The most recent development in the Lebron James free agent saga is the chatter about a possible new head coach in Tom Izzo joining the Cavs next season. I had planned on waiting to write about this issue until after July 1 had rolled around but I figure now might be a good time to share my opinion the topic of Lebron and his future in the NBA. You see I have been a Lebron James fan ever since I saw him play in high school against Carmelo Anthony on ESPN when James was a junior and melo a senior, so I have a soft side for the guy but I think he might be a bit of a liar.

You see Lebron has said all along that the decision he makes will be about winning championships in the NBA, but I think we all know that money talks and bullshit walks, right? Come July 1 2010 the Cleveland Cavaliers will be able to offer James a salary in excess of 120 million dollars, whereas the most any other team could offer James is right around the 100 million dollar mark. Now in my opinion theirs nothing more that you can do with 120 million as opposed to 100 million, but then again im not spending or making that kind of money so I can only assume. Would Lebron really be willing to walk away from an extra 30 million? The jury will be out for at least another month or so, but I think not and I will tell you why.

First off we all known that Lebron was born and raised in Ohio and thus his loyalty rests with the folks of that great state. Now unless he is a complete bullshitter he is sticking to his loyalty schpiel and I honestly have no reason not to believe him. Next, you look at whats happening behind the scenes in Cleveland and you really wonder how silent of a partner Lebron really is. I mean usually when the owner comes on camera and says “This player had nothing to do with this coaches firing” it usually filters through the BS meter as  “Our star though this guy sucked and now hes gone”. I would find it believe that Mr. Gilbert (Cavs Owner) is doing all this on his own and is not being given any friendly advice by Lebron. In all honesty I do not think Lebron has any true interest in leaving the team, and as long as it is molded around him and what he wants he will justify it in order to keep all of his money.

As for Tom Izzo and his possible transfer to the Cavs I think that would be as much a shame as Pete Carrol going to the Seahawks. Those are two coaches that are, or in Carrols case were staples at their institutions for many years. The prime recruiting tool for young talent, and mentors to young men many of whom are now playing at the next level. I think he should stay put, but then again its hard to snub 30 million over 5 years.

NO matter what we are talking about in sports, whether it be Lebron, the NCAA, Pete Carrol or anyone else in between it all comes down to one thing M-O-N-E-Y.

Although I do not consider myself much of an NBA fan (more of an NCAA buff) I am looking forward to the game five tonight at 8PM est on ABC. The game itself is rather intriguing both for the fact that it is a tie 2-2 series, but also because the Celtic’s Kendrick Perkins and Rasheed Wallace are in serious foul trouble. Both players have accumulated six technical fouls thus far and per NBA rule, if you accumulate 7 you are suspended for the following game. Although I would expect these guys to tighten up a bit for these next couple games, you have to acknowledge their track record and realize that loosing them would be a possibility for the celtics.

That being said, I have a funny feeling that who ever wins tonight’s game 5 will also go on to win the series, and considering the location Im going to give an edge to the Celtics. I realize that we are talking about two very good teams here, but the Celtics big 3 have not managed to put up a solid game together. Surely Pierce has had his game, Allen his, and Garnett his, but when these three come together and have a breakout game together, Im not sure the Lakers will have an answer. Also, considering the fact that Bynum is having some serious knee trouble which could limit his playing time and give the Lakers trouble late if Odom or Gasol get into foul trouble.

Its hard to deny the fact however that Kobe Bryant plays for the Lakers and although im a skeptic many would call him the best of all time. I for one will save my comments on the Bryant, Jordan and James argument until after I see where Lebron is heading this upcoming season, but I digress. When looking at the game tonight and Boston at -2.5 I think you have to go with them if for no other reason than to make the game exciting. If your feeling really confident in the Celtics winning tonight, I think you have to get them as an underdog to win the title before tonights tip.

It will be an exciting game and I look forward to discussing it with you all after it concludes.

If you look at the cumulative stat sheet for the Boston Celtics throughout the 2010 NBA playoffs it is apparent they play team basketball.  Every series leading up to the classic rivalry the Celtics utilized every essential player to secure victories against the star studded lineups of the Heat, Cavaliers,  and Magic.  Be it Tony Allen attacking the paint, Nate Robinson’s’ enthusiasm from the bench, or the sweet jump shot of Ray Allen’s, that has tortured opposing defenders for years.

