Pardon My Bias

Billy Hunter, president of NBAPA, photo courtesy of everyjoe.com

Over the last decade, David Stern has striven to make basketball and the NBA a global game. He understood that if he could create a popularity for basketball in Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa, this game would become a booming business and possibilities were endless. His league and its players did not have to be limited to just fame in the States, but they could become global icons. Today, players like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are some of the most recognized athletes in the world. Next to football (soccer) and cricket, basketball has become one of the largest international games. Stern’s efforts to broaden the outreach of basketball certainly have shown its results by the numerous foreign players in the NBA today. In fact, this past season we saw the champions Dallas Mavericks led by the greatest foreign player in NBA history – Dirk Nowitzki.

At the same time, we have also seen the world rise to the occasion and give the United States stiff competition in both the Olympics and the FIBA World Championships. Teams like Spain, France, Argentina, and Lithuania have developed to be world powerhouses that have troubled the United States in the past, most noteably between 1998-2006. Basketball and the NBA is no longer dominated by just American players.

NBA going global, photo courtesy of si.com

Now with the NBA lockout in full stride, this worldwide expansion has also played its role. Currently both sides (the owners and the NBAPA) are miles apart from coming to a solution. The big issue, as it is in every lockout is the money. The owners feel like they aren’t getting enough of it, while the players are getting too much of it. The players are quite content with the current situation. Most NBA teams, about 22 of them, reported that they lost money last year. The owners would like to have a revenue sharing plan, in which the big markets such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas, etc. distribute the wealth so everyone gets a piece of the pie. Next, the owners would like to move from a soft salary cap (current) to a hard salary cap. Currently if a team goes over the cap, they pay a luxury tax. Owners claim it is easier for big markets to pay that luxury tax than the small markets, hence tipping the scale of equality. The owners would also like to reduce the length of max deals and guaranteed money to prevent cases like Eddie Curry. The NBAPA would like to eliminate the age restriction on the draft, while the owners would like to push it up from a Freshman from college to a Sophomore in order to prevent more of the Kwame Browns. These are some big time demands, and if met, they would change the way the NBA functions completely.

With that said, it is quite clear that this Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is not going to be easily met and there is a real possibility the NBA will be locked out the full season. The demands of the owners, although some fair, are quite extreme. Unfortunately, the owners have lost one leveraging factor – lost paychecks. During the summer, when there are no camps, there is no urgency from the players to get a deal done because they aren’t really losing anything. One leveraging factor that owners had before was when players stop getting their paychecks. They are unable to provide the same for their families and living their lavish lifestyles becomes much more difficult, and the urgency to get a deal done rises.

This is where the global factor once again comes in. The game has grown internationally and there are many competitive leagues around the world. Many of these international teams are interested in signing these marquee NBA players to draw attraction to their teams and arenas, and many NBA players are obliging. Players such as Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudemire, Kevin Durant, and Ron Artest have said they are willing to play in other countries if the lockout continues. Derron Williams was the first player to come out and say that if the lockout continues, he will play for a team in Turkey. This team has agreed to pay him $500,000 per month, and the same team is recruiting Kobe Bryant who’s quote is $1,000,000 per month. This money is also tax free, and amounts to almost the equivalent if not more than what these players are making right now in the NBA. In fact, some reports have said that 70% of players in the NBA would consider playing in other countries. These athletes do not need to be superstars either, Celtics rookie E’Twaun Moore agreed to play in Italy for $200,000 per year, which is not a bad deal at all for a rookie. With players signing around the world, the power of the lost paycheck clearly fades away.

With more and more players ready to play internationally, the owners must rethink their demands for the new CBA. As of right now, the demands are too outrageous, and as long as players can continue to put food on the table, this deal will not get done. There will have to be compromise from both sides, and it will have to be drastic.

