Is Willie Nelson singing ON THE ROAD AGAIN to LeBron James? - Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA photo

NBA NOTES - THE JAMES GAME SPARKS NBA MERRY-GO-ROUND

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

The three amigos LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade are living large in the free agent market. It's been mentioned that they would like to play together but that becoming a reality is unlikely. With whom the coach is being a factor makes for very slim pickings for the three amigos. Can NBA coaching changes make a difference in their decision making?

SIGN ON PLEASE

Monday July 5, 2010

With the season having ended many clubs have changed their scene. NBA fans and scribes are anxiously waiting to see which way free agent LeBron James will go. The Chicago Bulls seem to be the team most hot to trot for his services. The New York Knicks are second in line. With James' celebrity status he might choose a city where he could rub elbows with the stars and that gives New York the leg up. The problem is the Knicks are lacking the talent to bring the king a ring (NBA title) whereas the Bulls have a much better team.

Jay Z (Beyonce's husband) being a friend of James and a part owner of the New Jersey Nets is trying to encourage James to sign with the Nets. The Jersey boys are young with some decent talent that will take years to blossom. If James wants to win a title any time soon is unlikely with the Nets. Given the Nets need to develop and mature as a team James would be pushing 30 to battle for one with the Nets. With the Knicks or Nets James would be surrounded with the power brokers of advertising but that may not be enough of a lure that Hollyweird could offer.

The Los Angeles Clippers have been mentioned as a possibility. For James to be teamed with last seasons overall NBA draft choice Drew Griffin would be an interesting situation along with veteran Baron Davis. The good news is he would be in a city where he would be rubbing elbows with the stars but the Clippers have a history of bad news. The Clips have potential but their coaching situation needs to be addressed. The question is what super star coach would want the job of making them winners and competing with the NBA champion Lakers. The bottom line is the Clippers have too many loose ends to tidy up.

Coaching changes have been made in New Jersey signing a proven coach in Avery Johnson who took the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA final against the Miami Heat in 2006 before fading after the Mavs won the first three games of a seven game series and the Heat won the title. Johnson is a pepper-pot with the ability to enthuse his players, the question remains can he take a team that was the worst in the league to play at a high level and attain respectability.

Shaquille O'Neal failed to get a ring for the king (LeBron James as he promised when he signed with the Cavaliers and he is in the free agent market again. At 38-years-old the NBA veteran is not the force he once was. He wants to play three more years in the league which translates into him being 41-years-old if he has his way. With his age and declining skills where he will wind up is a mystery. With former Laker Byron Scott being signed as Cleveland's coach may be enough to encourage James to remain with the team.

The Atlanta Hawks made a change although former coach Mike Woodson improved the team each season during his six year tenure. Woodson took over for the 2004/05 season and the Hawks finished with a 13-69 record. Each year they improved and last season finished with a 53-29 record. His failure to advance further in the playoffs proved to be his undoing.

Management opted to hire his assistant Larry Drew who is not a holler guy and more mild mannered. He has no previous NBA head coaching experience but has had several years experience as an assistant coach with several clubs including the Lakers. Drew will have to learn on the job while having to gain the respect of a number of seasoned players. On the surface Drew appears to be a bad choice.

NBA DRAFT MEMORIES

The NBA draft brought to mind a statement that Commissioner David Stern made in the Clippers press room after the Lakers traded for Kobe Bryant July 11th 1996 from the Charlotte Hornets. Bryant was out of high school and didn't attend college. Stern noted the Taft Hartley Law and the right to work. The league later passed a rule that players entering the NBA could not be drafted out of high school and that they needed to be 19-years-old to enter the league. The NBA Development League was formed giving players who were hardship cases and not having grades quality enough to enter college a chance to mature and develop their skills. Some players opted to play in Europe while some did enter college.

The trend now is players are leaving college after attending only one year and entering the daft. This year a record was set for the lowest selection of a player that did attended the entire four years of college. Trevor Booker from Clemson University was selected # 23 erasing the old record when a senior was selected # 12.