delonte had been having relations with his mother.

This news would be a very valid explanation for quite possibly the biggest choke in Cleveland Cavaliers history, and the beginning of the end for LeBron and the Cavaliers. 

Basketball Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy took to the airwaves in late May, and became the most high-profile person to date to back the rumors.

"It ain't no rumor," he told a Houston ESPN Radio station, calling the claims "absolutely true" and "absolutely horrifying." He went on:

"Unfortunately, my sources in the NBA tell me that it's absolutely true. My sources, and they're legit, tell me that the only people that didn't know it was happening was LeBron and me."

The creepy thing is that West was uncharacteristically awful against the Celtics.  One of the few Cavaliers who can manufacture his own shot, and more importantly, isn’t afraid of taking big shots, West has played well in the playoffs throughout his career.

Starting in Game 4 of the Cavs vs. Celtics series, West played some of the worst basketball of his career.

He didn’t play a minute in the second half of Game 5 and was horrible in Game 6, committing turnovers on three consecutive possessions in the first half to help fuel a 10-0 Celtics run.

Meanwhile, listless LeBron began to manifest itself in Game 4, when the MVP was less aggressive than usual.  We all know what happened in Game 5.

The truth to the rumors don't stop there, either.

LeBron recently took out a full-page ad to thank the city of Akron, but never once tried to thank the city of Cleveland.

The people of Cleveland may have been betrayed by LeBron, but LeBron was betrayed by nearly the entire Cleveland Cavaliers team.

As Bill Simmons stated, "Ilgauskas is the only close friend on that team now."

Perhaps Big Z was the only Cavs player out of the loop on the rumor. He is LeBron's close friend, and he was out of the loop for a good month while waiting to return after being bought out by the Washington Wizards.

The city of Cleveland has largely blamed LeBron for quitting on his city, but now we know the possible reason for his quitting.

Did Delonte West ruin the Cavaliers chances at a title and re-signing the King?

I guess only LeBron, Gloria, and Delonte know the answer to those questions and more. 

LA Lakers Seeking To Unload Sasha Vujacic to Minnesota Timberwolves

July 30th, 2010

The Los Angeles Lakers have contacted the Minnesota Timberwolves about the possible salary dump of reserve shooter Sasha Vujacic. The Slovenian guard averaged 3.1 points in 7.6 minutes a game in the 2010 NBA playoffs.

In exchange for Vujacic, the Lakers would receive former Cavaliers guard Delonte West, who flourished during the 2009 playoffs for the Cavaliers, averaging 13.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in 14 games.

The Lakers would immediately waive West, whose contract is only partially guaranteed at $500,000.

However, another option for the Lakers is sending Vujacic without receiving any players in return. Minnesota possesses approximately $8 million in cap space which can be used to take on any additional salaries.

The Los Angeles Lakers have offered a future first-round pick to Minnesota for completing the transaction. Nevertheless, the Minnesota Timberwolves would like an additional first round pick plus second round draft considerations. The Lakers are hesitant to give up extra draft selections without receiving monetary compensation in return.

Should Vujacic be traded, the Lakers, having less of a luxury tax burden, would offer more money to free agent guard Shannon Brown. Moreover, the elimination of Vujacic would incline the Lakers to sign another free agent guard in addition to Brown.

Analyzing the Cleveland Cavaliers Deal for Ramon Sessions

July 30th, 2010

The Cavaliers recently traded for Ramon Sessions, Ryan Hollins, and a second round pick, while giving Minnesota Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair. West was only valuable because of his expiring contract and Telfair will likely be bought out.

West has had many off the court in his career and was expecting to be waived before Aug. 5, as his contract is not completely guaranteed. West may be a good piece on a championship team, but when you are trying to rebuild he may become more off a liability rather than the asset. 

Telfair can be solid off the bench at point guard, but he really wasn't a part of Cleveland's long-term plans anyway.

The Timberwolves were basically going for a salary dump in this trade as they will waive West before his contract becomes guaranteed and Hollins was just a front-court reserve playing limited minutes. Because the Wolves didn't really need Sessions, the Cavaliers got a good price for him. 

Hollins is an athletic center that will come off the bench. He won't really provide any immediate relief, however, he could develop into a solid center with time. He will fit into Byron Scott's system, which is a plus.

The Cavaliers are definitely a great fit for  Sessions. They run an up-tempo offense, but they don't have a true point guard to run it. Sessions is only 24-years old and has played three seasons in the NBA. 

