Real Deal

From what I've seen of them, they do run, but not as frequently as a team like Phoenix. They do bring the ball up and act like they are playing half court basketball with Duncan in the post, sometimes.

Coaches experiment with their lineups by centering them around their most dominant players...so it's understandable if Durant is the one playing with the worst lineups, while guys like Westbrook and Green get most of their minutes with Durant. Makes a lot of sense. In addition to that, because I've watched a lot of Thunder games already, I can say that I see Westbrook on the floor defending bench players more than I see Durant, and that's because anytime Durant is in the game, the opposing team makes sure they have their best defender or best player in there as well, which crushes KD's +/- stats. Nobody else on the Thunder get that attention.

Go with him. I'm ready to start booting people. Let's get a reminder of the lesser-defined rules here. 1) If you have something to say about a team or player, be ready to take a dose of your own medicine, and don't whine when it sticks you a little too hard. 2) Three members run the forums as admins/owners. There are 3-4 active moderators. That's it. If you aren't one of those, you don't act like one, and you don't stick your nose in anyone else's business, especially when you've been around here for less than a year. Just two. I'll add more if necessary. Back to the topic at hand, or I'll just hand out the suspensions as I see fit.

If CDR starts, it would be over Lee, I'm assuming...and I don't see that happening. Unless, of course, the Nets want to play him or Lee at the three. How is Terrence Williams looking? Box scores don't really tell much other than the numbers, since these guys are playing limited minutes all over the board.

Experience counts. I take Pierce right now, especially when he gets the ball a foot or two beyond the elbow. That's an automatic shot for him if there isn't an excellent defender in his jaw.

I don't have a wife, I have a girlfriend. And OTR has no 7-12 year olds. I don't run TLN anymore, either. I stepped down to spend all of my time on OTR. Good luck in your future endeavors, Snake.

It doesn't matter if JaMarcus has a line or not. If he doesn't get sacked, he throws passes 10 yards away from the receiver, behind him, or just completely off route. It's ridiculous. Put Frye in. Forget Gradkowski or where he's at on the depth chart.

Yeah, his production (on and off the ball) doesn't make up for his attitude. I'm not sure what his problem really is, but it seems like he's forcing his way out of Golden State, and that should be all the more reason to help him pack his bags. If those Bosh/Biedrins rumors are true, which I've never believed them to begin with...what if they do come true with Jackson involved?

I don't know, because Westbrook and Green are already capable of giving you 15 points a night, and Durant will be producing his 25-30. Offensively, Harden may find it a bit tough to score the ball because, quite frankly, he may not get the opportunities to do so, or at least not as much as he deserves. Defensively, he can be good, but as Durant's defense improves, and Westbrook is also practicing his defensive skills, it may leave Harden the lesser-dominant offensive players, so he won't be showcased as much. If Harden does break out and become the best player out of the draft, it might be on a different team, or with different teammates. A trio of Durant, Green and Westbrook seem to be enough once they reach their primes, but adding Harden could work, so I won't rule that out yet. They could be following in the footsteps of the Blazers, who stacked young talent and are now planning on keeping them all together through their prime years, which is sort of scary. On another note, that would be nice, seeing the Thunder become a contender. Durant has the ability to be one of the best players in the NBA, and guys like Harden, Westbrook and Green certainly have the potential to be his sidekick during that journey.

Right, but that doesn't change my perception of him until he proves it on the court. It's good though. I don't like how players have Twitter, but I guess it's cool because they interact with fans...the problem was always how Arenas promised things and talked mad game through his blog, but then failed to back that up, that's all. But props to him for not wanting to blog anymore, and focus on the game. Will he change his game? He may have to, in light of the news about his finger...but that doesn't have anything to do with the blog in the first place, in my opinion. Blogging or not, Arenas has to change. With all of that said, he still has to talk to the media, even if he gives them BS. That's on him. Kobe used to do it all the time, where he was quiet and gave them BS to write down (practically nothing), but he was criticized for it, and he changed.

With eye problems, especially a previously detached retina, he can't work out as hard...and he never will be able to. It doesn't take much to move that scar tissue around, and that will begin to pull on the retina again. That's why it's so dangerous to play sports, especially a physical sport such as basketball...and especially on a professional level. He's lucky to even be playing, just as Kareem was.

Just heard on ESPN that Jackson dropped his team captain role. Not good.

