10 Feet High

NEW YORK -- For at least one night in New York City, Madison Square Garden was booming like the mid-to-late 90s, reminiscent of the infamously intense Heat-Knicks playoff battles.

With LeBron James and the Miami Thrice in town, all of the stars were out, from Drake to Fabolous to my personal favorite, Liam Neeson ("Taken" is an incredible movie). And of course, Spike Lee, with his orange cap and rousing fandom, tried to will the hapless Knicks to victory. It didn’t work.

Now, a quarter of the season in, we are finally seeing just how scary the Heat can be. Having won 12 games in a row and clicking on all cylinders, the Miami Thrice put on a marvelous show on the greatest stage. LeBron had what seemed to be the easiest triple double ever, while Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade each poured in 26 points. Meanwhile, the much-maligned ancillary parts –- namely Carlos Arroyo -- also contributed. Arroyo was the benefactor of all the attention James and Wade generated, spotting up in the corner for one open jumper after another and finishing with 11 points.

For Knick fans hoping the team’s recent resurgence was for real, Friday night signified that it’s not.

The problem with Mike D’Antoni’s system is that quite simply, it’s just not winning basketball. The entire game plan is predicated off of outscoring the opponent. In other words, get as many shots as possible throughout the game because the more shots taken, the more points scored.

What D’Antoni has seemingly never taken into account is that teams are going to have off nights. Everybody in the NBA can score. When the Knicks go cold, as they did Friday night (shooting 39 percent as a team), it’s a serious problem because they don’t have the framework of a lockdown defensive team. Despite the potential to defend with rangy athletes like Stoudemire, Wilson Chandler and Anthony Randolph (if he played), the Knicks sit at 27th in the NBA in points allowed, giving up over 107 per game.

D’Antoni’s Phoenix teams, in the midst of Steve Nash’s two MVPs, a younger Amar’e, an All-Star stat-stuffer in Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw (when he was good), Leandro Barbosa, Joe Johnson and others, were infinitely better than the Knicks, and they never once reached the Finals.

The biggest reason why the Knicks have been able to outscore opponents this season is the pick-and-roll. Raymond Felton has had his best season as a pro mainly because Stoudemire is No. 1 in the league in points scored off the game’s most basic play. The Knicks ran a flurry of screen-and-rolls during their eight-game win streak, (they also won 13 out of 14) but for whatever reason, abandoned it almost completely in the loss to the Heat. Harping back to D’Antoni, he just doesn’t seem to know what strings to pull and when.

The other glaring weakness for New York is that their supposed “superstar” player isn’t a true superstar. Amar’e Stoudemire, while he has been superb thus far this season, showed exactly why he is still just a great No. 2, not a killer No. 1. Against an imposing defense with quickness and length, his inability to convert scoring opportunities from the block or the high post was readily evident.

The 28-year-old committed four turnovers and was just 11-28 from the floor and 2-7 from the line. Worse, he essentially became a glorified isolation specialist and one-man offense while the rest of the team stood around and watched.

You had to feel for the Knicks just a little bit. A franchise and team long mired in mediocrity and uninspired play looked desperate –- at least for a half –- to try and change the perception of itself.

Landry Fields, the rookie out of Stanford, continues to play extremely well, particularly for a second-round pick. He has the sort of old man’s game you don’t expect to see out of such a young player. Fields has a terrific feel; he can pass, score, drive, and rebound. He just makes winning basketball plays. And Danilo Gallinari, the 22-year-old Italian, continues to improve and get tougher going to the basket. His Herculean first half effort of 21 points was the main reason why the game remained tied at the break.

But Felton, the floor general whose main job is to set the pace for this team, failed to do so all game long. Then again, maybe he didn’t. They say the point guard is an extension of the coach on the floor, and perhaps, that’s just what he was. D’Antoni, for all we know, may be just fine with Felton’s poor decision making as long as he’s pushing tempo. Far too often Felton came down the court only to jack up quick shots, dribble into no-man’s land or make a poor pass, failing time and time again to properly initiate the offense. All in all, he finished with 8 points on 3-12 shooting and (if you’re into the plus-minus stat), registered a game-low -33.

This was a big week for the Knicks. They beat an underachieving Denver team only to lose to Boston and then get bulldozed by Miami. The Eastern Conference is taking shape with a formidable top four featuring three real contenders in the Heat, Celtics and Magic, as well as the upstart Bulls and Bucks, not to mention the talented albeit inconsistent Hawks. The Knicks, meanwhile, are merely an afterthought. Without an elite point guard, coach or superstar, they remain nothing more than an entertaining tease. So long as D’Antoni is the coach, they will continue to be, quite simply, the Knicks. Don’t get too down, though, Knick fans … there’s still the Carmelo sweepstakes.

