I believe I'm the best '4' in the league. I think you have to believe that you're the best. I think Mohammad Ali even said, 'I was the greatest before I knew I was.' I think everybody needs to have that mindset. That's part of winning the mind game from the very start. You have to believe it. You have to hold yourself accountable.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Kevin Love, not yet.

Yes, Love collects double-doubles for the upstart Minnesota Timberwolves like a teenager collects friends on facebook.

Yes, Love is an emerging All-Star and superstar with a personality ESPN and companies love.

And yes, Love’s play and personality may be the biggest reason the Timberwolves transition from oddball outpost to relevant NBA franchise. (Of course, this depends on Love signing a long-term extension to stay in The Twin Cities.)

Right now: Dirk Nowitzki, not Kevin Love, is the world’s best power forward.

After all, Nowitzki is a former MVP, perennial All-Star, and led his Dallas Mavericks to the 2011 NBA championship.

Don’t forget about Blake Griffin, the dynamic four-man who has made the Los Angeles Clippers competitive, relevant, and must-see television.

However, Love deserves credit for believing he’s the best, as such a mindset will help him grow, improve, and maybe one day become the NBA’s permier power forward.

Just not now.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

Laker haters unite! This is your time. Hate hate hate hate! Did anyone peep Sugar Shane Mosley’s wife during the Pacquiao fight? Johnny Gill’s song was all I heard in my mind “My My My You sure look good tonight.” She sure was. Her name is Bella Gonzalez. She was screaming passionately at Sugar Shane to fight. I know Laker fans were screaming at the Lakers to fight just like her. Oy dios mios! I still haven’t gotten over the sight of her. Wow!

The Dallas Mavericks are about to sign a player they've long coveted, reaching terms Saturday on a one-year contract with free-agent forward Yi Jianlian, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.

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HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: I like Yi. I, however, don't like him on the Dallas Mavericks.

The four-man is tall, skilled, and talented, which means he could be a rotation player for most teams.

But the Mavericks are different than most. The world champions do not need another skilled guy like Yi, as they recently added Vince Carter and Lamar Odom.

Here's what they do need: a grimy, blue-collar big to fill part of the void created by Tyson Chandler's departure to the New York Knicks.

Chandler brought an intensity, especially on the defensive end, that took the Mavericks from good to great. He was a one-man zone that solidified the back-end for Coach Rick Carlisle.

That's gone. And since they haven't replaced Chandler, so are the Mavericks' chances of repeating.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

Who is Rick Carlisle? For a lot of NBA fans coming into the 2011 NBA playoffs, that was a tough answer. Sure, you knew he had coached a few teams in the past, but he was largely nondescript and unheralded; you knew his name but weren’t sure why, exactly.

“We look old and slow and out of shape — a bad combination,” said Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 20 points and sat out the entire fourth quarter for a second straight game, yet another indication of how bad things are going. “I still think this team has a lot of potential. But we have to turn the corner.”

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Dirk Nowitzki is right. The Dallas Mavericks are old, slow, and out of shape.

This, however, is not their greatest problem. Their greatest problem is a lack of enthusiasm.

Tyson Chandler, for all his limits on the offensive end, is a terrific defensive player, who anchored and dominated the paint for Rick Carlisle’s squad. J.J. Barea was a spunky scorer, who changed the energy, flow, and feel of every game he played in. 

Both were key to the Mavericks winning the NBA Title. And both are gone.

Chandler inked a four year, $58 million pact with the New York Knicks, while Barea accepted the Minnesota Timberwolves multi-year pact for $19 million.

Their replacements: Vince Carter and Lamar Odom.

Carter and Odom are talented, but don’t bring the second effort or consistency that Chandler and Barea did.

For instance, Carter once admitted in an interview that he didn’t always give his all for the Toronto Raptors. Odom seems more interested in his career as a reality TV star than playing basketball.

So getting younger, faster, and in shape is only part of the solution for Dallas. They need true replacements for Chandler and Barea.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

Did anybody else wonder why the Mavericks were without their HOFer-to-be point guard for Sunday's ruthless spanking of the Knickerbockers?  Nor did I.  Still, it transpires that Jason Kidd missed the game to support girlfriend Porschla Coleman during the birth of his fifth child.  Evidently the relationship between Kidd and Coleman, who were first spotted together at a charity function hosted by LeBron James, moved quicker than they were letting on.

It has nothing to do about individuality and basically screw all the guys out there that think you gotta have a superstar to win a championship. I’m just not into the hype. I’m into some of the things we did when we went 18-7 and I can take anyone who wants to come into our film [room].

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: It sounds good, but isn’t accurate.

Veteran coach George Karl is trying to appease Nugget fans and the Denver marketplace by declaring a superstar isn’t necessary to win a championship.

Not surprisingly, Karl's Nuggets don't have a top-tier player. He’s wrong, though. A superstar is necessary.

Sure, Karl will mention the 2004 Detroit Pistons, but it was a different time when superstars weren’t concentrated in a few major markets.

