NBA Eastern Conference

As China entered the 2010 FIBA World Championships there were many who questioned if Yi Jianlian could step up in the absence of Yao Ming and lead the team. So far the answer is a resounding yes.

Through two games Yi has averaged 26 points and 11.5 rebounds. While his performance has been a delight to millions of Chinese basketball fans, Flip Saunders and the Washington Wizards have to be enjoying it even more.

The Wizards traded guard Quinton Ross to the New Jersey Nets for the rights to Yi in June. The Nets were trying to clear cap space to make a run at signing LeBron James.

In his three previous seasons, the 7'0" forward averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 assists. These are pretty underwhelming numbers for the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Especially when you factor in that Yi is a career 40 percent shooter.

Milwaukee and New Jersey

Jianlian is not solely responsible for his career performance, as he has only been on teams that were experiencing some level of turmoil. The Milwaukee Bucks won just 26 games his first season and head coach Larry Krystkowiak was on the hot seat the entire time. He was traded at the end of the season along with Bobby Simmons to the Nets for Richard Jefferson.

Yi joined a Nets team that was in transition. They were just one season removed from the playoffs and not adjusting well to losing. He again had to deal with his coach, Lawrence Frank this time, being in danger of being fired. Playing alongside a shoot first player in Vince Carter, may have also hampered his development.

Washington

The Wizards could easily become Yi's third troubled team. How will Gilbert Arenas adjust to playing second fiddle to John Wall? Will he be the same player coming back from his suspension? Josh Howard is also always good for some locker room excitement and distraction.  

The Wizards have a lot of young talent, but Yi could push Andray Blatche for the starting power forward position if he asserts himself like he is at FIBA World Championships.

Yi teamed with Arenas, Howard, and JaVale McGee could provide John Wall with some serious weapons. If he does not crack the starting lineup, Jianlian could team with Kirk Hinrich and Al Thornton to create one of the best young benches in the league.

No matter how Yi fits in Washington, Flip Saunders must be thrilled to see him in flourishing in a leadership role. A young team with several new faces will need leaders, which is part of the reason Kirk Hinrich was brought in. Additionally, if Arenas finds himself unable to coexist with the Wizards could use Yi's new found scoring talents.

It has just been two games, but they have been dominate performances by Yi.  If he can carry over this success into the NBA season, Wizards' fans may need to send LeBron James a thank you card.

News around the NBA is pretty dead now that all the drama of the 2010 NBA offseason has been sorted out (kind of). So, for your entertainment, I’ve formulated this list of the NBA’s top 10 Eastern Conference teams for the 2010-2011 NBA season, in order of all-around awesomeness.

 
10. The Washington Wizards
This team has to be the biggest gamble east of Las Vegas. While the Wizards are trying to move past the gun fiasco, the guy who was at the center of it all is finally back. That’s right, Gilbert Arenas is back.
Even though Gilbert’s presence didn’t make a difference before his suspension midway through the season, it could make a huge difference for the upcoming season. The Wiz-Kids showed some promise at the end of the season, especially among youngsters in Nick Young and Andray Blatche. Add John Wall to that mix, and you could have a pretty interesting “sleeper” team this year. If not, then everything in Washington is going to hell.

   
9. The Charlotte Bobcats
This was a playoff team last year, and not a terrible one at that. While Michael Jordan’s lovechild team is still relatively young and is pretty talented, they might find themselves to be on the outside looking in on the post-season this upcoming year.
And it’s not because they’re any worse. Rather, the entire Eastern Conference is better with all the movement pretty much shifting from out west. Gerald Wallace is a shining star still, but outside of him, there’s not that much to look forward to.

8. The New York Knicks
I don’t care how terrible this team was last year. The Knicks may not have picked up LeBron James, but they did pick up a couple of decent players in Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton. It won’t be enough to catapult them into “contender status” but it’ll be enough to get them into the playoffs for the first time since the year 2000.

7. The Atlanta Hawks
What’s that? They were third in the Eastern Conference standings last year and they made it to the second round of the playoffs? Does that even matter?
Let me answer your question with another question: Did they make any important moves in the off-season other than over-paying a mediocre shooting guard in Joe Johnson? Seriously, this team needs a leader, and Joe Johnson was supposed to be that leader. His response? Disappearing in the playoffs, and subsequently talking some trash about fans. Way to go, Joe.
The sad thing is, they’re still a playoff team, like it or not.

