Real Deal

Many always talk about how this is a team game, and it is (of course)...but while Denver seems to be that group of guys that defines the word "team" night in and night out, you get a sense that they need that one superstar to put them over the top. Do the Nuggets need another Melo (not necessarily him or even a player like him, but a superstar that can take over a game), or should they continue to build around the core they have now?

Simple question: if the Heat lose the Finals, how much blame should Dwyane Wade get, if we continue to see the same thing we saw in Game 1 throughout the rest of the series?

#21 #22 #51 Boston has a lot of questions to answer, with Garnett and Ray Allen becoming free agents, not having a true big man at center, and having picks in the 20's that may cause them to miss out on Doc's son, Austin Rivers. Are we going to see the Celtics trade both of their picks for a higher pick, to snag Rivers? Will Fab Melo and Doron Lamb be sporting Celtics uniforms in November?

#23 #43 The Hawks will be diving into the offseason with just six guys on the roster. Joe Johnson ($19,752,645) Josh Smith ($13,200,000) Al Horford ($12,000,000) Marvin Williams ($8,287,500) Zaza Pachulia ($5,248,750) Jeff Teague ($2,433,076) Assuming they stand still with those six players (or at least the five starters), what position do they focus on the most in the draft? Would it be smart to pick up Fab Melo, assuming he falls to #23, or go after a small forward like Harkless, Miller or Green?

Does that mean you'll consider moving Jennings or Ellis this offseason (if you select Rivers), or you're expecting one or the other to leave (or be dealt) in the future?

This is a must win for the Heat. I'm sorry, I understand that, technically, it's not...but the truth is, I seriously doubt the Heat can win three consecutive in Miami (against this Thunder team), and LeBron and Co. want to avoid having to win BOTH Game 6 and 7 on the road.

#12 #42 I won't bother posting the roster details, but the Bucks seem to be sitting pretty good in the backcourt, and right now, they lack a center. The word is that Zeller is HIGH on their radar, but Meyers Leonard has to be considered as well, in my opinion, if he drops to #12. If you're the Bucks, are you taking the best available center, no matter what? OR, do you take Sullinger, Perry Jones III, or Terrence Jones, if they are hanging around?

This is one of the most complicated teams in the league right now, in my opinion. #9 #39 #44 Roster for the 2012-13 season (as of today): Ben Gordon ($12,400,000) Rodney Stuckey ($8,500,000) Charlie Villanueva ($8,060,000) Tayshaun Prince ($6,764,045) Jason Maxiell ($5,000,000) PLAYER OPTION Jonas Jerebko ($4,500,000) Will Bynum ($3,500,000) Brandon Knight ($2,755,560) They have two Team Options to work with. Greg Monroe ($3,217,680) Austin Daye ($2,958,444) I expect them to pick up both of those options (I'd be shocked if they let either of them go for that cheap). With all of the players above, the depth chart should look something like this: C - Monroe PF - Villanueva | Maxiell SF - Daye | Prince | Jerebko SG - Stuckey | Gordon PG - Knight | Bynum Who should the Pistons target at #9? Should they trade the pick? In the second round, will there be anyone that the Pistons will benefit from at #39 or 44?

We can definitely do something like that, but as always, the members (not just 2-3) have to be engaged, and that's tough to do. If we make it an official OTR/DH mock draft (we aren't OTR anymore...hard to get used to, lol), then I'd rather have a committee of guys doing that, or using BFT's mock, since he has been digging into the draft since Toronto lost Bosh (jk).

Everything you're debating hinges on Cousins' ability to turn into an all-star and a legitimate franchise player that can carry this team into the playoffs (as a #1 option). I have yet to see anything that suggests that. It's not that I've been going off of box scores. I do watch Kings games. I'd like to think that I watch more basketball (meaning, more teams) that most anyone else, because all of the work I do is usually in the mornings or super late night, and all free time I have revolves around watching games...and, I mean, I don't see Cousins getting THAT much defensive attention. I know you're not saying it, but you're putting him closer to Shaq (in regards to that defensive attention he's drawing) than someone like, say, Nene...and I've never seen that consistently throughout the game, especially when he's off the low block and trying to face up his defender. No, I didn't want you to admit that you were wrong about Hickson. That definitely wasn't what I was after. What I predicted, when it came to Hickson, was that he would get away from Cousins (and this mess of a team that is supposed to be playing through Cousins) and have better opportunities, and he did. If you ask me what Tyreke Evans would do if he went to a different team that gave him better opportunities as a scorer, not having to play through someone like Cousins...I'd give you the same answer. I can't really say Hibbert was overrated. He was praised greatly in one or two of those games, and for good reason: he played very well in those. But, he decided not to play like a big man, not to take advantage of a smaller Heat team, when it mattered most...and that's what killed Indiana. I don't remember which games he did play solid in, but he played like he was towering over everyone out there...and then, he turned into a PF, for some reason. I'll admit it: I don't like Cousins. However, I'm not rooting against him. I would like to see him play big all of the time. I have an issue with big men that decide to play like Dirk...if you're not Dirk (and Cousins isn't), and you have a CLEAR size advantage over most everyone in a league that lacks the combination of size + dominance at that position, you take the low post and do work. When Cousins starts doing that every chance he gets, I'll listen to arguments that he can be the guy that carries this team into the playoffs (and not just in some 4-0 sweep against the #1 in the first round).

