Watching Derrick Rose & Russell Westbrook live gives you an appreciation for just how talented the two young point guards are. Rose is the better player because he is a born leader & a superior late game closer.

I’ve always cherished the opportunity to go to a Bulls game. It’s in my top 5 of favorite things to do. My first one ever was in Michael Jordan’s rookie year against Magic Johnson’s Lakers. I was fortunate to see several games at old Chicago Stadium before & during the Bulls first 3-peat run. When the Bulls moved across the street to the United Center, so did my father and I. I am so grateful for all the games I got to see during the Bulls 2nd 3-peat run. Just in case you ever thought I was a front running Bulls fan, the amount of games I went to from ’00-’09 is staggering. Do you even know how much bad Bulls basketball I suffered through in that span? Let’s just say the booze was flowing having to watch Eddie Robinson, Ron Mercer, Eddy Curry, & every other stiff that nearly made me go blind in that era. That’s why nights like Monday mean so much to me.

For months I was giving my buddy Dave(Bulls season ticket holder) the business about taking me to the Thunder game. Dave doesn’t get to go to many games, and talked again about giving up his tickets after this season. No Dave, now is not the time give them up. When I got the call saying we were going, I was like Lisa Lampanelli around black dudes. I couldn’t wait. I cherish any chance to see my favorite player(Derrick Rose), let alone two of my favorite young players in the league(Kevin Durant & Russell Westbrook). Being at the UC on Monday cemented a long standing belief I’ve had and gave me some unexpected optimism about this Bulls team.

Dave has great seats(don’t even think of getting rid of them Dave!) so being so close gives you an appreciation for just how good Kevin Durant really is. Luol Deng did a solid job defending the league’s reigning scoring champ(see, he does have a pulse), but Durant’s ability to get his shot off in the time he does is amazing. Bullets leave guns slower. His game is a thing of beauty, and the way he goes about leading the young Thunder is a lesson the self proclaimed “King” can learn from. As I’ve said before, the future of the league is in good hands with Durant and Rose.

Carlos Boozer's creativity around the basket gives the Bulls a dimension they haven't had on offense since Elton Brand was a Bull.

Three of my good friends were also in attendance on Monday, and besides making fun of Kyle Korver’s socks, we talked about how good Carlos Boozer looked.

Real Quick Rant: Korver played his best game as a Bull on Monday, but the thought of the Bulls 2 guard situation makes me nauseous. Don’t think for a second that Korver can start. I’m starting to buy into the O.J. Mayo possibility. He is wasting away as the Grizzlies 6th man. Imagine him with this team?

I’ve never been a fan of Boozer, but he was impressive against the smaller frontline of the Thunder. Boozer dominated the game with 29 points and 12 rebounds. What was more impressive to me was Boozer’s efforts on the defensive end. Luol Deng(18 points & 9 rebounds including some strong moves off the dribble. Yes, I was as shocked as you were) was tremendous defending Durant, but Boozer’s surprising activity on the defensive end will only help the Bulls going forward. The Thunder looked lost on offense for much of the night, and that’s a credit to coach Tom Thibodeau’s team defensive philosophy. The Bulls held OKC to 35% shooting, 4-19 from 3, & forced 15 turnovers. We know Boozer can score at will, but if he plays with this kind of effort on the defensive end of the floor, the Bulls could be scary. The guy Joakim Noah calls “Boozington” showed his full repertoire vs the Thunder. If he keeps playing defense like he did Monday, he’ll start winning his biggest critic over. It also doesn’t hurt having the best point guard in the game.

I’ve been preaching that Derrick Rose is the best point guard in the NBA for over a year. When you watch him live, you understand just how special he is. From seeing how dead serious he takes pre-game warm-ups, to pointing to the crowd as he gets introduced, to blowing a kiss to his family before tip-off in a luxury suite behind the basket, the United Center is becoming Derrick Rose’s house. Watching how Rose controls the game for the Bulls live is fantastic. He is the unquestioned leader of the Bulls, and seeing him evolve from a shy kid 3 years ago to vocal leader proves that notion. He is also ultra competitive, and he is taking the nightly heavyweight fights with point guards around the league seriously. It’s a special trait that not many players have. It’s a burning desire to show each and every challenge he goes against who the man is. Jordan was obviously like that. Magic, Larry, & Kobe were/are like that. Rose and Russell Westbrook might be best of friends, but when the ball goes up, Rose is all business. It’s a friendly rivalry that is fun to watch(Rose & Westbrook came into the game leading the NBA in combined points, rebounds, & assists average at 38.4 & 38.2 respectively). Neither point guard had a spectacular game, but where Rose has the edge is his ability to take over a game without having to score 30. He showed his versatility with 11 points, & 9 assists on a tough shooting night. He ran the team effectively and didn’t force the issue.

In the greatest era for point guards in NBA history, one stands out to me. I love Westbrook, but seeing how Rose has matured even since last season is astounding. The Bulls are headed for big things with #1 leading them. The United Center might be the house that Jordan built, but it has become Derrick Rose’s pad. I’m just thankful I was able to see the franchise do his thing in person. I’m also thankful that the days of going to Bulls games to see the other teams star players are a distant memory.

Even on a bad shooting night, Rose delivered a classic drive to the hoop…..

And if that wasn’t enough, how about a near half court buzzer beater for good measure? Kaboom…..

Dwyane Wade & LeBron James left the court shell shocked after they blew a 20 point lead against the Jazz. 70 wins my F-ing ass.

The common theme after the ’08 NBA finals was just how much tougher the Boston Celtics were than the L.A. Lakers. The Celts punked the Lakers and proved they were as soft as puppy shit. As I watched(and re-watched) the Utah Jazz come back from 20 points down against the 3 D-bags & the Heat Tuesday night, I kept going back to those finals. The Heat’s interior defense has been non-existent so far in the early season. I mean Emeka Okafor put up 26 & 13 against them, and he has the offensive skill of a D-leaguer. It was after that game that I became convinced that this Heat team can’t possibly beat the Celtics or Lakers in a 7 game series. I was downright giddy when Paul Millsap lit up Rupaul Bosh & the Heat for 46 points. Yes, that’s right 46 points! The Bulls might even be able to push them to the limit when push comes to shove.

There is a reason that point guard and center are the most important commodities on a basketball team. The Heat have neither, and are getting exposed by teams that have quality bigs(or anyone with a pulse) & great point guards. Chris Paul dissected them to the tune of 19 assists, and the Hornets 2nd year big man Jason Smith added 12 points & 6 boards. Yes, that Jason Smith. If your team possesses two quality big men and a point guard capable of taking Wade off the dribble(Deron Williams had a double double in the 2nd half alone–21 points & 14 assists), the Heat are screwed worse than Erik Spoelstra soon will be. Yes, Wade remains the 2nd best 2-guard in the NBA, and LeQuit, despite a 5-18 shooting night, is a triple double waiting to happen. However, too often the Heat offense is reminiscent of the old Cavs offense. It’s ether LeBron dribbling and going one on one or Wade doing the same while James sits in the corner Luol Deng style & bites his fingernails. Did you know that whiner still does that? Gag me. Their offense is a problem, but their team defense is bad enough that even those horseshit fans can see it(yes, there are still prime seats for Heat games. What a joke of a fan base they have). They don’t need Rupaul Bosh to do what he did in Toronto(no, not quit on his team. Good guess, though. Here’s a hint…..They don’t need him scoring 20+ a night with 4 rebounds). They need a Joakim Noah type to defend the Paul Millsap & Al Jefferson types, rebound, and be an intimidating force every night.

Hey look, Chris Bosh grabbed a rebound. Paul Millsap made Rupaul Bosh look like Keon Clark while putting up 46 points for the Jazz in their thrilling comeback win.

Bosh isn’t that type of player. He is a finesse stretch four who is getting exposed on the big stage of South Beach. It’s why if Bosh thought for himself and cared about what was best for his career, he should have signed with the Bulls. He wouldn’t have had to do the dirty work, rebound, & protect the rim. Noah would do that for him. However, we learned that he is incapable of thinking for himself. He would rather do Wade’s laundry & bring LeQuit lunch. I’ve been all over his “soft as puppy shit” ass since he followed Wade & James around all summer like he was their bitch. I should have known better considering Bosh “led” his Raptors to 3 whole playoff wins in 7 years. All he did was what many “superstars” have done before him– put up big numbers on bad teams that don’t face championship pressure. Bosh’s flaws are in plain sight for all to see now. I’m starting to believe that Bulls GM Gar Foreman meant what he said when he called Carlos Boozer “the number 1 free agent power forward.” I believe it because how many stud 4′s would let Millsap go off for 46 on them? Not many. The Bulls wanted Wade & James with their free agent money. They targeted Bosh(like the Heat) to get to Wade, and or, James. This fraud has to be making Pat Riley cringe everytime someone scores at will on him.

Dating back to his Lakers days, Pat Riley always had an intimidating force on his side. He found a niche for the “never should have been on a title team” Kurt Rambis. He and Jerry West raped the Spurs by trading Frank Brickowski, Petur Gudmundsson, an ’87 1st round pick, & cash for Mychal Thompson. That Lakers team needed a guy to defend low post centers, and Thompson was one of the best at the time. You remember Riley’s Knicks teams, don’t you? They had Charles Oakley, Xavier McDaniel, & Charles Smith posing as Patrick Ewing’s muscle. Watching his team’s paper mache defense against the Jazz had to make his skin crawl. Sorry, but Udonis Haslem’s carcass, Joel Anthony’s bum ass, & Zdrunas Ilgauskas’s corpse can’t and won’t get the job done.

This Heat team needs someone who can defend the rim, the pain, & the big 2. Chris Bosh isn’t that guy. I have a feeling Pat Riley knew this, but he let Wade be GM to ensure Wade didn’t bounce to the Bulls. This fake-ass pseudo contender also needs a point guard who can contain the elite point guards in the NBA. Sorry, but Wade isn’t stopping Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook,  John Wall and, obviously, Deron Williams. The two most important positions on a basketball team aren’t on the Heat’s roster. The way Riley & the 3 douche bags manipulated the league this summer, do you honestly think another team will help them fill their holes? Sure, there is always that ass clown David Kahn in Minnesota, but why would anyone else help them? They are proving that you can’t fill out your roster with minimum salaried bums and expect to compete with the best teams in the league. It’s been phenomenal when they lose because Twitter blows up like news of a new celebrity sex tape. It’s even better knowing that The Big 3 is really The Big 2 featuring 1 giant question mark.

Kobe Bryant's quest to match Michael Jordan's 6 NBA titles will become a reality by June. Kobe is not Jordan's equal, but he is the best player of his generation. Hands down.

Finally! No, I’m not breaking into The Rock circa 2001, but finally…..the NBA season is here. After a summer hype, speculation, free agents filming their free agent tours, a decision, championship celebrations before playing a game, bold proclamations, trades, trade demands, & coaching changes, the games that count are finally here. I haven’t anticipated an NBA season more since the fall of ’97. Yes, I am an NBA junkie, but all of the over analysis is over. Mercifully. It’s time to throw the ball up and see who is legit and who is the Timberwolves.

