Cleveland – My personal favorite, A.I. and Lebron could play together in a way that Melo and A.I. never will. Lebron is a much better 3pt shooter and passer than Melo, opening up a lot more scoring opportunities for A.I. (and the rest of the Cavs) that simply don’t exist in Denver. Additionally, if Cleveland had A.I., their offense wouldn’t grind to a halt when Lebron went to the bench. Finally, A.I.’s defensive liabilities won’t be as significant in Cleveland as they are in Denver. Denver would gladly take Delonte West back as their PG of the future, and Cleveland has some attractive expiring contracts. Cleveland throws in a late first round pick and we’ve got enough to make a deal.

The Knicks – Anyone else think that A.I. would thrive in D’Antoni’s system? The Knicks have no use for young bigs David Lee and Renaldo Balkman (who can’t shoot well enough to play for D’Antoni), whereas Denver could put both of these players to good use. Throw in Malik Rose’s expiring contract and Denver walks away from A.I. with salary cap relief and a couple of decent young players to show for their trouble.

Orlando – Playing Jameer Nelson and A.I. in the same backcourt would be rough defensively, but think of the offensive pressure you could put on teams with A.I. driving and dishing to either Dwight Howard or Rashard Lewis. Denver could get back Carlos Arroyo and address their point guard problem, and they might even be able to snag Torkoglu. With Torkoglu gone, Rashard Lewis moves back to SF (where he’s more lethal), and Orlando is just a legit PF away from making a championship run.

Toronto – Surround A.I. with shooters and see what happens – I guarantee he puts the fear of God in opposing defenses. A.I. would pack the fans in every night in Toronto, and adding him would demonstrate to Chris Bosh just how serious Toronto is about winning. Toronto could probably unload TJ Ford on Denver, something they would have to seriously consider. Besides, what’s the down side? This team isn’t going to get much better as currently constructed.

What kind of money does it take to get A.I. under a sign and trade? I’d say $10-12 million a year for three years gets it done. While A.I. stands to make about $21 million next year, his financial future is a little murky after that. First of all, you can figure that whatever team signs A.I. to a 3 year contract in 2009 (the league requires at least a 3 year deal for any veteran) will only guarantee the first year or two. Guaranteeing all three years would be asking a team to pay a 36 year old Iverson, and that doesn’t make much sense. What’s the money for A.I. next year? Could be as high as $8 million for two years, could be as low as the mid-level exception for three. So, his future earnings following next season range from $10 to $18 million. That’s a total of $31 to $39 million, with a substantial amount of risk involved for A.I. if things don’t go his way.

Next, A.I.’s got to evaluate the risk of getting hurt next season. If, God forbid, Iverson suffered a major injury, his career is probably over. Why not play it safe and lock up some more money now? A.I.’s no dummy – he knows as well as anyone just how much he risks injury with his playing style. It’s a testament to his greatness that he hasn’t already suffered a career-ending injury.

The Bottom Line: The smart money is to lock in $30-36 million for the next three years rather than make $21 million next season and hope for the best next summer. A.I.’s people have basically admitted as much, saying that A.I. wants to mimic Vince Carter’s contract renewal last season. Of course, if A.I. wants $10-12 million a year for the next three years, he’s going to need Denver’s help with a sign and trade. There’s no way it happens via free agency.

10. Jermaine O’Neal – Trade rumors have been swirling around Jermaine O’Neal for a couple of years now, but his big contract combined with his injury history usually scares teams away from making a real offer. Still, he can make a difference on most teams in the league, and Indiana is interested in getting younger.

9. The New York Knicks – Until Isiah is fired, there’s always a chance that a NY Knick will be traded. With possibly one or two exceptions, every player on this team is available.

8. Jason Kidd – Even if you disregard the rumors surrounding Kidd’s supposedly “fake” migraine from a couple of weeks ago, he is still likely to be traded. Kidd is an all-star point guard that has a high market value, especially for his age. NJ may want to “get while the gettin’s good” and cash in on Kidd while he’s having a career year. Only his huge contract keeps him from being higher on this list.

7. Ron Artest – If it wasn’t for Artest’s domestic abuse problem back in March, he might have been moved this summer. Despite the possibility that Artest could go off the deep end at any time, he’s a tremendous and desirable talent that’s wasting away in Sacramento. And his contract is so cheap that he can go virtually anywhere…

6. Kwame Brown – Brown’s huge expiring contract is trade bait, and Kobe and Phil Jackson are both expecting the Lakers to make a move that will improve the team. Kwame is the Laker’s most trade-able player, so he’s as good as gone.

