Real Deal

A couple of pictures from Joplin... http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/254594_10150189694986759_509561758_7301199_5214225_n.jpg http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/250930_10150189689191759_509561758_7301157_1994557_n.jpg

Prediction ruined. Sorry, had to do it.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/247170_10150199369633463_8245623462_7092076_5001297_n.jpg

A tornado has been spotted near Sacramento. What the hell?

Bump. I figured I'd give a little more time to get these cleaned up (no, I did not forget this time). I want to get this done soon. I'll be deleting all PM's that are older than 30 days, and I'll let you guys know one day ahead of time.

Asik gets props for playing very good defense. He was always there, helping out on penetrations, and he contested well. I criticized him in the past, but he stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. It's unfortunate that he's out, but Chicago is toast anyway.

No, he made it clear that he believes people should be able to say what they want in a workplace, and not have consequences for their actions because they are "just words." Do you believe this to be true as well? That's the whole point of him thinking none of this is a big deal, that no player should be fined for what comes out of their mouth, and I'd have to assume this means in pre-game and post-game interviews as well. Racial slur, gay slur, whatever it is. That's where it connects.

TIME: 9:00 PM ET TV: ESPN

Abro asked a question about the average PER of a college-to-NBA player from 2000-2005, so I decided to take a few steps beyond that (since that one answer was going to require a lot of digging) and just analyze the entire thing. Make your own conclusions.

By the way, in your opinion (and what will obviously be yours alone), nobody has supplied an argument for anything you say regarding this, and if that's the case, it's mainly because we really don't know what the hell you're talking about, or why you think the way you do. The bottom line is this: consequences are vital in society, simple as that. There are consequences for physical and mental abuse, consequences for breaking laws, etc. No matter what planet you're visiting, you can't throw out racial or gay slurs in a workplace. Given the fact that athletes are role models, even when some aren't up for it, and the fact that basketball is broadcast to the nation (which includes all ages), it's only logical that players should watch their mouths. Maybe you wouldn't mind your future 7-year old son cussing out your teacher and flipping her off (words don't hurt...), but I would rather have mine grow up in a mature environment, understanding that what he says helps build character, reputation, and discipline, and the decision to respect those around him will benefit him more than he knows as he gets older. You can say what you want once again (ironically)...but lesson learned: sometimes, people decide to just stop listening.

They finally have someone funny on that show? :o

Shit dude, do I really need to go that extra mile to explain what I said? Re-read it. Guy talks trash to my daughter. He can say what he wants, because you say so. I walk over, break his jaw. He gets it wired shut, eats nothing but ice cream and mashed potatoes for weeks. Was it really that hard to understand?

Well, Tristan would make the most sense, probably, but I don't think he'll fall to ten, unless he slips up in workouts. If you're looking for offense, though, I'd go with Marcus Morris. He could hit the gym and be a mess down low for some players, playing the SF/PF. Plus, he's probably one of the most NBA-ready players in the draft. Burks stepping in that quickly? I don't know...probably not. Usually, guys that aren't disciplined and tend to chuck poor shots will have a hard time fitting in, and shouldn't be rushed into big roles.

What needs to be noted, quickly, is that we finished the season ranked 6th in both offense and defense (which is based on points scored and given up per 100 possessions). However, our FG% was 11th in the NBA, and our 3PT% was 17th. We were also 17th in FTA and 13th in assists. Those numbers shouldn't resemble a team with Kobe, Gasol, Odom, and Bynum. While we need the help on defense, some of our problems on that end of the court can't be solved by a coach. Fisher and Kobe can't defend the perimeter like they used to, and Mike Brown doesn't have the Fountain of Youth. Ron Artest has trouble contesting shots when having to recover, also due to age. Gasol is lazy, and if any coach were to break him of that, it would've been Phil Jackson. I think we are getting Mike Brown for all the wrong reasons. Basically, he's cheap, and he brings with him Pop's defensive strategies (and a few of his own). That's it. Experience? Brown may have found his way into the NBA Finals, but make no mistake about it, he was carried there. A voice? We know he never took the dare to stand up to LeBron in 5-6 years he coached at Cleveland (however many it was...since 2004 or 2005). Many Cleveland beat writers argued that he may have been the "player's coach" of the century, which isn't exactly a good thing. Sure, I'll give him a chance, but only because I can't dictate what's going to happen. I have the green light to throw my criticism out there because, the truth is, many Laker fans did it for years when they saw him coaching, when they saw him acting ridiculous and sucking up to LeBron in every single post-game interview, and when they saw him playing a spectator as John Kuester was drawing up offensive sets. I don't see why it's so different today.

You got me there, GAMERCRY.

On the smallest of scales, I could (if I was ignorant) produce an example of how much of a failure that would be. All I would need to do is drop our moderators (and our privileges) for about 6 months, and basically strike down all guidelines I've ever set...see how long OTR can maintain stability. You can't physically harm me through your posts.

