SB Nation Tampa Bay: All Posts by Ryan Michaels

Joe Philbin Making The Dolphins His Own

2012-08-28T12:00:42Z

Every time a new football coach comes waltzing into town -- not just this one, but any town -- he is going to make some changes. The new coach inherits players from the old coach or regime, and they don't always fit in with the new coach's goals.

Joe Philbin, entering his first year with the Miami Dolphins, is no exception. Since his arrival, Philbin has rid himself of last year's Pro Bowl MVP (Brandon Marshall), a key receiver picked up this offseason (Chad Johnson) and a former first-round draft pick who also happened to be the best cornerback on the team last year (Vontae Davis).

These moves have puzzled many fans over the past several months. First, Marshall, the best Dolphins wide receiver never to have lined up next to Dan Marino, was traded to the Chicago Bears for a pair of third-round picks.

Next, Johnson was cut following his arrest for allegedly head-butting his wife during an argument. The series of debated moves culminated in Sunday's trade of Davis to the Indianapolis Colts. It appears that Philbin is gutting the team of its most talented players at the positions of greatest need.

He is. But why?

It's simple: Philbin wants to mold this team with players committed to his vision of how the football team, and the organization, should be run. His changes aren't based simply on whether a player fits into his scheme. He wants professionals who will represent the Dolphins -- and Philbin -- in a way that makes him proud. Parcells may not have cared as much about a player's character, but Philbin is not like Parcells (this may not be a bad thing, given Parcells' track record over the course of the past decade).

When you look at the high-caliber players who have been shown the door, each had character issues. Marshall had borderline personality disorder and was involved in an alleged nightclub altercation shortly before he was traded, and has had other run-ins with the law. Johnson, as previously mentioned, allegedly head-butted his wife and previously drew Philbin's ire with a profanity-laced meeting with local reporters. Davis was suspended for one game last season after showing up for practice with alcohol on his breath, arrived at training camp out of shape, and lost his starting job to newcomer Richard Marshall.

These are not the kind of players that someone like Philbin wants around. He spent the past nine seasons working his way up the Green Bay Packers organization. Before that, he served as the offensive line coach at University of Iowa. Prior to that, he spent time at collegiate powerhouses like Harvard, Northeastern and Ohio University.

That last part was sarcasm. The reason I don't think Philbin wants these kinds of players on his team is that Philbin has spent his entire life working to get to this point. He never coached at a major collegiate program and had to wait years before getting his big break to join an NFL staff. Even then, he had to work his way up the ladder. Nothing was handed to him. A man like Philbin takes his job seriously and realizes the level of professionalism it takes to succeed. He wants his players to realize that, too.

One thing has been made clear so far: if you don't realize it, you're going to be working elsewhere.

And that's just the way Philbin wants it.

Poll

What do you think of the moves Philbin has made so far?

Love them- he has the team headed in the right direction

22 votes

They're ok- some good, some bad

13 votes

Hate them- What is he thinking?

9 votes

44 votes | Poll has closed

2012 Miami Dolphins Training Camp Preview

2012-07-26T12:00:14Z

A lot has changed for the Miami Dolphins since they defeated the New York Jets on New Year's Day to conclude the 2011 season. The Dolphins hired a new coaching staff, drafted their quarterback of the future, traded their Pro Bowl wide receiver, and drafted a few high-upside players. But for all the change, some things have remained just the way they were at the end of last season. Despite the best efforts of some enthusiastic fans, Jeff Ireland remains the General Manager. The Dolphins still have a hard time attracting proven talent to the team. The incoming coaching staff has veteran coaches in place as coordinators, but is led by a rookie head coach.

There are a lot of storylines for fans to watch during training camp, preseason, and even carrying over into the regular season. Here are some of the things worth following:

New Schemes on Offense and Defense

Out are interim head coach Todd Bowles, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. In are new head coach Joe Philbin, the former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator, new offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, recently the head coach at Texas A&M and also the former head coach of the Packers, and new defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle, who spent the past nine seasons as the defensive backs coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Let's start with defense. The new coaching staff told the public earlier in the offseason that the Dolphins would continue to operate a 3-4 hybrid defense. However, Coyle comes from a scheme that operated mostly out of a 4-3 formation and early indications point to the 4-3 being the base defense of the Dolphins. The biggest adjustments fall on the linebackers. Cameron Wake will move to defensive end while Karlos Dansby, Kevin Burnett, and Koa Misi will have to adjust to new coverage schemes.