Much of the hype surrounding this season has been focused on the 3 D-bags and their talents on South Beach. It has been assumed that the Heat will cruise to the finals and meet the Lakers for the championship. My NBA finals preview was titled “One Last Dance” because I thought it would be the final time we would see Boston vs L.A. for the championship. Sure, the Celtics are the geriatric squad of the NBA, but the added depth will serve them well as they coast through the 82 game grind. The Heat will also have to deal with other teams that improved themselves this summer. The Bulls had the 2nd best off-season in the league, and the Magic are still a threat and possess valuable trade assets(They’ll make a push for Chris Paul). The east, overall, is the better conference, so to think that the Heat will roll to the finals is absurd. They will roll through the regular season because that’s what LeBron James led teams do. Depth will prove to be the Miami Divas downfall come playoff time. And let me squash that garbage of the Heat winning 72 games and tying or breaking the ’96 Bulls record. They won’t come close because take a look at that bench when you feel the urge to reaffirm your belief that you could have made an NBA team. The biggest reason? They don’t have Michael Jordan on their team. ‘Nuff said.

In the western conference, it’s a race between two teams. The old guard Lakers and the upstart Thunder. The west is weaker than it has been in several years. The Spurs are trying to be the first NBA team to play with walkers. The Hornets are terrible and seem headed for a Chris Paul trade. The Rockets are deep, but don’t have a superstar to carry them. The Suns have Steve Nash, Robin Lopez, and 10 wing players. The Nuggets are a mess while they search for Carmelo’s new home. The Jazz can be a top 4 team and lose in the 2nd round…..again. That’s why the west will come down to a rematch of last year’s first round series between L.A. and OKC. Kobe vs Durant. Where do I sign? And those who are jumping the gun on Kobe’s demise better be careful. Yes, Kobe has played in 1,219 games and had another surgery on his right knee this summer. Yes, he doesn’t have the same lift and explosion that he once possessed. And, yes, he’s still the best player on the planet. I’m taking my chances with him for one more long championship run.

2010 NBA Predictions

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

1. Boston Celtics*: The old men will vacation their way through the 82 game grind and turn it up in April.

2. Philadelphia 76ers*: Doug Collins will turn this group into an actual NBA team. They’ll need to trade Iguodala for Turner to realize his potential.

3. New York Knicks: You know it’s Knicks season when the focus is on the players the Knicks don’t have.

4. New Jersey Nets: I like Derrick Favors a lot, but he will struggle early. If I’m the Nets, I would think twice about giving up Favors and Devin Harris for Carmelo. Carmelo & Brooke Lopez would be a nice combo, but what would be left?

5. Toronto Raptors: If David Stern is serious about contraction, the Raptors have to be at the forefront. Toronto has supported the Raptors, but star players don’t want to stay there. How can the league keep a team there?

Player To Watch: Amar’e Stoudemire- Knicks: Amare arrived in the Big Apple amid much fan fair. Unfortunately for Amare, Steve Nash is still in Phoenix. Stoudemire will put up huge numbers in Mike D’Antoni’s system, but he will miss Nash much more than Nash will miss him.

Rookie To Watch: Evan Turner- 76ers: Turner struggled tremendously in summer league and the preseason, but I still love his game. Turner won’t take off until the Sixers trade Andre Iguodala. Turner needs the ball in his hands(think Brandon Roy).

Team To Beat: Boston Celtics: Boston has one more title run in them as long as Shaqozuna doesn’t try and prove he’s still a star capable of carrying them in stretches. They will really take off once Kendrick Perkins comes back.

Central Division

1. Chicago Bulls*: Put it this way, if the Bulls don’t win in this division, this season will be a disappointment.

2. Milwaukee Bucks*: I can’t wait to see the improvement Brandon Jennings makes under more tutelage from Scott Skiles.

3. Detroit Pistons: Good lord does this division suck.

4. Indiana Pacers: The Pacers still have entirely too many white guys on their team.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers: I feel bad for you Cleveland, I really do.

Derrick Rose will become one of the faces of the NBA this season. I love this kid because of his humility. A humble NBA superstar? What a novel concept.

Player To Watch: Derrick Rose- Bulls: The Bulls franchise player is maturing both on and off the court. He is determined to become a top player in this league, and I have no doubt he will achieve his goals. He is already showing his improved, all around game this preseason. His shooting stroke looks much better and he is becoming the vocal leader of his team. This is the year that the 22 year old takes the league by storm and becomes one of it’s faces, along with Durant. Much like Durant, the beauty of Rose is his humility despite his star power. This is going to be a fun season for Bulls fans.

Rookie To Watch: Greg Monroe- Pistons: The Pistons are a mess, but I like Monroe’s game. He will eventually need a defensive minded-rebounding center to maximize his potential, but his skills and passing ability will show this year.

Team To Beat: Chicago Bulls: Expect a rough start with Carlos Boozer out until Thanksgiving and the annual circus trip looming. This Bulls team will excite their fans, win a bunch of games, and eventually get bounced in the 2nd round of the playoffs. They need to wake up and realize that you need more than one star(who doesn’t give up Joakim Noah for Carmelo Anthony? Seriously.) to win a championship in this league. You hear the “experts” say that Boozer needs Noah to be the player the Bulls will need him to be. Hmm, that’s interesting. How many $75 million dollar “stars” need another player to justify their signing? It’s why I never wanted Boozer. You only go so far when he is your 2nd best player.

Southeast Division

1. Miami Heat*: 70 wins? No chance, but they will be the talk of the regular season. I’ve already had enough of them. Why? We’re almost at my thoughts on LeBron’s Nike commercial. Now, Dwyane Wade is about to debut his new commercial. When did these two become actors? It’s disgusting. Oh, and don’t bother calling Wade “Flash” anymore. He doesn’t want that nickname. That’s fine, how about “conniving, bullshitting fake?” That’s how the Bulls and their fans feel after Wade used them this summer.

2. Orlando Magic*: Dwight Howard is sick of all the attention the Heat are getting. He can stop that if his summer work with Hakeem Olajuwon pays off.

3. Atlanta Hawks*: At what point does the Joe Johnson contract become the biggest albatross this side of Gilbert Arenas? My guess is Christmas.

4. Charlotte Bobcats*: Once again, it’s NBA hell for MJ’s squad. MJ needs to rid himself of Larry Brown, trade off veterans, and start anew. This team is the definition of basketball hell. They aren’t good enough to compete, and not bad enough to secure a top 3 pick. At least Charlotte has the Panthers. Oh, wait, forget I said that.

5. Washington Wizards: The soon to be Bullets have legit pieces in John Wall and JaVale McGee, but they need to rid themselves of Arenas. Ted Leonsis can win over his fan base by buying out the overpaid headcase who fakes injuries.

Player To Watch: LeQuit James- Heat: The whole concept of calling the Heat “Dwyane Wade’s Miami Heat” went out the window 3 minutes into the Heat’s first preseason game. James is far and away the Heat’s best player. How Wade and Bosh play off James will be the key for the Heat.

Rookie To Watch: John Wall- Wizards: No, he isn’t Derrick Rose. However, Wall is a stud and will flash brilliance this season. It’s too bad that he is stuck with Agent Ass-bag Gilbert Arenas this year.

Team To Beat: The Heat. No, I don’t feel like saying anything else about them.

Western Conference

Southwest Division

1. Dallas Mavericks*: Mark Cuban continues to spend money, and they continue to lose in the playoffs. This year will be no different.

2. San Antonio Spurs*: Will the Spurs trade Tony Parker? If the right offer is there, you have to do it.

3. Houston Rockets*: How will Yao Ming play without feet? This team has 6 seed written all over them.

4. Memphis Grizzlies: Another team I want contracted. Their owner sucks, their GM is an atrocity, and they just gave Rudy Gay $80 million. If contraction doesn’t happen, this is the team I want sent to Seattle to form the new Sonics.

5. New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul will continue to send signals that he wants out. Hopefully, the Hornets don’t oblige. I’m sick of these babies demanding trades. You signed a contract CP3, honor it like a man.

Player To Watch: Tim Duncan- Spurs: Has father time finally caught up with Duncan? I’m thinking yes, but he will still take them to the playoffs. The Spurs and their fans will hate seeing their championship core age like old pro wrestlers.

Rookie To Watch: Dominique Jones- Mavs

Team To Beat: Dallas Mavericks: They are solid and can potentially finish 2nd in the west, but you can’t win a title when Dirk Nowitzki is your best player. If you don’t believe me, re-watch the ’06 finals sometime and call me.

Northwest Division

1. Oklahoma City Thunder*: This team can’t be on national tv enough. They are reason enough to purchase NBA League Pass.

2. Utah Jazz*: I used to hate the Malone-Stockton Jazz teams. I’ve come around because their organization knows what it’s doing. They didn’t match the Wes Matthews offer sheet(brilliant move. 5 years & $34 million?! What are the Blazers doing?), and they found another 20-10(Al Jefferson) guy to replace Carlos “I love punching walls” Boozer. How can Deron Williams not be happy?

3. Portland Trail Blazers*: The curse of the Oden-Durant draft will haunt them much like “Bowie over Jordan.” As long as Brandon Roy’s paper thin knee ligaments hold up, they will make the playoffs.

4. Denver Nuggets: A mess in every sense of the word. The Nuggets need to move Melo, trade Billups to a contender, and start over. They can acquire multiple 1st round picks, and young talent if they make smart trades. Should Nuggets fans be confident of that with a first time GM running the show?

5. Minnesota Timberwolves: If David Kahn can be an NBA GM, there is still hope for me. He gave up Al Jefferson for virtually nothing, took two point guards in the ’08 draft not named Stephen Curry, and passed on DeMarcus Cousins. I know I wouldn’t do that to you T-Wolves fans.

Kevin Durant will beat out LeBron James for the league's MVP award. It will be the first of many for the best young player in the NBA.

Player To Watch: Kevin Durant- Thunder: Who else? He was my number 1 storyline to this NBA season. He is going to win the MVP, win the scoring title, and prove to be the biggest threat to a Lakers potential 3-Peat. Everybody better take a look, The Durantula is on a mission.

Rookie To Watch: Wesley Johnson- T-Wolves: I like Johnson. He has a nice shot, has great length, and has the athleticism to guard 2′s and 3′s at the NBA level. If Johnny Flynn can improve, Johnson will have a solid rookie campaign. Unfortunately for T-Wolves fans, they will wish their team drafted DeMarcus Cousins.

Team To Beat: Oklahoma City Thunder: They might be a year away, but this team is on the a championship arch. They very much remind me of the ’89 & ’90 Bulls. They have their alpha dog, their 2nd star, and solid role players. The future is oh so bright in OKC.

Pacific Division

1. Los Angeles Lakers*: The Lakers will take a page out of the ’97-’98 Bulls and coast through the regular season. Kobe and Co. know their true test begins in April, not November.

2. Los Angeles Clippers*: I would love this team if, you know, they weren’t the Clippers. With Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon, they have legit building blocks. I can’t fathom how and why they hired Vinny Del Negro. This league is led by morons, I keep telling you.

3. Phoenix Suns: Don’t sleep on a potential Steve Nash trade this season. Steve Kerr knew when to get out from under Robert Sarver’s nonsense.

