The Chicago Bulls did right by Joakim Noah, giving him a 5-year, $60 million contract extension. They did not do, thankfully, is package Noah, whom is emerging as one of the top  overall centers in basketball, into what could have been deemed as a roster-crippling trade to acquire Carmelo Anthony. Good job Chicago!

The Bulls now have Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, and Joakim Noah on the books for over $10 million apiece moving forward, but it also means they have a dominant starting 5 (toss in bargain-priced defensive stalwart Ronnie Brewer) moving forward and the Bulls should clearly rise in the Eastern Conference as a top level team.

If Noah does not pump you up, check your pulse.

Noah is everything you want in a NBA center. He defends well, alters shots in the paint, never takes plays off, and runs the floor hard every chance he gets to fill lanes. He does everything at maximum effort, and comes from a a winning background (two NCAA Championships while at University of Florida, in case you somehow forgot or simply just unaware).

He’s loud, outspoken, he is LeBron James biggest nemesis. But he is a winner and all the baggage he has is worth taking in exchange for what he delivers on the court.

Now if the Bulls can forget about trading away Luol Deng, who in my opinion is the one of the most underrated small forwards in the game (still only 25 years old), and give Tom Thibodeau a season to meld these guys together, something special can happen for the Bulls.

Thibodeau will likely make Noah the centerpiece of his heavily defensively focused strategy this season.

The Bulls have invested in the right people, and (so far) have not blundered about making trades simply because the Miami free agent extravaganza came to be. I tip my hat to the Bulls organization for securing a solid lineup, and not blowing it apart simply to go after Carmelo Anthony, or chase any other trade to react to Miami.

Shaquille O’Neal and the Boston Celtics came to terms on a 2-year contract worth $3 million, adding to the size and bulk in Boston’s front line. The 15-time All Star will end his career with one of the most historic franchises in professional sports.

Shaq will definitely cause hype in Boston, but we must wonder how much diesel is left in the tank. He still has some thump to his game, but he is not getting any faster.

Shaq fills a void caused by Kendrick Perkins, who is recovering from knee surgery.

Shaq is selling yet another NBA jersey this year.

Shaq hopes to reinforce the Celtics chances of retaining their position as the best team in the Eastern Conference,  but will it be enough to keep the new Miami Heat out of the NBA Finals?

The Celtics might have gotten bigger, and possibly better, but they also got slower and much older. The Celtics brass must also know their FT % will be much worse.

The Golden State Warriors have a new look, new ownership, and added a few new faces after clearing roster space to acquire David Lee via a sign and trade deal with the New York Knicks. Unfortunately, some of the Warriors misfortunes have followed them into the new look era. 

Ekpe Udoh, the number 6 overall draft selection in the 2010 NBA Draft has injured his wrist, becoming yet another Warriors draftee being injured. He is not expected back for at least 6 months. So the 6^th pick is injured for 6 months? What an unfortunate coincidence. 

Meanwhile, Greg Monroe has used his opportunities this summer to awe with his post and passing skills.  Oh yeah, he is healthy too. Hard to think about how the Warriors passed on his talents when they are relying on Andris Beidrins to hold down the middle. 

The biggest loss for the Warriors will be Anthony Randolph. Sure Don Nelson had zero faith in him, but when the kid played, he played hard. Sure he made mistakes, but it is hard to argue anyone in the league plays as hard as Randolph does. 

Randolph is now destined to follow the path of many ex-Warriors who will develop into NBA all Stars and have great success with a new team. Maybe he will be the latest ex-Warrior to deliver New York success a la Latrell Sprewell.  He is too multidimensional not to excel under a nurturing and understanding coach like Mike D’Antoni. 

The Warriors gave up a lot to get Lee.

Will Don Nelson be sacked? Let’s all hope so. Watching him coach has been nothing less than absolute torturous the past few seasons. It worsened once the league official informed him he could not be soused during his post game press conferences.  

Nelson has influenced too many bad personnel moves, the most recent including the banishment of Randolph. Rather than trade Randolph when he could have gotten higher value last year, he places him in the doghouse and lowers his value. Typical Warriors of old. 

