Asians in the NBA Who Aren't Named "Yao"

It is a well-known fact that while many East Asians hold baseball closest to their hearts (esp. those in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan), Asian Americans love them some bball. So, as a supposed Asian American, I thought I should share a couple of news items about Asians in the NBA who are not named "Yao."

1)

Rich Cho, first Asian American GM in the NBA, signs on as GM of Charlotte Bobcats. A quick turnaround, considering he was only very recently fired by the Portland Trailblazers.

Cho acknowledged he "didn't see it coming" when the Blazers fired him. President Larry Miller said it was because of "chemistry issues," believed to be with owner Paul Allen. Cho declined to address the issue, saying he didn't want to "dwell on the past."

Cho will move from one celeb-owner to another: the Bobcats are owned by Greatest Ever and Known Asshole Michael Jordan.

2)

Pre-LeBrowndown II: Revenge of the Mavs, ESPN had a lengthy and interesting profile of the first Asian American head coach in any of America's Big Four sports (one day, MLS, one day...), Erik Spoelstra of the always-the-bridesmaid-never-the-bride Team LePippen... I mean, Miami Heat The mystery guest has arrived. Spoelstra is Filipino American. From angry asian man, where I saw the piece first:

The piece follows Spoelstra's beginnings growing up in Portland and playing basketball in college, to working his way up through the Miami Heat organization as a young man, before being named head coach in 2008. Consensus seems to be clear -- the guy works his ass off, and the work has paid off.

Didn't pay off in a ring, though! Just kidding. Don't be too hard on our Pinoy brother; LeBrondown II was entirely the King's fault.

3)

The Great Yellow Hope, (sometimes) Golden State Warrior Jeremy Lin, gets a profile on Hyphen Magazine's blog: Jeremy Lin's Rookie Season with the Golden State Warriors. It was a rough start, but things are looking up for the Bay Area-native:

I thought that it was pretty neat that Lin was getting a lot of attention, but as a fan, I worried that it might be too much for a third-string rookie point guard. It seemed like that it had an effect on him early in the season. Lin underperformed and was sent to the Developmental League on a few occasions during the season to focus on improving his game.

It took a while, but Lin was able to bounce back. When he was called back up to the roster in late March, Lin saw increased playing time. During the team’s final regular season game, he broke out with his best performance.

Against the Portland Trailblazers, Lin logged in a season-high 24 minutes while recording 12 points, five assists, five rebounds and two steals in the winning effort. He had come a long way to get this point, and it was a great way to end an incredible journey.

Lin appeared in 29 games overall in his debut year with the Warriors. His minutes increased towards the end of the season, and he started playing with the team’s second unit. He will have to carry over that momentum into an impressive summer to show the Warriors’ coaching staff that he’s ready to be a valuable role player.

The story also has a link to an interview Hyphen did with Lin last year.

Miami Thrice is a Stupid Name

A Scientific Survey about LeBron James

Given the relentless speculation and the fact that the media is reporting rumors as fact regarding the LeBron James announcement, and given LeBron's hugely narcissistic hour-long announcement circus, and given the pendulum-like nature of which team is in the lead to gain LeBron's services for the next few years, I conducted an extremely scientific survey of one former Cleveland resident to determine what LeBron's seemingly imminent (at least for right now) departure means for all of Cleveland, Ohio, and perhaps the Midwest in general.

1. If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the heart of Cleveland, what building or neighborhood best symbolizes the back of Cleveland where LeBron can plant the knife?

Former Cleveland Resident:

That would have to be the Slavic Village. Oh. I thought you said the backside of Cleveland. The backbone has to be the Cuyahoga River. We'll go with that because it has the consistency of the back fat that so many Clevelanders have, and when LeBron pulls out the knife, maybe someone will have the good sense to set his hand on fire. Where's BP when you need it?

2. In the long run, where would a potential LeBron departure rank in terms of Cleveland Sports Disasters?

Former Cleveland Resident:

I actually already ranked this today. A LeBron departure in and of itself wouldn't be so high (everyone has kinda been expecting it for two years). It would be the fact that he staged an hour-long show just to tear everyone's hearts out. In fact, there will probably be a moment, not unlike when Lisa Simpson broke little Ralph Wiggum's heart, where you could pinpoint the moment the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame starts to explode.

1. Art Modell turning the Browns into the least likable team in the NFL (and them winning a Super Bowl three years after leaving)
2. LeBronapocylapse
3(tie). The Drive
3(tie). The Fumble
5. Jose Mesa
6. The Shot
7. Any of the MLB playoff collapses to the Red Sox
8. Red Right 88
9. Delonte West meeting Gloria James
10. Ten Cent Beer Night (who am I kidding? That was great. My dad's old boss still has second base from that night in his office.)

