Nitro

One-on-one, give me Jrue Holiday. Dude is extremely underrated. He has a very good athleticism and size for his position, is fundementally sound and doesn't gamble too much like a Rondo/Westbrook, is tough as nails, and is consistent is his approach. Another PG that goes way under the radar defensively is CJ Watson. There are times where he plays lockdown, feisty defense, and is also smart in how he goes about things. Rondo has amazing speed and at times is all over the court defelecting and stealing passes, and CP3 has the absolute quickest hands in the league and is constantly ruining a team's offensive flow with his pick-pocket ability. And even though he's been hurt and is better on SG's, Hinrich can play lockdown defense.

I disagree, I think Cole is much more suited for the bench. Chalmers is a much better spot-up shooter, more under control, and has more size defensively. Cole has a much quicker trigger with his shot, his 3pt shot isn't good enough with Wade/LeBron is the lineup, and he has moments where he is completely out of control. He also needs the ball more than Chalmers to equal his effectiveness. Cole gives the 2nd unit the speed they need to be very effective.

I never said all the 10k+ posters were spammers or will get in just because they have that many posts. I never even said most of them. In fact, in my first response to Shaliq, I mentioned this thing should be done based on observation above all else. I think a post minimum is a good idea, but 10k is ridiculously high. 2-3k shows that member has been a very, very active poster over the years, and after that the member should be judged by quality of posts. I'm not talking just essay-like posts in the NBA section...it could include all the great topics they started which sparked great discussion, running different contests, being on the writing team, moderating, etc.. I used the example of spammers with over 10k posts strictly to get the point across that having so many posts doesn't make you a better or more valuable poster than a guy with half that many posts who makes higher quality contributions. The Derek Fisher/Penny Hardaway analogy I think was a decent one. I never said it should be the only benchmark, but if we are going to have a set standard, I feel reps-per-post would be more useful in showing the quality of said member's posting as opposed to his raw post count. As I said before, I think there should be a minimum post count to qualify, but that number should be about 1/3 of 10k posts. It opens the field a lot, and after that you can use stats to show quality (like reps-per-post), and the most important of all....OBSERVATION!!! I just feel it is wrong that under the current system only 20 members qualify, when there are members below that 10k mark that deserve it over a number of those 10k guys. After a few thousand posts, you've made an impact by being a very active, dedicated member. After that, the votes should be made based on the quality of his posts and HOW he improved the board through his posts.

My point wasn't that there are a bunch of spammers with 10k posts on OTR. My point is that a high post count doesn't make you a better member than members with lower post counts. And yes, there are members here with 8, 9 and 10 thousand posts who I wouldn't consider some of the best posters on this site, while there are other members with just a few thousand who definitely deserve the honor. And if OTR is about quality, not quantity, then why are we restricting who gets their 'jersey's retired' to just 20 members? And I bet a good number of those members haven't posted in years, either. As I said, if you are going to use a stat to gauge who gets in, why not use reps-per-post as the most important benchmark (I'm sure you wouldn't be in favor of that, though, with over 2k active posts and below 70 reps)? That's what will show quality over quantity, although I feel there should be a 2-3k post minimum to qualify. BTW, I have seen sites like OTR before, specifically the old BBW. The biggest difference was the off-topic forums were a lot more raunchy, but the basketball discussion was every bit as good for quite a number of years, if not better.

Of course Shaq is better than Dwight...you'd be hard pressed to find more than 8-9 players of all-time that were better than Shaq. But as for Dwight, he led his team to a Finals appearence. Every year he takes one of the league's least talented defense into top 5 in the league. Every year he gets around 20PPG on ridiculous efficiency, and pulls down 13-15 boards a game every single season. Bynum is a great player, but he always misses between a quarter to half a season every year, while Dwight is a true ironman at his position (aka you can count on Dwight a lot more to be the consistent dominant player that you need as a francise player and leader). Bynum still can't pass out of the post, and his defense isn't in the same realm as Dwight's. And even if Dwight doesn't have the same array of post moves or soft touch that Bynum has, he still always ends up scoring more on better efficiency year after year. And, do most people do well when things don't go there way? Make Bynum your franchise player and have teams geared to target him every night and see how he reacts under that spotlight.

