The Ridiculousness of LeBron's 2014 Summer

Another major summer could be looming for LeBron James. There is a chance he might have won his third
straight NBA title putting him up there with the likes of Michael Jordan and Bill Russell as the only two greats to win three straight titles. If this happens, we can end the idea of James leaving Miami. No superstar player ever leaves after a championship. That's just a fact of life no matter the sport. Let's say he does not, maybe gets bounced by Indiana or Oklahoma City for that matter, how realistic is James leaving South Beach or is this a media-driven story knowing this NBA free agency is not very exciting minus Carmelo Anthony.

Whether he wins a championship or not, James will opt out of his deal. Andrew Kasmarek pointed it out here last season that for what he is worth to Miami, James is grossly underpaid. It is his time to earn as much money as humanly possible with Miami or some other team. Media outlets will fly off the handle hearing LeBron opted out of his deal, but in reality, the deal he has right now with the team is not a great deal for any superstar player in the NBA. LeBron deserves to be paid like a king and anyone who disputes that is a jester. 

The only way I can see James departing Miami is if he truly feels the window has closed on this basketball team. Dwyane Wade is a huge part in that window discussion. If Wade were to struggle in the playoffs and essentially become the scapegoat of this Miami team, what happens?  Does Miami get rid of Wade for younger talent in hopes to keep James? Probably which will draw ire from people, but it makes complete sense. The other thing we need to look at with Miami's age is the bench. Shane Battier, Ray Allen and Chris Anderson, valued contributors and all pretty old with Anderson being the youngest. James does not want another Cleveland situation where he is carrying the team night in and night out. If that's what he feels Miami will be for the majority of his next contract, he will be gone.

The biggest question no one is answering right now is how many teams will clear the money in hopes to sign James?  Probably all of them because the thirst for James is comparable to a dude whom cannot stop texting a girl even though she has not answered in two weeks. He is the best player in the world, and if teams know there is even a one percent chance at getting James, they will probably bite at it.  Cleveland, Los Angeles Clippers/Lakers, Atlanta, Dallas and countless others will try to pry James away from Miami yet it will probably be a complete rouse no matter what the media says at this point

There are so many great stories about the NBA right now yet the media's obsession with James makes this a story. Every day, every soundbite features something where people might read into LeBron leaving. The latest with Steve Smith where James said it is not a guarantee he will be back in 2014-2015 should be treated with a grain of salt. LeBron is a smart man and knows he screwed up with 'The Decision' meaning everything needs to be a politically correct answer from LeBron. If he says 'I am 100 percent back with the Heat' and then he changes his mind, how many of the same people speculating about James today would be crucifying him if LeBron decides to open his options. For the Heat superstar, he is in a no-win situation no matter what he says about his impending free agency. 

These last two months people will have more theories on LeBron than people do right now with how True Detective will end in the next three weeks. This is a dull time for the media, but at the same time, all of LeBron's words are not gold. It might draw pageviews or eyes to the screen yet we need to be better at letting James breathe versus the former.

Charlie. 

Trade Value by Position: Shooting Guards

Being that I love the NBA, I'm going to break down, position by position, the players with the most trade value at this point in time.

The shooting guard position, though not as dominant as the point guard position is right now, is very important position on the basketball court. There aren't a ton of stars that are true shooting guards and, in fact, the position is pretty lackluster overall.

This will probably be just as hard as ranking point guards by trade value but not because there are so many good ones. There are a ton of albatross contracts at the 2-spot. 

Here goes:

1. James Harden, 24 years old, Houston Rockets - Contract: (First year) 5 years, $78.7 million -

Harden is undoubtedly the most valuable shooting guard in the NBA. His production/scoring has been constant since taking over an expanded role after being traded to Houston last year. His Player Efficiency Rating is a whopping 21.8 (league average is 15) and he's averaging 24.6 points per game. Harden and Dwight Howard should be a dynamic duo in the Western Conference for some time.

2. Dwyane Wade, 31 years old, Miami Heat - Contract: (Fourth year) 6 years, $107 million; has early termination clause after this season - 

The fact that D-Wade is now in his early 30s and is oft-injured drops him out of the top spot. However, when he's healthy, he's still one of the most dominant and explosive players in the Association. If LeBron is 1A of the "Big 3" in South Beach, Wade is 1B. He's shooting 54 percent from the floor this season, a career high, and is continuing to make a huge impact on the defensive end of the floor.

