Cleveland Clears The Way For LeBron

LeBron James made the month of July about himself again like he did in 2010. James went from being a guy whose going to opt-out to make more money and stay in Miami to he might end up either playing for Miami again or a return to Cleveland. The latter became much more of a possibility on Wednesday morning when Cleveland cleared cap space by trading away Jarrett Jack and Marcus Thornton to Brooklyn and Boston in a three-team deal to pave the way for max money for James. Cleveland is either welcoming their King back or getting hurt again although this time the pain for them shouldn't be the same. 

There is a real chance LeBron comes back to the city where it all began. The city is alive right now with sports due to Johnny Manziel and the up and coming Browns plus Cavaliers have a young nucleus ready to make the playoffs. LeBron joining the fray would put Cleveland in the epicenter of all sports, and all fans of James rejoicing they can wear their 23 Cleveland jerseys again. It is hard to get into the mindset of Cavs fans right now, but you have to think people are writing on walls or computers 'I will not get excited about LeBron James' 'I will not get excited about LeBron James.' I mean there is no way this fan base is going to burned again, right? 

If it were me, I would lie in the weeds, read as little as possible and try to believe that this isn't a reality until we see James holding up a jersey next to Dan Gilbert and Kyrie Irving. There is a chance right now, but in no way should Cleveland fans get excited. What's cool about this whole free agent saga is the Cavs pushed their chips in. They didn't pussyfoot around this thing, and instead cleared out money to attempt to sign LeBron to a big deal. Why the hell not? Let's go for it, that has to fire you up as a fan whether LeBron comes back to Cleveland or not. At least, they aren't resting on their laurels here because they know they cannot. 

The great thing about this whole thing is Cleveland has a ton of money to spend if LeBron decides to stay put in South Beach. Rumors are Trevor Ariza will be the play whom could be a good option for them to add a wing to this team plus a little veteran leadership and a guy whose excelled with a strong point guard. They could also make a slight run at Pau Gasol. They have some young big men inside, but why not at least see what Pau's interest would be in playing with a bunch of young players? It wouldn't hurt. They have money to blow if LeBron becomes unavailable.  The fact of the matter, Cleveland's risk is a good one because having all of that money is not a bad thing. Losing Jack is not the worst thing in the world, he didn't fit in with the Cavs system. This was a solid move by them, and if people are calling it dangerous play or anything like that is completely wrong. 

The other thing about not getting LeBron is this team is still on pace to be a good one with Irving, Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. The last one might be a stretch, but that's a solid young core for the future especially in the Eastern Conference. It is not like LeBron is the savior in this situation. I do not think this is too much of a reach to say Cleveland could be a deep playoff contender in the next couple of years as Irving heads into his prime including the other two coming near it as well. Cleveland will be a fun time with or without LeBron. 

The biggest question if LeBron comes back, do we have a video of 'Coming Home' or 'Cleveland is My City?' I am available to make either one, just ask.

Charlie. 

The Summer of Kevin Love

Kevin Love is a free agent after next season. The NBA season isn't even over yet, but it seems like the Minnesota Timberwolves forward is already looking for a new destination to play basketball this winter. It could be a simple coincidence he was in Boston checking out the sights and sounds hanging out at Fenway, running into Rajon Rondo, boozing with Gronk and getting tweets from David Ortiz, right?  K-Love just taking a weekend vacation to Boston, a team with an NBA franchise and a team reportedly interested in Kevin Love. If I am Love, I am spending the rest of my summer seeing all the different cities and its nightlife that want to trade for him. 

Everyone seems to believe that given Love spend his weekend in Boston that he will be in Celtic green by Fall. I would like to give everybody a big cup of relax with that one. It is not a stone cold lock, but the old saying 'If it smells like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.'  Love could be there, but this could end up being the best summer ever if you're Love. Minnesota announced today that Love is probably gone by Draft Day meaning he could spend the next couple weeks hanging around all of these cities and seeing what they have to offer. Boston is a great time in the summer. Here are all the places Love could look to ensuring a hell of a summer. 

