Was the whole thing orchestrated? What's LeBron James' legacy? Who's put together the deal that put James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh together in Miami?

Those are just some of the questions that need to be answered. But not by me.

There are two people very close to this situation who I believe have shown their true colors after James made his decision.

James will never be considered an 'all-time great'
Bob Cousy. James Worthy. Sam Jones. Billy Cunningham. Those are just a few of some of the best players in the history of the NBA. James' name will be added to that list, but it'll be mixed in with those mentioned above and not the likes of Magic, Bird, Russell and Jordan.

On several occasions, I've heard James speak of wanting to be the greatest of all time. How can something like that be achieved when he - and Bosh and, to a much lesser extent, Wade - essentially said, "I can't build up a championship team as the Alpha Dog. I have to play alongside other "great" players to win titles?"

When Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen teamed up in Boston in 2007, each of those three were on the downside of their respective, hall-of-fame careers. They all attempted, for more than a decade, to lead teams to the promiseland and came up short. Wade, James and Bosh are just hitting their primes. Why not build up a team so you can be placed on the short list of the best players of all time?

I have no doubt Miami will win multiple titles, no matter what is placed around James, Wade and Bosh. And I believe each of those three will be enshrined in Springfield one day. But when that happens, it was supposed to, so it won't receive the fanfare that maybe it should. If they don't win, though, this whole thing is a colossal failure. For James especially.

I know Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant both openly complained at times about teammates and coaching philosophies, but neither left. People fail to remember that Kobe played on a Lakers squad that won just 34 games in the 2004-05 season. That was after four Finals' appearances in five years and three titles.

But LeBron did leave. Which has people looking at him in a whole different light. But he isn't the only person who should be looked at differently.

Dan Gilbert has no class
Narcissistic. Self-promoting. Quitter. Those are just a few of the choice words Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert used to describe James after he made his decision.

While I would understand that coming from a fan - the word does come from "fanatic," after all - that made Gilbert sound like a bitter ex who didn't do enough to make their former companion stick around. His comments were as classless as the casts of those "Real Housewives" shows. James was a FREE agent. He was free to go where he pleased. While I may not agree with his decision (I would have picked Chicago), or the fact that there was an hour-long special dedicated to that decision, it was his decision and his alone.

Disloyal was another word Gilbert used to describe James. I thought that was interesting seeing as though Gilbert has shown more disloyalty as anyone over the past couple months.

Former Cavs head coach Mike Brown, he of 127 wins the last two years and the only coach to lead Cleveland to the Finals. FIRED.

Former Cavs GM Danny Ferry, the architect of the teams that won 127 games in two years. FIRED.

Gilbert tried to steal away the coach (Tom Izzo) of his alma mater, my alma mater, my friends' alma mater (Michigan State). Dan Gilbert should be the last person discussing loyalty. Like I said, he essentially played the role of the jilted lover and said, "you'll never find anybody better. You're a loser," when he really didn't have a reason to feel that way but just couldn't express his feelings in another fashion. That reeks of a guy who didn't have a "plan B."

People have said Gilbert made those comments in defense of the city. He doesn't care about that city. He cares about his bottom line. Gilbert's from Michigan, but made his money and his name elsewhere, so how can he be so upset at someone for doing the same? All he's REALLY upset about is that his team is worth as much as a '78 AMC Pacer right about now.

How can Gilbert, a self-made man from all accounts, act so classless toward another self-made man. He's taking out his frustrations on someone who grew up below the poverty level in a single-parent household. James' mother, Gloria, birthed him when she was 16. That he was even in the position to be able to decide where to play says a lot in itself. Again, while I don't agree with James' decision, it's his decision. He has to live with it. Not Dan Gilbert.

We all forgot about a certain team
So it's over now. No more free agency summit talk. No more guessing where James will play. And who's probably the happiest about all that? Kobe Bryant, who's been on television for about 45 seconds during this whole episode. You remember Kobe and the Lakers, don't you? The team that's won back-to-back titles. I don't think they'll bow to Miami so easily.

