One thing’s for sure, Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge isn’t worried about the Miami Heat.

“We’re the Eastern Conference champions. And we think we’re going to be better next year.” Those were the words uttered by Boston Celtics manager Danny Ainge heading to the 2010 NBA basketball season, a season already proclaiming the trio of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh in Miami the heavy favorites to win it all.

Ainge confirmed that the Boston Celtics have agreements in place with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen that would keep Boston’s Big Three intact for a run at a third NBA Finals stint in four years. Ainge also said he expects to sign free agent center Jermaine O’Neal to fill in while center Kendrick Perkins recovers from knee surgery.

A six-time All-Star, Jermaine O’Neal has averaged 14 points and 7.5 rebounds in a 14-year career for Portland, Indiana, Toronto and Miami. With the Heat last year, he averaged 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 28 minutes. However, O’Neal struggled mightily in the playoffs against the Celtics, averaging just 4.2 points per game in the five-game series.

Remaining on Ainge’s list of potential free agents are re-signing longtime Celtics bench player Tony Allen and midseason acquisition Nate Robinson.

“We’re trying to fill our roster in. Once we get this taken care of the next couple of days, then we’ll start working on the next group of guys,” Ainge said. We like Nate and Tony. I’m sure they’re still looking at the market, too, because the market’s pretty crazy right now. So we’ll be patient and look at other options as well in case they go in another direction.”

“We intend to sign him,” Ainge said. “Our priorities to…”

After he got Zydrunas Ilgauskas to leave Cleveland too and join him in Miami, LeBron might really be fucking with Cleveland now.

And in case you didn’t know, yes, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is the latest former Cavalier to join and follow LeBron James to the Miami Heat. Add him to the list of players that shapes up to be a serious title contender in Miami, joining not only James but Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as we head closer to the 2010 NBA basketball season.

The veteran center, who started playing for Cleveland in 1997 and has never suited up for another NBA team, signed a two-year contract with the Heat to join former Cavaliers teammate LeBron James. The two-year deal would come with a player option for the second season.

The decision Zydrunas Ilgauskas made became known less than a week after James sparked outrage and outcry in Cleveland by going on a made-for-television special and saying he was joining the Heat. His departure won’t generate the same reaction from Clevelanders, but it’ll hurt more the owner of the Cavs Dan Gilbert.

Ilgauskas was a fan favorite for more than a decade, and when he returned to the Cavs after getting traded to the Washington Wizards this past season, a sellout crowd welcomed him with huge signs bearing the letter “Z”—his moniker. Ilgauskas never played for the Wizards, quickly getting bought out and then returning to Cleveland after a 30-day waiting period.

Playing with James again was a major factor in Ilgauskas’ decision…

And this time, they’re saying he could pair up with Dwyane Wade in, (drum roll please…) New FUCKING Jersey.

In case you didn’t know, both superstars; LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, will become free agents this summer. And there have been many rumors on whether the two should sign with the same team and if such a pairing would thrive.

The reasons against are, by now, well known. Many say that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade want their own team, won’t share the ball, and won’t take less money and/or term on contracts, which is a must for a co-superstar arrangement to happen.

There is, of course, the economy. League revenues have fallen, so the salary cap for 2010-11 will also fall, which means teams will have less to spend on free agents without triggering the luxury tax. And most owners have less disposable income to spend on NBA teams.

Then again, a LeBron James – Dwyane Wade partnership is still a possibility. It could work on the basketball court and balance sheet.

Being ‘The Man is a necessity. Not a choice. Without great teammates, James and Wade must dominate on-court for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat respectively to have any chance at winning. If being ‘The Man’ was what each truly wanted, they’d have maintained the status quo long ago by inking extensions with their current teams.

Two summers ago, James and Wade accepted lesser roles when…

Add one more marquee name to the most anticipated free-agent class in NBA history.

All-Star forward Paul Pierce has notified the Boston Celtics that he will opt out of the final year of his contract, which will make Pierce an unrestricted free agent for the first time. Pierce’s agent has confirmed Pierce will exercise his early termination option in his contract, leaving over $21 million on the table next season while in pursuit of a long-term contract.

