Dwyane Wade and the........ Utah Jazz?

Say whaaaaat? Let me start by saying I am not breaking any news here or predicting this will happen. I do not have secret information from an inside source or anything. I am simply looking at the situations of both Dwyane Wade and the Utah Jazz and pointing out that uniting could be a great win-win situation for both parties.

It appears right now that the Miami Heat do not want to give D-Wade the money or the respect that he deserves for what he has done of that origination. It looks like he is either on his way out of Miami, or he is going back for less $$$ than he deserves. If the Heat and Dwyane do go their separate ways, Wade might want to look at the Utah Jazz. The Jazz also should want to pursue D-Wade. The Utah Jazz could offer Dwyane Wade everything he could dream of from an organization and more. And Wade could be exactly what the Jazz are looking for.

What the Jazz bring to the table for Wade:

Money - Dwyane Wade could get more money from the Jazz than any other team is willing or able to offer. Because of the collective bargaining agreement (particularly how max contracts and the salary cap work), no big market team is going to give Dwyane a max contract. And most current contenders cannot afford to give him a max contract right now even if they wanted to. The Utah Jazz have been smart with their contracts and budget these last few years and have a TON of money to blow this off-season. They are already stacked full of young, potential-filled talent (Gobert, Favors, Heyward, Hood, Exum, Trey, Alec, Booker, etc) so they aren't particularly looking for any more young pieces. They don't need any more "nice pieces" or "supporting players." They are looking to give someone a max contract. A player to come be their final piece of the puzzle. Wade could make more money signing with the Jazz than probably any other team is willing (or able) to offer.

Low Stress - Dwyane Wade is getting older and has a past full of injuries. He should look for a team where he doesn't have to do "too much." On the Jazz, Gordon Heyward and Donte Exum would guard the other teams best players (LeBron, Curry, Harden, Westbrook, etc), so Wade doesn't have to work so hard defensively. Also, with Gobert and Favors down low, Wade could "cheat" for easy steals and close out on three point shooters knowing "The Wasatch Front" is in the key watching his back.

Playing Time- Wade doesn't want to go to a team where he does "too little" either. He wants to play. He doesn't want to go to a team to sit on the bench. Dwyane Wade would start on the Jazz, play as many minutes as he wants, and be the primary scoring option.

Winning - Wade wants to play for a contending team. The Utah Jazz, after trading Enes Kanter last year, finished the season going 19-10 (0.66) with a plus/minus over 5 and and allowing opponents to only 89 PPG. Since every player on that team is young and growing, they should be even better next year. The Jazz roster is currently a supporting cast missing a star. They were perhaps the best defense team in the NBA (after the Kanter trade). They have the tallest starting line up in the entire NBA. Dwyane Wade would be the missing piece and could really contend with this team.

Great Fans and Low Expectations - the Jazz fans are great. They love their players, whether they win or lose. The Utah Jazz have never won a ring, so the pressure of winning rings obviously isn't there. If you play for Utah, you will be loved. Even the least talented of players that only played in Utah for even only a few years (like Earl Watson and Trevor Booker to name a few) are still beloved by the fans. John Stockton and Karl Malone never won a title but there are statues built and roads named after them. Wade, if he were to go to Utah and win a title, he would be treated like a God. And if he were to go to Utah and not win a title, he would still be treated like royalty in Utah forever.

What Dwyane Wade brings to the table for the Jazz:

The Needed Position: The Jazz have a strong starting 4. Gobert and Favors as the bigs, Exum is the PG, and Heyward is one of the wings. Throughout the year, the Jazz experimented with different wing players. I believed the guy that started the most as the other wing next to Heyward was... wait for it... Joe Ingles! Imagine the upgrade Wade would be compared to Ingles. Elijah Milsap (Paul Milsap's brother) also started in that spot more than a few times. Rodney Hood and Alec Burks are getting better, but a great wing player like D-Wade would really complete that starting 5.

