His Greatness

The idea that man defense is paramount is the biggest misconception in basketball. There are no marquee names at the five worth mentioning, but while wings are 'shutting' one player down, an anchor like Howard can shut an entire offense down.

Iverson is off the team. There are many downsides to the prospect of Brown back in the organization, but we're all desperate so this seems flawless. Bring him in.

Durant also deserves MIP consideration. You should add defensive teams to this.

Thank you sir. Going to listen tonight. And yeah Matt, I loved their debut album.

Am I missing something here? How is that retarded?

My personal favorite:

I drink alcohol to make the pain go away.

Paul, how could you forget http://i.ytimg.com/vi/7-FxIu0_kOY/0.jpg http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2001/06/07/sp_nba2.jpg

Whoa another Atmosphere fan. http://www.swagbucks.com/content/uploads/prizes-4/image2891.jpg http://planetill.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/nas_illmatic_pv.jpg http://blog.beliefnet.com/freshliving/thriller.jpg http://www.connectioncafe.com/assets/the-queen-is-dead-cover.png http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gLfeaVZEwNo/Sz8-UDV3_5I/AAAAAAAAFhM/xYfOpRjkGyI/s320/GoodbyeYellowBrickRoad.jpg http://heardbefore.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/fleet_foxes.jpg

I'll reiterate two things: his improvement was unforeseen, and at a time where they were looking to make an immediate splash, Brand was, by far, the better choice. But the essential question is still unanswered: how was Smith supposed to take them to the next level? How was he any different from their crop of players? Yeah, he's a good defender—though one of the best is an embellishment, and he wasn't this good two years ago—and yeah he's versatile, but none of that changes their fate as a first-round exit. They only gave the illusion of a "decent playoff team" because Detroit was sleeping the first three games, but we saw what happened when they decided to clamp down: the transition game was effectively neutralized, and Philly had no way to counter that. What FAs in that class could've made a similar impact the way Brand was theoretically supposed to? Josh Smith is a utility player that would've been redundant; J.R. Smith is erratic; and Gordon was a decent choice that would've solved shooting problems, but just wasn't good enough at the right things to be a difference-maker.

The idea was to sign an impact player that could add another dynamic to the offense. What kind of player was Smith? An athlete that could run and jump high. What kind of players did Philly have? Athletes that could run and jump high. Where is the headway in that signing? How was Smith supposed to take them to that next level? You can't run your offense through him, he can't shoot, he wasn't special enough at anything, and he had a bad attitude. Plus, he was restricted. Smith's improved heaps, but I wouldn't be alone in saying that it was unforeseen. Remember that Brand was seen as a player that could've taken Philly to that next level — of course they were going to leap at that opportunity. Years of purgatory can make you overeager. The prospect of Lee is entertaining, but I don't know if it would be any more than that. Also, keep in mind this was two years ago; no one was eying David Lee in the offseason.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Andre-Iguodala-doesn-t-want-to-be-called-Iggy-?urn=nba,101848 lol

Certainly seems that way in hindsight, but keep in mind the logic behind signing Brand at the time: he was a 20-10 inside beast that could create from high and low, and was a top defender and rebounder at his position. For a young, athletic team, it was theoretically a step in the right direction. Brand was supposed to be the perfect counterbalance that would add another dynamic to an otherwise crude offense. He wasn't, and the poorly constructed personnel exacerbated things.

He plays center because they have no one else. It's a stopgap. I qualify Hayes as a power forward because that's where he's played his entire career, and will go back to playing when Yao returns. That's just my line of thinking, but I can certainly see it your way. There is no right or wrong.

I don't get that about occupying two spots. Why would they have two? Just keep them limited to one position. I think you can list them as either so long as it's reasonable. To me, Duncan is a power forward, but it wouldn't bother me if he's listed as a center in your article. Both make sense. Either way it's not significant enough to argue. Do it however you like.

What is the average PPD among active members?

My god it's just a title... who cares. He's both. The position is interchangeable for him. There, problem solved.

So I guess you skipped over everything I just posted. Huh. Never mind.

Great site; thanks for the bookmark. Are there more sites like this and coachingbetterbball?

He draws the best big whether it's Howard or Nowitzki, much like with defensive wings checking the best perimeter threat. Doesn't change or define their position at all.

Nice effort compiling the articles, but none of it disproves my original point that it's just a stopgap. He's starting at the five, and it would be foolish to argue that because it's a fact. But isn't this just trivial semantics? He's a defensive specialist. He's 6'6. He's spent most his entire career as a forward, and he's never played any real, major time at the five until this year (when Houston has no centers). Hayes can play multiple positions, but I'm inclined to believe he's mainly a four. It really would be silly to exclude him from qualifying just because he's starting at center this one year.

I am offended. I only ever go for subtlety. Besides, biggest bust belongs to Eddy Curry for his double Ds.

What can I say, I love fisting.

It's like you read my mind.

Hayes at the five is just a stopgap — he is definitely a power forward. He's also, pound-for-pound, the premier post defender in the league. You won't find many players with better interior technique and use of leverage. And Poe, while I agree that Varejao is mostly annoying, he's really improved and has become quite a versatile defender. Plus, high-energy, high-annoying guys that can defend, hustle and fluster their checks a la Bruce Bowen (or even Rodman) are always good. Hayes, Martin, Varejao, Haslem, and Mbah a Moute.