HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Dee Brown

I love New York! Yes, I said it. I love to shop and watch Broadway shows like every tourist. But the best thing is playing in Madison Square Garden, which is Zach Randolph’s new home.

Let’s break down the trade, which I think was a good move both for Knicks and Blazers.

First, Isiah finally got Stevie Franchise’s dollars off the books. Now Steve can go to Portland… Although the way owner Paul Allen is spending money, they might buy out Francis’ contract. Portland has a lot of young talent and they keep stressing they’re looking for quality people. I’m not saying Francis is a bad person, but he has had his run-ins with coaches and teammates over the years. Plus they have tons of guards.

Second, Zack Randolph is a stud! He averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds last year and is great at scoring in bunches against anybody. Remember he did this is the Western Conference. Now the baggage and off-court issues that Randolph brings are always going to be an issue. He is New York, the town that never sleeps. If he can get in trouble in Portland, watch out NYC. He’s about to paint the town Red, White, Blue, Green, Purple and any other color you name. I’m not saying he can’t change. But it’s New York City.

The other issue is… Can he coexist with Eddy Curry? I think he can. Randolph can play facing the basket and will be a handful for any power forward in the East to handle. The Knicks now have the best low-post threats in the East. No question. Name a better couple. Magic’s Howard/Milicic? Pistons’ Webber/Wallace? Heat’s Shaq/Haslem? Cavs’ Big Z/Gooden? Sorry, I don’t think so.

Lastly, the throw-in players are not bad players at all. Channing Frye will be a great player to play with Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge. He is a tall 4 who can spread the court with his jump shot out to three-point range. For the Knicks, acquiring Fred Jones, an athletic 2 guard will help Isiah be more athletic in the backcourt.

So both teams got something from the deal. The Knicks just hope the city doesn’t get Zach Randolph.

Let’s get this straight right now. I’m not jumping off the LeBron bandwagon after his 4-16 shooting performance and 6 turnovers in his first NBA Finals game. But King James showed some nervousness and was very tentative at the beginning of this game. He won’t admit it, but he did. James has started slow in several games during the playoffs and has gradually picked it as the game progressed. Well, against Bruce Bowen and the entire Spurs defense it never got going. Bowen is similar to that little piece of stuff that gets stuck in your teeth that you can’t get out without pulling that tooth out or picking at it until it bleeds. You know it’s there. It aggravates you, but it’s still there.

What LeBron needs to do to get rid of that stuff  is attack it first. James has to start faster and be more aggressive than he’s ever been in the playoffs. The Spurs are a great defensive team when you let them dictate what the offense does. James let the Spurs dictate when he shot and passed the entire first half. I understand that you have to get your teammates involved. But this is the Finals, baby! This is when legends are born and made for years to come.

Granted, the role players of Cleveland need to step up and make plays and when your best second option is a rookie nicknamed Boobie picked in the second round then you might need to start making vacation plans. Daniel Gibson has been outstanding during the playoffs and has earned respect from everyone. But we are talking about the Spurs, people. They have big players who can rotate to open shooters unlike the Pistons with Chris Webber and Antonio McDyess. They have role players that play their roles unlike Flip Murray and Carlos Delfino. So this is a different type of series for the Cavs and Game 1 proved it.

Another observation from Game 1 is someone needs to slow down Tony Parker. He went for 27 points and 7 assists and I can’t remember how many TV shots of Eva Longoria we got Thursday night. Chauncey Billups struggled badly in the Conference Finals because he is primarily a jump shooter. Parker can shoot jump shots, but his focus is to get in the paint and cause havoc which he did. They even try to put LeBron on him. Bad move. LeBron is already trying to everything for his team on the offensive end. You can’t expect him to guard Parker and also be effective on the other end. Someone has to step up and slow him down. Who wants the challenge? Hughes, Gibson, Snow, Damon Jones (sorry; no way, Damon).

Again, I’m not leaving the King James fan club yet, because he has earn my respect to getting Cleveland to the NBA Finals. But if he doesn’t get that stuff out his teeth quick, this series will be as painful as a trip to the dentist for the Cavs.