Real Deal

Posted this over at TLN... I honestly don't believe the hype.

Haha yeah, I remember playing NBA Live (an older, fun version) with a huge roster file that gave me all of the legend teams...had Bird's Celtics, Magic's Lakers, Kobe/Shaq Lakers, Jordan's Bulls, etc. It might have been the PC version of Live, too, because the faces were too damn real. Probably Live 2000, had Duncan on the CD and the "Jordan's back" feature, haha.

I wonder if one of them is Tom Thibodeau. If any coach knows how to make things complicated for LeBron, it would be him.

You hate him for different reasons, haha. If he was on the Lakers, or Thunder, or almost any other team not named the Heat or Celtics, I'd like him. He was a huge part of why KU won their championship in 2008. Same way I feel about Paul Pierce, because of Boston, and at one point, Nick Collison, before the Sonics moved to OKC. Once those guys end up on teams I can't stand, I'm done rooting for them.

Because I don't like a single thing about the Miami Heat, not even KU hero Mario Chalmers. I love Kidd, kind of like Dirk, so it has to work that way.

Makes sense, just not when it's coming from a Heat fan. In that case, the NBA would be smart to give the rings to the Heat, if we're talking about making money...but I'm really not that big of a believer on conspiracies in regards to the league actually setting it up.

Probably not. He was in my game, but I probably used a roster file of some kind...don't really remember. That's all I did with 2k10, and My Player mode. I know I did play with a Kobe, Shaq, Malone and Payton roster, so who knows. Hell, Smush is basically erased from NBA.com, so I'm assuming he doesn't exist anymore. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/smush_parker

Haha, I hear you. I hate Dallas though, mainly because of Mark Cuban and Jason Terry...but I'm on the bandwagon today, gladly in the driver's seat.

Duuuuuude, everyone in the league should've been excited for last year's Game 7. You weren't? :o

You're going to see the same thing in Brooklyn when Deron gets to play a full season with Sasha Vujacic.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-heat/sfl-miami-heat-chris-bosh-s061011,0,4493413.story That's hilarious. I'd be one of them.

Well, 3/4 of the shit he was saying made zero sense, and the video itself was ridiculous. Cool beat, nothing I haven't heard before, though. Who?

Dirk called it childish and ignorant, said he doesn't really care and doesn't need extra motivation to win a championship...just being there and being who he is would be enough. But I would've cracked up if he came up to the podium in a wheelchair. That would've been epic.

The comment was meant to anyone who likes Bryant AND is saying that LeBron's legacy is stained. The post itself was quoting someone else, but it's obvious why you posted it in the first place (in fact, I believe you even stated it, clear as day). But, either way, the point still stands. Doesn't matter who I was responding to.

What the [expletive]? I could care less what people think of LeBron when his career is over with. The fact is, LeBron's legacy is tarnished in many eyes because he made the choice to ditch a city that he promised a championship to, and he went to team up with a guy that already had a championship of his own AND another all-star. How is that hard to figure out? Yeah, people still bitch about Kobe's first three rings, say he was Robin despite him taking the most shots in two of those three title runs AND running the offense, as well as defending the best player. It happens. The funniest thing is seeing Kobe brought into this AGAIN. There's absolutely NO relation there. Nothing said in this topic has anything to do with him. Maybe Amare is a sissy because he couldn't get the job done in Phoenix, or Garnett and Ray Allen were weak and couldn't do it for their teams? Why the hell did Magic have Kareem, who is one of the greatest centers of all-time? He was drafted to LA, but still...doesn't matter, correct? LeBron left the city he promised a ring to. He went to be Wade's Pippen, and it has never been more evident than today, in the Finals series against the Mavericks. When people look back, no matter who they were a fan of in the past, they will remember his stint in Cleveland, then they'll remember his "decision" and how it was Wade that carried him to his first title (if they win this season). As a Kobe fan, a LeBron fan, Shaq fan or an Omar Cook fan, there's nothing anyone can say that changes it, and history will always reflect it.

Kobe was drafted and traded to LA. Shaq came to the Lakers not knowing Kobe was going to be a superstar. Those are two entirely different situations compared to a superstar leaving to team with another superstar + an all-star.

