Yogi-D

Free Agency has been good to several teams this year, while really bad for some others. Give me your top 3 teams and your bottom 3 teams for the Free Agency period this year in the NBA.

My rankings are:

WINNERS

1: Clippers

2: Spurs (very close 2nd)

3: Cavaliers

LOSERS

1: Trailblazers (lost 4 of 5 starters)

2: Mavericks (got raped on a FA deal)

3: Nets (3 years in the making and nothing to show for their bad choices)

Let me hear your thoughts, please keep it clean.

West opted out of his contract with the Pacers a couple of days ago. Now the rumor is that he says he is willing to play for the veteran minimum to join the Spurs. Combine this with the Spurs landing Lamarcus Aldridge, this would add MASSIVE depth to the Spurs roster. What do you think are the odds of this happening? Keep in mind that the reports of West wanting to go to SAS have been on NBA.com for days now. Where do you think West will be playing by fall tipoff time?

The handwriting has been on the wall for the past two seasons. Did Portlands GM just not want to see it, or was he trying to bluff teams away from Lamarcus Aldridge? For the fans who refused to even consider LA would leave, was it a case of wearing their fan goggles or just not giving credit to the abilities of organizations like the Spurs and Suns. SAS has designed the roadmap that all the rest of the NBA is following to win championships. While the Suns have made moves that made them a truly viable choice as well. Combine that with having the leagues best training staff, they have often extended player careers. It's very obvious that Portland fans just outright discounted what these types of things mean to players.

What are your thoughts, please keep it clean.

About a month back we all saw the reports that Aldridge was high on the list of players to be courted by teams in free agency. I was flamed by many on this Q&A site for even suggesting that LA may go to LA or SA. Well the word this morning is that he has decided to leave the Blazers and is looking hard at the Lakers. Are Portland fans still in denial or are you finally seeing that players do get tired of losing?

In your opinion, who would you say is the most physically dominant and athletically gifted person in the history of American Sports?

My personal selection would be Bo Jackson. Younger people who never saw him in action will contest this but don't really know the score. First off, Bo was one of a small few who not only played in two professional sports but was a true super star in both. Bo was arguably the best running back in the NFL while he played. While at the same time Bo had become the top Star of the KC Royals baseball team. He played along side several hall of fame players (lead by George Brett), yet still emerged as the teams #1 star player. He was unquestionably one of the top 5 hitters and fielders in the game. If it weren't enough that he was gifted with strength and otherworldly athleticism, Jackson was blessed with unbelievable foot speed. At the NFL combine he posted a time of 4.2 seconds in his 40 yd run. Sure we see several guys post those kind of times today, but how many of them are 230+ lb running backs? Even after his injury (which forced him to have hip replacement surgery) he returned to playing baseball and was still a legitimate star player. This speaks volumes to how good he truly was. When diminished in ability buy his injury and reduced to maybe 60% of what he was he was still a top tier player. I doubt we may ever see again a player so gifted in the whole of sports.

Who is the player you would give this honor, and please state why.

Marc Gasol has said he plans to test free agency this summer. Should the Grizzlies be worried about the possibility of losing their star big?

Personally I think the answer is NO! Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Gasol in my teams uniform come fall tipoff. However I personally think he won't be going anywhere. Gasol's ties to the Memphis area run VERY deep. It's the closest thing to home for him in the USA. He went to high school in the city while his older brother was staring for the Grizzlies lineup. So he feels very comfortable in that city. Now sure there is always the chance that he may feel another franchise might have the better offer. Teams like my Spurs for instance who have consistently been the better team, and are coming shopping this July in an effort to reload to replace aging stars. But in spite of the Spurs success or any other team who's shopping for Gasol this summer, I think his strong ties to the local community, combined with his friendship ties with some of his teammates will be to much for competitors to overcome. Now Portland on the other hand should be VERY concerned over Aldridge. Both San Antonio and Dallas are both expressing MAJOR interest and both teams are in his home state (LA is from Dallas). Also both teams are in a better position going forward right now towards winning a title. So Blazer fans would be wise to brace for some summer time heartbreak. Don't EVER think a player loves your team the way you do.

Personally I think the Clippers lost in the playoffs before it began. Even though the Clippers have one of the best and arguably the most athletic starting lineup in the NBA they had nothing behind them. LAC without question has a more versatile starting 5 then the Spurs, but because they lack a reliable bench their starters literally burned out playing the Spurs. The playoffs is a marathon not a sprint, but without a good bench Paul and Griffin got ran into the ground. Both averaged about 44 minutes a game in round one. Then with Paul being hurt in round one, (which could be blamed on heavy minutes) Griffin was playing 46 minutes a game for two games. By game 3 of round two his efficiency went into the toilet. Sure he was getting double-doubles, but was shooting at nearly 39% to do it. This cost them against a Rockets team they should have beat. But with worn out players they could not stop Houston's comeback. The Rockets have also been exposed in their matchup with Golden State. I personally believe that as tough a choice as it may be, LAC should trade DJ this offseason. He's a player with an insane high trade value. They could get a solid starting big to pair with Griffin and at least one but possibly two productive bench scorers. This could make all the difference.

