Dear LeBron James (re: Contraction)

You wouldn't have been talking that contraction mess if you were still in Cleveland...

via ESPN:

LeBron James welcomes the New Jersey Nets and the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the NBA, and said that he never intended to advocate contraction in recent comments he made about the league's "watered down" talent level compared to the 1980s.

"That's crazy, because I had no idea what the word 'contraction' meant before I saw it on the Internet," James said after the Miami Heat's practice Monday. "I never even mentioned that. That word never even came out of my mouth. I was just saying how the league was back in the '80s and how it could be good again. I never said, 'Let's take some of the teams out.' "

James found himself Monday in a position of yet again having to clarify some controversial comments. On Thursday, he told reporters before the Heat's game against the Phoenix Suns that he would like to see more stars playing together instead of them being spread out throughout the league.

He also made specific references to the Nets and Timberwolves, including promising forward Kevin Love, in reference to the number of premier players toiling along with struggling teams. James was portrayed in some reports as advocating contraction and the loss of NBA jobs at a time when the league and players' association are haggling over a new collective bargaining agreement. James, who was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday, said he was speaking only in hypothetical terms when he suggested what it might be like to remove Love, the league's leading rebounder, from the struggling Timberwolves, or to see some of the Nets' better players on teams that could contend for a championship.

"Imagine if you could take Kevin Love off Minnesota and add him to another team and you shrink the [league]," James said Thursday. "Looking at some of the teams that aren't that great, you take Brook Lopez or you take Devin Harris off these teams that aren't that good right now and you add him to a team that could be really good. Not saying let's take New Jersey and let's take Minnesota out of the league. But hey, you guys are not stupid, I'm not stupid, it would be great for the league.

I always cringe when athletes begin trying to wax philosophical about the business side of sports, especially basketball and football players. For the most part, these fellows accomplished nothing in the way of education, and what few who do are not in positions high enough to warrant an opinion. Such is your case, oh verbose King James. LeBron, I'll admit it, most people were wrong about the Heat. You guys are doing pretty well right now, though the season is still young. Your move to the Miami Wades has turned into the ultimate sports media frenzy, with the sports world hinging on every play you make and every word you speak. The latter (your words), as profound as they may be when dealing with basketball, need to be chosen more carefully when dealing with off-court issues.

LeBron, you and the Heat have indeed made it so that no one can compete unless they begin stockpiling stars in a soccer-esque power struggle. You're essentially the Barca of basketball. Teams like the Timberwolves and Nets (just to keep your example going) that have promising talent but no superstars are constantly being blasted. While you guys may have highlights for days, your team is eventually going to get boring to watch, much like the league you imagined after contraction. What grinds my gears the most about your statement is that you didn't even know what contraction means! C'mon son... Didn't Gloria ever tell you not to use a word if you don't know the definition? Yes, you would've caught a little bit of crap if you admitted to not knowing, but that's better than making a base statement, then having to retract it.

Just because the league is now a cakewalk for you and Chris Wade Bosh, it doesn't mean certain teams shouldn't have a fighting chance. Lord knows you and your boys were some of those players who probably would've wasted their careers if you didn't show up at D-Wade's doorstep. And who's to say that Kevin Love won't turn into an unstoppable force (unlikely, but a necessary comparison) by the end of the season? Who's to say Devin Harris and Brook Lopez won't develop a chemistry like Magic and Kareem (also unlikely)? Who's to say the Nets won't sweep you guys (highly unlikely, as well) in the Playoffs? The point is, LeBron, that you're IN the league. Talking about the league as if you're an GM isn't your place. Play the game and leave the business to Jay-Z and Prokhorov, unless it has to do with sneakers or Dr. Dre commercials.

Lastly, Bron, the league is far from 'watered-down'. For the first time in a while, I can say that every team has considerable talent. Maybe not every team is capable of running others off the court every game like your team, but on any given night, I guarantee Kevin Love and Mike Beasley (who's killing) can shock you guys. This is the NBA, LeBron. The same league that the 2007 Golden State Warriors roughed up the #1 seed Mavericks... The same league where guys like Chauncey Billups can go from a bust to Finals MVP... The same league where even the most physically gifted player (coughcoughDwightHowardcoughcough) can be shut down by a role player. Don't forget that, Bron Bron. Fans love underdogs just as much as they love your highlights, and every underdog has his day, whether you see it coming or not. Maybe if you guys sweep the Playoffs, you can talk. If you don't, though, all that contraction crap you were talking will be just as 'watered-down' as the Miami Heat without their three-headed monster...

