Nitro

He would definitely be in the top 5 all-time. From '84-'93 he had some of the most dominant single seasons in league history, including ... -7 straight scoring titles -3 MVP awards -3 NBA championships (first 3-peat since 1964-1966) -3 Finals MVP's - DPOY award -ROTY award -7 straight All-NBA 1st team selections -6 straight All-Defensive 1st team selections -1 ASG MVP -From '85-'93 only had ONE(!!) post-season averaging under 34.5PPG Even though a lot of people would have problems calling him the GOAT because of his longetivity up until that point, I would definitely have given him that title if he stayed retired in 1993. His dominance was absolutely amazing.

Ummm.....

LBJ/Wade/Bosh didn't force or coax the Heat to have that party...it was the organization's decision. Don't flip that on the players.

1 more....

Yep you got it perfect. Only other thing I'll add about Paul>Williams is not only is he more efficient of a scorer (his shooting numbers from the field, 3 and FT line are all amazing), but he also averages nearly 1 full less TO while averaging more assists.

I kind of think this is a fool's gold type stat. Last season David Lee actually gave up more points per 48min on a higher FG % to PF's than C's, but I think it should be glaringly obvious he's a true PF on both ends of the floor. The Bargnani situation is a bit different because he does have the size of a Center, and can effectively defend most Centers who will try to post him up (I saw a list a few weeks ago that had the top 30 Centers in the league last season defending the post and Bargnani was somewhere in the middle). However, because Bargnani played more than half his time at PF as opposed to C, and almost NEVER played with Bosh when he got his minutes at C (check the 82games.com stats for top 5-man squads on the Raptors last season), it's really hard to safely gauge his effectiveness at the position. In fact, the one 5-man group that Bargnani played at C with Bosh at PF the team's defense was about as underwhelming as vice-versa. This is why I said he could either be a really good bench player or NEEDS a good defensive Center by his side. Let me explain.... 1) The one thing I think you are really missing is help defense. The problem defensively with putting Bargnani at Center is not so much the fear of having opposing Centers abuse him (afterall, how many opposing Centers are a real offensive risk nowadays?). It's how he's going to affect other players when they take it in the lane. Bargnani is far from a shotblocking presence and he doesn't make the kind of defensive rotations to consistently cutoff driving lanes at the point of attack. This is a problem unless you got an elite defensive PF to clean up some of his mistakes. If Bargnani comes off the bench this becomes much less of an issue, and offensively it could play to his advantage (as I'll allude to in #2). But as a starter? If you want to have a good defense, I wouldn't gamble on playing Bargnani at Center. 2) You are right, offensively he'll be more effective at Center than PF. However, the defensive risk is too great. If he comes off the bench, he can really stretch the defense out and be a mismatch playing in the middle...enough to where his defense will be good enough to make things worth it. But if he's starting, that's not the kind of defensive identity that will win much in the post-season. Overall, the ideal situation is to get an elite defensive PF to play by him, but those guys just don't come along very often. The more realistic approach is to get a good, shotblocking defensive C. Or on a contending team, have him come off the bench at C and force teams to adjust to the mismatch.

As Flash said, it doesn't make sense at ALL unless the Knicks could acquire Melo. Even then, Chandler is a better player than Rudy who can more effectively play both the SG and SF positions. Even if Rudy's attitude was all sunshine and lolipops the trade would be a mistake...the fact that he has a horrible attitude makes the trade so much more questionable.

It's hard to say. He's been playing out of position with another relatively soft big man (Bosh) his entire career. I don't think Bargnani will ever be a championship level 1st or 2nd option, but he can be effective if placed with the right supporting cast. Whether that be in a role as a starter alongside a defensive-minded Center, or as an offensive spark off the bench, I don't think he's one of those players that's so soft and defenseless that he can't make a positive impact on a championship caliber team. With that said, as a 1st option on the Raptors, it's a very bleak situation. Unfortunately he's their only proven commodity that can put the ball in the basket in volume, so whether or not some advanced stats say otherwise, he needs to start and get a bunch of minutes.