To beat a trio of superstars, you must have superstar(s). For instance, the Dallas Mavericks beat CB4, LeBron, D-Wade and the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals with All-World Dirk Nowitzki and an exceptional supporting cast.

So Karl’s statement sounds good, but isn’t reality.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

During the player introductions Saturday, Howard received a standing ovation. He said that moment was special for him.

“It was emotional,” he said. “It was great to see their reaction. And like I’ve told you guys from day one, I love this city. … When I came here, everybody called our team the Orlando Tragic. I wanted to change it. Nobody says tragic anymore.”

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Perhaps there is hope.

Perhaps the fan support will influence Dwight Howard to rescind his trade demand, avoid opting-out of his contract next July, and sign a long-term extension with the Orlando Magic.

Such a scenario is unlikely.

Howard wants a larger market, superstar teammates, and a chance at winning a championship each year.

This means he must take flight for one of the NBA’s major markets. Think Los Angeles, but only if the Lakers give up Andrew Bynum, the golden boy in the organization. Think New Jersey, but only if the Nets re-sign point guard Deron Williams. Think Dallas, but only if the Mavericks can clear the necessary cap space.

Yesterday was positive. So there is hope for Orlando fans. Just not much of it.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

One of his closest friends on the Lakers, Lamar Odom, was traded Saturday night to Dallas for a first-round pick in the 2012 amateur draft, depriving the Lakers of their top rebounder and a solid character guy in the locker room. "I don't like it," Bryant said Sunday. "I've known Lamar for a long time, and for the team itself, he's meant a lot in terms of his versatility, his personality. He's a big presence for us in the locker room, just from a team chemistry standpoint. He's great at bringing guys together and things of that nature.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: The straw that stirs the purple-and-gold's drink has spoken. And he isn’t happy.

Kobe Bryant, arguably the game’s best player and franchise face for the Los Angeles Lakers, is unhappy that forward Lamar Odom was shipped to the Dallas Mavericks in a salary clearing move.

Bryant was unhappy for a few reasons:

First, Odom was a key guy in the locker room, bringing different people and factions together into a cohesive whole.

Second, Odom, a former Sixth Man of the Year, had his best season as a Laker in 2011, despite being supposedly distracted by his reality TV duties as Mr. Khloe Kardashian.

Third, Odom went to the Dallas Mavericks, the 2011 world champions and arch rival of the Lakers.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

Carter waived Friday by Phoenix so Suns could buy out his $18 mil salary for $4 mil. Mavs quickly into advanced talks w/VC for vet depth.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: I don’t like it.

With the signing of Vince Carter and departure of Tyson Chandler, the world champion Dallas Mavericks have become a softer, perimeter team.

Carter, of course, has underachieved. Too often, he shies away from contact, refuses to do the all-important little things, and settles for low percentage shots.

The Mavericks provide an opportunity for the former All-Star to salvage his career -or what is left of it.

Will he grab the opportunity, though?

Give Chandler his due. Sure, his career had been mixed, but the seven-foot giant gave the Mavericks an inside, defensive presence that was key in winning a championship.

That element, however, is gone. Chandler is a Knick; Carter is on the verge of becoming a Maverick. And the world champions have taken a step back in the Western Conference.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

The Lakers are curious to see if veteran point guard Baron Davis gets cut by Cleveland. He has two years and $28.7 million left on his contract, though he can be signed for substantially less than that. The Lakers also want a shooter and are monitoring whether forward Rashard Lewis (two years, $43.8 million remaining) gets waived by Washington.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: It’s official name was the ‘amnesty clause’. It’s unofficial name was ‘team screwed up, overpaid said player, and now gets out of jail/contract free’.

Well, nothing is completely free.

As part of the 2004-05 CBA negotiations, teams could waive one player and his salary did not count against the cap. The team had to cover the contract, but increased financial flexibility and/or saved on luxury tax payments.

Remember, the Dallas Mavericks cut ties with Michael Finley‘s mammoth big-ticket, but the swing joined the rival San Antonio Spurs and won a championship.

So things can backfire.

Word is the new CBA has an amnesty clause. The Los Angeles Lakers are eyeing a couple of veterans, Baron Davis and Rashard Lewis, who are on the chopping block.

Davis is owed $30 million through 2014, which may be too much for the rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers, especially with youngster Kyrie Irving in the fold.

Now Davis’ drive-and-kick style might suit Mike Brown’s system, however, the portly point guard was distracted during his time in Los Angeles with the Clippers.

Lewis is far more interesting. The Wizards are also starting over and have little interest in doling out more than $40 million over the next two seasons.

It’s quite possible the stretch-four gets waived and signs with a contender like the Lakers for the Mid Level Exception or a bargain salary.

All Lewis would have to do with the purple-and-gold is spot up, catch, and shoot. The burden of fulfilling a ridiculous contract would be gone.

So the Lakers could re-tool on the fly. And it may just happen because of the new CBA.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

HoopsVibe is proud to welcome Marija Kero, better known to many of you as The Knicks Chick, to the team. Marija will be checking in with videoblogs covering everything from her beloved Knicks to Ron Artest's latest hair-related mishap. In her first piece, Marija shares her thoughts on Boston's bad temper, the surging Mavs and the ghosts of NYK past appearing in the postseason. 

