The Never-Ending Hypocrisy of Sports Fans

Can't Beat Em, Join Em'.

About a week ago my brother Zeph and I were discussing our thoughts on the NBA's pending free agency period. During the colorful conversation we mostly lamented the fact that our beloved Lakers didn't have a chance at any marquee superstar on the market. When the discussion shifted to Kevin Durant it was brief. Zeph pointed out something I wholeheartedly agreed with. "What does he do?", I pondered. "He stays. As I see it, he needs to be loved. He doesn't want people to hate him. He's too mentally fragile to handle the criticism of leaving like LeBron. He's never going to leave because he's too weak to leave." His words more or less. I agreed that Durant, from what one could reasonably surmise from such a far distance, DID care about being loved. He seemed overly sensitive.

Some may remember an OKC paper openly and fairly questioning Durant's performance as a clutch player after a horrid playoff game a few years back. Something every paper does in every other major city does to its star player in any sport after they have a bad game But Durant didn't like it. In fact, he was livid. The OKC front office rushed to defend Durant, putting out a statement critical of the article. Teammates lashed out at the reporter during the next media session and even Durant's mother offered a dissenting opinion. The pushback was so great from the team, the fans, and Durant's camp, that the paper actually issued an apology. So yeah. I agreed. Kevin Durant was mentally weak when it came to handling criticism, be it warranted or not.

Cut to yesterday and as I see it Durant made the ONE choice, that while it yields the best chance of professional success, it also carries the most criticism. And as I see it was the HARDER of all the choices he could have made. If he stays in OKC, nothing changes. They run it back because after all they were only one win from the Finals. He goes to the Spurs, he's seen as the true heir to Duncan and their final piece. The Celtics, he's seen as the first true transcendent superstar to pick Boston in free agency, teaming with Al Horford as a rival to combat Cleveland's stranglehold on the Eastern conference. Miami, he seen as having been lured by the great Pat Riley as the Heat pulled another horseshoe out of its tanned, sun spotted ass, and Durant offers a true challenge for LeBron in LeBron's old stomping grounds no less. But he picked Golden State.

On the surface the move look like what amounts to the United States increasing its already bloated defense spending. By all estimations the Warriors have amassed the most in their prime top level talent in league history. Four of the league's 12 best players, and all three of its greatest shooters are on ONE TEAM. Fuck! And you know what, I think they're going to be amazing. All those open jumpers Harrison Barnes misses, Durant doesn't. It's a team and culture that truly thrives off of teamwork and ball movement. Which is what made their final possession of the season so maddening. It didn't look anything like Golden State. A hobbled Steph Curry going iso, struggling to try to get past the flat footed Kevin Love to put up a hopeless jumper. Next season they may not win 73, but we would all agree even with 60-65 wins that team will be better than last season.

The New Normal

Yesterday Zeph and I talked. He expressed like many of you disappointment in Durant's decision. Called him and this whole generation of players "weak pussies." To which I say when it's not your team, yes it sucks. The Cavs fans hated LBJ and the Heatles. Not just because James was leaving them. In part it was the idea of three superstars teaming up to achieve the only goal of the sport; win a championship! How dare them! This is pussy shit Cleveland said...Until James went home and used the same formula, two all-stars (James and Love) joining an already entrenched franchise player (Irving) to take the Cavs to two straight Finals and one title. Super teams didn't seem to bother Gilbert and Cavs fans these pass two seasons.

Even Zeph doesn't mind it. He just doesn't remember he doesn't. In 2011 for one day, the Lakers acquired Chris Paul. On the roster they had Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. By all accounts they planned on using their remaining first round pick along with Bynum to lure a still very much in his prime Dwight Howard from Orlando. Bryant. CP3. Howard. Pau. Let me day dream a second.... Okay I'm back to the real world which is a hellscape where Paul is on the Clippers, Kobe and Pau are gone, and the Lakers suck.

But that day, I didn't hear any noise from Zeph about players being pussies for teaming up. It felt good to think LA was doing what Miami was doing at the time. Stacking the deck and giving themselves the best chance to win. But when it's LBJ and the Cavs, or the Heat, and now Durant and the Warriors it's unfair. The talk is MJ wouldn't do this. Magic and Bird wouldn't do this. Well they wouldn't because they couldn't move so freely. It's akin to Black people today trying to convince me, or rather themselves, if they were alive in 1820 they wouldn't conform to slavery. We are all nothing but products of our time and the work of the generations before us. Durant has seen players before him slaving away (excuse the term) on shit teams year after year with no title to show for it. He didn't want to be that guy.