Wait, never mind, that won’t matter either.

Follow me on Twitter @206Child

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls are the most dominant team in NBA history. Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc and Dennis Rodman won 72 regular-season games and a world title. They became the benchmark for greatest team ever.

So when Pat Riley magically assembled the greatest backcourt we’ve ever seen and added elite power forward Chris Bosh to the Miami Heat, we couldn’t help but compare the two. At least in terms of sheer talent and star power, you can easily put the two teams in the same sentence.

Hate him or love him, Riley, to his credit, has also put together a splendid supporting cast around his star-studded trio. Mike Miller is a dead-eye, career 40 percent three-point shooter (coming off a 48 percent year) and underrated playmaker, who will fit in perfectly on the perimeter waiting for James and Wade to kick out when confronted with helping defenders.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, while far past his prime, brings familiarity and comfort to James at center, and his size alone will make drivers hesitate. And don’t forget the re-signing of Udonis Haslem, a brute-forced rock in the paint who will fight to the death. His willingness to take less money and return to Miami could play a pivotal role in how far this team ultimately goes.

Throw in an unproven young point guard in Mario Chalmers (isn’t this eerily familiar to Rajon Rondo with the Celtics in 2008?), along with another hard-nosed kid in Joel Anthony, a couple interesting young players and talent wise, this team is pretty special.

But any basketball fan will tell you that talent alone far from guarantees success, especially at this level.

Looking back at the Bulls, it’s a team that despite the overwhelming presence of Jordan, had all of the other parts working in unison. The great thing about Pippen was despite his brilliance, he was more than happy to be the best No. 2 ever.

(The great thing about Pippen was that he loved being the No. 2 ... and did it better than anybody else.)


There was never a quandary with him of, “I deserve to be the top dog so I will.” Could he have been a No. 1 elsewhere? Absolutely. In fact, when Jordan took his brief hiatus to play baseball, Pippen was sensational and had Chicago one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals. But with Jordan, he instead accepted his role to the tee, played second fiddle, and selflessly became a top 50 all-time player.

While Rodman was crazy, he was also smart. He didn’t care to score, like ever. He didn’t even want to score. The two things he did that entire season were rebound the hell out of the ball (14.9 per game), and defend like his life depended on it. Then comes Kukoc, a dynamite sixth man who could score from all over the floor, and whose mere presence on the court lifted pressure off Jordan and alleviated the burden off Pippen. He was the perfect No. 3 option on a team with a clear-cut 1 and 2.

On paper, the Heat has the talent to match up with the Bulls, and that’s not even debatable. What is debatable, however, is how this talent will execute and who on this team is willing to succumb as the No. 2, e.g. Pippen. We know Bosh is the three, but the real question is who is the alpha male, and who is going to be called upon in the clutch?

And don’t give me the whole, “well they have three superstars” argument, because, frankly, that’s a joke. LeBron is a superstar talent yes, but as a friend eloquently put it, “He has a beta male mentality.” Wade is a true killer who gets to the line and hits big shots, but he also misses a ton of big shots, and Bosh is merely but an All-Star and that’s it; a very good player who cannot be counted on during crunch time, nor should he be.

My concerns with the Heat are quite simple. First, despite being considered the superior talent in the game, will James let Wade run the show? And say he does early on: What happens when this team loses a few games? Does James take back the reigns and create friction in the locker room? How does a young coach in Eric Spoelstra handle it, or does he not handle it? Is Pat Riley coming back? What happens when Wade has the ball in the closing seconds of games and elects to kick it out to Miller or Chalmers and they miss?

Then the entire world wants to know why the hell ancillary players are getting the last shot over James and Bosh, when in truth, James still hasn’t proven he can fill that role and Bosh is well, Bosh. I cannot stress enough the significance of having a true No. 1 option, and just how much it translates to championship basketball. Not a semi-No. 1 but a true, bonafide killer you can always rely on.

Let’s look at the past 15 titles:

2010 – Lakers (Kobe)
2009 – Lakers (Kobe)
2008 – Celtics (Pierce)
2007 – Spurs (Duncan)
2006 – Heat (Wade)
2005 – Spurs (Duncan)
2004 – Pistons (Billups – a little iffy but during those playoffs, he took over and was Finals MVP)
2003 – Spurs (Duncan)
2002 – Lakers (Shaq)
2001 – Lakers (Shaq)
2000 – Lakers (Shaq)
1999 – Spurs (Duncan)
1998 – Bulls (Jordan)
1997 – Bulls (Jordan)
1996 – Bulls (Jordan)
1995 – Rockets (Hakeem)

Think back to the any of the great Celtics, Lakers and Pistons team of the 80s. The Celtics had Bird, the Lakers had Magic (who was both a genius passer and clutch scorer) and the Pistons had Isiah. And there you go. It’s that simple really; you need a clear-cut No. 1 to win NBA titles.

