Nitro

I don't understand why the defense has been suffering so bad since the first few months of the season. Even though they've finally found some offensive fluidity and added firepower with Bibby, defense is this team's strength and how they will win a championship. It is also what starts their transition offense, which is where they are at their most dangerous. Spo has to get the Heat back in tune to that side of the ball like they were when they won 21 of 22 games or whatever.

I wear really basic shit...plain white tees (or cotton T-shirts with cool designs like my 2Pac/Big L/Joker shirts), basketball shorts or baggy jeans, and a pair of beaten-up Jordan 12's that don't really match any of my clothing. I shave my head and keep a neatly trimmed beard. If I have a fitted, I wear that backwards because I have a light-bulb shaped head which I prefer to cover-up. If a bitch don't like it, I don't care because they'll [expletive] me whether they give me the consent or not.

Ok, I have a little time on the computer today, so basically I spent 53 days at a rehab in Deerfield Beach, Florida. At the facility there were about 60 guys and 25-30 girls, and we were split up into two apartment buildings (they looked like beach hotels, and rehab patients were the only residents on the premises). The guys weren't allowed to talk to the girls, and we'd get yelled at if we even stared at them for any extended amount of time. Of course a few guys and girls got kicked out because of violating these rules. We were allowed to walk all around the premises in our free time, each building had its own pool, and we had a public cafe right next to the girls building where we could buy food, cigarettes or whatever. 3x a week they took us to the gym (I gained 20lbs and got my bench up to 180 10x while I was there), and 1x a week they took us to the beach. During the day we had 4 total hours of group therapy, and an hour-long A.A/N.A meeting. The rest of the time we were allowed to do whatever. Each person shared an apartment with 1-3 other people, and each apartment had a TV (w/cable), oven, microwave, bathroom w/shower, and 2 bedrooms. We weren't allowed to leave property except for the gym and beach, got to use the phone only like once every 2 weeks to call 1 family member, and weren't allowed to leave our rooms past 11pm. Anyway, I met a lot of crazy [expletive]ing people while there...like people who have been to prison for 10x years and killed people, people who have been in gangs and kidnapped other gang member's mom's for ransom, people who have been stabbed by their father for being gay, tried shooting themselves in the head and when their friends tried to wrestle the gun away they accidentally shot their friend's toe off, etc... While I was there I learned how to give a jailhouse haircut with a razor and comb, had a loaded gun pointed at me by some inbred redneck cuz I was staring and sticking my tongue out at his daughter while on my way to the gym one day, realized that half the state of NJ is in Florida rehabs (like over 1/3 of this place was from NJ), and learned that people from Boston suck and we should have sent cruise missiles there instead of Libya. Overall, I learned a lot and met a lot of cool (albeit crazy) people. Now I am in a halfway house in Delray Beach, which is basically just an apartment where I have a curfew. I am currently looking for a job, and still going to AA/NA meetings. My dad's coming down for business on Sunday, so he'll bring my computer down and then I'll really start being able to post. I don't plan on being down here past May, but we'll see.

His explosiveness is gone, and he doesn't have the court savvy to be an effective player without it. I do think he still has a lot more talent than people give him credit for, but he has to adapt to his limitations and new role. He also has to get his confidence back, and that may take another off-season of hard work and a fresh start to a new season to get to that point. He is probably a lost cause as far as this season goes (although he still has the ability to be a game-changer in any specific game in the post-season).

Back a few months ago I said LeBron should have won it, but the fact that the Bulls jumped up to 1st, including beating the Heat twice in the last month or so has made me change my vote to Rose. His stats aren't as good as LeBron, and he quite frankly is still at least a notch or two below LeBron's level. but he's done more with less and his team is on top of the East. I picked Dwight to win it before the season started, and it's a damn shame the Magic haven't played up to expectations because he has been absolutely ridiculous this season. Of all the superstars he is the most valuable to his team.

It always changes, but right now, in no particular order... Going Through Changes Brain Damage Infinite Kill You The Way I Am

I'm back I can't really start posting 'till next week cuz I still dont have my computer, but so ya'll know I'm doing well and still in south Florida (Delray). Peace.

If it wasn't for Duncan's BS fadeaway off the glass from like over 20ft out, the Lakers wouldn't have needed that Fisher shot anyway. And had it not been for Horry's ridiculous Game 5 in the 2005 Finals, that Pistons team (which wasn't as good as the previous year's squad) would have probably beaten the Spurs without HCA.

03-04 Pistons. They had a much better defense than this Spurs team does, and a better, more experienced bench.