4. Sacramento Kings: I love the trio of rookie of the year Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, and DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins is a headcase, but he will put up good numbers from the jump. He is a sleeper for rookie of the year. They are too young to compete for the playoffs, but this team has an exciting future. I’d really love them if they moved to Vegas.

5. Golden State Warriors: They have a nice pick and roll game with Steph Curry and David Lee, but who will they guard? The answer is nobody. Ever.

Player To Watch: Kobe Bryant- Lakers: Kobe has one more title run in him. He may start slow, but he will remind everyone why he is the best player in the NBA.

Blake Griffin has looked as good as advertised. It's too bad he will be "coached" by Vinny Del Negro.

Rookie To Watch: Blake Griffin- Clippers: Griffin looks as if he hasn’t missed a beat despite missing his rookie year to a knee injury. He is also the power forward I would pick first if I ranked all of the 4′s in the league. You bet your ass I just I went there.

Team To Beat: Los Angeles Lakers

* indicates makes the playoffs.

2011 NBA MVP: Kevin Durant- Thunder: This will be the first of at least 4 MVP’s for Durant. Yes, he’s that good.

2011 6th Man of the Year: James Harden- Thunder. Harden is talented enough to start for OKC, but the 6th man role is perfect for him.

2011 Coach of the Year: Jerry Sloan- Jazz: Why? Because I’m tired of guys winning this award for leading an overachieving team to the playoffs only to get rolled. All Sloan does is win. He would have two rings if not for Michael Jordan. He has his teams in contention every year. It’s time for the voters to show the hall of famer some love.

2011 Defensive Player of the Year: Joakim Noah- Bulls: Noah could receive voter fatigue votes from guys who are sick of voting for Dwight Howard. I love Noah, but the Bulls will regret not going after Melo.

2011 Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin- Clippers

Western Conference Finals: Lakers over Thunder in 7 games

Eastern Conference Finals: Celtics over Heat in 6 games

2011 NBA Finals: Lakers over Celtics in 6 games

2011 NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the new LeQuit James commercial. Sure, it’s well done because that’s how Nike does business. It is well put together, but it underscores LeBron’s maturity issue. He is mocking people who, rightfully, criticized him for quitting on his team in the Boston series. We know LeBron, you aren’t a role model. You didn’t need to tell us that. And no, you shouldn’t be what we want you to be. It goes beyond where you decided to play basketball, LeBron. It’s about how you handled the situation, how you stabbed your hometown in the back, used random idiots Twitter messages as motivation, and and played the race card. Your fragile ego showed itself when you re-tweeted fans positive feedback about the commercial. I wish you would have included how you are Turtle from Entourage. You love to be loved and hate to be hated. At least Turtle has a smoking hot girlfriend. You on the other hand are about to face a shit storm unlike anything you’ve ever “witnessed.” Re-tweet that. The James Nike commercial is another reason why I can’t wait for tip-off. FINALLY…..the over hyped off-season is over. Finally.

I’m beyond nauseous at the whole athletes playing the race card garbage. Did race play some factor in the “decision” backlash? Of course it did. Whether we like it or not, race plays into ,virtually, every aspect of our everyday lives. I don’t care that it’s 2010, and I don’t care how many white liberal pussies claim how much they love Obama and can name how many African American friends they have. Racism was, and always will be, a hot button issue. I hate it, but it is what it is.

Side Note: I’ve always found it funny/annoying when white people say “I’m not racist, I have 9 African American friends.” Really? Stop bullshitting the public. I don’t mind giving my thoughts on this issue because fools like James and Mav Carter need a reality check.

What gets me is that LeDiva would feed into that. Shouldn’t he be above this? Shouldn’t he have the common sense to not go near the issue? We’re not talking about an 18 year old kid here. When you’re LeDiva James, you don’t play the race card. Michael Jordan was smart enough to know this. He knew how important he was to blacks, whites, and everyone in between. Michael actually took heat from Jim Brown for not being more upfront about racism and such. MJ’s response? “Republicans buy shoes too.” No matter what Michael felt about certain issues deep down, he knew what to say and when to say it. LeDiva isn’t smart enough to ignore the talk and just play basketball. He felt compelled to stick up for his boy and make himself look like more a jackass. Turtle would do a better job managing Vinny Chase’s career than Maverick is doing with LeDiva.

If LeBron had any brains, he would apologize to Cleveland and just play basketball. That won't happen because it is beneath The Queen. Who will James blame if things go bad in Miami?

I don’t feel bad for LeQuit after the spectacle he’s made of himself since May. Let’s start with him quitting in game 5 of the Celtics series. It was so blatant that I was convinced that night he was out of Cleveland. Was LeDiva feeling slighted that night? Were the white people that adored him in Cleveland not rooting hard enough? Give me a break.

I don’t feel bad for James because he brought all of this attention on himself. It started back in November of ’08 when he had a full blown press conference before a Cavs game vs the Knicks. I believe James said…..”If you guys want to go to sleep now and not wake up until July 1, 2010, go ahead because it’s going to be a big day.” This look at me piece of garbage craves the attention. He brought it all on himself, and when shit hit the fan he went into idiot athlete 101…….play the race card. How typical.

One of the arguments to show just how much racism played into the backlash was people saying “they showed white people burning his jersey.” First of all, blame the idiots at ESPN who had reporters and camera crews in every city that LeDiva allowed to come kiss his ring. Tell me this people, were only white Cleveland fans pissed off that night when James stuck a machete into the city’s heart? The fact that the Boo-Yaa network happened to show white people burning his jersey typified an entire community’s heartbreak.

Side Note II: I won’t even go into the Heat’s championship celebration/dance off that the 3 douche bags had. That was cute wasn’t it?

Go to YouTube sometime and type in Packers fans burn Brett Favre’s jersey. Guess what you’ll find kids? A bunch of hillbilly, trailer park living, no teeth white Packers fans burning Favre’s #4 Jersey.

The fact that Favre was brought into this shows how stupid people are. Is Favre a diva? Yes. I loathe him with every fiber of my being, but the comparison to James doesn’t work. Favre retired after the ’07 season. He wasn’t a free agent, and didn’t have 6 teams come to him and hear how great he was. To compare the two is ridiculous. Favre didn’t want to leave the Packers, it’s just his bitch ass couldn’t make up his mind on playing again.

Thankfully, Charles Barkley is as open minded as he is. Barkley said James’ comments were “like a bad movie. Just when you think it’s can’t get stupider, it does.” God bless Sir Charles. Imagine for a minute if we could hop in the Hot Tub Time Machine and go back to 1986. Before we would go see Top Gun again, catch up on some Saturday Night’s Main Event episodes, and buy the Air Jordan I’s, let’s say Larry Bird was a free agent. Bird had just won his 3rd NBA championship and was leading the NBA’s resurgence along with Magic Johnson. Let’s say that Bird was feuding with Celtics management internally, was traumatized by Len Bias’ death, couldn’t handle Kevin McHale anymore, and secretly wanted out. Bird, then, would have a list of 6 teams come to French Lick and recruit him. Bird eventually switches teams and goes to Chicago to team with a young Michael Jordan to finish his career. Imagine the backlash from Boston fans. Then imagine if Bird came out and said that racism was a factor in the backlash of his decision to high tail it out of town? What would that have been like? Bird would have been crucified in the media and seen as the biggest racist in sports.

I know this would never happen because that’s not Larry Bird. He isn’t/wasn’t the attention whore that Queen James is. My point was to show the double standard that exists in this country, then and now. There is zero accountability for athletes like LeDiva. NONE. James figures he can what he wants, whenever he wants. He’s above all criticism and all responsibility. Then when things get tough, go back to idiot athlete 101 and play the race card. He wasn’t just sticking up for his boy Mav, he was saying what he felt. Hey LeDiva, here’s an idea, why don’t you rid yourself of the clowns ruining your career. Then maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a grip on reality and take responsibility for quitting on your team in crucial playoff games, stabbing your home town in the back, making an ass of yourself on national television, and blaming the white man for it all.

The Bulls Derrick Rose was team USA's 2nd best player for most of the world championships, but their best player was the guy who's going to own the NBA for the next decade.

While you were eating, drinking and watching your favorite NFL team, more than likely look like hell in week 1, a passing of the torch was going on in Istanbul, Turkey. Not that you “witnessed” it, because the FIBA idiots would schedule the gold medal game of the world championships on the NFL’s kickoff Sunday. What genius decided that would be a smart move? In case you missed it, team USA won the world championship for the first time since 1994. That isn’t earth shattering news, but when the “B squad” was put together, a gold medal wasn’t a sure thing.

It should have been. Why? Because team USA had the best basketball player in the world on it’s team. Not Kobe, not LeBron(we’re getting to him), but KD. That might be viewed as a Bill Walton overstatement, but I’ve been saying this for over a year now. Last summer, I told friends that if I was starting an NBA team I’m taking Durant first. No question. The LeBron-ites got their headbands in a bunch over such an outrageous claim. What can I say, I saw this coming.

I saw it coming before he became only the 3rd player in the last 30 plus years to average over 33.5 points a game(Kobe and that Jordan guy were the other 2). I saw the fact we’re blessed to watch a 6’10” freak who runs the floor like a deer, doesn’t miss free throws(Hi LeBron, how ya doing?), hits 3′s like he’s shooting into the big ‘ol huge bucket MJ did in the ’92 finals, plays and guards different positions with ease, cares only about improving his game, is a basketball purist(much like D Rose), and thrives in clutch moments. What this kid has, you cannot teach. I’m not only talking about pure talent– I’m talking about work ethic and drive to get the absolute most out of the ungodly potential he was given. While Queen James is busy making a spectacle of himself on national television, hosting parties on South Beach, going to Cowboys games, massaging Dwyane Wade after workouts, and insisting the Miami Heat hire his “boys”, Durant was busy showing the world just how great of a player he is. Unlike Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, James, and Wade, Durant wasn’t too big to show up for these world championships. He knew that he would be the unquestioned alpha dog of this team. He knew he would carry the young stars to the gold medal.

Kevin Durant turned the world championships into his coronation as the game's best player. I'm laughing at how good he is at 21! Think how good he'll be in 3 years?

Durant carrying this team USA to the gold medal might be the understatement of the year. He scored 33 in the quarters, a ridiculous 38 in the semis when Lithuania did everything but mug him, and 28 in the gold medal game with 7 3-pointers. Not bad for a kid who is still 21 years old, huh? A number of players on the U.S. team played well, in spurts, throughout this tournament, but none exhibited the consistency of Durant. Take the last 3 games for example. Durant scored 100 points and hit 15 3′s. The rest of the team? 159 points and 14 3′s. It was like an AAU team riding their one star to victory every game.

Side Note: I loved Durant writing “1972″ before the Russia game, and then “9/11/01″ before Sunday’s finale. He understands the history of USA hoops and knows what it means for people like me who love basketball. I was into this tournament because I love basketball. I also love the fact that basketball is our game. I took it personally when we lost in Athens in ’04. That should never have happened. Fortunately, we have Durant and Derrick Rose so that won’t happen again.