The heartbeat of these champions is always the definitive leader. Wade is the only one on this team that can assume this role; he is the only guy who will hit the dagger and then step on your throat. LeBron essentially admitted (and Jordan seconded it) that at the age of 25 (which is nowhere near the peak of his career), that he simply isn’t that guy.

The beauty of that Bulls team was its superb balance.

Everyone – from one through twelve – played a role, and everyone mattered. B.J. Armstrong, while never a particularly good defender, was adept at handling the ball enough for Jordan to play off the ball and score within the offense when he needed to. His 4.9 assists were rather pedestrian yes, but he was a terrific outside shooter who could spread the floor – so important from the point guard position – and consistently hit the mid-range jumper. That season, Armstrong hit on 47.3 percent of his triples and nearly 47 percent from the floor. He was an 84 percent free throw shooter. Bottom line? The guy wasn’t special, he was just steady. Now who on this Heat team will play that role? It’s not Mario Chalmers, and he’s the only true point on the roster (Carlos Arroyo not a starter in this league). Can Wade and James play the point? Of course, but neither wants to do it for 48 minutes of 82 games, nor should they.

As mentioned, the Bulls were a team with tremendous balance. Bill Wennington is not a name synonymous with greatness, but he played a crucial role on that team. How many big men can come off the bench playing 15 minutes a night and shoot 49.3 percent from the floor and 86 percent from the line?

Ron Harper may have only averaged 7.3 points that season, but you could make the argument that without him, this team doesn’t win a title. Think of Harper as the mid-90s Derek Fisher -- nothing great, nothing even really good, but everything solid. The type of warrior all champions need. Big shots, tough defense, leadership; that was Ron Harper on a nutshell. The guy started 80 games that year in the backcourt, often defended the No. 1 scorer, providing yet another opportunity for MJ to conserve his legs late in games. Remind you of Fish and Kobe these past two years? Fisher doesn’t play the defense he used to, but you just get the sense the Lakers needed every ounce of his grit to win the past two titles.

Now who on Miami will play this role? Wade? Nope. James? Nope. James Jones? I like him, but hell no. As talented as the Heat are at the top and even extending to the bench, this is not a team that has glue guys. This is not a team that has a Fisher, or a James Posey (think ’08 Celtics), or a Michael Cooper for that matter.

Luc Longley and Udonis Haslem probably even each other out in the frontcourt as two bigs that will both fight on the glass and score just enough to not hurt you offensively. But who is the Rodman on the Heat? Who is the guy who when that shot goes up, you know is going to grab the rebound? And don’t say Haslem because as much as I love him, he’s never averaged double-digit rebounds. Joel Anthony is a nice young player with a bright future ahead as an athletic banger, but he is still two or three years away from being a full-time starter or at least a consistent, 25 minutes a night frontcourt player. And Zydrunas Ilgauskas – who will play a pivotal role on this team, mind you -- is about five years past his prime.

How Spoelstra manages this team will be crucial (what’s the running line on Pat Riley returning to coach by the way? I have it at 2-1.) Can Miller be a glorified sixth man when he returns from injury, a la Toni Kukoc? It sounds crazy, but in reality, this team doesn’t need Miller in the starting line-up. Although an outside shooter, he is still enough of a playmaking threat that he too needs the ball in his hands. They already have enough offense with the three stars, meaning his loss – which will undoubtedly hurt them – isn’t the end of the world. Eddie House is as good a three-point shooter as you’ll find for $2.8 million over three years and can fill the outside void until Miller returns.

Think of him as the modern day Steve Kerr. Both are undersized guards who often struggle defensively and cannot create off the bounce other than the occasional head fake and one-to-two dribble pull-up. But, on a team full of playmakers, they play extremely valuable roles. During the Bulls dream season in ’96, Kerr was tremendous. He shot more than 51 percent from three, spreading the floor just enough to force defenders to stay home and allow ample driving space for Jordan and Pippen. And while he didn’t get to the line often, the dude was flat out brilliant when he did, shooting nearly 93 percent and averaging over 8 points per game. Time and time again he hit big shots. He didn’t start a single game, but he was invaluable to that team.

House is similar in stature and performance. During the Celtics’ title run in the 2007-08 season, he too averaged 8.4 points while providing stellar marksmanship from three. His near 40 percent clip from the outside was the perfect compliment to the Big 3 plus Rondo, and like Kerr, he came up big in the clutch.