On offense, the Dolphins are implementing a West Coast Offense. The West Coast Offense, and variations of it, calls for more pass plays than Tony Sparano's favored run-first scheme. The offense's effectiveness is based on timing between the quarterback and wide receivers and spreading the ball around. This is why Brandon Marshall was traded. There is no "number one" receiver in the new offense.

How quickly each unit adjusts to the new schemes will impact the Dolphins' early season record. As each unit becomes more comfortable, the coaching staff will be able to introduce more complexities into the schemes and make the team more difficult to scout. Until that point, the schemes are going to be basic and their effectiveness will be limited. By the time preseason rolls around, the units should be making greater strides as the players who best fit the schemes are identified. Until that point, there could be much shuffling on the depth chart.

The Quarterback Battle

The Dolphins selected quarterback Ryan Tannehill with the 8^th pick in the 2012 draft, and I still like his chances to start for the team in 2013 or 2014. The only way he sees the field this season will be injuries to the other quarterbacks or mop-up duty late in the season if the Dolphins have been eliminated from playoff contention. While he acclimates himself to the speed of the game, Matt Moore and David Garrard will battle for the starting job. Early reports have Garrard in the lead for the starting job, but Moore showed what he is capable of last season. Still, that was the old coaching staff and he will have to prove his value to the new staff. Garrard missed all of last season after being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars and had back surgery, so his health is worth monitoring.

Wide Receiver Depth Chart

Pro Bowl MVP Marshall was traded to the Chicago Bears early in the offseason, leaving the Dolphins thin at wide receiver. Ireland was expected to draft a wide receiver as early as the second or third round by fans and NFL observers alike, but waited until the sixth round to select the first of two drafted receivers. As it stands, there are only four receivers on the roster with substantial NFL experience. All of them carry question marks heading into training camp.

Brian Hartline has been productive when the ball has been thrown his way, but can he maintain that level of production in the new system? Davone Bess was one of the better slot receivers during his first two years in the league, but can he avoid the injury bug that weighed him down last year? Chad Ochocinco (soon to be "Johnson" again) used to be a Pro Bowler, but disappeared last year as a member of the New England Patriots. Can the Miami native, at 34, become a productive player again? Legedu Naanee has 21 career starts on his resume, but mostly as an injury fill-in or lack of an alternative. He's big (6'2" 220 lbs.), fast (4.41 40-yard dash at the 2007 Combine), strong (19 bench reps at 225 lbs. at the 2007 Combine), and has explosive power (40" vertical jump at the 2007 Combine, highest among wide receivers). Still, why he have only 107 career catches for 1,213 yards in five seasons? Will his physical tools ever translate into on-field production?

Only six wide receivers will make the team, and two of those spots will go to Hartline and Bess. Ochocinco will probably get another. That leaves three spots between Naanee, Clyde Gates, Marlon Moore, Roberto Wallace, Julius Pruitt, Chris Hogan, and three rookies - B.J. Cunningham, Rishard Mathews, and Jeff Fuller. Nine guys competing for three spots will ensure a spirited battle, but at least three still need to prove they belong on an NFL roster.

Defensive Line Rotation

The defensive line has arguably been the team's strongest unit for the past few seasons. Paul Soliai and Randy Starks grew into Pro Bowlers while Kendall Langford, now with the St. Louis Rams, solidified the starting line. However, the Dolphins usually had only three players on the line, enabling the team to rotate talented players throughout games to keep the line fresh. Jared Odrick had six sacks, in what was essentially his rookie season, as an end in the 3-4. He also introduced the best sack dance this side of the Playhouse.

This year, in addition to Wake's transition to the line, the Dolphins will count on a larger contribution from Tony McDaniel. Olivier Vernon was drafted out of the University of Miami to provide a pass rushing presence, but is considered raw. Ryan Baker has alternated between NFL unemployment and grasping onto the 53^rd spot on the roster, so he shouldn't be count on. All that leaves are five rookies not named Olivier Vernon. If the defensive line is to remain strong, two players will have to step up and perform at least as well as Tony McDaniel has the past few seasons.

Players in Their Contract Year

Five players who have played key roles on the Dolphins recently have their contracts expiring at the end of the season. Players in their contract years typically focus more and play to the best of their abilities to get as much guaranteed money as possible in the next contract. Keep an eye on Jake Long, Reggie Bush, Sean Smith, Starks, and Hartline as they adjust to a new system in their contract year. They will have no choice but to acclimate quickly, or else risk their paychecks for 2013 and beyond.