The beauty of Durant’s game and play in this tournament was that he never once forced a shot, played too much 1 on 1, or pissed off his teammates. As ESPN color analyst Fran Fraschilla pointed out, he didn’t come out of the game one time or take a bad shot. How many guys could do that in a pressure packed game on an opponents home floor? Turkey was treating this game as if it was the biggest event in their country’s history. How many 21 year-old players could not only handle that pressure, but thrive in it? Not many.

Durant has that killer instinct in him that Kobe has and Jordan had(and still has). The way he reacted after hitting dagger 3 after dagger 3 was something we have yet to see from him. He showed that controlled rage that has defined Jordan and Kobe throughout their careers. You know when you’re “witnessing” a young player blossom into a star. We saw Durant become that player last season, but this summer we saw him becoming an alpha dog leader some thought LeBron was. While James couldn’t wait to run into Dwyane Wade’s shadow, Durant thrives on the pressure of being THEE guy. Have I mentioned he’s still only 21?

Quick LeBron Tangent: If you need reason number 824 why LeBron is a diva, here it is……When LeBron was with the Cavs, he requested that his boys park in the players lot. That forced some Cavs players to park in the team’s family lot. That meant that some of his teammates families had to park in the main parking lots for home games. Nice teammate, huh? What a piece of garbage.

My only fear for Durant not going down as an all-time top ten player is if he ends up taking a LeBron career path. His humility is worthy of a gold medal in and of itself. I really hope that the spotlight, sponsors and the disease of “more” never get to KD. A lot of these same things were said about LeBron as he entered the league. Unlike Mr. I need you to employ my friends or I won’t play here, Durant’s support system is much more stable than LeBron’s. After watching him dominate this tournament, can you see him joining another superstar’s team at 25? Not a chance. He’s above that low rent garbage.

While many basketball pundits will still say LeBron James is the best player in the world, I’ll take the 21 year-old who actually has a set of balls. Give me the guy who wants to be the man. Give me the guy who isn’t afraid of taking the last shot. Give me the guy who will actually make that last shot. I knew the torched would eventually get passed to Kevin Durant, I just figured it would get passed to him from LeBron, not Kobe.

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen formed the greatest duo in sports history. Scottie is about to take his place next to MJ in the basketball Hall of Fame.

It’s been a big Hall of Fame week for yours truly. First, my favorite football player of all time Jerry Rice got inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and this Friday one of my basketball heroes enters basketballs hallowed halls. Scottie Pippen to this day is one of my favorite athletes not just because of his talent, but his work ethic and desire to get the most out of his potential. The former team manager at Central Arkansas is often overlooked because he played the “2nd banana” role to Michael Jordan. That is often looked at as a negative when it should be viewed as a tremendous compliment. Scottie knew his role, and became the greatest sidekick in NBA history. Michael Jordan remains the game’s greatest player, but even “His Airness” needed Scottie’s help to win NBA titles. In my book Pippen is the greatest on ball defender the NBA has ever seen. He could guard 4 positions, direct an offense, and was a phenomenal teammate. He also perfected the block on defense, initiate the fast break, and finish at the other end with a dunk or driving layup. He was a key member of the ’92 & ’96 Dream Teams, was named to the NBA All Defensive team 8 times, was named to the all NBA team 3 times, was the MVP of the ’94 NBA All Star game, and was the 2nd best player on 6 NBA championship squads. That’s a pretty decent resume huh? As Scottie would say….”most definitely.” In his honor, I wanted to take a look at Pip through the years with some classic videos and pictures that sum up one of the greatest basketball players the NBA has ever seen. Enjoy.

It started when the Bulls traded Olden Polynice(Yes, that really happened) for the draft rights to Pippen. Between that trade and Kevin Durant and the Sonics leaving town, all Seattle basketball fans just started drinking……heavily.

The best part of that video is the slow, dopey, bad, white guy playing in those pre-draft scrimmages. Who was he and who would ever draft him? He was Aaron Gray before Aaron Gray. Scottie was a work in progress when he got to Chicago. He developed as the young Bulls grew together as a team. Pippen improved by leaps and bounds by 1990, when he made his first all-star game. He averaged 16.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and was 3rd in the NBA in steals with 211. Pippen dealt with all of the migrane headache talk  from game 7 in the conference finals that season, but ended that talk with this performance in game 5 of the ’91 NBA Finals…….

I love watching the game 5 clincher again. The Bulls first title means the most to me because of the struggles they went through as a team. Plus, I still enjoy seeing those fake ass Lakers fans cheering for the Bulls down the stretch of that game. Only Faker fans would do that. Yes, Michael Jordan has 30 points, 10 assists, and 5 steals in the game 5 clincher, but Pippen was equally brilliant. His line on the night? 32 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and equaled MJ’s 5 steals as well. And with that, the Bulls dynasty was off and running. They were back for more the following June when Pippen led a furious 4th quarter rally while Jordan rested. The 14-2 run to start the 4th got the Bulls back in the game, and it was time to celebrate championship ring # 2……

If you were a Bulls fan and were old enough to remember game 6 of the ’92 finals, I’m willing to bet anything you remember where you were when you watched it.

Pippen was a member of the greatest team ever assembled. The '92 Dream Team helped basketball become the global sport it is today.

When Jordan talked with Phil Jackson after the ’92 Olympics, he told Phil that Scottie was “the best player on that team.” That was a pretty big compliment coming from the game’s best player. Fresh off that gold medal, Pippen and Jordan quickly transitioned to the grind of the NBA season. The ’92-’93 season was challenging on the Bulls. Two long title runs took their toll, but Jordan and Pippen turned it up a notch for the post season. They swept the Hawks and Cavs easily before struggling with the Knicks in the eastern conference finals. After losing the first two games, the Bulls stormed back to win 4 straight. This was the series where Pip became an all world player. He was outstanding in the game win with 29 points. He hit a clutch runner in the closing moments of game 4 to help even the series. In game 5 he helped the Bulls break the Knicks 27 game home winning streak with a superb all around game including the famous trio of blocks on Charles Smith. Ironically, Smith’s career was never the same after that. I give all credit to Scottie’s blocks. Add another item to his hall of fame credentials……he ended Charles Smith’s career as a semi relevant player. The Bulls made it back to the finals and faced Charles Barkley’s Phoenix Suns. It was over in 6 and the Bulls became the first NBA team to 3-peat in 27 years……

The ’93-’94 season was the defining season in Pippen’s career. With Michael Jordan on his “baseball sabbatical” wink wink, Pippen was forced to become “the man” on the Bulls. He responded with these numbers: 22 ppg, 8.7 rpg, and 5.6 apg on a team that won 55 games. They were robbed of a return trip to the conference finals by one of the worst referees in NBA history(Hue Hollins….God I hate even typing his name), but it didn’t diminish Pip’s season. Sure there was the 1.8 seconds in game 3 vs NY, but Pippen had an MVP season. That’s what is remembered, or at least should be.

Pippen's '94 All Star MVP performance was almost as memorable as the red shoes he sported. He finished the game with 29 points and 11 rebounds. He also made commentator Magic Johnson piss himself with joy throughout the game.

Pippen's dunk over Patrick Ewing in the last game at old Chicago Stadium might be the best dunk in Bulls history. Yes, I'm still pissed that the Bulls were robbed in game 5 of that '94 2nd round series.

Once MJ returned in the spring of ’95, the Bulls were again ready to compete for titles. Jerry Krause nearly traded Pippen for Shawn Kemp the summer before. Do you think MJ would have come back if Scottie wasn’t there in March of ’95? No chance. The Sonics backed out of the trade at the last minute because of fan backlash…..Thankfully. Krause’s next big move came after the Bulls lost to Orlando in the ’95 2nd round. Jordan was back, but the Bulls needed that last piece to become title contenders again. Krause traded Will Perdue for Dennis Rodman(Yes, that was a straight up deal), and the dynasty was back. Before the Bulls finished off the Sonics in the ’96 finals, they first had to extract revenge on the Magic. Orlando knocked off the Bulls in 6 when Jordan wasn’t quite back to “his old self” as Scottie put it. That series in ’96 was the revenge series for the Bulls, and game 3 was a game Orlando had to have down 2-0. So much for that…..

I love how Pip said the Bulls didn’t have a “real cushiony” lead. Jordan and Pippen real also really talented at making up words. The championships got tougher as the Bulls grew older, but as always Jordan and Pippen delivered. The ’97 playoff run was not pretty as the Bulls struggled through the first three rounds. After the game 2 win vs Miami in the ECF, Pippen and Jordan took the podium together. They sat there and made fun of how bad they were playing.

Scottie: “We already came up with names for each other in the locker room.”

MJ: “He’s doo-doo and I’m shit.”

The struggles didn’t last much longer. The Utah Jazz gave the Bulls a good series in the finals, and played well. However, the Bulls prevailed in 6 and won one for the thumb…..

The last dance proved to be the Bulls most difficult. Jordan was showing his age, Pippen had a bad back going into game 6 vs Utah, and Bill Wennington looked 67 with all of his hair loss. Jordan led the way with 45 points in the game 6 clincher in what should have been his farewell moment. Even with that, the Bulls needed Scottie’s gutsy effort to finish off the Jazz for the 2nd year in a row. The dynasty may have ended, but the Bulls proved to be a team for the ages. I still believe the ’92 Bulls are the greatest NBA team of all time and they indeed that because they had Scottie Pippen on the team. He may always be in Jordan’s shadow, but he is one of the very best players the NBA has ever seen. His unique skills and talent made him a prototype. We haven’t seen anyone like him since, and we likely won’t again. Thanks for the memories Scottie, Bulls fans will always appreciate you.

Scottie and Michael chillin in the locker room after the 87-86 win over the Jazz in game 6 of the '98 finals. The Bulls 6th NBA championship was the toughest that team faced. Luckily, they had the greatest duo in sports history leading the way.

@Louie_Ruffolo8

LeDiva James tarnished his image forever by taking the easy way out. We will never look at this fraud the same way again.

After taking some time to calm down from The LeBacle, I finally feel like I’m ready for an unbiased view on the biggest con man (LeCon if you will) in sports. Okay, maybe not. This train wreck career decision made by the Queen Diva confuses anyone with a love for basketball and the NBA. We all thought MeBron James wanted it all. He’s the biggest attention whore in sports. We assumed he wanted to be “The Man”, the alpha dog on a great team, and to put himself in the discussion of the all-time one name greats like Michael, Larry, and Magic. We never thought that when this free agency free-for-all started that the prized player would announce to the world that he doesn’t want to be the lead guy. That’s the most shocking thing to me in all of this garbage. I felt strongly that he would leave Cleveland from the second game 5 ended against Boston. I was so convinced that I created a LeBron to the Bulls page on this very site to try and help promote the cause. That was all before LeDiva sat across from his hand picked ass-bag Jim Gray and told the world in so many words that…..The pressure has gotten to me, I want to piggy back on Dwyane Wade’s shoulders, and I don’t have the balls to be the player and person I was destined to be.