6. The Indiana Pacers
I don’t know what it is, but something tells me that this team is going to have a break-out year. Now that Danny Granger is proving to be a pretty good scorer, and Roy Hibbert will be working with fellow big man Bill Walton, this could be a pretty awesome team. Throw in a solid young point guard Darren Collison and a wily vet James Posey, who were acquired in a four-team trade, and Larry Bird might be putting together a promising young team.

5. The Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks showed a ton of spunk last season when they took the Hawks to seven games in the first round of the playoffs without their biggest reason for being in the playoffs, Andrew Bogut. Brandon Jennings is only a year smarter, after coming off a season where he once scored 56 points in one game. That’s pretty awesome for a rookie. Add Bogut when healthy, and this could be the little team that could.

4. The Miami Heat
That’s right. I’m putting them just one spot ahead of where they were seeded in the playoffs earlier this year. While the Miami Trice banded together to launch themselves as the best in the entire NBA, they did it with little to no thought whatsoever. People keep downplaying the issue of chemistry, but how can you ignore something so important? Can someone please explain to me what will happen when both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade want the ball in the fourth quarter?
Listen, fellas. I like what you guys are doing. I really do. I like to win a game of Monopoly by teaming up with the other best players, too. But,you guys were just thrown into the same team because Pat Riley can. Again, no thought to this idea except having three superstars sounded pretty awesome.

3. The Orlando Magic
As much as I was tempted, it’s tough to rank the Orlando Magic out of the top 3 in the Eastern Conference. Not only do they still have a lot of talent overall, but they still have Dwight Howard, who is easily the best big man in the game today. That should score you enough points no matter what.
What the Magic need to do in order to put them into position to win a title, is to somehow, some way, acquire a player who can score without having to be pushed to do so. If that player can take some relief off of Dwight Howard, this will be a championship team, no doubt.

2. The Chicago Bulls
People are probably pretty pissed off that I’m ranking the Bulls so high. However, there’s not many reasons to believe this won’t be a great team next season. They have youth, talent, playoff experience, an experienced head coach, and a Michael Jordan statue. That should be enough to make any team a contender.
Breaking it down, Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah will all be perfect compliments to each other’s game, since Rose is a great perimeter scorer, Boozer is a decent rebounder and has a mid-range shot, and Joakim Noah is developing into a smart young center. Add Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, and Luol Deng as your role players, and you have an almost-instant championship team.

1. The Boston Celtics
I know what you’re thinking. I know what you’re thinking because it’s what everyone else in the world is thinking, and what everyone else will still be thinking come playoff time. And that’s the idea that the Celtics are too old. Let me say this: Get off it. The Celtics have been old for the past three years, and they still managed to stumble deep into the playoffs. While Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Shaq O’neal, Jermaine O’neal, and a bunch of other guys are getting older, Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo are just hitting their prime. And while those old guys are old, they’re still a great group of players who have been there and done that. I’ll take wily old veterans over a team of puppies any day of the week.

Raja Bell is going to the…… Utah Jazz?

After heavy recruiting by both the Miami Heat and the Los Angles Lakers, Bell will be taking his talents to Utah in a deal reported to be worth three years and ten million dollars.

On Wednesday Bell, who considered Miami one of his top destinations this summer, also canceled a meeting with Kobe Bryant which was aimed at luring the 34 year old over to the Lakers for something around the vets minimum (same as Miami). And now it seems that once again Mr. Bell has gotten the upper forearm on Bryant, ejecting himself out of conversations in both Miami and Los Angels and slipping into a Utah Jazz uniform.

So why is it that Kobe is still smiling you ask? 
Because, he is not going to be joining the Three Kings down in Miami!

In a somewhat significant turn of events, Raja decided not to sign with either of the top two team that had been recruiting him in the past weeks. Instead, he opted for a longer, larger, contract to play for the Utah Jazz. In doing so, the Heat lost the opportunity to add a dynamic defender who is well versed in the art of the Kobe clothes-lines and would have proven integral to the Heat's success on many occasions.

Not worthy of a collective sigh of relief by Lakers Nation, but more of a slight exhale; nothing to panic about just yet.

