Smack / Dec 14, 2011 / 12:00 am

Miami’s Big 3 Say It’s Title Or Bust This Year; Nene Re-Signs In Denver

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LeBron James, Dwyane Wade & Chris Bosh

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade & Chris Bosh (photo. David Alvarez)

Yeah, that guy we all saw last year wearing No. 6 for Miami in the NBA Finals? That guy wasn’t LeBron James. He was someone else, an impostor, a fake, a poser. LeBron says the real LeBron is back. Should we believe him? James says for the first time since he got to Miami, he’s back to the real him. More alive and ready to go. That’s good to know; We aren’t sure how anyone could deal with the amount of venom he had to take in last year. But still, the whispers about clutch failures, disappointments and lack of heart will only grow louder with each misstep. It’s a full-on disease for him now, and the only way to cure it is to win a championship and do it in a fashion that’ll have people forget about James’ past playoff struggles. As for Miami’s Big Three, they’re all saying it’s championship or bust this year. They came together for one reason only: winning. So another trip to the Finals isn’t worth it if they can’t get those rings. Looking at the landscape right now, the Celtics are older, the Lakers are worse, the Mavs suddenly got cheap and the Bulls still probably can’t beat them. There’s OKC to consider as well, but should the Heat be considered big favorites at this point to win the chip? … New Jersey stays taking Ls. We kind of called it didn’t we? One of their main targets once again isn’t coming. Nene re-upped in Denver last night for five years, $65 million plus incentives, reported Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. That’s a lot of money for a 29-year-old who has never even averaged eight rebounds a game in a season, nor 15 points or 1.5 blocks a night. But hey, that’s pretty much the market value right now. Denver needed to make a splash considering half their team is gone. We should bring up that hilarious picture of a smiling Nene. He’s definitely overjoyed right now … We told you yesterday the Mavs were looking to trim even more fat off their payroll for next summer, and they’ve done it. Marc Stein is reporting they agreed to send Rudy Fernandez AND Corey Brewer to previously mentioned Denver for one future second-rounder. Well that’s an ego killer, knowing you and one other player were traded for just a single crappy pick. Fernandez always struck us as a kid who thought he was better than he was. Even coming to Dallas, there were reporters who felt his attitude might hurt the Mavs locker room. Fernandez seemed like he felt he should’ve been dominating in the NBA like he did in Europe. Newsflash bro: this ain’t Europe and you’re not Manu Ginobili. He could never figure it out … The Lakers are back into the mix for Chris Paul, tweets Marc Stein. No more details at this point right now, other than that the Clippers and league officials are still talking with a few new names being thrown out (Mo Williams and Trevor Ariza). For the Lakers, they just need to do something (and signing Josh McRoberts for two years, $6 million doesn’t really count), stuck in-between CP and Dwight Howard (who named them one of the four teams he will consider signing an extension with, along with Orlando, Dallas and New Jersey) and not knowing if either one would come. L.A. isn’t used to not getting their way … The start of training camps and NBA Media Days always bring about some spectacular photos and stories. How much weight did this guy gain? How much hair did this guy lose? Who came back with the most new ink? Who looks like they want to murder their agent and GTFO town? Well this year, Kobe “I Don’t Give A F#$% Anymore” Bryant has given us some unintentional comedy. Bryant’s been uniquely blunt with everyone so far, swearing like there’s no tomorrow and basically answering every question as if he’s just bored with the entire process. As Grantland wrote, Bryant told a Clipper beat reporter to tell Blake Griffin “not to f$%^ himself up in the preseason.” He’s also said this about the Lakers: “We’ll keep the train moving. [Devin] Ebanks is going to step in there and fill it up … Ron [Artest's] responsibilities have kicked up and the train keeps moving … If I think a guy is a bum, he’s a bum. When Smush [Parker] was here, I told you he was a bum.” He’s like the old dude sitting out on his porch with the suspenders and lemonade, tossing insults down at any knucklehead who hits a ball onto his front lawn. Every once in a while, he gets all pissed off and comes out to show the ‘youngins how it’s done. We’re waiting for someone to ask Kobe about Kwame’s new deal … Speaking of Brown, NBA TV analyst and former NBA player Greg Anthony told us this yesterday about Kwame Brown: “He’s one of the best post defenders in our league.” Dead serious. Check out the interview. Anthony, Chris Webber and Steve Smith had a lot of interesting things to say about Chauncey Billups, the T’Wolves and the shortened season, among other things … Keep reading to hear about Kevin Garnett calling out David Stern …

