LeBron James says Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins is an All-Star

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins has put up good offensive numbers in his young career but he's never been named an All-Star. With a little luck and a significant cosign, Cousins might be on his way to represent the Western Conference in the 2014 NBA All-Star Game.

After the Miami Heat dropped a game to the Kings Friday night, LeBron James endorsed Cousins as an All-Star.

Chris Palmer ‏@ChrisPalmerNBA 28 Dec
LeBron on DeMarcus Cousins: "Big Cous is an All-Star, I believe."

A major stamp of approval from the King himself. Will this endorsement propel Cousins to a spot on the All-Star team? If you go on pure numbers it should. Cousins has averaged 22.7 points and 11.1 rebounds a game. It just hasn't translated to many wins for the Kings. Also throw in the questions about his attitude and league politics, Cousins will likely be watching the league's best in New Orleans from his couch.

In the latest release of fan voting, James was on top of the balloting with 854,105. Cousins had 99,903 votes. The frontcourt leader in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant, had 850,728. Between Durant and Cousins are Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, Love, San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan, Aldridge, New Orleans Pelicans center Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol, Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala, Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki and Rockets forward Chandler Parsons.

Cousins, who ranks twelfth overall in frontcourt voting isn’t likely to make the event via the fan vote. He could make the team as a reserve but as I mentioned before league politics will likely play a role in Cousins not making the team.

LeBron James interested in joining David Beckham's ownership group

Two of the biggest stars in their respective sports are thinking of teaming up.

The Miami Heat's LeBron James and soccer star David Beckham are talking about joining forces to possibly bring a MLS team to Miami.

"We're working on it," James said.

"There is some interest on both sides. David has become a good friend of mine over the last few years and I think it would be great for this city to have a football club," James told the Miami Herald. "There is interest on both sides, but it’s preliminary talks but there is some open dialogue."

Beckham has the option to buy into MLS at a discounted rate, a privilege that was in his deal to join the LA Galaxy in 2007. The league confirmed in October that it is in discussions with Beckham about owning a team with reports consistently indicating Miami would be the former England international's location of choice.

Beckham has been scouting possible stadium sites in Miami.


''I am excited about owning a team ... continuing to be part of the MLS in the future,'' Beckham told the Associated Press in October. "Miami excites me because I think it's a city that is very excitable."

James currently has a small stake in the Liverpool of the  Barclay’s Premiere League.

"We don’t know" how viable the Miami market would be for a new-look MLS team, James said. "The research is still being made out but I think it could be huge. But, you never know. I think this is a great town for soccer. There are a lot of soccer players here. There’s a great youth [system] of soccer here. And people love the city as well, so that definitely will help."

Overall soccer has always been a tough sell in the United States. If MLS can have James behind one of it's teams it might just catch on.

Panthers' Greg Hardy thinks he can beat LeBron James in a game of 1-on-1

You don't hear too many athletes in any sport talk about how they could beat LeBron James in a game of 1-on-1. But not many of them are Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy. The man with the mouth that roars.

This offseason Hardy set a goal of 50 sacks. Never mind the fact that it took Michael Strahan a full season to break the record at 22.5 sacks. And it took a gift from Brett Favre to do that. Hardy told the Carolina Observer that he would beat James in a game of  1-on-1.

Hardy once played basketball at Ole Miss so he's not lacking skills. It's just that James' game is on a much higher plateau but that doesn't stop Hardy from predicting a victory over King James.

"How should I answer this question? I would dominate that dude," Hardy said. "Hands down, guaranteed win. And that's my favorite player."

"Everyone says he can go to the NFL and play defensive end, who says I cant go to the NBA?"

"I'm not saying I would beast him, but I would definitely win," Hardy said. "I got a good shot, I got good handles, I got good size. I feel that we match up pretty well. I was a defensive player in college."

"Yeah, it would be a tight game. I'm not saying I would dominate him," Hardy said. "That was a joke. I feel like I'd definitely win. I think there's a game there. I don't think that I'm trash and I don't think that he's trash. I think it'd be two dominant athletes playing and I'd come out on top."

