Real Deal

Defense! Man, I think Toronto can be a much better defensive team this year, and years after. I like what Ed Davis did today, too. Did you guys see my boy Weems? He had three notable dunks in the game, including that one on the fast break and another a minute later (the reverse oop). Sure, it's summer league, but I think Davis, Alabi and Dorsey can be good for the Raptors.

...he's not a good defensive player. I don't care if he shoulder-blocks Scola once again, and puts him in a powerbomb. That doesn't make him a good defender. Where will we get the toughness at the point? We signed Steve Blake. He's one of the toughest point guards in the league, five times the defender Fisher is. We lose Fisher, we lose a bit of leadership...and, well, his big shot every year. We wouldn't need those big shots, though, if he didn't give up 30 points in the 30 minutes he plays. You say this, but in another topic, you talk about Billups coming off the bench next season. And we do give our role players credit. Ron Artest was the best player in Game 7. He was pivotal throughout the playoffs. Odom is one of the best rebounders in the NBA, skill-wise, when he's actually got his head in the game. Fisher plays well for 1-2 minutes, but at the end of games. You're just finding anything you can to stab at, just like you did when you predicted the Lakers would lose in five.

He's not going to do that to Kobe and Phil. Go ahead and quote me. If anything, Buss doesn't give him his money and eventually doesn't want him anymore. Fisher wants to stay in Los Angeles more than anyone on the team not named Kobe Bryant or Ron Artest.

The lack of basketball knowledge would be displayed by those who think this team has no weaknesses. I wouldn't be so quick to attack others for not stroking themselves over Wade, James and Bosh. Wade and LeBron aren't going to box out someone like Howard, Bynum, Gasol or even Yao. Sorry. And flying in to grab your boards will usually get you an over-the-back call. I rarely see those two jetting from the perimeter to snatch up a board, and playing elite teams, they are going to have to sit on the perimeter. I find this funny. A lot of people were throwing out excuses as to why we would lose the Finals with an injured Drew...how we couldn't take advantage of our size. Two years now, and the reason we lost in 2008 was supposedly because Gasol couldn't man the middle by himself. Suddenly, Bosh can man the middle basically by himself, and a size advantage means nothing? It's all because of the all-star trio and the hype around it. Rebounding is more about positioning than skill? Positioning is a skill, one that great rebounding bigs are good at. LeBron grabbed four and five boards in the two games against the Lakers this season. He has just two games where he grabbed four offensive boards all year long. Howard has 40 games where he grabbed 4+ offensive boards, four where he grabbed seven or more. Gasol has eight games where he grabbed 7+ offensive boards. You can put those numbers together all you want, guys. Bigs boxing out other bigs allow guys like LeBron and Wade to grab those boards.There are a lot of guys that Bosh can't box out. Having Shaq would probably help, but you only get him for 20 minutes a game. You won't have concerns over scoring unless you're playing a lock-down defensive team, and you may be good to go anyway as long as you don't keep throwing out isolation plays for each of those three, expecting them to score 30+ on elite defenders. Your backcourt defense won't be a problem. We don't know about chemistry yet...the team won bronze together, didn't win gold if they weren't led by Bryant and Melo (Bryant beat Spain by himself in the fourth). Low post scoring...don't see much of it yet. Post defense, don't see any of it yet. Once you get to the conference finals, that will be key, no matter what you say in July.

Then watch the new Nightmare on Elm Street.

Haha, without Fisher, this team is much better defensively, and probably hits more shots, not requiring a Fisher game-winner in the first place. Under 40% from the floor, pathetic defense most of the time, no passing ability...yeah, he's just a massive piece we can't win without.

Bryant is the most complete. Go find a glaring weakness...or just don't bother. It shouldn't take Jordan's statement to believe it.

People have been trying to find excuses for the Lakers to lose every single year. The Artest trade was an excellent example, and so was the Gasol trade. They don't get banned for it, though, as long as they have a legit reason to believe what they post. There were "Beat LA" chants already, by the Heat fans. That's NOT on OTR. These teams are built so they can beat the champs, because obviously, the road to the title runs through us out West. Now, yes, there are going to be Lakers fans who dive into a topic and want to run their mouths about garbage you really can't discuss. The mods will take care of that as long as you don't attack them right back. If you decide to do that, they really have two options: suspend both, or suspend no one.

I don't see all of our Lakers fans doing this. I can point to a couple, just like I can point to the couple of non-Lakers fans who have been baiting us since LeBron chose the Heat. You ask us why we are judging your team if you don't even have a full team yet? Okay...why are you? You say Lakers fans are only blasting LeBron and Bosh because they are scared of the Heat? Explain why most basketball analysts and legends/former players are doing the same exact thing. I honestly don't know why I should do anything about it now. I've stated, clear as day, that the Heat will be an incredible team. I've also had others tell me they are already the 2011 champs (I don't need to quote it, you already know). I had others tell me they can beat LA in a seven-game series. You're asking us not to judge the team until you have a full roster and until you play games? Why is anyone doing it, then? People are going to end up hating more than just LeBron and Bosh if you guys are going to do that.

