Erick Blasco

lol, I don't know man, OOTP is amazing!

Why not...Some were calling Lopez the second best center in the league other than Dwight Howard. Lopez has been awful this season and is fair game. Even last year, most of his success came as a result of teams not caring after going up by 30 points on the Nets.

I have FBCB and it's pretty cool, but nowhere near OOTP standards. FBB has been around forever and hasn't updated =(

I don't even think the Rapts have to be a 500 team. They simply have to be better than "oh God...my eyes!" which in the East means one of the top eight-ten teams. Anything worse than that in the East, and he has zero right to call himself an All-Star. His offensive game has improved. Some post skills, improved strength, still can shoot, has become an effective passer, but his horrendous defense and rebounding really hold him back, especially when there are pretty terrific role-playing alternatives to take his spot.

I've been obsessed with OOTP Baseball for almost a year now, and I don't even like baseball all that much. The game is so rich in its details and is nuance. Are there any good basketball and college basketball text sims that are in the same ballpark as OOTP, and are preferably incorporated together. For example, if it's an NBA text sim, the game would need to have bird rights and the mid level exception, and all that fun stuff. Plus, it would need a college basketball counterpart. I don't really know what's on the market.

Because with the luxury cap, the Lakers save six million bucks. This is a money dump. First round picks DON"T PLAY SERIOUS MINUTES for championship-level teams. Assuming the Lakers have a great season, the number 27-30 pick isn't going to crack the rotation the first two or three years that player is in the NBA. Might as well save some cash. Smith is an upgrade over Derrick Caracter for a team trying to win a title. The Lakers are probably much more comfortable with their backcourt than frontcourt.

There's more to the article...click the link.

They'd easily be the best rebounding team in the league, but they'd have to change up the nature of their team. They aren't spread screen/rolling with Z-Bo. He doesn't shoot the three well enough. Plus, he'd suffer from a lack of spacing. Unlike Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard won't be playing the high post.

http://bballbreakdown.com/ So many things stand out. One the amount of post play. Two, the inability to provide help side defense. Three...how bad a coach Mike Dunleavy is. Four, Vlade Divac got game!

Kapono won't play. No playoff team is going to give minutes to that big a defensive liability. He can't even crack the lineup in Philly. And with spread screen/roll, everyone has to be able to shoot. It's why the Magic don't run spread screen/roll with Bassin the lineup that often, and run 1-2-2 horns sets instead. With Iggy in, the ball will be funneled to a bad shooter which hurts the offense. The continuity will stop and spacing becomes a major issue. Keep in mind, when you face teams like Boston, the assumption is that the correct play will be made nearly every time against you. The lack of spacing becomes gigantic as closing out hard becomes less of a factor, as does entry passing. It makes it that much easier for a team to pack the paint and defend Howard. The Magic need an iso player with more guts than Howard, but he must be able to shoot. If not, Orlando will basically be telling teams how to defend them. If I'm controlling the Magic defense, I'm having his man as the main rotator because I'm not concerned with getting burned on helping and failing to recover. If Iggy wants to make more than two out of seven threes against a slightly late but well-coordinated closeout, so be it. And if the closeout is on time, I'll sink a half step farther back to make it more difficult to enter the ball to Howard. You keep giving Boston, the Lakers, the Mavs, potentially Miami and Chicago these advantages, you're going to suffer for it. Plus, Nelson is many things, and clutch is one of them. He's one of the guttiest players in the league with the ball in his hands and I have total confidence in him late in games.

When people ask me my thoughts on the Miami Heat, the first thing that comes into my head is Tamia.... One thing to be wary about. Aside from an impressive win over the Jazz, let's see how Miami plays against some of the better teams in the league. I think their talent will overwhelm the Hornets and the Knicks but towards the end of the month Dallas comes to Miami and the Heat go to LA. THOSE are barometer games to see how cohesive the Heat are. I'm sure the Lakers will take the game personally, and nobody in the league is playing like Dallas is right now. Dallas is playing some championship-caliber defense right now and Rick Carlisle isn't getting enough credit for that.

I don't know if that trade makes too big a difference. Iggy doesn't space the floor well enough, which will really hurt their offense. They need players who can shoot to allow their spread screen/roll game to work perfectly, and to allow entry passes into Howard. I like Iggy's floor game more than Carter, but he's not much of an iso player either since he has trouble creating his own jumper. They need a guy like Jason Richardson at the two, or Billups at the point. Right now, the Magic are one of those very solid teams that will nonetheless lose in five or six to a healthy Boston or Miami.

Thanks!

I'd like to see him form a short jumper or some floater he can unleash if a defender is simply waiting at the basket. All he tries to do is blast through guys or try some fancy nonsense at the hoop. A floater would help. Yeah, Evans is dealing with plantar fasciitis (is there a more annoying word to spell without looking up? It's a common word in NBA circles---I've been using it to stick up for the 2006 Mavs for four years---and I still can't spell it right on first go), which is an awful injury to have for anybody, but his form still needs work. There's so little polish to Evans' game. I still love the guy's ability to finish at the basket. Players who can finish through contact either turn into special scorers who win playoff series against elite defenses...or Corey Maggette.

If the Rockets want to make the playoffs, they aren't going to play all these kids who have no idea how to play defense, how to play five-man offenses, etc. They're struggling to hold place in the West as is. Then they want to add another long-term project for what purpose? To stash and hope develops? To play which will lead to losses? Jordan Hill has looked impressive, but his needing to learn the game is leading to points surrendered and possessions lost. Now you want another guy? There are reasons teams like, I don't know, the Knicks aren't playing him. Organizations committed to winning games, don't play projects. If the Rockets find themselves 9 back at the trade deadline, that's one thing, but unless they're tanking the season (which is hard to sell with so many veterans on the team), Randolph will just be a body. Worse, he'll be a body that costs a first round draft pick.

Ding ding ding! Dash you win everything. I really like what Hill is bringing offensively to the Rockets and he still has a lot to learn. Focus on developing Hill instead of bringing in all these projects. Besides, the Rockets can still make the playoffs.

I just wanted to fix your post for accuracy.

Chiddy Bang!!!

Waiting for the Heat to play some better teams. They've weathered an early storm, and have feasted on a host of bad teams, which is good. However, aside from a win in Utah, which is impressive, they haven't beaten too many teams of note. On the other hand, with the exception of Milwaukee allergic reaction to offense keeping them well-below .500, the Eastern Conference is now basically up to common preseason expectations, or at least my preseason expectations.

Works for me!

http://www.raptorshq.com/2010/12/10/1868560/toronto-raptors-breakdown-despite-bargs-big-day-raptors-are

http://www.atthehive.com/2010/12/6/1858932/new-orleans-hornets-breakdown-where-is-chris-pauls-fire

http://www.thedreamshake.com/2010/11/28/1840831/houston-rockets-breakdown-rockets-lack-an-identity

http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2010/11/26/1837915/orlando-magic-breakdown-despite-nelsons-big-day-orlandos-guard-play