What's Next for LeBron?
Conspiracy theorists can close their pie-holes now that the "inevitable" Lakers/Cavaliers Finals is officially not happening, but that doesn't mean the drama ends with Saturday night's Cleveland loss in Orlando. The next big questions is what this means for LeBron James and his future in the state of Ohio.
After the loss James chose to avoid the media completely, dipping the podium and leaving Mo Williams to answer the messy season-ending questions. He was, to put it lightly, pretty angry.
And why shouldn't he have been considering a previous Cavs team of his made the Finals with a group of guys considerably less talented than this year's group? It wasn't necessarily that this team took the Magic lightly and that's why they lost; there just wasn't any answer for Dwight Howard's inside play and what that did for the team's deadly three-point shooters.
So does this upset James enough to start seriously considering greener pastures? Entirely too many people have him pegged for New York, but half the league is gearing up for cap space in 2010 for a shot at The King. The Knicks won't give him much opportunity to win a championship, but other teams potentially could. He'll have his pick of the litter.
In other words, Cleveland better come back strong in 2009-10, because without a championship James could lose patience, no matter how much he loves Cleveland. I've been adamant all season that there was no way James would leave, but that was under the assumption that the Cavs would at least represent the East in the Finals. If they fall short again, who knows what could happen.
Well, unless they sign Yao Ming down the road. But that's a whole other story.
Boozer Doesn't Expect to Return to Utah
Just about every GM, scout, and agent in basketball was in Chicago this past week for the Draft Combine, and in talking casually with a number of them about Utah's free agent power forward situation it became pretty clear that Paul Millsap is likely to stay put, which means Carlos Boozer is likely to go bye-bye.
Peter Vescey of the New York Post is reporting that Boozer has told friends he believes he be playing in Detroit or New Jersey next season. Both teams could use a stud power forward (Detroit could use a stud anything right now), but only the Pistons have the money outright to sign the high-profile post man.
If the Nets want to have a shot at Boozer it will have to be via sign-and-trade, but you'd have to like a starting lineup with Booze, Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, and Vince Carter all involved. The Jersey route is tougher for Carlos, but that's the one that could give him the best opportunity to win.
Sacramento Keying In On a Head Coach
From the minute Sacramento fired Reggie Theus earlier this season and Eddie Jordan became available, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Jordan and the Kings would be a match as soon as summer hit. Well, the Sixers beat the Maloof Brothers to it, and the Kings have turned their coaching search elsewhere. According to Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee, they may have found their guy.
Boston assistant coach Tom Thibodeau interviewed with the team on Saturday, but despite his being considered a frontrunner for some head coaching job somewhere, he may not be who the team is leaning towards.
Instead, former Phoenix coach Paul Westphal is the leading candidate, according to Amick. They also are considering Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis, but either of those two seem to be ahead of Thibodeau, who may be out of luck in the head coach carousel once again this year.