3. Lance Stephenson, 23 years old, Indiana Pacers - Contract: (Final year rookie deal; only 930K this year) - 

Stephenson has emerged as a legitimate starting shooting guard in the NBA. He's done a good job of improving his decision making and is a strong defender with his length. Scoring-wise he might not do as much as other guys in the list but he's surrounded by a good supporting cast in Indiana. Don't look now, but Stephenson will likely end up in New Orleans next month for the All-Star game. It'll be interesting to see what he can garner in free agency this offseason.

4. Klay Thompson, 23 years old, Golden State Warriors - Contract: (Third year of rookie deal) - 

Thompson has been a straight knockdown three point shooter since day one of his NBA career. He and Warriors' PG Steph Curry (know as the Splash Bros.) have formed arguably the best backcourt tandem in the league. Thompson's true shooting percentage is 56.4 percent this year up from 53.3 last year. He's hitting on 41 percent of the whopping 290 three point attempts so far this season. I fear that he's a little one-dimensional but he'll probably make the All-Star team either way. Remember, you can't say "shooting guard" without saying "shoot."

5. Wesley Matthews, 27 years old, Portland Trail Blazers - Contract: (Fourth year) 5 years, $26 million) -

Another shooting guard from Marquette makes the list. Matthews has gone from an undrafted free agent to one of the best two guards in the NBA. He's third among NBA shooting guards in true shooting at 62.4 percent (Charlotte's Chris Douglas-Roberts is second but has only played in 14 games this year). Matthews has also been a key part in the Blazers being as good as they have been this season. His reasonable contract makes him very moveable.

6. Bradley Beal, 20 years old, Washington Wizards - Contract: (Second year of rookie deal) - 

Bradley "Real Deal" Beal has stepped his game up a notch in his sophomore season, numbers-wise. His usage has gone up, thus his efficiency has gone down some. If his efficiency would have gone up significantly he'd probably be much higher on this list. This is essentially based on what Beal could be. He's been banged up this year but he's been compared to Ray Allen coming out of Florida. That's fairly unreasonable but if he can become a poor man's Ray Allen, that's a damn good ball player.

7. Eric Gordon, 25 years old, New Orleans Pelicans - Contract: (Second year) 4 years, $58 million 

Gordon hit restricted free agency after the '11-'12 season and the Phoenix Suns signed him to this huge offer sheet that New Orleans ultimately matched, against Gordon's better wishes. If it weren't for this contract and his nearly chronic injury issues leading up to this season, Gordon would have much higher trade value. He's fairly undersized for an NBA shooting guard but still shoots just over 45 percent from the floor and his TS% his is up significantly from last year (55.8 percent). He's apparently being actively shopped by the Pelicans, so we may know exactly what his league-wide trade value is very soon.

8. Jimmy Butler, 24 years old, Chicago Bulls - Contract: (Third year of rookie deal) -

It's hard to say whether the Bulls like Butler at the 2 or 3 spot but he can probably play either. For the most part this year, he's been a shooting guard so that's why he's here. Butler has shown, since last year, that he can/will be a lockdown defender in the Association. Offensively, Butler hasn't really built on the great efficiency he showed last year. I'd directly attribute that to Butler playing 34 minutes per game this year versus just 26 per game last year and also that he's been essentially biggest offensive threat for the Bulls when he's on the floor. Still, his defense and athleticism is intriguing.

9. Victor Oladipo, 21 years old, Orlando Magic - Contract: Rookie year -

Speaking of defense and athleticism, look no further than the Magic's Victor Oladipo. I think it's safe to say that Oladipo has lived up to the hype of being the number two overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft thus far. He scored 35 points last night against the Bulls and also handed out eight assists. He did have eight turnovers, basically canceling out the eight assists still it was a great performance. 'Dipo should be a main stay in the core the Magic have developing. Once they get a point guard to go along with Victor in the backcourt, the Magic should be ready to make the next step.

10. Giannis Antetokounmpo, 19 years old, Milwaukee Bucks - Contract: Rookie year - 

Call me a homer, but you know I had to include a Buck in one of these pieces. Giannis is another one where we're not sure what position he is exactly but ideally, he can play in the backcourt so I thought it to be fair to include him with the shooting guards. Giannis has been a bright spot in an otherwise horrible year for the Bucks. He hasn't been perfect every night but that's to be expected for a relatively unknown, 19 year old prospect. He had a good game against Kevin Durant and the Thunder last Saturday. This was nice to see considering Durant is the guy that many basketball minds are comparing Giannis to. He's shooting 45.7 percent from the floor with a true shooting of 54.3 percent. His impact has been felt one way or another most games. It's always nice to see a guy that can impact a game in ways other than scoring. He needs to work on his jumper but there's no reason to believe he can't become a good shooter.

