LeBron in the Twitter Universe

In case you've been under a log, PHSports is on Twitter.
Worry not, we're not in it for followers (clearly). Instead, it's a place to rant and rave and react to this ever-expanding medium.

Of course, the LeBron story (now somehow titled, "The Decision") has officially trumped anything else in the sporting world as of late.

Peak-a-boo! I'm going to...Miami. To dilute my brand and always be #2 in Wade County.
Credit: DrewLiftTV

Here are a few twitter highlights (aka "top tweets) you may have missed in the last 24 hours...

The Tweet That May Have Said it ALL:
Chris_Broussard Sources with knowledge of the situation indeed saying LeBron will join Wade and Bosh in Miami, barring a late change of heart

Funniest Tweet:
WaterWarren BREAKING NEWS! #Apple is releasing a special edition Lebron James iPhone. Problem is, it only vibrates b/c it doesn't have a RING.

More Desperate for Attention that even Tweeting can HELP:
chrisbosh Good morning. Waking up to more speculation. This makes tonight's show more interesting.

Seeking More and More Attention Tweet:
KingJames Good Morning! It's your chance to ask me a question about my decision, use #lebrondecision to submit and I'll answer them tonight.

Sense from the Seemingly Senseless Tweets:
OGOchoCinco I dont even know why the **** i am talking i dont have no d@mn rings myself,i am doing the best i can with the cards i was dealt #BENGALS

OGOchoCinco nickname is #KingJames, Kings lead with the help of an army (supporting cast on team) a lead dog doesn't join supastars to make it easy

OGOchoCinco Kobe-Magic-Jordan-Bird all created legacies on their own teams, they didn't join together to make winning a ring easy #Lebronwilldodasame

Average New York Fans Giving Up Tweets:
BrandonTierney when LBJ says "Miami" tonight, I will officially pray for a lifetime of 4th Q "back-rims" and "short" for the duration of his playoff life

NYSportzNut @KingJames if you sign with Miami tonight - you will forever become Scottie Pippen to Dwayne Wade's Jordan. Your (cont) http://tl.gd/2ci1bb

AnthonyMSG Can't he find a Boys and Girls club in Florida!

Brnyd15 @AnthonyMSG Lebron to Miami I guess. If true, I want us to be the 8th seed and them the #1 in the playoffs. The irony....

New Yorkers trying to Hold On:
knicksbuzztap Bleacher Report >> The King James Saga: Believe None Of What You See; Half Of What You Hear http://buzztap.com/-7APLbU

AnthonyMSG If LeBron comes into our backyard and says he's going to play For The Heat!!!!! Come on!!!

Living on a 3am Prayer Tweet:
jadande Part of me thinks LeBron's camp is just floating this Miami thing to gauge the reaction. And what I've seen has not been positive.

Ramblings of an Idiot Tweets:

PHSports Peak-a-boo. http://tiny.cc/lbjcry I'm going to...Miami. To dilute my brand and always be #2 in Miami-Wade County. Call him Prince Harry. #2.

PHSports @AnthonyMSG His "circle" hadn't let anything slip - to this degree potentially - until now. So why now? Seems somewhat likely it's a decoy. 10 minutes ago via web
PHSports @AnthonyMSG I guess the "hope" in Cleveland and NYC is that LeBron had one of his inner circle put out the Miami rumor to distract people.

Scenarios Galore

Do I keep any dignity if I beg???
Credit: TonySports

LeBron James is making his announcement on Thursday at 9pm on ESPN.
He's even selling advertisements (for charity, admittedly) for the hour potentially.
Wow. An entire hour. Ego, much?

Question is (okay, question #14 on my list), how long do they (James & ESPN's producers) draw it out? (over/under 9.5 minutes.)
How many people see their blood pressure spike by 150% in the opening 15 minutes?

So is that an hour focused on new beginnings (perhaps a conference call with Amar'e???) in New York or staying in Cleveland (can he bribe Bosh with extra $$$ or an endorsement???).

Man, how sappy could that be (Cleveland for an hour)???
Or how sweet (New York for a lifetime)!?!?!?

Seriously, why is this guy getting so much love right now? I may take Amar'e AND Boozer over him. Seriously.
Credit: Umbrohi

In the end, I think it's down to these two teams (NY & Cleveland, of course). I may be WAAAAY off, by I just can't see how LeBron is going to Chicago (w/ Bosh) any longer. Too many cooks in the Chicago stew. He isn't going to Miami with Wade and Bosh either. That money won't work one way or another. Not enough (basket)balls in Miami, either. Of course, if they (i.e. Bosh & Wade) showed up on-screen a mere 20 seconds after James opened his "press conference"...the world may stop spinning on its axis.

I would call for Miami to be removed from the Union, by the way.

I could speculate on and on and on (and on...), but following my Twitter feed is more fun.
And if you're a Knicks fan, this is a MANDATORY viewing every 6 1/2 minutes (or less, if you wish).

