Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

As LeBron James capped off quite the spectacular year with a gold medal win over Spain in the Olympics, it sparked the most popular debate in the sport of basketball: Who is the greatest player ever?

Jim Boeheim got the ball rolling saying he used to think Michael Jordan was the greatest player ever but after spending six weeks with LeBron, was no longer sure about that.

Then everybody started voicing their opinions.

That’s enough about that though. What I’m curious about is where Kevin Durant fits in with all of this. When his career is over, where will we remember him on the hierarchy of greatest players ever?

Durant just finished his fifth season in the NBA so yes, it’s early on. But he’s already challenging LeBron in some respects and is widely considered the second best player in the NBA right now at just 23 years old. He won his third straight scoring title last season, has finished second in the MVP voting twice and has already led his team to the NBA Finals.

More than any other player in the NBA, Durant was put on earth to play basketball and to score in particular. But he’s not from the same mold as Jordan, LeBron or Kobe so we rarely talk about Durant as someone who could go down as the greatest ever. He’s been more one-dimensional so far in his career too, viewed as just a scorer who isn’t a great passer or defender yet.

Those things are all true and that’s why no one talks about him yet as a potential G.O.A.T. but he still has a very good chance to go down as a top ten or maybe even top five player ever.

Durant’s shot at being remembered that good will have a lot to do with team success. Right now he is part of the best young team in the NBA that is already good enough to compete for an NBA title. It’s easy to look at the Thunder as a team that will be able to compete for a championship for the next decade. They’ve been compared to and are modeled after the San Antonio Spurs, who won four titles in the Duncan era from 1998 until now. If Durant can do the same kind of thing in OKC, he will be remembered in a similar light as Duncan.

Durant also has a chance to go down as a historically great statistical player. He is obviously on pace to score about as many points as anyone ever. Durant’s game is still evolving though so it’s tough to know if he will be able to sustain being such a high-scorer later in his career.

To do this he will have to start going into the post more. He started doing this some last season and even implemented Dirk’s patented stepback jumper. If Durant can learn more from Dirk and develop the kind of post-up game Dirk has had these past few seasons, that would seem the most likely way to keep scoring at the clip he has been.

The top five scorers in NBA history right now are Kareem, Mailman, Jordan, Wilt and Kobe in that order. LeBron has a good shot to get into the top five by the end of his career. If Durant plays long enough, he has a really good chance to pass Malone and get within striking distance of Kareem or wherever Kobe ends up.

The other factor in determining Durant’s greatness is how good of a shooter he is. He has a legitimate chance to go down being remembered as the best shooter to ever play in the NBA. It’s something that isn’t debated about as much really because it’s hard to say what constitutes being the best shooter ever is.

We have Reggie Miller and Ray Allen who are known as the best 3-point shooters ever. Then there’s Bird, Dirk, Maravich and Nash who are often in the conversation. You can even make a case for a player like Steve Kerr as one of the best shooters ever.

Durant could define the debate with what he has a chance to do in his career. To be as skilled as he is at 7-foot tall with the kind of range he has is unprecedented. It would be hard for him to touch Reggie or Ray in terms of career threes made but he has a relatively easy chance to become third on the all-time list (now held by Jason Kidd).

Durant is a career 88 percent free throw shooter as well and shot just under 50 percent from the field last season. If he can string together some 50-40-90 shooting seasons while still scoring as much as he does, it will become tough to argue that he isn’t the greatest shooter ever.

So let’s say Durant wins like three NBA titles, retires as the league’s third all-time leading scorer, top five in points per game for his career and makes the third most threes all-time, that would put him right up there with some of the greats of all-time.

Again, it’s early and that’s a lot of pressure and expectations to meet but I kind of see that as his relatively conceivable ceiling. He’d end up right around Duncan-Shaq-Moses-West in the greatest of all-time rankings. I’d be good with that.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off the biggest move of the summer last week when they traded for Dwight Howard. It is a move that will shake up the landscape of the NBA, as is always a case when a player as talented as Howard switches teams.

The Lakers finished the season last year as the 3-seed in the Western Conference behind the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. Now they are being talked about as potentially the NBA title favorites.

But should we be talking about them already as title favorites?

The Lakers starting five for next season will certainly be an impressive one. They are returning Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace from last year and now adding Howard and Steve Nash.