Calgary Flames: Another year of just not being quite a playoff team, the Flames did little to change things. They made a big run at Brad Richards (surprisingly) despite their cap constraints, yet in the end, like most teams, they wound up empty handed. Instead, the Flames brought back their surprising success in dumpster diving with Brendan Morrison, and if Daymond Langkow can ever come back, the Flames just may be able to get enough production to stay close in the playoff race. They will need to, seeing how the defense took a hit with the swap for Robyn Regher for Chris Butler. Adam Pardy also departed. The main positive for Calgary though was with the shedding of salary. Regher was big contract for a decent player, but also in that deal the Flames somehow offloaded Ales Kotalik as well. While Calgary still faces some unwieldy contracts, having any space actually puts them on the right track. VERDICT: Without getting better, and arguably worse, they aren’t winners, but getting rid of some bothersome contracts miraculously makes this offseason not an entire loss. A loss yes, but a not a terrible one.

Getting a good young goalie is hard to do, but when you offer a first and second round draft pick for a RFA it gets a little easier. Photo courtesy of ilovegoalie.blogspot.com

Colorado Avalanche: It was bad turnaround for the Avs, who exceeded all expectations a season prior, and then met those low expectations during the second half of this past season. Craig Anderson imploded, and to remedy the goalie situation Colorado went out and got the guy who made the most sense with Tomas Vokoun least sense with J.S. Giguere and overpaying incredibly for Semyon Varlamov with a first and second round draft pick. Not that it isn’t a bad plan for the future, but the Avalanche have proven with good goaltending they can win enough. In my humble opinion, Vokoun would have been the answer in net, playing better and more consistently than Anderson. Adam Foote was quickly replaced with Jan Hejda, and to a lesser extent, with Shane O’Brien. If the young group can stay healthy, the Avs have a good set of blueliners, given they sign Kyle Cumiskey. The problem spot however will remain on the wings. Milan Hejduk can’t do it all, and the first line left wing spot is a guessing game to who will win that, not to mention the depth is rather disconcerting. The Avs can’t really be blamed for a thin market on that front, and they did bolster their ranks, if only by signing another warm body, with Chuck Kobasew. VERDICT: The Avalanche addressed their issues the best they could, but it’s a head scratcher with the Varlamov deal. They get a young goalie from a team who was going to offload him regardless, and at the cost of big draft picks seems counterproductive to building a young team. Not too mention, they could have saved their draft picks and got a goalie in his prime. On the plus side the Avs have plenty of cap space, but it is going wasted, even after Colorado’s young guns get re-signed in the future. Colorado may have set themselves back in the rebuilding process a bit, so yep, losers.

Edmonton Oilers: Long story short, Steve Tambellini did not make friends with Kings’ GM Dean Lombardi. Pulling a fast one, twice for that matter, doesn’t exactly make teams eager to deal with that sort of team, yet outside of that the Oilers had a decent offseason. They finally got Sheldon Souray out of Edmonton, as well as Andrew Cogliano and sort of addressed the fact their defensive play is rotten. It’s still remarkably terrible, but the addition of Andy Sutton and Cam Barker on the back end should, at least on paper, improve things, though it’s a large risk as both had pretty awful years last season. A safer bet was with Eric Belanger, who certainly helps the Oilers two-way game. Edmonton also got their favorite mullet back with Ryan Smyth. Ben Eager and Darcy Hordichuk were also brought in so that when Taylor Hall gets laid out he doesn’t have to also fight then subsequently break his ankle. VERDICT The Oilers knew their defense was bad, so they got shutdown guys. They knew they needed to get bigger and tougher, so they got heavy hitters and fighters. The latter really though is far more certain than the defense actually being any better. On the plus side, Barker and Sutton are only signed for one more year, so life isn’t too bad for Edmonton in any case outside of either finishing last or just simply missing the playoffs. It’s a slow process, rebuilding, but the Oilers are doing alright. Winners.

