Real Deal

I had KC winning this from the start. Not only is it in Arrowhead, but I just don't see San Francisco racking up enough points. Now, I didn't think the Chiefs would even hit 21 points, but I was wrong.

Well, he's still young. They are seeking picks, young talent and expiring contracts. I'm thinking that maybe there's more to the trade than we can read (obviously, there has to be). Denver will probably rake in a pick or two, maybe a nice expiring. If that's the case, they get what they want for Melo.

2006-07: 82 games 2007-08: 79 games 2008-09: 53 games 2009-10: 82 games Over those last four seasons, he hasn't exactly given reason for the Suns to be concerned with his injuries. He's not Bynum or Oden. In the 2008-09 season, the eye issue forced him out for a while, but there's little chance that will ever return as long as he's wearing goggles (and I know this for a fact). I have to think that Amare leaving Phoenix wasn't just about the guaranteed money.

Guaranteed money. It was still a max contract, and had Amare waited a bit longer, it would've been six years, instead of five...which would've given him even more cash in Phoenix. Do you guys actually think that the Suns would consider waiving Amare after three years? Just curious...because, obviously, that's what Amare was worried about (and I don't know why). As stated earlier, the contract had a clause in it, stating that the final two years would be guaranteed if he met or exceeded the minutes played over the course of the first three seasons. Did Amare not have that confidence in himself?

I know where he's probably going to go. We all knew that the day the rumor came out about the Knicks having him, Amare and CP3 by 2012. Melo just recently changed his mind about the Nets, anyway...because he did have a wishlist, and the Knicks weren't the only team on it. Steve stated that the Melo and Amare situations are similar, a couple of Knicks fans think Melo going to the Nets is not similar to Amare to the Knicks. It has nothing to do with Melo to the Knicks.

I was not aware that Stan Kroenke was posting on OTR. Good to hear from you, Stan. Denver called LA to talk about a deal centered around Drew, just so you know. Melo listed Los Angeles as a destination, and did state the Lakers and Clippers both. Ford said that the new GM has made calls to every team on Melo's wishlist. There was a quote from a source (don't remember the Lakers site it originated from) that spoke of a deal that would send Drew, a pick and Ebanks or Caracter to Denver. The original rumor was that Denver wanted both Drew and Odom, which would be stupid on our part.

You completely missed the point. Amare left a 50-win team to go to the Knicks, who have nothing. Melo is leaving a 50-win team to go to the Nets (maybe), who will have nothing after the trade is completed. I don't really consider Gallinari and Lopez two players that are championship second scoring options. My post wasn't directed at Melo going to the Knicks, at all. The discussion is about him leaving for the Nets. If he does go to Jersey, he does the same exact thing Amare did...they both left an aging all-star point guard and a 50+ win team to go play for a team with less of a chance to make noise in the playoffs, especially since the East is packed with 3-4 superpowers now.

On a serious note, you guys will love Mbenga if you give him a chance to play. He's not the best offensive player, of course...but he will work his ass off for you on the defensive end. In 36 minutes per (which is not the best statistic out there), Mbenga put up 11/9. He just doesn't play much because his offensive production is poor due to his low IQ (he tends to take shots he can't make), and he also fouls like crazy, mainly because he's got that Alonzo Mourning mentality, to go after every ball that's headed his direction. In the two games he played 30 minutes for us last season, he grabbed a ton of boards and blocks. http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200911060LAL.html (13 boards, 4 blocks) http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200911080LAL.html (12 boards, 4 blocks) He didn't do that bad of a job defending his man, either. Gasol and Okafor struggled against him.

The only things I know about Keith Smart? He went to Garden City CC (in Kansas), he hit a game-winner to win a National Championship back in the late 80s (for Indiana), and he coached the Cavs (and was pathetic, but with a pathetic team) the season before they drafted LeBron.

Yeah, I don't see them pulling the ball out of Nash's hands too much, but I do think Hedo will run the offense much more when Nash is on the bench. I'd be surprised to see the opposite, because Nashty makes way too many plays out of the pick and roll, it's amazing...and they will definitely need to feed off of that even more this season. Phoenix did blow leads when Nash was sitting on the sidelines, mainly because Dragic wasn't the playmaker they needed him to be. However, while Hedo isn't Nash, he can still operate with the ball in his hands, so getting Nash more rest will only do good things for the Suns in the long run...will definitely help them on back-to-backs, and long road stretches.

He didn't even kick a hole in Mir's leg? Mannn...that's what I was hoping for. I figured it would be a pathetic fight, but maybe Cro Cop would kick Mir to death. Oh well...major disappointment there. Mir probably thinks he's ready for a Carwin rematch, I'm sure, and still wants to kill Brock (lol). Thanks for the fight comments.

