LeBron James could have played his final game as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron and the Cavs were eliminated by the surging Boston Celtics, losing the series 4 games to 2.

LeBron had a somewhat super human game 6, statistically, but his performance was marred by bad shooting from the field and an atrocious 9 turnovers. The 9 turnovers by the MVP were mostly caused by James clearly trying to do too much.

If you watch the game from beginning to end you will notice LeBron dribbling himself in some bad situations while playing far too much individualistic, selfish-styled basketball ultimately preventative of any other Cavalier to gain any solid rhythm.

Is the Crown moving to a new city?

James constantly complained and whined excessively to the refs, inevitably clouding his ability to focus. When the money was on the line, James essentially crumbled under the pressure. That is not what the league MVP is supposed to do.

In his defense, LeBron had no substantial support, other than Mo Williams dropping 22. The Cavs did nothing else to provide any real support to James. Antawn Jamison shot the ball horrendously while Shaq looked tired and old.

Contrarily, Boston showed overall team depth with solid performances by Rasheed Wallace and Tony Allen off the bench. Wallace provided back-breaking, momentum-stunting 3 pointers in the 4th quarter to extinguish any and all rallying by the Cavs. I was puzzled watching the Cavs bring the ball up court slowly with 1:30 left and down by 9.

It appeared as though they had already conceded victory to the Celtics.

Rajon Rondo led the Boston lineup and it congealed to play like a solid championship contender, something this Cleveland team was unable to do during the series. Boston’s bench has stepped up and produced on any given night. This is a quality that LeBron has desperately lacked. And it is noteworthy to bring up the fact that Cleveland took on some serious cap-clogging contracts while trying to do so.

It makes me speculate LeBron will be reflect heavily upon this loss while contemplating the ensuing free agency bonanza set to take flight now that he has been eliminated from the chance at a ring this season.

LeBron James is a superhuman-insane-we -really-broke-any-possible-or-conceivable-mold type basketball player. He won this years MVP award in convincing fashion. We all know this, or should know this, or eventually will come to know this.

The thing is, James is also the most important piece in my argument as to why the MVP award should:

1. Be awarded with heaviest considerations based on how far the player leads his team into the postseason.
2. How this player performs during the postseason (call this the 2007 Dirk Nowitzki clause).
3. Apply deeper levels of analysis to scrutinize the MVP candidates supporting cast, and ask how hard would it be for the supporting cast to make the playoffs without the player.
4. Assess the actualization of expected performance. This aspect should be used in all tie breakers.

It is unfortunate that this award must be decided before the post season plays out. When considering these 4 core ideas, it goes without question that Steve Nash is truly this years MVP.

One eye? No problem. That is the definition of MVP.

Nash took a team that was in moderate to severe turmoil, who almost made a throng of liquidation panic-induced trades, and led his team into the playoffs by whipping out a 17-4 record during March and April. During this span Nash quarterbacked a 10-game winning streak while battling through a barrage of minor injuries. Then came the start of the playoffs.

In the 1st round of the playoffs Nash fought off a hip injury, and the Suns defeated a pesky Blazers team in 6 games. His game was definitely not perfect, but he was always present when it counted, and that is what it takes to make an MVP.

LeBron murdered the Bulls in the first round. He absolutely killed them. However, it is arguable that the Portland Trailblazers are a far better team than Chicago currently is. Even as injury riddled as the Blazers are, I would put my money on Portland over Chicago in a 7 game series anyday.

When it comes down to it, Nash has been more of a leader and more valuable to his team the longer his team has been in the playoffs, which is extremely difficult for someone age 36 to do.

LeBron evaporated in game 5 in Cleveland, meanwhile, Nash returned to game 4 against the Spurs with an eye that looked like he walked straight out of a Rocky film and back on the floor. He hit crucial 4th quarter shots with vision in only one eye.

Tell me that is not the type of leadership that MVP awards where not conceived from.

One of strongest arguments as to why Nash is the true MVP can simply based on my 3rd reason. Did anyone actually believe that Phoenix had a legitimate chance to still be in the playoffs?

Nash was everywhere in round 2, shredding up the Spurs and making it look easy, while showing the world simultaneously that he might be the toughest whiteboy from Canada the league has ever seen, while inspiring us all to be a little tougher.

The point is Nash inspired us. Was it Muhamed Ali-esque? Perhaps mildly at best ,if at all. But to me his injuries seemed a lot more real, painful and difficult to overcome than Paul Pierces bullshit knee injury during the 2008 finals, or MVP LeBron’s mystery elbow injury that he seemingly plays through easily. Come on, lets face it, LeBron is a cyborg unit sent back from the year 2029 to assassinate Sarah Connor. How could he possibly be injured?

