LeBron, LeBron, where should LeBron go?

LeBron James has a lot going for him.

He is a mega-superstar, playing for his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, who have been actual title contenders since he came to them seven years ago. He has a multi-million endorsement deal with Nike, making commercials such as this one.

And since the Cleveland Cavaliers' exit from the NBA playoffs, he has been persona numero uno in the eyes of the sporting world. And on Thursday, he officially becomes the top prize in what could be the greatest free agent in NBA history.

The courters of King James have come out, with all sorts of enticements to sign their way, including rallies in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, the New York-centric backings of SI.com and ESPN.com, and websites galore from fans.

So where does he sign? To date, there are six teams in serious contention for his services: the Knicks, the Nets, the Heat, the Clippers, the Bulls and of course his current team, the Cavaliers. But how much chance do each of these teams have in signing him, and should he go to any of them? Let's count the ways:

The New York Knicks
Pros: It's freaking New York, which means oodles of exposure in the media capital of the universe and sure to follow, oodles of cash. New York offers what it does in terms of a world class city, and a chance to play for one of the NBA's storied franchises.
Cons: We are talking about the Knicks, who while being of those storied franchises, are also been among the worst. Ever since the reign of Isaiah Thomas as general manager and coach, the Knickerbockers have not finished above .500 since the 2000-01 season, and have qualified for the playoffs only once since then (2003-04). Plus, thanks to Thomas, there is no way they're going to improve anytime soon.
Chances of signing: Unless LeBron is purely in it for the money, I don't like his chances of signing here.

The New Jersey Nets
Pros: It's close to freaking New York, which means oodles of exposure in the media capital of the universe and sure to follow, oodles of cash. In 2012, they are scheduled to move into a new arena in Brooklyn. Plus, their ownership includes friend and rapper Jay-Z and new majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov has promised to pump millions into his new team to make them contenders again.
Cons: They're still in New Jersey, even if they have left the Meadowlands to play in Newark for the next two years. Plus, this team stinks. They contended for the worst record in NBA history before finishing 12-70. Since last qualifying for the playoffs in 2006-07, they have been in a freefall. Even with the Mad Russian and Jay-Z, LeBron would be hard pressed to sign here.

The Miami Heat
Pros: It's Miami, one of the great and happening cities in the world. The Heat have Dwyane Wade, a free agent but much more likely to resign if LeBron comes on board. Plus, the Heat have actually been competitive, finishing 47-35 last year before bowing out of the playoffs in the first round. If LeBron signed here, the Heat might actually be title contenders
Cons: While Miami is a happening town, it also is one of the worst sports towns in the U.S. Watch any Heat game, and you're bound to see oodles of open seats, even when they're playing a noteworthy opponent. LeBron likely would not change that.

The Los Angeles Clippers
Pros: It is Los Angeles, a city that if you're looking for exposure to the media world, it's a good place to be, even if you are playing for the Clippers. The Clippers have some talent in Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin, and if the rumors are true, record mogul David Geffen wants to buy a majority share and bring in King James.
Cons: We're talking about the Clippers here, one of the most cursed franchises in sports. This is a team that Bill Simmons at ESPN.com continually asks each draft which top pick will get injured before his rookie season is out. Plus, they are second fiddle in their own area, playing in the purple-and-gold laden Staples Center with the Lakers, who just won their second straight title. But the big problem is the current owner, Donald Sterling, who is known for trading away talent when they actually get good and making life miserable for anybody around him, including coaches and apparently, minorities.

The Chicago Bulls
Pros: It's a world class city that is only about five hours from Akron, Ohio. It's also big enough where if you want to be a media superstar, you can. It's a chance to play where his idol Michael Jordan played, and to play on a team that would be immediate title contenders with talent like Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. Plus, they have the money after trading Kirk Hinrich and his $9 million salary to Washington last week.
Cons: Not really any cons, except there are no guarantees in life or sports.

