Real Deal

TIME: 2:30 PM ET TV: NBATV Just figured I'd start making gameday topics for these, haha. From this point on, the games should be interesting.

They had 2-3 playoff runs together. I distinctly remember the one against the Jazz in 2006 or 2007, and their first year together, they played Dallas and lost in seven games. Yao was in his third season when McGrady arrived, and he was putting up decent numbers already (already a three-time all-star), and one of Yao's best statistical seasons was in 2007. The injuries along the way didn't help, but there were high expectations for those two together, and when they fell to Utah and Dallas (two teams the Rockets fans despised) in the first round, it hurt McGrady more than Yao.

McGrady could have been, but he didn't work hard enough on the defensive end of the court, in games or in practices, and I believe he even admitted this at one point. Unlike Nitro, I'm going to hand the offensive side of the ball over to McGrady, simply because I think he had all the tools to beat you from anywhere on the floor, 23 feet in, and could pile on the points quicker than Wade. I know Wade was more efficient, but he's also more efficient than Kobe, and I'd never, ever take Wade over Kobe as a scorer. Not a chance. T-Mac was pretty amazing at his best, but unfortunately, he had two things going against him: the desire to improve all areas of his game, and the inability to do big things with an all-star teammate in Houston (Yao Ming). It would have been nice to see him with someone like that back in Orlando, when he was able to torch teams every single game, but sometimes, that's just how the chips fall. The defense separates the two, though, as Wade is one of the best shot-blocking guards ever, and both his on-ball and help pretty much trump what McGrady has ever done on that end.

This is a big deal. I was worried we weren't going to be able to bring him back. Now, we can play Jamison at the three a bit more, use Hill at the four, and even play Hill as a five, or Gasol at the five with Jamison and Hill getting minutes at PF. We have a lot of options in our frontcourt now. That's perfect. Plus, Hill played so damn well for us. He was a huge factor against Denver in the first round.

I know people will think much differently than me, and that it really is digging a bit too deep (probably overboard for the government), but I really don't give a damn because, quite frankly, I don't do anything stupid. I mean, it's obvious that all of our information is out there already...and most criminals (if not all) have tattoo records, so this isn't a surprise to me. If they are going to ID criminals with the help of their tats, cool...they've been doing that for a while now, anyway. If you jump over to Oklahoma's corrections website, you'll see that every inmate (or former inmate) has their tats listed. That's through a database.

Kind of odd that he would tell the cops this, though. I can't figure that out.

Someone over at TLN posted these witness accounts...I have no idea where they came from, though. Some witness accounts:

http://i45.tinypic.com/2hqwd5l.jpg http://i45.tinypic.com/o2s6u.jpg

This is actually important. The Lakers were still willing to do the deal, regardless, but this has to be noted. Bynum may be in the same boat. He has said he's not going to sign an extension (just as Dwight has)...but that's with ANY team. If Dwight was traded to the Nets, he would not have signed an extension. Both centers are going to "explore" free agency, no matter what happens. That doesn't mean that they are dead set on leaving, it means that they want an extra two years and max money, instead of a three-year extension. Cleveland and LA want to know if both big men are on board with that. Supposedly, Dwight has stated that he would re-sign at the end of the upcoming season. We don't know about Drew just yet, but we know he's not going to extend (and he shouldn't).

I have high hopes, but I'm not going to try and compare it to TDK because, quite frankly, I doubt any performance will match Ledger's. But I am hearing that Bane's character is actually pretty interesting, and his ideas and destruction are far more complex. I won't bother diving back in here, though, since I have yet to see the movie. Twitter is ruining it for me already, lol.

Rush can play either position...better defender as a two-guard, but better offensive player as a forward (although, offensively, it's pretty close). His length allows him to defend both positions well enough, but he bothers a lot of SG's.

Rajon Rondo Avery Bradley Jason Terry Courtney Lee That's nice. It'll be interesting to see how Boston plans their rotations/minutes.

