Note to Lebron; It's About the Name on the Front

After watching the despicable excuse for television that was The Decision, and after seeing what an egomaniac Lebron has become, the events of the Heat-Bulls game on Wednesday really didn’t surprise me. With the Heat down 92-89 with 16 seconds left, Lebron chucked up a one dribble pull up three, with Luol Deng standing a few steps away with his hand up. The shot (if we can call it that) missed badly, not even touching the rim and barely grazing the backboard. The Bulls got the rebound, hit a few free throws, and the game was over.

Horrible shot, but frankly I’m not surprised. Lebron’s been making a lot of bad “decisions” lately.

16 seconds is a lifetime in basketball. There was no point of rushing a shot, especially not a semi contested pull up three. The Heat (and Lebron) could’ve moved the ball around for a few seconds and gotten a much more high percentage shot. Lebron was definitely not the best shooter on the floor for the Heat at the time, and he wasn’t even wide open.  

With 16 clicks left, even a quick two would’ve been fine, and this is why this was such a bad shot. Lebron had a clear step on Deng, and could’ve used that step to get the Heat a quick bucket. Announcers always fawn over Lebron’s quickness and strength, and they say he can’t be stopped once he gets into the lane with a head of steam. With this in mind, Lebron could’ve easily gotten inside (he already had a step on his defender) and finished, maybe even drawing a foul.

Looking back on the play, it seems like a no brainer. The Bulls were defending the three and Lebron could’ve easily gotten to the paint. The Bulls would need to then inbound and make two pressure packed free throws, and the Heat would still have enough time to run another set. Even if Lebron didn’t get an easy layup, he could’ve looked for an open teammate (if a Bulls defender had helped on him), which would’ve resulted in a much more high percentage shot. Lebron had a few different options here, and clearly, taking a contested three pointer was not the right basketball play.

But Lebron doesn’t care about the right basketball play; he cares about the right Lebron play. If Lebron had made that shot, it would’ve been heroic. The whole state of Florida would dub him the greatest player of all time, he would be inducted as ruler of Miami, and they’d build a golden statue in his liking outside the arena. OK, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit for a game played in late February, but you see the point I’m trying to make. Lebron wanted to take that shot because it was the right play for him, and it had the potential to lift his reputation. He didn’t take it because it was the right play for the Miami Heat.

Lebron could’ve gone for a quick two (as I said before), or he could’ve swung the ball around and looked for an open teammate. But he didn’t, because it wouldn’t have caused even close the same electricity as a game tying three ball.

That’s why I was almost expecting Lebron to take that shot, even though the moment he threw it up, it was clear it was the wrong play. Lebron wants to be remembered like MJ is remembered; he wants people to reminisce on his incredible shots and clutch buzzer beaters. What he needs to realize is that MJ wasn’t planning on hitting crazy game winning shots; they just happened. MJ only cared about winning, and that’s what Lebron needs to do also.

All Lebron needs to do is worry about winning a championship for the Miami Heat, and then the buzzer beaters will start to fall. As the great Herb Brooks once said, great moments are born from great opportunity; Lebron is an incredible player, but he needs to wait for that great opportunity, and seize it.  He needs to learn to make the play that will win his team the game, and not the play that might catapult him into further stardom. Whether that “right” play is a clutch three, a strong drive, or a great dish to an open teammate, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is the end result. Make the right basketball play, and the glory will ensue. Just ask Kobe Bryant.  

Team Canada West, Part 2

As I wrote in my last post, I’m making two Canadian Olympic hockey teams, one from the East and one from the West. Team Canada East was made yesterday, so here comes Team Canada West.

Team Canada West

Center: Ryan Getzlaf. Big body presence (as Pierre McGuire would say) and incredible offensive talent from Saskatchewan.

Center: Jonathan Toews. Amazingly consistent crunch time player, and a solid two way center as well.

Center: Travis Zajac. Pretty slim pickings at center for Team West, so Zajac will have to do.

Center: Jarret Stoll: As I said, slim pickings.