73 wins are not, THIS is a better team than the 2016 Warriors.

Zeph said he'll never watch the NBA again. Which knowing him, he actually won't. Zeph's nothing if not a man of his word. But others are saying the same thing, but you will. You'll watch. Because sports is the world's great reality show. Nothing is promised or scripted. If so, the 73 win juggernaut would be the champion. Games still need to be played. And as we've seen, anything is possible.

You Can ALWAYS Go Home

The King Returns

LeBron James is going home. Today he announced his return to the Cleveland Cavilers via a beautifully penned open letter on SI.com. My first feeling, oddly enough, was total shock. Friends had been asking me what I thought he’d do and my gut always said he's going back to Cleveland, but just reading the news was still a bit surprising. Not only does this change the entire landscape of the NBA, but it "rights" one of the greatest "wrongs" in sports. The Decision.

Four years ago when James left, I was one of the few people that didn’t get upset. It was, at the time, the right move. The only problem I had was how he did it. I looked at it like this; doctors, lawyers, contractors, accountants all leave one job to go to another job with better opportunities. Hell, the fry cook from McDonalds goes to Burger King because they pay him fifty cent more! The NBA should be even more mobile than it is.

These guys have 5 to 10 years, 15 if you’re REALLY great, to accomplish the ultimate goal in their profession. If I were a really great NBA player my goal would be to maximize my chances of winning a NBA championship every year. Because no matter how good your season is, only one team goes home truly happy every year. You, me, and everyone else not a professional (keyword PROFESSIONAL as in get paid to do it because it's a job) athlete, has a much longer window to do their given trade. Imagine if you only could do your job for 10 years. What if Steven Spielberg could only have made movies for 10 years? If you had such a small time in a career field, wouldn’t you do everything you could to be in the best possible position to have success?

LeBron did all he could do in Miami. Four years, four straight Finals, and two titles. Miami was a city that more than willingly accepted/welcomed him, but in Cleveland LeBron is beloved. Miami and its fans never really appreciated LeBron or his greatness. Like game six of the 2013 NBA Finals. Half the stadium walks out when the Heat looked like they were down for the count. They, Heat “fans”, quit on the team. They quit on LeBron. If that was game six in Cleveland, they would NEVER do that. This season, in game five when the Spurs were gutting Miami, again the fans dipped. Cleveland never does that. They stay and they cheer a two-time champion that took them to four straight finals. Cleveland would understand that yes they lost, but you stay and give them thanks. That you cheer for a team that gave you such joy.

 

Irving and James will be just two of the four number
one draft picks on the same team that drafted them.
Bennett & Wiggins are the other number one draft picks of the Cavs.

James is a better player, a better man than he was when he left Cleveland. He said as much himself in the letter. I'd even say Cleveland is better because he left. They got THREE number one draft picks because of his exit. And two other lottery picks. I don’t think the Cavs win the title next season. Not sure they can get that far with their current roster. Now if Cleveland is able to land Kevin Love and pair him with James and Kyrie Irving, then yes, they become INSTANT title favorites.

In life you don’t get too many second chances. I mean you just don’t. Once you screw something up, it usually stays that way. But when you're given the chance to do it over. To do it right. When you do, you take advantage of that chance. This is a great day in sports history. Not just for Cleveland but for us all. Sometimes sports is about something more. Something more than money. More than titles even. Sometimes it's about what makes you happy. Sometimes it’s about what’s right. “I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one,” James said. “And I take that very serious.” he continued. Outside of Miami, (And even they can't be too upset about this) how can you hate that? How can you be mad at that? How can you be mad at a guy trying to make it right? This is proof that no matter what you do and no matter how you leave, you can always go home.

The Great Point Guard Myth

These players ARE NOT important!

