Nitro

Just came back from the Kings-Sixers game. Game kinda sucked (Sixers blew them out), but I got free 3rd row seats thru my dad's company so it was a lot of fun overall. Also got the same tickets to see the Heat on 2/3, and plan on whatever other tickets I can get throughout the season. Oh, I sat about 7ft from Ron Jaworski and tried my best to eves drop on his convo's (seemed like a nice guy for the most part). The exposed forehead in the 2nd pic is him...he was kinda looking in my direction when he was having a personal convo so I tried to be a little discrete with it. http://picture.vzw.com/mi/693692222_2480539016_0.jpeg http://picture.vzw.com/mi/693692710_2480540748_0.jpeg http://picture.vzw.com/mi/693693064_2480541995_0.jpeg http://picture.vzw.com/mi/693693432_2480543354_0.jpeg

10-11 Gasol: 82GP, 23.3PER (led team) 10-11 Bynum: 64GP, 21.1PER 09-10 Gasol: 65GP, 22.9PER (led team) 09-10 Bynum: 65GP, 20.2PER (but was injured the last few rounds of the playoffs) 08-09 Gasol: 81GP, 22.2PER (2nd behnd Kobe) 08-09 Bynum: 50GP, 20.0PER (played less than half the minutes of Pau in post-season due to injury) Basically what I am getting at is as long as Bynum keeps getting injured for 15+ games EVERY season, he won't be >Gasol. For all the hype Bynum is getting this year, Gasol has actually performed extremely well. Not the 20PPG scorer everyone wants to see, but he's doing everything well and efficiently.

^Why is the lettering so retarded on those jersey's? Specifically the o is Los and e in Angeles. It looks like a first grader did the text on those jersey's. BTW, I've always loved the Dr J throwbacks for the Nets.

LSU's offense looks attrocous. Granted, Alabama is playing stifling defense, but LSU is doing NOTHING offensively.

I'll be going to the Kings-Sixers game, got free 3rd row seats between the hoop and 3pt line (dad gets them from his company for marketing purposes...also going to see the Heat on 2/3). I am actually very excited to see this team in person. I really haven't paid much attention to them this season, but every time I look they win with a smothering defense. If I can, I'll take pics and post them here.

It's a good diss, though nothing special. He has a few nice lines, but it's not a KO punch by any stretch. Besides creating hype for his new album, I'm not really sure why Common is dissing him so directly. A few subliminal shots I understand, but not this. If record sales are his goal it's a shame because his new album shines without this unnecessary beef. And trust me, I'd love nothing more than for Drake to be slaughtered in a beef, but Common isn't the right opponent to really rip him.

Flip failed with the Pistons and Wolves...he was carried by talent. I think Washington (and Sacramento) is a good example where a good veteran coach would be extremely beneficial. A coach that could provide structure and discipline, which is necessary when you got headcases on the team that often completely ditch the offense to get their own. Players that need to be held accountable.

When Lou Holtz talks it sounds like he's an old man with down syndrome who's juggling a bunch of cocks smothered in maple syrup in his mouth. Just sayin'.

That's all that matters. Not every experienced coach knows the game better than a newer coach, and not ever newer coach has the ability to relate to his players better than an experienced coach. Therefor, there really isn't no true, defined answer.

Kevin Martin literally made a career off the old rules, probably moreso than any other player in league history. He perfected that style of drawing fouls, and it worked and made him extremely efficient despite regularly shooting 42-43% from the field. I'm sure as a defender, knowing that ability made them sag off him a bit, which further opened up his offensive game. So far, the only thing that's regressed about Martin this season has been his FTA....from 7-10 attempts a game the previous 5-6 years, to under 4 this season. That's a steep drop, and since he rarely plays near the rim, it's obvious the rule changes have made an impact.