Last night's game seven between the Lakers and Celtics is quite possibly the ugliest thing of beauty I've ever seen.

Statistically, that was L.A.'s worst game in two years, as it won, 83-79, despite shooting 32.5 percent from the floor.

Surprisingly, the one Laker who played well is the one who should be on a steady supply of meds: Ron Artest, who chipped in with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals, along with several great quotes after the game.

The win leaves the Lakers just one title behind Boston, 17-16, for most in league history.

The game has also left a lot of questions to be answered.

Which is the greatest franchise in NBA history?
Although the Lakers trail the Celtics in number of titles, a strong case can be made that L.A. is home to the best franchise in the history of the league.

The Lakers have appeared in the Finals 31 times to Boston's 21. While Boston has a far superior record in those Finals series - 17-4 vs. 16-15 for the Lakers, Los Angeles has been more of a consistent winner. Eleven of the Celtics 17 titles came before 1970, while the Lakers have won titles in 5 different decades and dominated three of those - the 1950s, 80s and 2000s.

Boston also endured a 22-year title drought from 1986 to 2008. Los Angeles' worst stretch lasted 17 years from 1955-72. The Celtics made the final round once during that dry spell (1987), while the Lakers appeared in eight championship series during theirs (1959, 62, 63, 65, 66, 68-70).

L.A. has also missed the postseason just five times in 62 seasons, while Boston has failed to make the playoffs 16 times in 64 seasons. The Lakers also have the most wins in league history (2,970) and the highest winning percentage (.617).

Is Phil Jackson the greatest coach of all time?
Here's Phil's resume: 11 titles (more than any other coach); a .700 win percentage in the regular season and the playoffs; thirteen Finals appearance in 19 years as a head coach.

Compare that with legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, who didn't win his first title until his 16th season in Westwood; or revered Celtics coach Red Auerbach, who didn't hoist his first trophy until his seventh season in Boston. Scotty Bowman, of NHL coaching fame and nine Stanley Cup titles, lost in the championship round three times before winning his first title. Jackson has only lost twice in 13 appearances in the NBA Finals.

Even greater than that has been Jackson's ability to manage egos. His two greatest players, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, are two of the most egomaniacal, bull-headed people on the planet. At points in both of their careers, Jordan and Bryant were known as players who only cared about themselves, yet Jackson has been able to get them to focus on the greater goal (most of the time), allowing the two to reach great heights. He's also been able to corral two of the stranger people in the history of sports: Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest, who passed Rodman on the "crazy-o-meter" last night.

Is Pau Gasol destined for the Hall of Fame?
Prior to joining the Lakers in February 2008, Gasol led the Memphis Grizzlies to the playoffs three straight seasons in the middle part of the decade. That should be enough to answer that question right there.

Since joining L.A., Gasol has been the second best player on two title teams, adding toughness and grit to his game in the process. Gasol has made two all-NBA third teams the last two seasons, averaging about 18 points, 10 board and 1.5 blocks in 2008-09 and 2009-10. His career averages of 18 and 9 are better than Hall of Famers Kevin McHale and Dave DeBusschere. He's tied with DeBusschere in the championship department and one behind McHale.

His offensive skillset, coupled with his awesome passing ability and that newfound grit make Gasol the best big man in the league today; and, unless Dwight Howard starts watching old VHS tapes of David Robinson, Gasol will keep that title for the foreseeable future.

What happens to the Celtics now?
Three of Boston's top four players (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce) have a combined 40 years of playing experience. The team's best post defender (Rasheed Wallace, who has 15 years in the league under his belt) may retire. Allen and Pierce are free agents this summer. Kendrick Perkins, the Celtic's starting center, tore two ligaments in his right knee early in game 6 of the Finals. And head coach Doc Rivers may not return to the sidelines next season.

