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Dude, critics also like albums/movies that you and I haven't heard of in our lifetime. It's their job to listen to stuff that no one else will. Just because it's 'highly acclaimed' doesn't mean its good to every day music listeners. Of course So Far Gone had a bidding war, who wouldn't want to sign the rapper who the biggest rapper in the world co-signs? Once Weezy came into the picture, Drake exploded into mainstream. Unless you're from Toronto, you really can't comment about how overrated Drake is. They talk about him like he's the 2nd coming, which EVERYONE here (unless they're childhood friends/Young Money riders) disagrees with. If he was signed to a record label without a big name rapper backing him, he would be 1 and done. BTW you don't have to use rap terms to make people think you know more about music than them.

The New York Yankees might be world champions of baseball, but are the Bronx Bombers the world champion in sports spending? A new study ranked all the world's professional sports teams by salary and, indeed, the Yankees came out on top globally. The United States is well-represented as well. Seven American teams are in the top 10, six of which qualified for the playoffs last year. In fact, nine of the teams on the list that qualified for the playoffs of their respective leagues. Maybe spending does matter. The list is courtesy the Annual Review of Global Sports Strategies, as published by sportingintelligence.com. Dollar amount given is an approximation of the average annual salary of a first-team player on the team. http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_blog__1/ept_sports_blog-555533984-1269835307.jpg?ymrob5CDMYSjR1sH 1. New York Yankees -- Major League Baseball (USA) -- $7,000,000 Critics say the Yankees buy championships. Yet the 2009 World Series title was the team's first since 2000, despite the fact that George Steinbrenner's crew has outspent other Major League teams every year since then. The gap between the Yankees payroll and that of the second-highest MLB team (appx. $70 million) was more than the total payroll of 11 other clubs. http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_blog__1/ept_sports_blog-202274608-1269835316.jpg?ym0ob5CDF_sIOtA3 2. Real Madrid -- La Liga (ESP) -- $6,333,591 Last year, Real Madrid paid a $120 million transfer fee to British powerhouse Manchester United for the rights to Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured). It was part of a summer spending spree which saw Real dole out more than $250 million in salary and fees. http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_blog__1/ept_sports_blog-375148546-1269835324.jpg?ym8ob5CDYzZ7prvi 3. Barcelona -- La Liga (ESP) -- $6,082,940 Spending a little less than Real Madrid didn't seem to hurt Barca last year. Behind FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, Barcelona won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_blog__1/ept_sports_blog-136597875-1269835330.jpg?ymCpb5CDhf6wG6Nw 4. Chelsea -- English Premier League (GBR) -- $5,361,957 Chelsea's recent spending has led to two FA Cup titles in the past three years but the club is still looking for its first Premier League title since 2006. Saturday's matchup with first-place Manchester United will help decide this year's champ. http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_blog__1/ept_sports_blog-450061647-1269835336.jpg?ymJpb5CD7typ5fxK 5. Dallas Mavericks -- National Basketball Association (USA) -- $5,315,097 Mark Cuban's Mavs recently qualified for the playoffs for the 10th straight season. If not for a bizarre collapse in the 2007 finals, Dirk Nowitzki and company would have a title too. http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_blog__1/ept_sports_blog-543419921-1269835342.jpg?ymOpb5CD.tHL8kdq 6. Los Angeles Lakers -- NBA (USA) -- $5,098,920 Kobe Bryant and the Lakers are one of three teams on this list to have won a title in 2009. http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_blog__1/ept_sports_blog-943485269-1269835347.jpg?ymTpb5CDssAFhRYZ 7. Detroit Pistons -- NBA (USA) -- $4,995,573 Having the third-highest payroll in the NBA didn't help the Pistons get over .500 last season. The Motor City's team did sneak into the playoffs though but were promptly swept by the next team on our list. http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_blog__1/ept_sports_blog-401965296-1269835352.jpg?ymYpb5CDi1O_qrKa 8. Cleveland Cavaliers -- NBA (USA) -- $4,940,707 Cleveland currently has the best record in the NBA, but fans just as concerned with what will happen in July when LeBron James becomes a free agent. If he re-signs with his hometown club, look for Cleveland to stay on this list for the better part of the next decade. If not ... go Browns? http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_blog__1/ept_sports_blog-80718505-1269835500.jpg?ymtrb5CDkh0B92GU 9. Boston Celtics -- NBA (USA) -- $4,885,055 The nucleus of the Celtics is aging quickly, but Boston fans can't mind too much. They got a title out of this team in 2008. http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_blog__1/ept_sports_blog-940815356-1269835508.jpg?ym0rb5CDVCdAcJ5a 10. New York Knicks -- NBA (USA) -- $4,881,952 Finally, our first lesson in the perils of overspending. The 2009 Knicks weren't as much of a disaster as other recent editions (the 32 wins were nine more than NY had the year before), but it's never good when a team's highest paid player is more known for sitting on the bench in street clothes and making bizarre rants on the Internet. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/post/The-10-highest-paid-sports-teams-in-the-world?urn=top,230688

^ She is ugly broski.