Little 6′3″and 178 pound Nash took a killer elbow to the eye from 6′11″ gigantic 260 pound Tim Duncan, had some stitches, and came back and played blinded in one eye. MVPs are tough, they don’t make excuses. Even if the LeBronanator and Cleveland lose, he can always say he was injured. Nash would never make those excuses.

If anyone picked the Phoenix Suns to be in the Western Conference Finals this season I would call them a liar unless they had a time stamped wager voucher from Las Vegas to prove they put their money where their mouth is.

GM Steve Kerr was being heavily scrutinized for the Shaquille O’Neal failure. Shaq had been traded, ironically if you have been following this post, to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers got better, and the Suns got thinner, no pun intended.

So basically the Suns started the year with Amare Stoudemire, Jason Richardson, a handful of young guys many teams would balk at the chance of acquiring, and two starters both past 35 years old in Grant Hill (37) and Steve Nash (36).

LeBron’s Cavs entered this season on the opposite end of the spectrum: heavily favored to win it all.

The Cavs acquired Shaq, while dumping a crappy Ben Wallace and invisible Sasha Pavlovic on Phoenix. Phoenix fans where probably slapping their foreheads as they read that news. Then at the trade deadline, the Cavs acquired Antawn Jamison, further bolstering their roster heading towards the playoffs.

Thinking comparatively, aren’t the Phoenix Suns the team that far and away, with perhaps only Kevin Durant and the Thunder mentionable in this capacity, that have superseded all expectations this season.

In my book, that makes Steve Nash MVP, and makes me despise the NBA system of MVP and award voting. Was this year as bad as Dirk in 2007? No. LeBron is definitely still in the hunt, albeit by a thin thread, but it makes you wonder, what really is the definition of an MVP, if it isn’t Steve Nash?

LeBron James has officially filed the paperwork required to notify the league of his intent to change his jersey number from 23 to 6. The move comes months after LeBron had made waves of this action back in November when he begin initiating the “Entire League Must Retire Michael Jordan’s Number 23” movement. Well, that’s what I like to call it.

Ironically, James just made the deadline, and claimed he was “50-50″ about the decision. What does he think this is, a Slam Dunk Contest or something?

LeBron justifies his decision based on the following statement:

“He (Michael Jordan) can’t get the logo and if he can’t, something has to be done. I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I’m starting a petition, and I’ve got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I’m not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it.”

LeBron, if you want to jump off a bridge, should we all jump off a bridge?

Sorry, that point needed to be made.

Changing numbers 20 times doesn't yield more maturity.

If James is switching his jersey number to 6 to pay homage to Julius “Dr. J” Irving, I cannot complain. Dr. J is a legend. But wait a minute, is this saying that if you retire Jordan’s jersey number, Irving’s shouldn’t be retired too? What about Russell? Magic? When is it acceptable to stop once something like this is set in motion?

Attempting to make this a league-wide retirement effort displays that Lebron needs to mature, or at least hire a new media adviser. This isn’t High School, and passing a few notes around organizing everyone to drop their books and start humming at 5 past 1 o’clock is not going to yield the same results in the real world of adults.

Making statements such as “He can’t get the logo and if he can’t, something has to be done” is absolutely ridiculous. It is a direct insult to the integrity of the history of the NBA. It’s almost as stupid as saying “If I can’t have my 3-minute-long-500-step-entirely-childish-yet-oddly-entertaining-and-captivating-handshake with my teammates before the game, I am not playing in it.”

Man, I would be afraid to be in locker room with LeBron after he was just deprived of his Cheerios. Heaven help us all.

Michael Jordan has stated numerously that having his number retired by the Chicago Bulls is fine with him. Chicago is Jordan’s kingdom, where he built and earned his legacy.

Believe me when I say this, there are some fans in arenas around the league that despise Jordan for what he did to their team. Why would they want a reminder of that by some league wide movement? They don’t.

If James truly worships the ground his “Airness” walks upon, why would he not respect his statement? Sure, change it to 6, but why try to take it across the league?

On a more significant and realistic note, it’s highly likely Michael Jordan’s Jumpman logo is more prominently recognized globally than the NBA Logoman. Get it LeBron? Jordan has already won, he is more popular than the Logoman.

Perhaps LeBron could ponder that idea, instead of spending his time inventing new steps for the handshake while eating his Cheerios.

