Real Deal

Granted it was only the Summer League, what are your thoughts on Evan Turner today? Do you feel he's going to be an all-star, superstar, solid franchise player, bust, etc? How has the SL changed your opinion on him compared to your initial predictions before, during and right after the NBA Draft? Was he the right selection for Philly?

They blew up their team to try and get LeBron...might as well stick in another land mine and do everything to team CP3 with Amare.

Depends on who they have to trade. That bench may not be so deep after the deal. If it had anything to do with the original rumors, I think the deal would've already been made...but New Orleans is wanting more.

Blake has been a good defensive player since college, honorable mention All-Defensive team in 2000. In 2009... Blake's problem is mental. That will change with Phil Jackson. Plus, a change in defensive strategies will help Blake as well. LA is one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, and has gotten better with the additions of Matt Barnes, Theo Ratliff, Devin Ebanks and possibly a healthy Andrew Bynum (and of course, Steve Blake). He's a good defender, not a great one. He's a 6/10. That's as good or better than most point guards in the league. Nash has been sitting at rock bottom (zero) for his entire career, so don't compare the two. Yes, we all know.

Phil already re-signed for next season.

A- Blake is going to be a great fit. He gives us defensive intensity at the one, a point that can make the post entry pass, and someone that can knock down shots as well...exactly what we were looking for. Caracter is amazing for being nearly the last pick in the draft. His post play is very solid, and I'm happy with what he can do on the glass as well. First-round material. Ebanks is a poor man's Ariza. I like that. Even looks like him, in a way...haha. Another first-round pick that was selected in the second. Barnes and Ratliff give us defense at positions we need it. We let Farmar go...and that's a good thing. He was a bad defender, poor decision-maker in the triangle, and belongs in an uptempo system that lets him run up and down the floor as if he were in Phoenix. Can't say I'm disappointed.

I would've loved Hinrich (one of the best defensive guards in the league), but Blake is a great consolation prize. And I actually wanted Barnes more than Bell. I'm just not so sure about Bell's health.

60 days for Matt. Next one is a permanent ban. It's too bad it has to come to that, really.

Pretty disappointing. Looks like I'm going to have to re-evaluate the entire community, and just hope for new posters from Twitter and possible mergers.

Good signing. He's better than Powell on the defensive end, is an actual center, and plays his role well. Barnes is next. Blake, Ratliff, Barnes...just adding defense to every hole we had last season.

http://www.nba.com/news/features/aldridge.2010.freeagency/?ls=iref:nbahpt1#Ratliff?ls=iref:nbahpt2

Well, of course, you can put them in the fridge to keep them good for a day or two. Milk is never bad at my house. I drink three glasses a day. Go ahead and try it...just leave them on the counter and check back in 24 hours. Keep the house the same temp as it always is (I'm sure you don't keep it 80 degrees in there).

Good offensive game, no defense...so he's perfect for Golden State. Pretty good signing, really. He could be big for them off the bench.

Makes you wonder what else they'll be doing this summer, and before the trade deadline in February.

Scottie Pippen is one of the greatest perimeter defenders in league history. Rodman is the greatest defender of all-time (at least according to me and many others who watch basketball). Harper is a better defender than Fisher, by miles, and a better overall player. The 1996 Jordan and today's Kobe...it's a wash. Andrew Bynum barely contributed in the Finals, had trouble in the WCF. The bench? Not even close. Los Angeles had one of the worst benches in the league. I love our team, but it doesn't touch the 1996 Bulls. Gasol would absolutely hate trying to play against Rodman, and because Rodman is also one of the greatest rebounders in league history, our rebounding advantage wouldn't be as significant, and that's a big problem when Bynum isn't healthy. Can't pretend like he's 100% either, because he just isn't.

Nope, 24 hours just sitting on our counter top, covered, doesn't matter the temperature/season. I know this because I fixed dinner once, had an emergency and ran out the door...drove three hours, didn't come back until the following day, and that wasn't even 24 hours. Almost killed me...I could smell them right when I stepped into the house, it was so bad.

That's why you have to watch what you say, simple as that. I'm done with the topic if your own words can't hit home.

Day-old mashed potatoes. The next time you have them, cover them up and let them sit for 24 hours. They are so bad, you won't be able to smell them twice.

