Real Deal

WTF...even mine is different. :o http://i55.tinypic.com/j926wx.jpg EDIT: Wow...ESPN, NBA.com. Fail.

LeBron's list of people he has to prove himself against. His words.

CHANGING MY ANSWER TO CELTICS/HEAT. Stupid Cavs.

Haha, whoa. Kobe has slowed down, A LOT. Charles is so right.

Actually, didn't Iverson need a letter of clearance from FIBA? I don't think Kobe could get that if he's still under contract. It's a binding agreement. Same with Rubio, I believe, in regards to being binded by a contract.

Fuel to the fire. Bosh will come out and average 33 PPG for the rest of the season.

This is why I feel a trade to LA is still possible. Not as much as the one to NY, but still... Denver is being IGNORANT right now. They aren't going to get that from NY. If they wait past the 24th, they put themselves in the same situation as Cleveland and Toronto were in with James and Bosh, and Denver will end up having to sign-and-trade Melo to NY for a single pick, nothing more (Melo would want the S&T to add the extra year, Denver would want something back). What puzzles me is...Denver was in talks with Los Angeles about Drew, but there were statements that they had no interest in Odom or Artest (Ron wouldn't make sense to begin with). They brought up Gasol beforehand, which was shot down quickly by Mitch. Drew can be an all-star center, but they are asking for three potential starters from New York, PLUS two first-round picks. They probably feel like New York wants Melo more than any other team in the NBA (truthfully, Melo puts them into contention, and the Knicks are struggling again), and they want to squeeze every bit of talent they can get out of the Knicks because of their recent struggles, and that demand for him being at MSG.

Haha, what I meant was...will he have the opportunity to take him down? I just don't think that fight would last long, as awesome as GSP is. If he's too aggressive with his takedowns from the start, he'll most likely eat a knee, and if he doesn't maintain his composure and get the takedown after a shot like that, he's toast. The other thing to worry about is, if he does take him down, how long will GSP be able to withstand those elbows? He's going to have to work quickly, because Silva doesn't mind being on his back against smaller opponents.

LMAO...Bucher says Denver wants: Fields Chandler Gallo Mozgov two first-round picks WTF.

Greatest defensive player in the history of the game. He deserves it, whether it's in Detroit or Chicago (he had his best defensive seasons in Chicago, but his most impressive rebounding totals were in Detroit).

It's more about him wanting to play during a lockout, and while they work out the new CBA, not necessarily him leaving the league because of a new CBA.

James White is athletic as well, doesn't mean much. You don't need athleticism to be an excellent player.

Wonder how many are on that site's staff?

Arron Afflalo is more similar to Kobe than JR Smith is. :o Bryant is still on another planet, though, but yeah.

Hell of a fourth quarter by Afflalo. Dallas was too concerned with Melo.

Whaaaaat? Man, Wallace is twice the player Ron is. Artest's defense has dropped off, big time, and he's a pathetic shooter. Wallace can play defense, can score (he just needs his role smaller, not a primary option) and he can grab boards. This is a huge rip-off, if this deal happens, in the Lakers' favor.

I wouldn't do it if I were Chicago, but Denver would jump on it. Noah and Deng are two of the top 3-4 defenders on the best defensive team in the NBA. If the Bulls want to contend, they will need a big man that can defend (not going to be Boozer) and a wing that can defend (not going to be Korver). If the trade goes down? C - Boozer (undersized center, can't defend the five at all) PF - Gibson (decent defender, not an offensive threat and shouldn't be a starter) SF - Melo SG - Bogans (team needs a new SG) PG - Rose I like Chicago having the ball in Rose's hands. Melo can't be a spot-up shooter, and this isn't an equal-opportunity offense like the triangle. Chicago is good where they stand. All they need is a healthy Noah, and a contributing, starting SG.

Ellis had his way again. People have to consider this guy an all-star guard, despite how bad his team is. It doesn't seem to matter who is defending him.

