Real Deal

@PDcavsinsider Hmm...

Awesome, I have four Celtics to choose from! What do I select if my favorite player out of the division was Brook Lopez? It's actually Bosh, but I'm just curious...

Yeah, Wallace is playing out of his mind this year, and you can't really say he's just boosting his stats on a bad team. He's one of the best rebounding small forwards I've seen since Charles Barkley (who could actually play both forward positions most of his career, as does Wallace).

1) LeBron James 2) Kevin Durant 3) Carmelo Anthony 4) Gerald Wallace 5) Paul Pierce Gerald Wallace is averaging 19 points, 11 rebounds, shooting 48% from the floor and plays excellent defense. All of that is better than what Paul Pierce is producing for Boston.

Maybe he'll do a Thriller pose in mid-air, before he throws it down. But seriously, I hope it's not just him wearing the Thriller jacket...but that's what I think will happen.

Wow, man, Curry went OFF. As much as I like Ellis, Golden State needs to trade him for a very good big who can play in the post, and let Curry take over in the backcourt. Those two can't run together. And what's up with Tolliver and Morrow? Curry - 36 points, 11-22 FG (50%) Tolliver - 29 points, 11-16 FG (69%) Morrow - 26 points, 9-16 FG (56%) Wow.

If Monta Ellis is truly injured, I understand. I just realized he didn't play last night against the Clips, so maybe that really is the issue...and maybe he would've been inserted into the lineup had he played, but I doubt it.

On what planet? http://i49.tinypic.com/nqs76f.jpg And the last time Shaq was in the playoffs, he averaged 15 PPG, 9 RPG on just 44% FG while getting CRUSHED by Duncan, who averaged 20/15 while playing injured.

MONTA ELLIS IS GETTING ROBBED. Nice to see Lee get in, though. He deserves it.

It's funny because this is one way to hook up with girls. You don't get pictures of them unless you dish out the photos first, and if they see something they like, you put your foot in the door.

Rondo crashes, the Celtics crash. You can't be surprised by this.

If the MVP was mostly about the individual and given to the best player in the NBA, Bryant would've gotten it numerous times over the last decade, and it would be warranted by his play. I'd say both LeBron and Durant are playing better than Bryant right now, but if all three were healthy, Kobe is still the more complete player. Billups was never the best player on that Denver squad. Value is related to individual play and talent. Every GM in the league would take Carmelo Anthony over Chauncey Billups, and that defines value. Right now, the award is a three-man race, and there isn't a fourth involved. LeBron, Durant and Kobe...in that order. Once Bryant becomes healthy, he'll overtake what Durant is doing on the floor and will be side-by-side with LeBron in the race. With that said, I still hope Durant wins it, if Bryant doesn't grab another. Wishful thinking, though.

People are marching in Tehran, chanting "Death to the Dictator." I wouldn't object. I hope someone puts him to sleep.

Not now, unless both sticks went out. I wonder if it's overheating...or if it's the graphics card. It could also be the CMOS battery, but you'd have to pull the laptop apart to change that. I guess you can still try the memory issue. If it's anything else, you have bigger problems, and you'll have to take it to a tech (which sucks). It's tough to diagnose a problem like this when you aren't physically there.

Great, great news. Made my morning, believe it or not.

Were there two sticks of memory? Either way, you can take that stick of memory over to some place like STAPLES, let them match it with a new one, and see how much it may cost. I THINK your laptop is an Acer Aspire 2000. If so, that means you have 512MB of DDR333 RAM. Check this out: http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=DDR333+PC2700+RAM&_sacat=0&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313&_odkw=Acer+Aspire+2000+RAM&_osacat=0 If I'm right, you can fix that laptop for less than $20. If I'm wrong, you blow less than $20. Hell, you may even want to upgrade the memory if the cheap one you buy works. Otherwise, you'll be taking it to a tech that will charge you for $50+ worth of memory and $60 worth of labor.

I think I question Bynum more than I do Bryant, in that discussion. Kobe can run the offense as much, or as little, as Phil asks him to. I'm just not sure how well that will translate, either way, with Bynum on the floor. As I said on TLN, Bynum is quicksand. You throw the ball in, and it's a point of no return...one of the bigger flaws in his offensive game, to be honest. And basically, I think that our problems lie with that (Bynum's lack of aggression on the defensive end due to less touches offensively), in addition to Fisher's inconsistency on the offensive end, and how both of those hurt us as a team. That's why we are 9th in points per 100 possessions this season, compared to 3rd last year. Of course, I left out Fisher's mental and physical roadblocks on defense, but that's a given.