Don’t get your hopes up Cavs fans. Although he doesn’t need to file this paperwork if he changes teams this summer, it is likely a great move to generate more buzz and hype for LeBron, which is the way the man-child likes it.

Shaquille O’Neal of the Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a severely sprained thumb during the first half against the Boston Celtics, and did not return.

This is a huge blow for the front court of the Cleveland Cavaliers, leaving them depleted in the middle.

Shaq has been a force for Cleveland of late. (Credit: picapp.com)

The injury occurred after O’Neal pump faked Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who then jumped into the air, slapped at the ball, connecting with Shaq’s hand and forcefully bending his thumb backwards.

Shaq immediately made his way to the locker room, and did not return. Here is a clip from TNT showing the injury:

It is unknown how much time Shaq might miss, but the initial prognosis by teams Doctors reported that although x rays were negative for any fractures, they did reveal a severe sprain.

Expect O’Neal to miss some time as his thumb recovers. At least now he has a legitimate excuse for his horrible free throw shooting. Who knows, maybe he starts making more if he is luckily “injured” into being a better shooter.

Cleveland has already been against the ropes since the All Star weekend, having gone 1-3 since returning to the court.

With Zydrunas Ilguaskas gone because of the Antawn Jamison trade, and unable to rejoin the Cavs for 30 days, Cleveland has just encountered a devastating loss.

Shaq had been playing rather well for Cleveland this month, and the Cavs are now left searching within themselves to step it up without a big in the middle.

Antawn Jamison has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a blockbuster three way trade involving the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers. Sebastian Telfair is also heading from the Clippers to Cleveland.

The Wizards receive Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Al Thornton while the Clippers receive Drew Gooden, who was acquired last week in the Dallas trade. According to Adrian Wojnarowski’s story, the Clippers plan to buyout Gooden.

LeBron James must be ecstatic right about now, as well as every Cleveland Cavaliers fan.

Jamison will help the Cavs past Boston come playoff time. (Credit: picapp.com)

If Ilgauskas is waived, as it is rumored he will be, he should return to Cleveland upon clearing waivers.

The biggest thumbs up goes to Danny Ferry, who orchestrated this deal to obtain Jamison without having to give away talented J.J. Hickson. It is borderline genius.

This trade swings the door wide open for the Miami Heat at landing Amar’e Stoudemire prior to the February 18th trade deadline at 3:00 PM EST tomorrow. It remains to be seen that Miami wil land Stoudemire, as negotiations are still far off from pleasing Phoenix.

Jamison is a gem in the locker room, a fierce competitor on the floor, and one of the founding fathers to the term “stretch 4″ due to his long range shooting, knack for rebounding, and inside scoring.

He brings career 19.9 scoring and 8.1 rebounding averages to the Cavs roster.

Jamison’s skills and veteran leadership makes the front line in Cleveland the best in the Eastern Conference. LeBron James and Antawn Jamsion? Come on, who could possibly be better than that?

Sebastian Telfair is a solid reserve but it’s unclear how he will be utilized, if at all, behind Mo Williams, Daniel Gibson and Delonte West.

My heart goes out to Al Thorton, who went from bad to worse by being sent from a “what went wrong” Clippers team to a “let’s blow this sucker up” Washington Wizards team. Hopefully he can get the minutes to find a way out of the season-long funk he has been in.

It is nice to see the Wizards do Jamison right by sending him to a team where he has the chance to contend for a title. There is no doubt in my mind that Cleveland gets to the finals now, and are poised to win it all.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are becoming the epicenter of NBA trade talk. While deals are starting to materialize, rumors surrounding Amare Stoudemire, Antawn Jamison, and Corey Maggette are starting to get some legs under them.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is Clevleland’s largest trade chip, with his $11.6 million contract. The intention and hope is he will be waived and return to Cleveland in 30 days.

Realistically, does Cleveland need to make a deal? They have the best record in the NBA, after all. Why risk destroying the chemistry that obviously worked well enough to get them here?

Does everyone forget that they annihilated the Lakers back on Christmas day, 102-87? That is great chemistry we are talking about here.

Here is a brief breakdown on what each player potentially represents to the Cavs and their chemistry.

I understand what Amar’e Stoudemire offers Cleveland: Another offensively skilled big man to combat against the Lakers length during a potential 7 grueling games against the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

However, Stoudemire is somewhat of defensive liability, due partially to never having to develop into a good defender because of Phoenix’s offense structure. I consider that a major asterisk.

It is also rumored that Miami is taking the lead in all Stoudemire trade discussions.