The Heat have been making serious moves since “The Decision” aired last Thursday, which brought free agent LeBron James to Miami‘s shores. The resigning of PF Udonis Haslem, and the addition of 3-point specialist Mike Miller has given Miami two more weapons in its ever expanding arsenal. In addition, the acquisitions of  Big Z and Juwan Howard, who where previously said to be unattainable to Miami given their available cap space (or lack thereof), have been announced.

But nevertheless, the loss of Raja Bell stings just a little. He would have made an excellent off-the-bench option against Kobe in the event those two teams were to meet up in the finals this year. AND KOBE KNEW IT! Kobe’s attempt to bring in Bell to the Lakers was less of a roster upgrade move than it was strategic chess positioning against the Heat.

Lets face it, when you have a defensive juggernaut like Ron Artest, who can also create his own shots, why would you need a Raja Bell? You wouldn’t. It is that simple.

Bell has always matched up well defensively against Kobe and his physicality has, on occasion, stifled him (Clothesline excluded). Kobe’s main focus was not to bring Raja in, but to keep Raja out, of Miami that is. He knew that by Bell-blocking Miami he would be able to avoid yet another obstacle on the already STACKED Heat roster that he would have to contend with on his way to his sixth NBA Championship. The Heat knew this as well, and were trying to capitalize on the opportunity to add Bell's defensive abilities in situations were Wade would be resting.

With all the pushing and pulling for position from both teams the Heat’s resulting loss of Raja Bell was not at the hands of Kobe and the Lakers, nor as a result of a mismanaging of the situation by the Miami Heat and it’s Big three. It was, in fact, Raja’s “decision” that put an end to all the back and forth.

It was his decision not to allow himself to become a Lakers' pawn that would eventually be sacrificed for the greater good of the team; or a Heat bench-surfer garnishing a minimal amount of playing time. It was his decision to take twice the amount of money and be twice as valuable for three times as long on a playoff caliber team.

It was a business decision. It was a career decision. It was a respectable decision. One that sets back Miami in it’s quest to top the Lakers, if only slightly and for the moment. And Kobe knows that too.

That’s why he  is still smiling and Miami is still looking…….

It's been an interesting couple of days, to say the least. But in most NBA followers' minds, the Miami Heat just secured at least the top spot in the Eastern Conference for this upcoming season by signing the most highly coveted free agent in recent memory, LeBron James.

But let's not forget about teams like the Boston Celtics, who have resigned Ray Allen and Paul Pierce this offseason. They also have electric point guard Rajon Rondo and experienced big man Kevin Garnett on the roster. They will have something to say about the Heat ruling the east.

And what about the Orlando Magic? They did make it to the NBA Finals just two seasons ago and were in the Eastern Conference Finals this past season. Can Dwight Howard and his teammates put the Magic on top?

Nothing is certain. But it sure is going to be one of the most exciting NBA seasons in a long time.

So here is one man's opinion of how the Eastern Conference pans out in the 2010-11 season.

1. Miami Heat

In my opinion, it really isn't that tough of a call for the regular season. They not only have the aforementioned James, but superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. I think the roles shake out pretty well on this team.

James is the facilitator; people don't talk about this guy's passing ability much. He averaged 8.6 assists a game last year, which is sixth in the NBA. The dude didn't even play point guard! However, James is going to have to sacrifice some of his shots for Wade and Bosh. He was involved in 48 percent of the Cleveland Cavaliers offensive plays by either scoring or making an assist, and he will have to tone that back a bit to make this work.

Wade is the first scoring option; he drives to the basket harder than anyone and can shoot the medium range jumper well. He is not consistent from the three-point line, shooting a pedestrian 30 percent from deep, but still needs to be accounted for out there. Wade will be the team's No. 1 option in my opinion, but will also play a faciliatiting role (he averaged 6.5 assists per game last year, 10th in the league).

Bosh will be the low-post prescense. Bosh is a big man who is incredibly efficient around the basket. He can rebound, has a solid mid-range jumper, and will run the pick-and-roll well with James and Wade. I don't think he has a problem playing third fiddle to James and Wade. 

The next question is how the rest of the roster will work out. It looks like Michael Beasley could be traded to clear up more cap space to sign the three superstars and then have a little left over to get some guys who can play, because that leaves them with just Mario Chalmers, the young point guard from Kansas, left on the roster. Miami will sign it's three second-round selections from this year's draft, giving them seven. They'll need some veterans willing to take a paycut to fill out the roster, which is a bigger concern than many may realize.

