Nitro

The idea is that Arroyo doesn't make many mistakes and can be trusted not to [expletive] things up, where as Chalmers or House will make some dumb decisions that can cost the team the game. I hate that kind of conservative approach when you have this much talent, but I understand the reasoning...it's just stupid.

Yeah, it creeps me the [expletive] out when black people dress up/put makeup on that make them look like white dudes. And when a white dude dresses up and paints his face like a black dude, well... http://knowyourmeme.com/i/000/042/151/original/jnjyxa31o8_thats_racist_animated1.gif

Depends on who the role players are. But generally speaking, I'd probably take Wade/LeBron/Bosh because they are all in their prime. If you keep MJ and Shaq as rookies and put '99-'00 or later Kobe in the discussion, then I'd take that trio.

In terms of impact/production yes, but not in terms of play style. Francis/Rose have the same size, same crossover, same type of explosiveness, and similar games. The only thing about Rose's game that is similar to Wade's is neither are great 3pt shooters, and both like to penetrate the lane.

After 4 games, the Heat are 3-1, with their only loss (opening night vs the Celtics) being the only game that was within double digits. By now we are starting to see this team come together a bit, with roles being defined, chemistry being built and certain tendencies showing up. Here are my thoughts on the team so far... -First and foremost, Z needs to start...Joel Anthony offers the starting lineup absolutely nothing. Anthony has no offensive skillset, the basketball just bounces off his tiny hands to the other team when LeBron or Wade find him underneath, he's a crappy rebounder, is undersized and consistently misses defensive rotations. His shot-blocking is nice, and he does have defensive range, but overall he looks like a mess out there. So far Z has been lights-out with his jumper, he offers the team the size they desperately need, he's a decent rebounder who can block the occasional shot, and most importantly he has terrific chemistry with LeBron. Through the first 4 games, I'd say the team's bread and butter play has been LeBron/Z pick and roll. They have impeccable timing, and Z is making teams pay when they leave him to trap LeBron. Chemistry, size and having a guy who can prevent the Heat from playing 4-on-5 on offense should make his promotion to the starting 5 a no-brainer. -Putting House in the starting lineup is IMO a little less of a necessity as Bosh/Z both have range up to 20ft out on their jumpers to give Wade/LeBron some space to work with, but I still feel he should take over Arroyo's job. Arroyo is a good, solid PG who handles the ball well and can stroke the midrange, but he's a horrible defender and isn't much of a factor offensively when both LeBron/Wade are on the floor. He doesn't have great 3pt range, and when you have two superstar wingmen who do all the facilitating in the halfcourt, he becomes relatively useless. House is not a great defender, but he is feisty and can at least make some kind of impact on that side of the floor. He is also a dead-aim 3pt shooter with a quick release who can kill teams who leave the Big 3 open. I know everyone wants Miller to start once he returns from injury, but I think House is a better fit at starting PG for the team on both ends of the floor. -As I predicted before training camp even started, this team's defense is excellent (1st in the league in Drtg so far) and will only continue to improve. The team is making fast rotations, tightly contesting shots, defending the PnR very well, and creating a lot of turnovers. Most importantly, they are committed on that end of the floor, and so far the improvements have been evident...they gave up 46% shooting to the Celtics, 43% to the Sixers, a ridiculous 30% to the Magic, and 35% to the Nets. Their talent and athleticism, especially from the big 3, is really smothering a lot of their opponents. The biggest issues defensively have been at PG (where they won't get much better unless they make a trade), and C (with Anthony being undersized and missing rotations). If they start Z and continue to stay committed, this team is going to be dominant defensively. -Because of Arroyo and Anthony's deficiencies as starters, I don't think we have seen anything close to the potential Wade/LeBron have together on the floor, due to poor floor spacing/chemistry/having an offensive blackhole at C. However, I think the scariest thing about this offense has been the rotations where only one of them is on the floor. What I have seen the first few games is Wade and LeBron are taking turns running the team, and the team is not missing a beat/getting better as the other is getting rest. That should terrify other teams. So far, it is allowing each player to get a ton of rest and stay fresh, and also play their own game as opposed to deferring to one and other. What has resulted the last few games is the 2009-2010 Miami Heat with Bosh for 1/4 of the game, the 2009-2010 Cleveland Cavaliers with Bosh for 1/4 of the game, and the entire trio/just LeBron and Wade for the other half. I really like the idea of giving each player a good chunk of the game to be the undisputed #1 guy as the other gets rest. It is a proven method, and as the two superstars gain chemistry, they can be even more dangerous. -LeBron really needs to work on his off-ball movement when he and Wade are in the game. I think Wade has made the right adjustments and is doing a good job a making sharp cuts to the basket and staying active when the ball is in LeBron or Bosh's hands (although he should dive to the hoop more on LeBron drives), but LeBron acts like a spot-up shooter when he doesn't have the ball. Once he starts moving more without the ball, this offense is really going to be dangerous. -Overall, they are going to win a LOT of regular season games on sheer talent alone. Today against the Nets the big 3 overwhelmed them on sheer talent and individual play, and the game was out of reach before anyone else on the team made an offensive impact. Against the elite teams, they need to work on some of their offensive philosophies and sets when both Wade/James are in, but the improvements can be seen already. Once this offense really gets clicking, this team is going to be a really, really tough out.