Same thing. You wanted it altered, off the board, whatever. It affected you, just as what happens when you feel people don't read your posts. A "logical" person would just continue posting their topics, correct? Why would she have her jaw wired shut? I'm assuming you didn't read the rest of my post, and misunderstood it completely. It would be the person that ran their mouth. She might grow thicker skin? Right. That's what happens when a lot of children are verbally abused by their parents, correct? Do kids come out normal after spending most of their teenage lives in a foster home? A lot don't...but hey, there's no physical harm, so they all should be fine, right? Regardless of your train of thought when discussing things, you're in the wrong. You can't go around saying what you want to people, and the best part about this country (and humanity) is that you won't go around saying what you want to people. This isn't a Utopia. It's also not a fantasy land. People can't walk around and do anything, say anything, with an abolished government, all religion banned, no laws, 60's hippie music playing in the background, anything goes. There are consequences in life, and for people to be aware of them, they need to recognize and accept those set in place at a job, in a community, in your own home, etc. The fact that you think you should be able to say what you want in a professional work environment (and I'm not even talking on a pro basketball court) is astounding, and I really don't have to put words into your mouth for people to realize what all is coming out of it.

What the hell are you even talking about? If you're such a bad ass, let me buy you a cheap video camera, then you can walk up to a few young kids (meaning, 9-10 years old) and start cussing them out, talking nasty to them, and record it. Just words, no physical harm or anything. If anyone did that with my daughter (if I had a daughter), they'd be sucking melted ice cream from a straw for weeks, waiting for their wired jaw to heal. And all of this is also coming from someone who was pissed off that people weren't replying to posts of his, and hated the rep system so much, he wanted it to be removed. Words can do no harm...but all of that can affect you that much? You're taking logical and rational thinking to an entirely different level. You can go point a machete at some stranger's neck without causing harm, but you can't be stupid enough to do that. Shoot a letter over to Congress and let them know you're going to blow up the White House, but at the bottom, be sure you tell them the letter is a joke. No harm in words...just a joke. I'm not really sure if you're doing it for the attention, or if you really believe this stuff, but...okay. You've done a complete 180 as a poster, not really sure when you took your spin, but I'm sure many have noticed in such a short period of time.

Wow, 25 minutes north of Denning, AR, another (different) mile-wide tornado smashed a town (Etna, AR). WTF.

A tornado just completely wiped out a town in Arkansas 10 minutes ago. They are saying it's 100% gone, tornado had a mile-wide base, and the entire town took a direct hit. Denning has almost 300 people in it, so it's a very small town, but it's also only a total of 1.1 square miles in land, which is insane if you relate it to the base of the tornado.

Gotta go with this. Plus, Chicago was 3-0 against the Heat in the regular season...not exactly saying too much, but they did in fact win three straight against them.

FACK. It'll be official soon.

By the way, the minutes he played tonight can't be used as an excuse. In Game 2 and 3 of this series (not even going to look at the other two series), Rose shot 7-23 (30%) and 8-19 (42%), playing 42 and 39 minutes, respectively. I won't show you the full stats proving how bad Rose was in the first round against the Pacers, but he only had one game where he shot over 44%, and of the five, he shot 27% or less twice. He shot 0-9 from three in the first game, and 1-9 in another game. He's messing up.

Rose has a good team around him when he's utilizing his teammates in the right moments. Chicago doesn't win 60, otherwise. Cleveland doesn't have their 60-win seasons without guys knocking down jumpers. LeBron faced more defensive attention in Cleveland, but he knew when to apply pressure, knew how to pick his spots, something Rose struggles with. When Rose is clearly the aggressor, and it's obvious when he will be, Miami won't have trouble defending them. The Bulls are as predictable as the Thunder, and that's why both teams are down 3-1. Getting to the paint, and getting there to finish at the rim, are two different things. One is being an aggressive scorer, the other is being a versatile offensive player...looking for cutters, spot-up shooters, or to get the foul and/or put in the bucket. Aggressive Rose is Predictable Rose. He stays in that mode for too long. Miami doesn't have to do much outside of drop help into the paint, and that's why there's no need to double him on the perimeter...because everyone on the floor knows what he'll do. LeBron, who should be getting TORCHED by one of the quickest PG's in the league, knew exactly what Rose was going to do. Bibby is actually playing good defense on Rose. That's one of the only times I've stated that Bibby plays defense. Why? Because Rose is predictable, and he's missing slightly-contested jumpers. It compares to Westbrook, when Kobe was defending him in last season's first round. Kobe knew to give him room, knew exactly how he was going to attack the rim, and in the last two games of that series, he was completely locked up, after dominating the first four games against Fisher.