You just told me the stats are low because of the players the Kings have. That's my point. I'm not even sure what else there is to discuss, once you said that. The coaching is far from the problem. It's the team. You aren't going to be able to install a legitimate offense with Cousins as your primary option and Evans running around with nothing to do. People actually think that Andrew Bynum could be a primary scoring option on a good team. It's ridiculous. He gets tore up when the doubles come, and he gets more defensive pressure than Cousins when the smaller teams come to LA, because they are content with Kobe shooting jumpers. If Drew is unable to do it (and he definitely is, I don't care what he scores as our second option), there's absolutely no way DeMarcus Cousins can. I honestly don't care what Cousins will be doing in 4-5 years. If you Kings fans are willing to wait that long, well, I guess we'll see you in the playoffs? I've heard that for years. All of this was triggered when you started to sling mud at Westphal for the way Cousins was playing, the way he was acting, the way the team played, whatever. You're now giving me excuses for the way he's playing, and those excuses are now bleeding into the Smart era...and just a bit ago, you clearly stated the team is bad (their numbers) because, well, the team is bad. Larry Brown was done coaching Charlotte after approx. 30 games last season. He is a legendary coach, and he's also one that doesn't put up with bullshit from young rooks and sophomores that don't understand their roles or know how to act. Everyone jumped his ass because of the way he dealt with LeBron, Wade and Carmelo when they were on Team USA in 2004, but now look at the way they have acted over the years. Remember our discussion about Hickson over at TLN? What happened with him? You were relieved that he was let go, said he would be a wreck with the Blazers...and, yet, he put up arguably the best numbers of his career once he got there, shot the ball very well, took plenty of shots he wasn't getting in Sacramento, and he looked pretty good. He looked happy to be out of there. It's hard to really say much more about the situation. Everything falls on the team itself, and if Cousins is the best player (according to you), well, he's going to get most of the blame. Regarding Hibbert...he's also shooting 10 shots a night, and an overall FG% of 50%. Hibbert hasn't even taken 14 threes in his career...yet, Cousins took 14 just this past season, at 14%. Despite that, he's a big reason why the Pacers lost to the Heat, and if that's the case, I can only imagine how bad it would have been if Cousins was in that position.

Had to look that up. When Kenan and Kel was airing, I was already 13 years old and had my head into basketball and pro wrestling, lol. Never watched it before.

I'm actually kind of shocked that he would say that to Rome. Was he drunk?

Did you know that "reward" spelled backwards is drawer? :o

It marks the first time two teams that don't end with the letter "S" have met in the championship game/series of the four major pro leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB). Crazy.