The pieces should fit in seamlessly. This won’t be a case like we saw in 2011, when LeBron, Wade and Bosh joined together in Miami and it took some time getting used to. Nash’s selflessness will ensure this more than anything.

With Nash running the show, he will get the ball to players when and where they need it. Kobe is at a point in his career where he shouldn’t stand in the way of this too much. Expect a bounce back season from Gasol too now teamed with Nash.

There is some potential for the personalities to not exactly gel. Howard is known as a kind of jokester that doesn’t take things seriously enough. He was able to be this way in Orlando as the clear alpha-dog of the team playing for a franchise that had so much invested in him. No one was going to call him out for that behavior but that will change in L.A. playing alongside Kobe.

There is the question of age too. Nash is 38 and Kobe is an old 33. Both are on the decline but showed last year they can still play at an elite level. It will continue to become harder to sustain that level but playing with Howard will make it easier.

It has been easy to forget just how valuable Howard has been during all of the recent drama. Before Howard ruined his image, he was deservedly so considered one of the most valuable players in the league. The effect Howard had in Orlando was remarkable, leading that team to high playoff seeds and anchoring one of the most efficient defenses in the NBA with little support around him.

Howard did get injured this past season and is expected to miss the beginning of next season. If he can get back to 100 percent, playing at the level he has shown in the past, the Lakers may very well emerge as NBA title favorites.

Of course there are a few teams that would like to have a say in this. The Miami Heat are coming off an NBA championship season last year with LeBron James playing as well as he ever has. The Heat made some noise this offseason too adding Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to the roster.

In the West, the Thunder, Spurs and Clippers are all returning very formidable teams that will be able to compete with the Lakers. The Thunder got to the NBA Finals with a very impressive playoff run through the West’s elite and are only expected to improve upon that next season with the experience they gained.

We know what to expect from the Heat and Thunder. The Lakers are more of a wild card and that’s why they shouldn’t be called the title favorites just yet. We need to see what they do on the floor first and until then, the league still belongs to the Heat and Thunder.

The Heat won the NBA title this past season with LeBron James capturing his first championship ever. The common sentiment is that now it’s going to get easier for LeBron and the Heat to keep winning championships because the pressure will be less.

That’s just not true.

“If we learned one thing from the 2006 title, it was that you need to continue to reinvent yourself and improve as a basketball team,” Spoelstra told the Sun Sentinel. “That year we brought the exact the same team back, we thought it would be the same path and same journey. It never is.

“It’s always going to be different. And we ended up losing the first round and we were swept in four games. Another year later, we only won 15 games and we were the worst team in basketball and that’s how fragile this game can be.”

The 2012 team isn’t built the same way the 2006 team was. The 2006 Heat team was one of the worst teams to ever win a title and practically stole the title away from the Dallas Mavericks with a lot of help from the referees. Shaquille O’Neal was very much on the decline and there was not a lot of support around Dwyane Wade.

The expectations for the Heat when LeBron came to town was to win multiple titles. One title would be considered a failure. Even two will not be enough. The Heat have already been to the Finals in each of the first two seasons since acquiring LeBron but Spoelstra is right, it isn’t going to get easier.

Defending a title and repeating is one of the toughest things to do in this league. It’s really a pretty short list of teams and players that have been able to do it.

For the Heat to have a chance to repeat as the champion it would mean making a third straight Finals appearance which is no small task. They have been pretty fortunate in the first two years to make it there with the landscape of the Eastern Conference being pretty weak but that could change this season.

The Heat have gone about the reinvention process this summer by acquiring Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. It’s a move that looks great on paper but it might not have the kind of impact some are anticipating.

LeBron had possibly the best season of his career last year really carrying the team while his running mates Wade and Chris Bosh battled injury and essentially their production declined from the season before. It should not be expected for LeBron to continue playing at this level. He did so much for the team and while he shouldn’t decline in terms of talent, to keep up that kind of efficiency might be too much even for him.

The Heat will likely need bounce back seasons from Wade and Bosh to seriously be a threat to repeat. Neither are too old yet but they shouldn’t expect to have the same kind of season they did last year with the same ultimate result.

