Poe

I'll take him and his horrendous +/- on my team any day.

I got this glitch... I'm playing for the Heat, and I played against the T'Wolves, and guess was coming off the bench for them... ME! Wtf, I was playing against like a clone of myself. It was as if I got cut from the T'Wolves (since I got drafted from them before joining the Heat camp) but I was playing FOR them at the same. Weird as hell..

Am I the only one who noticed the skip from 12 to 17 this guy did for his Kings?

And the Kings jumped from 12 to 17

"Average", "at least", whatever. Jermaine was getting in his groove and I believe he can build on that for next season. That's my point. Despite a couple injuries, Wright still has what it takes to potentially become an all star at least by his peak. The only thing holding him back is his confidence on the court. He gets sort of a stage fright on the court. When he forgets all of that, though, you can see it, and he really shines. Here are some of his better games: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block 17 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block 21 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 6 blocks 17 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals 10 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks 19 points, 18 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks 16 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and so on. Are those not the stats of an all star caliber player? He is only 23 years old. He has been in the league for 5 years since being drafted out of high school as a project yet has only gotten the chance to play in 139 games (18mpg). By experience on the court, he is basically in his 3rd year. Don't count this guy out yet, he still has plenty of time to prove himself in this league. I know it's hard to see it now with Beasley, but he is only 20 years old. With a good 10 years of improvement, if he takes the right steps, he can possibly become a top 5 player in the league at some point in his career. I'm not guaranteeing anything with this guy, though, I'm just saying this as a "maybe". As for Chalmers, I think this is the year for us seeing if he will ever become all star caliber or not. By not signing any vet PGs, Riley has given all the room for Chalmers to sort of show what he's made of. Like Wright and Beas, he's also pretty young. He could also potentially become all star caliber by his peak if he improves as greatly as Spoe and Riles predict. About Magloire... Yes, Billups and AI are in a different level. I was just using it as a small comparison. It's intangibles. Things like helping Beasley vocally here and there on and perhaps even off the court. He also brings competition for centers in the rotation as sort of an extra motivation, as well as learning about the game through his experience, for a young guy like Joel Anthony to improve their game. As far as personal production goes, Magloire is a pretty good rebounder and decent defensive presence, and can finish decently around the rim. Despite him being only the Heat's 3rd or 2nd string center, the little things that he can do for his teammates count, and that's all the reason for his resigning. I'm not trying to say that he's the edge to the Heat's success or anything like that, but he is definitely not a complete waste.

Serious? You sure your playing it off the hard drive? That's strange, cause it worked pretty well for me. It lags a little every now and then when taking midrange jumpshots in a bit of traffic, but that's really it. Oh well, sorry it didn't work.

No idea. I don't own a PS3. I don't even know if they have this feature. So I guess the comment is more directed towards xbox 360 users. I'm sure there should be some sort of simple method for the PS3 to reduce lag or framerate issues.

1. I never said Jermaine was going to be the main cause in propelling the Heat to an eastern conference finals... at all. I think the Heat have what it takes to be a top 3 or 4 team in the east for other reasons, and I do expect them to go no further than the 2nd round. Remember, they were one game away from getting out of the first last year, and I guarantee that they would have won with this year's team in the same situation, simply because of experience and hopefully health. And again, the Heat aren't basing Jermaine off of his former self or his pay check. Erase the past and just look at what he is capable of now, and what he has proven during last year's playoff series before the off season, which the Heat do hope that he can build from for next season. No, he won't be the Jermaine of old, but he will be filling an important role for the Heat this season. 2. I'm not going through the AI (numbers) vs Billups (intangibles) argument again. Magloire has been a positive asset to the team in his own ways. Also, Beasley has been putting a lot more importance into his defensive improvement than people realize. 3. Wade has the choice between starting over with the Bulls and a potential superstar guard in Rose, and a great defensive player in Deng. Or he can stay on the Heat with more spread out talent in potential all star guard in Chalmers, 3 point shooting champ in Cook, potential all star (maybe) forward in Wright (injuries slowing him down), and superstar (maybe) forward in Beasley (he's only 20, it's still a bit early to tell where his ceiling is at). Plus the Heat will have plenty of cap next off season to bring in more weapons to build around D Wade. Also, Chicago being Wade's hometown doesn't mean he'll be happier there. All of his best friends as players are gathered on the Heat team as it is. So there would be at least some sort of sense of a loss if he left that behind. If Wade is to choose Chicago because he believes it will be a better team for him, it still won't be that easy of a decision to leave Miami behind. BTW, You're right. Superstition has nothing to do with anything. So.. why did you bring it up in your first post? I said averaging around 20 points and 8 boards. There is the streak right there. The exact average in those 3 games is 20.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. K, fine, I was one board off.

