Art Vandelay

Tons of Justice League news released today. It'll be one film, new Batmobile pics, villain news, a change in tone and more:

http://mashable.com/2016/06/21/justice-league-set-visit/

So LeBron fires back at his haters on Instagram with a photo of himself holding the Larry B with this underneath:

"They said u lost a step, wasn't explosive as once was, the best days was in the real view, questioned your drive, your leadership, your commitment, you don't have killer instinct, going back home is the worst mistake in your career, he got the coach fired, players traded, won't work between him and Kyrie, Him and Kev won't work, love your teammates to much, there's no way he can deliver a championship in his hometown, etc etc etc.... But guess what THATS NONE OF MY BUSINESS #StriveForGreatness #ThisOneIsForTheLand #PutSomeRespeckOnMyName Hahahaha!!! Yes sir"

Now we have the Draft on Thursday and then what will likely be a crazy off-season. Who gets drafted first and what do we think the Cavs do with Kevin Love now?

Must be heartbreaking for the Warriors as it puts a downer on their record-breaking season. You gotta wonder what they do in the off-season.

Oh and check this. Nike with the great videos already....

HOLY SHIIIIIT!

That was one of the greatest things I've ever seen. I'm fucking speechless. I need to grab an hour sleep before I get up for work, will post more later.

But oh my god. OH MY GOD! This sport...

Oh and this is awesome...

As the article says, you have zero trade assets Art, never going to happen. Unless you can do a sign and trade with another free agent. I agree though, think Mike Conley would be the best bet for the Knicks, think he would suit the system perfectly. 

 

Carmelo Anthony has frustrated me no end the past few years. I know it's his home team and the dollar is insane that he's on, but for some so gifted to never even play in a finals is crazy, he's pretty much wasted the past 6 years of his career. Still strongly believe he should have signed with the Bulls the other Summer. 

For selfish reasons, I'm glad Melo didn't leave because I like having him on the Knicks. I do agree though, that for him to have never made a Finals appearance is brutal. 

Some have floated the idea of a trade where the Celtics take Kevin Love in a three-way deal where the Cavs get Melo and the Knicks get the 3rd overall pick, two Cavs first round picks, Cavs second round pick and Marcus smart - but that’ll never happen. I don’t want to see Melo go at all, but I guess I MIGHT be ok with something like that. I don’t think LaLa is moving to Cleveland though. No way.

A Rose in the Garden?

The New York Knicks are looking to upgrade their backcourt, and one player on their radar is Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.

The Knicks have had internal discussions recently about trading for Rose, league sources tell ESPN.

 

The Bulls' interest in trading Rose, 27, is unknown at this point. The Knicks do not have many strong trade chips outside of Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and future first-round draft picks.

 

Both Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek and GM Steve Mills have said that the Knicks are interested in upgrading their point guard position in the offseason. The Knicks' incumbent starting point guard is Jose Calderon, while other potential point guards include second-year guard Jerian Grant and free-agent signee Tony Wroten.

 

Rose will be a free agent after the 2016-17 season. He averaged 16.4 points on 42.7 percent shooting and 4.7 assists in 66 games last season.

 

The six-year veteran has appeared in just 50 percent of the Bulls' regular-season games over the past four years because of various injuries, including two major knee surgeries.

Source: http://www.espn.co.uk/nba/story/_/id/16287776/new-york-knicks-discussions-trading-derrick-rose

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I know it'll be a contract year for him and there were moments last year where he looked great, but I don't know if the Knicks need another ball dominant player. We already have Melo and while I love Melo, I want to see Porzingis get the ball in his hands more next season. I still think I'd rather see them go after Mike Conley. 

I know that the Warriors have had this historic season and all, but I actually think it's a better story if the Cavs win with LeBron bringing a title back, Cleveland's first championship in however long it's been, the turmoil the team's been through etc.

In case you didn't see it, here's the clip of Windhorst putting Ayesha Curry on blast last night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN0jyzgHsKw

Did anyone see Klay leaving the bench early too, before the game was even over? That's not good at all. 

I have LeBron as a top 5 all time player for me regardless to be fair

Same, but I think a win on Sunday would silence the haters. There'd be no denying it at that point.

 

Did anyone see Ayesha Curry's tweet after Steph was thrown out, saying that the NBA is rigged? So salty man, NOT a good look for Steph and Ayesha. She comes across as someone just desperate for her own reality show now. 

The ghost of 2002 still looms large.

 

But yeah, a petty reaction. This wasn't the first time she's tweeted something questionable during the finals. They were reading out some of her tweets on First Take earlier in the week.  It's a shame, because she's meant to be a decent character otherwise. 

 

Can't wait for game 7. 

 

Twitter absolutely roasted her for it. There's some gold online. She definitely needs to keep away from Twitter during game 7. Just makes the Warriors look whiney.

Game 7 the most important of LeBron's career? It's legacy-defining stuff. If he wins, he makes history AND goes down as a top 5 player of all time, in my opinion.

