Nitro

He exhausted pretty much all those topics his first few albums. We had him mom, Kim, Haley, celebrities, how he makes kids go psycho and shrooms shoved down our throats on the SSLP/MMLP, and to a certain extent TES. Even though everyone eventually runs low on subject matter does not make what he is currently producing any better. More importantly, it's HOW he presents the subject matter which has really taken a step back. His music, not just lyrics or production, but overall music was extremely innovative and unique his first few albums. It was something new and refreshing, and he set the curve. Many of his songs had focused direction, and it was presented in a unique way (think along the lines of Guilty Consience, '97 Bonnie and Clyde, Stan, etc...). Now he just takes what's hot on the streets and spits a verse to break up the annoying choruses and current beats. The one song on Recovery that had a major spash of creativity, 25 to Life, was just a ripoff of one of the most famous rap songs of all-time (I Used to Love H.E.R by Common). And I'll be the first to say MOST rappers eventually run out of material, especially ones that rely on rapping about selling crack or [expletive]es and rims. But we are not comapring Eminem to the ordinary MC, we are comparing him to the Mt. Rushmore of rappers. There is no way of telling how Pac/Biggie/Big L/Big Pun would have continued their greatness, all we have is what they did make. And if you put their best up with Eminem's best, it is by no means a wash, and there are many fans out there that could make a reasonable arguement that their bodies of work was better than Em's. And when it comes to Nas, he's changed his style on almost every album, and he's touched on a wider array of serious issues as well as making music that is totally innovative (I Gave You Power, Rewind, the Untitled and Distant Relatives albums, etc...).

And there's no way Eminem has ever made anywhere near the same amount of songs they have at touching home upon serious cultural issues as Nas/Pac. While Nas joined up with Damian Marley to produce something TOTALLY innovative and new on Distant Relatives, which touched on many different issues (ranging from politics to basic life [expletive]), Eminem gave into the mainstream on Recovery. And while his lyrics (from a mechanical standpoint) and flow were tight, a good chunk of his content either didn't make sense, has been overdone to the max, or was direction-less. Besides dissing pop culture, his drug addiction, and Proof's death, what does Eminem have to talk about anymore? That's the single biggest problem he's had since around TES. The creativity he had when he first came up was top-notch, but he's worn out those subjects, and now a lot of what he has to say just seems....forced.

I think any major contributor to a contender is critical to their success, and I don't think any of those teams could win it all without that player. With that said, I think Bynum is expendable if they got some nice pieces in return via trade. His size is a HUGE advantage for the Lakers, but they have enough versatility in Gasol/Odom that they could make do without him. Bynum still has a ton of trade value due to his talent and age, and with a package built around him they could definitely lure a damn fine replacement. It doesn't have to be a Center, either; Bynum and a package of role players might get the job done in the near future of helping get CP3 out of NO (just an example). Anyway, if you're asking me if they could win it all without Bynum and no replacement, I'd have to say no. It's possible, but doubtful.

Eh...you could make a case I guess, but there is no way you can call him 'easily' the best. That's a slap in the face to the other best rappers, dead or alive, and I'm sure Em would say the same thing.

Same with NJ, which I believe has one of the highest costs of living in the country.

Well, define "old style." I think, with his age/voice change/personality change, I don't know how successful the whole dissing pop stars (Role Model/countless other songs) and catering to white stoners (My Fault/countless other songs) will work anymore. I think his style on TES is closer to what he should be going for at this point (and on certain other songs like Beautiful). From an MC perspective, I think it'd be nice if he slowed it down a bit, and got back to a more conversational flow. His lyrical ability and flow has never really dropped off, just changed dramatically at different points of his career, from Infinite-Recovery. At many points on Recovery he just goes so damn fast that you can't appreciate just how insane some of his rhyme patterns and use of metaphores and such really are. EDIT: A more recent, non-TES song that I think has a style that Eminem should go with is the following (besides the crappy Eminem chorus, and beat could use a little work). I think in this song he's rapping at a nice pace, lyrics are tight and it's one of those songs he's more conversational in.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzqn0ZOljEM