I suggest using observation and deciding by that who the best posters were. I've seen on far too many forums a few of the members with the highest post counts being little more than spammers on hyperdrive. That shouldn't be rewarded over a guy like, say, Erick Blasco, who was arguably the best poster on the site for multiple years. If you want to use strictly stats, then why not use reps per post for members with over like 2k posts? That's a bit more telling than having 10k posts with little substance.

Lmao....yeah, ummm....I take that back. Walker's in straight God-mode right nw

Heat have been so sloppy handling the basketball so far. It is like there are 5 Kwame Brown's out there with the way passes are bouncing off their hands. On the bright side, Wade looked more explosive in that quarter than he has the entire season. Knicks looking pretty good without Melo, though Bill Walker is flat-out terrible.

I hate the post count requirement. After a few thousand posts, you made your impact and contribution of quantity. It's kind of like giving Derek Fisher the nod in the HoF over Penny Hardaway because he had a much longer career, overlooking the fact that for many years Penny was lightyears beyond Fisher in terms of quality play. It is especially perplexing since the "quality over quantity" thing is preached so heavily on this site, but this retired jersey thing seems to contradict it.

You're right, that's why I make 10 topics a day about him, defend him no matter how ridiculous it is, make outrageous comments about how he's better than LeBron...oh, wait, that's you and the Clippers, just substitute LeBron with the Lakers. You're room probably looks like Charlie Sheen's after a week straight of freaky sex and 8-balls.

Riley still has a lot of pull on this team, like not allowing LeBron's entourage on the team plane after games (at least that's an example Wojo used about 20 games in last season). Also, Spo is a disciple of Riley and still seems like his puppet, so I'm sure the grueling practices and strong coaching discipline is still there, though I'm sure LeBron/Wade/Bosh have a little more slack than the rest of the team.

It depends on if the Heat win a title or two in the next 3 seasons. If they do, I see him retiring in Miami, securing his legacy. Besides, by then he should still be one of the best players in the league (if not the best), Bosh will still be very effective, Wade should still be effective, they got some young guys locked up for a few more years, and they'll have some of the exceptions along with the amnesty to build an even better, more balanced team around the big 3. In other words, they'll still have a great chance at a title unless one of the big 3 goes down with a career ending injury. Now, if they don't win a title, I could definitely see him leaving. Although, a year or two before then, there will be some serious roster and coaching changes if it's proven this experiment was a failure. So, we'd have to see the result of that new experiment to see if he'd stay or go. If there is any possible friction between Bron/Riley, it won't matter if they win. I think LeBron is the kind of guy that has to see a method work that isn't his own before he truly, 110% buys into it. If they win and he sees the criticism disappear and his greatness truly realized by the league, media and fans, he won't care how disciplined Riley is.

You want the Clippers to 'submit' to the Lakers? That's ridiculous. The game-plan thing is what killed them, not the lack of respect. The 2008 Celtics had even more of a lack of respect for everyone than that Heat team, and it gave them a swagger and nastiness that really fueled their run to the title. And trust me, guys like Dirk, Kidd and Marion only had and needed winning a championship in mind when they 'embarassed' (a 6 game series isn't an embarassment, btw) the Heat.

A Chris Paul flop makes Shaliq's bedroom 'Fap City.' I couldn't resist. My apologies, continue...

I really do love Avery Bradley's defense, but I haven't seen too many PG's who lack so much confidence on the offensive end. It seems like he seeks the ball out on rebounds, gets past halfcourt, then immediately gives it to Pierce to run the offense as he disappears throughout the play. If he can at least get a consistent 3pt shot, he could become a valuable player with the kind of defense he plays.

Anyone see they are trying to develop a spin-off for Dwight beginning in early 2013? According to wikipedia, they will likely begin the plot sometime this season that will have Dwight permanently working at Schrute Farms. Also saw it on Yahoo, was just announced yesterday I think.

Surprise, surprise.

Don't have anywhere near 10k posts, but did win the member march madness and rap contest sooooooo......vote Nitro. Just sayin' PS- Yes, it is absolutely an egotistical thing, but this idea will give a little extra motivation for people to make quality posts, and is just a cool little extra thing.