Boston brass has a lot of decisions to make this offseason. The team has - if Pierce decides to exercise his more than $21.5 million player option - more than $63 million tied into six players. The Celtics could use the mid-level exception, slated to be around $6 million for 2010-11, to sign a player, but it looks like Boston's roster will look the same as it did last night. Pierce will be a priority, as could Allen, but Allen would likely be offered a deal of no more than two years and $10-$12 million.

Rivers is the wild card here. He has said he'd like to spend more time with his family and be able to watch his sons, Austin and Jeremiah, play college basketball. Rivers, however, has one year and $5.5 million left on his contract. If the team believes it can make another deep playoff run, why wouldn't he come back? But some things are more important than money.

Where does Kobe Bryant rank among the all-time greats
Baseball measures it's greats by stats. Football determines legends by Super Bowl titles. Basketball seems to be the only one of the major American sports that takes both of those things into consideration when choosing who belongs among the best ever.

Despite Kobe Bryant's horrid shooting performance in Game 7, Bryant belongs in the discussion of greatest players of all time. It'll be tough for him to crack the top spot - Michael Jordan's butt is super glued to that seat - but Bryant can make a case for the top 5.

He has as many titles (5) as Magic Johnson, who I rank at No. 2. He has more titles than Larry Bird (3), Wilt Chamberlain (2) and Tim Duncan (4), who I had at Nos. 4, 6, and 7, respectively, prior to the start of the Finals. The win brought Bryant's record in the Finals to 5-2, while Magic finished 5-4 and Bird went 3-2. His offensive numbers are better than Magic's, Duncan's and Bill Russell's (No. 3 on my list).

Bryant's 12 all-NBA selections (8 first-team honors) trail only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6th on my list), who was tabbed 15 times; Karl Malone and Shaquille O'Neal (14 selections) and Tim Duncan (13). And, defensively, he's light years ahead of Magic and Bird, reflected by his 10 all-defensive team selections.

Yes, I know he took Game seven against Phoenix off in the first round of the 2006 Finals. But people act like he's the first star to do something of the sort. Chamberlain asked out of Game 7 of the 1969 Finals, with 5 minutes left, because of an injury. You can bet that, so close to the ultimate goal, Bryant would play on one leg.

Many people (still) contend Bryant ran Shaq out of L.A. in 2004. Kobe doesn't sign any checks or make any personnel decisions. And I think it's safe to say the team's decision to stick with Bryant has paid off.

While Bryant at times frustrated Jackson to no end, he's no coach killer. It's been said that Magic Johnson wanted his first pro coach, Paul Westhead fired. It's also been speculated that Johnson wanted out of L.A. at some point in the first five years of his career. It's been said that Jordan played a key role in getting Doug Collins ousted after the 1989 season.

Several people have said "Kobe never won a thing without Shaq." Well, Abdul-Jabbar never won without Magic or Oscar Robertson. Jordan never won without Pippen. Bird never won without McHale and Robert Parish. It's a proven fact you need more than one top-flight player to win a title, so this is a moot point.

When you put personal feelings aside - and I know that's hard for people to do with Kobe - you realize just how great he is. His work ethic is only second to Jordan's. He's added new moves to his arsenal nearly every season he's been in the league. Last summer, he worked out with Hakeem Olajuwon (No. 13 on my list of all-time greats) to improve his post game. Doesn't that sound like something Dwight Howard or LeBron James should do?

Former Blazer and Celtics great Bill Walton in a book I finished reading a few months ago made a great point about Bryant. He said that while Kobe may not win the way people want him to, he still wins. Winning is the most important thing to Bryant, Walton added, so why does it matter how he wins as long as he gets it done?

So how would I rank the 10 best players of all time, one day after one of them eclipsed another career milestone?