5. Jason Williams – Just like the situation in Los Angeles, something has to be done in Miami. Jason Williams has a huge expiring contract that will facilitate just about any trade, and there are more than a few teams looking for a way to reduce salary.

4. Mike Bibby – It’s no secret that Bibby was unhappy in Sacramento last season, and his skill set would be highly valued by a lot of teams looking for a scoring point guard (Cleveland and Miami, among others). Bibby and Artest don’t get along either, making it seem that one of them leaving Sac-Town is a foregone conclusion.

3. Pau Gasol – Chicago desperately needs some inside scoring, and Pau is a back-to-the-basket player that Chicago can probably get for a discount. The ownership in Memphis is trying to sell the team, and they might think that moving Gasol for some younger and less expensive players would make the sale easier. This will be an interesting trade — who will come out ahead? Chicago is desperate, but Memphis has no need for Gasol’s services as they try and structure their team for a sale.

2. Andre Miller – Philly has absolutely nothing to gain by keeping Andre Miller. Granted, the team plays better with him than they will without him, but let’s face it — Philly isn’t going to win anything this season. If they can move Miller for a young player or two and a draft pick/expiring contract, they should pull the trigger. Miller’s a great passer that can run an offense, and Philly will most likely get some solid offers. Just don’t expect Miller to go to Miami (Riley hates pudgy players).

1. The Chicago Bulls – Any one of the Bulls players, and I mean any one of them, are likely to be traded. Chicago has to do something to add a scoring big, and Pau Gasol and Jermaine O’Neal both fit the bill. Which Bulls players are more likely to go? Look for Nocioni and Ben Gordon to leave — they’re the easiest to replace.

But considering how smart Riley is, and his predisposition to Machiavellian behavior, it seems likely that he would interfere in a conference rival’s free-agent negotiations if he thought it would help his team.

Here’s how it happened (or at least how I would have done it if I were Riley):

1) When free agency first opened, I would have gotten Varejao on the phone at midnight and said something like “I really want you on our team, and I’m prepared to step up and do what it takes to make it happen. I think Danny (the Cavs GM) doesn’t understand your value and importance, your cool hair…” etc., whatever it took to make Andy feel like he was the best big in the game and that he was incredibly under-appreciated by his current team. I would also have given young Varejao the impression that I had an “in” with the Cavs, and that I could make a deal happen. Then, I would have told him to have his agent call my staff so we could “work out the details of the sign-and-trade”.

2) I would have spent the first couple of weeks of free agency slowly negotiating a contract with Varejao. I would have taken advantage of Varejao’s agent Dan Fegan, who is notoriously greedy, and let Dan “work me” into a really good contract, saying things like “well, if that’s what it takes to get Andy, then I guess we have to do it” followed up by “let me talk to the owner and make sure he’s ready to do this”. The money I agreed to (say, $12 million a year) would have been so good Varejao’s agent would have to give me time to make it happen. More importantly, as long as Fegan believes my offer is for real, he would drag his feet with other teams, delaying other negotiations for several weeks. The Cavs would be forced to sit back and wait.

3) I would have created a contract offer for Varejao with a lot of incentives and bonuses, making the negotiations especially complex and time consuming to further waste time. Interestingly enough, a complex $52 million 6 year contract “loaded with incentives” was presented to the Cavs as a counter offer in October of this year. Maybe it was a copy of an earlier sign-and-trade contract?

4) When it came time to actually make the sign-and-trade happen, I’d use Varejao’s perceptions of Cavs GM Danny Ferry against him, explaining to Varejao that Ferry was too unreasonable to work with. Then I’d explain that I’m moving on to other opportunities (Mo Williams). However, I’d suggest that Varejao threaten to play in Europe next year (just like I told Mo) as a way to get Cleveland to work with me.

5) I’d check-in regularly with Varejao and continue to express just how valuable I thought he was, and just how poorly Ferry was treating him. After all, I’m Pat Riley, one of the most respected coaches of all time. Why wouldn’t Varejao like hearing from me?

6) When the Cavs – Varejao contract negotiations were sufficiently poisoned, I’d sit back and laugh, knowing that I’d substantially weakened a conference rival. Then, I’d steal some candy from some children or something (just for giggles).