Because he's a true center that COULD post 20/10 a night as a second option. How high do you think his value will be if he misses half of this season? The Lakers eventually lost home court advantage to the Magic last season, and it happened near the end of the year (in April). They lost home court to Cleveland. They NEARLY lost it to Dallas, and within the last 2-3 games, could've. There were must-win games for us nearing the end of the season, just to keep HCA in our conference, let alone for the Finals. If Boston had HCA last season, and we went into their arena for Game 6 and Game 7...who do you think would be holding the Larry O'Brien? The first 18 games of the season count. Eight of them are on the road. Last season, our first 21 games included just four on the road. Plus, they will try to bring him in early, still trying to heal up, like we always do. Bigger risk. He should've had the surgery a month earlier, right after the Finals, just as Phil Jackson said the other day (and Plaschke, and many others). If it brings in someone like Melo, I wouldn't care because we'd still be winning rings. If Gasol happens to go down, we don't win it all, so I could care less where we finish. Ring or bust. And I really want you to watch some games with Drew getting touches. It's very, very important for you to see that he is an absolute BLACK HOLE in the post. That ball never, ever comes out. Drew had 25 of his 65 games with zero assists last season. That's with Kobe, Gasol, Fisher, Artest and Odom on his team. He threw more than two assists in just six of those 65 games, never more than five assists (and did that just once). He's the anti-triangle player, and he pushes Gasol out of the post (where Pau needs to be). I think a lot of people are overrating what he does for us. He's got very good footwork, a decent baby hook. He can rebound, inconsistently. Other than that? Bad help defense, absolutely no passing abilities, no shot fakes, no jumper, foul trouble, lacks motivation, and he's slow. Why is he an asset in the eyes of GM's around the league? The size, the belief that he can be a Shaq. Problem is, Drew doesn't even dunk the basketball, something Shaq did constantly. Gasol is a much better player than Drew at the center position...more consistent, healthier, better help defense, maybe even better man defense (although Drew is more physical, so it depends on who we are playing). Gasol is a much better rebounder. Probably a better shot-blocker, statistically (won't look). By MILES, a better passer and teammate. By MILES, he's smarter, higher basketball IQ. If I could choose what we do, I move Gasol up to center and trade Drew for a legit power forward. I wanted the Bosh deal to go through badly. It doesn't necessarily have to be a PF, but we want Odom coming off the bench.

If that were the case, Bryant wouldn't have to log 39 MPG like he did last season, not to mention throw up six game-winners and average 27 points per night, over 21 FGA per game. Bryant played half the season (second half) with major injuries to his knee and his finger, both requiring him to sit and miss games...yet, he only sat for eight or nine. If Drew was completely healthy and giving us 13-14 PPG, 8-9 RPG...Bryant wouldn't have had to grab 15 boards in Game 7 and play like he's playing his final NBA game of his career, nor would he have to play late in games because we'd be winning more games comfortably. Winning rings is possible without Drew, but it's wearing Bryant down...probably wearing Gasol down as well. Do we need Drew? Not necessarily, if we dealt him for an all-star caliber player, because it would actually put us in a better position to rest our guys and not have them starving for energy in May and June.

Perkins getting injured was a blessing in disguise for the Celtics. Rasheed held Gasol to his lowest FG% in his Finals career, I believe (at least lowest in that series), and he even dropped 11 points, a total Perkins exceeded just five times in the 23 playoff games he played in (and once versus the Lakers). It definitely wasn't the Sheed from Game 6, when he shot 0-7 and couldn't keep the ball out of the post (Gasol worked Boston over dishing passes to teammates that game). That Game 7 wasn't won by our size, it was won by our desire to play defense and attack the rim. Bryant and Gasol were the catalysts on offense, and Bryant and Artest were the defensive players that gave Boston all the trouble in the world in that final quarter. Andrew Bynum is a vital piece to a championship team that wants to win 70 games and destroy the league, but he's not a vital piece to the last two championship teams in purple and gold. A healthy Drew, putting up potential 20/10 games here and there (not averaging, of course), would turn us into an invincible monster...but without him, we are still capable of the three-peat. In fact, if we lost Drew for the entire season AND the playoffs, we would still be in the Finals. That tells you enough concerning this season.

I agree. If Melo were to post on his Twitter tomorrow, saying he was going to stay in Denver until he wins a ring...then lead the organization on by making them believe he's going to re-sign, traveling to four or five other teams and making them think the same thing, THEN doing the unthinkable and holding an hour-long show announcing where you will "take your talents" and what other teams you kicked in the face...yes, it would be comparable.

