1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Boston Celtics
3. Orlando Magic
4. Miami Heat

It’s safe to predict that the team out of this list of 4 that takes best advantage of signing some of these available free agents is the team that has the upper hand in winning next years title. With that being said, let’s take a look at the free agents that are available this off-season that the Lakers could potentially snag.

Note: each free agent listed is an UNRESTRICTED free agent. There are actually more free agents available than this, but this list consists of those who could actually contribute to a team and make an impact. An example of a free agent who did not make this list is Devean George, who is unrestricted but lacks the dexterity to really impact a teams performance.

Big’s Available (unrestricted)

1. Joe Smith
2. Theo Ratliff
3. Brad Miller
4. Shaquille O’Neal
5. Zydrunas Ilgauskas
6. Kwame Brown
7. Ben Wallace
8. Craig Smith
9. Udonis Haslem
10. Kurt Thomas
11. Al Harrington
12. Etan Thomas
13. Louis Amundson

Guards Available (unrestricted)

1. Marquis Daniels
2. Tony Allen
3. Nate Robinson
4. Larry Hughes
5. Acie Law
6. Ronald Murray
7. Jannero Pargo
8. Luther Head
9. Earl Watson
10. Rafer Alston
11. Luke Ridnour
12. Eddie House
13. Allen Iverson

Wings Available (unrestricted)

1. Mike Miller
2. Josh Howard
3. Richard Jefferson
4. Matt Barnes
5. Tracy McGrady
6. Sasha Pavlovic
7. Michael Finley
8. Jerry Stackhouse
9. Quentin Richardson
10. Ime Udoka
11. Keith Bogans
12. Roger Mason
13. Rasual Butler
14. Ronnie Brewer
15. Raja Bell

source = http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FreeAgents-10-11

Players in Bold: the players in bold are those who I think would fit in well with this current Lakers roster. The rest could be good additions, but not nearly as good as those in bold. At least in my opinion. What are your thoughts? Which free agents do you think the Lakers should pick up?

The Challenge = The Lakers Salary Cap Situation

The Los Angeles Lakers have some serious salary cap issues. From last year alone it is estimated that Dr. Buss will have to pay $21.4 million in Luxury Tax to the league offices by July 23rd. That’s quite a bit of money! A few players come off the books including Adam Morrison, Jordan Farmar, and Shannon Brown. But the Lakers are still way over the new Salary Cap.

The new Salary Cap is $58,044,000. The luxuy tax does not actually set in until the $70,307,000 mark. What happens if the Lakers go over the Luxeuy Tax limit of $70 million? Basically they will have to pay 1 tax dollar for every dollar they are over the limit. So lets look at the Lakers current payroll for this upcoming 2010-11 season:

• Kobe Bryant – $24,806,250
• Pau Gasol – $17,822,187
• Andrew Bynum – $13,842,332
• Lamar Odom – $8,200,000
• Ron Artest – $6,322,320
• Sasha Vuyacic – $5,475,113
• Luke Walton – $5,260,000
• Total = $81,728,202

source = http://hoopshype.com/salaries/la_lakers.htm

This puts the Lakers $11,421,202 over the luxary cap already!!! Notice that this does not include guard/locker room leader Derek Fisher. He still NEEDS to be resigned.

Now there is something called the MLE (mid level expection) which is a limit of $5.765 million that a team can use to sign a player at “an average” salary which will not affect the salary/luxury tax limit. The Laker just used $4 million of that up with the signing of point guard Steve Blake, leaving them only $1.765 million left on their MLE.

So What Can The Lakers Do?

Well really it all depends on how you look at it. If it were basically any other organization the answer would be NOTHING, they are already way over the cap. But we all know how dedicated to winning and how competitive Dr. Jerry Buss is with his Lakers. So much so that he was willing to spend $20 million in luxury tax fees last year to repeat as champs.

If the Lakers do what they did last year, they essentially could spend another $10 Million in resigning Derek Fisher ($4 mill or so) and 2 other free agents (seen in list above). Or they could find a way to convice players like Kobe, Pau, Bynum, and Odom to take some pay cuts in order to bring in a few more guys.

