Tag: Miami Heat (Page 20 of 49)

      LeBron thanks his fans in Akron (not Cleveland)

      August 3, 2010 /

      Per WCPO…

      James took out a full-page advertisement in Tuesday’s Akron Beacon Journal, thanking fans in Akron and saying that the city will always be his home. The letter made no mention of Cleveland, or Cavaliers fans.

      “For all my life, I have lived in Akron, and for that, I am truly a lucky man,” the letter read. “It was here where I first learned how to play basketball, and where I met the people who would become my lifelong friends and mentors. Their guidance, encouragement and support will always be with me.”

      The ad appears on the back of the paper’s front section, and it comes a few days before James’ annual bike-a-thon in Akron, which gives hundreds of bikes to needy children in the city. Some had speculated that the event might be cancelled after LeBron’s decision to leave for Miami, but LeBron chose to continue with the bike-a-thon, although it has been scaled back because of the city’s budget woes.

      Damage control…

      I do believe it is important to LeBron that he repair his relationship with his hometown and that he doesn’t hold any such allegiance with the city of Cleveland. Akron has a population of 217,074 and is 39 miles south of Cleveland, so it’s a separate city in its own right. LeBron’s hope is that Akron won’t completely disown its prodigal son, and I doubt it will.

      Like I said, damage control.

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      Turkoglu takes a shot at Bryan Colangelo

      August 2, 2010 /
      Jan 28, 2010 - New York, New York, USA - Toronto Raptors forward HEDO TURKOGLU celebrates a point during the NBA basketball game Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Toronto Raptors defeated the New York Knicks 102-101.

      Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo has had a rough few months. Recently, he took a shot at Chris Bosh and implied that he quit on the team late in the season.

      Hedo Turkoglu is no fan of Colangelo, and he had a few choice words about the situation:

      “People have to realize something is wrong with that organization and nobody wants to go there any more,” he said in a phone interview from Turkey, where he is captaining the Turkish national team at the World Championships. “It’s not just the players who see this.”

      “It’s funny that people will talk behind your back,” Turkoglu said of Colangelo. “If he was feeling this way, why not have the guts to say it during the season? Why not say it to Chris? Now that Chris has left, it’s not nice to say those things.

      “Chris has been a franchise player and he did a lot of good things for the Raptors,” Turkoglu added. “I don’t think Chris is the type of player to quit on his teammates.”

      Remember, Turkoglu was the one who agreed to terms with the Blazers last summer and then changed his mind because he wanted to play in the more cosmopolitan city of Toronto. So he’s a little flaky in his own right.

      Still, the Raptors are a mess. Given his recent track record, I wonder how long they’ll keep Colangelo around.

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      Future Power Rankings: Where do the Cavs land?

      August 2, 2010 /
      July 08, 2010 - Strongsville, OHIO, UNITED STATES - epa02241977 Cleveland Cavaliers fans Nicholas Bloom (C) and Jon Schentzov (R) react while watching an ESPN broadcast at a Buffalo WIld Wings sports bar in Strongsville, Ohio, USA, a suburb of Cleveland, as LeBron James announces his free agency decision to play for the Miami Heat on 08 July 2010.

      Every so often, Chad Ford and John Hollinger release their Future Power Rankings, which examine how well a franchise is positioned for future success.

      Before LeBacle, the Cavs were ranked #8, but fell twenty spots to #28. Here’s why:

      In his open letter condemning LeBron, owner Dan Gilbert guaranteed the Cavs would win a championship without their former star, but that’s easier said than done. Cleveland traditionally has not been a top free-agent destination. Now, the team has another problem: Gilbert’s heat-of-the-moment diatribe against LeBron was read by players around the league, and a number of player agents have told us their clients don’t want to play there after seeing how Gilbert treated a guy who made him hundreds of millions during the past several years. In any case, as we’ve seen this summer, players just won’t flock to Cleveland without the lure of LeBron.

      The roster itself is another weak point. Mo Williams, Ramon Sessions, Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson are good pieces but not the kind of young talent that could carry the franchise forward in future seasons. The Cavs lack trade assets as well.

      Cleveland did get a bounty of draft picks from Miami in the LeBron sign-and-trade. But given how stacked the Heat are right now, those picks likely will be the worst in the first round — and the Cavs aren’t going to replace LeBron with a series of No. 30 draft picks.

      With LeBron, the Cavs had a shot at signing free agents who wanted to play with him for a chance at a title. Without LeBron, the Cavs are just another small-market, cold weather city and will face the same challenges that Milwaukee, Minnesota, Utah, Indiana and Detroit face when they attempt to woo free agents.

      In fact, the Cavs will have an even tougher time after Gilbert’s open letter to Cavs fans blasting LeBron. He may have emboldened the fan base, but like the piece says, generally-speaking, free agents won’t want to play for him.

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      Why are people surprised that vets would want to play with the Super Friends?

      July 30, 2010 /
      Chris Bosh (L), Dwyane Wade (C) and LeBron James show 10,000 fans their Miami Heat jerseys after signing 6 year contracts with the Heat at the American Airlines Arena in Miami on July 9, 2010. UPI/Michael Bush Photo via Newscom

      After LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh decided once and for all that they were going to team up in Miami, Ric Bucher was one of the ones (along with Jon Barry, let’s not forget him) that questioned what kind of supporting cast the Heat would be able to put around their three stars.

      Now that the roster is complete with the signing of sharpshooter Eddie House, Bucher chimes in on Twitter:

      Count me unconvinced the Heat are the L’s next champ. But as far as supporting casts built on very limited $, they did incredibly well.

      Looking at the Heat’s roster — the key signings were Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem, which Miami got at a discount. Miller should thrive in open catch and shoot situations, while Haslem was convinced by his loyalty to the organization and to the team. Haslem is an undersized center, but right there, the Heat have the league’s strongest starting five, at least on paper.

      The Heat knew they needed more shooters, so they re-signed James Jones and signed House, who are both career 39%+ from 3PT. Mario Chalmers is not on their level, but he’s a threat from deep and has played in pressure situations before (at Kansas, where he hit an amazing shot to send the title game against Memphis into overtime). Carlos Arroyo is still there as well, and hopefully he’s locked in a gym somewhere working on this outside touch.

      Miami also added several bigs to shore up the front line around Bosh and Haslem. They signed veterans Juwan Howard and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who are obviously at the ends of their respective careers, but they should still be able to give a few productive minutes off the bench. Jamaal Magloire is another big body who could contend with Dwight Howard in a possible matchup with Orlando.

      They have some young bigs as well. Joel Anthony is a promising defensive center and the Heat drafted Jarvis Varnado, Da’Sean Butler and Dexter Pittman to round out the front line.

      All in all, the roster came together very well, starting with the Miller and Haslem signings. Once those two were locked up, the rest was just gravy. Pat Riley did a wonderful job this summer.

      Now they have to play the games.

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