Sorry bro, but the idea is
ludicrous. In all honesty, it doesn’t
make sense at all. This will be a long
response so it has become a blog post.
First, the idea that LeBron is not
a “closer” is the most annoying thing the media puts out there and people
believe without doing any research.
People want to conveniently forget his first seven seasons in the
league, in which he led a terrible Cleveland team to win totals of 50, 50, 45,
66 and 61. He led them to the NBA Finals
with people like Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Sasha Pavlovic
and Eric Snow. He led the NBA in 4th
quarter scoring in multiple seasons during that time. How can you not “close” and lead the league
in 4th quarter scoring and be one of the best teams in the league,
despite an atrocious supporting cast? It
doesn’t make any sense. He had a
terrible NBA Finals last year. That’s
it. It doesn’t mean he can’t close a
game. Somehow the general mentality of
fans and media has become the misconception that you have to take the last shot
to be the closer. What needs to be
realized is that to be great, you just need to make the smart basketball
play. I discussed this in a blog
yesterday, even Michael Jordan passed to open players at the end of NBA Finals
games. Why? Because it was the smart play, the right
play, the play that will give you a better chance to win the game! For those who say that he shrinks in all big
spots, enjoy these two
videos
and leave me alone.
I know that you believe Kobe Bryant
is the epitome of a closer, but stats tell us otherwise. I want you take the time to really dive into these numbers. His shooting percentage, his lack of assists
and high turnover rate doesn’t paint a good picture. Has he closed in his career? During the regular season, yes. In the playoffs? His first three rings were the result of big
shots from Robert Horry and Derek Fisher.
He was a 3rd or 4th option. Let’s also not forget game 7 of the Finals
against Boston recently where he shot 6 for 24 and was carried by Pau
Gasol. Quite frankly, we can skew the
numbers and opinions however we see fit.
The truth is the concept of a closer is a media fabricated idea. Basketball is a free flowing sport that goes
on the feel of the game. True closers
are coaches who put their players in the correct spots to succeed.
Now on to the proposed trade; the
idea that New York would part with Carmelo Anthony doesn’t make sense right
now. He is clearly the guy to build
around out there. You are proposing that
they build around Amar’e Stoudemire, which they tried two years ago to no
success. The problem with Stoudemire is
he is unreliable from a health standpoint.
He also would mesh with Wade as well as you think because he needs the
ball to go through him. His success was
largely due to the pick and roll offense masterfully run by Steve Nash (who I
will mention later). Wade will dominate
the ball, in a similar manner that Carmelo does. Given Stoudemire’s inability to stay healthy
(he’s only played a full season twice in his career), do you want to match him
with Wade…who also struggles with injury (he has never played a full
season)? That’s a dangerous thought and
one they shouldn’t even consider. Dwyane
Wade is 30 and has much more wear and tear on his body. Carmelo is only 27 and hasn’t had any real
injury issues. He’s reliable and not a
chip you give away.
What style do you think they want
to play in New York? Woodson is an
isolation play calling coach. Wade would
run that, but it doesn’t help Amar’e in any way.
I don’t think that Riley will come
back to the bench, nor do I think he should.
I don’t think that Spoelstra should be fired either. He has done a remarkable job given the lack
of depth on that team. He deserves a
chance to make this work. He had them
two wins from a title last season. It wasn’t
coaching that lost them those games. It
was LeBron playing poorly. It was Wade taunting
the Dallas Mavericks. It was Dirk going
crazy and putting up historic numbers. He’s
a good young coach that should retain his job.
Now here’s where things get
interesting. I agree that if the Heat
can’t pull this off, and after last night it doesn’t look good, they should do
something. The Big 3 will have to be
broken up and the piece that has to go is Wade.
He’s older. He’s struggled with
injury. It’s clear that this has become
LeBron’s team. It’s time to give him the
keys to the kingdom and build around The King and Bosh. Here is how I would propose things shake out:
Miami Heat
- Trade
Dwyane Wade and Joel Anthony to the Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard.
- The contracts match up.
- Orlando flips a bad situation
into an All Star guard and a back-up center for Glen Davis.
- Miami gets a dominant big man, which
allows Chris Bosh to play the mid-range game he absolutely thrives in.
- LeBron doesn’t mind because he gets
another friend on his team and gets total control, like he had in Cleveland but
no is surrounded by pieces that fit his style better.
- Sign Steve Nash to run the point.
- Your starting line-up turns in to
LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Steve Nash and Mike Miller. Bringing Mario Chalmers off the bench would
be a great spark for the second unit and gives you a good back-up for
Nash. Nash will need games off so having
Chalmers is an easy plug in.
New
York Knicks
- Sign
Jeremy Lin to an extension under the pretense that he will be traded (hang with
me).
- Work with
Deron Williams on a sign and trade.
- Deron Williams wants out of Brooklyn,
but he does live and like the New York area.
He would love to be with the Knicks and team up with Carmelo, who was a
great Team USA teammate.
- The trade would be Amar’e Stoudemire
and Jeremy Lin for Deron Williams. The
Knicks rid themselves of a bad contract and a piece that doesn’t fit in the
direction they are going. The Nets, who
have no star power and know Williams is likely gone, get two proven commodities
to sell tickets and improve their team.
Lin and Stoudemire play well enough together to make them relevant. I don’t think this makes them a playoff team,
but it improves them greatly.
I have just improved the situations for four Eastern Conference
teams. Miami gets better and improves in
the places they need to. New York gets a
cohesive team that Mike Woodson could elevate.
The Nets get the ability to sell tickets and win more games with a Lin,
Stoudemire, and Gerald Wallace tandem.
Orlando rids themselves of a huge headache and brings in a guy who
immediately helps (and is loved in the South Florida region). Simply put, Carmelo isn’t going
anywhere. His style would clash with
LeBron’s the same way it is with Wade.
The funny thing is you said that you don’t think the LeBron-Wade dynamic
can win a ring, which is a prevalent thought in the media. How do we forget that they were 2 wins, 2
WINS, from the NBA title last season?
They were learning to play together and this year has been even
better. Wade took a step back because he
knows LeBron is the best player on the planet, plus he’s getting older and more
run down. It can work but the Bosh
injury is major. You can’t be without
Bosh and then have Wade give you as many turnovers as points. No team can overcome that level of
ineptitude, even with LeBron carrying the weight. The sad thing is, if they don’t win the
title, no one will mention Bosh’s injury.
The media won’t point to Wade’s terrible play and argument with his
coach. It will all get heaped on LeBron’s
shoulders. He could average 30-15-10
during the Finals, but if they lost, it’s his fault. It’s a sad state of affairs.
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