Either way they do it, if the Lakers want to 3-peat they are going to have to find a way to bring back Derek Fisher for his leadership and sign someone to backup Ron Artest at the small forward position if they want to beat a team like the Miami Heat in the finals.

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The Big 3 Will Not Be Enough

As entertaining as the combination of Bosh, Wade, & LeBron will be it alone will not be good enough to win a championship. There are some serious holes in this Miami roster. Can Mario Chalmers be a starting point guard for a championship caliber team? Who will play in the front-court with Bosh that will give them more length and size to compete with bigger teams like the Lakers, Celtics, and Magic?

Just a single answer to just 1 of these questions could result in the Heat reaching the cap. And what about the bench? Miami is going to need at least 3 solid players at key positions to come off the bench and be not just good, but strong contributors. Most likely they will need a big man, a swing man, and a point guard to come off the bench and provide huge contributions throughout the season.

The 2008 Boston Celtic Comparison

Everybody in the media is comparing this big three (naturally) to the big 3 compiled in Boston back in 2008 that resulted in a championship. Not so fast “experts!” Boston had a point guard by the name of Rajon Rondo that provided a 4th big threat for the C’s. Even though many of us at the time didn’t think much of Rondo, he became arguably one of the best PG’s in the league. Is this something that Mario Chalmers can pull off? That’s going to be quite a stretch. And I doubt it will happen.

Let’s not forget 3-point shooting. Boston in 2008 had a ton of it. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Eddie House, and James Posey could all light it up from 3 point range. This Miami team doesn’t have any of that yet. And with drivers and slashers like Wade and LeBron, they HAVE to have 3 point threats to spread the floor.

It Won’t Be Enough…This Year At Least

There’s no doubt Pat Riley will be able to lure a few solid veteran players down to Miami for minimums simply based off the opportunity to play with this Miami “Super Team.” But in the end it won’t be enough to win a championship…at least in the 2010-11 season that is. Look for it to take till after this season for LeBron to get a ring in Miami.

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Can’t get a ring? How about a twitter account instead?

The twitter account @KingJames already has almost 50,000 followers, and still hasn’t been verified by Twitter. However, all kinds of people in the know are saying it’s him, and it is coming at a time when the King is expected to announce where he is moving his throne, if at all. As with most celebrities, I’m sure we’ll all be waiting with baited breath to see what he tweets from the toilet.

Update:

The account is verified and up to 116,000 followers. The King’s epic first tweet:
Hello World, the Real King James is in the Building “Finally”. My Brother @oneandonlycp3 gas’d me up to jump on board so I’m here. Haaaa
So classic.

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We’ll take a look at a number of factors that go into making a great point guard: shooting, passing/playmaking, defense, durability and leadership. Before I go any further, I have to point out that steals are the most overrated defensive statistic. I’ve watched too many players labeled as “good defenders” (because of their steals) attempt a risky steal, fail, and then leave their man open for an easy bucket. A great defender will get steals, don’t get me wrong. They will also play solid man on man defense and make the team better defensively.

Passing/playmaking will look at assists, turnovers, and a few subjective fields. It’s not as cut and dry because you could look at Baron Davis’ 8 assists per game and nearly a 3:1 assist/turnover ratio and believe that he’s a great point guard. You would then be hit in the face by all the members of the Clippers for thinking that because sometimes stats are overrated.

In shooting, in addition to other factors, we’ll look at True Shooting Percentage (TS%) which takes into consideration how well you shoot from short and long range. It’s compounded by your Free Throw % and accuracy from beyond the 3 point line with attempts factored in. The league average is about 54%.

Leadership is admittedly more subjective but it’s impact isn’t less important. Case in point: Chauncey Billups compared to Allen Iverson. Under the reins of Iverson, Denver couldn’t squeeze out of the 1st round and the team did not mature. Making the trade for Billups instantly promoted the Nuggets to contenders in the Western Conference because of the leadership that Billups brought.

Durability is obviously a huge factor because you can’t say that Grant Hill was one of the best NBA players ever just because he had a few great seasons and was incredibly talented. He’s had more injury-plagued seasons than healthy ones which is a shame, but it also brings down his overall stock.

