AboveLegit

I don't think you could put more of the blame on the defense, because the offense was absolutely atrocious. Westbrook and Durant outscored the entire Miami team in the second half, there was absolutely no semblance of an NBA offense ran by Spoelstra. Honestly, the strategy Miami had on defense was fine. Aside from the third quarter when Westbrook was killing them off pick and rolls, I thought their team defense was very solid. They were switching on every pick and roll, players were rotating, and they were causing turnovers with their traps.

Bron was on the right track though, he was attacking the basket rather than settling for jumpers like he did last year in the Finals, tonight they just weren't falling. Personally, I'd put more stock on the front court battle, Bosh was a -16 tonight and lost the rebounding battle to Nick Collison. That's not going to get it done.

LeBron's fourth quarter was on par with the other 3 quarters in that game... not that it's a good thing (because it's not), but he didn't choke. Now that I got that out of the way, it would be nice to see Wade actually play defense, and Bosh to stop shooting jumpers. He didn't even attempt a shot in the restricted area tonight.

I disagree wholeheartedly. Public perception seems to be that Sullinger won't produce because he's not athletic and will struggle against lengthier opponents. He's 6'9 with a 7'1 wingspan, so we can all put that argument to rest. If you ask me, he's the most polished player in the draft. His post skills are so advanced for a kid his age, the way he establishes position in the paint is NBA ready, and his face up game has improved since his freshmen year. He may not have great lateral quickness, but he uses his high bball IQ and instincts when playing help D, and knows how to push players away from the rim. The fact that he's probably going to a fringe playoff team is very assuring because he will be able to produce from day 1 without being the focal point. BTW, he's far from overweight, he weighed in at 268lbs at the combine just now. He dropped roughly 22lbs since his freshmen season.

A couple of keys to this series: LeBron: he needs to have another superhuman series like he did against Boston in the ECF. Let's hope he doesn't get fatigued chasing Durant around like he did last year with Jason Terry. OKC turnovers: They have been good so far in the playoffs, but they were facing teams that aren't particularly good at forcing turnovers. We all know Miami's M.O; force turnovers and get on the break. Wade has to be on top of his game offensively. Not to discredit Rondo, but Wade's job was a helluva lot easier covering him because he was able to sag off. Westbrook and Harden are complete polar opposites to Rondo. I think I voted Heat in 7 in the poll, but I'm changing it to Heat in 6.

One popular trade among fans at least is trading Rashard and a young asset or two to New Orleans for Ariza, Okafor, and the #10 pick. I'm not a proponent of trading for picks that are packaged with high priced veterans, nor do I believe NOH would bite (because they wouldn't)... but it's a good indicator of the type of value he could yield. Who knows, in the right deal, maybe we land players like Iguodala and Elton Brand (Philly could look to shed salary). Again, a long shot, but it's a somewhat realistic option worth exploring. In the end, Shard will likely be bought out (which is worth $13.7mill).

Pretty much sold on both Bradley Beal and Thomas Robinson. After those two (and obviously Anthony Davis who we're not getting), there's a pretty huge drop off in terms of my personal interest in those remaining prospects. As for the FA's you listed, only one, Nic Batum, is reasonable and worth targeting. Gordon is good, but not feasible.

I remember after Boston beat LA in the Finals in '08, I think it was Real Deal who said "This will probably be their only ring." I tried to fight it off because I'm such a huge fan of Garnett, but objectively speaking, that was their ceiling if you factor in their age. We knew there was absolutely no way the three would stay healthy for the next 4 years. So I'd say they met my expectations. But we gotta look at the bigger picture here. This team historically, ranks among the elite defensive units ever. They ranked first 3 different seasons in points per possession, along with a second and fifth place finish. I don't think I have to reiterate any more than what Zach Lowe beautifully described in this piece here: http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/06/11/celtics/#more-18469 If you don't read his work already, you better get on top of that. Probably my favorite writer in the business.

Lateral move that only cripples Chicago's cap situation even more. Rudy Gay isn't much of an upgrade over Deng.

Evans is a good fit as the SF on a small ball club because he defends bigger than his size. But let's be honest, he won the Rookie of the Year at the SG spot, so you stick with him there unless the front office decides to just let him go. When it comes to Marcus Thornton and where he fits, I think he's best suited at the sixth man role where his defensive deficiencies aren't as magnified. But if you look more closely at the Kings season, Tyreke actually improved as a shooter once Isaiah Thomas took over as the starting PG. I'm not ready to give up on him, you can't say he's regressed without mentioning the coaching change he's had to deal with (which involves different playing styles implemented), the plantar fasciitis he dealt with in year 2, and the lockout shortened season that stagnated his development even more. Typically guard's nowadays are developing at a slower rate. Everything Evans fails at, moving without the ball, jump shot, and court vision can improve, with a full offseason ahead, it's not out of the question to assume he will develop at least one of these skills.

Pathetic. Had a feeling after the first scorecard revealed a 115-113 decision in favor of Pac man that something was going on. I seriously didn't think it was even close to that. Bradley's manager is being generous by saying he scored it 8-4.

Amen Is anyone else concerned about Austin Rivers? His height favors his draft stock (6'5 in shoes), but his vertical jump is only 31 inches, while his wingspan is 6'7. We all know about his average athleticism, but those numbers are pretty bad for an attacking guard.