Scoring: The Jazz defense is great. It is their offense that they should look to improve. Heyward and Favors fine scorers, but they should be more of a secondary option than a #1 option. The Jazz could really use a guy that is their "go to guy." A primary scoring option. Favors, Heyward, and Exum are all-around players and Gobert right now is a defensive specialist. A #1 scoring option like D-Wade would complete that starting 5.

Leadership and Experience - Most of the players on the Jazz roster have little-to-no playoff experience. They could really use a veteran leader on that team that has "been there, done that." D-Wade has been to 5 finals, winning 3 times and has one finals MVP. His experience and leadership would do wonders for this Utah Jazz team.

Overall:

The Jazz are a small market team with a ton of money to spend this off-season. As a small market team, you're going to have to take big risks if you're going to win a championship in today's NBA. One of those risks includes "overpaying" for free agents like Dwyane Wade. Wade will not go to a small market team for the same amount as a larger market team, so you have to pay up. The Jazz, however, have more than enough money this off-season offer Wade more money than probably any other team.

If Dwyane does leave the Heat, he should look at the Jazz. The Jazz would be a great fit for him. He could probably get more money playing there than anywhere else. Their will be low stress, low expectations, and plenty of playing time without having to "carry the load." The fans are great. And he will have the chance to be the best player and leader on a contending team.

And if Dwyane does leave the Heat, the Jazz should try to go after him. The Jazz really could use a guy just like D-Wade. An experienced leader, superstar, #1 scoring option, wing player.

Meme's I've Made

 LeBron be carrying the injured, inexperienced, and just straight up less talented Cavs while Steve Kerr leads a powerful, well oiled machine.

 Love, Varejao, and now Kyrie will miss the rest of the finals with injury. LeBron and JR Smith have been cursed by the Based God. And now Iman Shumpert got his talents stolen by the MonStars. Steph Curry be like "What are you going to do, bleed on me?"

JJ Watt's his name!

 Sometime people picks small samples or select specific stats very carefully to make one play look better than the other.

One can always make a meme to make one player seem better than the other.

 These next two came because I've been in discussions about Derrick Rose and how he might ever get to the finals and people often say things like "LeBron James owns him. He needs to get away from LeBron James." Then I thought "what if that's what everyone is doing and that's why the West is so good??"

 USA draws Argentina in the semi-finals in Copa America 2016.

Duncan is a center who play a bit of power forward when sharing the floor with David Robinson. He played center all four years of college. He played center his entire NBA career.

I fixed a meme that was trying to say Kobe was actually robbed of MVP awards. The stats were of course rounded in Kobe's favor, sometimes completely wrong, and only showed a few stats to try to make Kobe look better than the person who won MVP. So.... I fixed it and put, according to the logic of that meme, "more deserving" players of that particular year. Also, using the logic that meme, LeBron should have won the only MVP award Kobe ever won.

Sometimes when some tells me "True kings never leave their kingdom," i use Disney references:

I did not make this one. I'm just sick of having to go back and find it so I'm posting it here.

didn't make this one just want to be able to find it later.

Dwyane Wade playing for the Cavaliers next year would be a lose-lose situation

Because of problems in contract negotiations between the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade, there has been plenty of speculating that Dwyane Wade could join his ex-teammate LeBron James in Cleveland next year and play for the Cavaliers.

Unlikely.

First of all, the Cavaliers cannot afford to pay Dwyane what many other teams can. More than a couple teams are very desperate for a player just like Dwayne Wade. He's a star. He can be the leader and best player of your team. He has plenty of experience (including 3 titles and 1 finals MVP). There are teams that will him all the money he wants and more. I know the Utah Jazz would gladly do that. Other teams off the top of my head: Hornets, Lakers, Celtics, Kings.... Teams are desperate for stars. Guys that can be the best player and lead the team. 