The Cleveland Cavaliers
Pros: It's a chance to stay home, where he is the big dog and has been since high school. The Cavs also have some decent talent around him that has the potential to go far in the playoffs, even if one of them is an aging and declining Shaquille O'Neal. Plus, Cleveland is a nice town that is on the rise.
Cons: The leadership is a mess, with the firing of coach Mike Brown and the resignation of general manager Danny Ferry in recent weeks. Tom Izzo of Michigan State flirted with the idea of coming to Cleveland before wisely deciding to stay in East Lansing. Plus, while there is talent on this roster, it should have produced already. Instead, it has faltered, including losing in the conference semifinals despite having the league's best record at 61-21.

The verdict: I would say Chicago and Cleveland have the edge, especially with one report saying LeBron and Chris Bosh to the Bulls is a "done deal."

The good, the bad and the ugly

A lot to cover, so it's time for the good, bad and the ugly:

The good: Landon Donovan saves the day for the U.S. National Soccer Team at the World Cup Wednesday, kicking in the game winner against Algeria in stoppage time and helping the U.S. win Group C. They will face Ghana in the round of 16 on Saturday. To celebrate, here is the Spanish-language version call of the goal from Univision:




Also, in keeping up with the debate on the vuvuzelas at this year's World Cup, we get a preview of an upcoming World Cup in a site not previously mentioned:



Also among the good are the Good Guys in Black, the White Sox, who won their ninth straight win Thursday with a two-hit, 2-0 shutout of the Braves. I don't know what woke these guys up, but all of a sudden, they're 2.5 games behind leaders Minnesota going into this weekend's series with the Cubs at U.S. Cellular Field. Things are definitely looking up for the Southsiders.

The bad: We knew it was coming, because professionals sports is a business, whether we like it or not. On Thursday, it was announced that the Blackhawks had traded wingers Dustin Byfuglien and Ben Eager and defenseman Brent Sopel and prospect Akim Aliu to Atlanta for the 24th and 54th overall picks in Friday's NHL entry draft, center Marty Reasoner, prospect Jeremy Morin and minor leaguer Joey Crabb.

The culprit: the ole salary cap. The trade shaves about $4 million off of the books for the Hawks as they try to adjust to next season's cap of $59.4 million.

As much as it hurts to lose Byfuglien, who had 11 goals during the playoffs, the Blackhawks do get a noted player like Reasoner and a look to the future with Morin.

And finally,

The ugly: The Cubs are 8-12 in June after Thursday's 3-2 win over the Mariners in 13 innings, leaving them eight games below .500 for the season (32-40) and eight games behind first-place St. Louis.

While the pitching generally has been good (save for the 12 runs given up against the Angels at Wrigley Field last Saturday), the hitting has continued to stink, especially this last series in Seattle. They were shut out 2-0 on Tuesday, only scrounged one run on nine hits Wednesday in an 8-1 Seattle win, and only six hits in 13 innings but won 3-2 thanks to strong pitching performances from guys like Ted Lilly.

The Cubs aren't completely dead, but if they don't turn things around like the White Sox (who were looking at some changes as recently as three weeks ago) have in recent weeks, Jim Hendry will have to do some serious house cleaning that could possibly mean his job, too.

And the jury is still out: The Bulls are playing the waiting game, trading guard Kirk Hinrich, French prospect Kevin Seraphin and cash to the Wizards for maybe a second-round pick in next year's draft. That will have to be sorted on July 8, when the trade can become official by NBA rules.

Why do it? It's all about making room under the salary cap for luring LeBron James and another top free agent (Toronto's Chris Bosh? Miami's Dwyane Wade? Atlanta's Joe Johnson?) to the United Center. Washington will absorb Hinrich's $9 million salary for someone who likely will babysit for top draft choice John Wall until the Kentucky star is ready, while the Bulls will have loads of money to bring top talent to Chicago.

We'll see after July 1.

The Bulls of the future...

The Lakers are NBA champions, and it's time for the other teams to rebuild through the NBA draft.

That includes the Bulls, who have the 17th pick in this year's draft (thanks to the trade that John Salmons to Milwaukee), which is set for tonight. They could move up to 15th if the Bucks take that option as part of that trade, but let's assume they stay at 17.

