Man on Fire
Brandon Roy (photo. Aaron Hewitt)The NBA is all about making runs and finding whoever has the hot hand, but Suns/Blazers was like watching dudes take turns at Pop-a-Shot. Brandon Roy started it off, scoring 11 points in the first quarter as Portland grabbed the early lead. The second quarter belonged to Matt Barnes, who morphed into a tatted-up Reggie Miller clone, running off screens and wetting threes from the same spot over and over again. Barnes (22 pts, 5 threes) helped put the Suns ahead by double-digits, but then Steve Blake (22 pts, 10 asts) took his turn and shot Portland back into it with a burst of mid-range J’s and threes from the left elbow. Third quarter, it was back to Roy; he scored 15 in a row during one stretch, inexplicably getting wide open time after time like Steve Smith (the NFL receiver, not Smitty from Detroit) to knock down threes and get transition buckets. B-Roy eclipsed his career-high by hitting 38 before the quarter was even over and putting Portland back on top … Travis Outlaw, a.k.a. “Mr. Fourth Quarter” in Portland (at least that’s what they used to call him) tried to make the 4th his time to shine, and he had some clutch buckets and boards, but he couldn’t get out from under Roy’s shadow. Whereas the third quarter was Roy getting open looks, the fourth was just him forcing the action and willing the Blazers to the win, eventually finishing with 52 points (14-for-27 FG’s, 19-for-21 FT’s) along with six dimes and ZERO turnovers. Absolute superstar performance … And lost amongst all this, Amare damn near got a triple-double with 23 points, eight boards and eight assists. He also made Joel Przybilla his latest Soul-Crusher victim. Do you think Amare was insulted that he was left out of TNT’s “Four Big Men” doubleheader intro that focused on Shaq, Duncan, Dwight and Greg Oden? … Rudy Fernandez can catch alley-oops with the best of them, but he needs work throwing ‘em. He tried to hit Roy on a lob one time and air-mailed it to Corvallis … The box score says Ike Diogu went 0-for-2, but we could have sworn we saw dude miss like 5-6 layups. Is it too early to say it’s never gonna happen for that guy? … If you watched Steve Nash closely, it looked like he was either about to snap or just give up on life and start wearing sweats everywhere. Late in the fourth Nash got called for a moving screen, a total makeup call for the previous possession when Roy got clobbered by Shaq. On Phoenix’s last chance, Nash appeared to get fouled while taking a three, but with no whistle, popped up and went to the rim by himself (basically padding his stats at that point) and still missed an uncontested layup … Did Craig Sager borrow the suit Carlos Boozer wore in Boston the other day? …
Dwight Howard (photo. Mannion)With The Centaur back in the lineup, Orlando passed the first of its two major tests this week, destroying the Spurs at home before hosting the Lakers on Saturday. As you’d expect from an older team that had just played an intense game (in New Orleans) the night before, then arrived in town at 3:30 a.m., the Spurs came out strong for a few minutes before simply running out of gas. Example: Duncan was a wall defensively against Howard (14 pts, 13 rebs) for a minute, but eventually started giving up inside position and getting dunked on as the game went on … And Tony Parker just got worked over, getting 24 points and some big fourth-quarter buckets from Jameer Nelson while going 3-for-17 on his end. TP’s jumper has gotten better over the years, but he’s still streaky (not often you say that about a guy who hardly takes any threes). When he’s on, he’s automatic — just ask Nash or every Timberwolves player who tried to guard TP when he dropped 55 on them — but when he’s off, it’s fugly. Last night he was way off … After Keith Bogans stepped into a three in transition that put Orlando up 17 in the first half, Pop called timeout as Bruce Bowen and Mike Finley stood at midcourt yelling at each other over who left Bogans open. Bowen broke out his top-shelf whiny face, and eventually Finley just rolled his eyes like, “OK, whatever” and walked away … We’re out like Parker’s shot …
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December 19th, 2008 at 2:19 am
Rodney Rogers says:
AUSTIN IS WACK
December 19th, 2008 at 2:47 am
qUeSt?? says:
wtf is up with the random hate?? n e wayz Brandon Roy was a monster, but if i was building a team i would not take him, i dont think he will become a superstar, a star yes but not a superstar. Also, i would take amare over dwight if i wanted to build a team for the future.