Hardy is listed at 6-4 and 290 pounds. James comes in at 6-8 and 250.

Advantage James. Hardy would try to muscle him up but James is too quick and athletic for Hardy to keep up with him. But it would be fun to watch.

Miami Heat might take a flier on Michael Beasley

Michael Beasley's NBA career started in Miami and he might be returning there.

 Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that the Miami Heat might be interested in bringing in  Beasley.

 The two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat are considering the possibility of bringing back troubled free-agent forward Michael Beasley, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Several of the Heat's key veteran players are supportive of the signing of Beasley, and he has a strong interest in returning to the franchise responsible for taking him with the second overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, sources told Yahoo.

No offer has been made and no deal is considered imminent, sources said.

Beasley was bought out of his contract with the Phoenix Suns despite having a wealth of talent on a terrible team. Beasley was charged with marijuana possession in August and has had issues with marijuana in the past.

Beasley is still young enough to salvage a his NBA career and the Heat are good enough and have a strong enough locker room to handle any troubles Beasley could bring. beasley wouldn't be asked to do much except be a solid role player off the bench and maybe spell LeBron James at small forward every now and then. He wouldn't be asked to be a savior or a franchise cornerstone, he would just be able to focus on basketball.

This  deal isn't in the works as of now and don't expect it to be done anytime soon.  

Oakley says LeBron can do more than Jordan

Former NBA enforcer, Charles Oakley, hasn't been the biggest fan of today's NBA. He'll blast it any chance he gets. Oakley isn't afraid to speak his mind on anything regarding the NBA. But there's one thing he has done. He's changed his tune on how he views LeBron James. This comes on the heels of the Michael Jordan/James debate where Jordan questioned whether James would be successful in the era that he played in.

Back in 2011, Oakley was critical of James. Not as a player, but his a few aspects of his game.


"I wouldn't put [James and Jordan] in the same conversation."

"It took a while for Michael to win championships too, but they have a different swagger, a different demeanor. If I would compare anybody to Michael Jordan, it would be Kobe Bryant. Point blank. I know LeBron well; he don't have what Michael have so I'm not even gonna discuss that one." 

"To be a superstar [LeBron] has to go back to his fundamentals… work on his post game, work off the ball."


Oakley never said he didn't like the guy, he just said he needed to work on a few things to reach a higher level, if that's possible. If you look at James' game now, you see that he worked on a few things and it resulted in a championship. Oakley has taken notice of the changes in King James' game and went on to say that James can do more on the court than the great Michael Jordan.

“I appreciate him as a person, a mindset out on the court to perfect the game,” Oakley said of James. “Everybody’s criticizing him about this, about that, and he lets his game get better every year, and he got smarter every year, no matter what no one said. He let his game grow with him. The man is the best player, ain’t never gonna be a player like that. He’s going to go down as a top three player in the history of basketball.”

“He might not have had a lot of big numbers, but he would have made it,” Oakley said. “If you can get 26 (points) instead of 27, it’s the same thing. But he’s a guy you want to play with, no matter level what he played. If he played 40 years ago, he understands basketball. He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve seen in this game, probably go down as one of the smartest guys. He dictates offense, defense, he can do it all.”


“It’s a different debate,” Oakley said. “I ask everybody, who’s the best between Magic and LeBron? Everyone says Michael’s greatest. But, OK, well, we’ll give him his props. But LeBron is a better athlete, and he can do more than Michael on the basketball court. Michael is finisher, a great shooter, and it is what it is.”

Say what you will, but it's difficult to argue Oakley's point. James is too multi skilled to not have been a successful player in yesteryear's game. He might not have dominated like he does now, but who in the league had James' skill set with his kind of size and strength. Not many that I can think of right off the top of my head.

I'm not going to get into the Jordan/LeBron debate. They're both great players that played in different eras. You can't really compare the two. But to most, in order to get into Jordan' stratosphere, James will need to win some more championships. Until then most will not put James in Jordan's class.  