Houston is another team that's interested in him. Head out to there to see an Astros game, run into James Harden or Dwight Howard at some point and crush some beers with JJ Watt. Houston's nightlife is supposed to be a damn good time. I would assume Slim Thug and Bun B would take care of him in a major way. 

Golden State would be an awesome time as well. As a suitor of Love, he could do a baseball doubleheader seeing what San Francisco and Oakland have to offer. He would somehow run into Steph Curry or Klay Thompson then explore the nightlife with Aldon Smith... Actually shit wait bad idea. Let's go with Colin Kaepernick, that's better. 

Let's throw Cleveland in the mix for the hell of it. He would be partying with Johnny Manziel and Nolan Murphy obviously, let's get that off the bat. I don't know if I take him to the Indians game given their attendance issues. Kyrie Irving and him could do a redux of the Pespi Max commercial minus all the Uncle Drew makeup get some runs at local Cleveland parks.  

Sacramento?  I have no idea what the hell you do in SacTown.  Do you see the capital or what? For their sake, might want to hope Kevin doesn't spend a weekend trip out there. 

Keep having a blast this summer Kevin, just don't get fat. 

Charlie.  

An Open Letter to NBA Draft Prospects About Milwaukee

One of the more depressing parts of the NBA Draft is how many prospects do not want to go to Milwaukee.  I decided to write them an open letter to them.  

Dear Dante Exum, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker and anyone to whom this concerns,

I know you don't want to go to Milwaukee. No one really does as an NBA player. Even in the early 90's, this was a problem with one of the most famous Draft Day moments with Todd Day going MILWAUUUKEE... Damn (Kevin Hunt is the man, 'All we do is drink cheese and beer' is a gold line), but truly, this is a great city with a bright future and the opportunities could be endless. But once again, I understand why Milwaukee doesn't sound as alluring as some of the other lottery picks.

Not every year do you see Los Angeles Lakers, winners of 16 NBA Championships or Boston Celtics, winners of 17 NBA Championships although did you know the Bucks have a championship under their belt in 1971?  Los Angeles and Boston are nice, but truth be told, the Lakers could be a mess for awhile plus Boston might be a year or two away as well. The same could be said for the Bucks, but they have a wealth of young players to not only play with but also hang out with in Milwaukee.

I realize Milwaukee gets a bad rap for the lack of a nightlife scene and that's probably accurate for an NBA player. There aren't swank clubs that only the elite hang out at meaning you will probably run into some fans attending a night club here. Just don't throw any bottles, okay. And yes there are no strip clubs downtown and don't be fooled by Arts. But the fact of the matter is there are a bunch of young guys to hang out with off the court like John Henson, Brandon Knight and Giannis Antetokounmpo whom are all under the age of 24. The nightlife might not be there, but at least you are not walking into a situation where you are the only rookie without many other young players.

The other thing about Milwaukee besides the nightlife and the franchise is the thought your brand will die in Wisconsin. Wrongo.  First of all, look at Kevin Love. He plays or played pending on this summer in Minneapolis, a little bigger city than Milwaukee, but he built his brand into multiple Taco Bell commercials along with being a must-follow on Twitter. Second, look at what Ryan Braun did before the PED scandal, what Aaron Rodgers has done and it is clear to see if you are as good as the Internet says you could be, the brand will go in a major way in Milwaukee. Plus you will be seen as a cornerstone of the players who saved Milwaukee basketball. Sounds pretty nice, doesn't it?

There will be pressure to win like anywhere else, but it might not be as intense as say Cleveland. The Cavs are picking their third top pick in four years, and with Kyrie Irving, there is a need to win right away. Bucks fans would love to back in the playoffs, but honestly, if they end up in the lottery for a second straight year, it is not the end of the days more so the continuing building process. Now, if they are still there after the second year, it becomes a problem. But right now, Milwaukee is about as low pressure as they come, right now. The microscope will be on because you are one of the best NBA rookies, but the local media will not be breathing down your neck.