December 19th, 2008 at 2:49 am
qUeSt?? says:
Amare is way better than dwight, he is more athetic, he has a way better offensive game, he can block shots, and get rebounds, and they are both around the same height.
December 19th, 2008 at 2:52 am
Raj S says:
Skill-wise, Duncan is better with one hand than Howard would be with three. Physically, however, Duncan never has a chance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j601kzgRmMI&feature=related
December 19th, 2008 at 3:12 am
jayslay says:
i think its safe to say you really cant go wrong with either howard oslo amare….while they pretty much are one dimensional if they ever became real legitimate two way players,,,either one would be the best in the league….
brandon roy is one of the smoothest players in the league…. he’s not super athletic but he gets buckets on everyone…glad to see him makin it on hard work…..jus goes to show you can go to college stay 4 years and be a good NBA player…
December 19th, 2008 at 3:18 am
smity far away says:
that boy Brandon Roy is bad. That was my first time watching him really dominate and i won’t ever question his status again. first time i’ve screamed at the screen in excitement in a while after he hit the wing three in the late fourth. and that was a good ass game…tough for phoenix.
December 19th, 2008 at 3:21 am
Jeffrey says:
For whatever reason, this is a short dime smack (at least for me).
December 19th, 2008 at 3:25 am
mo says:
BLA-ZERS!!!!!
B-Roy 2010 MVP
no joke
December 19th, 2008 at 3:25 am
jayslay says:
jeffery-it was only 2 games last nite
December 19th, 2008 at 3:40 am
Brazil says:
Brandon Roy is poor man Paul Pierce, he is like “almost the truth”
December 19th, 2008 at 3:42 am
John says:
Wade never score 50, I wonder if he will score 50 today on Kobe ? What do you guys think ? I will go with 38 and a L …
December 19th, 2008 at 4:09 am
Ian says:
raj s
yeah the thing is a team with duncan has championship aspirations not the case with howard
December 19th, 2008 at 4:10 am
Ian says:
btw a young timmy would destroy howard easy
December 19th, 2008 at 4:12 am
Ian says:
quest sup bro
amare way better??? hum dont know man he cant play d and he doesnt seem like the type that can carry a team on his own
imo of course
December 19th, 2008 at 4:14 am
ninja cool says:
Well whaddaya know? Terry Porter’s defensive scheme is working perfectly. He just prevented B-Roy (who really needs a sick nickname–the Assassin?Human Torch?) from scoring 70 pts. Congratulations! Smell that Terry? I think your seat’s getting a little hot…
December 19th, 2008 at 4:14 am
solomon says:
excellent game by roy…
zero turnovers just sealed the deal (and the win)… performance of the year material right there…
easy on the MVP love… not even CP3 last year and kidd years back got that shit (that they damn deserved)… he’s got lebron and cp3 as competition, and boy that ain’t exactly cakewalk right there…
and going to the suns – nevermind roy, until amare’s got shaq in front of him, he’d never get the props he deserves…
d-ho / duncan reminds me too much of the past shaq / dream match-up… one’s too much a beast to be guarded, one’s too slick that brute force alone can’t stop…
we’re out like diogu’s potential…
December 19th, 2008 at 4:23 am
fLaVa says:
oh how i would love the Al Jeff and Roy combo in Minny!
December 19th, 2008 at 4:27 am
Big pink pig says:
Ou yeah..just couple days ago i traded Josh Howard for Roy
December 19th, 2008 at 6:11 am
Joaquin says:
We gotta get Roy a nickname. That cat is just smooth, poised under pressure.
December 19th, 2008 at 6:26 am
ninja cool says:
True that Joaquin. I enjoyed watching him jaw against the Truth when they played at Boston. I go for Human Torch hehe.
December 19th, 2008 at 6:59 am
iain. says:
@quest?? – You would take a guy 3 years older with multiple knee surgeries and a questionable attitude plus no Defence to speak of, over Dwight if you were starting a franchise? Really?
@Brazil – Na man me personally i’d rather watch B-Roy over Pierce all day the boy is so SMOOTH everything hedoes. Wheras PP is jerky and hard to watch. Damn effective but give Roy credit where its due.
And the reason the Smack was short today was probably because the Dime Christmas party was poppin off and Katz and the crew are suffering! Peace..