If you have the money then i would absolutely say to UF. i love living at school and i could never imagine commuting. if i was in your situation i would consider paying extra myself to live at school. but there is nothing wrong with commuting if that is what you have to do, but id avoid it

I'll ignore your first point about DeRozan simply because I completely agree with it. He has the potential to become an 18-5-5 (assuming he improves his handles as his ability to slash would open up opportunities for others around him) type of player, similar to Andre Iguodala. It is way too early to tell with him though. He is a gym rat from everything that I have heard/read and you can see the improvements in his game from the beginning of the season until now so I do have faith that he will become a good player in the future. Also, I won't respond to the comments about Weems or Johnson because, once again, we agree on what they will become as we both basically said the same thing. Solid depth guys are their ceilings, which is necessary on any team in order to be successfull. Bargnani isn't really what I would consider to be young as a basketball player. Yeah he is only 25 (or maybe 24? I can't remember exactly) but when you consider the fact that he has been in the NBA for 4 years now while also playing professional basketball over in Italy for another 3 years before he came over to the NBA, I don't really think that it is realistic to expect much more from him thatn when he has shown so far. If he hasn't become a competent rebounder in 7 years of playing pro basketball I don't think that he will ever become one. If he still had the tendancy to start the game on the inside and gradually fade further and further away from the hoop as the game progresses, I don't think that will change either. Also, Bargnani has openly admitted that he is lazy when it comes to rebounding and defense, which shows that he doesn't exactly have a great work ethic. There is no denying that the man is a very talented player and possess a unique combination of size, shooting ability and athleticism, but that doesn't really mean much when you have a poor work ethic to go with it. Derrick Coleman had all of these natural tools as well but he didn't have the work ethic to turn them into anything special which eventually led to him having some great seasons in the first 5 years of his career, but eventually into a 16-6 kind of player after that. I would be absolutely shocked if Bargnani ever averaged anything close to 24 points a game. If he was on a poor team where he was force fed the basketball, I still think that he would only ever manage to score around 21-22 ppg and that would be on pretty lousy percentages. Bargnani needs a big man down low who draws attention away from him on the perimeter in order to be at his absolute best. Maybe average was a bit of an understatment, but he wouldn't be any better than above average and I still stand by what I said in regards to him being a bench player on a legit contending team, unless he is paired with a big man like Tim Duncan who can dominate offensively while being able to anchor a team defensively. If those 4 years of crappiness led to the Raptors winning an NBA Championship, then I could easily deal with it. I am just used to the mediocrity though. The Raptors have made it out of the 1st round one time in their franchise's history, and have had a combined 5 playoff berths (which isn't too bad considering they are currently in their 15th season). The Vancouver Grizzlies didn't even come close to sniffing the playoffs when they were in the league and my favourite NHL team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, haven't made the playoffs since the 2003-2004 season. When you aren't a fan of teams like the Lakers you have to realize that you need to take the good with the bad and your window for winning a championship is slim. If sucking for 4 years is what ultimately leads to your favourite team winning that championship then so be it. At least, that is the way I look at it. The last 4 years for Seattle/Oklahoma City would've been hard to deal with, but the reward is being able to watch a team who looks like they could be contenders for the next decade. It is well worth it as far as I am concerned. The Clippers struggles can be more attributed to the fact that they had a terrible owner who would rather save money then put out a winning team in my opinion. Yeah they have made some poor draft choices in the past, but the thing that has held them back is Sterling not willing to break the bank, and when he does break the bank he overpays players like Baron Davis. Their future looks pretty good though if you ask me. A core of Blake Griffin - Eric Gordon - Chris Kaman - 2010 Lottery Pick while having substantial cap space in this years free agent class is definitely something to look forward to. It all depends on how patient you are willing to be with the team that you follow though. I've never really experienced success as a sports fan (unless you consider my hometown Junior A. hockey team win a National Championship last year and Italy winning the World Cup in 06) so that could factor into my feelings as well. Tasting success could easily change my opinion and make me become less patient. The Raptors don't have a good core with a good mix of youth to eventually take their place though. Its not like Amir Johnson or Andrea Bargnani are capable of taking over for Chris Bosh if he were to leave this summer. Sure they can make up for some of his production, but neither of these two are what I would consider