George Karl thinks LeBron can eventually return to Cleveland

LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers a hot mess. It was an ugly breakup, with fans burning his jersey and the owner Dan Gilbert going on a rant saying that the Cavs would win a title before the "so-called King" would. Meanwhile James was in South Beach predicting multiple titles.

Even though the chances are remote, James left the door open for a possible return after realizing he handled 'The Decision' poorly. It could happen later down the line, but I'm not holding my breath for that to happen. It would be hard for the city and organization to embrace him again, but stranger things have happened.

  In a report by FOX Sports Florida's Chris Tomasson, former Cavs coach and current Denver Nuggets coach, George Karl says he can see James returning to Cleveland to play again.

 "I think LeBron is at that stage where he's challenging himself to motivate him to do something that's maybe more difficult," Denver coach George Karl told FOX Sports Florida before Friday's game against Cleveland at the Pepsi Center. "I could see him maybe doing that (returning to the Cavaliers)."

"I see (Kyrie) Irving maybe being a reason for that," Karl said of the reigning Rookie of the Year, who leads Cleveland in scoring with a 23.5 average. 

Like I mentioned earlier, I think it's a remote possibility. The stars would have to align right for that to happen. Miami would have to fall out of contention (not happening), James wants to go back home possible free agent in 2014), or he's close to retiring and wants to make amends with the Cleveland fans. If his return to Cleveland happens I would bet it's reason number three that it happens.

I don't see it happening, but they do say you can go home again.



  

Lay off of LeBron

In the past I've been critical of Miami Heat forward LeBron James. Mostly because of the clouded judgement which many sports fans have viewed him with since he signed with the Heat. I didn't have a dislike of James because he signed with Miami, it's just the way he did it.

Since then his game has been scrutnized. Since James has become part of the 'big 3' in Miami, everyone has talked about how he disappears in the fourth quarter or how he defers to Dwayne Wade or passes to a lesser player for a key shot. You know what I think? I think everyone needs to lay off of James and just let him play his game.

I've never seen a player having an MVP type season get picked on so much for what he doesn't do. Everyone wants James to take over in key moments. He has to a certain extent in his career. But James has always looked to make his teammates better. That's just how he is. He was like that in his first NBA game and he is now. He is clearly the most talented player on the court so there are many who view James as a disappointment sometimes.

I don't view him as a disappointment. I view him as a player that wants his teammates to shine just as much as he does. When he came into the league, I saw that in his game. He played a little like Magic Johnson, always looking for his teammates. I also saw that he didn't have a killer instinct. It just wasn't in his makeup. But he is so supremely talented that it doesn't matter.

I get tired of hearing about how he passes to his teammates at key junctures of the game. Like against the Atlanta Hawks Friday night he passed off to Udonis Haslem for the game winner. Haslem missed the shot and James was criticized yet again. Think about it, maybe Haslem had an easier shot than the one he might've taken. Haslem was the open man, but if James takes the shot and misses then you'd hear how he fails in the clutch. No one was criticizing Michael Jordan for passing to John Paxson in the Finals. Paxson nailed the shot,  but everyone would've said it was Paxson's fault for not making the shot rather than Jordan passed up a game winner.

Look at James for what he is. A one of a kind basketball player. A player that is so much better than everyone but looks to get everyone involved. A team player. He'll never be the cold blooded assassin type player. He leaves that role to Wade. Just let James play his game and watch how good he truly is instead of dissecting his every move and picking him apart.

Kerr: "LeBron Is More Pippen Than Jordan"

When the Miami Heat vanquished the Chcago Bulls to get to the NBA Finals, Scottie Pippen came out and said that LeBron James would be a greater player than Michael Jordan. It was blasphemous to say the least.

Now that Miami has been whacked by the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals, LeBron's shortcomings as a player have been exposed, magnified, and picked apart. Former Suns GM and current TNT analyst Steve Kerr did that and then some. In the process he told Pippen that his assessment was dead wrong.

