As the theatre and drama of the NBA Free Agency Season unfolds with LeBron James Decision 2. Wholesale Air Max 90 Clearance .0, TSN Radio 1050s hosts of #1On1 with Will & Duane, Will Strickland and Duane Watson incorporate the help of long-suffering Cleveland sports fan and a host of TSN 1050s Game Night and Game Day, Andy McNamara to sort out where the dominoes fall for the rest of the NBA and its prime free agents. What does LeBron Jamess return to Cleveland mean to that city and the league? Strickland: It would seem that Ohios Prodigal Son returning to the place where his professional success began would be a significant part of his career narrative. The legend grows even more so if James is able to unite and sow the seeds of ultimate glory in the game with his new teammates to lead them to a title. LeBron exhibited how he could lord his power over the NBA with this decision and create semi-seismic ripples in leagues landscape. But the deeper, more meaningful aspect of this all is LeBron Raymone James had to leave, grow, learn to understand what may be his greater purpose in life. In his own words: "My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didnt realize that four years ago. I do now." McNamara: For the City of Cleveland LeBrons return means everything. The city nearly shut down on Friday to celebrate. Billboards were raised and t-shirts were released. It means a return to legitimacy, not just in the NBA, but in the North American sports scene. When LeBron left bars, restaurants and tourism suffered. LeBrons letter provides commitment and hope to a struggling region and erases the pain of the last four years. For the NBA LeBrons return provides a phenomenal feel good story and gives hope to an underdog franchise. Its great for the league and freshens up a stale Eastern Conference scene. Watson: It allows James to make a return home, make peace with the City of Cleveland and makes them viable contenders in the Eastern Conference. Its a storybook ending, really, and a chance for James to cement his legacy if he brings a championship to Cleveland. Oh, and more jersey sales for the league as its rumoured he will change his number to 32. In LeBrons open letter to the NBA in Sports Illustrated, he mentions several of his Cleveland teammates, but not Andrew Wiggins. Cause for alarm? Strickland: No. Alarm for whom? Canadian hoops fans who would like to see the four Canucks on that team, especially Wiggins, be integral parts of aiding the Cavaliers in their NBA title quest. Understandable. But, this is a business. And this is a business that requires deft asset management skills, those often lacking in the front office decision making in Cleveland. So, do the Cavs move Andrew Wiggins, an unproven commodity on the finest of hardwood courts in The Association as yet, but with an absolutely meteoric upside for a highly coveted three-time All-Star, 3-point shooting, voracious rebounding Olympic Gold Medalist entering his prime who accelerates your teams championship aspirations? McNamara: I dont believe the exclusions of those names was a secret message or hint of things to come. It was definitely interesting that the #1 overall draft pick was left out though. Maybe LeBron doesnt know Wiggins and mentioned people with whom he was more familiar. Watson: No. Despite his talent, Wiggins is a rookie and still has to prove his worth in the NBA. The balance of power shifted in the Eastern Conference. Who prevails ad why? Strickland: While Cleveland automatically becomes a prohibitive favourite with That Guy on their roster, consider Washingtons impressive showing in the playoffs as well as retaining centre Marcin Gortat in free agency, note that Miamis not completely dead and the Toronto Raptors wont creep up on anyone next season. However, after "meditating it", the Chicago Bulls hold the most intrigue. Pau Gasol may still be the most all-around skilled big on the planet, even at 34. Teamed with 2014 Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah, they could be the best passing bigs in the league. Rookie Doug McDermott, the solid Jimmy Butler & the emerging Taj Gibson all help Coach Tom Thibodeaus plans of Eastern Conference supremacy. A healthy Derrick Rose makes this close to a forgone conclusion. McNamara: As it stands now the East is completely wide open, which makes for real interesting storylines that dont involve who will lose to Miami in the Eastern Conference. As it stands now, the major players have to include Cleveland (obviously), Indiana and Chicago. Free agency moves and trades can alter this of course. Right now I give the nod to the Cavaliers as favorites, but that takes into account a lot of assumptions that include whether Wiggins stays, if Wiggins can step in and contribute day one, how Bennett bounces back, and what trades or signings still take place. Watson: I dont necessarily know if it has shifted, I think it is just far more open and even overall. Every year the Heat were the dominant force to beat and now there isnt an overwhelming favourite. Teams have improved, (Bulls, Cavaliers), while others have are looking to take the next step after last years success (Raptors, Wizards), if some teams can figure it out, they can be dangerous (Pistons, Heat) and some have regressed (Heat, Pacers). The landscape has balanced out and its not as easy to call, with some free agents still unsigned, and moves to be made, its