Dash

West, Z and Shaq are the only other players missing from last year's squad. I really doubt they would have much of a difference.

The lesson? Lebron led a really, really crappy cast of players to the best record in the NBA.

In 2009 the Rockets won 53 games and the following year they lost Yao Ming, Ron Artest and Tracy McGrady but they won 42 games. Currently they are 17-21 with the same squad. The Suns won 54 games last year and made the Western Conference Finals. After losing Amar'e Stoudemire they are currently 15-21. The Raptors won 40 games with Bosh missing several weeks due to injuries. After his departure they are 13-24. The Cleveland Cavaliers currently own the worst record in the entire NBA, sitting at 8-30. Yes a worse record than even the Nets (last year's worst team), Timberwolves, Kings, Wizards and the Clippers. They would win 61 games with Lebron James, whose current team is holding the best record in the East.

Cavs only score 57 points when the Lakers starters play only half the game. Just awful. Lebron actually won 60+ wins with this team?

Per former OTR poster, Alex Kennedy aka the real Swish. Check out the rest of his articles, he's got some good pieces. http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=18438#ixzz1AmHodvUD Great to hear that Terrence has such a positive opinion of the organization, he didn't strike me as a player that wouldn't mind so many DNP games. He's got a lot of talent and I do hope that the Rockets plan to keep him around in the long-term.

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said Stephen Jackson is for the short-term and Iggy is for the long-term. Stephen Jackson has been inconsistent down in Charlotte and a mediocre three point shooter, but he can score in bunches when its his night. He can play offball better than Iggy and brings just about everything the Mavericks are missing from Caron Butler plus a bigger frame and defensive capabilities. Jackson will probably come at a much cheaper price too considering that he's 32 years old (will turn 33 in April) and has a less than favorable contract (he gets paid $10 million when he turns 35). Assuming that the Mavericks will want Rodrigue Beaubois to develop into a capable starting point guard after Jason Kidd retires, a young point forward like Iggy would be ideal to have running the offense. He's not the scorer Jackson is but like you said, Iggy has a much better all-around game than Jackson and will probably keep the Mavs in contention longer. My verdict: get Stephen Jackson, he fits the bill better than Iggy and will likely cost Mark Cuban less to acquire. With Jason Kidd in the lineup, I'm assuming all chips are in and its probably in the best interest of the Mavericks to try and win a championship prior to Kidd's retirement.

I remember him spewing a bunch of crap back in December too and then the Jets lost 45-3 to the Pats.

Agreed with everything you posted but weren't there questions about whether Butler can perform at a strong level without the ball constantly in his hands? He's certainly not playing at an all-star level like he did a few years ago but overall he's done a fine job playing next to Dirk and Kidd. I think we could expect similar things from Andre Iguodala (if the Mavs do acquire him) but I will admit that Iggy is more ball dominant than Butler (at least from footage I've seen) and will probably have a tougher time making the adjustment.

The wildcard in these negotiations is turning out to be Patrick Patterson, who has been stellar for the Rockets ever since earning playing time. He's not the prospect that Derrick Favors is but he is certainly beginning to look like a top 5-8 player from the draft. Houston is still a dark horse in the conversation but they are quietly putting together a decent package for Melo, but they can try all they want as their offer won't ever trump the Net's. The only way Melo becomes a Rocket is if he doesn't commit to a extension and New Jersey begins to back away.

Slater and Gabriel leaving was just dumb. Punk is going to get buried so bad. -_-

It was a long shot to begin but our chances are even slimmer now with the Terrence Williams trade (assuming the Nuggets want a first over Williams). Morey is simply testing the waters with Denver, they have been out of the Melo conversation for quite some time so I can why he tried to intervene here.

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/71059/20110110/lebron_embracing_role_as_road_villain/

I'm honestly beginning to hope Melo walks out and Denver gets nothing in return.

Melo was 3-13 for 8 points and Billups finished with 12 points on 2-12 shooting. This could be a very good thing for the Nets as it adds more pressure on the Nuggets' front office to get a deal done.

Derek Fisher with similar stats in 34 minutes. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=291104010 He did get 2 steals though.

This is getting old...

How this man is still an owner I don't even know.

Ready to give up yet Chosen One?

http://www.youtube.com/user/Classitup10 This might be the shooter's youtube channel.

Great to hear that she's fine but still 4 people were killed over something so stupid and probably didn't involve them...any word on the kid? Edit: wow. RIP.

Yep I'm just taking the basics right now since I have no idea what I want to major in.

I've never used Chrome but it sounds pretty sick. I might try it out one day but right now I am too lazy to switch from firefox.