Teams will be waiting for the Heat next year, hungrier than ever to give them their best shot. The Heat beat one of the hungriest teams in the league last year in the NBA Finals in the Oklahoma City Thunder who are poised as much as anyone to get back to the Finals again.

The celebrating can stop for LeBron and the Heat and it has. They are self aware of their situation and should make a strong defense of their title. It definitely won’t be easier now though, it never is.

The Magic want to get something back for Howard. They’re not just trying to get rid of him, at least not yet.

Orlando is willing to wait all the way until the trade deadline of next season if they have to and don’t have a deal worthy of Howard by then.

The Brooklyn Nets were the first team in the running to trade for Howard. But a deal involving Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks and picks never satisfied Orlando. The Nets moved on and traded for Joe Johnson instead, making it even more difficult for them to pull off a trade for Howard.

Howard said that Brooklyn was the only place he wanted to go and the only place where he’d agree to re-sign with past next season.

After Brooklyn fell off, the Los Angeles Lakers appeared to be the most likely suitor for Howard. They have the best individual trade piece for Howard in Andrew Bynum but Bynum is also in the final year of his contract next year and hasn’t agreed to re-sign in Orlando if he is traded there.

The Magic aren’t interested in dealing Howard just to rent Bynum for a season. They’re holding out for more.

A dark horse for Howard may be the Atlanta Hawks. After trading Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams away, new GM Danny Ferry appears to be trying for a dream scenario that would involve bringing Howard and Chris Paul to the Hawks in 2013-14.

Howard is from Atlanta but has not said anything about wanting to play there.

The Dallas Mavericks are another team with an outside shot to get Howard. Dallas went all-in on Deron Williams this offseason and they did not land him. They are left with a depleted roster but plenty of cap space to entice Howard with a max-deal next summer if he is a free agent then.

The Magic want to get rid of Howard, that’s for sure, but they’re not going to do it for nothing. They know they are rebuilding anyway and are in no hurry to trade Howard.

Howard may not even be healthy yet by the start of next season as he is still rehabbing his back.

Another center on the market now is Marcus Camby. Camby is reportedly deciding between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks.

The Knicks appear to be the frontrunner as the Heat can only offer Camby the veteran minimum of $1.4 million per year. New York is looking to do a sign-and-trade for Camby and give him $3.09 million per season.

The Heat recently signed Ray Allen of course and if they are somehow able to get Camby too that would be a home run for them in free agency. It looks unlikely however as there is a good chance Camby will be returning to play in New York next season.

David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

Ray Allen decided last night to take his talents to South Beach and join LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in a Miami Heat uniform next season.

Allen left twice as much money on the table by choosing not to remain in Boston and rather flee to chase another championship with the defending champs.

Allen was one of the most coveted free agents especially by the Heat. The talents of Allen are ones that any team would love to have. No one’s made more threes than Allen in his career and even at 37 he is believed to be a key contributor for the Heat next season.

But how much better did Miami get by adding Allen? Are the Thunder now more worried about beating the Heat this coming season than they were last year?

Allen makes the Heat better. Just not that much better. He’ll fit in just fine, get a ton of open looks from three and every time he makes one expect to hear “That’s why Miami signed him!”

He’s obviously not the same player he was even a few seasons ago. But he isn’t expected to be either.

We saw how good the Heat can look when their role players are knocking down threes. In last year’s NBA Finals, Shane Battier made 15 threes and shot .577 percent from beyond the arc. Mike Miller made seven threes in the Game 5 clincher as the Heat tied an NBA Finals record with 14 threes made as a team.

That was the best case scenario for the Heat. Allen is a great shooter but it’s not like we can sit here and predict the Heat to repeat that kind of performance from beyond the arc in a series again.

The ways the Heat will look better next year aren’t ways that Allen will help them. If Wade and Bosh have a bounce back year, that would be a much bigger deal and even more necessary for the Heat to repeat. If LeBron somehow keeps up a 30-9-6 stat line in the playoffs then they will be a really scary title contender.

Allen will probably help the Heat more throughout the regular season and make them more of a lock to come out of the Eastern Conference. It’s true that Battier and Miller were pretty much absent before the NBA Finals.

Allen will also make defenses less likely to double on Wade or LeBron when he is in the post. That’s not a good thing for most of the league but for the Thunder, that’s actually better.

