Pai Mei

July 7th, 2010 at 5:26 PM ^

Boozer is a real good player when healthy. Bulls have a very good team.

Hate to see all these teams Eastern Conferance improve and the Pistons unable to do anything...

Plegerize

July 7th, 2010 at 6:31 PM ^

 I agree. If he sticks in Cleveland he is only trapping himself into something he wanted to get out of these past 7 years and that's a small market team with no chance of winning a championship.

Lebron only stands to lose if he sticks with the Cavs. Chicago became much better with Boozer today and with some work Miami will be competitive as well. Add to that the Celtics and the Magic remaining the teams to beat right now and to stick with Cleveland would be only see Lebron continue to struggle to win.

That is such a solid group of 3 right now, that even without Lebron they have a better chance of going to the Finals then a Lebron-led Cavs team.

Yinka Double Dare

July 7th, 2010 at 5:44 PM ^

Apparently, barring a surprise on the cap number, they would still have room for LeBron's max deal.

I like the deal.  The Bulls have been looking for years for a 4 who can actually score in the post, and Boozer can do that.  I was worried they'd actually give a max deal to Boozer, and they didn't.  He's worth good money.  He wasn't worth the max.

Steve Lorenz

July 7th, 2010 at 5:39 PM ^

Wondering how LeBron could go back to Cleveland knowing that he's not going to get a Pippen-level player to run with at this point. He'd arguably be better off going to New York with Stoudemire at this point. 

Kal

July 7th, 2010 at 5:44 PM ^

I feel like Jamison can be a "Pippen level player" if given the chance to develop a seasons worth of chemistry with Lebron. The Cavs just need a true pass first PG that can bring up the ball and create lanes for them. Unfortunately Mo Williams does not fit into this category.

MichFan1997

July 7th, 2010 at 5:53 PM ^

I think I'd like my chances of going to battle with Noah, Boozer, and Rose much better than staying in Cleveland or going to New York. I'd be all about Chicago if I was LeBron. But I'm not, so......we wait and see.

UMaD

July 7th, 2010 at 6:01 PM ^

name the last champ team that won with a true PG.

There was Jason Williams with Miami.  Even he only played part time and Wade did most of the half court ball handling. You could arguably Billups was a true point but most considered him a bit of a combo guard (at least hat was his rep).  Besides that, its almost always a scorer (Parker) or a complementary type outside shooters (Kerr) or defensive oriented role players (Rondo).

Nash-type "true PGs" (distributers) rarely win titles.

Williams game fits well with Lebron, unfortunately he just isn't that good.  His main problem is defense.

Kal

July 7th, 2010 at 6:22 PM ^

Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, Rajon Rondo ability to get to the basket as well as kick the ball out is what makes them leagues ahead of Mo Williams, who really is just a ranged specialist and nothing more. I guess what I'm saying is Lebron needs to be able to play away from the ball more in order to escalate to the point where he can win titles. The teams that win it without these kind of guards usually have a dominant force down low (e.g younger Shaq, Gasol).

UMaD

July 7th, 2010 at 6:32 PM ^

Rondo was essentially a backup to Eddie House when the Celtics won.  This year, the Celts lost largely because the Lakers didn't have to guard Rondo outside of 12 feet.  Parker and Billups are scorers first, distributers second.  Getting to the rim is valuable skill, but outside shooting and defense seem more important for PGs.  Not that Williams is a good defender...

The Cavs overall problem is the talent level of the supporting cast.  Besides Varejao, every other starter is below average for his position.  Lebron can't overcome that.

Agree about elite bigs.  I'd say THAT is what the Cavs need to focus on, rather than finding a pass-first PG.  Jamison/Shaq/etc aren't good enough.

Kal

July 7th, 2010 at 6:44 PM ^

He was a rookie and led the Celtics team in assists in the 2008 finals. In the NBA, every point guard should have the ability to shoot from outside. It is essentially what cost the Celtics the finals this year, with Kobe able to double away from Rondo when he was on the perimeter.

Parker and Billups weren't the leading scorers on their own teams during their playoff runs, but both had the ability to pass, shoot, and drive. Not to mention they were all the floor generals and managed the tempo and called the plays for their team (as did Rondo). Mo Williams will never ascend to that status as a point guard.

UMaD

July 8th, 2010 at 12:36 AM ^

and then he'll get that role by default.

 Parker is a very good scoring PG but he isn't a good outside shooter and is pretty mediocre as a passer as well. Billups' team was a bit of an anomoly within the group of NBA champions. Don't get me wrong, they're both good players and excellent scorers, but their strength isn't passing, relative to what you called for initially (a distributing PG).

