Nitro

Bad choice of words, but in the full quote I get what he is saying. Judging by how the NBA world has been flipped upside just by this free agency, I can't imagine the backlash against this team if they fail to win it all. That's why I said in another thread that in a way, LeBron's going to have more pressure on him than ever because if they fail to win a championship, they are going to get ripped apart like we've never seen before.

I still think Anthony is the better player. On offense, he has a more diverse game with the post moves and inside game that Durant just doesn't have yet. Defensively it's kind of a wash, but I'd take Anthony there as well because of his size advantage. Also, as talented as Durant is, he's only going into his 4th season, and he's been to the post-season just once. Anthony is a veteran who's won Olympic Gold and led his team to the WCF. I would trust him more as my #1 option this upcoming season to lead my team deep into the playoffs.

Arroyo is a great signing, definitiely should start if they decide to go with a traditional lineup (without LeBron or Wade at PG). He's very efficient and a veteran that knows his place within the team. Magloire and Howard are only getting signed because they are big bodies, they won't help all that much.

Haha entertaining list. The Aaron Gray videos were priceless.

I think they will make it as an 8th seed. I think the Lakers, Nuggets, Jazz, Rockets, Mavs, Blazers and Thunder are all better teams.

I haven't seen a ton of him, but from the few games (and highlights) I've seen, he doesn't change his tempo at all. He always looks like he's playing at full-speed and very anxious to make a play. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's not good either. Against some teams this will translate into a few easy buckets and maybe a spark off the bench. Against other teams they will make him look like a D-leaguer. At this point it isn't a big deal if he doesn't have a post game, but he needs to learn how to change speeds if he wants to be effective on the NBA level.

I'm a Stan and Statistical Manipulator. Not so much a Stan anymore now that T-Mac is on his lest leg (literally), but definitely a Statistical Manipulator.

Not really. Cousin has an inch and some weight on Dwight Howard when he first came into the league. 6'11'', 270lbs is plenty of size at the C position. Anyway, I'm really liking this Kings team right now. From the little I've seen of Cousins (I don't watch a ton of college or SL ball), he has some TREMENDOUS skills. I wasn't expecting him to be as polished in the post as he is, and that is very refreshing to see as many big men don't have that fresh from college. Along with Tyreke, who is already a top 20 or so player and will only get better, and the other bright young talents on this team, they could make some noise. And I really do think that might be sooner (1-2 years) rather than later.

See to me, Kobe demanding the trade was the same as LeBron taking the shorter contract extension back in 2006. Kobe forced his team's hand in a way where he had some control over the situation. In return he got Gasol a few months later, and a little over a year after that, Artest. That was on top of a solid young core they already had (and Odom and Phil Jackson). LeBron gave his team an ultimatum back in 2006. In 4 years he basically got Mo Williams for 2 seasons, and Jamison for half a season (along with his mid-30's age and big contract). On top of those moves, they had very little young talent and an average head coach. The way each handled their situations wasn't the best, but if the Lakers didn't grab Gasol in one of the most lobsided trades in NBA history, we have no idea what the fallout would have been on Kobe's part. The difference is the Lakers made great moves and put them in a position to win championships. The Cavs made solid moves but still needed super-human performances from LeBron to have a shot against the top team (see- 2009 ECF...LeBron averaged 39/8/8 and they lost in 6).

I disagree with this. Besides the rape case, Kobe was hated solely on his choices he made in the NBA. Not saying it was deserved, but between being perceieved to have run Shaq out of town (and all the hoopla those two caused the previous few seasons), trashing Bynum on home-video, demanding to be traded, the Phil Jackson book...there's plenty of things to pick on Kobe for. Above all else, Kobe was hated because he's a Laker. After the 2010 FA starts to fade from people's minds once basketball resumes, people outside of Cleveland will hate LeBron for the same reason...he'll be on a powerhouse team that wins.

