Nitro

I don't think Kobe/Shaq is a great analogy. Yeah, that duo collapsed for that reasoning, but Kobe/Shaq were two of the NBA's biggest ego's who wanted to dominate with their scoring. Wade and LeBron aren't as head-strong in terms of basketball ego, and they aren't guys who mind being "everything" men. What also destroyed that duo was Kobe was young and had never been given the keys to a franchise, while Shaq was already a proven commodity and the tail-end of his absolute prime. If they were both FA's in 2003, there is NO way they would have stayed a tandem. Meanwhile, Wade and LeBron WANTED this oppertunity, and have played together on FIBA so they know what to expect from each others' games.

I would MAYBE agree if it wasn't for the fact that it's so easy to beat the tests that the government would likely issue (no way they do blood tests, and if they don't do hair folicle tests for probation, they won't be doing it for welfare). The rate at which they would successfully identify those users would be low...a lot lower than what would justify the price of administering those tests, especially if the governments wants to adminster a test per paycheck. My mom is currently in recovery and in the process of getting back her nursing liscence, which requires monthly urine screens. She doesn't have health insurance, and the price for those screening is insanely expensive (upwards of $60). If you are testing all people on welfare, and maybe only 20-30% are actual users, then you are also spending an insanely amount of money on getting clean people tested who will never show up positive. And of those 20-30% that are users, I'd be willing to bet onlyabout 5% actually end up failing the tests. You also have to remember the repercussions of cutting off the thousands of drug-users who do need that money for shelter/food. Not everyone can just move into a family member or friend's place. A lot of those people would be homeless, and that creates a whole other mess of problems (especially if they are drug users, who will turn to crime to get their fix). The more logical solution would be to cut their welfare checks down, but I think just ditching the drug test idea would make a lot more sense.

Hair folicle tests are even more expensive than the usual urine test. Once again, the price to pay for that will becoming out of YOUR pockets. It's different from getting a job because those are private companies paying for your test.

So, I was listening to Mike Francesa on the radio today, and he was talking to some call-in that was arguing about who should be this year's MLB MVP. Basically they got to the discussion that comes up in every MVP debate for any sport; how the voters should weigh who's the best player, who's most valuable and of course the medium ground of being the best player on one of the best teams. Francesa said why not just change the MVP award to Most Outstanding Player and take away some of the grey area? Do you guys think the NBA should create a new award called the Most Outstanding Player, for the player who had the best overall season individually? Or replace the MVP with that new award? Or leave things the way they are?

Two major issues: 1) Drug testing costs money. Testing millions of people costs a LOT of money out of the taxpayer's pocket. 2) Most addicts you're thinking of are addicted to substances that are out of your system in 2-3 days tops (Heroin, Cocaine, etc...). It'd be very, very easy to beat those tests, and essentially the government would be paying millions for something that would have a very low success rate.

Wade went on record over the summer saying he wasn't going to change his style of play and that he hopes Bron doesn't, either. And that's how it should be.

My mom is one of the many who is going through a time where she desperately needs welfare. With unemployment so high right now it is absolutely necessary for millions. People will always find a way to cheat the system in any situation, so try and not let that sway your opinion on the subject.

Post of the year.

Yeah, because having the worst arena in the league that was unaccessible via mass-transit had nothing to do with their attendance issues... And they sold out the Finals games fine, and the crowd was great for those games (and that entire post-season). They had some trouble a few years ago with a few games not being sold-out, but again there were many factors involved. The Nets do have a decent fanbase, but the Izod Center made the situation seem a lot worse than it was. Going to the Prudential Center will be a huge boost to the franchise, and it will be even better when they move to Brooklyn in 2 years. Besides, you completely avoided my rebuttal to you saying the difference between marketing in NJ and NY is astronomical, and manage to turn it into a Nets vs. Knicks pissing contest.

I understand this, but the Heat have capable on-ball defenders. The Celtics have made a living the past few years off incredible team defense and guys like Ray Allen and Paul Pierce defending the other team's best perimeter scoring options. Sure, they had Posey in the 2008 run and Tony Allen last season to help that off the bench, but their team defense is what shut players down. Don't mix up the fact that the Heat's strength will be team defense with them not being good on-ball defenders. Also, I fully expect Haslem to get plenty of playing time when the team has to go up against some of the more dynamic PF's in the league. He's like a mini-KG in the sense that he is an amazing help defender, but also does a very good job of on-ball defense (see- 2006 Finals). Big Z was one of the best in the league last season at defending the post, and Joel did a great job from what I remember last year in containing Bynum by fronting him and using his athleticism (although they will have big trouble if he is grabbing 1-2 boards in 20+ minutes like he did tonight). The team really doesn't have any guys that they will need to hide on defense...at least not any of the players that will be seeing considerable minutes. I've been saying since this team was built that defense will not be an issue. The Heat have been historically a top 5-10 defensive team almost every season since Riley was hired, and I highly doubt that will change now that they have all this talent. Their biggest issue on defense, from what I saw in the scrimmages they played in, will be over-gambling. However, this may be what makes this team so dominating, because once they hit the fastbreak it'll be over.

I'm not watching the game, but if they're having trouble rotating on defense I don't think the issue is having too many help defenders. My guess is the problem comes solely from the fact that it's their first game together.

Standing-Short-And-Talented.

BTW if you guys type in porno on google images then do this trick, it's like a crazy penis, breast and [expletive] tornado!!!

