The Ghost of Seasons Past (2010 Free Agency Now Included)
“’Tis just a flesh wound!” Black Knight from Monty Python, and the Holy Grail
The Cavs had an offseason worthy of the Black Knight. Coming off a combined 127 wins over the past two seasons, Cleveland lost their best rebounder/right arm (LeBron), best playmaker/left arm (LeBron), go-to scorer/right leg (LeBron), best defender/left leg (LeBron) and a gigantic rear end/gigantic rear end (Shaq). Unfazed by the swift crippling of the Cavalier brand and franchise, Dan Gilbert proclaimed that Cleveland would win an NBA championship before LeBron and his Legion of Doom in a comical letter to the public. To be fair to Gilbert, the Cavaliers have good role players and are perhaps one superstar away from contention. Now that I think about it, I know the perfect player for Cleveland’s system. LeBron James! Ouch. Sorry, Cleveland. Especially unfortunate for the Cavaliers is the fact that they often looked to have the best team over the past two seasons. An unfavorable matchup with Orlando in 2009 derailed a potential (and more favorable) matchup with the Lakers in the Finals. And Cleveland looked dominant through game three of the 2010 series against Boston. Then LeBron became something other than a one-man wrecking crew and the best player in the league. Was his elbow that big of an issue? Did he find out that Delonte West was sleeping with his mom? Was he already thinking ahead to the summer and possible ways of turning millions against him? I don’t know. But it’s very possible that Cleveland did not win a title because of simple bad luck or an unfortunate injury to their most important player. Despite a natural inclination to point to a single result as a definitive statement on a team or player and come to the conclusion that LeBron could never win a ring without Dwyane Wade or that the recent Cleveland teams were fundamentally flawed, perhaps it just came down to random chance. I feel confident in saying that had he stayed, LeBron would have eventually won multiple rings in Cleveland. But that doesn’t make for a good story. And barring a miraculous turnaround, this year’s Cavs team won’t make for many good stories, either. Things are quite different now. With LeBron gone, it’s J.J. Hickson’s world and we’re just living in it.
October 19, 2010
October 18, 2010
Team Preview: Chicago Bulls
The Ghost of Seasons Past (2010 Free Agency Now Included)
“Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” Alexander Pope
If I recall correctly, the Chicago Bulls enjoyed a fair amount of success in the 1990s. The final count came in at 558 regular season victories and six championships. And those totals are weighed down by a 13 win total during the (lockout shortened) 1999 season, the first year without Misters Jordan, Pippen and Jackson. Since that obliteration of the NBA's last dynasty, the Bulls have managed to be considered an up-and-coming team for an entire decade. They have been the Houston Texans of the NBA (and Eddy Curry is certainly David Carr). The first wave of youngsters included Elton Brand, Ron Artest and Jamal Crawford. Then Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, Jay Williams and Marcus Fizer arrived on the scene. It’s likely only Tyson Chandler will have an NBA contract next season so it should be rather obvious that the second wave fared particularly poorly. Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich represented an improvement but could not win more than 47 games and Deng is the lone holdover on the current roster. Why haven't things worked out for Chicago? I blame the continuous reliance on players from Duke University but you can come to your own conclusions. Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose were the latest (and last?) young wave. Thomas has already moved on but the Bulls replaced him this offseason with Carlos Boozer (another Duke player!). With this move, Chicago finally cashed in on its’ cap space/assets and acquired a veteran big-name that wasn’t an aging Jalen Rose (who came at the expense of Artest and Brad Miller). Unfortunately, Chicago missed out on the grand prizes of the 2010 free agency period despite being able to pitch to free agents a potential starting lineup of Rose, Wade, LeBron, Bosh and Noah. Now that is a super team. Boozer is certainly not LeBron, Wade or even Bosh. And he’s not Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett, two names previously linked to the Bulls in trade discussions. But he signed a reasonable contract (considering the general overspending this summer) and fills a gaping hole in the frontcourt that has been expanding faster than Eddy Curry’s waistline since Elton Brand was traded to the Clippers nine years ago. Things appear to be changing in Chicago and Bulls fans can barely contain the hope bursting from their protruding, mustard stained, Gino's enhanced chests.
“Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” Alexander Pope
If I recall correctly, the Chicago Bulls enjoyed a fair amount of success in the 1990s. The final count came in at 558 regular season victories and six championships. And those totals are weighed down by a 13 win total during the (lockout shortened) 1999 season, the first year without Misters Jordan, Pippen and Jackson. Since that obliteration of the NBA's last dynasty, the Bulls have managed to be considered an up-and-coming team for an entire decade. They have been the Houston Texans of the NBA (and Eddy Curry is certainly David Carr). The first wave of youngsters included Elton Brand, Ron Artest and Jamal Crawford. Then Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, Jay Williams and Marcus Fizer arrived on the scene. It’s likely only Tyson Chandler will have an NBA contract next season so it should be rather obvious that the second wave fared particularly poorly. Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich represented an improvement but could not win more than 47 games and Deng is the lone holdover on the current roster. Why haven't things worked out for Chicago? I blame the continuous reliance on players from Duke University but you can come to your own conclusions. Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose were the latest (and last?) young wave. Thomas has already moved on but the Bulls replaced him this offseason with Carlos Boozer (another Duke player!). With this move, Chicago finally cashed in on its’ cap space/assets and acquired a veteran big-name that wasn’t an aging Jalen Rose (who came at the expense of Artest and Brad Miller). Unfortunately, Chicago missed out on the grand prizes of the 2010 free agency period despite being able to pitch to free agents a potential starting lineup of Rose, Wade, LeBron, Bosh and Noah. Now that is a super team. Boozer is certainly not LeBron, Wade or even Bosh. And he’s not Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett, two names previously linked to the Bulls in trade discussions. But he signed a reasonable contract (considering the general overspending this summer) and fills a gaping hole in the frontcourt that has been expanding faster than Eddy Curry’s waistline since Elton Brand was traded to the Clippers nine years ago. Things appear to be changing in Chicago and Bulls fans can barely contain the hope bursting from their protruding, mustard stained, Gino's enhanced chests.
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