Doesn't help when you're playing out of position so much. Sure he hasn't improved at the clip we expected him to since winning rookie of the year a few seasons ago, but he hasn't regressed. I agree, he does need a change of scenery, has to go to a team that will cater to his strengths.

Oh LeBron is absolutely the best player now, and definitely much more well rounded than Durant, but I do believe at the rate KD is improving, he could be better in a year or two. I think you're highly underestimating how much Durant has improved from the past 2 seasons. And KD turns it over just as much as LeBron does per game. How do you figure LeBron is the more effective scorer? Sure he posts a higher FG%, but Durant is still deadly efficient scoring the ball, gets to the FT line the same amount as LBJ, and makes 86% of them, while Bron makes 77%. Simply put, on a given basis, you'd have to take more away from Durant than you would for LBJ if you plan on stopping them from scoring. Far too often we have a hard time distinguishing the best player from the most complete player. Durant doesn't have to average 8apg for him to be better than LeBron. If he continues this offensive onslaught he's putting on the league year in and year out, and works on his play making and defense, he has the chance to be better than LeBron, who's also more susceptible to declining as he continues to age.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--larry-bird-plans-to-promote-kevin-pritchard-to-pacers-gm.html#more-id

I really think it's a two man race between Beal and Robinson for the Wizards. If Drummond was more polished, he'd be in the mix, but with Nene and Seraphin locking up the 5 spots, there's really no need for him. Thomas Robinson measured out very well, and even recorded a 35.5 inch vertical, the same as Blake Griffin's. He's going to be a rebounding machine in the NBA.

It certainly makes him a more unknown prospect that's for sure. That's simply not true. He struggled heavily in the halfcourt, and was better off as a sixth man where he could push the tempo and be more of a spark plug. When team's really packed the paint, he struggled to produce. He won't overpower SG's at the next level, which may force team's to play him more at the 1, which we all know is not his strength. I'd love him coming off the bench for my team, but I don't think he will be a starter in this league. I think it would be foolish to draft him over Drummond, Lamb, Lillard, Henson, PJ3, Sullinger, Zeller, and Ross. So I guess I'll slot him right at 14, which is a little higher than I had previously stated. Again though, those aforementioned players are the one's I believe are clearly better prospects than Waiters. See, the thing is, with those prospects you mentioned (with the exception of Jones), they all have an established position in the NBA. Can we really say the same about Waiters?

I think Rich Cho wants to acquire more picks, and thus, may look to trade with Portland who currently hold the 6 and 11 picks in the draft. I doubt they find an offer worthy of the #2 pick. It's a smart move really, I don't like the idea of MKG to the Bobcats, and they desperately need an overhaul of quality young talent. What better way to execute that strategy than in this draft.

I've had the same logic for a while now (LeBron being the clear cut best player), but I've become more and more convinced that KD is closing the gap. The way he's been closing out games in the playoffs is nothing short of incredible, his play making is also very good now as well as his defense. Time will tell, but I think he's on his way.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/combine-notebook-2-pick-on-the-move1 Apparently they're "asking the world" for the pick, and want to package Tyrus Thomas with it.

I don't think Doc can get away with ISO'ing Pierce so much if his shot is off, the offense has to run through either Rondo or Garnett, and play Paul as a spot up shooter. I think you're going to have to put Pietrus in games much earlier, so that Pierce doesn't run into foul trouble covering LBJ. It always seems as if Boston doesn't play with a sense of urgency in these close out games.

In college? Yes it does matter. James Harden coming off the bench for OKC and coming off the bench for Arizona are two completely different entities. And I wouldn't even say Waiters was the best player the entire season. He was inconsistent, and there were times where people questioned if Kris Joseph was the leader, or Waiters. The only truly dominant performance I can remember from Waiters was in the Big East championship game against Cincinnati. I don't hate him as a prospect, but I'd be pretty cautious with taking him in the lottery. Maybe it's just me, but in this draft, there are better players you can take from 8-13. But nice heads up on his Vegas workouts, I didn't read about them.

He's an RFA, I'm sure they will. I highly doubt the Hornets are looking for a straight salary dump, pretty sure they're dangling the 10th pick so that they can get an established PG.

I'd be shocked is Presti didn't manage the cap space in a way that allows them to keep both Harden and Ibaka. They can always amnesty Perkins which should take $25mill off the books, and depending on what the salary cap is in 2 years, I wouldn't be shocked if the front office is willing to pay off the luxury tax. Regardless of that, this team, led by Durant, can be a dynasty. I actually think they're already ahead of schedule, I didn't expect them to reach the Finals this year, and based off KD's development, it's safe to say he could be the best player in the league in a year or two. It's funny, Tim Duncan led the Spurs to a title in a lockout year back when he was 23 years old, and now KD is doing the same.

I'm not buying all this Waiters hype. Guys like Chad Ford are hyping him up to be an "elite scorer" and a top 10 prospect in this draft class... it just doesn't make sense. And speaking of Chad Ford, I find it stupid that he even mentions players doing well at the combine, it's a joke to be honest. There's a reason why he was coming off the bench in college, for as good as he is athletically, he doesn't attack the rim as much. His shot selection is also pretty bad at times. He will definitely excel in the transition game, but I think he will struggle more than people think. The team that guarantees him as a top 10 pick is making a mistake, I don't think he's had a single workout yet. I value him more as a mid first round guy to be honest.