3. What will be the term that comes to describe a LeBron departure? I.e., the "Backstab," the "Betrayal," the "Another Cleveland Sports Disaster," "Pulling an Akron."

Former Cleveland Resident:

The most public yet of our many humiliations.

Now, on to the media circus. Nearly every news outlet has been pushing some sort of LeBron story - US Magazine says LeBron is likely going to Miami because he has hotel rooms booked there this weekend; ESPN reported that LeBron is likely to stay in Cleveland and then, this morning, changed tune and states now that LeBron is going to Miami. Last week, New York was in the lead. The truth is none of these folks know where LeBron is going. It's all speculation - except for, maybe, Stephen A. Smith's prediction that the whole thing is a done deal (Smith may have insider knowledge, but also has been pretty accurate with regards to free agency). Since no one knows what LeBron is thinking, speculation becomes rumor which in turn becomes fact. Since it's the off season and there just aren't a lot of sports headlines, what would otherwise be a slow week (or two) has become a crescendo of web traffic driven by speculation and driving revenues.

As nearly everyone and their mother knows by now, LeBron has five real options: the Nets, the Knicks, the Bulls, the Heat, and the Cavs.* If he goes to the Nets, he gets the New York media market, Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, and Avery Johnson. If he goes to the Knicks, he gets the New York media market, teammate Amare Stoudemire, and an up tempo system with Mike D'Antoni. He does not get a ring unless the Knicks manage to finagle a fantastic point guard. If he goes to the Bulls, he gets a franchise-altering point guard with Derrick Rose, a defensive center in Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer along with new head coach and alleged defensive mastermind Tom Thibodeau. If he goes to the Heat, he gets to play alongside Dwyane Wade who is a bigger superstar in Miami and Chris Bosh who wins fans over with his sense of humor - essentially, LeBron becomes LePippen to Wade. If LeBron stays in Cleveland, he does not stab his most loyal fans in the back and he remains a big fish in a small pond while making more money than he could make anywhere else.

I'm guessing and hoping LeBron stays in Cleveland. Why? You just can't go on national TV and tear out the hearts of your most loyal fans and expect to get respect. Oh, and LeBron really likes money, which Cleveland can give more of to him, and has a massive ego (limestone bust of himself much?).

* C'mon, the Clippers? Would any serious and sane player want to be traded to the Clippers? Here are several reasons why the answer is always no: Donald Sterling, the Clippers, Vinny Del Negro, Baron Davis's inability to not shoot a contested three pointer with 18 seconds left on the shot clock, the curse of the Clippers, Donald Sterling, increased likelihood of career-crippling injury, the Clippers, and Donald Sterling. The reasons to go to the Clippers? Clippers dancers, Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, and Chris Kaman.

LeBron, Bosh to Bulls?

This would be a coup for Chicago, if it pans out:



The NYT has the original story on Chris Bosh moving from the Toronto Raptors, and free-agent-extraordinaire LeBron James from the Cavs, moving in tandem to the storied Chicago Bulls.

ESPN has the follow up, along with the above video.

The Rumor Mill

Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been eliminated from the playoffs, the rumors about LeBron have begun in full force. Some of the rumors aren't even related to his free agency. Personally, I am not a fan of the rumor mill. I would rather wait-and-see than speculate endlessly. And, obviously, rumors are just that: rumors. They range from "a credible source within [the organization/LeBron's inner circle/the ownership group/the coaching staff] tells me" to something some media member cooked up in his head.

Despite my aversion to the rumor mill, the consequences of the LeBron Sweepstakes are very interesting, and I'm not talking about the team that ultimately signs him. When this is all said and done, the teams that have sold out on everything and everybody to sign LeBron only to come up empty handed will be devastated for years to come. Teams are already attempting to position themselves as the front-runner in the LeBron Sweepstakes by making moves that will have a long-lasting effect on the organization, whether or not LeBron decides to end up there.

One of the biggest examples of this is the recent firing of Cleveland coach Mike Brown. Now, I am not a big Mike Brown supporter. His offensive "schemes" were dribbling around the perimeter and/or isolation with #23. He was unable to get his team to focus and get serious when it mattered most, and he underachieved in the playoffs. But, he was the winningest coach in Cleveland Cavaliers history, had the best record in the NBA the past two seasons, went to the playoffs in all five years of his tenure and even took the team to the NBA Finals in 2007. To fire a coach that has shown a track record of success in the hopes of signing LeBron James to a max deal so he can pick his coach is a little short-sighted. Now, obviously much of that success is because of LeBron James. But it would be foolish to give Mike Brown no credit for the team's success. If you're going to blame him for his failures, give him credit for his successes. If LeBron leaves the Cleveland, what is next for the Cavaliers? They are left with no on-court leader, no coach, Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison. Good luck getting any marquee free agent to sign there at that point. The Cavs are all-in for LeBron, and if they come up short, it's going to be a long, hard road ahead for Cavs fans.

