Why are we afraid of Iverson???

[Diesel]

The draft is what it is..

A crap shoot.

Haven't you recognized how many times we have been screwed by

1. The coin toss.

2. The ping pong balls.

3. Our own GM.

Drafting is not an exact science. However, when you have a star player in front of you... who has proven himself time and time again..... it takes some of the mystery out of the crap shoot!

[Diesel]

The Chicago experiment will definitely be interesting now.

I think just as interesting is the N.O. experiment.

They have:

Chandler/West/Peja/Mason/Paul...

with all the forwards that N.O. has, I would think that they are going to trade for some SG help real soon.

[Final_quest]

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The league has put FAcy in business because now, there's almost no advantage for the original team in FA negotiations.. whereas before, you could pay a free agent any number you could think of and he would stay.... Ask Babcock and Koncak about that!

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I think you are overstating that quite a bit. Didn't we just see 4 franchise players stay with their original team this offseason (Bosh, Carmelo, LBJ, Wade)?

The fact is most superstars even now are staying with the teams that drafted them. Nash was never considered a superstar before he moved teams.

[drzachary]

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Orlando didn't blow anything.

Shaq wanted out of Orlando.. so that he could go make Movies like Steel, Blue Chippers, and Kazaam!

But The Bird rules/Rookie Rules were relaxed after Shaq went to LAL and More importantly, the Juwaun Howard & Big Dog contracts.

The league has put FAcy in business because now, there's almost no advantage for the original team in FA negotiations.. whereas before, you could pay a free agent any number you could think of and he would stay.... Ask Babcock and Koncak about that!

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Hahah.. great points all around.

It's really sad for Orlando that their franchise was impacted so much (and so negatively) by KAZAAM of all things!

Btw, that movie is kind of uncomfortable to watch in today's PC-era, the whole idea about a little white kid getting a big black guy to essentially be a slave. Yikes!

[Diesel]

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I think you are overstating that quite a bit. Didn't we just see 4 franchise players stay with their original team this offseason (Bosh, Carmelo, LBJ, Wade)?

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Yes, this is true. Rookies signed extensions. That's good.

But look at the non-rookie movements.

The top free agents this year...

Ben Wallace... Left Championship calibre Detroit to go to Chicago.

Al Harrington... Word is going to Indy.

Peja ... Left INdy to go to Hornets.

Speedy... From N.O. to Atlanta.

These are the unrestricted free agents.

Even LBJ didn't sign for the maximum amount of years...I'm unfamiliar with the numbers for those guys but I know that it's just an extension. I also know that they were restricted... were they even free agents?

[Diesel]

Once again Zach...

You bring out what wasn't brought out?

What was the deal with the Fabulous Mullah this past week?

[Dejay]

Excellent point, Diesel. This is the toughest league in sports to get good once you have been so bad without acquiring a game-changer via trade or free agency without getting lucky in the draft (ala Cleveland and San Antonio). The proverbial 5-year plan doesn't work in hockey (see Thrashers) and it certaintly doesn't in the NBA; if it did, Golden State would have a dynasty by now.

I've stated my peace in concerns to Iverson and how he would help the franchise and I'm not going to bother rehashing it now. All I'll say is that he'd be a better option than a mid-late pick next year while hoping/praying that Belkin doesn't win the appeal in court.

[Final_quest]

Quote:

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The draft is what it is..

A crap shoot.

Haven't you recognized how many times we have been screwed by

1. The coin toss.

2. The ping pong balls.

3. Our own GM.

Drafting is not an exact science. However, when you have a star player in front of you... who has proven himself time and time again..... it takes some of the mystery out of the crap shoot!

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Yes, the draft is a crap shoot. That's why it's a stretch to call Chicago's team an experiment. They just didn't have their number come up, but you can say the draft has put them in a strong position to get the talent they need.