The greatest lie the devil ever told wasn’t convincing the world that he didn’t exist. No, no, no, Lucifer’s best fib was convincing anyone with a higher basketball knowledge in today’s world that guards, in particular point guards, are important to winning a NBA title. You can’t turn on ESPN, TV or radio without hearing talking heads say the same thing over and over again about the NBA. “It’s a point guard driven league.” “Point guard play is so key this time of year.” “You gotta get point great guard play or it’s over.” Every time I hear this I want to punch my laptop.

The NBA is the easiest league to figure out. That’s why it’s not as popular as the NFL. The flexibility and unpredictably of the NFL is what makes it great. Those things, flexibility and unpredictably, make it a better sport to bet on. Anything can happen. The Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons are the ultimate case study. In 2012, both were a combined 24-7, won their divisions AND a playoff game. One year later, 8-26 and now at the top of the NFL Draft!

Teams like Philly and Kansas City are the same in reverse. Loser in 2012, but winners in 2013. The players contracts aren’t guaranteed in the NFL so players can come and go almost exclusively on their production level. Look at someone like Albert Haysworth in the NFL and Amar’e Stoudemire in the NBA. Both 32 years old. (Haysworth now Stoudemire in November) Both have been shot years ago athletically but because Haysworth was in the NFL he was cut and hasn’t even sniffed a field since 2011, while Stoudemire is still sucking the life out of the New York Knicks. (Cut to Knicks fans punching their laptops and Stoudemire putting on a ski mask to pick up his check while Gilbert Arenas drives the getaway car.) If the NFL was like the NBA, Haysworth would STILL HAVE TWO MORE SEASONS OF CHECKS COMING TO HIM. (RE-READ THAT SENTENCE!)

You can rebuild and retool on the fly in the NFL. Every year you can start over and do it again. Every team has a REAL SHOT! You don’t even have to have a first round pick to find a star in the NFL. Look at the Seattle Seahawks. Russell Wilson was a third round pick. You rarely, and I mean RARELY, get a great player outside of the top ten in the NBA Draft, much least the second round. That’s the NFL’s greatest advantage over the NBA. Philly football fans can honestly believe in their team’s chances to win a Super Bowl this season. If you’re a Philly basketball fan and you think the Sixers are going to win the NBA, you need to run outside and check the date on a newspaper because you’ve traveled back in time to 1982.

Going into this NBA season we could identify roughly five teams with a REAL chance at the title (Miami, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Chicago, and Indiana) and ten teams with the same chances as my six-year old son’s youth summer camp team. (LA Lakers, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Boston, Sacramento, Utah, Orlando, New Orleans, Cleveland and Minnesota.) There are only five guys on the court for each team at one time so naturally the eye test works so much easier in the NBA than the NFL.

Is this man on your team? If not, chances are your team WON'T win it all.

I can’t tell you who the best lineman is in the NFL. I just look at whoever gets voted All-Pro and say “Seems right to me.” I don’t need a NBA expert to tell me LeBron James is the best player. You could bring Martians to Earth with no knowledge of the game of basketball, show them the first half of a Miami game, tell them what numbers are, then ask which player was the best and they’d say the tall one in the number six jersey.

Because the number of players is so small, you could swap LeBron in for the following teams and they have a legit chance to winning the title this season; Clippers, Thunder, Bulls, Portland, Houston, Memphis, Washington, Spurs, and Pacers.You could put James on ANY team they’d all win at least 50 games and make the playoffs. Put Peyton Manning on the Jags and the Jags are STILL gonna suck. Look at how the same roster fell apart after he left Cleveland that first season. This isn’t a best point guard wins league, it’s a best PLAYER wins league. The only time the best point guard wins the title is if the best player just HAPPENS to be a point guard. Lets look at the past champions, their starting point guard and see when best point guard wins the title.

2013-12 Heat: The Immortal Mario Chalmers.