Of course, the first team to go all-in for the LeBron Sweepstakes (or the 2010 Free Agent Class Sweepstakes, more appropriately) was the New York Knicks. They slashed and burned like rainforest loggers and now have the ability to sign two players to max deals. In the process, they have basically given the finger to their fanbase for the last four seasons, expecting the fans to wait until 2010-2011 for a remotely competitive team to root for. They are a complete embarrassment and are now not even seen as the front-runner for signing LeBron James because the franchise is such a mess, even though it is the #1 media market in the world. Of course, in this internet day and age, it's a little ridiculous to assume that James has to be in New York to be a marketing phenomenon. So all of that for nothing? Well, not exactly. So all of that for Joe Johnson and Chris Bosh? Great. Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh and David Lee do not a championship contender make. Enjoy another 5 years of mediocrity, Knicks fans.

Then there's the Chicago Bulls rumors. These rumors make sense, since Vinny Del Negro is on the way out. If LeBron can't work for a hands-off, carefree Mike Brown, there's no way he's going to want to work for a detail-oriented, in-your-face Del Negro. So we've got another team firing another successful coach for the potential of signing LeBron. The most hilarious part of all of this is the rumor that Phil Jackson is going to return to coach LeBron on the Bulls. From the article:

There has been no direct contact between Bulls officials and Jackson, according to the sources, but people close to both parties have spoken and come away with the belief that Jackson would be open to a potential reunion in Chicago next season.

Note the "no direct contact" and "people close to both parties have spoken and come away with the belief" language. That basically means that somebody who knows PJ and somebody who knows a Bulls official think it could probably, maybe happen. Well, it won't, and here's why: Phil Jackson has discussed, in pre- and post-game interviews, his reasons for considering retirement. They have nothing to do with not feeling challenged, or not wanting to take a pay cut: he doesn't want to take 2-week road trips to Charlotte and Oklahoma City. Guess what? That doesn't change in Chicago. Furthermore, he is in a serious relationship with Jerry Buss' daughter, Jeannie. And who wants the MJ comparisons for 82 games plus the playoffs? I doubt Phil is excited about that prospect.

So Chicago is selling out its future to sign LeBron James, which may not happen. Unfortunately, like the Cavs, they did not have the foresight and intelligence to refrain from firing their coach before getting a commitment from LeBron. They can kiss that 8 seed goodbye.

The LeBron Sweepstakes is upon us. And after it is all over, you're going to see a number of teams who have mortgaged their future and come away with nothing. All because of the availability of a certain special 25-year-old basketball player. He can name his price, and his terms, because the example has been set. If you're not willing to let go of everything to sign LeBron, well, you're not a true contender. That's unfortunate, and it's going to leave a lot of teams in a weakened state for an extended period of time.

As for me, I'll just wait and see what happens come July 1. But I won't feel sorry for the organizations that foolishly courted a player at the expense of their team. That's on them.

Baller-in-Chief: LeBron Would Fit In "Pretty Well" In Chicago

Marv Albert interviews President Obama about basketball, broadcast at 8pm EDT on TNT:

If LeBron James isn't sure he can win in Cleveland, President Barack Obama thinks there's an opportunity with his hometown Chicago Bulls.

"You know, like I said, I don't want to meddle," Obama told TNT. "I will say this: (Derrick) Rose, Joakim Noah it's a pretty good core. You know, you could see LeBron fitting in pretty well there."

[...]

"I think that the most important thing for LeBron right now is actually to find a structure where he's got a coach that he respects and is working hard with teammates who care about him and if that's in Cleveland, then he should stay in Cleveland," Obama said. "If he doesn't feel like he can get it there, then someplace else."

NYT Puts Odds on LBJ Going to the Bulls, or Staying in Cleveland

Full story here, but here is how they see the odds:

• Cleveland: 5-7
• Chicago: 2-3
• Knicks: 3-1
• Nets: 5-1
• Heat: 7-1

NY, NJ, or CHI?

Some people tell me that The Chosen One is a closer. I have yet to see the evidence.

The question now is, after losing for a second consecutive year before reaching the NBA Finals, despite having the best regular season record, what is LBJ going to do in the offseason?

The popular thinking is that, not being able to win with Cleveland, he's going to take his free agency and get the hell out of there. Only three teams really have the space under their cap to afford him: the NY Knicks, the NJ[Brooklyn] Nets, and the Chicago Bulls.

Safe money is on the Knicks, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that between Jay-Z and the new multibillionaire Russian owner of the Nets, and the promise of a Brooklyn franchise, it may be NJ/Brooklyn at the end of the day.

Thoughts?