So, it doesn’t matter that much what Lebron says, but what about things he actually does?  The other week, Lebron filed paperwork to change his number to 6, his Olympic number.  As others have suggested, it probably has less to do with paying homage to Jordan than it does with paying his bills (ok, more than just bills) via jersey sales.  But, why bother changing your number to boost jersey sales if you’re going to be wearing new colors next year anyways?  Hmm…could Lebron be telling us he might not be wearing new colors next year?

It’s hard to argue with the idea that Lebron is changing his number to boost jersey sales.  Kobe did it and shot to number one on the jersey sales list and Lebron is surrounded by savvy business advisors who tell him to maximize his earning potential every day.  It’s possible Lebron decided that with the Cavs being one of the dominant forces in the East and him feeling comfortable there, he doesn’t want to start over and, thus, he’s stuck with a Cavs jersey…so he’d better run and change his number if he wants to ever catch Kobe (in jersey sales or anything else).

Of course, we also have to keep in mind that Lebron has been dropping hints about this jersey change for a while (over a year, perhaps?) and this could mean nothing.  He’s mentioned numerous times before that he doesn’t think anybody should wear #23.  Then, some suggested he take the lead and stop wearing it (playing right into his hand) so he did.  This has played out over some time so maybe he knew he was going to wear #6 regardless if it was Cleveland or New York.  So, a jersey change doesn’t tell us everything, but, like everything else, you can read into it what you want.  The timing sure is interesting.

Or, maybe you believe Lebron’s being completely candid about honoring MJ.

The question is why does the NBA allow this?  Clearly, it’s collusion, but the NBA only seems to care if you go so far as to blatantly talk about it.  Even admitting it after the fact doesn’t seem to bother the league as Doc Rivers gave this tongue-in-cheek remark about the Z deal: “I have a problem with that.  I loved it three years ago when we did it with Gary Payton if you remember, but now I think it sucks. I think it’s a terrible deal.”  Terrible for Boston maybe, but great for the ratings when the Cavs see the Lakers in the Finals.  But, that would have nothing to do with why you allow this, right Mr. Stern?

For a league that has seemingly constant credibility problems with the refereeing, it might not be a bad idea to actually come up with a clear rule on these situations (you know, so we don’t get the wrong idea that you’d prefer stacking the good teams while the bad teams free up cap space).  Here’s a suggestion: once you get traded, you don’t get to go back to the team you were traded from that season!

But, alas, this is the NBA, so with a wink and a nod, look for Big Z to head back to Cleveland next month.

We were hoping you would just let it go, but two days after being called for traveling on your “Crab Dribble,” you’re still trying to convince us it was a legal move.  We’re sure you’ve seen the video of you taking THREE steps by now, but if you haven’t, here it is again:

One, Two, Three…and Jalen Rose goes on to inform you that you’re even confused what a crab dribble is.

Since we are here to help you live up to your billing of The Chosen One, we wanted to inform you of 3 other moves that are illegal before you try them in a game.  Please let us know if you find these helpful as we might let Donovan McNabb know about some NFL rules once he’s finished with the playoffs.

1. “The Chalk Move” - Your new commercial is nice, but make sure you don’t actually clap chalk into your opponents face DURING the game.  For instance, do not dribble across half-court, scoop up some chalk, clap in your opponent’s face to blind them, and drive to the basket.  This would most likely earn you a technical foul.
2. “The Tornado” - After hearing you talk about Crab Dribble and watching your footwork over your career, we get the feeling you think anything is illegal when you’re pivoting.  We just wanted to let you know that you cannot just spin, spin, and spin to the basket without dribbling just because you are “pivoting.”
3. “Traveling” - An oldie, but a goodie.  We understand you are aware of the rule, but we just wanted to give you yet another reminder since you…well, you do stuff like this:

We would have listed “The Charge,” but it seems you are allowed to get away with this one.  Good luck!

Your Fans,

HoopsAvenue

Atlanta Hawks – Be thankful for a return to respectability, it’s been a while.

Boston Celtics – Um, 17 NBA Championships good enough for ya?

Charlotte Bobcats – You’ve got a young and exciting core.  The future is full of possibilities.

Chicago Bulls – Derrick Rose.  Enough said.

Cleveland Cavaliers – Be thankful for contract law which will keep Lebron around until at least 2010.

Dallas Mavericks – At least it’s the owner facing insider trading charges and not you!

Denver Nuggets – Having a real point guard.

Detroit Pistons – Having a surreal two guard.

Golden State Warriors – Be thankful for having an exciting, high-scoring offense.  You’re halfway there.

Houston Rockets – Neither Yao nor T-Mac is out for the year yet.

Indiana Pacers – Danny Granger is turning into a gem.

Los Angeles Clippers – Be thankful your team is underachieving and could get better rather than just being really bad.

Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe.

Memphis Grizzlies – O.J. Mayo is the real deal.

Miami Heat – D-Wade is healthy and playing great!  What more could you ask for.

Minnesota Timberwolves – Um….maybe the Golden Rule applies and the Celtics will return you the favor of a franchise player in the future.

New Jersey Nets – You might move to Brooklyn and get Lebron.