Secondly, Dwyane Wade is a big gamble. He hasn't played 70 games in a season since the 10-11 season, and many of those games he has played at much less than 100%. He's had several knee problems. Also his back, hamstrings, hip, and ankles have caused him problems. The Cavaliers have the best player in the world right now in LeBron James. They are in the finals. They have a good thing going for them. They can't afford to give a lot of money to the risk that is Dwyane Wade. 

Other teams, however, are more than willing to overpay for a high risk. And, particularly small market teams, have no other choice but to take huge risks. The Hornets gave Al Jefferson a max contract. The Jazz game Gordon Heyward a max contract. Small market teams HAVE to take risks if they want to get a star. The Lakers right now seem pretty desperate for a star. Young teams like the Celtics or the Bucks need a good veteran leader. I'm sure the Kings (seeing how Dwyane Wade won his first title with Shaquille O'neal) would love the chance to pair Wade with their young stud DeMarcus Cousins. Teams that don't have an all star or two are more than willing to pay top dollar for the chance to get Dwyane Wade.

Lastly - Dwayne Wade isn't a very good fit with LeBron James. We saw this in Miami. They play a similar game. Both LeBron James and (even more so) Dwayne Wade were not utilized in their best way. They both sacrificed their own strengths to play with each other. The Cavaliers can't afford to pay a guy a lot of money that's going to be highly underutilized. The Cavs are better off paying players that complement LeBron's game, and not take away from it.

In summary, the Cavs cannot afford Wade's price tag. If they want to be as good as they can, signing Wade, even if it's at a semi-reduced price, is not worth it for the Cavaliers. 

HOWEVER - Although I doubt Wade comes to Cleveland for all the reasons I just stated... I wouldn't be overly surprised if it did happen.

The Cavs are notorious for doing things that are bad for the team just because LeBron likes it. That's what they did when LeBron was there before he went to Miami. And (in my opinion) they picked right up where they left off - with the Kevin Love trade. I thought the Kevin Love trade was a bad from the start (see here). So history tells me that if LeBron tells the Cavs he wants to play Wade, they will overpay him to make it happen. 

On the other side, I can see Wade taking (comparatively) less money to play in Cleveland. Dwyane likes LeBon and he loves winning titles. Not less enough money to make the signing worth it for the Cavs, but enough so the Cavs don't have to pay top dollar for him and feel justified in signing a huge injury risk that doesn't complement LeBron's game.

In short, the Cavs can't afford to give pay Dwyane Wade enough money to play there, and Dwyane Wade won't go there for the amount that would be worth it to the Cavs. But, I can see a scenario where they both compromise and meet in the middle, which would most likely end up bad for both sides. Wade making less than he could be making AND the Cavs paying Wade much more than they can afford. The good-old "lose-lose situation."

Basketball Tiers

All-Time Greatest NBA Players
by Spencer Keele

Tier 5

25 - Scottie Pippen

24 - Bob Cousy

23 - Charles Barkley

22 - Kevin Garnett

21 - Isiah Thomas

20 - Bob Pettit

19 - Karl Malone

18 - John Stockton
17 - Julius Erving

16 - Elgin Baylor

15 - John Havlicek

Tier 4

14 - Kobe Bryant

13 - Moses Malone

12 - Jerry West

11 - Tim Duncan

Tier 3

10 - Hakeem Olajuwon

9 - Shaquille O'neal

8 - Larry Bird

Tier 2

7 - Oscar Robertson
6 - Magic Johnson

5 - LeBron James

Tier 1

1 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

1 - Wilt Chamberlain1 - Bill Russell  
1 - Michael Jordan 

Comments - I originally had named each tier, but then I changed it because I liked it better with just the tier levels and no explanation. Tier 5 was "honorable mentions." Tier 4 was something to the effect of "on a another level from tier 5 players, but not quite on the same level as players from tiers 1-3." Tier 3 was something like "Defiantly top 10 player of all time, but defiantly not the BEST player of all time either." Tier 2 was "Almost had it! Gotta be quicker than that!" - just need(ed) a little more to get to tier 1; or better yet "Definitely one of the best, but I cannot say THE best."  And then Tier 1 was "G-O-A-T Tier - Each has a legitimate case for the best player of all time." Also, the last 4 are all listed as "1" because I refused to rank them. They all have a really good argument for the best player of all time.