To be fair, David Lee stands to benefit within the Warriors system, especially when you pair Lee with a backcourt containing Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. 

Lee is be a beast on the boards and can flat out fill the lane on the break. This looks to be a match made in heaven. I still cannot condone giving up Randolph. He is far too promising and young to let go. 

If Biedrins shows up and avoids getting to the free throw line, the Warriors could have some serious rebounding on both ends of the glass. 

But with Ekpe already down, and with Brandon Wright with a separated shoulder away from joining him on the sidelines, what will the Warriors be able to do to in order to avoid over-exhausting their stars before the All Star break? 

The media has officially been set ablaze after LeBron James and Chris Bosh agreed to join Dwyane Wade to form the Miami Heat troika.

The Miami Heat is about to conquer the world.

LeBron has been highly criticized by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and the media for his decision.

I cannot see James making a better decision than he did. He wanted to win. NBA Players would rather play in Siberia than they would Cleveland. Cleveland should praise LeBron for not demanding a trade earlier.

But what does LeBron’s decision prove? It proves that he does value winning over everything else, especially his own self-love and his brand. He proves it by accepting less money in order to surround himself with better talent, and a better organization, and his first real chance at making a run at multiple championships.

And how do we know it is a better organization? Miami entered the league in 1988 and has already won a title. That settles any debate in my mind.

Or maybe it is the fact that Miami players stick with the organization after their careers are done, or that Wade could have left, but instead stayed and made this happen because the Miami organization instilled in Wade a sense of ultimate loyalty.

Fans in Cleveland have been burning his jersey to make their opinions known. I can’t really blame them, I do not really see any purpose to a Cavaliers Jersey or t shirt, other than kindle for the fire.

Nothing gets a fire going like Cleveland Cavaliers apparel!

But as time passes and wounds mend, and regardless of your disposition to James, you will have to marvel at watching the greatest combination of NBA players ever assembled on a single roster. It is going to be unfair for the rest of the league for a long time. Possibly the greatest run in NBA history since the Bill Russell Celtics era.

This decision by James paints him in an entirely different light to me. I have written about how he needed to make this move in order to truly grow his global brand, because everyone loves a winner. How can he possibly dilute his brand by winning multiple championships?

LeBron’s friendship with Wade and Bosh grew stronger with their experiences while winning the Gold Medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. It allowed them to foster a fellowship that has made this happen. They all sacrificed financial gain for the sake of winning. To me, that is what the game of basketball is all about.

We are going to be treated to the best basketball we have seen in a long time. Wade, James and Bosh are all unselfish team-oriented players. They are willing to make the extra pass, and work extremely hard on defense.

Wade will be able to terrorize teams on offense like never before. Expect Wade to surpass Kobe Bryant as the greatest shooting guard in the NBA. Due to Wades supporting cast, teams were able to limit his brilliance. Now we can finally see it because Wade will have great players around him, just like Kobe has always had during his career.

James will have the best drive and dish options he has ever seen. Expect James passing skills to lead to more comparisons to Magic Johnson. For the first time since Oscar Robertson, a season-long average of a triple double is very possible.

Bosh will have the best one-on-one options down low. Defenses will have to sacrifice the damage by Bosh in the paint to try and slow Wade and James. We will see massive increase in Bosh’s efficiency, and whatever two players  Miami puts out with the big three will have an easy night every night.

LeBron James has a twitter account. Heck, he even launched a Facebook profile page as well. What is LeBron James missing?
Oh yeah, it’s an NBA Championship ring.

Articles covering the destiny of King James continually focus about how LeBron will abandon $30 million if he heads to Miami and how he risks deluding his brand as a result of possessing a supporting cast featuring Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

How in the world could this combination of NBA All Stars do anything but be a marketing team’s dream? It’s enough to leave everyone, LeBron included, scratching their heads.

Seriously dude how much can somebody love themself?

Is LeBron self-absorbed to the degree that even he can’t fathom the fact that his best opportunity at winning multiple rings in rapid succession should automatically come second to any branding strategy? It should be nothing less than his prime directive focal point.

