Real Deal

Waiving two teams isn't going to accomplish any of that you posted. Evans and Cousins are the only two valuable players on the Kings and Cavaliers. Send Evans over to the Wolves, Cousins to the Wizards...no difference. Both still miss the playoffs. It's easier to win every year with less teams? Tell that to Bill Russell and his Celtics. You'd have to cut the league down to 20 teams if you want to feel the effects of a contraction. Ten teams gone, and their players being distributed among the lower-level playoff teams. THEN, it becomes a highly-competitive race to the championship. Otherwise, 2-4 team contraction really doesn't give you any positives. Add two more teams if you want more competition. Stick one in Vegas, and one in Kansas City (bright lights, or massive fan support). Give the two teams the top two picks in the 2012 draft, which could be pretty strong. Hold an expansion draft and require that every NBA team makes one of their players eligible, with a requirement that the one player has averaged 15+ MPG the last season (ex. the Lakers would have to throw in Blake, Barnes or Brown), and the two teams choose 14 each (28) among the 30 entered + the entire D-League roster and any undrafted players. Not really difficult to make it more competitive. Losing a few teams doesn't change the fact that the Celtics, Spurs, Lakers, Heat, Mavs and Bulls are the NBA's elite. The only other team close to them would be the Thunder. Everyone else (the other 23 teams...or 19, if you waive four) would need all-stars from the four waived teams, and I doubt you find it working the way you'd dream it to.

I don't see how that Nick Young comment relates. It would've made more sense saying, "Nick Young scores the most points, but is he the best offensive player?" If that's what you meant, my bad. I'm sure you can argue that CP3 does more on offense than Kobe Bryant, when it comes to scoring + facilitating. Is he a better offensive player than Kobe? In fact, Emeka Okafor is a good help defender, as well as on-ball. Same with Bogut. However, Howard's help is far superior, and there's no point in arguing who the better defensive player is. I've seen Kirk do a better job on Wade than Rondo has. I've seen Kirk do better on Kobe, versus Rondo and when he has made the attempt. Here's something for you to confirm: who was doing an excellent job on Derrick Rose this season? Hinrich. I've seen both games. Wall didn't play in one, and Hinrich was defending Rose quite a bit in the other. Rose was pretty bad...couldn't hit anything. Who was completely lit up when Garnett and Perkins weren't playing? Rondo. Rose absolutely destroyed the Celtics, lit Rondo up for 36, got to the line nearly 20 times (Rondo ended up with five fouls). Also, Rondo was completely dead on offense because of it, and Boston lost. Want to know how Rose did in that other game against Boston? Garnett played, and Rose shot around 41% and had only five free throws. Rondo had a much better game on offense, and the Celtics didn't lose. Rondo's offensive production would eventually take a hit, through an 82-game season, if he didn't have the help he does on defense. Also, his defense would be less recognized, because guys like Rose would tear into him.

Nope. Getting rid of teams means less players drafted, less coaching jobs available (around 3-4 per team, counting assistants and trainers), up to 14 less players in the league per team. Dropping the Cavaliers and the Kings wouldn't make the Pistons, Bucks, Bobcats, Wolves or Wizards better teams. Contraction doesn't turn LA and New York into smaller markets. Some would've said we should contract and get rid of the Clippers a few years back. Had we done that, we wouldn't have the current Clippers team beating some of the best teams in the NBA, wins over teams like the Spurs, Lakers and Heat. Competition doesn't change. If there were 2-4 less teams, does it change the Miami Heat today? Nah. LeBron, Wade and Bosh would've still decided to go to the Heat together. Melo never considered the Kings or Cavaliers, so I'm sure he'd still want to be a Knick, and team with Amare. It does nothing but give rookies less of a chance to start an NBA career, and makes it more difficult for vets to make rosters as well. No point in it.

Yep, happened during the GSW game, right? The Thunder knew. He's not looking at any damage.

LOL, no he didn't. I watched Game 6 (LBJ's triple-double) three weeks ago. Who told you that?

I don't consider rebounding a defensive trait. Rebounding is rebounding. The only time it's consider "defensive" is when you're playing defense. The same exact move towards the ball is also sometimes considered an offensive rebound. It's in a category of its own. Durant is a good rebounder at the SF position, but he's not a good defensive player. Same with Kevin Love, the best rebounder in the league. I'm talking about defending an assignment. The "I'm going to make an attempt to take you out of this game" defense. The day that you're stuck out on an island with some of the best in the game, with no help. It's what Ron Artest described as being the toughest thing to do in the NBA. Hinrich takes it. Stick Garnett and Perkins in the backcourt, and suddenly, it's Rondo's hand being raised. Similar to Battier, when he has Yao. He's probably the best defender in the NBA. You take out Yao, make the Rockets smaller, and he doesn't have anywhere to lead his man, and then we start looking at guys like Afflalo and Sefolosha, who are very good on-ball defensive players. Not much more for me to say, really.