Like the Bulls, the Heat seems to have many of the right role players in place. While the end of Chicago’s bench consisted of Jud Buechler (good shooter and tough defender) and Randy Brown (quality back up point guard who could run a team for 10-12 minutes a night), the Heat have James Jones (scorer) and Arroyo (who should be the backup by season's end). Chicago also had key veteran big men on the bench like James Edwards and John Salley – two big dudes who could protect the paint and use up fouls. Miami has two carbon copies in Jamaal Magloire and Juwan Howard.

The key differences between the two teams are that the Bulls had perhaps the greatest coach of all time in Jackson and a clear-cut leader in Jordan, the rare blend of player who would rip your heart out and actually enjoy it. Plus, as afore-stated, Pippen was perfectly content playing the role of sidekick.

(Wade is the only killer on this team, but will LeBron succomb to him in the clutch?)


Early talk out of Miami is that this remains Wade’s team, but we know LeBron is the better player. Usually, the best player is reserved the right as leader of the team. Will LeBron let Wade be that guy? I’m not talking about the first two months of the season either, when this team could easily assume the best record in the league, but rather, come crunch time next spring when the game is on the line.

The saddest thing about this entire situation to me is James. He sold himself short, bottom line. Forget the legacy, forget the branding, forget all that nonsense, and just focus on the basketball. Whether he would have achieved Jordan’s status and make the argument for all-time greatest is moot, but the fact that he didn’t even give himself the chance, that’s all we need to know. He couldn’t handle the pressure, he couldn’t bare the burden, and whatever the excuse, James will never fulfill the promises we all bestowed upon him.

Jordan told us all we needed to know when he said: “There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, ‘hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team.’”

Just what you’d expect from the game’s all-time No. 1 assassin.

Ultimately, like any other all-time great, James will be judged by the number of rings he owns. Jordan has six, and unbeknownst to many perhaps, he didn’t win his first until he was 28. LeBron has already deemed this team would win multiple championships with his whole “not one, not two, not three, not four …” shebang, but of course, talk is cheap.

Hate ‘em or love ‘em, the Heat are built for long term success and sustainability. Bosh, James and Wade are all 28 and younger, while Chalmers is just 24. And while role players are very important, they always come and go. Will this team live up to their promise and top the Bulls as all-time greats, we can only speculate, but the mere fact that Miami has three of the top 15 players in the league locked up for what seems like an eternity puts them in rarified air to do something very special.

To quote the infamous Kevin Garnett, “anything is possible!!!”

Michael Jordan would've never done this. Larry Bird wouldn't have. Neither would Magic Johnson. The circus that LeBron James has created over the past few weeks has been nothing short of ridiculous. Forget the incessant reports by ESPN or the nonstop Twitter rumors – we have grown accustomed to that -- but the way in which James and his camp have mismanaged and oversaturated our airwaves with nonsense time and time again is insane.

True, we are living in a far different time now than we were 20 years ago. The unparalleled access we have to our athletes can't compare to the Showtime Lakers of the '80s or even the "NBA on NBC" themed '90s.

Unfortunately, the LeBron fiasco culminates in Thursday night's "special" where "The King" will announce his decision. On one hand, James' charitable efforts to donate the money to boys and girls clubs, which are noble and sound. But there is unquestionably a strong disconnect between the sports fan and the modern athlete, an integrity which has been lost. I mean, how much can the casual sports fan relate to the professional athlete. In his case, by essentially opening himself up to the public, James has tricked us into thinking we somehow matter, that we somehow have meaning. He has exponentially widened the gap to the point where the connection between the fan and James no longer exists.

This is not the average fan's fault. Sure, James gaining close to 300,000 Twitter followers in 24 hours is a disturbing sign, but when ESPN pushes this coverage faster and more aggressively than a Usain Bolt sprint, you can't help but take notice.

James, on the other hand, has made a mockery of the system. Through his passionate "branding," and by taking advantage of just how deeply he is loved, he has made a mockery of the Cleveland Cavaliers, his teammates and the entire league.

I'm sure David Stern loves the media presence lingering well after the Finals and Draft but how much more can we be subjected to?

I can envision the news conference now. After LeBron picks the Cavs (and he will pick the Cavs), the remaining 59 minutes and 38 seconds will be dedicated to promoting a laundry list of things close to James: His shoes, his tattoos, his new clothing line (I'm speculating here), his new movie, his new online dating service for the people of Ohio and on and on.

How many reports, TV segments, stories and radio shows have we heard debating where James is going? How many times have you just looked at your TV in disgust? How much is enough? More important, does anyone, and I mean anyone, know what is going on?

With their low-key re-signings, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant got it right. In reality, a simple announcement is all that's necessary.

On the basketball floor, we can agree that James is pick-your-superlative special. Whether he goes down as a truly elite player remains to be seen – after all, he's only 25 – but the mockery he's made of the game and of the free agency process this summer won't easily be forgotten. LeBron, you are a basketball player, not an actor. You are paid to play ball, not hold an entire country hostage on the eve of your televised "Decision."

