Real Deal

And before he says, "Those are just last-second shots," I'll add Paul Pierce and Tim Duncan to the list.

So you think that Monta Ellis (25.5 PPG) can finish games better than Derrick Rose? And you'd rather have the ball in his hands? Brandon Roy averaged 21.5 PPG, almost right there with Rose (20.8). Would you say that he can't finish off games? That maybe Danny Granger (at 24.1 PPG) is better?

What are you saying? (to Snake) Dude, Rose is a scoring point guard, not a pass-first. He's also an excellent finisher at the rim, and he's showing an improved jumper. Just because he's not a dominant scorer like Durant, Bryant or Melo doesn't mean he can't finish off a game. Otherwise, there are only five players in the league that fit your criteria (the three I named, Wade and LeBron).

The debate was over Snake's opinion that JR Smith is a potential superstar in this league. Not Kobe, of course, but a superstar...someone that can average 25 PPG or more and lead his team to the playoffs. I made it clear that Smith will not do that. If he DOES average 25 PPG (and I don't even think he'll do THAT), he'll be like Kevin Martin and his 17-win Kings (mentioned this earlier, actually). Smith is not a top SG in the league, let alone in the West, and he never will be.

So Rose isn't a legitimate star?

Team USA (5-0) vs. Angola (2-3) TIME: 11:00 AM ET TV: ESPN2, NBATV Re-air at 8:00 PM ET and 11:00 PM ET, NBATV.

I can go back to Kobe's prime and pick out four seasons where he missed 14+ games. Shaq has four rings, but he followed the same pattern, missing games. Boozer's last four seasons... 2006-07: 74 games 2007-08: 81 games 2008-09: 37 games 2009-10: 78 games I'd be happy about that. Basically, he missed a half a season, and was pretty healthy for the other 3 1/2 years.

Mbenga is actually a decent back-up. He was one of our fan favorites because of the effort he put out on defense.

He probably will, since he played in 78 games last season.

This is easy for me. I'd take the Clippers, because they are in Los Angeles (big market) and because they have Griffin and Gordon. I'd be successful because I'd immediately put Baron Davis on the block and would elect to start Bledsoe or Warren, despite both being rooks, and I'd keep Del Negro as our coach because right now, he should still be in Chicago. Simple plan, really...but the Clippers FO has no idea how to run a team.

By the way, Kobe didn't just come out and say all of this. Shaq was pushing him all summer long, going hard at him through the media and in practices, and Kobe did ask Phil to do something about it.

LOL.

It makes sense, really, because Bosh was not a five. Toronto has been seeking bigs, also...and it's only obvious they were looking for defensive-minded bigs by bringing back Johnson and selecting Ed Davis. Bargnani is a different story, but they have to have some offense, too. The Suns wouldn't toss Nash for a defensive-minded point, even though Nash is one hell of a matador on that side of the ball. I'd have to see how well they play as a unit, though. Teams can bring in the defensive talent, but help defense plays a pivotal role in how the team does overall.

Pretty soon, you'll hear interviews with players saying this... "I feel like I'm a really good pusher. I push the ball into the basket as well as anyone else in the league."

Got this from TLN...

I don't see why any team would want Fernandez at this point.

LOL, yeah...Fisher runs our offense. Kobe has never led the team in assists, either...not even in the dynasty years.

And the only thing that Smith has in common with Kobe is the height, the Western Conference, and his skin color...so if I can't compare Mo Williams to J.R. Smith, don't ever put Smith and Kobe (or any superstar) in the same sentence. Smith has not proven to anyone that he can run a team full-time. I already dropkicked that idea by providing you with what he did against the Lakers in the WCF, that you were so proud of. If Smith beat defenders with his dribbling, he'd be shooting less threes and taking WAY more than just two free throws per game. Pass with high accuracy off the dribble? He can't even reach three assists per game in a season, despite having one of the best scorers in the league on his team. What's the excuse for that? Typically, if you're such an excellent passer, you pass the ball. Billups: 5.6 Anthony: 3.2 Lawson: 3.1 Carter: 3.0 Nene: 2.5 Smith: 2.4 For being such an excellent player, he sure doesn't show it, passing the ball or shooting. His defense is average, at best. His attitude sucks. He has never scored over 26-27 in a playoff game. Shoots just two free throws per game. Attempts over 13 FGA per game despite coming off the bench and putting up 41-42% shooting nights. All of that, and this guy is supposed to tap into his potential and become a superstar after six full seasons of bench play? Haha...I'm done talking about this dude.

