Nitro

The Bulls had a young Pippen starting to bloom, an all-time great coach and a perfect supporting cast built around Jordan's talents. The Cavs have an old Jamison with a big contract, Mo Williams who chokes in the post-season, and a few other solid pieces and coach. Much, much different situation.

LeBron did it so his jersey sales would spike like Kobe's did when he changed from 8 to 24. All for business.

You think Kobe can guard Wade? Everyone excuses Kobe for shooting poorly against the Celtics but Wade averaged 33PPG on 55% shooting against them in the first round with no help. Wade's a former scoring champ. Wade and Kobe would probably cancel each other out, but Kobe would have just as much success of stopping Wade as vice versa. And Bron averaged 32/10 on 50% shooting against Artest last year; he's not Durant, he is the one guy who Artest's physicality won't be a major problem. And LeBron rarely scores inefficiently...I remember in a Kobe vs Bron debate between me and RD I brought up a stat that Bron shot sub-40% like 15x last season to like 40x by Kobe.

Was defense ever a problem of the Cavs? No. Was defense a problem last season on the Heat with far less talent than this upcoming season? No. Spoelstra will get them to play good defense. They won't be the 2008 Celtics or the 2004 Pistons, but I see no reason why they won't have a very good defense to go along with such a dangerous offense. LeBron was the 2008 scoring champ, Wade was the 2009 scoring champ (who averaged 30PPG+ on like 55% shooting against Boston with no offensive help in the playoffs...shot over 60% against the 2006 Pistons in the ECF). Both average 7-8APG. Bosh was averaging 24PPG virtually the entire season last year. They are all arguably getting better. The Celtics' Big 3 was already on the downside of their careers when they joined together, and even in their primes I don't think they'd be able to combine for the offensive abilities of Wade/James/Bosh. This Heat trio clearly have more firepower on offense than that team did. Yeah, but when he went to Boston he was able to put a greater focus on the defensive end, and it helped win him DPOY. Many of the little things he did on defense were because he didn't have that over-bearing offensive burden he had in Minny, and he was also in a system that preached defense. Ray and Paul never got attention for their defensive efforts individually until the Big 3 came to be. I think that same effect will happen with the Heat's trio (with Wade and LeBron already being All-Defensive caliber players).

I suppose, I just think they could have gotten more value for Lee. I'm sure the Rockets would have entertained a deal maybe doing a double sign-and-trade with Scola and another piece or two. In fact, after the T-Mac trade I'm sure they would have welcomed an offer from NY with open arms

Yikes...definitely should have gotten more value for Beasley. At least a servicable, Perkins-like Center. That's just a poor move IMO. Then again, Riley is a genius, so I'm sure he's thought this through.

As I said, the evidence may mean something or nothing at all because of the talent this team now has. But I don't see the point on gambling on Wright being a guy that can take 4-5 3's per game and knock 'em down at such a high clip. Not when they'll have a ton of players willing to sign for the minimum that have a more proven history, as well as Beasley as a trading chip to acquire that. And there's a reason he hasn't had consistent playing time and has only played over 20MPG twice in his six year career (both of those times being on horrible teams and still playing just average). The fact that he's played 70+ games only once in six seasons alone should tell you that's a horrible match for this team. With those 3 stars, they'll need consistency at the PG position. Yeah, I'll agree to disagree...I just think that because Wright's relatively athletic does NOT mean he can defend quick PG's. Totally different level of speed. Again...what mismatch? Just because he's 6'9'' means nothing if he doesn't have the necessary skills to use it to his advantage. His ability to shoot over shorter defenders from 3 isn't as much of a mismatch as him trying to defend quick PG's. No matter who they put at PG they won't have a hand in their face too much beyond the 3pt line. As I said before, there's PLENTY of SG's/SF's in the league that are relatively athletic and have good handles...but how many teams have actually used those players at PG, especially as a starter? Very, very few, and they were far more talented than Wright. And most of them were placed in that position because they had elite level passing ability, something Wright doesn't have and something the Heat don't need. It's always a great idea in theory, but it just doesn't translate on the court. And on a team that only needs 3pt shooting and defensive ability against PG's, the versatility and potential of Wright is minimized even more. IMO they need a proven sharp-shooter at PG that has some experience playing the position on both ends of the floor. Wright could maybe play spot minutes off the bench at PG, but having Wright at PG in the post-season is a scary thought.

HAHAHAHAHAHA. Seriously, LeBron landed in your laps because you sucked so bad, he single-handedly brought them back to prominence, gave them major media exposure, a Finals appearance, 60-win seasons, multiple MVP worthy seasons, possibly saved the team from bolting to another city...give me a break. Ya'll knew this day would come and made the wrong moves to build around an all-time talent. He did what was best for he and his family. Classless. Absolutely classless. LeBron is still a young guy and is only one person. That's not to excuse his actions, but by making this statement you are bringing down your own franchise to an even lower lever than he is.

I would say the Nets, but they still have plenty of cap room, young talent and can maybe try to pry Melo/Paul away from their respective teams, or just wait until next offseason. The Travis Outlaw signing was horrible, though. Undoubtedly the Cavs had the worst offseason, though. Ouch.

Defense is important, but if the Lakers could win in 2009 with not a ton of defensive talent, so can the Heat. I mean, it's not like Wade and LeBron are poor defensive players; they both made All-Defensive teams last year. Neither are necessarily lockdown defenders, but they are very good defenders. And even Bosh is underrated defensively, and I think the 2008 Olympics proved that. As for the Celtics Big 3 comparison, they didn't have anywhere near the offensive firepower this trio has. And none of them were regarded as elite defenders before they joined forces. Spoelsta is a disciple of Riley, and even last year's Heat team was one of the best defensive/rebounding teams in the league. With each of the star's having each other as help, their defense will be greatly improved. And fatigue? With all the heavy lifting they've had to do in their careers, a ton of that pressure will be alleviated by playing with each other.

