Author: Andrew Rosenberg

If there is one thing we love to do as sports fans its DEBATE.  It’s part of the fabric of this culture.  Sometimes it’s not even worth the energy to argue with fans about their team because most are jaded and subjective.  Although the debate’s I find the most fascinating are ones that involve players, not teams.  It’s classic barber shop, water cooler, bar stool chatter. This year’s NBA conference finals have given us some tremendous player debates.  Two that come to mind immediately are: Kevin Durant or LeBron James And Russell Westbrook or Rajon Rondo First the good news: as I am writing this on June 5th at 4:00PM, we are very close to seeing one of these matchups.  More than likely it will be the first one: Durant vs. LeBron, assuming of course OKC can close out the Spurs tomorrow night and Miami can hold serve at home vs. Boston.  I’ve talked to more Kobe Bryant fans that have already said when the Black Mamba retires Kevin Durant will be their “guy” moving forward.  Durant has shown flashes of Kobe’s desire and ‘takeover-ability’ late in games, an area LeBron could still improve upon.  Both Durant and LeBron are phenomenal talents and both play with all-star caliber teammates.  However, to me, it still seems like late in games, Durant wants the ball, where as LeBron wants to make a play.  There is a difference.  Durant wants the pressure of taking the big shot.  LeBron would rather wait for the double team and find an open teammate.  Yes, smart play for most players on the court, but not when you’re the best player on the planet.  Durant has the ability to score in bunches (a la Kobe).  LeBron, for whatever reason, doesn’t play that way.  LeBron’s strength is driving to the hole.  Durant’s strength is utilizing his length and shooting over people.  LeBron is certainly a better passer and facilitator than Durant, but the way these playoffs have unfolded, if I had to pick one player at the start of the 4th quarter in a close game, I’m taking Kevin Durant over LeBron James.  I’m not saying Kevin Durant is more talented than LeBron, but when you factor in the mental aspect of the game in crunch time, I truly believe LeBron has demons and Durant doesn’t.  Now about that point guard debate – Westbrook or Rondo?  Do you want a point guard with a scorer’s mentality like Westbrook or a crafty facilitator in Rondo.  Westbrook at times can be very selfish.  However, the one thing I love about his game is his killer instinct.  He can start a game 1 for 7 shooting and it does not affect him one bit.  There might not be a better stop-and-pop mid-range jumper at the point guard position in the entire NBA.   Westbrook’s biggest challenge is balancing his act alongside Mr. Durant.  Conversely, Rajon Rondo is all about balance.  I would argue there is not another player in the league you can compare to Rajon Rondo.  He is such a rare unique player.  His court vision is ridiculous.  His instincts around the rim to snatch rebounds are exceptional.  Rondo’s feel for a game are usually spot on.  He knows just how much his teammates need from him offensively.  Nine playoff triple doubles puts him in elite company, with names like Magic Johnson and Wilt Chamberlain.  So let’s go back to the question I asked with LeBron and Durant – game on the line in the 4th quarter, who do you want as your point guard?  Rondo or Westbrook?  With the point guard debate, the supporting cast is certainly a more critical component.  I would imagine if you asked a team like Miami, they would say they’d take Rondo.  His skills would be perfect alongside Wade and LeBron.  Westbrook would probably cause some chemistry problems down the stretch in Miami.  Conversely, go ask the Atlanta Hawks – a team with no leader and no player with a killer instinct, who they would rather have.  I would say Russell Westbrook’s style and scoring ability would be much more welcome than a Rondo in Atlanta.  I really have a tough time choosing.  If I were starting a team from scratch, my gut tells me take Rajon Rondo. These are two really interesting debates, and ones that make the league so healthy.  One thing’s for sure – there is a really good chance one of these four players will close out this season with a ring on their finger.  When that happens, your closing arguments while defending ‘your guy’ just got a whole lot easier – “He’s a champion.”