I have a quick question for NBA fans: What type of fanfare did Kobe receive when he recently re-signed with the Lakers? Did he demand his own television program? When Durant announced Wednesday via Twitter that he will extend his deal with the Thunder, it was short and sweet. Which is precisely the way free agency should be.

Of course they have other options outside of basketball, but these are basketball players through and through. Basketball should come first, then global icon status. In other words, the anti-LeBron James.

Memo to LeBron: Forget the fanfare, forget the hype, and forget the fluff. Stop leading us on, make your decision, move on. I've said all along you will be staying in Cleveland. You know, the whole, "he's a loyal Akron kid" argument. But at this point, it's tough to care anymore. Please stop prancing around like you own the league when, in reality, you have never won anything. Oh wait, I stand corrected. You have an Eastern Conference Finals banner and two MVPs.

If you want to be great, if you really do want to go down with the likes of Kobe, Bird, Magic and Jordan, you better start acting like it because this act is quickly growing old. Before you know it, you will be 32 without a ring and (gulp!) without global icon status.

Sadly, I'm not sure what matters more to you.

Reports are that Shaquille O’Neal may miss the rest of the regular season with a sprained thumb, which he sustained on a hard foul from Boston’s Glen Davis in a recent game. Shaq has been a valued addition to the Cavs this year, helping them dominate the Eastern Conference and pummeling the Lakers, particularly big men Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. His interior presence has aided a Cleveland team that struggled against physical big men, such as Dwight Howard in last season’s playoffs. So why is this injury going to help the Cavs?

Shaq is 38 years old, which for his body and legs may as well be damn near 50. The beating he has taken over his career, especially as he’s slowed down and put on weight, is one that cannot be overstated.

In all honesty, what would having him in the line-up for the rest of the regular season accomplish? The Cavs are 8-1 without him and already have a stranglehold on home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference Finals, holding a six-game lead over Orlando with just 20 games to play. The biggest issue may be home-court through the Finals, as LA is just two games back (including the tie-breaker).

But by allowing his body to recuperate and his legs to refresh, Shaq will give Cleveland a healthy and legitimate center come crunch time. When the Finals come, Shaq will be fresh and strong enough to play the minutes necessary to abuse the Laker posts just as he’s done this season.

Since becoming a Cavalier last summer, the big fella has seen a resurgence in his play, anchoring the middle while averaging 12 points, 7 rebounds, and more than a block per game. He has been a dramatic upgrade from year’s past when Cleveland’s best interior options were an inexperienced Anderson Varejao, an aging Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Joe Smith.

It may seem a blow to Cleveland now, but Shaq’s sprained thumb was the ultimate blessing in disguise. At some point, they will have to rely on guys like J.J. Hickson and Varejao, who is one of the crucial elements to this team with his relentless energy and hustle. With Shaq out now, it gives them an opportunity to get significant minutes, so that when they are called upon they will deliver. In an easy win over the Knicks Monday night, this young and impressive duo showed how valuable they can be, combining for a staggering 31 points and 19 rebounds.

(Hickson is showing Cavs fans why Danny Ferry took him in the first round back in the 2008 NBA Draft, and why I thought of him so highly coming out of NC State)


In last night's win over the Nets, Hickson flourished, going for 20 points and 13 rebounds in the start.

Assuming he keeps in shape – this is a rather big assumption but one we can make considering how much we know Shaq wants another ring – the rest he will accumulate over the next two months will ultimately provide Cleveland with its best opportunity to capture Mr. Larry O’Brien himself. The Cavs really only need him for the Eastern Conference semis and on, so he has plenty of time to heal the ailing thumb.

The trade deadline has come and passed, but come playoff time the acquisition of a healthy O’Neal may be just enough for LeBron James to get ring No. 1 in his seventh season, which would be three years sooner than it took Michael Jordan to earn his first championship in Chicago.

I’m just saying.

I have grown increasingly fed up with the dire economics of the NBA, especially the atrocity of the guaranteed contract.

Do me a favor and think for a second about the notion of a guaranteed contract. In no other business, including other professional sports, is there a business model as insane as this one.

The NFL is the most financially successful professional sport in America, and you know what?

In a stark contrast to the NBA, there are zero guaranteed contracts. The only guaranteed money comes from the signing bonus. The majority of contracts are based on incentives, which naturally creates a greater desire to perform.

Can you imagine negotiating your salary based on guaranteed money? In other words, when you sign a contract for a new job, would you ever say, “I want x amount of guaranteed money, even if I fail miserably and completely underperform?

Of course you can’t, because it’s a dreadful way of doing business. It’s unethical, and it doesn’t make any sense.

