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Thank you all who submitted questions, hopefully I will fully answer your questions.
Damion Cook: What's the next step for LeBron James?
LeBron has followed a mantra since he first arrived in the NBA and that's to continue to get better, make those around him better and most importantly, WIN!!!
He has the mentality where anything short of the Larry O'Brien trophy is a failure and that attitude has not only rubbed off on the Cavaliers as an organization, but an entire city that's starving for a championship of any kind.
As for 2010, I feel a lot of teams are setting themselves up for a let-down. Having cap-space to sign these player's is good, but their current teams can offer more money and outside of the Miami Heat, all have made moves and will continue to make moves to keep their franchise players happy.
With that being said, I see Bron staying put and the Cavs G.M. Danny Ferry continuing to do everything necessary to keep James services forever in Cleveland.
Elvira Perez: Where does Hedo fit best and did Trevor Ariza make the right move by leaving Los Angeles?
I think Hedo made the right choice in going to Toronto.
I didn't see him and Brandon Roy working well together, as both of them require the ball in their hands to make plays.
It also gives the Raptors a front court of Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani and Hedo, which will give defense problems, but the Raptors have likely lost Anthony Parker and Shawn Marion, but if rookie DeMar DeRozan catches on quickly, the Raptors will be a very fun team to watch.
As for Ariza, I think he made the best choice for himself.
He's still young, has the chance to be a featured player in the Houston Rockets offense, now that they will be rebuilding and he gets more money and security than he would have in the city of angels.
How will the Kobe and Artest pairing workout, as well as the LeBron and Shaq duo?
I think Artest will adjust to the triangle offense and it definitely makes them tougher on the defensive end, especially on the perimeter and now Kobe doesn't even have to guard opposing teams best perimeter player, keeping him fresher on the offensive end.
With Artest's thirst to win a title, coupled with Kobe's hunger, the Lakers look like they'll be making another finals appearance.
With Shaq and LeBron, I really want to see how they defend the pick-and-roll, an area the Orlando Magic continued to exploit them in during the Eastern Conference Finals.
Shaq gives them a force inside who still commands double teams and should create a lot of opportunities for James and the Cav's shooters.
I just hope they don't turn into the team they did against the Magic and struggle in the same areas.
The hunger is there, the talent is there, now it's all about execution.
Bobby Dixon: Do you think Shaq will hurt or help the Cavaliers next season?
As with all of the offseason deals so far, there are positives and negatives.
Adding a presence like shaq to a team that won 66 games last season is a huge move, but I worry about them not necessarily improving in the areas that Orlando took advantage of them in.
During the Conference Finals, they looked liked the Cavaliers team that was swept in the Finals in 2007.
Everyone sat and watched LeBron and he was doing everything from getting on the defensive glass, initiating the offense, while being the only true threat, trying to set up teammates and all of this while having to chase Hedo around pick-and-rolls and helping on Dwight Howard.
Shaq makes it easier to not have to double on Dwight Howard, but D12 is going to get better after being limited during the Finals and I expect him to be even dangerous next season.
Still, I don't see LeBron being stopped short of the Finals two years in a row.
What was the big difference in the previous two contract offers from the Bulls to Ben Gordon?
There wasn't much of a difference in terms of money from the offers made the past two seasons to what BG is getting from the Detroit Pistons now.
It's deeper than $ though.
Critics are quick to point out what he doesn't do well, most of them follow what the majority of critics say, but Gordon actually improved on the defensive end last season.
I feel that Gordon never truly felt appreciated by the organization. He was always in trade rumors, but through it all, he remained a professional and continued to play his game.
Some may say $10-11 million is too much for Gordon, but you can't always go by what "market value," says, you have to go by what that player means to your organization and if you were watching the first round of the playoffs this season, where the Bulls took the Boston Celtics to seven games, Gordon proved his worth.
I asked a lot of people this who think he was asking for too much; If we wer'e going by market value, would Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng have the deals they have?
Is Derrick Rose better with or without Gordon?
Both Rose and Gordon benefited greatly from one another and Gordon was able to take some of the pressure off of Rose and vice versa.
Gordon adjusted immediately to Rose and the two averaged 37.5 ppg together, one of the highest scoring backcourts in the league.
Rose will only get better, but he had a great feel for where and when to get Gordon the ball. Just by Gordon being on the floor, it created opportunities for others, but John Salmons is the guy now and him and Rose are the backcourt for the foreseeable future.
So to answer your question, the team, benefited from Gordon, but Rose will continue to elevate his game and he will be the one with the ball in his hands at the end of games, so this will help him become better.
Calvin Trapp: What's your outlook on players crossing over from the NBA to play in Europe?
I think it's good for the players who can earn more money, make a better living and have a shot at more playing time. I don't think you'll see any big name making the move, but this is good for player's like Josh Childress who wouldn't be seeing anywhere near the money he is making in Greece, in the NBA.
Reggie Brown: What teams have an honest shot at landing Amare? Where does he fit best?
The only team outside of the Phoenix Suns that I see him being interested in going to is the New York Knicks.
He obviously loves coach Mike D'Antoni, he has a familiarity with the offense and if he can get Steve Nash to come with him, I see this team being able to be able to better challenge for a title, pending more roster moves.
If Allen Iverson retires because he doesn't want to embrace a reserve role, how does that damage his legacy?
Allen Iverson is the ultimate competitor and I don't see why people make a big deal about him complaining about not being comfortable wanting to come off the bench.
No matter what point of his career, people feel he is at, he is still one of the best players in this league and can still be a threat.
When MJ came back to the Wizards, there was no way he was coming off the bench and if you were to ask any all-star in the league today, if he can see himself coming off the bench when he feel he has something left and is still hungry to win a ring, if that player told you yes, he would be lying.
You look at the way the league is now, I never imagined Iverson having trouble finding a place to play. Then you have guys that he knows he's better than, guys who he has made life miserable for and now he has to play behind them?
It shouldn't be hard to see why he can't accept the role with how he is accustomed to playing and having that mindset doesn't damage his legacy at all. His game and his place in history justifies that.
Is Shaq's legacy taking a hit now that he's been traded 3 times in 4 seasons?
I don't think so because of the situations of each trade.
When he was shipped from Miami, it looked like he was almost done as far as basketball goes and he was able to be rejuvenated in Phoenix, but the style the teams best players were used to didn't go well with the half-court game Shaq now has to play.
Phoenix also had to ship him for financial reasons as they're hoping to keep Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, but after being thisclose to sending Stoudemire to Golden State around the NBA draft, I don't think either player wants to stay in Phoenix.
In the end, Shaq's legacy will be determined by how dominant he was and still is and the rings on his finger.
Of the top free agents available in 2010, LeBron, Wade, Bosh, etc, who do you see moving and where?
I have been saying for a long time now that I feel that year is all speculation and hopefully this video will help to better prove my point;
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