Paul Pierce joins Ray Allen as an unrestricted free agent and will attract his fair share of suitors. The most likely scenario results in Pierce returning to Boston, but either way, this decision will have ramifications for the Boston Celtics and the league.

Even if Pierce signs a max contract, the most he can earn in 2010-11 is $20.8 million — but he’s obviously willing to take a pay cut for one season in exchange for long-term security. And by signing this year, Pierce avoids the uncertainty surrounding the next collective bargaining agreement, which is still being negotiated and will take effect next summer. The new CBA will likely include a reduced salary cap, with a slight chance of a hard cap. By opting out, Pierce enables himself to take advantage of the higher salary structure.

Even as Pierce’s athleticism begins to wane with age, he’s still a top-notch player for a Finals-contending team. That, combined with the sheer number of teams with available cap space, will result in Pierce getting offers. The Celtics’ plan consistently has been to retain Pierce and Allen in order to make one more run with this core. But try to conceptualize a Celtics team with Pierce and Allen playing elsewhere. It’s a possibility, no matter how remote.

Pierce just played a pivotal role in helping Boston to…

I guess the two biggest catches of the 2010 free agency will first talk amongst themselves before signing with any NBA team.

You read it, it seems both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, along with some other big free agents, will be talking amongst themselves before signing with any NBA team for the 2010 NBA basketball season.

According to Dwyane Wade, they have been discussing their futures informally for quite some time now, specifically him, LeBron James and Joe Johnson. ”[Free agency] has been three years coming,” Dwyane Wade told the Tribune.

”We’ve discussed it prematurely, at different times. [But] you don’t know what guys are thinking and where they’re going. I think we’ll all sit down, and before one of us makes a decision, all of us will have spoken to each other and [listened to the] thinking.”

”A lot of decisions [will be based on] what other players are willing to do and what other guys want to do. So it’s not just a ‘me’ situation here. We all have to look and see what each other is thinking.”

According to a source, Chris Bosh will also be joining Wade, James and Johnson when they discuss free agency.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh became close after playing together on the U.S. Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal at the Beijing Games. And while…

To tell you quite frankly, there are a number of reasons.

For those of you who don’t know, LeBron James WILL be a free agent once we have a champion crowned in the 2010 NBA Finals. Yep, the self proclaimed king of Akron, Ohio will be testing the free agency market and we expect a lot of teams in the NBA to express their interest.

Of course, the Cleveland Cavaliers would love to still have LeBron James in uniform come October. But the fact of the matter is, James staying in Cleveland is becoming less and less likely.

How come? Well, for starters, the city of Cleveland may not be as appealing to a LeBron James anymore especially when you have cities like New York and Los Angeles willing to pay LeBron top dollar to don their uniforms and play for them instead. (In case you were wondering, yes, the Clippers just joined in on the race to get LBJ.)

Another reason could be James not believing anymore that he can win a title in Cleveland. I mean, we have seen numerous names the Cavaliers got to compliment James but still no hardware to show for. This year, Cleveland surrounded ‘Bron with Antawn Jamison and Shaquille O’Neal and the farthest they got was…

Sorry, I couldn’t resist playing with some diehard Cavs fan’s emotions.

And in case you didn’t get that, NO, he ain’t with the Knicks. Well, not yet anyway. But since he got yet another early vacation after the Celtics eliminated his Cavs from the 2010 NBA playoffs, you can’t help but wonder where will LeBron end up this summer when he becomes a free agent.

Yep, the interesting 2010 summer of LeBron James has officially begun and with the way the Cleveland Cavaliers lost their final three games with LeBron this year, it’s really looking like the king of Akron, Ohio is leaning towards moving on.

Oh and in case you missed LeBron’s final three games with the Cleveland Cavaliers this year, it wasn’t pretty. Up 2-1 in their series with the Boston Celtics, the Cavaliers lost three straight, including that humiliating 32-point loss to the Celtics in Game 5 to set up what turned out to be their final game in this year’s postseason wars.