People love winners. When all else fails in someones life, people forget everything bad that was said, or even in extreme cases (cough cough), they forget something like a highly publicized rape case involving arguably the best player in the NBA.

Hint, he just won his fifth ring this year, and he has changed his jersey number twice. If you have not figured that out yet, you might be a member of LeBron’s marketing team.

LeBron should seriously question his brand marketing ideals. Either it’s marketing experts providing ill advice for their own greed and profit, or it’s James’ own gigantic ego overriding all wise and sensible moves to follow his narcissistic needs and desires to focus more on money and his own brand then on winning.

Either way they are eluding the main aspect of successfully branding a star athlete.

People love winners.

Steve Blake made one of the smartest free agent moves of the summer (pay attention Amare Stoudemire), swapping teams in Los Angeles, going from pretender (the Clippers) to contender (the Lakers) after agreeing to sign a -year contract worth $16 million.

Blake is a considerable upgrade to Derek Fisher.

He rarely turns the ball over, is an adequate defender, and is a lifetime 39% 3-point shooter. From strictly a basketball strategists point of view, this percentage is bound to be inflated due the vast variety of wide open shots role players on the Lakers receive. Hint hint: Trevor Ariza.

Blake should increase the Lakers' chances at a Threepeat

Now, image Steve Blake standing on the dock of a quiet and calm, massive lake, with a huge bin filled with basketballs beside him. This is what Steve Blake shooting 3 -ointers will be like for the next 4 years. Steve Blake grins, Steve Blake wins.

The Lakers just got a great upgrade at the guard position, and Derek Fisher is no longer an issue. Great move Mitch Kupchak, now you just have to worry about a insanely jealous Sasha Vujacic trying to injury Blake to get more minutes. Let the games begin!

Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had dinner in Chicago Thursday night. Bosh tweeted about it.

He also provided a picture to prove it, and mentioned “Just had dinner w @dwadeofficial. Great way to end day 1 of #freeagency although it feels like someone is missing…… http://say.ly/FrP2L8″

Chicago fans are praying for this to happen.

Someone is missing? Could that be a less-than-subtle hint to LeBron James?

Bosh allegedly also met with Chicago late Friday night for the second time. If Chicago manages to land both Bosh and Wade what is to stop LeBron James, , other than his own stupidity, from hopping aboard to create arguably the best starting 5 in modern NBA history?

Bosh and Wade, if signed, will automatically augment a lineup featuring Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, and Taj GIbson. The Bulls have made the playoffs with their current lineup, so adding these two superstars will automatically make the Bulls title contenders.

Wade will join his hometown team and have the best guard playing alongside him in his entire career. Talk about inspiration.

Bosh will have the best center he has ever played with in his career.

Will they also get to play with the best small forward they have played with in their entire career? Apparently this is not going to happen, as Jalen Rose reports via twitter:

jalenrose

#NBA Breaking News(rumor has it)FA’s Wade/Bosh hv made up their minds to play AGAINST Lebron so don’t expect all 3 to play 2gether! WOW.

The verdict is not yet out on that one. Of course Pat Riley will do his absolute best to not allow this when Wade returns to Miami to meet with him.  But one can only wonder if Wade and Bosh have both made second trips, shared a dinner to discuss in Chicago, what sort of likelihood this has to happening.

However, if Wade and Bosh are are secured, Chicago fans will have a new slogan that can absolutely make Bucks fans go insane:

Fear the Steer!

Amare Stoudemire’s days as a member of the Phoenix Suns are coming to an end.

Amare had played all 8 years of his NBA career with the Suns but will now be playing in New York after allegedly agreeing to sign a 5-year fully guaranteed contract.

Miami had displayed interest but also addressed concerns about all 5 years being guaranteed, based on Stoudemires history of injuries.

So, is New York’s move wise?

Will the ghost of Isiah Thomas haunt the Knicks again?

New York basketball just got a lot better.

If not, The Knicks have acquired a premier power forward to play alongside sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari, and it will be interesting to see what other moves the Knicks will be able finagle once Amare is secured.

