Heir Rose

I don't see any real possibilities if they were to do a one-on-one trade, but I would look into a three-way deal that could net them a player like Carlos Boozer. West is the biggest chip I could see Cleveland offering, maybe Ilgauskus (Bucks could waive Big Z, then Cavs claim him back) and a filler.

Bosh. He's by no means the best player they could get, but he fills a need for a scoring big. He and Rose could be scary in the pick & roll/pop, and Bosh would bring more balance to the lineup. James and Wade are both scoring guards that need to be primary ball handlers, which would take shots away from Derrick Rose and could mess up chemistry. Having one of the two would also make the offense more unbalanced because of the shots Wade or James would command.

I would go with Turkoglu. He's a mismatch for almost any defender, and is a good playmaker from the wing. He can drive, dish, and shoot, making him a big weapon. I don't like the idea of giving it to a big man and letting him go to work, but Bosh would be a very good second choice.

Dwyane Wade. He's a top three player in the league, and already has championship experience under his belt. Bosh, Stoudemire, and Boozer are talented scorers, but neither is a very good defender. EDIT: I didn't know that this thread was intended for the Nets, ha. I would still go with Wade because he would be a huge upgrade at shooting guard and a more than adequate replacement for Vince Carter. He and Harris could be a great backcourt and it would allow Devin to focus more on defense as opposed to carrying the team on his shoulders. Bosh is a close second.

What I liked about this game is the contributions made by the Spurs' supporting cast. Last year, Duncan and Parker would be required to score 20-25 apiece -- and even then, you'd still need Mason, Bonner, or Finley, etc. to step up in order to get a hard-fought victory. Last night, the Spurs' Big Three scored a combined 42 points: Parker - 17 points in 26 minutes Ginobili - 16 points in 24 minutes Duncan - 9 points in 22 minutes Four role players scored in double digits, and the rookie DeJuan Blair put up an impressive and very efficient 14 points and 11 rebounds. Free agent pickup Richard Jefferson was held to five. Once he gets adapted to this offense, he'll add another dimension to this team. It's looking to be a great season. Spurs play the Bulls tonight, hopefully they can improve to 2-0.

Thinking about getting it tomorrow or Wednesday, it would almost completely drain my paycheck though, and I also need to get gas. This'll be my first year with a 2K game since 2003, but I think the switch will be worth it. I loved the gameplay when I tried 2K9 earlier in the year.

I don't see where he'll find any court time, but if Mason goes down or we decide to trade him/Hill in the middle of the season to take our team one step further, he could get some minutes. Always good to have some insurance.

I've seen a lot of spoofs with this Hitler scene, but this one was by far my favorite. "Thank God for AR4."

Point Guard: John Stockton ... The prototypical point guard's first and foremost responsibility is to set up his teammates. Oftentimes this player is the smartest on the court, and is in charge of distributing shots effectively. Stockton was an intelligent court general with great vision and decision making skills, which makes him stick out in my mind over others. Mark Jackson and Jason Kidd are two others that came to mind. Shooting Guard: Ray Allen ... An ideal shooting guard is a master at the art of scoring. With a combination of quickness, shooting ability, and ball handling, playing the two is no easy task. Ray Allen exemplifies the off-guard position as well as anyone because not only is he a high-percentage shooter that moves well without the ball and uses a quick release to find an open shot, but he also has the ability to penetrate to the basket to create points in the paint. He is very versatile, and one of the most skilled players the league has to offer. Small Forward: Shawn Marion ... When I was younger, I would always try and rank the best players at each position in my head. Whenever I got to small forward, Marion was usually near the top of the list, for several reasons. When I think of small forwards, I think of a good perimeter defender and rebounder, with the ability to penetrate to the basket effectively as well as shoot the three and make the occasional inside basket. Marion was once a master at each of these traits in his days in Phoenix, and my nostalgia made him the first to come to mind. Power Forward A: Charles Oakley ... I decided to split the power forward position into two, because NBA history has shown two entirely different brands of power forward. Oakley represents the old school kind, the type that relied on rebounds, garbage buckets, and tough interior defense to earn their living. Not necessarily the most skilled player on the court, but this player's contributions are far often overlooked and underrated due to a lack of flash or flair. Power Forward B: Chris Bosh ... Lately, the NBA has gone from rugged, physical interior bludgeons at the four position to more athletic, skilled big men that usually have a strong faceup game complemented by an accurate jumper from 15 feet. The ability to run the floor is becoming increasingly important for power forwards, and if your game doesn't extend beyond the paint and you can't play center, your shot at success in the league isn't good. Of course, we still see the occasional Kevin Love starting for a team, but more often than not an athlete like Bosh holds the team's fourth starting position. Center: Shaquille O'Neal ... O'Neal is the complete package at center. A great interior scorer with strong rebounding skills, shot blocking ability, and a great passer out of the post, Shaq is everything you look for in a center and more. He is much more dominant than your average center, but since he fills every qualification I believe he deserves the mention here. The only thing lacking in his arsenal is a game outside of 8 feet, but unlike the power forward position, few NBA centers can stroke it the way Big Z or Mehmet Okur can. A faceup game or jump shot isn't a necessity like it is for post forwards.

