Nitro

That's exactly why his last few All-Defense selections were bull[expletive], and just on repuation. He doesn't bring it in the regular season unless it's against an elite perimeter player, and his off-ball defense is very, very lazy. Still, when the post-season comes around, he has that ability to lock people down, which is extremely valuable.

ONLY 20?!? Man, it hurts to get out of bed, I pee every 20min, I keep spare hard candy in my pockets at all times, I wear extra long socks under extra short pants, and I drive 40mph on the NJ Turnpike. ONLY 20????

It's my b-day today, one of my least favorite days of the year. The big 2-0... "I woke up early on my born day, I'm twenty years of blessing The essence of adolescence leaves my body now I'm freshin' My physical frame is celebrated cause I made it One quarter through life some Godly like thing created" ~Nas

I don't think he meant it the way he said it, but nontheless he still said it. Riley should just cut he and LeBron's tounges out and hand it back to them in a jar once their contract's run up.

So, I was looking at Chris Paul's stats tonight, and his efficiency this season has been INCREDIBLE. Here are his stats so far this season (10 games)... 17.8 PPG/ 10.2 APG/ 4.8 RPG/ 2.2 TO/ 2.5 SPG/ 52.0% FG/ 48.0% 3PT/ 85.0% FT Also, he is currently the leader of the 9th best offense in the league in terms of Ortg, while being only 26th in the league in pace (that pace helping the Hornets to be a top 3 defensive team). The team is now 9-1 as well, with a good, but not elite supporting cast. As long as the Hornets can win 50+ games, the MVP award should be his.

All that I've learned from the first 10 games is that the team simply doesn't have the talent required to be a good NBA team, and certainly doesn't have the talent to play in D'Antoni's system. They desperately need more depth, size and rebounding in the frontcourt. They also desperately need more 3pt shooting, as well as a true go-to scorer on the perimeter.

Another thing to consider, which I heard brought up on another forum, is that all of Oden's injuries have been separate...microfracture, knee cap, etc... That's really, REALLY bad.

Ugh, yeah that's the vibe I been getting. Oh well, at least I still have Youtube highlights...

Just heard it on ESPN, Oden's going to have microfracture surgery. I'll edit this post with a link ASAP. That absolutely sucks for him and the Blazers...neither can catch a break.

Depends on if the Hornets can keep up this pace and end up with a 2nd or 3rd seed out West. In that case, Monty Williams deserves it. Otherwise, yeah, if the Cavs can manage to squeek into the playoffs, then Byron Scott deserves it. For those that don't think he'll win it unless they get a high playoff seed, remember, Sam Mitchell won the award just a few years ago with the Raptors winning only 47 games. The Cavs won't win that many games, but if they get into the playoffs, he will have an awesome shot. Another guy I can see getting it, as a lifetime achievement award, would be Jerry Sloan. He has yet to win COTY honors, and as long as they win the Northwest, he'll be a prime candidate as well.

William Paterson University...not to be racist, but it's like an episode of Good Times with Nitro's white [expletive] in the corner.

Didn't get to see the game, but how did T-Mac look? I know he got hurt then came back in, but overall how was he? I haven't seen any Detroit games this year because I refuse to watch such a crappy squad on my computer screen (since I don't have NBALP), so I haven't gotten to see him all year.

Boston shot 66% from the field for the game, and only one player shot below 50% (Big Baby, 1-3). Ouch.

That's the 7th in 8 games that the Heat scored over 100pts, and 5th in which they shot over 50% for the night. That's with minimal chemistry, no Mike Miller and an offensive blackhole starting for most of them (Joel Anthony). I think the Heat will be fine offensively.

Just because the team is winning doesn't mean Spo isn't a big problem for this team. It doesn't take a genius to recognize the Suns are undersized. However, Bosh hasn't been beating the Suns on the inside, he's been doing it with midrange jumpers and a few hard drives.