Most definitely, unless Josh Smith puts on 35 pounds and hits 6-11. They need to use Smith as much as possible, flash him to the rim and put the ball near it. Josh would flourish with someone like Nash in the Suns' offense, and that's what the Hawks need to run with (no pun intended). It helps that Bibby can hit from long range, also. In a way, you can say that you have your poor man's version of the Suns, with Smith being Marion (defense, slashing, hybrid PF) and Horford (undersized center, scoring, no defense) and Bibby (point that can shoot, no defense). Honestly, a solid coach could be the missing link.

Bucks aren't playing TOO bad this preseason...but 82 games? I'm really not sure how those guys will hold up. Not only will starters play 40 minutes a night, but the games will be more meaningful, and the season is long and rugged. I would be excited to see the Bucks do good, as it really doesn't matter to me but I couldn't put any money on it. They need discipline on defense, and they need Michael Redd to do much, much more when it counts.

For the last time, it was using your example of Billups' leadership (from just months ago) against you, since you told us all he was the reason for all the changes in Denver (including clothes and the way players act). When it backfires, you retaliate, as expected...and suddenly, Billups can't control his teammates anymore, because "he's not their daddy" even though he apparently was just last season. Either way, do what you wish. Don't worry, I don't have time to argue it anymore OR stop you from leaving. Enjoy the season.

He's got a point depending on how you want to look at it, but you still have to talk to the media. Journalism is reporting the news, not always just for entertainment.

Not on the shooting hand, right? So it shouldn't bother his shot TOO MUCH, although it will still give him some discomfort when shooting the ball. Raising an injury over your chest, then back down, multiple times...it will cause pain. But the problem actually comes into play on the drive. If he has only one hand to dribble the ball effectively, he's going to be limited in his slashing abilities, which cuts his passing down a bit. Gilbert isn't exactly one to play very well with nagging injuries, so this could be a problem in the second half of the season, as he may look to change his game according to how his hand feels...and that's not a good thing. But maybe it will heal quickly. Who knows.

Wow, so you're telling me they didn't want Sun Yue? :o Surprise, surprise. Gabe Pruitt is having a hard time fitting in. I would've thought he'd find a team by now.

Wizards and Pistons should actually be interesting, because truthfully, it's difficult to tell what either of these teams will do this season, depending on who they start and if they stay healthy.

As said many times before, Ariza's play depended on Bryant and Gasol. Stick him on a team with lesser talent and superstardom (ex. the Knicks when he was in New York), and you'll find that he becomes less relevant because he's a better spot-up shooter than he is a primary or secondary scoring option.

I'm too lazy to do it, but someone go through the Lakers games from last season, list a few of Kobe's +/- stats, and compare them to other players on that team during those games. Go ahead and do the same with Wade. The +/- stats consider the players you're in the lineup with just as much as they do the player they supposedly match. A lineup of Farmar, Vujacic, Bryant, Powell and Mbenga would lower Bryant's +/- statistic because they would score less than they allow...meaning, all five of them in the game at once. Durant plays the bulk of the minutes with lesser talent, and the Thunder struggle, and that's reasonable. It's really that simple.

There's no primary option out there that can carry the team, and there isn't anyone who can actually run the offense. If McGrady returned to full health after November, things could change...but I can't sit here and say I think that's going to happen. Not that I want the Rockets to be good, but I don't like player injuries, and I wish him the best.

I won't even read your first reply, because the second reply is the only one that matters, because it mentions Iverson. And the fact is, if you want to criticize Allen Iverson as much as you do, be ready for others to criticize Chauncey Billups, or just shut up about it. Is that hard to understand, sir? Discussion is over.

On The Real would work, but having the site name as the podcast name makes it a bit redundant, especially if others start calling it "OTR's On The Real Podcast" (which would be saying, "On the Real's On The Real Podcast").

Right. I will definitely remember this come the regular season, by the way. When things start to warm up even the slightest bit in a topic, I'll be in there shutting everyone up and handing out suspensions, since we can't criticize a team anymore. And if you were around last season, I believe you'd realize just how bad it gets for Lakers fans...but you'll find out yourself. As far as people leaving the site goes, just because your player gets bashed? Just go already. Don't spend your time bashing Allen Iverson for a month, then cry about someone picking on one of your guys, and expect to get sympathy from me. Same with Kobe Bryant, same with any player in the league, doesn't matter who.