I guess the best way to describe how the tiers work is how I answer the question "Is (blank) the greatest basketball player of all time?" So:
Q - "Is __________ the greatest basketball player of all time."
My answer any Tier 1 player  - "Quite possibly yes."
My answer any Tier 2 player  - "It's close, but no."
My answer any Tier 3 player  - "No. But they're right up there with the best of the best."
My answer any Tier 4 or 5 player  - "No. But they're definitely one of the greats."


(WOW-stats for tier 1)
Bill Russell (11 rings in 13 years, 2nd all time rebounds, played before blocks/steals were counted, second most MVP's all time, 5 MVP's)
Michael Jordan (Career 30 PPG, highest PER all-time, 5 MVP's)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Most points all time, 3rd most rebounds all time, most MVP's all time (6), 3rd most blocks all time)
Wilt Chamerlain (100 point game, had a season averaging 50 PPG, career average of 30 PPG, most rebounds all time, 4 MVP's)

Links
Bill Simmons has LeBron James in his top 8
Myths about Wilt Chamberlain
Kareem says Oscar Robertson was better than MJ and LeBron

My Most Misquoted - Kobe Bryant edition:

As a blogger talks and writes about an athlete, particularly if that blogger talks and writes about why they believe an athlete is overrated, said blogger often gets misquoted.

Lately, I have been misquoted about things I have and haven't said about basketball star Kobe Bryant. I want to clear the air. Here are the 3 biggest things from which I am often misquoted about Kobe Bryant and what I actually said about them:

1. "Rings don’t matter."

What I actually believe: Rings do matter! And rings are a very good stat to use when measuring an athletes overall greatness or debating which athlete is better than another. 

What I actually said: Rings are a great stat, but they are not the “tell-all” stat. When measuring an athlete's greatness, their total championships are a great measure, but cannot be the only one. For example: Robert Horry is not a better basketball player than Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, and Moses Malone combine just because “he has more rings than those three combined.” In fact, Robert Horry (7 rings) is not better than either of those three guys! Thus we see you cannot say an athlete is better than another athlete just because they "have more rings.”

2. "Shaq carried those Lakers by himself to all 3 of their titles."

What I actually believe: Kobe was a huge part of that team.

What I actually said: Shaquille O'neal was a luxury that Kobe Bryant had where other great basketball players like Michael Jordan or LeBron James did not. Shaq is arguably one of the best and most dominate players of all time. Shaq was also the most valuable player on those Laker teams. Even if by the smallest of margins, Shaq was the most valuable Laker during that 3-peat. Kobe, no doubt, was very valuable to those teams as well. (Phil Jackson, Robert “Big Shot” Horry, Derrick Fisher, and others also contributed greatly.) Kobe was defiantly not Darko Milicic coming off the bench in garbage time. He played like an all-star no doubt. However, Shaq won all 3 finals MVP’s for a reason. Shaq also won the only season-MVP in those 4 years for a reason. Because he was MOST valuable player to that team (even though Kobe was very, very valuable as well).

3. "Kobe Bryant is not top 10 all time"

Ok. You caught me. I actually said that one. On the “alltime list,” I’ve got Bill, Wilt, Big O, Kareem, Bird, Magic, MJ, Dream, and Shaq well ahead of Kobe. On the outside looking in, I've got Kobe right around all-time greats like Jerry West, Moses Malone, and Tim Duncan.

Links:
My Top 25
Why Kobe is Overrated
My Perfect Mount Rushmore
LeBron: The Scorer

3 Myths About LeBron James' Shooting and Scoring abilities

While discussing sports with colleagues and acquaintances, I've heard some very silly things said about LeBron James that just are not true. Mostly about his scoring and his shooting. Whether or not LeBron James is a pass first / defense first type player or not, his scoring and shooting ability is among the best if not the best in the league.