December 19th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Kobeef says:
@Ninja Cool
I wonder if Kerr is rethinking his defenseless back court after predicably (for most of us) watching Nash and Richardson give up 74 points….to Steve Blake and Brandon ROy
December 19th, 2008 at 7:45 am
MrSpanky says:
Broy is most definetly better than the Truth… when you got all the talent in the world like B-Town does, it dont take Einsteain to figure out their gonna be sick. Put the exact same team around Broy and the results would be the same or better.
December 19th, 2008 at 7:51 am
MrSpanky says:
Masturbating fo life!
December 19th, 2008 at 8:05 am
John says:
I dont know if B-Roy is better than the Truth ,,, Pierce is a proven champion, always shows a lot of heart, I think B-Roy has to prove a lot things before got the edge on Pierce.
December 19th, 2008 at 8:19 am
the_don_mega says:
B-Roy = stealth…
December 19th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Bron42 aka Thugnificant says:
quest, your talkin crazy, dwights stats alone say hes better than amare if not at the very least equal. The only advangtage amare has over dwight is amare can kinda shoot jumpshots now and that due to him having a serious knee surgery. Dwight is bigger, stronger, a wayyyyy better defender/rebounder and more athletic. I also left out younger cuz its kinda obvious. Amares been in the league longer and dwight already set records amare didn’t even touch.
ian, a team with howard doesn’t have title asperations? are u just that much of a spurs homer now days? Both duncan and howard instantly make their teams contenders but like we all keep tellin u, neither one is gonna win with a weak supporting cast. The magics cast is slowly gettin better meanwhile the spurs are slowly going down hill. And a young timmy wouldn’t destroy dwight. he would give him issues ala yao because of all his pump fakes and moves but dwight would still do his thing if they were both rookies with equal experience. Kinda like the way shaq beasted everyone when he was yung. The dream still did his thing against him but its not like shaq was suddenly useless.
December 19th, 2008 at 8:24 am
rangerjohn says:
ok dime while that was the single worst game the spurs have played this season (and one of the worst of the duncan era) you guys once again exagerate small things way to much. duncan was a wall? YES, for a minute? your nuts!!!! howard got 3 dunks all night (look up the shot chart if you like) and 2 of those came against other guys (bonner once and thomas once) duncan was steady all night on his defense with the exception of a couple of plays.
now the rest of the team? JUST PLAIN BAD!!!!!! i mean damn parker 3 of 17? i even told my wife about 2 left in the 3rd, pop needs to take him out and just let hill run things for the 4th.
December 19th, 2008 at 9:28 am
TD says:
1st – Dwight is better than Amare, and you’d be a fool not to take him. I’d rather take the dude that gives you D and rebounds better than everyone else, than the prima donna who’s sad because he feels like he should get more credit for not ever winning anything major.
2nd – B-Roy is not better than the truth, I hate the celtics, but gotta give PP his respect, dude can ball. He can also act as we saw with his 30-second fake injury in the finals
3rd – Timmy D is the best power forward of all time, don’t care how old he is, the man is a beast, and doesn’t get enough credit because his game is boring and people expect him to get his every night. He’s finished in the top 10 in MVP voting every year of his career, ridiculous.
December 19th, 2008 at 9:41 am
PALakerFan says:
Rangerjohn and TD – Your man Duncan IS the best PF of all-time. No doubt. Even as a diehard Laker fan, I’ve always appreciated the way the Spurs and Timmy play the game. Duncan is a true great who don’t come along very often.
December 19th, 2008 at 9:49 am
PALakerFan says:
Also, the talk about Amare or Dwight is plain ridiculous! Amare is a completely one dimensional player. Put it this way, Kerr would make that swap in a heartbeat.
Is it me, or does Shaq look about 375-400? That MFer is huge! Did anyone else catch the irony in last night’s game – PHX starting 5 former All-Stars while Portland rollin’ out all the young studs, and probably 3 future All-Stars (Roy, Aldridge, Oden)?
December 19th, 2008 at 9:56 am
MrSpanky says:
Pierce may be good but dont put him on Kobe’s level. When the LA/Boston ineveitably meets again this year in the Finals and LA finally got their shit on right (ie Bynum 100% and in the mix) that LA will trump whatever Boston got.