In her second exclusive feature for HoopsVibe, Marija Kero tells us in no uncertain terms how she feels about Joakim Noah, Mark Cuban and the unscrupulous women that roam the streets of New York in search of NFL prospects.  Bonus feature: The emoticons make a comeback!

It’s official. LeBron James is a free agent. He’s up for grabs. People were waiting to exhale. Don’t exhale just yet until the first week of July. The Boston Celtics has eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers from the second round in a disastrous series.

Dallas Mavericks player representative Jason Terry said that if the proposal NBA commissioner David Stern delivered to the union late Thursday night is not a substantial improvement from the league's one prior, players will be prepared to walk away, even if it threatens losing the entire season. "Our reasoning and what our strategy is, is we are trying to grow the game of basketball, and under the terms that have been presented to us, the game of basketball for us, from a players' perspective, financially, will not be growing," Terry said Friday morning during an appearance on the "Ben and Skin Show" on 103.3 FM ESPN.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: What now?

Do players, like Jason Terry, accept what union head Billy Hunter has called a mediocre offer and play a 72-game season? Or, do they reject the offer, decertify, and destroy the 2012 season?

Sadly, the latter is winning.

Owners and players have settled on the elephant in the room issue, Basketball Related Income.   

Both sides agreed on a ‘band system’ to split BRI evenly at 50%. In the past, owners received 43%, while players received 57%.

This, however, is not the source of contention. Players are unhappy with the system issues, specifically the owners restricting loopholes like the mid-level exception and sign-and-trades for teams over the salary cap.

Here’s my question: how many players each year get the full mid-level exception and/or switch teams via a sign-and-trade?

The answer: not many.

In the owners' latest offer, over-the-cap teams can still use a scaled back version of the mid-level exception and sign-and-trades, too. This sounds fair. And at a certain point, owners and players must cut a deal or lose the season.

Then everybody - owners, players, and, most importantly fans - suffers.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

"With the collective bargaining agreement and some of the things that they're trying to enforce, it would basically prohibit me from coming back," Chandler told KESN-FM FM in Dallas. "It would take it out of my hands -- and the organization's -- because it would almost be pretty much impossible for me to re-sign. I just think that can be the worst thing that can happen."

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Tyson Chandler could be a casualty of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The owners’ offer of a low 50% share of Basketball Related Income and a more restrictive system might make it impossible for the Dallas Mavericks to re-sign Chandler, the club’s starting center and a key cog in last year’s success.

Chandler believes it’s unfair the CBA is changing after the Mavericks` championship run, arguing that the Los Angeles Lakers never faced such restrictions.

The timing is unfortunate, but not unfair.

After all, everybody knew there’d be drastic changes after the last CBA expired. And Chandler will still get his money -just not with the Mavericks.

Of course, Chandler could always discount his services and take less if he feels passionately about returning to the Mavericks.

Something, however, tells me this won’t happen.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: This is what we are missing.

This weekend, Dallas Mavericks swing Rudy Fernandez hit an amazing three-pointer for Real Madrid, the team he's moonlighting for while the NBA is locked out.

Sadly, the ref called the trifecta off as the European leagues aren't so generous with continuation. Anyway, click the video below, form thoughts, and get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below. 

--O.Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

The 2007 "We Believe" Warriors will take on the current Warriors in an exhibition game to be played October 29 at the San Jose State Event Center. Jason Richardson, Matt Barnes, Kelenna Azubuike and Anthony Morrow are confirmed for the team of former Warriors. Barnes is recruiting Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Four years ago, they shocked the world.

In the spring of 2007, the Golden State Warriors squeaked into the playoffs and proceeded to route the heavily favoured and first seeded Dallas Mavericks.

Such an upset is the thing of legends. It was the closest the Warriors came to respectability, and the Mavericks needed years to recover before winning a championship last June.

Regardless, the We Believe Warriors are planning an exhibition contest against the current Warriors for October 29th.

HoopsVibe has two We Believe videos. The first is a collection of highlights, while the second features a point guard poster-jobbing Andrei Kirelenko. 

Watch the videos and get at HoopsVibe News with thoughts in the comment box below.

(We Believe Mixtape) 

(B-Diddy on AK47.)

O.Sandor

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea, a first-time free agent whenever the NBA lockout is lifted, strongly believes he will be back to defend the franchise’s first championship. “If you want to go by percentages, I think 75 percent I’ll be back in Dallas and 25 percent something else happens,” Barea said, now back home in Puerto Rico after a bid to qualify for the 2012 Olympics fell painfully short with a semifinals loss to host country Argentina at the FIBA Americas Tournament. “… My first option is going to be Dallas.”

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HoopsVibe’s very Quick Call: The Microwave 2.0 is pretty confident he’ll re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks.

