This topic contains 51 replies, has 17 voices, and was last updated by AvatarAvatar champTRice 13 years, 9 months ago.

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  • #16921
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    Dhamp2
    Participant

    If the Lakers win the championship Pau Gasol makes my Hall-of-Fame. He would have been an intregal part of two NBA championships, which is the difference between a goog player scoring 20 ppg over a career on an average team. Had Gasol continued to put up these numbers in Memphis, he would have still been an afterthought. Not many people, or fans for that matter, watched him in Memphis.

    Also, Gasol is the best center in the NBA. I just wanted to make that note.

    Dhamp2….Loving the NBA Finals coverage on ESPN radio featuring Hubie Brown and Dr. Jack Ramsey….Wow.

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  • #329826
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    PurpleMonkeyDishwasher
    Participant

    Where’d you get yor own Hall-of-Fame….and how much did it cost?

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  • #329827
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    td8118
    Participant

    Pau Gasol is an absolute beast… I didnt realize how good he was untill this finals….Best big man in the league right now

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  • #329845
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    esperanzafleet69
    Participant

    no chance gasol is better than dwight dhamp… better ft% doesnt mean better player… and thats the only thing hes better than dwight at…

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    • #329853
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      Pureshooter
      Participant

      I’d give Gasol the nod in pretty much every offensive category, other than catching alley-oops and finishing right at the rim.

      Obviously Dwight is a far better shot blocker and rebounder, but I think Gasol is better at playing the passing lanes and is a better perimeter defender.

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  • #329848
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    llperez

    ft% is the only thing pau is better then dwight at? Lol. ANyways, i dont know who is more valuable or better tbetween pau and dwight, very different players, but pau has a done a great job just to put himself in the discussion. He still has a number of years left to work on that HOF resume though.

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  • #329855
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    Blazermann
    Participant

    dwight is not better then pau … pau can shoot ,post up ,take his man off the dripple, he is also a great rebounder even tho dwight owns the glass pau is just way more skill p.s is a better man to man defender he uses his length and i.q to defend

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  • #329859
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    JNixon
    Participant

    Pau is a more skilled offensive player, but he’s not better than Dwight Howard. Not a better rebounder, defender/defensive presence and he isn’t a better finisher. More skilled than Dwight Howard? Yes. Better player? Nope.

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  • #329861
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    llperez

    2009 NBA finals stats Pau vs Dwight:

    Pau- —18.6ppg…9.2reb…2.2ast…1.8blck…60%fg…78%ft…1to

    Dwight-15.4ppg…15.2reb…2.2ast…4blck…49%fg…60%ft…4to

    not that this proves everything, but just for reference to see how they faced up

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  • #329863
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    llperez

    iggy, better finisher is debateable. Dwight finishes strong, but pau finishes in traffic and with his left hand and with a soft touch. Dwight has trouble finishing consistently unless it is a dunk

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  • #329866
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    JNixon
    Participant

    All that does is proves exactly what I was saying (except he finished around the rim better that series). He’s more skilled. But he’s not a better overall player.

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  • #329868
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    JNixon
    Participant

    He still finishes though. It doesn’t matter how you finish at the end of the day. That is, once again, more about Pau being more skilled than actually being a better finisher.

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  • #329869
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    llperez

    he doesnt always finish better though. If he has to shoot a 3 foot hook or is off balance and has to put it off the glass, that is all part of finishing. I dont see either guy blowing too many dunks.

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  • #329876
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    Lunchpail12
    Participant

    …but you could plug several other top-tier forwards — Bosh, Stoudemire, Nowitzki — into his spot in the Lakers’ lineup and get similar production. Howard, on the other hand, is irreplaceable for Orlando. Maybe it’s just the scarcity of true centers in the league these days, but I can’t think of another big man who could put up Howard’s rebounding and shot-blocking numbers on a nightly basis.

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  • #329879
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    delfam
    Participant

    Shot blocking doesn’t always mean good defense, a lot of the time it means your out of position or helping weak-side. Pau also boxes out on his rebounds while Dwight kinda just jumps higher than the other guy. I also notice Pau keeps the ball high when he rebounds which is great fundamentals. I say the two are pretty much even, Dwight uses strength while Pau uses skill and good fundamentals.

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  • #329882
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    champTRice
    Participant

    …in order to comment on this absurd post. Anybody who thinks Dwight Howard is better than Pau Gasol doesn’t know basketball. It’s that simple. If you break down their games, anybody who knows basketball will tell you that Gasol is the better player. Gasol has more offensive moves and skill than Howard. Like other posters have noted, Gasol can take his man off the dribble, shoot a midrange shot, finish post up moves with either hand, and dunk the ball with ease. He is also the best big man passer in the game. Defensively, Gasol blocks shot at a good rate and plays above average on ball defense. Gasol also gets double digit rebound numbers. He is versatile and is a winner.

