Real Deal

Artest drove to the rim, from 24 feet out, completely uncontested, for a layup. WTF. LA has attempted about 40 lobs already, lol. This is nuts.

That makes sense. But, okay...you're telling me that Bynum will secure boards and play defense, and he has guys that will get out and run, and those boards will ignite the break. Bogut is a good rebounder, can pull down double-digit boards every game, and he plays defense. The Warriors will run the break. I'm not really sure what the difference is, regarding this.

Wait, are you saying the Sixers aren't going to slow down and play through Drew as their primary scoring option?

They have a variety of options, and I think that's what can make them tough to beat...not necessarily a dominant offensive team, but just a nuisance. You have a point guard that can distribute and shoot (which is ideal), and a two-guard that could be one of the best shooters in the league. Lee isn't your traditional post-up, back-to-the-basket forward, and he loves cutting...while Bogut is the complete opposite as a big man. Barnes can create his own shot or play off the dribble, but even more beneficial, he's a solid defensive player, and you get that out of both him and B-Rush...not to mention Rush has proven he can be a productive offensive player if he's given quality minutes as a third option (just sticking that out there). A team with that much to defend, all 24 feet of the floor, any angle...it's going to be a tough match-up. Bogut doesn't necessarily have to run with these guys, just like Bynum won't need to run with Holiday, Turner and Co. in Philly. The difference is, though, Bogut isn't a guy that's going to drop 20 for you every night, and his presence will be felt more on the defensive end...and that's something the Warriors have been seeking for years. Golden State has been in the top half of the league in offense every single season since 2006, but bottom half of the league (and mostly, bottom ten) on the defensive end since 1994 (1999 doesn't even count as a season, to me). I won't worry much about their offense.

I have a feeling Atlanta will dangle Josh Smith out there, as trade bait, before the deadline...and he'll get a taste of those rumors very early, realize he's not staying in Atlanta, and may not put out enough to land that All-Star spot. Could be the opposite, if he really wants to stay, but I don't know. Wall makes sense, but the Wizards have to win games. Lawson is going to play for a new contract, and he now has Iguodala as a teammate (and Iggy has been facilitating for quite some time now, so the load will be lifted a bit), so I'd stick him on this list. Will anyone be surprised if Anthony Davis gets in? I know the fans will vote for him, and Howard will take the starting center spot...but will his defense land him a spot, despite the Hornets' record, and will the coaches be swayed by the fan vote?

Fox News should be booted from the TV, and MSNBC is getting bad at bashing Romney...not as bad as the grudge that Fox holds against Dems, but the gap is closing. MSNBC has a couple of shows that make me want to cringe. For politics, CNN is my channel. I will flip between the others, though, if there's breaking news about a current event.

I'm not going to say Mark Jackson is a better coach than Doug Collins (or will ever be better), but Vogel has only given us one full year of coaching (around 100 games total), and I believe Jackson could be decent, at least. I mean, we can also say that Mike Brown will be the death of the Lakers. Health is obvious, which is why I pointed to Curry and Bogut. If I was taking bets, who gets injured first, and who misses the most games? It's sad to say that, but yeah... The Pacers just seem like a similar team to me, and we saw what they did last year. Granted they only won 42 games, in a weak East, but it was enough to grab the third seed, and it's far better than the 25 or so wins the Warriors had (because of everything you stated above, lol). I'm willing to give Mark Jackson this second year, and hopefully (well, I don't really give a damn), the team can play up to their potential, stay healthy, and sneak into that 8th seed, so the Lakers can sweep them in the first round.