I don’t even know how to describe my feelings for this guy. Last summer, while doing our annual fantasy football draft, I told some of my buddies that if I was running an NBA fantasy-expansion draft and I had the number 1 pick of all of the NBA players, I’d take Kevin Durant. What?! No LeBron?! I didn’t care for his selfish act then and last night’s nonsense reminded me of why. His press conference in Madison Square Garden in 2008 talking about July 1, 2010 made me loathe him like I loathe country music. I used to love LeBron’s game. I was convinced when watching his high school games that the only way he wouldn’t be a phenomenal pro was if he went Tyson and ruined his career somehow. With the help of Maverick Carter (His, seemingly, incompetent business manager), LeBron embarrassed himself and ruined The LeBron James brand forever.

It won’t be the same if he wins multiple NBA titles with Wade and the Rupaul of big men, Chris Bosh on the Heat. It won’t mean what it should have meant. His road to the Michael, Larry, Magic pedestal is no longer attainable. With his buddies convincing him to make this horrendous career move, they effectively killed his legacy, when they are the ones who are supposed to be looking out for it. Maverick Carter did an interview in 2007  saying that for LeBron to become a global icon, he would have to win NBA championships. Is this what Carter and the rest of his posse thought would get James to that level? If so, they are Turtle, Drama and “E” stupid. If you watch Entourage, you remember Vince, all costs, going to make “Medillen” the Pablo Escobar story. E went along with Vince wanting to sell his house and everything he owned in order to buy the script. They bought the script, and make a horrendous movie that nearly ruined Vince’s career. That’s what this situation reminds me of. I’m willing to bet that after MeBron talked to Wade and Bosh he told his crew that he was thinking of going to Miami. Instead of knowing how this decision would tarnish his biggest clients career, Carter had stars in his eyes and imagined what it would be like to live and party in South Beach. Nice representation Bron Bron.I always thought he was a man of one, as Brian Windhorst has written. He, and he alone,  was supposed to make this decision. I wish someone in his camp would have had the balls to help him realize the mistake he was about to make. And shame on LeBron for being so willing to become a glorified Scottie Pippen at 25!!! Lebron wants to be a helper, not the heavy lifter who carries a team to a title. What a travesty.

As LeBron talked about his tough “decision”, he seemed not sure of the whole thing. He seemed as if he wanted this, but knew it may not be the best thing for him. He was obviously nervous–not so much that he was leaving the only home that he has ever known, but self doubt creeping in saying “Do I really want to do this?” He sounded like an overgrown teenager when he proclaimed “This fall….man this is very tough…I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.” Having missed college recruiting, LeBron seemingly wanted to relive a high school football player announcing which college he was going to. All that was missing was LeBron choosing a Heat hat. It was cheesy, corny, and as lame as anything I’ve ever seen. Would Michael Jordan ever subject himself to this sort of circus act? Hell, no. Could you ever imagine Kobe doing this? Not a chance. LeBron looked like a lost sole who had no idea what he was about to do. He should have been thrilled about the next chapter in his life, but instead he looked miserable. He didn’t seem like he was 100% sure he wanted to do this.  But,he did and proved why he’ll never be mentioned in the same breath as the greatest players ever. Once again….what a travesty.

I wanted to say how badly I feel for the people of Cleveland. Dan Gilbert’s letter to Cavs fans was a fun read, and it shed some light on the diva. However, he is the guy who enabled the biggest con man in the NBA and let him do whatever he wanted. LeBron decided when practice would start. LeBron would hold up team buses because…because…because he’s LeBron James didn’t you know? What an ass-hat. Poor Cleveland fans have had to “witness” The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Shot II, and now, The Decision. I don’t agree that Gilbert’s Cavs will win an NBA title before LeDiva, but I am rooting for him to build a high level team to give those fans hope.

You could also compare LeBron turning his back on Cleveland to when Hulk Hogan joined “The Outsiders” Kevin Nash and Scott Hall at the ’96 Bash at the Beach and forming the nWo. Hogan was a beloved figure who was the biggest name in wrestling. The Outsiders were supposedly sent from the then WWF (now WWE) to destroy WCW. When Hogan turned heel it was one of those wow moments that you don’t forget. That’s what last night felt like for fans. You won’t forget the night that MeBron changed the course of his career. For Hogan, it rejuvenated his career. For LeCoward, it’s going to be the moment he ended the discussion of being one of the greatest players ever.

Here is the Hulk Hogan comparison. The first video is 80′s Hogan (Cavs LeBron) followed by Hogan’s heel turn (MeBron deciding to go to the Heat….and selling out). The parallels are staggering……

If you grew up in the 80′s and liked wrestling, there’s no chance that you didn’t like Hulk Hogan. If you say otherwise you are lying. Everything changed when Hogan went “Hollywood.” You see, Hogan’s star was fading when he turned heel in ’96. He needed the change in image to keep his name in lights. LeBron didn’t need to go “Hollywood.” He was at the top of his profession. It’s too bad LeDiva couldn’t handle the pressure. Every Hogan fan knows this clip. The feelings they had this night in July of ’96 is what poor Cavs fans felt Thursday night. Bobby Heenan said “it’s the lowest shot ever given to professional wrestling.” James leaving is the lowest shot to Cleveland since Art Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore after the ’95 NFL season. Congrats LeBron, you’re now the NBA’s version of Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Although not nearly as cool.

LeBron wasn’t the only one who made a fool of himself on Thursday night. ESPN as a network should be ashamed of themselves. From Stuart Scott blowing LeBron from the start of the show, to Jim Gray’s softball questions, to Michael Wilbon being just another Boo-Yaa pansy, it furthered showed that the network and it’s “experts” don’t have the balls to be anything but robot like talking heads. Could Gray or Wilbon asked LeDiva why he made a spectacle of himself?How about asking why he quit in game 5 vs Boston? I would have paid money for one of them to ask James how he feels about ruining his legacy just to take the easy way out? The only thing that could have made this worse was if Dick Vitale was there screaming at everyone and explaining that if LeBron had gone to college the decision would have been different. ESPN should be ashamed of themselves for the continuous coverage and more Chris Broussard reports than anyone could stomach.

Mr. Piggy back said after his decision that he talked with his mom that morning and she supported his decision. I wonder if Delonte West was brought up? What LeBron James did Thursday night was show how mentally weak he truly is. He took the easy way out. He openly told the world that he’s a beaten man that needs help to win that elusive championship. Judging by how stoic he looked, he knows deep down that this is a mistake. That, one day, he will look back on this night and realize he made a career altering mistake. Instead of accepting a challenge like Michael or Kobe would, LeDiva proved he isn’t in their league. He may piggy back his way to a couple titles while he “takes his talent to South Beach,” but he lost something Thursday night. He lost his chance to join Michael, Magic, and Larry atop the NBA’s Mt. Rushmore. Whenever the overgrown child grows up and realizes it, he’ll wish he could have “The Decision” back.

Ernie Grunfeld did the Bulls a huge favor by taking "Kurt" Hinrich's remaining $17 million dollars. Thanks Ern.

If you’ve read any of my blog posts since I started this site  last November, you know the Marciano body shots I’ve thrown at Ernie Grunfeld. The Wizards GM is always a target of mine because I think he’s done a piss poor job running the Wizards. Yes, he’s the guy who gave Gilbert Arenas $111 million dollars. On Thursday, however, Grunfeld did the Bulls the biggest favor since David Stern rigged the Derrick Rose lottery. He agreed to take on Kirk (Please Flip Saunders don’t call me Kurt) Hinrich and his remaining $17 million dollars. The Wizards have the cap space to absorb Hinrich’s deal, but not until the NBA’s moratorium is lifted July 8. Ironically, the Wizards have that cap room because they shipped off Antawn Jamison to the Cavs at this year’s trade deadline. Funny how this shit works out, isn’t it? By taking Captain Clank (That’s my buddy Chad’s nickname for him), Grunfeld insured the Bulls will have around $30 million dollars to spend on free agents this summer. Which two you ask? I ‘ll let Worldwide Wes answer that question…..”We’re going to Chicago, and Chris Bosh is coming too. Worldwide Wes is now telling people LeBron James will bring Bosh with him to the Bulls once free agency starts July 1. As I’ve written for months, the Bulls are all in on the LeBron sweepstakes. They hired Tom Thibodeau, knowing he was OK with LeBron and Worldwide. They gave away Hinrich for nothing! Look, I have ripped Kirk for a long time, but even I have to admit he was a solid player. That’s where the league is right now, though. If you want to play at the big boy’s table, you better be willing to do what The King, Maverick Carter, and Worldwide want. Who could have guessed that a former Knick would help the Bulls achieve their goal.

Grunfeld and Dave Checketts ran the Knicks in the 90′s. They hated the Bulls as much as us Bulls fans hated the Knicks. No Knick would ever help the Bulls, right? Oh, how things have changed. Checketts had this to say to ESPN New York….”I’ll have to give Ernie a call, has he lost his mind?”

“Ernie and I hated Chicago more than anyone. We wouldn’t do one thing to help them when we were running the Knicks. In fact, we even tried to kill deals we heard the Bulls were working on. We’d call agents and tell them, ‘Why would you send your player there? Are you kidding? Don’t you know what’s going on inside that organization?’” Checketts wasn’t done….

Bulls fan owe Ernie Grunfeld a big thank you for taking on Hinrich's deal. The former Knick really stuck it to his old team.

“We tried to convince Michael Jordan to come to New York when we offered him all of our cap space in ’96,” he said. “We even bid on Scottie Pippen once. A lot of time has passed, but it’s still hard to picture Ernie doing a deal that would help the Bulls.” How do you really feel Dave?

Somewhere, the Knicks and their fans are feeling like this is the 90′s all over again. For all of my ball busting of Grunfeld, I owe him an apology. Thanks Ern, thank you for taking the only white guard in the NBA who can’t consistently make a wide open 3. I may have to send Big Ern a gift.

The NBA world has known for 2 years that the Knicks want LeBron James. They started planning for July 1, 2010 the day Donnie Walsh took the helm. Walsh sounded terrified at the thought of the Bulls now having enough room for two max free agents. “They got more cap money than they had, there’s no doubt about that.” He seems resigned to the fact that his dog shit team is falling out of the LeBron sweepstakes faster than “Grown Ups” will fall out of the top grossing movies of the summer. Donnie needs a smoke.

A LeBron James - Derrick Rose combo is closer to becoming a reality thanks to Thursday's trade of Captain Clank.

The Knicks main draw for 2 years has been their ability to sell LeBron on the fact that he can bring the sidekick of his choosing. That was their sell. Not their B-List celebrities lining up to make a pitch to The King. The Knicks are planning elaborate dinners, and selling New York. When you have a roster that consists of Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Tony Douglas, I’d be selling the city and anything other than basketball. Sorry Knicks fans, but your 2 year dream is about to become a nightmare. Don’t blame Donnie Walsh, blame Isiah Thomas who ruined your franchise. “Zeke” basically destroyed basketball in New York like LeBron will do in Cleveland once he’s “Up out of there” as Worldwide Wes said. Does anyone think LeBron, who’s in desperate need of winning titles, will want to play with those stiffs over Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah? That’s what I thought. LeBron James is going to be a Bull. I’ve never been more confident about it.

I feel obligated to mention the Miami Heat because they have cleared the deck as well and will make a pitch to LeBron. I’m only mentioning them because I don’t want to be viewed as shortsighted. Know this– there is no chance in hell (Vince McMahon voice) that The King will want to be viewed as Dwyane Wade’s sidekick. They played well together on team USA, but LeBron wants to be the alpha dog, and he wouldn’t be that in Wade’s world. The Heat will come away with Amare Stoudemire and Ray Allen, but The King is out of Pat Riley’s greasy, slimy, scummy hands.

