Real Deal

It's kool that NBA players tweet (isn't that what it's kalled?), but you have to akt akkordingly and appropriately, or else I really kan't say they have any business having a Twitter akkount at all.

Thabeet sure did disappoint in the SL. I wasn't really expecting him to start anyways, to be honest, after the Grizzlies grabbed Zach Randolph. I think it was a given that Marc Gasol was going to be the better player, at least for a few seasons. With all of that talent, you'd think that they'd be a playoff team. It may come true, however, as Mayo turns into a superstar.

Golden State Warriors. http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/index.php?/forum/20-golden-state-warriors-team-forum Ellis, Jackson and (gasp) Biedrins. Almost nailed Curry on the banner, but decided that Biedrins was more worthy of it. Houston is next...but it might have to wait until morning, or maybe even Sunday.

http://i32.tinypic.com/2njeema.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/2vbwzh0.jpg Mason asked to put an asterisk on the banner...but I decided to go with the logo instead.

Flip couldn't do anything with the Pistons because he's an offensive-minded coach, and the more he preached offense, the less the Pistons learned about other teams. It wasn't just LeBron they couldn't stop. They found out that Dwyane Wade was too much for them in 2006, and just two seasons ago, Boston had too much firepower. Detroit lost their contender label when they lost Larry Brown. Now we're seeing a Charlotte Bobcats squad that placed around 6th or 7th defensively in points per 100 allowed, while Flip Saunders had his two best seasons in Detroit, third best with Kevin Garnett who is, ironically, one of the better defensive players in the NBA. So having Flip coach an offensive-minded team that really only has one true defensive-minded player in Brendan Haywood...I'm really not sure what to expect, but I wouldn't bet money that they'll contend for a title, despite having all of that talent in Butler, a healthy Arenas, Miller, Foye and Jamison. Who knows, though.

Yeah, but we could've all said the same thing about the Lakers being led by Kobe as well, when they played Phoenix in the first round. I will say this much: if Washington were to trade for someone like Raja Bell or Shane Battier, you guys would have enough offense to beat that Cleveland team, because not only you get a defender to at least attempt to slow down LeBron, but you also get a shooter, and if Arenas ever gets back to normal (which I don't think he will), all of your worries lie at the power forward position, since Jamison would allow 30-35 points per game. Since the Cavaliers don't have someone like Amare, Duncan or Gasol playing the four, it should be an interesting battle. But again, you guys don't have anything to put in front of LeBron, and he's liable to average 40-45 per game against you guys in a series this year, seeing that his offensive game has improved a bit more from what it was just a few years ago.

Odds of you guys getting swept against the Cavs, for real?

I'm going to assume you're referring to Rashard "Barry Bonds" Lewis.

She probably is, but I'll wait until a reliable source reports it. Heard the same thing about Ciara, and I remember the rumors about Britney Spears when she first sang as well (because of her voice, I guess).

In fact, here's the big question: if not this, what needs to be done? If this isn't the answer, I want someone to tell me what is. Tell me how you can boost auto sales, and give me proof of it working.

So the logical solution is to give cash for newer cars, and put you in an 80's model that needs a lot of maintenance and drains you in gas prices? The Cash for Clunkers idea rushes production, pushes for focus on the auto industry, slaps gas prices in the throat, helps the environment, and gives people a reason to get a newer model car, overall. Nobody is pushing these guys to turn their cars in. They are excited to. There are people out in the world that won't get a new car only because they truly feel their hunk-o-junk still gets them from one place to another, but they can still afford it.

Pistons are done. http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/index.php?/forum/19-detroit-pistons-team-forum Gordon, Prince and Hamilton. Gonna be a busy day, so I'm not sure how much I'll get done.

I actually believe him when he says he didn't know.

Just so we have an understanding here, I'm actually against eliminating them altogether. My dad and I had this discussion the other day (he's a big UFC fan), and we both agreed that a PPV that uses the tournament-style fighting that they had back in UFC 1 would be great. Maybe just a one-time thing, for fun, or once a year.

Due to testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-rashard-lewis-tests-positive-steroids,0,1959796.story

Yeah, but you guys wouldn't like to see someone like Silva take on Lesnar? Or even GSP and Silva? And yes, Gracie is different. There won't be another Gracie for a long time (he's still undefeated in my book). Maybe UFC could hold a PPV that contained a three-fight (per contender) tournament to determine the champ of champs. Interesting?

Denver Nuggets, finished. http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/index.php?/forum/18-denver-nuggets-team-forum Should see Melo, Billups and Nene. Done for the night, fellas. Pistons and many others tomorrow.

Dallas Mavericks. http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/index.php?/forum/17-dallas-mavericks-team-forum Nowitzki, Howard and Terry for the banners. I couldn't find a good enough picture of Kidd, and I wasn't up for cutting tonight anyways. And there are absolutely no pictures of Marion.

Either you pay a little more with the tax increases as you get older, or you start burning your money for firewood, since firewood will cost too much, during the winters of a second Great Depression. I know which one I'd rather do.

Well, is it Cleveland, or Boston? I'd hate to have to play either of those teams if I were the Wizards. Maybe even the Magic. You guys need defense from 1-4. Big time. I've said it many times before: Washington has been in the bottom ten defensively for a long time now, and I believe in the bottom five for a few years. If you want to make some noise, defense is the way to go when you're playing contenders.

Honestly, if I were a Wizards fan, I'd want to avoid the Cavaliers as much as possible. There's nobody on the roster that can even slow down LeBron, and I'm not sure if Haywood can contain even an old Shaq, even though he's a good defensive player. Not to mention it would be a tough, tough, tough loss if it happened for a fourth consecutive time.

He may be, because standing up, he's still pretty vulnerable to anything. But once he gets someone on the ground, he's no joke. It's not really just his size, but his technical wrestling. If someone beats Lesnar in the near future, it'll be from a knockout punch. I'm not sure if he'll get caught in a submission again (like he did with Mir).

Yue isn't a Laker anymore. Wizards forum is now delayed two days for this comment. Cavs rule the East.

UFC toss the weight classes aside and go back to its roots...why not? State your stance on this.