Why LeBron Might Not Win a Title in Cleveland

Last Friday, the Cleveland Cavaliers made the shocking decision to fire head coach David Blatt. What makes the move especially surprising is that the Cavs had just won both games of a back-to-back against the Nets in Brooklyn and at home against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Cavs were a team that lasted six games against the 67-win Warriors in the NBA Finals last year. They were first in the Eastern Conference with a 30-11 record. And yet, they still chose to replace their coach.

The Cavaliers recovered nicely from their blowout loss to the Warriors the Monday before, and were coming off of a big win against the Clippers. It was a strange time to fire their coach, as it was in the middle of the season, and they were playing so well. It certainly wasn't an urgent move, as the Cavs were the favorites to win the East.

The firing of Blatt was more about the Cavaliers not getting as far as was expected of them. But a head coach shouldn't be fired after his team makes the finals. It also wasn't Blatt's fault that the Cavs couldn't make it past the Warriors. Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were both injured, so the Cavs were playing at a disadvantage. They still played hard despite the odds being stacked against them. This season, without any other big challengers in the East, they might be the most likely team in the NBA to advance to the finals. While they might not be able win a series against the Warriors or Spurs right now, there is still time to make a roster move.

Maybe David Blatt wasn't the perfect coach for the Cavs. He wasn't getting along well with his players, including LeBron James. But continuity is very important in sports, and if Blatt was given more time, he could have developed a better relationship with his team and figured out how to best use his roster. Now, his replacement Tyronn Lue only has a few months to prepare for the playoffs. Without the whole summer to figure out a gameplan, the Cavs might not be able to adjust in time.

The Cavaliers didn't figure out how to get Love involved in the offense, which they will have to do because of his poor defense. There are many players that can stand outside the three point line most of the time, but Love is not one of them. His post-up and rebounding skills are not being utilized like they should be. He is not getting the opportunity to be a star player.

LeBron might already be starting to decline. He isn't playing defense at a high level anymore, and his jump shot has been worse this season. His playing ability likely won't drop off suddenly, but he won't be able to improve much after this season. The Cavs need to improve on their depth, possibly adding more defense and shooting. Unless they make a couple trades, it is unlikely that they will be able to match the Spurs or Warriors. But it would be tough to make a big move, especially after just making a coaching change.

Maybe Tyronn Lue turns out to be a great coach and figures out how to work with his players. Or maybe the Cavaliers make the necessary roster moves to match or surpass Golden State and San Antonio. But the way things are going, Cleveland won't win the NBA Championship.

Where Should David Blatt Go Next?
David Blatt was hired a few weeks before LeBron James announced he would be returning to Cleveland. He became the unfortunate victim of a win-now situation, where "good enough" wasn't good enough. But Blatt wasn't originally hired to take the Cavaliers to the top. He was supposed to coach a young team and take them to the playoffs as lower seed. Which is what he needs to do for his second coaching job, where he won't have as much pressure to succeed immediately.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are a great fit for Blatt. He'll be able to earn the respect of the league there and perhaps get another chance at the postseason. Right now, they are in need of someone like Blatt to take over for interim head coach Sam Mitchell, who the Timberwolves are not happy with. The Wolves have a solid young core which has a lot potential. The biggest piece missing is a coach who can take them to the next level. David Blatt could be that coach.

All-Star Reserves
Yesterday, the 2016 All-Star reserves were revealed. The selections were mostly pretty good, but with some notable exclusions. I think Damian Lillard should have made it over James Harden. Harden is a great scorer, but he turns the ball over too much, and he doesn't play defense. His Rockets have disappointed, while Lillard's Trail Blazers have performed better than expected after losing four starters and their sixth man. The other selection I disagree with is Chris Bosh instead of Kevin Love. Bosh is a better defender, but Love is on a better team that deserves to be represented in the All-Star Game besides just LeBron James.