Recently, J.J. Barea, also known as the reincarnation of Detroit great Vinnie Johnson, told ESPN he’s 75% sure he’ll re-up with Mark Cuban and the world champion Mavericks when the lockout ends.

This is huge.

Barea is a versatile scorer, capable of coming-off-bench and changing the flow of the game or serving as a spot-starter and creating mismatches in the backcourt.

Either way, the Mavericks will need Barea if they are to repeat as champions.

--Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

"I do not think there's anything to prove on my side," Gasol said via email when asked if he was eager to put the Lakers' postseason behind him. "Last season we didn't perform during the playoffs as we were supposed to. . . . You cannot win every year; there are a lot of very good teams in the league."

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Pau Gasol, ‘thou protest too much’.

Gasol is in denial if he thinks he and the Los Angeles Lakers don’t have something to prove after losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semi-Finals last May.

He, and his team, have everything to prove.

Gasol had an up-and-down regular season, but belongs on a milk carton after disappearing in the playoffs against the Mavericks.

His play was so poor former coach Phil Jackson, in a fit of un-Zen-like behaviour, shoved him. Their exchange was played over-and-over again on you tube as the Mavs’ swept the Lakers. 

Then Laker-nation piled on. Snoop Dogg, the West Coast rapper, attacked via twitter. Gossip rags speculated that teammate Shannon Brown was to blame for his split with a longtime girlfriend.

(For the record, Brown, who is married to the singer Monica, denied the rumor.)

There was a school of thought that Gasol would be dealt, and the Lakers supposedly tested the market for their finesse-four at the end of June after the NBA Finals.

So Gasol, like it or not, must prove he’s still a premier player. He has company, though.

The Lakers are expected to win the championship every year, which is why their ownership consistently exceeds the luxury tax. Except after winning back-to-back Larry O’Brien trophies in 2009 and 2010, the purple-and-gold got embarrassed by Team Cuban.

The Lakers were out-hustled and out-worked; they looked like complacent Hollywood stars and not the team that captured consecutive championships.

Bottom line: Gasol and the Lakers have everything to prove.

--Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

"The playoffs run 57 days," he said. "For me, it was 56 days, 23 hours and lots of minutes of pure anxiety. I really didn't start to enjoy it until there were about 30 seconds left in the game . . . and it finally dawned on me that we had finally beaten the Evil Empire and all those doubts."

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Mark Cuban wasn’t staying quiet forever.

The renegade owner of the Dallas Mavericks recently broke his silence and told reporters he took satisfaction in beating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, who he dubbed the ’evil empire’.

Yes, there’s nothing like fuelling the fire of the Mavericks-Heat rivalry. Cuban, however, dumped a gallon of gasoline on it.

It’s all rather ironic considering Cuban’s Mavericks were public enemy number one in 2007 when they lost the Western Conference Quarter-Finals to the underdog Golden State Warriors.   

The tables have turned. For now, Cuban is on top. And he’s loving it.

--Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

“I don’t know, but I did hear rumors and his name (Wade) did come up. I also heard Ron Artest too.”

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: NBA players have extra time with the lockout, and some are doing, well, interesting things with that extra time.

Take Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade. According to Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward, Wade is rumored to appear on Dancing With The Stars if the lockout stretches into the regular season.

Yes, you know the show. The very one Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban embarrassed himself on.

Wade is a smooth, graceful athlete, so he’d probably hold his own as a dancer. The spotlight/pressure wouldn’t bother him after spending 2011 as public enemy number one with the Miami Heat.

Lets hope there’s a season and Wade doesn’t make his dancing debut.

--Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News with thoughts in the comment box below.

Finally, NBA Commissioner David Stern could not take it anymore. “All right, you want to go tit for tat, I’ll go tit for tat,” Stern said, according to the participants. “I’ll see you J.J. Barea and raise you Eddy Curry.” A shot to the gut, just like that.

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HoopsVibe`s Very Quick Call: Touché David Stern.

Players and owners met last June during the Finals to discuss the state of the NBA’s finances, and the two sides, as expected, argued over the amount owners were paying players.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban complained that a former player, Tariq Abdul-Wahad, didn’t do much of anything after signing a multi-year deal for $40 million.

The players countered by saying Cuban was getting a deal by paying combo guard J.J. Barea a relatively low annual salary of $1 million.

Then Commissioner Stern ended the conversation by mentioning Eddy Curry, who earned an appalling $33 million for playing in 31 games over the last three years.

He's right. NBA players are overpaid, specifically the very well-to-do middle class. And the list of players stealing money is in the dozens.

Here’s the question: is this the players fault?

Last I checked the owners signed the checks. Last I checked the owners hired general managers, who were supposed to have the ability to pass on bad contracts.

For instance, nobody forced Abe Pollin and the Washington Wizards to bid against themselves and sign Gilbert Arenas to a six-year, $111 million contract.

Arenas was coming off several knee surgeries. No team was willing to give the combo guard anything close to $111 million. Except, of course, Pollin.

Since signing his mega-deal, Arenas has been suspended for bringing guns into the team’s locker room and was shipped to Orlando, where he rarely played. And the Wizards haven’t been the same since.