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  • control

    I can say this about Rondo, which people can’t really argue with…he is by far, the worst shooting point guard in nba history. There has never been a guard who is so SCARED to shoot outside the paint that he absolutely can’t. There has never been a guard who has been worse at free throw shooting than him. There is not another guard in the league who you could use Hack A Shaq on. There is not another guard in the league who another team’s coach will say “we left Rondo open to take the shot at the end of the game because letting him shoot the final shot is a gamble I’d take any day of the week, and win every time”.

  • First & Foremost

    @Control… [Sarcastic Font] That is crazy talk. He went toe-to-toe with Kevin Durant in an impromptu 3-point shootout and nearly won. KD is considered one of the best shooters in the league right now. So using my superior knowledge and foolproof logic, the FACT that Rondo ALMOST beat one of the best shooters in the league at shooting, should by default make Rondo almost one of the best shooters in the league.

  • Big Island

    AB – No… Though that is a hell of a guess.

    Owners can’t help themselves. They will overpay because they almost have to. They don’t want to let someone get away because they didn’t offer enough. DeAndre was restricted, so GS had to make a big offer to try to get the Clippers to not match it. The Clippers didn’t want to piss off Blake so they matched it. If GS didn’t make that offer, the Clips would never have paid that to keep him. On the flip side, if every team colluded to only offer $5mil per contract, NOBODY would play in Sacramento or Indiana. The Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, NY and Miami would have every player want to play there, pick the top 40 guys, and then everyone else would get the leftovers. LA gets Kobe, Durant, Lebron, and Dwight. Wade, Rose, Griffin go to Chicago. CP goes to NY. Basically take the All-Star teams, then let them pick where they want to play. Players would pick where they want to play even more.

  • http://deleted dagwaller

    @control – that’s a pretty nice write-up on Rondo. I do think that you underestimate his defense, though, and his ability to fit into a good defensive scheme.

    All the same, I don’t think as highly of him as many on this site.

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    @control — I see your points, and at least you did give Rondo credit for being a good passer.

    After seeing him play in-person from the right vantage point, I’ve come to fully appreciate that Rondo does create shots for his teammates. Sometimes you know he has no intention of shooting the ball, but he’ll take his defender in one direction and find that precise angle where, say, Paul Pierce’s defender has to at least turn and look at Rondo; and as soon as that guy turns his head, Rondo whips the ball to Pierce, who now has either enough space for a J or already has one step on the guy to drive. It’s really something to watch.

    As for his shooting, I can’t even argue. I still remember when Rondo was at Kentucky, I bought NCAA 2K-whatever and played a season with UK. Rondo averaged like 5-6 steals a game and a ton of assists for me, but I swear in the entire season he never hit ONE jump shot outside the paint. And I think Patrick Sparks was on that same team raining threes, so that just made him look worse.

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    @Big Island — If you have some kind of scale where superstars would still get their $15M a year or whatever it may be, All-Stars get X-amount, and so on, I don’t think it would be a case of all the stars going to the same 4 teams.

    Take somebody like Danny Granger. He’d know that even if he doesn’t get to A-level superstar level with Indiana, he’s at least got a better chance of being All-Star level or possibly reaching superstar level as The Man on Indiana than he would as the 4th guy in New York. So it would balance it out.