2011 Mavs: Jason “I Became A Coach Two Years Later” Kidd.

2009-10 Lakers: Derek “Never Made an All-Star, All-Anything, NBA Team” Fisher

2008 Celtics: Rajon “At The Time I was the weak link” Rondo

2007 Spurs: Tony “Only One All-Star, not as good as I am now” Parker

2006 Heat: Jason “White Chocolate/Flash In Pan” Williams

2005 Spurs: Tony “Not Good Yet” Parker

2004 Pistons: Chauncey “You Didn’t Know I Was An All-Star Yet” Billups

2003 Spurs: Tony “Even Worst” Parker

2002-00 Lakers: Derek “As Good As I’ll Get And STILL Never Be An All-Star” Fisher

1999 Spurs: Avery “The only individual award I’ll win is Coach Of the Year” Johnson

1998-96 Bulls: Ron “Guess What? I never made an All-Star Either” Harper

1995-94 Rockets: Kenny “More famous for being Barkley’s second banana” Smith

1993-91 Bulls: John “Never made an All-Star” Paxton

1990-89 Pistons: Isiah "FINALLY" Thomas

Magic and Isiah. Last of the great point guards to win NBA Championship

I had to go ALLLL the way back to 1990 for the last “best point guard in the league” NBA title. (And Isiah being the best is debatable cause Magic was still Magic so the best point guard may have not even WON the title those seasons.) And the last best player being a point guard title was the 1988 Lakers with Magic. Having a great point guard is about as important as having a “great” pinky toe. You technically need one, but you’ll live without it.

There is one way to win a title. Have one of the five best players in the league at the time, PLUS at least one active “I can make or made” an All-Star teammate. Jordan was the best but had Pippen. Shaq was the best but had Kobe. Kobe was the best but had Pau. LeBron is the best, but has Wade & Bosh.

 

Serious how the hell did the Mavs win the 2011 title?

Only the 1994 Houston Rockets had the best player do it solo. The 2004 Detroit Pistons were aliens. (Hindsight shows us that Detroit had four All-Stars in Billups, Hamilton, Wallace Ben and Rasheed both that is. But they still should not have been able to win.) And the 2011 Dallas Mavericks themselves still can’t believe they won. 

They didn’t have the best player or an active All-Star sidekick. Dirk was an All-Star but wasn’t even a top five in the league guy at the time. I still have NO clue how they won that title over Miami. You can’t say 2008 Celtics didn't have a top five guy because KG finished second in the MVP so he was clearly one of the five best players.

This isn’t rocket science. This is as easy as it gets. We don’t need to waste time talking about point guard play. All you need from your point guard is a guy who can just keep it together. Someone who doesn’t make a huge mistake in the huge moment. You don’t need the best point guard. You just need the best guy, regardless of position. That “best point guard” moniker has gotten Chris Paul NO TITLES. Derrick Rose, NO TITLE. Steve Nash, NO TITLES. Jason Kidd, NO TITLE in his prime. Gary Payton NO TITLE in his prime.

Want to know if your team is going to win the title? Ask yourself two simple questions. “Does my team have the best player?” “Does my team have one of the five best players?” If the answer to either or both was no, then no. If the answer to one or both was yes, then maybe. And maybe is a hell of a lot better than no.

The Seven Simple Truths Lakers Fans NEED to Face

 

Who are these people?!

How long has it been since the Los Angeles Lakers have been THIS bad? It’s not just that the Lakers are bad, it’s that they’re genuinely not interesting. Back in 2004-05, the year after LA traded Shaq to Miami, the Lakers finished 34-48 and missed the playoffs. They sucked but we had YOUNG Kobe. We had hope because we had the best player in the league and even if the team sucked, Kobe was gunning for 35 points a night and that was at least interesting.

The Lakers are as hopeless and uninteresting as the damn Bobcats right now. There are too many things to talk about as far as fixing the team, but that is not what this article is about. This post is about Lakers fans. Now, I fancied myself a diehard until saw the things some fans were saying about this team. This season has really helped me understand why people hate the Lakers and it’s fans.

Lakers fans are as passionate as it gets and winning has spoiled some of us beyond reality. I’m not a fan of Duke in college basketball, or the Yankees in baseball, or the Cowboys in football but I am a Lakers fans and get why people hate these type of teams. They win, and they win a lot (Not recently in the case of any of these teams anyway.) Winning breeds jealousy. So I get it, but the complete irrationality of some Lakers fans have become too much to stomach. So as a completely rational fan I figured it’s time to SCHOOL my fellow Lakers lovers. Remember I do this because I care. (This list is in NO particular order.)