In the first three games of the Finals foul trouble has broken up player rhythms and has disallowed Kevin Garnett (Game 1 and 2) and Ray Allen (Game 3) to establish any type of flow.  After game 3 Doc Rivers aired his frustration towards the tight officiating saying, “Every game so far, we’ve had one of our top players in foul trouble.”  When one of the big three are forced to sit, the team basketball the Celtics pride themselves is irrelevant.  The ability for each person on the court to establish a flow is critical for the success for any team.  Unfortunately the Celtics have seen one of their key players in early foul trouble in each of the first three games of the Finals.

The only consistency through three games is they are constantly in foul trouble.  Even in the their loan win they needed one of the best Finals performances ever by Ray Allen to escape from L.A. with a tied series.  For the Celtics to have a chance in game four or the rest of the series they need Garnett, Pierce, and Allen to average around 38 to 45 minutes a game throughout the rest of the series.  For that to happen they need to out work L.A. and put themselves in better positions defensively to avoid ticky tacky foul calls.  If in the next two games the Celtics big three develop a rhythm with in the first five minutes and add in the stellar play of Rondo, we could see the Celtics from the Magic series finally show up.  However that doesn’t mean a guaranteed series victory for the Celtics, because personally I feel if the Laker’s play their best game and the Celtics play their best game, the Laker’s will repeat as champions.  We know there will not be a perfect game and both teams are going to have to fight adversity.

The players still need to play well, even if the officiating is perfect Paul Pierce can not have another game 2 performance.  I have skeptasism if he can just play basketball and keep Ron Artest out of his head.  If there was a time to play smart basketball I think it would be a good time for the Celtics to practice what they preach.  Ultimatley the Celtics biggs need to play the way they did the previous series, being more physical making it tough for the more skilled biggs of the Lakers to establish a sense of comfortability during the game.  Game four is going to be very compelling and I will make sure I am able to give my thoughts on the changes and adjustments of both the Lakers and Celtics for the rest of the series.

]]> http://www.fotisports.com/2010/06/celtics-need-consistency/feed/ 1 http://www.fotisports.com/2010/02/groundhog-day-woes-allow-sports-fans-to-reflect/ http://www.fotisports.com/2010/02/groundhog-day-woes-allow-sports-fans-to-reflect/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:37:42 +0000 Cory http://www.fotisports.com/?p=123

If you’re an optimist and had any thoughts or aspirations of putting away the winter jacket and maybe doing a little spring cleaning in the near future I say to you, “Not so fast my friend.” Punxsutawney Phil has done it again predicting six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow this morning in front of hundreds of frozen Pennsylvanians. If you’ve already started throwing everything within an arms length away, relax, take a deep breath, and follow along as I reflect on what the world of sports has to offer throughout the next six weeks.

WEEK – 1 – February 2nd – 7th
The granddaddy of all sporting events takes place February 7th, as Super Bowl XLIV kicks off between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts. The game showcases two of the best offenses in footballs with some incredible individual players. Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Reggie Wayne, and many more will take the field Sunday night in a battle for world supremacy.
WEEK – 2 – February 8th – 14th
Let’s refer to week two as variety week. February 11th-14th is NBA All-Star Weekend in the new Cowboy Stadium in Dallas. The weekend will feature a number of televised events to include a celebrity game, 3-point contest, and everyone’s favorite the Slam Dunk competition. All-Star weekend wraps up with on February 14th as the Western conference looks to make it two in a row over the East. My prediction, West 132 East 117. The other major sporting event is the arrival of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic games. Opening ceremonies will kick off the Olympics on Friday February 12th. Maybe its just me, but if you ever saw the movie “Cool Running’s” you’re a fan of the winter Olympics.
WEEK – 3 – February 15th – 21st
The 2010 Olympic Winter games continue all week long with coverage taking place on a variety of different channels including NBC. Please check your local listings for coverage in your area.
WEEK – 4 – February 22nd – 28th
The Olympic Games comes to a conclusion this week as each country counts their golds, silvers, and bronze to determine if their country was a success. Let’s hope the American’s can shake off some Winter X Games injuries and come away with a high medal count. Shifting gears from the world best, to some of the nation’s best, February 27th features two of college basketball elite as Villanova heads to the “Loud House” to take on Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orange in a battle of top 5 ranked teams. Prediction Syracuse 82 Villanova 79. The inside game of the Orange is going to be to much for the undersized Wildcats to handle.
WEEK 5 – March 1st – 7th
One of the greatest rivalries in all of college athletics takes place during week five as North Carolina will head to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on the Blue Devils. Both North Carolina and Duke have had their struggles this year, but you can bet when these two teams get together on March 6th, well see the best each has to offer. Prediction Duke 84 North Carolina 71. You think the young players from UNC turn the ball over way too much, just wait until March 6th.
WEEK 6 – March 8th – 14th
Does your team have what it takes to make it to the big dance? Conference tournaments kick off a week dominated by college basketball. Tune in to watch as teams battle for their conferences automatic bid. The week long college basketball palooza comes to a conclusion with the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, March 14th. Will your team make the field of 65, or will they have to battle at MSG for the NIT crown.