Who do they pick? Much of that will depend on how seriously they want to pursue LeBron James and any other big band free agent out there. Chris Bosh of Toronto, Dwyane Wade of Miami and Joe Johnson of Atlanta are some of the other prizes out there.

The Bulls' big needs could be at forward or a shooting guard to best compliment point guard Derrick Rose. And the decision will have to be made without the benefit of knowing whether they have landed King James, who doesn't officially go on the free agent market until July 1.

Some of the mock drafts have some intriguing directions for the Bulls.

-- The Sports Network's John McMullen thinks the Bulls will go best player available and take Texas' small forward Damion James. James is one of the few seniors in the draft, but brings some good rebounding and defense, always good attributes for a Chicago team that has had trouble in those areas at times.

-- HoopsHype has another Longhorn, this time freshman shooting guard Avery Bradley, going to Chicago. Bradley is a good defender despite being only 6-3, and has improved his three-point shooting. However, he is only a freshman, and very raw. (Yes, I know Derrick Rose was only a freshman when he came out, but he was also a number one pick and a rare talent, not falling to 17.)

-- Bleacher Report has the Bulls going with Lithuanian 7-foot power forward Donatas Motiejunas. Big men are always a good thing, and Motiejunas has good range for such a tall guy. A scorer is good, but can he rebound?

-- NBADraft.net also has a big man coming to Chicago in Marshall freshman center Hassan Whiteside. He's a big defender, averaging 4.4 blocks a game his only year in college. The scary part is the same predictor compares him to Tyson Chandler, which did not work out so well for the Bulls.

Who should the Bulls go with? I like Damion James because of his size and defense, but Motiejunas could be a good project if LeBron James does indeed come to Chicago.

How do the Bulls get to the Finals?

Tonight, the Celtics and Lakers will play it out in Game 7 of the NBA finals. The Celtics had been looking commanding after Game 5 in Boston when they claimed a 3-2 series lead, but the Lakers stormed back into the series with a 89-67 thumping of Boston at Staples Center Tuesday night to force the seventh and deciding game.

But the question for Bulls fans is this: Can the Bulls get back to this point, when they haven't been since 1998 and the glory days of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and if so, when?

A big part of that, I believe, will ride on whether they can entice LeBron James to come to Chicago. I'll wax on a little more soon enough on the reasons why King James should become a Bull, but if he did decide to leave Cleveland for the big city, he would be paired with a growing and great guard in Derrick Rose, and a up and coming forward in Joakim Noah. It would almost be like he could be Jordan to Rose's Pippen and Noah's Horace Grant.

LeBron would provide the spark that would make the Bulls instant contenders, and with maybe one other piece (another good guard to compliment Rose would be good) could put them over the top. The Bulls have already solved the coaching question with the hiring of Tom Thibodeau, who will be well seasoned after having helped guide the Celtics to the Finals for the second time in three years.

This might also play a role in whether general manager John Paxson will get to hang around. Paxson has spent the better part of his basketball life with the Bulls, first as a player during the glory days of the 1990s and now in the front office. Thibodeau could prove to be a good hire after the whole mess with Vinny Del Negro, but Paxson is on thin ice.

Simply put, if he signs LeBron, figure him to be as good as safe. Miss out on him and draft poorly, wish him well on his next NBA assignment.

Bulls get their man

The Bulls have their man.

No, I'm not talking about LeBron James. The Bulls and other teams can start pursuing King James and other free agents after July 1.

I'm talking about their new head coach, Tom Thibodeau, most recently an assistant with the Boston Celtics, apparently has agreed to be the Bulls' new head man.

One knock on this is that after the debacle that was Vinny Del Negro's tenure in Chicago, the Bulls would go after someone with head coaching experience. Thibodeau's only head coaching experience was in 1984 at Division III Salem (Mass.) State University, according to the Chicago Tribune. The rest of the time, after four years as an assistant at Harvard, has been as assistants in the NBA, including stops in Minnesota, San Antonio, Philadelphia, New York and Houston.

However, he does have coaching experience, like 25-plus years worth. This is unlike Del Negro, who came in with zero coaching experience, just some time in the Phoenix Suns' front office after retiring as a player. Plus, according to the Tribune, he comes highly regarded by his players.