Jake Long's Health

Speaking of Long, his contract situation is currently the messiest in Miami. When healthy, Long is a premier left tackle in the league. However, his health has been in question for the past couple of seasons and he will demand an enormous salary when his current deal runs out. If he has difficulty staying healthy this season, the Dolphins could end up severing ties with the number one overall pick of the 2008 draft. Today's NFL doesn't require an elite left tackle and the Dolphins could decide allocating the resources Long would consume would be better served by improving multiple positions.

Development of the 2011 and 2012 Rookie Classes

This will be the first time both classes have had OTA's, training camp, and a full preseason. Even though the lockout robbed the 2011 class of precious development time, four players made varying levels of contribution at different points during the season. Center Mike Pouncey started all 16 games last year, and is expected to eventually play at a Pro Bowl level, but his growth isn't a huge concern. Daniel Thomas showed flashes of ability, but spent most of the season injured. If he stays healthy, the Dolphins can have a dynamic backfield. Charles Clay came on late last season as a converted tight end after playing fullback in college and will challenge incumbent starter Anthony Fasano for the starting job. Coyle is trying Jimmy Wilson out as a safety, his position in college, after former defensive coordinator Mike Nolan played him at cornerback last season. Wilson made is presence known during last year's training camp and could be an impact player in the near future. Gates is in the mix to make the final roster, but needs to show marked improvement. His speed could keep him on the team.

The 2012 rookie class offers a mix of projects and league-ready talent. The Dolphins need at least two of their draftees to be able to contribute immediately, and one of those guys has to be Vernon. The defensive end may be inexperienced, but he is also a great athlete. If he becomes a regular part of a defensive line rotation that already features three Pro Bowlers, the Dolphins will be in a better position up front in case Wake or Odrick go down with an injury.

Two other rookies that the Dolphins hope will see the field early are right tackle Jonathan Martin and running back Lamar Miller. Martin was drafted to shore up the right side of the offensive line, but didn't excel at OTA's. He has time, but if he doesn't step up, the Dolphins will look awfully thin at right tackle. Miller ran the fastest 40-yard dash at the Combine this year at 4.40 seconds. That was .05 seconds faster than former Oregon star LaMichael James. His homerun ability is obvious, but the Dolphins will only need him to step if Reggie Bush is sidelined with an injury.

The rookie wide receiver battle between Cunningham, Mathews, and Fuller won't make many headlines, but one of them could emerge as the team's third or fourth receiver by the end of the season. Fuller signed as an undrafted free agent, but played for Sherman at Texas A&M.

Michael Egnew struggled to block as a tight end, and will probably start the season at the end of the depth chart, but has a chance to become a good pass-catcher who can stretch the seams. Josh Kaddu is a bit undersized and will be fighting Gary Guyton, Jamaal Westerman, and Austin Spitler for the last linebacker spots on the depth chart.

The Dolphins on ‘Hard Knocks'

They may not be America's team yet, but I am looking forward to the inside access HBO's ‘Hard Knocks' provides for fans. Many fans across the nation weren't thrilled with HBO selecting the Dolphins, and owner Stephen Ross may be doing it to repair the team's image, but Dolphins fans will be able to witness some of the inner workings of the organization. We may already have Johnson providing sound bites, but is there any way we can lure Channing Crowder back, just for a month or so?

As you can see, there is no shortage of storylines for the Dolphins heading into training camp. The season is still a month and half from beginning, and so much about this team is still unknown, but one thing is certain: the next month and a half will be fun to watch.

To see my thoughts on the Dolphins' regular season schedule, click here.

The Dolphins are in a good spot to meet all of my New Year's resolutions for the team.

Poll

Which storyline interests you the most?

New offensive and defensive schemes

14 votes

Quarterback battle

16 votes

Wide receiver depth chart

9 votes

Defensive line rotation

0 votes

Players in their contract year

0 votes

Jake Long's health

2 votes

Development of the 2011 and 2012 rookie classes

7 votes

Dolphins on 'Hard Knocks'

8 votes

Other

2 votes

58 votes | Poll has closed

LeBron James Fulfills Destiny As NBA Champion

2012-06-22T12:01:01Z

On February 18, 2002, a high school basketball phenom from Ohio graced the cover of Sports Illustrated with the words ‘The Chosen One' printed in big, bold letters.