Trading for Sessions could allow the Cavaliers to continue to play Mo Williams off the ball and put Sessions at the point. Williams is definitely more of a scorer than a distributor, and while he is capable of running an offense, Cleveland could use him more effectively at the shooting guard and Ramon Sessions run the point.

Even if Cleveland decides to bring Sessions off the bench he should still see starters minutes. Between Sessions and Hollins, the Cavaliers should get good production this season. Adding a pick in there can't hurt either. 

The Cavaliers did well in this trade acquiring young talent that should help them compete in the future. This is certainly not the end game for the Cavs as they still have a lot of work to do before they can compete in the playoffs, but this is a step in the right direction. 

Getting a true point guard like Sessions is something that the Cavaliers had very high on their agenda this offseason, and I guess you could call it the highlight of their offseason so far. Expect this move to be the first of many roster adjustments the Cavaliers will be making over the next couple of seasons.

NBA Trade Rumors: New York Knicks Go After LA Lakers Guard Shannon Brown

July 30th, 2010

Reports are surfacing the New York Knicks have made an offer to Lakers free agent shooting guard Shannon Brown.

The terms of the deal are still unknown.

At this point, Brown has two options: Take the offer from the Knicks, or wait and see if the Lakers can trade Sasha Vujacic so that he can resign with the two time defending champions. 

If Brown accepts the offer from the Knicks, he would be fighting for minutes with Wilson Chandler (some believe Brown would eventually earn the starting spot over Chandler), and Kelenna Azubuike. Brown's numbers last season were not all that impressive, averaging 8.1 points per game. The upside is that he was only playing about 15 minutes per game. With more playing time his numbers would certainly rise all-around. 

For Brown to stay with LA, they will need to move Vujacic. Sasha is in his contract year and is owed a little under 5.5 million this season. They already tried to deal him for Delonte West, but to no avail. 

If LA does manage to move Vujacic, Brown likely resign and resume his roll coming off the bench with limited minutes.

If Brown wishes to become more than just a highlight reel, he will sign with the Knicks. With the Knicks he will get increased minutes, and D'Antoni will make him more of a productive player on offense. 

Or, If he wants another shot at a championship, he will wait and resign with the Lakers, where his minutes and production will likely stay the same.

NBA Trade Rumors: Analyzing the Wolves-Cavs Trade

July 30th, 2010

Also seen at hardcourtmayhem.com/max

The Timberwolves obviously needed to move one of their point guards before the season started. It was pretty obvious that in the end, it would be Ramon Sessions that would be headed elsewhere.

Last offseason the Wolves signed Sessions to a four-year $16 million deal. Many thought the Wolves overpaid for Sessions, but Sessions is just 24 years old and is definitely a talented player. Sessions didn’t play as much last year as he has in the past, but he was still a solid contributor for the Wolves.

When the Wolves signed point guard Luke Rindour it pretty much sealed Sessions’ fate. Ridnour will likely play a similar role to that of Sessions last season.

Ridnour is a solid veteran, and helped with the development of Brandon Jennings last season. With Jonny Flynn starting at point guard and Ricky Rubio potentially coming over after next season, the Wolves would probably prefer having a veteran point guard as a third option rather than another young player like Sessions.

This deal for the Wolves was simply a salary dump. Delonte West has a lot of off the court issues and isn’t really a good fit for the Wolves. Delonte West doesn’t really mesh with the rest of the roster and it is almost certain the Wolves will take advantage of his unguaranteed contract.

If Delonte West is waived by August 5th, he will only be owed 500k of his current contract. The Wolves also acquired point guard Sebastian Telfair in the deal, but he will probably be either traded or offered a buyout before the start of the season.

The Timberwolves have been trying to rework their roster completely this last summer to try to obtain players that fit into coach Kurt Rambis’ system. So far, they have been successful.

The team has also done a nice job getting rid of their bad contracts. While they have overpaid a couple of players, they have acquired some good pieces and got rid of some of their mistakes.

Once Kurt Rambis was hired, Al Jefferson was bound to be traded. They finally made a deal that allowed them to take no salary in return. Now that they have gotten rid of Sessions, they have a lot of flexibility to make any kind of roster move they see as necessary. When an opportunity comes along like the one that allowed the Wolves to trade for Michael Beasley, they can take advantage of those opportunities.

In this deal, the Wolves also got rid of the salary of Ryan Hollins. Hollins is an athletic center that wouldn’t have seen much playing time for the Wolves this year anyways.

