Real Deal

The same way the Lakers had trouble with the Rockets in the playoffs last season. Houston changes their style of play really well when it's needed. Last year, the Rockets ran up and down the court once Yao fell to injury, and it manipulated the way the Lakers defended them. With Scola out tonight, Houston probably changed it up a bit (not sure, didn't get to watch most of the game).

He may not be the best overall player right now, but Joakim Noah is Chicago's MVP.

I agree with Dick Vitale. Just let the kids enter the draft right out of high school. College basketball won't suffer from it. There are many guys who have been afraid to go straight to the pros, or just wanting to go one or two years to a school before the draft. There's a lot of talent out there, and some of them aren't smart enough, or just don't have the money, to get into a college.

Well, assuming the Nets are going to make a run for LeBron, they may need to bring in a respected coach, instead of a rookie on the sidelines. Frank was respected. Byron Scott is looking for a job.

Wow, 30 point lead in the third. At least we're beating teams that we're supposed to beat (something we had trouble with last season). Beat the Warriors by 33, gonna beat the Nets by 70.

Durant just said on his Twitter that Scola was hurt this game. How bad was it?

Houston should go to their two "bigs" before anyone else on the team, including Brooks and Ariza.

I wouldn't say he was doing fine at any point during the season. He'd been shooting bad the entire year so far, and taking too many shots in the process. @ BLAZERS (start of regular season) 3-8 FG (37.5%), 12 PTS vs. WARRIORS 9-21 FG (42.9%), 25 PTS vs. BLAZERS 11-17 FG (64.7%), 33 PTS vs. JAZZ 6-15 FG (40%), 15 PTS @ LAKERS 5-21 FG (23.8%), 15 PTS vs. THUNDER 8-18 FG (44.4%), 21 PTS @ MAVERICKS 3-10 FG (30%), 9 PTS vs. GRIZZLIES 7-17 FG (41.2%), 17 PTS @ KINGS 10-21 FG (47.6%), 28 PTS vs. LAKERS 2-12 FG (16.7%), 9 PTS @ SUNS 8-21 FG (38.1%), 19 PTS vs. WOLVES 6-19 FG (31.6%), 18 PTS @ HAWKS 7-18 FG (38.9%), 16 PTS vs. KINGS 7-19 FG (36.8%), 19 PTS @ MAVERICKS 8-15 FG (53.3%), 20 PTS @ SPURS 6-21 FG (28.6%), 17 PTS @ THUNDER 7-23 FG (30.4%), 17 PTS

59-34 at the half, Kobe with 23 already. Hope Phil takes him out for the fourth.

It should be Beasley, but that's why the Heat are inconsistent and struggling to win games. If he was playing up to his expectations, they would be fine. Beasley had a solid fourth in that last game, though...but it takes at least 25-30 minutes of good play to truly make an impact and be called the second best player on the team. Fact is, 12 minutes of good play doesn't exactly make up for the 20 minutes of inconsistent and below-average play that LED to you having to play exceptionally well in the clutch to have a chance at a victory.

Go ahead and sit Kobe for the rest of this one, please. Rest him for the next game.

Yep. He just needs someone to get him shots, that's all. It may never change, either, as the season progresses. Teams will know not to give him the lane, and he'll always settle for the shot, because that's what made him a valuable player in Los Angeles: spot-up shooting. Assuming McGrady does come back, and at full health, you'll see a different Trevor. Landry is a monster.

You can translate that many different ways. Was Richard Jefferson a bust? No. But the Rockets traded him before he played a single game, so as their pick...yes, that PICK was a bust. They wasted it by trading it away. Or, like I said, Jay Williams is a great example as well...but let's take someone else who played very well until injuries ended his career: Danny Manning, for the Clippers. He was an excellent player, top pick...didn't play long. Was he a bust as a player? Nope, because his exceptional play at Kansas maintained itself as a professional. But, as the first pick in the draft...the pick was a bust, because the Clippers passed on Mitch Richmond, who was an all-star and stayed healthy much longer than Manning.

Len Bias was a bust in regards to being a "pick" in the draft. He can't be considered a bust as a player. Hope that makes more sense. Wasted pick. He ended his life, his decision. If he had been permanently banned because of steroids, more people would be understanding of this. But, you can't say he was a bust as a professional basketball player because, for all we know, his college abilities could have translated into success on a pro level. Simply put, he's not Michael Olowokandi. He's more in the category with Jay Williams, who could've been an excellent NBA player had it not been for his accident. Leaving out the actual details, yes...but again, as a pick, it was a bust. As a player, you can't say that.

There wasn't much flopping in the late 80's and early 90's (when I started watching basketball). That was around the time guys loved to contest shots, and you wouldn't get called for every bump you gave a player in mid-air. Now, it's a habit to look for a flop on a break if you're a mismatch, instead of blocking the shot or ripping the ball as the player brings it up over his head. It makes the game less exciting, to be honest. Where I really don't agree with much of what Rasheed says, I actually agree here.

I'm already getting a feeling that Kobe wants to take the game over early.

None of that really means much. The Lakers have been without Gasol for all but one road game, and it was the roadie we won against Golden State, by 33 points, with Gasol contributing to a tune of 22/12. I'm definitely not concerned about road games if we have a full roster. When Gasol was out, teams eyed Bryant, doubled and forced the Lakers to beat them with Bynum. With Pau playing, it's impossible to do that.

I would be absolutely astounded if we lost to the Nets tonight. I don't see anyone containing Bryant, and Lopez won't be able to stop Gasol or Bynum. There's just too much going on. Our next loss will be against someone at home. I just have this feeling that all of our home games will make us a bit too comfortable, and we'll drop one before we start playing on the road again.

By the way, keep this topic up, mods (just closed). MrHB isn't Harry Burks, either...but I have an idea, so please keep it up.

These guys don't realize how damaging this kind of stuff is to other sites. It's not hard to figure out who they are to begin with. -_- Just helping us out in the long run...misinformed, misplaced, and missing us.

Kobe didn't play much, didn't shoot all that well (just attempted seven shots, also), and we're still winning by 10. I'm comfortable with these games, thankful for the talent we have.

Welcome to the best.

Removing post count numbers doesn't change anything. It doesn't encourage you guys to post more, and when a new member registers to a 100k post forum, he is fully aware that he's starting out at zero. Are you guys saying that someone is less likely to register at RealGM to discuss basketball, and stay on there, just because they show post count numbers in topics? JBB removed the post counts from the left pane, and it didn't do anything. NBAD removed them, and nothing. People are going to want that at this time (meaning those who are already here) because it helps me find out how active members are over time, as you also see the registration month and year. It also assists me in finding those here just to spam their site in their sig. If I see that they are making short posts that really make little sense to the topic, and see the site link, I look over and notice they have 35 posts or so...and it's a quicker way to lure me into checking in on the rest of their posts, and comparing it to how active they are on their own site. New members don't stay because of how they are treated. If it's a Lakers fan, the comment is, "Great, another Lakers fan!" If it's a member who dives into a religious topic the first week he's here, there's no chance he wants to stick around. It's been that way for five years. Removing left-pane post count view doesn't change anything.

Gives me a reason to root for the Sixers in most of their games, and maybe my brother will start watching basketball again.