Real Deal

Lateral move?

I hope not. That would probably be even worse. Eric Gordon...excellent defender, good offensive player, not an amazing dunker.

Good way to "let" LeBron join in, last second, stunning the fans and winning them over with two-handed traditional dunks I can pull off on a seven-foot rim.

Two different teams, bro. I don't see Crawford on the roster this season, among a few others playing more/less. If you want to go that route, we can see what Golden State's record was... with Monta Ellis last season (12-13, .480)... and with Stephen Jackson last season (21-38, .356).

Save the Earth. I have my shot in 2012.

Come on now, you can't put it that way. Charlotte won that trade, easily. Your record will be better when you add a borderline all-star, and it will be worse when you get rid of one. Radmanovic is playing terrible basketball (as usual) and Raja Bell has played 1-2 games in a Warriors jersey. That would be like me saying Pau Gasol is far better than Bryant after the Lakers trade Gasol to the Celtics for Brian Scalabrine, since the Lakers get worse and Boston gets better.

WHY do the Bucks think it's a good idea to trade Ridnour? He's playing very good basketball for them off the bench. I would actually start him, throw Jennings in as a two-guard, and deal Warrick and Alexander's contracts for a capable starter at the four. Fact is...Delfino, Bell, Ilyasova...none of them should be starting. They wouldn't start on any other team in the league. Deal the contracts to teams like Chicago, who are looking to get rid of guys like Tyrus Thomas, and bring in capable starters. Then hold a gun to Michael Redd and demand that he declines his player option, or pray that a fool actually takes him in a trade at the end of the season.

Honestly...is it just me, or does Omri Casspi seem like the complete opposite of a player participating in an interesting game of HORSE? Maybe just a desperate throw-in? I don't get it.

Welcome to the best.

True, but they are going to have to trade players to bring him in...and it will more than likely be Iguodala and Dalembert/Brand.

Right, but S-Jax has spent most of his career relying on his teammates more than most other borderline all-star players. His defense is superior to Monta's, but his offense isn't, at all...and it's really not even close. Jackson has shot poorly from the field his entire career, especially when you include the fact that he has had a million wide-open shots from playing with the Spurs, O'Neal and Artest, and other solid teammates. He's also turning the ball over quite a bit for a guy who doesn't handle it much. Ellis isn't a point, but he handles the ball like one. Ellis is too good of an offensive player. Jackson plays defense, but he struggles offensively, and if I were picking a franchise player between the two (dropping their age), I would take Ellis every day of the week.

HAHAHA...I wasn't the only one that noticed this! Jess and I were laughing. Can you imagine the director talking to Megan before taping the commercial? "Okay Megan, jump in the tub. You look incredible. We need to make it look like you're naked, for it to be more appealing...and we'll have to replace your thumb with a fake one, but I need eye contact, sex appeal, and interest in the product."

Hmm... The first three are easy. 1) Kobe Bryant 2) Dwyane Wade 3) Brandon Roy 4) Joe Johnson 5) Monta Ellis As good as the Hawks are playing, Brandon Roy is still the better overall player. I can't stick Johnson above him. And Ellis turns the ball over a little too much, and he doesn't play defense. I'd add Stephen Jackson, but he isn't even the best player on his team, and he relies too much on his teammates to get his offense going. He's probably sitting at six or seven, though.

The only time you can relate rings to Elton Brand. BUUUURNN. -_-

OKC needs to stay on top of their game, and Durant has to keep up the scoring. 25+ again? The bottom 4-5 seeds in the West...it's too close, so the Thunder need some separation. Since I hate the Blazers and wish they'd be transformed into a D-League team, and the Thunder are my second team, you know who I'm rooting for.

You keep him, because if you guys had Monta or K-Mart instead of Allen during that first-round series against the Bulls, you would've been done by Game 6. Rondo may be the best player on the Celtics right now (and he's definitely playing like it), but I actually think Ray Allen is arguably the most important, as he spreads the floor better than anyone else on that team, and his off-the-ball play is still among the best in NBA history.

He won't miss it. He'll play limited minutes.

Orlando needed this win, and it wasn't looking so pretty for them after the first quarter. While Carter simply dominated the second half (34 points, correct?), Howard helped quite a bit as well, and they actually played like a duo contending for a ring.

Yep. Dallas escaped with a win...literally. They need to pick it up after the all-star break, before a healthy Denver team pulls away with that second seed, leaving Dallas in the dust.

Re-post from TLN (haha)... You're seeing the same thing with the Houston Rockets...but you can't tell anyone in that organization, or any of their fans, that they don't need Yao Ming. For a full 82 games, those numbers would look different, and so would our record. Maybe not for the first 40 games, but the grind of an NBA season is what separates the all-stars from the superstars.

We're in the second half of the season, and I'm starting to think we should rearrange our starting five, not for the sake of us winning the West (because we can lock that up with our current starters), but in the best interest of our team as they make their third consecutive NBA Finals trip. Assuming we don't bring in someone like Hinrich (who we need desperately), why not bring both Bynum and Fisher off the bench? C - Pau Gasol PF - Lamar Odom SF - Ron Artest SG - Kobe Bryant PG - Jordan Farmar Three things... 1) Odom can be an amazing player. After being one of his biggest critics a few years ago, he has accepted a bench role and is playing better defense. I think he deserves to start in our five because of it. 2) Fisher is a liability. I don't care what anyone else says or thinks. Giving him a bench role keeps him involved as a leader, and keeps his legs fresh against the less talented bench from the opposing team. 3) Bynum is quicksand. That ball doesn't come back out of the post much when it's dropped in his hands. Therefore, why not bring him off the bench and give him an opportunity to play with less scorers on the floor? Don't forget that we were in the Finals without him in 2008, and he was a fifth or sixth option for us in the 2009 Finals as well, when we won it all. Phil claims the guys are wearing down. We are only 53 games in. I'm not sure if we have the goods to beat Cleveland in the Finals, either, especially if they have home court (and it's looking like they will get it). If we don't make a trade before the deadline, would you welcome a lineup change?

Richard Jefferson, games scoring less than 10 points... 2006-2009: 17 games This season: 16 games Anyone else see this coming?

Besides the missed chip shots by Gasol, he is playing great. Odom is a monster, also. We need to start Gasol and Odom together, bench Bynum.

Well, sure...but would the Heat give him the deal he could potentially get from Philly if he gets traded before the deadline? The free agent McGrady, with zero games under his belt in 2010, would get less interest from teams in the NBA, and the Heat could give him a lower offer because of that. His value drops, and Miami wouldn't have to pay as much. But let's assume he goes to Philly this month. He averages 20/5/5 and plays good basketball. His value increases, and teams would be willing to give him an extra year or two on the deal, extra money, tougher to sign. It would be ridiculous if Randy decided to pay McGrady big bucks if he doesn't play a single game this season.

Am I the only person on the site that finds her EXTREMELY annoying when she's pretending to be an analyst for NBATV? And I need to stress the word EXTREMELY, so I will. EXTREMELY annoying.