Myth 1: LeBron is not an elite scorer.

FACT: In the past decade, no other player has been as good of a scorer as LeBron James when it comes to total points. In the last 10 years, LeBron James is the only one to finish in the top FOUR in points per game every single year:

(Green-underline is LeBron, black is Kobe Bryant)

That's amazing scoring talent combine with incredible consistency.

FACT: The only player that's even close to him is Kobe Bryant, who's finished in the the top four for eight of those ten years (finished 5th three years ago and didn't play last year). So over the last decade, LeBron and Kobe have pretty much been in a scoring league all of their own.

FACT: For a "pass first player" to finish top 4 in PPG for 10 straight years, that's insane. Finishing ahead of or right behind the other best scorers in the league every year, most notably Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant. And he's the only one to do it every single year for the last decade. If LeBron were to take more shots, he would obviously score even more points. If LeBron were a shoot first player like those other guys, he would likely win the scoring title every single year.

FACT: LeBron's FG% is much higher than all those guys as well. That means he's finished in the top 4 in scoring every year for 10 years and he's done it by taking less shots than all those guys every year!

Career FG%
LeBron James      - .497
Kevin Durant       - .479
Carmelo Anthony - .455
Kobe Bryant        - .454
Allen Iverson        - .425

and LeBron is just getting better and better. Last year he shot .565. That was behind only 4 players that just dunk the ball all the time (DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard, JaVale McGee, and Serge Ibaka). Durant was 27th overall at Carmelo was 71 overall.



Myth 2: LeBron is not a SHOOTER like Kobe is or those other guys are. When it comes to Jump Shots, LeBron is not good.

FACT: LeBron is a great jump shooter. Here is a website where you can measure a players FG% counting ONLY jump shots: (here)

As always, let me do the grunt work for you so you don't have to:

(That's hard to see but you can use that link and look it up yourselves if you can't see it and don't believe me.)

Interpretation:  I took the "jump shot % only" stat from 2012-2013 season for the following players:

LeBron James - 39.8%
Ray Allen - 39.7%
Kevin Durant - 37.8%
Carmelo A. - 37.3%
Stephen Curry - 33.5%
Kobe Bryant - 31.4%

That's LeBron James leading all those guys in JUMP SHOTS. Does he lead all of them in jump shots every year? Probably not. But he's always right up there with the best of the best. LeBron James is one of the best jump shooters in the game.

Just for fun, here is Derrick Rose in his MVP season jump shots:

31.9% ....that's right around Kobe range but not quite up to LeBron / Melo / Durant level.




Myth 3: LeBron can't shoot 3 pointers like MJ, Kobe, and the rest of them. He is a bad three-point shooter.

FACT: Here is a list of the top 20 all time scorers (who shot a lot of threes) and their 3P% (with LeBron added to prove a point).

Reggie Miller             -   39.47 %

Dirk Nowitzki            -  38.18 %

LeBron James           -   34.10 %

Kobe Bryant             -   33.50 %

Michael Jordan          -   32.68 %

Dominique Wilkins     -  31.87 %

Allen Iverson             -   31.30 %

LeBron is surely no Reggie Miller or Steph Curry when it comes to three point shooters, but to say he's a bad three point shooter is like saying MJ or Kobe are bad three point shooters. His percentages are better than Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and Allen Iverson at 3 pointers. Say what you will about LeBron's three point shooting abilities, but whatever you say the same goes for Kobe's and MJ's three pointers. Like I said, he's not going to lead the league in threes. 34% isn't "great." However, it does put him right up there with (in fact just ahead of) great shooters like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

(PS. He has improved at his 3 pointers. His last 3 seasons he averaged .362 .406 .379 respectively)


Bottom Line: 

scoring: LeBron James has finished in the top 4 in points per game for 10 years straight (for some perspective - Carmelo Anthony, who some believe to be the best scorer in the NBA, has only SIX finishes in the top FIVE in those last ten years). LeBron has also won a scoring title and has been shooting 56.6% for the last 2 years. LeBron James IS a top scorer and arguably the best scorer in the NBA.

jump shots: LeBron is a great jump shooter.

three pointers: LeBron's 3 point shooting is on par with, in fact just ahead of, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.