I actually would really like that move for Dwight. If they get him via trade, they'd have to give up a package revolving around Rondo and maybe Allen (for his expiring contract), but this summer KG also comes off the books, allowing them to get another big-name FA in the offseason. Boston has good management, tradition and coach, and with Pierce + a few other pieces via FA, he would definitely be on a serious contender for the next few seasons. And if Dwight somehow hits FA, they'd be able to sign him outright, and would likely get Allen and KG on the cheap as well.

I never said he was their only problem, or even biggest problem. I never said he won't get out of this slump. But giving him a pass for poor play is my issue, and it is without a doubt a reason the team is losing. The Knicks have been shit for so long, spent the last few years of the '00's making sure their roster would be gutted for 2010, spent much of last season in limbo because of the Melo trade, and then finally got him and are paying him max money. If you just give him a pass and accept when he doesn't play well, you are doing yourself an injustice as a fan. They've spent 10 years of suffering to get to this point, where they have some high quality talent and a chance to make some splash in the playoffs. If I were a Knicks fan, I'd be angry with the way Melo has played this season (and Amare as well).

You look at that mindset as a negative? That's EXACTLY the kind of competitive mentality you want from your best player. He is not the coach and it's not his responsibility to decide the minutes anyone one the team gets. That's on the coach. Bargnani's job is to go out there when his number is called and do whatever he can to win. Stupid, stupid decision by Casey. IMHO, I wouldn't have even played him against Utah, let alone for nearly 40 minutes after he had played 40 minutes the night before. For rebuilding teams, the keys are to develop the young guys and keep your top talent healthy. Forget the bigger picture of either being a high lottery pick or possibly a low playoff seed. You need to keep the long term health of your franchise player a top priority, and by playing that player 40MPG on a back-to-back after he just missed 6 games due to injury is a coaching choice that could have really hurt this franchise's future. Absolutely retarded.

I was just making an observation of what they need moving forward. I know with the way the team is constructed they don't have enough to knock off the top 2 seeds. But I feel they are a team that can keep a game close going into the last 5min of a game against those teams, much like how the Pacers did last year against the Bulls. In that series, the Pacers could have very well swept the Bulls, that's how close those first few games were. The difference was that the Bulls had Rose, who went nuts at the end of those games, and the Bulls got the close victories. That is where having a star, especially on the perimeter, really makes the difference in the post-season.

So, how good has this guy been this season? He's really, really impressed me this season, and you can make a case for him being the 2nd best center in the league, behind Dwight. Got a very good post game, a decent midrange jumper, is a very good rebounder, has developed into a terrific defensive anchor, is an impressive passer like his brother, and the best part is he does it all very quiety. Everyone knows about Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph, hell even OJ Mayo, but this guy remains the team's rock while getting half the publicity. With Zach hurt, he's stepped his game up, and led them to a 10-7 record after the disappointing 3-6 start. His stats: 20.3PER / 14.7PPG / 10.2RPG / 3.0APG / 2.4BPG / 1.1SPG / 1.9TO's / 52.7% FG / .574 TS% / 114 Ortg / 96 Drtg I look at stats a LOT, for every team in the league, and I think Gasol is the first I've ever seen that's led his team in both offensive AND defensive rating. No matter what you think of those advanced stats, that shows at the very least his huge impact on this team.

As I said in my first post of the season, he's the only thing that could keep the Clippers being a serious threat in the WC playoffs. Besides a legit starting SG and maybe some added depth in the frontcourt, on paper the Clippers have a very talented roster with a great mixture of youth/vets whose talents really compliment each other. If they don't make a big splash Del Negro needs to get the axe, which is why I feel will probably end up happening. I thought he did a good job of developing the youth in Chicago and LA, but in terms of getting his team to execute he falls short.

They have a lot of guys that can score, but not a single player who can do it on a consistent basis against tough playoff defense. They could very well get away with having a "go-to clutch player by committe", but I don't see that working when you're going toe-to-toe with LeBron/Wade and Rose. 4th quarter in the playoffs, especially against the Heat and Bulls, will mean a slowed-down, defensive game, and that usually means less crisp ball movement, and a far greater need of one-on-one offense. I just don't see the Sixers having enough there.