Picks, Varejao, and a team that will take 2-3 of their players off the books for them (and LA takes 1-2 of the others). Houston is willing to give up the most, I'm sure, but from what has been reported, Howard doesn't even want to be there, and has stated he won't sign an extension, nor will he consider the Rockets next summer. Apparently, Orlando would rather lose Hedo, J-Rich, Baby and Duhon, and pick up draft picks...than to take Bynum and send Dwight over with one of those contracts (and it probably wouldn't be Hedo, because the Lakers would have to give away Artest + another player, with Drew, and the Magic don't want that). Bynum is the one that put out a list of teams he would like, Cleveland and Houston on that list. Drew's agent (and Dwight's agent) are both getting in the way, because it's all about the money for them (and of course it is, because they aren't players). Of course, Orlando isn't going to get full value for Dwight...but it'll be far better than what Cleveland and Toronto got for LeBron and Bosh...and I realize they didn't have a choice at that point, but Dwight and Bynum can both sit there and state that they don't want to sign with ANY team, and WON'T, to shut all of this down and end up walking. They can be specific. If Dwight stated right now that he won't be with the Lakers this summer, no matter what...then suddenly, LA leaves the room. Orlando has to get something done, and they need to do it quickly. I have a feeling Orlando decided to hang up the phone, for now, to wait on the Omer Asik situation. If they land him, maybe they don't pursue as hard. If they miss out, they could give Orlando one final offer...an offer they have yet to put on the table. That's why Orlando is waiting.

Supposed to be going to STL to see it, but the plan is probably busted. Oh well. Should be an awesome show.

Your second paragraph...you completely misunderstood what I said, but this isn't a surprise to me because you're getting defensive. I'm not going to continue the discussion. There is no point. Religion causes so many problems because people conflict over it, almost in the same way people bicker back and forth about whether or not God exists. Many atheists shove their ideas down our throat as much as obsessed Christians push it down theirs. If the discussion is going to turn into that, I'm going to drop it from the board entirely, put a ban on it, and suspend anyone bringing up religion in ANY topic. There's no way I'll respect any discussion, or anyone involved in that particular discussion, that hits rock bottom simply because they don't have the discipline to appreciate another person's opinion.

Yeah, a lot of the fanbase is thinking Bynum's agent, and Bynum himself...well, they aren't on the same page. I can also assume that this was said by his agent because, very shortly, the Lakers are going to stick Drew into a room and talk about his big ass extension, and his agent knows that this only complicates things. If he can get an idea of how committed (or not committed) the Lakers are, he can find a way to dive into free agency with Drew next summer...and that's probably what he wants more than anything.

No, I'm saying the Bible COULD be one interpretation of something that has had multiple, which is what has branched out to create so many religions in this world. I've come to accept others' beliefs, as well as accepting those not believing at all for various reasons (ex. due to there being multiple religions, or just basing everything off of science and finding inaccuracies in the Bible). I don't like pushing religion down anyone's throat for the reasons I've been discussing in this topic. Because of how I am, I don't like those that DO try and force it on others, and in addition to that, I don't like the non-believers that basically cripple the idea by mocking it. That's just how I am. I'd like to think that if science is advanced enough to tell us the age of the Earth, it has had enough time (through the years, and through the millions of people who have been questioning it) to tell us a little more about how we came to be. When will we know? I would say we'll know more once God (or a god) is proven to be real or fake. The likelihood that he's proven fake is so out of reach, because it means we would have to turn theories about the birth of our universe into facts...doubt it happens, and with no answer, even the non-believers have to wonder how the hell a design was put into place so effectively...even if that "wondering" doesn't necessarily lead you to believe in God, you're still as puzzled as I am.

Bynum to Orlando is out of the question, and has been for a long time. All purposed trades that send Howard to LA? They include Drew going to Houston or Cleveland, two teams that are interested and that he's interested in signing an extension with.

I'm surprised Houston didn't do better. Lee was wanted by more than just one team.

This is something else I question. I think a lot of the Bible has been misinterpreted over time, altered so much. Some of these punishments mentioned in the Bible don't exactly fit into place, and I'm almost in line to say that different cultures, over time, had a big influence on these written words...whatever book you or I decide to read. Of course, we aren't going to stone someone to death...but maybe that was ideal for a particular culture thousands of years ago. The Earth being 6,000 years old (according to the Bible)...well, I'd like to know when all of this was first written/translated (not just the Bible, but well before that), and even deeper into the equation, how long was the Earth inhabited before it was written? How did anyone have any knowledge of how long the Earth existed in the first place? These are the words of God, of course, but again, I'm one to point out that things may have been translated poorly over time, some even from the start.