The Wolves have to give up a second round pick in order to dump this salary, but it is a small price to pay. The Wolves generally like to stockpile picks, however they also like to have open salary space.

The Wolves will not really miss Sessions or Hollins and they clear cap space in this trade. I really like this move for both teams. The Cavaliers get a solid point guard and an athletic center. They give up a troubled point guard that was unlikely to remain with the team anyway and Sebastian Telfair who wasn’t really a part of the team’s long-term plans anyway.

This really isn’t a blockbuster deal, but it benefits both teams and it’s for the best.

LeBron’s Rebuttle: An Open Letter To Dan Gilbert

July 10th, 2010

Hey Dan.

It’s me, LeBron.

Eventually, your now-infamous open letter to Cleveland fans navigated its way through my normally impenetrable narcissism and into my sphere of awareness.

I read it.

It stung.

Now that I have had the chance to sleep on it, I realize I didn’t handle things as well as I should have. I was unprofessional. I was naïve. I helped engineer the hype machine and just keep chucking fuel into the swirling furnace of outrageous publicity.

I shouldn’t have.

In retrospect, I understand that I have unceremoniously spat in the face of the entire city of Cleveland. I did so slowly, cruelly, and as publicly as possible.

My bad.

That being said, I want to whole-heartedly thank you for remarks.

I have come to the conclusion that I mistreated thousands of loyal Cleveland fans, but your letter also reassured me of something else:

Dan Gilbert is a fool; a whiny, incompetent, sniveling nincompoop.

This undeniable fact, more than anything else, is what pushed me out the Ohio door and after greener, or in this case sandier, pastures.

I hustled my heart and soul away for seven years in a Cavaliers uniform.

I ran and jumped and dished and dunked and swatted and smiled.

Fans “Oohhed” and “Aahhed”.

You sat back, happy and fat with revenue.

I said I wanted to win. I needed help.

You tried. You spent. The team wheeled, dealed and maneuvered; recruited, drafted and signed.

After seven years of tireless pursuit of greatness, of victory, I stepped back and looked around.

I saw Delonte West. Jamario Moon. Anderson Varejao.

Antawn Jamison. Mo Williams. Zydrunas Ilgauskus.

I’m supposed to be excited about this?

I played with old man Shaq, the player formally known as Ben Wallace, what’s his name Pavlovic, Wally Fleeping Szczerbiak, a kid named Boobie, and hoards of other marginal NBA talent. 

I stewed in a sea of underwhelming support for the better part of a decade.

Seven years in Cleveland taught me one thing:

DAN GILBERT WILL NEVER BRING A CHAMPIONSHIP TO CLEVELAND.

For seven long painful years I watched the flailing incompetence of management as they desperately tried to stumble across some semblance of legitimate success.

You tried.

You failed.

I left.

You handled the news like a 12-year-old girl with a broken heart and a nasty temper.

I ’m a jerk.

You’re a clown.

Get over it.

The only real curse Cleveland needs to worry about is the one that sits in your office, pompously pointing fingers and clumsily dodging blame.

The long-suffering fans of the city of Cleveland can add another line to their long list of misery:

The Shot. The Drive. The Fumble.  And now:

The Angry Dimwit.

Dan Gilbert, take a bow.

Sincerely,

King James

The Prince of South Beach.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh Are No Boston Three Party

July 9th, 2010

It didn’t take long for America to start comparing the Miami Heat to the Boston Three Party of three years ago after Miami netted LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. Those comparisons need to stop immediately.

It is clear they have three great players, better individual talents that Boston did, of which two are annual MVP candidates. They are also reminiscent of Garnett-Pierce-Allen in that they are unselfish basketball players. Yet to win a championship, James and Bosh will bring the hunger the team needs.

However, one thing this team is not is the Boston Celtics of late, and they will not make a run deep into the playoffs.

One major point people love to make about the Heat’s Big Three is that they are willing passers.

That’s correct, but there is a huge difference in kicking the ball out to great shooters (ex. Damon Jones, Eddie Jones, James Posey, Mo Williams, Delonte West, Anthony Parker) and passing out to players that have career three point percentages below 33 percent. Those players would be Wade and James—who are going to have to adjust to playing off the ball with one another.

Maybe their jump shots improve, but I wouldn’t count on it happening overnight. It looked easy at the Olympics when the three point line is much shorter. I can’t wait until I see the first matchup zone the Heat see in next year’s playoffs. They won’t be able to get to the rim and only one player has true three-point range on the court.