December 19th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Dennis Castro says:
Brian Cook better be careful, that’s a steep cliff he’s about to fall off, going for the Eddy Curry circa 2007 look.
If he keeps it up, he’ll be Eddy Curry circa 2008 in no time.
December 19th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Richard Wellner says:
He’s good because he’s mostly white.
December 19th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Richard Wellner says:
I just got Beasely off waivers, and dropped Tyrus Thomas for Chris Andersen. I am making a run for #1 in my fantasy league.
December 19th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Ian says:
bron
homer??? u serious about the howard comment NO a team with howard is no championship team maybe in the future. u tried to compare him with young shaq u cant shaq could score 30 any day and be the go to guy for buckets u cant do that with howard.
and both the same with equal experience WRONG compare rookie timmy to dwight pleasee bro is not even close. you need to youtube tim 5 years ago i dont think u remember him.
still today 4 scrubs with tim have a better chance at winning by far than 4 scrubs with howard or amare or dirk and def kg.
howard doesnt get his teammates involved like tim does or like hakeem did or david or ewing or shaq hes no where near their level. hes a beast pleasee
December 19th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Ian says:
bron
i know theyll prob never meet but ill love to see howard play tim in the playoffs.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:02 am
control says:
Brandon Roy’s nick name = “Mean Mugggin”
Brandon “Mean Mugggin” Roy
That is the only face he has, it’s worse than Dirk “Goat Boy” Nowinski’s tongue to nose lick. Roy is even mean muggin the camera in the pic up there.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:04 am
control says:
BTW, the triple G was intentional…he is THAT OG.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:14 am
jayslay says:
ian- if timmy was younger he would give howard the business….i agree..but you cant say howard championship quality rite now…..are the magic any good without him??? dude makes them guys better…he’s practically made hedo and rashard is better playing with him than aying with ray….( efficiency wise)…howard could carry his team to the finals but he’s still youg with no slasher on his team…let them get a true slasher instead of 4 sharp shooters and you will see his game get even better…
December 19th, 2008 at 11:17 am
JCARR says:
Roy is ROYalty… the man is getting treated like a king after his performance and finally being the go-to guy Portland Blazers have been missing all these years.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Bron42 AkA Your Moms Best Friend says:
Og triple og triple OG lol
k, Ian, for someone who seems to usually prove his points decently, u do come off as a homer ALOT. U overlook key things that make ur teams better. I mean the kg vs duncan debate has already been settled last year. I mean ur captain “i hate what if arguments” but all ur arguments are about how if duncan had to play wit scrub or if manu was the only guy on the spurs, they’d still be legit. Meanwhile NEITHER ONE HAS EVER HAD TO. Duncan came into the league after college to a vet team with hall of famer david robinson to groom him and still be young enough to take the burden off him. Plus wasn’t timmys first ring against the knicks in a jordan free year? so shouldn’t that have a * anyway lol jk. My point bein, while duncan IS a alltime great, hes been in a good situation his whole career, same with manu. U say dwight doesn’t command the way a young shaq did? outside of tryin to run fast breaks, their styles are almost identical. BOth were too physically dominant for anyone, neither could shoot. Even at a younger age dwights stats stand out. U said shaq could go for 30 every night? Again, not only did shaq have alot of legit vets, he had penny. Plus its not like dwight is ben wallace. Hes had a few 20-20 games himself ya kno. not bad for a guy with nothing outside of dunks and a jump hook. Plus dwight is already a better defender/rebounder than duncan was. Duncan is just a fundamental beast. He was never a great athlete. So like i said, duncan would give dwight fits with post moves in his prime, but dwight would still hold his own if he didn’t foul out (big if though) because he lacks experience. and please please please stop ignoring the fact supporting cast and coaching plays on a players devolpment. I mean who would u rather have…greg pop or kevin mchale coaching u? David robinson or Tony Battie grooming u? Tony parker or Jameer nelson/anthony johnson dishing u the rock?
December 19th, 2008 at 11:30 am
the_don_mega says:
@control…
i like that… MEAN MUGGGIN’…
cat gets his own shine in a very ridiculous manner and nobody seems to take notice… a very cerebral player… he really is like a 6’6 Tim Duncan… how ’bout The Transporter???… or The Big Fundamental 2.0??? LOL!!!