And not just Lakers fans. If you're going to debate it, then do it the right way. There's no need to run into the topic and post something stupid without having something to talk about. And ease up on the LBJ topics. Definitely don't stop posting, but some of these topics could be posts sitting in another older topic.

LMAO...that seriously can't be his dad. Right? Everyone is pissed off these days.

Sick picture... http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2010/0709/la_lakers_heat_576.jpg

We hear that every April.

Haha, there is nothing worse than hearing non-Lakers fans chant "rapist" at every game, and your opinion being irrelevant for a few years (and sometimes even today) because you are a fan of Kobe Bryant. The hate James is getting doesn't even touch that. Hell, Fisher can't even go back to Utah without fans holding their eye and making fun of his daughter's cancer. Apparently, we won our rings because of Donaghy. Our owner, Jerry Buss, is supposedly a drunk who rapes young girls. Phil is a coach that can't win without the greatest players in the game. This situation doesn't even come close.

By the way, if anyone is mad because the Heat are good, so be it. I think that's a ridiculous reason to be pissed off. I am pissed because of the way LeBron and Bosh handled the situation. I put this on my life: I would not have been mad if both had come out and said they were signing with Miami around, say, July 5th (just throwing a date out there). Or even yesterday. Just leave the one-hour circus off the air, don't bash your team on Twitter (Bosh), don't disrespect your team on the air (James, with what he was saying about Jordan's teammates), and praise the fans that have supported you no matter what. This was all done wrong. Toronto and Cleveland are now left without their franchise players, and it's obvious this was the plan since the World Championships and their shorter contracts. LeBron wants to win a ring early? So be it. I could care less what he does with his career. Legends and current stars WILL slap him in the face for that, though. The only problem is that he went about it the wrong way, and there's absolutely nothing to debate there.

Team over stars. I learned my lesson in 2004.

Haha, well, if he's not Jordan, I guess he's Magic. Got compared to Larry Bird earlier in the season, too, as a passing small forward. Might as well compare him to Wilt sometime this upcoming season, and find a power forward so it completes the circle. Hard to see the word "Showtime" associated with a trio that has yet to play a single game, also. If you're hated, might as well go for the jugular and be super-hated.

No one would care? Memphis was a "whatever" basketball city, yet people were punching babies when Pau Gasol was actually traded to Los Angeles, even going as far as saying it was a conspiracy set up by David Stern, or that it was all Jerry West helping LA when, actually, West wasn't even the GM. A 42-45 win Los Angeles team brought in Gasol, and we never heard the end of it. A similar Heat team brought in both LeBron and Bosh...for free. I don't know what you expect here.

It's not difficult to search. The topics are usually moved into team forums. I know most boards you visit will want you to post EVERYTHING in NBA General, but we don't want that. So if you find a topic about Kyle Korver signing with the Bulls, just go into the Bulls forum and see if it's posted yet. It's easy.

Very, very good signing. Korver is the best shooter in the league. He'll love playing alongside Rose and Booz.

I like Wade and Chalmers, like Riley...don't care for LeBron and Bosh, at all. I don't like how James went about everything...thought it was just as bad as what Dan Gilbert did, and I think Bosh is a little too cocky for his playing ability. I despised Boston more than any other team in the NBA, always have. If they were to meet the Miami Heat in the ECF's, I would be pulling for Boston. Phoenix/Heat in the Finals? I would rather see Steve Nash win a ring.

Come on guys... Can we work on this? Also, please look before posting a topic. I see at least three duplicate topics per day now.

I don't know. LeBron is a great help defender, but his on-ball defense is average. I think CP3 and other PG's will light him up, and there are too many crafty point guards for him to defend...going from Paul and Deron, to Rose and Rondo, Nash and Wall, Curry and Rubio (in two years), Harris and Westbrook... If anything different than playing Chalmers there, I'd stick Wade at the point. Play Miller at the two, if they sign him. Bringing the ball up the court doesn't necessarily mean you run the offense, and I think that would work much better in the long run, because those transitions can get really ugly. LeBron will have to help off his man, and if there's a miss, his man is gone. Outlet pass and three on one situation, just like that. Jackson used the "four crash, one back" strategy in Chicago, where he would throw Pippen out of the lane and have him become the primary ball stopper in transition. If you stick LeBron at the point, you can't do that...and you don't want to give that role to Mike Miller.

Shaq ran his own greedy ass out of town, though. He wouldn't settle for less than $28 million a year. We all knew what Buss was going to do in that situation, and when the smoke cleared, it was Shaq taking shots at the city and at Buss...but people assumed he asked to be dealt because of Bryant. But yeah, aside from the truth regarding that situation...I see what you mean. Had Kobe left LA to join the Spurs...well, I'm sure he would've heard the same as LeBron. People were... a) still upset at Bryant because of the rape allegations, and b) big fans of Shaq, and supported O'Neal more than anyone else on the Lakers It was him. They had a press conference this afternoon, and both Grant (GM) and Byron Scott were discussing it, felt as if he had the right to say it all.