So Stern is right. Players earn too much. He should look, in part, to the owners he represents, and not just the players.

However, we doubt Stern will will raise this point when owners and players finally meet next week to start negotiating the new collective bargaining agreement.

--Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

According to Spanish media (Onda Madrid was the first one to report), Rudy Fernandez agreed to terms with Real Madrid for the next four seasons. The Spanish guard will return to NBA just for the season 2011-12 when lockout ends playing with Dallas Mavericks who acquired him via trade during in June.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: If there’s a 2011-12 season, it will be Rudy Fernandez’s last in the NBA.

Reports indicate the Spanish swing will fulfill the final year of his NBA contract with the world champion Dallas Mavericks and then begin a multi-year deal with Real Madrid.

Fernandez is plying his trade with the European power while the NBA is locked-out. He has an opt-out clause if owners and players finalize a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Is this a surprise?

Fernandez has been unhappy since landing in the NBA. Every few months there was some drama with the Portland Trail Blazers that became public knowledge.

It was too much, especially since Fernandez, while talented and valuable, was only a rotation player. The Blazers finally dealt their diva to the Mavs’ in late June.

Apparently, a starting spot on a championship contender wasn’t enough. Fernandez is leaving Team Cuban and the NBA for Europe.

Soon enough he’ll be complaining, though. It’s Fernandez’s nature. He only seems happy when he’s unhappy.

--Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

The chorus is "win, win win, win win," but at the 40 second mark Terry starts singing "lose, lose lose," and then says to the camera, "I feel like LeBron right now."

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: It’s not just media. It’s not just fans. Players are piling on, too.

During the last year, Miami Heat superstar LeBron James has been criticized, and even mocked, by anyone and everyone associated with professional basketball.

Yesterday Dwight Howard teased James about his vanishing hairline. Today Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry insulted James in a revised, Jet-version of a soon-to-be released rap song.

Of course, Terry‘s Mavericks beat James’ Heat in the NBA Finals, so he holds bragging rights. The league’s top sixth-man called James a loser.

This, perhaps, is a touch harsh.

Thanks to the magic of the Internet, we, along with James, can watch Terry's slight over-and-over again.

Watch the video of Terry getting at James and tell HoopsVibe News your thoughts in the comment box below.

--Oly Sandor.

“According to a brief report from KGO-TV, during a Pro-Am game between Barnes’ Dream Team and East Bay at the Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco, Barnes punched a member of the East Bay team. But since an official didn’t catch the altercation, play continued after a break and Barnes was not ejected. As of Friday morning, it appears no one has posted a video of the punch, but one fan at the game did capture the incident’s aftermath and members of both teams retreating to their own benches.”

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Get in a fight. Hit the game-winning shot.

Players who can do both are rare. And this is the reason contenders covet Matt Barnes. One moment he's scrapping. The next he's a stone-cold assassin.    

Bottom line: top teams love Barnes' edge.

Remember, his 'edge’ made him a cult-hero with the ‘We Believe’ Golden State Warriors when they upset the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks.

Orlando Magic fans took to his 'edge’ when he declared viral jihad against Lamar Odom and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Those same Lakers showered him and his 'edge’ with praise when, as a member of the purple-and-gold, he went at the Mavs’ Jason Terry on-and-off court.

No team will publicly condone Barnes initiating a donnybrook at a Pro-Am match. Privately, behind closed doors, it's a different story.

Best of all, it wasn't a fan, right Mike Beasley? Watch the videos of Barnes’ altercation and game-winning shot and then get at HoopsVibe News with thoughts in the comment box below.

(Barnes scrapping.) 

(Barnes hits game-winning shot.)

--Oly Sandor.

LeBron, I feel bad for him. Some of it he brought on himself, but at the same time, you teach your kids growing up to pass the ball, to play smart, to be a team guy, and for goodness sake, he goes out and gets a triple-double like he does in Game 5. He’s getting crucified because he didn’t score more. But I mean, he got a triple-double an they almost won.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Oh, the irony.

Dallas Mavericks role player Brian Cardinal believes Miami Heat superstar LeBron James was treated poorly during the NBA Finals.

Now I’ve seen it all. Cardinal, after all, is a journeyman. His nickname is The Custodian, and he’s made a living banging in practice and providing energy off the bench.

James is The King. He’s arguably the NBA’s top player, and his decision to take his ‘talent to South Beach’ polarized sports in a way few could imagine.

Cardinal and James are opposites, living at different ends of the league’s food chain. Cardinal does have a point, though.

Love him or hate him, James was - perhaps unfairly - criticized during last year’s NBA Finals. Rather than dominate the ball, he made a choice to involve others.

James’ Heat simply ran into a better team, the Mavericks, where every player knew and performed their role perfectly.

Upgrading the supporting cast will help the Heat in the future. Perhaps The King would be well served to have a custodian or two on his side -and not for sympathy.

--Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.   
 