Then again, Isiah’s ghost my pop out of nowhere and poke Amare in his good eye or kick him in the knee. Stranger things have happened.

The main question this raises is whether or not this rule LeBron James out of he Knicks future.

All rumors indicate emphatically towards a big “YES” on LeBron being a “NO.”

The saddest thing for me will be seeing how Steve Nash is going to cope with life without Amare. Sure Hakim Warrick is decent, but come on!

LeBron James is going to sign a contract with the Chicago Bulls.

Not because President Barrack Obama tampered like a sly politician. Who can seriously say that mentioning that he would like to see LeBron in Chicago is not tampering? For gods sake, he is the President afterall. He has the clout to influence LeBron, however incidental his plight may be.

Obama made this into the United Stakes of LeBron.

LeBron is LeGone!!!!!

But that is not the reason why LeBron will sign with Chicago. It’s because he would have to be nothing other than an absolute moron not to. That’s why LeBron will be signing with Chicago.

Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and some combination of either Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, and yes even Dwyane Wade are the reasons why LeBron James is going to sign with the Chicago Bulls.

No other franchise can offer anything remotely close to that sort of surrounding cast, other than Miami. But Miami would have to immediately sign Bosh, proceed to  secure Wade, then finally offer James the max deal as well. Don’t see enough time for that to unfold.

Even then, do you trust your future to Mario Chalmers and whatever else the Heat organization can try to slap together? Michael Beasley? Come on let’s be more realistic than that.

Of course you don’t. You put your trust into Derrick Rose, the player who can also get inside and terrorize and capitalize when someone like LeBron is double or tripled teamed by the defense. Derrick Rose who is an All Star not because he played with LeBron James, like Mo Williams, but because he is already superstar in the making without LeBron being on the team.

Also, you have the monster that is Joakim Noah as your safety net on defense. You have Varejao 2.0, only better in more aspects of the game, and a proven two-time NCAA Champion. The kid can win.

All of these guys are younger than LeBron, but close enough to grow into something special together, like NBA Champions perhaps.

You will likely lose Luol Deng to the Raptors in a sign and trade involving Bosh. But hey, you can have Bosh.

If not, you get tokeep Deng, and you sign someone like Boozer or Amare.  All of these are outstanding options.

It is so obvious to me this is the only place LeBron should sign that if he doesn’t, he will undoubtedly be cursing himself and begin his path down “the trail of Karl Malone.”

The 2010 NBA Draft went according to plan with John Wall going first, and everyone else basically falling into place. Even the Golden State Warriors followed protocol making a horrible selection at 6. Alas, all is normal in the NBA.

But the biggest success came from the teams that were already involved in the NBA free agency class of 2010, and they made a bigger splash by using the draft to create more cap space using the addition by subtraction method of packaging players into draft day trades.

The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat made the most room, freeing massive cap space and taking the serious lead to make their teams title contenders this summer.

The Bulls sent Kirk Hinrich and the 17th pick to the Washington Wizards, freeing up enough space to sign two max free agents. They retained Luol Deng, so the Bulls can now immediately offer a major free agent a solid playoff ready supporting cast in Derrick Rose, Deng, and Joakim Noah.

The free agency power is in my hand!

LeBron James’ name and the Chicago Bulls seem to keep popping up in conversations and the rumor mills, but now you can start hearing things like “LeBron and Bosh” or “LeBron and Amare” emerging as the new conversational trend.

The Miami Heat, who were already poised to make some serious waves in free agency, shipped out Daequan Cook and the #18 pick to Oklahoma City Thunder,  clearing the space now for the Heat to resign Dwyane Wade, and sign two free agents.

Miami now can offer free agents the beach, Wade, and a lifestyle that is more desirable than almost any other NBA franchise location around (Note: Miami’s acronym= Minnesota).

For now, these two teams are the big winners as we waltz our way into the July 1st fiasco, however, once LeBron inks a deal, and the rest of the players fall into place with their teams, we wont really know.

As of now Miami sits at the top of the list of all franchises hoping to hit the free agent marketplace, perched and ready to make the most noise this summer.