And on June 21, 2012, The Chosen One finally realized the expectations bestowed upon him by coaches, fans, media, players, front office executives, marketing executives, and anybody else that could possibly profit off of his success.

His hometown team picked him first overall. He has been selected to eight All-Start teams in his nine seasons in the league. Six times he was recognized as a member of the All-NBA First Team, including the past five straight years. He honed his game enough to be named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team each of the past four years. The league has named him the NBA MVP three times, including this season. Now, he has won the award that, until now, eluded him -- the award that has mattered the most: the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.

What's more, he didn't do it riding the coattails of his teammates, as one writer asserted he would. He dominated when his team needed him the most. Down two games to one in the second round of the playoffs, The Chosen One scored 40 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, and added 9 assists for good measure. The Miami Heat never looked back. Facing elimination on the road in the Eastern Conference Finals, The Chosen One scored 45 points, collected 15 rebounds, and dished 5 assists to his teammates. After losing the opening game of the NBA Finals on the road, The Chosen One came back the next game to score 32 points, which included making all 12 of his free throws in a game the Heat won by four points. In the title-clinching game, we were all witnesses to a triple double: 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. To the surprise of nobody who watched more than ten minutes of this series, he was named the MVP of the NBA Finals.

The man cursed with impossibly high expectations has finally met them. One of the most decorated players in history finally reached the peak of his profession, and he did it with the second half of his career still in front of him. There's room for even more All-Star games, more MVPs, more championships.

So is the sky the limit for The Chosen One? Right now, the sky is his view. Coaching legend Red Auerbach once said "The first one (championship) is always the hardest, and it's also the most satisfying" (via NBA.com). He will never feel this way again, and he deserves to bask in all of this moment's glory. He can worry about his future, his legacy, and future championships when training camp opens.

Until then, his fans and critics can also sit back and marvel at this incredible playoff run. If he isn't considered one already, he will one day be considered an all-time great, and he just turned in one of the better performances the NBA has ever seen.

So today, I send my congratulations to The Chosen One.

You earned it.

Poll

After winning his first title, where do you currently rank LeBron James among the all-time greatest NBA players (not where you think he will end up)?

Top 5 -- Whoever played before LeBron doesn't matter

3 votes

Top 10 -- The generational talent finally produced results

2 votes

Top 25 -- Will get closer to Top 10 status in a few years

2 votes

Top 50 -- I count total stats, not average stats

0 votes

7 votes | Poll has closed

The Mountain Climb

2012-06-08T21:56:38Z

Well, then.

It appears that my editorial on LeBron James caused a bit of a stir today.

If you are reading this, you have probably read the article that started this whole mess and my colleague's response. If you haven't, I suggest you click on the links and read them so you can have context for this little debate.

When I wrote that I was sitting on my couch and watching Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, I wasn't lying. I looked at the clock and there really was 9:31 left in the third quarter and the Miami Heat really were up by 15 points. Remember when Kevin Garnett drew the technical foul? I do. So we were all watching the same game.

Since we were all watching the same game, we all saw James methodically pick apart the Boston Celtics in the first half, en route to 30 points in that first half, a Heat franchise record for a playoff game. He would end up with 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists. When was the last time that combination (45+ points, 15+ rebounds, 5+ assists) occurred? 1964. 48 years ago. That's more than two decades before I was born and began learning how to anger large amounts of people at once. Since everyone was watching that game, everyone, including myself, can appreciate the greatness we saw.

If you would like to read more about James' historic performance, click here. But after you do that you should also read this. And this. And finally, this.

See what I did there? In case you didn't click on the links, here's what you missed: I started out by giving you an article published early this morning about James' historic performance in Game 6. It is a good article by Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski, a writer whose work I enjoy reading. But then, I followed it up with three other articles in the form of game recaps, which all paint the same picture that Wojnarowski's article does. And that is James as an unstoppable force who is putting his team on his shoulders on the way to championship glory.

What's the common thread between the other three articles, published in 2007, 2009, and 2010?

You know. You might have trouble admitting it to yourself, but you know.

The common thread is James' team fell short of the title and twice fell short of making the NBA Finals.

For all of the otherworldly performances, all of the MVPs, all of the awe and adulation bestowed upon King James, he hasn't been able to reach the top of the mountain. And that is the goal. In a sport where one superstar can single-handedly affect a team, a game, and a series, he has yet to deliver. He has shown his dominant abilities in games and can capture our attention unlike any other basketball player alive, but that doesn't negate the fact that he has failed in his ultimate goal.