NBA Future Power Rankings: 4.) - 1.)

by Adam Hatlak, edited by Charlie Tritschler.  

Late December/early January is generally when the NBA starts to heat up. For this NBA season, this is especially true. With all of the injuries to major stars and one of the most anticipated draft classes in recent memory coming up, the landscape of the NBA is in store for a major shakeup. Due to all the changes, now is a good time to look at what the NBA will look like for the next 3-5 years. These Power Rankings were made from a fan’s perspective including many different variables: probability of future success, likeability of organization, trust in front office, and ability to acquire/retain quality players. All of the criteria are applied for the next 3-5 years, as anything further into the future is increasingly more difficult to predict.

Teams ranked from 30.) - 25.) 
Teams ranked from 24) - 20.)
Teams ranked from 19.) -15.) 
Teams ranked from 14.) - 10.) 

Teams ranked from   9.) - 5.)  

4.) Houston Rockets
Key Assets: James Harden, Dwight Howard, Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin, Daryl Morey.

Reason for Hope: Daryl Morey built this team through acquiring quality assets and turning them into superstars, only Houston only acquired Parsons through the draft. Harden and Howard both have top-10 potential as individuals and capable of being one of the most deadly pick’n’roll combinations in the league. Parsons fits in very well with this team, as he is not asked to do more than he is capable of due to the abilities of his teammates. The Rockets are guaranteed to get extra value on the court before or at the trade deadline, whether they are finally able to turn Asik into a new player, or if they convince him to man the second unit inside like he did in Chicago. If this team figures it out, they could be extremely dominant in the West.

Reason for Concern: Despite Houston’s ability to build this team without very little homegrown talent, there are significant concerns about their top stars. Harden has admittedly not given his all on defense at times and may lack the ability to shut down opponents top scorers. There will always be concerns about Howard’s maturity, and his main advantage over his peers is his athleticism, something that will fade as he ages. Asik and Lin are very nice role players, but their salary skyrockets in the future, making them difficult pieces to trade. A move with Lin or Asik that may be necessary in the future, as Parsons will not always be available for a dirt cheap deal. This team still has a few more roster moves to make before being a legitimate title contender.

Key Decision Looming: What do they get back for Asik? There have been multiple times where it seems like Houston had a plan in place to deal Asik, and both parties certainly need to move on from each other. As time passes, his trade value decreases greatly, due to not being on the court and his contract next year. The Rockets stated they wanted two first round picks for Asik, but when this is all said and done, it seems likely they’ll move him for a heavily protected first rounder.

3.) Indiana Pacers
Key Assets: Paul George, Roy Hibbert, Lance Stephenson, David West, Danny Granger, Frank Vogel.

Reason for Hope: A year after winning the Most Improved Player award, George made another leap, becoming one of the top five players in the game. Hibbert maintained his high level of play from the playoffs last year, and as a whole, Pacers are getting more respect from the rest of the league, refs included. Stephenson is improving as a player as well, and has become the type of player the Pacers need to lock up to a long-term deal this offseason. Perhaps most importantly, no team in the NBA looks hungrier this year than the Pacers, and it seems like nothing but defeating Miami Heat in the playoffs will satisfy that hunger. This team seems stable enough to go to battle with the same core for the next few seasons.

Reason for Concern: It has not been an issue yet this season, but decisions regarding Granger are looming. Granger was the leader and soul of this team prior to George’s rise to stardom, and dealing with his return or departure could prove problematic to team chemistry, a true strength for the Pacers. George and Stephenson both came into the season with very small contracts that were very team friendly. George has already been extended, but Stephenson is next and will require a significant raise. West has been great for the team, but is old and has an injury history; will he be able to stay healthy when the Pacers need him most? It also feels like the team gets overrated slightly due to their ability to match up well against the Heat. They are still an elite team, but look better to casual fans, as they can dominate Miami inside.