Eh, he still attracts some defensive attention, and can still finish around the basket and shoot a high %. He also causes problems for Dwight Howard, who will be one of their primary nemesis' over the next few years.

First 3 game losing streak or where they have a 10 game stretch of like 4-6. Personally, I think Spoelstra will do just fine and won't be on the hot seat unless the team really fails to live up to expectations (ie less than 50 wins or getting knocked out of the playoffs in the 2nd or 3rd round).

Ask me 5 years from now and I can say for sure. But right now, from 2003-2010 he's had one of the most impressive runs you will EVER see.

Before I continue, let me say I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is far from the best option. I'm not ignoring it, but having that height advantage at the PG position means nothing if he has no post-game and isn't a lights out shooter (you can argue this, but he's taken over 1 3PA once in his career, and is 34% career). And you're not taking into account that Wright himself will be at a mismatch. He doesn't have the speed to guard Rondo, Westbrook, Paul, etc... If you force Wade or Bron to guard PG's, that minimizes their defensive effectiveness for an unecessary reason. As I said, it can happen, but it's not the best choice. They need a knockdown shooter, and one season of taking over 1 3PA and shooting a good % just isn't enough evidence for me. With their talent it might not need to be enough evidence, but there's probably much wiser options. They're going to need a PG that has the ability to consistently hit the 3pt shot while taking at least 4-5 shots from deep every game. And once again, his passing skills don't mean much with LeBron and Wade. He'll be needing to do less passing than Fisher does on the Lakers. All he needs to do is stand behind the 3pt line and nail it at an efficient clip, and needs to be able to defend the PG position well. I don't think he could do either as well as some of the other options that might be available.

I agree with your points to a degree...but realize that we're talking about arguably the 2 best players in the league in the middle of their absolute PRIME years, and another 26 year old all-star...it's just on another level from the 2008 Celtics. I can't stress this enough- LEBRON IS 25, BOSH IS 26, WADE IS 28.

Just be happy you got the 7 great years you did get from him. A Finals appearance, back-to-back MVP awards, 60-win seasons...I can't imagine how it must feel to be a Cavs fan right now, but be happy you got to experience the kind of success in the last 7 years many franchises have never seen,

Yeah I wouldn't worry about it. He's on a similar caliber as Amare Stoudemire but no one gives him the credit because of how bad the Knicks were. The dude can score and he's an amazing rebounder. If they keep him at the 4, his defense will be a lot better than if they force him to play the 5 like he did on the Knicks.

I agree that it's a dynasty. Even if the first year they don't win it, all these guys are smack dab in the middle of their prime years and the team will have some flexibility in the future with the MLE and such (assuming the new CBA allows it). Very scary to think of how good this team can be.

Of course they don't need a traditional PG, but they do need a great 3pt shooter and/or a lockdown defender at the PG position. Wright is not a sniper from 3 which would mean the Heat would have very little floor spacing, and it'd make everyone's job much more difficult. And I really doubt Wright can defend quicker PG's, and forcing Wade or Bron to fill that role would just be unnecessary. And it isn't like Wright has a post-game where he can abuse smaller PG's ala Billups or D-Will. With Wade and LeBron, his decent skills as a playmaker really doesn't mean anything. They need a shooter at PG.

Tremendous rebounder, skilled offensively, 2nd best big man in the league in PnR situation (next to Amare), unselfish... ...and a horrible, horrible defender. But this is a GREAT trade for the Warriors. Don't know what NY is thinking...

Horrible idea. He's taken over one 3 pointer once in his career, and his career % is 34%. Miami will really need a sharp shooter for the floor to be spaced well enough to be as effective as possible. If that PG isn't a knockdown shooter, it better be a lockdown defender. Wright is neither.

Wow. Sign a 3pt shooting PG, a Center who can rebound and defend, and you got a dynasty. Very, very surreal.

He averaged 20/12 on 55% shooting with Chris Duhon at PG. He's the 2nd best PnR big in the league next to Amare. He's going to be terrific on the Suns.

1985 isn't even on the same level of those other 3. I'm going with 1984. 1996 and 2003 were STACKED, but it's stil kind of early to determine how the top-tier plays of those clases can get build a legacy. 1984 had Jordan, Hakeem, Stockton, Barkley...that's just crazy. The best SG of all-time, arguably best Center, arguably best PG, and arguably the best PF ever who won an MVP and got his tean to the Finals.

The best thing about this stage of T-Mac's career is even if he does have to take a lighter load, his versatility is something Shaq and AI don't have. Without Shaq's old athleticism, he simply doesn't draw defenes like he used to anymore, Last year he had his 2nd worst TS% of his carer, and had no elevation at all once he was at the rim. Always a clutch situation liablity due to free throws. AI, meanwhile, still has a lot of game in him, but he'd have to change his style of play a bit as a 6th man/lesser role player. Considering he's only effective with the ball in his hands, that's a major issue. So, I take T-Mac, even though the risk is huge. It does take about 2 years to really recover from microfracture, and he clearly ws not in great shape last season. I do think at this pointif AI and Shaq aren't scoring, they have nothing special to bring to a team. Despite the numbers, T-Mac is one of the best playmakers/passers in the league. He uses his 6'9'' frame to look over the system, knows where players are going to be, passes it to players in their hot spots, etc... He's very good at running an offense. Oh, and he's a two-time scoring champ so he can still do that too