HawthorneVillager.com

First off just to make it clear that as a kid I grew up a Laker fan and when Toronto got the Raps in 95 then I became a Rap fan first and Laker fan second.

Needless to say I am in utter hysteria that I now see a large portion of the NBA fan world turn on Lebron and perhaps are now cheering for the Lakers!!! HAHAHAAHAHA ... yes 3peat all the way!!! Welcome to all Laker bandwagon jumpers!!!

Now re the Miami crew. If you're an NBA fan and have ever bought a ticket to a game or watched a game on TV or somehow supported the league, you (me included) are whats caused this whole fanfare. Obviously as displayed by whats happend this past week the players are absolutely running this league to the detriment of some fans (Cavs fans especially) and the owners. It'll be interesting next year when the collective bargaining agreement is negotiated what happens cause something has to give.

In my personal opinnion what I don't like about whats transpired is the over hype and fan fare and coldbloodedness that LBJ displayed with the build-up and that 1 hours ESPN announcement ... man and I thought Kobe was known as the Black Mamba ... that show and announcement was just murder for a Cav fan!

Other than that I say good for those 3, for chasing after what "THEY" want. They were in their right as Unrestricted Free Agents to choose their destination. Their primary goal apparently, to WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS they saw that this was best done together on one team. End of story.

People ranting and complaining about this are because in their mind they built Lebron to be something he obviously doesn't want to be. He doesn't want to be the heir apparent to Jordan or to be know at this point at least as the greatest ever ... he simply wants to win CHAMPIONSHIPS. Good for him, Flash and CB4 (I mean CB1). Think of the long list of NBA stars that never won a championship and or tried to win a championship in the twilight of their career by joining forces then with other stars, to little to late (except in recent years for the Big 3).

The stars alligned for these new "Three Kings" like it did for the Three Magi many many years ago this time it pointed to South Beach, Miami though ... LOL!

Oh man wish the season began now ... GO LAKERS GO and maybe the Raps will get their someday too!

I'm glad the raps got the 2 first rounders. Then make a trade for a large expiring contract. I hope they tank this year and get the 1st overall pick.

I don't think you're wrong on any of your points, but in the case of Lebron, it's THE WAY he did things that angered a lot of people. I don't think he decided the morning of; these 3 "Kings" orchestrated this privately. What's worse is that he gave up in the playoffs against the Celtics knowing his contract was ending; there is no honour in that, in my opinion, and he should have been up-front sooner, and didn't need that ESPN show. I think even if he at least cried real tears, the Ohio people might have thought he genuinely wanted to stay, but rather, he always said "I" as in me, myself and I before he talked about Cavs and the fans. At least when Wayne Gretzky left Edmonton, that looked like real emotion, and there was more truth to Wayne at the time that he wanted to move "for his family."

Did you guys see the spectacle in Miami yesterday where they came out on a podium as though it it was a concert? These guys and their over-the-top exhibitions are so ridiculous that you can't even get mad, and have to just laugh your asses off.

I totally want Kobe and company to spank the Heat. Hopefully Ron Artest will go insane and clothesline on of these 3 guys when they're in the air going for a dunk.

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Lakers aside. I actually think they'll have trouble getting out of the East. At the end of the day only Wade has acomplish the ultimate goal in this league. Chicago, Orlando and Boston all have better TEAMS. I even think the Bucks will give them a run. Everyone will be gunning for them and working even harder than they would on their games this off-season. Pro athletes have pride and don't want to be showed up and embarassed by some perceived juggernaut. The Heat are going to get everyones A games. I also don't think all three will not get hurt. And with one or two go down, with the lack of depth there in trouble. Also, they can give it a rest about "sacrificing" $15 million. They don't pay state taxes so they are actually making more than anywhere else. And homes are relatively cheap in Miami. We are talking $2.5 million a year after all. Now if the each made $80 instead of $110 million, that would be leaving money on the table and show a greater committment to putting a team around themselves. As for Lebron, he said in 2006 in ESPN the Magazine, "I don't want to be one of those guys chasing a championship" Well that is exactly what he is doing and at the ripe age of 25 is a bit desparate. The way I see it is he took the easy way out and for a guy who only has Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain ahead of him all-time in points per game you should expect more. He doesn't want it though. The all-time greats either bring back a historic franchise back to prominence ( Bird, Magic) or take a mediocre team and bring them to prominence ( Jordan , Duncan). Every other one of Lebron's choices would have accomplished that ( Clippers, New York, Chicago, New Jersey and of course Cleveland) except Miami. He wants to be looked at historically as a Pippen or at least with be will this move. I guess in the end he has all the physical tools but lacks the mental ones.

You bet it angered me. I wanted to switch my facebook status to: fame+ whore= Lebron James, but I didn't because I was afraid I'd get sued.

The way he did it was horrible. He probably knew as soon as the NBA season was over he was leaving Cleveland. The television special humilated the Cavaliers and their fans- I don't blame the owner for being so angry.

But the joke will be on Miami, because they have to sign something like 8 players to league minimum salaries- without going against the cap. The joke in the Raptors case will be on Chris Bosh. Bosh goes from a team where he was the #1 offensive option- a team that was clearly willing to build around him, to one where if he's lucky he'll be the second option some nights- the third most nights.

The Lakers will probably keep winning until Kobe is old, gray, and using a walker to get up and down the court. But in the Raptors case not having a #1 could mean they'll be tougher to defend against; you'll never know where the scoring could come from. I'm an eternal optimist, and I have a feeling we shouldn't count our Raptors out yet.

I asked this earlier and didn't get a response. So if each of these bums are making like 20+ a season and the soft cap in the NBA is around 60 million (if I remember correctly) does this mean Miami is going to be paying heavy luxury taxes?

Bosh and Lebron are 6 years $110 million, Wade is 6 years $107.5 million. All have out clauses after year 4. So thats roughtly $18 million a year instead of $20 million if they stayed with their teams. Not much of a sacrifice. The cap for next year is $58 million so they have $4 million to spend on the other 8 players before they are over the cap. The owner isn't worried because he thinks with these players he can justify going over with ancillary income. You just have to pay the luxury tax dollar for dollar that you are over.

I see, thanks Ol Skool. However, I thought an NBA roster was 15 players. Some may never see the floor but I thought they always had 15 on the bench. Either way, I assume they'll be going over the cap and paying some luxury tax.

I stand corrected about the sign and trade so at least we got two draft picks and a trade exception. I think Miami will easily go over the cap because they will need shooters, a "big man" and some defenders.

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Steve Camilleri
http://twitter.com/scamilleri1975