Real Deal

Man, I will go ape[expletive] if the Lakers decline a Bosh/Bynum trade. C - Gasol PF - Bosh/Odom SF - Artest SG - Kobe PG - who cares Maaaaannnnnn.

Yeah...he should have a Finals MVP, to be honest. He was grabbing boards over Shaq, keeping Bryant out of the paint, and contesting everything anyone put up...while Billups beat up on an old Payton. As far as the HOF goes, probably not...but zero chance is pushing it a bit. Bad thing is, Dennis Rodman should be in the HOF if Wallace is considered, since Rodman is arguably the greatest defensive player in NBA history.

Would make sense, really...but I still think that vibe will come to a close once the Wolves go after that #2 hard. Cousins has potential to be a borderline all-star within the first 3-4 years of his career, but he takes a backseat to Evan Turner in this year's draft, no matter who is picking.

Publicity. If he deserved that scholarship, so did I.

Like I said on TLN, greatness is a combination of hardware (championships and other awards), individual accomplishments, and overall player ability. Kobe is JUST OUTSIDE of the top five greatest players of all-time. Four rings and fewer MVP and Finals MVP awards set him outside of Jordan, Magic, Bird, and Kareem...and if I'm not taking into consideration the type of players, and number of teams, there were in Wilt's era, he's ahead of Bryant as well. If I do consider the lack of competition in that era, Kobe is #5 on the list. As far as overall player abilities, Kobe ranks #1a, and Jordan is #1b. It's that close. Bryant has more ways to score the ball and a better post game, Jordan is a bit better on defense BUT it's really only because Kobe plays his own zone defense. When locked in, Bryant is as good as MJ on defense. As of two seasons ago, I wouldn't have said Kobe is the better overall player...but things definitely changed. Bryant did exactly what Mike did when he lost his athleticism, and combining that with the things I mentioned in the previous paragraph (and Kobe's extra range on his shot), I can say Jordan is still the greatest player, but he's not the most skilled anymore.

The Brooklyn Tankers.

Not only that, but Bynum isn't really involved in the triangle as well. Quicksand, once the ball goes into him. Against Boston, Ron Artest will prove to be the biggest difference between the 2008 Lakers and the 2010 Lakers. Garnett had his struggles with Gasol two years ago, and with Gasol playing much more physical and better, things won't change. Bryant will get his without Posey and Ray doubling him. We don't have Radmanovic defending Perkins down low. Things will be much different.

I don't get Avery's...

I'm not sure if we actually underestimated you guys. We basically "overestimated" ourselves, if I can make sense of that. We were a finesse team that believed we could win playing that style of basketball, but our lack of physicality is what lost us the series. Our fault? Partially, but Boston was just too damn good. I truly think Ron changes that, greatly, especially against Paul Pierce (who isn't a fast and youthful player). After watching Kobe lock up Westbrook so well, I'm not sure how much I worry about Rondo, either. The mess will come from Garnett and Allen (and by that, I mean both Ray and Tony), but I'm fully confident we can take a Boston team easier than the Magic, based solely on match-ups. It would be nice to have a 100% Bynum (because of his physical presence in the post), but hell, we haven't had that in our last two playoff runs, so I can't expect it now.

TIME: 8:30 PM EST TV: ESPN

TIME: 8:30 PM EST TV: TNT

Four years? Man, that could be a mistake. Why give ANYONE other than a championship coach a four-year deal when your franchise has flip-flopped through their share of bad coaches over the last decade?

1) Gun to your head...you have to have a favorite NBA team. Pick one, NOW. 2) You write for one newspaper/website on a professional level (not OTR). Which do you pick? 3) ESPN Magazine, or Sports Illustrated? 4) List the following in order, based on their defensive abilities, all in their primes: Bruce Bowen, Ben Wallace, Shane Battier, Jason Kidd, Raja Bell, Andrei Kirilenko, Shawn Marion, James Posey, Tayshaun Prince, Ron Artest. I know you'll enjoy this question most, lol. 5) Full beard, goatee, mustache, or nothing at all? 6) If you had to take one shot to win a championship Game 7, what one NBA player would you want defending you? 7) Everyone is suddenly required to change their first name. What would you change yours to? 8) Who is the best defensive player you've ever seen play? 9) What's a special talent you have? 10) What's your favorite song out right now?