People don’t realize that the best thing about LeBron is he always makes the right basketball play. It’s more important to his success than his physical abilities. That means if you double him in the post, he’s passing out to the open man, every time.

This happened to the Thunder in the NBA Finals and it played right into the Heat’s hands and to what LeBron preferred to do. Why did the Thunder have to double LeBron in the post? If you remember, it was because James Harden had to guard him so much as the series went on.

Thunder fans will and should concede defeat to Miami if they’re going to have to live with Harden guarding LeBron.

The best part about OKC’s defense up until the Finals was that they never had to double. Against the Lakers they were able to play Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum straight up. The same thing with Dirk Nowitzki in Round 1. Against the Spurs it never made sense to double anyone.

In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Thunder didn’t double much either. Kevin Durant was guarding LeBron and did a fantastic job on him. Durant can do a very good job on LeBron but as the series went on, Durant picked up stupid fouls and it put the Thunder in a very tough situation having to take KD off LeBron. The Heat then had a mismatch with their best player and that was all she wrote.

Ray Allen signing with the Heat doesn’t affect the thing that beat the Thunder the most in the NBA Finals. That’s why Thunder fans aren’t too scared about this signing. It’s still more about them. The Thunder have enough talent that they are in control of their destiny in becoming champions and that is comforting to think about.

Allen decided to go with the Heat instead of Boston despite the Celtics offering Allen nearly double the salary Miami could.

The defending champion Heat were very much recruiting Allen including LeBron James and Dwyane Wade expressing their desire for him to join the Heat via Twitter.

“We’re not stealing him,” LeBron told Yahoo! Sports. “He’s unrestricted. He isn’t with nobody man. Ray is a huge piece out there. Who wouldn’t want a dead-eye shooter like that, a complete professional and a champion. He has all the qualities for a team to get over the hump or to compete for a championship each and every year.”

LeBron is right. Who wouldn’t want Allen? And Allen clearly chose the place he feels give him the best chance to win a title before his career is over.

Teaming up with other superstars isn’t new for Allen. In 2007, he joined Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in Boston and they won a title in their first year together and made it to the Finals two years after that and lost.

The rumored deterioration of Allen’s relationship with Boston point guard Rajon Rondo is part of the reason Allen made this decision, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Allen was also upset by the Celtics’ attempt to trade him at the trade deadline to Memphis this past season. The Celtics were shopping Allen from time to time at some point over the past few seasons.

The Celtics re-signed Garnett to a 3-year, $34 million deal this offseason and also signed free agent Jason Terry who plays the same position as Allen. Allen was not starting in Boston by the end of the season with Avery Bradley assuming the position.

These are all reasons Allen may have considered in deciding on Miami instead of sticking with Boston. It will be weird to see Allen wearing the jersey next season of one of his biggest rivals but that’s sports in 2012.

The Heat are better with Allen for sure. It’s not drastic but these are the kinds of moves that championship teams need to make to be able to repeat.

Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

The Houston Rockets have agreed to trade point guard Kyle Lowry to the Toronto Raptors for a future first round pick and Gary Forbes.

Lowry and Rockets head coach Kevin McHale had a falling out and Lowry has been looking to get out ever since.

The Rockets have made an offer sheet to restricted free agent Jeremy Lin for four years, $30 million. The New York Knicks are expected to match the offer for Lin especially after failing to acquire Steve Nash who became a Laker last night.

The earliest Lin can sign it is July 11 then the Knicks will have three days to match it. The Knicks have also emerged as the favorite to sign Raymond Felton.

The Raptors were also hopeful to land Nash so much that they agreed to an offer sheet of three years, $20 million with Landry Fields. The Raptors won’t totally lose out as they settle for Lowry as a decent consolation prize.

The Los Angeles Clippers have effectively taken themselves out of the running for Ray Allen by signing Jamal Crawford to a 3-year, $15.7 million deal. Allen was set to meet with the Clippers on Friday.

The Clippers have also agreed on a 1-year deal for Chauncey Billups.

The Clippers were a tough team last season that gave the Oklahoma City Thunder some trouble in the regular season. They were obviously in the market for a two guard after being forced to start Randy Foye there in the playoffs.

Lob City was swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round but have made some nice moves to prepare for next season including trading for Lamar Odom.