I still see people complaining about lag, even after I made this post. I'll say this once again, but if you want to decrease lag in your game, INSTALL THE GAME ONTO YOUR CONSOLE. It's not hard. It takes ten minutes. Read the quote above to find out how to do it.

It makes sense for user enjoyment. Imagine signing a six year deal, and having to play almost 500 games for the same team. There is no option to demand a trade, either.

I haven't gotten that far as getting to the offseason. And there is absolutely no variation once you are on your team. It's just game after game, trying to earn skill points and getting good enough to finally start. It does get sort of repetitive after a while. The bright side is that you can use your created player for online games in a crew. I've joined somebody's crew, but we haven't been online at the same time to play yet.

The Heat aren't looking for him to regain any sort of previous status. They are looking at what he can do NOW. He brings a shot blocking presence and forces opposing slashers and bigs to alter their shots. He draws charges, and is just an all around great presence to have defensively. Offensively he's a guy the Heat can count on to score 18 points per game (watch it happen this year), plus he has great chemistry with Haslem and Wade. And what are you talking about "calling for the ball and not getting it"... please, watch some actual Heat games before making that assumption. The Heat's strategy is to get him the ball and isolate early in games. His teammates are actually looking for him to score, and he performed quite well against the Hawks last playoffs with a three game stretch of 20 points and 8 boards before his concussion. Again, the Heat aren't looking for former all star production from this guy. He brings mental toughness, experience, and is a mentor to the young guys. He's also been a major help to Beasley's defensive improvement. The game isn't all numbers and highlights. There are other reasons why the Heat resigned Magloire. I'm not into all that superstitious crap. Wade will stay in Miami because of the right reasons.

Same.

That's weird. Just wondering, what's your rating? I think I finally got to the pros after getting over 60. Try raising strictly your awareness ratings, that'll get your overall up a lot faster. If your rating is a 60, you're getting an A (even if its off the bench), and you're still not playing for your pro team, then there is definitely some sort of glitch. You may have to start over on a new saved profile, but I hope that's not the case.

I think you play one year with your team, and then the next year you can choose to opt out and go to another team I think. I've gotten pretty far into the season. I'm the 6th man for the Heat, and they have a losing record (17-22) yet are projected at 7th seed. I've gotten to the point where I'm getting 15 points and 10 assists every game without much trouble. I shoot only about 10 shots each game, I make usually more than half, and get at least 2 to 4 FT attempts. My whole game is based on getting Wade, T-Mac (traded for JO), and Beasley scoring opportunities, and capitalizing on my own scoring opportunities whenever I'm open from midrange (85 midrange rating), or I have a lane to the basket. It's fun when Wade gets a steal, throws it to me running on the break while he races down the court, and I throw it back for an alley, and the announcers have their exaggerated "oooohhhhh"s, haha. I'm trying to raise my 3PT shooting, cause I'm tired of players sagging on me all the time, since nobody plays me like that in real life. Right now its at around 50, and it already costs about 600 points to raise, even though I'm a freaking guard, haha. I'm completely out of drills, and it doesn't seem like I'll be getting any new ones till next off season by the looks of it.