1. The Lakers SUCK and ARE GOING TO KEEP SUCKING AT LEAST ONE MORE YEAR

Last year even with a healthy Kobe, (until D’Antoni ran him into the ground like a mad jockey riding a Shetland Pony in Kentucky Derby) and semi-healthy Dwight Howard, LA BARELY made it to the playoffs. This collection of players in LA is SOOO bad that even with two of the top 10 players in the league last season LA was only an 8-seed and STILL got sweep in the 1^st round.  THAT’S HOW BAD LA IS!

Get use to seeing this face and THOSE type of scores.

There are ZERO trades to make, no marquee free agents are talking about coming to LA, no sure fire franchise player in the draft (ala no Duncan, Shaq, or LeBron. Anthony Davis was the last one.) and our best player, Kobe, is coming off the worst injury possible. This is not a quick fix situation. Get all those fantasies of every player and their grandmothers coming to LA. Irving isn't coming. Melo isn't coming. And at least not next season, Love isn't coming. You know who is coming back? Mike D'Antoni.

2.  Kobe IS NOT the best player in the league and HASN’T been for awhile.

This is one of the hardest things for LA fans to admit, but let’s have a moment Lakers Nation. Let me talk to you for a second. I love Kobe. Dude’s easily my favorite player ever, but I love the name on the FRONT of jersey far more than I do Kobe Bryant. The Lakers were great before Kobe and will be after Kobe. Now if you honestly think a 35 year-old shooting guard with 18 seasons, 45,000 minutes played, that's coming off of THE WORST INJURY IN SPORTS, is the best player in the NBA, then… well then you’re just fucking crazy. Kobe can’t stay in front of cardboard cutout anymore defensively and he’s basically the NBA equivalent of a DH in baseball. And I’m going to assume after what happened when he did come back, another injury, this is going to KEEP happening.

Like all of Laker Nation, I love Kobe too,
but some fans are like mama bears protect cubs.

It’s not that I’m “hating” on Kobe, but merely pointing out the fact that he’s just old. Something he's been for a minute but now he's old AND hurt. But there’s nothing wrong with that. This stage of a player's career happens to everyone. He’s got nothing left to prove to me, you or anyone. One of the best ever, but currently NOT the best. Right now today as of March 25, 2013 I can name about 15 players I’d rather have. And the same was true of Michael Jordan in March of 2003 when he was on the Wizards.

3. Kobe’s MASSIVELY OVERPAID!

Want to hear something really messed up? NBA players are underpaid. Now that sounds crazy saying that people who are running around bouncing a ball playing a game and getting paid millions of dollars are underpaid but check this out. Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira would be the 2^nd highest paid player in the league. When a guy that's not even the best player on his team and not one of best 25-50 players in all of baseball makes more that all but one player in the NBA that’s an issue.

That being said, Kobe has been WELL compensated for his services to the Purple and Gold. LA shouldn’t be paying anyone, even Kobe, for PAST performance. I could see giving him this deal if Kobe got "short changed" early on in his prime but he didn't. In fact, Kobe’s the highest paid player this season, still brings in more dollars off the court than anyone else and his total career earnings are top three ever.

 In a salary cap driven league, tying that much money to one player is already stupid, but to gurantee that much money to a player coming off injury, his 17th season, and who got injured as soon as he came back for the aforementioned injury was damn near negligent. Paying Kobe all that money is like putting an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet in a strip joint; it’s just an all around bad idea and no wins. But if you still aren’t convinced, ask yourself this; if Lakers brass could go back in time and do that deal again, do they do it?

BONUS: Kobe's 5 Rings AREN'T A VALID REASON TO SAY HE'S BEST. By that logic, Robert Worry was better than him and Jordan.

4. LeBron James is the best player in the NBA, has been for a while and the gap between him and next best is not close. 

I’m 90 percent sure most of you just stopped reading, but saying LeBron James isn’t the best is akin to saying water isn’t wet or fire isn’t hot. It’s just illogical. Dude has the 3^rd highest scoring average EVER. EVER. There haven’t been 5 players ever than can average 27 points, 8 boards and 8 assists a game,

Sorry, but right now and, for the pass three seasons,
the guy in black has been better.

You remember how crazy people looked bashing Kobe when he was dropping 81 or when he dropped 50 six games in row? Remember how completely petty those people looked because they weren't judging Kobe on his ON COURT ABILITY? Lakers fans, we look the same way when we say LeBron sucks. Lakers fans are OBSESSED with bashing LeBron like racists republicans are with bashing President Obama.

