On June 15 2012 03:54 XaI)CyRiC wrote: GWall coming off the bench backing up Lebron (and Bosh?) seems like a waste of his talent/ability. I don't see how you could start him next to Lebron because you'd have 3 wing-type players (Wade, Lebron and GWall) who slash with questionable perimeter shooting on the floor at the same time with a big and Chalmers. I'm sure there will be other teams offering him a larger role and a better fit. I think MIA needs to go out and find help at PF or C, not a SF who can play PF like GWall.
He could come off the bench and play along side Bosh, while Wade and LBJ are getting rest. Uber athletic guy would keep up the pace of the game and difense won't suffer. But yeah, they should look for PF or C. Marcus Camby maybe or they going to gamble with Oden.
Artest (refuse to call him MWP) can be great at times, Artest can be frustrating at times, but Artest is awesomely unique and entertaining all the time:
On June 15 2012 03:54 XaI)CyRiC wrote: GWall coming off the bench backing up Lebron (and Bosh?) seems like a waste of his talent/ability. I don't see how you could start him next to Lebron because you'd have 3 wing-type players (Wade, Lebron and GWall) who slash with questionable perimeter shooting on the floor at the same time with a big and Chalmers. I'm sure there will be other teams offering him a larger role and a better fit. I think MIA needs to go out and find help at PF or C, not a SF who can play PF like GWall.
He could come off the bench and play along side Bosh, while Wade and LBJ are getting rest. Uber athletic guy would keep up the pace of the game and difense won't suffer. But yeah, they should look for PF or C. Marcus Camby maybe or they going to gamble with Oden.
He could, but like I said I doubt he'd be very excited about being a backup when he'll likely be getting better offers from other good teams that he fits better.
How awesome would it be to have Oden and Lebron on the same team? Two of the quickest-aging people (face-wise) the world has ever known on the same team. Kyrie Irving needs extensive makeup and prosthetics to make himself look like these guys do on a regular basis.
On June 15 2012 03:54 XaI)CyRiC wrote: GWall coming off the bench backing up Lebron (and Bosh?) seems like a waste of his talent/ability. I don't see how you could start him next to Lebron because you'd have 3 wing-type players (Wade, Lebron and GWall) who slash with questionable perimeter shooting on the floor at the same time with a big and Chalmers. I'm sure there will be other teams offering him a larger role and a better fit. I think MIA needs to go out and find help at PF or C, not a SF who can play PF like GWall.
He could come off the bench and play along side Bosh, while Wade and LBJ are getting rest. Uber athletic guy would keep up the pace of the game and difense won't suffer. But yeah, they should look for PF or C. Marcus Camby maybe or they going to gamble with Oden.
He could, but like I said I doubt he'd be very excited about being a backup when he'll likely be getting better offers from other good teams that he fits better.
How awesome would it be to have Oden and Lebron on the same team? Two of the quickest-aging people (face-wise) the world has ever known on the same team. Kyrie Irving needs extensive makeup and prosthetics to make himself look like these guys do on a regular basis.
Oden would be worth the gamble for the heat, if they can get him cheap. If the heat had a middling defensive center, like Asik, they would be vastly improved.
How is oden worth the gamble? He's barely played at all during his career and it's not been that great. They may as well bring shaq out of retirement. This is coming from someone who lives in portland btw.
On June 15 2012 04:51 Itsmedudeman wrote: How is oden worth the gamble? He's barely played at all during his career and it's not been that great. They may as well bring shaq out of retirement. This is coming from someone who lives in portland btw.
As a fellow blazers fan, doesn't it hurt a little inside to see Durant playing in the finals?
Why you put Allen Iverson in a same sentence as Wade is beyond me. Wade has a chip and finals mvp. No need to compare him with MJ and Kobe at all.
Why is this argument still made? Karl Malone does not have a ring and he is far superior player to 99% of the people who have a ring, including your boy Dwayne Wade.
Fish has 5 rings (maybe 6 with OKC now) is he a better PG than Stockton? Nash? Is anyone even insane to suggest that?
One player has a every disadvantage imaginable, but his sheer will to win and desire made him a instant icon and he dragged that sorry Philly team to things nobody else could. The other player is a notorious whiner, spends more time talking to refs, needed Shaq to get a ring. Now he needs LeBron James.
