Real Deal

They need a true leader, a good coach, AND a scoring post presence.

Then it's an even better comparison, as Turiaf doesn't have a ring.

Haha...so what Shaq did was acceptable and in good taste, but LeBron does isn't? It's because Shaq was a Laker. How about asking Kings fans if it was in good taste? Ask asian Houston fans if they were happy with what he said about Yao Ming. Simply put, if LeBron was a Laker, it would be "in good taste" in your opinion, just as it was when Ronny Turiaf was dancing around and acting like a complete idiot on the bench when he was with us. I'm done with the topic.

I saw it scroll at the bottom of the screen on ESPNEWS, as I flipped through the channels.

Shaq? He's a four-time champion and arguably the most dominant offensive player of all-time.

Kobe will attack early, to neutralize what Durant may do, but I hope the Lakers go to the post quite a bit, especially with Gasol, as Green will be defending him. Jeff did a decent job on Dwight Howard, but Gasol's offensive game is more polished, so strength won't always slow him down. As good of a defender Ron is, I hope Bryant is on Durant most of the game. Kevin isn't going to take anyone to the block all game long, so maybe Bryant is the ideal defender here.

The Clippers sure could use Blake Griffin this game. This should be a good game, though. Gordon is an underrated defensive player, and he'll be flipping back and forth between a few of Houston's scorers this game, maybe even defending Brooks at times, and the Clippers have a big enough frontcourt to manhandle a smaller Houston team, although the Rockets could just run them to death tonight.

Still no Dirk? I don't think Portland can blow this game like the Cavaliers did. The Blazers will be more than aware of what Dallas is capable of without Nowitzki, so Roy and the Blazers should be able to control the tempo and take Terry and Kidd out of the game.

It may not be that easy. How's Smith's injury? Minnesota has a couple of bigs that can easily establish deep post on Josh and even Horford, so it may not be so fun against a team that the Hawks may even take a bit too lightly to start the game off.

Zach should have another big game, maybe even Gasol. I don't see Memphis doing much with the likes of Monta and Maggette, but I just think the Grizzlies have too many weapons for a team like the Warriors, who struggle defending all positions.

The Bulls just need to focus on dominating the glass and creating open looks off of Rose's penetrations (if he'd actually do that). If things turn sour, Rose has to attack the rim and score at will on the Knicks' guards. He's too fast and athletic for them.

Still no Granger? Brandon Rush was moved to the bench. His play has been ugly recently. This should be a 30-point beating, though, unless Troy Murphy goes nuts and gives the Pacers a 30/15 game.

Chandler 10.5 rebounds, over/under?

Pound the ball inside with Brand and Speights, and Philly will win this game.

Karl Malone is the second greatest PF of all-time. Charles Barkley is third. John Stockton is a top five PG of all-time. Jason Kidd is as well. None of them have rings. Pair LeBron with a prime Shaq, and he's got rings. Do you think Melo will win a ring where he's at right now, with the teammates he has? Do you think Wade can win one with Beasley? Do you think Durant can win a ring with Westbrook and Green? You're looking into this way too much. Dennis Rodman's attitude was five times as bad as LeBron's, yet he was a pivotal piece on the absolute greatest team of all-time, the 72-win Bulls. Kobe Bryant, the one you say LeBron shouldn't be compared to, had a poor attitude for the first half of his career, which included the dynasty. All the while, saying LeBron's skillset is weak doesn't help much, either. He improved his jumper, has a nice fadeaway, added range, is slowly improving his post game (slowly), and his defense is much better than it was back in 2006 and 2007. I don't know what else to say. I'm the biggest Kobe fan here, and I'm not sure if LeBron will ever be in the same league as Bryant as far as overall game goes...but he will be the best player in the NBA soon, and if there's one current player that deserves to be in a commercial with Bryant (if that's even something up for discussion to begin with), it's James.

