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The three most productive players in the Eastern Conference last season were LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Dwyane “Flash” Wade.  James and Howard met in the Eastern Conference Finals, and there is a chance that will happen again in 2010 (although Boston might have more to say about that this year).  The Miami Heat and Wade, though, were bounced in the first round in 2009.  When we look at the team’s Wins Produced, we can see why the Heat struggled.
Table One: The Miami Heat in 2008-09
From Table One we see that Wade produced 22.2 wins last season.  The other 17 players employed by the Heat in 2008-09 produced 19.9 wins.  In contrast, LeBron’s teammates produced 36.8 wins while the Orlando Magic received 36.3 wins from all players not named Howard. 

One could argue that Michael Jordan was the greatest basketball player ever.  So it was not a surprise when he was elected to the Hall-of-Fame.   His speech, though, was somewhat surprising to Adrian Wojnarowski; who emphasized the tone Jordan adopted in his acceptance speech.  Jordan’s speech revealed that he’s primarily motivated by every person who has ever slighted him.  In essence, MJ is motivated by spite.

The Chicago Bulls finished the 2008-09 season by taking the Boston Celtics – the defending NBA champions — to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.  Such a performance likely gave fans of the Bulls hope for the future.
Since the Chicago-Boston series ended, though, little has happened.  In the draft Chicago added James Johnson and Taj Gibson. Both Johnson and Gibson appear to play power forward, or the same position as Tyrus Thomas (and perhaps Joakim Noah).  So it’s unclear how much either rookie will play (or if they are an upgrade over what the Bulls currently have).
Gordon vs. Pargo

Although it may not be obvious, most columns posted here have a coherent theme.  Today, though, I thought I would just comment on a few stories I have seen this past week.
Immigration Policy and Competitive Balance
Chris Cook of Financial Times makes an interesting connection – see Top clubs triumph on an uneven pitch — between immigration policy in Great Britain and competitive balance in the English Premier League.   Specifically, Cook argues that immigration restrictions in England have harmful effects in soccer.  The argument draws upon research we noted in The Wages of Wins.