Nitro

How are the Jazz in the top 10? They clearly got worse IMO. The rest of the list is shaky but I agree with a decent amount of it. But the Jazz? Damn...

I like this list, but have two problems- Orlando is too low, Boston is too high. Orlando really didn't regress much roster-wise, and we're talking about a team that won 59 games last season. I think it's premature to call the Bucks a better team when the Magic have been to the Finals and ECF the last 2 seasons, while the Bucks have had 0 playoff success and have new pieces that may or may not gel. As for the Celtics, they'll be a very tough out in the playoffs, but they aren't built for the regular season anymore. Wallace in all likelihood is gone, the Big 3 are all in their mid-30's (and had various injuries last season), Perkins will probably miss time from his ACL tear, Tony Allen is gone, etc... I don't see them having a better record than the Bulls or Magic next year. Otherwise, good list.

Would love to see Perkins do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntXXP25McMA

I know they buy the team, but the league has the ability to reject a purchase. As I said, it is a privilege, not a right to own an NBA team. And when you own the team, you are representing not only your team, but the NBA. And if the higher authority feels you made inappropriate comments, he should have every right to hand out major fines. That's not trampeling on free speach, that's just business. You're looking at it from your own personal viewpoint and not how an actual billion dollar business looks at it. If you don't think your image is largely shaped by what you say, you're dellusional. And considering owners don't play in the games and the only PR they get is from what they say, I'd say their contribution to the NBA's image is very much contingent upon their words. It's not his opinion (which implied that Beasley's smoking caused his dissapointing play in Miami) that is the issue. It's his decision to bring a 21 year old's drug addiction to the forefront in the media. It was very inappropriate. Trust me, if you had a drug addiction and were a year removed from it, the last thing you'd want is your new boss bringing it all up again to the media. And once again, not only did he say that about Beasley, but he also called a former NBA great (and current NBATV employee) a schmuck on live radio. Not morally wrong like the Beasley thing, but still inappropriate.

Nice article, reminded me of guys like Zoran Planninic who I tried to wipe permanently from my memory. Thorn had a bad streak in the draft from 2003-2007, but some of those guys were servicable role players for the Kidd/Carter Nets when they were still flitering with Eastern Conference contention. Overall I don't think Thorn's done a terrible job, and Lopez/Favors is a great drafted frontcourt with tons of potential.

The thing is that Melo has the better supporting cast going into 2010-2011, and next off-season could sign with a new super-team in which he'd be in a position to seriously contend for the next 4-5 years. Durant is going to be at the Thunder's mercy for the next few seasons, and they still have a lot of talent to add before they could take out both the Lakers and EC champ is in the same post-season.

I doubt it. I think Thibs wants to keep the team's defensive identity, and unless T-Mac all of a sudden turns back to at least 2007-2008 form, I doubt he'd take the starting job. Also, they desperately need a playmaker to run the offense when the bench comes in. By having him come off the bench it's also easier to limit minutes and not have the chemistry destroyed when he inevitably misses some stretch of games. But as I said in the other T-Mac thread, as long as he's in better shape than he was last season, he should be a positive addition with high upside and low risk.

When Fisher was the primary defender on Westbrook in the first 4 games, Westbrook shot above 50% in EVERY game. Then Kobe took the role of checking Westbrook starting in Game 5...and for those last two games, Westbrook couldn't shoot over 35%. Also in Game 5 Kobe helped force Westbrook into 8 TO's. Yes, Fisher may have switched onto Westbrook occasionally in those last two games, but Kobe was guarding him the vast majority of the time. And one could argue that Kobe's defense threw Westbrook out of his rythym, which indirectly helped Fisher out whenever he had to switch onto him.

It used to be hence my name haha. But you ride El Toro? That's by far the best ride there now IMO.

This is actually tough. I thought Legacy had the better punchlines and disses, but Riot had the better flow and rhymes. To make things interesting... 6-3

Well, Westbrook shot a very poor 36% EFG on jumpers last season, so Kobe played him perfectly because it was well known that Westbrook couldn't hit the jumpers consistently. Unless he was on a hot streak, there's no reason for me to believe he would be hitting those jumpers. To give you a comparison, Rondo shot 37.4% EFG on jumpers last season, and Kobe shot 46.2% EFG. 36% is awful. Anyway, it's semantics arguing if he locked him down or not. Not a big deal.

Well there's was another temporary bf inbetwen our breakup and her getting together with this other dyke, but yeah...basically... However, if you read my huge rap dissing her in the Music forum under "Can Anyone Freestyle/rap?", you'll see it didn't come as a HUGE surprise. I saw her do [expletive] in that relationship that were firsts for me

First off, I never used the words "locked down" when referring to Kobe being put on Westbrook. I said if PJ put Kobe on Westbrook to start the series off, the Thunder would have been lucky to bring the Lakers to 6. And I do think that should be considered locking someone down. If you force a all-star level player into his lowest % shot and take him out of his comfort zone, I'd say you are doing as well as you can defensively.