I still think it's the best way to build your team. The thing about the draft is that you get another chance the next year. If you acquire someone that doesn't turn out to be what you wanted through free agency you are stuck with them. It's easy to get rid of draft busts, though.

[Final_quest]

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Yes, this is true. Rookies signed extensions. That's good.

But look at the non-rookie movements.

The top free agents this year...

Ben Wallace... Left Championship calibre Detroit to go to Chicago.

Al Harrington... Word is going to Indy.

Peja ... Left INdy to go to Hornets.

Speedy... From N.O. to Atlanta.

These are the unrestricted free agents.

Even LBJ didn't sign for the maximum amount of years...I'm unfamiliar with the numbers for those guys but I know that it's just an extension. I also know that they were restricted... were they even free agents?

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OK fine. You take Peja, Ben, Harrington, and Speedy. I'll take Bosh, Carmelo, Wade, and LBJ. The fact is that any of the players on your list would have been retained by their teams if they thought they were worth more money.

You are honestly comparing Speedy Claxton to the players that signed extensions?

[Weez]

Shaq was NOT the first one to say this...not even close!

[drzachary]

It was a very foolish, immature thing I did, for which I apologized, and I'd like to leave it at that!

My comment about the content of Kazaam aside, you have to admit that it's funny (and tragic for Orlando) that Shaq wanted to leave to make movies.

[Lascar78]

shaq has actually had a surprisingly successful rap career

[drzachary]

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shaq has actually had a surprisingly successful rap career

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Can't stop the reign!

[Johnnybravo4]

Shaq's "You can stop the reign" with Biggie Smalls is one of the most underrated songs in history.

[drzachary]

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shaq has actually had a surprisingly successful rap career

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Did you know that Shaq has a minor role in Freddy Got Fingered? It's absolutely bewildering.

[Final_quest]

That's what I love about Dr. Z. He brings things around to the lighter side of sports.

I have to be honest and say that I've never seen any of Shaq's movies. I get the feeling that they are painful to watch, but give you years of conversation fodder.

[Lascar78]

I only saw Blue Chips. Steered clear of Kazaam, Steel. Don't remember if he had other ones. Those looked horrible enough

[drzachary]

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I only saw Blue Chips. Steered clear of Kazaam, Steel. Don't remember if he had other ones. Those looked horrible enough

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Oh, so horrible.. but oh so good! You should see them.

Shaq needs to go on my Top Human Beings list. He's so utterly weird ("Big Aristotle??")

[Diesel]

Let me put it this way...

Shaq was the first to turn down a Max contract to stay with his team to go to another.

[BusBoyIsBack]

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WE are going to build this team up the right way. That way we are actually good 3-5 years from now instead of just being no better than an early round exit team for the next couple of years as the young players on this team have stunted growth.

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First off...

There's no precedent for a 5 year plan working primarily from the draft leading a team with no previous allstar to a championship or even near one...

Most Championship teams are born out of trade for those BIG TICKET FAs...

For instance, the Heat...

Big Ticket Free agent = Shaq.

The Pistons....

Big Ticket Free agent = Sheed.

The Lakers....

Again Shaq.

Even most contenders are built on the strength of a big ticket players.

This year...

The Mavs = JT, Stack....

The Suns = Nash, Diaw...

The Heat = Shaq, Walker, Payton, Williams.

The Pistons = Sheed, Billups, and Halm...

Can you point to a precedent for a 5 year plan for a team with NO Allstars built from the draft, going to the finals??

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The Hawks are a helluva lot further from a championship than the Heat w/o Shaq and the Lakers w/o Shaq. A helluva lot further than the Pistons w/o Sheed. Those teams were fringe championship caliber teams and those big ticket FAs took them over the top.

We aren't even a fringe playoff team yet. We need to become a playoff team with the core of this team and then start thinking about a championship. Right now Allen Iverson isn't going to do us any good because of how raw the talent is on this team. He will do nothing but keep it raw because they will hardly ever see the ball.