As we always forget about the Spurs during this time of the year, the top of the West is looking like OKC, LA, LA right now.

Meanwhile, Allen is meeting with the Heat today and is now expected to sign there even though Boston is offering Allen nearly double in salary that Miami can.

Allen is most likely to choose between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers despite the Boston Celtics being able to offer him the most money, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Allen has been recruited by both teams led by their best players, LeBron James and Chris Paul. Allen is meeting with the Heat Thursday and will meet with the Clippers Friday. Miami will only be able to offer Allen $3.09 million per year while the Clippers can offer Allen the full mid-level exception of $5 million.

LeBron and Dwyane Wade have been open about their desire to bring Allen to South Beach with their recent activity on Twitter.

Allen would make a good fit for either team. The double teams Wade and especially LeBron demand leave tons of opportunities for 3-point shooters like Allen. Playing alongside one of the best point guards in the NBA wouldn’t be a bad fit either.

The fact that Allen is leaning towards leaving Boston makes it appear that money is not the most important factor for him. Allen has been willing to accept less money to chase a title in the past when he came to Boston back in 2007.

In Miami, Allen would most certainly come off the bench. Allen was coming off the bench by the end of the season last year for Boston too.

In Los Angeles, Allen could potentially have a starting role. The Clippers were starting Randy Foye alongside Paul in the backcourt during the playoffs after Chauncey Billups got injured. Even if the Clippers re-sign Billups, Allen might make a better starting two for the team than anyone.

The Heat are coming off winning a title and in the Eastern Conference are the clear-cut favorites to make it back to the NBA Finals.

The Clippers were swept in the second round of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs but it was their first season with Paul and things look brighter on the horizon for them. Blake Griffin is likely to improve going into his third season and the free agent signing of Lamar Odom will also improve their roster.

If it comes down to the best chance of winning a title then Miami should be the choice for Allen. The Western Conference is simply too strong to look at the Clippers as a team with a great chance of getting to the Finals next season.

But for a little more money and a little more playing time, Chris Paul might be able to sell Allen on coming to Lob City. We will probably know more Friday night.

Ray Allen has been rumored to be signing with the Heat ever since the season ended and the two Heat stars would be happy to have him in South Beach.

2morrow is a big day for #HeatNation..

— Dwyane Wade (@DwyaneWade) July 5, 2012

Allen is set to visit with the Heat today. Allen is scheduled to meet with the Los Angeles Clippers Friday which means we probably won’t find out Allen’s decision until after then.

The Heat can only offer Allen $3.09 million per year. The Clippers can offer Allen the full mid-level exception of $5 million and the Boston Celtics have offered Allen a 2-year, $12 million deal.

Allen would be taking less money to play in Miami but at this point in his career, chasing a championship with LeBron and Wade may be more important to him.

The Celtics have re-signed Kevin Garnett already and also just signed Jason Terry. They’re not rolling over and dying and still believe they have one last run left in them. It’s just a matter of if they can convince Allen of that too.

Taking less money to chase a championship isn’t always something that makes sense to players too. At this point in Allen’s life, it is his last chance to make this kind of money. Signing with Miami doesn’t guarantee him a championship either and he already took less money in his last contract with Boston to do the same thing.

Miami does appear to be the frontrunner however and we will probably know more later today.

LeBron retweeted one of his followers yesterday who tweeted a Photoshopped picture of Ray Allen in a Miami Heat jersey.

RT @abake6: #Heat fans, do yall want to see something really cool? (Cc: @FakePatRiley) twitter.com/abake6/status/…(looks damn good to me)

— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 4, 2012

LeBron also posted the picture on Facebook with a tagline reading: “This looks damn good to me.”

This isn’t the first time LeBron has made his feeling known on Twitter about Allen possibly signing with the Heat.

While watching the Draft my son Bryce ask “Is Ray Allen gonna play for the Heat”. I said “I don’t know, I hope so”.

— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 29, 2012

The Heat can offer Allen just $3.09 million per year to sign with them. The Boston Celtics have already offered Allen a 2-year, $12 million deal.

Allen plans to meet with the Heat Thursday and then with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. The Clippers can offer Allen the full mid-level exception of $5 million.

Allen would have to sacrifice money to go chase a championship with LeBron in South Beach but that’s something he did before when he first signed with Boston back in 2007.