Wing: Jarome Iginla. No brainer here, you can’t have Team Canada without Iggy.

Wing: Dany Heatley. He was born in Germany but moved to Calgary, which makes Team West very happy.

Wing: Patrick Marleau. Although he’s dropped off a bit this year, he’s been a consistent scorer most of his career, and gets to play with Dany Heatley/

Wing: Taylor Hall. Incredible young talent, give him a few years and he’ll be a stud. It was very hard to keep his buddy Jordan Eberle off the list

Wing: Milan Lucic: Classic “I hate playing against that guy, love having him on my team” type of guy. Big, nasty power forward, with soft hands and skill to boot.

Wing: Shane Doan. Great international player for Team Canada, and another gritty, skilled forward.

Defence: Shea Weber. All around incredible defenseman. Strong offensively, intimidating defensively, he’d be the key to Team West’s defence corps.

Defence: Duncan Keith. Not having the same Norris Trophy season as last year, but he’s nonetheless one of the best D men in the league, and is a great puck mover.

Defence: Brent Seabrook. Same story as Duncan Keith, but I’d still love to have him on my team

Defence: Mike Green. He’s had his problems defensively, but offensively, he’s probably the most gifted defenseman in the NHL.

Goalie: Carey Price. Having a fantastic bounce back season this year, and has had a lot of success in international competition in his career.

Goalie: Cam Ward. Another clutch goalie, who was born in Saskatchewan and completes Team West.

Just Missed the Cut: Jordan Eberle, Ryan Smyth, Clarke McCarthur, Evander Kane, Kris Versteeg, Jay Boumeester

Canadian Olympic Teams Part 1, Team East

After watching multiple Winter Olympic tribute shows in the last week, I decided an international hockey themed post was necessary. Whenever I think about Team Canada at any international competition, I always think to myself: Canada could put two teams out here, and they’d both have a legitimate shot at winning.

Since the whole “two teams for one country” thing would never be allowed in Olympic or even World Championship competition, I figured I’d take advantage of this blog to create my two headed Canadian Hockey monster.

It would be too hard to try to make two completely even teams so I’m not even going to try. Instead, I’m going to take the format used by the under 18 hockey championships, which divides Canada into regions (Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario and West) in an attempt to even out the playing field. My two Olympic Canadian teams will be divided along the Manitoba-Ontario border; Team Canada East and Team Canada West. Since a lot of research needs to be done, and the teams are pretty big, there will only be one team per post. I’ll also write a third post matching the two teams against each other, and seeing which side of the country really produces the best hockey players. So without further adieu, say hello to Team Canada East.

Team Canada East

Center: Sidney Crosby. A no-brainer for the first center spot, Crosby is the most dominant player in the NHL (in my mind) and hails from Nova Scotia

Center: Steven Stamkos. Possibly the second most dominant scorer behind Crosby, and an Ontario native.

Center: Mike Richards. Great two way player and perfect third line center

Center: Joe Thornton. Very tough choice for the last center spot, but I’ll give it to Jumbo Joe for his playmaking and consistency.

Wing: Eric Staal. I know he’s not technically a winger, but he played wing in the Olympics, and that’s good enough for this center heavy team.

Wing: Martin St Louis. First Quebecois on the list, incredibly gifted and gritty player, and you can’t have Stamkos without St Louis.

Wing: Rick Nash. Pure scoring power forward, impossible to take off the puck, and has a great international resume.

Wing: Corey Perry. I love this guy, he’s everything you could want in a hockey player, and luckily for Team East, he’s from Ontario.

Wing: Jeff Carter. Sniper and big body presence from Ontario. My hardest omission at the wing spot was definitely Claude Giroux, who's having a breakout season and is a strong two way player.

Defence: Chris Pronger. As much as I hate him, he’s an intimidating factor and huge asset on the blueline.

Defence: Drew Doughty. One of the most exciting defenseman in the NHL, and he played extremely well in last year’s Olympics.

Defence: Kris Letang. Great offensive defenseman having a fantastic year. He’s also from Montreal, which gives him bonus points.

