The Lone Granger

R.I.P. Definitely sad to hear that he passed. My prayers are with his family.

Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki, Anthony Morrow, Jason Kapono, Peja Stojakovic, and all the others that were mentioned.

Last to Lose: Lakers Last to Win: Pistons

Is that not what everyone was saying about Favre, Harvin, Adrian Peterson, and Moss? I'm pretty sure that it all depends on what his attitude towards the team is. If he wants to play for Tennessee, then they'll have a good team with him, but if he acts at all like he did with the Vikings, then it will be another bad situation. At least that's the way I see it.

I remember back when it looked like Smith to the Pistons was a done deal. They definitely need to show some interest again this time around if he is indeed put on the block. They could use an athletic big in the front court for them that can also play defense. The other team that I'd love to see acquire him would be the Phoenix Suns. With Amare leaving, they are kind of needing an athletic, defensive big that can also put the ball in the bucket. Acquiring Smith would really help fill that void left by Amare. What other teams do you guys see being interested in acquiring Josh Smith?

Welcome to the site man! Thanks for joining! Your going to fit in well with this site with your quality posting. Hope you have fun and are able to stay active here! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us, and we will do our best to answer them! See you around the forums man!

Source: Alex Kennedy on Twitter Not going to be a big deal, but it's still going to be a trade. What teams do you think are interested, and what would it take to get him from Houston? I'm guessing a second-round pick would be the obvious asset that the Rockets want in return, but maybe that's just me. Thoughts?

http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/web_101022.html There is a video of Barac at the link posted just above. He's looking very good with the mid-range jumper, and in all honesty he's reminding me of Andrea Bargnani in a way. I like the way he plays help defense, and he looks like he's gotten quicker on his feet as well. With his height and shooting ability, he would be a welcome addition to the Pacers whenever we decide to bring him over. Sounds like he may be getting closer to coming overseas to the NBA. What do you guys think about him? Thoughts?

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/69896/20101102/payroll_could_mean_hawks_will_shop_smith/ I remember back when it looked like Smith to the Pistons was a done deal. They definitely need to show some interest again this time around if he is indeed put on the block. They could use an athletic big in the front court for them that can also play defense. The other team that I'd love to see acquire him would be the Phoenix Suns. With Amare leaving, they are kind of needing an athletic, defensive big that can also put the ball in the bucket. Acquiring Smith would really help fill that void left by Amare. What other teams do you guys see being interested in acquiring Josh Smith? Thoughts?

Get in the boat with the rest of us Pacers fans. I had heard rumors that we almost dealt him last season at the deadline to Charlotte for Raymond Felton, but they pulled out of the deal at the last second. What other teams are offering just isn't enough for Rush. I know that Orlando offered a second round pick for him, and there is no way that we are giving him up for just a second rounder. We need to make a wing-for-wing deal that helps both sides. I personally think that a deal like Rush to the Bulls for Korver or Brewer base would be a good trade for both sides. Maybe that's just me, but we do need to get something done.

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/69894/20101102/del_negro_criticizes_barons_work_ethic/ Can't really disagree with Del Negro that much on this statement. Davis hasn't really looked in shape for the last few years, and in my opinion, he's gotten slower and a lot more injury prone because of it. The main reason that he lost his work ethic was because of the situation he was in, There was no excitement about the Clippers, and then they finally got Griffin, but he got hurt. Those are very dis-heartening circumstances that Baron was going through so I do understand his lack of enthusiasm for getting in the gym and working. That doesn't make it right, but now he has to get back and start working harder to make up for the time that he didn't. Thoughts?

Can't wait to see them! Sounds like a very good move all-around for the site.

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/69892/20101102/rushs_minutes_will_be_sparse_upon_return/ Good to see O'Brien finally saying that Rush isn't better than the rest of his wings. There is no way that Rush should come back, and right away get major minutes. We have two better wings than him in Dunleavy and George, and he just shouldn't get minutes when those two are playing decent. I agree that if King George isn't playing a good game, why not sub him out for a few minutes and see if Rush can get something going, but we can't use him ahead of those two guys in my opinion. Thoughts?

Varejao 'Happy' Being With Cavaliers http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/69891/20101102/varejao_happy_being_with_cavaliers/ Varejao loves it in Cleveland, and that's just another factor that makes me think that they both will not, and should not deal him. He wants to stay and help contribute and play hard to win games for the Cavs. He's also a fan favorite, so why would you want to move a player like that? Thoughts?

