Real Deal

Battle of the young PG's. I know few will want to watch this one over Boston/Miami, but I'll have to DVR this. I want to see how Irving and Wall attack each other, given that they will be the two best players on the court...and not only that, but how Wall adjusts to his new team. Word is that Wall has been working on that jumper, so that'll be interesting to see, also.

Oh, and... http://gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs/140478_o.gif

Alex Smith's side profile reminded me of Steve Blake after that interview.

You know what to do.

I'm giving the Warriors my vote, as long as Curry and Bogut stay healthy. They have too much talent. I just don't believe in Harden as a primary scoring option, not really sure how well Jeremy Lin will play (still expect many turnovers), and I'm not banking on Donatas Motiejunas to do too much in this first season. Never really thought Omer Asik was a starter-level player, either...at least not yet.

I really wish that TD by Dez Bryant would have counted, because that catch was sick. Don't like the Cowboys, though, so it wasn't that big of a deal to me, haha. Raiders beat the Chiefs, as I was watching football with five others rooting for Kansas City. Feels fantastic.

We have Chris Duhon, if you want a PG. We'll take a second rounder for him. But yeah, I read somewhere on Twitter that they were worried about Calderon. Didn't read ANYTHING about Lucas, but then again, it's John Lucas. I always put Calderon on blast, but the fact of the matter is, you don't want him injured. Lucas just doesn't do enough with the ball, and while Calderon is a train wreck defensively, he still has the ability to run an offense, and the second unit will need that type of player.

Anyone see that return by Brown during the Steelers/Redskins game? He flipped around and back-peddled from about 20-30 yards out, into the endzone, and then he got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty AND the return was brought back because of a block in the back, lol. What an idiot.

My girl was pissed when she heard the news, haha. I'm not going to say this is a huge step down for OKC, though. Kevin Martin could be more efficient in a limited role. When was the last time you saw Martin deferring to a couple of all-stars (one being a superstar)? It could help him focus on the defensive end as well, but you're not going to see THAT big of an improvement on that end of the court (by him). Still, his poor shooting may not carry over, and both Durant and Westbrook will help him get easy buckets. Meanwhile, Lamb's game may fit in perfectly. We all know what he can do, at least in college, so whether he's out there scoring on his own, or feeding off of Durant and Westbrook...it could still work out well, doesn't matter if he's a starter OR playing behind Martin. Thing is, you're putting everyone on the table in hopes that Martin will accept such a role AND Lamb will pan out to be the player we all expect him to be...and this is coming from a team that was in the NBA Finals just months ago, with a very young core. Presti knew Harden was gone, though...and if you're going to trade him by February, you do it now. The later you keep him, the bigger risk of injury AND the lower the value. Teams would rather bring him in now and play him 82 games. Otherwise, you let him walk in July...and go into the playoffs with the same team that, actually, may not have a chance against the Heat OR Lakers to begin with (don't think they did anything to show they can beat the Heat one year later). It would be nice to see Durant reach into his skillset and pull out improved passing abilities. That will benefit both Lamb and Martin greatly, and will help make up for what is lost with Harden, who was HUGE coming off the bench and facilitating for that second unit. ---------- For Houston, it makes sense. You get rid of Martin's $13 million, even if it's an expiring deal, and in the process, you deal a rookie for a proven borderline all-star in Harden. Now, whether or not Harden deserves that max deal...or if he's a primary option...that's not the point. Right now, you know that Harden is more qualified for it than Jeremy Lamb, and Martin just isn't going to get it done in that large role (never really has). So, with all things considered, the trade was good for both teams...for the Rockets right now, and for the Thunder in the near future (and, possibly, right now...you never know).

It's time to start Tebow, honestly. And wow, the Redskins have been dropping passes like CRAZY today. Even Moss dropped one at the end of that last drive.

Yessssssss! I told my girl I called this, somewhat, back in July. I wasn't sure if they would include Motiejunas in the deal, but the main thing we talked about was Harden for Lamb, to save OKC money. I figured maybe this would happen if February, if there was a chance of it going down at all...but whatever, lol.

Haha, thanks. How did you remember this? I have a list somewhere, and also the images. The only bad thing is, everyone may have to re-select their college teams once I add more.

Haha. I say it all the time off the site. Most everyone around knows I run a website, and there are a lot of people that view it (just don't sign up, probably because they don't want to risk getting into a debate with me and, being in the same town, it would be odd, haha). I had someone about a month ago, over at the park I play ball at, ask me if I still run OTR, lol.