So instead of pulling out what little hair I CHOOSE to have left, I'm going hold tight to anything Knicks I can find (might be tough in this apartment in the 8-0-4) and hold out hope.

Funny thing is, I'll be in a car en route to Atlantic City this weekend when the announcement drops. I'll expect text messages and have several twitter feeds ready to update my phone (sad, right?).

All I know is, I'm currently doing something I didn't expect to do.
I'm allowing myself to have hope.
For better or worse.

New York...it's a hell of a town.

Saturday Night Live: NBA Free Agency Tweeting

If you aren't tweeting yet, this week was the week to be introduced to it. Sure, Chris Bosh needs a little more attention than your average MTV Jersey Shore cast member; however, it's fascinating to see the myriad of opinions - from the "experts" to the fan-fueled blogs - that have been absolutely flooding the web since July 1st (and obviously beforehand).

There hasn't been this much hype about a class since these kids took over Bayside back in '93.
Credit: 123People

Which got me to thinking, in between tweets of my own, about a few things, as we approach July 5th (which I consider to be the informal D-Day of the Summer of 2010):

1) Rudy Gay should be a Houston Rocket. Did you know that? Houston balked on keeping Gay, the 8th overall pick, and instead dealt him for Shane Battier (and picked up Stromile Swift's bad contract). It's true. While Houston has plenty of talent on its roster, isn't Gay everything they've been looking for the past few offseasons and trade deadlines? I hated that deal then and I still hate it now.

Think he's a future #1? Think again. A 1B? Think again. A solid #2. Okay, now I'm listening.
Credit: EpicMess

2) Chris Bosh wants to get paid first and foremost. So does Joe Johnson. You can't blame either for that. Neither has a sniff of the stature of a LeBron, Wade, or even a Boozer (yeah, I said it). Nevertheless, I think Johnson (who once said: "I'm playing for whomever pays Joe Johnson the most money") is a little more likely to forgo a few bucks (just a few, mind you) for a winning situation (i.e. being one of the 3 pieces to a free agent pie). Then again, neither guy is a #1 and neither deserves anything close to #1 money. Even you, Mr. Bosh...max contract or not.

3) I like (SARCASM!) how ridiculously confident the Miami-media and reports from Dwayne Wade (from everyone who wasn't Dwayne Wade) have been the past week. While I think Wade is staying in South Beach, wouldn't it be fun - especially as a Knick fan - to see them left totally empty handed? I think so.

Think he's going somewhere unexpectedly? Think again.
Credit: BettorsEdge

4) Carmelo Anthony (aka "my boy") isn't going anywhere. Not this summer, at least. Denver isn't going to trade him. They can blow everything up, and still will keep their centerpiece. Last night, I was trying to think of who'd I'd take over Melo right now to start up my franchise. The list is short, you know. Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Durant, and ???. To be honest, the list probably ends there. I just can't elevate CP3, Deron Williams, or any current young PG over Melo. Dwight Howard vs. Melo is an interesting study. One that likely deserves some debate. Or perhaps a poll question...

5) By the way, if you asked me a gunpoint who I would rather the Knicks have on their roster next season: LeBron or Carmelo...I'd have a tough time battling my head over my heart on that debate.

6) The NBA will have a work stoppage in 2011. It will likely cost them an entire season or a MAJOR chunk of it. Ditto for the NFL. Memo to baseball: use this to your advantage. If you speed up the game (big time), add a sophisticated replay system, and promote young talent properly (i.e. Strasburg and Heyward)...progress shall be made in recapturing the hearts of America. More than just Yanks and Sox-love, too.

Here is where I would LIKE to see the major free agents go (within the realm of reality):
Knicks sign LeBron, Amar'e, and trade David Lee (sign-and-trade) for Tony Parker.
Hawks retain Joe Johnson (and pay his ridiculous contract).
Heat re-sign Wade and pull a sign-and-trade for Chris Bosh. Beasley won't like Toronto, by the way.
Chicago signs Carlos Boozer and Mike Miller.
We all know already about Pierce, Dirk, and Gay staying put. Sorry Cleveland.

Here is what I think WILL happen.
Cleveland retains LeBron James. They sign Mike Miller, too. That's it, for now. Seriously.
Houston pulls off the sign-and-trade for Chris Bosh.
Knicks sign Amar'e and overpay Ray Allen for a 3-year deal.
Hawks keep Joe Johnson (and pay his ridiculous contract).
Heat keep Wade and sign Carlos Boozer. Wade regrets re-signing within 48 minutes, not hours.
Chicago has a MUCH quieter off-season than you think and starts developing packages for Carmelo in 2011.
David Lee takes too much money in Minnesota.
Al Jefferson gets dealt to Dallas for Dampier's expiring contract and Caron Butler.

Regardless of what happens , I'm taking LA to 3-peat (shudder) in 2011. Same old, same old.