"The irony to me is that LeBron is not Michael. LeBron is actually Scottie," former Bull and current television analyst Steve Kerr said Monday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "He's so similar to Scottie in that defensively he was just a monster, could guard anybody, really more of a point forward than scoring guard. Scottie always loved to distribute the ball. That's really where LeBron's preference is.



"Phil Jackson used to call Scottie a 'sometimes shooter.' Sometimes they would go in, sometimes they wouldn't. That's how it is with LeBron. He's a great talent and a great player but you can see his flaws as a basketball player. He doesn't have an offensive game that he can rely on: no low-post game, no mid-range jump shot so when the game really gets tough he has a hard time finding easy baskets and getting himself going. That's what Michael did in his sleep so that's why the comparison is wrong."

I would say just wait and see until his career plays out. I hate it when we start saying that a player is this and that. How about he reminds me of him. That would be a lot better.

I do agree with Kerr's point that James does need to work a little more on his game. Most notably his jump shot.

"Michael had three years at North Carolina with Dean Smith. That makes a big difference," Kerr said. "I think he was brought up at a time when there was probably better development at a young age in terms of coaching. I think LeBron is a product of the AAU system where you rely on your athleticism, you go and play 100 games a year but maybe you don't focus on your weaknesses and what you need to lock in on.



"As a result, fundamentally and technically LeBron has some flaws. He has to address those. If I were him I would spend all summer down on the low block shooting jump hooks and turnaround jump shots -- the entire summer."

College doesn't neccessarily benefit everyone, but it could've made James more media savvy than what he is.



 


 

Carlos Boozer Throws The First Stone

Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer should pay attention to that old adage.

Boozer, who has been called out for his subpar playoff performance has started the war of words between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. In a tweet to Shandel Richardson from the Sun Sentinel , Boozer said the Heat had two great players. Boozer doesn't see Miami's big three as a big three. He clearly sees it as a big two and a third wheel.

Now Bosh wasn't having the greatest playoff against Boston, but stepped it up when he had to. Bosh will have to continue his high level of play if Miami is to beat Chicago. On the other hand Boozer will have to be big in this series, especially since he let off the first verbal shot in the series.   

The King May Be Going To Court

Miami Heat star LeBron James will have more than this current losing streak and crying teammates to worry about.

An Atlanta nightclub, The Opera, is suing James for failing to show up on an agreed upon appearance. The Opera nightclub’s complaint filed Monday in Fulton County Superior Court says James canceled a March 17 appearance for which he was supposed to be paid $25,000. The suit also names the owners of the rival Gold Room nightclub. Court papers say a representative for James accepted $15,500 in advance payments from Opera, then notified the club that James would appear at the Gold Room.

Damn, it's just a one hour appearance. Just show up, pop a bottle and leave. And to the owners of The Opera. I know you guys want to draw a crowd, but when dealing with entertainers make sure they're gonna be there. I know you gotta pay up front, but get an agreement in writing if you have to.

Lebron, stop flaking out on club appearances. This looks like a doing of Maverick Carter.







  

Dwayne Wade Wants To Hear Your Boos

When the Miami Heat signed Chris Bosh and LeBron James over the summer to form the Superfriends, every basketball fan from coast to coast had some animosity. More so in the cities of Cleveland and Toronto, where Bosh and James escaped from to go to Miami. So when the Heat go to Cleveland and Toronto, Bosh and James get the business and Dwayne Wade gets cheers. Wade recently joked that he would like to get booed as much as James and Bosh.

"Yeah, that's like a slap in the face," Wade said, smiling in an interview with the Palm Beach Post. "You know, we go back to Cleveland, I got cheered. We come here, I get cheered. That's a slap in the face to these guys. No, those cheers are boos to me as well."

Even in jest Wade would never be vilified, except in his hometown of Chicago since he never really entertained the thought of signing with the Bulls. Also, he didn't bail out on his current team for another and leave a franchise in shambles. I'll say this, Wade was smart to recruit Bosh and James to Miami. Toronto wasn't going anywhere and we see what Cleveland is without LeBron. If anything Wade is guilty by association, and I say that jokingly. Wade will never be lustily booed unless he's in Boston, L.A.(against the Lakers), or Chicago.