When I look at the Grizzlies, I see a team like the Pacers. You have guys (Gay, Randolph) who are better as second and third options, exactly like you have in Indiana (Granger, West), and while you can be a decent playoff team with the right kind of balance, you aren't going to contend that way. The worst place to be is in the middle, and it feels like Memphis is stuck there...low playoff seed, or just outside of the playoffs, with a mid-first draft pick, and a small market team. I think Rudy and Zach would do fine together if they had a primary option to play behind, maybe an elite two-guard that can facilitate an offense (or a three that can do it, and Rudy slides down to the two-guard slot, but you won't find many of those available...there's only one). Otherwise, you have two guys who need the ball to be effective, who both can get you 20 a night, and are reluctant passers. As Nitro noted, besides scoring, neither do anything else well (other than Zach's rebounding). Sadly, both Rudy and Zach are getting big money for the next three years. Randolph has a PO after those two seasons ($16.5 million), and Gay will be making $19 million during the 2014-15 season. Gasol is also going to cash in, and Conley has the longest contract of their top four players, so the Grizzlies really are stuck. Nobody will want Randolph until he becomes an expiring, Gay is making almost as much money as LeBron, Durant, and D-Will, and Gasol is up there with Iguodala and around $2.5 million from Rose.

I'll say the Warriors, but it all hinges on Curry and Bogut's health. If those two can put out for at least 70 games, Golden State could find their way into the postseason, with the talent they have right now. Stephen Curry David Lee Andrew Bogut Harrison Barnes Klay Thompson Brandon Rush Carl Landry Richard Jefferson Jarrett Jack Honestly, that's a lot of talent, and a lot of different options. You don't have anyone outstanding, but if Denver can get away with not having a superstar last season, and the Sixers and Pacers did the same, why not Golden State?

Neither has Klay Thompson and Brandon Rush, but I'm not going to sit here and say they are more valuable. I read that you believe Westbrook is the best player on the Thunder. That alone tells me you may believe he's better than Dwyane Wade, or close, and he's not. Just so you know, Durant isn't only the better offensive player (vs. Westbrook), he's actually the better defender. Last season, his Defensive Rating, his Allowed PER, AND his Allowed FG% were all better than Westbrook's...by far. This is all considering the fact that Westbrook defends PG's, and PG's tend to shoot a lower percentage from the floor than SF's. Maybe someday, Westbrook and Harden will be a better duo than Wade and Bosh in their primes, but I'll be shocked. As of how they play right now, at their age, the Wade/Bosh duo is superior due to nearly every reason in the book.

Durant sidelined? He has missed four games in three years. Any all-star player can hold down the fort as a #1 option for a limited amount of games. The difference is, both Wade AND Bosh did it for more than four games. More than one season. They did it for seven years. I didn't say Bosh is a franchise player, but when he was in Toronto, he was much closer to one than Westbrook, and definitely Harden, and he proved it by leading them into the playoffs after a 47-win season in which he averaged 23 PPG and 11 RPG. He also racked up a 24/11 season, and there are only three active players that have done that (that I can think of), and that's Duncan, Garnett and Love. Most everyone else (Barkley, Shaq, Olajuwon, Ewing, Malone, Robinson, and Webber...the only guys to accomplish it since the mid-80's) are basketball greats and franchise players...most superstars. Wade and Bosh are the better individual players, and their championship (and the fact that they beat OKC) helps me indicate that they are the better duo as well, and if history needed to explain its side, you have two guys who have spent seven years each leading their teams as the #1 option, while Westbrook and Harden have yet to come close to that.

Yeah, I'm running out of ammo, though.

LOL, Robin Lopez looks scared to death in that picture.

What the hell? http://distilleryimage1.s3.amazonaws.com/b240ffd01b3d11e2984522000a1fbda3_7.jpg http://bc02.rp-online.de/polopoly_fs/don-king-beruehmteste-box-promotor-welt-1.1591390.1313830571!/httpImage/3336753535.jpg_gen/derivatives/rpo32_457/3336753535.jpg

I'd rather give a max deal to Westbrook. Personally, I don't think a lot of players deserve the money they have gotten while in their primes, but it's hard to answer a question like this because, quite frankly, I have to consider all other contracts given out. If I consider what others have made over the years, then Westbrook deserves it. If not, I wouldn't say he does...close to the max deal, though, but if it was all up to me, I would never give a non-superstar a max contract, even if he's a big man. A franchise player that's not a superstar (ex. Andrew Bynum) can be an exception, although I would have declined him as well, because of his injuries. Then you have a guy like Danny Granger, who was brought in to be a franchise player, but is more of a second option scorer on a contender...and I would not consider giving him the max. I don't think Westbrook is there yet. CP3, Rose, Williams, and now Rondo...those guys are different (and Rondo is that non-superstar exception, because I believe he's a franchise player at this point), but Russ still has a lot to learn.