    Plus you still have the Draft to distribute talent, and while a lot of NBA players will always chase the money, some guys truly do like the city they’re in and would stick with their franchises for a while. For example, would Kevin Durant have chosen to play for Seattle/OKC right out of college? Probably not, but he got there, and not only did they build a good team around him (without spending crazy money, he LOVES it there now. He’s not going to jump to L.A. or Miami just because.

    Basically, just because the NBA salary cap is at, say, $60 million doesn’t mean you have to spend $59.5 million every year. If you’re running a business and legitmately worried about saving money, SAVE MONEY. So maybe you missed out on Nene, but trust me, another Nene will come around soon enough.

  • beiber newz

    control, don’t start a war with me. you’ll disappear like EN FUEGO. anyone remember him? that guy was a pussy. don’t be the next pussy control.

  • control

    I think the thing that would fix the nba’s financial issues, and improve the experience for the fans, would be to take away guaranteed contracts. How many times do guys get these huge ass contracts and then not live up to them? GMs are fucking idiots for paying Grey Goose prices for Mohawk players, but there are situations where the guy plays for a contract, noticeably busts his ass off, then gives NO effort once he’s getting paid. Fans hate it, owners hate it, and other players on the same team hate it. If there were some way to reduce that amount if a player just falls off, then it would be a better experience for all people involved (except the fool who fell off, but fuck him).

    Other than CEOs and politicians, the nba seems to be one of the only jobs in the world where you can get paid top dollar and not produce any results at all. Fuck that shit, these guys need a reality check.

  • First & Foremost

    Exactly, just because your team has a hole doesn’t mean it has to be filled immediately. The best big man in this FA class might not even fit with your team. Teams throw money at a guy just say that they got a guy. [Reference: Travis Outlaw].

    My car might have a flat tire but I can still get around on this donut wheel until I find a tire that fits. [Reference: Chuck Hayes]

  • control

    bnewz

    Haha, if you change your name, I’d forgive you and your 30 1 paragraph, methed out posts. I grew up 15 minutes from Justin Beiber, so he’s got the hometown bonus with me, but I still think he fucking sucks and can’t stand seeing his name 100 times when I’m trying to read here.

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    I don’t think the Clippers were backed into a corner at all. So Blake Griffin is BFFs with DeAndre Jordan? That’s good to know. And I also know that both of them have cell phones and Twitter and Skype and all of that. Keep in touch all you want, but we’re not paying this $6 million cat $10 million just to make Blake happy. There’s 10 other guys on the team he can be friends with. As we’ve all heard before and as I’m sure Blake will say if he ever decides to leave L.A. via free agency, “This is a business.”

    Now if the Clippers can afford it, that’s their business. But don’t come crying to the fans about you’re losing money as a franchise when you just paid DeAndre Jordan $43 million and could’ve had Kris Humphries for $23 million.

    @F&F — I was sure your spare tire reference was going to end with Eddy Curry.

  • Big Island

    AB – That would be ideal. In a perfect world everyone would be paid what they’re worth and be spread all over the place. But a guy like Granger would probably go to a team where he could make more money off of the court than on the court. Hey, NY needs a 2 guard, I’ll get the same money that Indiana offers, but I’ll be in NY. So Indiana offers more money, maybe too much, for him to stay. Wait, that’s what we have now. It won’t happen as long as guys can be traded and become free agents. Or they could have the team who drafts a guy be able to offer him a big amount to stay. Since my math is bad, I will use 50 percent more, but not have it count against the cap. So Lebron and Melo would have gotten $15 million to stay in Denver and Cleveland, but when they left, they only got $10 million. Once it went past 3 years, they could resign for more. It rewards guys who stay, and if you want to leave, you take a big pay cut.

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    I don’t like the idea of punishing a guy who fulfills his contract and want to try another city/situation … but I guess I could equate your system to paying in-state (cheaper) college tuition versus out-of-state (more expensive), so maybe it’s not that bad.

