Real Deal

TIME: 3:30 PM EST TV: ABC

Ah, NICE. I forgot about the Bucks dealing Dirk.

LMAO.

You should have taken a screenshot and put it up on your wall. Congrats. :o

He's just following his buddy LeBron over there. OMG, a clue!

I love Grant Hill, and I'm sure he'll do okay on Kobe...but Jared Dudley will look like a scrub. He should probably keep from saying more ignorant comments, because typically, that's what fuels Kobe's fire. Ask Charles Barkley, and then talk to Deron Williams, and he'll tell you that Chuck owes Kobe an apology and it hurt the Jazz in the long run.

Yeah, that's a great one. Pippen from Seattle to Chicago...already mentioned, though. Vince Carter was dealt to the Magic for Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston. If the Magic end up winning a title, you could say that was a massive trade for them. Lee hasn't done much of anything for New Jersey, and we already know about Rafer. Phoenix traded Rajon Rondo and Brian Grant to the Celtics for Cleveland's first rounder in 2007. With the way Rondo is playing, that was a huge mistake. And yes, the Kobe/Divac trade was crazy.

If Richardson drops 30 in two of these games, and Kobe is the one defending him, he (Bryant) needs to retire. Amare can get those buckets, but we want Nash to be the second player trying to get 30. Forcing Nash to score the ball is better than letting the Suns knock down 200 threes.

The Grizzlies would disagree, and Marc Gasol would be pretty upset to read that as well.

http://i43.tinypic.com/so6zaq.jpg The small height forced it to be just 324 pixels in width. http://i40.tinypic.com/2jv6za.png

Give me a minute.

Couldn't say, but it was obvious by the way they were turning their game on and off, especially at the end of the season, when they wanted to avoid setting the record for most losses. I realize Harris was injured, but his attitude was just bad from the start, even when he was producing. The team didn't have an identity. They let certain guys do what they wanted throughout the game, see how well each could do in particular situations, then there were times they would sit those guys for the majority of the night (CDR is a great example of this). It seemed that the Nets (coaches, players, front office) designated the 2009-10 season as their practice, to re-evaluate their roster, get the worst record in the NBA while avoiding the worst in NBA history, and prepare for a new coach, new GM, a high pick and LeBron.

Well, in that case, same to you. I'm not the one that created a topic as to why LeBron will stay in Cleveland.

Dislike Shaq...but I have to disagree with a few things being said about him, sort of. Is he a liability? Yes, on the defensive end. Offensively, he's still going to give a team 12/6 on a very high field goal percentage, and that's in 25 minutes of play. The biggest problem is the limited minutes and the massive exposure to the pick and roll, but he still commands a double every once in a while, and the fact that he lost weight and wasn't in that bad of shape coming back from that injury...that's telling other GM's that he's still able to produce a double-double here and there, depending on his playing time. At the end of the night, coaches will still have to tell their players to force him away from the rim, and their point guards will still be reluctant to drive hard, in fear of getting TJ Floored.

Lots of things could fall in place for New Jersey over the summer, and it would be the greatest turnaround of all-time, to be honest. A new coach, new owner, a chance to land LeBron and an additional chance to snag John Wall? If you guys don't think the Nets were tanking this year, you're insane. This season had T-A-N-K written all over it.

Minnesota won't take Aldrich over Wall or Turner, and possibly a few others (Favors, Johnson, Cousins). Likely scenario, though, would be to trade the pick and snag a 6-10, and see if he falls there. Good chance he goes to the Pistons or Sixers around that time (can't think of what picks they have off the top of my head, though). I'd be amazed to see Cole drop to the 14th pick. Motiejunas would most likely fall to Houston before Aldrich, pending bad workouts.

He's a taller Peja Stojakovic that needs a very good post presence, or point guard, to draw his defenders away and create shots for him 20 feet out. Franchise players, and superstars (two different things, by the way) do not heavily depend on their teammates...usually, it's the other way around.

I THINK I remember reading something about your last paragraph, which would explain everything. Wasn't he in a situation similar to Rubio's? I saw a few clips of him already, and I'm not sure if he's really NBA material. He would have to learn a lot from Duncan...but then again, you can't really judge a player based on clips, just get a general idea. Being drafted by the Spurs, though, you'd think he could make a big impact in the league. Look at everyone else they draft.

New rules for round two: 1) 16 lines max. 2) At least one of those lines must be about a single player on your opponent's favorite basketball team (Wolves for s.t.a.t. and Warriors for Legacy). 3) One line has to end with your opponent's display name on OTR. You can exclude numbers. 4) Cussing will be censored if you decide to use it. Don't bypass the censor with asterisks or other symbols. 5) If you say Dick Vitale's first name, please censor it yourself by typing [expletive]. In the manner it would be used in this contest, it should be filtered out. NOBODY ELSE POST IN THIS TOPIC UNTIL THE SECOND RAP IS ADDED. After both competitors are finished, members can place their vote. Please explain your vote. Both competitors are going to be asked to send their rap to me via PM, and they have three days to do so. Good luck, fellas. Run yo mouth!

New rules for round two: 1) 16 lines max. 2) At least one of those lines must be about your opponent's favorite basketball team. Yeah, that means both of you have to bash the Orlando Magic in this one, haha. 3) One line has to end with your opponent's display name on OTR. You can exclude numbers. 4) Cussing will be censored if you decide to use it. Don't bypass the censor with asterisks or other symbols. 5) If you say Dick Vitale's first name, please censor it yourself by typing [expletive]. In the manner it would be used in this contest, it should be filtered out. NOBODY ELSE POST IN THIS TOPIC UNTIL THE SECOND RAP IS ADDED. After both competitors are finished, members can place their vote. Please explain your vote. Both competitors are going to be asked to send their rap to me via PM, and they have three days to do so. I will post both entries, and voting will begin. Good luck, fellas. Run yo mouth!

Semifinals... #1 Swish vs. #4 Riot #2 s.t.a.t. vs. #3 Legacy

Riot gets the win.

His reaction is funny as hell, but he shouldn't have reacted that way. Just a simple, "Haha, thanks," would suffice.

Sure he can. He can talk about LeBron up until next May, if he wants...but if he somehow sees him in the playoffs, he'll regret every bit of it.

Mind games, nothing more. Phil doesn't seem to worry about ANYTHING, which is weird. But as far as Fisher getting stuck in the post with Richardson or Hill, not a problem. Fisher is really one of the worst PG's to post up against, along with Billups. Both are a little too strong. If you want to eat Fisher alive, you stick Barbosa in the game with Nash still out there, and force Derek to defend one. Won't happen, though...because Bynum and Odom will be out on Nash, and Fisher will be stuck with Amare, on those PNR switches. LA has a counter, though, and it rings to the tune of two guys capable of scoring 30 a night on them, and if Bynum was healthy, he and Odom would be two others dropping 15-20 with effort.