I'm pretty sure he used "when Phil wins, he repeats" to support his claim that the Lakers will win this upcoming season's title. I know very little about either coach, but when Auerbach was coaching didn't he have far less teams to compete with than the 29 others L.A. plays? I remember reading that somewhere, and if that's the case I'm going with Jackson.

Upset watch: Houston @ #6 Oklahoma State. The score's 38-35 with 3:40 left, and Houston has the ball. Missed the Iowa game due to a Cross Country meet, but looks like they played pretty well. Sweet finish between Central Michigan and Wisconsin, and Michigan's beating Notre Dame. Tate Forcier's speed is amazing, he took it in for TD blowing by a Notre Dame defender.

One more thing, concerning Brandon Bass. He makes me think of Kurt Thomas a lot in terms of size, rebounding, and his ability to hit a midrange jumper. Do you think this is an adequate comparison? Thanks for the response.

Nice banner, RD. RIP to all those who lost their lives.

That was an informative article with a good mix of your own knowledge coupled with some statistics to support your claims. I noticed some minor grammatical errors, the most prominent being 1.) Too many commas. I remember coming across several points where there isn't a real need to pause. 2.) When you're giving a percentage, make sure you're sliding the decimal to the right two places. There were two times where you put .xxx%, when it should be xx.x%. Otherwise great work, you've got a great grasp for the game, so flaws are minimal in your writings. Are you sure Lewis will start at small forward? He's a huge mismatch at the 4, and Carter/Nelson do enough playmaking on the perimeter to allow either Barnes or Pietrus to start. Bass and Gortat could then come off the bench, and Lewis can slide down to the 3. Also, I don't think Rashard should be measured against other players with max contracts. If I remember correctly, he was the top player on the market when he became a free agent. Orlando most likely didn't expect him to play at the level of Kobe, Wade, etc., but considering there wasn't very much competition from other free agents, it meant a team would have to overspend for his services. He is who they thought he was: a talented second option that creates mismatches at either the 3 or the 4.

I wouldn't do it. Boozer's contract expires at the end of the season, so he could end up bolting elsewhere. Even if he were to stay, I wouldn't want his poor defense on my team. It's a little risky banking on Brand's health and if he can fit in with this offense, but if he doesn't, how will Boozer?

Durant made amazing strides his sophomore season and greatly improved his shooting percentages. He's now one of the league's best perimeter scorers, but not quite up there with Kobe, LeBron, and Wade. I think those three are locks for the top three, and Howard will likely get a high spot as well. There's room for Durant, and if the Thunder elevate their game similar to the way Portland did last season, then he could enter the national stage and get some serious consideration. His rank will be determined by how successful his team is. Anyone think his numbers will go down with the addition of Harden, along with the player developments of Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook?

Nice writeup, it's impressive seeing how well you're able to write about several teams in the NBA, not just the Raptors. A few times throughout the article I've noticed some redundancy (ex: "He is a good mid-range shooter that doesn’t force anything offensively. He plays within himself and doesn’t force the issue."). It's not something that occurs frequently in your writing, and I doubt anyone else notices, but it's something I saw a couple times. Otherwise, great post, very informative as always. I see San Antonio going to the Western Conference Finals this season, losing to the Lakers in 6 games. Yes, R.C. & Co. have done a great job revamping the roster. They picked a perfect time to take advantage of the market and add a versatile scorer in Jefferson, and McDyess is an upgrade over Bonner. But the Lakers are still the favorites; great inside-out, solid depth, lots of energy and toughness, I put them slightly ahead of us in the Conference. The gap has been decreased, and we now have a legitimate shot at beating them and getting to the Finals, we just don't have the advantage or edge in a playoff matchup against them.

