2010-2011 NBA Season

Given the skills of Wade and LeBron, they had the ability to operate without a traditional PG. I was surprised that they didn't get someone who could guard really quick players, instead going for the dime a dozen Eddie House.

I'm more surprised how easily Bosh gives up position on defense. It's one thing to give up position to the Shaqs of the world, but he is getting owned by a ton of 4s.

 

Watch out for Chicago in the East once Carlos Boozer returns, maybe this week.

They quietly put together a hell of a road trip out west. Derrick Rose is inches away from being elite with a capital "E."

 

good thing. i always thought the Bulls won because Ho Grant or Scott Williams was better than Bryon Russell and Adam Keefe not that Jordan and Pippen > Malone and Stockton.

 

Tony Parker also was a star. and the Spurs 5th best player may not have even been better than the Nets 5th best player when those teams met. The difference was that Duncan was just about unstoppable. Parker also was faster than Jason Kidd. i can't even remember for sure who the Spurs 5th best player on that team was, maybe Bowen or Barry. as great a defender as Bowen was they could replace him with several guys. who could they replace Duncan with? Over the past decade the Pistons stand out as a champion who won mainly because of balance and depth. but most NBA champions rely heavily on the best 2 players.

 

What happened to Carmelo?

 

Steve Kerr knocked down some jumpers, Derek Fisher made himself a nice living etc. That's always the story because how many times can you write about Kobe or Jordan, but every team has players like that. It's crazy to say that is what wins. When you are handicapping a season, you rank the teams in order of their worst 2 starters, I'll rank them on their best 2 & let's see how our lists do.

 

And the next year those guys were all bums again! Boobie Gibson? When LeBron or the other star is on your team, you're going to get a lot of open looks. It's important to knock them down. You may be right in an evenly matched finals, but the story of the NBA over the last 3 decades has been follow the stars, and 1 is not enough. You need 2 legit top 15-20 players to think about a title, except the 2 Piston teams and the Houston teams that took advantage of a vacuum of star power in the league.

 

Rondo is now the best guy on that team. when they won he belonged with the Big 3. he definitely wasn't the 5th best player on that team. Ray Allen is probably closer to that. and it's good that you know Gasol isn't a role player. He is their 2nd best player and last year it was him stepping that made a huge differerence as opposed to him not stepping up when they lost to Boston. It wasn't that they cancel each other out, maybe people on talk radio say that. It's pretty much what Guy said, a star-driven league. right now Miami's Big 3 aren't playing anywhere near what they're expected. if those guys don't play better they won't be in the NBA Finals.

 

The point is that every team in the league has a Boobie Gibson. He is Mark Lemke, Timmy Smith or Brian Doyle, nothing more. The point with the Pistons & the Spurs is that you don't have to be historically great, just better than anyone else. And Duncan was pretty damn great.

 

Parker was never a top 20 player? How about he was about the only guy whose speed was a difficult matchup for Nash or that he was the MVP when they dusted the Cavs? But that wasn't because of Duncan and Parker it was because Pavlovic wasn't as good as Finley.

 

wow, really messed that quote function up. head still spinning from the idea that it wasn't Duncan and Parker that made the difference for the Spurs.

 

Yes they are. So either Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers better play up to their potential or they're out in the first round.