Real Deal

TIME: 7:00 PM EST TV: TNT

TIME: 9:30 PM EST TV: TNT

It's ridiculous and needs to be deleted. There have been quite a few people talking about how someone needs to assassinate him, and their posts are getting deleted for it. You'd think that would be a HUGE problem.

Read more... Sick article.

Rodman had tons of fans when he did this with his hair. Then he tried it when he was in Los Angeles, and everyone seemed to hate on him. If Ron did this anywhere else, it would be awesome...but because he's in Los Angeles, he is certainly the attention whore, and it just doesn't look cool.

You do realize how vital he is to Orlando's team defense, right? And that's a Magic team that has more players lacking defense than it does committed defenders, and they are currently 3rd in points per 100 possessions, holding opponents to an average of .438 shooting (1st in the league), and that's mainly due to Howard. There isn't a single player in the league who is a better defensive anchor.

Nobody deserved it more.

Haha, yeah, I forgot about that when I made that post. Someone reminded me in a topic earlier (where I posted the lottery chances).

Didn't they say he was expected to make a full recovery after surgery? RIP.

A team isn't defined by the number of star players they have...just thought that needs to be put in the discussion, of course. But I have no opinion on this, because whatever I say will be disregarded, because I am a Lakers fan...which means LeBron is the worst player in the NBA, in my eyes, and my IQ drops 140 points when I discuss basketball.

Don't think they will miss him that much, honestly. While he does space the floor, he's also a horrific defensive player, and he's pretty bad reading situations desperately calling for his help defense. Fesenko won't drop as many points in a game as Okur, but he will probably contest more shots down the stretch. Really, the Jazz have lacked defense up front for quite some time, minus Kirilenko (who is more of a perimeter defender, actually), so the biggest thing is to make up for Okur's three-ball.

Bench or assistant coach next season. I can't take him starting and playing big minutes anymore.

By the way, I'm not saying the game was lopsided as far as calls go, because the refs did miss a few calls down the stretch that favored the Bulls...but the referees need to do something about Shaq's elbows. They are probably the worst I've seen at this point of his career, and he's using them more frequently than ever before. If other players are going to get into trouble, and the league reviews in-game elbows all the time, they should look into Shaq's. He's hit Noah and Miller in the chops multiple times in this series already.

I love Noah as a player, dude is impressive and was shutting up a lot of Cavs fans with his play tonight, but the trash-talking about the CITY has to stop. I understand that it's the playoffs, and I see why someone would want to go hard at another player in an interview (which I think is stupid, but that's just me), but when you start mouthing off about an opposing city and their fans, it's going a bit too far.

I don't have anything to back out of. I'm saying that the chances of Wade leaving are just as much as LeBron's. Nobody can sit here and convince me it's already a done deal, that he's going to re-sign. If it was, he'd already sign the extension. I think you know that, though. I never posted that it was a done deal, that there was no way he's coming back to Miami. I'm clearly stating that it's foolish to think that Riley WILL do everything right, Wade WILL do everything right, and a deal WILL be done to favor the Heat...when all of that could've been done already, and the closer it gets to the off-season, the closer teams get to calling up Dwyane and making offers he will end up considering.

Chicago needs Ben Gordon, badly. Hinrich just isn't fit for what they are trying to do in Chicago, and Gordon is a much better off-the-ball player, not to mention he can make anything with a hand in his face. I'm very curious what would happen if the Bulls doubled LeBron every single possession, like teams have done to Bryant in the past. I thought about it, and I figured the Cavaliers would win this game by 30+ points, if that were to happen... Mo Williams Anthony Parker Delonte West Jamario Moon Daniel Gibson Antawn Jamison Zydrunas Ilgauskas Every one of those guys can knock down open 20-footers, or threes. It's really devastating, and while LeBron is the main reason why they are the best in the East, the set of shooters is very overlooked.

If we focus more on Westbrook, Durant won't be the problem...Harden or Thabo will. We can get away with putting one guy on Durant for about 30 minutes or so (however long Ron plays). But I think we plan on playing the Thunder the same way, no adjustments with the exception of focusing a lot on transition defense. Westbrook is too good for us not to hurry back, and he can turn any missed shot into a fast break, going the other way. OKC is just too thin up front, though, and while Ibaka is a good defender, he doesn't have the strength and skills to contain Gasol or Bynum.