I'm also very happy that Isaiah Thomas became an All-Star for the first time. He is finally on a winning team in his first full season in Boston. He's a player that at just 5'9" is proving that skill matters more than size. He's someone that normal-sized people can look up to, and an inspiration to many, beating the odds after being drafted just 60th overall in 2011.

Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts? Feel free to post a comment.

Problems with the NBA All-Star Game

I am a big fan of the NBA All-Star Game. But I think there are some problems with it that need to be fixed. The All-Star Game doesn't need any changes, but some of them could improve it.

The third voting returns for the starters were announced today. Not all of the players set to start in the game are deserving of their spot. Kyrie Irving stands out as one of the least deserving players. He has missed a majority of the Cavaliers' games, and he hasn't been shooting the ball as well as he has before. There is no reason why Irving should start instead of Kyle Lowry. Lowry is having a fantastic season, but the main reason he should start the All-Star Game and not Irving is because he plays in Toronto, where the game is going to be.

One could argue that Irving should start in the game if the fans want to see him, but players should have to earn a spot in the starting lineup by playing well. The All-Star Game should be reserved for the best of the best, not the most popular players. However, there is one player who has been struggling this year that should be starting: Kobe Bryant. As someone who has had such a big impact on the game of basketball, Bryant absolutely deserves to have one last shining moment in the All-Star Game (and so does Tim Duncan, who is getting no love these days). Fan voting should not be eliminated because the fans deserve to vote in some players or make a statement in the voting numbers saying that they want to see someone like Kobe play in the starting lineup.

Here's my suggestion to fix the fan voting: the guard and frontcourt player with the most votes in each conference automatically starts in the All-Star Game. Each player who doesn't get in from the fan vote receives a certain number of points based on his standing from the vote, with players higher in the standing receiving more votes. Then, the coaches vote for the rest of the roster for their conference, and the players with the highest total of coach votes and fan vote points make the All-Star team. It would be up to the coach of the team to decide the starters of the game.

The All-Star rosters also need to be expanded to 13 players because NBA teams have 15 man rosters and 12 is just not enough. But another reason to expand the rosters is to make up for undeserving players.

Lastly, please vote for Andre Drummond, Kyle Lowry, and Jimmy Butler. All three truly deserve to start in Toronto in February, and need more support.

My 2016 All-Star Starter Picks

Each year, the NBA All-Star Game is a fun, high-scoring, and ultimately meaningless event where nobody cares to play defense. Now that fan voting has begun, I've decided to share who I think deserves to start in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game.

Western Conference:
G Stephen Curry
G Russell Westbrook
F Kawhi Leonard
F Kevin Durant
F Anthony Davis

Curry is a no-brainer to start in the All-Star Game. The Warriors have been cruising through the start of the season, and he is the biggest reason why. Westbrook is also having a good season, and is putting up monster numbers. Leonard has been the best player on the Spurs and is the biggest part of their success. He is becoming one of the best two-way players in the league now. While Durant has missed a few games this year, he's still one of the top players in the league. And Anthony Davis has continued to dominate despite his lack of help.

Eastern Conference:
G Kristaps Porzingis
G Kristaps Porzingis
F Kristaps Porzingis
F Kristaps Porzingis
F Kristaps Porzingis
:)

My actual picks for the Eastern Conference:
G Kyle Lowry
G Jimmy Butler
F LeBron James
F Paul George
F Andre Drummond

Lowry has led the Raptors to a good start to the season. He's also having a very good start to the season himself. I considered choosing John Wall over Butler for the second guard spot, but Butler's Bulls have been better than Wall's Wizards, so he gets my vote. James is a no-brainer for the All-Star Game, and so is George, who has been even better than before his injury. My last pick is Drummond, who can't be stopped from getting rebounds.

I also wanted to talk about Matt Barnes' insane game winner in Detroit. If you haven't seen it yet, here it is:

It was a ridiculous decision to shoot the ball from half-court, even if it went in. There were still timeouts remaining and enough time on the clock for Barnes to get a closer shot. But hey, it was an awesome highlight.