Rose is not the new AI. They don't have similar frames, and besides sick crossovers their offensive games aren't too similar. Honestly, I think Rose is a like a more mature/talented/focused version of Steve Francis. They have almost the same exact size (6'3'', 190-200lbs), same crossover, similar handle, and similar explosiveness. Neither are great true PG's, but are capable of creating for teammates as well as scoring. The difference is Rose is a lot more efficient from the field, while Francis was a better 3pt shooter and extroridnary rebounder. But as I said, in terms of style and physical capablities, they are very similar. The only major difference is between the ears. BTW, the Rose/Wade comaprisons also need to cease. Wade has about 2 inches and at least 10 pounds on Rose, a longer wingspan, and a much different game going to the basket. Rose likes to penetrate just like Wade, but he does it differently. Rose LOVES that little flip shot/floater, and gets to the rim off straight cuts/crossovers. Wade likes to split double teams and screens a lot more often, will go all the way to the rim and finish strong a lot more than Rose, he likes to weave through defense more than Rose (who works in straight cuts), and he also has a legit post game (where Rose has none).

DAMMIT!!! I just wrote up this big report, but my IE just closed up out of nowhere. Ugh...I'll do a more shortened version this time. Anyway, just got back about 20min ago, had a great time. Dad got tickets from stubhub for $50, the seats bein in section 108, row 1. Basically, there are 3 different leveled bowls in the middle to corners of the area, and 2 bowls at the end. I was in the 2nd of the 3 bowls at the corner, behind the opposing team's bench. Here's a little report.... -The arena is easy to get to via car, and is situated right between the nice® and crappy areas of downtown Newark. For those without a car, Newark Penn Station is only like 2-3 blocks away, so mass transit is easy. There is plenty of police and security outside the facility, so anyone that is afraid of going to Newark shouldn't have any worries. Parking is plentiful, but pretty much all the lots are privately owned and ridiculously expensive (we payed $30, but the lot was right in front of the arena). Be careful, as many of these lots make you give them the keys because they fit as many cars as the lot will fit, and as a result they will purposely block in cars. Some may not care, but it can be a major pain in the [expletive]. -The Prudential Center is AMAZING!! Seriously, the difference between the Pru and Izod Center is night and day. The Izod Center was solid white on the outside, had only one thin concourse (with no advertisement of the Nets or Devils) that gave entry to the upper and lower bowl, it was rundown, the food was like carnival quality, they had nothing for fans besides very small souvenier stands, there was simply and upper and lower bowl, the box seats were crappy, there was one thin LED strip, a horrible scoreboard, crappy lighting that made the court look yellow, the sound was terrible, etc... The Pru, on the other hand, is completely the opposite. The outside has a beautiful glass facade with a giant LED screen, there are multiple, spacious concourses that are ultra-clean and have awesome Devils theming, there are various lounges where you can get some great food, the food stands are great, there are plenty of souvenier stands, and the actual arena has plenty of LED strips, bright lighting, the scoreboard is beautiful, and overall the architecture is great. For a comparison, from pictures I've seen, the inside of the Pru looks a lot like the Bobcats arena. It is an awesome place to watch any sport, and it kills me that the Nets haven't been playing here since it first opened. -Oh, and for all you smokers out there, on the main concourse (which is elevated from where you enter on the street) you can walk out onto a big balcony to smoke cigarettes, which is a really nice touch. You get a nice view of the beautiful (hehe) Newark skyline, and also downtown Manhattan. Compared to the Izod Center, where you needed to get handstamped to go outside to either smoke or just enjoy the fresh air, it is quite an improvement. -Nets fans suck. It was essentially a Heat home game, with the Heat:Nets jersey ratio for fans being about 15:1, and Eddie [expletive]ing House getting a bigger ovation than any Nets player. The arena was pretty full, although like at Yankees and Jets/Giants games, many of the premium seats (lower bowl, middle of the floor) were empty. Everywhere else, including