My criticism of James doesn't mean that I am not a Heat fan. In fact, I criticize because I am a Heat fan; because, I actually want to see the five, six, seven rings that were talked about during the Big 3's introductory celebration. Being a fan of a team doesn't have to mean blindly following whatever direction the team is headed and buying into what is sold to the fans by the front office or the media. Being a fan can mean critiquing your team and honestly evaluating its direction and chances of success, because you want the team to succeed. That is what I did by focusing in on the player expected to lead us to those championships.

I don't want to focus too much on the "respect tap." I have already spent enough words talking about it. However, I would like to briefly address a point made by colleague, Daniel. It is precisely that the act was "in the heat of the moment" which bothers me. It's the subconscious lapse in concentration, recognizing an opponent's feats, when he needs to be focused on winning for the entire game. If he had done it in a calculating method - if James had tapped Rajon Rondo and stared him down - I would have actually respected that, because that means he was trying to get in his head. He would be trying to intimidate the player who has so far been the alpha dog of the series, because it is James, the most talented player on the planet, who should be - or at least want to be - the alpha dog on the court at all times. But alas, it is something that James cannot control. He wants to be everybody's friend.

So it makes no difference to me that James is not mired in some statistical slump. Like Daniel has illustrated, James has performed great during the playoffs and, except for a declining free throw percentage, has improved his numbers as he's gotten deeper into the playoffs. What's more, he just won his third NBA MVP trophy. And yes, he deserves to keep his Olympic gold medal.

This idea of "clutch" and what it constitutes and how it is perceived has been debated since Bill James came along and introduced sabermetrics, a method of evaluating a player using quantitative and not qualitative (such as "clutch") data to baseball. These advanced statistics have since spread to other sports for measuring the worth and success of a player (for basketball, John Hollinger's PER system may be the most recognizable one to fans). I usually count myself among those who believe these metrics have allowed fans to better evaluate players. But I do believe there is such a thing as clutch. It can be crudely measured using the same statistics we rely on in all other game situations and applied to higher-pressured scenarios (baseball example: batting average with runners in scoring, two outs, team either leading or trailing by one run; basketball example: PER inside of two minutes of the end of regulation with the team either leading or trailing by less than four points, etc.). And these kinds of measurements can be created for any situation in any sport. But what makes this idea of "clutch" so hard to measure is that it is innate in a person. It is in their brain, it cannot be accurately measured. Of course, it is also open to interpretation.

What I saw from James in Game 6 can and should be considered clutch. Facing elimination, he played an incredible game and lifted his team to victory. But like I said in my original article, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that the Heat won last night and if they win tomorrow night, and James is the deciding factor, that probably won't change my mind either.

The goal, as stated earlier, is to climb to the top of the mountain. He has gotten his team near the top of the mountain. He has gotten them so close that they can smell the top of the mountain. But it doesn't necessarily take a "clutch" performance or "clutch" gene to get to the top of the mountain. It takes a certain "nerve" gene to get there. And that is what James is missing. Not the "clutch" gene, but the nerve gene. Michael Jordan had it. Kobe Bryant has it. Dwyane Wade has it.

Like any good sabermetrics fan, I look at the data and evaluate. And nothing I have seen from James in his two years with the Heat, or in his career, leads me to believe he has the nerve to lead his team to the top of the mountain.

Against whatever my heart tells me, I have to trust my brain on this one.

I just hope that I'm wrong and Daniel is rightt.

LeBron James Is Not A Championship Player

2012-06-08T12:01:01Z

As I sit on my couch watching the sixth game of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Miami Heat are leading the Boston Celtics 59-44 with 9:31 left in the third quarter. Kevin Garnett just scored and threw the ball into Shane Battier, drawing a technical foul.

But this isn't about the game.

By the time you read this, the game will be over. It will be the next day. The Heat could win and force Game 7 in Miami on Saturday, or they could lose this game and go into the second offseason after the Big 3 era begun, still without a championship to show for all of the hype. The outcome of Game 6 doesn't matter. Only one thing does.

LeBron James will never lead the Heat to a championship.

I'm sorry; it does pain me to say it. There is a litany of articles you can read that will say, in essence, James will never realize his true place in history until he wins a championship. That he can never measure up to the greats like until he is able to secure that championship title. Some will declare that when talking about a player of James' caliber, a championship ring is inevitable.

But have you ever considered the possibility that it may never happen for James?

