5 Biggest Winners And Losers In Summer 2010

5 Biggest Winners

1. Miami Heat

No surprise here. When you land LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Mike Miller to go along with Dwyane Wade then you're doing a pretty good job. I'm not ready to crown them king of the NBA (or even the Eastern Conference) quite yet but it's hard to deny that their front office got it done this offseason. The one and only problem is that they now have literally no money to spend. They're going to need to fill out their roster signing guys to the veteran's minimum. That won't be a problem if guys want to go to the Heat but so far that hasn't been the case. As a matter of fact, Matt Barnes and Tracy McGrady both rejected Miami because they would rather beat them.

2. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls struck out on the big 3 of Wade, Bosh, and James but the package of Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, CJ Watson, and Kurt Thomas is a pretty good consolation prize. In my opinion missing out on Wade and James was a blessing in disguise because they would have without a doubt stunted the growth of emerging superstar Derrick Rose. The Bulls are going to make some serious noise this season because now Rose actually has someone to kick the ball out to. Not to mention now they have a legitimate post threat. With their offseason the Bulls catapulted themselves into the top 4 of the Eastern Conference, maybe even top 3.

3. Golden State Warriors

Signing David Lee was a huge move for the Warriors. Putting an inside presence with Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis can only be a good thing. With this signing the Warriors have the potential to contend for the 8th playoff spot but I'd still be shocked if they got it.

4. New York Knicks

Signing Amar'e Stoudemire was a solid move from the Knicks but I think they would have been better off keeping David Lee and trying to get a guard. Stoudemire is better in a fast paced offense and the Knicks don't run a fast paced offense. Signing Stoudemire was a desperation move from the Knicks front office because they missed out on the big 3. Expectations were so high in New York (I don't know why) and striking out in the offseason would have caused a riot outside of Madison Square Garden.

5. Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic have plateaued. They overachieved one year and made it to the finals and I don't expect them to go back there anytime soon. The front office grabbed Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson in the offseason but that's really not going to make much of a difference.

5 Biggest Losers

1. New Jersey Nets

It's a really bad time to be a Nets fan right now. To the surprise of nobody they struck out on literally everybody in the offseason. They went hard after the big 3 but I have a hard time believing they had any shot at even one of them, They are no better then they were last season but hopefully Brook Lopez keeps developing into a star center.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers

First off I just want to say that I applaud Dan Gilbert (Cavs' Owner) for calling LeBron out on all of the things I've been complaining about for the last two years. The highlight of Gilbert's angry rant was when he characterized LeBron's leaving Cleveland as "Cowardly betrayel." Anyway, losing LeBron James makes the Cavaliers the second biggest loser of this year's free agency. The LeBron James era is the only bright spot in Cavaliers history and now that it's over, there is little doubt that the franchise is in for another long dark period.

3. Los Angeles Clippers

Much like the Nets, the Clippers missed out on everybody. However the Nets are judged as more of a loser because they cleared out their entire roster in anticipation for this summer. The Clippers were just sort of sitting there hoping someone fell into their lap.

4. New Orleans Hornets

The last thing the Hornets needed this offseason was to have uncertainty surrounding their star player Chris Paul. Why would any free agent come in now, knowing that Chris Paul could be gone at the drop of a hat?

5, Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks absolutely screwed themselves signing Joe Johnson to a max contract. Johnson has two more quality years left at best. That contract is going to haunt them for the next decade unless they're somehow able to trade it. Those 16.4 million dollars (that number will rise by about 1 mil every year) will sit on their books and make every transaction they try to a very complex situation.

Chris Paul Staying In New Orleans.........For Now.

Apparently a lot can change in just one meeting. A few days ago it seemed as if Chris Paul demanding a trade was imminent. For now, it seems as if the still-young superstar is staying put.

About a week ago Paul came out with a list of destinations he would like to be traded to. However it's looking like the Hornets' brass was convincing enough to change his mind. In a statement from Paul following the meeting he seemed much more optimistic about a future in New Orleans. "I expressed my desire to win and I like what they said about the direction that they want to take the team. I have been a Hornet my entire career and I hope to represent the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana for many years to come."

Make no mistake about it, if the Hornets are unable to make any moves to put at least a contending team in place then Paul is out of there and I don't blame him. He's too good of a player to waste his time with a franchise that's not looking to contend for a title. And he's not good enough of a player to make it happen on his own. If he wants a championship he has no choice but to get far better talent around him.