the nosebleeds, were pretty much filled to capacity. -The game itself was over after about 5min. The Heat game out on fire and never looked back. It was the first Nets game I've seen this season, and I'm about to post a topic analyzing the Heat so far this season, so I'll just give my take on what they did today. Lopez started off extremely well, but he was their only source of offense until later in the game, when Harris decided to show up once the game was way out of reach. Lopez has a great arsenal in the post, and has the size to make it work. Very underrated, and while he may or may not ever be a great #1 option, he will be a vital part of this team's success down the road. As I said, Harris was a relative no-show. It was my first chance to get to see him play, but I'm already in love with Favors. First thing that caught my eye was his size. He clearly had at least an inch or two and some weight on Bosh, which I was not expecting. He hit the offensive glass hard all game, and he finished a number of broken plays/2nd chance oppertunities. He has tremendous athleticism, and from what I saw on his FT attempts he has a decent touch on his shot. He is still very raw, but he should find his way into the starting lineup immediately until Murphy comes back. If the Nets could acquire a legit playmaking PG, Favors could become a major weapon in the PnR. Outlaw, Petro, Smith, Graham, Farmar, James and Morrow, the team's other off-season acquisitions, combined to shoot for 6-33...aka they were absolutely horrible. -Overall, the Nets lack talent, and lack someone on the perimeter they can consistently run their offense through against a great team like Miami. Harris is a natural SG, and when they make him their primary playmaker, he just doesn't get his teammates enough open looks. The Heat just overwhelmed the Nets' defense with their raw talent and skill, and on offense the Nets had no continuity or easy buckets (a lot of which can be attributed to the Heat's defense). They need a 2nd guy besides Lopez who can consistently create for himself or others. My dad the entire game was talking about how much Melo would make this team better, but honestly I think this team is built for CP3. They desperately need a player with true PG skills.

Kobe's been injury free? Last season he had to battle through a broken arthritic finger and knee injury which required surgery in the off-season. And I don't expect Duncan to average 25/15, but if I'm to call him better than guys who can produce more than he does and play more minutes, there better be a good reason. That reason would normally be that when the playoffs come around, Duncan could raise his game after being limited to only 30MPG the regular season. The issue is he hasn't been raising his game the last few post-seasons, and his regular seasons haven't been as impressive as those other players'. It'd be one thing if we were talking about Duncan from 4-5 years ago, who was able to dominate games and series' when he needed to, even if it didn't show up in regular season averages. The issue is he can't anymore. He'll have the occasional big game, but he's not capable of carrying a team on either end of the floor for a full month or playoff series. Add to that the fact that his defense has taken a hit and he no longer is a force on that end, and it makes it even harder to defend Duncan against those players. I've seen with my own two eyes what Duncan's capabilities are as a man-to-man defender the last few seasons, and those stats are just examples. If you want analysis, Duncan does not have the lateral quickness to stay in front of today's quicker PF's, or the athleticism to show and retreat on the PnR consistently without getting burned. Because he's lost athleticism, he's more frequently late on rotations and doesn't have the explosiveness to block many shots. He can still defend the post extremely well, but there's only 2-3 effective post players in the NBA that can't also expose Duncan with their face-up and PnR games. Bosh averaged 25/11 last season and had led the Raptors to the 5th seed before his injury, and Amare was averaging 27/10 post All-Star break en route to being the primary scoring option on a WCF team. But, as I said before, Amare/Bosh/Duncan are all on the same level to me, and depending on the situation I may take Duncan over those two (i.e- Duncan would be a better fit alongside Wade/LeBron). At this point, generally I'd take those other two guys because they've been producing more, are more physically gifted and can handle being played 35-40MPG as primary options.

