Win-lose situation

I do not know what is more pathetic–that the Wizards won their first game of the season on the road after losing their first 25 (on the road), or that they beat the Cavaliers–a team that, one game after winning their first game following 26 straight losses, reverted to their losing ways. Follow that? A whole bunch of losses and two wins. The Wiz finally got their first road win of the season. Victory! Now it came against an absolutely woeful Cavaliers team. The Cavs used to give the Wiz fits in the playoffs back when they were good and had LeBron. But in tonight’s game the Cavs were simply a team that gave the Wizards the best chance of winning a road game. In the end, though, this really was just a game of two bad teams that seem so far from their old playoff matchups. No Gilbert, no LeBron, and not many more wins.

Losers

Jason Miller/US Presswire

Ah, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team that has lost 22 straight games. I feel bad for them. I really do. I know the feeling as a fan. The Nets lost 18 straight last year. Feels like you’re never gonna win. First the team loses LeBron and now this. How awful. They’ll win eventually. They’ve got some decent players. But many of those players aren’t used to losing. Just last season they had the best record in the East. I guess LeBron really was that valuable. As good as a player can make a team, a player leaving a team can do just the opposite. And that’s what has happened to these Cavaliers. They haven’t been this bad since pre-LeBron. It’s still weird that he doesn’t play for them, but he doesn’t. When he did play for them though, he made them relevant. Now they’re back to being awful. But hey, at least they have a good shot at the No. 1 pick. But that won’t bring them any more wins this season.

Note to Heat: Superteams aren’t new. You’re not that original.

The New Big Three. Where's 'Melo?

I’m here to talk about the Cleveland Cavaliers. So this season, they’ve got some nice players. Antawn Jamison, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Mo Williams. Decent team. I think they have a bright future.

Speaking of teams without LeBron, what people haven’t noticed is that the MLB has been full of superteams for generations. Now, MLB teams are larger and therefore the stars aren’t condensed. In fact, almost all good MLB teams have at least five stars, unlike NBA teams where they are lucky if they have two superstars, but often settle for four decent, all-star players. Look at the Yankees. A-Rod. Jeter. Cano. Posada. Rivera. Sabathia. Burnett. Even Swisher and Pettitte qualify. Still, they have more positions, and remember, they are the Yankees. But even the Rays, who aren’t crazy-rich, have Longoria, Peña, Crawford, Price, and Upton to name a few.

Just one more thing about LeBron. Remember when the Celtics Big Three graced the cover of every magazine with an NBA preview? Expect the same for the new Heat trifecta come fall. Unless, of course, they want to show us Mo Williams, Big Z, and Antawn Jamison. But I don’t think those guys would sell many magazines.

Let’s get our facts straight

Before and especially since the Cavs lost to the Celtics the other night, there has been constant hoopla surrounding LeBron James and free agency. Every news outlet, reputable or not, has given their fair share on LeBron’s situation. And it’s already beginning to get old. But in today’s Washington Post, Michael Wilbon hit the nail on the head. What he wrote about the whole situation was a unique perspective and one that actually made sense. Let’s stop reading articles from people who think they know everything and start reading some quality journalism from people who actually have inside sources. Of course, I also liked the fact that Wilbon said he thought LeBron would go to the Nets. That was until he said LeBron was in no urgent mood to win a championship. I always thought that winning was the ultimate goal in professional sports. Having LeBron James is a close second to winning. But I think he’ll come around. My message to Jay-Z: you better get working to LeBron! Newark never seemed so appealing.

We are all witnesses…for the next two months

Someone has everybody in the palms of his hands.

Poor LeBron. All eyes are on him now. Not the Celtics, the team his Cavs’ just lost to. Not Kobe and the Lakers. Not the Magic. Not  the other A-list superstars that will be free agents come July. Right now, LeBron’s got a hell of a lot of attention on him. Not that we should feel all that bad for LeBron. He only has to pick a team where he will make millions of dollars, probably enough to feed Africa. But in all reality, LeBron mania is somewhat of a big deal. This is LeBron. So well-known that I haven’t even mentioned his last name this whole post. Wherever he lands, all hell will break loose. Wherever he doesn’t land, all hell will break loose. Such a win-win situation. Do I know where he will land? Of course not. Do I hope he goes to the Nets? I guess. If I’m him, I have a lot of options to weigh. He could stay in Cleveland with the hope of winning one for those fans that love him. He could bring a title home. Or he could bolt for the bright lights and attention of New York in hopes of winning a title there. Yes, money is important, but I doubt it will be a deciding factor in where LeBron chooses to go. I do know one thing, however. Mr. James is currently a mythical-like creature in which we all gather around him and analyze his every move. And it won’t stop until he stops. In Cleveland, New York, or wherever he lands. This could take a while.