The only time I'm bringing other players into this is when I'm proving how ridiculous it is to show me video proof of something just to prove a player hasn't been able to defend Wade for eight seasons. One or two situations isn't going to prove anything. I'm too lazy to dig up video of Hinrich shutting Wade down...but most remember it, and I'm sure you do as well. Rondo's defense was the reason the Celtics beat the Cavaliers, huh? Did he defend LeBron then, also? I hope you say no, because LeBron gutted the Celtics' defense. Did you see what Wade did to Rondo and the Celtics in the first round? Go look up Wade's numbers against Boston, when Rondo was defending him...lol. I haven't seen a player do that good against Boston's defense in a long time. And, obviously, you think Rajon could handle LeBron James for 40 minutes of a game...funniest thing I've read in a long time. No one player in the LEAGUE can defend LeBron right now. If you really believe otherwise, if you think Rondo defends LeBron well based on 2-3 possessions where he really didn't care to take it to Rajon...well, we're done talking.

If I had a 30 PPG scorer, I'd take the two greatest defenders in NBA history. Otherwise, it's Shaq in his prime.

I told you I'd give you video evidence of Starks killing Jordan, but you didn't want that because it would be absolutely stupid to base an argument off of it...correct? And you haven't given me one single stat proving Rondo is the better defensive player, because there is no individual stat for defense. They all factor in the help. None of them leave out switches, double teams, or consider the anchor(s) that keep those guards out of the paint to begin with, the anchors that change an offensive gameplan. Your word against mine. You can believe what you want. Hinrich is the better on-ball defensive player, and few disagree with that. I'll take the better on-ball defender, the one that relies less on help defense...and that's a fact.

Uh, the Bulls gave Hinrich away because they had Rose. Hinrich at the two wasn't working offensively. He's a point. What proof have you given me? Nobody is going to provide anything in this topic because all defensive numbers are based on a team's overall defense, and your clips give me one game (even ABL admitted that Hinrich has locked up Wade before, even though you say he hasn't, and that's all irrelevant to the topic at this point). LeBron would obliterate Rondo. You seriously need to stop bringing that into this discussion, dude. I really hope you don't think he can seriously guard James. And Kobe defended Westbrook in the last two playoff games of the series last year, and locked him up badly, despite having a jacked-up knee and no speed. It's not about quickness, it's about brains.

On-ball defense is too important to me to just disregard like that. Rondo is not Dwight Howard. If Rondo was a seven-footer and had trouble defending other centers in the post (like Howard has over the course of his career), yet he provided the best help defense in the history of the game...I'd be telling you that Rondo's on-ball isn't a big deal. Hinrich hasn't played his best defense this season, but it's not because he's old (as suggested earlier). He's 30, and he's not suffering from lingering knee problems. The wrist/hand was the biggest issue over the last year or so. Every Wizards game I've watched, I've seen Hinrich roaming. He shouldn't be doing it. It's something Flip has done with the Pistons and Prince back when he took over for Larry Brown, and it's the only way he knows how to coach defense (he's definitely no defensive coach). I realize that Wall is a decent defender, but he needs work...and aside from Wall, there isn't a single player on the Wizards that can defend their position. McGee provides help, but not much of it, and he has to be too invested into his own man because teams aren't afraid to punish them down low (when they can). All I'm saying is...stick Hinrich in that Celtics backcourt, and his defense looks better than Rondo's. They wouldn't be a better team because Hinrich isn't as good as Rondo back on offense, and he's not the rebounder, but strictly defense, he would be doing a slightly better job.

...the examples were proving why you shouldn't be providing video like you were, but you knew that. He's not a better on-ball defender...sorry. And the rest of that sounds like you're describing Allen Iverson. No need for me to tell you about his defense. His best defensive season was in 2000-01...ironically, the same year he had Mutombo, Ratliff and Hill in the frontcourt, and McKie and Snow helping as well. If you take a look at George Lynch's defensive ratings and numbers, you'll find that his best years were also with that Philly team...and, any other team he was ever on, he was absolutely horrible. McGee is not a defensive anchor, and Blatche is horrible. Nick Young is worse than Blatche. Al Thornton? Shard? Question for you: Amare has always been a good shot-blocker. He's like McGee, really...has trouble grabbing boards, but can block shots. Want to explain why the 2005-06 Suns were 17th in the NBA, defensively, despite having Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion AND Quentin Richardson? Can we just assume those three (especially Marion) were overrated defensive players?