It was easy for Ray Allen to become option No. 3 because he could shoot the lights out. Can the same be said for Dwyane Wade?

These three players are best friends, or at least that is what we as the general public is led to believe. Unfortunately, it is usually harder to play with players that you have such a strong friendship with.

How are they going to react to each other when one makes that first crucial mistake? Will they blindly follow one another? Or will one speak out and be the emotional leader of the team? Such personalities could explode given how much drama has developed this offseason, such as LeBron rejoining Twitter.

The Celtics Big Three all came in as neutral with one another and developed chemistry, with a single voice being the emotional leader of the team—Kevin Garnett.

Who is that person going to be, Wade or LeBron? Will the other buy into that single voice? Or will they try to “share” that spotlight and suffer from different leadership from night to night.

Another good example of chemistry is the Thunder. Durant is the leader of a very close squad, yet everyone knows it. He upholds his responsibility of that spot by helping coach at the summer league games and introducing the rookies to how the squad is run. Once again, there was a single voice and no confusion between chemistry and friendship.

A key point that has not been brought up is who will be the leader on the bench. For some reason, some of the general public is under the belief that Pat Riley is still coaching the Miami Heat. For those individuals, I’ll let you look up who the coach of the Heat currently is. For those that know who I’m talking about, you understand.

This isn’t a Phil Jackson or Doc Rivers, who is known for managing multiple talents and personalities. In fact, he couldn’t manage his first test in Michael Beasley. No excuses—Phil Jackson was able to reel in Ron Artest, and Doc Rivers the same with Rasheed Wallace.

For those that want to argue that Pat Riley can easily take over if need be, it’s not fun when you’re constantly looking over your shoulder as a coach. As for the players, it’s not fun when there’s a divided locker room on who should be coaching the team. Never did the Celtics give a second to question who the coach of the squad was.

Before becoming Boston Celtics, Allen and Garnett didn’t attract much attention in the media in trying to become part of a championship caliber team. They played hard for their respective ball clubs into their 30’s doing all they could to win for the team that was loyal to them. They didn’t quit on their teams when it mattered the most, in the playoffs. They didn’t try to run the front office of their teams.

When it was time to leave their teams, they said goodbye to their franchises, probably in person, but certainly without the need to call for a one hour special on ESPN. They came together as Celtics and people outside of Boston respected the fact that they had done all they could with their previous teams and cheered for them to win it all.

With all the drama and egos that resulted from this offseason, no one outside of Miami will be rooting for the Heat. That’s not a good thing when it comes to chemistry with the All-Stars and their brands off the court. If it was attention they were looking for this offseason, they were successful—but at what cost?

Most importantly, unless a major trade is made midseason (and it will be difficult with three max-contracts that are untouchable) the Miami Heat will not win the NBA Championship this season. It’s not because they don’t have talent, it’s just because they don’t have a complete team.

Just in the East, the Heat’s top competition will be the Magic, Celtics, and Bulls. Each of those teams have an All-Star point guard to go along with an inside force. If Chalmers is the starting point guard, this team will be done early in the playoffs. He can’t compete against the likes of Nelson, Rondo, and Rose.

Will Wade have to guard these elite players on the defensive end? If so, it’s either foul trouble waiting to happen or being exhausted for the offensive end. But even the top defenders will get beat at times by the ball handler, which is why they have Howard, Garnett, Perkins, and Noah protecting the rim. Right now, Chris Bosh and Joel Anthony are the enforcers for Miami—good luck with that.

Before there are any comments that the Heat will fill these positions with the free agents and be set, there is no man available that can match up with Dwight Howard one on one on the free market.

There is no one that will be able to bang with Carlos Boozer on the block. There is no one out there for the taking that can neutralize opposing big men like Kendrick Perkins does.

There is no one available that can keep Rose, Nelson, or Rondo in front of them. Chalmers and Anthony are nowhere in the same league as Rondo and Perkins were in support of the Boston Big Three.

As good of a collection of talent the Heat have, it’s not going to be enough. I’ll sum it up like this: Chalmers is the one to keep Rondo/Nelson/Rose out of the paint. When he gets beat, it is currently Chris Bosh and Joel Anthony protecting the rim in the same way that Perkins, Garnett, Howard, and Noah do for their respective teams. As much offensive firepower the team will be capable of, it’s defense that brings home the championship.

Miami won’t make it past the second round of the playoffs and next offseason will be filled with just as much drama as this one.