The World of Wadley NBA Playoff Guide

Finally, it's here. The NBA Playoffs are upon us. The Association, which has found a way to stay at the forefront of sports news around the calendar, put together another dramatic regular season with questions in Cleveland, injuries to Western Conference titans, more triple-doubles from Russ and so much more.

The league is thriving and it's now time to enter an enticing postseason with plenty of intriguing first round matchups. What should you expect? It's tough to say with the Warriors' injuries, Cleveland's rollercoaster regular season and the unproven past of so many contenders such as the Raptors and Rockets.

Before the games tip off, here's a few things to watch...

Will we see Warriors-Cavs Part IV?
No we will not. It wouldn't be wise to write off a LeBron James-led team, but Cleveland's road looks tougher than in past years. The Indiana Pacers won't be an easy first round matchup with Victor Oladipo's emergence as an All-Star caliber player. Lance Stephenson, though ultimately unsuccessful in his efforts, is just crazy enough to push LeBron's buttons and Bankers Life Fieldhouse can be a difficult place to play when it's filled with LeBron haters. Toronto would most likely await Cleveland in the second round and the 76ers look like a formidable opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals. Still, LeBron is LeBron and Cleveland will end up in the Finals.

The Warriors won't though. Injuries have plagued Golden State and they will be without Steph Curry for the first round against San Antonio. If Golden State were healthy, there is no team on the planet that could unseat them as the NBA's best, but they aren't healthy and that means James Harden and Houston will meet Cleveland in the Finals. For what it's worth, Houston will hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy.

What about the Raptors?
The Raps have turned in some disappointing playoff performances in past seasons and Brian Windhorst wrote a piece on their Game 1 woes, which they can potentially end Saturday against Washington. There's reason to believe Toronto will advance past the first round, but I struggle to believe they can beat a LeBron-led team four times. That means the No. 1 seed in the East will be out in the semifinals, adding another chapter to the franchise's disappointing playoff story.

Are the Sixers for real?
Winning 16 games in a row without one of your top two players means you are for real. Joel Embiid will return from injury and Ben Simmons looks like a superstar in the making. The Process has been a long one for Philly, but this young bunch looks primed to make a run. Some of that is due to their talent, while some of it is due to injuries to other teams. Boston doesn't pose nearly the same threat in the second round as we thought they would now that Kyrie Irving is out. Count on the Sixers to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, which will give us a Ben Simmons vs. LeBron matchup that should provide great theatre.

What's an underrated first round matchup to watch?
The Portland Trail Blazers versus the New Orleans Pelicans is a series to watch. Houston and Golden State hog the national spotlight out West, but Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard will have national stage they deserve in this series. Davis is an MVP candidate with 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. Lillard has put up 27 points, 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. This one will be fun.

It's a long road to the title and it begins Saturday with Warriors-Spurs at 3 p.m. ET. See the entire playoff schedule here.

LeBron's Latest Title is More Special Than the Rest

LeBron James has been one of the most polarizing and publicly ridiculed athletes in the history of sports. No athlete in today's world endures more criticism or skepticism than James, even though he brought most of it on himself. You either love him or you hate him, there is no in between. But now, just hours after capturing his first title with the Cleveland Cavaliers, it's time for the hatred and disrespect of LeBron James to go by the wayside.

Ever since "The Decision", LeBron put a target on his back and became one of the biggest villains the sports world had ever seen. He was viewed as a sellout, someone who can't win on his own. He took the easy way out and became an ego that the world wanted to see fail, and fail miserably. Yet he won two championships and captured four MVPs. It was obvious that the road to the Finals went through LeBron and the Miami Heat. He truly was the King.

Redemption.

But a return home was in order. LeBron went back to Cleveland but was far from forgiven by those who weren't fans of his. He immediately created drama with the acquisition of Kevin Love, issues with not listening to former head coach David Blatt, and yet another Finals loss. It was LeBron in a nutshell. A figure that constantly has the media drooling simply because he's such a popular quote. People want to hear LeBron talk either because they adore him, or they want to use whatever he says against him when he fails.

This season was no different. Not only did the Cavs downplay the Golden State Warriors 2015 championship by saying they would have won if Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were healthy, but LeBron then came across as being incredibly bitter when he argued the definition of the MVP award after Steph Curry won his second-straight MVP. It was a bad look. LeBron started to look like the athlete whose best days were behind him, yet was unwilling to accept the fact that the NBA was on the verge of having a new face. The Warriors were taking the league by storm, breaking plenty of records along the way. It was obvious LeBron couldn't stand that.

Honestly, that's what made this championship so special not just for LeBron, but for those who have spent the last however many years hating him. We finally saw LeBron take something personally. We finally saw LeBron show emotion and a killer instinct. It was clear from the start that he took this series as a personal challenge unlike ever before. It was initially him versus Curry, but it quickly became him versus the Warriors with multiple people chipping in to spur the eventual Finals MVP.