Me, personally, I watch the Lakers. It takes a lot for me to miss a Lakers game. However, if I weren't a fan of any team and just loved basketball, I'd take the Cavs/Wizards for the simple fact that it means more than the other two games. Those two teams haven't liked each other for years, both are terrible, and two terrible teams can make for a very intriguing game, especially considering the situations both are in right now. If the Lakers lose, it'll just be dismissed again...and they are capable of winning, but they just seem disinterested. Boston/Miami is something to watch, for sure, but it just feels like a meaningless game if we're going to compare it to the potential series that could happen.

Kobe - $25.2 million Melo - approx. $22 million Gasol - $18.7 million --- TOTAL $65.9 million for just three players Odom - $8.9 million Artest - $6.8 million Walton - $5.7 million Blake - $4.0 million Fisher - $3.4 million Ebanks - $0.7 million Caracter - $0.8 million --- TOTAL $96.2 million adding the other seven Barnes and Brown expire after this season if they don't take player options of $2.4 million (Brown) and $1.9 million (Barnes). No idea why they would take those cheap PO's. Next season's roster (no Brown or Barnes, and with Drew) totals $93 million. For the extra $3 million, Buss actually pays double...and that makes it less likely he re-signs Barnes and Brown. Buss will look at this and ask if Melo is worth losing Drew, Barnes and Brown, and still paying $6 million extra next season alone. Those are the massive contract ramifications he's dealing with right now. Let's put it this way: he declined a trade to bring in Kirk Hinrich for Vujacic and Brown, all because Hinrich was earning $9 million a year. He didn't want to pay Ariza the money he was seeking, so he looked to Ron Artest. He forced Odom into a huge paycut ($8.9 million is too cheap for Lamar). He traded Vujacic to the Nets for Joe Smith, just to get rid of his contract immediately, instead of waiting for it to expire, so he wouldn't have to pay the extra $5 million in luxury tax this season. The Buss family is looking to cut back. Aside from Drew being his son's project, this is the other reason why they may not try to work this trade, unless Denver (or some team) takes back Walton or Artest.

If Durant gets hot, he's likely to drop a 25 in this contest. He was throwing up threes in the HORSE competition last year, and he dropped a ton of consecutive shots as if he was shooting them from 10 feet away. I wish I had that old practice video of him a few years ago. He hit about 20 consecutive threes as if it was nothing. I'm not big on Ray Allen winning this. He's been in the competition 4-5 times, and lost all of them.

I wouldn't assume that. The more you wait, the more teams want to make a move (exception would be the Nets, of course). Back in late October, nobody would've guessed the Lakers would want to add a major piece to the team. Now it's February, and they are talking trades with more than just Denver. In October, Houston fans were hopeful about Yao Ming. Now, they are in another season without their franchise player. Why wouldn't they want Melo now more than ever? Cleveland looked like a decent team for a while, and now they are the worst in the league. They would move mountains and trade anyone for Melo. Dallas recently said they would trade for Melo, despite not having the extension signed. Granted they wouldn't offer much, it's still there. Golden State? Same thing. Not to mention the fact that...maybe Denver still believes they can convince him to stay. They have two weeks. Carmelo could be telling them he wants to see where the Nuggets are before the all-star break. They could have multiple deals on the table. There are a lot of factors that make keeping Melo for this long logical.

He'll be dealt to New York or Los Angeles. I don't see why the Nuggets would keep him at this point...he's obviously sticking his leg out the door and waiting for someone (Mr. Free Agency) to give him the green light. I'd say New Jersey as well, but I was convinced that Mikhail moved on. I'm running with the two teams that are rumored to be talking deals right now. Knicks have the upper hand because they offer various components, Lakers are in the mix because they offer a better player, who is a big (and Denver has been trying to take Favors, or Hill, or any big, for a while now).

I rarely take debates as insults. A debate is different from a splurge of nonsense. Members that do that tend to leave OTR because people won't continue posting to them, or they get themselves banned. At least he's not going to Miami. I'd post a bit more, but I'm going to make a 5th attempt at getting some sleep first.