My USA 12 Man Roster

Saturday night marked the first time we've gotten to see some of our NBA's stars since the end of the regular season, almost 3 months ago. In this glorified scrimmage the team is split into two, the white team vs. the blue team. Eventually 12 of these players will end up on the same roster to travel to Turkey for the world championships.

This may come as a surprise to you as it did to me but the United States hasn't won at the world championships since 1994. Their most recent world championships memory is a disappointing one. They blew a late lead against Greece back in 2006 to drop the title. That remains the only loss in the Jerry Colangelo era's record.

The first thing I have to say is, turnovers anyone? The turnovers in this game were crazy, 34 in all. As the announcer said 7 billion times, this is really nothing but a glorified scrimmage and not much is going to come out of this as far as team play progression goes. However, as far as cutting guys to get the 12 man roster this game was essential. After taking into consideration everything said in the media in the last week as well as each player's performance in this game, I have come up with what I believe will be the 12 man roster.

PG- Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook

SG- OJ Mayo, Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala

SF- Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, Danny Granger

PF-Kevin Love, Lamar Odom

C- Tyson Chandler

Chris Paul Wants Out Of New Orleans

Chris Paul has notified the New Orleans Hornets that he wants to be traded...to the New York Knicks. According to a source said to be close to Paul, the list is as follows, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, and Portland Trailblazers in that order.

This is not a rumor, this is coming directly from Chris Paul himself. I previously reported that Paul made a toast during Carmelo Anthony's wedding dedicated to the Knicks new big 3, himself, Melo, and Amar'e Stoudemire. And this is directly related to that.

According to the source who leaked Paul's list of desired locations, this big 3 believes they are good enough to overcome the big 3 that is currently formed in Miami.

There is one big problem in this new big 3 scenario. The Denver Nuggets have been consistent in their standing that they will not trade Carmelo Anthony. I imagine that it would take for Melo to demand a trade in order for him to be dealt. That's the only way I see this working because there's no way the Nuggets are going to trade their best player for anyone (who's available) on the Knicks, Magic, Mavs, or Blazers.

How Is This Going To Work?

If you don't know by now that Chris Bosh and LeBron James have joined Dwyane Wade in Miami then you seriously need to get out more. Everyone is talking about how unstoppable the Heat will be but I have some big concerns about how that will work.

First off let me say that they're going to be unbelievable to START the season.

Everyone is going to jump on the Heat wave (yeah I said it) in the preseason and in the first month or two of the regular season. In that stretch of time we're going to see some of the best team basketball we've seen since the 80's Celtics and Lakers. However slowly but surely we might start to see a change, the triumvirate of James, Bosh, and Wade could slowly come unglued. Once they all see exactly how much they're going to need to sacrifice is when the real test is going to begin.

Is LeBron happy dropping his career scoring stats to a point that they'll never recover? How about for Wade?

Is Wade happy dealing with LeBron possibly stealing his favoritism in Miami?

Is Bosh ok with completely losing his popularity in the shadow of Wade and LeBron?

Who is the leader of this team? To me it seems that Wade would be the logical choice since he has proven himself on the game's biggest stage. Is LeBron going to be cool with not being "the man"?

How is the publicity of these three players going to effect the rest of the team?

Are Wade and LeBron ok with having no hope in the MVP race as long as their on the same roster?

What happens if they lose 3 or 4 in a row?

And here's the classic question, with the game on the line, who gets the ball? If I'm the coach the ball goes to Wade every time. It's no secret that James' ego is big enough to cover the circumference of the world, is he going to be content as a role player and not as the star who takes the big shots?

To me this all comes down to LeBron James and his ability to put his ego aside. According to the people at USA basketball that's going to be a tough one.

When the Redeem Team went to Beijing in 2008 the players were told to, "check their egos at the door." They were told to learn the names of not just the entire coaching staff, but the trainers, the ball boys, the bus drivers, and anyone else involved in the program. According to several sources no one had as much trouble with this as LeBron. One of the sources went on to say that dropping LeBron altogether was a serious possibility because he was such a chemistry issue.

If LeBron can't play as a role player for 8 games then how is he supposed to do it for 82?

These are all questions that will be answered at some point but everyone needs to think about these before proclaiming the Heat the NBA's next dynasty.

I will say this, if LeBron plays within himself and within the offensive system, the Miami Heat will be unstoppable. It all lies on LeBron's ego.