New Orleans Hornets – Chris freakin’ Paul

New York Knicks – D’Antoni, Lebron maybe?  Things are looking up.

Oklahoma City Thunder – At least the drama is over with and you have a city to play in, right?

Orlando Magic – Dwight Howard is only 22!

Philadelphia 76ers -You aren’t off to a sputtering start like last season and have a good shot at the playoffs.

Phoenix Suns – You get to host the All-Star game, plus your team ain’t too shabby.

Portland Trailblazers – Greg Oden, Brandon Roy – oh, yes, the investments look like they might pay off.

Sacramento Kings – As a fan, your number (#6) is retired!

San Antonio Spurs – You could start with being thankful for the last decade and once you’re healthy, this year should be pretty good too.

Toronto Raptors – See “Cleveland Cavaliers” and replace Lebron with Bosh.

Utah Jazz – Be thankful the Western Conference Finals are a real possibility.

Washington Wizards – At least injuries tend to heal, your 2nd half could be great.

4. The Spurs are 1-4.

The Spurs are known for their slow starts, but this is ridiculous.  Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are both putting up good numbers, but the Spurs can’t seem to guard anybody.  They’ve only held 2 of their opponents under 100, at 98 and 99 points.  That’s not the defense this team is known for.   Now with Parker joining Ginobili on the injured list, things are not looking good in the city of the Alamo.

3. Tony Parker dropped 55 on the Timberwolves.

The T-Wolves aren’t exactly the best competition in the world, but since when did Tony Parker become MJ dropping the double nickel?  For the last 3 years this guy has averaged just under 19 points per game, like clockwork.  18.9, 18.6, 18.8.  He even opened the season with 32 and his season low was 22 in his first four games.  Unfortunately, Parker is out the next 4 weeks with an ankle sprain.  It’ll be interesting to see what kind of pace he can keep up when he returns.

2. The Atlanta Hawks are undefeated.

Don’t look now, but the Hawks are undefeated at 5-0.  It was only last year this team finally moved past joke status to become and up-and-coming team, and now they are tops in the East?!?  Ok, so it is only 5 games and they aren’t going to be the #1 seed in all likelihood, but they are among select company with the Lakers being the only other undefeated team (as of tipoff Sunday night).  The Hawks have won at New Orleans and Orlando, too, so it’s not like they are beating up on chumps.  Don’t be surprised if this team is hosting an opening round playoff series.

1. Allen Iverson traded to Detroit for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheick Samb.

Ok, if you predicted this, you must be Nostradamus because there’s no way I could imagine Chauncey Billups not wearing a Pistons jersey in early November.  Iverson being traded?  Eh, stranger things have happened, but if you told me he was traded I would assume he had a hissy fit first and refused to play.  That was not the case.  This was simply a straight-up blockbuster trade the Pistons and Nuggets both felt would improve their team in one way or another, on the court and/or in the balance sheet.  It doesn’t surprise me the Pistons made a move as they needed to do try something new if they want to dethrone the Celts, but trading Billups was shocking.  He’s a clutch performer and has even earned the nickname “Big Shot”.  You usually don’t want to give up your team leader and go-to guy, but sometimes you have to to get a guy like Iverson.  Kudos to the Pistons and Nuggets for shocking us with a big deal that makes sense on both sides early in the season rather than making us wait until the trade deadline like most teams do.

Golden St. Warriors
Rob Mahoney: Upside and Motor

LA Clippers
ClipperSteve: Clips Nation

LA Lakers
Kurt: Forum Blue & Gold
Josh Tucker: Respect Kobe
Trevor Smith: HoopsAddict

Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Stan: Bright Side of the Sun

Sacramento Kings
Tom Ziller: Sactown Royalty

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com

It’s not often we see a blockbuster trade like this so early in the season.  This has the potential to be a good move for both teams.  As I said before the season started, Detroit might want to “shake things up a bit.”  Well, they’ve done more than shake things up by acquiring Iverson.  I don’t know if this trade will or will not work for Detroit, but it’s a gamble they had to make.  Without making a big move, they just weren’t going to be able to compete with Boston.  Now, they still might not be good enough, but if AI meshes well they could get over the hump.  It’s nice to see AI get one more legitimate shot at a ring, too.  On top of all that, if it doesn’t work for Detroit, AI’s contract is expiring and they’ll have a shot to change directions after the season.

As for Denver, I think it’s a good move as well.  The AI-Melo combination just never completely worked in Denver.  They could have given it another year to see what would happen, but bringing in a more balanced guard like Chauncey is only going to help Melo out.  It’s not like Chauncey can’t score either so now you’ve still got one of the league’s top guards, but he’s probably a better fit with Anthony.

What do you think of the trade?  Who got the better deal?

Atlanta Hawks
Matt McHale: Basketbawful
Hoopinion: Peachtree Hoops

Charlotte Bobcats
BrettL: Queen City Hoops 
Ziggy: BobcatsPlanet

Miami Heat
Darren Heitner: SportsAgentBlog.com
Gregory Broome: The Peninsula is Mightier

Orlando Magic
Ben: Third Quarter Collapse

Washington Wizards
Rashad: Hoops Addict
HoopsAvenue: HoopsAvenue
Mike Prada: Bullets Forever
Truth: Truth About It Dot Net

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com