Real Deal

He wants to put this out there, so the Magic don't deal him to whatever team they wish this summer. There are going to be SOME teams that want him as a one-year rental, thinking they can convince him to stay (like the Lakers, who believe winning cures all). Howard just wants to be a free agent, so he can go to any team he wants (at that point, he can choose the team, and Orlando will either have to let him walk for nothing, or get ANYTHING in return, even if it's small). Just talk.

Should be good to go now. Sorry fellas.

Evans needs to jump to a team that has a LeBron, or a McGrady, a guy that can facilitate and find value in Tyreke's slashing abilities. It just seems like he's a square block forced into a round hole, and teams aren't going to try and mold their offense around him because he's not a stellar player, doesn't really control the tempo of a game or create for others as a PG, and he's not a guy you can rely on to catch fire and light a team up from mid-range or outside. I feel like the guy is panning out to be a better version of Flip Murray or Willie Green, in regards to not having a set role and being one-dimensional, stuck in between 2-3 positions.

I would say New York, but after seeing how the Melo/Amare duo struggle to play together, it's hard for me to really put a stamp on it. However, with the right coach, it could make sense, as Nash could feed Amare off of pick and rolls, much like he did years ago, and Melo can continue to score off of isolations, instead of Amare depending on Anthony. Plus, you have Chandler, who would love Nash as much as he did CP3. Given that, and that New York is a big market, it would make sense for Nash to land there. Indiana is interesting, too. I know people are high on Collison, but really, they would thrive off of Nash, and his ability to hit open shots would open the floor up even more for everyone on that team.

I can't really see the Spurs trading Tim Duncan...just seems like a player that will remain with one franchise for good, but then again, I also thought the same about Hakeem and Ewing. The Spurs are much different, though. Tony Parker? I don't know. If they want to deal him, though, there's no better time than now. His value is probably at its highest, even though he did have a few poor games against the Thunder (three in a row, I believe)...but maybe they can dangle Parker out there for a nice pick in this upcoming draft. Same with Manu, really.

TIME: 8:30 PM ET TV: ESPN

I can't see them moving Deng and Gibson for that pick. You're taking away two very good defenders (one excellent, and is an all-star), and this is Thibodeau's defensive system after all. If they are planing on doing something with Boozer, and it seems that way, I would think Gibson is fully capable of starting for them and is ideal in that role, unless they plan on bringing in a Paul Millsap.

Today, it's Durant...but if we're talking about at any point during the season, all healthy, it's hard not to say LeBron because Wade and Bosh are far more capable of taking over games than Westbrook and Harden. I don't think the bench production is THAT significant because we're treating Harden as if he's a starter, and aside from him, the Thunder really don't get much from their bench, either. Fisher, Collison, Nazr, Maynor...those guys won't boost an offense the way Miller, Haslem, Battier, Jones, and Cole would IF they are healthy. When they knock down their shots, the Heat are so damn hard to stop.

I figured we'd stick with it, since it's actually a member and not a pro player...but we can always discuss that. Your idea, right? I tried to find the post, searched in a few topics, but it was difficult for me to do that because I had no idea who made that post, lol. I just kept it in mind since I read it a while ago, didn't want to start it up until we were done with the Finals, but we're close enough.

Should be 5+ likes.

In the sidebar, you'll see a link in a box specifically made for the referral system. That is YOUR link. When you recruit, post that link for people to use during registration. When they click on it and register, it adds you as their referral. Understand that I don't want you guys spamming this link, and the number of recruits you have means NOTHING if they aren't going to be active here, so don't give out the link to people that will sign up and talk about badminton tournaments 99% of the time they are here. Also, if you want to name your referrer (from when you were brought here), you can do that by taking your link and replacing the number inside of it with the member ID of the person that brought you here. For example: http://www.discusshoops.com/forums/index.php?app=referrals&reff=1 The "1" at the end of the URL specifies that I'm the referrer (member ID #1). If a current member were to click on that, I believe it adds me as such. Finding member ID's is easy: just hover over their name in the forums, and you'll be able to see it (or, alternatively, just go to their profile and look up at the URL). EDIT: Scratch that last part...doesn't seem like you can do that. Pfft. I'll try and find a way around this.