You sure do paint the perfect picture, but I just don't see that happening. You know I want Bynum coming off the bench...but you're spot on about his attitude if that were to happen (hell, look at it now). So that kills the Gasol/Odom combination. In fact, Odom was playing EXCELLENT basketball as a starter the first year we had Gasol, to the tune of all-star numbers, if I remember right. I posted it somewhere, either on OTR or TLN...but he was shooting almost 60% and giving us a clean double-double, almost playing like Gasol is now. I know Bryant is reluctant to pass to his teammates a bit more this season. For me, that's a no-brainer. However, I feel it's warranted after watching these guys disappear in second halves of games, and it was Bynum, Gasol, Artest, Fisher and even Phil Jackson who all stated that the bigs need to be more aggressive and shouldn't be complaining about shots. Bynum admitted he was more focused with Gasol out, Pau admitted he needed to be more demanding of the ball, and Phil questioned our frontcourt physicality, as did Artest just a week or two ago. I will say one thing, though: I'm extremely proud of Ron Artest. His shot attempts have dropped significantly from where they were last season, and the season before, and he's not hogging the ball...yet, he's still working just as hard (if not harder) than anyone else on the team when he's back on defense. I just hope we come out of the All-Star break a new beast.

And you really believe that will happen in a year's time? Technically, that's five free agents signing contracts in 2010...all legit starters, by the way.

He can't because the mindset with this team is that if you don't get your 15 shots per game, you just don't have to play defense, and you don't have to be aggressive at all. Kobe, after 51 games last season... 27.5 PPG on 47.6% FG, 5.0 APG, 21 FGA, 3.8 3PT FGA After 51 games this season... 28.0 PPG on 46.1% FG, 4.6 APG, 22 FGA, 4.2 3PT FGA Not much of a difference, at all. Last season we were champs, and people wanted to win. This season, I have no idea what their problem is...but it has nothing to do with Bryant's play.

Not only the lack of fans...but did anyone else notice that both teams scored just four points in 3:09?

The Heat won't have the money to pay Joe Johnson after they give Wade and Amare their contracts. You still need money for other players...can't just let them all expire. And if there was a possibility that Amare takes less, or Wade, or even Joe...Jermaine doesn't return, and Haslem is definitely history as well. If the Heat want Wade, Amare and Joe Johnson...they will be signing minimum contracts the rest of the way. No Jermaine, no Haslem, no Chalmers, and no Wright. McGrady is an option, sure...but I doubt he'll do much for Miami. He's a point-forward by instinct and design. You have no choice but to put the ball in his hands OR Dwyane Wade's hands...and I don't think there should be any debate regarding who to pick. Rudy Gay will get paid. With Memphis playing decent basketball, if they don't snag a big-name FA, they will give Gay the longer (and possibly most expensive) contract among all the active teams during the FA period.

Gasol has been that way all year, rebounding and giving us 15 points or so. The real guy stepping up BIG is Lamar Odom, and honestly, it's a big surprise for me.

No. And how would a stat like that tell you the impact of the individual player in a game with other teammates? The best way to build a team is by using your eyes. You don't dive into a book of college basketball statistics to draft a player. Instead, you send scouts, and you use pre-draft workouts. Stats are nearly insignificant in that regard. As far as raking in professional players that have actually had the opportunity to play alongside others for a few years, it looks to me like the Lakers haven't used a statbook for a couple of their players. Shannon Brown was a nobody with every team he played on until now. Trevor Ariza was getting pushed aside in Orlando and New York. Both have rings. On the other hand, stats would tell everyone how good Smush Parker was with the Lakers, offensively (not that bad). He left, contributed nothing after that, and now he's not even in the league. A GM using his brain and his eyes would've been able to tell that Parker, Brown and Ariza all benefit from the systems they are in. Trevor actually retained what he learned in Los Angeles, but given the role he has now (as a primary or secondary scoring option), he's struggling with his shot and would probably rather be back in LA. Advanced statistics aren't so advanced. They don't stick the individual out on an island, like a scout would. Big difference.

In an 82-game season, I'm sure it would be much different, wear and tear due to increased roles. Everyone saw how good the Rockets were to start the year, as well as the Heat...and now look where both are after 50 games or so.