The Boston Celtics made sure that Game 6 would be LeBron’s final game with the Cavaliers this year alright. Led by Kevin Garnett who got 22 points and 12 rebounds and Rajon Rondo who had 21 points and 12 assists, the Celtics came up with a 16-4 run in the second half to put the Cavs away.

Now, everybody from Cleveland will begin scanning…

Whichever team wins Game 1 will take control of the series.

Although that is not necessarily the case since we saw quite a few Game 1 winners who have eventually lost their respective best of seven affairs in the 2010 NBA playoffs like the Portland Trail Blazers and just recently, the top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, but STILL, winning Game 1 of a seven-game series is STILL huge, especially when you’re up against the Lakers.

On Monday night, the Phoenix Suns will try to take control of the Western Conference Finals by beating the Los Angeles Lakers on their home floor in Game 1. That is, of course, easier said than done since the Lakers are STILL the defending NBA champions and they are STILL a team built to win that very title again but if there’s a team that can dethrone the Lakers, it would have to be the Suns.

The Phoenix Suns are clicking at the right time after a regular season full of doubt. Hell, they came this close from dealing their franchise player, Amar’e Stoudemire before the trading deadline for crying out loud.

Who would’ve thought that Amar’e Stoudemire would still be a Sun playing this deep into the postseason with an opportunity to win the Western Conference and reach the NBA Finals again since Charles Barkley lost to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls back in 1993?

The Pacific Division rivals couldn’t wait to meet each other to play for the Western Conference championship. Both the Lakers and the Suns made quick work of their second round opponents, sweeping the Jazz and the Spurs respectively to face-off against each other in the playoffs again.

However, while the Suns should be the sentimental favorites in…

Game 6 in Boston could very well be the biggest game yet in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In case you haven’t been paying attention to the 2010 NBA playoffs, this year’s league MVP LeBron James and the heavy favorites to win the title, that’s the Cleveland Cavaliers, are on the verge of being sent off to an early summer after the Boston Celtics won Game 5 in Cleveland convincingly, 120-88, to take the 3-2 series lead and give themselves a shot at eliminating the Cavaliers this Thursday night in Boston.

Yep, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in a whole lot of trouble and I can’t even stress how badly these guys NEED to win Game 6 in Boston and force a Game 7 back home in Cleveland. If the Cavs lose this, they can kiss the NBA title goodbye for the second straight year as the odds on favorites to win the title.

To make matters worse, a loss could also mean that LeBron James may have played his last game in Cleveland as a Cleveland Cavalier.

That’s right, we may have seen James playing in Cleveland in a Cavaliers uniform for the last time and if our last picture of LeBron as Cleveland’s king is watching him lose to the Boston Celtics 120-88 after shooting an awful 3-14 from…

This could be the biggest game of the postseason yet.

With the other three seven-game wars in the conference semi-finals ending in 4-0 sweeps, only one series remain in the second round of the 2010 NBA playoffs and that is between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics. And as far as that series is concerned, the Cavaliers and the Celtics are tied at two games apiece heading to the pivotal Game 5 in Cleveland.

You read it, the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers and the winningnest franchise in all of basketball, that being the Boston Celtics, are back in square one after Rajon Rondo came up with a career night in Game 4, posting a massive triple double of 29 points, 13 assist and 18 rebounds, to tie their best of seven second round series to 2-2.

And in case you missed it, Rondo really put on quite a show. I mean, I can understand a point guard getting double figures in assists but 18 rebounds? Jeez… Thanks to Rondo, the Boston Celtics were able to avoid going down 3-1 in this series with Game 5 scheduled back in Cleveland.

It is only understandable for the rest of the Cavaliers to focus on Rajon Rondo more than focusing on Boston’s ‘Big Three’ because quite frankly, those guys haven’t been getting it done like they usually do. And who will the Cavaliers choose to put in front of this surging superstar? That’s easy. LeBron James. Hell, he said…