Bosh. Even though Hedo was a lot more disgraceful during his stint in Toronto (and after), he is a 4th or 5th level star in the league. Bosh is one of the elite players in the NBA, and he is becoming a household name. Because he was homegrown and a player that can lead a franchise to somewhat respectability, it leaves a much more sour taste in the fans' mouth. Not to mention he's been there 7 years where as Hedo was there for only 1. Whether it's deserved or not, Bosh will get a lot more negative attention from the fans than Hedo will.

Need 2 more participants...

Yeah I saw it a week ago, thought it was arguably the best movie of the year. Amazing action and suspense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9kT3zGDd3k So ill and lyrically tight. One of my favorite songs from Bis.

Got you. BTW I'm probably going to put all the names in a hat and choose the matchups that way...of course if someone finds a better way they prefer, I'm open to suggestions.

I want that shirt. Nice song and video.

700!

Not good, although if it's just fluid buildup that can be drained at least 1-2x per month. If it's more about the structural damage, then that's some horrible new for the Bucks. I'm sure they'll remain competitive without him, but I'd be more concerned about the time it takes for Bogut to shake off rust and mesh with an already revamped roster. Going to be interesting.

So I know there was the OTR Run Yo Mouth thing, but does anyone who didn't get a chance to do that wanna start up a new tournament? Since it's that slow part of the offseason where everyone is just kinda waiting for October to roll around it could be a way to stir some excitement up around the board. If anyone is interested, just reply in this thread saying as much and I'll put your name on the list. I'm looking for as many people as possible that will be commited to be semi-timely with their entries. I'd prefer at least 8 slots to be filled, including mine. 1. Nitro 2. Confidence 3. Legacy 4. Blazed49 5. Sun Tzu 6. Hawks Fly High 7. Fish7718 8. Chicks Love Hakeem Nicks

Who had the better season is arguable, but pretty much everyone was in agreement that LeBron was the better player. Overall, I'd argue that LeBron probably had the better season because his team won 66 games and he had one of the greatest post-seasons I have ever seen from an individual standpoint (35.3PPG/9.1RPG/7.3APG on 51% shooting in the 2009 post-season).

I am saying that if a deal was to include both Williams and Favors, it would be worth it. And the Nets won't give the Nuggets more than what Melo's worth because then Melo wouldn't sign an extension with such a depleted team. That's basically what I heard CP3 said about rumors of him being traded to Portland.

We're talking about Carmelo freaking Anthony, easily a top 10 player in the league. If Favors turns into Amare Stoudemire (absolute best case scenario) the deal would still be worth it. We're talking about a very raw rookie and a pretty good role player for an elite franchise player. They don't come along very often, and Melo is still only 26 years old. I know it's hard to part with such young talent, but players like Melo are a rare breed...the kind that you absolutely need to seriously contend for anything.

It's a tattoo on my forearm.

You're name is Guru and you didn't mention Gang Starr

On top of who you mentioned... -Gang Starr -Mobb Deep -Pete Rock & CL Smooth -Madvillain -Children of the Corn (if you consider them a group) -Lost Boyz -Jedi Mind Tricks/AOTP -Eric B & Rakim -Dilated Peoples -Dead Prez -De La Soul -Bone Thugz N Harmony -Black Moon

I would only go back about a year, to the beginning of college. I [expletive]ed up so bad my first year and I really wish I could have it back.

People don't question how well they'll play together because of how good they are. People question how two players (Bron and Wade) who are so used to playing with the ball in their hands all the time will adjust, and how a guy who is used to getting a bunch of iso's and being the #1 option (Bosh) will adjust to being a 3rd wheel. It's why people aren't questioning the possible CP3/Melo/Amare trio. With that trio, we know the players won't have to adjust their usual roles much and would fit in very well with each other. With the Heat trio, it's a lot less black-and-white because there will have to be a ton of adjustments.