Nitro

Once again, no he doesn't...did you watch any Knicks basketball last season? David Lee made a living off the PnR with Chris Duhon and Toney Dougles manning the point. Of course it is a huge plus to have one of the greatest PGs in NBA history playing the PnR game with you, but it is not a necessity. Amare is so dangerous in the PnR that he'll still get plenty of open jumpers and dunks. Not like he did with Nash, but the oppertunities will be there. And just because the majority of Amare's points were from a certain play doesn't mean he can't score in other varieties. Amare's got a great face-up game, and that is how he usually scores against some of the elite teams in the post-season (see- 37PPG against Tim Duncan in the 2005 WCF, or his 42pt game agains the Lakers in the 2010 WCF). He's got plenty of skills to score in iso situations, and has shown them time and time again with the Suns.

Amare is great off the dribble, has a near automatic midrange jumper and is amazing at drawing contact. And it's not like he needs Nash to be an effective PnR player...David Lee managed to get a ton of looks off PnR situations last year and Amare is even better at it. Wayyyy back in 2003-2004, when Amare lost Marbury to NY via trade, he was still averaging 25PPG under D'Antoni. That was before he added a consistent jumpshot and a few new moves. I doubt he'll drop that much in terms of production, if at all. Only in FG % will he take a hit IMO.

Yes, in YOUR opinion you're a better role model if you say what's on your mind. But that's not the way the world works, and I think most people's reactions to Wade's comments (including his own apology) will back that up. It's kind of like in Chapelle's Show where "keeping it real" goes wrong. The moral is there is a place and time to say these kinds of things, and to say what he did in front of a bunch of cameras garners he and the Heat unnecessary negative attention. And it isn't a crime to say what's on your mind, but the consequence comes from the perception of the public against he and the Heat. Public perception is a big thing for these athletes and teams.

No, but at the same time Wade should do what's best for his brand as well as the Heat's. This comment makes him look bad, even if people are taking too much out of it. When you're son is looking up to Wade to be a role model, and he essentially compares himself and the Heat losing 2 games to the largest attack on our soil in US history, it's just a bad situation.

MJ signed an 8 year extension 2 years into the league. He never was a FA at this point in his career, and when he came back for the last 3-peat he was making over $30M per season on a team that won 55 games without him. Totally different situations.

To be fair, he was a starter on a team that made the NBA Finals But yeah, I understand your frustrations...I had to put up with him for 7 years. At least he'll just be a cheerleader on your bench instead of a starter like on the Nets.

I expect Amare to average about 24PPG on 50-51% shooting (to go with 9RPG and 1.5BPG). In other words, he'll be producing as much scoring as he did in Phoenix, just not quite as efficiently. The notion that he needs Nash to spoon-feed him open dunks and jumpers is ridiculous. Yes, his efficiency will go down a bit without an elite PG, but he is still a very capable scorer regardless. He has a great jumper, is impossible to stop off the drive, is great at drawing contact and getting to the line, and will still be finishing off plays in PnR situations just like Lee did last year.

Honestly I don't think I've seen him play since he was on the Nets, but if he's still roughly the same player, he's a good defender and an extra 6 fouls when you go up against Dwight/Yao/Bynum/Gasol/etc... Absolutely horrendous offensive player, though, and that was with Kidd feeding him enough freebie's to shoot above 40% (Collins has shot 32% and 35% the last 2 seasons which is God awful).

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ian_thomsen/07/16/lebron/index.html Kind of long, but a really interesting read. I agree with a lot of what he said.

It's not a bad signing because the Rockets desperately needed depth in the frontcourt (Yao or no Yao), but $5M a year? Miller's a good player and his passing will be showcased in Adelman's system, but he's 33 years old and shot a career-worst 43% last season. He's also soft, and ideally Yao's backup Center should be a bruiser that can defend and rebound well. Miller doesn't fit that criterea too well.

Eh...normally I would say start Carter and wouldn't think twice about it, but it depends on how he plays. With a player like VC confidence and ego is everything, and if you put him on the bench his confidence and ego goes down the tube. However, if he shoots sub-40% like he did the majority of last season, I think you have to start JJ. With the East getting better at the top, they won't have the luxory of waiting out on VC to explode and play like he did in Toronto and NJ. They will have to give the guy who is playing better basketball more minutes, and if JJ is out-performing Vince, he should start. Either way, if I were the Magic I would really look into moving VC at the trade deadline. I believe he's an expiring contract, and if they can use him as a trading chip to get a Chris Paul or Carmelo Anthony, they should do everything in their power to make it happen.

As some other people have said, who cares? Why should Jordan's comments have any bearing? Why should LeBron (and every other superstar swingman since 1998) be compared so heavily to Jordan? LeBron is his own man, and a completely different player than anything this league has ever seen. He's probably the most individually accomplished 25 year old in NBA history. The only thing keeping him from the all-time greats discussion is championships, and even if people view them as tainted, it will still be an impressive feat if he could rack up a few in Miami. And in 3-4 years when Wade starts to decline and LeBron will be smack dab in his prime, then we can see if he can be the kind of player to lead his team to a championship as the undisputed #1 option.

