Trevor Ariza burning in the pits of Hades

Also, note to self: It is not a good sign when trade negotiations go like this:

G Snide: Do you want Trevor Ariza?  He is freaking terrible.

BG: No, not really.

G Snide: I mean, I will give him to you for nothing.

BG: OK, I will give you–

G Snide: Sold, done, send it through.

BG: I haven’t even said anybody’s name yet.

G Snide: Don’t care, just  send it.  Send it, send it, send it.

How many "Heat is on" headlines will I read Friday?

Not sure if you heard the news, but LeBron James is going to Miami.

Not Los Angeles (sorry Lambo). Not New York (sorry Slim). Not Chicago (sorry Pembertonian, and 68% of our readers who voted in the LeBron poll). Not Cleveland (sorry: umm, we don’t know any Cavs fans here at the Bias).

But I do know someone who isn’t too happy about LeBron’s decision, and it’s a breath of fresh air to finally hear Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert say what I suggested last month: that LeBron gave up on his team during the playoffs.

“He quit,” Gilbert told the AP. “Not just in Game 5, but in Games 2, 4 and 6. Watch the tape. The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar.”

You think that was bold, wait until you read Dan Gilbert’s Open Letter to “Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight,” where he goes off on James’ “several day, narcissistic, self-promotional buildup” and “cowardly betrayal,” and even goes as far as to claim (in all caps):

I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE

Sounds like Gilbert’s been drinking whatever Ron Artest has been drinking of late. Lay off the crazy juice, Gilbert. Leave that stuff for The Champion.

Somebody get up in Jesus' face.

Initial thoughts from tonight’s 103-94 victory by the Boston Celtics over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals:

• Who was the best fighter in the gym tonight? A. Hillary Swank. B. Sylvester Stallone. C. Ron Artest.
• Who’s guarding Ray Allen?
• Lakers are up 2-0 if someone gets a hand in his face. On second thought, you could have put Michael Jordan on Allen and it probably still wouldn’t have mattered.
• Props to the Lakers fans for actually cheering tonight. Remember those moments in Games 6 and 7 Laker fan.
• If Allen goes off like this again, it’s time to put Artest on Ray-Ray and put Jesus Shuttlesworth on the ground. That was ridiculous.
• If I have to watch another Sienna mini-van commercial, I’m going to puke.
• At least we didn’t have to watch Joe Crawford give the gavee away.
• But, really, those two “fouls” on Kobe Bryant, were those really playoff, check that, Finals fouls? That inadvertent head bump of Allen? Then Kobe gets hacked, Rondo comes away with the steal, flops out of bounds, and it’s a foul Bryant? In LA? Really?
• Kobe looked like Reggie Miller there at the end of the first half. Unfortunately Ray Allen looked like Jordan for two halves.
• Andrew Bynum outplayed KG, Big Baby and Perkins combined. If you would have said Bynum was going to score 21 points (as many a Kobe tonight) in the series I would have been surprised. Only bright spot for the Lakers tonight.
• Nate Robinson = Skee lo. What if he was a couple inches taller.
• Finals bet: Lakers win, Slim (not a big fan of raw fish) buys a sushi boat for Ryantific and I. Celtics win, Ryantific buys a case of Budweiser Select (blah), and we dust it during a World Cup game – from the back of my Sienna mini-van. Yeah, soccer. I went there.
• Kobe’s jackknife, pump-fake shot is pretty sick. That’s a true signature move that the haters can’t give credit to MJ and the Hall of Famers before him.
• Those ABC Wipeout commercials also got tired. And when Carmelo Anthony was in the promo saying “players need to sacrifice their bodies,” I got a good laugh.
• Also, if I see another Mr. Spy vs. Mrs. Spy movie (Knight vs. Day or Mr. Mrs. Smith or whatever it was called), I’m going to puke: in my mini van.
• Should Doc Rivers have benched K.G. down the stretch? Who would have thought that would have ever been a legitimate question.
• Lakers need some R&R (Ray Allen and & Rajon Rondo). Unfortunately the series picks up in Boston on Tuesday.
• And why is the NBA Finals 2-3-2, when the rest of the playoffs is not? Seems kind of strange to me. Seems like it gives the visitors a edge, especially in a balanced series like this when the visitors are likely to steal one of two on the road.
• Where’s Tim Donaghy when you need him? Get that dude on the floor in crunch time.