Dear New Jersey Nets

You know your season is fucked when Jason Kidd is blocking Brook Lopez..

Mediocrity has never been so talented. It's a shame that the tri-state area has to deal with two bummy teams, much less one that hasn't won a game since last season. Instead of make fun of you guys, I'll tell you what you need to to win some games. First of all, get Trenton Hassell out of the game. No, seriously. Think about that sentence. Why is Trenton Hassell even in the game?? The man has never averaged over 10 points per game and is a chronic journeyman. The fact that he has been starting this season just shows how inept your franchise is. Put a real swingman in the game and stop trying to make a fort out of a molehill. Second of all, stop bullshitting yourselves into thinking that Yi Jianlian is anywhere near an NBA player. When he isn't riding the bench being a 7-foot insurance payment, he is busy getting bitched out in the post and taking stupid shots. He's been in the league for three years and has barely cracked 65 games each year, much less average a respectable PPG or RPG. Jianlian, if anything, needs to bring his ass back to China and get some good work in.

Thirdly, teach Devin Harris and Brook Lopez how to run the damn pick and roll. You have arguably, the quickest guard in the league, and a big man that my friends like to call Shaq Lopez, because he can simply be dominating. Put those two together with a Nash and Amare-esque pick and roll offense, and success is inevitable. Fourthly, since this season has basically been thrown away, you might as well give your young players some PT. Keep Chris Douglass-Roberts in the starting line-up because he's been playing well. Let Terrence Williams and Sean Williams start so that the young team as a unit can start coming together. Let Courtney Lee, Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes come off the bench, and there you have a nice little 8-man rotation. It's simple as that Kiki. All you have to do is take advantage of your youth and hope that some cohesion comes out of this year. The losing streak WILL end. You just have to put yourself in the best position to end it and stop believing that you can tank this year. LeBron will most likely NOT come to New Jersey, so use what you have, stop acting like an inept franchise, and maybe this blight will pass...

PS: Kiki Vandeweghe, you are a punk for throwing that interim coach out there for the record-breaking loss. Take control of your team and do the dirty work necessary to turn the boat around. Lord knows you don't have anything else to lose...

Dear New Jersey Nets

via The New York Times:

A Russian tycoon with a longstanding passion for basketball agreed to a $200 million deal on Wednesday that would make him the principal owner of the New Jersey Nets and a key investor in the team’s proposed new home in Brooklyn.

Mikhail D. Prokhorov, who is 44 years old, stands as tall as a basketball forward and is widely considered the richest man in Russia, would become the first overseas owner of a National Basketball Association team. While other Russian billionaires have become prominent in English soccer, Mr. Prokhorov now becomes the first of that group to cross the Atlantic with the aim of becoming part of the American sports scene.

Mr. Prokhorov’s deal also stands out because there is little foreign ownership of any kind in major American sports. Last May, Chinese investors reached a deal to purchase 15 percent of the N.B.A.’s Cleveland Cavaliers. And the majority owners of Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners are Hiroshi Yamauchi, a former executive of Nintendo, the Japanese video-game company, and Nintendo USA, the company’s American subsidiary.

Move over Jay-Z. Brooklyn is getting a taste of that Soviet swagg, now. The question is, is this good for the NBA? Let's take a look at some precedents. In The English Premier League (soccer, for you uncultured ingrates), another Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich drew the same ire after purchasing the controlling stake in the Chelsea Football Club for $233 million. The catch? Within two years after the takeover they had won the Premier League, League Cup and FA Cup twice. They went from perennial runner-up to being THAT team in England. Of course they drew a lot of flack for basically turning into an 'evil' empire-esque club, but theystill got those championships.

That said, Nets, this could be a big move for you guys. In recent years your company, not just the team has been going through some financial hardship. Plus, it's not like you guys have been making deep playoff runs in the past few years. You've got my favorite point guard (Devin Harris) on a team full of scrubs, with the exception of Brook 'Shaq' Lopez. Any dead presidents coming into the franchise would automatically put some rocket fuel into a team that's been languishing. In terms of the whole 'foreigner owning an American team' issue, what really is the issue? We as Americans are completely fine with economic imperialism, so why can't more than one country play at that game? Prokhorov isn't some blind billionaire just looking for a new toy. Dude actually plays basketball and has invested a lot of money into basketball in Russia. Honestly, this is a win-win move for you guys and the NBA. We're always talking about how we wat basketball to be a global game. Well, here's our first taste of that. I wonder what Prokhorov thinks of the Blueprint 3...