    Howard has no post moves other than rolling to the basket for alley-oops. His hook shots are usually flat. He can’t turn both ways and finish with both hands. He can’t dribble. He can’t shoot jumpers. He can’t pass. He is the best rebounder and defensive post player in the game but his offense is below average.

    If you put Dwight in the triangle, he would die. He has no offensive moves and is a poor passer unless double teamed. He doesn’t have the basketball IQ to figure out the reads in the triangle offense. Gasol on the Magic would open up more shooting and scoring. It would take away some of the defense and rebounding that Howard brings, but Gasol turns the Magic into a high scoring unstoppable offense.

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  • #329891
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    JNixon
    Participant

    Once again, Pau Gasol is more skilled than Dwight Howard, but Dwight Howard is a better and more dominant player. Pau obviously and easily has more moves than Howard and is a better passer, but Howard rebounds, defends, blocks shots, is more of a presense, and can score just as well as Gasol despite not being as skilled. He’s better. There is more to being a basketball player than scoring, and Gasol doesn’t do anything better than Howard outside of having more moves. Plain and simple.

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  • #329914
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    esperanzafleet69
    Participant

    well if u look at regular season stats… dwight is MUCH better defensive player and a more effecient shooter from the field… pau did get a tad more assists and had a better ft%.. but id take dwight howard any day of the week and i think he is dominant compared to pau…

    compare the stats for yourself
    dwight: http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/howardw01.html
    pau: http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gasolpa01.html

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    • #329927
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      Dhamp2
      Participant

      Steve, you must be new to the site….Nuff said, lol. I don’t have a clue who you are. Never speak to me again.

      Also, D-Howard is the biggest waste of size EVER!!! He’s worked with Patrick Ewing for three years…..and still not a post move…He’s a bully. He’ll grab a rebound and MAYBE dunk the ball, lol… Sure he block shots, though he never keeps the inbounds. He always give the ball back to the opposing team.

      Dhamp2…the greatest basketball mind in the world. Next to Hubie Brown anyway.

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  • #329924
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    champTRice
    Participant

    You can’t say he’s more skilled but not the better player. But since you don’t believe what I say, how about you read what other people say. How about journalist who’s job it is to examine who’s better. Or maybe former/current NBA players who will say that Gasol is better.

    I can send you 5 or 6 articles right now where people are being quoted saying this.

    Gasol is better:
    Jeff Van Gundy has said it
    Mark Jackson has said it
    Charles Barkley has said it
    Kenny Smith has said it
    Magic Johnson has said it
    Bill Walton has said it

    Ask anybody in the NBA and they’ll tell you that at this moment, they would rather have Gasol because he’s a better player. Howard will eventually develop post moves and become a scoring threat on top of outstanding defense, but this argument is stupid. What you’ve said is like saying Ben Wallace was the MVP of the Pistons teams.

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  • #329934
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    IndianaBasketball
    Participant

    @champTRice

    I agree with literally everything you said.

    Another thing people don’t realize is how great of a rebounder that Gasol is. He averaged 11.3 this season despite playing alongside another 7 footer that averaged 8.3 rebounds… Not to mention Gasol plays time with Odom off of the bench who averaged 9.8 rebounds himself. Howard doesn’t have to fight for rebounds with anybody on the Magic. Matt Barnes was second on the team in rebounding and only averaged 5.5 per game.

    And to be honest with you… Howard is a better paint protector and shot blocker, but I don’t think he’s that much better than Gasol on the ball. I also don’t think he plays the perimeter or pick and roll better than Gasol.

    Other than Howard’s freak athleticism/strength, I don’t think he’s better than Gasol at all. He doesn’t do anything significantly better than Gasol except dunk and block shots.

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  • #329937
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    magmo68
    Participant

    …I agree 100% sir

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  • #329940
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    JNixon
    Participant

    Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy also said Ishmael Smith could be a starting PG in the NBA. Everything they say isn’t right. They are going by what is happening right now. Howard is out of sight out of mind, so Gasol is now the best big man to them.

    Howard averaged the same amount of points as Gasol, more rebounds, more blocks, and was the Defensive Player of the Year. Gasol simply has more moves and is a better passer. He’s not a better player than Howard is. He’s not even a better scorer despite having a higher skill level. There are a good deal of C’s in the NBA with more moves and higher skill levels than Howard. That doesn’t mean any of them are better. Gasol is playing great right now, but all before everyone knew Howard was better. It’s easy to say he’s better when Howard’s not playing.

    Howard is a better rebounder than Gasol. Always has been too. Howard is the best rebounder in basketball no question.

    And that’s nothing like saying Ben Wallace was the best player on his team. Wallace averaged single digit points. Howard is like what Wallace was, except way more athletic and physically gifted. Not very similar at all.

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  • #329941
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    llperez

    i think the lakers would be in trouble right now if they switched pau for dwight. Pau is such a great fit for the triangle and when defenses lock in on kobe, he is the perfect outlet to take pressure off kobe either by playing in the high post or on the box. ANd his defense and perimiter shooting have never been better then right now.

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  • #329947
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    B-ball fan
    Participant

    They are very different players. They Lakers would much rather have Pau, but the Magic would be much worse if they had Pau instead of Dwight. They definitely are the top two big men in the league.

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  • #329956
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    champTRice
    Participant

    I like how you focused on only two names on that list. They are presently head coaching canidates in the NBA. Van Gundy is a former long time NBA coach. Mark Jackson played 1300 games at point guard in the NBA. They have been known to use hyperbole when speaking during broadcast, but don’t question their knowledge of the game.

    There is a reason why Howard is out of sight, he couldn’t consistently score against Kendrick Perkins, Big Baby, or KG. I don’t know where you’ve been the last few years, but never has Howard been the best center/power forward in the game. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, just to name a few other players who have been called the best post man in the game the last decade.

    Like ButlerBulldogs said, Gasol plays with other plays who rebound at a high rate and he still gets a high number. He also blocked 1.7 shots a game to Howard’s 2.8. Howard has a high FG percentage because he dunks almost all of his shot attempts. Howard has some moves, but he doesn’t use them effectively or as often as Gasol. He is more athletic, taller, and longer than anybody he is matched up against so it is easier for him to score when given the chance. Gasol isn’t shooting a bad percentage at .53%. Howard is an offensive liability because of his inability to hit free throws. I’m sorry but you’re completely wrong in saying that Howard is a better scorer than Gasol.

    If you knew basketball, you would know that the Lakers utilize the Triangle Offense. The Lakers are also a deeper, more talented team. Stats do not tell the complete story of a player’s ability or skill.

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  • #329957
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    champTRice
    Participant

    I like how you focused on only two names on that list. They are presently head coaching canidates in the NBA. Van Gundy is a former long time NBA coach. Mark Jackson played 1300 games at point guard in the NBA. They have been known to use hyperbole when speaking during broadcast, but don’t question their knowledge of the game.

    There is a reason why Howard is out of sight, he couldn’t consistently score against Kendrick Perkins, Big Baby, or KG. I don’t know where you’ve been the last few years, but never has Howard been the best center/power forward in the game. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, just to name a few other players who have been called the best post man in the game the last decade.

    Like ButlerBulldogs said, Gasol plays with other plays who rebound at a high rate and he still gets a high number. He also blocked 1.7 shots a game to Howard’s 2.8. Howard has a high FG percentage because he dunks almost all of his shot attempts. Howard has some moves, but he doesn’t use them effectively or as often as Gasol. He is more athletic, taller, and longer than anybody he is matched up against so it is easier for him to score when given the chance. Gasol isn’t shooting a bad percentage at .53%. Howard is an offensive liability because of his inability to hit free throws. I’m sorry but you’re completely wrong in saying that Howard is a better scorer than Gasol.

    If you knew basketball, you would know that the Lakers utilize the Triangle Offense. The Lakers are also a deeper, more talented team. Stats do not tell the complete story of a player’s ability or skill.

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  • #329960
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    The Scare Crow Returns
    Participant

    If Pau wasn’t given away to the Lakers…He’d be another Zac Randolph…20 and 10…skilled as hell and on a bad team….Ask yourselves if Pau was on the Grizzles struggling for 30 wins averaging the same numbers has over the last 2 years…would you think he was better than D!2…Think about it…getting 2 rings alongside the best player on the Planet(Kobe) doesn’t make him better(LBJ and Wade are a close 2nd and 3rd,..Melo and Dirk and D12…KD…Bosh…Stat…Nash…Paul, Williams…Rose …Rondo…Pau….) If you were starting a team…You wouldn’t start it with Gasol….You’d definitely start it with Howard or the others I mentioned before Gasol) Ride the whirlwind, enjoy the glory but don’t cloud the truth…Howard is better than Gasol

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  • #329962
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    sacphil_08
    Participant

    I think it really depends. Could pau gasol be that good without kobe or andrew bynum playing on the same front line as him? He put up 20 and 10 (i believe) while in memphis but they obviously got nowhere. Dwight definitely has help but i thought we established in a past post that dwight doesnt have the playmakers to get him the ball like he needs it whereas gasol does… I think if i were to start a team from the ground up dwight would be my guy, but if i had some skilled/gritty players already then i would add pau gasol. I think it really depends on the situation. I don’t think pau is tough enough to be the face of a franchise and endure the physical punishment that comes with being the face of a franchise, let alone even have a successful season. (He had 1 successful season in memphis and really getting swept in the first round doesnt seem successful to me) But the idea that he’s a hall of famer after 2 POTENTIAL championships is absurd. Most HOFers have some type of legacy established and to this point gasol’s legacy is complimenting kobe which definitely isnt sufficient enough to get you into the HOF.

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  • #329963
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    llperez

    scarcrow, you bring up some valid points about where would pau be ranked if not for being on a great team, but keep in mind he led the grizz to 3 straight playoff appearnaces as the man with no all-stars around him and they haven’t been back since they traded him.

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  • #329967
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    The Scare Crow Returns
    Participant

    Grizzles before the giveaway…I’m good but I need help…Draft that kid Rubio(They could have last year), keep Jose Calderon…(Lost him the year they lost Pau) and start spending a little money…They could have just traded for or brought out Marc Gasol…Think about the Grizzles then…

    PG Rubio(2009 2nd pick)
    SG OJ Mayo(2008 pick)
    Sf Rudy Gay(Free Agent stud)
    PF Pau Gasol( Should Have maned up and asked for help instead of running to a stacked Lake show)
    C Marc Gasol( Could have made a move to get this guy next his brother..Maybe offer Conley for Gasol)
    6th Man Jose Calderon( Would have stay with all those Spainards…)

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  • #329970
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    The Scare Crow Returns
    Participant

    Than maybe He would ahve established himself as a number 1 guy and not just a great number 2…Let Pau switch places with Bosh this summer and watch him cry like a little bitch and dwell the basement of the eastern conference

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  • #329971
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    JNixon
    Participant

    Wow. Are you being serious right now? Nobody has said Dwight Howard was the best big man in the game? Ever? Come on man…..

    I don’t understand what you’re saying. Pau plays with good rebounders, but Dwight Howard is obviously a bigger rebounding presence than Gasol is.

    I don’t dispute the fact that Jackson knows what he’s talking about, but that doesn’t mean everything he says you have to agree with just because he played in the NBA. I have an opinion. You should get one too. I don’t need nobody else opinion for a game I’m watching myself.

    Pau scored the same amount of ppg that Howard has scored this season, despite having about twice the skill level. How is Pau a better scorer when he’s never shot better from the field than Howard has? His career best scoring average is .1 higher than Howard’s career best, and Howard has averaged more or the same ppg the last 3 seasons? He’s not more efficient, he doesn’t score more, so how is he a better scorer? He’s got more moves and is more skilled, but that doens’t mean you’re a better scorer sir.

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  • #329979
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    champTRice
    Participant

    Of course you wouldn’t start a franchise now and pick Pau Gasol over Dwight Howard. He is 29 years old and turns 30 next month. Howard is only 24 years old. If I had to start a team now, I wouldn’t pick Steve Nash over John Wall. Nash only has a certain amount of years left compared to the potentially long career of Wall. Same goes for Howard and Gasol. The discussion wasn’t about who is better long term for your team or who you would start a franchise with. The discussion was about who is better now. Today. June 10, 2010.

    If Gasol was still in Memphis, we do not know what kind of numbers he would be putting up. They definitely wouldn’t be the same numbers as he is now. He’s on a different team, different players, different responsibilities, different system. I made no mention about his rings or championships. I never even said he was going to the Hall of Fame, although he might as one of the best European players of all time.

    And you named players in your post that are simply not better basketball players than Gasol at this moment. Amare is not better just to name one.

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  • #329981
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    The Scare Crow Returns
    Participant

    Howard or Gasol….I’ll take Howard….I’d take Jennings over Curry…Melo over Durant…Dirk over Bosh…DWill over Paul…Rondo over Rose…Turner over Wall….Lee over Boozer…Cousins over Favors…Henry over George…Babbit over anybody not named Wall,Turner or Cousins….I wouldn’t sign Boozer,Gay or JJ to max deals…I want Wade over LBJ in Chicago…I think Nash should bolt from Phoenix if they fail to resign Amare…I would have resigned Hedo if I was the Magic and just traded for a young 2 guard to start over Lee…(J.R Smith for Bass or Gortat)…I saw the Cavs falling the Celtics..Lost 50 dollars to a friend betting on the Magic…I think the Lakers are the devil….since we our giving opinions about basket ball…..