A history lesson that won’t bore you (hopefully)

When people ask me what my best sport is in terms of overall knowledge, I usually think for a second and then say basketball, meaning the NBA. I sometimes second guess if I know just as much about baseball or even football, but then I think and realize that I reign supreme in basketball. When I was first introduced to the league in December of 2001, I was a rookie in a list of rooks that included the Nets’ own Richard Jefferson, along with Pau Gasol, Jason Richardson, Shane Battier, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, Gerald Wallace, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas, Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, Samuel Dalembert, and Mehmet Okur. And to top it off, the class was led by Kwame Brown! At least MJ drafted him so that no one else would make that mistake.

Like I was saying, when I first came into the league, things were a lot different than today. There was no LeBron, D-Wade or Yao. Kobe was slowly building his legacy, KG was a playoff failure, Jason Kidd was not yet a legend. T-Mac was relatively healthy and Vince Carter was close to reaching top air. Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis were respected. The only Stoudamire people knew was Damon. Gary Payton, Chris Webber, Karl Malone and John Stockton were reveling in their primes, while guys like Dirk, Steve Nash, Paul Pierce and Allen Iverson had just about hit their stride. Shaq was dominating and right behind him was…Vlade Divac. Reggie Miller was in the midst of burying threes and Tim Duncan had one NBA title with David Robinson. The Kings were good and the Cavs weren’t. The Nets were close to winning the Eastern Conference Championship and Andrew Bynum, who has a Lakers championship ring, was 14. 2009 number one draft pick Blake Griffin was 12. The number five pick from last year, Ricky Rubio was 11. (Heck, that’s only one year older than me.)

Now we’re in the midst of the 2010 season. The Nets suck. LeBron and Kobe are lighting up the league. Yao, although inured, has proven to be an all-star. Dwayne Wade is a superstar with a ring. KG has a ring too. Jason Kidd is one of the greatest point guards ever. T-Mac is perennially injured. Vince Carter is closing in on a possible decline. Starbury is in China, Francis is who knows where, and Damon StoudAmire has been replaced by Amare StoudEmire. Payton, Webber, Malone and Stockton are retired. Along with MJ. Dirk, Nash, and Pierce are stars, while Iverson is nearing the end of a great career. Shaq is nearing the end of a hall of fame career, while Vlade Divac is long retired. Reggie Miller’s career is over along with David Robinson’s. Tim Duncan has four rings. The Kings are bad and the Cavs good. Andrew Bynum is 22. Blake Griffin is 20, and Ricky Rubio is 19. And I’m 18, not 9.

But, despite all of these changes, the world isn’t all that different. Stars are still stars, rivalries still rivalries and players are still looking for the win. And maybe their high-tech cell phone, too. (Okay, so not everything is the same).

It’s back!

The NBA has finally returned. The 2009-2010 season begins tonight amid multiple story lines, including the cluster of stars joining a handful of teams. Today, you can watch LeBron and Shaq’s Cavs face off against the Celtics Big 4 of Paul Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen, and Rasheed Wallace. Or, you can watch the fresh Wizards. With Gilbert back, they take on Dirk, J-Kidd, and the Mavs. Also playing are the Yao-less Rockets (who almost beat the Lakers in the playoffs last May) and the up and coming Blazers, led by Brandon Roy. Don’t like any of those? You always have Kobe. The Lake Show takes on Blake Griffin and the Clips in the battle for LA (though it may not be much of a battle). With the NBA season starting, we now have all 4 major sports playing. The NFL season is in full swing, hockey started a couple of weeks ago, and the World Series starts tomorrow. Whew!