LeBron James has been fighting the demons.  He’s been hearing it since he was in Cleveland.  “Phenomenal player, but can he deliver on the ultimate stage – in an NBA Finals?”  Well, we got that answer didn’t we.  LeBron James – Take Two: South Beach.  Same demons, same questions.  LeBron’s biggest problem right now is he’s so damn good.  When you are 40 points, 18 rebounds and 9 assists good, people expect the ultimate success.  MVP trophies are nice, but they don’t exactly fit on your finger.  The LeBron James comparisons to Magic, Jordan or Kobe has lost some steam, primarily because in the NBA (more so than in the NFL or MLB) we judge legacies based on championships.  The pressure to join this exclusive fraternity has been mounting for years.  Who stands in his way right now?  A wanna be tough guy in Danny Granger?  An aging Celtics team with no low post game?  (Although, if the Heat don’t get back Chris Bosh, put the Heat in that same category).  Out West right now the team on cruise control and the potential biggest threat to LeBron’s mission is the San Antonio Spurs (winners of 18 games in a row….read that line again.  18 GAMES IN A ROW).  However, what if LeBron and the Heat get to the NBA Finals and draw the young and talented Oklahoma City Thunder team led by Kevin Durant.  Now imagine if LeBron lost. LeBron James has spent the better part of a decade chasing a dream, trying to shake off the haters and the doubters.  Could you imagine the pain, the humiliation, the frustration if Kevin Durant in almost half the time (5th season) ends up not only getting a ring first, but does it at the expense of ‘King’ James?!  You want to talk about the moving parts of an NBA list of current greats being reshuffled.  Mr. James, could you please step aside and let Mr.Durant through?  Ummm, Mr. James I’m sorry, you’re not at the Champions Table at tonight’s dinner, you are at table 12 in the back.  Just look for Mr. Barkley and Mr. Ewing.  Which franchise is better positioned to win titles over the next few years?  This year, certainly the Thunder have a tougher road (Mavericks, Lakers, Spurs), however, they are fully loaded and healthy, unlike the Heat who have been battling without Chris Bosh.  If both teams can survive and end up in the Finals, it would make for some compelling television.  Humble vs. Hollywood.  The quiet contract extension vs made-for-TV ’Decision’.  My gut tells me most of the haters out there will root for Kevin Durant to get his championship first.  If LeBron does lose to Durant, we might just see a shake up in Miami.  Whether it’s the team’s core or the coach.  It will be back to the drawing board for Mr. James.  Same demons.  Same questions.

“This is very overwhelming to me as an individual award. But this is not the award I want, ultimately. I want that championship. That’s all that matters to me.” Over the weekend LeBron James picked up his third MVP award in the NBA.  After watching some of his acceptance speech it occurred to me this man has grown up.  There was a sense of awkwardness, dare I say humility, LeBron displayed after realizing he is now on a very short list of NBA players that have won at least 3 MVP awards.  He is also the only man on that list without an NBA ring on his finger.  The pressure that LeBron James is feeling has humbled this man and that might be the best thing to happen to one of the games greatest players.  LeBron James went from NBA darling to NBA villain seemingly over a summer.  Nobody wanted LeBron to have success in Miami, unless of course, you lived in South Florida.  Why?  Have you been following the sports world the past few years ?  Comparatively speaking, LeBron James is a saint.  Look around the landscape of sports, and you’ll soon realize what LeBron James isn’t, is what makes him quite likable.  LeBron James doesn’t throw elbows at players heads (Ron Artest).  LeBron James would never say ‘close out games are easy.’ (Andrew Bynum).  He isn’t a flopper (Blake Griffin).  LeBron James doesn’t have 4 kids from 4 difference women (Terrell Owens).  LeBron would never take a gameday off because of soreness, only to be caught on the golf course the next day.  (Josh Beckett).  He’s never brought a gun to a nightclub (Plaxico Burress), text naked photos of his ‘johnson’ to Heat employees (Brett Favre).  LeBron never used his pull within the Heat front office to hire some female “friend”, only to get busted on a motorcycle joy ride, and then lie about it to Heat owner Mickey Arison (Bobby Petrino).  Ok, you get the picture.  Unless I’m missing something, the last time LeBron James got in trouble off the court was back in 2008 when he got a speeding ticket in Cleveland.  On the court, I can’t remember the last time he was suspended for game, if ever.  If the worst thing LeBron James ever did as an NBA player was hold a 1-hour television special to announce he was signing with the Miami Heat, then I’d say he should rank pretty high on the Q rating of athletes….but he doesn’t.  Yes, for that one moment (‘The Decision’), he exercised poor judgement, but clearly he has learned from that experience.  That was evident this past weekend as he accepted his 3rd MVP award.  Looking back on that day when LeBron announced he was signing with the Heat, many fans and basketball experts said he was taking the easy way out to a championship.  Now, almost two seasons later, LeBron didn’t choose the easy road, he chose the road of expectations.  With expectations comes pressure.  He could have stayed in Cleveland and win or lose, he wouldn’t have felt as much pressure to win it all.  Fans could have always blamed Cavs ownership for not surrounding him with the right supporting cast.  In choosing Miami, a franchise that already won a ring with D.Wade, LeBron is expected to win multiple championships.  So did he really choose the easy way out? There is a saying, “It’s not the destination, but the journey that matters.”  Words have never been more true for one LeBron James.  If the Miami Heat win a championship this year, LeBron can exhale.  The journey will have been worth it.  Sure, he made some enemies, but after watching him accept the MVP Award this past weekend, it’s clear to me, he’s become a better man along the way.