Since Kirk Hinrich is now a former Bull, I have some parting words for Captain Clank. On draft night ’03 there was one guy I wanted no part of. His name? Kirk Hinrich. When a slimmer, younger David Stern announced the Bulls had selected the goofy haired Hinrich, I threw my remote control at the wall. True story.  I didn’t want him then, and I basically high-fived myself when news broke yesterday that he was headed to Washington. Kirk is a solid player, yes, but I will not miss his over dribbling or his line drive jumper clanking off the front of the rim. I know many Bulls fans love the fact that “Kurt” was scrappy, tough minded and white. For me, he will always be a 40% shooter who picks up two stupid fouls in every first quarter. Ugh, maybe I will go see Grown Ups just to get Kirk’s game out of my head. The greatest thing he ever did for the Bulls was be competent enough to draw interest from a team like the Wizards. The Wizards have cap space and know that no free agent will go there to play with Gilbert Arenas. Kirk was a gritty defender and a solid combo guard, but he was never worth the $9 million dollar average he was being paid. So long Kirk, I won’t miss you.

Random Tangent: I’m telling you now that some of the teams with cap space (Nets, Clippers, and T-Wolves) who get shutout of the free agent game will need to fill that space through trades. There is still hope the Bulls can trade Luol Deng. It could be in a sign and trade (to the Hawks for Joe Johnson), which would give the Bulls the chance to sign 3 top fight players this summer. Every non Bulls NBA fan is scared shitless right now.

The moment the Bulls and their fans have waited two years for is almost here. LeBron James and Chris Bosh are another step closer to becoming Chicago Bulls. The Knicks, Cavs, and their respective fans are having nightmares of the 90′s all over again. How ironic that a former Knick helped the Bulls get into position to begin another championship run. Thanks Ern, I owe ya.

Random Tangent: I pick on Wallace and Kahn so much for the following reasons. Kahn traded for the 5th pick in last year’s draft giving him the 5 & 6 picks. What does he do? He takes Ricky Rubio, who surprisingly fell to 5. Good pick. I love Rubio’s game. He had Chris Paul and Deron Williams saying he was the real deal after the ’08 Gold Medal game in Beijing. Kahn then decided it was a good call to draft Syracuse point guard Johnny Flynn. Who takes two point guards back to back? All Kahn had to do was take Rubio at 5 and Stephen Curry at 6. Like Ari Gold would say….Boom. That would be a dynamic young backcourt the Wolves and their fans could get excited about. Rubio, Curry, and Kevin Love would be a good core to build towards the future. They will look to trade Al Jefferson, which will bring them some assets as well.

Chris Wallace is responsible for the Lakers winning their 2nd consecutive title. Wallace is the douche bag who gave away Pau Gasol two weeks before the trade deadline and, stupidly, took Hasheem Thabeet at 2 last year. It’s not all Wallace’s fault (owner Michael Heisley makes the final call on certain players), but the Gasol trade is inexcusable.

Here then is my 2010 NBA Mock Draft…

John Wall will be a special player. I just feel bad that he has to spend time with Gilbert Arenas.

1. Washington Wizards: John Wall, PG, Kentucky: When the Wizards won the draft lottery, I felt terrible for J-Wall. Any young player who gets stuck playing with Gilbert Arenas doesn’t see that as a reward. It’s a trip to basketball hell. The Wizards would love to trade Agent Ass-bag, but nobody is biting on that contract (5 years averaging $16 million plus). Wall is not Derrick Rose. Let’s get that out of the way real quick. NBA “gurus” tend to get porn style excited over new prospects, which is fine. I like Wall’s game a lot. He’s 6’4”, electric quickness, crazy hops, and a killer instinct that many young players don’t have. His jump shot needs work, but it won’t be long before Wall is viewed as a top flight NBA point guard. He will be a Rajon Rondo type, if Rondo had a 40 inch vertical. I just feel bad he has to be exposed to Agent Ass-bag. Hang in there, John.

2. Philadelphia 76ers: Evan Turner, SG, Ohio State: My favorite player in this draft. I’m convinced Doug Collins only took the Sixers job knowing Turner would be there for the taking. Turner is often compared to Brandon Roy, but I think Turner is better. His ability to play the 1, 2, and 3 spots makes him the most versatile player in the draft. The Chicago kid who Bruce Weber didn’t want reminds me of Anfernee Hardaway. He isn’t as quick as Penny was, but this kid will be a stud. Doug Collins is the perfect coach for a young guard (see Jordan, Michael), and having Turner in the fold will put the 76ers back on the map. Philly needs a lift considering Rocky Balboa is retired, and the Flyers just got rolled by the Blackhawks.

3. New Jersey Nets: Derrick Favors, PF, Georgia Tech: The 6’10” freshman was hyped like Felipe Lopez was before his freshman year at St. John’s. Favors didn’t dominate in his lone year at G-Tech, but he has that dog in him, as they say. I like his athletic ability, size, and potential. This isn’t the next Tyrus Thomas. Favors may be raw, but he will flourish playing next to Brook Lopez. Favors has Dwight Howard type athleticism and, if he’s given time, he will be a stud (Everytime I say stud in this mock draft, imagine I’m doing it in Charles Barkley’s voice when he says “stud”). I’m introducing a big man rule soon, but know now that I’m putting Favors above the rule. I’m a big fan of his. He won’t be in the Rookie of the Year chase, but he can be a pre-knee injury Amare Stoudemire down the road.

Teams like the Nets and Kings are deciding between Derrick Favors and DeMarcus Favors. You can have the headcase Cousins. I'll take Favors in a hearbeat.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves: Wesley Johnson, SF, Syracuse: God only knows what Kahn has up his sleeve this year, but Johnson seems to be the likely pick. The Wolves will likely trade Al Jefferson, which could open the door for Kahn to take DeMarcus Cousins. I think Johnson will be the pick because, besides needing everything, the Wolves desperately need outside shooting, length and athleticism. Johnson will bring that rag tag team all of those attributes. Rumors have the Wolves trying to trade their 1st round picks along with Johnny Flynn to Indiana. Johnson may go to the Nets at 3, which would put Kahn in a tough spot. If Johnson is off the board, the Bulls should try and move Luol Deng to Minnesota to solve their small forward issues. The Wolves do have the cap space to absorb Deng’s deal. If Johnson does go to the Nets at 3, look for the Wolves to…to…to… somehow screw this pick up like they always do. All eyes are on David Kahn again. I don’t think he knows who he wants if Johnson is off the board.

5. Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins, PF-C, Kentucky: The guy I called Rasheed Wallace 2.0 is the biggest mystery in this draft. There is no denying Cousins’ ability. He is a natural back to basket big man that can get you 20-10 every night. He’s a bigger version of Derrick Coleman in my opinion. He can roll out of bed and score on most of the bigs in the league right now. The problem? He’s a headcase that I wouldn’t draft if I had a top ten pick. I’d trade for him like Joe Dumars traded for Rasheed Wallace in ’04. Joe D stole Wallace when nobody wanted him and it paid off. The Pistons got a motivated ‘Sheed and he propelled them to a title. How Cousins fits in with a young team will be a huge question mark. If Cousins grows up and accepts coaching, he could be a perennial all-star. If not? He’s Eddy Curry. There won’t be an in-between. If it were me, I wouldn’t go near this kid.

This is where I need to enforce my big man rule. What’s the rule you ask? It’s simple, if a big man didn’t dominate in college, he likely won’t dominate in the NBA. It doesn’t always hold true, but it’s a common sense indicator that usually proves correct. You’d think GM’s would want to follow these thoughts considering all of the stiff 7-footers that have been drafted over the years. It won’t stop because NBA personnel guys are whores for 7-footers. Even if they can’t play dead, they’ll get a look. You’ll see what I mean as we move on with these picks.

6. Golden State Warriors: Greg Monroe, PF, Georgetown: Monroe is a guy I loved two years ago. However, the more I watched him play, the more I became indifferent about his potential. I question Monroe’s motor and drive. He seems to coast at times which will get him torched in the league. He is, without question, the best passing big man in this draft. He fits in Golden State because they like athletic bigs who can run the floor (They drafted Anthony Randolph & Brandan Wright), so Monroe fits. I want to like Monroe again, I really do. I just don’t know if that will happen in Golden State. Monroe is a possibility for my big man rule. He didn’t dominate smaller and inferior competition enough at the college level. Can he do it in the NBA? I’m skeptical. Plus, he’s not an elite level athlete. He’s a poor man’s Chris Bosh. If that’s the case, is he really that good? Epke Udoh is looking like he could be the pick here as the draft nears.

How many lottery picks have the Warriors had the past 15 years?! Jesus.

7. Detroit Pistons: Epke Udoh, PF-C, Baylor: Udoh is versatile and athletic. He was almost as impressive in the NCAA tournament as he has been in workouts. The Pistons need a big man desperately. I hate the makeup of their team. I’m pretty sure the old bad boy (Joe Dumars) does as well. Udoh will help the Pistons interior defense. Now, if they can just draft someone to fix that miserable city they’d be in business. Udoh also qualifies for my big man rule. A theme is developing with the big men in this class. The cynical side of me hopes the big men the Pistons want are off the board by this pick. Yes, I still hate the Pistons. I’d love to make the call to my buddy D-Ball ripping him about his squad taking Cole Aldrich here.

Get your Clippers jokes ready….

8. Los Angeles Clippers: Gordon Hayward, SF, Butler: The Clippers want to trade this pick, and may, by draft night. The Clippers need a small forward badly. They will try and sign LeBron James, but we know that isn’t happening. Hayward was a tournament darling, but he could be the pick here because he’s worked out surprisingly well. He’s shown more athletic ability than most white wing players do. Sorry, but it’s a fact. The fact that Mike Dunleavy is not running the Clippers anymore helps the odds of the Clips not messing this pick up. I wouldn’t take Hayward this high, but in the right situation, he could be a solid bench player. The Clippers could also take….

Luke Babbitt, SF, Nevada: A really good athlete who is shooting up the draft board. Could we finally have an exciting white wing player? It’s finally possible. He shot 41% from 3 and averaged 22 ppg last season. He can play in the post some, and shoots 90% from the free throw line. My question with Babbitt is can he defend 3′s and 4′s in the NBA? I’ll believe it when I see it.