Consider this: James had an incredible first half in Game 6. He scored 30 points on 12-14 shooting from the field. Incredible doesn't adequately describe his first half. It was absolutely dominant. He was making tremendous shots and by the end of the second quarter, began attacking the rim and getting Celtics players in foul trouble. The camera panned on James' face, which showed an intensity and focus unlike anything Heat fans have ever seen from him.

And then, he did the inexplicable.

He gave Celtics PG Rajon Rondo what announcer Mike Breen described as a "respect tap."

Nobody saw it live, because ESPN was showing a replay. But their cameras caught the tap and aired the footage during a break in action. Sure enough, as James was lining up for a free throw, Rondo walked by and James reached out and gave him a tap. Rondo shot him a quizzical look, wondering why James was acknowledging him when he should be concentrating on hitting his free throws.

I wondered that as well.

And I'm sure that Rondo and I weren't the only two people in the world wondering why James tapped him.

In fact, there was at least a third person who wondered, and that person was Breen's announcing partner, Jeff Van Gundy.

You see, before Van Gundy was an ESPN announcer and better known as Stan Van Gundy's brother, he was the head coach of the New York Knicks in the years following Pat Riley's tenure there. During Van Gundy's years as the Knicks head coach and Riley's early years as the Heat head coach, the two teams met a few times in the playoffs. These games weren't just physical; they were organized and sanctioned melees. If you are old enough, you remember Jeff Van Gundy hanging onto Alonzo Mourning's leg in the middle of one of the many scuffles.

Van Gundy certainly remembers it. And he remembered it when he criticized the fact that teams are so openly friendly with each other when they should consider each other enemies, at least for 48 minutes. At no point do I remember Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, or Allan Houston reaching out to give Mourning, Tim Hardaway, or Dan Majerle a "respect tap." Why? Because they had a singular focus: to win.

James may have thought he was doing the right thing by acknowledging the awesome series that Rondo has had. Make no mistake, Rondo is asserting himself among the NBA's elite this series and for all the respect he gets, he may not get enough. But it is not James' place to recognize this during a playoff game when his team is facing elimination. It isn't his place during any game, but especially this one. Michael Jordan wouldn't have given Rondo, the Heat's Achilles heel, a "respect tap." Neither would Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, or any of the other great champions of this or any era. You know why? Because they are so focused on winning, on leading their team to a title, that they don't have time to compliment the opponent.

Do you know who else wouldn't have done that? Rondo, Kevin Garnett, or any other Celtics player in this series. They have a tunnel-vision focus on winning a championship, on proving all of their critics wrong. Many people have said they are too old, too slow to run with the Heat. Now, they have the Heat on the brink of elimination that nobody thought possible. They also don't care about the Heat or their hype. In Game 4 of this series, Rondo took a shot at the Heat for complaining to referees in transition during his interview at halftime. In Game 2, he scored 44 points, made 16 of his 24 field goal attempts, came up two rebounds shot of a triple double, and almost single-handedly beat the Heat.

And James thought it was appropriate to give him a "respect tap."

This doesn't mean that James or the Heat won't win a championship during his time here. As he has proven tonight, he is a supremely talented player capable of statistical dominance at any point. He may even lead the team in scoring and could still win a game on his own. But if the Heat are to win a championship, it will be up to Dwyane Wade to put this team over the top. He has done it once already and if he wants to win another championship, it will be on his shoulders, because he understands that when the cards are down, there should only be one thing on your mind.

True champions wouldn't have done what James did. I wonder what the Jordans, the Bryants, and the Duncans of the world thought when they saw James' show of "respect."

They probably thought the same thing I did.

James just doesn't have it in him.

Do you disagree with me? SB Nation Tampa Bay writer Daniel Russell does. Read his response to this editorial here.

Poll

If the Miami Heat win an NBA championship with LeBron James on the team, who will be the player who "leads" Miami to the championship?

LeBron James

142 votes

Dwayne Wade

35 votes

Chris Bosh

3 votes

Other

3 votes

183 votes | Poll has closed

SB Nation Tampa Bay 2012 NFL Mock Draft

2012-04-26T12:01:29Z

With the 2012 NFL Draft mere hours away, members of the SB Nation Tampa Bay Staff got together to perform our own mock draft. This mock draft takes a different approach from others you have or will read. That is because it was done in a free-flow format, as if we were all sitting in a room together. You will be able to see not only what was said, but when.

Below you will find the transcript of our time together. The picks we made are the picks we think each team will make during the first round of tonight's NFL Draft.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Do you agree with our selections?