10 NBA Players Who Have Some Serious Soul Searching this Offseason

Since the Utah Jazz have been eliminated, MY participation in the rest of the postseason is about to come to and end. I have all summer to blog away about what's going to happen next season, and hash out questions in my head. Lets see who else has some questions to answer:

• 10. Chauncey Billups: Going into this off-season he was thought to be the number one free agent on the market. The Pistons are playing well enough to get through the eastern conference playoff scene with few hiccups (something that compares to getting to the bottom of a slide with your eyes closed or opening a new DVD case). However, Mr. Big Shot is off his game. He's struggling with traps, he's dribbling the ball off his foot. Come on man, this is MONEY TIME. I'm sorry man, it's way too late to get you in touch with Jerome James.
• 9. Mehmet Okur: What's going on Memo? Deron Williams all but named you when he accused un-named teammates of booking vacation trips for the week of the start of the NBA finals. You made the All-Star team this year, great, but your post season guaranteed you will not be headed back there anytime soon. Take this off-season and figure out how your game disappeared as fast as a Manu Ginobili flop.
• 8. Kobe Bryant: I'm sure that Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, Andrew Bynam and Co. are really excited to see this guy again. Not sure what Kobe was thinking going on Stephen A. Smith's radio show to tell the world that you hated Jerry Buss and then going on Dan Patrick's show to tell him you changed your mind? Was it a slow news day and the ESPN pre-game team called in a favor (a team which oddly enough includes Dan Patrick and Stephen A. Smith)? Anyway, you are going to have to buy that whole crappy team of yours new cars or something or expect a long season of passes thrown at your feet.
• 7. Jermaine O'Neal: Indiana was fun for a while, wasn't it? This beast of the east is about to end up traded to a team where he will be exposed playing against Duncan, Boozer and Nowitzki night in and night out. Feuding with Larry Bird was a poor move and showing up Rick Carlisle really got you no where. Let's see if your game is going to continue to decline going into fall 2008
• 6. Tracy McGrady/Yao Ming: You guys are in the same boat. You got your coach fired for failing to close out the Jazz at HOME in game 7, something that never happens. T-Mac, in my mind your game is fatally flawed because you need the ball in your hands every possession in order to be effective. Yao, you looked really scared going up against a veteran, hard nosed defender in Okur...I mean... Get ready for Adelman-ball! I'm sure it will be a relief to rest on defense, but expect to continue losing in the playoffs in the coming years.
• 5. Vince Carter: Shown up by Lebron James badly, is for some reason choosing to opt out of a contract with $16 million on the table for 2008. After these playoffs, face it, Vince is not worth max money. The talent is there, but like cuz' T-mac, is going to jack up a lot of shots and run the one man show. No one wants a coaster, especially someone who is upfront about it.
• 4. Lebron James (Pending) : Nike is going to have to put the Eddie Murphy-style commercials on hold until Lebron decides that he wants to do more than just cash a paycheck.
• 3. Kevin Garnett: I almost forgot that Garnett was still around, other than the fact that he had the best statistical season of his career. I can't say enough good things about him. He deserves a better situation than what he's been dealt in Minnesota. Has a ton of karma points in reserve for the fun police commercials.
• 2. Paul Pierce: Reaching the end of his prime with no help in sight. I'm a BYU alum, so the honor code prohibits me from saying anything bad about Danny Ainge, but seriously man, I'm sorry.
• 1. Dwyane Wade: Congrats on the new baby boy! Definitely in a strange situation, if I were you, I would make sure that Shaq does a situp or two this offseason. Good luck with the surgery on both your shoulder and knee, don't let these be your "Grant Hill Ankle" or your "Fred Taylor Hamstring". You're surrounded by too many over-talented, underachieving guys like Antoine Walker and Posey and Jason Williams and not enough overachievers like Udonis Haslem. Think about it, you've got all summer.