Real Deal

The Knicks would get swept against almost any playoff team with a higher seed if they are starting Jeffries at the center position. He's not Chuck Hayes. It would be different if Amare were starting at the five, Jeffries at the four...but, still, Jeffries is not a capable starter. C - Amare | Turiaf PF - Williams | Jeffries SF - Melo | Walker SG - Landry | Douglas PG - Billups | Spike Lee

Range, facilitating, health. Wade wins, though.

They attract free agents once they become good teams. Is that too hard to understand? I gave you a couple from a year ago, and you decided to find excuses as to why it happened. Billups went to Detroit. David Lee went to Golden State (trade, but only so the Knicks could get something in return, just like LeBron and Bosh did). Carlos Boozer signed with Chicago. Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis signed with Orlando. Elton Brand signed with Philly. Steve Nash signed with Phoenix. Andre Miller signed with Denver in 2003, then signed with Portland in 2009. I'll find many more examples.

I clearly stated the last seven Finals teams, but okay. And it was a mistake. Obviously, I know Shaq signed as a free agent. That was in 1996, one week after the Lakers traded Divac for Kobe in the draft. I don't need a history lesson. Miami had free agent acquisitions? How many? 2010: Lakers (Kobe, Gasol, Drew, Odom all traded for or drafted) Celtics (Pierce, Allen, Garnett, Rondo, Perkins all traded for or drafted) 2009: Lakers (see above) Magic (Howard, Nelson drafted...Hedo, Lewis FA's) 2008: Lakers (see above) Celtics (see above) 2007: Spurs (Duncan, Parker, Ginobili all drafted) Cavaliers (LeBron, Ilgauskas drafted, Varejao traded for, Hughes FA) 2006: Heat (Wade drafted, Shaq, J-Will, Posey, Walker traded for, Payton FA) Mavericks (Dirk, Howard drafted, Terry and Harris traded for) 2005: Spurs (see above) Pistons (Hamilton, Sheed, Big Ben traded for, Prince drafted, Billups FA) 2004: Lakers (Kobe drafted, Shaq FA) Pistons (see above) 2003: Spurs (already mentioned) Nets (Kidd traded for, K-Mart drafted, Jefferson draft-day trade) Not really sure why I would have to continue doing this...it's obvious that these teams have built their teams with drafts and trades more than they have with free agency.

Last seven Finals teams...Shaq was on the Heat via trade. That's what I meant. EDIT: LOL, I meant Bynum in that particular post. But, of course, Bynum = Shaq.

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6165494

LeBron is basically telling him that, because he's still in Cleveland Cavalier mode. He either takes the shot himself, or he looks for three-point shooters. He has done it since 2003. The Heat play almost identical to the Cavaliers when they are down late in games...LeBron ISO, head down and to the rim, or him finding outside shooters. Wade is lucky he even gets to shine a little.

You won't talk about it because it's the perfect reason why small-market teams can build. This is you trying to prove that the league needs a contraction, so step up to the plate and talk, don't avoid it. Tell me why teams have to rely on free agency, and thus relying on their "big market," to become important in this league. Or, you can just not talk about it, and we'll move on.

This Kendrick Perkins... http://s3.amazonaws.com/newsok-photos/1376045/medium.jpg Looks like this Kendrick Perkins... http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/3831/kendrickperkinsarton211mv8.jpg And this one... http://www.celticstown.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/perkins-ball-e1262282311118.jpg And this one... http://i56.tinypic.com/2i27vvd.jpg They need to stop crying.

Exactly.

Chicago is tied with the Heat in the loss column right now, and the Heat's next 11 games are all against teams over .500, and a few very strong teams at that. If the Knicks don't catch Atlanta, and the Bulls maintain their play (and maybe even play better, now that Noah is back), the Cavs Heat could have the third seed, against the sixth-seeded Knicks.

If you're going to place a team over another due to a single loss, you might as well hold the same logic for the other three #1 seeds. But, after seeing the other 3-4 excuses you've come up with (ending with it just being a personal preference, haha), I guess that's exactly what it's about in the end...the personal preference, nothing else considered. In that case, my #1 seeds are... Kansas St. John's UConn Kentucky Kansas because they deserve it, and the other three because I like them.

Like I said in July, it's LeBron's city now. In 20 years, it will be cemented as such by BOTH the media and the fans. People can talk about LeBron being Robin, but the truth is, his ego is far too big for that. Whether Wade lets it happen or decides to speak out about it...that remains to be seen...but right now, Wade will take the backseat.