I'll be honest, I was all set to type a blog about how LeBron was no longer King when the series was 3-1. I was ready to say that it was Steph Curry's league and that the Cavs were never going to be able to topple the Golden State giant. I've been one of the LeBron haters since that historic day in July of 2010, and I was ready to celebrate another failed trip to the Finals. Yet now, I have gained so much respect for LeBron James. The respect for his game was always there, how could you not respect what this guy can do for a team, for a city? The NBA has never seen a guy that can do the things LeBron can do. Yet it was the sense of entitlement, the ego, the flopping, the constant whining, the selfishness when dealing with personnel within the organization. It got old, it got old real quick.

LeBron repeatedly out-performed the unanimous MVP

However, LeBron was a different animal in this Finals. Trash-talking Steph Curry, stepping over Draymond Green, and literally willing his team to a victory. This was a LeBron we had rarely seen before, but one that people literally begged for all these years. The comparisons of LeBron to Michael Jordan always consisted of a statement somewhere along the lines of "Well Jordan had a killer instinct and was a better competitor." Before this Finals, there were only a handful of moments in LeBron's career where he possessed that killer mentality. Obviously last year he dragged the Cavs through the Finals by himself, but this year was different. He had flare. He had personality. He finally showed us that losing was not an option.

This is the LeBron that we have always wished he would be. An absolutely unstoppable force that wasn't going to settle for anything less than a ring. I feel sorry for the people that can't appreciate what he just accomplished. He fulfilled his promise and is now a hero in every sense of the word for the entire state of Ohio. He put on a performance for the ages that culminated in an iconic chase-down block like only LeBron James could do. Then to see the raw emotion, the tears of relief, of absolute joy, when that final buzzer sounded was special. The wait for a championship is finally over in Cleveland, and LeBron deserves all the respect in the world for delivering on his promise.

In Warriors-Cavs Spat, Nobody Is Right

In an NBA Finals that have become a string of blowout games with little storylines other than the
Warriors closing in on history and LeBron James losing again, the Game 4 scuffle between James and Draymond Green gave the media what they needed. Finally, there was a new talking point and the media beat the subject of the scuffle to death yesterday, offering opinions on Green's Game 5 suspension and James' role in the matter.

Let me offer one more opinion even though you probably don't need another.

There isn't a single guy in this whole mess who is right. They are all wrong and people's judgement of the matter in baffling. Let's start with the actual play. You've seen it: James and Green get tangled up on a Green screen for Steph Curry. James pushes Green to the floor, and while he did get pushed, Green sells it with a flop as well. James, with miles of real estate around Green, looks down at the Warriors' forward and chooses to step over him. Green took exception and flung his hand up and hit James in the groin before taking another swipe at him. The two then went for a rebound and were whistled for a double foul. Some jawing occurred after the whistle and Green reportedly called James a b*tch, which resulted in an upset LeBron James.

Here's the deal: James was wrong for stepping over Green and deserved to have it upgraded by the league. Green was also wrong for swinging at James and deserves to be suspended for Game 5. Let's not forget that this isn't the first time Green has done something like this in the playoffs. He had his moment with Steven Adams in the Western Conference Finals and has been caught unnecessarily flailing his legs on other plays. Green was suspended because of his body of work. He has no one to blame but himself for missing Game 5.

James then sat at the podium in the postgame press conference and violated an unwritten rule by bringing the trash talk off the court. Let's be clear: what Green reportedly said is not right, but it is said all the time in all sports. For James to overreact the way he did both in the game and afterwards at the press conference says plenty about James, but it's nothing we haven't seen before. Nobody loves flaunting who they are more than James with his constant reminders that he's the leader of the team, best player in the game and father of three. In this case, he used the father of three schtick to help lobby for Green's punishment in the postgame presser. While it's not illegal to do what James did, it certainly didn't win him any more fans.

After the suspension was announced yesterday more jawing ensued and this time it was Klay Thompson doing the talking. Thompson questioned why James' feelings were hurt and insinuated that he was being a baby. Again, nothing wrong with what Thompson said because he was basically articulating what many fans and players thought about James. Where Thompson is wrong is the fact that he spent more than enough time complaining about a Timofey Mozgov screen in Game 3, claiming it was a dirty play. For a guy whose career is primarily based on his ability to get shots off of moving screens, he came across as a baby complaining about a screen in a blowout loss. To then turn around and question another man's toughness was weak on his part.

James wasn't quite done, stepping to the podium later and laughing at Thompson's comments. He then insisted that he "took the high road" in the entire situation. If the high road is stepping over someone then whining about a swear word in the postgame press conference then, yes, James certainly took the high road. However, I'm not sure many people would see it the way James sees it. He once again, tries to remain the holier than thou, but it's easy see right through it.

Nobody was right in this situation and everybody got what they deserved. To not understand that is to not be paying attention or to see things through the lens of a Cavs or Warriors fan.