to be an integral core piece like Bosh is. Outside of DeRozan they don't have any real potentially franchise building block youth. Even their veterans this year aren't exactly ideal. The Raptors young wing players (DeRozan, Weems and Belinelli) have Hedo Turkoglu and Antoine Wright to learn from. Not exactly what I would consider "solid" or 'ideal". Calderon and Jack aren't bad though. Again though, it goes back to the point of where you stand on the "whole first round exit vs. lottery team" debate. I don't thnk that being first round fodder is a good thing at all, and you think making the playoffs is valuable no matter what (which I can understand if you have a great young core). I'm not saying that I would just rather let Bosh walk and start from scratch. I would've loved for the Raptors to actually build the team around Bosh and not just throw a rag tag assortment of players around him. The problem is that they have done a horrible job of building around Bosh. The one time that I think they did a good job of trying to build around him, the players that they managed to put around him were simply not as capable as they used to be. Jermaine O'Neal was unreliable and inconsistent due to his knee problems, Anthony Parker was not the very good defender that he was in his younger days, Jose Calderon was exposed as a full time starting point guard, Shawn Marion never really intended to stick around and even then he wasn't the same player he used to be (whether it was because of a decline or not fitting in the system) and Joey Graham, Jamario Moon and Jason Kapono were all too one dimensional/stupid. Now Colangelo is just deciding to throw offensive minded players who don't have a clue what they are doing defensively around him, which is a terrible idea considering Bosh himself is an offensive minded player with average defense. Again, its not like I want Bosh to leave, but when you consider that the Raptors will have $50M tied into a mediocore core, two of which are untradeable (Turkoglu because of his contract and Bargnani because Colangelo won't move him), and Calderon who won't land you anything significant anyways, I'm just saying that the Raptors might be better off losing Bosh and trying to start from scratch. PS: The jury is still out on whether or not Bosh is actually fit to be a franchise player. It is very much up in the air whether or not Bosh is in fact fit to be a franchise player, or if he is just a really great 2nd option. Personally, I think that Bosh could be a franchise player if he is put into the correct situation, but unfortunately for Raptor fans, we may never see this situation occur in Toronto. It depends on what your view of successful is. Is making the playoffs but advancing to the 2nd round at best each year a success? Or sooner or later does the playoff appearances lose their luster and it becomes a finals appearance or an NBA Championship that you determine as a success? That core you described it certainly capable of making one of those scenarios a reality, but not the other one. PS: This is somewhat irrelevant to this discussion, but I always find it funny how when people talk about the Raptors they list Bargnani as youth and Bosh as a vet, but if you actually look at it they are basically the exact same age (Bosh is less than a year older than Bargnani if I'm not mistaken) and have the same amount of pro basketball experience (7 years for Bosh in the NBA compared to Bargnani's 4 NBA years and 3 in Italy). Anyways, onto the rest of this. The thing is though, where are these pieces going to come from? I don't disagree with any of your points in regards to chemistry, experience and confidence, but where are these pieces going to come from when you have limited trade resources (Banks and Evans' expiring contracts are really the only trade chips they have for next season), only the MLE and LLE to use in free agency for the forseeable future and no 1st round draft pick (for this year at least)? The Hawks weren't a borderline playoff team though. They missed the playoffs for 8 straight years and the most wins that they managed to get in those 8 years was in 2002-2003 with 35. They had 5 seasons of under 30 wins. They were landing good picks in the draft, which is where they built their core. They drafted Al Horford 3rd overall, Marvin Williams 2nd overall, Josh Smith 17th overall, Sheldon Williams who they turned into Mike Bibby and Boris Diaw (granted he was 21st overall), who they turned into Joe Johnson via that sign and trade with Phoenix. They built a large part of their core through the draft and then added the necessary pieces to compliment them in guys like Bibby and Crawford. They were also fortunate enough to land a top 4 SG in the NBA through free agency, which is rare and not a possibility for the Raptors. Now compare the way that the Hawks built their team (through the draft and with nice complimentary signings/trades, some which involved players that they had drafted) to the way that Toronto has built their team. The Raptors have Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan as the only players on the team that they drafted. The rest of the team was acquired through free agency or trades. Also, Toronto has been closer to the playoffs than the bottom of the standings for the 4 years, while Atlanta was closer to the bottom of the standings than the playoffs for the better part of 8 years. I understand what you are trying to say, but the thing is, Atlanta has basically built their team, for the most part, the way that I am describing that I want the Raptors to build their