Rajon Rondo

During the 2010 NBA Playoffs, we’ve watched Rondo tear up the Heat and Cavaliers. He seemed to be hit with a couple of minor injuries that brought him down from “superhuman” status while playing the Magic but no one can doubt he has special talent after watching him play.

As a shooter, Rondo struggles…mightily. His TS% is 54% (which is average) but it’s deceiving. He converts at well above the league average right around the rim and out to about 15 foot shots. Why does that make him a bad shooter? It doesn’t actually, he’s deadly when he’s close to the rim. However, if he’s facing a long 2 pointer or a 3, you can put down a lawn chair and grab a drink while he shoots because he’s not a threat from there.

For many guards, fouling them while driving to the rim or on short shots is painful because of their high FT% (aka, Billups & Nash shoot over 90% from the line). However, fouling Rondo doesn’t seem like the worst idea in the world since he converts a horrid 61% of his free throws.

As a passer & playmaker, Rondo has special talent. He averaged nearly 10 assists this year with a respectable 3.23:1 assist/turnover ratio. He’s so quick and athletic that he can penetrate the lane, draw defenders to him, and see the open man for easy layups/dunks. That’s a dream come true for most teams.

Rondo led the NBA in steals (2.3/game) this year. His effort in steals occasion has lead to easy points for the offense but Rondo has also brought great defensive intensity all around the floor. His quickness means he won’t frequently get beat off the dribble but his weakness is his size. Rondo measures 6’1 and maybe 170 pounds. PGs like Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook, and even Jason Kidd or Andre Miller can overpower Rondo and take it to him.

Rondo has played in at least 77 games in all of his 4 seasons and given his athleticism, he appears to be able to withstand minor injuries and be a durable player.

There have been rumors of locker room issues in regards to Rondo during the past 2 post-seasons which can hardly make for a good leader. The Celtics are lucky to already have players serving as good leaders but you have to wonder if Rondo were on a different team would his baggage be a detriment to the team.

Steve Nash

He is the most ridiculous man in the world. He also wins the award for the most beatings taken in the playoffs without missing significant game time. Did I mention he’s 36 years old? Nash set an NBA record this year for the most assists (892) in a season for a 36 year old. He’s only gotten better with age…but it’ll be interesting to see when time starts taking it’s toll. Sadly, it will be much sooner, rather than later.

As a shooter, there is no better. In fact, John Hollinger of ESPN.com outlined the greatest shooters of all time in the NBA and Steve Nash was atop that list. Nash has posted a record 4 seasons (and nearly 2 more seasons missing by only hundredths of a percentage) of 50/40/90. Over 50% from the field, 40% from 3P, and 90% from the free throw line. He shoots well from short and long, can convert from pick and roll, or as a spot-up shooter. His size and athleticism do not give him many chances to beat opponents off the dribble but he makes up for it in basketball IQ.

As a passer/playmaker he is incredibly proficient. Because of his playmaking abilities he frequently creates open shots for his teammates. He has regularly averaged over 11 assist/game and his assist/turnover ratio is nearly always around 3:1. His skill at running pick and roll has always been deadly at creating offense for himself and his team. His turnover rate is high though, and it’s one area that has worsened with time.

Steve Nash’s biggest weakness is on defense. He has always been labeled a defensive liability and it’s well-deserved. His size (6’3, 178 lbs) has him skinny and unable to defend bigger stronger guards. His offensive quickness has not translated on the defensive end and generally loses steps to quicker, smaller guards. Against bigger guards, they simply can post up on him and get easy inside shots. Nash has only averaged better than 1 steal/game twice in a 13 year career and one year went 60 games without blocking a shot. Ok, I made up that last stat but in the ’07-08 season he only blocked 5 shots…total.

The early years of Steve Nash’s career were laden with injury but he has become more durable as he’s gotten older…which is rare. Over the past 10 years he generally misses only about 5 games a year.

He has received 2 MVP awards combined with good team play, a veteran mentality with a deceptively young style of play makes him a great leader. His teammates look up to him. If he were better defensively, I’d be clamoring for him to be lauded as the Best Point Guard Ever.