Iverson was known for pulling moves off that the human body should not be able to, he managed to cross the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. He was only defeated by one of the most dominant players the last 20 years, Prime Shaq in the finals.
...The same guy who had to help Wade get his own ring.
Cmon son, Iverson is a phenomenon.
"Every disadvantage imaginable" meaning height right? Sure he was under 6' tall, but his athleticism was otherworldly. There will never be another AI, quit acting like he was an overachieving chump instead of the genetic freak he really was. And you're really gonna pretend Dwyane Wade didn't put up 34.7 ppg in that finals series in the best Jordan impersonation the NBA's seen and that Shaq wasn't 34 years old? Yes, AI overperformed and played with an intensity maybe on Jordan's level. Yes, all things considered, he was a greater player than Wade at this point in his career, but Wade has years left to play. Bonzinator was a clown for suggesting that comparing AI to Wade is an insult to Wade, but your post is just as bad.
You claim that he only lost to Shaq when he only took one game off those Lakers (I was ecstatic over that game btw, loved the David vs. Goliath promos they ran afterwards and the fact that they stopped the Lakers from going 16-0 those playoffs) when that was his only trip to the finals, that team easily could have been eliminated in the conference semis that year on a Vince Carter shot that missed by inches, and he never made it past the second round any other year. AI's one of my favorite all-time players, I loved him when he was playing, but your post makes me think you don't even watch basketball. Yeah, AI crossed MJ... so what? Is this you trying to give AI hoops cred by using The Worf Effect? He doesn't need that, he's an all-time great with actual accomplishments. It's an iconic highlight, but everyone gets crossed, everyone gets blocked, everyone gets dunked on. To list that as if it's a monumental feat makes it sound like all you've ever seen of AI is youtube highlight reels.
Oh come on. "The best Jordan impersonation the NBA has seen?" You DID watch the 06 finals right? The refs GIFTED Wade the 34. If the refs dont go crazy he puts up a respectable 20 some odd a night and the title goes to the Mavs.
Sure, he won the series for Miami, but you dont get credit for a Jordan impersonation when the refs are responsible for a good portion of it.
Yes, I watched all of it and own it on DVD. There was a significant free throw discrepancy, but not as much as people (you're obviously not alone in your opinion) think. It's well in line with what passes for superstar calls in the NBA, and I don't necessarily like that it is that way, but to completely discredit Wade's play that series is unfair. Now, I'm not saying that NBA players are blameless when they abuse the inane rules the NBA keeps around -- I'd love for Stern to get rid of the rip-through move, tighten up continuation fouls, and disincentivize flopping the way they've cracked down on jumping into the defender on a pump-fake, but players like Harden, CP3, and yes, Wade are obviously complicit with the way they take full advantage of the rules. But don't get it twisted, 2006 Wade was godmode and while he did get ticky-tacky fouls (including the one at the end of game 5, which WAS a foul, but yes a very ticky-tacky call) he earned them with his relentless aggression. When you attack the hoop and people can't stop you, yes you're going to get foul calls. Yes, it's going to be more than the jumpshooters on the other team get. Surprise!
If you're gonna completely dismiss Dwyane's finals MVP because of the ft discrepancy in that series, I wonder what you think about what the FThunder get on a nightly basis. I'm sure you're aware of this, but Mike got more than his fair share of calls too, and getting these calls means that the league realizes you're its cash cow. It is really sad how Dwyane's fallen off as of late though, both in perception and in reality. Still my favorite player since 03!
P.S. I'm well aware that MJ could get 50 a night in a league with no handchecking, along with the other various advantages offensive players get nowadays.
On June 15 2012 04:51 Itsmedudeman wrote: How is oden worth the gamble? He's barely played at all during his career and it's not been that great. They may as well bring shaq out of retirement. This is coming from someone who lives in portland btw.
That's cold... Oden's planning on taking a full year off from hoops and it'd be great if he could still have a meaningful career after all the setbacks. And yeah, Miami really is that desperate for a center -- remember that they signed EDDY CURRY, lol.
Why you put Allen Iverson in a same sentence as Wade is beyond me. Wade has a chip and finals mvp. No need to compare him with MJ and Kobe at all.
Why is this argument still made? Karl Malone does not have a ring and he is far superior player to 99% of the people who have a ring, including your boy Dwayne Wade.