I know my scenario sounds a little out their, but think about it — what smart GM wouldn’t do everything I just described? If you’re an NBA GM, you’re got nothing to lose by trying to poison other teams free-agency negotiations as long as you don’t do it too often — if you did it every year, you’d get a reputation as a game player. Besides, with a foolish young player that thinks he’s the best big in Cleveland and a greedy agent, how hard would it really be?

1) Detroit Pistons – Expect Flip Saunders to improve Detroit’s offense, and look for their bench to rival many teams starting squads.

2) Chicago Bulls – Chicago was this close to making the conference finals last year, and with the expected emergence of Luol Deng, there’s no reason the Bulls can’t get over the hump this year.

3) Boston Celtics – They’ve got the big 3, but they’ll need a season or two to coalesce before they can become the best team in the East.

4) Washington Wizards – They can score as well as any team in the league, and Arenas will be playing for his next contract.

5) Cleveland Cavaliers – When you’re the defending champs, you’ve got a big target on your back. They’ll have to work much harder this year if they want to make it to the finals again.

6) Miami Heat – Any team with Dwayne Wade can make the playoffs, and Shaq’s got enough in the tank to be a force at least one more year.

7) New Jersey Nets – This team has too much talent not to make the playoffs, and could surprise a lot of people if everyone stays healthy.

8 ) New York Knicks – New York gets into the playoffs because of powerful offense, but they’ll get swept in the first round because they have no defense.

I’ve got Chicago winning it all in the East – they’ve got great defense, more than enough talent, depth, and emerging superstars in Hinrich, Deng, and Gordon. In my opinion, it’s Chicago’s conference to lose.

I’m tired of hearing about Lebron. From his recent trip to Hollywood to his new talent management agency, people just can’t stop talking about this guy. Don’t get me wrong — Lebron is an excellent player and a supreme talent, easily one of the top five players in the league. It’s just that Lebron really hasn’t achieved enough to deserve all the hype. In fact, I’d argue Kobe deserves twice the attention that Lebron gets. Here’s why:

1. Kobe is a MUCH better scorer. — If Kobe’s 81 point game isn’t enough for you, consider the following: Mamba averaged 31.6 points per game last year during the regular season, playing an average of 41 minutes. Lebron scored 26.9 pts in about the same amount of time. Kobe is also a better shooter, hitting 34.5% from behind the arc and 87% at the line. Compare that to Lebron’s 3pt shooting at 31.2% and his terrible 70% free throw shooting.

2. Kobe is more reliable in the clutch. — Who would you rather have taking the last shot? Remember all the grief Lebron got about passing the ball to Donyell Marshall in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals? You can bet your #&$ that Kobe would have taken the shot himself. And made it.

3. Kobe plays against much tougher competition. — The Cavs got a dose of reality when they got swept by the Spurs in the NBA championship. The fact is the Eastern Conference is much weaker than the Western Conference, and Kobe plays tougher opponents night in and night out than Lebron does. Not only is Kobe in a tougher conference, but he also has to deal with the best defenders in the league in Bruce Bowen, Shane Battier, and Raja Bell. Lebron’s toughest defender is Eric Snow at practice.

4. Kobe works harder during the off season. — Remember what they used to say about James Brown? “The hardest working man in show business.” That’s the deal with Kobe. Since he spent his first NBA season on the bench, Kobe has constantly improved his game. Just this week, Kobe was in the gym after hours working on his game. Kobe doesn’t just work harder than Lebron, he works harder than anyone.

5. Kobe is a proven champion. — Say what you will about Kobe’s 3 championship rings, but the bottom line is Kobe has 3 and Lebron has none.

6. Kobe is a better defender. — Kobe can play lock-down defense that rivals anyone in the league. Lebron’s idea of defense is making sure to stay out the way so he doesn’t get posterized. Kobe’s been on 6 NBA All-Defensive teams. Lebron? Not so much.

7. Kobe is a more complete player. — Lebron’s game is full of holes — poor jump shot, poor free throw shooting, poor defense. Kobe is as close to perfect as a human (maybe superhuman) can be. There isn’t one thing that happens on a basketball court that Kobe can’t do to perfection. Don’t believe it? Check out what hall of fame’r Rick Barry had to say about Lebron’s game.

What do you think? Is Kobe twice the player that Lebron is?