Agreed. It's nothing special. The production, while "current" (which I feel, along with the guest appearances, is why Recovery is so popular right now), is downright annoying on many of the songs. His lyrics and flow are on-point, although his rapid-fire delivery gets a little redundant. It's the choruses, especially the ones he sings, and production which really bring it down a bit. I wish on his next album he'd go back to his own creative roots as opposed to giving the masses simply what they want. From the SSLP-TES his music oozed creativity, even if a good number of songs were on the joking side. His new stuff just doesn't. Don't get me wrong, on both Relapse and Recovery there are exceptions, but to me he just seems to be giving in to what the mainstream demands, and some of his subject matter is getting seriously overdone.

Weren't the Pistons sold just a few weeks ago?

Bulls for both. Got a better 1-2 punch in Rose/Boozer, better depth, and are MUCH more solid in the frontcourt positions. They also have a defensive genius as a head coach, so above anything else they will be very tough on that end of the floor, which will serve them well come the post-season.

Aside from those already mentioned, Monta Ellis is fast as hell with the ball.

Show me a single person who doesn't want to be rich. Please. And yes, the average person can't be a CEO because CEO's have extensive EDUCATION. Many of them came from families who could afford to put them through expensive universities, and most of them weren't in a situation where they had to go out into the real world right after high school to support their families and/or themselves. There are certainly exceptions....not everyone who didn't receive a college education deserved to be in college, and not every person who became a CEO came from extremely wealthy families.

I can't believe we are still discussing this. All you need is around a 100K per year salary to live comfortably. Yes, it is not what it once was, and yes, a decent chunk of that will be taxed...but it still enables you and your family to afford food, a nice (not lavish, but nice) shelter, basic necesseties like cars/cell phones, and most importantly you don't have to really worry about massive debts that most "average" Americans (around 40K salary) are currently accumulating. If you are making 250K, you are living verrrrryyyyyy comfortably. You can afford all the basic stuff, and still have PLENTY leftover to blow or save. If they live life the way a 100K'r does, they can bank at least a million dollars in just 10 years or so. That savings alone would take the average American over 20 years to accumulate.

Give me a break... But yes, it is a nice picture.

You don't think people working 2, 3 jobs just to get food on their table for their family in a tiny apartment deserve a bit of a tax break over those who have a big surplus of money even after acquiring those basic necesseties? Just because one doesn't have a family who can afford to put them through college, or didn't do particularly well in high school does NOT mean they are working any less hard than those making 250K.

Stop making it seem like the majority of people who make about 250K are small business owners...it's just not the case. A small percentage of those people are small business owners, yes, but then you have a crapload of doctors, lawyers and a whole mess of other people with a huge variety of jobs. That money is going into their pockets, not for helping others get jobs. And I don't see the logic of taxing the average Joe, who makes 40K per year, the same as people making 250K+. Those making 250K+ will still live life rather lavishly and will be able to afford their bills as well as the necessary accomidations for thesmelves and their familites, regardless of being taxed more than those struggling to meet end's meet on the average American's salary.

Read my post more carefully. Of course the majority of taxes are needed and will help benefit society. The issue is that a good chuck of our money is going towards things that come with little to no benefit whatsoever, and that is where people start to [expletive]. How the government allocates its money is where debate comes (i.e- pumping money into war as opposed to education, when we are currently 25th in the world in education). That's $250 per family for a new turf, and as it is many families are living paycheck to paycheck. If it isn't necessary, which it probably isn't, then I don't see the issue with delaying the new turf.

How old are you? When you're of age to pay taxes and realize a huge portion of your annual salary is going to a government that is not spending all of its taxpayer money in beneficial ways, then you'll understand why people complain.

List isn't surprising. You got the elite teams (Celtics, Heat, Lakers, Magic, Bulls), and the teams filled with young talent (Clippers, Knicks, Wizards, Kings, Thunder). Boring.