The medical doctor, and I thank God for providing us all with free will. I'm not a religious freak. I don't think praying to God heals me. I will be honest: I'm not really sure if I believe in miracles. However, I'm thankful that the road my doctor walked to get where he is today was one that he chose to travel, and that I was fortunate enough to pick him among a crowd of eye doctors. I give 100% credit to him, for the hard work he dedicated his life to, to land the career he has. With God in full control of everything, preventing sicknesses and diseases, my doctor...well, he wouldn't be a doctor. In fact, in that case, I doubt doctors would even exist...and again, that's where free will comes into play.

Well, ESPN is reporting two sources now...so if the second source is actually the one that told Rudolph, ESPN must view them as credible, also...at least enough to matter...but we don't even know if it's the same source. It's not what the Magic are thinking, relating to the topic. We all know they are done with Dwight, and we know they want the best deal. The big picture is that Dwight has stated (according to sources) that he will sign with LA...and Alex just reported that he will eventually tell the Lakers this, in person, and that makes sense because Howard is in LA as we speak (or has been for a while now). I don't feel like digging through the 1,000 pages over at LakerNation, but someone quoted an old post of his that was so far off, it was hilarious...and then he ran through some damage control, BS'ing about how Dwight's demands were met at some point, or whatever...and we know that's not true, either, and I'm sure he regrets saying all of that. I have a tough time believing anyone not affiliated with a credible media outlet. I can go to OKC, stay for a week, meet up with Westbrook, take pictures and get quotes, and eventually turn myself into an insider and make people believe he wants out of town (as long as I twist his words, or make up something, and write it out as professionally as I can), and it would work because I have an eight-year website under my belt.

LOL. The answer to your question is no, by the way.

Jason Kidd is going to be better for the Knicks, in regards to deferring to Melo and Amare. Felton is going to be a problem, and it's not just because he was out of shape last season. Denver tossed him aside, quickly (gave him maybe 20 games), because he wasn't doing anything with the ball, shooting bad shots on a team that had a lot of talent once they dealt Melo. Same with Portland, but he was also out of shape and lazy. I still think it was a good idea the Knicks didn't match, but if they are looking at a long-term replacement for Lin, Felton is not going to be the answer. By the way, while Jeremy Lin turned the ball over every single time I saw him on TV, and I actually thought he was overrated for a while...it was Melo and Amare's inability to play together that ultimately ruined this team. The Knicks will either live with the ball in Melo's hands, which takes Amare out of his game a bit more than he wants, or they will rely on a very good PG to facilitate and feed Melo when necessary, which reduces Melo's role from a superstar to an all-star. Lin may have had little time to produce and earn his money, but high draft picks (ex. Kyrie Irving) come into the league with a season (in his case, less than a season) of college basketball under their belts, guaranteed money and around $5 million or so starting out, fifth year a QO of up to $9.7 million (all on the same contract...this is still Irving, by the way). At some point, you have to go big or go home. The Knicks have so much talent, but nobody to bring it together. Felton isn't going to be that player moving on. Kidd can make it work for the next year or two, but they won't touch Miami or Chicago (healthy).

I doubt Rudolph would make something up, or report something that isn't entirely true. He wouldn't risk shattering his relationship with Dwight, and I believe Alex Kennedy even noted this. Doesn't make sense on his part. Rudolph has proven he has had talks with Dwight, many of them, with screenshots that he eventually had to take down (because of personal information). Multiple sources, sources that we trust in (ex. from ESPN), have confirmed this over the last year of this "Dwightmare." I never believed that Dwight didn't want LA in the first place. The guy took a picture with a Lakers hat on, wearing his Orlando jersey. As a professional player, that's something you never, ever see...and it was stupid, to be honest. There are really two guys I trust when it comes to the Orlando Magic (reporting for them), and that's Kennedy and Rudolph. Broussard is just reporting what he reads from Twitter, more than likely, but that doesn't lower the credibility.