1. Michael Jordan
2. Magic Johnson
3. Bill Russell
4. Larry Bird
5. Kobe Bryant
6. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
7. Wilt Chamberlain
8. Tim Duncan
9. Oscar Robertson
10.Jerry West

At 31 years old, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, in 14 seasons, has blossomed into one of the eight best players in the history of the NBA.

His career has been the epitome of "roller coaster ride:" winning the Slam Dunk Contest his rookie season; throwing up airballs in the playoffs against Utah in '98; his relationship with Shaquille O'Neal; winning three titles in a row from 2002-02; facing rape allegations in 2003 and watching his "Q" rating fall faster than Lindsay Lohan's after coach Phil Jackson took a sabbatical and Bryant "ushered" O'Neal out of L.A. supposedly.

But the shine has returned to Bryant's star the last three seasons, as he earned his first regular-season MVP award in 2008. He's also led the Lakers to three straight NBA Finals, something that hasn't been done since Bryant's Lakers accomplished it in 2000-02.

Bryant also won his fourth NBA title in 2009, answering a number of questions in the process: Could he win without Shaq? Could he lead a team to a ring?

But questions still remain for Bryant. Those could be answered in the next two weeks, as Bryant and his squad tangle for the 12th time in the Finals with the Boston Celtics, which hold a 9-2 advantage in the series.

What if the Lakers win their 16th title?
-Bryant will have earned his fifth ring, tying him with greats such as Magic Johnson and George Mikan. He would be just one behind Scottie Pippen, Bob Cousy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and some dude named Jordan.
-He will have brought L.A. within one title of Boston (17 to 16) for most all time. The Lakers would be in good position to pass the Celtics sooner than later, too.
-Phil Jackson, without a contract for next season, would return to Los Angeles.
-Bryant's record in the Finals will go to 5-2. Johnson's was 5-4.
-Bryant's next 30-point playoff game would give him 76, placing him second all time ahead of Abdul-Jabbar and behind Jordan.
-Bryant will supplant Tim Duncan as the seventh best player in League history.
-The "is he as good as Jordan" talk will (foolishly) continue.

What if Bryant isn't able to best the Celtics?
-Bryant will be 5-4 in the Finals, 1-2 as The Man. Comparisons with Peyton Manning will start.
-Bryant turns 32 in August. He won't have many more shots at championship glory - or at moving up the Greatest of All Time ladder.
-Jackson may retire if he thinks the door is closed on L.A.'s title chances.
-He will have never beaten his franchises greatest rival for anything substantial.
-The "is he as good as Jordan" talk will (finally) cease.

Has there ever been so much on the line for one athlete? You'd think that, at 14 years in, Bryant's place in history would be secure. But when you become apart of any "greatest ever" argument, questions are always abound.

From what I know about Kobe, all of things are on his mind and will remain on his mind until this series is over. Anybody would fold under that type of pressure. But Bryant isn't just anybody. He's playing the best playoff basketball of his career.

It's almost like a revenge tour. By sweeping Utah, and knocking the Jazz out of the postseason for the third season in a row, Bryant exorcised the demons left by those airballs he put up in the Delta Center in 1998.

By vanquishing Phoenix, Bryant finally bested the squad that knocked his Lakers out of the playoffs in 2006 and 2007 - the only two seasons a Jackson-led team failed to get passed the first round.

And by beating Boston, Kobe and his teammates will be able to (somewhat) erase the memory of a 39-point beatdown in the clincher in 2008.

I say it happens.

Lakers in 6.

Quickly ... what's the seminal moment of the 2010 NBA Playoffs?

To quote Katt Williams, "Don't worry. I'll wait."

...

Still no answer? That's because it concerns someone who hasn't played in two weeks: it's LeBron James leaving the court in Boston after his Cavs were prematurely knocked out of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. That loss has led to All LeBron All the Time. It sometimes feels like the playoffs aren't even going on with all the coverage devoted to "Mailman Jr." I can't take credit for that moniker. It was given to James by ESPN.com's Bill Simmons.