I'm not so sure why most graphics point to all of welfare being bad. I realize some cheat the system and are just lazy asses, but many rich people cheat the system and avoid taxes, also. Romney claims he doesn't want to eliminate the welfare program, regardless of what his plans are to help some off of it...so that tells you right there that it's not something to tip over and drain. Also, I'm not really sure if anyone is saying that the rich don't pay their fair share (generally...although, again, many dodge taxes). Our economy is in shambles, and Romney's $7 trillion plan can't be made up in small cuts here and there. It's basically about the country asking for a little help, from those that make a lot of money (many that make TOO much money).

The good thing about it was not only that he still has that ability, but he's willing to do it. I mean, he's not 290 pounds, so this may not be THAT big of a deal, but he still beat everyone down the court AND finished. The Hornets will have options on the offensive end, with Gordon, Anderson, and maybe Rivers, but they will need all the help they can get.

I loved him pushing the ball 94 feet, coast to coast, for that layup...was hoping he'd dunk, but I think he was a bit intimidated by the possibility of a foul. He had someone on his hip (might have been Chalmers, can't remember) so who knows.

That second style is horrific. Not sure how I feel about the pinstripes.

I removed the buttons from the sidebars...didn't look right to me. There wasn't anything to add over there, though (even NBA.com just has scheduled games), so I added a picture of one of the better players on each team. Haven't done much with them yet, since I had to insert the remaining schedules this morning, but now I'm back to working on the pages, and I finished up Boston. http://www.discusshoops.com/celtics/schedule.php

May have to redo the Hawks, Pacers and Jazz (text is kind of dark, did these on a different computer earlier, not on mine).

I know these aren't a big deal, but we did have them a LONG time ago, so I figured I'd bring them back. Similar design to the last ones, since everyone seemed to like them...but I updated all logos and replaced "OTRBasketball" in each. Edit Profile > Profile Tab > Change Avatar Scroll to the bottom, to the "Pre-installed avatars" section, and select "Team Avatars" from the drop-down menu.

http://www.discusshoops.com/images/jerseys/gamerguy.jpg http://www.discusshoops.com/forums/user/4-gamerguy GamerGuy, Kyle, Kairu, GamerCry...it's whatever. Kyle jumped into the mix three weeks after OTR was put up, and it didn't take long for me to realize he would be a great addition to our staff. At one point, Kyle became the "good guy" administrator, especially after Aaron's departure. It makes a lot of sense, because every now and then, I questioned whether or not Kyle knew how to be mean to someone. To this day, he has no idea that, when I called him GamerCry, I really meant it. The Chris Mullin of OTR (not just speaking in regards to his Mullin haircut), Kyle racked up offense throughout the forums...yet, unlike Mullin, he was found contributing for more than one team. His ability to dive into discussions and heated debates about any team or player, among any group of fans, made him an asset to our staff. The evidence was deleted by the hack, but once upon a time, Kyle did confess his love for ALCS, using his display name. I wonder if he still has that picture of me, with a picture of a rainbow in the background. Congrats, GamerGuy. You're finally in our Hall of Fame!

Defensively, especially up front, they are going to be pretty bad...but I believe a team with D-Will, Johnson, Wallace, Lopez and Brook can be a solid offensive team, good enough to snag a 4th seed in a weak conference. I can't stick them above the top two defensive teams in that conference (which should be Miami and Indiana) or a team that will launch threes like the Knicks, but we've seen teams run through the regular season with pretty decent records based on their offense. Phoenix used to do it quite a bit, and granted they had Nash and a perfect system for him (one of the better offenses we've seen in a decade), they were able to win 60's without having a defense ranked in the top half of the league. I won't put money on a 60-win season for the Nets, but 48-49 wins could get them there (Boston's 4th seed and .591 record, from last season, was basically a 49-win season). I wouldn't be shocked if they reached it.

Maybe, but I don't think Josh Smith will play the way everyone expects him to. It would be a bit different if he thinks he's going to stay until the summer, but I believe that, in the back of his mind, he knows Atlanta would like to trade him by February. Players with that mindset don't really give a damn until the trade goes down, and then, they play out of their minds. But, really, that's what I'm banking on. Otherwise, yes...the Hawks are easily a playoff team. I can't say top four, though...not over Miami, Indiana, New York and Brooklyn.

If a player (like Garnett) is playing center, then stick him on the center ballot. There's no point in eliminating the position altogether. Duncan has been playing center for years. There's no confusion there. This kind of screws over guys like Roy Hibbert (just an example, if he blows up this season), because if Andrew Bynum doesn't get voted in by the fans (because a PF takes his place), more than likely, he'll be selected as the backup big man, and Hibbert will be left out.

Those jobs are paying that low because illegals are willing to do them. But, with that considered (and everything else I've ever said), I absolutely hate illegal immigration. However, it would be nice if they could make the process MUCH easier. There's no point in trying to become a citizen if you're put through a shitty process that takes forever, and you've got kids that need food.