It did a few months ago, especially considering the way Harden played in the Finals. Westbrook and Harden better scorers than Wade and Bosh? That's an all-star, and a borderline all-star...being better than a superstar (still) and an all-star who was nearly a franchise player (back in Toronto). Westbrook will never, ever be as good as Wade, anyway, offensively or defensively, and Bosh was a primary scoring option on a Raptors team that he led to the playoffs, while Harden is still a third wheel on the Thunder.

If Perry Jones turns out to be a starter-level player (and it's not like I'm stepping out on a limb here, he could do it), Ibaka becomes a guy you can trade. But, Perk has to go first. You try and keep your four (Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka) together for as long as possible, since Ibaka is a key ingredient to your defense. Does Harden really deserve the max, though? I don't think he does. When I look at him, I don't see a franchise player, and I definitely don't see a superstar. It's hard for me to say a non-franchise player deserves a max deal, and while I know someone will overpay, I don't see why a team would go for broke over him. Doesn't make sense to me.

Assistant coach, that's it. Don't stick him in our lineup.

Now, it's Durant. Wade and Bosh are a better duo than Westbrook and Harden, and the Heat have put together better role players as well (Chalmers, Ray Ray, Battier, Haslem).

Not sure the severity, but it's the same ankle he keeps hurting (and the one he had to have surgery on last season). Hope I didn't jinx him in that "contract expiration" topic.

Yeah, and they are just screwing around out there right now...0-4 in the preseason (will probably be 0-5 after tonight). Dwight plays on Sunday, though...so all of that talk about him missing two months of the regular season was BS.

Can't wait to see all 28 jersey switches in 2014, lol. I remember how bad it was in the summer of 2010, when ESPN decided they should go ahead and jump in as well.

I could see the argument for Wade not doing it, but I seriously doubt LeBron will take another paycut. Not at the level of play he's at right now. And Bird Rights will allow Miami to re-sign him, of course, but again, that doesn't give them the room to bring anyone else on board. The CP3 thing...I really don't know why that's a big deal (some are talking about him and LeBron teaming up in Miami). I believe Paul is going to start hurting soon, from those knees, and once you get to that point, downhill is pretty steep.

Wade, and getting out of small-market Cleveland...those were two reasons as well, even if he doesn't want to admit that. Take Wade out of the picture, and consider the bigger markets (LA, NY for example), and suddenly, Riley doesn't have much to tie LeBron down with. And again, you're assuming Riley will stick the necessary talent around LeBron, yet you state that Wade will be in Miami forever. Well, as he's declining, you've got a guy that's making nearly as much as James, and Wade isn't going to take a significant paycut in 2014 (he's still too young for that, he already took a small one to begin with, and he's not Allen Iverson), so as long as you have two $20+ million players on your roster AND Chris Bosh, that's your cap. Eventually, Chalmers is going to get paid, so even if you lost Bosh via free agency (and I doubt you will, because he'll want to stick around as long as he can)...I mean, that was the only concern you guys have had. The new CBA no longer allows sign-and-trades for teams over the cap, and Miami isn't the only team that has to be concerned about that. Fortunately for LA, Kobe is going to retire soon, or take a steep paycut (again, his words, so FWIW), and with Gasol and Nash coming off the books...LA isn't going to be in a bad position.

Man, I remember that guy, lol. I feel like I'm getting old VERY quickly.