The Bill Simmons podcast is awesome. I'm a big fan of Bill and his work. The podcast is part of the 'Channel 33' network, which belongs to www.theringer.com. Lots of great podcasts on there, a good mix of sports and pop culture.

Oh and a real classy moment with LeBron and Craig Sager after the game. Really touching. Proper tear-jerking stuff. I love Sager and hopefully this isn't the last time he's working a game...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2w3bZiD0Y

What a crazy night! Unbelievable night for the Cavs and especially LeBron. Regardless of what happens, LeBron for Finals MVP.

Did anyone see Ayesha Curry's tweet after Steph was thrown out, saying that the NBA is rigged? So salty man, NOT a good look for Steph and Ayesha. She comes across as someone just desperate for her own reality show now. Brian Windhorst also DESTROYED her on ESPN after the game for saying it.

Game 7 man...I cannot wait. I want the Cavs to win this BADLY.

Game day!

Surely the Cavs have to force a game 7 tonight? I don't know how much impact Bogut being out will have, but I do wonder if they'll try and bait Draymond into foul trouble?

What do you make of JR Smith opting out before the Finals are even over? Seems like odd timing to me.

Also, what do you guys make of these Bulls trade rumours? Seems they are very open to getting shot of D-Rose.

Aaaaand the Finals are still alive. What a night for LeBron and Kyrie! I mean, two truly exceptional performances. Pressure is still firmly on Cleveland to win the next game though. Losing two straight finals at home would be awful for them.

I want this thing to go 7 now. Cavs win next game, send it back to Golden State and then we have the whole story of a team possibly coming back from 3-1 to win the title. It'll be great drama - plus, it'd be better for the Warriors to win at home.

Knowing how hot and cold the Cavs can be though, they'll get blown out next game to end it.

I'm really starting to dislike the Warriors. They've been really petty and shitty all playoffs. Amazing to think a lot of neutrals want a Lebron team to win over them, would have been crazy to think a year ago. The Draymond suspension has been a long time coming, it won't make a difference though, this series is done.

You think it ends tomorrow night or goes back to Cleveland?

Green suspended for game 5!

Don't see it making too much difference, still see Warriors taking game 5.

If they still win, will be able to celebrate with the team? Can't imagine he'd want to close out the season on a suspension either.

Also, Draymond is such a dirty player. He was clearly trying to whack LeBron in the baws here.

He definitely passed far too much. There were times when he had an open lane and would make an extra pass instead of taking the shot or driving to the basket. Very strange. I don't know if I'd say it's what cost them the game though. Cavs looked good through the first 3 quarters, but the Warriors just played better late in the game. Barnes and Iguodala stepped up and Curry had 38 with 7 of 13 three point attempts.

I really wanted a 7 game series, but I see the Warriors closing it out next game at home. I was reading that no Bay Area team has clinched a championship on its home turf since 1974. Surely the Warriors will try to do it next game?

I want the Warriors to win, but I'm glad the series has been made somewhat competitive now. As Stephen A Smith said on First Take this afternoon, "I like the thrill". If the Warriors had won this in 4 games, or end up winning it in 5, it'll be a lame duck series. Especially after the Warriors vs Thunder series. 

I'm gonna say Cleveland wins again tonight, but in a much closer game. I'll say Warriors win in 7, but I'd love to see Cleveland win instead.

Should they play Kevin Love off the bench tonight? If they lose, he's going to be the fall guy and I don't think they should disrupt the chemistry that the Cavs had the other night.

Oh, and this was pretty awesome...

What a turnaround by the Cavs last night. That first quarter was absolutely electric stuff and good god, Kyrie was on fire.

Obviously the Warriors are still the favourites, but this game definitely made the Finals interesting again. Some really interesting lineups used by the Cavs. How good has Richard Jefferson been?! The guy is possessed! There was still a bit too much iso ball from Kyrie at times, but I guess as long as he's banking shots then it's all good - for now.

Lebron was great in the second half. His jumpshot seemed to be gone early on in the game and there were a few plays in which he did this weird thing of dribbing the ball too much and then losing control of it. He pulled it back though, that alley-oop from Kyrie was incredible stuff and really seemed to get him going.

So how do the Warriors respond? I really want to see this series at 2-2 after the next game.

Oh, saw this over on the Ringer. Made me chuckle...

As an Indy fan they had bloody better match that offer. In all honestly I would be shocked if they didn't even if they decide to get over the hump they need a rebuild they would atleast trade him.

Who knows what goes on in Larry Bird's head these days? I mean, firing Vogel and then not really going on the coaching search that everyone thought they would was a strange move too.

Yeah, Indy have the right to match any sheet offer. Which they absolutely will.

 

Any chance the Knicks make a move for Biyombo? I like Robin Lopez, but Biyombo would be a considerable upgrade. He's just opted out of Toronto, but journos have been saying he's looking for close to max contract. Which he won't get just for a bunch of rebounds in the playoffs, but i do like his energy,

I don't know if I'd want to see that. We already have our frontcourt set and if he was brought in with a hefty contract, surely he'd need to start? I don't think it's the smartest decision, but knowing the Knicks he'll get overpaid.