To be fair, if they had Melo they probably wouldn't have coughed up that 9pt lead, and Amare's GW attempt that went off his leg would have been in Melo's hands instead... Just saying...

Offensively, the shots will start falling, but defensively is where you guys are getting killed. The defensive rotations have been pretty bad, no one is keeping their man in front of them, and there have been a few mismatches where guys like Felton have been taken into the post and scored on. Allowing 54% shooting against a team like Portland won't get it done.

Ha, I wish. I don't know where the seats are yet as I don't live with my dad and he just got them today, but I am assuming they will be somwhere in the upper level of the lower bowl. most likely behind the basket (where tickets are cheapest).

That's why I said Youtube to MP3 (any of them) or emp3world.com is also what I use (only for singles). And yeah, Morpheus was like the original Limewire. Good times...

So, as an early birthday present, my dad got tickets to see the Heat-Nets game tomorrow! I've never been to the Prudential Center, so I am very, very excited. I'll try and take pics, but I pawned my camera last year so I may not be able to if my dad can't find his. I'll still give a full report of the game and new arena. For anyone who has been to the Prudential Center, is there anything I should take a few minutes to check out? Like restaurants, stores, etc...?

Youtube to MP3, emp3world.com, and albumhunt.com are all you need to get ANY song you want without having to use any of the torrent websites (which rely on seedings and all that crap, and more likely to give you viruses).

The idea with playing Duncan 30MPG is to keep him fresh for the post-season, but the issue is that last 2 post-seasons he hasn't been able to raise his game to that "dominant" level. He has averaged a solid 19/9 that last 2 post-seasons, but not what you expect from a #1 option that was rested all season...that should be your first sign that he isn't the same player anymore. Compare that example to Kobe, who for the last few seasons has been rested during the season, then comes out firing on all cylinders during the post-season, and you can see my point. His defense is not what it once was. As I said, his defense is on par with Gasol's...by that I mean he still has great instincts, and still has the size that bothers many opponents. But against many of the elite PF's, who have a distinct advantage athletically, he gets burned. Last season, Amare averaged 33/11 on 56% shooting against the Spurs. Bosh averaged 27/13 on 47% shooting against them. David Lee averaged 25/12 on 63% shooting against them. The list goes on and on. Compare him to a guy like Garnett, who routinely shuts those guys down and makes an even bigger impact that Duncan on help defense, and that's where the difference is. I value what players produce on the court first and foremost. As I said, I made a mistake not putting Duncan in that same group that Amare/Bosh are in, but the fact that those guys can go 35-40MPG during the regular season and carry their teams on a consistent basis while Duncan can't IS a big factor IMO.

I disagree. As long as he's healthy, he still can be a 18-20PPG if the Celtics need him to, and he's the best passing big man in the league. Defensively, when healthy, he's arguably the best in the entire league. Also, once again, if healthy, he can still grab 9-10 boards as well.

My problem with Duncan is he can't give you more than 30MPG anymore, can't carry the load on a consistent basis, and his defense isn't anywhere near where it used to be to make the offensive gap negligible (at this point his defense is right on par with Gasol's). I should have included him in that second tier along with Amare and Bosh, but I'd take both of those players over Duncan at this point.

Dirk and Gasol are by far and away the 2 best PF's in the league. If Garnett stays healthy and continues to play the way he has started the season off, then he's in that same tier. After them it's Bosh and Amare, with those two being interchangable.

Are you KIDDING ME??? CP3 scores more on better efficiency (from both the field/3/FT line) than either player, gets more assists with less turnovers than either player, is a better rebounder than D-Will AND a better defender. Rondo may be a slightly better rebounder and defender than CP3, but he's more careless with the ball and can be completely taken out of the game if you sag off him like Kobe did in the Finals. CP3, on the other hand, shot over 40% from 3 last season. CP3 is also a more explosive scorer, capable of dropping 30+ on any night his team needs him to...D-Will and Rondo can't. Anyway, as Brandon said, it's a tossup between Amare and Bosh. I don't think either of them are capable of leading a team past the 1st/maybe 2nd round of the playoffs as a #1 option. Both are exceptional scorers, with Amare being the more explosive/aggressive scorer, and Bosh being the more polished scorer. Bosh is without a doubt the better rebounder, and also a much better defender. Amare may block half a shot more per game, but he has horrendous defensive awareness and he's incredibly lazy on that end. Bosh is a very good PnR defender and puts forth more of an effort. I'd say it's a wash, maybe because Amare's always been my favorite big man in the league. But nontheless, it is very close.