A huge upgrade up front certainly should make the Wild fun to watch, except when they are playing defense, whereas you should cover your kids' eyes. Photo courtesy of sports.yahoo.com

Minnesota Wild: Strictly speaking about free agency, the Wild are unequivocally losers in the highest degree. However with trades, the Wild are winners without question. Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi give the Wild two very potent scoring lines, dramatically improving there. However, the defense is a remodeling project in progress right now. Goaltenders Backstrom and Harding are going to be called on even more to keep games close, despite the improvements up front. Not that the market was flush with prime defensemen, but with still over ten million in cap space open, one would have figured the obvious lack of proven defenders would have been addressed, especially with the departure of Bret Burns. Hopefully Marek Zidlicky proves to be machine so that he can eat about forty minutes a game. Minnesota has excelled at playing a defense first style of game, and with their roster the way it is that is going to be a real struggle and test of the system. VERDICT: A huge upgrade, yet the team overall doesn’t improve to contention status. They faded near the end of the season, and with suspect defense then it won’t get any better. Wonder what the over/under will be for total goals in games between them and Edmonton. Fifteen? Sorry to say, but losers.

Vancouver Canucks: Despite the poor ending the Canucks had, they should be relative front runners yet again as the team’s make up didn’t drastically change. Raffi Torres, Tanner Glass, and Rick “Fan Fighter” Rypien all departed up front making Vancouver slightly less obnoxious to play against (though clearly still one of the worst with Mr. Alex Burrows). They got Byron Bitz to make up for the loss of grit, and in the LW2 role, Marco Sturm joins the fray. With Sturm, Chris Higgins, and Mason Raymond Vancouver should have someone able to at least get hot and produce. It’s a smart pickup with Sturm I believe, seeing how he is likely to get some of his stride back with more time. The defense lost one of their offensive threats with Christian Erhoff being dealt, but with Alex Edler, Sami Salo, and Dan Hamhuis still around the Canucks should survive. It was a quite offseason for Vancouver (outside of the riots) but that was to be expected. Three million in cap space is still open, so the Canucks aren’t hamstrung and are still one of the league’s premier forces. VERDICT: There were a few casualties, but when you make the finals coming within one game of winning it all, and still add a few guys, you’re in good shape. Winners here, so starting on a good foot for next season.

NFL is back! Photo courtesy of bostonherald.com

Finally, its is over. Once more, IT IS FINALLY OVER. Come this fall, the world will realign itself after being turned upside down this summer for most sports fans in America with the dreaded L-word – Lockout. It almost feels like Christmas came early this year, because having two major sports locked out come this fall would be so much worst than getting a lump of coal – maybe? Our Lazy Sundays have gotten back what invented the Lazy Sunday. We can go back to spending our Saturday evenings (and those tricky Wednesday evenings) setting our fantasy line ups for the next morning just to have our top player benched again. We once again will have something to talk about with our co-workers Monday morning next to the coffee maker. We once again have a great reason to order a pizza and have a beer on a Monday night. Life is suddenly back to normal. With that said, we have a few things to settle before we have this great season kickoff.

Players such as Nnamdi Asomugha, Antonio Cromartie, and Santonio Holmes need to be signed to teams. Many quarterbacks are still in the mix that need a job. Where will Kevin Kolb, Donnonvan McNabb, Carson Palmer, Matt Hasselbeck, and Vince Young be this season. Will they have a starting job? Can Brett Favre possibly come back one more time as a backup to Mike Vick? When will the Colts and Peyton Manning get the contract situation sorted out? All drafted guys also still need to be signed. Will players be in proper condition when they report to training camp? Will Roger Goodell still have the respect of his players? How is James Harrison going to integrate back with the Steelers? Will Harrison be punished? Will guys who got in trouble with the law such as Kenny Britt and Cedric Benson get suspensions from the league?

Sure there are a lot of questions to be answered, but one fact still reamains: we will have a NFL season. It seems to make all the questions listed above seem minuscule compared to the huge problem that was solved. Solving this Collective Bargaining Agreement even makes the National Debt Ceiling crisis look like a minor issue – well, maybe not. The excitement is undoubtedly there from the fans, the players, the coaches, and the owners. Only one question remains: are you ready for some football?