Fish has 5 rings (maybe 6 with OKC now) is he a better PG than Stockton? Nash? Is anyone even insane to suggest that?
One player has a every disadvantage imaginable, but his sheer will to win and desire made him a instant icon and he dragged that sorry Philly team to things nobody else could. The other player is a notorious whiner, spends more time talking to refs, needed Shaq to get a ring. Now he needs LeBron James.
Iverson was known for pulling moves off that the human body should not be able to, he managed to cross the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. He was only defeated by one of the most dominant players the last 20 years, Prime Shaq in the finals.
...The same guy who had to help Wade get his own ring.
Cmon son, Iverson is a phenomenon.
"Every disadvantage imaginable" meaning height right? Sure he was under 6' tall, but his athleticism was otherworldly. There will never be another AI, quit acting like he was an overachieving chump instead of the genetic freak he really was. And you're really gonna pretend Dwyane Wade didn't put up 34.7 ppg in that finals series in the best Jordan impersonation the NBA's seen and that Shaq wasn't 34 years old? Yes, AI overperformed and played with an intensity maybe on Jordan's level. Yes, all things considered, he was a greater player than Wade at this point in his career, but Wade has years left to play. Bonzinator was a clown for suggesting that comparing AI to Wade is an insult to Wade, but your post is just as bad.
You claim that he only lost to Shaq when he only took one game off those Lakers (I was ecstatic over that game btw, loved the David vs. Goliath promos they ran afterwards and the fact that they stopped the Lakers from going 16-0 those playoffs) when that was his only trip to the finals, that team easily could have been eliminated in the conference semis that year on a Vince Carter shot that missed by inches, and he never made it past the second round any other year. AI's one of my favorite all-time players, I loved him when he was playing, but your post makes me think you don't even watch basketball. Yeah, AI crossed MJ... so what? Is this you trying to give AI hoops cred by using The Worf Effect? He doesn't need that, he's an all-time great with actual accomplishments. It's an iconic highlight, but everyone gets crossed, everyone gets blocked, everyone gets dunked on. To list that as if it's a monumental feat makes it sound like all you've ever seen of AI is youtube highlight reels.
Oh come on. "The best Jordan impersonation the NBA has seen?" You DID watch the 06 finals right? The refs GIFTED Wade the 34. If the refs dont go crazy he puts up a respectable 20 some odd a night and the title goes to the Mavs.
Sure, he won the series for Miami, but you dont get credit for a Jordan impersonation when the refs are responsible for a good portion of it.
Yes, I watched all of it and own it on DVD. There was a significant free throw discrepancy, but as much as people (you're obviously not alone in your opinion) think. It's well in line with what passes for superstar calls in the NBA, and I don't necessarily like that it is that way, but to completely discredit Wade's play that series is unfair. Now, I'm not saying that NBA players are blameless when they abuse the inane rules the NBA keeps around -- I'd love for Stern to get rid of the rip-through move, tighten up continuation fouls, and disincentivize flopping the way they've cracked down on jumping into the defender on a pump-fake, but players like Harden, CP3, and yes, Wade are obviously complicit with the way they take full advantage of the rules. But don't get it twisted, 2006 Wade was godmode and while he did get ticky-tacky fouls (including the one at the end of game 5, which WAS a foul, but yes a very ticky-tacky call) he earned them with his relentless aggression. When you attack the hoop and people can't stop you, yes you're going to get foul calls. Yes, it's going to be more than the jumpshooters on the other team get. Surprise!
If you're gonna completely dismiss Dwyane's finals MVP because of the ft discrepancy in that series, I wonder what you think about what the FThunder get on a nightly basis. I'm sure you're aware of this, but Mike got more than his fair share of calls too, and getting these calls means that the league realizes you're its cash cow. It is really sad how Dwyane's fallen off as of late though, both in perception and in reality. Still my favorite player since 03!
P.S. I'm well aware that MJ could get 50 a night in a league with no handchecking, along with the other various advantages offensive players get nowadays.
Sorry, but Jordan and Wade are, at least from the eye test, completely different players. Wade's game relies almost entirely on his athleticism, Jordan had a lot more cleverness in his game.
On June 15 2012 04:51 Itsmedudeman wrote: How is oden worth the gamble? He's barely played at all during his career and it's not been that great. They may as well bring shaq out of retirement. This is coming from someone who lives in portland btw.