So where does this leave us? Pretty simple: Draymond Green isn't going to play in Game 5. Everything else is just smoke and mirrors from that. Tonight, it would be shocking if James didn't come out with an extra edge and drop 40 points on the Warriors. However, his willingness to do that seems non-existent as he prefers to set up his teammates and allow the losses to pile up in the process. A change of strategy should be in order.

For Golden State, they are without their engine and their most versatile player. That could cause some issues, but it could also give Steph Curry a chance to build on his legacy. A dominating performance in the absence of a key teammate with the Finals on the line would certainly be worth adulation.

Until tonight, it's all talk and speculation and the pettiness that has transpired since the scuffle will finally end once the ball is tipped. It can't come soon enough.

LeBron Forced to Shoulder Load Once More

Down 2-0 to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have looked like a JV squad so far against the defending champs. A series that was hyped up beforehand due to it being a rematch and the way Cleveland breezed through the Eastern Conference bracket has become a slaughter that has left fans and analysts wondering if it's already over.

As always, no one is more polarizing than James, the native son who is once again trying to bring home a championship to a city that desperately covets one. Lyndon B. Johnson was in office the last time Cleveland was crowned champions in any of the four major sports, but with a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, it seemed this might be the year for the Cavs.

Yet here we are, once again, wondering where LeBron James' running mates are. It's become a theme of LeBron's career in the playoffs: he handpicks his teammates, his teams dominate the regular season and then his sidekicks play their worst basketball in the playoffs, while James takes the scrutiny for the losses.

The 2016 Finals are just the latest example. While James shot poorly and turned the ball over seven times in Game 2, he has still averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists through the first two games. He's shooting 42 percent from the field, including 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. He leads his team in steals and blocks as well.

His Game 2 performance was a mixed bag as Golden State's defense has done a fantastic job frustrating him, and for James there is no room for error. His help has been virtually nonexistent leaving him with no choice but to take over, something he has not done yet. Irving missed all but one game of the Finals last season, and opened this year's Finals with a pair of poor-shooting performances. His 26 points led all scorers in Game 1, but he shot just 7-for-22 from the field and 1-for-4 from 3-point land. He followed it up with a 5-for-14 night, which was good for just 10 points. 

Love, whose status is uncertain for Game 3 due to a concussion, had no issues on the offensive end in Game 1. He scored 17 points and hauled in 13 rebounds, but struggled in Game 2 before exiting with the concussion. He scored five points on 2-for-7 shooting in 21 minutes of play. Where Love has struggled has been defensively as Draymond Green has carved the Cavs up, averaging a series-high 22 points.

Beyond Love and Irving, the rollercoaster ride that is J.R. Smith seems to be at a low point currently. Smith has taken only nine shots and scored only eight points in the two games so far, while Iman Shumpert has taken four shots and scored six points. What's this mean? The Cavs are relying far too heavily on 35-year-old Richard Jefferson and junkyard dog Matthew Dellavedova to score. 

James, who could fall to 2-5 all-time in the Finals with two more losses, has to see Golden State's style of play and wish he had that luxury. Golden State is up 2-0 in the series and Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have averaged 14.5 and 13 points, respectively. However, five players for the Warriors are averaging double figures and seven players are averaging nine points or more. Truly, Golden State's strength is in numbers.

Meanwhile, James will either need his supporting cast to step up or he will need to take over like he did in last season's Finals. If it's the latter, Golden State will no doubt be crowned champions. They are overwhelmingly a better team top to bottom and it will take more than just LeBron James to take them down. 

The first two games beg the question: has any superstar before been hung out to dry by his teammates as much as LeBron James? James' career will have him in the conversation of the all-time greats, but his teammates' shortcomings, and what it's cost him, in the playoffs will inevitably be his shortcoming in that conversation. 

Curry Can Cement Status With Finals Win

Steph Curry's meteoric rise to the top of the NBA is almost complete. The kid from Davidson who
captured the nation's attention during a 2008 NCAA Tournament run fought through a host of ankle injuries early in his NBA career and became just the tenth player in league history to win back-to-back MVP awards this season.

He led the Golden State Warriors to the 2015 NBA title, shattering shooting records in the process. For an encore, he's led the Warriors to the regular-season wins record at 73-9, while shattering those same shooting records again. Curry hit 286 3-pointers last season and then knocked down 402 this year. He elevated his scoring average by 6.3 points per game and averaged more rebounds and steals than a year ago. He shot more 3-pointers and two-point field goals than last season, but still shot a higher percentage this season. For all of that, he was voted the first ever unanimous MVP in NBA history.

Many think he's the league's best player and why not? The numbers paint a picture of somebody who will go down in history as one of the game's greatest, but there's still one other man vying for that title. As long as LeBron James is in the league, he will always be in the conversation. At 31 years old and in his 13th NBA season, James can put up 25/7/7 any given night. He's been widely considered the league's best player for years, but that title is slipping away with every late-game dagger from Curry.