The Conferences Have Changed

Last year, the Eastern Conference was a lot worse all around, and the standings showed that. This year, however, the East has gotten much better. The top teams are still in the Western Conference, but the teams in the middle of the standings are better in the East. It's those teams that have made the East more exciting this year.

The Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, and Atlanta Hawks are all very likely to make the postseason. It's the next 6-7 teams that have made the Eastern Conference playoff race very interesting. Here are my thoughts on those teams:

Kyle Lowry has improved off of his excellent season last year, and the Toronto Raptors have been right in the middle of the playoffs. The Raptors have a good shot at making the postseason, not only because of Lowry, but also because of DeMar DeRozan.

The Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and Boston Celtics are the teams most likely to end up fighting for the seventh and eighth seeds in April. Of the the four, the Pistons might have the best chance to get there. They're led by Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond, both of whom are making strong cases to be on the all-star team. The Magic, meanwhile, are having a surprisingly good season given how young the roster is. Next year, they could be a top team in the East. The Celtics have one of the best coaches in the league in Brad Stevens, so it wouldn't be shocking if they snagged one of the lower seeds in the East despite the fact that their roster needs work. And the Hornets' decision to trade for Nicolas Batum is paying off as he's having a great season as a key part of the team.

The New York Knicks are close to the eighth seed, but might not have enough to get there. If they go on a big winning streak and another team fighting for the playoffs slips, the Knicks could get the eighth spot. And Kristaps Porzingis is awesome.

The eight best teams in the Western Conference are starting to look clear. The Warriors and Spurs are clearly leading the way, but the other teams are not looking as strong. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, and Houston Rockets will all probably make the playoffs. None of the teams on the outside appear strong enough to get to the postseason. The Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves are too young, while the Phoenix Suns don't have enough talent in the frontcourt to get there.

It would be very interesting if the New Orleans Pelicans get closer to the playoffs. After starting off slowly, they have picked up some quality wins against good teams. It's improbable that they will be in the playoffs, but it sure would be nice to see Anthony Davis showcase his talent in the postseason again.

When Will the Warriors Lose or the 76ers Win?

The Warriors Continue to Dominate

After beating the Denver Nuggets 118-105, the Golden State Warriors are now 15-0 and have tied the record for the best winning streak to start the season. They will likely set the record against the Lakers tomorrow. The Warriors are still the best team in the NBA, and Stephen Curry is still the MVP.

The Warriors have earned their place in history. They played a few close games, but each time, they managed to stay ahead and seal the victory. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies, a solid team, by 50. They came back from 20 down to beat the Clippers, and they beat the Rockets at home by 20. Seeing as their upcoming schedule isn't very strong, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Warriors stretched their win streak to 20.

What makes the Warriors so dangerous is that their roster is full of so many good players. Curry is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league, and Klay Thompson was an all-star last year. Draymond Green is one of the most versatile players in the NBA. Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala are both good NBA forwards. And the Warriors are even deeper than that. Head Coach Steve Kerr still hasn't returned. The Warriors will obviously lose at some point in the season, but it could take a while.

The 76ers are Still Winless

The Philadelphia 76ers are the opposite of the Warriors. Having just lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-95, the 76ers are 0-15. The Timberwolves held off the Sixers at the end to come away with the win. The Timberwolves hadn't won at home until they hosted the Sixers.

It is unbelievable how utterly pathetic the 76ers are. They have stripped away almost all of their talent and the results have not been surprising. From making the playoffs in 2012 to losing more than 60 games in 2014, their demise has been very rapid. So what could have caused them to fall so quickly?

The terrible Dwight Howard trade in 2012 set the 76ers back immensely. Two of the players they gave away were Andre Iguodala and Nikola Vucevic, and the main piece they got was Andrew Bynum. That didn't work out so well. Bynum left after one season in which he played no games due to injuries. Vucevic has become a solid player for the Orlando Magic, and Iguodala is still playing well in Golden State. But after one bad season, they decided to look towards the future, so they traded nearly everyone good on their roster.