I know I'm not wrong, because I've already seen what Brooks and Scola can do, and I'm taking Rick's word (a guy who has had the experience with players like T-Mac, Yao, Artest, Webber, Bibby, Peja, Divac) that Ariza can handle a larger role. Plus, you're forgetting T-Mac is healthy. Anyone who has averaged 30 ppg in the past is no lazy bum, despite his recent criticism. He'll bounce back. I'm sure he has been working hard behind the scenes. Billups wasn't a star when he lead the Pistons to the championship. Hell, everyone was saying the same thing you are about the Rockets, "they have no real star". Rip and Tayshaun were hardly known at the time. 'Sheed was known to be a problem and a head case, and Big Ben was just a defensive player. When you're talking about a real star, are you talking about a 30 ppg caliber scorer (like T-Mac..). Let's say Tracy won't be like the way he used to, what about the '02 Kings, who many think deserved a championship. They didn't have a 30ppg scorer, yet they had a team that was in sync, making each other into better players, coached by none other than Rick Adelman. I don't know about this emotional leader. Are you talking motivation? That can come from example players like Yao, and that can also come from the coach as well. Pat Riley for the Heat was known to make mesmerizing speeches in the locker room. I would call that an emotional leader. I don't know too much about Rick Adelman, but I'm sure he knows how to get his players fired up, hence their homecourt fluke blow outs on the Lakers. Also, you are underrating Shane Battier. First of all, he is easily one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. He's the guy they stick on the opposing best player, and he always finds a way to make them appear much worse when playing the Rockets. He's also a great help defender, a hustle player, a player who is always in the right position, and much more. He's also a vocal leader. Both in the locker room and on the court. He's a guy who is always talking on defense, telling people where to be and what's going on behind them. All this while holding down the best players in the world. Look, I'm not trying to talk about the Rockets as if they are going places this year. Just a borderline playoff team in the West. I think I've made my case. I'm predicting 7th seed.

Brooks, Ariza, and Scola aren't just going to improve, but all three are going to appear to have a "break out" year. Brooks because of an increase in minutes (he's already proven himself in the playoffs averaging 17 points and 4 assists in 34 minutes). Ariza by an increase in minutes and role (Adelman said he could actually be the first or second scoring option). Scola because the absence of Yao will make him the first scoring option in the post, allowing him to get more touches and be more aggressive offensively (and I think he was probably the top scorer in last year's Olympics if I'm remembering correctly). And what do you mean by "no real leader"? Are you talking about a vocal leader? That's Shane Battier. Are you talking about a leader by example? That's Shane Battier again, and Yao Ming for his drive and focus towards recovery. Are you talking about a leader who steps up and is willing to take the big shots? That's Tracy McGrady. Plus I've also seen Brooks and Battier hit their fair share of clutch shots as well. So, please tell me, what part of a "leader" are the Rockets missing in order to put themselves in position to win games?

Try installing the game.

I think they are more than fine offensively. Brooks, T-Mac, Ariza, and Scola will all be guys perfectly capable of scoring 20 points on any given night. Plus Anderson, Budinger, Battier, and Brent Barry are reliable shooters, and Lowry is a pretty good back up PG, and Landry is a decent enough scorer in the post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vww3lmLQQGM

They have what it takes on the defensive end, yet they are still missing real go-to 20+ppg caliber scoring option, like what they could have acquired with Iverson. Gerald is pretty productive offensively, but realistically for a team that has any sort of hopes of contending in the future, he is a second option at best. It's no use stopping your opponent from scoring when you can't score yourself. They say "offense wins games and defense wins championships". Well, you ain't gettin to no championship if you can't win those regular season games to get in the playoffs in the first place. It takes good production on both ends of the court, the Bobcats have half the deal, and they still need offensive options other than Gerald, Diaw, and potentially Chandler in the post.

Yea, not a hard prediction, either, since the majority of members here are Lakers fans, and all this game seems to be is a popularity contest.

All the Rockets are missing is Yao, yet they have a more than decent replacement with Anderson. Scola will step up his offensive production in the post, Ariza will likely be a better fit for the Rockets than Ron, T-Mac is back, Aaron Brooks is underrated, and Shane always finds a way to make his teammates better, especially on the defensive end, and make the man he guards miraculously have "off games", plus a great coach to put this squad together. Believe me, unless there are multiple key injuries with the line up they have now, the Rockets still have everything it takes to make it back into the playoffs this year.

Yep. Not even a full year of presidency, and they are acting like he has saved the world somehow.

^ A running team under Larry Brown?