There hasn't been any GREAT moments in these playoffs. How many people - outside of me because I have issues - remember Pau Gasol's tip in with .5 seconds left in game six to close out the Lakers' first-round series with Oklahoma City? Who can recall Paul Pierce's buzzer-beater in game four of Boston's first-round series with Miami. Not many.

That's changed since the conference finals tipped off.

So far, the Phoenix Suns have been able to keep pace with the Los Angeles Lakers, despite the brilliance of Kobe Bryant, who is averaging 33.8 points on 56 percent shooting, along with 9.8 assists and 6.5 rebounds. Phoenix has even opted to employ a 2-3 zone, which has garnered a lot of attention, even though defense, not that zone, has been L.A.'s biggest problem.

After falling behind the Boston Celtics, 3-0, in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Orlando Magic have battled back and forced a game six.

That game could have a decidedly different look to it, as Boston could be without three key players: Glen Davis, who suffered a concussion in game five after taking a Randy Savage-like elbow to the head from Magic big man Dwight Howard; Rasheed Wallace, who may have sustained an "old man injury" when he strained his back last night. Starting center Kendrick Perkins almost missed game six due to suspension after receiving his sixth and seventh technical fouls of the postseason, but the league earlier today rescinded one of the two techs Perkins received last night.

If Boston is without Wallace and Davis, that's two of the three players Boston uses off its been it would be without. That would mean Kevin Garnett and Perkins would need to log big minutes and stay out of foul trouble to contend with Howard.

Within a week, what looked to be one of the more boring NBA postseasons in a while (2003 and 2007 come to mind) may end with three of the best series in ages. I still think we're looking at a Lakers/Celtics final, with both squads getting there after finishing off six-game series.

That would signal the 12th time L.A. and Boston have squared off in the championship round, with the Celtics holding a 9-2 series advantage and a 40-27 record overall in those games.

Everyone with an outlet to talk about it says LeBron James will start the 2010-11 season with one of three teams:

-Cleveland (because it can offer him $30 million more than any other team)
-Chicago (because many people believe the Bulls, with point guard Derrick Rose and big man Joakim Noah, would be title contenders if they got James)
-And New York (because it's supposedly the "Mecca of Basketball, even though the squad that calls New York home hasn't reached .500 in nine years ... or won a title in 38)

Those three teams, along with the L.A. Clippers, Miami, Minnesota, New Jersey and Oklahoma City will have the most cap space this off season, meaning they can offer LeBron - and guys like Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amar'e Stoudemire - maximum contracts, which would net each player about $20 million/year for 6-7 years.

Once teams start discussing sign-and-trade options, everybody becomes a player in the "Summer of LeBron." His best option, though, may be one no one has mentioned yet.

James should sign on to player with the Los Angeles Lakers for the rest of his career. It makes sense for so many different reasons.

The Lakers are my favorite team
Ok. Now that that's out of the way ...

Contract not a big deal
The contract aspect can be summed up fairly quickly: great athletes, namely NBA players, make the majority of their cash from endorsement deals. If a player is marketable, like LeBron is, since he had a $90 million deal with Nike before he played a game in the NBA, he can make 3-5 times his salary in endorsements EACH YEAR.

For the first 10 years of his career, Michael Jordan, the greatest pitchman in the history of the world, averaged about $3 million a year in salary from the Chicago Bulls. In 1992, Jordan made nearly 11 times that in endorsements. That was nearly 20 years ago. Think how much money LeBron could rake in playing for the Lakers now. The possibilities are endless: spots with Magic, spots with him playing pick up games on Venice Beach ... more puppet commercials with Kobe. Being in L.A. could also aid in LeBron's quest to become a "Global Icon."

So what if the Lakers have more than $80 million in contracts locked in for each the next two seasons. LAL is one of the few teams in the league not afraid to pay the luxury tax. And owner Jerry Buss is worth about $3.2 billion, which may have something to do with that.