He is expected to formally accept the job after the NBA finals are over At this point, the Celtics are down 1-0 to the Lakers, with Game 2 tomorrow night.

Other notes:

-- The Blackhawks sure stunk it up last night in Game 4 in Philadelphia, losing 5-3 to the Flyers to bring the series tied at 2-2 to the United Center tomorrow night. While Patrick Sharp finally scored, Antti Niemi got left out to dry in the first period as the Flyers put in three quick goals for the biggest lead in the series. Hopefully, they can come out out of this two-game tailspin (longest of the playoffs for the Hawks) back home in Chicago.
-- Carlos Zambrano returned to the Cubs' starting rotation in Houston last night, and had pretty much the same result as he did opening day in Atlanta. He got rocked in the first inning as the Cubs lost 3-1. While he did settle down and made it to the fifth inning, he was unable to do anything to lift the Cubs out of their doldrums. But then again, as good of a hitter he is, he can't do all of the hitting, too, leading to rumors the Northsiders could trade guys like Derrek Lee, a rumor he has denied.
-- Trades could be a-coming for the White Sox, too, if they don't start picking things up, manager Ozzie Guillen says. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski and pitchers J.J. Putz and Bobby Jenks have been mentioned as possible trade bait.

Running laps around the Web...

-- A Cubs fan in Buffalo Grove, Ill., has taken drastic measures to turn around the Cubs' season, vowing to eat only 500 calories a day until the Cubs either win five games in a row or end their season. It might be a long rest of the summer.

-- A detailed look at the frustrations of following this year's Cubs (Warning: Strong language).

-- A more positive look at the Cubs' season: They are only 2.5 games out of first after last night's 9-5 win over the Brewers, the same distance they were on May 8 when Aramis Ramirez went on the disabled list with a dislocated shoulder.

-- Sports Illustrated takes a look at Aplington-Parkersburg High football coach Ed Thomas, who was gunned down last week while supervising his team's off-season workouts.

-- A debate on how the Blackhawks have done in the free agent market so far, especially in light of signing Marian Hossa to a 12-year deal.

-- Former Bulls and now Pistons guard Ben Gordon takes some parting shots at his former club.

-- The Bears apparently have given up chasing troubled ex-Giants WR Plaxico Burress.

Copyright 2009 - Wait Til Next Century.

Is the headache worth a good wide receiver?

One of two potential headache players could be headed to Chicago in the coming weeks.

The Bears, along with the Jets and Buccaneers, are reportedly the main teams interested in signing former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Burress, as you may recall, missed the last five games of the 2008 season after he shot himself in the leg while at a nightclub, leading to his eventually being released by the Giants on April 3. He now faces up to 3.5 years in prison on a weapons charge after the incident.

His stats are something to behold. While his 2008 season was basically a wash-out thanks to the gunshot, in 2007 he caught 70 passed for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns while helping lead the Giants to their upset Super Bowl win over the then-undefeated New England Patriots.

Right now, his attorney is trying to work out a deal that will at least keep Burress out of jail for the 2009 season, and possibly get the weapons charge reduced to the point where he only get probation. That includes Monday's news that the case was delayed until Sept. 23. There also is the possibility that Commissioner Roger Goodell could suspend Burress for all or part of the season for the incident.

If not Burress, then who does new QB Jay Cutler get to throw to? ESPN's Jeff Dickerson reports that while early reviews of the Bears' current receiving corp of Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Brandon Rideau and Johnny Knox have been good so far, they are at best unprovable and at worst not going to be good enough targets for Cutler.

One possibility could be former Jaguars' WR Matt Jones, who caught 65 passes for 761 yards last year. He was released by the Jaguars after he got busted for possession of cocaine, and likely will avoid suspension by the NFL higher-ups, according to the Chicago Sun-Times and ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

Like I mentioned on Friday, Chicago is a town known for embracing controversial and potentially troubled athletes.

Dennis Rodman, for example, spent three years in Chicago with the Bulls, from the 1995-96 to 1997-98 seasons. He was, shall we say, colorful and controversial, doing everything from kicking a cameraman during a game to wearing a wedding dress to promote his autobiography in 1996.