We talked about that Iggy/Gasol idea. Would you rather go this route, with the 7th pick, to pick up a big that needs developed (and that isn't a sure bet), or somehow get Pau Gasol, who has all of that BUT hands you a big contract and is in his 30's already?

Yes. I actually told Kyle and the mods we weren't going anywhere from the start. Over the years, I've done questionable things to draw reactions...positive or negative...to get a feel of what I want to do in the future. I've shut it down once before to catch a hacker, stepped down once to do the same thing. I eliminated the entire staff, everyone but myself, a while back (don't remember why, but there was a reason for it). I swapped administrators, naming Smitty and Jammin the new admins, placing ALCS and Gamerguy as lead moderators, through the summer. I once locked up the forums after the Heat/Mavericks Finals series. The only real danger the site has been in, regarding the place shutting down, would probably be when I lost my vision. Of course, everyone that knows me outside of the site knows that was 100% legitimate (despite what a few jackasses said elsewhere), but even at that time, I gave full control to Aaron, and if he were to eventually step down (and he did, much later), I know Kyle would keep it going, anyway.

You're probably shocked...but this is the new name of the site. OTRBasketball isn't exactly going away, but the name is. After talking with a few people, and seeing the actions of some others (and we won't discuss any of that), I've decided to flip the script and change the name of the site. With this, I'll also be changing the design (in due time), the direction (hopefully), and how I approach certain things that, again, I won't mention right now. Yes, I'm aware that there are still images/banners/text I need to change. Stay patient. I apologize for leaving out a lot of details here, but this needed to be done, as much as it pains me to actually make such a big change (I mean, OTR has been ours since 2005). We are still the same community, and that part is most important. Since the "8th Anniversary" topic was posted, I found out a lot of things about our current members. I took note of the reactions, the changes, etc...and it definitely helped me make this decision, and will assist me in decisions in the near future. It also enlightened me when it comes to who is around to contribute, and who has been waiting for that day we decide to shut and lock the door. So, everyone, please update your bookmarks ASAP. http://www.discusshoops.com/forums Also, join our new Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/discusshoops If you aren't following us on Twitter (the same page as before, just a new name):

http://www.discusshoops.com/forums/topic/29211-discusshoopscom

They would get a better player if they decided to just wipe Tyrus from the equation. Adding him with the pick is actually making it much more difficult...nobody wants any part of him right now. I'm thinking Jordan/Cho just wants to trade down, but stay in the lottery...and maybe picking up a half-decent player + lottery pick for that #2. We're hearing that the Raptors could trade the #8 pick. Would they hand over DeRozan and the #8 for the #2?

Nah, but it's close. Some will argue that 48-point game against Detroit, because he had Cleveland's last 25 points or so, dominated in 4th and OT...but this one was much more efficient, he grabbed far more boards, and it was a win-or-go-home game on the road.

This game was over when Spo decided to play Bosh much longer than 14 min. We saw the Heat carry a 15-point lead into the half last game while Bosh played most of his minutes in it. It's no coincidence they have been able to sustain it with Bosh playing even more.

Can't stand him, but THIS is the LeBron that I would respect much more. Need to see this in the second half, especially late in the game, though. Sometimes, being selfish is something you have to accept as an option to be a great player and champion.

Boston will put pressure on LeBron this next half, because they know Wade is going to play better in the second half. The idea is to weather the storm, then force the rest of the team to beat them once Wade shows his face. Last game, LeBron came out hot, then shot 4-15 in the second half, and Boston won. They've had this idea for a while now.

Hahaha.