The top ten teams in opponents' points per game all made the playoffs except one team: the Bobcats. With a defensive-minded coach and several defensive-minded players, they have built a tough, scrappy team that would be a challenge for any team in the playoffs. However, they were also last in the league in points per game, meaning they need to somehow acquire a first option if they want to reach the playoffs. You would think they would be all over Allen Iverson, because they could sign him for the MLE and would get 20-25 PPG out of him. An interesting stat I found: The top six teams in opponents' field goal percentage (I thought FG% would be a good stat to use because it's not affected by pace like points per game is) all made it to the second round, and Orlando (3) and L.A. (6) both played in the Finals. Defense is very important, but you also need some scoring threats if you want to go far. I don't think the Bobcats are a lock by any means for the playoffs unless they sign Allen Iverson.

I haven't paid any attention to how they've (or any team, for that matter) done in the preseason, but Schwartz must be pretty confident in the team around him if he's willing to throw Stafford into the fire this early. I don't expect a Matt Ryan- or Joe Flacco-like season for Stafford; he'll be throwing behind a lesser offensive line, and doesn't have as good a running game to rely on, either. He does, however, have Calvin Johnson. B)

It seems to me like he's always had very solid teams, but very few times has a Jazz team had the personnel to win a championship. The only time periods I see that they would have had a good shot of winning it all is the two years M.J. was gone, and the lockout season in which the Spurs won. There have been a few opportunities, but even then it's tough to capitalize and get all the way to the Finals, even if you're not going up against three different dynasties Sloan has had the misfortune of coaching against during his tenure with Utah. The Bulls (x2) and Lakers have had dominant teams in nine of the past 20 years or so. Not many chances to win from the 90s through 2002, and after that the Jazz never really had a team that could go all the way. They've had very good squads on the floor, but look at the teams that have won in recent memory: L.A., Boston, San Antonio, Miami, Detroit, L.A. again, S.A. again, Chicago, Houston, and the Bulls again. Only one of those teams didn't have a great player (Detroit), which is what BFT was talking about. Teams like Utah rarely face a field weak enough for them to go all the way, and this Jazz team definitely isn't as good as that Pistons team was anyway. I don't think they can go much further than 2nd-3rd seed in the West and possibly make it to the conference finals with this team. Not much interior defense, they've got some talented scorers but teams like L.A., Boston, Cleveland, etc. are simply better all-around.

Love and Bogut would be an extremely slow and unathletic frontcourt, but with Villanueva in the lineup they would have that athletic 4 to use in their rotation. Love is a hard worker that does all the little things, and his help defense somewhat makes up for poor man-to-man D. None of the players available will be more than Love has shown he can be, so they're also getting the BPA.

I'll take dominance over consistency in this one. Shaq and Kobe absolutely tore up the NBA in the early 2000s, and after conceding to the Spurs in 2003 they got back to the Finals in 2004. Sure, they weren't title contenders for a span of about 2-3 years, but it can be argued that last season when Manu was out and the season before when the team had a severe lack of talent around TBT that the Spurs weren't going to win it all, either. L.A. has been there 6 times, San Antonio only 3. The Spurs have been solid, but L.A. has come out on top in most of their postseason matchups, and their high level of play, even with a couple bad seasons, amounts to more than several very good seasons by S.A. It's close, though; I had a hard time choosing which side to pick. Sorry, fellow Spurs fans.

Terrible trade for the Raiders. They have little to no chance at competing right now, so this move makes zero sense for them. Seymour will most likely show a decline and this will go down as one of the worst trades in recent memory. New England will get a nice piece to continue building their dynasty with.

There's only one team in which he belongs with, and that's Charlotte. Memphis would be a bad idea and could be a chemistry nightmare with A.I., Mayo, Gay, and Randolph all trying to find their shots. Marc Gasol is a capable scorer as well.

Just made a nice deep throw. It's early in the season, and he'll get more experience and become more accurate as the season goes on. If he can be a good game manager, Alabama will be very scary; Upchurch and Ingram is an amazing running back tandem. Add Julio Jones and a strong defense and they could be playing Florida for a spot in the National Championship again.