Real Deal

Iverson gets shut down with Bryant on him, and Kobe is on FIRE. He crossed the life out of Iggy, hit a few fadeaways, making everything...14 points in the third, playing out of his mind. And I absolutely love the boos. It feels good. I wish I was there.

Nah, I don't believe offense is more important, nor do I believe it's less important. That's why I've been jumping Bynum's ass about his defense for the past 3-4 weeks on TLN, haha. It's also why I was upset about Steve Nash getting two consecutive MVP awards. But that's one of the reasons why I think Lee should've gotten in as an all-star. If guys like Nash and Nowitzki can win MVP awards without playing defense, and they are both locks to be in all-star games, David Lee's 20/10+ should be enough to stick him in there, especially when Zach Randolph was also a coach's selection.

Thank you God.

Just added the lite version (updated the link).

Kobe on the bench with two fouls...game will probably get ugly. Let's hope Bynum and Gasol prove they can co-exist, and someone else can run this offense for a while.

Check it out: http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/gallery/Designer/OTRBasketball Hope you guys approve.

Pretty good. Space before you add the parenthesis. Also, I was pounded as a sportswriter (before I became sports editor) when I didn't use full names of players and teams. The first time you name them, use their full names (ex. Tyreke Evans, Miami Heat, Bill Simmons). After that, in your article, you can just go with Evans, Heat and Simmons (and for players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, you can use first names, as they stand out). Ah, and don't forget to add tags. I did it for you (right side of the post).

Wordpress is similar to the forums, actually. Same concept, just a little different. That's not a problem at all, as long as the articles are cut short with the More tag. Full article posted, but the More tag has to be inserted after the first or second paragraph.

Right, but Detroit had Billups, Hamilton and Sheed...scoring from everywhere on the floor. They were around the middle of the league in scoring the ball, not bottom five (like Charlotte was last year AND this season). I realize that Phoenix was the top scoring team in the NBA when they were making their conference finals visits...but they were also in the bottom half, defensively. My point is, as much as you need defense to win games, you need offense as well.

There are more examples out there than just Steve Nash. Amare Stoudemire is basically David Lee, and I can easily argue that Lee is the better offensive player (by the numbers, he's also a better rebounder). Amare's defense is just as bad as Lee's. Zach Randolph is another example of an offensive player that plays little to no defense. We get the idea that defense is important, but you don't win games if you don't score. Championship teams are great on both sides of the ball. Offensively-injected teams, no defense, can get to the conference finals, and sometimes to the NBA Finals (as you saw with Dallas). Defensive-minded teams, no offense? That was the Charlotte Bobcats before getting Stephen Jackson.

...which is why Rose or Rondo should be starting in the East, or a duo of Wade and Johnson.

Shane/Oscar, make me a Kobe sig! Kidding...but POST MORE.

David Lee. If defense is that big of a factor, Nash shouldn't be in there at all, starting or bench...and then someone would need to explain why the Suns are even a .500 team right now, and why Nash has two MVP awards. And there's no chance Billups is a better point guard than Paul or Williams, or Nash for that matter. Not today. Billups is putting up under 20 points and six assists on just 42% shooting, compared to the big numbers Carmelo has been throwing down. Denver's success is coming from their offense. They are 2nd in offense, 13th in defense (league rankings). Just two years ago, with Iverson, they were ranked 10th, defensively. Someone having an inconsistent year on offense and showing he's not playing much defense (just watch the games)...he doesn't get in based on what he did in 2004, or his leadership that, actually, he only showed last season. Stick CP3, Deron or Nash on this Nuggets team, and they are challenging the Lakers for top seed in the West right now, and are a threat to win it all come June.

Well, it was reported yesterday (or the day before) that Houston was in deep pursuit of Andre Iguodala and Caron Butler, so I guess this means they'll be dealing more than just McGrady if they want them, and because of that, they'd need to take back Dalembert, as salaries are too far off to make a deal like that work. So, if that's true about Ed wanting a talented player back, I don't think a trade will be made between the two teams because, honestly, I don't see the Rockets taking Dalembert. With that said, if Ed does want those young players, I don't see why Iggy is being shopped.

Ew. Rudy isn't playing good at all this season, and I don't even think Batum has played but three games. Haywood is giving the Wizards a near double-double right now, and he's the only player on that roster that plays defense (and he's actually not that bad of a defensive player at the five).

Dirk with a choke of epic proportions in the fourth quarter...just one shot taken, zero points, no defense, no nothing. Phoenix breaks their 18-game losing streak on TNT. That's more impressive than the actual victory/game itself.

They won, but you can just tell this Magic team isn't as good as the one from last season. Vince Carter will hurt this team more than help them in May...just have that gut feeling.

Anyone else get the feeling that David Lee was a little pissed off after not making the all-star roster?

Just a few things about posting articles... http://i47.tinypic.com/2h5vi3l.jpg See the button shown by the red circle? That's the "More" button. You need to use this after a couple of your paragraphs, and it's VERY important that you don't forget. This keeps your article from filling the entire front page, and allows readers to click a link to read the rest of it. VERY important. Also, note the tags I used. Most of those you want to use every single article you write, then certain player names and team names/cities. I'm sure you can tell which ones you'll want to add for every article. The category...make sure it's just ONE. If it's not about a particular team, choose the NBA General category. There's also one for Power Rankings, and even a College Basketball category. Finally, when adding an image, upload it elsewhere and THEN use the option to add it from the URL (there will be a tab to do so, once you choose an upload/insert option). Use the spell check. You'd be amazed at what you'd find spelled wrong. If any of you need help, just let me know.

...dude, NBA players are never "rated" either. What rating system do you see in the NBA? Yet, all of a sudden, they have fans voting for an all-star game? You're getting too technical for no reason at all. If you don't get the award, don't vote. It's that simple. I've explained it three different ways, and there are over 30 people who understand the award. The next time a topic asks you about an underrated player, I'll remember this. In fact...check this out: When has anyone ever "rated" Steve Blake? What is his current "rating" in the NBA? Just explain that to me...

I'll be back online later tonight, guys...have some things to do. Then I'll post what I'm talking about in regards to WordPress.

Gotta show some love for my hometown's junior college! READ MORE 1) Chipola (FL) 2) Fresno City (CA) 3) Coffeyville (KS) 4) Midland (TX) 5) Highland (IL) 6) LA City (CA) 7) Southeastern (IA) 8) Southern (ID) 9) Indian Hills (IA) 10) Salt Lake (UT) Not bad company. And here's a list of those who went to CCC and were NJCAA All-Americans and/or moved on to four-year schools: http://www.ccc.cc.ks.us/Athletics/menshoops/halloffame.htm

You and Lkr are approved to write. Before you guys submit an article, just send me a PM and I'll explain some important things about WP. And to those who were already registered (like Blasco and Steve, and the other writers and former writers), just let me know if you're interested, and I'll re-activate your accounts.

Mitch Rolls http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/players/playerpage/1714918/mitch-rolls http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/topic/7475-mitch-rolls-colgate Over the last 10 years or so, I've known quite a few...but most have graduated.

http://www.alldaynba.com/wp-login.php?action=register Probably best you register, so you use a real email and have a password you can remember (you'll eventually change it, I believe). Doesn't take but 10 seconds, haha. But just use "Dash" as your log-in name, or whatever you wish...and then I'll go in and add your real name.