Real Deal

He wants traded.

Toronto will need that extra boost in defensive energy. Davis can be a real special player for them. You can't expect him to replace what Bosh did, obviously, but if you're rebuilding a team from scratch, sticking him in the roster may not be a bad idea, at all. I really hope he proves to be a starter in this league.

By the way, last season was just that...last season. Houston has a healthier Yao and Martin? Playing an injured Yao could be a problem. Losing Ariza (who was putting up excellent defensive numbers for over half the season) may not change anything offensively, but defensively? For sure. Jefferson has yet to prove to me he's better than Boozer. CB has better shot mechanics, better post, better on the glass, much more efficient (should be Jefferson, but it's not), and is a better defender, even though they both can't play it. Raja Bell just got lit up by an injured Kobe. Haywood? If you're talking about Hayward, I'm pretty sure he won't mean much to the team for a while. He's scared to even shoot the ball against the more athletic, larger pros so far. Like I said, the Thunder were slow to take off last year. They had issues with who they were going to start at the four and five, who they were bringing off the bench and what five-man units they were using. They stuck with their starters most of the year, but they took 25-30 games just experimenting with their bench, and it cost them. They won 50 games last season, and they can win 55 this year if they all stay healthy. In the West, 55 games is a top 2-4 seed, and by the way Dallas plays, the Thunder could probably drop them out of the playoffs. People thought the same thing about Phoenix last season, but they ran up and down the court on their way to a WCF berth. Is that why Boston snagged the 4th seed in the playoffs, because they couldn't beat every team in the East?

My bad...I meant to say in the west. 1) Lakers 2) Celtics 3) Heat 4) Magic 5) Thunder or Bulls

LOL, already did that. I ran one that went to [expletive] because of the individuals that were doing computer work through friends of friends of friends, house calls, no business. Just like I used to do when I was younger. Incorrect. My dad's boss is also an electrician, an electrical engineer to be exact, and he's making enough money to purchase and restore nine classic cars (three Corvettes in mint condition), moving up the ladder because of the work he has done and the duration he has spent with the company. There's also an inspector that visits Coffeyville, from Virginia, every month. He comes and inspects the oil refinery tanks and machines, stays here for three days at a time. Works for around 36 days total, makes $260k a year JUST doing that. The refinery makes roughly $3 million a day (know this because I was a systems analyst and had access to everything) and they have others on their payroll that I would consider pretty wealthy, and it's due to their work. Incorrect. Here, since I'm middle class, I'll tell you: bills that you have to pay immediately, before you fall into the homeless category. I don't drink, never had a real vacation in my life, already have enough clothes. For being in the middle class (because you are), you don't know much about anyone around you. No, they scream, "Buy me, sucker...I'm an author that gets rich by selling books about how they should get rich." When pyramid schemes first became popular, one was that you spend a little of your money to purchase a video tape. You watch it. Guess what the tape has on it? It told you how to create similar video tapes, how to sell them for a few bucks more than what it costs to purchase and make them, and what do you put on the tapes? How to make the tapes and sell them for a few bucks more. You tell someone how to screw people over, while you screw them over. So, basically, you're one of those books you keep telling us to go read, except you can't sell your words on OTR. But if you could, you would. That's how it's done. If parents could earn money by providing false hope to their children, they'd be rich by the time their kids were teenagers. You keep saying the same thing over and over again, but you don't personally know a CEO, you don't personally know a rich labor worker, and you don't personally know anyone who is struggling, and it's evident by the way you talk, evident that you have not experienced anything of the sort. I know all of them. Yeah, I've invested before. So has my girlfriend's parents. Companies sell out. Companies die. Investments wipe out, plummet. Things happen that you can't control with just the belief that "things will work out in the long run" and all of this confidence you believe you can embed into people's brains. I have no reason to believe a word you say, and neither does anyone else.

Done.

