High Noon » his 69. The other leaders fell

LeBron James reportedly decided to opt out of his contract with the Miami Heat on Tuesday. Heres a few quick thoughts of what this Decision means to me. 1. CONTROL: Hes the best player by far on the planet so its his contractual right to exercise this clause and I agree with him. Old-timers and traditionalists might not like it but its the reality of pro sports in the 21st century. Great actors/actresses set the tone and select what movies/plays they want to perform in and who they want to work with and for and LeBron is at that level in the "sports/entertainment industry" that former NBA commissioner David Stern created with the emphasis on stars over teams. This is a creation of that. Right, wrong or indifferent - it is what it is. Hes negotiated and earned the right to reconsider and re-explore what hed like to do with his career. The man is serious about his game and is a student of the game and wants/needs some space here to evaluate. 2. MIAMI HEAT: We all saw them with our own eyes in the NBA Finals vs. the Spurs. The reality is that the current team as constructed needs major improvements or they wont challenge against the superior Western Conference teams for an NBA title. In addition, if an Eastern team like the Chicago Bulls gets back a healthy Derrick Rose and is able to acquire Kevin Love and/or Carmelo Anthony who is to say that theyre even the No. 1 contender in the East anymore? Do you honestly believe that Dwyane Wade is going to give you 70-75+ regular season games and four playoff rounds at a high level at $20 million per year? Is Chris Bosh still committed to playing in all areas of the game rather than just becoming a jump shooter? If Im LeBron I have my doubts. A few smart tweaks with Wade and Bosh sacrificing some money opens up the possibility of it all working again...yet its far from a sure thing. 3. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: Owner Dan Gilbert blasted LeBron on the way out the door after "The Decision". Does LeBron forgive and forget? Does new GM David Griffin have the wherewithal/pedigree to pull off such a heist? He and Kyrie Irving together - not bad. They have the No. 1 Pick and some talented young guys they can package to move to Minnesota for Kevin Love. How does Irving, Love and LeBron sound to you? It would be a better Big Three at this point that the Miami version even though both Love and Irving have put up "numbers", yet still havent shown me yet that theyre truly special. What a return this would be. 4. OTHER SUITORS (Chicago, Houston, LA Lakers): Youll hear about all three and more in the hunt for the King. Needless to say, you put him on the Bulls or Rockets and theyre in the hunt for a title. The Lakers? Kobe and LeBron would be an interesting pairing but what does the rest of the roster look like? How long does Kobe hold up? Lots more questions than answers in LA. The rumour mill will surely be filled with gossip from all three of these spots. 5. TORONTO RAPTORS: Not saying this because its wishful thinking on my part. Seriously, why not? They desperately need a starting small forward. You put him with a re-signed Kyle Lowry, Demar DeRozan, a re-signed Patrick Patterson and Jonas Valanciunas with a re-signed Greivis Vasquez, Terrence Ross and Amir Johnson and Ill take my chances with anyone in the East. On a league-wide scale Im not scared by anyone with that crew on my side. You want hoops to grow in Toronto and across the country - go for it. Nothing to lose. Realistic? Maybe not but honestly thats not a bad eight-man core whatsoever. Obviously, the salary cap/luxury tax always comes into play but for a player of this magnitude you explore every possibility. It would actually be a very good team if it ever happened. Why not Toronto? Its about time we stick our chests out and go for it. I like the style of GM Masai Ujiri and CEO Tim Leiweke and this fits them if its a reasonable pursuit. Ryon Healy Jersey .Cullen scored the go-ahead goal at 13:47 of the third period and Nashville beat the slumping Dallas Stars 3-2 on Thursday in a game that wasnt decided until the last shot of the night. Alex Colome Jersey . Four years after winning gold on home ice in Vancouver, the Canadians will get a chance to make it two in a row Sunday against Sweden after beating the United States 1-0 in the Olympic semifinals Friday at Bolshoy Ice Dome. http://www.marinersrookiestore.com/Marin...ma-Kids-Jersey/. His fellow Finn, 21 years his junior, had just arrived in Anaheim and was hoping to stick with the Ducks. Ichiro Suzuki Jersey . Off-season additions Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley did not train with the club today, prompting Nelsen to declare its too early to tell if either will be ready for Saturday. Guillermo Heredia Jersey . - Tom Brady was upset that his New England Patriots hardly looked like a division champion in the first half.BETHESDA, Md. -- Bill Haas made the long walk across a makeshift bridge and under the grandstands to the 18th green for the trophy presentation, high-fiving kids along the railing and raising his cap to thousands of fans who cheered as they saw him coming. His victory Sunday in the AT&T National was even sweeter when he compared it with all the times he failed. "As many times as Ive choked and hit bad shots and Ive been nervous and it hasnt worked out -- I was feeling all those things today -- and to hit good, quality golf shots down the stretch is such a good feeling," Haas said. "I wish I could explain it. Its amazing." His golf