Let's say L.A. signs James for the midlevel exception this summer, which will be about $6 million. His total earnings for the year would still top $40 million, if you go according to what James made in endorsements in 2008 ($35 million).

He wants to win titles, right?
Here's what LeBron will have around him if he goes to ...
New York: Eddy Curry, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Toney Douglas, maybe David Lee and/or maybe Chris Bosh
Chicago: Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, James Johnson, Taj Gibson, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich (assuming the last two aren't used as trade bait to bring in a bigger name)
Cleveland: the same sad squad he played on this year ... with the same absent-minded coach
L.A. Clippers: Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, Chris Kaman and a lottery pick from next month's draft (Actually, that doesn't look like that bad an option until you remember it's the Clippers. LeBron would probably tear both ACLs and his Achilles at his introductory presser).
L.A. Lakers: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest (as a sixth man!!), Lamar Odom and Phil Jackson

That should say it all right there. Plenty of players have waited until they were on the downside of their career to latch onto a team in the title chase (Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Alonzo Mourning, Bob McAdoo). Why not play the next decade for a perennial title contender? James would have a good start to that decade, too, as he'd most likely play the first 3-4 years with one of the seven best players of all time (Bryant) and the best coach of all time (Jackson). What's the downside to that?

I understand this happening is as likely as me paying good money to go see "Sex and the City 2," but I can dream, can't I?

For two years, writers, talking heads and radio hosts have crowned LeBron James as the best player in the NBA.

Yes, James is the most physically gifted player in the league and he deserves his two regular season MVP awards; but the best, most complete player still calls Staples Center home. And last night's 40-point outburst from Kobe Bryant was his way of saying, "Who's the real king?"

With questions abound regarding his nagging injuries, everything was working for Kobe last night in the Lakers' 128-107 drubbing of Phoenix in game one of the Western Conference Finals. The mid range game, buzzer beaters at the end of quarters while falling out of bounds, breakaway dunks and the three-ball; everything was on point for Bryant. It was almost like he took his bag of tricks and dumped it all over the Suns. Kobe looked like he was on a mission last night: Forty points in 35 minutes on 56 percent from the floor, including a career-playoff best 21 points in the third quarter. The 40-pointer was Kobe's 11th such game in the playoffs. Only five players in history have more 40-point playoff games.

Last night marked Bryant's 6th straight 30-point game this postseason. That's the most since an in-his-prime Shaquille O'Neal had seven in 2003. Phoenix had - and has - no answer for No. 24. Sure, Jason Richardson and Grant Hill have the size to contend with Kobe, but his skillset, and frame of mind at this time of year, make Bryant virtually unstoppable.

Kobe's body language last night was phenomenal, as well. He had a swagger I hadn't seen since the Finals last season - when Kobe won his fourth ring. If I had to bet my life on it, I'd say Bryant is on his way to his fifth championship. His numbers, and intensity, have gone up with each playoff series. After scoring only 23.5 points/game on 40 percent in the first round against Oklahoma City (where he was hounded by young, long, athletic defenders), Bryant has averaged 33.6 points on 53 percent shooting to go along with 4 boards and almost 6 assists/game.

I told a friend a few weeks ago that Oklahoma City series may wind up being the toughest for L.A. this postseason - similar to the Lakers seven-game second-round series with Houston last spring.

The playoffs are all about match ups. And as far as guarding Kobe goes, the Thunder had the most pieces to slow him down. OKC also had the size to contend with Laker bigs Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom. Since that first-round series, Laker post players have put in 41.4 points and 32 boards a night. Those numbers are slightly higher than the 37 and 28, respectively they chipped in with in the first round. Utah wasn't able to slow L.A. down, as the Jazz went down, 4-0. Phoenix doesn't have the look of a squad that can deter the Lakers' run, either.

