NBA Insider with Ken Berger

San Antonio – Greetings from San Antonio, where a mean sinus infection has gotten the best of me for the first few days of the Finals. But I’m back, and I have a few things besides mucous rattling around my head. So here goes:

When your head is pounding mercilessly and you can’t breathe, it’s difficult to partake of all the decadent parties and feasts the NBA has lined up for the media. So instead of challenging the world record for barbecue, margarita, and beer consumption, I’ve been stuck in my hotel room a lot. And by virtue of that, I have watched some of the classic NBA Finals games on NBA TV.

Needless to say, Michael Jordan stars in most of these. It’s good to watch footage of MJ in his prime – not the watered down version that last won a title in ’98 or the geriatric Jordan who needlessly came out of retirement. Why? Because such an experience provides real, irrefutable proof that these LeBron James-Jordan comparisons are pure garbage.

LBJ is a fine talent, and will probably win a championship someday. But please – please – stop comparing him to MJ. It’s ridiculous. It’s insulting to the greatest player who ever lived. It betrays the ignorance of anyone who does so. It’s wrong.

Really, if LBJ were that good, people would be watching the NBA Finals on TV. Many are not, but that’s beside the point. LeBron’s game bears no – I repeat, no – resemblance to that of His Airness.

He does not break defenders down one-on-one off the dribble, but uses angles, positioning and strength to gain his advantage. He’s a supreme passer, but so was Michael in his prime. LBJ is a finisher; MJ was a starter and a finisher. LBJ rarely creates his own shot without the help of screens or pick-and-rolls. MJ did things with the basketball that no other human being who ever lived could do. That includes everyone currently alive today, and probably will include all of those yet to be born.

If we must follow through with this exercise of anointing the “Next Jordan,” then I will say this: The only player in the NBA whose game bears a reasonable resemblance to Jordan’s is Kobe Bryant. No one else even deserves to be in the discussion.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, a news item or two: Gilbert Arenas has told The Washington Post that he plans to opt out of his contract after next season. Gil says he doesn’t necessarily want to leave Washington, he just wants to maximize his earnings. Just another reason to love the guy. He’s honest. When it’s about the money, he says so.

It’s too bad for the Knicks, who are still projected to be $25-$30 million over the cap after next season. Even if Isiah Thomas stays the course and doesn’t add more salary, the Knicks still won’t be under the cap until after the 2008-09 season, when Kobe has his opt-out.

Do the Knicks really want to wait that long to make a major move? I don’t think so. That’s why I must point out that I continue to hear that Kobe’s situation in L.A. is no closer to being resolved to his satisfaction. I believe Kobe still wants out – the truth is, he has an official trade request on the table – and the Knicks and Bulls are the teams he is most likely to be dealt to in a sign-and-trade this summer.

The next few weeks will be crucial to deciding whether Bryant stays in L.A. or not. If the answer is no, the Knicks should be and will be ready to make their run at him now rather than wait two more years.

Cleveland – When the Pistons walked into Quicken Loans Arena for shootaround at about 10:45 this morning, they were walking into a predicament they’ve seen – and conquered – many times before.

During their current run of Eastern Conference dominance, which began in 2003, the Pistons are 5-1 when trailing 3-2 in a series and facing elimination in Game 6. Four of those wins have come on the road.

This would explain the confidence – as close to a guarantee as you’ll hear – that Chauncey Billups expressed in the visiting locker room a couple of hours ago.

Billups didn’t go so far as to guarantee that the Pistons would win tonight to force Game 7 back in Auburn Hills. He said something more specific, and even more definitive, about the superstar who torched them with 25 straight points and 29 of Cleveland’s final 30 in the Cavs’ 109-107 double-overtime victory in Game 5 Thursday night.