Maybe it's just me, but Wade looks faster than he has this entire season. That last fastbreak was crazy.

No.

My lord that was as ugly as it can get from Joel Anthony. Has a wide open lane off a Wade pass, bobbles it with his tiny hands, and airballs a point-blank layup/dunk. Why did it take Spoelstra like 10 games to start Z?

I'm really excited to see this game. Once again Miami will be tested with an elite PG, but the Suns are even smaller than the Heat. So, I expect there to be a LOT of points scored for both teams, with the Heat winning by 10-15.

However, Nas is still going hard, just with a different style. His flow/rhymes are still tight, but with Damian he used subject matter that everyone can relate to (one of the benefits of that style of music over selling crack, making it rain, etc..), and used the reggae type production. If creativity was pushed to the side, and rappers were to spit over the same type of beats with the same subject matter, the industry would suck. Bottom line is if someone goes outside the box, the end-result better be well-done. Not necessarily something everyone will love, but something that is well-done. I think when rappers try and go outside the box, they are completely out of their comfort zone and don't know how to make it all come together. Nas has been an elite MC for nearly 20 years, and over the last decade or so has been experimenting with more mature subject matter. I think a huge reason for his recent solo flops have been production-oriented more than anything else. Damian is one of the best at what he does on the mic as well as with the production, and he's closer to a rap-reggae artist than simply reggae. When you put them together, one is proficient at what the other may not be, and they are both doing what made them famous to begin with, so the end-result is very well-done. Not everyone will love it, but it's still good music. The thing is old Eminem WAS different, and is precisely what made him famous. IMO his new stuff goes too far away from what made him great. With Nas, it's a different situation because his flow is the same, delivery is the same (for the most part), and his subject matter remains insightful and poetic. With Em, the only thing that's really the same from when he was at his best is his name, jabs at figures in the media, and vulgar jokes. Otherwise, he's like a totally different MC, and if you didn't know him he'd sound like 3-4 different MC's over the course of his career.

5-6 months isn't anywhere near long enough to see how influential the album really was. But I don't think anyone can argue that it is something TOTALLY unique from anything any rapper with recognition has done. Just because only a very small number of rappers after Run DMC did that song with Aerosmith did rap/rock collab's doesn't mean it wasn't revolutionary. And I disagree, I did think Distant Relatives was great. It was IMO Nas' best work, top to bottom, since Stillmatic. I am not a reggae fan, which is why it isn't something I can keep on rotation constantly like some other albums, but it was still great. How does him being the only rapper in G-Unit with talent make him close to a top 5 MC this year?

Just because he's playing with Gasol and Kobe in the triangle doesn't mean it's realistic to expect that he'll continue to shoot over 50% from 3 this season. I mean, I think it is unlikely that James Jones continues to shoot 50% from 3 the rest of the season, and he is also playing with a talented supporting cast. And unlike Brown, he's a specialist brought in just to stand at the 3pt line. Also, Brown isn't just knocking down wide open 3's, but he's also been hitting some tough, contested jumpers, as well as heat-checks. I do think he has a good shot at shooting over 40% from 3, but to expect him to continue this shooting display for the rest of the season is expecting way too much.

I haven't listened to the entire new Kanye album, and still haven't listened to all of the new Roots album yet, so I'll post mine in another day or two. I'll be posting mine based on quality over who "blew up" or whatever.

Hahahahaha awesome. As much as he deserves most of the hate he's been getting, I almost feel bad for him. He's finally on the big stage on a contender, and 3 weeks into the season he's being ripped apart by everyone, with some calling for his [expletive] to be traded. Life's a [expletive]

Yeah I'm very curious to see how he adjusts when his jumper cools off. He's shooting over 51% from 3 this season which is ridiculous. He's only had 2-3 "bad" games shooting the ball, and like every player he will hit a skid where he has a few cold nights in the span of a week or two. Hopefully when that time comes he won't force up bad shots, and rather play within the offense and take the ball to the rim.