December 19th, 2008 at 11:37 am
the_don_mega says:
@ Bron:
nice arguement there bruh… but i think the only statement there that was a bit off the hook is…
” Plus dwight is already a better defender/rebounder than duncan was.”
maybe Dwight would be a better defender that TD when all is said and done… but as of now… id go with TD… blocking more shots than the other doesn’t make a great defender… the weak-side help and better understanding/judgement of the opponents attack would be factors as well in being a great defender. thus… being fundamentally sound makes TD a better defender that Dwight as of now.
again the arguement all boils down to which is better… being freakishly athletic or being fundamentally sound.
kinda like…
TD vs The Centaur or Roy vs JR Smith (prolly…)
December 19th, 2008 at 11:39 am
SayItAintSo says:
Thank GOD Roy owned lastnight…this weather is effin unbearable.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:56 am
MJAX says:
What’s really amazing about B ROY is; he doesn’t make many mistakes!! He takes shots that he can make, shots you actually practice to make in games. Just a “Solid” baller, an real laid back and low key kool when you see him in person. That performance should have solidified his All Star appearance.
December 19th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
BEdger says:
I know all of you are a little behind on the Roy train, but let me catch you up. He has a nickname given to him by the Blazers radio guy Brian Wheeler, who calls him “the natural”. By the way, this really wasn’t anything new, he just scored more early in the game than he normally does. That 3rd and 4th quarter stuff is what he has been doing this whole year.
December 19th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Ian says:
bron
bro pick one as a rookie
david groomed him till he was old enough to be the man??? comon bro the second season tim was the man.
pick one now (for one year of course) duncan is still prob the top player in the league if u want a ring
and your point about kg was way off he won being the second banana. tell me u r not tryin to say kg is better? but then again its oçyour pick.
duncan is the better rebounder
1. plays fewer mns
2. his team plays slower and take less shots
and defender bro really??? all nba defense all his season in the nba. nba record btw comon now
and of course i sound like a homer man everyone defending his team sounds like it but i havent said anything not true in my posts.
duncan came into the league a monster dwight still has no offensive game and u can bet he will foul out like amare vs timmeh (sorry doug i know u dont like the name but i do)
this is all my opinion btw but not the kg part hes nowhere near tim (might sound like a homer but i hate kg and think´hes the most overrated player ever
December 19th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Ian says:
don mega
so far the fundamentals produce rings
how many do jsmith, howard,amare have combined? hehehe
bron
btw i woulda loved to see the bulls in 94 vs the rockets or 99 vs the spurs
cuz they didnt play a team with a great center in the finals in the six years. i think those 2 finals woulda been the toughest 2
December 19th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Three Stacks says:
It’s true the Bulls didn’t really face a great C in the Finals, but they did get through Ewing, Shaq consistently in the East.
December 19th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
the_don_mega says:
ei dime… get a poll down here bout fundamentals vs athleticism or just pass me the damn mic!!! LOL!!!
December 19th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Ian says:
three
ewing well i dont think as highly of him but the knicks got robbed in 97 with the suspensions that was the best knick team of the 90s they had a shot at the bulls.
shaq they went 1-1 so i dont think that is consistently 95 shaq 96 jordan.
i just think it woulda been awesome to see luc play hakeem or david/duncan longley would get rapped badly prob same way jordan was gonna rape ellie or jaren jackson lol
bron look at dwights hehehe
Magnificent 7 so far this season … and how they relate to LeBron James
1. LeBron … ‘nuf said.
2. Chris Paul … playing even more minutes than LeBron, if you can believe it.
3. Dwyane Wade … now feeling the weight LeBron’s carried all these years.
4. Dwight Howard … he can tell his grandkids about all the MVP awards LeBron won.
5. Tim Duncan … remember the ’07 Finals?
6. Kobe Bryant … the MVP is still the best in the game for many, especially the KB24 cult.
7. Brandon Roy … forget LeBron, how ’bout Thursday night’s scintillating 52 pickup?
December 19th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Ian says:
“7 Feet High and Rising
Orlando’s Superman II is flying head and shoulders above the crowd as the best 7-footer in the game, especially since Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett insist they are only 6-11.”
lol
December 19th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Three Stacks says:
If you were to pick a model player over the past ten years, it’d have to be Duncan. I don’t think anyone else comes close.