Sources: Derrick Rose Has A 3 Pointer Now

For the second half of last season Derrick Rose was borderline unstoppable. He was a matchup nightmare and a bleeding ulcer for all opposing defenses. Unfortunately for them the thorn in their side is only going to start digging in deeper. According to Rose, Russell Westbrook and off-season trainer Rob McClanaghan, Rose has developed a consistent three point jumper that he's comfortable shooting at any time.

Rose came into the league as someone who could get to the basket whenever he wanted. Then defenses started giving him a cushion, it was at that point when Rose started hitting them with his midrange game. If Rose really is able to step behind the three point line and hit with regularity then he will be 100% unstoppable.

In my opinion, the gap between Rose and Dwyane Wade is closing fast. I'm making the prediction right now that by the end of next season Rose will be regarded as the better player. Especially because Wade's production will go down significantly now that he needs to share the ball with Chris Bosh and LeBron James.

CP3 To New York?

Chris Paul has stated in the last few weeks that he will demand a trade from the New Orleans Hornets if they don't make major roster upgrades very soon. That in itself was enough to scare Hornets fans and this next piece of information won't make them feel any better. According to a trusted source Chris Paul intends to leave the Hornets for the New York Knicks.

According to the source, Paul made a toast at Carmelo Anthony's wedding to the Knicks future big 3 of Paul, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Carmelo Anthony. This would be extremely difficult for the Knicks to pull off this offseason, most likely next summer is when this plan could be carried out. Another possibility is if the Knicks can pull off a sign and trade for Melo now, and then try to get Paul at the trade deadline, but I have a hard time seeing that happen.

Out Of The Discussion

By going to the Miami Heat LeBron James is 100% out of the greatest player ever discussion. Personally I feel that he was never in it but some basketball fans (97% un-educated basketball fans) felt that he was. LeBron flat out ran away from Cleveland because he was scared that he couldn't create a championship team where he was. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson all made dynasties where they were, they didn't need nor want to leave their teams for greener pastures.

Michael Jordan:

Jordan went to an embarrassingly bad franchise in the Chicago Bulls and after several years of playoff failures he won 2 3peats which were separated by a short sabbatical in minor league baseball with the Burmingham Barons. Jordan had Scottie Pippen in each one of those championship seasons but he didn't run off somewhere to get him. Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time simply because once he started his championship run there was absolutely nothing you could do to stop him.

Larry Bird:

With the Bill Russell era long behind them the Celtics were in a horrible drought before Bird came along and pretty much singlehandedly resurrected the franchise. Yes, he did have Kevin McHale and Robert Parish but I contest that it was Bird who made them who they were.

Magic Johnson:

Magic got lucky and went to an already thriving franchise but Magic's competitive nature would never allow him to give up on his own team. As the Lakers floor general, Magic orchestrated the offense beautifully leading his Lakers to 5 world championships in his career.

The point is that all three of these guys have a competitive fire in them that would make it completely impossible to do what LeBron did. The second free agency opened a mysterious package was left on LeBron's door. Inside were the original Air Jordan sneakers and a short and simple question. The inside cover of the shoebox read, " You're a king but can you live up to a legend? Can you take on the greatest challenge in sports; look history in the eyes every night. And refuse to blink? The fans of Chicago have a question for you. Do you dare to fill these shoes?"

Lebron's decision to go to Miami proves that he can't. If he could he would. If Jordan, Magic, or Bird were given a similar challenge I think they would have been salivating at the opportunity. LeBron ran.

Beyond all of the legacy reasons for why LeBron is no longer a candidate for that discussion there are also statistical reasons. Presumably LeBron's PPG are going to go way down in Miami because he can no longer jack up as many shots as he wants. Now he has Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh who also expect to get their shots. Without the legacy and without ridiculous numbers LeBron simply has no chance. Even if he wins 5-7 championships with the Heat (which he won't). It still wouldn't put him in the conversation because he basically had to sell out to get them. Jordan, Magic, and Bird all had good pieces around them but they had to carry their teams. By relieving himself of that duty and honor LeBron relieves himself of any Jordan comparison he ever could have had.

It's Looking Like James Is Leaving Cleveland

LeBron James has postponed making his free agency decision until after his Nike basketball camp is over. Why does this matter? Because the camp is being held in Ohio. If James was staying then why would he wait until after the camp to announce his decision?

