Nitro

Wow, can't believe I missed this thread before...some ridiculously retarded logic going on here. I really don't know where to start. Some of my post will have to do with the MJ-Kobe debate since that's all ECN keeps bringing up. -MJ didn't make his teammates better offensively? The Bulls went from being the 2nd ranked offense in 92-93 to the 14th ranked offense in 93-94, including a decline in team FG% and 3pt%. Most of the Bulls team in MJ's last season before retirement had a down year in terms of shooting percentages, but the previous few seasons Pippen and Grant had much higher FG% than any season without MJ, and guys like Armstrong did take a hit without MJ. In the 93-94 post-season, Pippen, Grant, Armstrong, Paxson, Cartwright, and Williams, all of the main players from the 93 championship team, had a decline in shooting percentage from the previous post-season with MJ. The Bulls barely made the top 10 in offense the season MJ came back for 20-30 games, and the next time MJ had a full season with the team they shot to the best offense in the NBA. FYI, the Lakers have NEVER finished as the top ranked offense in the league since Kobe came into the league. Oh, and what often goes overlooked about that 94-95 team was they were only .500 and barely in the playoff hunt before MJ came, and then they ended the season on a 17-3 (I believe) run, even with MJ very rusty and out of the game for a year and a half. -He got carried to the championship by Horace [expletive]ing Grant and Dennis Rodman? You have got to be kidding me. Neither Grant or Rodman ever made an All-Star team, or All-NBA team during any of MJ's championships. Rodman was an all-star twice in his career (late '80's/early '90's with the Pistons) and Grant made 1 in his career (93-94). Both played vital roles in those championship teams, but MJ was far and away the best and most important player. If you are going to say MJ was carried to his titles by those players, then what the hell do you call what Shaq and Gasol did for Kobe? Shaq won an MVP with Kobe on his team, won all 3 Finals MVP's, had the better regular and post-season numbers, and had higher recognition at the time and in retrospect. Gasol was an all-star who led the Grizzlies to multiple 50-win seasons, and you can make an arguement he should have won the 2010 Finals MVP (though I'd disagree). -Almost every stat, either basic or advanced, shows MJ was better than Kobe. Single-season and career PPG, single-season and career APG, single-season and career RPG, single-season and career FG%, single-season and career SPG, single-season and career BPG, single-season and career TOV%, single-season and career PER, single-season and career WS, single-season and career WS/48, single-season and career TS%, single-season and career TRB%, single-season and career AST%, single and career post-season PPG, single and career post-season PPG, single and career post-season APG, single and career post-season RPG, single and career post-season SPG, single and career post-season BPG, single and career post-season FG%, single and career post-season PER, single and career post-season TS%, single and career post-season PER.....the list goes on and on. -While playing one less season than Kobe, MJ has one more championship, 4 more Finals MVP's, 4 more regular-season MVP's, one more DPOY, one more All-Star appearance, one more All-NBA 1st team, 8 more scoring titles, same amount of All-Defensive 1st teams, and 1 more ROTY. In other words, he'll never reach MJ in terms of accolades. -MJ got All-Defensive teams he didn't deserve. Maybe, maybe not, but I can tell you first hand Kobe has not deserved the majority of his in the last 5-6 years either. For him to be ahead of guys like Tony Allen, Wade, Sefolosha, and Bogans at the G positions is ridiculous. From 05-07 he was lazy as hell defensively and consistently got burned, but got his 1st team selections off reputation, just like you are saying MJ did. And I can tell you when MJ was locked in, he was a better one-on-one defender than Kobe ever was, and he made more of an impact in the passing lanes (led the league in steals 3x) and with weakside blocks as well. Those are just the facts I presented. I can give you an actual analysis of MJ and Kobe, their actual games, if you prefer. But, I think when it comes to MJ's greatness and overall what he's done in his career, it clearly outshines what Kobe has done...that is something that CANNOT be argued. The only arguement you can make for Kobe is over hypothetically what they are capable of as players, but there is no question MJ dominated the league and acquired the kind of stats and accolades that Kobe never will.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofMwRzJynnc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G6Wd8IZZjM I saw a few of these topics on RealGM throughout the playoffs, and someone linked to this video but I didn't decide to post this until now. That video is from last year's playoffs, and while I don't think LeBron's vertical has changed much, I do think he's lost a step in the speed department. He just doesn't have that same speed off the dribble anymore, whether it be first step or full-steam. It really makes you wonder just how much longer he has until he really needs to further develop his jumper and post-game because he has played an incredible amount of minutes his entire career, mixed with some deep post-season runs, and he's only going to go downhill. Looking at this video (and other from years past) and it also seems that he was a tad bit heavier this season than past years, which may have also slowed him down a bit. Just an observation. EDIT: The first video I linked was the wrong one, but that also offers some plays that show the difference in his speed from then 'till now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLmJfOf3Vag