I agree with Real Deal as well. Here's what I think about the situation. Gasol is the main concern, and it surprised me to see them give money to Conley now rather than Gasol. I'm pretty sure that they will be throwing whatever money they can muster Gasol's way. As for Randolph, he's a great player, but that $17M can be used to both help sign Gasol, and then the remainder can be used to pick up another solid big man. Their lineup would look like, PG: Michael Conley SG: O.J. Mayo SF: Rudy Gay PF: Free Agent/Darrell Arthur (if he keeps playing the way he has been). C: Marc Gasol Or even another thing to think about is what about Hasheem Thabeet? I know he hasn't turned out to what Memphis was hoping he'd be, but why not trying moving Gasol to the power forward slot, and throwing Thabeet in the lineup at center? Granted, the numbers he's been putting up so far in his career are not enough to call him a good option as a starter, but it is another possibility. If they go this route then they would be able to sign a very good backup big man that could step in and start if Thabeet doesn't work out.

Great job by the Hawks getting this deal done. It was coming down to the wire, but they decided to give him the money and get the deal done. Horford is a huge part of their team, and adding him back long-term is huge for them. If they had let him walk, they would have had major issues in the frontcourt unless they were able to sign another big-named player, but they lock Horford up long-term. Definitely disappointed me to see as I was hoping he would be an Indiana Pacer, but as an NBA fan, I know that the Hawks did a great job for their franchise by locking him up. I never really had a doubt that he would end up back in Atlanta, but for Pacers fans this is disappointing.

Great move for the Suns. I'm pretty sure that the reason they didn't get this done earlier was because they wanted to pay him what THEY wanted to pay him. They didn't overpay int his deal, and they got their players locked up anyway. Dudley is going to play a big part for the Suns, especially when Grant Hill decides to call it a career. He's going to impress some people assuming he keeps working hard on his game, and playing hard like he does. Very good deal for both sides here.

I was very surprised when I saw this on ESPN. Some teams that I could see interested are the Indianapolis Colts (with their receiver injury issues), or maybe even the Kansas City Chiefs to add another receiving threat to their offense. I'm sure the Bills are going to take a look at him, but the attitude issues are definitely not what they need for their young franchise.

Well, Conley is a big part of their team. While he hasn't been putting up major numbers throughout his career, he's still been a very solid point guard for them. Since he's starting to play good basketball this year, I think they decided that they were going to go ahead and give him the extension. Did they overpay for him? Probably. But it's one of things where they knew that they needed to get something done, and they did what they thought it would take. Decent move for the Grizz.

Welcome to OTR man! I used to go by tj#5, I'm sure you remember me lol. Great to see another RST great come back and join. Hope you have fun and are able to stay active! See you around the forums.

Happy Birthday htown11! http://www.nba.com/media/rockets/clutch_logo_new.jpg www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6S_Me4jESs

I actually wouldn't be surprised if one of those teams were the Pacers trying to acquire a legit starting power forward. However, I don't see Cleveland dealing him off this year. They actually look fairly decent, and assuming they are still competing for a playoff spot at the deadline, then they won't dealing him. During the offseason it wouldn't surprise me if he isn't back, but this year I have a gut feeling that he'll be with the Cavs for the remainder of the year.

atdhe.net They carry every game, so don't worry about NBALP ending, just hop on that site and stream the game anyway. I read that post from Built Ford Tough in the game thread about the Raptors-Kings game, and just thought I'd share this with everyone.

Lol, Quinn Buckner is one of the best analysts I've heard. He brings a lot of excitement to the game as you heard from that explosion. He's not even the Play-By-Play broadcaster, he just completely cut Chris Denari off and took over with the "Take That!" lol. Great to see the excitement coming back to the Pacers though.

He was ridiculous with the Knicks. I remember one game against the Pacers he was hitting everything. It was exciting to watch him hit the fadeaway threes with people in his face, and similar to what he's doing now in Atlanta with the and-one's from behind the arc. Also, I miss Nate Robinson in New York. I think that if they had kept both of those guys, and had them today they'd be a very exciting team to watch. As it is, they are still decent to watch now with Amare, but if your not a Knicks fan it's not going to grab and hold your attention for too long.