Chris Paul

Up until the 2009-2010 season, the world had declared Chris Paul to be the best point guard in the league..and perhaps for good reason. In 2009 Chris Paul finished 2nd in voting for MVP and nearly lead the league in PER. Some remained skeptical as there are a lot of uncertainties when it comes to CP3.

It’s hard to look at the 2009-2010 season as a sample because Paul suffered several injuries for nearly the entire season and saw his statistics drop in virtually all categories as a result. However, this was not his first season dealing with injuries and it seems like we might see a trend from Chris Paul in this regard. He missed a chunk of his rookie season with injuries as well. Given his small stature and strength (6’0, 175 lbs) I have a hard time believing he can play a dozen years at his pace without facing a number of trying injuries.

Overall, Chris Paul’s offensive skills are superb. He’s quick and athletic which allows for stop-and-go dribbling and penetration into the paint. He’s proficient at the running teardrop floater in the lane. He has the ability to wear down his defender with his skills in handling the ball and from there can create plays for himself and his team.

New Orleans’ offense is based solely around Chris Paul. Nearly half of all points scored in any given Hornets’ game are either scored by or assisted by Chris Paul. It’s difficult to believe that an offensive such as this wouldn’t pad CP3′s stats. Before this year New Orleans could barely afford to keep CP3 off the court as no one seemed to be able to score without him on the court. This offensive padding seemed hard to prove w/ Chris Paul continually playing. This changed, however, in the 2009 draft when the Hornets drafted Darren Collison out of UCLA.

Collison is built almost exactly like Chris Paul and plays a very similar game. While he projects to be a solid point guard in the league it appears that his run this past season was also inflated by New Orleans’ offensive style. While Paul was out with injuries Collison averaged 22 points and 9 assists per game which would have lead all rookies in both categories had he started all season. Those numbers are markedly similar to Chris Paul’s so the question is are they a result of the style of offense or individual ability?

Chris Paul has developed into a good shooter over the past couple seasons…but was not always such a threat. His TS% has been close to 60% over the past few seasons and has improved his range considerably. For standing only 6 feet tall he finds his shot blocked at a remarkably low rate: only 3-4%. The league average is nearly 6%.

CP3 has been at the top of the assists leaderboard in the NBA for 3 seasons now. His floor vision and passing ability are among the best in the NBA. What’s more incredible is that his turnover rate is incredibly low for a point guard and his assist/turnover ratio generally hovers near 4:1. Chris Paul’s greatest skill is his ability to take care of the ball and deliver it to his teammates.

Chris Paul lead the league in steals for 2 seasons in a row which gave him All-Defense team honors. That being said, he’s not a great defender. He has quick hands and feet which nets him steals but he takes a lot of risks when attempting steals and sometimes it hurts his team as a result. I’d much rather see him play tight defense force a bad shot taken than watch him make a play for a steal and draw a foul or give up an easy play.

I think Chris Paul’s approach to defense is a lazy one: if he can get the steal then great! If not, he hopes that someone else can pick up his slack when his guy loses him. In addition, his size makes him unable to guard the bigger guards in the league which is why Deron Williams has always dominated the matchup between the two. Teams with a larger backcourt give the Hornets a lot of issues because the Hornets give up a lot of size and basketball is all about exploiting mis-matches. The Oklahoma City Thunder have 2 bigger guards as their starting backcourt (Russell Westbrook at 6’3 and Thabo Sefalosha at 6’7) and I can’t see the Hornets backcourt able to contain that size.

I’m not sure how Chris Paul’s defensive mentality affects his teammates but he does seem like a good leader. He definitely has the killer instinct you need to truly be a great NBA player. Nevertheless, his team has not been able to advance past the 2nd round of the playoffs and failed to make the playoffs this year.

Deron Williams

Deron Williams plays in one of the most structured offenses in the NBA with the Utah Jazz. It’s a far reach from the let-Chris-Paul-run-around offense that New Orleans employs. However, it would be incredibly interesting to see Chris Paul and Deron Williams switch teams and see what kind of numbers they would each put up in the other’s system.