In effect, the ghastliness of the guaranteed contract has not only damaged the perception of the NBA, but it has also wounded the quality of the game.

Consider this: The NBA is better served when its marquee franchises – i.e. the Lakers, 76ers, Celtics and Knicks – are winning. When these teams are winning, the glamour perception of the league is restored, both on a domestic and global level. That’s why the Lakers-Celtics Finals match-up was a dream.

It’s the same with other sports. MLB is a better product when the Yankees and Cubs are winning, and the NFL likewise with the Cowboys, Steelers and 49ers contending. For years, the Knicks have been mired in bad contracts, with their money locked up like Plaxico Burress. Poor executive decisions - like inexplicably trading for disgruntled center Eddy Curry and his 6-year, $60 million contract, or signing Jerome James for $30 million, or trading for Stephon Marbury and the majority of his $76.8 million deal (notice a theme here)? - have proven too much to overcome for one of the league’s proudest and most celebrated organizations.

Larry Brown’s recent statement about Allen Iverson’s one-year, non-guaranteed deal with Philly is one of the most disturbing quotes I have ever read. Apparently Brown feels that AI has proven his worth over time and therefore deserves guaranteed money.

“I get worried about that message, but I also admire Philly for giving him a chance,” Brown said. “That's more meaningful for me. I look at a guy that scored 20,000 points and played hurt and did so much and now he’s got to play for a non-guaranteed contract, that's pretty troubling for me.”

What type of message is Brown sending to fans and to our youth?

Here, we have one of the most successful coaches in basketball history saying that a 34-year-old - controversial and often malcontent - guard deserves guaranteed money after he recently quit on a team after just three games, because he wasn’t happy with his role and overall lack of playing time.

The NBA game is a business, and business would improve if guaranteed deals were eliminated.

Players would have more to play for – specifically money, which is always a selling point – and therefore competition would be stiffer, and games would be better. It’s not healthy for the league to have the type of offseason we’re about to have.

LeBronapalooza wouldn’t garner the attention it has in New York City if the Knicks hadn’t made the mistakes they made in the past. If there weren’t so reliant on signing him (or another elite free-agent), they wouldn’t have cleared the cap to the level that they have, and in turn, and forfeited the opportunity to be competitive. One of the best selling points of any league is competition. With the current system in place, mediocre teams are rewarded to lose even more in the hope of landing a big free agent with a monster payday.

The incessant whirlwind of speculation about Dwayne Wade and Amare Stoudemire wouldn’t have the

relevance as it does right now. The hammerlock of a guaranteed deal has had a negative effect on the league ever since its inception.

(It should be noted that for the NBA eliminate guaranteed deals, it would have to come through a restructuring of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. If it didn’t, this would be in direct violation of its anti-trust rules).

The other issue we must consider is the expiring contract, which, sadly enough, has become almost as valuable to teams as a franchise player. The fact that teams are trading for a surplus of expiring contracts is insane.

As a fan, you’re sitting there and your team is trading for Raef LaFrentz – a guy normally not exactly in demand - not because he will help the team, but because his deal is about to end.

If teams could just cut the player and not have to deal with paying him, the economics would be much healthier. But as long as we have the guaranteed contract in the NBA, teams will refuse to waste money. No professional sports league rewards losing teams more than the NBA. It should be the opposite.

Isn’t it time to turn this around?

With legacy contracts – players in the last year or two - teams try and pick them up to generate additional cap room to sign a LeBron James or Dwayne Wade type. Several sources close to the league have informed me that more than half of the NBA’s franchises are losing money.

The NFL has the ideal business model in that 100 percent of revenue from its national TV deals (NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN) are shared.

The NBA also shares revenue from network deals, but unlike the NFL, not every game is broadcast on a national outlet. The majority of NBA games are televised on local channels, including cable, and this revenue is not shared. There is a big gap between the revenue generated from cable between the Lakers and Knicks than what the Milwaukee Bucks or Charlotte Bobcats receive. On a local level, every team has to fend for itself.

That issue may be unavoidable given the disparity in the games played between the two leagues: 16 and 82. But another problem is that the NBA is overexposed on national TV. To bolster the size of the deal, the league had to sell more games. The NBA is on nearly every night, and the quality of the games is often very poor. The downside translates to poor ratings and overall viewership. In 2008, ESPN’s broadcasts of NBA games averaged a 1.3 rating, while ABC’s Sunday games averaged a 2.2.

To give you perspective, the NFL averaged a 10.2 rating in 2008 (includes NBC, Fox, CBS and ESPN), while NFL games were also the highest rated local programs 88 percent of the time ... an all-time record for the league.