Allen had conference calls yesterday with the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com. Allen will visit with the Heat and Clippers later this week.

The Boston Celtics have made Allen a 2-year, $12 million offer which is more money than the Heat or Clippers could offer Allen. Miami can only give Allen $3.09 million next year while the Clippers can offer Allen the full mid-level exception of $5 million.

The Heat seemed like the frontrunner last week to get Allen. Now he could make double staying in Boston and the Clippers are looking more and more like title contenders themselves.

The Clippers recently traded for Lamar Odom which gives them another piece they were missing from last season. Playing with Chris Paul also has to be a huge draw for any shooter especially Allen.

The Celtics have also made moves re-signing Kevin Garnett for three years making it clear they want to try and make another run with this core. The draft picks of Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo should also help one of Boston’s problems from this past season by getting bigger.

At the end of the day, going to play for the defending champs in South Beach has to be the place where Allen would feel like he has the best chance to win another title before his career is over.

The Heat showed this season just how much they can featured shooters like Allen too with the performances of Shane Battier and Mike Miller in the NBA Finals. Allen would be a perfect fit next to LeBron and Wade.

It’s going to come down to how much Allen values the potential more money he could make somewhere besides Miami.

Allen has made more 3-pointers than anyone in the history of the NBA so it’s no surprise that teams see him as this valuable despite the fact that he will be 37 years old next season.

The Miami Heat emerged as the early favorites to sign Allen this summer. They can only offer him a little more than $3 million per season but Allen would go there to try and win another ring with the defending champs and LeBron.

The Boston Celtics have now made it clear they are not going to just let Allen walk away.

“We want Ray back, and we’re approaching this as the first thing we have to get done,” Boston GM Danny Ainge told the Boston Herald. “It’s our No. 1 priority.”

The Celtics can offer Allen a contract worth double what the Heat can at $6 million per year. Boston and Miami would most likely offer Allen two-year deals.

The Celtics were rumored to possibly break up after this season but have already re-signed Kevin Garnett to a 3-year, $34 million deal. They will also still have Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo back for next season.

The Celtics are also interested in pursuing free agents O.J. Mayo and Jason Terry. In the draft, they worked on getting bigger drafting Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo in the first round.

Boston may not be going away as quickly as we thought they might. The Heat will still have to worry about them at least a little.

Signing Allen in Miami would be a huge get for them. The Heat don’t have much cap space at all to go after free agents so it looks like getting veterans to come over for a year or two at the end of their career to chase a championship is their best chance of getting better this way.

Allen would be a great fit in Miami just like any shooter is playing alongside LeBron and Wade.

Boston and Miami aren’t the only two teams going after Allen but they are the two frontrunners right now. Dallas, Phoenix and the Clippers have also showed interest in going after Allen.

Free agency begins tonight at midnight and the Heat want to move fast to get Allen, before other teams are more prepared to possibly pursue Allen as well.

“We’ve got five or six guys earmarked (in free agency) so we’ll see how it goes,” Heat president Pat Riley said. “We want to find as much space as we can on the floor for Dwyane, LeBron and for Chris (Bosh) to be able to operate.”

The Heat can only offer Allen a mid-level exception of around $3 million. That is considerably less than what Allen may be able to get from other teams but the Heat are also throwing in possibly the best chance for Allen to win another ring.

Steve Nash will likely be leaving his previous team as well this offseason as the Phoenix Suns. Nash made $11.7 million last season and the Suns are unlikely to offer him a 3-year deal worth more than $10 million per year.

The Suns plan to go after Eric Gordon as well and would look to offer him around $12 million per year but New Orleans should be prepared to match any reasonable offer as Gordon is a restricted free agent.

Nash will be able to get much more money elsewhere starting with Toronto who is rumored to be preparing to offer Nash $12 million per year.

“There’s positives to every situation,” Nash said. “The Raptors would be one of those teams where you’re probably not going there to win a championship in the next three years. For me it’d be going home to Canada, to a great city, and trying to help an organization move forward.