If the Lakers can keep this up, they could cruise to the franchise's 16th title. A fifth championship could also secure Kobe's place as one of the seven greatest players of all time.

It would also put Kobe up, 2-0, in an award category I'm sure James would be envious of: NBA Finals MVP awards.

The Magic have been one of the most consistent teams in the NBA, while the Lakers started hot, finished cold and battled injuries to key players all season long.

But I think L.A. has enough talent to run through the West, while Orlando should navigate its way back to the Finals.

When the teams match up again, marking just the second NBA Finals rematch since 1998, I expect the Lakers to claim title 16, which would give Kobe Bryant 5 rings and allow him to stake his claim as one of the seven best players in the history of the NBA.

2010 NBA Playoff Predictions

First round

East
Cleveland over Chicago in 5
Orlando over Charlotte in 4
Atlanta over Milwaukee in 4
Boston over Miami in 6

West
LAL over OKC in 5
Dallas over SAS in 6
Phoenix over Portland in 4
Denver over Utah in 7

Second Round

East
Cleveland over Boston in 6
Orlando over Atlanta in 5

West
LAL over Denver in 6
Dallas over Phoenix in 6

Conf. Finals

East
Orlando over Cleveland in 6

West
LAL over Dallas in 7

NBA Finals
LAL over Orlando in 7

There's a really easy way to determine the Most Valuable Player in the NBA each season.

Take a great player from his team and determine where that team would finish in the standings without him.

For example, if you take Kobe Bryant away from the Lakers, Los Angeles would still make the playoffs. But if you take LeBron James from the Cavaliers, Cleveland's roster is as strong as Michelle Pfeiffer's eggs in "Scarface."

The Cavs would be awful without LeBron. That's why he's my 2010 NBA MVP. Too bad he won't be around to challenge for Finals MVP, though.

2010 NBA Award Winners

MVP
LeBron James - Averaged a 28, 8, 8 for the past three seasons
2. Kevin Durant
3. Dwight Howard

Rookie of the Year
Tyreke Evans - Fourth rookie in history to put up a 20, 5, 5. The others? Oscar Robertson, Michale Jordan, James
2. Stephen Curry
3. Brandon Jennings

Defensive Player of the Year
Dwight Howard - Led the league in rebounds and blocks for the second straight season.
2. LeBron James
3. Thabo Sefolosha

Sixth Man of the Year
Jamal Crawford - Finally found the role he was made to play: gunner off the bench. Put in 18 points/game in 31 minutes/night for the Hawks.
Carl Landry
Manu Ginobili

Most Improved Player
Aaron Brooks - Became Houston's go-to guy in the absence of Yao Ming. Improved his scoring average by more than 8 points/game, too (11.2 to 19.6). Also shot nearly 40 percent from 3.
2. Joakim Noah
3. Andrew Bogut

Coach of the Year
Scott Brooks (OKC) - took one of the two youngest teams in the league to the playoffs a season after it won just 23 games. Oklahoma City won its 50th game of the year last night.
Scott Skiles
Rick Carlisle

All-NBA First Team
Kobe Bryant
Dwyane Wade
LeBron James
Kevin Durant
Dwight Howard

All-NBA Second Team
Deron Williams
Steve Nash
Carmelo Anthony
Chris Bosh
Dirk Nowitzki

All-NBA Third Team
Chauncey Billups
Joe Johnson
Manu Ginobili
Carlos Boozer
Amar'e Stoudemire

All-Defensive Team
Rajon Rondo
Dwyane Wade
Thabo Sefolosha
LeBron James
Dwight Howard

All-Rookie Team
Tyreke Evans
Stephen Curry
Brandon Jennings
Darren Collison
Marcus Thornton

Least Valuable Player
Eddy Curry - made $10 million-plus this season to play in 7 games and average 8.9 minutes/game

Least Valuable Player on a really good team
Derek Fisher - routinely gets torched by quicker guards...and slower ones

Ever since Tiger Woods was in the most newsworthy traffic accident in the history of the world, various rumors have hit the airwaves that Woods has had a number of extramarital affairs.