If James said he was leaving on Monday, which he was scheduled to do, then he would have had to face a bunch of heart broken kids for 3 grueling days. So instead he says he's still deciding and his decision won't become clear until the second his camp ends on Wednesday. Then everything will become miraculously clear to him.

Given this last piece of information, I'd say there's at least a 90% he's leaving Cleveland.

This Is How It Looks Right Now

Free agency has been crazier than anyone ever expected. Right now this is how things seem. Wade and Bosh to Chicago or Miami, LeBron's probably staying in Cleveland, Boozer to Chicago if no Bosh, Amar'e Stoudemire to the Knicks, and contrary to my last report Joe Johnson is still in play.

Up until Friday nobody thought there was even a chance that Dwyane Wade was leaving Miami, not a chance in hell. But after Wade met for the second time in two days with the Chicago Bulls people's eyes were opened. Now it seems that Wade is actually favoring the Bulls over the Miami Heat, the only organization he's ever known. In a video from TMZ Wade is seen with his agent and Chris Bosh outside a Chicago restaurant. Wade's asked a question on how he would help the Chicago Bulls, he doesn't answer the question, but he does give a suggestive smile to the camera. To support the theory of Wade going to the Bulls, a recent twitter update was made by Jason Goff bodes well for the Bulls to say the least, "Sources are telling me Wade-Bosh package imminent in Chicago." Goff is a radio show host in Chicago and many suspect that his sources are deep rooted in the Bulls' organization. Chris Bosh, obviously based on the quote, is also heavily rumored to the Bulls. The general thought is that Wade and Bosh are going together to either the Bulls or the Heat. As a Bulls fan I'm trying to be as unbiased as possible when I say that going to Chicago makes much more sense for both players. For Wade, Chicago features family ties, a chance to have a good relationship with his two sons, a realistic chance to win a championship, and a chance to play for his hometown team. By staying in Miami Wade proves his loyalty and gets to rot with Michael Beasley for the next 6 years. Even if Bosh goes with him to Miami I still think they're not the favorites to win the East next year because the rest of the roster would be full of the Anthony Roberson's of the world. Do you even know who he is? I highly doubt it.

According to several sources, Carlos Boozer is on board if the Bulls want him. Logically thinking, the Bulls are probably waiting to see what happens with Chris Bosh before committing to Boozer. That makes the most sense. If they do miss out on Bosh, Wade, and LeBron, Boozer isn't a bad consolation prize. Especially because he'd likely be joined by Joe Johnson who's refrained from committing to the Hawks because he's still interested in the Bulls and Knicks.

The Knicks are reportedly closing in on a five year deal with Amar'e Stoudemire but in my opinion that has absolutely no effect on anything in free agency or in the East next season. With Stoudemire the Knicks are probably playoff bound but still don't have a legitimate shot at the Eastern Conference crown.

It seems like no matter how these scenarios play out we're headed for a Bulls vs. Heat Eastern Conference Finals next season.

As of right now the water is still, but the big splashes could come any minute.

Joe Johnson Re-Signs With Hawks

I can't believe it but the Hawks offered Joe Johnson a 6 year, 119 million dollar deal and he accepted it. Make no mistake about it. This was purely a desperation move from the Hawks and it will go down in history as one of the worst contracts ever. They knew they were going to lose Joe Johnson and be terrible next season so they screwed up their future for minimum short term success.

The Hawks knew that if they lost Joe Johnson they would go nowhere next season, but what they didn't know is this. Even with Joe Johnson they're going nowhere next season. The Magic, Bulls, Heat, and even possibly the Nets will be better next season. If there's no realistic hope at the championship then I don't understand why anyone would commit so much money for so money years.

My only thought is that the Hawks are trying to work out a sign and trade. Hopefully they understand that Joe Johnson's career is at the very best at its peak if not already on the way down. I just can't imagine that the Hawks' brass really thinks that Johnson has 6 quality years left in him.

If this was just a regular signing with no intention on trading him then honestly the Hawks' front office should be psychiatrically evaluated.

Paul Pierce Expected To Stay In Boston

To the surprise of no one, it looks as if Paul Pierce is going to re-sign with the Celtics. Pierce has always said that he wanted to retire as a Celtic which is why everyone was shocked when he opted out of his contract, giving up 21.6$ million dollars next season.

Pierce is one of the greatest Celtics legends ever right behind Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and John Havlicek. It would devastate Boston sports fan to see the Celtics' captain wearing another team's colors. It looks as if they won't have to.