Real Deal

CB34 is a beast.

Your knockout wasn't showing up for me earlier (not sure why), but now it works. Haha, that's sick. Dude is pretty thin...could be a beast with ten extra pounds of muscle on him. I wonder how much quickness he'll lose gaining a bit of weight. I know fighters (especially boxers) can put on 10-15 pounds of weight (fat or muscle) and get noticeably slower throwing punches and kicks, and while that KO was in slo-mo, I'm pretty sure he picked that foot up off the mat quickly, because the dude he knocked out barely had time to react.

The only thing that caught me off-guard for a minute...I look at the roster, and I'm not really sure what this group of guys can do: Antawn Jamison Mo Williams Ramon Sessions Anderson Varejao JJ Hickson I mean, will the Cavs try and run with that five? Jamison at the three, maybe? I mean, that's the worst defensive team in the NBA, by far...and not to say that Varejao is a bad defender (because he's actually pretty good), but he's not Dwight Howard, and he won't be able to make up for everyone else's poor defensive play. McGrady's Magic won 21 games in 2004. He missed 15 games, though (2-13 record), and this team looks more "put together" than that Orlando team, so I really have to believe that the Cavaliers won't finish with 60 losses, unless they tank (like the Nets did last year), but then, that's an entirely different perspective.

Yeah, I think they were talking about a particular weight class he would fight in (whether he moves up or not), not exactly the entire clan of UFC's best fighters. You make it sound like this guy is a smaller version of GSP, though. Is the competition actually up to par with the UFC? I mean, there are some nasty D-League teams out there, but none would win over 15 games in the NBA, you know? I'll check out some fights. Like I said, I've never, ever watched the WEC. Never even heard of Aldo. You're a huge fan of the sport, so you obviously know what you're talking about...I'm just trying to wrap my brain around how good he is and how he would fare against UFC competition, compared to someone like Silva and GSP, who are elite fighters I've watched over and over again.

Typical ESPN...either praising the Heat, or bashing the Cavaliers (one or the other happens with an answer to the question). Heat wins. They will win 60+ games. Cavaliers can win 25-30 (means they'll lose 50-55 or so).

1) How fun will it be moderating OTR during the season? Don't lie. 2) Worst player in Wizards history? 3) In ten years, best player in Wizards history? 4) Who will have the bigger impact for their team this season, Donovan McNabb or John Wall? 5) Who will contribute more, Josh Howard or Kirk Hinrich? 6) Same question...Andray Blatche or Gilbert Arenas? 7) Make one realistic trade that benefits your Wizards. No, the Heat would never consider Howard and McGee for Wade. 8) Change your name to AboveLegitimate if the Wizards start the season 0-3? 9) Ranked 1-30, how high are the Lakers on your favorite teams list? 10) Who is #30 on that list?

Never noticed this before... 2001-02: 47 games 2002-03: 82 games 2003-04: 55 games 2004-05: 80 games 2005-06: 80 games 2006-07: 74 games 2007-08: 13 games 2008-09: 2 games 2009-10: 32 games Four seasons, of his nine, he's played in over 55 games. Altogether, he has missed approximately 37% of his career. What are the chances he stays relatively healthy (and, of course, out of trouble) for the rest of his career?

There has to be if you guys are saying you can't get this game for anything less than $99. All new games for us are usually $60.

LOL, the same serious questions they had for Oklahoma City. Kansas City is very capable of supporting the team. I'm not even sure how that's up for debate.

Uh...let me dive into it and ask the biggest question so far: what's the point of saying that LeBron didn't blame it ALL on race? We know he didn't. But he brought it up, partially blaming it on race, and he's wrong for doing so. It's as simple as that.

In a way, he's correct in saying that the 1-2 punch is great compared to Bosh...because compared to the other two superstars, he's not. Now, I wouldn't call the duo great, either, and I don't use the word "great" to describe very many players...but this is just Shaq making Bosh look bad. When you look at the comment as a whole, and you consider who said it, then yeah, he's in the wrong.

I read somewhere that a lot of die-hard UFC fans think that Aldo is overrated and would be dominated by their top fighters. I've never watched the WEC, actually, and I've never seen the guy fight. Just saw on the news a bit ago that he won his fight, though...and easily. I guess nobody should try and stand toe-to-toe with him?

It all ends on OTR. Permanent bans will be given, and it doesn't matter the member. If needed, I'll drop 75% of this community or more, just to get rid of the issues...I really don't care at this point. Posts, images, avatars and signatures, anything that is racist or bashes religion or atheism, and you will be tossed. The mods will be aware of this once they read this topic, and they will be advised to ban indefinitely, PM me, and I will drop the member from the site for good.

Haha, yeah, I hate LeBron because he's black. That's why my favorite player is white.