During his interview, the Minnesota Timberwolves forward (Kevin Love) was asked, “Did guys around the league enjoy the fact that the Heat didn’t win the championship?” You bet, Love responded. “Oh yeah, great amount of joy out of it,” he said. “Plus, for me, they say nice guys, good guys finish last. But Dallas, they just had a slew of great guys and veterans on their team that made for just a great team. “It wasn’t just two, three, four guys on the team, like Miami I kind of felt it was. “Around the league, it was kind of a consensus that guys were happy.”

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Westbrook also argued with his coach, Scott Brooks, and his star teammate, Kevin Durant, on the court, leading to speculation that he was feuding with both. And when the Thunder were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks, Westbrook shouldered most of the blame. In the two months since, Westbrook hasn’t lost much sleep worrying about the criticism.

“I refuse to let myself do that,” Westbrook told Yahoo! Sports. “I’ve been working too hard to get to the position we were in last season to worry about anything somebody else was saying.”

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Superstars need each other.

In today’s NBA, one superstar isn’t enough to win a title. The crème de la crème of talent know they must partner up to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in late June.

For instance, the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and San Antonio Spurs have a few premier players working towards a collective goal.

(The 2011 world champion Dallas Mavericks were, perhaps, the exception, surrounding their sole superstar, Dirk Nowitzki, with five or six very good players.)  

The Oklahoma City Thunder, if they are to join the ranks of legit contender, need Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook working together. Durant knows this. Westbrook knows this, too.

These two will never tell media or fans if there was tension over Westbrook’s questionable shot selection in the playoffs. They’ll keep it in-house, which shows they’re mature beyond their years.

However, coach Scott Brooks may want to clarify roles by reminding Westbrook that he is Robin and Durant is Batman. Not the other way around.

Brooks might also want to remind Westbrook he needs to focus on setting-the-table for teammates -as well as getting his own points.

Of course, this could be tricky. Once the lockout is settled, Westbrook and the Thunder will be ironing-out the details on a new, long-term extension.

Such declarations, if handled poorly, would do permanent damage to the Thunder‘s relationship with Westbrook.

All parties must proceed with caution. They need each other.

--Oly Sandor.

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Regardless of whether James Jones re-signs (and there’s mutual interest), we hear forward Shane Battier will be very much on the Heat’s radar after the lockout. The Houston Chronicle, after interviewing Battier, said “don’t be surprised” if he signs with the Heat or Bulls.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: How much improvement is necessary when you’re two games from winning everything?

If you’re the Miami Heat, a lot. It’s championship or broke in South Beach. Eastern Conference banners don't count. Not when your superstar predicts multiple championships at a pre-emptive victory party.

Simply put, the Heat was built to win it all –year after year.

Expect Executive Pat Riley to be active when the lockout ends and free agency opens. The oil-slick has eyes for Shane Battier.

Battier fits for two reasons. First, he’s a terrific role player, capable of spreading the floor with his range and defending premier wings. With Battier, opponents would get punished for helping on Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade. And James and Wade would have some choice as to who they matched-up with on defense.

Second, the Heat - right or wrong, fair or not- have a PR problem. Most living outside Florida couldn’t stand the ‘Heatles’. And most living outside Florida cheered when the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Title.

Enter Battier.

The Duke grad is well-spoken, intelligent, and humble. He communicates like a Fortune 500 CEO and/or politician. His measured, toned-down approach would lessen the day-to-day scrutiny the Heat faces.

So Battier would help on-and-off court. He may be the difference between the Heat winning and losing the championship in 2012 -if there's a season.

--Oly Sandor.

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Despite a month that has taken him to fashion previews in Italy and France, then to another camp he hosted in his Chicago hometown, Wade said the night of June 12 and that lost feeling still stings.

"The sting is always going to be there when you lose," he said. "Obviously, it was my first time ever losing the Finals. The sting is there, no question about it. I joke with the kids. I said, 'All right, I'm going to make jokes about it. You guys are not going to ask me the question.' Because the first thing, when they ask questions, they want to know stuff. I make sure I shed some light on it in a sense-of-humor type of way, but the sting is there.``

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Dwyane Wade and his Miami Heat must embrace the `sting’ and get humble.

Last year was out-of-hand in South Beach. The Great Free Agent Chase of 2010 and The Decision were offensive. Their pre-emptive victory celebration was highly offensive.

It showed that D-Wade, LeBron, and Bosh thought they’d waltz to the NBA championship and have no issue winning several more.

While their regular season was mixed, the Heat was outplayed and out-classed by the team-first, collectivist Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

The Three Kings, or whatever else they were calling themselves, had lost. Most were happy about this development, too.

The Heat's arrogance had turned off those outside of Florida. Wade and his running mates were the villains.

So Wade needs to embrace the ‘sting’. He needs to get, and stay, humble. He needs to get in the gym and re-discover the work ethic that won him the 2006 NBA Title.

Forget about the Heat upgrading their supporting cast. New additions will be tough with the stricter Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Instead, Wade must focus on how he can improve. This is the first step towards another championship. And a championship is the only thing that will lessen the ‘sting’ of 2011.

--Oly Sandor.