The Clips did throw away last year's pick on Aminu, who I doubt will be a good enough player to matter...but it was the 8th pick as well. They could've picked Ed Davis, but really, that's the only other player that may have been big for them later down the road (or Jordan Crawford, but he fell pretty far, past a lot of teams). Before the 2010 draft, the Clippers selected Griffin, Gordon and Jordan...all three starting for them, and all three productive players. One has the potential to be a superstar (Blake), and the other is a borderline all-star (Gordon). Among the other high picks they've had in the past, Shaun Livingston could've been pretty good had he not snapped his leg in half. Al Thornton was at the end of the lottery (14th), so I'll disregard him. Yaroslav Korolev was completely worthless, but he was around the 10th-12th pick as well. Kaman turned out to be an all-star center, and he was drafted by the Clips. Elton Brand was basically drafted by the Clippers (LA took Tyson Chandler, traded him for Brand that same night, who became an all-star). Odom was drafted by the Clippers. I think people remember Michael Olowokandi more than they do the other players, mainly because he was the #1 pick in the draft, the mega-bust (arguably the biggest in history, worse than Kwame, to be honest), and a negative impact like that will be felt and remembered far longer than any that is left by those that I have named (other than Blake, if he becomes a superstar).

Mason Ryan. Shave his head, turn him against Nexus, have him attack everyone, and advertise him as the next Batista. Mic skills, wrestling skills...they really don't matter if you have a massive freak like him. Goldberg carried WCW on his back for a while, and Lesnar was huge when he first came to the WWF, so why not take advantage of Ryan's size and strength before the crowd loses interest? It would also be a great way to give Punk a push. It's too bad that Cena is the super face, and that he is unstoppable. It's ruining a lot of what COULD happen for Vince and the WWE.

I think a lot of people feel Wade is the better closer because he's willing to score the ball in the fourth. LeBron continues to lose confidence. He's shooting an abysmal 4-16 in the fourth quarters of the first five games of this series, which is insane for a guy who, really, should be dominating his match-ups (Kidd, who is far undersized and lacks athleticism, and Marion, who is no longer the Matrix). I don't think a single person, in their right mind, expected this. Maybe Cleveland fans who absolutely hate LeBron and think he's the worst player on Earth, but truthfully, they've been waiting for the break-out game as well, and I can assure that, before this series started, nobody would've bet $100+ that LeBron would average just two points in the 4th quarter of the first five games, and 11 total points (something I figured he'd score in one single quarter already).

Correct, but Randy Brown wasn't that big of a deal in Chicago, so I'm not sure why you're bringing him up, unless you're comparing the two and their roles.

Yeah, he's dismissing both problems. In that presser, he was talking about how well Miami shot the ball, and how many points they scored, saying the offense wasn't the problem. He's wrong. Late in the game, the offense is indeed the problem. But maybe not the biggest problem, because Miami can't do a damn thing against Dallas' offensive onslaughts at the end of these games. Terry has lit him up, Marion is impersonating John Wall and throwing all of these spin moves on LeBron, and in times where he's not recovering quick enough, he's standing there yelling at Mario Chalmers during the game. Not surprised, though.

Depends on the trade. If you tell me Drew gets us Dwight, somehow, then no. Odom is a capable starter, though, and Drew + Odom would work in that frontcourt. Can you give me a guarantee that Drew stays healthy? If I get that, I would trade Gasol over Drew every single opportunity I get, because unlike Gasol, Bynum is a legitimate defensive anchor, and unlike Gasol, Bynum can do a LOT of damage on the low block. I'm not sure how you could disagree with that assessment (if you do).

Nine Finals games for LeBron, with zero games over 25 points. That's a problem. He's going to need to get something going soon. He shot under 40% against the Spurs in 2007, and people will never forget the sweep. Now, with the Game 2 collapse and the terrible fourth quarter performances, he's in trouble.

He was being bashed during the playoffs because he averaged 13/8 on 42% FG. Me bashing him doesn't mean I'd trade him for a scrub...not sure where or why you would get that idea. I'm a basketball junkie that breathes basketball, not a football junkie that will sometimes talk basketball. I'm fully aware that one bad playoff run doesn't turn Pau Gasol into Pavel Podkolzin. You didn't hear me talking trash on Amare's 15/8 on 38% FG against Boston, and saying the Knicks should deal him for Zaza Pachulia.