Archive for June, 2010

Ladies and gentlemen:  I know it’s a little bit late this evening but I wanted to share today’s conversation with Mr. Butch Stearns on The Sports Buzz with you all. All you need to do is go to thepulsenetwork.com, find the archives for The Sports Buzz and click Part 1 for July 1.  I appear right around the 1:27:00 mark but the rest of the show is great as well.  I encourage everyone to take a look at it. Thank you Mr. Stearns, Phil Dimartino and everyone else at The Pulse Network for having me on!

As I said yesterday, the Great Race for LeBron James is probably down to two teams.  Especially if LeBron only cares about winning like he says he does. After two consecutive seasons of sporting the best record in the league, the Cavaliers were ousted before the NBA Finals by seemingly better teams.  Or better coaches, maybe.  They’ve been criticized for their inability to win the big games.  And most specifically, LeBron James has been criticized for not being able to win the big games. Whether it was due to an aching elbow or an apathy for the game with free [...]

The Great Race for LeBron James is, in my opinion, down to two teams – Chicago and Cleveland.  And for good reason. Though the Bulls were knocked out of the 2010 playoffs rather easily by the more talented Cavalier lineup, they made well in their audition for the King.  Derrick Rose proved his worth as one of the best point guards in the game of basketball and Joakim Noah did his thing as, well, a wild thing.  Rose was outstanding in the series and made play after player to keep his team in the game.  He, like Rajon Rondo and/or [...]

Contrary to the belief of hip-hop star and New Jersey Nets minority owner Jay-Z, nobody remains forever young.  LeBron James included.  And for that reason, the King needs to start winning now if he is going to cement his legacy as one of the brightest stars to ever play the game of basketball. Yes, New Jersey has quite a bit of money to play with – just like the New York Knicks.  But, also like the Knicks, the Nets do not have a championship caliber roster even if they added LeBron James.  They do offer a tad more firepower because [...]

On Saturday evening, LeBron James announced that there will be no free-agent tour to explore the cities that covet his services.  Instead, he will remain at home.  In Akron, Ohio – possibly Cleveland – to entertain offers from several suitors. Some self-proclaimed “experts” – including myself – believe the King will retain his throne in the only place he has ever called home – Cleveland, Ohio.  All the while, arrogant New Yorkers are under the impression that the King needs New York and delusional Chicagoans think they offer LeBron James the best chance to win right now.  (Which, as a [...]

If it wasn’t for Lebron James, Lebron James would already have an NBA title or two to his name. The city of Cleveland would no longer be the laughing stock of the sports world and this summer’s NBA free agent class would have a little less shine to it. If only it weren’t for Lebron James. For years, fans of the Cleveland Indians have watched their small market, low payroll teams get crushed by the likes of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. They’ve watched their favorite players, guys like CC Sabathia and Victor Martinez leave or be [...]

Before I start, let’s go ahead and get this part out of the way: Mo Williams stunk in the playoffs.  He couldn’t hit water if he fell of a boat and he darn sure couldn’t run the team like a veteran point guard.  He was inconsistent throughout and subpar at best. Now with that being said, Mo Williams is still a heck of a player.  He’s played a fairly decent style of basketball since joining LeBron James in Cleveland and, as he Tweeted today, he wants to remain in Wine & Gold for another shot this season. It’s been rumored [...]

Nine days.   Just nine more days before July 1st – otherwise known as the day that LeBron James may be openly recruited by every NBA team on the planet without facing $100,000 fines from the league.  The scary thing is that James has yet to even hint toward which team he is going to choose this offseason.  Does he stay in Cleveland?  Or does he go to New York, Chicago, or pretty much anywhere that he so chooses to go?  That remains to be seen. A few weeks ago, I wrote a Should I Stay or Should I Go? segment [...]

So I know I told you a while back that The Gospel was going to feature four segments of Should I Stay or Should I Go? However, I’ve decided that I’m going to go all Carlos Boozer on you and throw in a fifth segment.  But only because the Tom Izzo saga was such a popular story in the sports world. And fear not my good fellows; we’re going to mix it up just a tad today.  Izzo was faced with this decision: Cavaliers or Spartans? Spartans or Cavaliers? And while we all know the conclusion to this story, I [...]

All the buzz around Cleveland coaching changes has thrust Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo into the spotlight.  And for good reason.  The Spartan leader recently completed his 15th season in East Lansing and has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments, including the 2000 NCAA National Championship, six regular season Big Ten Championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles, six Final Four appearances, four National Coach of the Year awards and a Big Ten-best 13 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Still, his recognition as one of the nation’s top college coaches has not convinced many analysts that Izzo can make it in [...]