Look, I didn't like Michael Jordan growing up. Mainly because my first real lasting memory of my Lakers involved MJ killing LA in five games during the Bulls first title. That being said I at least recognized MJ's greatness. So why can’t we just do that with LBJ? It’s like getting to watch Jordan, or Magic, or Wilt. We’re watching an all timer, at his peak no less, and even though he’s not a Laker, we can still recognize game.

5. The Miami Heat are NOT a rival for the Lakers!

How many times has LA and Miami met in the Finals? I’ll wait…. Oh the answer's zero you say! That’s why LA and Miami are NOT RIVALS. The Lakers have NEVER been eliminated from the playoffs by the Heat. That's why seeing Lakers fan rooting for the Spurs in Finals last season after they (the Spurs) waxed the floor with LA in round one was crazy to me. How many times has LA tasted the bitterness of defeat at the hand of Duncan and the Spurs?

Spurs, Celtics, and Clippers are far more natural rivals as there is PLAYOFF HISTORY BETWEEN THE TEAMS. (Clippers not so much, but they’re in same building so…) Those games mean more, so until a bond is forged in the heat (pardon the pun) of playoff fires, l look at the Miami Heat like Muhammad Ali looked at the Vietnam War in 1969. “Ain’t no Viet Cong ever call me nigger.” “Ain’t no Heat ever stopped my team from winning a title.”

6. All our problems are NOT Jim Buss’ fault.

The funny thing is Jim Buss has been in charge of things for the Lakers longer than you think. Who do you think drafted Bynum? Or helped with the Gasol trade? He’s done some great things for LA. Sure the Lakers are a mess right now, but it’s not from a lack of effort on Buss' part. He DID trade for Chris Paul. He DID trade for Dwight Howard.

This is a shadow few men could get out of.
Cut Jim Buss some slack. He's following the best ever.

Both were smart/box office moves at the time. The Paul failure was not his fault and Howard just wasn’t built for LA. He’s (Buss) a problem, but let us not forget that the dude tried to stop this from happening, Had David Stern and the NBA not owned the Hornets, Paul is STILL here and at the time we hadn’t traded Bynum so we clearly would have flipped him for Howard. On a team of Howard, Paul and Kobe, Kobe's still alpha dog and LA has pieces in place after Kobe retires. Didn't work out but he did try.

7. Our 16 titles mean jackshit right now.

I get it, I get it. It’s about team pride and blah, blah, blah. But just like I don’t let Cowboys fans, or Norte Dame fans, use PAST GLORY to talk about their team's CURRENT circumstances, we can’t use it either. We suck right now. Magic ain’t walking through the tunnel. Shaq ain’t walking through the tunnel and neither are those titles.

Look Lakers fans, we’ve been on the top of the mountain so long that our heads are spinning from the lack of oxygen so I get why some of y'all are nuts. We can’t always be good. We can't get every free agent. And we can't win the title every season. I know this wasn't easy to read but someone needed to say it. Every team has to go through this. Now it’s our time to go through it, but it's tough because we're Lakers fans. We NEVER go through this. We’re at the bottom but if history holds true…That won’t last too long.

History On the Horizon (My 5 Biggest Questions Going Into the 2013-14 NBA Season)

Jordan’s Bulls. Shaq and Kobe’s Lakers. Russell’s Celtics. Miken’s Lakers. That’s it. Two titles in a row is nothing to sneeze at by any means, but three in a row is the stuff of legend. NBA immortality. That’s what’s at stake for LeBron James and the Miami Heat going into the 2013-14 NBA season. James enters his 10^th season CLEARLY, whether you like it or admit it or not, entrenched as the league’s best player. Never has his “King” moniker been so fitting as James is the reigning and consecutive NBA MVP, Finals MVP and NBA champion. (Something only Jordan and Russell did by the way.) I mean, you just gotta give it up at this point. The man is one of the best basketball players ever and he's at the apex of his powers. You're going to get to say you watched LeBron James play basketball and that's going to mean something one day. (Plus this commercial is cool as hell. It's getting harder and harder not to like this guy.)