Martin's numbers in Sacramento were sugar-coated, really...but if he can put up those numbers in Houston, good for him. It'll be great for the Rockets. Ariza was a different player...definitely not the scorer Martin is, more of a third or even fourth option on a good team, meant to play lock-down defense, play the break, and hit open shots. As far as the statement from Morey goes, still laughable...but I'll stop there.

I REALLY like Blake in the triangle offense.

This is exactly why you're getting the cold shoulder from EVERYONE on the site. If it's so simple, and none of us are rich, you're basically calling everyone stupid and incapable of successfully making money, because it's soooo easy. It's so easy? Why is it your life-long goal? Why is it not your month-long goal? Why is it a goal to begin with, since it's so easy? People are getting pissed because you act like it's easy. You even SAY it is, but you ignore the fact that there are only 1,000 billionaires on this Earth. It's getting pretty damn annoying, to be honest. This is exactly why you didn't get a personal forum for this. Everyone on OTR would've turned their heads and ignored it (like they were doing), or would've given you negative attention. But, well, you'll see for yourself, I guess.

Not really sure if that's the problem, to be honest. He controlled his diabetes pretty damn well in college, much better than I ever did playing sports (way too difficult for me to control it without running my blood sugars extremely high, just fearing I'd have a seizure). I think it may be a combo of that injury he suffered his rookie season AND the fact that, really, he never had any other basketball skills aside from his shooting.

Melo, Billups, Lawson and Afflalo? 10-43 FG so far. http://www.nba.com/games/20101021/DENPOR/gameinfo.html

Wow, Steve Blake is lighting up the Warriors. http://www.nba.com/games/20101021/GSWLAL/gameinfo.html

http://www.nba.com/games/20101021/HOUSAS/gameinfo.html

Whoa...Durant led the game in assists. Didn't expect that. http://www.nba.com/games/20101021/NOHOKC/gameinfo.html

http://www.nba.com/games/20101020/NJNBOS/gameinfo.html

http://www.nba.com/games/20101020/NYKPHI/gameinfo.html

http://www.nba.com/games/20101020/DALORL/gameinfo.html

You and I have conflicting definitions of the word "scorer." Price is nowhere near a scorer. He put up points in garbage time last season and shot the ball poorly. As much as I loved Rush in Kansas, he can't shoot either. His role should be limited to defense and rebounding the ball. George's last two? His last game, he did very well. The game before that (vs. Hornets), he looked like a D-Leaguer. One good scoring game out of his six preseason games doesn't make him a scorer, at all. Granted it's preseason, he still needs to prove that he can shoot the ball. Six games, just one over 40% shooting (and four of them 33% or less). The rest of them, who knows. Ford is a scorer when he's playing. I have yet to see him play a game this preseason. Tyler scored the ball in college, but shot 36% last season...didn't actually play injured, either, because he was pretty healthy when he played...just didn't play like a big man should. I still have high expectations for the Pacers, because they picked up an excellent point guard in Collison, Granger is still around and Hibbert is looking better and better...but that won't carry them deep into the playoffs, either, if in fact they do get in to begin with.

Well, he did suffer an injury during the World Championships. Maybe that explains his terrible preseason play?

LeBron misses two more, runner and a layup, Smith on him. Game.

Didn't necessarily need help defense there, and Marvin Williams sneaks outside and hits a three.

LeBron has a little trouble getting to the rim when Smith jumps to defend him. I don't know why, though. He should be able to knock Josh out of his way. I rarely see Smith take the charge, anyway.

I love Chalmers, but man...maybe he can just go back to the Jayhawks or something.

We as in the fans? Because LeBron has been playing like it's a playoff game.

Starting to change my mind about George. I know it's only preseason, and I read the Pacers gave George that promise that he would start (rumor, maybe?), but he's not ready. In fact, if not Dunleavy, I would give Rush one more chance. He will at least try to defend, and crash the glass. Dunleavy is about as bad on defense as you can get, and may best be suited coming off the bench because, to be honest, I don't see much scoring beyond the starting five and TJ Ford (if Ford even lasts).