My friend went to the Cavs/Knicks game at MSG and called me on his way home from the game. I said the Knicks offense looked horrible. He said the Cavs not named LeBron were just as bad. The Knicks might have had a shot at that game if their big guys would have run the floor like the did in the 4th quarter when they went on a run to make it semi-interesting. The fact that they weren’t doing it the whole game is sort of worrisome. Either it took Mike D’Antoni until the 4th quarter to figure out that his guys should be running the floor or it took the Knicks’ front court 3 and a half quarters (or 7/8) to listen to their coach. LeBron says he wants to play for a team that can win. Did the Knicks just fail their audition?

Did it just become cool to discuss destinations for LeBron that haven’t been part of the conversation at all since it started about 2 years ago? In the past few days I’ve read about Miami, Los Angeles, and Dallas. Dallas?!?!? Yo I actually heard he’s thinking about playing college ball at Temple. He’s going to get Nike to sponsor their yarmulkes (I apologize for that).

If we momentarily forget about Donald Sterling and Mike Dunleavy Sr., The Clippers seem like a good spot for LeBron (I only started thinking this today and I might not think the same tomorrow). The Clippers will have the cap room to sign him to a max contract and can also offer a talented core for him to lead.

If Blake Griffin does what we think he’ll do (be really good), then Lebron will have a talented, athletic big man who can run the floor. Eric Gordon is legit in his second year and will continue to get better. He would be able to take off some of the scoring load and can hit jumpers. Baron Davis would be the best point guard LeBron has ever played with by far, and with his first legitimate shot at a title, I think Boom-Dizzle would be insanely focused. Chris Kaman is a solid big. Crazy to think he was drafted 4 slots behind LeBron. Camby would be great off the bench. It’s a shame the coach sucks so much. I think LeBron would enjoy dragging the Clippers out of the muck and stealing perhaps half of Kobe’s fans (not much loyalty in L.A.). I at least think this is just as likely as Sam Smith’s idea of LeBron going to the Lakers through a sign and trade. The idea is to have Kobe be the alpha for another 3 or so years while he’s still at the top of his game with LeBron playing the 1A role and then transition to LeBron with Kobe hanging back and lengthening his career by giving up the top-dog responsibilities. A big 3 of Kobe, Lebron and Pau right now would probably be the best of all-time (assuming it worked). I think they could win 5 or 6 titles before Kobe retired. So let’s say this happens. What does that do for the reputation and image, nationally and locally, of Kobe, LeBron, and The Lakers respectively?

What happens if Kobe Bryant retires with 9 or 10 rings? Maybe the reason people say he would have to win more titles than Jordan if he is going to be considered on that level is because they don’t think it will actually happen. But what if it happens in a serious way, with Kobe going down as one of the winningest players of all time? Then again, what would happen if he had trouble with the transition? What if it becomes clear that LeBron is the better player in fewer than 3 years and it looks like Kobe is demanding to be the number 1 when he doesn’t really deserve it? If he accepts the secondary role after his 3 year bid gracefully, will some Kobe critics come around and say he has matured out of the alpha male hang-ups we have seen on display in the past?

And what of Lebron? If he leaves and goes to a “rival” team in the Lakers, will Cleveland fans hate him? It might depend on whether or not he wins a ring this year. LeBron is far less polarizing than Kobe Bryant. Right now the people I know who vehemently dislike LeBron are Laker/Kobe fans (Celtics fans might dislike him too but I make a point not to know any Celtics fans). Would joining this Laker team make him more of a villain? Because a lot of people hate Los Angeles/The Lakers/Kobe Bryant. If all of those things end up with 6 extra titles because LeBron decided to come make history there, how much would public opinion about LeBron be affected? Would the Lakers become everyone’s favorite team or everyone’s least favorite team? Maybe it would be like the Yankees between 1996-2000. I’m not really sure what I mean by that though.

I have a feeling the Suns will be in the middle of the playoff pack and an opponent people aren’t particularly excited to play. I think they’ll be more respected in the west than the Hawks are in the east, but in a similar position in that they can’t seem to break into the 1st tier of teams in their respective conference. As I write this, though, I’m already worrying that I’m not giving them enough credit. The west might end up being more wide open than we realized. It’s early in the season, so all I can say is that I’m impressed with what the Suns are doing so far and excited about their prospects. A whole off-season with Alvin Gentry is huge for them.

“I Ron Artest n*ggaz.” – Tyga

Tweet from 10/19: what’s the over/under for nba players who miss games this year with swine flu-like symptoms? (too soon?)–LH

…19 days later…

Chris Douglas-Roberts tests positive for H1N1 virus.

Oy. Not kosher.

If you found this post to be kind of all over the place, here’s why: NBA as S.O.C.