Obviously you can’t win a title with one player, and the Spurs are lucky enough to have a great coach and a GM in RC Buford that always fields a competitive team. But if you were to pick one modern day player to start a team with, how can you not choose Duncan?
He’s a fundamentally sound big man, who can score and play amazing defense, and does all the right things, leads by example, doesn’t bitch, isn’t a prima donna, etc, etc.
If we had a draft from players over the last 10 years, everybody is magically the same age and healthy, I’m taking Duncan #1, no matter what. And this is coming from a Laker fan.
December 19th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Ian says:
three
duncan
shaq
lebron
kobe
after who knows if im picking of the last ten years
howard goes high because hes a big man even if there are better guards
now u said magically healthy so where does tmac fall lol? is vince motivated?? would kwame be in the league ??
December 19th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Three Stacks says:
I wouldn’t want Dwight on my team. He’s never gonna be the go-to guy on a championship team, his offensive game isn’t polished enough for that. And he’s been in the L long enough for me to believe it never will be.
He’s a good player, a great player, but I think we’ve seen his ceiling. He’s a mutant version of Ben Wallace, bigger, stronger, better offense, with less tenacity.
December 19th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
jayslay says:
three stacks
whooa howard is way better than ben wallace…he’s been in the league long enough to developed some post moves agreed…but the same can be said about lebron not having a reliable jump shot or not having that killer instinct…so have we seen his ceilingas well????
ian
ducan is a great player but i think that was put in a great situation..when he came in the league he was the sidekick…then he became the man but always had a solid team around him….if you take duncan and put him on the magic do they instantly become contenders???? if howard is on the spurs they win a ship period…this man is carring these bums and i think you are over looking that..without him on that team they mite be the worst in the league
December 19th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
the_don_mega says:
@jayjay:
“if you take duncan and put him on the magic do they instantly become contenders????”
- in his prime..yes! right now… still a possibility
“if howard is on the spurs they win a ship period”
- the cat is a very solid young ‘un… but what has he proven at this time??? an empty bag of chips… yeah… they might win a chip with him… but now right away… 3-5 years maybe…
“this man is carring these bums and i think you are over looking that..without him on that team they mite be the worst in the league”
- i cant see him “carrying” his team yet…. who do the Magic go to in the clutch??? does the name Hedo come to mind??? aint sayin’ Hedo is better than him… but cmon the Magic aint a one man show either…
December 19th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Three Stacks says:
Lebron shoots around .500, he’s been shooting around that for the past 3 years, so no, I don’t expect his FG% to suddenly shoot up 5 to 10 points. His jump shot isn’t great, but it’s not bad. He’s never gonna become Ray Allen or anything like that, even for all his potential.
As for his killer instinct, I think he’s already got one. But just because you have the will to win late in games doesn’t mean you always succeed.
And yeah, Howard is much better than Wallace, that’s what I meant by mutant version. But there’s no way the Spurs win a chip with Howard, and yes, the Magic become better w/ Duncan.
December 19th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
jayslay says:
don
hedo is hedo bcuz of howard….b4 hedo was on the magic he was nothing….and lets be honest here hedo isnot THAT good….not sayin he not good but he aint no star……if howard was on the spurs with a legit point gaurd a legit two guard and still the same shooters they would win a ship….not takin nuthin away from standard van but he hasnt won anything either…you put hoard with a HOF coach who has won with that team they would beat anybody for the next 3-5 years
December 19th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
the_don_mega says:
@jayjay:
i guess you missed my point bruh… i was askin’ who takes over for the Magic in the clutch??? Dwight is awesome… nobody questions that… but he aint thru nuthin yet… he is not carrying the Magic… they’re not a one man show… who’s carrying who??? D-Wade… no that is a perfect example of someone carrying his team… oh wait… didn’t TD carry the Spurs earlier this season without Manu and TP???
- i cant see him “carrying” his team yet…. who do the Magic go to in the clutch??? does the name Hedo come to mind??? aint sayin’ Hedo is better than him… but cmon the Magic aint a one man show either…
December 19th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
jayslay says:
three
bron shoot 500 cuz he finally learned to go to the paint….but he doesnt even have the kobe jump shot…or paul peirce jumper…..but he still shoots them…look at his 3pt% its sub 30%….bron is good but these are the things we’ve been talking about since he came in the league and hes been in the league longer than howard….i was going on you saying howard has been in the league awhile and still hasnt developed yet and we’ve seen his ceiling….