The bottom line is that most NBA champions haven't asked much from their PG  (Fisher/Rondo (rookie)/J.Williams/Kerr/Paxson/K.Smith/D.Johnson).  Usually, the key attributes are not turning the ball over, hitting outside shots, and playing tough D. 

The distributing PG that everyone likes to watch (Kidd, Stockton, Nash) have generally failed to win titles.  Sure its nice to have a do-it-all PG like DWill, Zeke, or CP3 but these guys aren't common place.

But Mo Williams isn't what kept Lebron from winning a title.   I'd focus on the other 3 positions if I was the Cavs management.

The Shredder

July 7th, 2010 at 6:46 PM ^

Putting Pippen and Jamison in the same sentence is laughable at best. Pippen's a NBA top 50 player who could defend and run the floor with the best is far and away better than Jamison who is a good solid NBA player but that's it. In no way Lebron thinks Jamison is a reason for staying. 

Kal

July 7th, 2010 at 8:21 PM ^

.. One of the best perimeter defenders to ever play the game. Length, quick hands, and always able to close out on his man in a timely manner. Think Ron Artest + Tayshaun Prince + Bruce Bowen with more offensive ability then those 3. At the time when they made that list, he was definitely top 50. The sheer volume of talent that has entered the league since then would easily displace that if they were to make another top 50 list however.

Yinka Double Dare

July 7th, 2010 at 9:34 PM ^

If Hue Hollins doesn't make one of the worst calls in the history of the NBA (and one of the worst in sports period), the Bulls very likely would have been in the Finals in the year Jordan was retired.  Pippen was really freaking good, and belonged on the Top 50 list -- many people actually underrate him because he was in Jordan's shadow for his entire prime.

Pippen's averages in the year without Jordan: 22 pts, 8.7 reb, 5.6 ast, 2.9 stl, 0.8 blk.  Best perimeter defender in the league, could guard anyone from point guards to power forwards, and basically played the point himself.

king_kerridge

July 7th, 2010 at 6:00 PM ^

It will be interesting to see how Amare and Boozer play without the hall of fame point guards that made them great.

Obviously boozer is in a better situation with Rose, but I think the Knicks made a horrible decision giving Amare max money.

I still think that the best complementary player for Lebron is a lights-out shooter who can spread the floor and opens up the middle. 

mattbern

July 7th, 2010 at 6:25 PM ^

I dont think it was a mistake to give Amar'e the max.  You pay what you gotta pay to get the players you need.  Not only did the knicks need a superstar, but they needed to make a move to show that they are committed to building a better team.  When you have the money its more about getting your guy than worrying about how much youre spending.  Also, if the Knicks didnt give him the max, another team would have.

maineandblue

July 7th, 2010 at 8:51 PM ^

Yeah, I could see that comparison. The kid came into the league looking skinny, injury prone, and one-dimensional.  I'm surprised and impressed that he's done a great job bulking up (and will continue to do so) and has shown an ability to drive to the hoop with quickness, strength, and finishing ability. Hopefully he does that more consistently. Also impressed that he's got a high bball IQ and is becoming a great defender. Same can be said for Toney Douglas.

Huss

July 7th, 2010 at 6:02 PM ^

I'm sure glad we paid 100 million dollars to 2 bench players and cripple our cap room for the next few seasons during our hilarious rebuilding efforts!  Did I mention everyone sans-Lebron could have been on the Pistons roster a long time ago without any negotiations?  Bah.

Kal

July 7th, 2010 at 6:50 PM ^

I think this has been discussed, but Detroit isn't really considered a destination for the best players in the game. Competing with cities like Chicago, Miami, New York, and Los Angeles is almost impossible. At best we would've gotten Boozer out of this free agency, which I would've immensely disliked anyways. However, I will agree with you that Charlie V is probably the most overpaid player for his skill set in the NBA at the moment.

(I didn't neg you, for the record)

The Shredder

July 7th, 2010 at 6:52 PM ^

I like this pick up for the Bulls. It helps with low post scoring. I am a bit worried about his health and durability. We needed to sign someone and it was for alright price. Taj Gibson is a good young PF who could learn a bit from Boozer. Not sure if this helps much in the Lebron circus but it can't hurt(maybe it does after Boozer buried the cavs for the jazz). This thing has gotten so dragged out and dumb that I just want it to be over with. An hour ending on ESPN? For the love of god. Also for all the NBA haters who say... "Who watches the NBA anymore?" The answer is... A lot of people.