Memo to LeBron James from the Pistons: You might get your 40 points or so again tonight, but you better be prepared to do it while standing 20 feet or more from the basket – not driving ferociously to the rim for a stunning assortment of dunks and layups, as you did in Game 5

“That’s never happened to us,” Billups said, a Detroit Tigers cap sitting slightly askew on his bald head. “No, that won’t happen again. I won’t say the kid can’t get 40, you know what I’m saying? But he won’t get the 40 like that again. No, no, trust me. Not like that. If he can get 40 with fadeaways and all that, then tip your hat. He won’t get that kind of 40 again.”

It was a bold and stern message to LeBron, and in case Billups wasn’t clear enough, he was basically saying what Isiah Thomas said to Carmelo Anthony back in December: Don’t go to the basket right now … wouldn’t be a good idea.

Cavs coach Mike Brown didn’t need Billups to inform him of this. He already knew.

“They’re going to hit LeBron every time he touches the ball,” Brown said. “Maybe not at the start of the game, but come that fourth quarter for sure, as soon as he touches it, they’re going to run two guys at him. And they’re going to take it out of his hands and make somebody else beat ‘em.”

A while later, I relayed Billups’ boast to the Cavs’ Eric Snow, who didn’t even blink.

“If I was in their position, I would be saying the same thing,” Snow said. “So it doesn’t surprise me. I don’t think they’re disgusted with a guy getting hot or making threes or hitting jump shots. I think what probably disgusts them the most is a guy getting layups and dunks. We would feel the same way, so it doesn’t shock me or surprise me that they feel that way.”

It might shock or surprise the Cavs, however, that Billups and the Pistons aren’t panicking in the least heading into Game 6. In fact, Billups’ spin this morning was that even with all of LeBron’s heroics, Cleveland still needed two overtimes to win Game 5.

“The game I saw the other day was like nothing I’ve ever seen,” Billups said. “And still they needed two overtimes to beat us. The way we’ve played in a few of these games, we should have gotten beat by 17, 18, 19. But they haven’t been able to really pull away like that on us. I think that’s got something to do with us, but it’s probably got something to do with them, too. We’re still in this series and like I said, if we were getting beat by 17, 16, it’s really an uphill battle. But we’re right there.”

Tonight, it sounds like they will be right there in droves whenever LeBron touches the ball. The guys with the mops and towels better be ready to wipe up a lot of sweat from the floor under the basket.

If LeBron James and Mike Brown are still waiting to get a call on the road on the final shot of a playoff game, they are going to be waiting a long time.

They are going to be waiting a lot longer than it will take the experienced, poised, surgically lethal Pistons to send them home for the summer.

Was LeBron fouled by Richard Hamilton when he drove to the basket with seven seconds left in Game 2 Thursday night? Technically, yes. Watch it here to judge for yourself. But I have other problems with what transpired down the stretch and don’t think the Cavs lost because the referees swallowed their whistles.

First of all, the non-call was entirely consistent with how the game was called throughout to that point. Granted, had Hamilton been called for hitting LeBron’s arm, it wouldn’t have been a bailout call because James was entirely under control and still had a good look at the basket. But in a game that close, in a situation that intense and pressure-packed, you cannot rely completely on a middle-aged man in a black-and-white striped shirt to win the game for you.

Which brings me to my second point: Down 1 with 24 seconds left out of a timeout following Rasheed Wallace’s baseline rain-maker over James, why, oh why did the Cavs go for the last shot in a road playoff game? I don’t care if it’s LeBron James or Henry James with the ball in his hands, the correct strategy is to try to get a quick two to extend the game – not risk your entire season on one shot. At least LeBron took the shot after passing to Donyell Marshall at the end of Game 1, but he didn’t get it right this time, either. Quite simply, it shouldn’t have been the last shot.

If LeBron had gone into his move to the basket early in the shot clock, the absolute worst-case scenario would’ve been a missed shot or turnover. In that case, there would’ve been plenty of time to foul and send the Pistons to the line. Even if they made both free throws, Cleveland still would’ve had time to come down with a chance to tie it on a three-pointer and send the game to overtime.