Well, I'm heading out to Florida tonight for rehab, which should last about 30 days. After that, I'm not 100% sure what I'mma do, but I'm probably going to be staying down there for 2-3 months after the rehab. If I'm allowed to bring my phone I'll text Real Deal every few days sending an update, but if not then I should be back here around early March. Hope everyone stays well. PEACE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAB5lOIl-2U One of my favorite videos of all-time. Can't wait to have Stephen A and his cheese doodles back!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z4xkOHSG_E

I was really surprised Durant actually tweeted that. I think he's off-base because Bosh is the last guy I can think of that acts tough; I mean, he's the guy that doesn't want people diving for the ball when standing players are in the vicinity, and he just had a Maxim photo shoot like a week ago. He may talk a little trash or whatever on the court, but I don't consider him to front as a tough guy. But, I am surprised Durant tweeted that because it's really out of character for him. I don't mind it, but it's just odd.

Ginobili is the most consistently awful flopper, although AK47 probably has the worst individual flops I've ever seen.

Honestly, with all the attention this little incident is getting, I'm sure the ballboy is really happy it turned out the way it did. KG probably signs thousands of autographs every year, but to get a punchline thrown at you that receives national attention? That, my friends, is priceless.

Depends on the situation. In an iso set, it's easily Kobe. Running off a screen, it's a tossup between Reggie and Allen...I'd probably go with Allen since he has a slightly quicker release.

One of these PG's; Kidd, Nash, Paul, or Williams. Kobe is also really high up there, although his shot selection kind of hurts his case IMO, and naturally those PG's have a better understanding of how an offense is supposed to be ran. I'd probably go with Kidd overall; his IQ is way off the charts.

Getting a ticket to the NBA Jam Session ain't that expensive lol, and I can tell that stuff cost quite a bit, even if off E-Bay. I went to the NBA Jam Session back in '98 (I think) when it was in NY, and it was pretty cool, although the lines to do anything were huge. The few hours my parents and I spent there were largely spent waiting in a line to do something stupid, like take 5 free throws or some [expletive]. I was pretty young, though, so there is lots of stuff that was going on that I probably don't remember. I do remember being able to see bits and pieces of the celebrity game live which was pretty cool. Honestly, I had more fun at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, where they have an NBA court that you can play on (although I was like 13 when I visited there).

Haha same, the accent's a little much for me. It sound like Tim Westwood rapping. But seriously though, those lyrics are very impressive.

Damn, she's got a Van Exel jersey?!? Legit.

No, no they aren't. Even though he's individually played like crap with the Magic, he actually makes a pretty big impact on the team. Just the fact that he pushes the tempo, something Jameer almost never does, gives the Magic a huge boost.

Rose is a great player, and his ability to hit the outside jumper and drive to take over games has really pushed him to the elite level this season. However, LeBron is still a much better player. He's a better scorer who does it on much better efficiency (because he gets to the FT line a lot more, and shoots better from the field), is a FAR better defender, better rebounder comparably for his position, IMO a better playmaker, more proven in clutch situations, and offers a lot more versatility in regards to playing positions. Even if Wade offers much of the same, LeBron still is required to produce about as much as he did with the Cavs for the Heat to win, and more than ever he's being relied on defensively. I don't know how you can argue Rose being as effective as LeBron, even if we are talking strictly offensively. That's a joke. The Heat also lost Miller for pretty much half the season, Chalmers didn't play the first month, and 3/4 of the team was brand new to kick the season off. It's not just Wade missing a few games and Haslem being done for the season. If Miller wasn't injured to kick the season off and the team was in its 2nd or 3rd year together, the Heat would be pushing 70 wins. I also would like to hear why LeBron's on/off numbers are so much stronger than Rose's, despite having 'so much more talent.' Since they lost to Dallas and had a player's only meeting, the team has won 22 of 23 with the entire trio healthy for the full 48min. In that stretch they've beaten the Thunder (in OKC), Lakers (in LA), Hawks, Jazz (in Utah), Knicks (in NY when they were playing their best basketball of the season), etc... The only loss that this brand new team has had since they gained some chemistry was against Dallas by 2pts, before they lost Butler. I don't hold the Bulls' schedule against them because they don't choose the schedule, but if you are going to bring up Miami's record against whoever, it's a fitting counter-arguement. Both arguements have holes.

It'll be a cold, dark day when Walt 'Clyde' Frazier stops doing commentary for Knicks games.

No. Now that Bynum is back, cut his minutes a bit. He'll have most of All-Star weekend to rest, and right now there is a pretty significant gap between them a SA, and them an Dallas (the 3rd seed). I expect that trend to continue, so Gasol should be able to have the luxory of sitting out a game or two at the end of the season to refuel for the playoffs.