Personally I think fans need to get over this I hate the Miami Heat thing. Since when do you see players giving up money to win. They still get paid an obscene amount and they also know they need other pieces around them to win. I'm sure it adds more fuel for them to win.

LeBron Spanks Himself

After draining a key three pointer LeBron James decided to spank himself or tell someone to kiss it. It has to be one of the two.

 

Don't Be Alarmed

The Miami Heat and their supertrio probably played the worst game they'll probably play this year. The Heat dropped an 88-80 decision to the Boston Celtics last night. Save for LeBron James, the Heat didn't play that well. They showed flashes and LeBron showed that he might be the go to guy out of the three. Due to a hamstring injury and his divorce/custody case Dwayne Wade looked a little rusty to me. Chris Bosh looked like Chris Bosh having a lousy night in Toronto. Also as usual Boton played their trademark tough defense. They won't look this way every game. Nor will they look like the 72 win Bulls team every game. But there's no way they put together another nine point quarter this year.

Kobe Says He'd Beat LeBron 1 on 1

Drop the 3-point shootout and slam dunk contest immediately and replace with a 1-on-1 competition. Smartest idea I have read in years. Absolutley right, who would not want to see that? Take 8 top NBA stars (pick 'em any way you want as long as Kobe, LeBrpn and Carmelo are in) and play a 1-on-1 tourney with $2 mil to the winner and that would be MUST SEE TV. That would be something every basketball fan would tune in to.

The Story That Won't Die

I'm sure you've heard what everyone else has. You know, Jesse Jackson's statement about Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. In a nutshell, he said Gilbert's reaction to LeBron James' departure from the Cavaliers reflected a slavemaster mentality. Sorry Jesse, I don't think it's that deep. While I don't agree with the way Gilbert reacted, I also don't think of major league sports owners as "slavemasters". Hell, James must be the most encumbered slave in the history of the United States. If making around $20 million is being enslaved, then put the shackles on me and sign me up. This adds another level of absurdity to this whole saga.

First, I don't agree with the way James put his free agent status on display. It was ridculous. Lots of people watched,but it was ridiculous. I don't agree with the way he left the Cavs in a lurch. If he knew he was going to leave, he could've told them sooner so they could proceed with a plan B. Now you know why Gilbert is so angry.

Which brings me to Gilbert. I hate to say it, but he acted like a bitch. I can understand he has to galvanize the fan base in Cleveland to sell tickets and make money. But with the fans already burning James' jersey, he did nothing but add fuel to the fire and possibly put James' life in danger anytime he sets foot in the State of Ohio. I do agree with Jackson in that regard. Gilbert knows he's lost about half the value of his team and they're about to return to the Cadavalier days and he knows it. He also knows he won't win a championship before James in Miami,but he has to be a showman to get someone to buy tickets there.

Now this is something Jesse Jackson shouldn't be involved in. It was front page and I guess he had to get involved and get in the spotlight in some kind of way. Comparing this to slavery is an insult to thosewho went through it and the descendants of those who went through involuntary servitude. Last time I checked playing in the NBA was the farthest thing from slavery, involuntary servitude, etc. Please,stay out of this one Jesse. Isn't there some hostages that need to be freed somewhere?

This story just doesn't want to die. All parties besides James, need to let go and move on.