team. They got a solid core through the draft, used their expendable pieces to acquire the necessary pieces that they need and gave the team time to mature together. The Raptors are trying to build their team through trades and free agency, which in a salary cap world hardly ever works. But what about when that highest possible position is a 7th seed and first round playoff exit year after year? Would it be better to settle for this mediocrity year in and year out, or would it be better to blow it up and attempt to build a team whos highest possible position would be top 3 in the conference and an NBA Finals appearance? Its not like this is a team who used to be a contender and has had an off year or something. This is a team who has been over the salary cap and has been the same general team (same philosophy, different personnel) for the last 4 seasons and they have 2 playoff appearances, and a combined 3 playoff wins to show for it. - Chris Bosh is a tremendous player and there really isn't much more that you can ask from him other than for him to play aggressively every night and not settle for jumpers when the going gets tough. However, when you are paying a guy a max contract, which is what Bosh will get, I definitely think that you can ask for more from him night in and night out that he has given the Raptors, particularly on the defensive end. Then again, it is hard for him to make an impact defensively playing with Bargnani, who may have the worst help defense among starting centers in the NBA. - Calderon hasn't even been that good offensively this season though (he has been good, but he hardly deserves the moniker of "one of the best defensive point guards" based on his play this year), and that makes him fairly useless on the floor because he is such a liability on the floor. Even though his numbers don't really reflect much of a difference between this year and last year, just ask any Raptor fan which version of Calderon they would rather have. On a different team I think that Calderon would thrive because of the fact that they would be able to make up for his limitations defensively, but when you are already the worst defensive team in the league, it is really hard to have the worst defensive point guard in the league as your starter, and it is even harder to be paying him $9-10M over the next 4 years, unless he is an elite offensive talent, whcih Calderon is not. - Don't disagree with anything you said about Jack. I actually think that he could be a valuable piece heading forward and is one of the players that I would like Toronto to hold onto. In fact, this season he has actually been the better shooter than Calderon has. The only thing that Calderon has on him is being a better passer really. - Lets be real with Turkoglu, do you honestly believe any of what you typed about him? I think it is pretty clear that he is no longer worried about making an impact on the floor or exploiting any mismatches that he may create. He got his pay day and now he is going to coast on it for the next 5 years in which he will probably retire and head back to Turkey. When talking about a teams future, a player like Hedo Turkoglu (this version of Turkoglu at least) is a stain on that team, regardless of what anybody else has to say. - Bargnani will never be a franchise center. He is talented and brings a lot to the table offensively, but he will never be a franchise center. Like I said above, I think that if he paired up with the right power forward/center he could be a valuable piece, but if the Raptors continue their insistence on having a Bosh/Bargnani frontcourt, neither of them will bring everything that they can to the table. Offensively maybe, but not in terms of all around players because one will be forced into situations that he isn't capable of doing (like Bosh anchoring a defense). - Agree with you the DeRozan, Johnson and Weems points. - Reggie Evans actually sucks in ever catagory other than rebounding, hustle, cheerleading and having a great beard. He can't shoot free throws, thinks he is an offensive threat and is a bad defensive player. His most appealing quality to the Raptors is his expiring contract next season. I still love him though. The biggest hole that this team has is the lack of a true second option, All-Star caliber player on the wings. The problem with this is that unless DeRozan develops into this player (which is possible, but not a given) the Raptors have little ways to acquire this player. They are either going to have to luck into one in the draft or hope that a team is desperate enough to dump a long term contract onto the Raptors in exchange for cap relief in the form of Evans and Banks' contracts along with another asset. Another problem is that they need to completely change the culture of the team, which is extremely difficult to do. I'm not worried about them finding the complimentary pieces that they would need because Colangelo, despite all of his flaws, is very good at finding these kinds of players. The rest of the players on the Raptors aren't bad pieces, but aside from Bosh, DeRozan and Jack (Bargnani and Calderon on a different team) none of them are what I would consider to be real good pieces either. Johnson and Weems, and even Wright, are solid pieces as well, but they are the kind that are easy to replace. You build with your core 3 and surround those players with the necessary talent to compliment them. The problem for Toronto is that the only player who as of right now can be considered as a legit core player is Chris Bosh, who might not even be with the team next year.