The MLE can be a long-term deal. Considering Arenas' and Hedo's histories, it's not unreasonable to assume Dwight isn't the problem there. And there is only so many things you can do with words when it comes to being the leader of the team...talent and coaching is what makes a champion, and the Magic do not have enough talent to compete (even if they get Smith and keep Richardson, who is a FA I believe), don't have the flexibility to sign any real star to put alongside Dwight, and the jury is still out on SVG. In other words, Orlando is not a great situation to be in for Dwight...not with teams like Chicago, Miami and NY on the rise in their own conference.

No way do the Nets trade Williams for Howard, it's a lateral move. They will give up Brook Lopez, picks and the ability to take in one or two of the Magic's massive contracts (Arenas, Hedo). Brook Lopez isn't the prospect Bynum is, but he's still a young, talented center who doesn't have the injury history Bynum does, and a half-season of playing with Williams will definitely increase his stock. If the Nets start making subtle moves this off-season, they can equip themselves with a few more draft picks and whatnot.

Dwight was saying these things DURING the season, in regards to his teammates and how it's either hit-or-miss about their desire to win. It's nothing new. It says in the article how some of them crumble when they get criticized by their teammates. I don't know what more you want. And on the court he was incredible last season, arguably a top 3 player in the league. He still has a few holes in his game (ability to pass out of the post consistently, free throw shooting), but he was absolutely dominant last year. Smith is a FA this summer and probably will only command the MLE.

Who would give them a decent player in return for either of these players? And they had a legit shooting guard this season, Jason Richardson, along with those 2 players and they still couldn't get past the first round. Parker isn't worth the full MLE. He'll be 36 next season and doesn't offer anything besides shoot 3's at a solid clip and defend. He'd be a nice addition for close to the minimum, but giving him the full MLE would be the Magic once again overpaying for a role player, which is one of the things that got them in this position to begin with. He averaged 27/16 on 63% shooting against the Hawks in the playoffs and they lost in 6, so obviously it'll take more than just Dwight.

The Magic have continued to [expletive] themselves over since they gave Rashard Lewis that massive contract, and they are in this position by their own doing. I don't see how they can possibly make a move to give Dwight the 2nd superstar needed to compete in the East, so they must trade him before they get the Cleveland/Toronto treatment. The Lakers have a huge trade chip in Bynum, but his stock will rest on his health from now up until the trade deadline. They also could dangle Odom or Gasol in that trade as well, which is the luxery they have from having such a talented/deep frontcourt. The Nets have Brook Lopez, who is a reliable, proven 20PPG big man, and also the cap flexibility to take on big contracts and also provide draft picks. OKC has Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka and Perkins (assuming he resigns) they could use as trade bait, however they are in a market that Dwight may not approve of. Chicago has Noah who may be of interest for the Magic. And if the Heat panic, they might just consider doing a straight LeBron for Dwight trade. I am sure NY will be in trade discussions, but they have 0 prospects they can offer. It's gonna be interesting. Those teams, besides NY, all have pretty lucrative pieces the Magic can take back.

