I guess it’s time to voice my opinion on the matter.

First, I have to give props to Joakim Noah for calling James out recently for his in-game antics. Not many people stand up to him, and Noah ultimately decided that enough was enough. Ahead by 19, James continued to dance along the sidelines whenever the Cavs scored a basket. Noah basically said, “Man, that’s cold. You’re up by 19 and your dancing like it’s a joke.” (Those are my words, not his.)

While I do think that it was “cold” for James to dance and essentially rub a little alcohol in the wound of the Chicago Bulls, I also think that he was just having a little fun. Think about it. James is in the last year of his contract. He’s just making the most of his final season with the Cavs.   After all, it is just a game. It is what it is. If everyone injected a little lighthearted humor into their professions day in and day out, there would be a lot more happy people in the world.

I don’t think that having some fun now and then inhibits James’ competitive side. He still wants to win. He just wants to have some fun while doing it. I should also point out that James is still relatively young. Yes, he’s been in the league for six years already but he’s only 24 years old. Kobe Bryant did a lot of  “childish” things when he was younger. Honestly, I hope that James never loses his fun and goofy side. It’s part of his charm. It’s one of the reasons why I’m more of a Lebron fan than I am a Kobe fan. Kobe takes himself way too seriously.

I digress.

Do I think that James needs to grow up? Maybe just a little. But come playoff time, I think you’ll see far less dancing.

In the meantime, enjoy this clip of him dancing during a timeout (courtesy of YouTube):

Post from: EveryJoe

Does LeBron James Need To Grow Up?

We already know that the free agent class of 2010 is going to be ripe with talent. But Dwyane Wade doesn’t necessarily want to be a part of it. He told Yahoo! Sports that he’s willing to stay in Miami, but he wants to make sure that he has enough players around him to get the Heat back to another NBA Championship.

“I’m 28 years old and I’m all about winning,” Wade said on Yahoo! Sports.com. “I have to make sure that we are about winning as a franchise. I’m not saying anything other than we need to continue to beef the team up. I love my teammates. We have some great things going. But we need more. I just want to make sure we get that.”

In other words, the Heat execs can use the free agent market to sign key players instead of losing Wade to another team that already has key players in place. The Heat certainly have enough money to sign him for an extended contract, but it’s how they use the leftover money that will matter the most. With Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer and a handful of other talented free agents available this summer, the Heat will have plenty of players to choose from.

Don’t be surprised if Wade waits to sign a contract extension until he knows who else is coming to Miami. I fully believe that if they aren’t up to his standards, he won’t sign with the Heat — guaranteed.

Enjoy these Dwyane Wade highlights, courtesy of YouTube:

Post from: EveryJoe

Dwyane Wants To Stay In Miami

Who do you think will win it all? Do the Spurs have a shot with the addition of Richard Jefferson? Will KG and the Celtics win in Boston? Will this be LeBron’s year?

Post from: EveryJoe

Who Will Win the NBA Championship?

The bottom line is that this team works. They have it all: Chemistry. Talent. Veteran talent. Young talent. Defensive prowess. Offensive spark.

What was missing in the playoffs was quite clear: Kevin Garnett. Yet Danny Ainge, the same genius GM that brought Ray Allen and Garnett to the team in the first place,  wants to deal Rajon Rando and Allen to the highest bidder.

Why? Sure, Allen is going to be 34 but he can still shoot the lights out in any building and has at least one more good year left in him. And Rando has improved to become one of the top point guards in the league. Combine that with team chemistry and a healthy Garnett and you’ve got the makings of another championship team.

Trades should come on the outskirts, with the shuffling of role players and not on the inside where the core of the team is already in place.

I don’t get it. But maybe that’s why I’m not a GM. Maybe Ainge sees something that I don’t see. But I think that if Allen and Rondo get traded, we won’t see another NBA Championship in Boston any time soon.

Post from: EveryJoe

Boston Celtics Looking To Trade Big Stars

Does Kobe need to win an NBA Championship in order to get out of the ominous shadow that is Shaquille O’Neal?

Kobe has to win a championship with out Shaq in order to get the monkey off his back.

Kobe Bryant is sick of answering the question, sick of hearing it. He’s so fed up, in fact, that he got a little spiteful this time around when he was asked about his legacy without Shaq:

“People think Shaq would have won a championship without me on that team? They’re crazy.”

Oh, snap.

Unfortunately for Kobe (and every other major superstar in professional sports) the media likes to jump onto certain, contemplative bandwagon questions and drive them into the ground. And this is the latest one.

It doesn’t matter how Kobe chooses to answer it anymore. The only way he can make it go away is by winning an NBA Championship without Shaq.

Of course, after that he’ll have to answer another burning question. “Does Kobe have to win more the six championship rings in order to finally get out of Jordan’s shadow?”

One question at a time, please.

Photo: Zuma

Post from: EveryJoe

Shaq, The Monkey On Kobe’s Back

Here are eight reasons we’re happy about the win—apart from the joy of seeing series MVP Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen add “NBA Championship” to their amazing resumes, not to mention good ol’ coach Doc Rivers nabbing his first NBA title.

1. We don’t have to sit through another game of annoying commentary by “I’m-bald-I-should-pay-less-for-a-haircut” pop culture whiz Jeff Van Gundy, who is to the Boston Celtics what Joe Buck is to the Boston Red Sox (i.e., the kind of guy who’s anti-Beantown no matter who they’re playing).

2. Speaking of Jeff Van Gundy and not having to listen to him for another night, did anyone else notice how quiet he got (finally) when the Celtics burst open the game last night?

3. The final score was 131-92—a new record for the largest margin of victory in a clinch game in the Finals. The previous record was 33 points by the Celtics in the 1965 Championship against the Lakers.

4. A new NBA record for steals: 18. Golden State set the previous record with 17 steals in 1974.

5. One last awesome record: Ray Allen tied the record for three-point FGs in a game (7) and set a new one for the series (22).

6. We were spared the sight of the outfit Kobe Bryant’s wife wore. If they showed it, we missed it. No. More. Purple. Tutus.

7. *Now* we’re over the Patriots loss. (BONUS: Bill Belichick was in TD Banknorth Garden to see the action live, so we hope the Celtics’ 150% push the entire game will make its way into a future Super Bowl pep talk.)

8. Michele Tafoya’s dorky journalistic get-the-sound-byte-no-matter-what attempts aside, you couldn’t help but feel Kevin Garnett’s post-game . . . whatever it was. Celebration? Rant? Victory speech? Raw emotion? You decide (2m, 25s):

Post from: EveryJoe

Top 8 Reasons We’re Happy That the Boston Celtics Won the NBA Championship