Yea, that's also true. Thing is, Wade can also play off the ball. I can see Wade and Rose actually being a pair, only if the Bulls find a way to reshape the rest of the team. The overall lack of 3 point shooting, and no real post threat either, can make the offense limited for Wade and Rose. Really, the Bulls might not be real contenders for a couple years if Wade goes over there as they are, whereas in Miami they are likely to be contenders right away, and potentially build a dynasty (at least according to Pat Riley). Joe Johnson may be a good compliment. Actually, his all around game to be able to shoot from the outside, slash, and post up can really make him fit anywhere. I had him go to New York because he's said before that he loves D'Antoni's system. The coach there might be a good attraction for a lot of other free agents too, so I can see players like Rudy Gay who'd thrive in a fast-paced offense trying to sign there as well (but I had him stay since the Grizzlies GM said he'd match any contract thrown at him). Instead of JJ, I had Boozer going over to Chicago. He gives this team more offense in the frontcourt, and he could prove to be a solid piece to put around Rose. If the Knicks don't have any interest in resigning Lee (which is possible since they only gave in a 1 year deal last offseason IIRC), the Bulls could make a move for him instead if Boozer is out of reach.

Guess your grammar and them 2 have something in common.

What a dick

Separation FTW! - Like you said, DeRozan still has hope to become a big time asset. For his rookie year, per 36 minutes he's averaging 14 points and 5 boards, and considering the fact that he's the 5th option behind Bosh, Bargs, Turk, and Calderon, and maybe even Jack, he's doing more than a solid job. Also consider the fact that he's shooting a very solid 48%, and has yet to develop the 3 ball. Looking at his game-log, he appears to improve with each month. Once he puts the pieces together, you may have your next all star wing player right there in front of you. - Bargnani was a first pick and can still potentially develop into a first option-type player, definitely much more than an 'average' player. He's still relatively young, and considering his length, athleticism, and shooting ability, his ceiling is still high. Unfortunately, achievement and potential are two different things. It all depends on his commitment. His rebounding numbers are very low in comparison to the minutes he plays and his positioning, and his defense is widely known to be among the worst in the NBA. Whether it's from lack of desire or ability, I'm not sure. If Bargs ever develops the work ethic to correct these weaknesses, he may become a 24 and 8 type of player as a first option. The fact that the potential is still there should leave some hope left on this team. - Sonny and Amir won't become all stars, I think we all understood that from the beginning, but they can at least become solid back ups as pieces to create a deeper bench. Two guys that will bring energy and hustle, while having a decent enough skill set on the offensive end to hold their own. It's important to have a good bench to bring a spark as the starters begin to tire, and to keep minutes strong for all 48. Just look at the Bucks who managed to develop bench players like Ilyasova, Bell, and Ridnour. These guys have been a huge piece to the Bucks' success this year. Maybe from the perspective of an organization, I could see what you are saying. As a fan, I couldn't disagree more. 4 years is a long time. Heck, if the Heat were to do that, they won't be any good until I'm 22! I already had to deal with 1 year for a tank job (occasionally the starting line up got as bad as Quinn - Cook - Davis - Barron - Blount... it hurts just thinking about it, lol). I don't think I could deal with 4 straight years of that. From an organization's standpoint, it depends how you handle it, and what players you manage to grab. Really, the results can range anywhere from the Thunder, who have great pieces to make a playoff run for years, to the Clippers, who make strong draft choices but haven't made much noise with them. I think the best option is in between. A solid mix of veterans and young prospects. A good core with youth to eventually take their place. Kind of like what the Raptors have, actually. I don't understand this at all, honestly. First of all, Bosh is an established star. He's got a tremendous skill-set, a great work-ethic, and on top of that, he flat out wants to win. A 24 and 11 by average big man who is arguably the 2nd best power forward in the league right behind Dirk Nowitzki. Second of all, the idea to intentionally rid the team of Bosh for the goal of a high draft pick is a huge risk. Your envisioned plan sounds like something along the lines of letting Bosh walk, tank the following year, and hope to land a big time draft pick to be your franchise player. What if this pick turns out to be a bust, or a player with less potential than Bosh's current value? Remember, Bargnani is a first pick, and who's better, him or Bosh? Third, it sounds like you are looking to get rid of a franchise player for a potential franchise player. Are you saying that Bosh, the 2nd best PF in the league, isn't fit to be your franchise guy in the first place? Last, there are other ways to tank than by getting rid of your best player. The Heat managed to do it, I'm sure the Raptors could if they wanted as well. Even