Real Deal

I don't know. I can't see the Knicks doing anything in the playoffs, even if Lin continues to play this way, and that top five pick is going to be HUGE in this upcoming draft. I don't encourage tanking, though...just saying that, if it ended up that way, having that top five pick would be a blessing in disguise, if used correctly (could even be traded for an all-star, really).

I wouldn't trade Gasol for Lowry, honestly, after seeing just how much he has dropped off. His offense fell back down to Earth after teams realized he could be a threat.

http://www.rossford.k12.oh.us/pages/uploaded_images/star-smiley-face-download.gif

Marc Gasol is the best player on that team. If it was all about playoff teams and their best players, though...why is Deron Williams in it? Why Nash? And who is representing the Hawks? Johnson??? Josh Smith should be in there on the East roster. Paul Millsap is tearing it up in Utah...he's actually having a better season than Gay, on a better team. Memphis is currently 13-13, by the way...10th in the West. Gay will have to adjust to the players around him if the Grizzlies want to go deep into the playoffs, not the other way around. Last postseason, Memphis did so well because they DIDN'T have Rudy Gay crippling their perimeter defense and taking shots away from Randolph. I thought that was pretty clear.

Brandon Jennings doesn't deserve to get in. Neither does Rudy Gay. If those guys make it, so does Monta Ellis. Dirk getting in was just to satisfy Cuban, and they know that Dirk may consider skipping the game anyway. Let's be honest...there's no way Dirk deserved it over Pau Gasol, who is playing better right now. Even Millsap and Jefferson deserve it over Dirk. Nash has definitely earned his spot.

They will all need to win championships first (yes, I know Wade has one). Karl Malone was an incredible player, second greatest PF of all time (some can argue first), second greatest scorer of all time (statistically), and yet you don't see him cracking top 10 lists because his Jazz never won a championship, thanks to Mike J. Even though Wade has one under his belt, I can't say he'll be a top ten player of all time. I'm sure LeBron will get his ring(s) sometime before he retires, so he'll probably be in there as the second greatest SF to play the game, under Larry. As much as I want Durant to improve and surpass what LeBron has done and will do in the future, he could be more along the lines of where Carmelo will stand. For all of the centers in the all time list (Wilt, Kareem, Shaq and Hakeem), I'm not so sure Howard can find a spot. Incredible defense, but those names I posted were also stellar offensive players, doing everything on that end of the court. CP3 won't get in. Considering Stockton and Kidd aren't in there, CP3 won't make it. In their primes, Stock and Kidd were better.

I'm going to have to go dig up some clips of me playing. I don't have any on my computer, but I have about 11 different hard drives (OLD hard drives) I need to go through someday, and I'm sure I have stuff on there. A lot of what I put together in mixes (when I decided to try out my mix-making skills, which I gave up on) was on the same HD that contained about 6-7 backups of our old board, crashed around the time the hack happened (can't say it was related, can't say it was a coincidence...I don't know), and those were fun to watch. Had Facebook been more popular than MySpace back then, and more accessible, I would have uploaded all of those videos to my FB account.

Word is that the Lakers have had Gasol on the block since the summer (not just in some trade for CP3), and more than likely, if we can't get Howard for Drew, Gasol will be out of here by deadline, unless Jim Buss is ignorant and asks for far too much.

Wow, those are old. I remember all of them, aside from the Peterson wall and the Williams sig.

Top 10 is the easy answer. I'm one to remove all of the personal accolades (because I can't stand the MVP award, seeing how Kobe and Shaq have a combined TWO, while Nash has two alone), and when it comes to a player's overall skillset and abilities/domination, Kobe is top three. I'm assuming it's best to say that Jordan is #1, followed by Wilt. After that, everyone in that top ten falls into place. I just have a hard time saying that Wilt would've done all of what he did in today's game (or in the 90's), because despite the "popular opinion" of many who, like me, didn't watch him live...most of the bigs that defended him were the size of today's PF's and SF's, and that really does take away from what he did. Would Wilt Chamberlain really average 50 PPG today? Not a chance. I doubt he would hit 40, but given that he still did, no matter the era, I'm almost obligated to dismiss the circumstances and stick him above most everyone else. A few years ago, I would consider Magic over Kobe, but after Bryant matched his championship total, I consider Kobe the greatest Laker of all-time. He is more skilled than Magic, played better defense, and while he didn't throw 14 APG (Kobe did have Shaq, but he didn't have Showtime), Bryant did facilitate an offense AND average 30+ a night, something Magic may not have been able to do over an 82-game season (we'll never know).

Bump. This dude is pretty good, reminds me a lot of a young Eminem. Certainly not on his level, but his style, flow and even his voice, just a bit...

Would you say the Kings need a true playmaker, or are they just full of bad shooters and low-percentage shot-takers that have no idea what a team is (or both...that's probably your answer)? They are currently dead last in FG% (at 40.6%), dead last in assists (just 16.2 a game), 27th in overall offense, 24th in points, 28th in 3PT%, and this is all despite having: Tyreke Evans Marcus Thornton John Salmons DeMarcus Cousins Jimmer Fredette JJ Hickson Of course, they are very bad on the defensive end as well...but that's expected, looking at their roster. Why does this team shoot so badly, and how much would they benefit from having a Steve Nash (you knew I would throw it in there)?

See poll. As of now, all four are signed for at least one more season.

Right now, Nash is closing in on his final season of his contract with the Suns, and is an $11-12 million expiring OR a veteran player that can run an offense. Because of that, you have to wonder just how difficult it will be to trade him...but then again, you will have teams that believe he'd never wear their jersey via free agency, and maybe they want to unload a few players and convince him to sign an extension. What do you think the Suns could get for Nash, assuming they do everything to trade him before the March 15th deadline?

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4684751/no-dirk-nowitzki-in-asg-would-make-nba-history

Kemba has a lot of trouble playing off the ball. He's a guy that's going to need it in his hands, to create his own shot, just like he did at UConn. Some players will never adjust, and I feel like Walker will be one of those. Having him run the point (actually running the offense) will always be an issue because Kemba was born to score. However, if the Bobcats can bring in a point-forward, that will help significantly...just aren't very many (if any at all) that are available, outside of someone like McGrady, who isn't going to be able to get it done these days on a horrible team like the Cats. Scoring PG's work, though...but they usually have to develop PG skills. See Derrick Rose. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, Kemba will never be Rose.

Technically, they are the best team in the East...but when you watch them, do you get the feeling this team needs to make a move to really solidify their spot as the top team? With everything considered, if you were the GM, would you make any realistic moves that would effect the starting lineup, or would you roll with what you have now and hope that the Rip Hamilton addition provides enough of a boost to get to the NBA Finals? Here are the numbers, if you're needing a quick link: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/2012.html

He knows. :o

He's doing much more than I ever expected him to. I was anticipating a replica of Sun Yue, who was hyped up after the way he played overseas (and how he played Team USA). Last night, Lin got a lot of shots in/near the paint...it was pretty impressive. He's a smart player who gets the majority of his teammates involved, and if he can sustain his play and confidence until Melo returns, and if Melo actually lets him handle the ball most of the game, he can be a big deal for New York. Dare I say the savior?

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20120209_LAL@BOS

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20120209_GS@DEN

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20120209_HOU@PHO

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20120209_OKC@SAC

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20120208_DAL@DEN

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20120208_MIN@MEM