A Heat/Knicks playoff series would be awesome. Right now, it's very possible...could happen in the first round. And the Heat are the better team right now. Who knows how much that will change after another month of Amare/Melo/Billups, but even with the loss, the Heat are a better team.

Which teams beat Duke? Just curious.

-___- Is OKC a big market? Do you know that Bosh considered the Thunder? Once a team builds through the draft and through trades, free agents will hop on board. Ron Artest? The Lakers were in need of someone, and he was a HUGE reason why we won our second title, locking down Pierce and Melo. His words: he didn't come to the Lakers because of the market, he came because Kobe needed help. He walked in on Kobe after the Celtics series, in the shower, and told him he was going to win him a title when the time came...and that was in 2008. Boston isn't LA, New York or Miami...but Shaq felt like he could win a title there, mainly because Boston needed one more big to get it done, and they were already a near-complete team. The point is, it doesn't matter the market. A team in Kansas City would be able to contend if they had brains in the front office. Draft the right way, make trades, and then look for the one free agent that turns you into a champion. Lakers, Celtics, Magic, Spurs, Cavaliers, Mavericks, Heat...the last seven Finals teams, all built with the draft and trades. Bryant, Pierce, Garnett, Allen, Rondo, D. Howard, Nelson, Duncan, Parker, Manu, LeBron, Dirk, Terry, J. Howard, Wade, Shaq...how many of them were signed through free agency? None.

BUT WITHOUT GASOL, THE LAKERS DON'T WIN NOTHIN! We haven't won a ring without Fisher, either, but that doesn't mean Fisher is an awful defensive player, and he misses around 63% of his shots. Thank God Kobe was there. Otherwise, that's a dunk. People wonder why Kobe is never on his man when his guy is launching threes. This is why, most of the time.

KC and Vegas (never said Vancouver) wouldn't have to build using free agents. If you had read my proposal about the expansion draft, and a top draft pick, you would've skipped the part about needing to be a big market team to contend. Not sure why that's hard to understand.

Not a good enough defensive player to change the way a bad defensive team plays. If Marion couldn't do it with the Suns, Jeffries sure the hell won't do it with the Knicks. Plus, his average defense doesn't make up for the horrible offense.

You obviously aren't following, so there's no point in me elaborating anymore.

Cool...doesn't matter. Champs aren't built through free agency, and any team can get it done as long as they draft smart and make the necessary trades. The Clippers are a .500 team if everyone stays healthy. They have been one of the worst teams in the league, every year, despite being in a big market. Now that they actually drafted well and chose Griffin (and, hey, even Eric Gordon), they are on their way to a playoff run next season. Big market matters? It hasn't for years. No need for contraction. Owners need to wise up and make the right moves (or hire better scouts and general managers). Big markets are ruining free agency, because all of these teams (meaning, half of the teams in the league) are dead set on shedding salary to bring in someone like LeBron, when all they need to do is play it smart and build a team, not purchase one. You remove those lower-market teams, and it solves nothing. Using that kind of logic, you should remove the bigger markets, to disperse the free agents...but then, that would be stupid as well, due to the loss of fans and money. Keep it the way it is, move teams, and send a memo to owners telling them that they need to do better, or sell their team.

RIGHT. I have no idea why Rudy Gay decided to stay in Memphis, and why Trevor Ariza decided to go to Houston. I'll try not to use caps to get my point across: champions are built out of the draft + trades. Spurs and Duncan/Gino/Parker, Lakers and Kobe, Celtics and Pierce. Boston traded for Garnett and Allen, Lakers for Shaq and Gasol. Heat and Wade, traded for Shaq. It doesn't matter where you are. If you draft well, and you take pieces to make smart trades, you contend.

Which free agents did you talk to?

Not if you're going to put them in legit cities. It gives free agents two more teams to go to, decreases the chance that three all-stars will come together in one city. There's absolutely nothing good about taking 2-4 teams out of the league. The only way it works is if you take 10 teams out, and I'll stop watching the NBA if they were to ever do that, because it's a ridiculous idea. The league needs to stay the way it is. Keep the 30 teams, move a couple to cities that will bring out the fans and attract FA's, and people need to stop bitching about the top teams in the NBA. It doesn't matter how many teams are in the league...people want to go to LA because of the team's rich history and because of the city itself, and a team like the Cavaliers had seven years to win a title...they just failed, and it had nothing to do with the amount of teams in the NBA.