However, he was a beast on the boards, averaging more than 15 rebounds a game as he played a big role in helping the Bulls win NBA titles all three years he was in town.

The Bears aren't looking for any choirboys, though it would be nice to hear what your wide receiver is up to on the practice field rather than the courtroom or commissioner's office.

Could Burress or Jones be the answer? Jones has the potential, mainly because he is healthy and not nearly as distracted as Burress, who with delays, likely will have the prospect of prison time hanging over his head for the season and potentially making him largely ineffective. That is also assuming he remains healthy and that the 2007 season was not a fluke.

Copyright 2009 - Wait Til Next Century

Da notebook - March 24, 2008

Blackhawks
-- The business section in Sunday's Chicago Tribune has an interesting look at new Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz, who took over the team when his father, Bill Wirtz, died in October. In the last five months, he had revitalized the team, hiring president John McDonough away from the Cubs and beginning to restoke interest in hockey in a place where many thought it was dead.

-- The team also is near a deal to televise all 82 of its games next season, reports the Tribune's Teddy Greenstein. WGN and WPWR-50 are two possible stations to pick up the 30-odd games not currently covered by Comcast SportsNet and Versus

-- It was a good day as the Hawks beat St. Louis 5-4 on an overtime goal by Patrick Kane. The win puts Chicago within four points of the eighth and final Western Conference playoff with only six games to play

Cubs
-- In Mesa, Ariz., it looks like Kerry Wood has won the Cubs' closer job. At least until he gets hurt again.

-- At the same time, manager Lou Pinella is scheduled to announce on Monday whether Jason Marquis won a job in the starting rotation over former Ryan Dempster or new/old pickup Jon Lieber.

-- An injury to lefthander Scott Eyre and some suddenly free agent outfielders could lead to the Cubs picking up some centerfield depth, says the Sun-Times.

White Sox
-- The Sox will honor former great Harold Baines with a statue outside of U.S. Cellular Field on July 20, according to the Tribune.

Bulls
-- The Sun-Times' Jay Mariotti comments on the Bulls' plans to raise ticket prices even as the team continues to tank its season away in true Reinsdorf fashion and implodes in every unimagible way outside of the Knicks.

Iowa State & Iowa
-- The Cyclones' women's basketball team advanced past the first round Saturday, beating Georgia Tech in Des Moines. They play C. Vivian Stringer's Rutgers squad today.

-- Meanwhile, the Iowa women are out of the NCAA tournament after losing to Georgia in Norfolk, Va., while the Iowa wrestling team claims its first national title since 2000.

Big Ben is gone!

The Bulls, as close to imploding as they are (if they haven't already), made a big move earlier today, trading away Big Ben Wallace to Cleveland as part of an 11-player deal also involving Seattle.

In the deal, according to the Chicago Tribune:

The Cavs get Wallace, Joe Smith and a second-round pick from the Bulls as well as Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West from the SuperSonics. The SuperSonics gets Adrian Griffin from the Bulls and Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall from Cleveland. The Bulls in return get Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown from Cleveland. Of course, this is assuming the league, which K.C. Johnson of the Tribune expects it will.

In the end, this could be a good deal, but it has its bad points.

First, the Bulls give up on Wallace, who was brought in before the 2006-07 season for $60 million from the Pistons. Big Ben produced 6.4 points and 10.7 rebounds a game in his first year as a Bull, but dropped to 5.1 points and 8.8 boards this year. He had expected to be the missing piece in providing a quality big man to push Chicago back into championship contention since the Michael Jordan era.

The Bulls also lose out on Joe Smith, who was averaging 11.2 points a game and providing some nice stability and veteran leadership to a young team.

Both those guys go to defending conference champs Cleveland, who are currently fifth in the playoff seeding. Lebron James gets a solid big man to help him on the boards, and they get that same veteran leadership.