Bad choice of words, but in the full quote I get what he is saying. Judging by how the NBA world has been flipped upside just by this free agency, I can't imagine the backlash against this team if they fail to win it all. That's why I said in another thread that in a way, LeBron's going to have more pressure on him than ever because if they fail to win a championship, they are going to get ripped apart like we've never seen before.

I still think Anthony is the better player. On offense, he has a more diverse game with the post moves and inside game that Durant just doesn't have yet. Defensively it's kind of a wash, but I'd take Anthony there as well because of his size advantage. Also, as talented as Durant is, he's only going into his 4th season, and he's been to the post-season just once. Anthony is a veteran who's won Olympic Gold and led his team to the WCF. I would trust him more as my #1 option this upcoming season to lead my team deep into the playoffs.

Arroyo is a great signing, definitiely should start if they decide to go with a traditional lineup (without LeBron or Wade at PG). He's very efficient and a veteran that knows his place within the team. Magloire and Howard are only getting signed because they are big bodies, they won't help all that much.

Haha entertaining list. The Aaron Gray videos were priceless.

I think they will make it as an 8th seed. I think the Lakers, Nuggets, Jazz, Rockets, Mavs, Blazers and Thunder are all better teams.

I haven't seen a ton of him, but from the few games (and highlights) I've seen, he doesn't change his tempo at all. He always looks like he's playing at full-speed and very anxious to make a play. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's not good either. Against some teams this will translate into a few easy buckets and maybe a spark off the bench. Against other teams they will make him look like a D-leaguer. At this point it isn't a big deal if he doesn't have a post game, but he needs to learn how to change speeds if he wants to be effective on the NBA level.

I'm a Stan and Statistical Manipulator. Not so much a Stan anymore now that T-Mac is on his lest leg (literally), but definitely a Statistical Manipulator.

Not really. Cousin has an inch and some weight on Dwight Howard when he first came into the league. 6'11'', 270lbs is plenty of size at the C position. Anyway, I'm really liking this Kings team right now. From the little I've seen of Cousins (I don't watch a ton of college or SL ball), he has some TREMENDOUS skills. I wasn't expecting him to be as polished in the post as he is, and that is very refreshing to see as many big men don't have that fresh from college. Along with Tyreke, who is already a top 20 or so player and will only get better, and the other bright young talents on this team, they could make some noise. And I really do think that might be sooner (1-2 years) rather than later.

See to me, Kobe demanding the trade was the same as LeBron taking the shorter contract extension back in 2006. Kobe forced his team's hand in a way where he had some control over the situation. In return he got Gasol a few months later, and a little over a year after that, Artest. That was on top of a solid young core they already had (and Odom and Phil Jackson). LeBron gave his team an ultimatum back in 2006. In 4 years he basically got Mo Williams for 2 seasons, and Jamison for half a season (along with his mid-30's age and big contract). On top of those moves, they had very little young talent and an average head coach. The way each handled their situations wasn't the best, but if the Lakers didn't grab Gasol in one of the most lobsided trades in NBA history, we have no idea what the fallout would have been on Kobe's part. The difference is the Lakers made great moves and put them in a position to win championships. The Cavs made solid moves but still needed super-human performances from LeBron to have a shot against the top team (see- 2009 ECF...LeBron averaged 39/8/8 and they lost in 6).

I disagree with this. Besides the rape case, Kobe was hated solely on his choices he made in the NBA. Not saying it was deserved, but between being perceieved to have run Shaq out of town (and all the hoopla those two caused the previous few seasons), trashing Bynum on home-video, demanding to be traded, the Phil Jackson book...there's plenty of things to pick on Kobe for. Above all else, Kobe was hated because he's a Laker. After the 2010 FA starts to fade from people's minds once basketball resumes, people outside of Cleveland will hate LeBron for the same reason...he'll be on a powerhouse team that wins.

Of course LeBron will be the man again. As much as I love Wade, with his style of play and age (28), I don't expect him to be a top 3 player in 3-4 years. As it is he's had two heavily plagued injury seasons, and once you get into your 30's it becomes harder and harder to stay healthy. When you are as reliant as Wade is on speed, athleticism and ability to draw contact, injuries are a sure-fire thing. LeBron is reliant on those same qualities, but is about 50lbs heavier than Wade and 3 years younger, so I think it'll be easier for him to stay healthy during his tenure on the Heat. Assuming he doesn't have any major injuries, he should be smack-dab in his prime when Wade starts to decline a bit.

When did they leave?

I was VERY close to going to FIU. Visited it in 2008 and got accepted. That and Rutgers were the 2 best schools I got accepted into...and I had to end up going to [expletive]hole William Paterson University because of financial issues. Anyway, originally my major was Communications, but just switched to Psychology over the summer. Very interesting subject.