That's cold... Oden's planning on taking a full year off from hoops and it'd be great if he could still have a meaningful career after all the setbacks. And yeah, Miami really is that desperate for a center -- remember that they signed EDDY CURRY, lol.
Yea, Heat have terrible centers.
Also, WTF is this new storyline I heard from commentators this morning that Lebron needs to get to the foul line more? He took 9 FTs. 9 is a TON of FTs. I know he is averaging more than that in these playoffs, but look at who they have faced:
New York: Terrible perimeter defense, fouling was probably their only chance of stopping him aside from Chandler. Indiana: No one can physically match him. Hibbert is a big who is not that athletic and can't rotate to get blocks that well, he is easy to get into foul trouble. Boston: Old as shit. Pierce's entire defensive plan was: commit fouls. No one could stay in front of Lebron.
OKC: Durant, Harden, Sefolosha, all more athletic than anyone he's faced yet (besides lazy Carmello), with crazy Ibaka and crafty Collison behind them? 9 FTs is an accomplishment.
Why you put Allen Iverson in a same sentence as Wade is beyond me. Wade has a chip and finals mvp. No need to compare him with MJ and Kobe at all.
Why is this argument still made? Karl Malone does not have a ring and he is far superior player to 99% of the people who have a ring, including your boy Dwayne Wade.
Fish has 5 rings (maybe 6 with OKC now) is he a better PG than Stockton? Nash? Is anyone even insane to suggest that?
One player has a every disadvantage imaginable, but his sheer will to win and desire made him a instant icon and he dragged that sorry Philly team to things nobody else could. The other player is a notorious whiner, spends more time talking to refs, needed Shaq to get a ring. Now he needs LeBron James.
Iverson was known for pulling moves off that the human body should not be able to, he managed to cross the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. He was only defeated by one of the most dominant players the last 20 years, Prime Shaq in the finals.
...The same guy who had to help Wade get his own ring.
Cmon son, Iverson is a phenomenon.
"Every disadvantage imaginable" meaning height right? Sure he was under 6' tall, but his athleticism was otherworldly. There will never be another AI, quit acting like he was an overachieving chump instead of the genetic freak he really was. And you're really gonna pretend Dwyane Wade didn't put up 34.7 ppg in that finals series in the best Jordan impersonation the NBA's seen and that Shaq wasn't 34 years old? Yes, AI overperformed and played with an intensity maybe on Jordan's level. Yes, all things considered, he was a greater player than Wade at this point in his career, but Wade has years left to play. Bonzinator was a clown for suggesting that comparing AI to Wade is an insult to Wade, but your post is just as bad.
You claim that he only lost to Shaq when he only took one game off those Lakers (I was ecstatic over that game btw, loved the David vs. Goliath promos they ran afterwards and the fact that they stopped the Lakers from going 16-0 those playoffs) when that was his only trip to the finals, that team easily could have been eliminated in the conference semis that year on a Vince Carter shot that missed by inches, and he never made it past the second round any other year. AI's one of my favorite all-time players, I loved him when he was playing, but your post makes me think you don't even watch basketball. Yeah, AI crossed MJ... so what? Is this you trying to give AI hoops cred by using The Worf Effect? He doesn't need that, he's an all-time great with actual accomplishments. It's an iconic highlight, but everyone gets crossed, everyone gets blocked, everyone gets dunked on. To list that as if it's a monumental feat makes it sound like all you've ever seen of AI is youtube highlight reels.
Oh come on. "The best Jordan impersonation the NBA has seen?" You DID watch the 06 finals right? The refs GIFTED Wade the 34. If the refs dont go crazy he puts up a respectable 20 some odd a night and the title goes to the Mavs.
Sure, he won the series for Miami, but you dont get credit for a Jordan impersonation when the refs are responsible for a good portion of it.