New Orleans would probably keep CP3 if they can't deal Okafor with him, unless they were getting another superstar in return. That would be a moronic move...to just deal Paul for borderline all-stars or role players? High risk, high reward for Houston. If Yao Ming is healthy for a few more years, you contend. If he's not, you have big problems after trading away so many pieces. Battier doesn't play defense the way he used to, but he is a floor general on the defensive end, and I'm sure his impact during practices is felt as much as his play a few years back. Ariza will learn from him over time as well. You trade Ariza, trade Brooks, a big...I don't know. Plus...will Paul agree to go to Houston if they are dealing so many important pieces? That's basically putting him in a situation he's already boiling in, except today, David West is a better player than Yao Ming only because we don't even know if Ming will be able to put up 20/10 in a season. It might be better to just put the car in drive and don't hit the breaks for any offers involving Paul.

Unfortunately, you can't control the actions of others, so you telling all of us that they should digest what you say and just deal with it...it's pretty worthless. You probably thought the same about Wade's comment, but that was obviously something you were wrong about as well. This isn't The Sims. A poster doesn't like how 3-4 members personally attack everyone here, so they consider leaving. Why not just accept that they all have opinions about others, and move on? Well, because it's wrong for them to act that way. And something like that doesn't even get close to comparing a death to a basketball loss...which is why Wade bounced back with his apology. I didn't go punch Wade in the face for what he said. Looking at this rationally, like you want us to, I see an incorrect comparison. Adding morals (good and bad, right and wrong), I see an ignorant and incorrect comparison. Adding emotion, I see an ignorant, incorrect and offensive comparison. Either way, Wade was wrong for what he said. He knew it, he apologized for it. Notice that he wanted to clarify his statement. Why? Because he knows, like most of us do, that if we all believed he took a basketball loss and made a direct comparison to many deaths, it would be a problem. I don't see where anyone could dodge that.

I'm sure they would, but the Hornets have no reason to want Martin. They have been targeting to replace Peja, and feel as if Thornton is good enough at the two. Ariza would be nice at the three because he's the defender they were seeking when they brought in Posey. Plus, Martin is making too much money for the Hornets to want to take in. Ariza is half the cost and plays defense.

More than likely a joke, though, at least with Boston. He knows there's no way the Celtics will deal for Paul, and they are the ones that have little to trade. Perkins is injured, Pierce and Allen were recently re-signed (three months before BOS can trade them), and Garnett and Rondo are going nowhere. But it's Bill's team, so I'm not surprised he would throw that suggestion out there. Houston has the pieces. While Okafor's contract is ugly (four years left, $10-14 million a year), there's still that big question mark named Yao Ming, and I wonder if Houston would be interested in a Paul/Okafor package. The Rockets would have to part with Hayes or Hill, and I'm sure it would take Brooks and Ariza. The Hornets would really dig into the roster to make a deal work in their favor, but I think it would be worth it for the Rockets at the end of the day.

God really doesn't have anything to do with the conversation. The world doesn't work that way because you'll end up getting your ass beat, eventually. When you're being raised, it's your parents' job to teach you right and wrong, good and bad. Morals. Can I go tell the neighbor how I feel about her staring at me? Sure I can...but it will lead to more trouble, and it also depends on the way I go about it. To drive my foot into the Earth a bit further, I can go to a cancer center and tell one of the young patients how I think they really look without hair and any weight on them. Then I can expect to get hit in the face by a parent in the process because it would make me out to be a pathetic loser who doesn't know when to shut his mouth. Anyone can say or do anything. That doesn't mean it's okay. Even Wade himself knew he screwed up and he apologized, directing it as a misquote, but that's irrelevant because we're discussing what was said in the quote to begin with. Out of respect to those who died, or those who lost loved ones in the tragedy, you do not compare such a horrific and damaging event to a basketball loss. You don't even put those two in a sentence that relates them in any way, shape or form. Maybe someone lost their grandmother yesterday...and I say, "Yeah, I lost my pet cricket not too long ago, so I'm sure it was devastating." Just a stupid thing to say.

Enjoy the rest of them by not posting on OTR anymore.

Haha...you have to be [expletive]ing kidding me.