Curry's Warriors defeated James' Cavaliers in six games during last year's Finals, but if Curry is to cement his status as the league's best then he will need to defeat James again this year. The Cavs limped through the Finals last season with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving sitting due to injuries. J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert were exceptionally bad, shooting 31 and 25 percent in the series, respectively.

Curry was his usual self, averaging 26/5/6, while James gave us a performance for the ages, putting the team on his back and averaging 36/13/9. This season it's the Cavs who look unstoppable, advancing the Finals with a 12-2 playoff record. With the exception of an 0-2 trip to Toronto in the conference finals, Cleveland has mowed down any and all opposition. Love and Irving are healthy and playing well, while Tyronn Lue has made this Cavs team his own.

Golden State has battled the championship-or-bust expectations, a Curry knee injury and the Oklahoma City Thunder on its way to the Finals. The Warriors have lost five games in the playoffs, which seems alarming after their rampage through the regular season (fun fact: if they lose the Finals to Cleveland, they will have as many playoff losses as regular season losses. Puts that regular season in perspective a bit).

Despite the long road to the Finals and the Cavs' dominance, Golden State has Curry, Klay Thompson and a host of role players who give them quality minutes. Any team that can shoot like Golden State can win any game. For Curry, a win would mean back-to-back titles to go along with back-to-back MVPs. The only other point guard to accomplish that feat? Magic Johnson.

By defeating James two years in a row, Curry would thoroughly announce to the world that he is the game's greatest, but he would also carve out a spot in the NBA history books with a win. It's the game within the game, and it's a game that will surely not disappoint.

With Series Loss to Cavs, Bulls Season Ends Sooner Than Planned

They finally had it all together. They brought in their star rookie, they signed a 2-time NBA champion, and they had their MVP back to health. Everything was in front of them. Literally everything. And yet, the Eastern Conference Finals will not feature the Chicago Bulls. Why? It's quite simple really: the Chicago Bulls just didn't want a successful season bad enough. Were there individuals on the team that had high expectations? Sure. After all, Jimmy Butler played the best defensive series against LeBron James of anyone to ever guard the future Hall of Famer. Heck, every player in that locker room continually stressed their belief that this team could be great. And in all honesty, it could have been. It SHOULD have been. But the thing about great teams is that they're made through their play on the court, not by the names listed on the roster.

One of the many things that is so hard to believe about this enigma of a team is that they won over 50 games and can still be considered a failure. Is that "f" word too strong? Not really. Take a look at this season and what has transpired over the last 8-9 months: big-time wins over Golden State, San Antonio, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City. Horrific losses to the likes of Detroit, Utah, Charlotte, and the Los Angeles Lakers. If bipolar doesn't describe this year's team, then let me know if there is a more applicable word. The series of events can only bring up two simple, one-word questions: "Why?" and "How?"

Butler's ascension is one of the few highlights for the Bulls this year

This team had a 2-time champion and future Hall of Famer (Pau Gasol), a former (and now healthy) MVP (Derrick Rose), the reigning Defensive Player of the Year (Joakim Noah), a perennial 6th Man of the Year contender (Taj Gibson), the runner-up for Rookie of the Year (Nikola Mirotic), and this year's Most Improved Player (Jimmy Butler). All of these players, with a steady and more-often-than-not productive bench were under the influence of the former Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau. With that lineup, with that talent, with that depth, this team was a failure. And honestly, we now are forced to wonder how much they really care.


This is not about saying the Bulls had a horrible season and this is not to say that locker room is full of quitters. But when the lights were on, and the stage was set, this Bulls team never figured it out. Why? They waited three years for their point guard to be healthy. They got rid of seasoned veterans so that they could develop their young stars and they had arguably one of the best off-seasons in the league. Everything they worked for and everything Tom Thibodeau dedicated his time to building was ruined this season. The intensity and will to shock the world was gone, the defensive and hard-nosed identity vanished, and the sense of urgency never appeared present when it was needed most. To make it all worse, the players knew they lacked these things all year. If you read any articles or followed this team at all, every loss would be followed by quotes like "We didn't have the intensity tonight. They outplayed us." or "Our defense is not what it used to be and that needs to change." Okay, so it's not like the long-scoring droughts or losses where the opposing team scores over 100 points were sprung on them all of the sudden. This team knew what it had to do to be great and they never felt the need to execute. That is why this team was a failure.

I will give all the credit in the world to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. While the Bucks were ran out of their own gym in Game 6, they were never once intimidated by the Bulls. They saw their weaknesses and did everything they could to expose them. The Cavaliers on the other hand, were a different story entirely. It's no secret that any team led by LeBron James is an automatic title contender, yet this team was without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving was not his All-Star self due to a number of injuries. On top of that, LeBron did not have an exceptional series minus Game 5. Jimmy Butler took LeBron out of almost every game, as far as scoring is concerned, and forced him into a couple poor shooting nights. Jimmy Butler did his job, and yet his teammates let players such as Iman Shumpert, Tristan Thompson, and Matthew Dellevadova out-work them.