Another key problem for the NBA is that player salaries as a percentage of team’s revenue is awful. The average revenue of a team in the NBA is around $100 million, while salaries of teams are upward of $60 million, with guaranteed contracts.

How can franchises possibly make money?

Another vital issue is the inflation of the NBA’s ticket prices in a down economy. The league has priced itself out of the market where a family of four can’t afford to go to games anymore. As a result, most season tickets have been sold to corporations and businesses.

Even worse, the league is attempting to go to both China and Europe, in a drastic effort to create incremental sources of revenue. This is not the right time to do this, considering it comes during a period when the league still has so many things to fix in-house, with its core business in North America.

The bottom line is that the current system in place of guaranteed contracts and the consistent reward of poor play and cap room has wounded the NBA to the point where the fan is put in a terribly awkward position. One of the most painful experiences is rooting against your own team. No one should be put in such a predicament. Furthermore, spiked ticket prices and league expansion should not take place in this economic climate. The fans make all of the difference. Let’s not forget that.

The NBA needs to fix what has truly become a tarnished and broken financial system. The lockout excluded, this is as fragile a juncture as we've seen in the history of the league.

I just hope it’s not too late.

The NBA could be in serious danger.

Europe can now offer what the NBA cannot.

The NBA revolves around its superstars. It needs them. But what if premier players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Dwayne Wade start thinking about Europe, the land of no salary cap and fewer regular-season games?

In the past few years, we have noticed a developing theme in the basketball world. NBA players are beginning to take their services to Europe where they can make more money and experience the European lifestyle. Jannero Pargo, Carlos Arroyo and Josh Childress were the three biggest names to do so this past off-season (excluding high schooler Brandon Jennings), and others seem inclined to make the leap as well. I know what your thinking. Losing second-rate players doesn’t matter. None of the marquee names has jumped ... at least not yet.

Last summer, rumors circled around that LeBron James had spoken with European teams and would strongly ponder taking his game overseas if he were offered a $50 million per year deal. When asked if he would consider such a deal himself, Kobe Bryant said: “I'd go. I'd probably go. Do you know any reasonable person that would turn down 50 (million dollars)?”

Hypothetically speaking, let’s assume Bryant wins at least one more title (he currently owns three rings) in the NBA. When his contract with the Lakers expires in 2011 (assuming he doesn’t opt out), the Mamba will still be just 33 years old - I know, scary huh? - and the lure of the insane moolah and European culture may be just the right combination to poach No. 24 from Hollywood.

Let’s not forget that Kobe spent much of his childhood living in Italy while his dad played professionally. He speaks fluent Italian, loves soccer, and as we know, is a man who loves a challenge. Italy features four teams in the Euroleague, considered to be the second best basketball league in the world, and a hotbed of young talent that has transplanted stars like Manu Ginobili and former No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani into the NBA. In addition, Europe as a whole has only increased as the world’s No. 1 supplier of foreign players, including All-Stars Tony Parker, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol.

Given the increasing popularity of players leaving America, a player of Kobe’s stature following suit isn’t that far-fetched. Europe is an untapped revenue resource for players. This past season, Bryant made $21 million from the Lakers. With the salary cap expected to decrease next year and maybe in the future as well, would he really turn down 50 million as well as the unholy endorsement deals he’d be sure to earn across the pond?

The impact of the NBA salary cap increased significantly in 1999 when the new collective bargaining agreement introduced the concept of the maximum contract. The so-called Bird Rights --- exceeding the cap to retain your own free agent --- still exist but the contract is limited to a fixed percentage of the cap.

Europe doesn’t have max contracts or salary caps, so owners have the luxury of offering a player as much money as they see fit. So you see, minor players leaving like Jannero Pargo and Josh Childress are really just the beginning. Should Bryant or another big name choose to leave, the trickle-down effect for the NBA would be catastrophic. Over the course of his illustrious career, Bryant has become one of those rare players that transcend a generation. He isn’t only one of the best players of our lifetime. He has joined the likes of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson as rare examples of players with historical relevance.

Now I know David Stern has spoken of possibly expanding the association beyond North America and into Europe, but given the current state of the economy and early stages of such a plan, we have to assume that this remains several years away. The departure of a player like Bryant makes the NBA vulnerable.

Today the Larry O’Brien Trophy is the crowned jewel in professional basketball, but if more quality players leave for Europe, its value and prestige would become less and less meaningful.

Think about like this: even amid the Tim Donaghy allegations, last season’s NBA Finals between LA and Boston were the highest rated in eight years. Fans desperately sought the chance to re-enact the classic Bird-Magic duels of the 80’s, because those series meant more than just a title; they represented everything that was great about the NBA with the best players in the world, and the biggest and brightest personalities. Right now the league is at a crossroads. James is a very easily marketed athlete who seems to understand what the league needs from him, both on and off the floor. He is the clear future of the NBA and the obvious face of the game. Kobe is still the alpha-dog, but he will soon pass the torch to LeBron ... if they stay in America.