A jumpshot is one of the few things that can realistically be added to one's repetoire, so I do think he has potential on that side of the ball. And with the way the league is right now, centers really aren't expected to do much offensively except finish around the basket and set strong picks. As it is Jordan is one of the better finishers in the league, and if he adds a decent jumper he'll be a major threat with Griffin as his frontcourt-mate.

Size is important. Anthony is smaller in height and weight than LeBron, and even though he is a great shotblocker, he does get exposed for it...any time KG or Dirk (PF's, mind you) would back him down in the playoffs, they bullied him around with ease. On the boards, he has terrible instincts and his size hurts him, with many big men simply reaching over him for the board even when Anthony does have position. This could be seen in the Chicago and Boston series', and I remember the worst game of the year with this was when the Jazz came back from a huge defecit and won with Milsap going for 46pts. His size also kills him around the rim as even when he does catch the ball (an issue for him), he has a ton of problems finishing around the rim unless he is completely wide open. Dalembert has his weaknesses, but he offers size, rebounding, defense and can actually finish around the rim. This offseason offers little in terms of centers who provide offense, and the ones who do like Gasol will be going for way more than the MLE. I think it'd be smarter to invest in a sure-thing who will fit in with Miami's system like Dalembert, and give Dexter Pittman the opportunity to develop and eventually get significant NBA minutes. Pittman actually does offer a solid post game, and is very good at finishing around the rim, so I think he could eventually be a key contributor if they develop him some more.

The Clips absolutely must lock this kid up. He has a ton of potential on both sides of the ball, and last season was a 10/10/2 on 69% shooting player as a starter, which already makes him one of the better centers in the league. In 2-3 years the Clips could have the best starting frontcourt in the league with him and Griffin.

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/06/28/kerr.tnt.ap/index.html There ya go.

Well, he does TNT games, so it's pretty obvious he's under contract with them...

It was for 'HIV Awareness Day' at Dwight's high school.

No, I said he'd be getting Juwan Howard minutes. K-Mart is not a better player than Bosh (who will be playing 35-40MPG), Spo loves Haslem who is arguably a better player than K-Mart and will see his 20-25MPG at the 4/5, and the Heat will most likely be getting a center this offseason, who will occupy 20-30MPG, with Anthony and Haslem/Bosh using the rest of those minutes at that spot. In other words, the only opportunities he will have to play are the same minutes Howard got this season (which were higher than usual since Haslem missed nearly the entire season).

This. I agree completely, it goes Wade/Kobe (whatever order you want to put them in), Manu, $JJ and then Ellis.

All of that's nice, but he's not a center, and he's 33 with multiple microfracture surgeries. The Heat already have 2 PF's who are better than he is, and they will likely spend the MLE (if there is one) on a true center or point guard. If he signs with the Heat for the minimum, he'll probably end up getting Juwan Howard minutes.

No, he was left with Caron Butler, Chucky Atkins and a few other role players. That year I give Kobe a pass since he was battling plantar faschiatis (sp?), but that was easily his worst season IMO, and it came at the worst time with Shaq gone and the rape stuff still lingering. His turnovers and shooting percentages, especially before Hamblen re-instated the triangle after Rudy T left, was pitiful.

I don't understand the fascination with Oden...he's played 82 games in 4 seasons, and only 21 in the last 2. He's had very, very serious surgeries, and was born with ailments that make him more succeptible to injury (I forget exactly what they were and too lazy to look them up). The Heat are not the kind of team that should spend their entire MLE on such a high-risk prospect. They should be spending their money on proven, durable talent. If they spend it on Oden and he goes down with injury, then they will be in the same boat they were this year, or even worse. And with Wade nearing 30 and this trio in their 2nd season together, they don't want to go another season ringless.

I think they deserve a chance to get help if they do [expletive] up on the drug test, and if they complete the treatment and pass the drug test they should have their benefits re-instated. If they get their welfair discontinued and don't receive the option of treatment, then it can potentially cause an abundance of other problems...increase in the homeless and other illegal activity to support themselves, for starters.