• If Lamar “The Candy Man” Odom plays like this the rest of the way, give the Lakers the trophy now. Someone get this guy some Runts, or some Nerds, or something.
• McDonald’s LeBron James-Dwight Howard commercial reminded me of the ill-timed Kobe Bryant-LeBron James puppet show last year. Note to Ronald: get KG or Kobe a Happy Meal once in awhile.
• Another horrendous suit by Craig Sager (did you know this site was almost named SagersSuitSucks.com?) — even Phil Jackson couldn’t help but make fun of Sages … during the game!
• Gained some respect for Vanessa Bryant after reppin’ that black “Do I Look Illegal?” shirt courtside — making a jab at Arizona’s lame immigration law.
• Shannon Brown has some serious hops, almost pulling a Vince Carter on (make that, over) Jason Richardson.
• With Mike D’Antoni long gone, or as I like to say, “LeGone,” the Suns are a “defensive team.” Yeah, right. And Kobe’s not going to complain to the officials next time he misses a shot in traffic. HEY!

King James spent the timeout muttering to himself and staring at the floor with a DGF style that prompted me blurt out: “LeBron’s LeGone!”

Just like that, LeBron’s a goner.

Sure, LeBron got his triple double in Thursday’s 94-85 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 6, but when was the last time you saw James attempt just six shots in the fourth quarter of a closeout playoff game?

SIX!

And he scored, or went to the line on four of those six attempts, which makes you wonder, why was he dishing, and dishing, and dishing?

Reminded me of Kobe Bryant in the 2006 playoffs when he refused to take a shot in the second half of that 121-90 debacle to the Phoenix Suns.

You know, the game the homers at NBA.com described as a “puzzling disappearing act, (where) Bryant deferred to his teammates in the second half Saturday, taking just three shots and scoring one point on a technical free throw.”

Also reminded me of the crap Manny Ramirez pulled before being traded to Los Angeles by the Boston RedSox, refusing to hustle in the field, leg out fly balls, or interact with his teammates, or the fans, for that matter.

I mean, when have you ever seen LeBron defer to his teammates, in a situation like this? The whole thing is crazy. This is the best team James has played on: winning 60+ games for the second straight season: and there’s no guarantee he’ll be on another team that produces this many wins.

This was his chance. I don’t care how hurt he is, or what beef has come up in the locker room.

Your time is now, LeBron, take advantage of it. Just look at all the greats before you who were never able to win the big one (they’re all on TV calling your games, so it’s not like they’re hard to see – Charles Barkley, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller).

But, hey, at least LeBron will get more exposure in New York. ‘Cause we all know LeBron loves being the man, and could care less about the little people: like the poor ballboy.

While there’s a chance the Knicks could do what the Boston Celtics did a couple years ago, going from worst to first thanks to the addition of two HUGE signings, there’s also a chance LeBron doesn’t ever get to the Finals because his teams don’t have enough cap room to add another solid player.

As it stands right now, here are the odds for what team LeBron goes to next season, according to BoDog.com:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: 1-2
2. Chicago Bulls: 5-2
3. New York Knicks: 9-2

I think the only way LeBron returns to Cleveland is if the Cavs get rid of Mike Brown, and they bring in some help — because it’s clear an aging Shaquille O’Neal, Antawn Jamison and an overrated Mo Williams aren’t going to get it done.

The Cavs need to handle this signing with care, just like the Lakers did for Kobe, after Phil Jackson took the year off in 2004-05, in preparation for the signing of guys like Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol.

Myself? I’d rather have Dwyane Wade on my squad, along with a capable big man like Chris Bosh.

Will it happen? Probably not, but it would be better than what happened during the Conference Finals.