Would you like me to show you a video of Starks completely owning Michael Jordan? Then we can all say that, by the looks of it, Jordan was nothing more than a glorified all-star? Wade struggled against Chicago on and off. Like I said, no individual perimeter defense will ever stop a good scorer. The closest you'll ever get to that is Scottie Pippen and Gary Payton, who are better perimeter defenders than anyone in the NBA today, and even they would get lit up without significant help every once in a while. Did you see Kobe destroy Bruce Bowen, Raja Bell and Shane Battier? He has, plenty of times...and he also had trouble with them. Does that mean you would rather have Rondo defending a prime Bryant, since I could probably find proof that he picked those three apart? Get real, dude.

So...Rondo wasn't asked to defend LeBron? Almost every good point guard can break their opposition down off the dribble. CP3, Williams, Harris, Rondo, Rose, Lawson, Westbrook, Curry, Parker...and if they can't do it that way, they do it with their bodies (Billups, for example). No individual perimeter defense will contain a good-to-elite player. If you're trying to disregard the importance of on-ball defense at the point, you should probably take a look at the Lakers and what they have to do on the defensive end to make up for Fisher's crap defense. Same with Orlando...Howard makes Nelson look like a MUCH better defender than he really is, because point guards are too intimidated by what's awaiting them down low. Did you watch the Kobe/Shaq Lakers? Fisher looked like a defensive stud at times...but it was because no point guard (other than Iverson) wanted to get laid out by Shaq underneath the rim. However, it takes a lot to make up for the lack of defense at the point. Bryant is always roaming because of it, and not being able to close out shooters. Drew and Odom are always in foul trouble. Gasol is always late getting back to the rim. You have three options on a P&R...you can go under, over, or switch. When you're out on an island with a dangerous PG, or you're taken into the post by Deron Williams or Chauncey Billups (or Wade, Bryant, or another strong two), you're more than likely done if you don't have the necessary help. Rondo is far and away the better overall player, but Hinrich is the better defender. It's not by much, but if I one guy to defend Dwyane Wade on the last shot of a game, it's going to be Kirk. A pick and roll will depend much more on the help defense, based on the decision of my point guard to begin with. If Rondo wants to send Parker into Gasol, it's not difficult...Fisher does it all the time. If I want Rondo to keep Parker from penetrating the lane, and I'm playing Caracter and Odom in my frontcourt, well, I might as well expect the worst.

...you really think he contained LeBron? James wasn't even aggressive, and I'm pretty sure he scored an easy layup on him. If the Heat set up a LeBron ISO, and Rondo was on him, Garnett would be picking up a foul every time. LeBron tried working out of the post, passing it out. Do you really think Rondo has the strength to contain LeBron in the post, especially when Ron Artest couldn't?

Pick and roll defense relies on those anchors. Without them, Rondo would be in much more trouble. Boston was getting murdered against the P&R when Shaq was in the game. Rondo has Hinrich on the defensive boards, and he's better at creating turnovers because he plays the passing lanes better. Rondo would be less of a defensive player if he didn't have Garnett, Perkins and even Pierce lurking, holding their opposition, helping on doubles, etc. Rajon is good at helping on post players? He does it against the bench post...because Boston rarely doubles with Perk and Garnett in the game. But, you stick a point guard on a PG/SG/SF, and it's Hinrich...in the same manner you would've done with Jason Kidd back in the 2000's (although Kidd was a better defender, and one of the best defensive PGs in the history of the game).

He's only 30 years old, one year older than Dwyane Wade. Jason Kidd was a top five defender in the NBA at age 32.

Kirk Hinrich. Rondo has been playing behind two defensive anchors most of his career...a good defender, but not the best in the league.

No surprise that a D'Antoni team, a Karl team, and a Nash-led team are in the bottom ten...and are above .500 right now?

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20110225_SAC@CHA

Kobe is going nuts.

If Kuester walks, it's going to make the team (the half that skipped practice) look really, really bad. Detroit should probably fire him, if they feel that him resigning is a possibility. The truth is, those that wanted to organize the "boycott" and skip practice...the other 29 teams in the NBA will see them as disrespectful players. Kuester was a good assistant, and he's respected by a few coaches and GM's in the NBA. It's the same guy that was an assistant under Rick Pitino and Larry Brown, and he preaches defense and was an excellent defensive player back when he played for the Heels.

For one, it's not Kuester's fault that they suck. The Pistons were built wrong. All eggs were in the basket for Ben Gordon, who was supposed to shine outside of Chicago. Instead, they have no idea where they need to play him, or what they need to do with him, Stuckey, Hamilton and McGrady all trying to play the two-guard. Villanueva is a big SF. Daye, Jerebko...same position. Everyone wants to make plays and have the ball in their hands...from Stuckey to McGrady, Gordon, and Bynum. While they really don't have that great of a coach, they don't have a team, either. I don't see why any player would be laughing when they are a bottom-feeding East team.

That's ridiculous.

I won't be able to start one up immediately, because I have a lot of projects I need to finish, but we'll take one more stab at it.