spoke volumes. Haas pulled away from a crowd of contenders with three straight birdies, two good pars and one good hop. It led to a 5-under 66, giving him a three-shot win at Congressional over Roberto Castro and putting him into distinguished company on two levels. Haas has won at least one PGA Tour event in each of the last four years, joining Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose. And he kept the pedigree of champions at the AT&T National on a day when a half-dozen players were trying to win their first PGA Tour event. In the seven-year history of the tournament, Rose was the lowest-ranked player to win. He was No. 35 when he won at Aronimink in 2010. Haas started the week at No. 29. Haas is honest to fault, which explains why he is too hard on himself. He talked about how he "threw up on myself" at Riviera when he lost a three-shot lead in the final round, and he twice used the word "choke" in describing past failures. "Thats terrible to say that I choke and I throw up on myself, but Im just honest that I did that," he said. "But go from there. How do you get better? Dont do it again, you know? Thats my best statement. Just dont do that again. Today, I didnt do it. I think it makes it that much sweeter, too, when you can remember the times you stunk." He made only one bogey, making good on his pledge Saturday to clean up his card after a third round that included a triple bogey on the 11th hole. As many as six players had a share of the lead at some point until Haas rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 8. Worried about a splotch of mud on his ball, he hit his approach to just inside 12 feet for birdie on the par-5 ninth, and then hit a 5-iron to 10 feet for another birdie on the 10th. Haas led by at least two shots the entire back nine, though he never allowed himself to think about winning until he stood over a 3-foot par putt on the 18th hole and realized he had three putts to win. "I just kept the ball in front of me," Haas said. "Nothing too crazy." The 31-year-old won for the fifth time in his career, and this was the first one with Tiger Woods on the property -- not to play, but to hand out the trophy. Woods sat out this week with an elbow injury and wont play again until the British Open, though he was impressed with what he saw. "He played beautifully today," Woods said. "He handled his business through the tougher stretch of holes and pulled awaay.dddddddddddd." Castro, part of a four-way tie for the lead at the start of the final round, made Haas work for it. "He didnt make any mistakes, and the birdies on 9 and 10 were big," Castro said after his 69. The other leaders fell away. Andres Romero had a double bogey on the fourth hole and shot 75. James Driscoll didnt make a birdie in his round of 74. Jordan Spieth, the 19-year-old from Texas who needs a win to become a PGA Tour member and be eligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs, started his day by holing out from a fairway bunker for eagle and chipping in for birdie to tie for the lead. He dropped a shot at No. 11 -- the hardest hole at Congressional -- about the time Haas was on his critical run of birdies. Spieth had a 69 and finished sixth, pushing his earnings for the year over $1.1 million. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., closed with a 69, and finished eight shots back at 280. David Hearn of Brantford., Ont had a 71, to finish at 286. Ottawas Brad Fritsch had a 74, to wind up at 292. Castro bogeyed the opening hole, and that was his only mistake. He was one shot out of the lead at the turn, couldnt match birdies with Haas at the par-3 10th, and then stuck with him the rest of the day. "It helped that Roberto played so well," Haas said. Haas, who finished on 12-under 272, never allowed himself to think about winning, even after he seized control around the turn. Congressional wouldnt let him. Even though he made 15 birdies on the weekend, he remembered the triple bogey on the 11th hole Saturday that temporarily derailed him. This time, he found the fairway, hit onto the green, took two putts for par and exhaled. Haas saved par from a bunker on the par-3 13th with a 6-foot putt that swirled 360 degrees around the cup before falling, and then picked up an unlikely birdie on the 14th when his 9-iron was drifting toward a mound covered with shaggy rough to the right of the green. It hopped off the mound to about 10 feet, and he went from a possible bogey to a birdie when he made the putt. He made one more birdie with a wedge that checked up a foot from hole on the par-5 16th, and Haas was on his way. The biggest struggle after that was hoisting the silver trophy of the U.S. Capitol over his head in the stifling heat of the closing ceremony on the 18th green. Haas was still smarting over losing a three-shot lead in the final round at Riviera, making five bogeys in a seven-hole stretch in the middle of his round. He had the 36-hole lead at the Memorial until a 76-71 weekend. He was solid on Sunday at Congressional, and the win moved him to No. 7 in the FedEx Cup standings with the playoffs about two months away. Thats important to Haas, who won the FedEx Cup in 2011 and failed to qualify for the Tour Championship last year. D.H. Lee made nine birdies to match a tournament-best 64 and tied for third with Jason Kokrak, who briefly shared the lead on the front nine and had a 69. Stewart Cink closed with a 67 and finished alone in fifth, his best finish on the PGA Tour in stroke play since he won the British Open four years ago at Turnberry. ' ' '