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.

NCAA Tournament Running Commentary: Thursday Edition

Note: I will be in and out today with some observations from the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Feel free to comment and be aware that the MOST RECENT updates will be found at the top of the post, although nothing will be deleted from earlier action.

I give Gody a harder time than most (even Pay). Nevertheless...
HIS "defense" is among the worst in the post I've seen in years and Notre Dame is a BETTER team with him not on the court.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

6:00 pm
Scroll down to check out updates for the first 4 finals of the day. ODU/ND, Nova/RM, BYU/Fla, & Murray State's heroics over Vandy. Hope you enjoyed the early session, as primetime doesn't look as enticing.

Brief updates...
-UTEP leads Baylor 29-24 as both teams close in on halftime. This was a POPULAR upset pick for the 12th-seeded Miners. Conversely, plenty of people have Butler going deep in this tournament.

West Regional
#2 Kansas State throttled #15 North Texas 82-62
No real surprise here whatsoever. Impressive opener for the Wildcats, who next draw BYU.

East Regional
#3 Baylor "defeated" Sam Houston State 68-59
First tourney win since 1950 for the Bears. To get another couple, they can't have a performance equal to this one.

#10 St. Mary's BALANCED #7 Richmond 80-71
Despite a competitive opening 20 minutes, the Gaels dominated the second half from start-to-finish. Inside they got 29 and 11 from big-man Omar Samhan and from the outside, 23 from Mickey McConnell (5-9 3's). Balance.

.......

5:05 pm

Brief updates...
-Baylor pulling away late over Sam Houston State. Very unimpressive debut for the Bears. State is 6-30 from the 3-point line. OUCH. Baylor looked quite stagnant and will need a lot more offensive flow to not fall into a game in the 50s against Old Dominion (see more below on the Monarchs).
-Richmond and St. Mary's are trading punches. The backcourt of Richmond is one of the top 10 in the country...seriously. Meanwhile, momentum for the Gaels behind 16 early points from Omar Samhan were quieted by 3 first-half fouls. This one should go down to the wire, especially if Samhan has "thriller arms" on defense. Spiders better double up in the paint until he does or things may start to turn against them. (Richmond has wins as a #12, #13, #14, and #15 seed. Even more surprising is this is the first time they've worn the white jerseys as the higher seed.)
-Kansas State is pummeling North Texas. Not much more needs to be said, right? BYU is likely taking copious notes.

West Region
#13 Murray State buzzerbeated #4 Vanderbilt 66-65
Danero Thomas' jumper, which left his hands with 0.6 ticks left, is the early highlight of the tournament. Murray State, a popular sleeper, should be given full credit for this win. Don't simply blame Vanderbilt (who had an insane backdoor cut to take the lead) or the SEC. A clutch shot and a great moment to remember, less than 5 hours into the tournament.

#7 BYU outlasted #10 Florida 99-92 (2 OT)
BYU led by as much as 11 with 8 minutes to go. Despite a stellar late comeback, Florida failed 't close out the Cougars, blowing multiple chances in regulation and in overtime. The Cougars controlled the second OT period, thanks in large part to the scoring duo of Jimmer Fredette (37 points) and Michael Loyd Jr. (26 points, 9-10 FTs). Kenny Boynton deserves a lot of credit for the Gators, catching fire late in the game. Fouling out may have been the final nail in the Gators' coffins. BYU lacks any interior rebounding presence. This will be a major issue WHEN they face Kansas State (North Texas is getting whipped).

South Region
#10 ODU CAAd #7 Notre Dame 51-50.
Pay said it best to me in a brief, yet poignant e-mail: Tyrone Nash barely played in the second half, and Gody has missed at least 3 bunnies. And (Gody) was poor on defense per usual. Good job by (ODU head coach Blaine) Taylor to switch the defense at halftime. Gody got his first basket with 12.6 remaining ... he sucks worse than ODU's ft shooting on 1-and-1s.
If you ask me, Notre Dame changed their style too late in the season. Once they were matched up with ODU, they played a team who employed that same ball-control strategy, with far more expertise at running it and far less reliance on the 3-ball. As for Gerald Lee (spotlighted by ME earlier today), he didn't erupt scoring-wise, but made some critical buckets down the stretch. Just as I expected. CAA strikes again!!!

#2 Villanova Chris Pauled #15 Robert Morris 73-70
A late 10-3 run, led by Scottie Reynolds, gave Villanova the last shot (or tip) in regulation...to no avail. Opening OT on a 6-0 run, the Wildcats withstood the best efforts of the Colonials to walk away with a narrow victory. Far more narrow than last year's mini-escape against American University. If the South bracket wasn't such a joke, Nova would be in more trouble than they are. That being said, Richmond/St. Mary's may pose an interesting matchup in the 2nd round (much more so than UCLA did last year). As for the context of "Chris Pauled", ask any Wake or VCU fan about 2003 and CP3's free throw barrage.