AboveLegit

Is it a mere coincidence when you see players elevating their level of play in order to get a larger contract in the offseason? How hesitant would you be, as a GM, to sign those players? Do you think it is worth the risk?

Yeah, probably going to get this over 2k as well, easily the best sports game out.

http://content6.flixster.com/movie/11/15/34/11153440_det.jpg Finally got around to seeing this, and it was terrific. Definitely Franco's best work, the last scene was intense.

You think he can be a starter in the 3-4? I'm happy with the signing, just been skeptical as to how he fits our defense. Love the fact that he's a hard worker, durable, and plays with a great motor.

http://cdn0.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/206552/raining_money.png No one can out bid this man, he's going to make Santonio Holmes very rich. -_-

Very solid opening episode for the new season, filled with lots of story lines and drama. Love the tribute to Nate Dogg at the end of the show, RIP.

Finally. Now it's time for Dan Snyder to make some useless signings in FA. Either way I'm excited, these next few days are going to be very interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDqy2cDYXcA&feature=player_embedded#at=14 Man, I hope he's in the dunk contest next year (if there is one), I think he'd be better than JaVale.

Cover looks terrible.

Yeah he's going to struggle to begin his career, but NJ fans are excited about drafting him for a reason, he can create his own shot. He reminds me so much of Nick Young, and I expect him to develop similar to Nick did (although he has more freedom than Nick did when he first entered the league). He's going to need to work on efficiency and shot selection, but if the Nets use him properly in the offense, he should excel. Flip Saunders has done a great job minimizing Nick's weaknesses (passing and playmaking), and maximizing his strengths (spot up shooting, and shooting off screens).

Down

Not sure if Jason Kidd beats out Derek Harper for the Mavs All Time PG, RD. It's tough, because Kidd does have the ring, but Harper played most of his career in Dallas, and had some phenomenal years there including a trip to the WCF where they nearly beat the Lakers in 1988 (went to 7 games).

Dwight. Shaq only played 4 seasons in Orlando (his last season with the team he only played 54 games). Not to mention, while both Dwight and Shaq made the Finals, Dwight at least won a game while Shaq got swept. I know that probably doesn't mean much, but come on, Dwight has played 3 more seasons than Shaq, has accrued 4 All NBA first team honors (Shaq had none with Orlando), 3 DPOY awards, and multiple All Star appearances.

When Wilt was a Laker, his prime was nowhere near Kareem or Shaq's (when both of them were in LA). And Shaq's peak is much better than Kareem's. And I don't think there's much doubt that Kobe is the better player than West, he's the second best SG ever.

Shaq made a comment yesterday on NBATV stating that Yao Ming would be a top 5 center ever if he had stayed healthy throughout his whole career. I really don't think Yao had that type of potential, I just don't think he could surpass either Russell, Kareem, Shaq, Wilt, or Hakeem, but I do think he'd be on the outside looking in (possible the 6th best ever). What do you guys think? As I said in his retirement thread, Yao is going to go down as one of those unique players that we're all going to constantly think about had he stayed healthy.

http://www.nba.com/schedules/national_tv_schedule/index.html Probably pointless if the lockout extends into the regular season, but oh well.. click the link, you can also find your teams' schedule in there as well.

I'll just post the top ten for each. Remember, this is based off the last 10 years and only applies to the four major sports (MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL). Easiest: 1. Lakers 2. Patriots 3. Spurs 4. Steelers 5. Yankees 6. Red Wings 7. Red Sox 8. Pistons 9. Mavs 10. St. Louis Cardinals Hardest: 1. Nationals 2. Lions 3. Cubs 4. Coyotes 5. Browns 6. Bengals 7. Royals 8. Kings 9. Pirates 10. Bills Link to full story All four of the DC sports teams rank in the top 50 hardest teams to root for.

Which teams have the most promising frontcourts in the league right now? I think the most obvious answer is the Clippers because of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, but after that it gets interesting.

I somewhat agree with this, there's no doubt USA could have won this fairly easily had they capitalized on their opportunities, but I'm looking at this from an overall quality standpoint. I think teams like France, Germany, and Brazil played better than the USA throughout the duration of the tournament, as they put more emphasis on ball movement and filling in spaces while the USA used a different approach by using their length and athleticism to generate plays.

Because Jefferson's contract is up in 2 years, which gives them enough time to groom Kanter and bring him into the starting line up slowly.. and possibly trade him at the deadline for some nice young talent (possibly a wing or a PG). I don't think you want to put too much expectations on their young guys, but Kanter was the BPA, and big men are hard to find. I'm sure the front offices' line of thinking was that if you're going to take a risk on anyone in a weak draft, go for a big. They obviously didn't like any other prospect, so they went for what's best.

I was rooting for USA, but I hate seeing people on Twitter saying "Congrats to Japan, but USA is clearly the better team.." How? Japan clearly is more fundamentally sound and more skilled, USA relied heavily on their athleticism.

Yeah I understand what you're saying, but I still can't fully support this comparison (because there are some glaring differences). I just feel like what Enes does, and with how well conditioned he is, he will be at the very least, a solid starter in this league.

Kosta played for Ohio State and was born in Ohio, not sure I'd consider him an international prospect like Enes. He also isn't nearly as strong as Enes is, and has a much more limited repertoire in the post. He hardly ever got to the line in college, which is a clear indictment of how he played in the paint.

But there is footage of what Kanter is capable of doing. Also considering the shape he's in without playing a year of basketball, it shows the attitude he has towards the game. There's a lot of people doubting him (which is warranted), but he's still a big man that likes to play in the paint (he's not soft like most Euro prospects). He has great hands and great footwork, and those are two qualities that will almost always translate to the NBA.

It's not entirely a bad thing, but after seeing first hand what Gilbert Arenas did in DC, I've become more and more hesitant with trigger happy players. Rose, Wall, and Knight didn't fully display their passing ability under Calipari due to the offense that is run, but what separated Rose and Wall from Knight is their decision making. When we did see Knight display his passing ability, I just wasn't impressed and view him more as a combo guard (given his size).