So all this is about, really, is LeBron's attitude? Well, Jordan was one of the most hateful players on the court. He didn't dance around and showboat, but he mouthed off to everyone, including teammates and opponents. As far as Magic being on Jordan's level, that's inaccurate. Only his five rings puts him there...and to be honest, even LeBron would eventually have championships running with Kareem, Worthy, Scott, Cooper, Green and Pat Riley. LeBron out of the league in 6-7 years because of his attitude? Well, that's 14 seasons. Jordan played 15. Larry Bird played 13 seasons. David Robinson played 14 seasons. Those guys should've watched their attitudes, I guess.

You remove Jordan from the 90's, and Karl Malone is arguably the greatest player to play in that decade. He didn't win a ring.

Kobe to LeBron is a much, much, much different comparison than that of Garnett and Randolph. In 3-4 years, LeBron James will more than likely be the "undisputed" best player in the league. Nike is marketing the two best players because Bryant will be handing the torch to James. I know a great deal of Lakers fans don't care much for LeBron, but there isn't a single person here that can deny his talent. His attitude is in the gutter, but that can't take away from his physical abilities on the court. Personally, the only other player I'd want Kobe to share a commercial with would be Wade, but I absolutely love pairing Kobe and LeBron together. They were the two everyone focused on in the MVP race over the last two years, the two players everyone watched closely in the Olympics, and it's probably the match-up that gathers the most attention (media and fans) when it happens in the regular season. If Kobe and LeBron is a bad thing, Jordan and Magic were, because Magic sure the hell wasn't the player Michael was. He wasn't the defender, he wasn't the scorer, wasn't as clutch, and if putting the two best players in the NBA in a commercial together is a problem, sticking Magic and Bird in there with Jordan was idiotic.

Bosh would be a nice consolation prize, though. C - Lopez PF - Bosh SF - Douglas-Roberts SG - Lee PG - Harris That's not bad at all, and that's not including the very nice draft pick you guys will pick up for 2010. New Jersey won't be playing defense anytime soon, Bosh or no Bosh, so you might as well try and duplicate what D'Antoni has been doing in Phoenix and New York, pushing the ball up and playing at a fast pace, and outscoring teams.

Here's the funny part... So, obviously, Wallace is right. If Chandler needs some type of motivation to grab boards, it's a problem.

I get the feeling you aren't that big of a Derrick Rose fan, are you? I wouldn't say he's a better ball-handler, and he's not as athletic as Rose...but he's a better defender, better scorer, and arguably the superior passer.

As high as I was on Rose last year (after how well he did in that series against Boston), I'm leaning towards Evans being the better overall player. Now, the better career? I take Rose because I truly think he'll be teamed up with Wade next season, and that can result in championships down the road, if Chicago puts the pieces of the puzzle together correctly.

Thanks Kobe, Ron and Shannon (relating to our defense, of course).

All I'm saying is that it would still be a beating, today's Nets team (as in, this very minute) against today's Kansas squad. I'd put $1000 on that game. Lopez would score 30+ on anyone listed on the Jayhawks' roster, and I'd hate to see what Devin Harris would do against Collins. As it stands, both Harris and Lopez would be the best players in college basketball if they were somehow placed back into the NCAA, and two players of that caliber, with the addition of EVERYONE ELSE being NBA talent, there'd be no way Kansas takes out an NBA team. Same can be said for any team in the NCAA right now, from Texas to UNC, Kansas or Kentucky. If you want a clean example of this, take KU's 2008 championship squad. Chalmers, Rush and Arthur were the three main gears for that team. Today, two are bench players, and one (Mario) is close to being benched permanently (for Arroyo). A team of Chalmers, Rush and Arthur, along with a bunch of college role players, would get absolutely WRECKED by the Nets...and this is using those same KU players after two years in the pros.

Non-Lakers fans can celebrate victories, also, and they can believe their team is the best. I don't see a problem with that at all. We held our chins high in 2008, before Boston smashed us and made us look bad. Just because we are the defending champions doesn't mean we can start being jackasses to everyone. I believe we'll win again this season, but boasting about it just pisses people off, and forces everyone to root against you and your team.