2. Orlando Magic

Orlando has not been a big player in this year's free agency game, but they do return everything but bench shooter JJ Redick. The Magic retain maybe the NBA's best center right now in Dwight Howard, along with a solid point guard Jameer Nelson, an experienced guard in Vince Carter, and sharp shooting forwards Matt Barnes and Rashard Lewis.

Although this group has had a year to gel unlike the Heat, they aren't as talented. They don't have that one dynamic scorer who you can rely on; Carter has seen his best days. Howard is known more as a defender, and doesn't have a lot of offensive skills outside of the paint. Barnes, Lewis, and Nelson are role players who can't be relied on to score consistently.

Another problem this team has is the lack of bulk underneath. The Boston Celtics absolutely had their way with the Magic under the basket with Garnett and Kendrick Perkins. Outside of Howard, there is Brandon Bass and Marcin Gortat, but they don't get much clock from coach Stan Van Gundy. Lewis and Barnes cannot battle down low; it's been proven.

Despite their faults, expect the Magic to be in the top four of the Eastern Conference at least this year.

3. Boston Celtics

Celtic fans can now breathe a sigh of relief. Pierce and Ray Allen have resigned to four-year and two-year deals, respectively. Coach Doc Rivers has also decided to return. While this was expected, it must be nice to know that you'll have your top four healthy for next season. Perkins, on the other hand, is injured pretty badly and might not be 100 percent by the beginning of next season.

The Celtics aren't really a regular season team, considering they have a pretty old team that racks up the injuries. Still, I think Rondo has improved enough to lead this team to better than the fourth seed that they got last year. 

Outside of their age and injury issues, Boston doesn't have a ton of concerns. They have some firepower off of the bench in defensive specialist Tony Allen, young big man Glen Davis, and explosive point guard Nate Robinson. 

Expect the Celtics to be a top four seed in the east, but a major player in the playoffs.

4. Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls may have missed out in the LeBron sweepstakes, but they still got a decent consolation prize in power forward Carlos Boozer. Pair him with center Joakim Noah, who averaged a double double last year, and the Bulls may have the most formidable frontcourt in the east. But we're also forgetting young point guard Derrick Rose, who is an All-Star, and is good as anyone at getting to the basket.

Rose will have a breakout year next season. Boozer and Noah will rebound like no other frontcourt in the east. But who else on the Bulls' roster can play? They have experienced small forward Luol Deng, but he has probably seen his best days. They also have an emerging power forward in Taj Gibson. Guard Ronald Murray is also okay off of the bench.

The Bulls have two major problems; outside shooting, and inexperience. The Bulls need to sign a free agent like Mike Miller, who shot a ridiculously high three-point percentage last year to compliment Rose, who needs to improve his jump shot. Put Miller in the starting line-up with Rose, Deng, Boozer, and Noah, and you have something.

The other problem in the Windy City is experience. Rose has done well in college, but how many of these other guys have been to an NBA Finals? Or even a conference finals? I'd be willing to bet that there isn't enough of them, even if they do sign an experienced veteran.

The Bulls are ready to move up in the east. Expect a seeding between four and six.

5. Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks were the third seed in the east last year, and were fortunate to resign star guard Joe Johnson. Why do they move down?

They didn't improve enough.

Do I really need to go over why Miami jumps them? Chicago on the other hand signed Boozer and has young guys like Rose and Noah who are ready to take their game to the next level. The Hawks have older guards who have reached their ceilings, like Mike Bibby, Jamal Crawford, and Johnson. They do have a good young center in Al Horford and explosive forward Josh Smith. But outside of that, the Hawks run low on consistent players.

Atlanta would benefit from signing a player like Miller, who can play the three. The Hawks could use depth at the position. Marvin Williams is anything but consistent there. 

Atlanta will be fine. Expect them to be seeded anywhere from four to six.

6. Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks limped into the postseason last year, but gave Atlanta a run for its money as the sixth seed. Brandon Jennings is a fantastic young player, he's explosive with the ball and runs the offense there nice. Andrew Bogut is a very valuable center who can rebound and score. Michael Redd can stretch a defense with his shooting ability. They also resigned John Salmons, who is a playmaker as a two or a three.