“I’m open to the positives of all of them. It’d be great if four or five contenders came after me and all offered me a deal, but the reality is I might not get that opportunity. So I’m going to look at every opportunity and Toronto will be one that I’ll study as well and look at the opportunity for them to grow in the next three years and what kind of impact I can have on that team. And obviously from a community standpoint, it’s a special place for me.”

via ESPN’s Marc Stein

Nash will also most likely be targeted by Dallas and New York but he’ll be able to make the most money in Toronto. Nash would like to have another chance at winning a ring and that would be hard to imagine in Toronto but he has also said that money is still an important factor for him.

Allen and Nash are both looking for another chance at a ring to close out their careers but they would both have to take a lot less cash to do so. The Heat look like the most likely landing spot for Allen right now and for Nash that place is Toronto.

The general consensus around the NBA is that Ray Allen will sign with Miami. “Barring a change, he’ll join the Heat,” said a league source.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 27, 2012

Allen, whose about to turn 37, would take less money to sign in Miami. The Heat would likely offer Allen the $3.09 million taxpayer mid-level exception for next year which would put the Heat further into the luxury tax.

Allen averaged the least amount of points in a season this year since his rookie season at 14.2 per game. Allen did shoot a career-high .453 percent from three this season despite missing 20 games in the regular season due to injury.

Allen struggled in the playoffs though averaging 10.7 points per game and shooting just .304 percent from three.

Allen was coming off the bench for Boston in the playoffs and would likely do the same in Miami. Allen underwent right ankle surgery on June 13 to have bone spurs removed.

The Boston Celtics and Danny Ainge are still optimistic that Allen may stay.

“Yeah, I think Ray’s open to coming back,” Ainge told ESPN Boston. “But, listen, I don’t know. I won’t even get into details with talking to players other than the exit interviews and Ray was getting rehab here, and we’ve talked. So I have a feel of where his head is, but I’ll know more in July.”

Allen is one of a few big names rumored to possibly be targeted by Miami this offseason. Steve Nash and Jason Terry are two others.

Nash has said that money is still a factor with who he signs with this offseason. Miami would only be able to offer him around $3 million while Nash may be able to get closer to $10 million other places.

Nash also said that signing somewhere to take less money is great to try and win a championship but that it’s not that easy to win a title and only takes one injury to hold you back.

Allen would probably be the best fit for Miami of any of these possible free agents. You can imagine a closing lineup of LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Battier and Allen being pretty tough to deal with.

In the NBA Finals we all witnessed just how many opportunities 3-point shooters can have playing with LeBron. The Heat even tied an NBA Finals record with 14 made threes in their clinching Game 5 win versus the Thunder.

Mike Miller led the way in that game with seven made threes but there is a chance he will retire because of an ailing back this offseason, making the push to go after Allen even more important for Miami.

A potential signing of Allen in Miami would be a perfect fit for the Heat and a great move but it wouldn’t swing the balance of power too drastically in their favor.

Just look at how effective Miami’s shooters were in the Finals this year. Allen is a great shooter and would help them replicate that kind of performance in a series but what Miami did in the Finals was the best case scenario for them. They wouldn’t be guaranteed to match that again even with Allen.

Miami prides themselves on defense too. Allen has certainly taken a step back in that department in the last few years. Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers’ contributions on defense were just as valuable as what they did as spot-up shooters.

It will definitely be a huge signing for the Heat either way if they get Allen. It’s the kind of move that you would expect from Miami if they are going to repeat as champions.

Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

The Atlanta Hawks shocked a lot of people beating the Boston Celtics 83-74 on Sunday to win Game 1 of the series.

The Celtics were without Ray Allen for the game and got off to a very slow start while Atlanta looked fresh.

The Hawks were led by Josh Smith who scored 22 points to go with 18 rebounds and four assists and completely outplayed Kevin Garnett.

In the fourth quarter with frustrations high, Boston’s Rajon Rondo was ejected from the game after arguing a call and then bumping referee Marc Davis.

It is expected now that Rondo will be suspended for Game 2 and possible Game 3 because of the incident.

Rondo had 20 points and 11 assists in the game and surely the Celtics will have a much tougher time beating the Hawks in this series without him.

If the suspension is just one game and Rondo and Allen return for a Game 3 at home, the series shouldn’t be viewed as completely over but it will be tougher than most thought for the Celtics to advance to the second round.

Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

The Los Angeles Clippers pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks in NBA history late Sunday night. The Clippers ended their Game 1 with the Memphis Grizzlies on a 28-3 run to stun a Memphis crowd and win 99-98.

