D-Day 2010

Tune in to ESPN tonight to hear what's going down. For those that are sick of this process and see the show as purely a display of LeBron's avarice, know this: people will watch, and that's why they are having it.

Looks like my Chicago/Boozer angle was right. I think with LeBron, Chicago easily defeats any Eastern Conference team.  Think about it: they will own Miami's bench, and Miami has no one to stop LeBron. They will own the Celtics because of legit, young playoff bigs and a PG to match up with Rondo (Mo Williams was no matchup). They will own the Magic because they can single-cover Dwight, and there is no Orlando can stay in front of Boozer/LeBron/Rose. And against L.A., they won't give up the glass as easily as the 2010 Celtics did, and will eviscerate L.A.'s point men. It works. Credit the Bulls for drafting real well the last few years (really, if you look at the team's history of draft picks, they are not bad dating back to Jordan who was a no-brainer. In some cases, guys didn't pan out because they weren't developed correctly (Tyrus Thomas) or suffered freak injuries (Jay Williams)).

Now for a new angle: the New York Knickerbockers with LeBron

Starters:

PG: Toney Douglas/FA/Trade Player
SG: Danilo Gallinari
SF: LeBron James
PF: A'mare Stoudemire
C:  Eddy Curry/FA/Trade Player

Bench:

Wilson Chandler, Sergio Rodriguez, Bill Walker.

Not as strong as what Chicago can trot out, but they have favorable matchups in three spots. The biggest concern remaining is an athletic center, but there isn't one right now. Brad Miller is available, but...yeah. I see this team mucking around, trading Curry's expiring contract at the deadline, and then making a run for it. Or they could wait next season out and get a guy like Nene after dumping Curry. The good news is that James will make things infinitely easier for guys like Sergio, Toney, and Danilo, and the offense should run well. I'm not sold that Danilo is a star, but I think he can be a Ginobili-type on a championships squad. And I'm not sold that Bosh is hands-down better than A'mare. I know A'mare has had Nash. But Bosh hasn't done anything. He's not a winner. He didn't win at GT, and he hasn't won in Toronto. A'mare is misguided, has had great pieces around him, but also hasn't shrunk in the playoffs. And with the truly complementary pieces here, N.Y. may be a better basketball spot than Miami for LeBron. You make the call.