There is only one problem; Bogut and Redd have a hard time staying on the court. Redd has played 51 games the last two seasons; Bogut has played 105. Those aren't very good percentages in an 82 game season. 

The Bucks do have a very underrated bench though. Carlos Delfino, who averaged 11 points a game, comes back. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is a very good defender as well as having a cool name, but he's a marginal scorer. If they get Kurt Thomas back they have an experienced center. Ersan Ilyasova is a sharp shooting forward who stepped up in the playoffs for Milwaukee.

If Jennings, Redd, Salmons, and Bogut were all healthy and playing at the same time, there isn't any doubt in my mind that they would compete for a top-four spot in the east. However, that isn't the case. They will likely be seeded anywhere from fifth to seventh.

7. Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats have Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson coming back, two high scoring swingmen who propelled the Bobcats into the playoffs last year. They will likely lose Raymond Felton to free agency, however. It will be hard to replace Felton, but they have been grooming DJ Augustin to take over the point for a few seasons now.

There is a definite break in quality of teams from Milwaukee to Charlotte. Charlotte doesn't have a consistent low post player, and the two that they like the most, Tyrus Thomas and Tyson Chandler, are free agents. So who knows what could happen?

Charlotte, the New York Knicks, and the Indiana Pacers will all be fighting for the last two spots in my opinion. Wallace and Jackson are better than anything New York or Indiana have, so they go seventh. 

8. New York Knicks

The New York Knicks don't move into the playoffs because of Amare Stoudemire; in my opinion, David Lee is just as good or maybe better than Stoudemire. However, Stoudemire is a better fit in Mike D'Antoni's fast-paced system. They competed in the crowded Western Conference with Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns.

Unfortunately, the Knicks don't have Nash. Or anyone else really on his level.

However, New York has cleared too much cap space to not get another decent free agent like the aforementioned Miller or someone else. I think Stoudemire is motivated to be in New York, unlike in Phoenix, and that he will recruit somebody to come there with him. 

The other pieces in New York include Danillo Gallinari, who had the second best three point percentage in the NBA last year. They also picked up Kelenna Azukuike, Anthony Randolph, and Ronny Turiaf in a sign-and-trade for Lee with the Golden State Warriors. All three can produce to some degree.

The Knicks will be in full swing when they sign Carmelo Anthony, like they're expected to next summer. I'd imagine that Anthony and Stoudemire would make them a top-four team in the east. But for now, New York squeaks into the playoffs and gets embarrassed by Miami in the first round. But it's better to be embarrassed in the playoffs than in the regular season, I suppose.

The most important thing to note is the definite tiers among teams; Miami is at the top as the big time winners of free agency. Orlando and Boston are the proven teams who will rely on experience and the pieces they've acquired in the past to win.

Chicago, Atlanta, and Milwaukee all have different stories, but appear to be on nearly even ground (when healthy). The Knicks and Bobcats have good starting points, but aren't there yet.

Still, they are better than anything else the East has to offer.

That's right, boys and girls.

The big question today is, where will the Cleveland Cavaliers' "MVP" Lebron "King" James sign on to?

Right now, nothing is in dried ink for which NBA franchise the young Cleveland standout will sign on to.

Los Angeles, Golden State, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Orlando, Houston — every NBA franchise right now wants him and for good reason.

If you haven't seen him on the court, I'd highly suggest looking him up. He's a player that has to be seen to be believed.

Today, the speculation surrounds where James is headed next, and tonight we'll get a definite answer.

One thing is for certain, though: he's for certain the newest addition to an ever-growing franchise sport called Mixed Martial Arts.

OR to put it another way, James is apparently an MMA fan, who found some highlights from last weekend's UFC 116 event to be quite the enjoyable view.

MMA Mania reports that, of all the things that stood out about UFC 116 akin to how James has been standing out on the court, it wasn't the come-from-behind "DeathClutch" arm triangle of Brock Lesnar (6-1) on Shane Carwin (12-1) that stuck a smile on Lebron's face.

If you're wondering what Lebron was impressed with the most about the Independence Day blockbuster, let the night's "KO Of The Night" winner Gerald Harris tell you.