Awesome. No one deserved a title more than Kidd.. Can't wait to see his jersey retired at the Barclay's.

In no particular order... Cape Fear, Casino, Goodfellas, Heat, Taxi Driver.

LeBron is a MUCH better player than he was in 2007, specifically with his jumper. Besides fast breaks, he wasn't getting to the rim at all against Boston and Chicago...everything was jumpers. He's gotten a lot more comfortable with his perimeter game, and his defense is lightyears better than back in 2007. So, I do think he has shown the ability to improve his game in the off-season, and now that he's seen what he has to do for this team to be most successful, I think he'll work on those areas. I could be wrong, but I think he can and will to an extent. It's all about reaction. I think Spo threw in a few wrinkles as the series went on to beat the zone (as seen in Game 5 with the multiple open dunks around the rim for Haslem and Bosh, and then that play where LeBron went right to the middle of the zone and got the pass which led to an easy basket), but they never fully put it all together. The zone is a gimmick, and very few teams use it with any regularity hence why it can throw teams off who aren't prepared for it (like the Lakers last season when the Suns went to zone, but then they adjusted and had a lot of success). I think next season the Heat will be more prepared, and they have only a few select teams they have to worry about using an effective zone. I thought Wade was unstoppable in the post this series, but they didn't take advantage of it nearly enough, especially toward the end of the series. Wade can be that off-ball player, but he should also have substantial amounts of possessions where he is ball-dominant. LeBron too, however he really needs to work on his off-ball play. Neither of them are incapable of playing that way, and at times both showed a strong ability to play off-ball at times throughout the season...it's all a matter of getting comfortable with it. To me, that's on the coach. It's not something that can happen overnight, or thrown in during the middle of the series and expect to have success. It needs to start to begin in the offseason, then put into place in training camp, then practiced throughout the season. That was my biggest problem with Spo...he admitted to throwing in minimal offensive sets to start the season off, and didn't begin to expand this until mid-season. If he begins it from the get-go, and they gradually incorperate it, then the team will be well-prepared for the post-season.

1. Dirk 2. LeBron 3. Wade 4. Howard 5. Paul 6. Durant 7. Randolph 8. Pierce 9. Rose 10. Bryant A few of those guys could be switched around, but I think that's the 10.

I disagree. For a team that was built completely from scratch just 11 months ago, and half the team being on minimum deals, they were within 2 games from the NBA Finals, defeating the reigning EC champs, a 60+ win team, and losing to the team that swept the reigning 2x champs. They had a great shot at beating Dallas in their first 2 losses of the series, but simply weren't prepared for the zone and blew big 4th quarter leads as a result. That is a fixable mistake and something they have the personel to counter, it's just a matter of coaching and preparing them for those situations throughout the off-season, training camp, pre-season and reglar season, something that simply did not happen this year. There were a few times in the post-season where Wade was terrific moving off-ball and in the post (specifically in the Philly and Dallas series'), and I don't think they took enough advantage of that. Personel really wasn't the problem as much as making adjustments throughout a 7-game series was IMO. Joel Anthony is making like $3M a year and was extremely valuable at times for the Heat in the playoffs. Miller's deal is certainly managable, and Haslem's deal is terrific (he plays a lot of minutes at C which worked very well in the Chicago series, and worked in the Dallas series for the most part). None of those guys have deals as crippling as contracts like Fisher's, Artest's, Blake's, Walton's, Haywood's, Marion's, etc... Those guys are either really old with multiple years of near-MLE money left (Fisher, Walton, Artest), or are completely overpaid with multiple years left (Haywood, Marion, Blake). They were within 2 games of a championship after the entire roster being put together in one off-season. Now, after failing, these guys have a much better idea of what to improve on in the off-season, from the coaches down to the players. This year's team had the personel to win...what killed them was not being prepared. Now they know what to expect, and have an entire off-season and another regular season to learn from it and practice how to improve on what Dallas exposed.