If LeBron had made the shot and/or gotten a whistle earlier in the shot clock, the Cavs could’ve dug in on defense and tried to win the game with a stop. Instead, their inexperience, and the inexperience of their coach, was exposed in a glaring way. LeBron dribbled the clock out at the top of the key and left himself only one option – drive to the basket and hope for the best. The best didn’t happen, and usually doesn’t on the road when it comes to expecting a whistle to win you a playoff game.

My colleague and friend, Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com, obviously disagrees strenuously with my take. He actually writes that Brown should have protested more; I guess stomping onto the court and making a scene that earned him a technical foul wasn’t protest enough.

Brian Windhorst of the Akron Beacon-Journal takes a little more balanced look at how things unraveled down the stretch for the Cavs.

The best thing about all of this: We are watching the growth of LeBron on the big stage in a way that is thrilling, albeit imperfect. There have been two games, and two controversial last-second situations revolving around LeBron. How many more of those there will be this season depends on how the Cavs handle themselves in crunch time on their home floor in the next two games.

My worst fears about LeBron James’ chances of getting past the Pistons to the NBA Finals came true Monday night.

Given a chance to carry his team to a victory, as superstars are supposed to do, LeBron passed.

Not only did he pass, to a much lesser player named Donyell Marshall, but he passed to him for a much more difficult shot – a corner three-pointer – than the layup and potential three-point play that was staring LeBron in the eyes.

I don’t pretend to know how this series will turn out, but this is exactly what the Pistons – or any team facing Cleveland – wants LeBron to do. With the lane clogged in a new version of the Jordan Rules, James played unselfishly – kicking the ball to the open man to the tune of nine assists and a near-triple double.

The Pistons will take Marshall, Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Eric Snow, Sasha Pavlovic, and even Zydrunas Ilgauskas trying to beat them 100 times out of 100 if it means LeBron is not going to try to beat them.

The book on James, as Scouts Inc.’s David Thorpe explained to me a while back, is to cut off his penetration and make him settle for jump shots (which he did Monday night) or pass to someone who isn’t as good as he is (which he did with 5.9 seconds left and the Cavs trailing, 78-76.)

Detroit won Game 1, 79-76. Game 2 is Thursday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

James scored only 10 points on 5-for-15 shooting. He had 10 rebounds and nine assists, but incredibly did not attempt a single free throw.

Just as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Isiah Thomas had to experience failure before getting their first championship ring, my gut tells me that this is not LeBron’s time. Not yet. On one hand, you have to applaud his unselfish instincts. But at some point, the best player on the floor has to learn to take the game in his hands when it matters.

LeBron is only 22, so it’s understandable that he hasn’t learned this yet. He has a few more games to figure it out, or wait until next year.

On a side note, check out ESPN.com’s Chris Sheridan’s piece on where LeBron is at this stage of his career. Good reading. I’ve played golf with Chris, not basketball, so I don’t even know if he can make a layup. But something tells me that he wouldn’t have passed to Donyell Marshall in that situation if it was him.

LeBron James has received his share of criticism for, shall we say, a cavalier attitude he adopts for certain stretches of the regular season. Now, James has rankled Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo with his recent comment that he’s “50-50” on joining his teammates for this summer’s Olympic qualifying tournament in Las Vegas.

Responding to James’ lukewarm assessment of the chances he’ll participate in the Tournament of the Americas, Colangelo told ESPN.com this week that he could jeopardize his spot on the Olympic team.

“Unless people have a legitimate reason for not participating, I expect them to uphold their three-year commitment,” Colangelo said. “I’m standing by my commitment and I expect people to stand by theirs. If someone chooses not to participate just because they’d rather not play, that person would put himself at risk as far as who ultimately represents us at the Olympics.”

By virtue of its third-place finish in last summer’s World Championships, Team USA’s spot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics is not assured. The U.S. must qualify for the Games beginning with the Las Vegas tournament Aug. 22-Sept. 2 – a development that has James and other players who competed in Japan last summer waffling on their commitments.