Chris Paul is a top two point guard in the NBA, and while Wall has the potential to be as good (or better) than Derrick Rose (similar play, better defense), we're talking Chris Paul. I just don't see how you say no to that.

Kobe isn't the same as he was two years ago? I'd like to think he's as good, or better. He just hit a playoff career high in assists in one game, and had six-consecutive games of 30+ points, one of those with 40. We also saw him lock up Russell Westbrook, badly, after he was manhandling Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar to the point where we were losing games because of it. Crazy enough, he's doing it with his index finger wrapped in a cast. Kobe has never truly regressed, with the exception of his athleticism...he has just had some major injuries throughout this season, and the healing process took over just in time.

There would be a riot in New Orleans if they traded CP3 for that #2, doesn't matter who was included. The only way CP3 is traded for a pick in this draft is if Washington deals their #1 and Mike Miller for him. Minnesota could stick Al Jefferson out there for trade bait, just depends on the return. That might happen, actually. They want Turner, badly.

Makes a lot of sense, really. Long, missed jumpers make for long rebounds, quick transition baskets: basic basketball. Those Kobe/Gasol pick and rolls are hurting Phoenix, too. You know what's funny about this series? Offensively, it's almost like the Lakers are playing Suns basketball, beating them at their own game. It's true that we are getting a massive amount of points in the paint, but we are nailing threes and utilizing that PNR to near perfection, and we're scoring 120+ as if we were playing Golden State. This is an excellent sign for us, though. Our offense has been questionable the entire season, ranked 10th or worse. Inconsistent play, injuries, major shooting woes...and most of it was during the second half of the season, with Bryant's troubles, Ron's pathetic shooting, and even Gasol struggling a bit. The rest really did us good, though...and a lot of trash-talking by the media and other players (ex. Barkley on Kobe, Amare on Odom, media on our heart), it really turned our game up a notch as well.

Pretty bold statement. I think it's possible, though...but I don't want to put my neck out there, haha. I think Phoenix has the ability to pull one out at home.

Not just Gentry, but Nash and Amare are just horrible defensive players, and those are the two guys Gentry needs out there on the court most of the time. I also think what Charles said about Phoenix going smaller was true, to an extent...but the problem with that is that the Lakers aren't missing their shots, and the only way the Suns can speed up the game is by playing defense and grabbing long boards, two things they are worst at in this series. Game 1, Phoenix was roasted by Bryant. They decided not to double, and he burned Hill and Dudley. Game 2? They doubled, and Bryant found all of his teammates, and it was Gasol and Artest who put the Suns to sleep, inside and out. Simply put, the Lakers can adjust...and the Suns can't. That's the difference between a true champion and a contender.

Yao can't expect a six-year deal. Four is pretty generous, considering his injury. If I were Houston, I would have a very, very tough time pushing it to five years, despite him being an excellent center.

Then they were wrong, because Elgin Baylor has eleven straight.

Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts...that team shouldn't be the worst in the league, let alone on pace to setting a record for the most losses in a season by ANY team in NBA history (up until what, the 65th game or so?). Quite frankly, if I had proof of a team tanking, I would rip their first-rounder from them. The NFL draft absolutely sucks, and the NHL draft rewards tanking teams more than the NBA does...so NBA it is, without a doubt.

The Lakers are fully healthy, with the exception of Bynum (and Kobe's finger, but that doesn't bother him as much as the knee). That means that we are arguably the most dangerous team in the league, especially now that Ron's hand is healed up. After seeing the way all of our guys are playing, I really wasn't worried that the Suns tied it up at the end of the third. It just felt like the game was still in our hands.

Still gotta get yours in, though.

Artest is hitting shots again. I love it. Kobe isn't shooting too well, but he's throwing assists...and the scary thing is, we're up nine and Kobe's quarter is the third.