So if you find yourself depressed just thinking about six more weeks of winter, don’t be. The next six weeks in sports will showcase the world’s best athletes, a historic rivalry, and the biggest sporting event of the year. Selection Sunday, The Winter Olympics, and a Super Bowl all during a six week stretch? If you’re a sports fan in general and are still too busy pouting over six more weeks of winter to realize the enormity of events occurring during the next month and half, then its about time someone questioned your fanhood!.

Follow Cory on Twitter @CSchad44

I will admit I’ve never been a huge proponent of all star games in the past,  but any weekend  activities that are promised to “make the Super Bowl look like a bar mitzvah,” you can bet your children’s unborn children that I’ll be watching.  Although still a few weeks away, the 2010 NBA All-Star game has already began stirring up controversy.  From Lebron’s dunk contest woes, to Allen Iverson’s decision to start, to the most recent comments made by Mark Cuban, All-Star Weekend should not disappoint.

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Lebron James told Cheryl Miller at last year’s event that he was a “preliminary contestant” for the 2010 slam dunk contest.  Yea right!  If you actually believed the words of Lebron James on TNT last February I apologize.  Many of Lebron’s harshest critics say that if he ever plans on being the next Michael Jordan, he needs to not only compete, but win the dunk contest.  First of all there will never be another Michael Jordan, and especially not Mr. James.  What upsets me most about King James decision was not the broken promise, or the fact that I won’t get to watch him showboat all over my television some more, but the reaction from the media.  Many of them sound like a bunch of whining children begging their mom and dad for a new toy, “But I really, really want this Lebron”!  He filled your hearts with excitement and anticipation I know, but Lebron James will not dunk in 2010, or 2011, or should I keep going? King James will never participate in a contest like this for the fans until he can simply get over himself.  Lebron James you’re not nor will you ever be the next Michael Jordan.

Another interesting story leading up to this year’s All-Star weekend involves Allen Iverson’s decision to start for the Eastern Conference.  Many sports writers and Iverson critics think he’s taking a spot away from a deserving All-Star, one like Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks, or David Lee of the New York Knicks.  You know what, there probably right.  However don’t blame the man for starting a game in which he was voted into by the fans, the same fans who will be there February 14^th in Dallas.  If you’re going to be pissed off that he doesn’t deserve it, go ahead you have a valid point, but don’t be pissed off at Allen; take your aggression out on the NBA.  The NBA allows fans to vote online or via text message once a day for approximately 3 months.  Does anyone else see something wrong with that?  Do I have the answer on how to fix voting for All-Star games, no, but what I do know is the answer needs to include the fans.  They are the ones buying the season tickets and the numerous amounts of team merchandise to show their loyal support to their favorite franchise.  So to all of you who blame Allen Iverson for starting, back off, take your complaining right to David Stern.  Oh yea one more thing; if you got voted into the NBA All-Star game, would you start?  If you said no, you’re lying to yourself.