TIME: 9:00 PM ET TV: ABC

The explanation given regarding Cousins' FG% doesn't mean much to me. All of the percentages you gave me are low (other than his long two's), regardless of the explanation. The best centers don't need spoon-fed, and Cousins doesn't draw double teams like Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum. He's getting blocked because...well, because he's not going up strong with the ball, or (on occasion) he doesn't have the post moves to step into the basket and knock his defender to the outside. If you're telling me that Cousins needs to develop into a finesse PF, well, he's on his way...but that's pretty sad for a man of his size. The incident with Spencer Hawes...you only heard what he said to the media. Nobody but him and Westphal have a clue what he said about player roles behind closed doors. I don't even look into that stuff. It's like the Kobe/Shaq BS, both saying there were never any problems...even Phil saying it, then we hear something different from other players, even those three guys. It's a lost cause to try and figure that out. Smart jumped into a situation where, yes, the Kings had absolutely no offensive gameplan. I agree. Why? Because you can't provide a team constructed THAT poorly with a gameplan. There was no PG until Thomas stepped in, Evans had no idea what position he was playing (and will always have trouble with that, which leads me to believe the confusion regarding the players' roles rest on the shoulders of those players, not Westphal...because their best player was clueless), Cousins thinks he's a finesse PF (but should be a reckless center that pushes his weight around, like he was instructed to do at Kentucky), Thornton has no idea what to do with the ball because Evans has no position on the floor, and the only guy that seems to know what he's doing out there (Jason Thompson) finally gets the starting role, but is given an average of just 6-7 shot attempts a night, despite being the only player on the team that can shoot over 46% (and he's at a very impressive 54%). Thompson was actually taking three more shots per game with Westphal coaching, because Westphal noticed he was the only guy that could put the ball in the basket consistently WHILE playing a defined role night in and night out, without requiring any adjustments to suit him. 2009-10 season (Westphal's first year w/ SAC, no Cousins) FG%: 19th 3PT%: 16th PTS/G: 18th REB: 10th AST: 20th oppFG%: 20th OFF RTG: 22nd DEF RTG: 20th 2011-12 season (Smart's first year w/ SAC, Cousins playing his best) FG%: 26th 3PT%: 29th PTS/G: 6th REB: 10th AST: 26th oppFG%: 30th OFF RTG: 21st DEF RTG: 29th Under Smart, the Kings played faster, scored more points per 100 possessions, but did not shoot the ball well at all, didn't pass the ball well, didn't hit the three at all, didn't defend. It was the perfect recipe for failure, and I believe it all started with them wanting to play through Cousins more than ever. By the numbers, Sacramento played significantly worse, but they had a slightly-higher winning percentage because, quite frankly, the Kings didn't play through an 82-game schedule. They didn't play the Heat, Celtics, Pacers, Magic, Sixers or Hawks twice...didn't play the Lakers, Spurs, Mavs, Nuggets, Grizzlies or Clippers four times each (just three). Yeah, Smart started Thomas...after 22 games (under him). Westphal had just seven games to make that decision to start Thomas, and I'm pretty sure he would have, eventually, because Thomas is more of a Kevin Johnson than Tyreke, and Westphal has been wanting to coach another KJ for a long time now. Not really fair to say Smart was genius to pull that off, because for 22 games, he brought him off the bench. I also don't believe Smart got the best of Thompson. Again, as stated earlier, Westphal was the guy giving him over 10 FGA/G, and JT deserved that...and still does, when you look at the rest of this roster. When Cousins came along, Thompson's shot attempts fell to just above seven a night, and with Smart the following season, they fell below that. Evans did better under Smart? Well, he actually did solid under Westphal, before Cousins stepped into play. His best season was under Westphal, by far, without Cousins...and then, not by coincidence, he shoots a horrible 41% and has no idea whether to play through a big man who doesn't play as big as he should, to run the point, to slash and get to the rim, to create for others...whatever...he didn't know. The only time a player should be taking over 15 shots a night, at under 45%, is if he's drawing serious doubles and creating for his teammates out of them. Superstars have the green light to do this...and not necessarily the ones that are Gasol-like (will shoot, but not TOO much), but those that are not afraid to take over games (Kobe, Wade, Iverson, LeBron, Durant, McGrady, whoever). I honestly don't see why I should believe this team can be successful with Cousins playing the way he does. It doesn't matter the coach.

Honestly, he could end up being the leading scorer in NBA history. That doesn't necessarily make him a better overall player than Kobe, but I would go as far as saying he can be the greatest scorer we have ever seen.

Durant wasn't having problems with anyone tonight. LeBron started on Perkins because he was preparing for the screens (the switches he would make), which was pretty obvious by Spoelstra. Didn't last long, though, because Durant didn't need the screens. He took anyone and everyone by himself, and that included LeBron James. KD is unguardable, one-on-one. LeBron admitted it in the presser. He's the best scorer in the NBA, and when you have a player of that caliber on the offensive end, it's rare to find a defender that can stop him. Maybe a defensive scheme, but the Heat don't have a legitimate big man defensive anchor, and they have more to worry about than just Durant, also.

Durant and Westbrook, by themselves, tore up the Big Three in Miami. Outscored them, threw more assists, and NEARLY outrebounded them. LeBron/Wade/Bosh: 59 PTS, 18 REB, 12 AST Durant/Westbrook: 63 PTS, 16 REB, 15 AST No need for Harden. The Heat are in trouble.

Incredible jumpshooting, LeBron and Wade. http://i50.tinypic.com/30w753c.png Why are these two attempting a combined 29 jumpers?

Chris Bosh is on the Miami Heat?

MJ and Thomas weren't teammates. They were actually rivals. The Dream Team, and most everyone in Chicago (including Steve Kerr, who Jordan slapped across the face), will tell you that Jordan was a very good teammate.

I wouldn't say that. He had a good second and third quarter, but his first Q (1-5 FG, 4 PTS) and his fourth (2-6 FG, 7 PTS) weren't really good enough. With Durant going ballistic, the Heat were needing the pissed-off, aggressive LeBron that we saw in Game 6/7 vs. Boston...but he wasn't there. Wade is pretty disappointing, though.