I'm confident they will be a contender in the West, but I don't know if they can beat the Thunder or the Lakers and Grizzlies if they are healthy. The Blazers and Thunder play a similar brand of basketball (defense oriented, and using that defense to get their transition game going), with the Blazers being the deeper, more well-balanced team, and the Thunder having the star power. I have a feeling that'd be a GREAT series. The Lakers and Grizzlies present a problem that I don't know this team could overcome....those squads have the best 4/5 combinations in the league, and great perimeter scoring threats as well. Neither team may have the depth to beat the Blazers, and right now the Grizzlies without Zach are at risk of either missing the playoffs or getting a seed similar to last year. Overall, yes, I do trust them. They are deep, well-balanced, and on any given night a number of guys can beat you. They have a tremendous coach and in the playoffs will have a strong advantage when playing at home. I don't think what they are currently doing is a mirage, and even if they don't make the Finals, they should make a strong run regardless.

Right there is the issue. Letting bitches dictate what he does and doesn't like. BTW, great lyracism isn't always about the struggle or anything depressing. You can make Drake-style songs with great lyracism (it's what has largely made Jay-Z famous), you can make party rap with strong lyracism, you can be Eminem (who makes bitches wet their pants), etc... It's all about the quality of your work.

WTF is he doing sleeping in his car, in the gym and at motels? I understand with all the deductions he probably is making only 300k, but that's still a helluva lot money...at least enough money to go from a Motel 6 to a Hilton.

I play what I like and I FLIP when a bitch turns the volume knob in my car. Not always the best solution to get a girl, but the strategy worked for me cuz now I got a girl who likes the rap I listen to (although she sings along to the stuff on the radio when I turn on Hot 97).

You didn't read the OP. It's what team can be a sleeper to make the playoffs, not win a title. Philly made the playoffs last year and with their young guys they've improved.

Lol that's the biggest [expletive]in joke. For the price of the copay you can buy an entire bottle of ibuprofen, essentially getting more milligrams and not having to go through the hassle of filling the prescription.

I don't see how the Pacers qualify. They made the playoffs last year and got better in the offseason. Actually, they could have very well beat the Bulls in the playoffs last season...they got beat in the last minute like 3 games in a row. West: Utah East: Cleveland?

So, your musical preference is based on how girls react to what you're playing? That's [expletive]ing ridiculous.

Lmao those two words should never, ever be placed in the same sentence. Wale has his moments lyrically. As for Ross, I've actually come acrossed relatively impressed the last year or so, at least as far as mainstream artists go. You don't get much versatility with his subject matter or flow/rhyme schemes, but because of that you always know you'll get at least a decent verse from him. He does choose pretty good producers and features. I'll actually give this a listen at some point. BTW, Nas KILLS it in that song in the OP.

This season, he's been the best PF. He's been scoring insanely efficiently and doing so at impressive volume, and his rebounding once again has been impeccable. Dirk and Amare have been off to begin the year, while Bosh is buried beneath LeBron and Wade's talents. That leaves Blake and Aldridge. Blake is still adjusting to a brand new team, and while he's been sensational, he hasn't quite matched what Love has done. Aldridge is playing fantastically as well, but hasn't quite been what Love has been so far either. With all that said, overall, Love's stats are a tad bit deceiving. He has two dominant facets of his game...offensive rebounding and 3pt shooting at the PF position. He can always make a big impact because of those two areas, but he is not a great iso scorer, and that hurts him when comparing him to guys like Dirk. Yes, he dominates in other areas moreso than Dirk, but Dirk has showed consistently over the last decade, regardless what team is built around him, just how dominant and impactful and iso scorer is, and how that opens up the floor for the rest of the team. In a ranking list, I'd still put Dirk definitely over Love, and probably Blake (can make a case for Amare and Aldridge, too).

BOSH!!!! Lmao @ the Hawks. Missed free throw after missed free throw.

Agree with Shumpert. Douglas is wayyyyyy too small to be a SG. There's a reason he hasn't been picked up yet, and why the Bulls were so desperate to get Hamilton. He's a career 39% scorer, 35% from beyond the arc, and can't do nothing off the dribble. He's a very good defender, but like Fields, he's a bench player.