In return, the Bulls gets center Drew Gooden and guard Larry Hughes. I used to hate Gooden with a passion while I was attending Iowa State and he was starring at Kansas. Of course, I could probably say the same for Kirk Hinrich, and look where he wound up. Gooden was averaging 11.3 points and 8.3 rebounds a game. The Bulls trade a couple of rebounds for some more scoring than they had with Wallace. Plus, Big Drew is seven years younger than Wallace, and will be able to contribute more on a young team.

Larry Hughes could work or not (how's that for decisive!). The 9-year veteran is averaging 12.3 in 32 minutes a game, but is shooting about 38 percent from the field. His shot selection has been so horrid at times that a Cavs fan site called "Hey Larry Hughes, Please Stop Taking So Many Bad Shots" with the actual address of heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com was created (and they are now celebrating). Plus, Hughes has a monstrous contract ($12.3 million) and could push out Ben Gordon, who is a restricted free agent after this season. Plus Hinrich makes $10 million next season, Johnson said in the Tribune, so this is getting expensive.

It's a matter of waiting and seeing if owner Jerry Reinsdorf has raised the white flag again with John Paxson.

Media pokes, dumb team names, etc.

With a slow time as we await the Super Bowl and the start of spring training, with a little bit of basketball and other sports thrown in, it's time for some links.

-- The WNBA announced today that its newest franchise will be the Atlanta Dream. According to a story on the new Dream Web site, the nickname was chosen because "Atlanta is a city of dreamers and this week we have had time to reflect on what it means to dream and what can happen when you do," according to owner Ron Terwilliger.

All this does is continue to make a mockery of a league that despite the deep-pocketed support of the obviously more successful NBA, still continues to struggle for respect as it enters its 12th season. After all, we're talking about a league that already has team names like the Chicago Sky (Motto: Stand tall), Detroit Shock (which goes for the double dumb title with a "HERstory" section on its Web site) and Connecticut Sun (named for the casino the team plays at).

Then again, we are talking about the NBA here, with its own, um, interesting names like the Utah Jazz (granted, the end result of the move of a team from New Orleans, but it doesn't make sense now), the Miami Heat (old joke on this is what's the singular of "Heat?" Hot?) and and its D-League teams like the Iowa Energy (it could've been worse - Corncobs was a finalist) and Bakersfield Jam (it sounds like a bad video game name).

I guess all of the cool animal names have been taken (Hold that thought - The Chicago Wolves' parent team is the Atlanta Thrashers, a rather non-threatening bird that I believe was chosen by founder and environmentalist Ted Turner because it is a threatened species).

-- Another poke at the New York-Boston regional network otherwise known as ESPN and other like-minded networks, from Pray for Mojo.

-- I watched much of last night's Bulls-Pacers game while checking out the NBA League Pass free preview on DirectTV. The game, won by the Bulls 108-95, came courtesy of 38 points from Kirk Hinrich and with two of their better players, Luol Deng and Ben Gordon, out with injuries.

This has been what can be kindly called an inconsistent season from a team considered to be a favorite to go the NBA Finals this year. In January alone, they've had great wins over Miami (126-96 on Jan. 16) and Detroit (97-81 on Jan. 19)., but losses to freakin' Atlanta and a pathetic home loss on Jan. 18 to Golden State.

But maybe a turnaround is possible. The team nearly disintegrated earlier this month when rookie Joakim Noah was suspended for one game for fighting with interim coach Jim Boylan, then had the sentenced lengthened to two games by a vote of the veteran players. Noah then apparently had a blowup with veteran Ben Wallace following a 102-88 loss to Orlando on Jan. 16.

The more I think of this chain of events, the more I get to thinking about last year, when Cubs pitchers Carlos Zambrano and catcher Michael Barrett fought in the dugout and clubhouse on June 1 and manager Lou Pinella was tossed from the game the next day. The Cubs, mired in a 6-15 slide at the time, turned things around and managed to win the NL Central title in the last weekend of the season.

Granted, the Cubs completely shut down in the playoffs, getting swept in a quick three games by Arizona (and denying me a chance to watch some Cubs playoff baseball with my newborn son at home). Hopefully, we won't see that with the Bulls.

Then again, they could just prove me wrong and we'll be paying so much attention to the Cubs and the Bears' draft in April that we won't care about the Bulls by then.