Maybe it’s a good thing the Cavs aren’t in the Final Four, because if it’s been a nightmare for me, I can’t image what it’s been like for Cleveland Fans.

“A friend of mine told me today, after the game,” LeBron said, “that I guess you have to go through a lot of nightmares before you finally accomplish your dream. That’s what’s going on individually for myself right now.”

Dick Bavetta isn't the only one with a Sir Charles crush. All of us here at The Bias love what Barkley brings.

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of posts from WCBias.com guest contributors. Interested in writing a guest post for WCBias.com? Contact us.

By Nick Wilson

Charles Barkley is the bomb.

Charles is real. He speaks what he feels. And when he doesn’t, he gives pretty good hints.

Charles likes certain guys; he’s a fan like you and me.

He loves Nash, Russell Westbrook, Ginobili and the underdog in general and is loyal to his crew – Ernie, Kenny, and CWeb.

I love the TNT crew because they treat the game like it should be treated – entertainment!

With all the highlights and glorification of Lebron, Kobe, and the Yankees on ESPN, TNT is keep it frickin’ real:

What is sports anyway?

For me the answer is entertainment. Sure, there’s strategy and X’s and O’s. And that’s essentially what matters as a player. But for me it’s fun to appreciate the beauty of certain amazing athletes and like the guys you like based on their interviews, personas and style of play.

I love Nash because he’s a fun player to watch. He runs the floor, passes the ball, nails the three, gets teammates moving.

I hate Kobe because he’s arrogant and is so cocksure that he is the center of the universe that it’s going to be fun to watch him deteriorate in the next few years when LeBron takes over in the way of championship rings.

I guess my West Coast bias lies in the desert in Phoenix – but it’s still the West, baby.

Charles Barkley calls it like he sees it. He’s funny, lively, honest, and frickin’ doesn’t take it all so dang seriously.

It’s not World War II were talking about. This isn’t D-Day.

This is a bunch of guys paid to play basketball – the game you played as a kid and attempt to navigate as an adult.

My favorite Barkley quote is when he said in every NBA game there is a fan who is so obnoxious that as a player you can’t help but hear him and get pissed.

It’s a NBA player’s right to go out there, he believes, and lawsuits aside, duke it out with them at half-court.

I fully agree. Charles. You da man.

Editor’s note: This is the first of an occasional series where WCBias.com highlights a jerk move by one of your favorite prima donnas. This week, we shine the light on King Jerk, we mean James, for his disrespect of a poor ballboy on Sunday:

So Ryantific, myself and couple friends have had this never-ending Kobe vs. LeBron debate, trying to figure out who we’d rather have as our teammate: in the unlikely event that we had any hoops skills and were fortunate enough to land in the NBA.

As great as Kobe Bryant has been for the Lakers, there’s just something about him that rubs even many Lakers fans the wrong way.

Maybe it was the whole running Shaq out of town thing. Or driving Phil Jackson up to Big Sky Country that one year. Or the whole Bynum should be traded in the parking lot talk.  Or the sexual assault charges.

But Kobe can come off as, I don’t know, a little cocky from time to time? And that turns off a lot of people: even his teammates and own coach sometimes (as you could see by Phil’s expressions tonight: and that was with a 20-point lead).

LeBron, however, always had a different kind of swagger in my eyes: and was more confident than cocky. Always joking around with teammates. Fooling around and taking fake pictures and crap with them during introductions.

Don't touch The King's swampy sweats!

But I’m starting to think all of that was just a front.

Maybe it’s the pessimist in me, or the sportswriter who spent a decade in locker rooms seeing another side of sports that many don’t, who thinks LeBron really isn’t that much different than Kobe.

For a guy who’s never won a championship, he’s probably the cockiest guy on the planet.

He’s also a freak, and probably the most dominant player – outside of Shaq in his prime – we’ve seen in any sport. Dude is built like an NFL defensive end, but balances that bulk and raw strength with the athleticism and finesse of a Michael Jordan.

