NBA Summer League 2010: Las Vegas Day Two Recap

Day Two in Las Vegas for the 2010 NBA Summer League was just as exciting as day one, as Ty Lawson tore it up again, and several other players put up performances worth noting.

Read on for all the action and star performances from the NBA Las Vegas Summer League: (more…)

NBA Summer League 2010: Las Vegas Day One Recap

The 2010 NBA Summer League action shifted to Las Vegas on July 9th, and while we’ve been a little late on the results, we still found it plenty worth our reader’s while to hear about all the top performances.

Read on for the day one recap, and stay tuned for more NBA summer league action: (more…)

NBA Summer League 2010: Orlando Day Five Recap

The final day of summer league action in Orlando brought the first win to one summer roster, while also showing fans some of the most dominant performances that they had seen over the past week.

Read on to see how each team capped the Orlando summer league, and which players made a name for themselves on the final day: (more…)

NBA Summer League 2010: Orlando Day Four Recap

The 2010 NBA Summer League continued on with some more exciting action and top performances, as the Oklahoma City Thunder kept the hosting Orlando Magic winless.

Read on for all the final results and big performances on the fourth day of summer basketball action: (more…)

Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh Officially Headed For Miami

The first major pieces of NBA free agency fell into place early Wednesday morning, and it had nothing to do with a certain Akron native.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard was the first to report that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would be teaming up for the Miami Heat next season, and the rumor was quickly confirmed.

It ended a chaotic six-day stretch that saw rampant speculation on where the two would be playing. At first, Miami seemed like the most logical destination for Wade, but Chicago kept creeping up in conversation. The fact that Wade’s ex-wife and kids live in Illinois had many believing he would play there just to be close to his children.

Similarly, Chris Bosh’s name was linked to the Cavs when the Raptors said they would cooperate in a sign-and-trade with Cleveland. But Bosh dismissed those rumors by saying he didn’t want to play in Ohio, and played it off today with a superficial story about how not knowing where LeBron would play being the biggest factor in that decision.

In the end, he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to play with one of the NBA’s elite.

“We’ve wanted to play with each other and we have a golden opportunity to do that. We’re going to take advantage of it,” stated Bosh.

While not on the same level as superstars such as Wade, James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant, Bosh is an extremely skilled forward that could easily thrive playing alongside someone like Wade (a la Pau Gasol in L.A.).

The acquisition of Bosh immediately makes Miami instant contenders in the East. Even with a supporting cast of Quentin Richardson, Michael Beasley, and Jermaine O’Neal, Miami finished above .500 and earned the fifth seed.

That roster will see upgrades at almost every position. Instead of an aging O’Neal, the Heat will boast a crafty left-hander who will torch most opponents who try to defend him one-on-one.

It’ll soften up defenses on Dwyane Wade and allow him more room to operate. Plus, he won’t have to function with the responsibility and expectations of the entire team on his back every play. He can afford to play a few less minutes and preserve his energy for the postseason.

Look at Miami’s main competition in the East. Boston will be another year older, and while they still should be a playoff threat, it’s unlikely that they’ll have a dominant regular season.

If Cleveland loses LeBron James, they go from a 61-win No. 1 seed to a 35-40 win team at best.

Even though Atlanta kept their same nucleus in tact, they’ve pretty much peaked over the last two years. There’s no reason to believe that Miami can’t jump them.

Chicago and Milwaukee have both improved, but are their ceilings higher than Miami’s if the Heat add a few more pieces? Unless the Bulls land James, it doesn’t appear likely.

But that does lead to another burning question…what other pieces does Miami look to add? That all depends on the decision of one LeBron James.

James will announce his destination Thursday night on ESPN. If he chooses Miami, it somewhat complicates things in South Beach.

The salary cap was set today at $58 million, about $2 million more than expected. But even with that, if James is in Miami, all three players will have to play at a discount (technically, they could have two max contracts and one guy making less, but it seems likely that they would divvy up the money three-ways).