That's the thing...he's not capable of playing 37-40 minutes he was playing in his prime, and can't carry the load on a consistent basis anymore. His defense also isn't anywhere near what it once was. He's blocking nearly a full shot less per 36min than he used to, and he consistently gets burned by quick PF's. He is still capable of playing like a superstar on occasion, and is still without a doubt an All-Star, but I don't consider him a superstar anymore because he just can't carry a team often. His last few post-season appearances have also been pretty underwhelming as well. If I were to call Duncan a superstar, I feel I'd have to do the same with Gasol (who is more deserving than Duncan at this point) and a few other players on that 2nd tier, including Roy (who I also feel is more deserving than Duncan).

If they are completely healthy, if Blair and Hill can continue to improve, and if RJ finally decided to play like he did in NJ, I wouldn't be surprised to see them knock off Dallas or OKC in the post-season. I doubt it will happen though as Parker/Manu are injury prone, Duncan will not be fresh in April/May, and RJ just doesn't fit in that offense. Still, after the Lakers no one except a healthy Rockets team and MAYBE the Mavs are that much of a threat IMO. OKC still has some holes and just doesn't have the talent to match up with Miami/LA/Boston/Orlando, no one knows how Phoenix/Utah will bounce back after losing their star big men, and I wanna wait and see if Oden can come back healthy before considering Porland a serious threat. I think if they are motivated and gel together better than what we saw last season, the Mavs have the right mixture to give the Lakers a run. Talent, experience, depth and size...as long as some of the older guys can stay fresh, I think they will be the clear-cut 2nd best team in the West.

It's funny how you bolded the first part of the quote, when my rebuttal to what you're saying is in the part you didn't bold. "and dominate like only those 8 other guys can."...that's the meat and potatoes of that quote, and it's precisely why Duncan doesn't make my list. And I personally thinking using things players did 4, 5 years ago is perfectly fine as long as they haven't dropped off individually. Do you even read what you're quoting? I said statistically. I'm not using the stats as an end-all, be-all, but when you're 14th on your own team in Drtg and your opponent counterpart numbers are relatively poor, I do think it's a decent indicator your not some hidden gem defensively. And despite those statistics, I said Roy was an average defensive player because, believe it or not, I've seen him play just a few times. He's a smart defender, but that's it. He's not a lockdown defender, doesn't have great lateral quickness, doesn't play aggressive defense, doesn't affect the game at ALL in terms of playing passing lanes (less than 1SPG, which is quite rare for a SG playing nearly 40MPG), and he's not some master at contesting shots. He's an average, smart defensive player. At his position, he's middle of the pack defensive....Wade, Kobe, Hinrich, Sefolosho, Affalo, Iguodala, Delonte, Tony Allen, Bell, and Courtney Lee are all better off the top of my head. If you aren't even top 10 defensively at your position, you're not a game-changer. Not enough for me to say it's such a huge advantage he has over Nash or Dirk (who is also an average defender) that it makes up for the fact that those two can dominate offensively on a more consistent basis than Roy, and also have extremely impressive post-season resumes.