If either leaves for Europe, the ultimate prize of an NBA Championship immediately loses its luster and relevance. There is only so much money Kobe or LeBron can earn stateside, and by exporting their talents outside of the U.S., they would instantly add gleam to the Euroleague or any other European Championship. Soon, it would represent the world’s elite talent.

In a recent interview on The Jim Rome Show, Mike Krzyzewski said that the key to the chemistry of Team USA during the Beijing Olympics was when LeBron and Kobe bought in to Krzyzewski’s philosophy. Then he said, the rest of the guys followed suit, and they became a unit. This is the type of impact Bryant is capable of having. If he leaves the NBA to go play in Europe --- even if only for a couple of seasons --- the temptation for others to join him would grow that much stronger. If the NBA suffers such a mass exodus of superstars, the league could soon become obsolete.

Still not convinced this may happen? Well, imagine this: you are told you could triple your salary, get paid in Euros, keep the same job you love, and all you have to do is move to a free mansion somewhere in Europe. Would you say yes? That’s what I thought.

LeBron James is considered by many to be the best player in the game. Kobe Bryant is often deemed the best closer. Neither is the MVP.

That award goes to Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade, or “Flash,” as he is appropriately nicknamed. The NBA’s leading scorer came into this season fresh off a wonderful summer with the U.S. Olympic Team, in which he led the squad with 16 points per game. He supplied the jolt of energy and brilliance the Americans had lacked since they were embarrassed at both the 2002 World Championships and the 2004 Athens Olympics.

What is perhaps most amazing about Wade is that he managed to go from NBA elite and Finals MVP to just another good player after a dreadful knee injury in 2008 and back to the top again.

In doing so, Wade will fill an arena, hit a game-winner en route to scoring 40, guard the other team’s best player --- he is a lock for all-defensive team --- and then strut out of the arena with the best suit and coolest-looking diamond earring on the entire Eastern Seaboard. On a team that features no other All-Stars, or even stars for that matter, and a rookie head coach, Wade guided the Heat to the fifth seed in a much-improved Eastern Conference, respectably behind far more complete teams like Boston, Cleveland and Orlando.

The former Marquette star has taken on the role as key playmaker, best defender, and of course, clutch scorer for the pride of South Beach. Despite playing with a rookie point guard in Mario Chalmers, enduring a major trade that sent Shawn Marion to Toronto for Jermaine O’Neal, and the disappointing rookie season of No. 2 overall pick Michael Beasley, Wade has proved to be the be all and end all for the Heat.

His tutelage of Chalmers has seen the youngster develop much faster than the typical late-first rounder, and late in games Wade assumes the role of point guard seamlessly, having no problem distributing the ball (7.5 assists per game). Wade has the ability to average 40 a night. But that’s not what he is about.

In the disappointing season of 2008, Wade played just 51 games, and the Heat were an awful 15-67. But with a healthy Flash, Miami has risen from the depths of the east to finish a respectable 43-39, and has a legitimate shot to defeat Atlanta in the first round. It's a far cry from just one season ago, which begs the question: what would this team be without their superstar?

Their second-best player is either O’Neal or Udonis Haslem, neither of whom has averaged over 14 points since O’Neal did it in 2006. Unlike LeBron and Kobe, who have superior supporting casts, Wade shoulders a far greater responsibility on a game-by-game basis. His team features a mixture of very young talent along with expiring contracts of two big guys (see O’Neal and Mark Blount), who are way past their prime.

Before you rule out the MVP caliber season of Wade, consider the quality of teams both the Lakers and Cavs are without their main guns. LA features the wondrously talented All-Star Pau Gasol and immensely improved Andrew Bynum in its frontcourt, along with one of the league’s most versatile players in Lamar Odom. Cleveland has point guard Mo Williams, underrated despite being an All-Star, who relieves much of the ball-handling responsibilities from James, as well as a legit 7-foot center in Zydrunas Ilgauskas and two nice young guards in Daniel Gibson and Delonte West. The Cavs would undeniably be in the playoffs without James, and one could certainly make the case that the Lakers could even win a series or two without Bryant.

But Miami without Dwayne Wade? We saw exactly how that script played out when Flash missed 31 games last season and the Heat stumbled to the worst record in the NBA. The bottom line is that all three players are sensational and great building blocks for any franchise. But in averaging more than 30 points along with almost eight assists and five rebounds, nearly 1.5 blocks to lead all guards, and 2.2 steals (second in the league), he has led this otherwise ordinary Heat team to a winning record and playoff opportunity.

Dwayne Wade is the true MVP of this NBA season.