Some of the stuff he does doesn’t seem humanly possible, which is why he’s been dubbed “The King.”

It’s also why he talks about himself in the third person, and why he pulls crap like he does in this video: purposefully chucking his warm-ups to the floor (three different times, including a pump fake!) so the poor ballboy has to repeatedly pick up his sweaty gear.

Who does that? LeBron does.

The same guy who refused to take a shot and pick up his fallen teammate at the end of the first quarter Sunday when Mo Williams dared to take a last-second shot without passing it to The King. How dare he?

Dude is bigger than life, and no longer interacts with the peasants, not to mention his own noblemen. So Mr. Ballboy, next time you try to help LeBron out and take those swampy sweats off his hands, just bow down and thank your lucky pit stains you have an opportunity to touch the chosen one’s damp drawers.

Because you and I both know your days of soaking up LeBron’s soiled linens are numbered.

It’s only a matter of time before the Cavs fall short again, and we all witness his great escape to New York.

Let’s just hope the Knickerbocker peasants are equipped with a proper golden throne, giant fanning feathers and baskets of ripe green grapes when The King brings his crown to town. They’re going to need all “the help” they can get.

Get on your feet Scotty, the Bias cracked the top million! Seriously, do something.

Late breaking news sports fans: WCBias has cracked the top one million websites (yeah, AP finally corrected themselves and changed “Web sites” to “websites” after all these years) again thanks to some ramped up contributions by the biased boys of late.

In case you haven’t noticed, we have a new contributor onboard with the Bias, “notsellingjeans,” also known as JLJackso. Not sure where he came up with the name notsellingjeans, so I’ll let him explain that story. Welcome to the team, JJ.

I do know he’s come up with two damn good posts of late, and the Bias has cracked the top million this week, 948,073rd to be exact, according to Alexa. Coincidence? I think not. (OK, top million is tongue in cheek after a serious lack of posts prior to April, but out of all the websites and blogs in the world – there are more than 22 million WordPress blogs alone – it’s not too shabby. And in terms of U.S. sites, we’re actually up to 163,528 in the states – which means we’re turning around almost as much traffic as two local “news” sites – not to name any names there New Times and Cal Coast News.)

And we’re just getting started people.

In the meantime, check out JJ’s two posts if you missed ‘em:

• Can OKC Bring the Thunder?
• Roy Halladay’s Historic Season

Now my only question is, where’s RK? His Lakers, the defending champs nonetheless, are up 2-0 and not a peep? Dude must be having a kid or something. Or maybe he’s been banished to his bunker again.

Without further Freddy Adu, let’s get back to sports commentary … and my initial thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers’ 95-92 “victory” over the team formerly known as the SuperSonics tonight:

• I miss the ‘Sonics,  Shawn Kemp, and his dozen kids.
• It was a win in L.A., but not in Vegas. The Oklahoma City Thunder were 6-point dawgs in Game 2: and mighta won in L.A. with some veteran leadership or coaching down stretch. Wouldn’t it be nice to see Scott Brooks get off the bench once in awhile? Who does he think he is, Phil Jackson?
• Speaking of Vegas, neither Tim Donaghy nor Joey Crawford were calling this one, but the officiating was brutal down the stretch, was it not? Here’s how the waning possessions went … and how they looked, in my eyes:
  • 1:47 – Kevin Durant whistled for a ticky-tack offensive foul (in the final 2 minutes, that call’s not made anywhere in the world except L.A.). Lakers 90-88.
  • 1:21 – Durant then coughs up the ball after a reach by Ron Artest, but this scoring champ doesn’t catch a break (nice work by Phil by the way, getting the word out about Durant getting to the line too much before the series: he was only 5 of 6 tonight). Lakers 92-88.
  • 0:22 – After a free throw by Shannon Brown, Jeff Green sinks a leaner in the lane (and is hacked, but the no-call leaves it 93-92 Lakers)
  • 0:15 – Kobe Bryant somehow escapes a triple team to get the ball back and is fouled on the floor (although on any other day in this league his shot would have counted as continuation). Bryant and Pau Gasol miss free throws late to give the Thunder a shot but failed 3s by Durrant and Green seal the 0-2 deficit.
  • In the end, the officiating (or lack thereof) negated itself, but still. Can we please get some sort of consistency going in these playoffs?
• Speaking of missing in action. Kobe’s old man hadn’t seen him play live in 5 years? What’s up with that? My parents still come out to my beer league softball games, and I’m a year older than Kobe. Show some support folks.
• Is Kobe’s digit going to be an issue in these playoffs? Appears to be. Again, as I’ve said a hundred times, health will be the determining factor of these playoffs. That mixed with a little HGH.
• Let’s not forget our East Coast shot of the day: Boston 106, Miami 77. Really? No KG, and that’s what the Heat bring to Boston? That series should have been best of 3, you lose Miami. In fact, let’s just stop playing in the East and give LeBron and Shaq a spot in the Finals.
• Out West, it’s a different story. If tonight’s Laker game was any indication, it’s going to be a while before we know who the best in the West will be: outside the Bias of course.