That being said, offensively, Deron Williams is dangerous in any situation. His ability to lose defenders with his crossover is extraordinary. Just ask Jason Terry. Deron Williams can run the pick and roll with the best of them and is quick and strong enough to blow by defenders and drive to the rim. Or if his defenders so dare he can pull up for a jumper and get it done that way as well. He doesn’t quite have the raw athleticism that Derrick Rose has but Rose can’t hold a candle to Williams’ jumpshot.

While Steve Nash and Chauncey Billups might be better shooters Deron Williams is better than average from almost any range and has a TS% of around 57-59%.

DWill has that killer instinct and elevates his game when needed. He is soft-spoken which may come across as not being aggressive but he is definitely the leader of the Jazz and the players all respect him.

On defense, DWill has always been underrated. He is quite capable of playing lockdown defense and with his size he can defend even some of the bigger guards in the league (Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy). He has good hands and has always averaged better than 1 steal/game. His omission to an All-Defense team is almost as unbelievable as only being selected to 1 All Star team.

He size and strength have made him more durable than many point guards. DWill has suffered only 1 injury in 2008 that caused him to miss more than a couple games. During the 2009-2010 season he weathered a number of minor injuries throughout the season and still managed to maintain good stats.

As a playmaker, he has phenomenal floor vision. The Jazz’ offense is directed around finding easy layups and dunks for players cutting to the basket. Time and time again Williams finds those players with ease. His strength and speed enables him to get into the lane where he punishes the other team with strong finishes or dishing to a cutting teammate.

DWill generally averages 10-11 assists/game with an assist/turnover ratio of just over 3:1 which is very good. Notwithstanding, he doesn’t take care of the ball as well as Chris Paul. In this category, he has the most room for improvement. But he’s only 25 years old, his best years are yet to come. While the same can be said about Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo, they are still behind Deron Williams in a very close race.

Deron Williams is the most complete point guard in the NBA. Does that mean the same as “best”? Most definitely. When you look at total package and abilities, no point guard can do everything Deron Williams can as competently. Some PGs are better at one thing or another, but no one is as complete.

Basketball is a multi-faceted sport. The best offensive players don’t make the best overall players because offense and defense are required from all players. If you wanted offense only, you might go with Steve Nash or Chris Paul as your #1 choice but then you lose out on the defensive end. No other point guard in the NBA can do everything as well as Deron Williams can. For this reason, Deron Williams is the best point guard on the planet.

Neil muses about the Utah Jazz for the UpperBowlJazzFan. If you disagree or want to debates sports follow him @UpperBowlJazzFan and for all else @iNeils.

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The Pierce vs. Artest Matchup

The last time the Lakers played the Celtics in the Finals, L.A had nobody to matchup defensively with Paul Pierce. Unless you consider Luke Walton and Vladamir Radmanovic good matchups? Consequently Pierce had a huge series and was the single biggest nightmare for the Lakers in that series.

This time around it will be different with Ron Artest in the mix. His defensive assignment will be to harass Paul Pierce and keep his offensive productivity low by forcing him into contested, low percentage shots. Expect this matchup to pay huge dividends for the Lakers in this series. Artest’s combination of strength of foot speed is really going to bother Pierce.

Andrew Bynum in the Middle

This will be one of the bigger stories going into this years NBA Finals. How is Bynum’s right knee? Andrew Bynum says he will be able to contribute about 20-24 minutes a night for L.A in this series. His size and length is important to keep guys like Rondo and Tony Allen out of the paint and to help win the rebounding battle with Perkins and Garnett. Even though he’s injured, and it will only be 20 minutes per game or so, expect Andrew Bynum’s presence in the middle to change the landscape of this series and give Boston some serious problems.

The Bench Mobs For Both Teams

The Celtics have a pretty good bench. It does however pale in comparison to what the Lakers just had to deal with in the Phoenix Suns and their strong 5-man bench rotation. The Celtics have 3 players they refer to off the bench with regularity in Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen, and Glen “Big Baby” Davis. The other 4 bench players are a little more limited in their time to play and in their impacts in the game. These being Michael Finley, Marquies Daniels, Shelden Williams, and Nate Robinson. Althought lately Nate Robinson has become more of an impact player for them.