Yeah, but at some point, you have to put your best scoring threats out there on the floor, and Joel Anthony playing means that Garnett has absolutely nobody to defend. That's why Bosh is so important. Even if he's not scoring 20 a night, he's giving Garnett someone to focus on. Otherwise, KG is in the paint, waiting for LeBron and watching Wade take those jumpers, and he's loving every second of it as a true defensive anchor. Orlando would probably do the same thing to the Heat, honestly. I don't think they'd win the series, but they would push a series to six or seven games, because without a big man for Howard to defend, he would shut down the lane, and that's where the Heat get their buckets and free throws, especially since their role players can't make a shot to save their lives.

So he's been garbage for just one game, or...? I'd say most of the series. For me, it's mostly on Wade. He hasn't shown up in the first halves of these games (for the most part), and LeBron has. In the second half, Miami has to push to either maintain a lead, or come back, and Wade can't do it all himself...so LeBron is still going hard, and by the middle of the 4th, James feels like he's back in Cleveland. It doesn't help that the role players aren't doing anything, aside from hustling...but hustling doesn't win games, either. Mike Miller is fighting through the back pain, doing his best to get open and grab boards, but if he's not hitting shots, he's a huge problem. Same with Haslem, who can grab boards, but not hitting his shots and being ripped apart by Garnett....suddenly, the small impact he makes doesn't make up for the liability of having him out there. I won't sit here and blame Spo for much because, the truth is, he has thrown out plenty of combinations to find that hardly any of them work. The small ball did work for a bit, especially when the Celtics pull Garnett out of the game for rest, but now it's just trading buckets, and that won't win games, either. Miami doesn't have the size. They don't have a true center. That's why Bosh's impact is magnified in this series. It's not exactly Spo's fault that they don't have a true big man, that Turiaf doesn't play good enough to be out there, or that Joel Anthony is one of the worst offensive players in the NBA. It's not his fault that Eddy Curry is worthless, and that Dexter Pittman (who had Heat fans so happy at one point, before he even started playing) is only good for cheap shots. Who knows...maybe playing Bosh 25 minutes will win the next two games for Miami, but this team will get wiped by the Thunder in the Finals, even if Bosh was 100%. Can't blame Spo for that, and honestly, I can't blame LeBron for that. Point fingers at Wade, and then either the role players, or Riley for not selecting the right guys to fill those roles. Spoelstra isn't going to stop LBJ and Wade from isolating, and he's not going to magically force Battier and Miller into making their shots. Playing James Jones more sounded fine, but he's 5-14 in the series because he can't even get his shot off, as seen in Games 4 and 5. He was tossing up 25-foot contested threes at the end of the shot clock, because anywhere inside of the three, he shoots less than 38% from the floor. Miami is constructed to beat teams with their star power, but even then, the LeBron/Wade duo isn't among the Jordan/Pip's, or the Kobe/Shaq's, especially without shooters...and even Chris Bosh (the third wheel, who could be the second most important on this team at this point) can't make up for what they lack: teammates that can play established roles, and two superstars that aren't so similar to each other and that can do great things at the same time.

I would think they'd go after a point guard, especially if Bayless is out the door and Calderon is on his last year (and getting a bit old). It would shock me if they didn't select Marshall or Lillard. Maybe they want to deal DeRozan for a PG that doesn't need developed, replace DD with a rookie SG. After all, point guards are tougher to develop than any other position.

Waiters in the top 10? Who is that going to bump out? I just don't see why anyone would pick him over some of the bigs (Sullinger, Henson) or Jones. Maybe Marshall or Lamb are going to fall? I can't think of a team in the top 10 who would take him. The Warriors aren't going to take another two-guard that could bump Klay out of the five. Detroit needs a big. Surely, the Hornets aren't going to select him, and will keep Eric Gordon anyway (and if they are trading their pick, there's no trade yet, so there can't be a promise). Is Portland going to take him? That's really the only team I see considering him in the top 10.