Yes, I watched all of it and own it on DVD. There was a significant free throw discrepancy, but as much as people (you're obviously not alone in your opinion) think. It's well in line with what passes for superstar calls in the NBA, and I don't necessarily like that it is that way, but to completely discredit Wade's play that series is unfair. Now, I'm not saying that NBA players are blameless when they abuse the inane rules the NBA keeps around -- I'd love for Stern to get rid of the rip-through move, tighten up continuation fouls, and disincentivize flopping the way they've cracked down on jumping into the defender on a pump-fake, but players like Harden, CP3, and yes, Wade are obviously complicit with the way they take full advantage of the rules. But don't get it twisted, 2006 Wade was godmode and while he did get ticky-tacky fouls (including the one at the end of game 5, which WAS a foul, but yes a very ticky-tacky call) he earned them with his relentless aggression. When you attack the hoop and people can't stop you, yes you're going to get foul calls. Yes, it's going to be more than the jumpshooters on the other team get. Surprise!
If you're gonna completely dismiss Dwyane's finals MVP because of the ft discrepancy in that series, I wonder what you think about what the FThunder get on a nightly basis. I'm sure you're aware of this, but Mike got more than his fair share of calls too, and getting these calls means that the league realizes you're its cash cow. It is really sad how Dwyane's fallen off as of late though, both in perception and in reality. Still my favorite player since 03!
P.S. I'm well aware that MJ could get 50 a night in a league with no handchecking, along with the other various advantages offensive players get nowadays.
Sorry, but Jordan and Wade are, at least from the eye test, completely different players. Wade's game relies almost entirely on his athleticism, Jordan had a lot more cleverness in his game.
On June 15 2012 04:51 Itsmedudeman wrote: How is oden worth the gamble? He's barely played at all during his career and it's not been that great. They may as well bring shaq out of retirement. This is coming from someone who lives in portland btw.
That's cold... Oden's planning on taking a full year off from hoops and it'd be great if he could still have a meaningful career after all the setbacks. And yeah, Miami really is that desperate for a center -- remember that they signed EDDY CURRY, lol.
Yea, Heat have terrible centers.
Also, WTF is this new storyline I heard from commentators this morning that Lebron needs to get to the foul line more? He took 9 FTs. 9 is a TON of FTs. I know he is averaging more than that in these playoffs, but look at who they have faced:
New York: Terrible perimeter defense, fouling was probably their only chance of stopping him aside from Chandler. Indiana: No one can physically match him. Hibbert is a big who is not that athletic and can't rotate to get blocks that well, he is easy to get into foul trouble. Boston: Old as shit. Pierce's entire defensive plan was: commit fouls. No one could stay in front of Lebron.
OKC: Durant, Harden, Sefolosha, all more athletic than anyone he's faced yet (besides lazy Carmello), with crazy Ibaka and crafty Collison behind them? 9 FTs is an accomplishment.
The comparison is obviously not with 98 Jordan, but early 90s Jordan. I'm not mad at you if you still don't like it, I think Jordan comparisons are dumb too but in terms of mindset Dwyane was in my opinion the best pretender yet.
And that's pretty messed up to completely disparage Indiana and Boston like that. It wasn't that long ago that they had Miami cornered and people were talking about how amazing both of those teams were. And the Celtics WERE #1 in adjusted defensive rating.
Why you put Allen Iverson in a same sentence as Wade is beyond me. Wade has a chip and finals mvp. No need to compare him with MJ and Kobe at all.
Why is this argument still made? Karl Malone does not have a ring and he is far superior player to 99% of the people who have a ring, including your boy Dwayne Wade.
Fish has 5 rings (maybe 6 with OKC now) is he a better PG than Stockton? Nash? Is anyone even insane to suggest that?
One player has a every disadvantage imaginable, but his sheer will to win and desire made him a instant icon and he dragged that sorry Philly team to things nobody else could. The other player is a notorious whiner, spends more time talking to refs, needed Shaq to get a ring. Now he needs LeBron James.
Iverson was known for pulling moves off that the human body should not be able to, he managed to cross the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. He was only defeated by one of the most dominant players the last 20 years, Prime Shaq in the finals.
...The same guy who had to help Wade get his own ring.
Cmon son, Iverson is a phenomenon.
"Every disadvantage imaginable" meaning height right? Sure he was under 6' tall, but his athleticism was otherworldly. There will never be another AI, quit acting like he was an overachieving chump instead of the genetic freak he really was. And you're really gonna pretend Dwyane Wade didn't put up 34.7 ppg in that finals series in the best Jordan impersonation the NBA's seen and that Shaq wasn't 34 years old? Yes, AI overperformed and played with an intensity maybe on Jordan's level. Yes, all things considered, he was a greater player than Wade at this point in his career, but Wade has years left to play. Bonzinator was a clown for suggesting that comparing AI to Wade is an insult to Wade, but your post is just as bad.