Corey Maggette is the worst option for Cleveland. He is the ultimate team chemistry killer. Just watch him play, and you should soon agree.

8 out of 10 times, he puts his head down, and forces his way to the rim to draw fouls. The other 2 out of 10 times, he gets an assist or a turnover. The numbers don’t lie, he averages exactly 2.5 turnovers and 2.5 assists on the season.

You might be thinking, “Gee, what’s wrong with that? Drawing fouls hurts the other team, and gives us free throws!” I concede this to be true, however, it murders overall team motivation when he does it consistently, and looks to pass once he has left himself no other option.But this causes teammates to incur a substantial dip in motivation.

Selfish players kill team chemistry. Just watch a Warriors game once and watch the body language of the other 4 Warriors once Maggette has the ball. A lot of standing and watching going on.

Do you think LeBron would want to stay in Cleveland knowing Maggette is under contract 3 additional years after this season, and after Maggette murdered the team’s chemistry?

Antawn Jamison looks like the best trade prospect for the Cavaliers. His reputation for being a leader and a great teammate precede him. He is the best fit that would not ruffle feathers and is conscious enough to know his role.

He would help Cleveland win 4 more games, according to John Hollinger’s calculations. Jamison is unselfish, a great rebounder, and deadly from downtown, all valuable assets come playoff time.

However, the Wizards will likely seek future draft picks, and some form of youth to dump Jamison and his contract. It is unlikely they will get that from Cleveland.

Which player do you think is the best fit? Take the poll!

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Amare Stoudemire’s name scorched the NBA trade rumor talks this All Star Weekend. An otherwise lackluster weekend featured the NBA Slam “Flunk” contest, a boring game of horse ending in a 3 point shootout, and the rookies emerging victorious over the sophomores in the Rookie Challenge.

The most excitement came from, other than a 7-player trade between Dallas and Washington, the words “Stoudemire” and “trade” dominating the rumor buzz.

All Star fire sale coming soon to an arena near you. (Credit: picpp.com)

The latest talks have Amare heading to Cleveland, Philadelphia, or Miami. They also involve potential 3-team deals allowing Phoenix to ditch maximum salary while acquiring as much young talent and future draft picks as possible.

Cleveland and Philly have the best assets to swing the deal, but Philly has the one trade chip the Suns covet most: Andre Iguodala. However, talks with Philadelphia have quieted as the Cavs have recently made the more serious offer.

Amare  heading to Cleveland in a traditional 2-team deal will not serve the needs of Cleveland or Phoenix well. It actually has me quite puzzled to tell you the truth. Other than a fantasy basketball roster, I can’t see this making the Cavs or the Suns better, other than a last-ditch, proof-of-commitment-brown-nosing-attempt to please LeBron before the summer.

Cleveland wants a stretch 4. Amare is not a stretch 4.  He can hit from 15-18 feet, but he is not a deep threat outside compared to Troy Murphy or Antawn Jamison, who consistently drain threes and extend defenses. Stoudemire is a traditional power forward, with an exceptional pick and pop type game.

Cleveland invests their ancient back up center Ilgauskas and promising 21 year-old J.J. Hickson while Phoenix loses a proven big man who works within the “Run n’ Suns” system. Phoenix lives to run, a style of play which Big Z is ill-suited for, end of story.

Hickson, however, could thrive in Phoenix’s uptempo game. I smell a buyout with “Big Z” immediately fleeing back to Cleveland as fast as he can.

The largest concern I have with this deal: slowing the pace will hinder Amare’s game, as it did last year.

When the Suns changed their dynamic to accommodate Shaq, Stoudemire’s numbers dipped significantly. If Danny Ferry thinks he and LeBron James can irradiate Shaq/Amar’e compatibility issues from the ghosts of Phoenix past, then more power to them. With all the marbles on the line, is this deal worth that risk?

The Cavs are banking on Stoudmire’s playoff experience to help their quest to rise out of the east and storm into the finals. Is Big Z, J.J. Hickson and some scraps truly a viable enough solution for Phoenix to pull the trigger? Obviously they need to slash cap room, but with Phoenix currently ranked as the 7th playoff seed, how would the Suns maintain for the remaining 30 odd games left?

The bottom line: Cleveland has the assets to secure the deal, unlike Miami. If Philly makes Andres Iguodala available to Phoenix all other trade discussions will evaporate faster than you can say Samuel Dalembert, whose insanely large contract is undoubtedly being bundled into the deal.

