Author: John Paulsen (Page 224 of 937)

      No ‘free agency tour’ for LeBron

      June 27, 2010 /

      Per ESPN…

      All the elaborate recruiting plans for LeBron James will have to change. James will not go on a recruiting tour, his longtime business manager Maverick Carter told ESPN.com Friday.

      Instead, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar will visit with individual clubs in Northeastern Ohio once the free-agency period begins July 1.

      Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein that the latest plan calls for the New Jersey Nets — led by new owner Mikhail Prokhorov and minority owner/longtime James pal Jay-Z — to be the first team to meet James face to face. No one from James’ camp, though, would confirm the meeting.

      Well, that’s a relief. Anything that can keep this courtship from becoming more of a spectacle is fine by me.

      Holding all the talks in Ohio should also speed this process up. Hopefully, LeBron’s camp knocks these meetings out quickly so he doesn’t hold free agency hostage while he makes up his mind.

      Really, he should already have his list narrowed to 2-3 teams, but it seems as if he is seriously considering six franchises: the Cavs, Bulls, Knicks, Heat, Nets and Clippers.

      Though with the news that the Clippers are down to Vinny Del Negro and Dwyane Casey in their coaching search, I don’t see LeBron coming out West.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Ghana defeats the U.S., 2-1, in extra time

      June 26, 2010 /

      The U.S. once again conceded a goal early, as Kevin-Prince Boateng took advantage of a sluggish American defense in the 5th minute. Slowly but surely, the play of the U.S. improved and after half, the Americans evened the game on Landon Donovan’s penalty kick in the 62nd minute.

      With the game tied, 1-1, at the end of regulation, extra time was necessary, and Ghana scored in the 93rd minute when Asamoah Gyan turned a fairly harmless kick forward into the go-ahead goal. The U.S. had several good opportunities over the next 27 minutes of extra time, but were unable to capitalize. The Americans’ World Cup dream is over.

      External Sports, Soccer, World Cup

      Did ESPN do a good job covering the draft?

      June 25, 2010 /

      The Big Lead says ESPN’s coverage was unimpressive.

      We’ll get into some detail below, but here are our main gripes with ESPN’s 2010 NBA draft coverage: 1) College players are being drafted, so why are NBA analysts the ones doing most of the talking?; 2) Far too much LeBron/free agency talk (a smattering was inevitable, but it was relentless; food for thought – Does the NBA need to consider pushing up free agency or pushing back the draft?); 3) there was zero energy from the ESPN talking heads. Maybe it was just a dull, predictable draft, or perhaps the flurry of trades killed whatever flow the draft could have had. But in a word, last night was dull. Was there even one distinguishable moment?

      There are two separate issues here: 1) the predictability of the draft, especially the early picks, and 2) the quality of the coverage.

      The first part of the draft was a snoozer, and that pretty much made the whole night a snoozer. Chad Ford nailed the top 8 picks, and there were no trades, so there were no surprises. After the marquee names are off the board, the draft became a grind, and that’s not really ESPN’s fault.

      I thought Van Gundy was funny when given the opportunity and did a decent job adding levity to a night that needed it. Like TBL goes on to say, Jay Bilas needs a foil, someone to argue picks with, so ESPN should bring in another college scout type to play McShay to his Kiper. One NBA guy (JVG) is enough. He can put the pick into perspective and discuss the free agency rumors that are bouncing around.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft, Television

      LeBron headed to Chicago?

      June 25, 2010 /

      Adrian Wojnarowski writes that William “World Wide Wes” Wesley may be tipping LeBron’s hand.

      To listen to World Wide Wes, LeBron will never look back on Cleveland. “He’s up out of there,” is the way he tells it to people, but LeBron’s Akron crew has to tsk-tsk such public talk because they all live in Northeast Ohio, and maybe always will. “We’re going to Chicago,” William Wesley tells people, “and Chris Bosh is coming, too.”

      The Bulls believe they’re going to get James, and that’s why they so confidently cleared the cap room needed to sign James and Bosh. The Bulls think they’re getting James and Toronto’s Chris Bosh, that the supporting cast of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah make them the most attractive destination. Nevertheless, the biggest myth of free agency, some executives pursuing James say, is that recruiting Bosh is telltale to the cause. “Bosh is attaching himself more to LeBron, than LeBron is to him,” one official said.

      Of course, that’s not a direct quote from Wesley. Wojnarowski is paraphrasing what Wesley has apparently been telling people. But this flies in the face of what Wesley told a radio show just nine days ago that he hadn’t “even conversated” with LeBron about his future. So unless Wesley has had a strategy session with LeBron in the last nine days and came to the conclusion that Chicago is the place to be, someone isn’t telling the truth.

      If LeBron does indeed land in the Windy City, it will put his decision to change jersey numbers into a new light. If he had been planning a move to MJ’s team the whole time, it makes sense to announce the number change early, so it seems like he’s choosing to make the change (out of respect for His Airness) instead of being forced to make the change.

      Don’t laugh — this is perfectly plausible. This is LeBron we’re talking about.

      As for Bosh, the notion that he’s “attaching himself to LeBron” contradicts just about everything he has said over the past few weeks. He has publicly stated at least twice that he doesn’t want to be a sidekick.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

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