You claim that he only lost to Shaq when he only took one game off those Lakers (I was ecstatic over that game btw, loved the David vs. Goliath promos they ran afterwards and the fact that they stopped the Lakers from going 16-0 those playoffs) when that was his only trip to the finals, that team easily could have been eliminated in the conference semis that year on a Vince Carter shot that missed by inches, and he never made it past the second round any other year. AI's one of my favorite all-time players, I loved him when he was playing, but your post makes me think you don't even watch basketball. Yeah, AI crossed MJ... so what? Is this you trying to give AI hoops cred by using The Worf Effect? He doesn't need that, he's an all-time great with actual accomplishments. It's an iconic highlight, but everyone gets crossed, everyone gets blocked, everyone gets dunked on. To list that as if it's a monumental feat makes it sound like all you've ever seen of AI is youtube highlight reels.
Oh come on. "The best Jordan impersonation the NBA has seen?" You DID watch the 06 finals right? The refs GIFTED Wade the 34. If the refs dont go crazy he puts up a respectable 20 some odd a night and the title goes to the Mavs.
Sure, he won the series for Miami, but you dont get credit for a Jordan impersonation when the refs are responsible for a good portion of it.
Yes, I watched all of it and own it on DVD. There was a significant free throw discrepancy, but as much as people (you're obviously not alone in your opinion) think. It's well in line with what passes for superstar calls in the NBA, and I don't necessarily like that it is that way, but to completely discredit Wade's play that series is unfair. Now, I'm not saying that NBA players are blameless when they abuse the inane rules the NBA keeps around -- I'd love for Stern to get rid of the rip-through move, tighten up continuation fouls, and disincentivize flopping the way they've cracked down on jumping into the defender on a pump-fake, but players like Harden, CP3, and yes, Wade are obviously complicit with the way they take full advantage of the rules. But don't get it twisted, 2006 Wade was godmode and while he did get ticky-tacky fouls (including the one at the end of game 5, which WAS a foul, but yes a very ticky-tacky call) he earned them with his relentless aggression. When you attack the hoop and people can't stop you, yes you're going to get foul calls. Yes, it's going to be more than the jumpshooters on the other team get. Surprise!
If you're gonna completely dismiss Dwyane's finals MVP because of the ft discrepancy in that series, I wonder what you think about what the FThunder get on a nightly basis. I'm sure you're aware of this, but Mike got more than his fair share of calls too, and getting these calls means that the league realizes you're its cash cow. It is really sad how Dwyane's fallen off as of late though, both in perception and in reality. Still my favorite player since 03!
P.S. I'm well aware that MJ could get 50 a night in a league with no handchecking, along with the other various advantages offensive players get nowadays.
I dont have any issue with his finals MVP. The issue I have is you trying to put that performance (which certainly deserves a tiny bit of an asterisk) as THE DEFINITIVELY GREATEST MJ IMPRESSION WE HAVE SEEN.
Hell, KOBE can barely put up anything remotely close to an MJ impersonation, and as much as I hate Kobe, Kobe is the closest thing to MJ we may see in our lifetimes, both in terms of personality and skill. And even then its a shallow impression at best.
Wade's 06 finals were great. The refs played a part, but he deserved the MVP and he deserved the championship. But the simple truth is there will never be another MJ. Which means that you have to be careful when comparing anyone to the SHADOW of MJ, because every single person to ever play the game without those initials will be in the conversation. Thats the only thing that I took exception with.
As noted above, I agree with you that MJ comparisons are dumb. It's equally dumb to think that there will never ever be a player greater than MJ, but yes, I agree with you. Don't go too nuts over that one tiny little line, I just included it to accentuate my point that Dwyane is a damn good player and Tyree was a fool for his post. I'm sure you found the rest of that post agreeable, and all of it is obviously just my opinion in the first place. :p
edit: Man, reading that old Abbott article makes me sad. Compare that to the stuff Dwyane Wade says now and the way he acts, his bitchassness nowadays is really off the charts. He should shave his head again, quit worrying about being a pretty boy, and get back to his roots.