In the offseason, Miami added former number one pick, walker, zombie, Greg Oden and the always complicated, Michael Beasley. These are low risk, HIGH reward moves that could help Miami cement themselves into NBA history, but here's the issue with that. The last team to make three straight finals where the Los Angeles Lakers from ’08-’10. That team could only win two of three and the Heat are in the same spot as my Lakers a few years ago. After three straight years of going to the edge of the playoffs, does Miami even get back to the Finals let alone win it?

Getting to the Finals four times in a row is damn near impossible. (The last team that did it was the Boston Celtics from ’84-87. And they only won two of four. And that was with the original "Big Three" Bird, McHale and Parrish.) The injury bug has merely “nipped” at the Heat's heels and nagging injuries to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh didn’t derail their title hopes these past two season, but does that luck last? No matter who your team is, if you love the NBA and the history of the game, you have to at least understand why this is the biggest question going into this season. CAN THE HEAT THREE-PEAT?

2: Can Rose rise with the Bulls?

The Chicago Bulls are the best threat to beat the Heat almost by default. With the return of superstar guard and former MVP Derrick Rose, the Bulls looked primed to truly challenge Miami. To play devil's advocate, a few years ago, and at full strength, the Bulls still fell to Miami in only five games, so what’s different now you say? Maturity.

You always have to wait your turn in the NBA. The Bulls were 41-41 in 2009-’10 before they took a huge leap to 62-20 in 2010-'11. Teams never get that good and win right way. Rose got hurt during the playoffs the next year and last season the Bulls lost to Miami again in five games. But now the Bulls are more seasoned, they have a much better two-guard in Jimmy Butler, Deng and Noah are improved and healthy to boot. There are a few challengers in the East but none as intriguing as the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose.

3. How will Dwight Howard play now that he’s “happy” again?

A few years ago I watched Dwight Howard’s Magic play Derrick Rose’s Bulls live in Orlando and I took away two things from that game. There are a lot of hot women in Orlando and Rose and Howard were All-Stars for a reason. You could ALWAYS tell them apart from the other players on the court. I didn’t have bad seats but they weren’t great, but Howard and Rose popped off the court the same way they popped off the screen at home. They were that much better than everyone else. Rose looks like the same guy I saw in Orlando after a few preseason games but Howard doesn’t look like THAT guy anymore.

Howard played with a level of athleticism that no one else in the league did. Not even LeBron James. He was a defensive anchor and could jump instantly but not anymore. He has to bend to leap now when he just use to rise up almost effortlessly. I give him credit for his time in LA if only because he came back months before he was suppose to, played on a bum shoulder and STILL led the league in boards. Primadonna/wish-washy behavior aside he’s still the best center in the league.

Playing in Houston with James Harden, Howard’s finally got a young elite player that can flank him. Kobe Bryant wasn’t the kind of player that would ever work playing with someone like Howard. Kobe doesn’t play games. He doesn’t joke. It’s all business all the time and it’s ALWAYS HIS team. As great as Harden is, he’s going to take second billing to Howard and without any issue in doing so. All the excuses are gone for him this season. He’s where HE chose to be. He’s got a great YOUNG team. He’s healthy. Let’s see what you got Howard.

4. Which West “window closing” team can come back?

ESPN ranked Oklahoma Thunder forward Kevin Durant and teammate Russell Westbrook number 2 and 5 respectively. Houston’s James Harden was ranked 4. Damn! According to this rankings, had OKC kept Harden, the Thunder would three of the top five players on the planet. Westbrook is going to miss the first few weeks of the season and they lost Harden’s replacement in Kevin Martin but the Thunder are still going to be good because they have the second best baller in the world in KD but is that enough? 

Kendrick Perkins is a complete waste on the court and forces them to play 4 on 5 when he's in the lineup. (I have a higher plus/minus for the Thunder and I don't even play for the team!) Plus we don't even know if Westbrook comes back the same. I really think OKC screwed themselves by taking Harden's failure in the Finals versus the Heat too much into account when it came to keeping him. OKC was banking on Serge Ibaka getting better so they payed him instead of Harden. They should have amnestied Perkins when they had the chance, took the cap hit by resigning Harden because it's looking more and more like their title hopes left when Harden did.