Chris Paul had 14 points and 11 assists and scored the final two points of the game at the free throw line with 24 seconds left.

Nick Young made three consecutive three-pointers for the Clippers during the run and led the team with 19 points.

The Clippers came into the game with not a lot of playoff experience and it showed as the Grizzlies immediately jumped out to a big lead.

Memphis of course had the great run last year in the playoffs and were looking as good as any team thus far in the playoffs this year.

The Grizzlies may have had a little fool’s gold though with their percentage from beyond the arc making 11-of-16 threes before going cold in the final minutes of the game.

This series promised to be one of the best first round matchups and with the Clippers stealing Game 1 on the road it probably will live up to that.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder will play Game 2 tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. It will be the second game in a TNT double-header with the Miami Heat and New York Knicks playing first. Orland and Indiana will also tip Game 2 tonight on NBA TV.

The Thunder looked great in the final quarter against Dallas coming back to win thanks to Kevin Durant’s game-winner but they will have to play with the same intensity they showed in the fourth quarter for 48 minutes to ensure another victory.

Miami blew out New York badly in Game 1 but all the Knicks have to do is steal Game 2 and they’ve done their job of getting homecourt. After the Clippers-Grizzlies game, a complete flip-flop of fortunes in the Miami-New York series doesn’t seem as farfetched.

Indiana – like Memphis – blew what should have been an easy Game 1, home win to Orlando. The Magic scored the final 11 points of Game 1 to win.

The Pacers showed a sizable inside advantage with no Dwight Howard and Roy Hibbert blocking nine shots in the game but he also only scored eight points. The Pacers will need to find more reliable offense to get by the Magic tonight.

Goldsberry’s goal with the paper was to determine who the best shooter in the NBA was. Instead of just looking at field goal percentage and true shooting percentage Goldsberry broke down every player in the NBA seeing how well they shot from the widest variety of locations.

He found that Steve Nash and Ray Allen were the best shooters in the NBA. I could have told you that. The research was awesome though and goes much further than just settling the argument of who the best shooter in the league is.

It’s about where on the court players shoot the best from and how often they shoot from certain spaces. It can provide great scouting analysis of teams and specific players.

Most recently, Goldsberry took a look at Kevin Durant this season.

Durant is shooting a career-high 50 percent from the field this season and 37.9 percent from three. Durant also has a career-high 61 true shooting percentage this season and is in the conversation for winning the MVP this season.

It’s more interesting to look at Durant’s shooting through the eyes of Goldsberry’s CourtVision.

Durant shoots the majority of his threes from the top of the key and the wings. He takes a lot of threes off the dribble in isolation situations and on catch-and-shoots.

We see that Durant is better at shooting at shooting on the left side of the court. This is because Durant likes to come into his shot with his left hand when dribbling. Most great right-handed shooters are like this.

Only the best right-handed shooters become just as good at shooting when going to their right like Nash, Allen and Kobe Bryant. Then there are some like Paul Pierce who seem to like it more. But for the most part, good right-handed shooters prefer to bring the ball up from their left hand.

It’s interesting that Durant is under 30 percent on threes from the right wing. I think that is because of his low percentage when shooting from their off the dribble. He is definitely a good catch-and-shoot guy from that spot or at least should be since he is a righty.

The other thing to note about Durant being a better shooter on the left side of the floor is how he gets his shots. He uses his length and stepback move as an advantage rather than strength to get most of his shots. He’s better with a fadeaway than a strong drive and pull-up. This is why you see better shooting numbers on the left side of the floor and especially the mid-range area.

Players still play Durant to drive left because he is a better finisher at the rim on the right side. We still see Durant drive and shoot on the right side of the floor a lot though. Durant does the smart thing of attacking the top foot when he is defended one-on-one and is looking to drive which means he usually goes right.

As Durant develops for him to become an even more complete scorer he will have to get stronger at finishing with pull-up jump shots going to his right and work on making the stepback shot to his right.

Durant is still probably the best scorer in the world so it will become pretty unfair as he improves in these areas.

Head on over to Kirk Goldsberry’s website to see more of his work using CourtVision.

Also follow him on Twitter @kirkgoldsberry