The Lakers also have their own 3 they rely on off the bench in Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar (who’s playing great right now) and Shannon Brown. Less dependable but still available off the bench for L.A include Luke Walton, Sasha Vuyacic, and Josh Powell. These benches are quite even between the two teams as you can see. The first key will be how well Lamar Odom plays, as he is by far the most talented and skilled of the bench players on both sides and stands to have the biggest impact.

The second key is who will be the key 4th bench player. Will it be Nate Robinson for Boston? Will it be Sasha Vuyacic for L.A? Something very interesting to watch out for. My prediction is that it will be Vuyacic for L.A and that he will have a great series shooting from beyond the 3-point line.

Rondo & Allen vs. Bryant & Fisher

The battle of the backcourt. Expect to see Kobe Bryant defending Rajon Rondo at times to try and keep him out of the paint while Fisher gets busy chasing Ray Allen around screens. I think these defensive matchups favor the Lakers more than people actually think.

As far as offense goes, expect Kobe Bryant to continue his dominance. In 2008 the Celtics would throw several defenders at Kobe in a single game including Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Tony Allen, and James Posey. Posey would get most of the defensive assignment with a ton of front-court help behind him. This time around it’s different. Tony Allen is not tall enough or good enough to defend Kobe. The great defensive play of James Posey is no longer in Boston. So Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are left to do the job themselves. Expect Kobe to take full advantage of these matchups and force Allen and Pierce to spend alot of energy trying to stop him.

Garnett vs. Gasol

This should be one of the more exciting matchups to watch. Pau Gasol feels he has something to prove after being out played and out classed in 2008 by Garnett. Garnett is a little banged up and a little older, and Gasol should be able to take advantage of these two discrepancies. The key though will be whether or not Gasol who can be soft at times, can match the intensity (and sometimes insanity) of Kevin Garnett.

Home Court Advantage

The Lakers are undefeated at home in this years playoffs. And they get home court in this series unlike the 2008 series against the Celtics. This will have a huge impact in the series. The Lakers will have a chance to go up not just 1-0, but 2-0 on Boston which will put the Lakers in a great position.

I expect that the Lakers will win the first two games at home, and then still 1 game in Boston before closing it out in game 6 at home.

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1. Stepping into Michael’s shoes

As a child, LeBron worshiped Michael Jordan. Now he has a very real chance to step into MJ’s shoes and pick up where he left off. Going to play in Chicago would be huge for King James. It may help him realize what he is- the future and the face of the NBA. Playing in Cleveland might have diluted his vision, but playing in Chicago would be one of the best things to help LeBron recapture his focus and become the champion we all know he will be.

2. Championships

In order to be considered to be the best player on the planet, LeBron is going to have to win some championships, and Chicago is the best suited team to get him to the NBA finals. Chicago has shown in the past few years that they are a force to be reckoned with. Adding LeBron will help them get what they’ve not had in the postseason recently- home court advantage. Putting LeBron in that locker room will almost guarantee increasing the size of the trophy case.

3. Supporting Cast: Derrick Rose/Joahkim Noah

Even though it seemed like the Bulls didn’t have much respect for the King during their playoff series this year, one can tell that Noah and Rose secretly wish that LeBron was on their side of the court. If the Bulls decide to keep these two killers, Chicago will be unstoppable with a royal addition. Derrick Rose seems to get every shot he wants and Noah is as dominant on defense as James himself. Throw in King James and you wont believe what the Bulls will do.

4. Leadership through the Post-Season.

We’ve seen LeBron power through the regular season year after year only to disintegrate in the post-season. Chase and I have long discussed the “killer instinct” as being something that you need to win a championship. Players like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett are key examples of players who are willing to sacrifice everything- family, positive press, health, friendships- to try and win rings. LeBron has shown us for the past 7 years that he lacks that instict, but Derrick Rose doesn’t. With LeBron to lead the team in the regular season, Derrick Rose can use his killer instinct to help carry the team the rest of the way. This is one of the things that Cleveland has always lacked- a leader to step up when the King isn’t able to.

