Broken Wings » and you have to be a special player to

LeBron James reportedly decided to opt out of his contract with the Miami Heat on Tuesday. 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. Gerald Everett Jersey . "Right now were kind of looking at him at the end of the rotation right now," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "Not indicative of how hes doing or how hes feeling. Its just, it seems like the spot we want him right now. Marshall Faulk Jersey . -- David Ortiz saved his only hit for a key moment for the Boston Red Sox. http://www.officiallaramspro.com/Kurt-warner-rams-jersey/ .C. -- Theyll remember the OT from the first Syracuse-Duke game -- and the Ts that decided Round 2. Jared Goff Jersey . It was a loss. But it was also a learning experience. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson had 24 points each to lift Brooklyn to a 94-87 win over the Raptors, making their first playoff appearance since 08. "I thought we played a little bit as expected as it is our first playoff game," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. Joe Namath Jersey . -- Floridas smothering defence returned to form just in time for the third-ranked Gators to keep their winning streak going.PITTSBURGH -- Tyler Ennis took the inbounds pass with 4.4 seconds left and dribbled up court, weaving through Pitts defence. He had the option of shooting or passing to Trevor Cooney. The Syracuse freshman guard decided to shoot. It was the right decision. Ennis made the 35-footer at the buzzer and No. 1 Syracuse remained unbeaten with a 58-56 victory over No. 25 Pitt on Wednesday night. "I saw someone ran over to Trevor and I just had to beat one guy," Ennis said. "I knew they werent going to let Trevor get it. I just had to get some space. I knew I could get open for a second." Syracuse (24-0, 11-0 ACC) and Wichita State are the lone undefeated teams in Division I. Talib Zanna, who led Pitt (20-5, 8-4) with 16 points and 14 rebounds, hit two free throws after being fouled on a layup attempt to give the Panthers a 56-55 lead before Ennis winner. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon called a timeout after the free throws to set his defence. That also allowed Syracuse to draw up a play designed for its fearless freshman. "We guarded it about as well as you could guard it," Dixon said. "He made about a 40-footer. We did what we were supposed to do. If we had to do it again. ... We did the right things. "They were going to get a shot off. He made it, and he made a tough one. We knew hed have the ball and would be the guy. We had two guys on him. He hit the shot. Our guys defended, and he hit a shot." It was Pitts first loss at home to a top-five team in the 12-year history of the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers (20-5, 8-4) had been 9-0 against top-five teams and 13-1 against teaams ranked in the top 10.dddddddddddd. C.J. Fair led Syracuse with 14 points. Pitt had a 54-48 lead with less than 2 minutes remaining, but Fair made a 3-pointer with 1:40 to go. He then hit a jumper to make it 54-53 with 51 seconds left. After Pitt missed on the other end, Ennis made two free throws with 10 seconds left to give the Orange the lead. "C.J. hadnt hit a 3 all game. He hadnt hit the rim, and he makes a 3 and then he hits a pretty tough pull-up to give us a chance," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "Those were big plays and you have to be a special player to make those plays." Pitt led 27-24 at halftime and built its lead to nine in the early stages of the second half when Lamar Patterson made a 3-pointer to make it 37-28 with 15 minutes remaining. Syracuse stormed back with a 17-8 run and tied it on Trevor Cooneys 3-pointer with 6:53 to go, but Pitt regained control after Zanna converted a three-point play and freshman Jamel Artis sank two free throws for a 50-45 lead. But it was all Syracuse after that. Pitts only points in the final 1:59 came from Zannas two free throws, and the Panthers were outscored 10-3 in the final 1:59. Syracuse had to play without backup centre Baye Moussa Keita, who sat out with a sprained knee. That forced sophomore forward Jerami Grant into duty as the backup centre behind Rakeem Christmas. Pitt had injury issues of its own. Senior forward and leading scorer Lamar Patterson had the thumb on his right hand wrapped for a second consecutive game. After going 1 for 9 in his previous outing against Virginia Tech, Patterson scored 13 points. ' ' '