Amare has been in the league 8 seasons. He was the only big man on multiple Suns teams, yet was outrebounded by a decent margin by Shawn Marion. Those Suns teams often got beat up on the boards and in interior defense, and Amare failed to raise his game on either account when his team needed him to. In other words, if he hasn't shown it yet, then it most likely ain't coming. The motivation for being a leader will likely translate into a points increase, if anything at all. He's proven he can put up 25-28PPG for long stretches (aka for 2+ months at a time), so I can see that happening in NY if his level of play does increase with his new role. Rebounds? Not so optimistic. BTW, for his entire career, Amare has averaged 10RPG+ in a month only 9x. To compare, Bosh had 9 months of averaging 10 or more boards...in the last 2 seasons (just used Bosh as an example because he and Amare are similar).

Both look awesome, great job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyd4NPvzKQg

As I said, I only watched the highlights But Amare had 32pts, and there was a few plays I saw that he and Felton connected on via the PnR. And get used to him looking "lost." Amare does this thing where he just kind of wanders around. Don't worry, though, it works.

Faulty logic. Randolph averaged 10.3RPG his only full season with the Knicks, and managed to averaged 10+ boards on 2 other teams (including 11.7RPG last season with the Grizzlies). Anyway, Amare just isn't a great rebounder. Shawn Marion was grabbing 2-3 more per game than Amare during their time together on the Suns, and last post-season Amare averaged a dismal 6.6RPG. He doesn't have the instincts of a great rebounder, 'nor the determination/assertiveness. It's a shame because if he really tried he could be pulling down 11 boards every game on sheer will alone. BTW, anyone see the highlights of the Knicks preseason opener? Amare looked terrific, and his chemistry with Felton looks strong already. Very excited to see the Knicks play good basketball for the first time in about a decade...it'll be a refreshing change and will definitely help the NBA out.

Holy [expletive] that's cool lol. +1 for you.

Really? John Wall has a standing reach of 8'5'', and he's 6'4'' with a 6'10'' wingspan. The average WNBA player is about 6'0'' on the dot. Anyway, I kind of like the idea of lowering the height of the rim, maybe to about 9'6''. I think it would not only help players in the WNBA/FIBA, but also in leagues at the lower levels. It would definitely give them a big advantage over the current 10' rim, and possibly make the game more exciting. If using a smaller ball is acceptable, why can't a lower rim be as well?

Not really. The Nets are located right across the Hudson in the same exact market as the Knicks. It's not like we're talking about southern NJ...Newark is smack dab in the middle of the most densly populated area of the most densly populated state in the entire country. And Manhattan is not off-limits to the Nets in terms of marketing, as the, "Blueprint For Greatness" billboard illustrated. The only difference between the Knicks and Nets is the Knicks have the tradition of historically being the area's "A" team.

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

I used to go to a basketball camp ran by Kevin Boyle (one of the best HS coaches in the US, coached LeBron in an ASG his senior year), and one day we had a guest. It was a shooting coach who had worked with a bunch of NBA players, ranging from Kobe to Stromile Swift. He was an average guy, average height, average abilities from a physical standpoint. However, as he was giving us his lecture, he was taking shot after shot...he made over 500 consecutive jumpers from various spots on the floor. What was his secret? Proper form and intense work ethic. He alluded to how many of the NBA players he works with had no idea how to properly warm up before working on their jumpers, and the ones who didn't see vast improvements were ones who didn't work hard enough or take advice. Basically what I'm getting at that unless you're shooting 50% or better from 3pt distance, then there will always be plenty of room for improvement. Some people have an easier time improving that area than others, but you cannot blame genetics for a guy not improving his average jumpshot. All that means is you have to work harder and smarter. In LeBron's case, his problem isn't even necessarily his level of skill at jumpshooting, it's his shot selection. He takes 5+ 3's per game, and many of them are contested (as are his midrange jumpers). Improving that alone would shoot his percentages up a bit. He's already made huge improvements to his jumper, and if he fixed his crappy form up his potential would be that much higher. I meant that general wear and tear by playing tens of thousands of minutes in an NBA career makes you more prone to injury. Just like a car...the '98 Altima with 50K miles will hold up much better than the one with 200K miles, despite being the same age. Playing so long slowly breaks your body down. Being younger helps you recover from those injuries faster, but those injuries will certainly accumulate as you put more and more strain on your body over time.

Shooting isn't the only thing that seperates them statistically. Volume is the other thing, and when comparing Rondo to the likes of CP3 it is a huge factor. Paul's a guy that averages about 7-10PPG more than Rondo and has proven for years that he can single-handedly dominate games as both a passer and scorer. Rondo has his little spurts and can occasionally drop 25-30, but it is a very rare occurance because he just doesn't have that scorer's mentality. To give an example, last season Rondo had 3 regular season games where he scored 25+ points. Paul scored 25+ points in 4 of the Hornet's first five games last season. It is very easy to say, "Well, if Rondo had a jumper he could be a 20PPG+ scorer," or, "Well, if Rondo wasn't on the Celtics his average would go way up." Fact of the matter is he has a piss-poor jumper, and we have no idea how his style of play would change if he acquired that jumper (some players tend to fall in love with it once they develop a jumper, which would mean his efficiency suffer). Also, he was on a team that struggled mightily for a good portion of last season to score, and he still wasn't able to elevate himself to produce at a high volume, which tells me he just doesn't have that mentality as a player. Because of this, and the fact that Paul is a truly dominant and top 5 player in the league, and it's kind of crazy to call Rondo the best PG in the league (even though I wouldn't expect him to say anything different).

OUCH that's a ball-breaker. As mentioned, they do have the depth to win games without Boozer, but it sucks because now they lose the pre-season and beginning of the regular season to gain some chemistry with the revamped roster.