San Antonio Spurs got about as close as you can get to winning the title without actually winning it. Now they’re a year older and the Rockets, Warriors and Clippers are all on the rise in the West. Each year I keep expecting Tim Duncan and the Spurs to fall off a cliff but it doesn’t happen. Greg Popvich keeps finding ways to get the best out of this team. On the plus side, Tony Parker is going to be healthy and Kawhi Leonard looks like a budding All-Star so the Spurs aren't totally out of it. But does Duncan have enough left in the tank? Especially after laying it all on the line to win last season.

The last "window closing" team in the West is the Memphis Grizzlies. They seemed so close to winning the title when Zach Randolph looked other worldly and Marc Gasol stepped up but fast forward a few years later and all that has changed. They got rid of a great coach in Lionel Hollins, shipped off their 3rd best player in Rudy Gay and still didn't improve their horrid outside shooting. It was a struggle for Memphis to get to 90 points and in the NBA nowadays that's a huge problem. I say Memphis is a 50 win, lose in the second round type of team at best.

5. What the hell is going to happen to the Lakers?

I know, I know. There are a TON of other great questions going into the season. Are the Boston, Brooklyn Nets too old to win it all? How will the Knicks look? Will the Pacers take the next step? Can Doc Rivers get the Clippers off the hump? Which team is going to suck bad enough to get Andrew Wiggins? If not from a historical perspective, the Lakers are just fascinating from a pure intrigue standpoint. Let's face it, the Lakers are always a story when you're talking NBA basketball. (And this is my list, I’m Laker fan and I’m going to talk about my team. So yeah, deal with it!)

They lost two of their best players from a season ago, only Steve Nash is under contract past this season and Kobe Bryant is trying to come back from one of the most devastating injuries any athlete, regardless of age and sport, can have. But the Lakers two biggest issues continue to be off the court, in my opinion anyway. They STILL have the wrong coach in D’Antonio and Jim Buss is about as fit to run this team as the lady that was giving me my popcorn in Staples last week.

A year ago it just "seemed" like Mike Brown wasn’t the right fit, so the Lakers smartly removed him from the position. Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Kobe were in full swing, and Phil Jackson was itching to coach, but what does Jimmy Boy do? Hire a coach that cares about defense the same way the French care about fighting back in a war. A coach that NEVER adjusts to his players and forces them to play his style NO MATTER WHAT. Until the Lakers fix this mistake THEY’LL NEVER, and I'll say it again, NEVER, win an NBA title.

When Kobe comes back (Because we all know he's crazy enough to suck the blood from his daughters' necks if meant getting back on the court sooner.) there is NO WAY he lets the Lakers suck. The team was horrible last year and he STILL dragged them, kicking and screaming no less, into the playoffs. But why do that again this year? Why kill yourself for this team Kobe? Lakers fans I'm sorry to say this, but the boys got no shot and you know it. Why not bottom out and get one of the lottery picks in the best draft since ’03? Am I the only one that knows that being in NBA "no man’s land" is the worst thing ever. You’re not good enough to win the title but with Kobe you’re just good enough to sneak into the playoffs as an 8^th seed. And what does that get you? No lottery pick and a first round ass beating. (Milwaukee Bucks fans are SCREAMING at their computers right now.) You want to be contending for a title or sucking your brains out. Those are the only real places to be in the NBA and smart execs know that. Winning titles or rebuilding. Not treading water.

The Lakers are going to have the cap space to rebuild via free agency and I’m still not sure who the team attracts to Los Angeles. Melo, LeBron, Wade and Bosh could all become free agents in the offseason, but I don’t see any of those guys coming specifically with a coach like D’Antonio at the helm. (Lakers fans get over it, Melo ALREADY got a dose of D'Antonio, so you think he wants to sign with LA to get coach by a guy he hated. That's like becoming roommates with your ex-wife.) I'm not sure if LA has the pieces to make a splashy trade like they tried to do for Chris Paul (I’m STILL mad at David Stern!) and they did do for Dwight Howard. They're going to suck and if they do make the playoffs it's not going to be pretty, but when you’re the Lakers you're always going to have people talking. Love 'em or hate 'em, basketball is better when the Lakers are in the mix.

It’s time to rebuild in LA and here’s hoping they do it. But what do you guys think? I know I missed a few, so leave me a comment below telling me what you think is the biggest question going into the season. Follow me on Twitter @ParisLay. Thanks for reading and as always ENJOY THE VIEW!