then, tanking doesn't actually seem like the best option to me to begin with. Like I said above, the Raptors actually have a core. Bosh, Calderon, Turkoglu, and Jack are their vets and Bargnani, DeRozan, Weems, and Johnson is their youth. Sure, you can say the glass is half empty and look at all the holes in the line up, but with good coaching to maximize all these players abilities, it could turn into something successful. It completely depends on what the shape of your team is. If your team lacks a franchise player or a good core of players to build around, looking for a high draft pick would be the best option... if the team even has a choice, since they probably wouldn't be good enough to win too many games anyway. I think if a team is good enough to make the playoffs, you go for it. Putting a team in playoff position gives a team a base to improve on heading into the next year. It not only builds chemistry and confidence within the team, but it also helps create an identity, and as the players start to understand it, that in itself can help eventually create a contender as pieces are brought in year by year. Just look at the Hawks, for example. Year by year they've been a borderline playoff team. As they improved their youth (Williams, Smith, Horford), and mixed them with their veterans (Bibby, Johnson, Evans), and brought in a piece or two after each year (Crawford, Joe Smith). Over time, they built confidence as their playoff success grew. They developed an identity, strengthened it through each passing year, and gradually turned from a borderline playoff team into what's looking like a 50+ win team this year. Next year, if Joe Johnson stays, they may even become championship contenders, if they aren't already right now. It's best to fight for the highest position possible every year and develop an identity than to blow up the team whenever it doesn't have the utmost success. As bad as things seem right now with the way the Raptors have played recently, the core isn't as bad as you make it seem, at least in my opinion. What they have: - If resigned, the Raptors have the second best power forward in the league in Chris Bosh, and simply a tremendous all around player. A guy you can't ask much more of for his position. - One of the best offensive point guards in the league in Jose Calderon. A great shooter, passer, and all around decision maker on offense. His defense leaves much to be desired, though from what I've seen, he appears to give some effort. - One of the best back up guards in the league in Jarret Jack who could probably start for many other teams. Though he's a couple steps behind Calderon in terms of passing and shooting, he's a better slasher and defender. - A point-forward in Hedo Turkoglu that can create mismatches due to his size, ability to drive and shoot, and overall playmaking ability. He lacks defense, but if utilized properly on offense, his capabilities on that end would make up for it. - A talented center in Andrea Bargnani who creates mismatches due to his athleticism and shooting ability. If he put more desire and energy into his defense, or possibly better coached if that is actually the real issue, he would be ideal as a franchise C. - DeMar DeRozan, who is a promising athletic young wing with a decent skillset and seems to be improving over time. He has potential all star capabilities, and is also one of the better defensive players on the team who could eventually become relied to guard the best opposing perimeter player. - A back up defensive big in Reggie Evens, who is widely known to be underrated among NBA players due to the intangibles he brings. - A young wing and young power forward that can develop into solid back ups. Sonny Weems is a slasher and decent defender, and Amir Johnson rebounds well and brings energy defensively. There are plenty of holes in it, of course, which is obviously why they aren't contenders thus far, but those can be fixed over time. For now, you have to embrace what you have and maximize the talent that you commit to. Turkoglu is obviously a big question mark, and can either be a long-term problem, or a positive asset if he gave more commitment and the organization put more commitment into making the most out of Turk's abilities. As for the rest of the guys, they really aren't bad pieces at all. Really, they are one of the best offensive teams in the league as-is, and maybe with the right tweaks this summer and the next, they could eventually become contenders. First thing is first, though. It is imperative to keep Bosh. My mistake. Scratch the idea.

He bangs

Lol? I agree in some senses that Kobe is overrated, like as a leader for example. I didn't read the article but Kobe is still one of the greatest in the NBA ever. I think Kobe is talented as hell but the one thing that has always been missing from his game is that I do not believe he makes his teammates better compared to someone like LeBron James. I also think Kobe is one of the most overrated defenders in the NBA these days. Also Kobe doesn't 'rely' on his jumper, he just would rather take jump shots than get to the hole. This has been the case for the past few seasons. Watch highlights of number 8 Kobe, he was throwing down highlight dunks nightly. Obviously age plays a part in this but I am not convinced that Kobe is unable to get to the rack anymore, I just believe he chooses not to. It doesn't help with the paint being so clogged all the time, but still.