Key Decision Looming: Is Danny Granger move valuable on the court or in a trade? Granger's deal is expiring and is likely to move on next season so the Pacers can extend Stephenson, this is leading to multiple trade rumors surrounding Granger. The truth is he is most valuable on the court for Indiana. It is clear they are gunning for the title this year, and Granger coming off the bench, assuming he is willing to accept that role giving the best chance to do win a championship. Allowing Granger to rack up points with the second unit lets the Pacers play the hot hand between him and Stephenson in crunch time. Even though Granger once had star status, he would be a great veteran leader while they make a run at the Heat. The team should allow Granger to contribute to a potential title team in Indiana and let him walk after the season if they cannot afford him.

2.) Miami Heat
Key Assets: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra.

Reason for Hope: Any time you have James, the outlook is good. Unless something changes, he will be the best player in the NBA for at least the next three years, potentially more. The best part about James is that he works to make other players better therefore the ability to attract mid-level free agents is increased, and Riley showed a great ability to do so. With Wade’s new schedule keeping him fresher, it seems like he will be more of a force in the playoffs, when Miami will need him most. Spoelstra is one of the more underrated coaches in the league, as he does have great talent, but also does a good job of putting them in position to succeed. Bosh’s demeanor and lack of physicality at times makes him an easy scapegoat for this team when things are going wrong, but he is the second most valuable player behind James, as he is Miami’s one quality big, and his playing style works well for what the Heat are trying to do.

Reason for Concern: Age is starting to catch up to this team with Wade being affected the most. While it seems like this team came together relatively recently, they all have the ability to opt out of their contracts soon, something that James and Bosh seem likely to do. Their veteran role players are also getting older and closer to retirement and Miami might have some issues replacing them. They consistently do not have enough quality depth inside with no true resolution in sight. Bosh is more likely to leave than James, although it seems likely both will stay, but either way the team will run out of ways to make constant improvements due to age and salaries, while their chief rivals will be able to catch up.

Key Decision Looming: When is the right time to end the Big Three era? Heat created their identity based on Bosh, James, and Wade, but a day will come when those three cannot lead their team to a NBA Title anymore. Wade seems to be the first one to potentially decline out of the situation, but he would also likely be the most difficult for the Heat franchise to move on from. James and Bosh also seem likely to opt out of their deals this offseason, in hopes of getting more long term money, or potentially leaving for greener pastures. Both should stay in Miami to see how many titles they can win together, but the salary associated with Wade will make it difficult to bring in more help as time goes. The new CBA will make it difficult on the Heat to continue to add to the team, but they should stick with the Big Three and allow veterans to take small deals to chase a championship.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
Key Assets: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Steven Adams, Jeremy Lamb.

Reason for Hope: They have the best young core in the NBA as Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka are all still 25 and under. Durant is the likely heir to the best player in the NBA throne, for when LeBron begins to fade. Westbrook, when healthy, is also a top 10 player. Each of these players is still showing signs of improvement.. Thunder have also done a great job continuing to add young talent to their rotation. While Jackson, Adams, and Lamb are no James Harden, they are providing solid bench production. If they are able to bring it when it matters most, this team will continue to contend. Perry Jones III still has enough raw potential to possibly develop into a scary player off the bench, but he is a player nobody discusses.

Reason for Concern: Westbrook’s knee has been operated on three times in the last eight months. For a player that has overwhelming athletic ability, it will be interesting to see if this causes him to dramatically alter his game, and if it will affect his ability to dominate. The team is still oddly committed to Kendrick Perkins, and due to the handling of James Harden, the upcoming contract for Jackson has people wondering how the Thunder will handle it. The Thunder benefited by dominating the draft for three straight years, but now they will have to retain their stars for their full careers while having an ownership that seems unwilling to pay the luxury tax, something that could eventually cause key players to move on willingly or not be retained.

Key Decision Looming: Can they afford Jackson? Until they win a title, the Thunder will always be haunted by the handling of the Harden trade. It is not as bad as most have made it seem, as they were able to acquire Lamb and Adams, whom are not likely to ever equal Harden’s superstardom, but will be able to contribute on this team. They do have a similar situation coming up with Jackson’s contract. He proved to be a great bench player behind Westbrook, and even held his own when called upon to start with Westbrook down with injury. Luckily Perkins will eventually see his contract expire and Thunder will have to decide between paying Jackson or trading him for a pile of assets. With Westbrook’s injury concerns, having Jackson lead the bench or the starters is a must, even though it may cost the team.