Nitro

He was decimated by injuries, knee injuries if I recall correctly. IMO he's underrated now that people think guys like him and Marbury were the devil, but back in the day he was a bit overrated. In all honesty, he was a slightly smaller, more flashy/selfish version of Derrick Rose (with a better 3pt shot but less reliable midrange game). Extremely explosive, great crossover, amazing rebounder for a guard, and at times could look like the best player on the floor. But he had the same issue many great guards of the early '00's; he was only effective when he was pounding and pounding and pounding the ball for over half the shot clock, and he liked to do that far too often. He also had some attitude problems, but not nearly to the extent of, say Stephon Marbury. Also, if anyone truly believes he and Yao would have accomplished more (or even as much) as T-Mac and Yao did, you're absolutely nuts. On the court Yao benefited a lot more from T-Mac's game than Francis'. And all those years Yao was missing half the season, T-Mac could run and lead the Rockets so, so much better than Francis ever could.

It's fake. The preamble part that says the Illuminati was a group is fact, but that wasn't their ideals. They were formed at the beginning of the American Revolution and were only around a week. That's how the book pulls you in. Trust me, I got Illuminati tattooed on my right forearm.

LeBron doesn't owe Mo an explaination whatsoever.

Ib4Poe.

Something new I wrote, might record it this weekend... Rap scriptures tell I'll rule like Leviathon Projected by Mayan men drunk off a keg of Heineken The venom in this verse’ll have you say, “Dang, son!” It’s the verbal noose from which you’ll hang from I gotta face the fact that concealing’s mass-appealing And I can’t fight the feeling to blow your brains across the ceiling Dealing drugs to fiends funded by stealing Killing Christian prayers at the sight of kneeling I’m the spark that blew up the Challenger An underrated rapper like Jeru the Damaga Capture ya, inside a picture, 10 trillion pixels So the expressions are visual, a simple principle That I set forth as we take a trip inside Where metaphors, punchlines and wordplay do reside And decide, an MC’s true lyrical fitness We’re all witness to the vicious battle illness

I'm going with Splitter as well. He impressed me against the USA in yesterday's matchup with his polished skill around the basket and athleticism. Definitely will be a great fit on the Spurs alongside Duncan and should really make the Spurs a pretty dangerous team if everyone is healthy.

Since this has been the closest battle so far, can we have some more voters?

I've let Chicks Love Hakeem Nicks know he can post his entry first since Confidence is taking his sweet time. If he doesn't reply by the deadline (Friday, 12am) he'll automatically be disqualified. BTW, Confidence can still post first if he wants.

I move in tomorrow for my sophomore year of college. Classes start Wednesday. Ugh...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qdyuwRX1_A Amazing. It's a mix blend off 2Pac Duets.

I don't see how they are underachievers. Melo has been out of the first round only once, but led the Nuggets out of the depths of the lottery to the playoffs each and every season and has been in the extremely tough Western Conference. JJ, a true 2nd option, has been a 1st option on a team that has gotten out of the first round twice the last 2 seasons.

He's a one-trick pony in that all he really offers is low-post scoring. However, his post skills are among the best in the league. He makes great use of proper footwork, from his spin moves to drop steps. Jefferson is a rare breed in that regard, and as long as he stays healthy and gets comfortable in the Jazz system, he can really be an effective player on a darkhorse contender.

Apparently Melo ain't the only dude who hates this [expletive]. Check out some of the Game's tweets toward her this week (LINK)

Fish was more creative/clever, so... Fish- 5 Hawks- 2

I'll keep voting open until Friday. Confidence, get yours up so we don't have to delay that.

He's a $17M expiring contract...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5504907 My bad for not posting it originally, was in a rush and forgot.

While I agree he's better suited as a bench player, why can't Reddick be a starter on a half-decent team? He's a smart player who can shoot the lights out and pass well. He's not a good defender but he's decent enough to get by. Anyway, I think Billups could be a pretty valuable pick-up for a few teams. I actually think Memphis would be a very good destination for him if the Nuggets' asking price is reasonable. Memphis is one of those teams that could use a good PG and veteran leader.

Just like LeBron, right?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5504907 Tisk tisk...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYfKMIdoJL0 Even though it's not a battle, Big L makes Jay-Z look Soulja Boy. BTW this is from 1995.

It's all about a smooth release. When my release is smooth and I'm not thinking too much about aim, it goes in. When I'm just about to release the ball and question the dynamics of the shot, the release is jerky and won't go in. As for my technique, I keep my right foot on the line with my left foot about a foot behind it, I take two dribbles, spin the ball and release.

I don't see why people are questioning if the Heat will be a great defensive team next season. Do you want to know why?... THEY ARE THE MIAMI FREAKING HEAT!!! Ever since Riley joined the organization in 1995-1996 they've been top 10 in defensive rating all but two seasons. The first was in 2007-2008 when the team only won 15 games, and the other was in 2008-2009 when they were ranked 11th with a completely revamped lineup as bad as the 2005-2006 Lakers. Losing Jermaine O'Neal hurts defensively, but they got one of the best defensive SF's in the league in LeBron, upgraded defensively at the PF position (say what you want, Bosh is a much better defender than Beasley), got one of the best post-up defensive C's in the league with Illgauskas, added another good defender in Juwan Howard, and with a reduced offensive role Wade should be better defensively as well. Personally, I think the Heat are going to be a really tough team defensively, and the 3 best teams in the league (Lakers, Heat, Celtics) will have the 3 best defenses as well.

Not anymore. Duncan has absolutely no explosiveness or speed anymore (not saying he was Amare Stoudemire at any point in his career, but physically he's not the same as he once was), and can't bring a great offensive game night-in, night-out. He still has all the beautiful post moves and bank shots, and his passing is still terrific for a PF/C, but he just can't bring it every night anymore.

Just a reminder to everyone participating that the matchups have been posted, so let's try to do this in relatively quick fashion.