It will be just as easy, because player salaries will be lower. Again, the big three in Miami makes $14-15 million each. A five-year, $60 million contract (what was projected to be the max first proposed for the new CBA) will pay guys $12 million a year, on average. Max deal. Of course, there's a salary increase per year, which means that starting salary will actually be lower, or players will agree on $12 million a year for five years, no increase. That's only $36 million off the hard cap to keep three max deals. And big markets DO care about the luxury tax. Jerry Buss had a deal on the table to bring in Kirk Hinrich, but he refused because the Bulls would not take Vujacic's $5 million off our hands, and Hinrich's $9 million contract would cost us double. And what free agents are willing to take the MLE to begin with? Mike Miller is one, but he's been injured for a couple of seasons. Guys like Odom and Ariza...they will all make over the MLE until they are too old or injured to be considered stars. The overpaid players actually help prevent teams from snagging stars for the MLE. Rudy Gay is a great example. You introduce the hard cap, and it's going to be packaged with salary cuts. Salary cuts make it easier for teams to retain players. Hard cap in place or not, the "elite" teams will always dominate professional basketball, while teams like Milwaukee and Minnesota will always struggle to contend, and it's mostly because of the market and tradition. New Jersey just brought in a Russian billionaire. Even with a hard cap, what NBA player would NOT consider living a life with him by their side? What NBA player would choose the city of Memphis over Los Angeles, one filled with celebrities, spotlight, sponsorships and rich history?

Wait a minute...isn't that tampering?

Basically, that's it. No MLE or LLE's, no Bird Rights. You have $70 million (making up a number), and you don't go over for any reason whatsoever. You have a draft pick that you need to sign, and you're at a $70 million payroll? You waive someone (or buy them out), or trade someone for future picks, to free up space.

I wasn't aware that Marc Gasol was trash. He was scouted for two years before that draft, and the only reason why he wasn't a first-rounder was because he wasn't showing interest in the NBA. But anyway...your first sentence...a hard cap of $65 million? So, basically, the Big Three in Miami can co-exist? Because all three are making under $15 million that first season. It gives the Heat $20 million to work with, due to your hard cap proposal. Mike Miller signed for $5 million, with Ilgauskas at under $2 million. House is cheap, Anthony had for cheap, Arroyo is vet's minimum, Chalmers is under a million, Howard and Magloire are at a million each. Miami basically has the same team they have now. Here's what will happen with a hard cap, and here's why it will ruin the NBA: superstars will still go to those teams, taking less money (like the Heat trio) knowing that they can make much more through endorsements. Because the max contract will more than likely decrease significantly, it will not be a problem to sit at a $65 million playroll every single season, maintain your three superstars or all-stars, and still dominate the league. It also kills players like Haslem, who are loyal to their city, but will be waived once he starts getting good enough to earn more money. So less talented, borderline stars (not all-stars) and sixth men basically get punished for getting better? They grow on the fans, and suddenly, get tossed aside so a team like the Knicks or Heat can bring in another superstar for $14 million? I'm a GM of the Knicks, and I'm in New York. We all want to be there, as players. Superstars will have lower max deals, so why not just try out my Knicks? Why not just create the super-team of three, $15 million each, and surround them with $20 million worth of players? Salary cuts across the board, so even guys like Mike Miller will be had for much cheaper. Hockey is not basketball. The hard cap will never work in the NBA, and it only promotes players signing cheaper deals that, as an option, may never increase per season, which means three superstars can be had for five or six years even with the hard cap, and that owner never, ever has to change that team's core during that time, never has to worry about salary increases and hitting a luxury tax, and he can go on winning titles galore. Same boat, but with bad weather awaiting.

LOL, I was thinking SOMEONE on this site would see it the way a few analysts and people over at RealGM do, but I guess not. No debate here, haha.

In other words, two reasons: small market teams can compete, and undeserving players would be given smaller contracts. Most of what you said falls under the category of having all 30 teams compete. Thing is, paying less for guys like Gooden also means underpaying deserving players, so that cancels itself out. As far as all 30 teams competing goes, that's what the draft is for, and that's why teams hire intelligent and witty general managers and scouts. The Sixers are dishing out over $69 million, 9th most in the league, and it's not translating into wins. However, the Thunder are at $50 million, 24th most in the NBA, and they nearly upset the Lakers and won 50 games last year.

It actually has extended outside of the Heat forum, just an FYI. And this will not continue to happen, by the way...just sticking that fact out there.

You got me there. It rarely happens, so go brag about it to your parents and friends.

Chill out, fellas.

Gotta pin this, or else it falls to the last page of the forum...don't know why ESPN didn't have this game on the schedule, but I missed it. Sorry fellas.

TIME: 2:30 PM ET TV: ESPN2