Real Deal

Sounds like Washington just doesn't care anymore, and wants to truly rebuild, if the article above is true.

Uh, bench Fisher and build a bionic hamstring for Gasol, so this doesn't continue to happen. We need Hinrich so bad.

Watching the Spurs, you can definitely tell their defense isn't the same. In fact, I'm willing to bet that San Antonio's defense is probably in the middle of the league somewhere, and it hasn't been that bad since their pre-Duncan years.

Bingo. Nelson needs to be a scoring point (because, well, that's what he is). Hedo set up a lot of players and was arguably a better facilitator than Nelson was last season. Orlando took an NBA Finals team from last season and turned them into the third or fourth best team in the Eastern Conference. That team from last season would've given Boston a run for their money in the playoffs this season, but the team playing right now (with VC and Barnes, not Hedo and Lee)...I'm not sure if they'll even get past Cleveland or Atlanta in late April or May to get to the ECF's, let alone back to the Finals.

Two bad calls against the Nets, honestly. The first was the call on Jianlian. That happens ALL the time, and Yi never did take a step back, nor did he really stop and threw his shoulder. Hell, it wasn't even a pick to begin with. The second was the "foul" on CP3 on his last drive. I didn't see one, but maybe it was just a bad angle.

Mayo with the game-winner...pretty interesting game without Deron. I think Utah could've taken them if they were at home, but I can't really say that for sure. And WOW, Gasol with the sick block to end the game! He timed it perfectly.

I realize there's no Garnett, but Boston has to grab those boards late in the game. That absolutely killed them. Great game by Crawford...14 points in the fourth quarter, right? I know he didn't do anything in the first half, and I figured Atlanta was going to need him BIG down the stretch...and sure enough, he came through.

LOL, you Raptors fans are funnnnnny. But seriously, you guys are contributing well. I'm thankful for the activity, especially in game topics. Nice move by Bosh to get that late basket, also. I didn't watch much of the game, but I did get to see the last five minutes or so, and that game-winner by Bosh was nice. I figured he was going to pump-fake or something, since he was driving right, but he dropped it in with the off-hand.

Bad decision to take that three when they were only down by four. Denver ended up missing both of those free throws afterward. Cleveland should've just drove in, fouled and hoped for at least one miss.

TANKING!

Probably the second three-peat squads. Jordan refined his game and, even though his FG% dropped a bit, he was still the most dangerous player in the NBA. Plus, having Dennis Rodman blocking shots and rebounding the ball helped more than people realize, and Pippen proved to be an excellent player in his prime. The proof is also in the 72 wins.

My choice for best defensive point in the league (even though he's a bit slower), but yeah...I still like him. I just don't see this deal happening. Utah can get so much more.

It's not as beast anymore.

Back when I was in high school, we had a few hot chicks that played ball. Dunking? Well, they have to be pretty big to get that high off the ground...don't see very many girls with insane verticals...and with that said, I'm not into girls that are much taller/bigger than I am. Never had a girl beat me in a game of one-on-one, but I had one cross the hell out of me once over at the college, partially my fault because I went for a steal, but she still made me look stupid that one play. Gotta respect that.

Utah could get Hinrich or Salmons for Boozer, I'm sure, probably even Brad Miller thrown in with one of them.

I'd rather see Miller playing. Fisher has a chance to defend him. Bayless would just destroy Fisher off the dribble.

Boozer wouldn't have to come off the bench. He's a legit center. Dallas would just play small.

Already planned on it, actually. I really don't think he'll be playing much at all this season (well, for the rest of it).

I wonder how many Kings fans really hope he gets dealt before the deadline? Sacramento looks more comfortable with Evans handling the ball.

I really don't think Redd belongs out there. I know he's capable of putting up 20 on any given night right now, but that's really ALL he does, with pathetic defense, no team concept, and inconsistent shooting percentages. Jennings isn't shooting well (I posted something about his last 10 of 11 being under 40%, or something near that), but there are other players who will open their arms up to taking more shot attempts to make up for Redd's, especially Bogut.

Garnett and that knee... I know they say it's nothing like that (nothing to really worry about), but it's the same one. Knee injuries and older players don't mix well together. Boston won't crash and burn without Garnett, though, but if this becomes something they'll have to be concerned with up until April or May, I don't see them reaching the ECF.

Haha, yep...the thing about having Gasol and Randolph is that you have your defensive player that will help cover Zach's assignments, and then you have the scorer that will serve as a post presence when Gasol just isn't cutting it. But Marc isn't that bad of a scorer, either, which makes it tough on opposing frontcourts because Mayo and Gay are also scorers.

Kings (Evans, Thompson, Martin) Rockets (Ariza, Scola, Brooks) Sixers (new Iverson, Iguodala, Young) Knicks (Robinson, Harrington, Chandler) Raptors (Bosh, DeRozan, Bargnani) Suns (Nash, Amare, Hill) Lakers (Kobe, Gasol, Artest, Bynum) Hawks (Johnson, Smith, Horford) Celtics (Pierce, Garnett, Allen, Rondo) Those teams are finished. Remember that 26 teams will have three players, while four others (Lakers, Celtics, Magic and Spurs) will have four. Sixer fans, if you want Brand instead of Young, let me know. Raptors fans, if you want a replacement for Bargs, make sure he's a good player. Knicks fans, if you want Lee instead of any of the three, post in here. More to come soon.

No player will ever average 50 again. Wilt was playing among a bunch of small forwards that had to defend him, with a handful of centers. I'm convinced that Bryant could average 40, though...maybe a little tough today, but 3-4 years ago, there's no doubt in my mind he'd top 40.

Actually, I never said I use stats to say one player is better than the other. Otherwise, I'd be telling everyone that LeBron is better than Bryant. I said this... Which is true. I never said those stats mean they are the best in the league in those categories, though...just who leads in those stats. Do stats become irrelevant? Not completely irrelevant, but re-read what you posted... Because of the bench, because of who he plays with, because of his ability to play with starters, etc. Everything is because of someone else. The +/- statistic is going to favor who you play with more than someone's PPG. Kobe doesn't need a single decent teammate to give you 40 points, and he can do it with one (or two) as well. But something we know about your favorite statistic is that it's easily altered depending on your four other teammates, as you just stated with Odom. The most important stats are the absolute stats, the ones that tell you "how many" in your game or season. How many points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, shot attempts, free throws, threes, etc. Without those, well, you have nothing to begin with, and +/- doesn't even exist at that point. That statistic is just like Hollinger's PER and the NBA's efficiency rating. Both have inaccuracies. I'd rather have true numbers, and I guess you're in a different boat in that regard, and I'm willing to bet it's because you favor defense far more than you do offense. Kobe's impact on the team is larger than that of Lamar Odom's. No statistic can tell me otherwise, and no scenario can convince me or ANY Laker fan that Odom is more important. Don't care if he led the bench or played in the starting five, every single fan knows he's not Bryant. Your statistic says the opposite. That's all I'm saying.