Defence: Marc Staal. Solid young player who’s improving every game, and honestly, you need to have at least two Staals on your team at all times.

Goalies: Roberto Luongo. Backstopped Canada to the Gold in Vancouver, and comes from the greatest city on earth.

Goalie: Marc Andre Fleury. Also from La Belle Province, he’s extremely athletic and has big game experience.

Just Missed the cut: Claude Giroux,Brad Richards, Jordan Staal, Martin Brodeur, John Tavares, Patrice Bergeron, James Neal

Oilers Rebuilding Process Going as Planned

 While watching most of the Oilers-Habs game last night, I noticed a few things. I noticed that the Canadiens have one of the least potent offences in the NHL; I noticed that Brendan Nash isn’t ready for the NHL, and I noticed that David Desharnais definitely is. But the most important thing that came to mind wasn’t about the Habs or even about this specific game; it was about the Edmonton Oilers’ future.

While the Oilers may be bottom feeders right now, unlike some teams (Toronto Maple Leafs I’m looking at you), at least they know what they want, and are sticking to it. The Oilers know they are in rebuilding mode. They know they are not set to win right now, and they’re ok with this. They’ve got a solid core group of young guys and are continuing to build through the draft.

The most important aspect to a proper rebuilding project is patience. General Managers need to swallow their pride for a few years, take their licks, and build through the draft. When your team is bad, you can’t be signing old veterans to try to plug the holes. When a cut is deep enough, you don’t just stick a band-aid on it; you stitch it up and give it time to heal.

It’s the same thing with a hockey team. When trying to rebuild, there’s really no quick fix. Brian Burke learned that the hard way. The Toronto GM traded his 2010 and 2011 first round picks for Phil Kessel, in hopes of speeding up the Leafs’ rebuilding process. However, as one might expect, Kessel has been underwhelming, and the Leafs haven’t really improved.

Kessel’s lack of production isn’t even the worst part of this deal though; not by a long shot. Burke traded away his last two first round picks; the first one (2010) became a lottery pick, and was used to select Tyler Seguin. The Leafs missed out on picking a potential franchise player with the number two overall pick in the draft, at a time where they badly need to rebuild.

Things haven’t gotten much better in Year 2 of the Kessel experiment. The Leafs are once again out of a playoff spot and at the bottom of the standings. Normally, for a rebuilding team, this wouldn’t be such a big deal. The Leafs could tank the rest of the season, and hope for a lottery pick in the draft. There’s one problem though; they don’t have that pick anymore. Burke traded this year’s first round pick to Boston also, further stunting the Leafs’ rebuilding process.

Now compare this to the Oilers situation. Just like the Leafs, the Oilers are at the bottom of the standings and out of a playoff spot. Unlike the Leafs, however, they still have all their picks. The Oilers are set on building through the draft and their farm team, and are loaded with young, potential stars. It’s not just Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle either. The Oilers are also loaded with talented young players like Linus Omark, Magnus Pjaarvi, Theo Peckham, Sam Gagner, and Andrew Cogliano, who are all under 23 years old. They also have a strong farm system with tons of depth.

The Oilers understand that the path back to greatness isn’t a short one. They know it will take some time, and they know that in the salary cap NHL, it is the only way to do things.

The Chicago Blackhawks were awful for a number of years, and were rewarded with high draft picks and prospects. Chicago stayed with this approach, and once their prospects and young guns grew up (Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, etc), they were ready to compete. The Blackhawks won the Cup last year, led by an incredibly young, strong nucleus of players.

The Lightning were also bad for a few years, and used their ineptitude to pick Steven Stamkos with the first overall pick in the 08’ entry draft. The Lightning are now building around Stamkos, and look poised to become a force in the NHL for years to come.

There are many other stories just like these, of teams being patient and taking the time to rebuild. You’d think with all these past experiences, teams would be crazy not to rebuild slowly. The Oilers are using this approach, and their prospects are definitely looking up. The Leafs, on the other hand, took the opposite approach. They tried to skip the whole rebuilding project, and are now learning that in the NHL, the quick fix is really no fix at all.