"My friend is a good friend of LeBron's. He said they were sitting on the couch watching ESPN and LeBron saw the clip, and he had to DVR it. He kept rewinding it. So LeBron saw me! That was one of my goals. I've got to check that off the list.... If we can get NBA guys watching, if we can get other successful African American athletes in other sports to follow us, then we'll take it to another level. That's what it's going to take. We need the mainstream guys from other sports to come follow us. That's when their people will say 'Hey, what's this new sport? If he likes it, I like it.'"

The way I see it, there's no better way to take a sport to the next level than to be noticed by one of the most dominant athletes in the NBA.

Mr. Harris, you're right: If more NBA athletes start watching — and even if major players from other sports start watching the sport — then there will be nowhere for MMA to go except for the top of the Wide World of Sports.

And once MMA goes up, it'll be tough to make it come down.

As for "King James", it'll be interesting to see which team he signs with tonight.

Will it be a re-signing with Cleveland or will he resign from the team and don a different set of colors?

Either way, we'll find out tonight, but I'd personally like to thank his choice to support a franchise sport called Mixed Martial Arts.

Thanks to MMA Mania, MMA Weekly, and Bloody Elbow for this bit of information.

Has there ever been anyone with this much of a stranglehold on an entire sport?

Even Tiger Woods doesn’t attract news like LeBron has of late.

Fortunately, Woods still attracts more Medusa-esque women than James, so he’s got that going for him. 

But when 9 pm EST Thursday strikes, it appears the King will release us all from his grip. All sources indicate that James will leave Cleveland for the warm confines of South Beach to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Finally! ESPN can go back to covering real sports.

Like Trick Pool. And dominoes. And bowling.

Oh, wait...

With James picking Miami seeming inevitable, most people would say his hometown would be the biggest loser. James had become the Cleveland economy’s best export, and without him, I imagine the crime rate goes back up above everywhere but Compton.

But even Compton roots for the Lakers.

However, the real loss is happening a little bit further east.

I’m talking about New York.

Even though LeBron’s decision tonight is only 14 miles away from the Knickerbockers practice facility, there should be no stock in that. Once the bell tolls tonight in primetime, the Knicks will look as flaccid as ever.

It was only one summer ago when the Knicks were telling their fans that all they had to do was wait one year until LeBron donned orange and blue. He’d be putting up 60 points per game in Madison Square Garden.

But this time, it’d be FOR the Knicks, not against them.

As his decision approaches, however, it appears even Teagan Presley is less boned than New York.

Without the Akron Hammer, the Knicks have a roster of Amar’e Stoudemire, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and a couple corpses. Assuming they do as they claim, and try to save that money for next off-season, their team will be as successful as Mark Sanford.

We are all waiting on a Mike D’Antoni sex scandal to make the analogy complete.

Can they really tell their fans to wait another year? It doesn’t appear Carmelo Anthony or Tony Parker, their rumored targets, are getting traded any time soon.

So the Knicks would have to sign them both outright from teams that are already in contention and for less money. Sounds like a match made in purgatory.

What’s worse is what the Knicks have to do to set up the dream scenario in 2011. If they don’t add anything significant this year, they will wind up near the top of the draft next June. But if they sign a top five pick, New York may not have the cap room to sign two big name free agents.

So Knicks' fans, not only have to buy into waiting a year, but also must trade away a possible franchise player?

If they booed loudly at past drafts, the 2011 one could set a decibel record of MSG.

Surprisingly, Amar’e Stoudemire is probably sweating this out more than anyone. If no one joins him in New York this year, he’s going to feel more pressure than the BP oil leak.

If no one joins in 2011, when he said he could easily bring in other big names, even Atlas couldn’t deal with that much pressure. New York will hate him more than they hate the Red Sox.

Even Hitler’s more popular in New York than Beantown.

This situation has really alienated the Knicks. It’s more than obvious that they were waiting for LeBron James, but if you are David Lee, how must you feel?

Your team goes and signs a new power forward after your best season ever, refuses to give any commitment toward resigning you, and fans make you feel about at home as the creepy aunt who stays in town during holidays.

Does Lee feel love? Yes, about as much as Stalin feels from Cold War vets.

Unfortunately, there is no easy fix here. The Knicks put all their eggs in one basket, and now LeBron’s likely making omelets on Miami.

Spike Lee is probably watching ESPN 24/7 today. He’s doing a rosary every time Scott Van Pelt says James’ name.

Hey, it can’t hurt, right?

Check out more from Ross at LAsportsexaminer.com and follow him on Twitter at Rossel64.