December 19th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Three Stacks says:
@ jayslay, I disagree.
If Howard were on the Spurs instead of Duncan, what exactly about that team would improve? You might get a few more rebounds, but I think that’s it. Howard gets blocks, but Duncan’s man on man defense is still better. And you gotta double Duncan in the high post, but you don’t need to double Dwight until he’s deep in the key, so that’s less open shots for the shooters.
So I don’t understand how they’d become an automatic champion?
December 19th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
the_don_mega says:
@jayjay:
BTW… Hedo is not Hedo coz of Dwight… sure he gets pen looks coz of him but he aint made coz of Dwight… it just so happens that Big Stan has the perfect system for Hedo to flourish in…
December 19th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
the_don_mega says:
@ Three Stacks:
you got that right bruh… not a big improvement from TD…
December 19th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
jayslay says:
don
i see what you are saying but what im saying is if you take howard of that team is hedo who he is?? im not sayin he a one man show im sayin the team is where they are becuz of him….and yes duncan did carry his team without TP and manu and did a damn good job…no question….
December 19th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Three Stacks says:
Since Turkoglu has been with Orlando (from the games I’ve seen), he gets most of his points off of his own dribble, most of his assists from kick outs to open shooters, and has the ball in his hands in the 4th quarter. So aside from the rare occasions he spots up and gets an open jumper cause of Dwight, or the alley-oops to Dwight, I don’t see how Dwight makes Hedo such a better player.
If you double off of anyone on the Magic squad, you double off the 2 guard, be it Bogans or Pietrus. Definitely not Hedo or Rashard.
December 19th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
the_don_mega says:
@jayslay:
nuthin against the arguement bruh… but IMO, Hedo would stil be the same player without Dwight. again thats just my opinion. again there is no doubt that The Centaur is gonna be an awesome player… lets just give him more time in the L to develop to further his case
December 19th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
jayslay says:
hedo was with the kings he had chris webber…he also was on the spurs with TD….im saying this becuz he been in the league like 8 years….and is just now gettin recognized…..rick aldeman has a great system so do the spurs…. you mean to tell me he couldnt succeed in those situations….
three stacks
if howard was there they would be the same team only difference is howard is younger and more athletic…but for the most part right now the average would be the same…and i was getting a lil ahead of myself saying auto ship lol i was jp
December 19th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
the_don_mega says:
@jayslay:
again bruh.. what i was sayin’ is that Hedo is in a perfect system… he’s the main playmaker with the Magic… not Jameer… he makes the decisions and has the rock most of the time… its a big difference…
December 19th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
PALakerFan says:
Timmy on Magic = Better Magic
Dwight on Spurs = Worse Spurs
It’s no knock on Dwight. Tim’s the greatest PF of all time. Dwight’s getting better every year but he’s not at Timmy’s level yet, if he ever gets there.
KG can suck it. We all felt bad for him and Minny and now that he won he’s the most annoying MFer in the L!
December 19th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Ian says:
sorry i missed all this
jayslay comon since the sacto days we all knew hedo could be the same player peja was in fact better cuz he could do more things and good thing u took back instant chip if howard gets traded to the spurs.
the magic def are better with duncan than howard have u seen duncan in the playoffs i think it was control that said it best that dude does things he aint even suppose to try in the clutch.
have u seen hedo playin man he can do that with anyone on his team.
like kg howard will win when he isnt the go to guy for his team.
like i said people that dont like duncan always come up with he has manu and parker but they dont realize jordan had pippen and rodman or that magic had worhy and kareem.
didnt duncan win with an old ass team in 99 or with manu and parker in 03 not being what they are now.
of all the dynasties in the history of the league duncan has had the worst supporting cast so lets give the man his due after the big three the drop off in talent is big.
the top three players in the league are duncan kobe and bron in any order u like but sounds like u r sayin howard belongs with them which he doesnt
December 19th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Ian says:
jayslay the spurs system is kinda hard for guys like hedo to do what hes doing now bro and with the kings the mns were hard to come by.