Real Deal

I'm still here. Forever, lol.

Magic @ Pistons Wizards @ Pacers Cavs @ Raptors Bulls @ Heat Pelicans @ Nets Rockets @ Hawks Knicks @ Grizzlies Thunder @ Wolves Hornets @ Spurs Nuggets @ Jazz Mavs @ Suns Blazers @ Kings Lots of games on tap for tonight. Talk about all of them in here!

Sixers @ Celtics Lakers @ Warriors ------ Well, this didn't turn out too well for the Lakers. Didn't really keep it competitive, and the Warriors didn't play as good as they could've. Darvin Ham has a lot of work to do. And it looks like there may be a big Celtics/Sixers rivalry brewing. You can tell none of them like each other.

Who is your 2021-22 NBA MVP?

Man, I sure wish we had some activity on here. Smh. It might be time to bring out the shovel. These will change, I'm sure. I'm going to say that Barnes will sustain what he's doing, and as long as Herro stays the 6th man, he'll win it. If Miami finishes as the #1 defense, Bam will likely get the DPOY. The MVP race will be interesting, especially if the Bucks and/or Nets stay out of the top 3 (the Nets, especially). And Ja Morant is having an MVP year, and playing out of his mind vs. last season, where I felt he was a borderline all-star. MVP: Stephen Curry DPOY: Bam Adebayo ROY: Scottie Barnes MIP: Ja Morant 6MOY: Tyler Herro

Russ has been in a couple of trade rumors, but the biggest has been to the Lakers, who are looking for a point guard after talk of not wanting to pay Dennis Schroder. Of course, the rumor includes trading Kuzma, who has been in every trade discussion since his career began. But more importantly, how would Russ fit in with LeBron and AD? Westbrook is a ball-dominant, stat-piling firework that can dictate the tempo of a game and play with maximum effort for 48 minutes a night. But with that comes defensive lapses, bad shot selection, and frustrating possessions. If we look at crunch time, and FG%, he's one of the best (if not the best) in the NBA during the last five minutes of the game. That's a goo stat. But that doesn't tell how many bad turnovers he had in between his shot-making. Does the trade make sense for the Lakers? What do the Wizards need to get back, and how does this help them with Bradley Beal (keeping or dealing him)?

Losses to Nigeria and Argentina meant something after all, after their loss to France to open the Tokyo Olympics. It meant that Team USA is not a team, but a collection of players that play little defense, show little urgency, are far less physical than required, and take no pride in playing for their country. There are a lot of things wrong with USA basketball, IMO. Everything above, along with no leader? How can you expect to win gold when you can't defend or score against what the average NBA fan considers inferior talent?

Here's the official thread for Team USA basketball.

Alright, so we can debate the top PF's all day long, but in no particular order: Tim Duncan Dirk Nowitzki Karl Malone Charles Barkley Kevin Garnett These are usually the five that stand out the most on any top 10 list. Does Giannis make the top 5? Kevin McHale Bob Pettit Pau Gasol Elvin Hayes Dennis Rodman How about top 10? I think him leading the Bucks to the Finals, and winning a ring, obviously puts him in the top 10. However, averaging what he did against Phoenix (35/13/5) and hanging a 50-piece on the Suns in the close-out game to win it all? That was something amazing.

The answer is yes. Time to close it up!

Barnes? Yes, I would. I guess it just depends on player development, though. I'm not quite sure how that is in Toronto, Cleveland or Houston...really, their fans know more about it than I do. He just needs someone to stick him into the gym and work on his shot every day, and not an assistant that just tells him to go shoot, but one that can take a look at his form and tell him (show him) exactly what he's doing wrong.

Barnes should be drafted by the 5th pick. I don't see how Orlando passes him up for anyone else in this draft. Do I take him any earlier? Possibly, but it wouldn't surprise me, either. To me, it's funny that his first name is Scottie...because he can be SCOTTIE PIPPEN if he improves his jumper and FT shooting. He's around the same size, defends extremely well, and can run an offense as a point-forward. Yeah, that's a massive ceiling, and I'm probably the only person giving him that ceiling...but it's better than hearing a name like Ben Simmons. A while back, I think it was Tim Legler that said he plays a little like Draymond Green. That makes sense, also. I just don't know if you want to stick Barnes at the five and risk losing some of his abilities as both an offensive and defensive player. So, yes, he's a top five pick for me. I'm not taking him over Cade, though. Barnes would be a clear-cut #2, IMO, if it wasn't for him potentially being a Ben Simmons. Maybe Ben's current struggles actually hurt Barnes in this draft...that would be crazy.

Well, it sure didn't go my way, lmao. 1) Detroit Pistons - Cade Cunningham (going #1 no matter what) 2) Houston Rockets - Jalen Green 3) Cleveland Cavaliers - Evan Mobley 4) Toronto Raptors - Jalen Suggs 5) Orlando Magic - Scottie Barnes Top 5. I'd be shocked if Barnes doesn't go somewhere 2-5.

13 years ago!!!

So when this happens: Giannis - 32 PTS on 14/23 FG (61%), 9 REB, 6 AST Middleton - 29 PTS on 12/23 FG (52%), 7 REB, 5 AST Holiday - 27 PTS on 12/20 FG (60%), 4 REB, 13 AST The Bucks are nearly impossible to beat. That's damn near 90 points (88!) between their best three players, 38/66 shooting (58%). The scary part is, Phoenix shot 55/68/91 as a team. They were outrebounded by just 2 boards. They had only 8 turnovers (to Milwaukee's 11). The Suns had 9 steals and 5 blocks, and the Bucks only had 7 steals and 1 block. The Suns did everything they were supposed to do, other than just make a couple extra shots at the end of the game. That's it. And this was in Phoenix. Uh oh. I've still got the Bucks in 6. They are closing them out on Tuesday. I don't see how the Suns are going to win in Milwaukee, especially when Giannis smells blood in the water.