That's why I used Drtg as well. LeBron had the best Drtg on on the Cavs. Artest and Kobe were 4th and 5th best on the Lakers. Wallace had the 2nd best on the Bobcats (behind Tyrus Thomas, who played only 500 minutes for them). Nash had the worst Drtg on the entire Suns team. Roy was 14th on his own team. Combining Drtg and opponent counterpart is the most effective way of determining defensive value statistically. And despite the numbers being in favor of Roy being a poor defender, I said he was average. He's nothing special, and certainly doesn't make up for the gap in his offensive game from 9 of the other 10 players I place ahead of him in my superstar tier. Considering each and every one of those players in my grouping are at least top 3-4 and dominant in their strongest area (scoring, passing, defense, etc...), while Roy isn't, that is a red flag. Yes, he has a more polished/well-rounded game than a guy like Durant or even Dirk, but without that dominant attribute he isn't dominating games on a consistent basis. I provided the stats and I provided my reasoning. Give me a guy like Durant, who can score 30PPG and carry his team in a dominant fashion while being at least average to above average in other areas (as opposed to a guy like Kevin Martin) over Roy anyday. Last 2 seasons the Blazers were 33-16 when Roy scored 25 or more points, which in a full season would make the Blazers a 56 win team. If he had the capacity, mentally and physically, to average 25PPG or more, you don't think he would? If he was dropping 26-27PPG, would his passing game and scoring efficiency change? We don't know, it's all assumption. But until he does score like those other elite scorers on my list, I can't put him in that same grouping. Don't put words in my mouth. Dirk scores more on better efficiency than Roy, and throughout his career has shown he can explode for huge games in a dominant fashion consistently. He has done so for stretches in a season, and also in many playoff series. He is also a quality rebounder (very good in meaningful post-season games, usually over 10+ boards), a quality passer at his position and is a capable defender. His post-season resume just adds to his case for being considered a superstar.

How am I dismissing what he does defensively? He's an average defender, but that's it. He is by no means a great defensive player. Last season he had the 14th best Drtg on his team, worse than Rudy and Outlaw. He let up 54%EFG to his counterpart at the SG position, and 50%EFG at the SF position. And Howard is a dominant defensive player, dominant rebounder, and in his best scoring season he averaged <2PPG less than Roy's best....on 60% shooting. He's led a team to the Finals and ECF. He's more SKILLED. He's also more skilled than Dwyane Wade. Does not mean he's a better player as the #1 option on an NBA team. First off, Joe Johnson's best season was 25/4/4 on 47% shooting, 38% from 3, with 3 TO's. So if you think those numbers are that eye popping to me, you're wrong. Secondly, if you want to compare Roy to my superstar group,look at their best seasons (areas bolded are when that average was the league best)... Nash- 18.6 PPG, 11.6 APG, 3.5 RPG, 53.2% FG, 45.5% 3PT, 3.8 TO Kobe- 35.4 PPG, 4.5 APG, 5.3 RPG, 45.0% FG, 34.7% 3PT, 3.1 TO LeBron- 29.7 PPG, 8.6 APG, 7.3 RPG, 50.3% FG, 33.3% 3PT, 3.4 TO Dirk- 26.6 PPG, 2.8 APG, 9.0 RPG, 48.0% FG, 40.6% 3PT, 1.9 TO Dwight- 20.7 PPG, 1.3 APG, 14.2 RPG, 59.9% FG, 3.0 TO Paul- 22.8 PPG, 11.0 APG, 5.5 RPG, 50.3%FG, 36.4% 3PT, 3.0 TO Deron- 18.7 PPG, 10.5 APG, 4.0 RPG, 46.9% FG, 37.1% 3PT, 3.3 TO Wade- 30.2 PPG, 7.5 APG, 5.0 RPG, 49.1% FG, 31.7% 3PT, 3.4 TO Melo- 28.9 PPG, 3.8 APG, 6.0 RPG, 47.6% FG, 26.8% 3PT, 3.0 TO Durant- 30.1 PPG, 2.8 APG, 7.6 RPG, 47.6% FG, 36.5% 3PT, 3.3 TO 6 of those 10 players led the league in their strongest area in their best seasons, and one of them (LeBron) did in another season. I don't think Roy has ever come within 7pts or 5 assists of leading the league, and that's a HUGE difference when comparing him to those players. He just isn't dominant in any area, therefor I just can't call him a superstar.

Yeah, it's all chemistry. For example, against the Celtics there was a play where he was kind of pushing it in transition (not a full-blown fastbreak), and he tried passing it to Wade thinking he'd be standing out by 3 like his teammates on the Cavs, but instead Wade made a hard cut to the basket. Tonight, as Clutch mentioned, he made a drive to the basket, saw Haslem cutting baseline, and he tried a bounce pass to him like he would Varejao, but instead Haslem was going for the alley oop (which is a pass Wade always makes, just like he did for LeBron tonight, which he couldn't finish on).