5. Large Market

LeBron needs to be in a large market. New York is an obvious choice, biggest star on the biggest stage. But one cannot look past Chicago, a city with a tremendous sports tradition. LeBron would integrate seamlessly into the Midwest metropolis and bring them something they’ve lacked since they lost Jordan- Superstardom.

Lebron To Chicago Promo from LCJM on Vimeo.

Chris Kirkham is a professional blogger and video producer with a B.S. in Journalism. He hates the Lakers more than any team in any sport in any country on earth. Even more than the Patriots. You can follow him on Twitter, if you’d like, or argue with him in the comments below.

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vs. Heat

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vs. Celtics

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vs. Raptors

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vs. Bucks

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vs. Kings

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vs. Grizzlies

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After viewing these game winning shots, my question is to you which is your favorite? Which do you think is the most clutch? And do any 1 of these shots rank in the top clutch regular season shots of all time?

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1. It’s New York.

Would you rather live in a penthouse on the Upper East Side and play on the biggest stage in the world or live 30 minutes from your hometown in a city full of cursed sports franchises? New York loves LeBron and LeBron reciprocates. If the Knicks were to sign him, he’d keep doing what LeBron does- Amazing us. Only now he’d do it for one of the most well-known sports teams in the most well-known city in the world.

2. Supporting cast: David Lee/Toney Douglas

Everyone talks about how the Knicks will be a bad place for LeBron because there’s no one on the team. While it is true that the New York Knickerbockers have done everything they could to shred their roster and increase their cap room, they still have some solid players. David Lee is one of the hardest working centers in basketball, and, game in and game out, leaves everything he has on the court. After his rookie season, Toney Douglas is looking like he’s going to shape up to be a solid guard- especially with shooting around the perimeter. If you add LeBron to the equation, he can either dish it to his big man under the hoop or swing it out to his guard or take it to the hole himself. The best part- The team is young and has room to bring in another veteran player for LeBron.

3. Mike D’Antoni

D’Antoni is one of the most unique and clever coaches in the NBA, and his 7 second offense is perfect for LeBron. D’Antoni has been waiting for the 2010-11 season ever since he signed with the Knicks, because now he can start coaching a real team. Even if they don’t get LeBron, D’Antoni will turn whatever they end up with into a competitive powerhouse. Another plus is that D’Antoni and James already have a coach/player relationship after the 2008 Olympics, showing that they can work together and win.

4. Chasing the dream

Could you imagine having the God-given talent, charisma and body that LeBron James has and ending up thirty minutes from where you went to high school? Have you been back to your hometown and seen your old friends from high school that still hang out? They’re a regular bunch of winners, aren’t they? LeBron is haunted by the fact that he still lives at home essentially. He’s the face of modern basketball all over the world and he’s still living at home essentially. The boy has the skills and the drive to play anywhere in America, and you can see in his eyes that he wants to go where the stars shine brightest.

5. A King-Size Throne for a King-Size Ego

I may have already covered this in point one, but it should be underscored that the kid has game. Statistically speaking he is hands down the best player on the planet right now (especially if we leave all of that leadership and drive and intangible stuff out of the conversation). Moving LeBron to New York puts him in a prime position to be what he has always dreamed of being- the biggest star in the world. New York will cheer for him. There will be parades. He will have instant access to the world’s premier advertising agencies. He will constantly be available for cameos in movies, TV shows, commercials, ESPN headquarters. He will be the center of attention in the Big Apple. He could potentially bring NY their first basketball championship since 1973. As much as I’d like to think that there might be better opportunities for him elsewhere, New York will offer him one thing nothing else has yet- immortality.

Chris Kirkham is a professional blogger and video producer with a B.S. in Journalism. He hates the Lakers more than any team in any sport in any country on earth. Even more than the Patriots. You can follow him on Twitter, if you’d like, or argue with him in the comments below.

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Up next are the Phoenix Suns who just finished a surprising sweep of Tim Duncan and the Spurs. The Phoenix Suns come into this series hot, shooting over 40% from 3-point land. The Lakers took 3 out of 4 regular season games from the Suns this season. And this didn’t happen by chance or luck. There are some specific things they did in those 4 regular season match-ups that, if they do in this series should have no problem finishing the Suns off in 5 or 6 games.