Update: 12/9/2014 - Can't believe I didn't share this stat when I first wrote this post. LeBron James is 3rd all time in career PPG right behind the two best scorers of all time: Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. LeBron is one of the best scorer's this league has ever seen. To think otherwise is just ignorance.

Update:  12/17/2016 - LeBron's is on a monster streak of scoring at least 10 points in a game. Right now he's at 739 straight games. That's 3rd best streak behind only Kareem and MJ. Well ahead of everyone else.

The Perfect NBA Mount Rushmore

Many a people have thrown out names for an NBA Mount Rushmore. But there is a perfect 4 people that, if there really was a Mount Rushmore for the NBA, would have to on there. They are: Bill Russell (Washington), Wilt Chamberlain (Jefferson), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lincoln), and Michael Jordan (Roosevelt).

Russell and Wilt were the pioneers of the NBA. The first greats. They still hold records today.

Bill Russell won like nobody else will be able to win again. 13 season, 12 finals, 11 rings. The finals MVP is named after this man. He is the first person that has to be an NBA Mount Rushmore

Wilt Chamberlain scored like nobody else will be able to score again and. The 100 point games. More 60+ point games than everyone else combine that's ever played in the NBA. Bill and Wilt, like George Washington and Jefferson, have to be on an NBA mount Rushmore.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds two records that force me to put him on. He is the all time leader in points scored and the all time leader in MVPs. He's 3rd all time in rebounds and in blocks. He has 6 rings. He was so good for so long. You can't have a Mount Rushmore without the leading scorer / leading mvp's.

And in a Mount Rushmore, how can you leave out Jordan?

I've thought about all of this a lot and discussed it with a lot of different people. This is the perfect NBA Mount Rushmore and you cannot make a better one than this.

Stats:

Bill Russell: 11 championships (12 final appearances in 13 seasons), 5 MVPs, Finals MVP named after him, 2nd all time rebounding...

Wilt Chamberlain:100 point game, more 60+ points games than everyone else combine, 4 MVP's, 1st all time rebounding...

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Most MVPs all time (6), 6 rings, Most points all time, 3rd most blocks all time, 3 most rebounds all time...

Michael Jordan: Most famous and most advertised player of all time. Face of the NBA (and everything else). 6 finals MVPs, 5 season MVPs. Probably more recognized American sports player in the world.

PS - Two people that were right there but not. 1) Oscar Robertson. He was Jordan before Jordan was Jordan. He was a big, fast, strong guard. He averaged 30+ points AND a triple double for several seasons. No one else has ever averaged a triple double. Oscar is one of the best players of all time. 2) Magic Johnson. Also one of the best players of all time, plus one of the most recognizable. Magic really changed the NBA for the better. Many say he and Larry Bird "saved" the NBA. Had I have a 5th or 6th spot, Magic and/or Oscar would be up there.

There are 7 contenders for NBA's greatest player of all time. Then there's everyone else.

In the history of the NBA, we have seen some great basketball and some great basketball players. When talking greatest of all time, there are so many factors that to into that. How good was their competition at the time? How many points did they score? What were some of their best games? Were they good under pressure? Were they well rounded? Did they play defence and offence? What's their averages look like? What's their career totals? Did they dominate games? Could they take over games? What if this? What if that?

