Real Deal

Favors? I'm sure they intend on him starting. And I don't know if the Nets still have Humphries, but if so, I think Jersey liked the way he was playing near the end of the season, so I wouldn't be surprised if they gave him a few minutes behind Favors.

Well, rumor was that Bell had already stated he wanted to go to Miami, and the offer was there. Kobe is meeting with him today.

One of the most controversial, but I can't argue with that as well.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2010/07/13/2010-07-13_yankees_owner_george_steinbrenner_suffers_a_massive_heart_reports.html Whoa...massive heart attack. RIP.

Well, if he does this, he's going to look bad. I really hope the Wolves trade Jefferson for some role players, at least. His value is down a bit, but teams still realize that he is a borderline all-star player when he's healthy, possibly an all-star reserve.

Since when did slaves get opportunities to make millions of dollars every year? Jesse Jackson is the one that's racist. He needs to remove himself from our country, no joke.

Never had a doubt in my mind. I don't even know why anyone ever thought he was going elsewhere.

Read more Awesome.

Either a bot, or some old member messing around. I just deleted the posts and banned him.

Sad.

You are the one bringing up the fact that the team isn't even assembled yet, saying you really have no idea if they can win it all or not, hinting that you're questioning why I'm even talking about it. So why are you talking about it? The thing is, I have something that displays what LeBron, Wade and Bosh can do together without Bryant and Kidd leading the way. It's called the 2006 World Championships. What's your example? What makes you think they will be top dog in the East? What event can show they can all three play on the same team together? Anything at all?

In other words, it's all irrelevant, and there's no reason discussing the trio...

Hedo has shot over 38% for his career at the three, shot over 37% 3PT last season. That's pretty decent. The Suns are going to run the life out of teams. They will play Hedo at the four, Warrick at the three, and cruise down the court. C - Lopez PF - Turkoglu SF - Warrick SG - Richardson PG - Nash Not that bad, but I'm not sure about a .500 season. The shooters will have to make their shots, that's for sure. If they do, that's dangerous poison for Steve Nash to work with.

Zydrunas isn't the defensive presence they need, but he can spread the floor and shoot 20-footers spoon-fed to him by the trio. It would be a good signing...but I can just imagine Cleveland fans going ballistic over this as well, since Ilgauskas has been with them forever.

Well, maybe. I think Gentry will put the ball in his hands a bit more than we can expect. Nash is getting to that point where he's going to need Shaq-like rest, and Phoenix is looking for a third point guard already. Almost makes you think Dragic will be starting in two years. And maybe he doesn't handle the ball much. He's not shy. He will shoot all day, especially when those threes are wide open. Could be a good trade for the Suns as much as it is for Toronto.

So he should've done it in 2006, after he won his NBA championship, but he didn't. You can play the numbers game all you want. Jordan didn't lead the last three championship teams in those NBA Finals, obviously...and it's a given that Wade and LeBron didn't need Kobe in 2008, because they matured and were so much more improved from 2006 to 2008. The stats will also indicate that Cleveland was going to win the NBA championship the last two seasons, until they didn't. Nobody is dismissing how good the team will be, once again. But I hope only few are ignoring what could possibly stick the Miami Heat into a hole, either. I'm already running across members who have yet to give one single post about the Heat's potential problems, which is why practically 75-80% of the NBA's fanbase is upset. Not just Lakers or Knicks fans.

Wow, Phoenix is taking on a ridiculous contract. Maybe they need Kerr after all. Of course, I don't think Barbosa is a better player, but Hedo was signed up until 2014. That's ugly.

Didn't seem like Bosh was respecting anyone lately, actually.

Without Fisher, we would've won Game 3. Rafer lit him up. And Ariza had to continue leaving Hedo just to run and cover Rafer during the second and fourth games in the series. How about looking at Hedo's numbers for those two games? LA failed to make it out of the first round for two seasons because they played Phoenix both times, having to start Kwame, Smush, and either Walton or Mihm. Are you serious? His clutch three against Boston? If you want to go that route, had it not been for Fisher's disgusting play in Game 5, we would've won that game by double-digits. He was absolutely pathetic on offense and defense...didn't contribute in any way, shape or form. Kobe has zero rings without Fisher? Wade has zero without an old Gary Payton. Hakeem has zero without Mario Elie and Kenny Smith. You're overrating a role player, and I really don't know why.

The defense was what won the games, and Kobe's offensive/defensive surge against Spain in the fourth actually won the championship. Nobody else stepped up. Even Simmons (who hates Bryant) shares the same story. Wade and LeBron didn't shoot 60+ percent. They were getting to the rim, and it was much easier because Team USA had shooters. One of them shot the ball and drew doubles, which killed most of the teams they played against. Phil Jackson has discussed the same thing before, and even about Jordan, who stopped shooting 55-60% in a lot of his games during the second three-peat (and it was even worse during his last three Finals), yet Jordan still caused the most havoc and had the biggest impact on the offensive end. Basketball isn't always about shooting percentages. Four years ago? So what? Four years ago, Wade was the leader of the NBA champion Miami Heat, and LeBron was less than a year from getting to the NBA Finals. They weren't too young to win...they just needed someone that could take over on both ends of the court, was clutch, and had the brains to play under control, instead of trying to create his own Vince Carter-ish human highlight reel. Bryant respected the international players and teams, and was aware of their skills and abilities...something Bosh and LeBron (and Wade, at that time) didn't do. And it's something LeBron and Bosh don't do to this day...respect opponents. And it will come back to bite them, like it always does. If Miami doesn't reach the Finals, I will actually feel bad for Wade...but can't say I'll care for anyone else on the roster.

LMAO...without Fisher, we don't win? Without Fish, we probably win more comfortably. For the 1000th time, his defense is pathetic. He shoots under 40% from the floor. He has been a liability for most of the game, every game. There's a reason we dominated the Celtics with him playing just 10-15 minutes in Game 6. We don't respect Derek? Haha, he still starts...and he doesn't deserve to. He would probably still start over Blake, who is twice the player. Ridiculous.

Barkley led the Dream Team in scoring, also...didn't mean he was the best player. Jordan was the offense, and he was the defense. We know who led the 2008 Olympic team...no need for the stats. But anything you can do to credit the trio, right? I see it was LeBron and Wade, in your eyes...haha.

He's still in the East, with three other dominant title contenders. We are headed to the Finals. I could care less about Miami...and you can trust me when I say that, just as much as when I said I wasn't afraid of Boston after the third quarter in Game 7. Truth be told, I would've been more afraid of Wade being paired with just LeBron, and the Heat having more room to sign really, really good free agents. Enter Bosh, exit money, exit bigs that can defend. You really have no idea how much I don't care about the Heat. http://thelakersnation.com/forums/index.php?/topic/40616-lakers-are-the-best-team-in-the-world-wade Wade will even tell you.

Three years, $25 million reported by ESPN.

Damn, he would've been nice to have in LA. Good signing. Allen is a bit erratic on offense, but his defense is top-notch. Is it official that OJ Mayo is playing the point? I wonder if the Grizzlies will consider starting Allen or Henry, if they decide to let Brewer go. Denver starts Afflalo, and Oklahoma City starts Thabo, for similar reasons (defensive purposes).