Ok so I figured I would wait until restricted free agents were wrapped up before I tried to do a free agent frenzy winners and losers bit, but seeing how that may well carry over into September, enough stalling. So starting from the furthest west and going east…

Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks moves included signing Edmonton rejects with super softy Andrew Cogliano, who just couldn’t get it together up north, and Jean-Francois Jacques, who was a depth player at most for the Oilers. Already you should be getting a sense of where this is going. They also snagged Mat Carle. No, not that Matt Carle, but a minor leaguer and a few similar types. The biggest deal was trading super cone Andy Sutton to the Oilers for Kurtis Foster. Never mind again that Foster had a terrible year in the offensively minded Oilers’ system. Other names that signed on were Brian McGrattan and Dan Sexton. No word from Teemu Selanne (yet again), and Paul Kariya and Todd Marchant both retired, killing the hope of Teemu and Paul getting the band back together and the Ducks’ third line effectiveness as well. And the bottom six is still a crap shoot, though it may be likely again the Ducks will draw from San Quentin and Sing Sing, for types similar to that of Jaarko Ruutu and Kyle Chipchura. George Parros comes from a prison so notorious the only way he is legally allowed to play is by saying he came from Princeton. But don’t worry, there’s still Cogliano, whom I fairly certain I could pound. The Ducks didn’t get better, and they did little to address their nees. VERDICT: It rhymes with schmoozer.

Dallas Stars: Guess who wasn’t interested in going back to the Big D? Guess who over spent on middling talent to replace said person? Yes, it was that sort of off-season for Dallas as they saw their star center, Brad Richards, inevitably depart for squat off to the Big Apple. Plus there is still some sting in the fact that they didn’t trade Richards back at the deadline hoping they could make a last minute push for the post-season, which clearly didn’t pan out too well. So now the Stars add Michael Ryder (scores but is inconsistent), Radek Dvorak (solid two way guy, but that’s about all that Dvorak has left), and Vernon Fiddler (who is okay if you like bottom line centers). This still sort of raises the question of who is centering the top lines with Mike Riberio. Steve Ott? Maybe if he isn’t suspended for thirty games. At least they addressed the wings since the absolutely god awful trade of James Neal for Alex Goligoski. Ryder may be good for a few goals, though I’m guessing he will be putting up record lows since there won’t be anyone to do all the heavy lifting and setting him up. Dvorak and Fiddler certainly help the penalty kill up front. VERDICT: Decent additions, but not nearly enough to make Dallas a contender. YOU LOSE. GOOD DAY SIR.

The Kings added Simon Gagne to increase their move to being Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of laist.com

Los Angeles Kings: Ok sure, the trade for Mike Richards happened before the NHL draft even occurred, but hey, that’s pre-Frenzy fun. The Kings may have offered up their prime prospect with Brayden Schenn, but seeing how the Kings got the guy they figured Schenn would be like in five or so years this was a good pickup. It did cost Wayne Simmonds as well, but with the Kings full of bottom six forwards, it was an absorbable hit. Unloading Ryan Smyth was (and is) a bit trickier as Oilers’ GM Tambellini gave the Kings an injured Gilbert Brule (voided) and now an injured Colin Fraiser (potentially voided). Likely not a huge deal, but Drew Doughty still isn’t signed, and if Ryan Smyth and his six and a half million dollar cap hit comes back to Los Angeles it will certainly be putting the Kings in a bind. Right now, it hinges on Smyth and now Gary Bettman’s decision of what to do with Smyth and Fraiser. Yes, be very worried. The Kings also made a run at Brad Richards, and then failed promptly as is the way of L.A. and free agents (see Chara, Gaborik, Kovalchuk) but got a good second liner with Simon Gagne to make the Kings more like the Flyers from a few years back. Added the Kings wrapped up their other restricted free agents at very reasonable prices with Brad Richardson, Trevor Lewis, and Alec Martinez all signed for under a combined three million. And who left L.A. besides Smyth? Michal Handzus and Alex Ponikarovsky, who are quickly overshadowed by Richards and really just about anyone else for Ponikarovsky. Simply, the Kings got better and still own plenty of space for Doughty (for now). VERDICT: Sign Doughty and the Kings are winners in something for a change.