This is getting bad. And it's most likely gonna get worse.

News this afternoon from TMZ.com had another woman come out and reveal she had an affair that lasted more than two-and-a-half years with Woods. She has admitted she did have an affair with Woods, while the woman who was talked about last week said she did not mess around with Tiger. The newest chick on the side says she has photos and voicemails from Woods. She must be the beacon of class, too, since she appeared on VH1's "Tool Academy."

Apparently Tiger is attracted to walking petri dishes.

It's becoming more and more likely that Elin Woods, Tiger's wife, early Friday morning was chasing Woods out of their Florida home after finding out about these women (that or getting fed up with it after knowing about them for some time), causing him to smash into a fire hydrant near the edge of his driveway. In a statement Woods made on his Web site, Woods said his wife acted "courageously" in helping him out of his Cadillac. Why would she smash out the back window of his SUV when he was in the driver's seat of the vehicle and the airbag hadn't deployed?

It just doesn't add up.

I think she was going Angela Bassett in "Waiting to Exhale" on her husband minus the flames.

Actually, what makes it likely that Woods DID cheat on his wife is the company he keeps: Michael "$160 million divorce" Jordan and Charles "I'm on my way to get the best B.J. Armstrong in the world" Barkley.

This whole situation is gonna get nasty. Tiger is the most recognizable person in the world outside of our president. Not only has this story been a mainstay on ESPN, but it's been the top story on Larry King Live and Campbell Brown this week, as well, along with being featured on every local newscast.

Every news outlet is covering this story. Had he just came out and said something - anything - other than "I'm not talking to police," his family issues would still be just that. But his unwillingness to cooperate with the authorities - in essence, "big timing" the cops, Woods "minor accident" is now mainstream news.

Now police are getting involved. Charges may be filed against Woods and not his wife. Information as to why those charges may be filed hasn't been released yet. I think him saying Elin acted courageously was, in a way, Tiger attempting to keep her from going to jail for domestic abuse. Elin going upside his head with that club is grounds for an arrest. Her being in cuffs would have made things worse, if that's even possible.

I'm not saying what he may have done outside his marriage was right. It's not. What he DID do right, though, was attempt to leave the situation and not strike his wife.

I refuse to go along with what many are saying and say that money makes famous men step out on their wifes. I've known guys who work 3rd shift at Ford's and who stock groceries who have a wife, a girlfriend, a late-night hook-up, etc. It's not the money. I don't know what it is. It's most likely the fact that they think they can get away with it. That's it.

This is gonna put serious strain on the Woods family. If he did cheat on his wife with some of the Real Chance of Love Girls, it's a personal matter between husband and wife. But Tiger is a PUBLIC figure. Everyone from Anderson Cooper to a dude with a YouTube screenname and a camcorder will want to get in on this story.

But Tiger has a sanctuary.

The golf course.

When Kobe Bryant was going through his rape trial in spring 2004, he would fly to Colorado for court, then fly back to L.A. or wherever the Lakers were playing that night and drop 40 on the opposition. That went on through the duration of that trial.

While both are awful, I'm not comparing (possibly) cheating on your wife to being accused of sexual assault, but Tiger and Kobe share that killer instinct and a keen ability to block everything out when it's time to go to work. He may get booed on the course from time to time, but no matter what happens, I expect Tiger to continue to play well on the PGA Tour. He's too much of a competitor to let anything get to him.

Yea, he may blow a gasket on the course from time to time, but he'll continue to play at a high level. Especially when he's so close to Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors. He was able to win the 2006 Open Championship two months after his father, Earl, passed away in 2006.

He has to play well, because if that these reports are true, golf may be the only thing he has come this time next year.