The Cavs "Big Three" was not made up of James, Love, and Irving. It was made up of the three aforementioned players that came into the series knowing they would have to shoulder the load with Love being out, JR Smith serving a 2-game suspension, and Irving playing through injury. And to their credit, they showed out. But to look at this team of mediocre bench players that were thrown into the fire, and to look at the team the Bulls trotted out to contest them, it goes to show just how soft this Bulls team was. Again, the Cavs role players were phenomenal this series. But they shouldn't have been, not if the Bulls played like a typical Thibs team used to play.

Thibodeau will likely be fired in the coming weeks

So now it's over. It's finally over. There are no more nights of guessing which team would show up to play. There are no more injury reports to be released before tip-off. There are no more meaningless post-game quotes about needing to play harder. It's over, and to some extent that's a good feeling. It wasn't fun to watch this team under-perform and appear not to care. There is no reason this team could not have won 62-65 games with the lineup and coaching they had. In some regards this team had more to it than the 2011 team that won 66 games and went to the Eastern Conference Finals. But that 2011 team had an identity and they had a purpose. They knew they needed to perform every single night to chase that championship dream. They wanted to be great. The 2014-2015 Bulls did not want it bad enough, and it showed on an almost-nightly basis.

While it's sad to see a team not recognize its potential, it's even more aggravating that this is the way the Thibodeau era will most likely come to a close. Everything Thibs stood for, everything he built, is now gone. The players lost their fire, and with the rough relationship between Thibs and the front office, it appears that he will be gone very soon. And while Thibodeau is a top three coach in the NBA, I'm excited for him to coach for a new team. He deserves better from both a front office and from a team. He weathered the storm through all of the injuries and all of the doubt these past few years and still managed to make the Bulls a tough out in the playoffs. He had total buy-in from each and every player and gave the Bulls their best chances at a title since Michael Jordan left. Thibs did his part, he made this team, and yet he will be shown the door with nothing to show for it. Bulls fans will remember his successes, but the league and history will not. This team should have been the best in the East, but they weren't. The team that should have been the Incredibulls quickly became the Laughabulls when that final buzzer sounded in the Madhouse last night.

LeBron's Latest Foray into Free Agency Much Better

A lot has changed for LeBron James in the last four years. On July 8, 2010 James made the worst mistake of his career, announcing his decision to leave Cleveland for Miami with the slimy Jim Gray as host on what was dubbed The Decision. Televised on ESPN, The Decision set off jersey-burning in Cleveland and has guaranteed that James will be booed mercilessly in every city that he spurned.

Now in 2014, James has two rings on his fingers, two more MVP awards (which brings the overall count to four), is the undisputed best player in the league and has taken the Heat to four straight Finals. But free agency has come calling again and James is still undecided on his future. Twitter has never been more abuzz with speculation and poor reporting. The need to "get the scoop" has usually-credible journalists losing some of that credibility every day.

Some people are mad at James. Make a decision and keep us from waiting any longer, they say. His every move is followed and documented by a basketball paparazzi. Everybody and their mother seems to be a source these days and that includes the Akron police force. Akron's finest set the Twitter nation in motion the other day, telling reporters that they were asked to station a few men outside James' home and expect a 3:30 announcement. That announcment never came, but Clevelanders came out in droves to park their cars in front of James' home. What were they waiting for? Who knows -- James was in Las Vegas at his annual basketball camp.

People seem to be growing angry at James for not announcing his decision. He is made out to be the villain again if he chooses against Cleveland. Yet there is no need for animosity towards LeBron this summer. He has done everything right.

Amid all the tweets, all the speculation, all the propaganda put out by ESPN, remember this: LeBron James has not said a word. He has not led any fan base on nor has he really given any team hope. If you have hope of James returning to Cleveland then it wasn't he who gave it to you. It was ESPN and the rest of the basketball reporting world.

I don't particularly like LeBron James. I appreciate his greatness and understand I will probably never watch another player with his set of skills and size. I don't think he's the greatest player ever and I don't think he ever will be. However, I do appreciate his maturity in this case and it clearly shows he has learned from his mistakes.

Chris Sheridan, Frank Isola and whoever else can keep on giving false reports from their "sources." LeBron is entitled to make a decision when he sees fit and he has handled it correctly. Why don't we all get off the guy's back and slow down with the Twitter reports.

Stop calling this "Decision 2.0" because James has never called it that. ESPN has. The network has employed all the best gossip journalism tactics and has set up James to be the villain once more. However, be smart enough to really look at the situation and see that LeBron James has handled this round of free agency with much more maturity than he did last time. He shouldn't be the villain this time.

So don't make him one.

Odd Draft Brings Plenty of Surprises

Last night's NBA Draft was so unpredictable that from the get-go even the analysts were unsure and surprised. Rarely is there a draft in professional sports where the number one pick is unknown before the commissioner walks to the podium to deliver the selection, but the Cleveland Cavaliers kept everybody on their toes until David Stern announced that Anthony Bennett would go number one. From surprising selections to heartfelt moments to great quotes, last night's draft cannot be called boring by any means. Here were some of my observations.