Phoenix Coyotes: Down in the desert there was quite a bit of turnover. Eric Belanger, Andrew Ebbett, and Fiddler for Boyd Gordon, Kyle Chipchura, and Marc Pouliot up the middle. What does it mean? Absolutely nothing really for the Coyotes, as down the middle they still suck as Belanger was their best center. Worst, none of the ones brought in match up. Even more of an issue? The fact Ilya Bryzgalov was the Coyotes’ saving grace for a long time and is now gone and is replaced by a goalie who couldn’t win a starting gig in netminder depraved Tampa Bay. Also not helping is the departure of Ed Jovanovski. The Coyotes were allowed to exhale a bit though since they dodged a real bullet and re-signed Keith Yandle. If Yandle was unloaded the Coyotes might as well just packed their bags to Winnipeg. Or Seattle or Kansas City, you know what I mean. The defensive corps isn’t in shambles without Jovanovski, but it took a hit, and in a division with two teams with very good defensive groups, the Coyotes can’t afford to get worse while they also have their star goalie ditch them as well. To maintain some semblance of offense Phoenix also grabbed Radim Vrbata for another go around, and Raffi Torres. Still the defense is relying on youngsters to pick up for Jovo, there’s a huge gap up the middle, and between the pipes is going to be a real adventure. VERDICT: Could have been worse, but yep, losers.

Both teams retain a sniper who skates with his mouth ridiculously open. Photo courtesy of nhlsnipers.com

San Jose Sharks: Well who saw either of those trades going down? Heatley for Havlat, and Setoguchi for Burns? I’d take Burns for Setoguchi each day of the week, but Heatley for Havlat? Interesting follow through for the Wild. San Jose gets a good goal scorer with Havlat but the big deal is Burns I think. San Jose easily has a defensive core that can go toe to toe with just about anyone in the league now with Burns, Dan Boyle, Doug Murray, and Vlasic. The offensive depth took a hit however with the loss of Scot Nichol, Ben Eager, and Jamal Mayers. To offset this San Jose took a flyer on Ben Guite and Michal Handzus. Handzus more than easily replaces Nichol, but as for grit and secondary scoring eh… More importantly, Kent Huskins was replaced finally…With Jim Vandermeer. So was this a good free agent period for the Sharks? I would have to say their defense improved big time as Bret Burns>Ian White, but their offense…Pavelski, Couture, and Clowe is as good a line as any but past that is a real mystery for the Sharks. Handzus plays a good third role, but in terms of role players it’s really just speedy agitators, a la Torrey Mitchell. Lastly, I actually like the Havlat for Heatley deal. Heatley just never really meshed with the ultra-playmaker, Joe Thornton, who has made the most suspect talent into superstars. Jonathan Cheechoo could win the goal scoring title yet Heatley has his goal scoring decrease? I think the easiest culprit is speed. Setoguchi, Marleau, and even Cheechoo possess good to great speed. Heatley was a sniper, and a tad more of a plodder. Havlat fits the mold a bit more. I am guessing he puts up career numbers. VERDICT: And with that bold prediction I’m saying the Sharks did improve even if their bottom six didn’t. Winner, winner, chicken dinner

The exterior design of a potential arena proposal in downtown Sacramento (photo courtesy of The Sacramento Bee)

SACRAMENTO, CA

NOTE: This article originally was printed in Sac-Town Magazine on April 13, 2011. It was submitted as a special to the Sacramento Bee, whom then re-published it. I decided to re-print it here because it is a unique viewpoint on how arenas, politics, and the general public all come into play in this contentious topic.

