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LeBron James reportedly decided to opt out of his contract with the Miami Heat on Tuesday. Wes Welker Jersey . Heres a few quick thoughts of what this Decision means to me. 1. CONTROL: Hes the best player by far on the planet so its his contractual right to exercise this clause and I agree with him. Old-timers and traditionalists might not like it but its the reality of pro sports in the 21st century. Great actors/actresses set the tone and select what movies/plays they want to perform in and who they want to work with and for and LeBron is at that level in the "sports/entertainment industry" that former NBA commissioner David Stern created with the emphasis on stars over teams. This is a creation of that. Right, wrong or indifferent - it is what it is. Hes negotiated and earned the right to reconsider and re-explore what hed like to do with his career. The man is serious about his game and is a student of the game and wants/needs some space here to evaluate. 2. MIAMI HEAT: We all saw them with our own eyes in the NBA Finals vs. the Spurs. The reality is that the current team as constructed needs major improvements or they wont challenge against the superior Western Conference teams for an NBA title. In addition, if an Eastern team like the Chicago Bulls gets back a healthy Derrick Rose and is able to acquire Kevin Love and/or Carmelo Anthony who is to say that theyre even the No. 1 contender in the East anymore? Do you honestly believe that Dwyane Wade is going to give you 70-75+ regular season games and four playoff rounds at a high level at $20 million per year? Is Chris Bosh still committed to playing in all areas of the game rather than just becoming a jump shooter? If Im LeBron I have my doubts. A few smart tweaks with Wade and Bosh sacrificing some money opens up the possibility of it all working again...yet its far from a sure thing. 3. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: Owner Dan Gilbert blasted LeBron on the way out the door after "The Decision". Does LeBron forgive and forget? Does new GM David Griffin have the wherewithal/pedigree to pull off such a heist? He and Kyrie Irving together - not bad. They have the No. 1 Pick and some talented young guys they can package to move to Minnesota for Kevin Love. How does Irving, Love and LeBron sound to you? It would be a better Big Three at this point that the Miami version even though both Love and Irving have put up "numbers", yet still havent shown me yet that theyre truly special. What a return this would be. 4. OTHER SUITORS (Chicago, Houston, LA Lakers): Youll hear about all three and more in the hunt for the King. Needless to say, you put him on the Bulls or Rockets and theyre in the hunt for a title. The Lakers? Kobe and LeBron would be an interesting pairing but what does the rest of the roster look like? How long does Kobe hold up? Lots more questions than answers in LA. The rumour mill will surely be filled with gossip from all three of these spots. 5. TORONTO RAPTORS: Not saying this because its wishful thinking on my part. Seriously, why not? They desperately need a starting small forward. You put him with a re-signed Kyle Lowry, Demar DeRozan, a re-signed Patrick Patterson and Jonas Valanciunas with a re-signed Greivis Vasquez, Terrence Ross and Amir Johnson and Ill take my chances with anyone in the East. On a league-wide scale Im not scared by anyone with that crew on my side. You want hoops to grow in Toronto and across the country - go for it. Nothing to lose. Realistic? Maybe not but honestly thats not a bad eight-man core whatsoever. Obviously, the salary cap/luxury tax always comes into play but for a player of this magnitude you explore every possibility. It would actually be a very good team if it ever happened. Why not Toronto? Its about time we stick our chests out and go for it. I like the style of GM Masai Ujiri and CEO Tim Leiweke and this fits them if its a reasonable pursuit. Wes Welker Orange Jersey . Moore-Towers, 21, of St. Catharines, Ont., and Moscovitch, 29, of Toronto teamed up in 2009 and became Canadian pairs champions in 2011. They were runners-up at the national championships the past two years. Steve Atwater Orange Jersey . Johnson spent the last five seasons with Pittsburgh after being taken in the seventh round of the 2009 draft. He played in 52 games with 26 starts, totalling 22 catches for 216 yards and a touchdown.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Maple Leafs continue their tour of the Metropolitan Division on Saturday as they host a Philadelphia Flyers team rolling in the right direction at Air Canada Centre. Tyler Bozak was the hero versus the Rangers, scoring on a penalty shot in the second period before netting the game-winner with 3:09 left in overtime. He took a blind backhand feed from Phil Kessel behind the net and elevated the disc over Henrik Lundqvist from the doorstep to send the Leafs to their first victory since the Olympic break. Toronto had lost three in a row coming in, two of those in overtime. Nazem Kadri netted Torontos other goal, while Jonathan Bernier registered 35 saves for the Leafs. "It doesnt feel so good right now, because youre frustrated with how it went, but tomorrow in the standings it will show two points and then we move on," Toronto head coach Randy Carlyle said of his team giving up a two-goal lead only to win in overtime. Bernier could face the Flyers tonight and has split two previous encounters while posting a 4.51 GAA. The Maple Leafs have won three of their past four versus the Flyers, including a 3-1 victory in Philadelphia on Oct. 2 in the first of three meetings this season. However, the Flyers have won six of their last seven trips to Toronto. Philadelphia has potted 15 goals over its past three games and has won seven of its last eight. That has the Flyers even with the New York Rangers for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Philadelphia has one game in hand over the Blueshirts and will use it on Saturday when the Rangers are idle. Britton Colquitt Jersey. Giroux has led the charge, posting 10 goals and 20 points over his last 13 games. That includes back-to-back three-point efforts in a home-and-home sweep of the Washington Capitals. The Flyers captain notched two goals and an assist in each contest, helping Philadelphia rally for a 5-4 overtime victory in Washington last Sunday before holding on for a 6-4 win at home on Wednesday. "Theyre attacking. Theyre skating with speed and making plays; theyre working hard, working down low hard, cycling the puck, competing, power play. Theyre doing a good job," said Flyers coach Craig Berube of Girouxs line that includes Jakub Voracek and Scott Hartnell. Voracek also scored twice on Wednesdays win that saw the Flyers jump out to a 4-0 lead before they allowed the Capitals to twice get within a goal. Philadelphia yielded three power-play goals. Michael Raffl and Steve Downie also scored for the Flyers and Steve Mason came up with 21 saves. "We got the win, but at the end of the day weve got to make sure that when weve got a lead like that, weve got to be able to keep it," said Giroux. Mason is 2-3-0 with a 3.99 goals against average in five previous meetings with the Maple Leafs, who sit third in the Atlantic Division with 74 points. They moved one point ahead of Tampa Bay with Wednesdays 3-2 overtime victory against the New York Rangers, and trail second-place Montreal by three points. ' ' ' |
