James' Destiny

I don't know if LeBron James will be a Knick next season. I don't know if he'll be a Bull, a Clipper, a Heat (is that grammatically correct?) or even...gasp...a Cavalier. What I do know, is that the frenzy has begun.

ESPN reported earlier that Cavs coach Mike Brown's firing was imminent and rumors surfaced that Kentucky head man John Calipari was "LeBron's hand picked next head coach". As of 3:15pm this afternoon, both rumors have been denied, for now.

As for James, the NBA's heir apparent has been dethroned as "King" and reappointed as "Jester" in some media circles causing mechanics of doom to bury him in with the likes of perennial losers that lack the "killer" mentality.

I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone who has turned against LeBron because of a bad series that despite his poor effort, despite his lack of titles and yes despite the comparisons to Michael Jordan, he's still just 25 years old.

Knowing I'm a Knicks fan, friends have already told me to count my blessings; that while James is the only thing stricken Knicks fans have had to keep afloat these past few years, now he may not be worth it. I assure them, they're wrong and here's why.

1) Forget the idea that the Cavs lost only because James played badly. Basketball is as much a team game as any and it takes a complete team to win in the playoffs. I'm not defending his play, but just remember that Jordan won nothing without Scottie Pippen and Kobe Bryant didn't win without Shaq until he got Pau Gasol last year. The easiest comparison of teams to make is to the Lakers and there is no argument that either Gasol, Lamar Odom or Ron Artest are all better wingmen than the disaster of players Danny Ferry and the Cavs have put together: Larry Hughes, Mo Williams, Big Z (not going to try and spell it), downside of his career Shaq and now Antawn Jamison. The star should carry the team, but other options are needed to spread the floor and keep defenses guessing, that isn't the case with the Cavs, but players aren't the only reason.

2) Mike Brown WILL be fired and he should. I said this last year and I'll say it again: this guy does not coach offense. If Lebron doesn't bring the ball up, he gets it at the top of the circle. He backs up with his dribble (contrary to anything a coach has ever taught) and then tries to attack open space. He's gifted, and he can play like that, but NOT if the defense knows its coming, and they do. The biggest tool any defense in any sport can have is to know what the offense is going to do. How about LeBron posts up once in a while? What if they ran him off a screen? Maybe instead of pushing the tempo ONLY when LeBron wants to, they make it a focal point to run early, you know since he's the best open court player in the league....Do you see my point?

3) But most importantly, a player's legacy is not created in one day, not in one series or season. Only did Jordan become Jordan after 6 championships were won, not when he was 25, and not after his first ring. Is Kobe's legacy cemented? Did Kevin Garnett winning a title change how the world viewed him for the positive? I would argue the opposite.

So Knicks fans, Cavs fans, Nets fans, Heat fans, Bulls fans, Clippers fans and basketball fans of any kind, I urge you to relax. LeBron James is someone special, and I would imagine he can't wait to show it.

The New (Hughes) meets The Old (Beckett)

It's safe to say that the "Huuuughes" calls from the stands will be replaced tonight with "boos" in Fenway tonight. Yes, much like Mike Mussina "Moooooose" a similar sound will bare down on the Yankees young "born-again" phenom, but for the 23-year-old, a raucous crowd at Fenway might not play a factor.

Hughes has been brilliant so far, yielding just 10 hits in his 25 innings of work, sporting a 3-0 record and a 1.44 ERA. Yankee fans are finally seeing the oft-talked about talents of the former first round pick come to fruition, albeit years after comparisons to Roger Clemens captured the awe of the pinstripe pride.

In fact Hughes may resemble Mussina much more than he does "The Rocket". A low-mid 90s fastball that cuts and ducks a variety of ways and a curveball that generally goes north to south, but can also be found going east to west when the situation calls. But as many have pointed out, it's his changeup that has transformed the pitcher from a guy the Yanks' "shoulda" traded for Johan Santana to a guy that if the season ended today would be the number three man in the Yankees playoff rotation.

Still, it is more the idea of Hughes' changeup that has changed than the pitch itself. Watching his last start, a 7 inning 4 hit shutout against the White Sox, I noticed that his arm slot changes when throwing the pitch, something that hitters will notice as time goes by, but still, it is one more thing to pay attention to for hitters.

Remember people, he's 23 years old and the changeup is a new pitch for him. What happens if he develops it more? What happens if he gets better command of his other pitches? Both of these things will happen and the Red Sox tonight will get the first glimpse of a dominant Yankee starter, because Hughes is a new pitcher.

Wednesday's Thoughts: From Four to Floor?

Javier Vazquez has already failed once as a New York Yankee, and that's why the Yankees fans aren't exactly crying that Joe Girardi has elected to skip his "fourth" starter this weekend against the Red Sox.

Fans were told that Vazquez's second run in the big apple would be different; that he know longer faced the pressure of being a top of the rotation guy and that now he could 'just pitch'. Instead, Vazquez to this point has been even worse than disastrous 2004 that caused him to be shipped out Arizona for Randy Johnson.

Skipping Vazquez against the Red Sox is the right thing to do for a number of reasons, the least of which is how poorly he's pitched this season. His record in big games is not so hot, as his then manager Ozzie Guillen so bluntly pointed out in 2008.

There's little chance the Yankees are too concerned about the confidence of Vazquez, but the track record just isn't good. For Yankees fans, the season has started out all too smoothly, and Vazquez is setting himself up to be the goat of the regular season, a trouncing by the Red Sox just won't do.

While some have already called for trading Vazquez, it is unlikely the Yankees brass is on the same page. The Yankees, albeit in good conscience have set themselves up to NEED him and so far, the need has only increased.

Phil Hughes has been spectacular, but with an innings limit at 170, I have to wonder if the Yankees would even consider him as a potential playoff starter (schedule changes mean they can't use 3 starters as they did last season). The problem with the system they have set up (and failed with last season) is that the deeper into games Hughes pitches, the shorter it is before he comes out of the rotation.

The fact is that the Yankees need Vazquez to be their fourth guy, but for that to happen, the fans will have to support him too. That won't happen if he gets pounded by the Sox.