Five days of hell (no, I’m not talking about the Mets)

Life without internet for 5 days isn’t pretty. We live in a world where being without internet for a matter of seconds causes devastation to the masses. Fortunately for myself, there are many viable options for WiFi service, including restaurants, houses, and colleges, all of which I used during my five days of hell. Just kidding. It is not THAT difficult to survive without internet. Anyhow, I kept thinking of ideas for blogging during these past five days and wrote them down instead of getting on the computer and blogging like I normally do. So now I have a huge list of mostly interesting topics, but I don’t really feel like writing about any of them anymore. Rather, I will write what is on my mind right now. And that topic happens to be the NBA. For those of you with no prior knowledge, NBA free agency began on Wednesday. Since then, there have been more stars on the move than I have ever seen. Yesterday, Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza switched places, with Artest leaving the Rockets for the Lakers and vice versa. So now it seems like the Lakers once again have the inside edge for the title, right? Not so fast. The Cavs, with LeBron James and newly added center Shaquille O’Neal, are likely to add another piece via free agency. The Magic added Vince Carter, and the player they just lost today, Hedo Turkoglu, joined the already strong Blazers. The Spurs added Richard Jefferson, and the Celtics may add Rasheed Wallace. The Pistons brought in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villaneuva, and we already know that the Wiz brought in Randy Foye and Mike Miller. The Hawks added Jamal Crawford, and the Warriors could add Amare Stoudemire. And Q-Rich is back with the Clips. Jason Kidd may sign with the Knicks, although I hope he re-signs with the Mavs. Allen Iverson may sign with the Grizzlies, which seems a bit bizarre to me. I thought people played in this league to win a championship. And there are many more free agents available, not to mention many more future trades. Most of these player movements, in my opinion, have a similar trend. The stronger teams are getting stronger. The Lakers replaced Ariza with a better version of him in Artest. The Magic lost Turkoglu but added Carter. The Cavs added Shaq. The Celts will probably add ‘Sheed. Those are four of the top teams in the league. Scary that they just all got better, and straight up depressing to the lower tier teams. Considering the defending champs just got better, I’d say they are the favorites for next year. But it’s too early to tell. You never know what can happen within the next year. For all we know, MJ could come back. (Okay, maybe not that extreme )

Oh, and it’s good to have internet back. But I was fine without it. Sometimes we miss good ‘ol fashioned writing, right?….Right??

They were hot hot hot

In sports, new always seems to be better. Rookies provide intrigue, but the next year, when they are sophomores, they are not so cool. New stadiums and coaches are pretty cool too. Until that stadium reaches its second year, and until that coach proves to be not too hot after all. So in the NBA Draft, there is bound to be excitement over these brand new players. But really, how much of an impact will these players have in their first year? There is always the exception, but for most, the answer is little. They may be a building block for years to come, but they will not make an impact for a little while. People make picks and envision themselves winning a championship, when in reality, we already know the contenders for next year. And those teams making those high draft picks are most likely not one of them. And what percentage of teams are made up of mostly players they drafted? Very few. Sorry, but that is how it is. Wait a couple years, and maybe you can be a contender. So to GMs, coaches, fans, etc.: enjoy your shiny new toy of a rookie until next year, when they seem not so shiny and when another group of hot players come in. And maybe, just maybe you can squeeze some winning in between.

PS: Wiz won’t be as good as people think next year. I’m a little worried about the Nets. Orlando will be beast if they can keep it together. Too many trades last night. Unfortunate times for those undrafted, whether they were seniors or underclassmen. 2009-2010 beware list: Lakers, Spurs, Nuggets, Rockets, Blazers, Magic, Cavaliers, Celtics, Wizards, Hawks, Mavs. Hottest teams of the hour: Magic, Cavs, Spurs.

PPS: Baseball, you can get your glory back today. Sorry you got shoved under the radar yesterday.

American Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways…no you are not in an airport

Stroll down Salt Lake City. Take a walk down Cleveland. You may come across the respective arenas of the Jazz and Cavaliers. What are these arenas called, you wonder? Jazz Arena, Cavaliers Center? Actually, try Energy Solutions Arena and Quicken Loans Arena. Pathetic. Many teams in pro sports have to make money, so they get a company to sponsor them and then call their arena/stadium that company’s name. Banks are popular (Chase, Citi, Wachovia, TD Banknorth). So are cars (Toyota, Honda), and Telephone services (Verizon, Alltel). But it is ridiculous. Thank gosh there is still Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, and…uh… you get the point. There’s not too many stadiums/arenas with classic names. In today’s world of money, no money, and money, teams will do what they can to make it. At least Cleveland tries to spruce their arena up by calling it the ‘Q.’ And the Mets chose Citi because it doesn’t sound too corporate. But don’t expect this naming thing to end anytime soon, even with the economy’s state right now. All we can do is hope for a ridiculously entertaining name, like Minute Maid Park. Wait, I think that already exists.