Cracked the Top 1 million, baby! Get on your feet and show us some love.

Bad news for Thunder fans, so sayeth the common wisdom.  Basketball blogs have been saying for weeks that every other West team simply wanted to avoid that first-round date with LA.

So will this match-up produce the typical #1 seed vs. #8 yawn-fest?

Not so fast.

We’ll break this series down in greater detail from a few different perspectives later this week, but here’s a couple of quick LAL/OKC thoughts to chew on:

*First of all, it never makes sense to me that bloggers, fans and beat writers obsess over first-round matchups and seeding at the bottom end of the bracket.  Of course, home-court advantage is critical, and so the focus on the jockeying at the top of the playoff bracket is worthy of attention.  But why should the Thunder or their fans care whether they are the sixth, seventh, or eighth seed?   Either way they will need to beat the best to be the best.  Sure enough, year after year, players always say as much whenever they are interviewed on this question.  Here’s a mind-numbing thought for Thunder fans:  if you harbor even the faintest hopes of your team winning the title this season, perhaps you’d actually prefer to face the defending champs in the first round.  With Andrew Bynum out indefinitely and the Lakers having lost six of their last 10, there’s no time like the present to attempt the impossible.  And again, either way, they would need to eventually beat the best to be the best.

*This will be Kevin Durant’s first career trip to the postseason, no doubt the first of many.  The Durantula’s breakout season will end with his first career scoring title, 30 points per game, and a likely top-3 finish in MVP voting.  It might end with a thud, though, when Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant take turns pushing, shoving, and elbowing him all series.  Durant Twittered earlier this year that Artest was the toughest defender he’s faced; can the slender forward withstand that punishment and still provide 35-40% of the Thunder’s offense in a six or seven-game series?  I don’t think so.  Phil Jackson and his staff have a week to prepare for this young man, and then a two-week series to analyze and make adjustments to his every movement.  Think about this:  Durant has probably never had an opponent prepare for him as much as the Lakers are about to.

*Thunder coach Scotty Brooks is a front-runner for Coach of the Year, and is widely respected for both the effort his team plays with and his X’s and O’s.   Can he out-coach Jackson in a seven-game series?  He would have to for OKC to have a chance to win.

*Derek Fisher can’t chase down lightning-quick point guards anymore.  Russell Westbrook is a lightning quick point guard.  However, Westbrook is turnover-prone and a bad shooter, and I think Fisher has enough veteran guile to avoid being badly outplayed in this matchup.

*Remember this name:  Thabo Sefalosha.  If you’re a casual NBA fan, he might be the best player you’ve never heard of.  But you’re about to hear his name a lot, because his performance might be the difference in this series. Who is he?  Sefalosha is OKC’s shooting guard, and arguably the best perimeter defender in the NBA. He will be guarding Kobe for 40 minutes a night in this series, and his defense will be the difference between blowouts in the Lakers’ favor and close games that the Thunder has a chance of winning with a few breaks.  No pressure, Thabo – you just have to slow down one of the two best players in the world. Can he force Kobe to take 30 shots to get his 30 points?