too early to call. Which player won the most this free agency period? Strickland: With spirited nods to the Madison Square Gardener, Carmelo Anthony (five years/$130M), Chris Bosh (five years/ $118M), Gordon Hayward (four years/$63M) and Chandler Parsons (three years/$46M), who all cashed out in dramatic fashion, LeBron James reigns here. The King didnt max out as he could have at two years/$42.1M. But the social/community currency, along with his personal peace of mind, may have the longest lasting impact and value. McNamara: No doubt LeBron. He looks like a superhero returning home and is savior to a city and region. Plus he goes to a team with assets to trade for a proven vet or just grow a stable of young studs. Watson: Chandler Parsons was a second round pick that earned $926,500 this past season with the Houston Rockets. Now the Dallas Mavericks are paying him $12 million a season on a three-year near max contract, talk about a pay day! Hes the Mavs highest player, but hes not the key to taking the Mavericks to the next level. Mark Cuban overpaid to stick it to his cross-state rival. Parsons is good, but not near-max money good. Youre the real MVP Chandler Parsons. Which player lost the most this free agency period? Strickland: Luol Deng, hands down. After dismissing several deals at $10M per year, which he felt were too low considering his stature and value, the oft-injured 29-year-old former All-Star signed a two year/$20M deal to "replace" LeBron James in Miami. More potentially lucrative offers existed with the Rockets, Mavericks, Hawks and Wizards. Negotiation is an art. Deng and his agents seem to be finger painting. And, as hard as it is to call $10 million per year "finger painting", tough to find kinder words for how this all shook out for Deng. McNamara: Chris Bosh. Why, Oh Why would he go back to Miami? There is no possible way he will be seen as anything other than a complete failure if he doesnt lead the Heat back to the Finals. Bosh going to Houston made much more sense since he would get a fresh start and different expectations on him. The only positive for CB about returning to South Beach is the extra year he gets on his contract. Watson: Chris Bosh signed a max contract with the wrong team, electing to sign a five-year $118 million to return to the Miami Heat (sans LeBron James). The Houston Rockets offered the power forward a four-year deal for $88 million to play alongside Dwight Howard and James Harden and stretch the floor and play defence in his home state, but he passed. Now he will have to work twice as hard, with Dwyane Wade on part-time duty and carry the Heat, as James made it easier for everyone on the team. He will effectively have to earn that salary, and bring his level of play back to what he did in Toronto. The Three-Man Weave contributors are co-hosts of TSN Radio 1050s 1-on-1 with Will and Duane, Will Strickland (@WallStrizzle1) and Duane Watson (@byDuaneWatson) and guest Pancakkon King (The second "k" is silent) Andy McNamara (@AndyMc81). Nike Air Max 90 For Sale Cheap . The bout served as the headlining matchup of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva" event, which took place at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. It was Silva who looked well on his way to victory in the early going, delivering a pair of crushing kicks to the body that sent Brown crashing to the floor, doubled over in pain. Discount Air Max 90 . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. http://www.airmax90outletsale.com/ .com) - James Harden needed just seven made field goals to drop 35 points on the Philadelphia 76ers, leading the Houston Rockets to a 104-93 win on Monday.The Rangers take the series lead, again; the Blackhawks blow away the Blues and the Ducks stage a miraculous comeback to oust the Stars. Notes on Couturier, Keith, Seabrook, Miller, Daley, Seguin and more. RANGERS DOUBLE UP FLYERS The New York Rangers got goals from some less likely sources -- including Marc Staal, Dominic Moore and Brian Boyle, into an empty net -- to win Game Five over the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2, givng the Blueshirts a 3-2 series lead. The other Rangers goal-scorer was Brad Richards, and it came off a goal-mouth scramble that netted J.T. Miller and assist. Miller, the 21-year-old who was a first-round pick in 2011, has 10 points in 56 career games with the Rangers, but had 43 points in 41 AHL games this season and joined a line with Richards and Carl Hagelin. New Yorks line of Derek Stepan, Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis controlled play. Aside from setting up Staals game-opening goal, the trio was on for more than 70% of 5-on-5 shot attempts, mostly against the Flyers line of Sean Couturier, Matt Read and Jason Akeson. Couturier and Read are the Flyers forwards playing the most in this series and Couturier hasnt recorded a single point. Yes, hes a responsible checking centre, but its tough to run a forward out for more than 100 minutes in five games and get no points out of that ice-time investment. Inserted into the Flyers lineup for an injured Nicklas Grossman, Hal Gill had a rough game, involved in two Rangers goals against, and it was a hard situation in which to place a guy who had played two games since Christmas. The series heads back to Philadelphia for Game Six and the Flyers have to find a way to generate better results in a hurry. The Blueshirts hold a possession edge and have the better goaltender. BYE BYE BLUES Tied 1-1 going into the third period of Game Six, the Chicago Blackhawks erupted for four goals to pull away from the St. Louis Blues, finishing off the series. Blackhawks D Duncan Keith led the way offensively, tallying a goal and three assists, and with Keith on the ice, the Blackhawks held a 20-13 (60.6%) edge in shot attempts. With Keith off the ice, the 5-on-5 shot attempts favoured St. Louis 32-16 (66.7%). Keiths defence partner, Brent Seabrook, had a couple of assists in his first game back after serving a three-game suspension, and RW Andrew Shaw added a goal and an assist. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was the pace-setter in the series, scoring three goals and seven points, with all of his goals counting as game-winners. Seabrook, who only played in three games due to his suspension, finished the series with six points and Keiths big Game Six gave him seven points for the series as well. For the Blues, there is going to be a lot of reflection because this is a team that expected to last longer than one round in the postseason, but this result shouldnt raise major concerns. They played the Blackhawks very evenly, with four of the six games in the series going to overtime, and had to play two of the games without their No. 1 centre. Considering the late run of injuries that led to the Blues losing six straight to end the regular season, setting up this matchup, its also fair to wonder if the Blues could have fared better with fewer health concerns. The Blues held a >slight possession edge in the series, but got the second-best goaltending results. Chicagos Corey Crawford stopped 201 of 215 shots (.935 SV%) while Blues G Ryan Miller, after getting torched for five goals on 26 shots in the series finale, stopped 166 of 185 (.897 SV%). Could the Blues usee an upgrade or two? Sure, maybe a centre to help Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko, or a premier finisher for the top line that could allow T. Air Max 90 Outlet. J. Oshie or Alexander Steen to slide to the second line. In the end, the Blues were a really good team that played well, but not quite well enough to knock off the defending champs, who are legitimate Cup contenders again this year. There is no shame in losing to this Blackhawks team. The Blackhawks will now wait for the winner of the Colorado-Minnesota series and Chicago will be favoured against either one.. FALLING STARS Just when it looked like the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks would be headed back to Anaheim for Game Seven -- with the Stars holding a 4-2 lead late in the third period -- a goal-mouth scramble resulted in coincidental roughing penalties to Dallas Alex Chiasson and Anaheims Andrew Cogliano. 16 seconds later, Nick Bonino tied the game. Then, with 24 seconds left, Devante Smith-Pelly pounced on a loose puck and buried it for the tying goal. 2:47 into overtime, Bonino scored again, giving the Ducks a dramatic 5-4 win in Game Six, allowing the Ducks to escape with a series victory not so long after it appeared that the series was surely going the distance. Bonino and Smith-Pelly each had a pair of goals for Anaheim, while Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne each delivered a pair of assists. Selanne played 14:08 and had five shots on goal, both marking highs for him in a series that saw him made a healthy scratch. That the Ducks won a series in which they yanked starting goaltender Frederik Andersen twice shows just how back-and-forth it was. Andersen was pulled from Game Six after allowing four goals on 12 shots, leaving him with an .892 save percentage in the series; the kind of play that could leave virtually-exiled veteran Jonas Hiller an opportunity to start at some point in Round Two. Hiller stopped all 12 shots he faced after relieving Andersen. The Stars were led in Game Six, and for good portions of the series, by their top defence tandem of Trevor Daley and Alex Goligoski. Daley had two goals and an assist Sunday, while Goligoski added two assists. They combined for nine points in the series and were both on for more than 58% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts when they were on the ice. Stars C Cody Eakin had a goal and an assist in the deciding game, giving him five points for the series; tied with Daley, LW Jamie Benn and C Shawn Horcoff for the team scoring lead. Stars C Tyler Seguin could have used some more reward for what was relatively impressive play. He was on the ice for 61.8% of 5-on-5 shot attempts and had 29 shots on goal in six games, yet mustered one goal and three points. There was a real opportunity for the Stars to take this series, but needed a more decisive advantage in goal, particularly with Andersen running hot and cold. In the Dallas net, Kari Lehtonen stopped 146 of 165 shots (.885%) and, as it turns out, that was only a save or two short of what the Stars needed to push this series to the limit. Even though the Stars won the possession battle, they couldnt slow down Anaheims otherwordly 5-on-5, score close shooting percentage (12.7% in Round One). Now, the Ducks wait for the winner of the Sharks and Kings which will, in either case, present a daunting matchup. But, after the way the Ducks won Game Six, let em celebrate a bit first. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '