DrunkBomber

QUOTE (The Gooch @ Oct 24, 2010 -> 09:22 PM) I don't care who the offensive coordinator is, they aren't going to succeed with an O-line that can't block anyone. I'm defending Martz because I think it is pretty obvious they should be attempting to run more, but you need an offensive line to do that as well. Keep defending him then. Theres a lot more to it then running the ball. Its the overall play calling.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Oct 24, 2010 -> 03:54 PM) Can we fire all the coaches and give them advance prep time to scout draft picks and free agents? Id like to think this will be Lovies farewell tour but who knows what theyll do with 1 year left on his deal. At least Martz was only signed for 1, I believe.

Well, at least Martz will be gone after this year. Hopefully they pull a total overhaul.

Great win. It would be nice if the Twins would lose once in a while.

Flipper>Babe

Ill play devils advocate with Madden, online at least. This is by far one of the worst versions of this game in recent memory. Ive bought this game every year since it has came out basically and I will be selling my copy of 11 when NHL11 comes out. The defense is a joke, you simply cant play defense. They made it impossible to even attempt to play a zone defense, it looks worse then the Bears cover 2 in real life when they have no pass rush. On offense you can score at will. Running, passing, whatever. Any running back will run over any linebacker or safety and will get you about 10 ypc even if the defense has schemed the play perfectly. If you want to pass you have your choice between a dump to the backs in the flat who will be wide open everytime (even in a press man coverage), a fade route or a slant. The fade routes are a joke. I can be in a 4 deep zone with coverage backed off and shifted to the side of the field and fast WRs will just run past the secondary and be wide open. As far as slants, they are wide open, every single time. Lag. For whatever reason every game lags now. Its impossible to attempt field goals because most of the time it doesnt register when you hit x to kick and you hook it. It also makes it really choppy. Offline I guess is different I guess but in terms of online play its basically unplayable. I will probably never buy a Madden game again.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Aug 9, 2010 -> 09:07 PM) Complete disaster on that note. Going into the biggest series of the year, we expected to win at least 3 out of 4 against a god awful Orioles team. We responded by losing 3 of 4. Inexcusable. Terrible job by our offense and then our defense and Ozzie today as well. We picked a hell of a time to play like this. It better not carry over. Love these types of posts. Dont worry it will be 2012 soon and it will all be over.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Aug 9, 2010 -> 01:51 PM) I have a bunny named Bunny, a cat named Ginga, and a rooster named Roosters. Last night my brother was driving home and he saw a little rabbit that was injured so he picked it up and for the time being we have two bunnies. I have a black lab named Bunny This is her at 7 weeks

So if you have Uverse are you basically screwed until it airs on CSN? Is there really nowhere to watch this online yet?

Step 1- Get grindy

Pants are always a viable option

I have one and I think its pretty cool. I dont use it as much as Id like though. The coolest thing about it is the iphone app. I can watch my home cable on my cell phone everywhere. I also like that I can watch my cable on my laptop if Im playing ps3.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 9, 2010 -> 05:38 PM) I just have to wonder how you'd react if 3 years from now it came out that Derrick Rose agreed he was going to do whatever it took to become an UFA in order to sign with the Thunder and team up with Durant to challenge the Heat. Id be just as furious as if he left the NBA to go into the unicorn business or if Noah walked away in his prime to take up male modeling. In a preemptive strike I would not only veto their attempt to represent their country in the Olympics, I would ban them from twitter, cable tv and playing mafia wars on facebook. Id basically try to cover my bases in every "what if" scenario just in case of the very likely event one of my players became a client of Maverick Carter.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 9, 2010 -> 05:19 PM) You think Dan Gilbert wouldn't do that right now? I have no idea but you didnt ask what I thought he would do you asked what I would do. If youre gonna be that cynical with all your players you will end up digging your own grave anyway. The Olympics can be a once in a life time opportunity and can be some players only chance to be a champion, you cant take that away from someone because LeBron James knows he cant win a championship being the man.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 9, 2010 -> 05:10 PM) So...different point... If you're an NBA owner, and you happen to have a soon-to-be top 10 NBA player (i.e. Durant, Rose), and that player were asked to participate on the Olympic team...what would you say? You just saw a situation where 2 teams appear to have lost their best player to FA for nothing and were convinced to do so while hanging out during the Olympic team. On top of that, there's lots of signs that CP3 was involved in that hookup game as well, even if so far he hasn't been able to pull it off. You already don't want your guy wearing out or getting hurt, now you also have to worry about him deciding to leave your franchise because of the Olympics? Id have a hard time telling someone they couldnt represent their country in the Olympics.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jul 9, 2010 -> 02:51 PM) I mean, you don't have to be a genius to know that any opportunity a network can get to put Miami on national television, they're going to jump at. What opportunities are you talking about? Did they start selling the rights to air individual games nationally or is ESPN, TNT or ABC going to air close to 80 games in mostly prime time slots?

QUOTE (Palehosefan @ Jul 9, 2010 -> 02:37 PM) Miami is going to be on national TV for just about every single game. Miami will be in the playoffs every single year, and LeBron will be the best player on the floor for likely at least 1 or 2 championship teams. LeBron's marketing hit here might take a dive, but worldwide places like China will immediately take him to the top as they have done with Kobe after his titles. LeBron can make a killing off of foreign marketing, and that's assuming the bandwagon fans in America turn their noses up at LeBron for joining Dwyane Wade, which is a big assumption when the dust settles. Where did you pick this up? Just about every game on national tv?

QUOTE (Palehosefan @ Jul 9, 2010 -> 02:34 PM) That kind of comment just makes no sense to me. Kobe is the one douche always trying to one-up MJ. He was crying after winning 3 titles already and demanding a trade from LA to a better situation. He only stayed in LA because he got a top 15 player given to him in Pau Gasol. This would have been no different if Bosh actually wanted to play in Cleveland. I dont mean we all of a sudden are huge Kobe fans and want him to go down as the GOAT, we just realize he has the best shot to beat Miami and in turn he gets his 6th ring with his most impressive championship yet and that makes him a lot easier to compare to MJ then his current 5 rings. The reason I mentioned Bulls fans is simply because MJ was on the Bulls. Believe me we are not alone here. Everyone is going to be rooting for Miami to fail, not just Chicago.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jul 9, 2010 -> 02:13 PM) I can't speak for other Bulls fans, but i'm not "protecting Jordan's legacy" at any time when I speak about NBA players and greatness. What he did here speaks for itself, and even if 10 players better than Jordan come along in our lifetimes, it doesn't change what he did. I was more pointing out that it appears we are bitter Bulls fans and are throwing MJ in their face to make us feel better when in actuality the whole country is doing that. If anything the Bulls fans will be cheering for Jordans legacy to take a hit this year and have Kobe beat the three headed monster. If he can do that he is bringing himself to a whole new level.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jul 9, 2010 -> 01:48 PM) Palehose, you're my boy, but you're a Heat fan. There's no way for you to be objective. This isn't Bulls fans picking on Lebron. This is EVERYBODY calling it what it is. You're bringing up Jordan and Magic and Kobe and any other superstar who won a title with great players as some defense for Lebron. IT IS NOT THE SAME THING! Imagine MJ's a free agent in 1990 and he bolts for the Lakers to team up with Magic and Worthy to win rings? Would Jordan be anywhere near the consensus GOAT? Hell f***ing no. What if Kobe had left the Lakers after 2007 only to team up with Tim Duncan and the Spurs to win rings? Could you imagine what people would be saying about Kobe? Nobody is saying Lebron is obligated to win rings with scrubs. He obviously wants to win and is making sacrifices to do so. But he's settling. That's where the criticism comes from. There's no authenticity. At least not for a guy that many believed had a legitimate chance to match or exceed MJ's legacy. But it's obvious he doesn't and never really cared about his legacy. He's not Michael. He's not Kobe. We thought he was, but he's not. He's not the cut-throat competitor that he liked us to believe that he was. He wants rings and will do whatever it takes to get them. And I can respect that in a sense. But "King" and "Chosen One" and "the Gift" and whatever dumbass name that he never really earned anyway, nobody wants to hear it anymore. Well said. I think it sounds like Bulls fans are just bitter or might be trying to protect Jordans legacy but thats not the case at all. I think a lot of people are just really surprised he didnt make a run at greatness. This kid had high school games on ESPN, he called himself King James and his hometown team won the draft lottery to bring him in to save the franchise. It was unfolding like a scripted movie and people were just waiting anxiously for King James to take his thrown and make a run at the greatest of all time on top of becoming a god in his own backyard. Instead, he opted to go on national tv and kill his legacy to go and play 2nd fiddle to a star who has already been to the leagues highest plateau without him. I guess, to me at least, its jaw dropping to see a 25 year old star with the talent of James choose to go to a situation where the expectations are win multiple titles or you will be the laughing stock of the NBA, and btw, if you do win them you wont get the lions share of the credit anyway. As opposed to trying to do it on his own for the next few years and if he couldnt he could have made his super team at the twilight of his career, not in his prime. Winning in NY or Chicago would have meant so much more for his legacy and his brand. But if he stuck it out and won in Cleveland he becomes an all time great and a hero to that city forever. Instead, he has his hometown fans burning his jersey in the streets and he is hated by every fan base except Miami's.

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Jul 9, 2010 -> 01:40 PM) A few responses... 1) Yes, Ginobili and Parker have a better impact than Williams and Jamison. Manu is an extremely talented player that probably would have been considered a star at least on par with an Andre Iguodala if he didn't end up playing 28 MPG for Duncan's Spurs. Parker had also been an elite driving guard, though I'm not sure he is any more. Those two guys are quite adept at creating their own shots with regularity and efficiency, Williams and Jamison not so much. 2) It would be very hard for the Cavs to add an elite player by trade or in the draft because they simply don't have any assets. 3) You're underrating Gasol a bit, he's an awful lot like Bosh. Pau had been a star player before he ever got to LA (not sure how he only made one All-Star game, injuries? Loaded western conference) and was the clear best player on three playoff teams. He just didn't have much talent around him, as guys like James Posey and Mike Miller were key scorers for them rather than the bench players/fifth starters they should be. That trade to get Gasol was by far the lowest amount of talent I've seen given up for a good player, I don't think you can count on that happening again. 4) I didn't say he'd have NEVER won in Cleveland, it'd have just been really hard and a few things would have had to go right. I think he looked at the team Kobe had in LA and two guys he respected a lot in Wade and Bosh getting together in Miami and didn't like his chances. Yeah, you could argue it was the wusses way out, but if he had stayed and not won anything he'd basically be another Karl Malone. I tried to make clear in my OP that I wasnt lumping Parker in with the Jamison/Williams comparisons. It probably got jumbled in everything. I was saying they can give you what Manu gave the Spurs and said I dont think it would be unreasonable to find someone else somewhere that could give them what Parker gave the Spurs. I realize the Cavs have nobody on the roster at Parkers caliber talent wise and was trying to say I dont think a player with a similar skill set couldnt be brought in within the next year or two.

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Jul 9, 2010 -> 12:38 PM) Depends on your definition of "elite". None of them were top-10 players in the league, but you could argue that Billups, Hamilton and Rasheed were all among the top-5 players at their position at the time, and while he couldn't score at all Big Ben was the best defensive player in the league. Edit- scratch that on Hamilton, he was clearly 7th at best. Still a highly useful player though. I agree for the most part. It just shows that there are different formulas to build championship teams. You dont NEED to have 2 superstars in order to win. Its not like Detroit is the most appealing place to want to go play/live either so they had to make due. Another good example is the way San Antonio built their dynasty. They had their superstar in Duncan and added pieces over the years. I know San Antonio isnt as bad as Cleveland in terms of desirability but it also isnt Chicago/LA/Boston/NY. Tony Parker is a great player dont get me wrong, and Ginobili played an important role on the championship teams but neither is a top 10 player in the league and both of them benefited greatly from playing with Tim Duncan. Does LeBron not have the potential to be better then Duncan? Do guys like Jamison and Williams have less of an impact on games then Manu Ginobili? Is it out of the realm of possibility for the Cavs to land someone like CP3 or even someone who simply can give you what Parker gave the Spurs? I guess we will never know. I know its not as easy as just going to Miami and helping Wade build his legacy with the team that drafted him and thats the point. It might not have been easy but its certainly not impossible or even unlikely. Its not like the Cavs were bottom feeders. Theyve been to the finals and had the best record in the league the past 2 years. The Cavs were a player or two away from being perennial champs every year. The satisfaction of bringing one ring to his home city should greatly over weigh helping Wade win more rings in Miami. Also, look what the Lakers have went through to build their current team since Shaq left. I know Gasol is a superstar now but he was merely an underachiever on a bad team that he couldnt carry before he went to the Lakers. Playing with Kobe and being on a better team made him into a better player. Is it not reasonable to think the Cavs could have plucked a good player off a bad team at some point in the next year or so like the Lakers did? The rest of the Lakers roster is mostly good role players and then a successful gamble on resident nutjob Ron Artest. Ill even go as far as to use the Celtics as another example. Their Wade/Duncan/Kobe guy Paul Pierce rode it out there on some terrible teams and finally earned a championship. Garnett stuck in Minnesota for like 12 years before being traded to Boston and winning his ring. Id venture to say a lot of T wolves fans were happy to see KG get his ring too and werent in the streets burning his jersey. There are different ways to build championship teams and what Miami is doing is definitely one of them, but looking back on some teams that have won recently its wrong to say LeBron would never have won in Cleveland.

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Jul 9, 2010 -> 12:27 PM) From a championship-winning perspective, he had NO help. When was the last time someone won a title without at least two elite players? You have to go back to Hakeem in 93-94 (which also happened right after the Celtics/Lakers/Pistons broke up and Michael retired, pretty weak year). I don't know when the previous time before that was, it was well before my time. One great player and a bunch of average to above average guys doesn't mean you have a championship-caliber core. It hasn't worked for Lebron, it didn't work for Garnett, it didn't work for Kobe, 99% of the time it just doesn't work. You can easily argue the Pistons that won a ring earlier this decade didnt have any ELITE players.

QUOTE (hitlesswonder @ Jul 9, 2010 -> 10:16 AM) I think people don't understand just how good the Heat are. Bosh/Wade/James and D leaguers is a 60 win team at least. And the Heat will have better than D leaguers on the floor with them. Here's a projection which captures just how damn good the Heat will be. This is very likely to be the best NBA team ever assembled. The Bulls win record will fall..if not next season then some time in the next 5 years. The Heat will be the most top heavy team of all time. It would be moronic to ride these 3 to a season wins record when if any of them got injured they would be devastated. They will need everything these guys got in the playoffs and especially to beat the Lakers, why would you run down your only weapons for a meaningless record. Lets hope they are dumb enough to be playing these 3 40+ minutes at the end of the season when they already have the 1 seed locked up.