LeBron Will Never Be Viewed As The King

With LeBron James officially a member of the Miami Heat, its safe to say that many will say that no matter how many titles he wins there, he will never be known as the King. James is without a doubt one of the top players in the NBA today and perhaps will go down as one of the greatest of all time. But with him signing with Miami just says that he wasn't able to close the deal in Cleveland. I will agree with many that a championship in Cleveland would've meant a whole lot more to his legacy than teaming up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to win one and possibly more. I'm not here to bash James for his decision. In the spirit of competition,the man wants to win.I can't blame him for that. Same goes for Wade and Bosh. Both of them will be look at the same. Players that couldn't win without another superstar. Wade does have a ring and it was his team, but he still had Shaq with two good knees and something to prove. It also helps to have the officials in your back pocket and another star (Dirk Nowitzki) shrinkig up in the spotlight.  All three are grea players, but the spotlight wll be squarely on James. This is Wade's team and his town. I've always said that James lacked a killer instinct, and him going to Miami confirmed my suspicion. True, he's a great player, but in the past and this year's playoffs included, he has shrunk in big moments. It kind of reminds me of Ric Flair hiding behind the Four Horsemen. There's a tier of great players like Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. Its true they had stellar help around them, but the team was built around them. Like the Cavaliers were built around James. Instead he will go down with the likes of James Worthy, Billy Cunningham, Robert Parish, and countless good players who were a cog in the machine.  

The King's Final Decision

The LeBron-a-thon is finally over. After weeks of specualation and self promoting, LeBron James decided that Miami was the place he wanted to be. Its now time to usher in the era of "buddyball" as James will join Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade wth the Miami Heat.

I don't blame LeBron for leaving Cleveland. He was a free agent. Something every professional athlete works for, namely to better teir situation,financial or otherwise. Basketball wise I would've chosen Chicago,but word on the street is that Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf wouldn't give James' "team" the run of Chicago. You know James' team, His buddies from high school,hangers on that get perks like LeBron and get their bills paid for being yes men for him. Anyways, the way the Cavs were constructed they would've contended,but it just seems that whoever they put around him just doesn't seem to work out there. I personally don't think tey would've won a title. But if James stays and they win,its his title. He wouldn't look like the carpetbagger he is today. He truly would've been King James. Now it looks like he's trying to piggyback his way towards a title. I don't blame him though. He wants to be a champion and he figures going to play in Miami is the best way to get one or more. He left millions on the table to go chase a ring. Cavs fans, what is the crime in that? None last time I checked. I had a previous post about forgoing money for titles. There's nothing wrong with that. I just don't agree with the way he did it. We didn't need a faux 60 Minutes special for him to make his "decision" and dragging this out.

Everyone will say the Heat is trying to buy a title. Doing it the "Yankee Way". Once again there's nothing wrong with an owner willing to come up with money to spend to get a winner in the city their in. The only problem I see is their current depth. Who do they get to surround Bosh,James, and Wade? At least the Celtics had a few young pieces in place when their big three won their championship. I guess they have a deal with Mike Miller, but also traded former number two pick,Michael Beasley to Minnesota. Also don't be surprised if Pat Riley finds his way back to the bench, backstabbing Erik Spoelstra, just like he did Stan Van Gundy. Don't hand the championship to them just yet, as they still have to contend with Orlando, the "Green Monster" in Boston, and of course, Kobe and the Lakers. 

LeBron wants league to retire Jordan's #23

LeBron James wants the league to retire the number 23 ala Major League Baseball did with Jackie Robinson's number.James also says he will switch his number to 6 to pay homage to Jordan.He thinks that no one should be able to wear 23 again.
  Although I think this is a noble idea, I just don't agree with it. Jordan was the greatest player of the modern era and arguably the greatest of all time. I just don't think there should be a leaguewide retirement of his number.He did make the game more globally known,but unlike Robinson,he wasn't a trailblazer and had the stage set for him to succeed upon his entry into the NBA. I'm not a Jordan hater. Even living here in the Detroit area where he isn't well liked by a lot of the locals,i'm not a Jordan hater. He was great,but wasn't exactly my favorite.I do give him an enormous amount of credit for bring the game into international consciousness.I just don't think his number should have a leaguewide retirement.
  James on the other hand says one of the reasons for choosing the number 6 is because Julius Erving was his second favorite player.Sorry LeBron,I just can't buy that one unless you watched lots of video.By my calculations, Erving was at the end of the line by the time you started watching basketball.