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  • #329982
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    The Scare Crow Returns
    Participant

    would you pick Gasol over D12 for 1 season….You have first pick in the draft…Who do you pick….(No LBJ,Kobe or Wade) Start your team draft right now…your on the clock….I got the 2nd pick….

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    • #329990
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      Dhamp2
      Participant

      Scarecrow, please go back and READ MY post. I already said : “Had Gasol continued to put up these numbers in Memphis, he would have still been an afterthought. Not many people, or fans for that matter, watched him in Memphis.”

      Moving forward, I would start a team with Gasol over Howard today. Howard will NEVER be an offensive threat. He’s Bill Russel on steroids. When his athleticism goes, it over. His career will fade faster than any so called “superstar” ever seen.

      And for the record, to me 18 pts and 9 rebounds over 10 years with TWO championships and being a major part of the championships puts you in the HOF.

      Dhamp2…the greatest basketball mind in the world. Next to Hubie Brown anyway.

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  • #329991
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    champTRice
    Participant

    Kevin Durant.

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  • #329995
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    The Scare Crow Returns
    Participant

    D12 with the second pick…who’s next….I just drafted the most dominate center of the new era….Pick your side kick champTrice…

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  • #329998
    AvatarAvatar
    champTRice
    Participant

    Chris Bosh

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  • #330005
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    The Scare Crow Returns
    Participant

    Melo and D12 are my first 2 picks…Bosh and Durant are yours….Pick your third player…U have to have a Lineup of 1…PG.SG.SF.PF.C.

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  • #330007
    AvatarAvatar
    champTRice
    Participant

    Deron Williams

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  • #330012
    AvatarAvatar
    The Scare Crow Returns
    Participant

    Ill take Amare…Make your 4th pick…I only need the Guards…You need a Center and a Shooting Guard…

    My Team…

    Pg.?
    Sg.?
    Sf.Melo
    Pf.Amare
    C.Dwight Howard

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  • #330014
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    Grandmama
    Participant

    If you think Howard can score just as well as Gasol, you’re retarded my friend…..

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  • #330015
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    champTRice
    Participant

    Dirk Nowitzki. Chris Bosh is my center.

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  • #330016
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    The Scare Crow Returns
    Participant

    Rose with the 4th pick….I think Rose would give D.Will a run for his Money…Will post are final rosters in a separate thread…and ask for votes on who’s team is better…and who’d win a game…Now I only need a 2G

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  • #330018
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    champTRice
    Participant

    Pau Gasol. Dirk is my three. Durant is my two.

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  • #330019
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    The Scare Crow Returns
    Participant

    Your team is already looking soft…You think Bosh can hang with Howard inside…Plus I said you needed 1 of each position….you have 2 Pf’s…Soft power forwards too…

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  • #330021
    AvatarAvatar
    champTRice
    Participant

    Pick your guard.

    Dirk can play either forward.

    Deron Williams
    Kevin Durant
    Dirk Nowitzki
    Pau Gasol
    Chris Bosh

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  • #330020
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    champTRice
    Participant

    I can choose whoever I want for my team

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  • #330022
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    The Scare Crow Returns
    Participant

    Just pick your team though iT only proves a point that you can’t make a better TEAM….I’ll go with my 2 guard and Take someone who can run with Team and help create and strech the floor…I take Joe Johnson…My team….

    Rose. Joe Johnson. Melo. Amare and Dwight Howard…Vs,…D.Will. Durant. Dirk. Bosh and Gasol…..your team is very soft and we’d kill you…You’d rely on outside shots while we kill you with pick and roll and post ups…Melo and Stat can dominate on offense while Rose sets out the O..Joe as the set shooter and play making 2 Guard…Howard cleaning up the boards and Blocking anything at the Rim….We Win…..

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  • #330030
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    champTRice
    Participant

    In the NBA, guys aren’t pigeon holed into positions.

    Durant has played both the 2 and 3 positions during the season. He can dribble, pass, shoot, and play defense against 2’s and 3’s.

    Dirk can play either forward position.

    We do not rely on outside shooting, we just have guys who can play the postup game, drive, shoot, pass, and play defense.

    This is just a lineup. Not only is it better than yours, but I would outmatch you with matchups and coaching decisions. Everybody on our team can pick and roll or pick and pop. You have to guard one and too many jump shooters for you to guard the penetration. It would be impossible for your team to matchup. Especially since Howard would not be able to stand underneath the rim the entire game. If he doesn’t guard Bosh or Gasol, they would stack up buckets.

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