Don’t get me wrong, Lebron James is allowed to change his mind and Allen Iverson does not deserve to start in an All-Star game, but who’s really to blame for all the hype of these controversies?  The media again portrays two situations that essentially are irrelevant and turns them on the athlete.  Lebron is labeled as a liar, while Allen Iverson is selfish for starting a game he doesn’t deserve.  All I can say is thank God Allen Iverson doesn’t have to come off the bench in this game, we all know how that worked out it Memphis earlier this season.  “I don’t know no all league player to come off the bench, I don’t know no 2 time NBA scoring champ to come off the bench, I …. “ ok I’ll stop.   Make sure to tune in February 14^th on TNT as 80,000 plus are anticipated to pack Cowboy stadium for the 2010 NBA All-Star game.

The 2010 Men

Does being the top ranked men’s college basketball team in January have any relevance come Selection Sunday? If you ask the players and coaches they’ll tell you “Were taking it one game at a time. Were not worried about that”, or “We don’t pay attention to that kind of thing.” The only benefit to mid season rankings are there role in determining each teams RPI. From an NCAA standpoint in season rankings are used merely as a promotional tool in making an important game, that much more important.
Mid-season rankings mean very little to the players, coaches, and writers of the game; but what about the fans? The fans that wake up at the crack of dawn on the west coast just to be a part of college gameday. The same fans that continue to pack student sections night in and night out looking to claim their school as number one. So fans, does your school have what it takes to be my number one team in college basketball?
The battle for my number one ranking focuses on, you guessed it, Kentucky, Kansas, Villanova, and Syracuse. .
1.) Obviously with each team dropping only one game all year, you can’t separate these teams by record alone. So instead you must consider the team with the most recent loss, and that as we all know came Tuesday night as South Carolina and Devan Downey handed Kentucky its first loss of the season. Because of this, Kentucky “You are NOT my number one team”.

2.) RPI, RPI, RPI. Wins against some of the top ranked RPI teams in the country played a major factor in my decision to eliminate another contender. More specifically I looked at wins against the RPI top 25 as well as strength of schedule. Syracuse has 3 wins over RPI top 25 teams, Kansas with 2, and Villanova with just 1. I didn’t penalize them for only being one RPI top 25 win away from tying Kansas, but the two 2 point victories over RPI 80th ranked Marquette, and a 1 point victory over George Mason early in the season sealed their fate. Villanova, “You are NOT my number one team”.

3.) And then there were two; Syracuse vs. Kansas in a rematch of the 2003 National Championship game (minus Roy Williams and a guy named Carmelo). I decided to look at several factors in a best of 3 series to determine my number one team. Once again I took a look at the RPI, more specifically each teams last 5 games. During Syracuse’s 5-0 stretch they have faced an opponent with an average RPI ranking of 62nd, including 2 wins against top ten big east foes. Kansas on the other hand has faced teams with an average ranking of 70th, and not a single team in the top 30 during their last five contests. Syracuse 1 Kansas 0. Next, I focused on each teams one loss. Syracuse losing to Pittsburgh at HOME, while Kansas lost an emotional hard fought game at Tennessee. Syracuse losing to a relatively similar ranked opponent at home as opposed to having its only loss come on the road, I give the advantage here to Kansas. Syracuse 1 Kansas 1. I needed something to set these teams apart, a statistic that would leave no debate; and that’s exactly what I found. So far this season Syracuse and Kansas have played four similar opponents; Memphis, Oakland, California, and Cornell. Kansas has beaten all four by a combined 52 points; or an average of 13 points a game. Syracuse however has outscored those same opponents by a total of 79 points; an average of 19.75 a game, with no game closer than twelve. The level of play against the same four opponents between Syracuse and Kansas favors the Orange, and for that reason; Syracuse “You ARE my number one team”.
Jim Boeheim has his Syracuse Orange off to a (20-1) start. Thier next game comes this Saturday @ Depaul University at 2:00 pm. If Syracuse continues to “Shut it Down” this season the Orange faithful and “Otto’s Army” will watch as Wesley Johnson and crew cut down the nets in Indy.

The YouTube upload failed originally which is the reason I said 9:30 AM on the west coast, thats when it should have been posted.

Thanks to @MattLorenzo for the extra conversation regarding Lebron and Kobe.