    And I do think pride and competitiveness will continue to be a factor. Maybe Granger, as an All-Star but not a superstar yet, could make $10 million in Indiana or NY. But if NY already has Amar’e and Carmelo, will he want to be the third guy or take his shot at becoming a superstar with Indiana? I think the competitive part of Granger might choose Indiana.

    Now, you could say that’s the exact situation LeBron faced last year, but there’s one exception: LeBron would’ve been the best player on the team anywhere he went. That’s why all the “Robin” and “can’t beat em join em” stuff annoyed me. Wade and Bosh were already underneath LeBron on the hierarchy, and nothing changed with his move to Miami.

  • http://www.psychodrama.com Chicagorilla

    “Exactly, just because your team has a hole doesn’t mean it has to be filled immediately” – FNF

    ^^Exactly! Thats the same dumb ish the Chicago Bulls front office did. We had a hole in the low post. The bulls had a ton of money and were going after the big guns (Wade, Bosh, Bron, JJ, Amare). Once they weren’t able to get those guys, instead of holding on to their money and coming back stronger next year (especially knowing that DRose was up for a huge contract extension) they blew their load on Boozer. MFKing Boozer! After they already gave Noah and Deng big time extensions.

    We saw how that worked out. Yet to the casual fan it was all covered up by Thibs and DRose superb seasons.

    @Control
    Great write up on Rondo. I co-sign every single word of it.

    @AB
    Surprising that you would take on that argument. There is no evidence supporting your side of the argument really.

  • http://www.psychodrama.com Chicagorilla

    “Wade and Bosh were already underneath LeBron on the hierarchy” –AB

    That’s YOUR Opinion. Because If I were trying to win a championship this season, Wade is the guy I would chose.

    I’ve never thought of Lebron as the #1 player in the NBA. He’s top 5 and all, but not the clear cut number 1 by any means. Wade’s numbers, ability, and history matches up with Lebrons every step of the way. And the thing that seperates them is hype. Wade never got enough hype (irnonically since he was in a so called major market Miami while Lebron is in small market Cleveland) to win MVP even though he deserved it. But Wade also has a Finals MVp and a ring to match. Something LBJ couldn’t get without him.

  • beiber newz

    @control how bout i NOT change my name and call you a bitch ass muthafucking prick?
    you sound like a chick. starting nonsense over nothing. y the hell do u want me to change my name so you can forgive me? are you just looking for my attention? another chick tendency.

  • control

    bnewz

    I don’t want you to change your name over nothing, I want you to change your name because it fucking sucks. I think you have even said that yourself, so quit fucking whining and do it.

    Even if I were a chick, what would be wrong with that? Women are equal to men. I wouldn’t mind it if I were a woman, I love pussy and it would be convenient to have one available to play with anytime, haha. Your disdain of females seems to indicate you, like your name suggests, like yourself some fucking dick to eat.

  • beiber newz

    guys do u see this pussy control, trying to get my attention by randomly getting mad at me to change my name? what a fucckkiinnn douche.

  • Big Island

    AB – Lebron had 3 choices really.

    Cleveland – try to ride it out and be the hometown hero.

    NY – Become a goddamn legend. If he lead the Knicks to the Finals, the world would have imploded with the nedia dick riding.

    Miami – Go play with the one guy in the league who people will argue is better.

    I might have to go with Chicagorilla regarding Lebron. Lebron has more ability than anyone in the league. He doesn’t have that “thing” yet. Maybe he’ll get it, maybe he won’t. Dirk, who I love, didn’t have it. He always put up #’s, but never willed his team to win until last season. At the end of the game you knew he was getting the ball and you knew he would come through. Shaq and Kobe each had that individually for the Lakers. With Shaq or Kobe, or even Dirk last season, it is a case of “we have to stop him” and then when you couldn’t it was over. Dwight Howard, you let him get his and stop everyone else and you win. At the end of the game, you stop Wade and let Lebron try to beat you.

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