Hey Knicks fans, this is the pick you were supposed to have. You know, another chance to add a quality player to attract LeBron to New York. That won’t happen because Isiah Thomas traded it away as part of the Steve Francis trade a few years back. How did that work out for you? Knicks fans will parade around the Garden on Thursday night with their LeBron jerseys and tell people they don’t need this pick. If you factor in they traded Jordan Hill away at the deadline (last year’s number 8 overall), and gave up their next 2 first rounders (2011 and 2012 to Houston), the Knicks are very likely to not have a first round pick until 2013. You better make a big splash this summer or else Spike Lee will keep having to make bad Kobe Bryant documentaries. With the Knicks pick…

9. Utah Jazz: Cole Aldrich, C, Kansas: How could this pick not happen? Greg Ostertag 2.0 is Jerry Sloan’s type of player. The Jazz need a wing player, but with Carlos Boozer on the verge of being grossly overpaid by some team with cap space (it better not be you Bulls), the Jazz can use a big. I think Aldrich can be serviceable, but I have a thing for not taking dopey white centers. Not in the 1st round anyway. I don’t think my big man rule applies to Aldrich because he’s just not very good at basketball. He should have destroyed weaker competition in the Big 12. He didn’t…11 ppg and 9 rpg backs up those thoughts. He should have been 18 and 14 easily in that conference. The Jazz could also take a wing player here. Xavier Henry? Paul George? I’d still opt for size if I’m trying to get passed the Lakers in the West.

10. Indiana Pacers: Ed Davis, PF, North Carolina: Davis averaged 12.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.7 blocks for the Tar Heels last season. Davis fills a need for the overly white Pacers, but they would like to trade this pick. The Pacers want to deal this pick for a point guard. If I were the Bulls I’d be trying to peddle Kirk Hinrich to Larry Bird yesterday. Yes, Davis qualifies for the big man rule.

11. New Orleans Hornets: Paul George, SF, Fresno State: George is a kid I liked for the Bulls before his stock soared the past few weeks. George is long and athletic. Think Trevo Ariza. He has good range on his shot and would be a solid spread the floor guy that could work beautifully with Chris Paul. You know, kind of like how Peja Stojakovic was supposed to.

12. Memphis Grizzlies: Xavier Henry, SG, Kansas: Rudy Gay is another 2010 free agent who will be overpaid (my guess is the Clippers if they don’t draft a wing player), and his uncertain future in Memphis makes Henry a viable option. Henry was strictly used as a spot up shooter at Kansas last year, so we don’t know what his potential is. I don’t like it if he has to play with Zach Randolph and OJ Mayo, I can tell you that. I’d love Henry to fall to the Bulls at 17, but that might be wishful thinking. Henry will be able to come in from the get go and stroke NBA 3′s. He shot 42% from 3 last year, so at the very least, he can stretch defenses.

13. Toronto Raptors: Hassan Whiteside, C, Marshall: It’s starting to sink in to Bryan Colangelo what many have known–Chris Bosh is leaving town like he stole something. Whiteside is a project, but the Raps need a center– no matter what they get back in a sign and trade for Bosh. The 7’1” Whiteside averaged 5 blocks per game last year, but he’s a few years away from being a starting caliber player. He could be real good, if given time.

14. Houston Rockets: Patrick Patterson, PF, Kentucky: I like Patterson. He reminds me of Udonis Haslem. He’s undersized,  under appreciated, and does nothing but perform. Sounds like Haslem to me. Houston will try and make a play for Bosh, but Patterson fits in perfectly with the gritty Rockets. He doesn’t qualify for my rule because I know what I’m getting with him. He will play in the league for 10 years and be a productive player for every team he’s on.

15. Milwaukee Bucks: James Anderson, SG, Oklahoma State: The Bucks lucked into Brandon Jennings at 10 last year. Yea, the Knicks could have had him to. With their PG in the fold, the Bucks need a 2-guard. Michael Redd will try and comeback despite not having knees, and John Salmons may test free agency. The Bucks could use the sharpshooter to play next to Jennings. He has a similar game to Salmons’ in the sense he’s not a catch and shoot player. He’s a scorer (averaged 22 a game last year), kind of like Johnny Salmons. Except for the awful chin hair.

16. Minnesota Timberwolves: Al-Farouq Aminu, SF, Wake Forest: Since the T-Wolves love taking players that play the same position, I’m giving them Al-Farouq Aminu. I know it doesn’t make sense since I have them taking Wes Johnson, but hey, it’s the T-Wolves dammit. I hate Aminu’s game. He reminds me of concrete feet, Luol Deng. I know he averaged 15 and 10 last year, but his lack of athleticism is why he will slip in this game. If Aminu becomes a player, I’ll be shocked. You can have him.

17. Chicago Bulls: Eric Bledsoe, PG, Kentucky: I fully expect the Bulls to try and trade this pick to clear more cap space. The Bulls want to sign two max free agents this summer (LeBron & Bosh) and moving this pick and Hinrich will accomplish that goal. If they keep this pick and move Hinrich, Bledsoe makes sense because they need a backup point guard. Bledsoe was overshadowed by John Wall at Kentucky, but I like his game. He gets after it defensively, and has the ability to run a team. Practicing against Derrick Rose everyday wouldn’t be the worst thing for him.

18. Miami Heat: Daniel Orton, PF, Kentucky: Miami needs a big man, and Orton can fill a need. I guess. Only in the NBA can a guy who averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds in college can go this high. Pat Riley will try and sign Amare Stoudemire or Chris Bosh, but he also loves big men. Orton, like many of the big men in this draft can eventually be a quality player. I have absolutely no idea if that will happen. I don’t think most teams do either. If there was a guy who was the definition of my big man rule, Orton would be it. Anyone who says they know what he’ll be is lying.

19. Boston Celtics: Dominique Jones, SG, South Florida: A guy the Bulls like is someone who can potentially fill a need if Ray Allen goes to the Heat as expected. Jones can fill it up. He averaged 21 a game last year. He’s only 6’4”, but at the 19th pick in this draft, you could do worse–w,hich I hope Boston does because I don’t like them or Danny Ainge.

20. San Antonio Spurs: Some foreign player you will have never heard of: This is the Spurs way. I fully expect them to take another Tiago Splitter type bum. Have fun with that. As you can see, I’m not big on foreign players in the NBA. Don’t even think of throwing Steve Nash at me. He’s Canadian, that doesn’t count.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder: Larry Sanders, PF, VCU: The Thunder need size despite my guy Serge Ibaka showing improvement. This much is certain, Thunder GM Sam Presti will make the right call with this pick. Sanders’ work ethic has been questioned. So yes, he qualifies for the rule.

22. Portland Trail Blazers: Solomon Alibi, C, FSU: This pick is in question because the Blazers are screwing over GM Kevin Pritchard. Pritchard is a trooper and is doing his job even though he knows he’s about to be fired. Alibi is another project who could be Greg “Old Knees Johnson” Oden. Another guy who will be a rebounder/shot blocker and nothing more.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves: Jordan Crawford, SG, Xavier: The guy who dunked on LeBron became a star in the NCAA tournament. He’s a bit undersized for an NBA 2-guard, but this kid has unlimited range. I would be happy if the Bulls took Crawford at 17. He can flat out play. He averaged 20 a game during the season, and 29 during the tournament. I’ll go to war with him anytime.

24. Atlanta Hawks: Damion James, SF, Texas: James averaged 18 & 10 last year. He fits the need of the Hawks always drafting small forwards.

25. Memphis Grizzlies: Stanley Robinson, F, Connecticut

26. Oklahoma City Thunder: Craig Brackens, PF, Iowa State

27. New Jersey Nets: Armon Johnson, PG, Nevada

28. Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies will probably trade this pick for future picks to use on point guards. If I were running the Grizzlies, I’d take Willy Warren.

29. Orlando Magic: Gani Lawal, PF, Georgia Tech: The Magic may trade Brandon Bass this summer, so Lawal could be a pick for Orlando.

30. Washington Wizards: Willie Warren, SG, Oklahoma: All Warren did in college was produce. He can get his own shot, and playing with John Wall would be plus for any 2-guard.

There is always a lot of trade activity on draft night and this draft won’t be different. There will be a lot of talk of sign and trades regarding Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Al Jefferson, and others which will add to the drama of the night. It’s the start of the most talked about off-season in NBA history. There is a lot at stake for so many teams this summer that we can see a lot of panic moves. Don’t think panic trades won’t happen Thursday night. For the Bulls, the biggest summer they have had in over 12 years has started with the hiring of Tom Thibodeau. It continues Thursday and leads to July 1. It will be the most important two weeks the organization has ever had. No pressure Pax.

For me? Well, my first NBA mock draft as a blogger is in the books. I hope this turns out well or my future as an NBA GM will go down the toilet quicker than Conan’s Tonight Show ratings. If this goes badly, I’m going to light this blog on fire. Hey, at least I know I’m already better than Kahn, Wallace, the stiffs running the Clippers and Warriors. There’s still hope for Mr. Chi City….

They show Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers talking to their respective teams before tip. Phil mentions that this is their 104th game of the season. That’s a long haul for any team. Doc tells his team that Kendrick Perkins would tell his teammates he loves them. Doc finishes his speech saying in 20 years when we meet for a reunion and shake each others hands, let’s make sure our rings touch. I’m fired up right now listening to these two great coaches get their teams ready.

1st Quarter:

The crowd is into it from the start. It’s only news because Faker fans need a shot of adrenaline to get fired up for most games.

Rasheed with a nice fall away jumper. If only ‘Sheed liked playing in the post. His baseline fall away is un-guardable. It’s too bad he loves shooting 3′s more then Patrick Kane shoots whiskey. ‘Sheed is showing his skills with a nice banker the next time down over Gasol off glass. 5-4 L.A.

Reason number 847 why the NBA is better when the refs let these guys play. The physicality is at an 80′s level early. The flow of the game is solid early. I do have a sinking feeling that Joey Crawford will make this game about him at some point. Cross your fingers that he won’t.

Gasol goes up weakly and Garnett and ‘Sheed force a jump ball. Despite finally map questing a weight room last year, Pau continues to show his soft as puppy shit tendencies. 10-9 Boston.

ABC shows Tommy Heinsohn (8-time NBA champ & winner of the biggest homer broadcaster award) sitting on the edge of his seat. Chill Tommy, it’s the 1st quarter.

….And another missed Artest 3. He’s such a huge question mark tonight. Do you have confidence that he will deliver tonight? Neither do I.

The Celtics defense is locked in already. They are swarming Kobe every single time he touches the ball. Bulls fans should get excited about how good of a defensive coach Tom Thibodeau is.

Rondo will an alley-oop to Garnett. Pretty play by Boston. 15-11 Celtics.

3 point miss by Jesus Shuttlesworth. I tweeted before the game that Ray Allen definitely has a John Starks 2-18 game 7 performance in him. Not saying it’s going to happen, but it’s in play. Stay tuned. 17-14 Boston.

Big Baby with another layup. Davis is off to a good start. I’m convinced that he gets layups in traffic to fall because guys are terrified of that face he makes. You know the one where he flips his tongue all around. It’s creepy and weird. 21-14 Boston. Faker fans are nervous already.

End of the 1st quarter. Celtics shoot 59% in the quarter. The story is their defense. Kobe is only 1-7 from the field so far. I can only imagine those loud mouth Celtics fans right now. I can name 486 other places I’d rather be than a Boston bar right now. The team that has led at the end of the 1st quarter has won every game in this series. Someone get Jack a drink, and hurry. 23-14 Boston.

Doris Burke interviews Doc Rivers in the always uninformative end of quarter snooze fest. Burke gives us this gem….”When Rajon Rondo plays well, you guys seem to win.” Thanks Doris, I’m sure Doc and the rest of the world who has seen this Celtics team play didn’t know that. Why are there sideline reporters again?! They need to stop this nonsense real quick. They add absolutely nothing to the broadcast–except anxiety for yours truly.

