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Well, the decision has come down. Like Stephen A. Smith and others suspected, LeBron is joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. They have to be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. Time will tell if this power trio will be enough to dethrone the Lakers.

From a fantasy perspective, I’m afraid all three will take a hit to their production. It would be hard not to take LeBron with the number one pick in fantasy drafts, but there has to be a case for Kevin Durant.

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As the world prepares for LeBron’s announcement later tonight, the Celtics made a move to bolster their chances of repeating as Eastern Conference Champions. They added Jermaine O’Neal to fill the void the C’s will feel as Kendrick Perkins recovers from his knee injury. O’Neal, who will turn 32 in October should give them an upgrade over the recently retired Rasheed Wallace. His fantasy value takes a hit as there are more scoring options  in Boston than there were in Miami.

I should probably call it the Big Four as Rajon Rondo proved to be as important as any of the Celtics’ future Hall of Famers (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen). Perhaps the Big Five if the Jermaine O’Neal to the C’s rumors are true. Whatever number of big players the Celtics have next year, they will have sharpshooter Ray Allen there for two more years after he signed a $20 million deal. He will turn 35 later this month so the odds that he can match the 16.3 points he averaged last year aren’t great. That said, he is a great source for three-pointers and free-throw percentage and a good source for points and field goal percentage. He offers little in the rebounds and assists category. A lot of teams are gearing up in the East, and it appears Boston will remain in the hunt.

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Carlos Boozer was Public Enemy number one when he gave his word on a contract extension with the Cavs, only to skip town for the extra money Utah was offering. Now he has a chance to stick a dagger in the hearts of Cavs fans once again if his decision to sign with the Bulls sways LeBron James to join him.

The Bulls certainly have a nice team to play alongside James should he choose Chicago. Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, LeBron James, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah would certainly make a formidable starting unit. Boozer and LeBron played one year together in 2003-04, and LeBron told Boozer he has to do what is best for his family prior to his departure. If New York and Miami became the front runners by signing A’mare Stoudemire and Chris Bosh, Chicago is back in the game with the signing. I’m afraid Cleveland just won’t have anything to offer LeBron in order to keep their hometown hero.

From a fantasy perspective, look for Noah and Boozer’s rebound totals to take a hit. Luol Deng will likely also take a hit both in points and rebounds. Rose could see an increase in assists.

You can forget about an ESPN special down the road featuring Kevin Durant letting the world know where he’s going. On the day it was reported that Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade would team up in Miami, and a day before King James’ one-hour special, Durant quietly signed with Oklahoma City.

Durant has to be one of the most admirable young stars in the game. He did not make an issue of being bypassed by Portland for Greg Oden because of the questions surrounding his strength. All he did was go out and prove that he should be spoken about in the same breath as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kobe Bryant. In fact, if LeBron were to go to the Heat as speculated, there would be a considerable case for Durant as the first overall fantasy pick next year.

For future reference for NBA GMs out there, how many times you can bench press 185 pounds does not mean you can’t play at a high level.

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Will LeBron Join Wade and Bosh in Miami?

ESPN’s Chris Broussard is reporting that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have decided to team up in Miami. Details have not emerged the compensation Bosh will receive, specifically if he will get the extra money associated with a sign-and-trade deal with the Raptors. There is also no word whether or not LeBron James, who will announce live on ESPN his intentions tomorrow night, will join them in South Beach or not. For now, Wade is Batman and Bosh is Robin. Wade is Crockett and Bosh is Tubbs.

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While the Knicks are waiting for their main course (LeBron or Dwyane Wade) they are enjoying a pretty good (and expensive) appetizer in the form of A’mare Stoudemire. The electric power forward is reuniting his former Suns coach Mike D’Antoni. The Knicks are paying him a pretty penny, close to $100 million over five years. Any fears that A’mare’s numbers would suffer upon leaving the desert have been put to rest by his decision to join D’Antoni’s up-tempo offense. As long as he stays healthy, there is no reason A’mare can’t approach the 23.1 points and 8.9 rebounds he averaged last year.

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