Most Surprising Pick: Anthony Bennett to Cleveland with top pick
It didn't take long for jaws to drop in the Barclays Center and around the nation. Sure, the number one pick was not clear cut as it usually is, but many believed that Nerlens Noel would be number one and others thought that it could be Alex Len, Victor Oladipo or Otto Porter. No one mentioned Anthony Bennett, but he was the Cavs' choice and shook Stern's hand before anyone else. There's little reason to doubt Cleveland's choice because, if history tells us anything, they don't miss when they pick number one. In the past ten years they have selected LeBron James and Kyrie Irving with the top pick and both of them won Rookie of the Year and are now All-Stars. The reason Bennett seems like an odd selection is because he is not exactly the mold of a 3-man, but Cleveland selected Tristan Thompson just two years ago at the four spot. Seeing how Bennett fits in with the Cavaliers roster will be interesting.

Biggest Drop: Nerlens Noel to New Orleans at pick six
Noel, thought by many to be the top pick, had to wait longer than he thought. Bennett went first and then two other big men (Cody Zeller and Alex Len) were chosen before the former Kentucky star. Noel tore his ACL last season and his services won't be available until around the New Year, but his talent is obvious. He protects the rim and blocks shots at an incredibly high rate. Along with the injured knee, there are a few concerns such as Noel's slender frame and limited offensive game. However, there's no doubt that he will make a good pro. A trade sent him to Philadelphia which all but seals Andrew Bynum's fate in the City of Brotherly Love and Noel has already vowed to make those teams that passed on him pay. Should be an intriguing story to watch unfold.

Steal of the Draft: Jamaal Franklin to Memphis at pick 41
Franklin could have gone much earlier in this draft because he is a do-it-all shooting guard. During his junior season at San Diego State he led the team in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. He is athletic and can defend well which will fit in with the Grizzlies. He does need work on his jump shot and he only shot 28 percent from three point range last season. Those things will come, but for now he is a guy who could play some meaningful minutes and give the Griz whatever they need be that scoring, rebounding or defense. Definitely a great pick for it being the 41st selection.

Weird Moment of the Night: Shabazz Muhammad's introduction six picks late
It seems that trouble and boneheadedness (made that word up myself) are going to follow Shabazz Muhammad wherever he goes. Something as simple as walking across the stage to shake David Stern's hand didn't come so easy for Shabazz and that seems to be the story of his basketball career since enrolling at UCLA last season. Stern came out and announced that the Chicago Bulls had selected Tony Snell with the 20th pick. He proceeded to say that Snell was not in Brooklyn, but that Shabazz Muhammad was and that he wanted to have his moment after being selected 14th. The weird thing about all this is that nobody quite knows why Shabazz showed up late. He wasn't invited to the green room, but there were several guys not in the green room that still walked across the stage when their name was called. Between the Gucci backpack, leading everyone to believe he was a different age and showing up late to the draft, Muhammad is compiling an impressive list of bonehead moves and he hasn't even played an NBA game yet. Stay tuned.

Best Moment of the Night: Hakeem Olajuwon returns to honor David Stern
As David Stern rides into the sunset of retirement after 30 years at the top of the NBA, this was his last draft to orchestrate. Stern basked in the boos and enjoyed every second of his last draft night. In 1984 he announced the first pick of Hakeem Olajuwon and, at the end of the first round last night, deputy commissioner Adam Silver came out and announced they had a surprise for Stern. Emerging from the back room, and in the same tuxedo he wore on draft night, was Olajuwon and he and the commissioner shook hands, hugged and the crowd rose to their feet to give Stern a deserving standing ovation. In 30 years Stern has completely revolutionized the NBA and made it a global power. To see the NBA, fans and past players honor him like they did last night was special.

Best Quote of the Night: Doc Rivers to Shelley Smith
Bill Simmons, ESPN's analyst for the NBA, was covering the draft last night and never hides his love for the Boston Celtics. Despite being an analyst, Simmons regularly calls the Celtics "we" and talks about them any chance he gets. Doc Rivers recent move to the Clippers didn't sit well with Simmons and he said that Rivers quit on the team. During ESPN's coverage last night Shelley Smith interviewed Rivers and asked him what he thought of Simmons' accusation. Why Smith thought this would be a good idea or have a good outcome I have no idea and it couldn't have gone worse for Simmons and ESPN. Rivers answered, "I would really like to call him an idiot, but I'm classier than that. He needs to get all the facts and know the whole truth." To be fair, Doc has danced around the subject and the truth seems to have changed, but the look on Simmons' face was priceless when ESPN cut back to Brooklyn.

