Let The Madness Begin

On Thursday, the four players pictured on the left won't be able to put down their phones for a second without a phone call or text coming through. LeBron's phone will probably explode at 12:01 am on the dot, followed by Bosh's phone, then Wade's, then Stoudemire's, and then maybe Joe Johnson's. Actually, Joe Johnson will probably be sitting by his phone like an 8th grader waiting for his big crush to call him back. That big crush will probably end up being the Knicks who are only calling him because James, Bosh, Wade, and Stoudemire wouldn't sign on to play with Danilo Gallinari and scrubs.

This free agency period has the potential to alter the NBA's landscape more than any other in the league's history. The last time such a huge shift occurred in free agency was when Shaq left Orlando for the Lakers in 1996, and that signing took until 2000 for a championship to be delivered. If the three biggest names of this year's star-studded class–LeBron, Wade, and Bosh–decide to join forces to form the NBA's new big three, there's a good chance they could immediately win a championship together.

So what are the chances of those three teaming up?

Who the fuck knows. Reports are coming out from all over the place about supposed "done deals" already in place. LeBron and Bosh to Chicago, LeBron and Bosh to New York, and the latest rumor of LeBron and Bosh joining Wade in Miami are just a few of the scenarios that have been tossed around. Anyone who acts like they know for sure what's going to go down is probably full of shit. Stephen A. Smith can yell at the top of his lungs that the big three free agents are joining forces in Miami, but I won't believe it until it actually happens. Regardless, it's going to be fun to watch the pieces fall in place.

Heat abuse Knicks 115-93

Dwyane Wade has talked of having to do less this season after putting up otherworldly numbers last season to carry the Heat to 43-39. Tonight, Wade got what he asked for. The Heat shot an astonishing 56% from the floor and 7-15 from deep.

Wade had a relatively "off" game, going 10-22 for 26 points. Despite looking a bit tentative early, Michael Beasley had an inspired effort with 21 points. His offensive repertoire included his typical perimeter jumpers, but he also attacked the rim, still with more finesse than power, though. Jermaine O'Neal looked alive going 10-12 for 22 points and pulling in 12 rebounds. He and Wade played well off of one another, with both picking up assists and easy baskets. It should be noted that 6'9" David Lee was playing center, which makes J.O.'s numbers a bit less impressive. Lee also put up 22 points on several easy putbacks. Chalmers and Dayton's own Daequan Cook also played well with 11 and 15 points respectively. Haslem played his typical reliable game. It was a great shooting night for the Heat, but they'll have to come together more as a team when the shots stop falling and they start playing legit teams. With that said, it was good to see them come out and take New York out with ease.

The Knicks were pretty awful throughout most of the game. Mike D'Antoni looked ready to throw a tantrum, especially after Miami pulled out a big lead. David Lee came just short of a double-double and Danilo Gallinari was three-point happy, hitting 7-13 from deep on 14 shots, but not much else was going for them. Nate Robinson was especially terrible, going 0-8 from the floor, five of those misses from deep.

Here's one of the better plays from the game. After a nice move by Beasley, Wade turned around out of nowhere for the steal off the inbound pass and a crazy 360 layup. Unfortunately, the camera crew cut to Beasley as Wade took it to the hoop.