Yeah, Smith averaged 3.3 APG in that series, 2.17 turnovers. His best passing game was Game 3, when he shot 4-15 (.267) from the floor, 2-10 3PT. Six assists. His second best, Game 5, he was shooting 3-13 (.231) from the floor, 1-10 3PT, and he threw just four assists. When he was fire (you know, like in Game 6, where he shot 10-17 for 24 PTS), he threw zero assists. Just so you know, Billups averaged 6.0 APG that series, doubled Smith's totals, with just 2.33 turnovers a game, nearly matching Smith while handling the ball more. So...who was creating plays? Oh, and Billups wasn't as explosive? Wasn't as effective, I'm guessing? He had 48 free throws in the series. Smith took just 13 in those six games. Haha...please. Smith couldn't hold Billups' jock, in any NBA season. Overrating him again.

For future references, he's had four 40's and only two games with 9+ threes made. Kyle wasn't comparing Kwame and Smith, he was comparing their inability to "tap into their potential" (whatever potential is there). But if you want a comparison, go look at Mo Williams, who has racked up 2-3 games of 40+ points in his career, is a decent three-point shooter (I remember he hit 7-7 in a game just last year), catches fire just like Smith, and is probably best suited as a backup two-guard, just like Smith. Lack of mid-range, lack of post skills, doesn't run the point as well as he should (but much better than Smith). Difference? Mo Williams was able to average 17-18 PPG for three years straight, on a team with a superstar (like Melo) for the year he averaged his 18. He also did it shooting 46% or better from the floor twice in those three seasons. Also took nearly the same amount of shot attempts as Smith in two of those seasons. There's your comparison, by the numbers...and JR Smith doesn't even measure up to Mo Williams, let alone a real all-star, and especially a superstar.

Nightmare, for sure. It's not even close.

That's definitely not Wade in that picture.

Noooo, 50 Cent dropped the weight, for that new movie. They just mixed them up again.

And you're trying to tell us that JR Smith (yeah, him) can be a franchise player if he just worked on his game and "do as you say." Do you ever wonder why people don't agree with stuff like that? Why nobody actually thinks Arron Afflalo can average 20 PPG? Why nobody has come out and stated that Danilo Gallinari is a franchise player? Why nobody else on the site thought the Nuggets were going to beat the Lakers in 2009, and beat them in 2008? More people would be slamming him just as hard as I am if I wasn't covering everything. But to be completely honest here, this topic isn't even interesting anymore. Once it gets stomped on so many times, I start to wonder why I'm still talking about a guy that's just going to do the same thing every single year, even if his attitude improves (which it never will), because he doesn't have the desire or hunger to be that player you want him to be, let alone possess the skills on either side of the ball or the leadership it takes. When the 2010-11 season ends for Denver in April or May, you can go back to JR Smith's play and see what I'm talking about. And that's if Denver and George Karl (you know, the 900+ win coach that you suddenly give credit to) decides they want to keep him.

That's great, he's a playground passer. I can do all of that tonight when I go play ball. You have all of the answers, so you should be coaching the Nuggets and JR Smith. I mean, George Karl knows nothing, along with all other coaches in the league other than Phil Jackson, the only one that knows how to tap into mega-star potential that has yet to be shown from a average-IQ bench player with a bad attitude and an incomplete game. Name a two-guard who can pass better? LOL...I can name plenty.