Watching the Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday was watching a major-statement game. They defeated the defending champs, albeit by 1 point, making it known that these guys are for real. Who woudl want to play Memphis in the 1st round of the playoffs?

We will find out how good Memphis is on back to back nights tonight when they play LeBron James at Cleveland. Memphis won in December when they hosted the Cavs at Fex Ex Forum. The Cavs are out to seek revenge.

Zach Randolph is a reborn superstar as far as I am concerned. This guy is playing the way we all knew he could, but always wondered why he never did. Until now.

Which Cavalier will be able to step up and stop him tonight? Is there anyone?

The main concern I have with the Grizzlies is Michael Conley at the point guard. I am not convinced he has the right stuff to be the leader they need to take the team to an elite level. However, he should be allright against a depleted Cavs backcourt.

Will Rudy Gay rise up against the Cavs? (Credit: picapp.com)

The matchup I am looking forward to tonight will be to see how Rudy Gay performs against LeBron. If Gay can make the game competitive vs. LeBron, then O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol and Randolph should be able to make this game a competition.

The only concern I have is if the Grizzlies can bounce back withotu experiencing a “hangover” from the joy of defeating the Lakers.

The Chicago Bulls beat the Cleveland Cavaliers last month. Tonight, LeBron James and the Cavs will have the opportunity to avenge this loss. Chicago (7-9) enters Quicken Loans Arena looking to gain momentum towards making the push above .500, but it will not be easy. The game airs live at 8:00 PM EST on ESPN.

Can Luol Deng and the Bulls step up to the Cavs? (Credit: picapp.com)

Cleveland (13-5) enters tonight’s game looking to capture their 11^th win in their past 13 games and are playing well together after starting the season 3-3. After that 3-3 start, the Cavs have melded well with Shaq, resulting in a 10-2 record since . They look to improve furthermore upon this hot streak tonight against a depleted Chicago Bulls roster.

With everything clicking on all cylinders for the Cavs, the odds are in their favor tonight.

Coach Vinny Del Negro will be shorthanded tonight as guards Kirk Hinrich (Thumb) and Jannero Pargo (Hip) have depleted the Bulls depth in the back court. Derrick Rose and John Salmons will have to log huge minutes tonight. They must also yield strong production with these minutes to have any chance of contention.

Lindsey Hunter is a capable defensive player in short bursts but at age 39 one must wonder how long he can be effective on the floor. He is Rose’s lone backup option at the point tonight.

With Tyrus Thomas still out due to injury, the Bulls depth is meager at best in both the back and front court. Rookies Taj Gibson and James Johnson will have to bear quite a load.

Luol Deng will have to have a monster night as well. Look for a stress filled Vinny Del Negro tonight in search of answers that will likely elude him.

Vinny Del Negro faces a tough match up tonight. (Credit: picapp.com)

Unless Derrick Rose digs deep within himself, and performs like he did in last years playoffs against Boston, look for this to be a an interesting, entertaining, yet one-sided game in favor of the Cavaliers. However, as Rose showed us in those playoffs last year, you must not count the Bulls out until the sound of the final buzzer.

LeBron James shocked the entire basketball world last year in Phoenix when he told us that he would participate in the 2010 Slam Dunk Contest. The Cleveland Cavalier claimed the event needed his presence in order to spice things up.

Now that he is a quarter of the way into the season, LeBron is changing his tune dramatically:

“I’m like 50-50 right now,” he said Wednesday night before a game against Phoenix. “I don’t know if you can get it back to the 80s and like in ‘98 when Vince (Carter) was in it. It was more about the dunks and less about what was going on around the dunks. We’ll see what happens.”

Hmmm, I am about 50-50. (Credit: Picapp.com)

He then expressed to the associated press that he was caught up in excitement of the contest, and is now about 50-50 on participating.

Message to LeBron: learn how to think before you speak. You will brutally damage your reputation by constantly talking up a storm to the press without backing it up.

LeBron never fails to show us his immaturity. He must realize there is only so many times he can deliver false promises before people will turn against him.

How is LeBron’s league-wide campaign for the retirement of number 23 going?

Or maybe LeBron is contemplating using his practice time for dunking to practice passing routes as a wide receiver?

As much as I would like to see LeBron cease the reprise of his ridiculous media statements,  I have to admit that it does give us all something to write about and discuss.

Maybe LeBron is too scared to participate knowing that Shannon Brown has a entire movement behind his participation.

Even if I could dunk, I would not want to go up against Shannon Brown. I’ll leave you with this clip to explain why.

LeBron, please act like a man and back up your statements and enter the Slam Dunk contest.