2nd Quarter:

Kobe Bryant was only 6-24 from the field, but grabbed 15 rebounds en route to the Lakers 16th NBA Championship.

Kobe starts the quarter getting in the lane for a pull-up jumper. His best play of the night. He was awful in the 1st quarter. He wants this so badly, it affected his play so far. It’s obvious. He might need to pop in Michael Jordan: Come Fly With Me at halftime tonight to get himself going. 23-16 Boston.

We have our first Sasha Douchecic sighting of game 7. For those scoring at home, he’s still my most hated NBA player. I hope he goes 0-fer tonight. To think that turd gets a ton of ass in L.A. too. Goes to show you how fake Hollywood types are. What’s worse, the fact Sasha is lady killer or DJ Mbenga has a publicist? Think that one over….

Celebrity montage…..

Ryan Seacrest? That’s who they show first? It must be a light crowd tonight.

Holy shit does Ellen Pompeo look awful. Someone get her a tanning bed and a nap for Christ’s sake. Ugh.

For the record, Jack looks the same as he did when the Lakers won the ’00 title in L.A. The guy ages like a fine wine.

9-0 run by the Lakers after an Artest steal and layup. Ron Ron has been better so far than I thought he would be. It’s still early, and he can still get into his Bulls mode. FYI- Bulls mode for Artest is when he does anything remotely insane. You know, like when he applied for a job at Best Buy and gave Jerry Krause as his reference when he was a Bull. I couldn’t make that up if I tried.

Garnett dives for a loose ball right in front of Jack. He dives into Jack’s seat, and The Joker side steps him like only he can. Dammit, that guy is cool.

Put back by Artest off a Kobe miss. That’s a 9-0 advantage in 2nd chance points for L.A. I’m pretty sure Perkins would be helping the Celtics rebounding. 25-23 L.A.

Another Jesus Shuttlesworth miss. He’s 1-5 with 3 points so far. Don’t discount the Starks game for him…

Kobe with a miss. He’s pressing in this first half. He will be remembered quite differently by the outcome of this game. No player has had this much at stake since Shaq in ’00 before he won his first title. The Black Mamba knows this. He’s also playing like it. 29-29. The only positive from Kobe’s struggles so far is that Jeff Van Gundy can’t blow him the whole game. You think JVG is pining for the Lakers job if Phil leaves? So do I.

Terrell Owens is shown at the game. I wonder if his punk ass still thinks he can play in the NBA. When he was on the 49ers, he had a stint in the D-League. He wasn’t good. Considering he’s not good at football anymore, maybe he should give hoops another shot.

Leonardo Dicaprio is at the game as always. And yes, he’s got a scorching hot blond with him. It’s Leo, of course he does.

Another ‘Sheed turnaround shot off the glass. I can’t say enough how good he is in the post. He is one of the most talented players in the last 15 years in the NBA. It’s too bad he’s been a 3 point launching headcase for most of it. Shame. 35-31 Boston.

There it is! The Artest moment. Nothing too crazy, but he did pull down Pierce’s headband in their mini scuffle. This is a game 7! The pitiful double technical on Pierce and Ron Ron.

On cue, the second things get chippy Joey Crawford starts calling touch fouls. It’s like clockwork with this guy. I knew it was coming.

Hold on…My vision just blurred because Mr. Pale skin Brian Scalabrine is getting some burn for the first time since….since….probably since he was last in the sun.

Halftime. 40-34 Boston. The story of the 1st half is the Celtics defense. 26% shooting for L.A. Kobe is 3-14 with 8 points and Gasol is 3-12 with 6 points. Not the way the Lakers envisioned this playing out, so far.

I would watch the halftime report, but that would mean I would have to watch Stu Scott, Jon Barry, Mike Wilbon, and Magic Johnson spew some garbage for 15 minutes. No thanks, I’m good.

3rd Quarter:

Another Shuttlesworth miss. He’s now 1-7. Starks is in his sights. By the way, if you think I’m not enjoying bringing up the Knicks ’94 choke job then you don’t know me very well. 42-36 Boston.

Garnett and-1 on a great pass from Rondo. Rondo is answering the bell tonight. 45-36 Boston. The anxiety at Staples right now is at a Sober House level.

Rondo with a beautiful floater to put the Celts up 11. Rondo has 8 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds so far. 47-36 Boston.

Kobe is now 3-17. I’m shocked he’s playing this poorly so far. The Celtics defense has pushed him out beyond the perimeter and made him take tough shots all night. Jordan never played this bad in a huge Finals game. Just saying…

Tony Allen checks in for Pierce who’s shaken up. If you’ve been following my Finals blogs, you know Tony Allen is one missed layup away from setting the all-time NBA record. Let’s see if he can break it…

What do you know, Lamar Odom is alive. He follows an Artest miss with a put back to bring the Lakers back within 6. The curse of Khloe may not take if L.O. makes a few more plays like that. 51-45 Boston.

More celebrities in the house….Jeremy Piven is there sitting on a booster seat.

Christina Aguilera looking gorgeous.

No! I just lost vision again. They didn’t show Scalabrine again, but they did show Andy Garcia and that horrific mustache. Why Andy? Why?

Courtney Cox-Arquette looking especially milf-ish. You’re aging well Monica Gellar. Cheers.

Another ‘Sheed bank shot off a post up. Bad back and all the guy is playing the way he should have his whole career. Imagine if he cared more and didn’t smoke so much weed? Yikes.

Kobe with his 11th rebound. He can’t make a shot, but he’s controlling the boards. A younger Kobe may not have been doing this when his shots weren’t falling. 56-51 Boston. Shuttlesworth deserves some love for his defense on Kobe. Kobe has been smothered all night.

Van Gundy is right on when he calls this one of the poorest played offensive games you’ll ever see. Both teams are bringing it defensively. This is proving all of those idiots who think college basketball is better than the NBA because “they try harder and play defense” wrong. College basketball at it’s best can’t touch the NBA. Period. And,it’s not even a discussion.

We get the split screen as they show Derek Fisher coming back from the locker room. Why do I get the feeling he’s going to make a massive shot or three in the 4th?

End of the 3rd quarter. 57-53 Boston. 12 minutes to go before we crown a new NBA champion. I can’t imagine Kobe will go out like this. 5-20 right now. This is your time Kobe…

4th Quarter:

Gasol starts the 4th with a turnaround jumper plus the foul. Welcome to the party Pau. 57-55 Boston.

Turnover Boston. Mark Jackson says it right…Ron Artest has been a defensive stallion tonight. This is why the Lakers signed him. To guard physical perimeter guys like Pierce.

Foul on Douchecic. This penis has never committed a foul in his life, just ask him. He bitches and grimaces every time they blow the whistle on him.

Shuttlesworth’s putrid night continues. He fouls Kobe 23 feet from the hoop. Kobe makes all 3 free throws. 59-58 Boston.

Ron Artest was a key for the Lakers game 7 win. The highlight for me was when he thanked his psychiatrist after the game. There's only 1 Ron Artest.

Artest with and and-1. He’s been unreal tonight. 17 points on the night. Tie game…61-61.

My feeling from earlier comes to fruition….Derek Fisher with a clutch 3. 64-64. 6:11 left…Mike Breen may not make it.

2 Kobe free throws gives L.A. the lead for the first time this half. 66-64 L.A.

Shuttlesworth misses again. Other than his game 2 binge, Allen has been abysmal all Finals.

Kobe knocks down a huge jumper to give the Lakers a 4 point lead. You can’t stop shooting. 68-64 L.A.

They show the Celtics previous 4 victories over L.A. in game 7′s. The Faker fans can feel it.

Would you believe me if I told you Shuttlesworth missed a layup? Of course you would. 70-64 L.A. Kobe with his 15th rebound.

Big shot by Pierce. 70-66 Boston.

Kobe drives to the rim and gets the foul. ’01 Kobe would have thrown that down. He makes 1-2. 71-66 L.A.

Block foul on Pierce puts the smelly Gasol at the line who makes 1-2. 74-68 L.A.

Gasol with a tough hoop over Garnett. The weight room has paid off. We’re also exposed to the Gasol face. If you didn’t just see it, feel rewarded. It’s not pretty. 76-70 L.A. 1:30 left.

‘SHEED for 3! What a game from Wallace. 76-73 L.A. 1:23 left.

Artest for 3! You could sense the crowd cringing and saying “nooooooooo” as he shot it. Artest has earned his 5 year deal with this game alone. Holy shit what a 4th quarter. 79-73 L.A. 1:01 left.

Hey Shuttlesworth hit a 3! Who knew? 79-76 L.A. 51.3 left. The meatballs who think college hoops is better than the NBA are really taking Marciano type body shots to that argument tonight.

Kobe gets fouled and heads to the line. He looks spent at this point. ‘Sheed fouls out. I make fun of him, but what a performance by him. He may have taken until April to get in shape, but it paid off for Boston. Kobe hits 2. 81-76 L.A. 25.7 left.

Rondo hits a 3! This is insane. 81-79 L.A. 16.2 left. Rondo then with a near steal. Lakers ball.

Douchecic gets fouled. 11.7 left. He wipes his eyebrows before the free throws. Only this guy. He hits 2. 83-79 L.A.

Rondo misses a 3…and it’s over. The Lakers repeat as NBA Champions. Title # 16 for the Lakers. Confetti reins down as the Lakers celebrate. Ron Artest’s celebration, interview, and overall game make him a story tonight. Who thanks their psychiatrist? Ron Ron. That’s who dammit. He might deserve an entire blog post….

Kobe Bryant celebrates the Lakers 16th NBA Championship. Kobe now sits at 5 rings. He is the closet thing we will ever see to Michael Jordan. Appreciate that.

This was a great “bad” game to culminate the series I called One Last Dance. We probably won’t see these two teams meet again in the finals for a long time, but this game 7 etched it’s place into Lakers-Celtics lore. This is the end of an era for the Celtics. Doc Rivers will probably sit out a year to spend time with his children. The Big 3 had a good 3 year run, tonight the window closed for Pierce, Garnett, and Shuttlesworth. For Kobe Bryant, even though he was 6-24, he collected 15 rebounds and won his 5th NBA Championship. This game also showed Kobe’s maturation as a player. There’s no way ’04-’07 Kobe would have deferred to his teammates like this Kobe did. That should show the Kobe haters just how much he’s grown as a player, and as a person. He may not be Michael Jordan’s equal, but you are watching the 3rd best guard to ever play the game, and the closet thing we will ever to MJ. 5 and counting for the Black Mamba…and he may not be done yet. He’s on a mission to reach Jordan’s 6 titles, and will be right back in the thick of it next year. Phil Jackson also cemented his place atop the coaching tree. With 11 championships in his pocket, he is simply the greatest coach in the history of sports. I don’t want to hear about how he’s had the best players. It’s not easy coaching NBA superstars (Shaq & young Kobe), and Phil has been a master of connecting to his players. You better believe Phil will be back next year as he goes for his 4th 3-peat attempt. That’s next year. For now, it’s time to celebrate and congratulate the 16 time NBA Champions. Their fans may be the worst, but you can’t knock results. It is what it is. Say Queensbridge!