I'm one of the only people in my group of friends that watches sports, and the only one that's a hardcore nut about them. Kinda sucks, but there is still plenty to talk about.

Yeah, [expletive] education!!! WOOOO!!!!!

You gotta use the past to predict the future. The issue is if you play this out a few years and it ends up NOT working out, which the evidence clearly supports is most likely, then you've paid this guy a disgusting amount, while delaying the development of the younger guys and handicapping the team's cap flexibility. If he has ONE more injury, his trade value may forever be shot and he'll either be untradable (until the brink of his contract's expiration), or they won't get anywhere near the value they could get this year if he's healthy up until the deadline. And that doesn't even account for all the horrible publicity he continues to attract. There are many pro teams throughout other sports that would have dumped Arenas a long time ago just for the crap he's pulled off the court. In the NBA it's harder to do that, but in Arenas' case his on-court problems are also a huge question mark as well. No one knows how the new CBA will play out, but either way Arenas' contract will be a major salary handicap for the Wizards, and the potential for it to be an even greater detriment with the new CBA is very possible.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/rapper-ti-latest-star-stop-suicide/story?id=11879750 Bravo. That really is awesome.

Here's what you continue to fail to see: First off, the self-destruction stops for both a drug and gambling addict if they do infact get "sober." Gamblers will still have a massive debt, and drug addicts will still have permanent damage to their bodies, possibly permanant damages to their various relationships, and also permanent damages to their finances. Secondly, there's a term in AA called "dry drunk." What it means is that many drug addicts, once they become clean, will still have all the mental defects of an addict that make their life a living hell. The addiction to drugs is just a symptom of a much bigger problem, and unless you have a profound personality change, which can take many years to attain, your life will still be hell. Lastly, yes, if you do get clean and have that personality change, things can drastically improve in an addict's life. The issue is that most drug addicts don't get clean and/or have that personality change, and it's not because they don't want to. Most of them cry themselves to sleep every night wishing they could have that, but the mental and physical addiction is too much. Others may not even get that deep into the addiction, but one accidental OD can take their life. One car ride being intoxicated could take both their and an innocent victim's life. If my loved ones could have stopped my drug addiction after the time I went crazy from chronic ecstasy use and attempted suicide by slashing my wrists and neck 75+ times, you don't think they would have? They got me to the hospital, to rehab, to outpatient...the second I got out I smoked a fat blunt. Two months later I was addicted to heroin. Then I stole my dormmate's Ipod and camera and pawned them. Also pawned my mom's jewelry and video camcorder. Then I took out all the money my grandfather saved up for me for college via stocks and blew 2K of that in a 1 week span, then another 7K in 2 months. I then broke into my best friend's house and robbed him, and luckily he didn't press charges. I stole from my old job (at CVS) every single time I worked, including dozens of packs of cigarettes that they had an investigation over. Some lady I met in rehab let me help her move, and because she didn't have a liscence she let me drive the U-Haul. She gave me $100 for gas and her credit card (because it's required when you bring the U-Haul back). I stole all the money AND the credit card, maxed it out, and luckily she dropped those charges, but I still had to pay her back. I've beaten dozens of my friends in drug deals. I hit my ex-gf when I was under the influence. I've had 2 OD's. I've recently sold all my school textbooks for money and the semester isn't even half over. The list goes on... Now you know just some of my story...all, 100% true. I am not even close to one of the worst drug addicts out there, and that's how [expletive]ed up my life has gotten in just two years. Hopefully I'm breaking through to you a bit.

His personality has never been managed (and it's apparantly continued), he's missed around 70% of the last 3 seasons combined, he's had a few serious knee injuries (which tend to effect you throughout your career), and he's getting paid as a max player in a time where the NBA may institute a hard cap, or at the very least a lowered soft cap. I just don't know what to say anymore...

http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/topic/17726-gilberts-suspension-a-blessing-in-disguise/