Last night was a fun draft, but in terms of talent it wasn't exactly deep. Next year should be one of the better draft classes in history, not to mention the wild summer of free agency that will commence. For now though, the newest NBA ballers have found a home and summer league will kick off in the coming weeks. From the weird to the touching, last night's draft had it all.

The Future of NBA Point Guards is Here Now

The NBA is a point guard's league. There's no doubt about that. It's hard to win without a good floor general and a quick look down each team's roster shows that as a fact. The league is filled with great point guards right now. Chris Paul, Tony Parker and Deron Williams have been steady for years. Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose bring an explosiveness to the position that is rarely seen and Rajon Rondo drops dimes better than anybody else. Several other point guards such as Jeff Teague, Brandon Jennings, George Hill and Mike Conley have proven themselves in recent years. All that said, in three to five years who will be headlining the point guard position? None of the players above will be going anywhere, but three fresher faces will run the show in no time at all.

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
If you haven't seen Irving's game yet then you must have been under a rock for the past two years. One individual can't make Cleveland forget about LeBron, but Irving is doing the best he can. The 2011-12 Rookie of the Year was magnificent in his first year, but stepped up even more this past season. He averaged 22.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game and showed a leadership that far exceeded his age. Sure, there is still some refining to be done, but we're talking about a guy in his second season who was the third-highest scoring point guard in the league. The only two ahead of him were Westbrook and Steph Curry. Irving is the nucleus of a young Cavs squad that holds the number one pick in this year's draft. They will go as far as he takes them and right now the sky is the limit.

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

This year's Rookie of the Year came into the league as an unknown, but is now a household name around the league. A lottery pick from Weber State, Lillard entered the NBA and did his thing right away. It was no contest for Rookie of the Year as no one came close to the impact that he had or matched his numbers of 19 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. Lillard is on a Blazers team with plenty of young talent and he gives them exactly what they were missing -- a proven point guard. And he was proven from game one. His NBA debut was against the LA Lakers and he went for 23 points while dishing out 11 assists. A month and a half later he carved up the Spurs for 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists. To cap off his stellar season he torched the Lakers once again, this time with 38 points and nine assists.

Trey Burke, soon-to-be lottery pick
Trey Burke is the best point guard in this season's NBA Draft and he will help whoever drafts him immediately. Fresh off of a dominant season at Michigan, Burke has matured into a great point guard. His decision making improved this past season and he has the intangibles that will make him an elite player. If you aren't convinced of his game or simply haven't seen him then go ahead and watch the film of Michigan's instant-classic victory in the Sweet 16 over Kansas. Burke completely took over the game and hit big shot after big shot. He's not afraid of anything and he won't be afraid of the NBA.

Almost every game puts two great point guards on the floor and the league will only improve with the entrance of Burke. It's a point guard's world and teams need one to be successful. As the league prepares for a new season the returns of Rose, Rondo and Westbrook will be highly anticipated and these three above will be watched closely. The future of the position is here now. Time to recognize.

Phil Jackson: The NBA's Most...Unwanted?

Jackson captured 6 rings in Chicago

News broke about a week ago that Phil Jackson was "itching to return to the NBA". It was not exactly hard to believe after the urgency he approached the vacant Lakers job after Mike Brown was fired early on in the season. Now, any human being that knows who Phil Jackson is and knows of his history would have to assume that Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss would have skipped the interviews and hired Phil Jackson as soon as Mike Brown emptied his locker. Yet in a move that confused and even angered the basketball world, the front office of the Lakers hired the underachieving and overrated Mike D'Antoni.

I still have not gotten over that move. Yes I understand that with Steve Nash at the point you have someone who has run the offense and is a Hall of Famer to say the least. The front office also said that D'Antoni was a better "fit" for this particular Lakers squad. How? How does that make sense when you have three starters in Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace, and, obviously, Kobe Bryant who have run Jackson's triangle offense and have won championships under him? Sure the point guard is the captain of the offense and controls the show, especially with such a brilliant play-maker and leader like Nash in that role, but why would you choose to have one player who knows the offense rather than three?

D'Antoni's first year has not been one to remember

So right off the bat the Lakers made a mistake just by misjudging their personnel on the floor. That doesn't even come close to the mistake the Lakers made in choosing the personnel they would have on the bench. These two coaches could not be any different. Phil Jackson is perhaps the greatest coach of all time and his eleven championship rings speak for themselves. He knows how to handle egos as well as having multiple Hall of Fame players on the floor at the same time. D'Antoni on the other hand couldn't have any success with what should have been a pretty successful Suns squad not to mention a contending Knicks team. Yet D'Antoni was pushed aside in both jobs and proved he couldn't live up to the expectations of a large market team like New York.

However, what's done is done and D'Antoni is in charge of what has been a disappointing and in some ways embarrassing Lakers team. Injuries are a factor, yes, but the bottom line is when Pau Gasol was out D'Antoni still had three future Hall of Famers on the floor. I can't help but think Phil Jackson would have whipped this team into shape and made them a top three team in the West like they should have been.