Of course LeBron will be the man again. As much as I love Wade, with his style of play and age (28), I don't expect him to be a top 3 player in 3-4 years. As it is he's had two heavily plagued injury seasons, and once you get into your 30's it becomes harder and harder to stay healthy. When you are as reliant as Wade is on speed, athleticism and ability to draw contact, injuries are a sure-fire thing. LeBron is reliant on those same qualities, but is about 50lbs heavier than Wade and 3 years younger, so I think it'll be easier for him to stay healthy during his tenure on the Heat. Assuming he doesn't have any major injuries, he should be smack-dab in his prime when Wade starts to decline a bit.

When did they leave?

I was VERY close to going to FIU. Visited it in 2008 and got accepted. That and Rutgers were the 2 best schools I got accepted into...and I had to end up going to [expletive]hole William Paterson University because of financial issues. Anyway, originally my major was Communications, but just switched to Psychology over the summer. Very interesting subject.

Hell yeah NJ's 42nd

If I get bored over the summer there's hundreds of great games online that I haven't seen yet that I can download. I'd rather the live basketball I do watch to have meaning and as much excitement as possible. Also in the summer there is usually international ball to watch, like this year watching the young Team USA try to win Gold at the World Championships. Personally I want to see the length of the playoffs reduced because the first round is usually blowouts (in 7 game format as opposed to the original 5 game format, where upsets are more likely), the second round is usually forgotten, and then you finally get to the meat-and-bones. Most of the time the prior month and a half makes the Finals anti-climatic and tired.

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2010/07/14/kahn_intv.nba/index.html Ouch. Very akward, and should give everyone plenty of insight into why Kahn gave Darko his hefty contract The "good luck" at the end by Webber was priceless.

Eh...the playoffs are way too drawn out as it is. As for this news, I'd bet my money and say the Kings would be the team to move. The Maloofs have wanted to move the team to Vegas for awhile now, so I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen.

He didn't, he was referring to the Bulls possibly being able to land Melo. Re-read the post.

Wow...ok.

Personally, I think he'd be a much, MUCH better fit on the Lakers. He'd be great in the triangle. I will say that Raja Bell and others would be a better fit on the Heat, but T-Mac can still do two things extremely well- Create for teammates, and attract defensive attention. He will make the lives easier of the big 3, and will be a bench player that can create his own offense. He MUST be in great shape next season as his defense and ability to beat defenders off the dribble was almost non-existent last season. If he gets his weight down and is commited the 10-20MPG he'll probably get, he'll be a valuable asset for the vet minimum.

Very excited to see him in a pretty decent situation where he'll get minutes. Hope he stays healthy, he was great at the end of the last season with the Wizards. Even showed he still has the athletic ability with that dunk against the Lakers.

The Heat's 8-man rotation so far looks fantastic, they are filling in the holes beautifully. Z will give them a big body to put next to Bosh that can rebound and defend pretty well, as well as finish in both the inside and midrange. He's not the tough, defensive minded Center that the Heat ideally wanted, but he's much better than what you can usually get with the vet minimum. His size will be important on this team, which is still undersized in the frontcourt positions.

Eh. I don't think Carter would fit that well on the Bulls, and as the Bulls will tell you from this past off-season, it's very difficult to land the biggest fish in free agency. I'd rather get Redick then work out whatever kinks in the roster at the trade deadline or next off-season.

Don't understand it at all from the Bobcats side (Chandler is also an expiring so Dampier's expiring means nothing). For the Mavs it's a pretty good move IF Chandler can stay on the floor. He's only played 96 games the last two seasons, and his production has taken a big hit as well (not just the Chris Paul effect offensively, but his rebounding and defensive stats as well). But if he's somewhere inbetween his time with the Hornets and Bobcats, he should fit in nicely. He's a tremendous offensive rebounder, is a better defender with more range than Dampier, and he's a good finisher around the rim.

Not a fan of the length of the contract (entering his 13th season), but he's a good signing. He'll give the Nuggets another scorer who can create his own shot as well as finish off plays. He's a solid rebounder and defender as well. He doesn't have the highest bball IQ in the world, but as a 3rd or 4th option he'll be terrific just like when he was the 6th man on a Pacers team that had the best record in the NBA.