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Dwain Price: "He has to be the most scrutinized player of all-time." --Mavs center Tyson Chandler, talking about Bron-Bron on ESPN's Sports Nation.

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HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: It's his fault, though.

Tyson Chandler is right to declare LeBron James the world's most highly scrutinized athlete. However, James, and nobody else, is to blame for this.

After all, The Decision was not a good look. It was an example of how not to handle free agency and what will go wrong when 'your boys' handle your career.

Then there was The Victory Party. After signing James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat threw a pre-emptive championship shindig, complete with all the bells and whistles.

The Three Kings hadn't won a championship. They hadn't even won a game. Such details didn't prevent James from suggesting his Heat would win several championships.

These acts, The Decision and The Victory Party, sealed James' fate. He went from hero to villain faster than any athlete, actor, or musician of recent memory.

James dug his grave. He must now live in it –which means having the masses cheer when his star-studded Heat lose the 2011 NBA Finals to Chandler's Dallas Mavericks. 

There's a solution: James leads the Heat to a championship. Hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy would silence most, if not all, of his critics.

Most would begrudgingly forgive James for The Decision and The Victory Party. They wouldn't forget but they'd forgive. 

Forgiveness would be the start of James, the world's most scrutinized athlete, rebuilding his image.

--Oly Sandor.

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Whenever the NBA lockout ends and a frenzied free-agency period begins, Chandler and his agent, Jeff Schwartz, know he will have the entire league -- or at least those teams with spending power -- in the palm of his large hand.

"It's a great point in my career, and I'm coming up under free agency and there's a lot of great teams out there, a lot of great opportunities out there, a lot of up-and-building things," Chandler said Tuesday in a phone interview. "So, I mean, I've got to take a look at all that. I've got to take everything into consideration, and the good thing is I'm on a good side. I'm coming off an incredible year, so it's not a situation where it's worrisome."

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Memo to Mark Cuban. Don’t let Tyson Chandler leave your Dallas Mavericks as a free agent. Back up the brinks truck and re-sign him.

Sure, Chandler is raw. Sure, he’s injury prone. But his size, length, and athleticism gave the Mavericks a different dimension from years past.

The end result: they finally won that elusive NBA championship.

So Cuban must check his ego. The renegade owner can’t be stubborn –like when Steve Nash departed as a free agent in 2004.

New Collective Bargaining Agreement or not, Chandler will have offers –lots of offers, in fact. Cuban must authorize GM Donnie Nelson to offer fair value or the lanky five will walk.

And Chandler’s departure would close the door on the Mavericks repeating as champions.

--Oly Sandor.

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“Kobe is super arrogant but everybody loves him. To me, Kobe is more arrogant (than LeBron James).”

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: You got to love today’s NBA.

Only in this era could a third stringer win a championship and feel he has the ‘juice’ to call out an all-time great.

Isn’t that right Ian Mahinmi?

The Frenchman, who played behind Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood on the 2011 world champion Dallas Mavericks, recently declared that Kobe Bryant is the most arrogant player in the NBA.

Forget LeBron. Forget D-Wade. Forget the Three Kings. Forget Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. According to Mahinmi, it’s Kobe.

This is hardly a surprise. Bryant is supremely confident. Always has been, too.

He was this way when plying his craft as a prep-to-pro star at Lower Merion in Philadelphia.

He was this way when Del Harris sat him as a rookie with the Los Angeles Lakers.

And he was this way when jostling with Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson for lead dog status with the champion Lakers.

Confidence, or arrogance, has made Bryant who he is. He won’t change, either.

Something that has changed: a part-time player on a championship squad calling out a once-in-a-generation superstar.

Scott Hastings never said a thing about Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, or Magic Johnson when his Detroit Pistons won back-to-back titles. Same with Eric Riley when the Houston Rockets defeated the New York Knicks in the 1994 finals. And Sean Marks was silent when the San Antonio Spurs captured the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2006.

Even Josh Powell, a reserve with the glamorous L.A. Lakers, knew to stay silent when the purple-and-gold were champions in 2009 and 2010.

They knew their role. They knew their place. Mahinmi does not.

To be fair, Mahinmi had a slightly greater impact than the above players, serving as an energy reserve for Rick Carlisle and the Mavs’.

Still, Mahinmi should stay silent. Right now, he, not Bryant, looks arrogant.   

--Oly Sandor.

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Rudy Fernandez could return to the offseason headlines more for speculation about where he's headed than where he is. [Fernandez], who joined the Dallas Mavericks in a draft night trade less than two weeks ago, has been offered a six-year contract from Real Madrid, sportando.net reported via Spanish sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo. The deal reportedly is worth $4.35 million per year and would make the 6-foot-6 Spanish shooting guard the highest-paid player in the history of the Spanish basketball league. Fernandez, who averaged 8.6 points on 37 percent shooting last season with the Portland Trail Blazers, was due to make $2.2 next season with Dallas under the collective bargaining agreement that expired late Thursday as the NBA lockout began.