After much research and much debating, I've found there to be what I call the "Tier 1" of basketball players. This is made up of 7 players who can be argued as the greatest player of all time. They are:

TIER 1:  (MVPs)

Bill Russell (5)

Oscar Robertson (1)

Wilt Chamberlain (4)

 Kareem Abdul-Jabbarr (6)

Ervin "Magic" Johnson (3)

Michael Jordan (5)

LeBron James (4)

These are players who dominated the game. (I personally like to leave LeBron out of the conversation because he's not done yet.) These are players that have stats that will blow your mind. These are players that have 4 MVPs or more (besides Oscar Robertson smushed in between Wilt and Bill). These are players with multiple championships. These are players that are well rounded. These players play good defence and offense. These players make their teammates better (except maybe Wilt...). These players can pass, rebound, shoot well, steal, block... they do it all. They all have great leadership and are all winners. I've heard great arguments for each of those players as the greatest of all time. If you want to argue one of seven, that is respectable and you might be right.

After tier 1, we have:

TIER 2:  (MVPs)

Bob Pettit (2)

Elgin Baylor (0)

Moses Malone (1)

Jerry West (0)

Julius Erving (1)

Larry Bird (3)

Isiah Thomas (0)

Charles Barkley (1)

Patrick Ewing (0)

Hakeem "the dream" Olajuwon (1)

John Stockton (0)

Scottie Pippin (0)

Shaquille O'neal (1)

Allen Iverson (1)

Kobe Bryant (1)

Tim Duncan (2)

(etc.)........

These guys are great players. However, they simply didn't dominate as did the tier 1 players.

Some of these guys are specialists who dominate some things (Iverson at scoring, Stockton at passing/stealing...). These guys have around 1 MVP. Some of these guys were victims of circumstance (Stockton played against Jordan, Iverson had bad teams, Pippin was always number 2...) Others were benefited by circumstance (Kobe drafted by the Lakers, played with Shaq and for Phil Jackson) (Hakeem won his only 2 championships the 2 years Jordan didn't play). Some of these guys lacked leadership or had problems with attitude. Some of these guys hid weaknesses by playing their role perfectly. Some of them never won a single ring or MVP.

Do you think Magic Johnson or LeBron James would have complained about having Shaq as a teammate and forced him out as Kobe did? No. Instead, they would have lead that team to win 8 championships with Shaq and Phil Jackson.

People who argue tier 2 players as "greatest of all time" are usually baseless and without facts. They maybe top 10 all time, or perhaps make your team of top 13, but you cannot convince me that any one of these players is the G.O.A.T. All the facts, the stats, the eye test, and everything else point to one of the seven players in tier one being the best of all time.

For more stats on the tier 1 guys and on a few tier 2 guys, check out my top 10 I did a while ago: http://keelesports.blogspot.com/2014/03/top-10-nba-players-all-time-keeping-in.html

4 Reasons the Cavs Should Not trade for Kevin Love

The Cavs are very desperate to get Kevin Love right now. They are willing to trade their top pick this year Andrew Wiggins plus other assets. They are also willing to take on bad contracts like JJ Barea and Kevin Martin. Here are 4 reasons why they shouldn't do it:

1. LeBron didn't make any demands when he came to Cleveland. He said he wanted to help the young talent get better, and he wanted to help the city of Cleveland. He said he wanted Cleveland to become a place where young stars want to come and play. Cleveland can still contend without trading for Love. By keeping Wiggins, this makes them contenders now and contenders in the future. If they trade Wiggins, they will be better now, but much worse in the future. LeBron said wants to help Cleveland be better for the long term. Keeping Wiggins will help you stay contenders for a long, long time.

2. They have a lot of cap space right now. Adding Kevin Love and resigning him would take most of their cap space. Then they'd be stuck with the team they have right now and wont have the cap space next year.


3. It'd be better to wait for next year to pull the trigger. Again, LeBron came to Cleveland with zero demands. He said himself he doesn't expect to win a championship right away. Next year there will be a lot of great free agents (starting with Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge). If you wait one year, you can keep Wiggins and still get a Love or an Aldridge next year with all your money you still have from not trading Wiggins.