By Rob Turner

There are many theories about why the vote to fund a new arena bombed in 2006. Some cite the Maloofs and their infamous Carl’s Jr. commercial. Others blame our elected leaders for not sufficiently articulating the non-basketball merits of a new complex. Still others point to the complicated proposal that bundled a slew of other projects in with the arena financing.

But the true root of the problem was actually far simpler. The real mistake with the failed measures known as Q and R was letting the voters have a say in the first place.

That may sound undemocratic, but it’s really quite the opposite. Every few years, we elect a mayor, a city council and county supervisors to make tough decisions in the best interests of the region. Their job, of course, is to sift through mounds of studies, endure endless hours of discussion and public comment, cull through the myriad opinions of their staff, consultants and constituents, and cast an educated vote based on the accumulation of more knowledge and perspective than most of us have the time or interest to acquire.

It doesn’t mean they’re always right. But that’s what we elect them to do.

So if our city leaders want a new arena – and we know that our mayor does – the last thing they should do is present any kind of plan that involves a public vote.

After all, we don’t ask our citizens to vote on most other major civic projects. This year, for example, the state will close escrow on land downtown for a new county courthouse at a cost of $439 million – by some estimates the same cost as a new arena. Does anyone remember voting on that? We’re also building a billion- dollar expansion of the airport that will include a much-needed new terminal to open later this year.

This list goes on. In 1987, the council voted to spend $751 million (in 2011 dollars) for a “Capital Improvement Plan” that included an expanded library, city parking garages, a new civic center, a marina, land for future redevelopment and other community assets they deemed in the best interests of our city. In 1992, the council voted to spend $80 million ($126 million in today’s dollars) to expand our convention center.

That doesn’t even include all the times the city has bailed out various arts organizations over the years. Or the times it has invested in downtown by backing luxury hotels like the Hyatt and Sheraton, to which the city contributed, adjusted for inflation, $39 million and $116 million, respectively.

Did they ask the citizens of Sacramento to vote on any of these worthy projects? Of course not. Think of the implications of that for a moment. Every major project would take many times longer, and thus cost far more, because the city would need to “sell” the idea to the public, most of whom are far too busy or too myopic to make an informed decision that benefits the region as a whole.

Sure, there were naysayers at every turn, but where would our city be without these critical projects? For one, we’d probably be one of the only cities in America without any major arts organizations because the vast majority of voters would say they never, or rarely, go to the symphony or ballet or art museums, so why should they help pay for them?

As a city, we need to stop sitting around, as we have for more than a decade (that’s right, discussions about a new arena stretch back as far as 2000), and stop hoping that some wealthy family or company will swoop in and build it for us. This civic project is every bit as critical to our city’s future as a convention center or a library or a hotel. By not building it ourselves, we are allowing others to decide our fate for us. We are allowing others to decide whether or not we have an NBA team, a vibrant downtown and all the quality-of-life amenities that an arena affords.

The fact is, we need to build the arena with or without private funding. And if that means raising the money by issuing bonds and backing it with public dollars, as with the airport or convention center, that’s clearly what we should do.

But contrary to what many think, that doesn’t necessarily mean spending a dime of public money. It simply means we’d be guaranteeing the bonds if whatever repayment mechanism we devise isn’t enough. Some arenas are funded with user fees (where ticket buyers pay a few dollars extra each visit), hotel and rental car fees (where visitors foot the bill) or other fees, like those on parking and concessions (the latter of which are now controlled by the Maloofs, but won’t be if they go). And that doesn’t even include the naming rights and rental fees by the teams and promoters that use the space.

This is not to suggest that an arena isn’t worth some public dollars for a public amenity of this magnitude – it almost certainly is – but this isn’t a black-and-white choice between, say, an arena or fire trucks.

The only reason to have a public vote on an arena is because we can’t raise sales taxes without one. But we held one with Q and R, and we all know how that worked out. Which is why we need to find another way.

Other cities are making arenas happen. Their formulas are all different, and not all of them will work here, but we have to be relentless in finding one that will.