1. Control Amare Stoudamire

Much like the Lakers were able to control Carlos Boozer with their length inside, the Lakers need to be able to control Amare. And they can. With their 3 7 Footers in Gasol, Bynum, and Odom the Lakers can prevent many of the buckets in the paint that Amare lives off of. Keeping Amare out of the paint offensively is the number 1 key to the Lakers success in this series.

2. No Answer For Gasol

Just like in the last series, there is no answer for Pau Gasol inside. The Suns throw around names like Robin Lopez, Jaron Collins, and that Amundsen guy. But come on now! Expect Pau Gasol to have a huge series yet again and to pretty much get whatever he wants inside the paint.

3. Offense Against the Zone

During the Lakers 4 match-ups with Phoenix this season, the Lakers had some trouble scoring against the Suns when Phoenix would break into a zone defense. Sometimes the Lakers have a lack of outside shooting on the floor and this can hurt them against a zone. This is where Sasha Vuyacic is important in this series. If he can shoot the ball well from the outside, he can help eliminate the effects of any zone defensive strategy.

4. Fronting of the Post

Much like the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Phoenix Suns like to try and take away your inside game by constantly fronting the post and placing a help defender right behind. It will be interesting to see what the ref’s do in this series. Kobe Bryant when in the post, likes to keep his elbows up high (good fundamentals by the way) and use great body position in order to shield off the defender when he’s trying to front. Consequently Jason Richardson, Grant Hill, and Jared Dudley are going to get many elbows in the grill. While these are not offensive fouls, it will be critical to the game as to how exactly the ref’s call this situation.

5. The Bench Play

This one as it stands (before the series) is a clear advantage to the Phoenix Suns. The Suns throw at you 5 guys. Dragic, Barbosa, Dudley, Amundson, and Frye. All 5 of these guys are major contributors. The Lakers really throw 3 guys at you in Odom, Brown, and Farmar with 2 extra guys who you are not sure what you will get from in Walton and Vuyacic. Can the Lakers 3 main bench guys outplay the Suns 5? This will be the biggest key to this series.

If you want to read a very detailed and insightful breakdown of the Bench match-up, read what Darius over at Forum Blue & Gold wrote.

6. Defending the Screen Roll

The screen roll is flat out tough to defend in the NBA. Now add Steve Nash to the mix. The guy is probably the greatest of all-time at running it. How the Lakers defend this will be critical. In the last series the Spurs would try and simply switch every screen roll and it worked against them. Tim Duncan’s foot speed just couldn’t keep up. This is where I think Gasol and Odom will be critical in this series. Darius at FB&G wrote another great piece breaking down the Lakers defense of the Suns.

7. The Play of Artest and Odom

Ok here’s the deal. The Suns have nobody, and I mean nobody who can compete with these 2 players on either side of the floor. These 2 guys have their opportunity in this series to put a huge stamp of this years championship run for the Lakers. Artest can help and roam as a defender in this series. It will be critical for him to chase off 3 point shooters and go from defending a big guy like Frye on a few plays, to defending Barbosa on another.

Odom had to beef it out with Paul Milsap (who is a BEAST by the way) all of last series. That is a challenge. But Amundsen and Frye should not be. They are good players yes. But nothing compared to Milsap of the Utah Jazz. Odom should completely dominate these 2 big man bench players for the Suns . If he does it could shorten the series for the Lakers.

8. Kobe, Kobe, and More Kobe

I keep hearing all this talk about Grant Hill and Jared Dudley and how they are going to defend and bother Kobe. Let’s not be ridiculous people. The Phoenix Suns have no match-up for Kobe Bryant whatsoever. In the last series you saw what a good defender like Wesley Mathews get torched game after game. The older legs of Grant Hill and slower legs of Jared Dudley are in huge trouble. Kobe will have his way in this series! Mark my words.

If the Lakers can hold strong in these 8 areas, the Lakers will win the series in 5 games. If they struggle in these areas it could go 7. All in all expect PJ to have the Lakers fine tuned and to win this series in 6.

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