4. There's a great fit out there they could sign right now and still keep Wiggins: Greg Monroe. If they Cavs have to make a move now, they should go with Monroe, not Love. They could sign Greg Monroe with all that cap space AND keep Wiggins. Monroe is a great rebounder, he's a good defender, and he's 6'11" with a good wing span. Monroe is a perfect fit when it comes playing with LeBron James. I love Anderson Varejao, but Monroe plays bigger and stronger. With Monroe and Varejao playing big, LeBron and Wiggins on the wings and Kyrie at 1, there's a real good looking starting lineup! (Or go small with James at the 4 and stick Waiters and Wiggins on the wings.) Monroe would also (probably) be cheaper than Love. I think I'd rather have Monroe+Wiggins (and whoever else you keep) than just Love+two bad contracts.

Conclusion. The Cavs have some great options right now and most of them include keeping Wiggins. Wiggins is the number one pick in what's being called "the best draft since LeBron's 2003 draft." He is super athletic and has such high potential. There's no reason to trade him and take on bad contracts to get Kevin Love right now. The Cavs could go get Greg Monroe right now and keep Wiggins. Or wait till next year when there's a plethora of unrestricted big men (Love, Aldridge, Tyson Chandler, Roy Hibbert, DeAndre Jordan, Marc Gasol, Omer Asik........) and sign one of them, and still keep Wiggins!

My sports friend Mo said it well: "LeBron went to Cleveland supposedly to rebuild a franchise. Kevin Love makes them mortgage their future for now."

What do you think?

LeBron's two best (and worst) options

As a LeBron fan, I am glad he opted out of his contract. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade make way too much money than they're worth, and therefore Miami can't afford any more help. So where should LeBron go?

LeBron has two amazing options, but would have to work a little 'forcing of hand' to make one of them happen.

1. Take Blake Griffin's spot in Los Angeles

Make a sign and trade deal for Blake Griffin. One thing LeBron James has never had to is really good, experienced coach. LeBron, unlike many other super stars, wants to listen to his coach and play team basketball. LeBron would do very well playing for a great coach like Doc Rivers.

LeBron already has a great friendship with Chris Paul. And having a good defensive center in DeAndre Jordan is something the Heat never had and desperately needed in the finals this year.

2. Join Carmelo Anthony in Houston

I've been saying this for a long time and I'll say it again. Carmelo Anthony is a thousand-times a better player when he plays with LeBron. When Carmelo plays with the King, he lets LeBron handle the ball and drive to the hoop. When they play together, Melo becomes an off-the-ball jump shooter. When this happens, Melo breaks Olympic records, all star records, and other records for 3 pointers made. If LeBron and Melo could team up, Carmelo would win the scoring title for sure and LeBron would probably average 10 assists a game.

For this to work, the Rockets have to get rid of James Harden. He's a ball hog. He's not as good a driver as LeBron and he's not as good a shooter as Melo. The only all star in the NBA that plays worse defense than Melo is Harden. Harden+Melo+LeBron would be horrible. Howard+Melo+LeBron would be magic.


          Really though, wherever LeBron ends up, I will be rooting for him. I love LeBron's approach basketball on and off the court. There are, however, two spots where I really hope he DOESN'T end up.

1. Los Angeles Lakers

Going to the Lakers would be horrible for LeBron. The fans that hate him the most are the Laker and Kobe fans. They are also the fans that are hardest to win over. If LeBron goes the LA and doesn't win 2 championships right away, he'll get booed out of the building. Also, LeBron would lose a lot of fans like me that love him and hate the Lakers. I will still hope he does well statistically, but I cannot cheer the Buss family, Kobe Bryant, or that franchise to win any more championships. I just can't. Bottom line, LeBron would lose a lot of fans, respect, and won't get that back from the Laker fans.

2. "Home Sweet Home" Cleveland Cavaliers

Lastly, I would advise LeBron not to go back to Cleveland. The Owner was so bitter when LeBron left that he wrote that awful letter to him. The front office sucks. The team sucks. Going back to Cleveland could be the biggest mistake of his career.



Be smart LeBron!