In 2010, Minneapolis opened the crown jewel of major league ballparks, Target Field, after raising $392 million through a county sales tax (the Twins kicked in another $125 million). And on April 19, Omaha will unveil its $128 million stadium, with roughly half coming from hotel, rental car and user fees.

What do they have in common? Neither city put the decision to a public vote.

Nor did Memphis in 2004, when it built the $250 million FedEx Forum, home of the NBA’s Grizzlies. Again, a combination of ticket surcharges and hotel fees was used to pay back the bonds that funded it. When the city and county decided to bypass the public vote, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported that they did so because “the arena would serve a public purpose, and therefore doesn’t need voter approval.”

This past October, the paper reported that the arena and team were generating an economic impact of $223 million a year. And despite this tenacious recession, the fees have sufficiently covered the costs of the bonds and no public dollars have been needed.

Arena financing is a complicated and controversial topic, and the consequences are far too great to leave up to the masses, who may or may not appreciate what’s at stake.

In the early debates about how to fund the new $128 million Omaha stadium, then-Mayor Mike Fahey was told by a local TV reporter that the previous mayor objected to his idea of backing the project with public dollars without a vote. “I don’t think Hal proposed having a public vote on a new Marriott hotel he proposed for about $180 million,” responded Fahey. “That’s not what leaders do.”

It’s often said that Sacramento is the most Midwestern of West Coast cities. So with cities like Omaha, Minneapolis and Memphis leading the way on getting these important public projects built, let’s hope that some of that famous Midwestern common sense rubs off on us. And soon.

Rob Turner is  the co-editor-in-chief of Sac-Town Magazine.

So all of yesterday people were discussing “The Decision” made my LeBron James one year ago. This means I have to talk about it. Plus with all these lockouts let’s be honest…there’s not much else to talk about. The Miami Heat were able to combine the big three and make it to the NBA Finals, where they were beaten by the Dallas Mavericks. So time to answer all the main questions:

The Big Three Has a Year in the Bag. Photo courtesy of www.multisportbetting.com.

1) Was the Heat season an underachievement or overachievement?

In the general view of things, their season was a total overacheivement. Many didn’t even believe this team could make the finals and were ready for them to fail. Most actually wanted them to fail. They beat all odds and won the East and should of probably won the title. After all their ups and down, it was highly impressive to see the Heat team get to the Finals, especially while playing most of the season with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller being less than 100%. In my view, I always believed that this team would be strong but didn’t expect them to win the title the first year…so for me, they pushed.

2) Did LeBron make the right decision?

This was a tough question for me to answer a year ago and still is now. I wanted him to stay in Cleveland but knew that he had to leave. I would of preferred if he had gone to Chicago to team up with Derrick Rose because he would of been the number 1 guy there, even though Rose had an MVP season this year. With that said, I am okay with his decision to go to South Beach and although I still believe that he would of won more championships in Chicago, I do think he made the right decision…yeah, I know that logic doesn’t make sense.

3) What do you think about “The Decision” and the Miami Heat intro party a year later?

Obviously “The Decision” special was a bad idea but not because he did it in front of a national audience on ESPN, but because he had not given the Cleveland Cavaliers a warning. LeBron was able to raise tons of money for the Boys and Girls Club but it would of been nice if he had taken the whole leaving Cleveland mystery out of the equation and made “The Decision” more about which other team would get him.

As for the Heat parade, it was a little over the top but it got the city of Miami excited and it added fuel to the hatred and drama of this whole situation…and I love drama. And LeBron’s “not one, not two, not three, not four, not five…” speech was really not that bad. What did you want him to say, “not one, yup we’re not even going to win one”? Some way to rally up your fans and teammates.

4) How will the Heat do next year?

They are currently the favorites to win it all so why not go with the flow. They have 3 great players and hopefully will have a healthy supporting cast. Many people think that Dwyane will should take over this upcoming year but I think it will be the year that LeBron shuts up his doubters once and for all.