On June 15 2012 04:51 Itsmedudeman wrote: How is oden worth the gamble? He's barely played at all during his career and it's not been that great. They may as well bring shaq out of retirement. This is coming from someone who lives in portland btw.
As a fellow blazers fan, doesn't it hurt a little inside to see Durant playing in the finals?
Nope, maybe if they were still in Seattle and there was a rivalry still, but nope.
You are hinting that Blazers fans should somehow be upset that our pick was a flop, where the second pick blossomed into a top 5 player in the world. Well, lets look at this from a Blazers point of view. The year they drafted Oden, they had Brandon Roy, Larmarcus Aldridge, as well Batum, Webster, Fernandez, and Travis Outlaw. We also had capable guards in Steve Blake and Sergio Rodriguez, as well as an up and coming Bayless. This team is very loaded on the wings, and is in serious need of a post presence. Grabbing a player like Durant would not only overlap in the development of other wings, but it would have stunted Durant progress as well, it would have been bad news for everyone.
A team with Roy, LMA, Oden is much more balanced than a team with Roy, Durant and LMA. The coaching style of Nate McMillan also fits the slower big man, compared to the run and gun style of Durant.
So as a Portland fan, no, I do not care that the thunder are having success, and no I do not feel that the organization fucked up the draft pick. It was injuries that prevented Oden from being a dominate force in the NBA, not his lack of skills.
Why you put Allen Iverson in a same sentence as Wade is beyond me. Wade has a chip and finals mvp. No need to compare him with MJ and Kobe at all.
Why is this argument still made? Karl Malone does not have a ring and he is far superior player to 99% of the people who have a ring, including your boy Dwayne Wade.
Fish has 5 rings (maybe 6 with OKC now) is he a better PG than Stockton? Nash? Is anyone even insane to suggest that?
One player has a every disadvantage imaginable, but his sheer will to win and desire made him a instant icon and he dragged that sorry Philly team to things nobody else could. The other player is a notorious whiner, spends more time talking to refs, needed Shaq to get a ring. Now he needs LeBron James.
Iverson was known for pulling moves off that the human body should not be able to, he managed to cross the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. He was only defeated by one of the most dominant players the last 20 years, Prime Shaq in the finals.
...The same guy who had to help Wade get his own ring.
Cmon son, Iverson is a phenomenon.
"Every disadvantage imaginable" meaning height right? Sure he was under 6' tall, but his athleticism was otherworldly. There will never be another AI, quit acting like he was an overachieving chump instead of the genetic freak he really was. And you're really gonna pretend Dwyane Wade didn't put up 34.7 ppg in that finals series in the best Jordan impersonation the NBA's seen and that Shaq wasn't 34 years old? Yes, AI overperformed and played with an intensity maybe on Jordan's level. Yes, all things considered, he was a greater player than Wade at this point in his career, but Wade has years left to play. Bonzinator was a clown for suggesting that comparing AI to Wade is an insult to Wade, but your post is just as bad.
You claim that he only lost to Shaq when he only took one game off those Lakers (I was ecstatic over that game btw, loved the David vs. Goliath promos they ran afterwards and the fact that they stopped the Lakers from going 16-0 those playoffs) when that was his only trip to the finals, that team easily could have been eliminated in the conference semis that year on a Vince Carter shot that missed by inches, and he never made it past the second round any other year. AI's one of my favorite all-time players, I loved him when he was playing, but your post makes me think you don't even watch basketball. Yeah, AI crossed MJ... so what? Is this you trying to give AI hoops cred by using The Worf Effect? He doesn't need that, he's an all-time great with actual accomplishments. It's an iconic highlight, but everyone gets crossed, everyone gets blocked, everyone gets dunked on. To list that as if it's a monumental feat makes it sound like all you've ever seen of AI is youtube highlight reels.
Oh come on. "The best Jordan impersonation the NBA has seen?" You DID watch the 06 finals right? The refs GIFTED Wade the 34. If the refs dont go crazy he puts up a respectable 20 some odd a night and the title goes to the Mavs.
Sure, he won the series for Miami, but you dont get credit for a Jordan impersonation when the refs are responsible for a good portion of it.
Yes, I watched all of it and own it on DVD. There was a significant free throw discrepancy, but as much as people (you're obviously not alone in your opinion) think. It's well in line with what passes for superstar calls in the NBA, and I don't necessarily like that it is that way, but to completely discredit Wade's play that series is unfair. Now, I'm not saying that NBA players are blameless when they abuse the inane rules the NBA keeps around -- I'd love for Stern to get rid of the rip-through move, tighten up continuation fouls, and disincentivize flopping the way they've cracked down on jumping into the defender on a pump-fake, but players like Harden, CP3, and yes, Wade are obviously complicit with the way they take full advantage of the rules. But don't get it twisted, 2006 Wade was godmode and while he did get ticky-tacky fouls (including the one at the end of game 5, which WAS a foul, but yes a very ticky-tacky call) he earned them with his relentless aggression. When you attack the hoop and people can't stop you, yes you're going to get foul calls. Yes, it's going to be more than the jumpshooters on the other team get. Surprise!
If you're gonna completely dismiss Dwyane's finals MVP because of the ft discrepancy in that series, I wonder what you think about what the FThunder get on a nightly basis. I'm sure you're aware of this, but Mike got more than his fair share of calls too, and getting these calls means that the league realizes you're its cash cow. It is really sad how Dwyane's fallen off as of late though, both in perception and in reality. Still my favorite player since 03!
P.S. I'm well aware that MJ could get 50 a night in a league with no handchecking, along with the other various advantages offensive players get nowadays.
Sorry, but Jordan and Wade are, at least from the eye test, completely different players. Wade's game relies almost entirely on his athleticism, Jordan had a lot more cleverness in his game.
On June 15 2012 05:32 TieN.nS) wrote:
On June 15 2012 04:51 Itsmedudeman wrote: How is oden worth the gamble? He's barely played at all during his career and it's not been that great. They may as well bring shaq out of retirement. This is coming from someone who lives in portland btw.
That's cold... Oden's planning on taking a full year off from hoops and it'd be great if he could still have a meaningful career after all the setbacks. And yeah, Miami really is that desperate for a center -- remember that they signed EDDY CURRY, lol.
Yea, Heat have terrible centers.
Also, WTF is this new storyline I heard from commentators this morning that Lebron needs to get to the foul line more? He took 9 FTs. 9 is a TON of FTs. I know he is averaging more than that in these playoffs, but look at who they have faced:
New York: Terrible perimeter defense, fouling was probably their only chance of stopping him aside from Chandler. Indiana: No one can physically match him. Hibbert is a big who is not that athletic and can't rotate to get blocks that well, he is easy to get into foul trouble. Boston: Old as shit. Pierce's entire defensive plan was: commit fouls. No one could stay in front of Lebron.
OKC: Durant, Harden, Sefolosha, all more athletic than anyone he's faced yet (besides lazy Carmello), with crazy Ibaka and crafty Collison behind them? 9 FTs is an accomplishment.
The comparison is obviously not with 98 Jordan, but early 90s Jordan. I'm not mad at you if you still don't like it, I think Jordan comparisons are dumb too but in terms of mindset Dwyane was in my opinion the best pretender yet.
And that's pretty messed up to completely disparage Indiana and Boston like that. It wasn't that long ago that they had Miami cornered and people were talking about how amazing both of those teams were. And the Celtics WERE #1 in adjusted defensive rating.
Its not disparaging. Fouling a lot is part of the Celt's defensive gameplan. Also, people need to understand, the Heat while probably the best team in the East all year, got to these finals in a bizzare way. Bosh's injury caused much of thier problems against the Celts/Pacers. Let us not forget though, that they only were facing the Celts (likely) because of 2 huge injuries to the Bulls, and the Celts were plagued by injuries as well.
Had the Heat played the Bulls in the ECF Lebron's FT average would not be like 12/game in the playoffs it would be closer to his season average of 8.1 (probably a bit higher). Also, his FTA numbers are realyl buoyed by some outlier games (24 game 2, 17 game 7 vs. celtics, 16 game 4 vs. pacers, and a ft festival vs. the knicks).
Stephan Smith is an asshole. Haven't posted in this thread at all this year after posting all the time the last few years, but watching him on SC is just gross.
On June 15 2012 08:54 tonight wrote: Stephan Smith is an asshole. Haven't posted in this thread at all this year after posting all the time the last few years, but watching him on SC is just gross.
EPT
It is really sad how Dwyane's fallen off as of late though, both in perception and in reality. Still my favorite player since 03!