All of this letter has been said without talking about the city of Milwaukee. It's a great one with a loving fanbase that will come back in no time. It's already building. Hopefully, you reconsider your stance on Milwaukee.

Signed,

Charlie Tritschler
CEO of SnoTap

No Place For Love in the Twin Cities

Being a fan of small market teams like Milwaukee Bucks and Milwaukee Brewers, you tend to relate with other small markets when they have issues with their star player. Thus when news broke on Sunday morning that Kevin Love will be testing the free agent market next summer and doesn't have much interested in rejoining Minnesota, your heart breaks a little bit.  But the Timberwolves need to do the right thing and trade Love getting as many pieces possible because Minnesota has no one to blame but themselves for the reason why Love hasn't been to the playoffs.

This isn't a small market reason in my opinion for Love. He is doing fine in the Minnesota market as he became the face of the franchise, he has been in Taco Bell ads along with other things like playing on the United States National team. Love is one of the most well-known players in the game, and he could build something in Minnesota with ease yet management has led him array by assembling poor teams year after year. Ricky Rubio never amounted to the player everyone expected him to be when Minnesota drafted him from Spain, and that's a majority of the reason why Love wants to live as he sees this team has no hope in the Western Conference. 

Love also probably doesn't want to start over with a new coach as Rick Aldeman retired this season giving him more ammo for wanting to depart from the Twin Cites. People might call it selfish, but does Love really want to be labeled as a loser for the rest of his career?  I would bet not. It will be the same issue Kyrie Irving will be dealing with shortly. A successful player can only take so much losing before he knows it is time to move on and become a winner. Minnesota fans can hate him as much as they want, but this is more of the fault of David Khan and the ones that followed for not getting him a team Minnesota could carry to a playoff appearance, a place they haven't been since 2004 when Kevin Garnett brought the Timberwolves all the way to the Western Conference Finals. 

Minnesota shouldn't be too broken up over Love's probable departure. Love's defense makes me feel like he will never be a superstar because he cannot carry a team all by himself. Much of the reason why Minnesota didn't make a trip back to the playoffs had to do with the terrible defense of Minnesota and Love in general. He will be a hell of a second banana for a team, but Love doesn't have the defensive prowess to be a superstar in this league. But there will be many suitors to acquire Love this summer and they are all teams we hear about when these sort of things happen in the league. 

The two most interesting ones for Minnesota are Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. The Draft Lottery is tomorrow night with the Timberwolves having some of the worst odds with them likely picking 13th, but Los Angeles and Boston have the fifth and sixth best odds. Minnesota could get two first round draft picks if one of those interested teams wanted to trade for Love. This would be a huge coup for Minnesota especially if either of these teams picked in the top three. If Minnesota could get a player like Joel Embiid or Dante Exum then get a James Young or Rodney Hood in the mid-first round, the future starts getting built quicker instead of being in limbo. Additionally, Love on either Boston or Los Angeles gives them an immediate boost and becomes a fringe title contender.  

Lakers and Celtics are among the bevy of teams reportedly interested in Love's services. Some of the names highlighted yesterday were Chicago, Golden State, Houston and New York.  First things first, Golden State and Houston are terrible ideas for Love. They both have massive issues with their defense right now, and they want to add a guy like Love whose one of the worst interior defenders. The Warriors would basically get a rich man's David Lee. New York is still pretty unknown when it comes to their situation. Carmelo Anthony is a free agent, they don't have a Head Coach so let's pump the breaks on the idea of Love to New York although it would be interesting. Chicago might be the most intriguing, but do you really want to lose Taj Gibson? He is likely gone because I highly doubt Chicago will go huge across the front line.

Love could stay in Minnesota and return in October which would be a little awkward although if I am Minnesota, I try to trade Love this summer. There is no reason to trot him out for a half year under a cloud of 'Will Love get traded?' It is detrimental to the team, and Minnesota could move on from Love with a new star.  

Charlie.