“Right now I’m kind of 50-50,” James said last month before a game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. “I’ve got a family. My girlfriend right now, we’re expecting another one in June. Health is always an issue. So you’ve got to re-evaluate things, go through the season go through the playoffs and look at it afterwards.”

If James loses his spot or opts out of Beijing, he could lose as much as $500,000 in endorsement bonuses, principally from Nike.

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Kevin Garnett’s future could be determined this summer when the Timberwolves field trade offers for the superstar who can opt out of his contract after the 2007-08 season. Garnett would look great in a Knicks uniform, and would give Isiah Thomas a legitimate scorer and all-around star to complement Eddy Curry.

The Knicks have the pieces to put together a decent offer for Garnett, at least in terms of bodies and salaries; Jamal Crawford, Channing Frye, Jared Jeffries, and Malik Rose, for example, would do the trick.

The only problem is, the Timberwolves need draft picks for Garnett because they owe one to the Clippers from the Sam Cassell trade and another to the Celtics from the Wally Szczerbiak deal. It is looking more and more like the Knicks’ first-round pick going to the Bulls will be a lottery pick, so they won’t have enough picks to lure Garnett.

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The best thing about the Knicks’ slump is that Nate Robinson is getting playing time and doing some things that show up on highlight shows, which appears to be his ultimate goal. Maybe he is doing enough to entice another GM to give up a decent player or draft pick for him this summer. Robinson has talent to fall in love with, but I can’t see him lasting here under Isiah Thomas.

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Two weeks ago, the Wizards were looking like one of the most interesting playoff teams in the East. Depending on seeding, they might’ve been involved in the most intriguing first-round series if they’d matched up with Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade and the defending champion Heat. Then, in the span of four days, they became a team with no chance to get out of the first round.

Caron Butler is out until at least the conference semifinals with a broken bone in his right hand. Gilbert Arenas, who would’ve gotten at least a few MVP votes, went down with a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee. Arenas underwent arthroscopic surgery on Thursday and is out 2-3 months. The playoffs just won’t be the same without Agent Zero, who was healthy enough to blog about his surgical experience. I love this line from Gil about being put under with anesthesia: "The best sleep I got in … wooooo … a long time."

There’s lots of buzz in the blogosphere about LeBron James’ arrogant swipe at Stephon Marbury’s $14.98 shoes. Judging from the King’s comments, Marbury must be onto something.

Truehoop’s Henry Abbott is all over the sneaker war; he was all over it even before LeBron came into the Garden last night and said he couldn’t imagine endorsing a $15 shoe because, “Me being with Nike, we hold our standards high.”

Marbury’s response was priceless: “I’d rather own than be owned.” Even though there’s a professional rivalry between them, understand that Steph and LeBron get along well and respect each other. But hey, you don’t dis a man’s kicks.

Check out all these comments to a Truehoop post earlier this week, and it’s obvious Marbury’s sneaker and apparel movement has struck a nerve. And whether people wear Nikes, Starburys, or knockoffs, clearly they don’t appreciate a star like LeBron taking shots at Marbury, who has won enormous image points with his bold stance against ultra-expensive shoes.

If you want to read my take on how LeBron's game is not living up to his royal hype, check out this column from Wednesday's paper.

To be fair, LeBron did have some nice things to say about Starburys. Before he knocked them, he said, “Growing up in the inner city, you know at times a family can’t afford $120 shoes or $90 shoes. So you get an opportunity the way you can play basketball in shoes you can afford and your family lifestyle doesn’t change. It’s definitely smart on their part.”

I just hope everyone remembers LeBron saying that $15 shoes don’t meet Nike’s “high standards” when the day comes for Nike to produce a low-priced shoe to recoup whatever market share it is losing to Starbury.

Example: Does anyone remember the first fast-food restaurant to have a dollar menu? All of them have one now.