So, I have been hearing a LOT on various message boards that OKC are arguably the 2nd best team in the West and have the best shot at knocking off the Lakers in the post-season. Personally, I just don't get it. They made no big off-season moves, just the signing of MoPete, who's played only 89 games combined the last 2 seasons and didn't shoot over 40% in either. Obviously the young guys on the team will get better, but I just don't think they have enough talent to make much noise in the post-season, especially in the frontcourt. And before people bring up how they almost brought the Lakers to 7 games, if PJ put Kobe on Westbrook to start the series off, they would have been lucky to make it to 6 games. So, what do ya'll think?

First forum I ever posted on was some roller coaster/theme park website when I was 11 (how I got the name Nitro). I forget the name of the first basketball forum I ever posted at, but BBW was the first one I consistently started posting at.

So evidently I turned my ex-gf into a dyke and she's rubbing it in my face and being a major [expletive]. It's getting on my last nerve. I swear here's my plan- I'm gonna kidnap her, tie her up, viciously anally rape her, cut out her tounge, cut out her ovaries and make her EAT IT, put out a cigarette on her [expletive]ing clit, carve "WHORE" in her chest, rip off all her finger and toe nails, blow a few OxyContin's and just watch her lay there all disfigured and in horrific pain and laugh my [expletive] off as she's screaming, "Alex WHY?!? OMG why? Why would you do this?!? I'm in so much pain!!!!" And I'm gonna just watch and watch and watch and eventually leave. Ideally I hope she lives so she has to live life in constant pain and fear as a horrific sight for all to see. If she dies, I wouldn't be phased though.

Yeah but we're talking about preference, not the easiest way to get in a chick's pants. And yes, my most recent ex-gf was a butter face and she's a major whore (stupid [expletive]ing [expletive]...).

Got a winner! And it kinda makes sense too with the whole Miami Heat/NWO thing haha.

Screw Dodge. And I actually got the name Nitro from this: http://cache.rcdb.com/pictures/picmax/p14096.jpg

Stephen Curry. I thought he'd be a solid role player in the NBA, but had no idea he was going to be THIS good. He's a much better passer than I realized, and is much more than just a catch and shoot 3pt gunner. He's also very crafty and has tremendous bball IQ. Definitely going to be a stud in the league for a long time.

Snake- When did I say Nene can't average 20/10? Did I not say that Nene is an exceptional talent? That was not the purpose of my post. The purpose of my post is to shoot down two of your points, which are... 1) You can't say that Cousins will be too passive in the NBA just because he showed some of those tendencies in college and a few SL games. In college the game is played very differently. It is VERY perimeter oriented and there is very little post play. The big men that dominate the college games are ones that really aren't traditional post big men (like Beasley). Because post players are already at a disadvantage in the college game, and because Cousins played with a very ball-dominant guard in Wall, he simply did not have the chance to really showcase how effective he can be on the NBA level. On the Kings, who are a young team that don't have a go-to post presence, he WILL be the featured post player. If he shows he is very passive next season with that much responsibility, then I'd be concerned. But you can't make that declaration from what he's shown so far. 2) Cousins is a better, more complete post player than Nene. I am not saying he is more or less talented overall than Nene, but he is a much better option to throw it down to on the block and have him go to work. Notice how in all of your videos Nene is dunking off plays that were created for him by other teammates? He is not a guy that is great at catching the ball 7ft away with his back to the basket and making a play for HIMSELF. When I talk about great post players I'm talking Yao, Al Jefferson, Duncan, etc... Cousins' skillset is much closer to what they do than Nene, and that is the major difference between the two. Cousins has a wide assortment of post moves, has great footwork, great shooting touch on the fadeaway and little hook, and knows how to use his size/athleticism to get the shot around the rim he wants.

I disagree. Is Turner anywhere near as polished as Kobe? No, therefor he hasn't come anywhere close to reaching his ceiling. Turner still has a lot of room to develop his game. More importantly, he has a LOT to learn about how to adapt his skills to the NBA game to maximize his potential. That's what will ultimately determine if he's a bust or not.

Face by far. Then butt, then boobs. Boobs are extremely overrated.

Honestly I think it'd be a great move for both parties. Some people think that T-Mac is completely done and will only be a cancer in the locker room, but to me it's a low risk/high reward move. He's going to sign for cheap, and worst case scenario is if he hurts the team they just buy him out. However last season he showed some signs of still being a very good player in this league (if you essentially play your first game with more than 10+ minutes in a year and a half after microfracture and put up 26pts, you have something left in the tank). I think with another summer of rehab to get in shape and to shake off the rust, he'll be noticably better next season. People are expecting him to be a spark off the bench with his scoring, but to me his greatest asset is his passing/playmaking. He can take a LOT of pressure off Rose to setup the offense and make plays for his teammates, something the Bulls really don't have at the wing positions. If he is healthier next season, he'll have some of his elevation back. That elevation will not only help his drives to the rim, but also his jumper because he is a line-drive shooter who needs that extra few inches of jumping ability. Really hope the Bulls sign him and he can be an impact player on a 2nd or 3rd round team.