Let me start out by saying the Atlanta Hawks effort in Game Three versus the Boston Celtics was a cute story for about 24 hours.  They were short-handed without Josh Smith yet took the Celtics to overtime.  Fantastic.  So when Game Four began Sunday night with the news that (1) Josh Smith was returning to the lineup and (2) Al Horford was going to play 15 – 20 minutes, there was room for optimism.  Yet, before I could fire off my first tweet Sunday night, that game was over.  Once again proving that using the words ’optimism’ and ‘Hawks’ in the same sentence is an oxymoron.  The Hawks fell behind by 37 points Sunday night.  You know who does that?  The Charlotte Bobcats on a Tuesday in January.  Not the #4 seed playing a #5 seed in the playoffs.  That brings me to the following conclusion (and I feel like I talk about this topic every May), it’s time to blow up the Hawks.  Clean house.  Nobody is safe.  This team consistently disappoints and when the results continue to be the same, you must look at what the common components are to this franchise and say – SEE YA! You have to start at the top.  The very top.  Ownership.  The Atlanta Spirit needs to cut ties with this franchise.  They teased us last summer.  They were so close to finally getting out of the basketball business and selling the team to a guy who made his money in the pizza business on the West coast.  Turns out that guy didn’t have enough ‘dough’.  Deal fell apart.  Atlanta Spirit still here.  A city continues to suffer. In the NFL, the model franchises score high marks in four areas: Ownership, General Manager, Head Coach, and Quarterback.  If we applied these same principles to the Atlanta Hawks, what would their report card look like?  Ownership (Atlanta Spirit): F.  General Manager (Rick Sund): C-  I’m not going to grade Rick Sund on draft picks, but rather free agent signings, which is how you create depth on a roster.  Filling the bench up with guys that are running on fumes in their NBA career doesn’t cut it (McGrady, Stackhouse, Dampier, Radmonovic).  Head Coach (Larry Drew): C for CHEAP.  He is lowest paid coach in the NBA.  The Hawks promoted him from within because he was the low cost option.  You get what you paid for.  Cheap coach equals cheap results.  Finally, let’s grade the Hawks quarterback, Joe Johnson: D.  Joe Johnson has zero leadership.  He wants no part of the pressure that comes with leading a team in a big moment.  Joe Johnson had 7 points at halftime last night.  Go look at how Paul Pierce came out in Game Two for the Celtics.  He scored the Celtics first 9 points.  That’s called coming out and making a statement.  Joe Johnson usually comes out with a question mark.    Calling Joe Johnson a 6-time All Star is like calling me a 6-time Gold Medallion flier with Delta.  Sure I feel like I’m elite, but the reality is there are platinum and diamond fliers that get all the love.  Joe is Gold Medallion.  Guys like Durant, Pierce, Kobe, Lebron are Diamond.  I’m not going to go over every Hawks player and talk about why they need to shipped out-of-town.  The reality is this team needs to cut the head off the snake (ownership) so this team just dies.  Time to stick a “Fire Sale” sign on the front lawn of the “Highlight” factory.  I will be down at Philips Arena tomorrow night for Game Five.  Hopefully I’ll be witnessing the beginning of the end. Follow me on Twitter and Global14: @kidcue

Last night here in Atlanta I went down to Philips Arena to check out the Hawks and Clippers.  Yes, the Hawks won the game, but I wouldn’t read too much into that loss if I were a Clipper fan.  Perhaps they will chalk that loss up as a “Magic City loss”.  If you aren’t from Atlanta, that’s a common term used in the sports world when an opposing team comes to town and spends way too much time the night before at the infamous Magic City strip club.  This will inherently affect their play on the court the next night.  I can’t explain the how and why of it, but it happens.  The Clippers have crazy depth.  The Lakers have crazy Artest.  So which team will have more success in the playoffs?  I truly believe it will be the Clippers.  The Lakers may have the best player between the two teams, but the Clippers have the better roster.  Last night I watched the Clippers trot out a second unit that consisted of guys that would start in most NBA cities: Kenyon Martin, Nick Young and Mo Williams.  Chris Paul is certainly better than any point guard the Lakers have on their roster.  Blake Griffin is way more athletic than Pao Gasol and don’t sleep on Deandre Jordan.  That dude is going to cause problems for Andrew Bynum.  The Lakers bench is thin and with Ron Artest (yes, I refuse to call anyone that causes this much drama, World Peace) suspended for 7 games, they are going to be challenged with depth issues in the first round.  Side note on Ron Artest – I thought the 7 game suspension could have been a little heavier.  The one arguement that drives me crazy is, “well, he’s been a model citizen for the past 3 years.”  Ummm, so he is to be applauded for acting like a civil human being?  Congratulations Ron Artest, you haven’t punched any fans the past 3 seasons…great job kiddo!   Ron Artest basically cost the Oklahoma City Thunder a #1 seed.  Harden was knocked out in the 2nd Qtr of that game vs. the Lakers and OKC definitely missed him   For that, the Lakers need to be penalized.  If James Harden doesn’t play in the first round due to his concussion, that’s a serious blow to the Thunder.  Bottom line is the Lakers are in trouble.  We can expect the soft Pao Gasol to show up again in the playoffs.  Andrew Bynum’s temper will get him into some trouble at some point, and Kobe will go off on his teammates like usual.  Oh, let’s not forget this embattled team doesn’t have the “Zen Master” Phil Jackson patrolling the sidelines this post season.  The Clipper franchise has waited a long time for this moment.  They have a chance to do something they haven’t done in forever – have greater post season success than the Lakers.  I want all you Laker frontrunners to convince me otherwise.