What Steve was saying was that the Suns and the Knicks are in the same boat, and the Suns actually have Steve Nash. Nobody on the Knicks is even close to that kind of player. Amare to New York, leaving Phoenix (a 50-win team) with Steve Nash Melo to New Jersey, leaving Denver (a 50-win team) with Chauncey Billups And you can say it's about the money, but it's not. If Melo waits, he'll likely lose 30-35% of what he COULD make, if he stays with Denver (or signs the extension before the free agency period begins). Also, Amare left the Suns because they weren't going to guarantee all six years that they could offer him. Phoenix guaranteed three or four of those years, and Amare went to the Knicks for a five-year contract, all guaranteed. Not necessarily more money, because Phoenix was his original team and could offer the most due to Bird Rights...but the five years of guaranteed money SUPPOSEDLY did the trick. Not like the Suns would've bought him out after the third year, though...so I think there's more to it than just money. The contract from Phoenix would've included a clause that guarantees the remaining years based solely on the number of minutes Amare logs during the first three years. For some reason, Amare dodged that. A big part of why Melo is leaving is because of Lala, wanting to be out in/near Los Angeles, or out east. Denver is also sitting on some old talent, as mentioned, with Billups, K-Mart, and Andersen all aging quicker than ever, Karl struggling to stay in the game (coaching, of course) and a selfish JR Smith as his running mate.

...because he's not going to give Denver an opportunity to get anything out of a deal, and it's very clear he's seeking that because, in becoming a free agent, he's losing money. He's got a bad taste in his mouth, for some reason, for the organization. Pretend he's a Knick, and he's threatening this garbage, and you know he wants to play for Denver. You would feel pretty pissed off at this. Golden State is willing to give up a little to bring him in, even without the contract guarantee (rumor, at least). I would just tell the Warriors, "Sure, let's make it happen. Give us a first-round pick, and that's it. Simple as that." Then plan your future without Melo ahead of time, today, instead of being forced to wait until July 2011, when he takes a walk and never looks back.

That's definitely not true, at all. Drew was trash that game, and we were down by 12 when Drew was subbed out for Lamar (third quarter, 7:43) and Drew never returned after that. Bryant scored 14 points and pulled down 7 rebounds after that, and Gasol scored 13 points and pulled down 8 boards. Artest was a defensive monster, and both Fisher and Odom came up big as well. From 7:43 in the 3rd quarter (down 12) until the rest of the game, Bynum sat the bench...and we rallied to win the game without him logging a single second. Drew didn't do anything...18 minutes, two points, six rebounds, no assists (because he NEVER passes out of the post), no blocks, pathetic help and on-ball defense. We won Game 7 because of our superstar, our all-star and our defense.

Closet Cavaliers fan, now. Hope they win 60 games (ha)...but no, seriously, I hope they do.

Cool. I hope they fix the new CBA to screw him over with about 30-35% less money, and one less season on his contract. Plus, if I were running the Nuggets' organization, I would instruct George Karl to bench him the entire season. You'll get a decent draft pick out of him leaving, at least.

Honestly, I was never going to watch this card. For one, unless Brock is beating Mir's face in, I won't pay the money to watch Mir fight. I absolutely HATE him. And I think Mir has a better chance against Cro Cop, although I'm not going to say I think he'll win it (is the fight even on yet?). As for the other guys...I'm not a UFC fan as much as I am an NBA fan, maybe even NFL...so my knowledge isn't up to par with yours, and I'm usually just interested in the big-name fights. I find out more about guys like Sonnen once I hear he's fighting someone like Silva.

Well, he's 0-3 over the last three seasons. This should probably be his last shot. We'll see how many of the 82 games he plays, and just how healthy he is for the playoffs.

It doesn't necessarily have to be for a center. Gasol plays 37% of the team's minutes distributed at center (so about 18 a game?) and Drew hasn't really been that healthy in the NBA Finals in three seasons, yet we've won two of those three. I actually wouldn't have been opposed to the Lakers trying to deal Drew for Melo. Odom is still a capable starter at the four, Caracter looks promising, and Gasol is really an excellent center. But, aside from WHO, I wouldn't mind the Lakers exploring trades. Three knee surgeries. It's a problem.

Merged five topics...just keep all Melo talk in here or in one of the team forums, please...but try and keep it in one topic, whichever forum you post in. Now, if the trade DOES go down, and it's official, post a new topic.

Yeah, LeBron is a more complete player. Durant has better on-ball defense, LeBron help defense, and I still think it's a toss-up as to who the better scorer is. Durant the better shooter, LeBron better at finishing. Passing and running a team? That's James, by far. So, it's not THAT big of a gap...but it's clear for now. What a stud.