While Wade and Bosh didn’t lobby for James to join them, they certainly were open to the idea. Wade said, “we would love for LeBron to join Miami — who wouldn’t? But at the same time, LeBron is going to make his own decision.”

With James, they certainly would have the best one-two-three punch in the league…and arguably in history. But there are certain pitfalls that would come with it.

First, what does it say about the “team” aspect of those three when Wade and Bosh simultaneously make their announcement, but James waits and makes his in an elaborate, drawn out presentation of his “greatness”? Already, one would think there would be chemistry issues.

Second, with those three max players, the Heat would have no choice but to plug in low-level players at other positions. While they could get decent players at discounted rates (just for the opportunity to play with the trio), the way money has been thrown around this offseason, it seems unlikely.

This is most likely an opinion of the minority, but it seems like the Heat could be better off without James. Here’s the argument:

Wade is clearly the alpha dog of the time. He’s the leader, the floor general, the one who handles the ball in the final seconds of a close game. He maintains his throne as the king of South Beach.

Bosh is the No. 2 option, if only ever-so-slightly. He immediately becomes one of the two best superstar sidekicks in the league (along with Pau Gasol), whether he likes that title or not. But he shouldn’t view himself as a sidekick—instead, he can be the player that makes a really good team great.

He needs to pretty much exclusively watch tape of what Gasol does for the Lakers: dominate when called on, find ways to contribute (defense, rebounding) at other times, and serve as the premier paint enforcer.

With no James, it makes working out a sign-and-trade for Bosh with Toronto a little easier as well. They can move Michael Beasley’s contract, freeing up extra space for complementary players.

They’ll need a legitimate three-point shooter. Guys like Mike Miller and Kyle Korver immediately spring to mind, players that can spread the floor even more and allow Bosh and Wade more room to operate.

They’d also have room to go after bigs in Brendan Haywood or Udonis Haslem.

While the team is far sexier on paper with James, they may be more complete at every position without him, as well as determining a leader on the floor. From a chemistry standpoint, that’s a big plus.

After LeBron’s announcement, things should become a lot clearer around the league. But at this moment, one thing is for sure: Miami is by far in the best position of any free agent buyer.

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2010 NBA Summer League: Orlando Day Three Recap

Day Three in Orlando had just as much excitement and solid performances as the first two days of the summer league action. Read on for the final outcomes and all the top performances of the day: (more…)

NBA Summer League 2010: Orlando Day Two Recap

NBA Soup continues it’s coverage of the 2010 NBA Summer League in Orlando, breaking down the games, and highlighting the night’s top performers.

To track all of your favorite team’s young players and lottery picks’ success, keep coming back to NBA Soup to catch all the stats and major news: (more…)

NBA Summer League 2010: Orlando Day One Recap

The 2010 NBA Summer League has officially begun, pitting 2010 NBA Draft lottery picks, undrafted rookies, and veterans with something to prove battling each other.

While the stats and performances in summer leagues don’t always translate to the regular season, it’s important to note and monitor the development of the league’s young players and budding stars.

Read on for a day one recap of the 2010 Summer League in Orlando: (more…)

Report: Joe Johnson Agrees to re-sign with Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have reportedly made an offer that Joe Johnson can’t refuse.

Despite worries that he would seek greener pastures elsewhere, it’s being reported by various outlets that the All-Star guard has agreed to a maximum contract with the Hawks.

The contract would pay him close to $120 million over six years.

Johnson averaged over 21 points per game last season in helping lift the Hawks into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. (more…)

Report: Grizzlies re-sign Rudy Gay

Yahoo! Sports, among others, have reported that the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed with RFA forward Rudy Gay on a five-year contract worth $81.6 million.

Gay, 23, averaged 19.6 points per game last season in helping the Grizz to a surprising 40-42 record.

It’s also been reported that the forward is canceling scheduled meetings with teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, further indicating that he has a deal in place with Memphis. (more…)