Fast forward to today with Phil Jackson itching to return as a coach. Cleveland, though not as appealing as coaching in Chicago or LA, is a team on the rise with a star point guard in Kyrie Irving and the possibility of LeBron James returning seems likely. The obvious choice is Phil Jackson, right? Guess not, the Cavaliers brought Mike Brown back in place of Byron Scott. I just don't understand the decision. Yes Mike Brown had success with the Cavaliers. Yes he coached them to a Finals appearance in 2008. The bottom line is, however, that he is not Phil Jackson. His career has not been full of success like Phil Jackson's. He does not win like Phil Jackson. Mike Brown is not Phil Jackson.

Will Brown and LeBron be reunited in Cleveland?

It doesn't make sense to leave Phil Jackson out in the cold. Two teams have now turned him down in favor of mediocre coaches. The Lakers could be in a much better spot than they are and the Cavaliers future could look a little brighter if they had Jackson on the sidelines. I'm a fan of Phil Jackson and the decisions made by the two clubs that turned him down will forever confuse me. The Cavaliers stated they thought Jackson would "not be interested in the job" and stopped pursuing him. The offer could have at least been put on the table for Jackson to take or leave rather than just writing him off from the start due to a hunch or something a source had said. To me, they should have at least confronted Jackson and had him tell the organization to their faces that he was not interested. With that being said, what has the world come to when Hall of Fame coaches with eleven rings are turned down for coaches that combine to have no rings?

It's Time to Recognize LeBron as the Undisputed King

With great talent comes great criticism. That's the life of LeBron James in a nutshell. The greatest player on the planet is also the most scrutinized man on earth. When he's not throwing down thunderous dunks, making an obscene percentage of shots he puts up or chasing down guards who think they have wide open layups he's answering questions about why he isn't in the Dunk Contest, deflecting questions about whether or not he's better than MJ and Kobe and still trying to erase the memory of The Decision.

It's unbelievable that a man who averages 27.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game may not be getting his due, but that's also the life of LeBron James. He is the MVP of the 2012-13 season and it's not even close. There is no race because James is that much better than everyone else. He is shooting a career high from the field at 56 percent and his three-point field goal percentage is a personal best at 41 percent. His rebounding totals have never been higher and his turnover numbers have never been lower. He has continued to improve his game and his Miami Heat sit atop the Eastern Conference at 43-14.

LeBron has more than his fair share of critics and haters -- this blog has ripped him on several occasions. It's okay to dislike LeBron. He doesn't have to be everyone's favorite player and he certainly has done things that could turn people off to him. However, it's time to respect James as the best player in the league. He has worked to mend his reputation and his play is so unbelievable that fans are cheating themselves if they choose to be angry at him and not enjoy the show he puts out on a nightly basis.

LeBron's journey with the fans is an odd one and a unique one. He was the man in Cleveland; the chosen son that was supposed to bring the city a title that they were starved of. Try as he might, he couldn't do it alone. James and the Cavs came close in 2007, but that was the only time he would reach the Finals during his time in Cleveland. Despite no title, times were great in Cleveland. LeBron and the Cavs had fun playing the game, going through extensive pregame handshakes and dances and Bron patented his famed powder toss which became a fan favorite.

James was engaging with the media, fans, teammates and opposing players. There was something about LeBron that separated him from Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. Obviously James was and is intensely competitive, but he never let that take away from who he was. At the end of the day he was a fun-loving kid from Akron who wanted to have a ball doing the thing he loved. We were just fortunate enough to go along for the ride.

Things changed immediately though once The Decision was made. James went on national television to announce he was heading to South Beach and he instantly became the NBA's most hated player. Interesting that of all people, we chose to hate on LeBron -- a player who had never had off-the-court trouble and had been so fun to watch in Cleveland. When James failed miserably in the Finals against the Mavericks it was as if the whole world took a deep sigh of relief that the King still didn't have his ring.

Until his championship last season James has been defined by his losses, which is true for many superstars that chase that elusive first trophy. Now, with those demons put to rest, he is playing the best ball of his life and just completed one of the best months in the history of the game. Still, he draws criticism and scrutiny for every tweet, every pregame dunk and every comment made to the media. Let's stop this now.

Great players like James come around once in a generation. There hasn't been anybody this great since Jordan and there won't be anybody this great for quite some time. Nobody can dominate a game the way James can and even on his "off nights" he is a triple-double threat. He is getting back to the fun-loving kid we knew in Cleveland and, as a result, has mended his reputation. Why hate on him now? Fans can only dislike him due to personal bias or because they hold a grudge.

LeBron is in the prime of his career and what he is doing is unlike anything we have seen. It's time to give him his due, respect his game and enjoy the show. He won't be around forever and we won't see a man dominate the game like this for a while. James, like anybody, has made mistakes, but they are minor ones at that and he has taken the necessary steps to repair his image. Now it's up to fans to recognize greatness when it's right in front of him. There's only one King. Time to give him the respect he deserves.