Real Deal

Agreed.

When did Gasol and Bynum form a nice duo?

Please vote and explain.

I remember a segment on NBATV once, talking about Hakeem and Sampson (since I didn't get to see them live in the 80s) and Duncan and Robinson. Kind of funny, really. People were upset and believed that Houston needed a big center such as a Mark Eaton manning the middle, because both Twin Towers lacked thickness and strength. Same thing was said when Duncan came into the NBA. Most were on top of it and KNEW the Spurs were headed for greatness, but there were a few that worried about Shaq and the Lakers, as LA was throwing players in and out of the lineup all season long (I believe it was Reid, Rodman, and Knight). The Spurs swept us because we couldn't contain two aggressive, versatile centers. The contenders we could face all have slow centers, besides the Magic. Boston has Perkins, Cleveland has Shaq, the Spurs have an older Duncan and McDyess, the Nuggets have Nene, Dallas has Dampier. How are any of those guys going to stop Gasol for 40 minutes? And history tells us that length hurts the "bigger bigs" more than anything else. Gasol and Bosh have length, they can recover on defense quickly, and they are high IQ players. You take this trade, no matter what. You take it if we send off Farmar, Vujacic, Brown, Walton, or Powell with Bynum. Even Fisher (which won't happen). This creates so many mismatches with Gasol, Bosh, Odom and Artest being able to play at least two positions each, teams will feel like they are playing Nash, Marion, Amare and Kobe Bryant. Plus, it's the triangle offense. The possibilities are endless with Bosh at the four. It gives Kobe so much room to do ANYTHING, including taking guys in the post whenever he wants. Non-Lakers fans/supporters are scared for that very reason, and they have a right to be. A Kobe, Bosh, Gasol, Artest, Odom and Phil basketball team can win 70 games.

Man, EVERYONE is all over this rumor now. Bill Simmons on Twitter: Ken Berger of CBS Sports (who broke the Ron Artest signing first with his own sources): Chad Ford of ESPN: PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

TIME: 4:40 PM EST TV: CBS

TIME: 1:00 PM EST TV: FOX

TIME: 8:15 PM EST TV: CBS

TIME: 4:30 PM EST TV: FOX

Well, neither of the two are superstars or legit primary options, yet both are playing those roles on their teams. If teams want to be successful with Granger or Jefferson, they will find a way to make them second scoring options alongside someone like Wade or LeBron. So really, this trade wouldn't do much, in my opinion. The Pacers would still struggle, and the Wolves would still be one of the worst teams in the NBA, unless Love just completely broke out after losing Jefferson as a teammate.

Yep, Gordon in the NBA and Chalmers in college. Give Chalmers another two or three years though...but I doubt it will matter.

We are going to get DESTROYED, unless Kobe somehow finds his shot again.

LOL, Kobe's defense is also pretty bad. He's fouling like crazy. Doesn't matter what individual players do, though...just go read the Varejao for Sixth Man topic if you want more information on it.

Alright, well, it's pretty obvious Kobe isn't immortal anymore. He's gotta just step up and accept that he needs surgery, or something. His shot looks terrible, going off in all directions, sometimes flat...just not him.

Uh...seriously?

I can re-create that trade checker, I suppose. That'll make things easier. Maintaining the rosters is the toughest part, just being online each time to update them. I don't know, though. I'll see what everyone else thinks, also.

You mean the mock I ran at JBB and brought over here? I'm not sure I'll have time for that, though.

Thanks guys. Not just that, actually.

I didn't think about that, actually.

Don't really believe it...but wow. http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/lakers_deal_for_raptors_star_has_FbaSSsePPGi1gsgGsfES9M Please God...

I have a surgery on the 20th, so I'm not really sure...but it'll be after that. I'm leaning towards that weekend, but I'm uncertain because I'll have to drive over an hour away, and that's after an eye operation.

In other words, a GIF creator. http://gickr.com

Maybe we can fire up a miniature GFX team? Either way, I'll have promo sigs added to the gallery, and probably other work as long as it is labeled with the site name somewhere.

Thanks to Mason for the idea, by the way.

We're doing nominations a little different from the traditional method we used to roll with two years back. This time around, for each category, you will "nominate" two members (or topics, team fans, etc). These two will be your top selections, no matter who else has nominated them. For example, if someone adds "Gamerguy" as one of their selections, you can still nominate him. At the end of the week, I'll collect the data and post a poll with 3-4 different nominations for each category, where you guys will vote for the awards. Here are the categories: Member of the Year (post the display name) This member contributed greatly to the growth and rebuilding of OTR throughout the year, has shown dedication to the site, had no problems abiding by the board guidelines, and maintained a good to great attitude when discussing topics with other members. 1) 2) Most Improved Member The member that showed the most improvements in posting and attitude from the previous year. 1) 2) Most Valuable Fanbase Excluding staff contributions (moderating and administrating), the most valuable fanbase in regards to posting. All thirty teams eligible. 1) 2) Most Memorable Moment OTR's most memorable moment in 2009. 1) 2) Most Underrated Poster Among all registered members, the most underrated poster. 1) 2) Best Match-up in a Debate (two posters per selection) Among all members from the past year, what two have (or would have) the best debates? 1) 2) Best GFX Designer Among those who have actually designed a few things in 2009. 1) 2) Twin Towers Award (two members per selection) A duo that, in your mind, could be identical twins in regards to knowledge and opinions. 1) 2) Two things to remember: owners and admins cannot win the "Member of the Year" award, and all banned members are not eligible for anything.