Haha, okay? I'm not sure what that will accomplish. I simply stated that Wade is showing interest in the free agency period by not signing his extension, that Riles hasn't put enough on the table yet, and that Chicago is the best place for him to play. Hell, Riley may not even sign anyone to team him with, and Wade could be an idiot and just re-sign for kicks. That's not the point. You guys act like I'm 100% sure Wade will not re-up with the Heat. However, I never said I was 100% sure, but it sounds like you guys are...about him staying. So sure that Wade will re-sign, that Riley will land Amare or Boozer, and that there will be a dynasty in Miami. Huge reach, really...but whatever.

How weird: the team with the least amount of votes (the Lakers, tied with others) and the team with the most amount of votes (Thunder) are facing each other right now in the first round. I wonder how many people would put the Nuggets if this poll was created in the second round.

A good argument? Rose is better than Amare, Deng is better than Beasley, and Noah is better than any other player on the Heat. I never said he would win a championship in Chicago, I said he's got a better chance there. And you saying that Wade, Amare and Beasley can be a dynasty trio...come on, dude. That will never, ever happen. If you're going to question my reasoning for saying Wade would be better in Chicago, I might as well just say you think Wade will be best in Miami because you're a Heat fan...and to be honest, I think more people will see it my way, if we're going to go that route, especially after you dynasty quote.

http://www.atdhe.net/index.html If you can't see it on NBATV, go there.

The Nets, Knicks, Clippers, Thunder, Bulls, Bucks, Kings, and Wizards will all be looking at free agents this season, along with the Heat. Other teams will dig for sign-and-trades as well, seeing that this free agency is one of the best we've seen in the last 10-15 years. You guys are acting like you're guaranteed a big-name free agent, just like the Knicks, who some of you say won't get anything. Doesn't make much sense to me. I don't care where Wade goes. Do I want him to go to Chicago? Don't care what he does. Toronto would've made the playoffs if Bosh stayed healthy? Well, you can argue that all day, but Noah was hurt for the Bulls for quite some time, and Rose has been playing injured half the season. Had those two stayed healthy, Chicago would've grabbed the fifth, sixth or seventh seed. We can play that game all day. And it's obvious a team with Wade, Rose, Noah, Hinrich and Deng will be better than Wade, Boozer, Beasley, and whoever else the Heat have. Remove Boozer and stick Amare in there, and you're still looking at a better team in Chicago. But yeah, Wade has already made his decision. That's why he signed his extension...right? Because he has a lot of faith in Riley, as much as you guys do. If he wants another championship, he needs to look elsewhere. Tough to admit it for some of you, but it's the truth. You take a Wade/Rose/Noah trio before you take a Wade/Boozer duo. Ask Deron Williams how much success he's had with Boozer...then look at the Jazz and realize they have a better coach, and a better overall team, than the Heat do.

Lakers, Bulls and Bobcats. I'd select the Thunder as my second team, but I can't really root for them because of the circumstances they are in, haha.

So Riley didn't want to win it all this season? He's been a part of the Heat organization since 1995. He's only wanted one ring since then? The organization has made a lot of big mistakes over the years, and Riley has had his hand in all of them. With the Heat on the verge of losing in the first round once again, it couldn't be at a worst time, and while they will show interest in Boozer and Amare this off-season, there are going to be many other teams chasing them, unlike what was going on before the trade deadline, because these guys will be available for money, instead of through trades. The truth is, if any of us were Wade, and we were guaranteed to pair up with Rose, Deng, Hinrich, and Noah in our hometown, we would take that and run if we knew what was good for us.

If you don't want to use Boozer as an example, use Shaq and the Orlando Magic. I don't know how many of you were watching basketball in 1995, but they were a 60-win team that was custom-built for Shaq. Orlando "was his office" and he didn't want to be anywhere else but Florida. Then it all changed when he moved to LA. None of the fans saw it coming, and neither did his teammates. 60 wins, a team built for him, and a franchise that could've been his to dominate for the rest of his career...yet he just up and left after praising them and making everyone think he was staying? Kobe's biggest reason for staying in Los Angeles is the fact that he's been a Laker since 1996. Wade has been in Miami since 2003, not even a decade of his career. If he sees the opportunity to pair up with Derrick Rose, a superstar, in his hometown, on a team that desperately needs him to contend (and they WILL contend, for sure, if he joins them), that's a bigger opportunity for him, clear as day.