Why are they not trying harder to win sooner? They could end up winning in a few years, but they are destroying a fanbase. They didn't need to trade all of their good players. A couple of smart moves could have made them a good team again.

First Impressions of the 2015-16 NBA Season

The NBA is back! Every team has played so far, and this season looks to be exciting. Some teams and players have especially stood out, in both good and bad ways.

As one of only six undefeated teams remaining, the Pistons have impressed. They could be a surprise playoff team this year, but they also could end up being this year's version of last year's Kings. They have been winning with defense, holding their opponents to under 95 points in each game. It'll be interesting to see if they can keep things up. Their win against the Bulls was an encouraging sign.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have also yet to lose a game, and Karl-Anthony Towns has been a monster, scoring efficiently, rebounding well, and blocking shots. He and Andrew Wiggins might one of the best duos in the league someday.

There are also a lot of teams that still haven't won a game yet. The Rockets and Bucks have stood out in particular. The Bucks have been blown out twice, including a 25 point loss to the Knicks. The Rockets have played terribly, losing all of their games by exactly 20 points. Ouch. Both teams had big offseason acquisitions in Ty Lawson and Greg Monroe. However, they are likely still adjusting to having a new star on the team. The Pelicans are another team that is 0-3, but they had to face the Warriors twice, and Steph Curry scored 93 points in those games.

Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are great players on offense and defense. Both players are working on adding to their offensive skill sets. They have started shooting threes. I personally hope both of them continue to shoot threes and succeed at it so all basketball fans can enjoy the NBA even more.

I am really excited to see how the rest of the NBA season unfolds. We'll find out soon enough how things will shape up.

The Western Conference Keeps Getting Tougher

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Clippers signed Josh Smith, adding another quality rotation player to improve their depth. The Clippers are no longer the same team as they were last year, also having added Paul Pierce to help prevent moments like this:

The Clippers now have solid depth, and are now in the upper tier of contenders in the west. After the Josh Smith signing, it looked like there were going to be only four elite teams in the west next year. San Antonio, Golden State, Oklahoma City, and now the Clippers. That is not the case anymore.

Yesterday, the Houston Rockets agreed to a trade with the Denver Nuggets for Ty Lawson while giving up almost nothing in return. The first round pick next year is nice, but it probably will be in the mid 20s. None of the players the Rockets gave up were rotation players. Nick Johnson might be the best player the Nuggets got.

What the Rockets have really needed the past couple of years was a point guard that could take pressure off of James Harden to run the offense. The Rockets also like to have as many shooters as possible to space the floor. It's safe to say Ty Lawson is a good fit in Houston. His stats show that he is a good NBA point guard offensively. While he isn't an amazing scorer, he can effectively get points inside and outside. He's also an excellent playmaker. Defense might be a problem, but the Rockets have tons of quality defenders to help with that.

The Rockets and Clippers might not improve too much on their win totals from last year because the other top contenders will be as good or better next year. However, both teams have helped turn the west into a race with five teams that have a legitimate shot of winning. The Spurs, Warriors, Thunder, Clippers, and Rockets form an exciting group of teams that should make the regular season and playoffs very interesting to follow. It's hard to leave out the Grizzlies, but they haven't addressed their needs very well. Unless Vince Carter has a good bounce-back year and their big three improves next season, it's hard to see Memphis being one of the elite teams in the west.

The NBA definitely needs to change the playoff format more than just seeding teams 1-8 regardless of division leaders. Seed the teams 1-16 based on record, regardless of conference. Or at least something close to that. Do we really need crappy teams in the playoffs? Two excellent teams will face each other in the first round in the Western Conference next season. In the Eastern Conference, there likely won't be more than five teams that win 50 games.

It'll be fun to see how the west unfolds. It might be like last season, with four teams fighting for home court on the last day of the regular season. The east will be more competitive this year, but it still falls short compared to the west.