Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 7-19-16 Online Edition

Sports
LeBron James Won’t Sign
JR Smith ‘Nervous’ About Looming Free Agency Decision
J. R. SMITH
Outside of LeBron, no one enjoyed himself after a cham- pionship more than JR Smith. Following the cham- pionship, Cavs GM David Griffin said that the team wants JR back, even though he opted out of his $5.4 mil- lion player option. But as the summer has dragged on, the sharpshooter hasn’t inked a deal with Cleveland yet.
Smith sat down for an in- terview with ESPN and said that it isn’t a foregone conclu- sion that he will be back with the Cavaliers next season and that he is not looking forward to deciding which team he will end up with.
“I’ve thought about that sit- uation (leaving Cleveland), and I’ve thought about it the other way, too, going back and winning again,” Smith said. “Both are juggled in the air and I’m kind of nervous about that choice when it gets pre- sented to me.”
Branden Dawson Waived By Clippers
BRANDEN DAWSON
The Los Angeles Clippers have waived forward Bran- den Dawson, who played sparingly for them as a rookie last season.
The team announced Sun- day they were cutting ties with the former Michigan State standout, who became expend- able after the Clippers' re- ported acquisition of veteran power forward Brandon Bass, which the team has yet to officially announce.
Dawson appeared in six games with the Clippers, aver- aging 0.8 points and 0.7 re- bounds in 4.8 minutes last season.
He was arrested March 13 in Los Angeles on suspicion of spousal abuse. He was never charged in the case, according to his agent, B.J. Armstrong.
Dawson also spent time in the D-League, playing a total of 29 games for Erie, Bakersfield and Grand Rapids, averaging 10.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
Heat President Pat Riley Still Unsure When Chris Bosh Can Play Again
Until The Cleveland Cavaliers Complete Their Roster
Miami Heat president Pat Riley on Saturday said it is still too early to know when Chris Bosh will be able to return to the team after a re- currence of blood-clotting is- sues kept the 11-time All-Star on the bench for the final 29 games of the season.
"It's a positive environ- ment right now with Chris,'' Riley said Saturday during a news conference to address the team's offseason to this point. "I think his doctors and our doctors are constantly, or moreso now than ever, com- municating. I know what Chris wants. I know he wants to play. And obviously we would be open to that, but this is still a very fluid situa- tion.''
Riley said nothing has been determined and that the
Though James has said he’s staying in Cleveland, there is an inkling of doubt that creeps into the psyches of the NBA fans who know LeBron’s only true desire at this point in his career is be the best NBA player ever.
LeBron, with a $30 mil- lion cap hold, won’t resign anytime soon, according to Cleveland.com’s Chris Haynes, because once he does the Cleveland Cavaliers become a taxpaying team and that will limit the type of talent they can convince to come to the team.
This does not include re- signing J.R. Smith as the Cavaliers own his bird rights. Essentially, by owning his bird rights, the Cleveland Cavaliers can sign him to a maximum deal if they want to. Even if they’re already over the cap.
Moves like what tran- spired Friday night don’t fac- tor in either as Chris “Birdman” Andersen has agreed to sign a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract.
Richard Jefferson was re-signed using the veteran free agent’s non-Bird excep- tion. This exception allows the team to re-sign a player for up to 120 percent of their previous salary for up to four years. It has no effect on the Cavaliers ability to use the taxpayer mid-level excep- tion.Cleveland can sign as many players as they want using the veteran’s mini- mum, even if they’re over the cap.
Ultimately, it’s possible James and Smith won’t re- sign until his team uses the taxpayer mid-level excep- tion. That exception is valued at $3.477 mil.
LeBron James Is Going To Work On His Shooting Form
During the Cleveland Cav- aliers Summer League game against the Minnesota Tim- berwolves on Monday, gen- eral manager David Griffin mentioned that LeBron James will be coached up by Damon Jones in order to improve his three-point shooting.
This should put fear in the hearts of the rest of the
LEBRON JAMES
league, who dare him to shoot because those are his rules, the LeBron Rules. Yet, with improvement from three LeBron gives his team the best chance at repeating as NBA champions. His im- provement from three could also coincide with a new title for LeBron. The league’s premier perimeter player.
Look alive Cleveland. The King has another trick up his sleeve and another level to achieve.
LeBron wants to im- prove his shooting from long- range.
In this effort, LeBron James perhaps should watch his own videos. He often misses because his me- chanics are inconsistent and his balance is nonexistent. He has the strength, he looks like he has the touch. Yet, with LeBron’s ever-changing physique his mechanics may be ever-changing, too.
As LeBron has returned home to The Land, he’s went from hulking behemoth in Miami to a lithe Megatron in 2016. That is to say, he’s still an enormous human being but, he’s built more like a swingman now than a power forward.
The best film for LeBron James to watch to improve his shooting form could be of Jones in the 2007 Three- Point Contest.
Damon Jones was a catch-and-shoot specialist, especially above the break where LeBron likes to take the majority of his threes. Jones was consistent be- cause he bent his knees when he shot, kept a wide base, his shooting motion was com- pact and he kept his entire arm aligned with the rim, shoulder to finger tip, from gather to follow through.
CHRIS BOSH
team could gain clarity on Bosh's health situation in the next few months.
Until then, however, the team is considering its op- tions for Bosh, including a restricted travel schedule and a limited workload.
"It's a sensitive, compli- cated situation," Riley said.
Bosh, who has been work- ing out, still has three seasons and roughly $75 million re- maining on the five-year con- tract he signed in 2014.
Damian Lillard Performs First Rap Concert To Celebrate 26th Birthday
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard celebrated his 26th birthday in style, staging his first full-fledged live concert as his rapper per- sona Dame D.O.L.L.A. in Portland, Oregon, on Friday.
One of the many highlights of the concert at the Crystal Ballroom was having team- mate C.J. McCollum and the New Orleans Pelicans' Tim Frazier join him on- stage for the song "Soldier in the Game."
On Saturday, Lillard retweeted numerous fans who attended the concert. He
DAMIAN LILLARD
also hinted that footage of the show could be part of the re- turn of "License to Lillard," a series of YouTube videos he released during his rookie season that chronicled his journey to the NBA.
Cavs Trade Sasha Kaun To 76ers, Making Room For Chris Andersen
The Cleveland Cavaliers announced Friday that they have traded seldom-used big man Sasha Kaun to the Philadelphia 76ers. The move created room on the roster for Cleveland to sign center Chris Andersen in a sepa- rate deal.
Friday's trade sends Kaun and his $1.3 million guaran- teed salary for 2016-17 to Philadelphia along with cash considerations, with the Cavs receiving the draft rights to Chukwudiebere Madu- abum in return.
The Sixers intend to waive Kaun once the trade is com- pleted. Kaun averaged just 0.9 points and 1.0 rebounds last season as a 31-year-old rookie after spending the be- ginning of his career overseas.
In effect, the Cavs pur- chased some of Philadelphia's cap space in the form of a trade exception, with the Six- ers having the Kaun salary hit mitigated by the cash that Cleveland attached to the
CHRIS ANDERSEN
deal.
Cleveland also agreed to a
one-year, veterans minimum deal with Andersen on Fri- day, according to sources. Andersen, a 6-foot-10 center who turned 38 last week, pre- viously played four seasons in Miami as a teammate of Le- Bron James. Andersen av- eraged 4.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 20 appearances with Memphis last season.
The defending champion Cavs still have their work cut out for them this offseason, with contract extensions for James, J.R. Smith and head coach Tyronn Lue still needing to be hammered out.
PAGE 14 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016