Making the team marginally better? Or winning a Championship?

Well according to you, Miami won't even make the finals because they'll have to get past Orlando and Howard no? Howard would just DOMINATE the Heat and send LeBron home crying so we don't even need to worry about them.

And besides, if you're conceding that Paul takes us to the finals, I'll take that over Oden 10 times out of 10. (How is that a marginal upgrade anyways, we didn't even win a series the past two years) I don't care what you say, making the finals gives you a good shot of actually winning a title every time, so I'd rather take that shot than wait for Oden to develop into Bill Russell. Or whoever it is you expect him to be. So please, stop acting like Oden guarantee's us a championship.

 

Well I barely watched the second half of the season as not long after Oden went down my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer and then died in April. I missed the second half so my mistake there about Roy's FTA's going down. I know they went down massively for a LONG time after that statement.

 

OMFG dude!

NO, I'm saying you need a dominant big to have a chance. They have the 2nd best 2 guard, the best 3 and maybe the best PF in the game. So you give up those positions as lost. You HAVE to dominate at the 5 and have a good defender/rebounder at the 4. Probably a legion of bigs really due to fouls.

I'm not saying Orlando or NJN (if you REALLY want to misconstrue what I wrote) will block the Heat. Jesus Christ. I meant Howard with Roy/LMA/Paul. You aren't even trying to get what I'm writing.

 

Well Orlando has a chance doesn't it?

And this is why I can't take you seriously. You're acting like certain events are predetermined and there's nothing that can change them. Who the hell knows if Miami will make the finals??? That's why you play the damn games. The Cavs went into the playoffs the past two years with the best record in the league and didn't even make the finals, yet a LeBron in 06-07 took a much less talented team into the finals. And remember when GS upset the top seeded Mavericks?

Kinda like

 

His 52 point game was in Decemeber of the 08-09 season. For the season, he averaged 6.5 FTA per game. January was 7.2, February 4.5, March was 6.7, and April was 6.5. So they didn't at all drop massively for a LONG time. And this season, like I said, they went up to 6.8 a game, and that was after a bad month of November, getting only 4.9 attempts, struggling with the offense, like everyone seemed to be. So I'm not seeing it. Sorry.

 

I agree that Orlando has one of the best shots in the league of blocking the Heat. But seriously, do you REALLY think the Heat don't come out of the East? I mean since we are "Just playing the damn games" maybe the Twolves will break out of the pack and win it all. I'm talking about odds.

Since we are BOTH spouting opinion I'll let Vegas settle it. They got money on the line:

http://sports.bodog.com/sports-betting/basketball-futures.jsp

 

The entire league save for Orlando, LA, NJ, and Portland should just give up because they don't have a dominant big.

Because I mean, come on, who the hell is going to beat the Heat anyways?

Why does the NBA operate anyways? I mean, we should just concede titles to the favorites. Stern should give the trophy to whoever makes the best off-season moves and has the best roster on paper at the start of the season.

Why trade for Al Jefferson anyways? He's not going to win us a title. Yeah, why sign Amar'e, he's $100 million dollars over 5 years but we still won't beat the heat. Screw it all.

Oh wait....

 

Luxury tax and profit sharing are the answers.

I pretty much agree with your assessment of LA, Boston, Portland, Orlando and maybe NJN if Favors is a beast and they pick up a decent defensive 2 and 3. Sure why play the games, I'm almost to that point with how stacked some teams are. Luckily Portland is a piece away IMO, but that's assuming you retain at least Roy or Oden and likely both. Trading Oden for CP3 seemed like a fair idea before LeBron went to Miami as you could beat LA at a few positions. Now with Miami's sole weakness in the front court (and PG, but really that's not enough) AND LA's length I don't think you can hope to WIN A TITLE without a dominant big.

Oh by the way LeBron getting blocked last year? Hmm, seems like it was by a team with DOMINANT BIGS AND AWESOME DEFENSE.

You really think adding Wade and Bosh is gonna make it easier to beat LBJ? Give me a break.

 

The Celtics have dominant bigs? They lost because Rondo (Who is a PG btw, hahahaha) went nutso.

Garnett and Perkins are no better than Aldridge and Przybilla.

Heat aren't winning a title anyways because they don't have a dominant big, right?

You do know the Jazz went further into the lux tax to get Jeff and Raja right? Are they a contender?

 

When I say dominant I mean defensively. Garnett is still better then LMA and Przybilla IIRC had a nearly career ending series of injuries.

You are right about Rondo going nutso.

You think CP3 + Roy is enough to get a ring. OK, you are entitled to your opinion. I say it takes dominant bigs on the glass/defense probably with a fair amount of interior defense to win against the Heat. You are entitled to your opinion and I will continue to take you seriously even though I think you are dead wrong about this.

We can agree to disagree.

No I think Al Jeff will hurt Utah not as much as Boozer leaving, but I don't think he puts them in contention no. FWIW, Raja is old as well.

 

My point wasn't that we could replicate their front court. It was that they didn't need dominant bigs to make the finals. (Or beat LeBron) They won with good team defense and a true star. (Rondo) Neither Perkins or Garnett are dominant offensively or defensively.

We'll still have Camby anyways.

Well you (And this isn't my opinion) conceded that trading Oden for Paul will get us to the finals. And any team that makes the finals has a good shot of winning. So you're opinion is the same as mine.

So why the hell did Utah make the deal? Shouldn't they just concede because they can't beat the Heat???

 

I was saying that Paul could conceivably get you to the Finals. I think Oden + LMA + Paul is better then Roy + Paul + LMA. I think team one has a MUCH better chance of winning it all. Let's just agree to disagree. Or even Roy + LMA + Oden + Batum + roleplayers might be better then team two. Obviously Oden's health is everything, but it's not like Roy and Paul are immune to injury. In fact Roy's injuries worry me more. I'm sure we will disagree on that. I freaking LOVE Roy by the way. I just want to see a ring in the next 10 years.

I think Utah should see how they fare after the Al Jeff trade and then figure out what to do from there. I don't think they are going to do better then they have and likely not as well ( I don't see them making the WCF for instance unless a strange bracketing occurs).

I honestly think the Stern Wet Dream Team has possibly so drastically altered the landscape that yes, many teams should in fact concede (look for the post LeBron era to rebuild or ask that their franchise be disolved). I was lobbying for a contraction not long ago of teams that were perennial losers over the past 30 years due to the concentration of talent on so few teams that many teams are glorified NBDL teams.

 

That's a pretty terrible analogy.

 

I agree. To me, Oden is the only untouchable on our roster. Please don't trade him.

 

A solo homer is always exactly 1 run. A double with two men on base is generally at least 1 run and often 2 runs. Therefore, the expected value of two singles and a double is higher than three strikeouts and a homer.

Where are you going with this, Ed O?

 

I agree with your point, but not your analogy.

Assuming everyone else strikes out, the team that gets two singles and a double in each inning would beat the team that got a homerun in each inning 18-9. Now conversly, I'd rather have a team hit a grandslam than get two singles and a double.

 

Not exactly. Two singles and a double don't always result in two runs, if the second player who hits a single is slow. Especially if there aren't two outs when the double is hit, so the runner isn't going on contact.

What were talking about? Oh yeah...I've also always advocated going for the high upside prospects in the draft, rather than safer ones. I'll trade a less certain floor for a higher potential ceiling when it comes to draft.

 

I wasn't being serious.

I agree with you.

You probably think RBIs are a good measure of a GM's drafting.