This is just a hideous game by the Hawks. This Heat team really isn't much of a step up from the 05-10 Raptors with Bosh, and right now they are beating the Hawks by 12 in the 3rd quarter. The Heat are getting to every loose ball and making all the hustle plays while the Hawks are playing with no energy. Everything is a bad jumper off an iso. No ball movement. Just an ugly, ugly game. For the Heat, I am once again impressed by Norris Cole, Battier finally seems to be getting in a groove, and I am intrigued by the promise Harris and Pittman are showing. The Heat are LOADED on the perimeter, so I doubt Harris will make any kind of impact with this current team (also makes Mike Miller redundant...he should be traded or amnestied), but Pittman could be the big body with some talent that the Heat have been looking for the last 2 years. BTW I LOVE Barkley as a commentator as opposed to a studio analyst. [expletive]in hilarious.

Fields has been a slump since January of last season...a full year. 3 of the first 4 months last season he averaged double digit points, averaged over 7RPG, and shot over 50% from the field. His numbers have dipped every month since. As a starter he averaged less than 2PPG and 2RPG and shot 20% from the field in the playoffs against the Celtics. This year he has a TS% of .498 (awful), and he's at only 3RPG. Those are just the numbers. From the eye test, last season the one thing I loved about him was his rebounding...he was legit arguably the best rebounding SG in the game. Since the middle of last season, that's gone down and down. He never did it on athleticism, he did it with smarts and hustle. It's almost like he's given up, and that has affected how he mentally goes about the game. Offensively he is not the greatest shooter and can't create off the dribble...offensively, that simply doesn't cut it from a starter on a playoff team. Another issue is his defense. He's slow-footed and just doesn't have great instincts on that side of the ball, and in the playoffs he'll be matched up against Wade, Hamilton, Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, etc... Any of those matchups he will be murdered. Bottom line is he just doesn't have the talent necessary to be a starter on this team. His talents are much more suited for the bench, and I think without the added pressure of being a starter would benefit him mentally. He'd be more inclined to play to his strengths rather than fit in with the star-studded starting lineup.

Defense is more than just effort, although the Knicks haven't given any effort on that side of the ball this season (besides Chandler, Walker and Shumpert). When you got guys like Melo and Amare, who have been in the league nearly 10 seasons, and they have NEVER learned strong defensive principles, it takes coaching to get them up to par. They have the necessary tools to be elite, but just have no defensive awareness. Chandler has actually done his job so far this season, but so many times I've seen him give up easy plays because he looks shocked that his help hadn't made the proper rotation. Or, what I've seen so many times, is Chandler go to alter a shot, and the other team get an easy putback because Amare gave up and didn't put a body on a man for the rebound. Besides the effort, which the coach has to get out of his players, the team just doesn't look prepared defensively. And when they finally do try to clamp down, the other team is so hot from the field that they are hitting fadeaway 3's with a hand in their face. The biggest issue with this current team and D'Antoni is that they are truly a halfcourt team. The backcourt is untalented and too one-dimensional as far as starting backcourts go, Melo is strictly an iso players, Amare is strictly an iso player without a good playmaking PG, and Chandler is completely dependant on other players creating shots for him. They are 110% built to be a halfcourt team, and that is not D'Antoni's style, especially with Toney Douglas as his PG. And if they are built for that, then D'Antoni is pretty much useless offensively, and we all know he is completely useless defensively. He is simply a bad fit. As for Baron Davis, I thought before the season started that he'd be a huge factor if he can come back and be what he was last year with the Clippers. As iMan mentioned, he's dynamic, and that is something that no other backcourt player for the Knicks offers. He can score in multiple ways, can back down smaller PG's, can effectively run the PnR, run the fastbreak, and when he wants to he can make the kind of passes that Douglas and Bibby can only dream of. He'd definitely give the offense a new dimension, and could make them a lot more difficult to defend. When he's motivated and has pieces around him, he can still be a difference-maker. He won't make them championship caliber, but can bring the Knicks closer to the high expectations they had surrounding them heading into this year.