*An 8-seed has beaten a 1-seed only once in the history of the seven-game first-round format, and that was during the 2007 playoffs when the Warriors upset the Mavs.   The lightning-quick Warriors played uber-small ball and gave Dallas fits at the offensive end, as Dirk and Dampier hopelessly lumbered after a barrage of three-point bombers. Perhaps the Lakers share a few parallels to those Mavs: an aging, star-filled team, prone to lapses in concentration, with a soft 7-foot scorer, facing a smallish, young upstart team that’s willing to go through a brick wall for its coach.

But there’s one huge difference – the Mavs’ best player (Dirk) was a defensive liability in that series, and Kobe is one of the best defenders in the game.  I think that he and Artest will combine to make Durant’s first postseason into a trip that he will soon hope to forget.

Lakers in five, closing it out on their own home floor.

OK, so it's my favorite channel. But EastSidePN really pisses me off sometimes.

The Fourth of July might be gone, but the fireworks remain in the NBA.

Yeah, that’s such a lame AP-style lead. I would’ve gone with something like, “You can’t spell Fourth of July Weekend without W-T-F,” but that would upset the wifey when this blog post gets RSS’d into her Facebook page. Oops. Hopefully that didn’t make the first 140 characters.

But am I wrong? This offseason, particularly this past weekend, was a crazy one: with Mean Green ‘Sheed to the Celtics and bizArtest to the Lakers.

It seems like every other day I’m hearing the “experts” on EastSidePN rattle off take after take about who the “new team” to beat is. Not that we should bang exclusively on ESPN, cause it appears SI doesn’t even know what it’s doing these days – Economy promises to restrain offseason moves.

Well, if this is “restrained,” I hate to see what’s going to happen when/if this economy ever bounces back. In the meantime, here’s who ESPN has had as the favorites so far this offseason:

June 23: The Spurs are title contenders out West again! San Antonio deals for Richard Jefferson.

June 26: Cavs are Beasts in the East!! Shaq to LeBron Land, err Cleveland.

Later that afternoon: Hold that thought, Orlando is the Beast out East!!! Magic get Vince Carter.

July 1: Detroit back in the title hunt again!!!! UConn Huskies Gordon and Villanueva add bite to Pistons.

July 2: Lakers are in trouble if they can’t resign Ariza!!!!!

Later that afternoon: Artest to Lakers. Los Angeles favored to win next three titles!!!!!!

July 3: Forget Carter, he’s old and couldn’t defend BSlim, and Turkoglu is signing with Portland anyway!!!!!!!

July 4: Oh wait, did we say Turk to Portland!!!!!!!!? We meant Turk to Toronto. Ooops. Our bad. You expect us to check out sources?

July 5: All bets are off, Rasheed Wallace agrees to sign with Celtics!!!!!!!!! Boston, an East Coast team we should note, has to be the favorites again.

July 6: Wait a minute, Kidd just signed with the Mavs !!!!!!!!!! …

Give me a freaking break. The teams to beat haven’t changed. In fact, I’ll take the last three NBA champions (if healthy) in that particular order, as I always do.

1. Lakers
2. Celtics
3. Spurs

Until somebody knocks the Lakers off, they’re the favorites, followed by the veteran squads in Boston and San Antonio – especially if those teams avoid injuries. I’ll buy in to the Cavs when they actually make the Finals: and then win a game. They’re still 0-for in that department. Until then, save up for a LeBron Knicks jersey: or pray Shaq finds the fountain of youth somewhere in the Buckeye State.

P.S. On another note, you’ll be noticing some updates to WCBias in coming weeks, including lame stuff like polls, sharing functionality and all of that, so do us all a favor and use it: pass it on to your friends, if you have any. Spread the West Coast Love so Pembertonian isn’t wasting his time writing for another dying outlet. We’ve even got a freaking Facebook, Twitter and MySpace page if you can believe that crap.