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He watched Jason Kidd, a fellow rookie of the year, win his first title last month, and is willing to keep striving for an opportunity to play in the Finals. Hill's career has gone from one of promise, to misfortune, to longevity, and he is willing to wait out a potentially long lockout.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: To pull a ‘J-Kidd’, he can't re-sign with the Phoenix Suns.

The end is near for the 38-year old Grant Hill. The former Duke legend and NBA All-Star doesn't believe the end is now, though.

Instead, he’ll wait for the lockout to end and, inspired by Dallas Mavericks legend Jason Kidd, try for a championship.

Here’s the thing: Hill won’t win with the Phoenix Suns. Heck, Hill might not see the playoffs if he stays in Arizona.

This falls on Suns owner Robert Sarver. He doesn’t have the resources to sign and/or keep talent. A new Collective Bargaining Agreement won't do enough for Sarver, even if there's a hard cap with flexibility.

So Hill will have to leave as a free agent. He will have to part with pal Steve Nash. He will have to risk injury by forging a relationship with new trainers.

This seems scary, but Hill has survived numerous ankle surgeries, a life saving procedure in Orlando, failures at the pro‘ level, and unfortunate comments in a documentary by former rival Jalen Rose.

Free agency won’t phase him. Hill will weigh his options and do what's best. In a year, like Kidd, he could also be hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy. 

--Oly Sandor.

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There has been some talk among older players around the NBA that an extended lockout could nudge them into early retirement. But for 38-year-old Jason Kidd, coming off a championship with the Mavericks, a lockout doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.

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Colangelo certainly paid attention as the 54-year-old Casey has been thrown the keys to the Raptors broken-down car, being affirmed on Tuesday as the new head coach of the NBA franchise. Casey, who signed a three-year contract, will take over from Jay Triano of Niagara Falls, Ont., who was relieved of his coaching duties earlier this month, in the aftermath of a frustrating 22-60 regular season.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Hiring Dwane Casey is the closest Bryan Colangelo will come to admitting he was wrong.

When hired, Colangelo had a vision for the Toronto Raptors. They’d be the NBA’s ‘Euro’ club. They’d emphasize scoring and skill. They’d collect players from every republic, federation, principality, and semi-autonomous region in Europe.

Most importantly, they’d win.

On the surface, it made sense. Americans were hesitant to come to Canada, even if it meant playing in a world class city such as Toronto.

So Colangelo did his best with what he had. Problem was, it didn't work.

Defense still wins championships. Drafting and re-signing Andrea Bargnani and having Jose Calderon at point guard made the Raptors vulnerable at point guard and center.

Slowly but surely, Colangelo has changed course. Bargnani, the player he drafted first overall, is at a crossroads with the organization. Calderon is more of a platoon player.

The new Raptors are young, athletic, and raw. The new Raptors are Jerryd Bayless, Ed Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson, and James Johnson. 

This collection of talent needs help in their own end, which is Casey’s speciality. He was the brains behind George Karl’s defensive sets in Seattle, had Minnesota running at 20-20, and helped Rick Carlisle’s Dallas crew win a championship.

For now, Casey is the Raptors’ only off-season change. His hiring represents Colangelo changing course from offense to defense.

--Oly Sandor.

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And during Thursday's celebration at the American Airlines Center, Terry hinted he'd like one more thing before he goes: "Brad Davis, Ro Blackman, move over, there's new jerseys coming to town." As Terry has mentioned many times before, he always wanted to retire with the Mavericks and, if the Mavericks won the title, have his No. 31 jersey retired. With a championship under his belt, he very well could get his wish.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Should the Dallas Mavericks retire Jason Terry’s jersey?

Well, Terry thinks so. The star sixth-man had no issue telling the Mavericks faithful his jersey belongs in the rafters next to franchise great Rolando Blackman and fan favourite Brad Davis.

Terry is right. His jersey should be retired. And it likely will.

He was an integral part of a championship team. For years, he started at point guard. He also accepted a shift to the bench, where he evolved into an excellent reserve.

However, retiring a jersey is sacred. Much depends on the emotional connection a franchise has to that player. Much also depends on the owner.

So it's far from an exact science. Consider the Mavericks. Brad Davis has his jersey retired, but Derek Harper and Mark Aguirre do not.

Davis was a serviceable reserve who struck a chord with the club. Harper, an excellent point guard, and Aguirre, a terrific scorer, were better players than Davis, but failed to connect in the same way with fans or ownership.

There’s also the matter of grace. Predicting that Mark Cuban, or whoever owns the team when Terry`s playing days end, will retire his jersey is presumptuous.

`This isn’t the same as Terry getting a tattoo of the Larry O’Brien trophy on his bicep. Sporting championship ink is a team goal; retiring a jersey is an individual goal.

Over the last few years, Terry has done so much right. He needs to dial back the rhetoric, enjoy the moment, and pick his words carefully.

Even if he deserves to have his jersey hanging next to Blackman and Davis in the rafters.

--Oly Sandor.

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In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Warriors General Manager Larry Riley said the team is not planning to trade Monta Ellis.“We are not shopping Monta Ellis,” Riley said.