What are your thoughts? Please keep it clean.

btw... I'm not a Clippers fan I'm just an NBA fan making an observation.

Based on the Player's and/or his Teams success following their #1 selection who would you say is the best #1 NBA Draft pick in NBA history?

My personal favorite is Tim Duncan. For reasons obvious to most fans of the game (not just his teams fan base). Since Duncan was selected San Antonio has been the most consistent winning team in all pro sports, with 16 straight years winning 50+ games. 5 NBA Championships in 15 years (also an NBA team best over the time period).

I would put Larry Bird as a very strong candidate as well, however as great as Larry was in his time he lacks the consistency over the long haul that Duncan has displayed.

Sorry Lebron you wouldn't even make the list. Even though you've been great you have yet to translate that success to the team that drafted you #1. Odds are very low that he could bring 5 titles to the Cavs before he hangs up his Nikes. I don't think he could keep the Cavs as a true contender for 16 years either. As I said this is based on actual success, not possibilities.

So let's hear your thoughts, and please keep it clean.

All dedicated NBA fans understand the concept that the playoffs are a marathon not a sprint. With this in mind, if the Clippers lose to the Rockets (which looks quite likely) will it stand as proof that teams without depth can't win a championship?

No matter what the Clippers fans think, their team has no depth. Against the Spurs they were forced to have to play Paul, Griffin, and Jordan over 40 minutes per game on average. This possibly lead to Paul getting hurt. Then against Houston they again had to play heavy minutes but this time the opponent was just as young and athletic. So the heavy minutes lead to just getting worn out. With a Houston win the Rockets would become only the 9th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit. That alone lends validity to the argument that the Clippers ran out of gas.

So bottom line, does this prove That a team needs more than a good starting 5.

Have you noticed that in spite of all the hater talk about them being "to old" or "boring" or whatever is the new gripe, the San Antonio Spurs are undeniably the NBA's team that everyone measures themselves against. No matter if you live the team or hate them you can't deny their success and consistency. No other team in all of professional sports has been as consistent. Since the franchise joined the NBA in the NBA ABA merger the Spurs have only missed the playoffs about five times. The team also has more consecutive 50+ win seasons then any other team. The lakers are the next closest and the Spurs are close to doubling them. In their matchup VS the Clippers nobody saw the Spurs losing as a failure, but if the Clips lost they would be seen as perpetual failures.

San Antonio has become the giant every team wants to slay. They are also the team everyone is trying to copy. Nearly 1/3 of all the leagues coaches were assistant coaches in the Spurs organization. And about 1/5 of the GMs were part of the organization at some point. No other team has had such a drastic impact on the evolution of their sport. Sure they won't be winning another title this year, but 5 in the past 15 years sure ain't bad. Plus there is always next year.

If you don't think they are the leader everyone else follows then who is? Share your thoughts but keep it clean.

The speculation and the guessing games have already started concerning Aldridge this July 1st. He's already made it known that he's looking to change locations. The big money is betting that he will go home to Texas. Both Dallas and San Antonio are expected to be major players in the running to land him. The Spurs are positioned with a ton of cap space and a strong roster of proven players (including rising superstar Kawhi Leonard) to try and entice Aldridge to sign. Sure the Lakers and Knicks are both in the mix as well, but I think the fact that they are rebuilding is what will scare him away. I think that at this point in his career he's ready to win now and this will influence him more than the glamour of a large market. The analysts are betting on the Spurs winning out on this one being that this is a Plug-n-Play setup for Aldridge. From the first tip off of the season he's part of a very strong title contender the likes of which he's never experienced. It's bound to make July a very interesting month in the NBA. Share your thoughts, and please keep it clean.

Will the Warriors complete a sweep of New Orleans tonight, or will the Pelicans muster enough fight to stave off the sweep?

Every game is a learning experience for this young New Orleans team. They learned a lot about playoff basketball in their game 3 loss to GSW. Until the time expires the game isn't over. When you play a team who shoots the 3 the way the Warriors are capable of, a 20 point lead isn't a safe lead when you have 12 minutes to make it up. I personally think being at home combined with the embarrassing loss in game 3, NOP will have a bounce back game tonight winning by a narrow margin. But will get utterly destroyed by GSW in game 5 when they get in their gym in front of their fans.

Don't get me wrong, I think they are a "talented" team, but I'm not really sure they are a good team. The Cavs have 3 players who are top 5 players in their respective positions, and one is arguably the best player in the game today. With that as the team foundation they should be destroying opponents in almost every matchup. However they still make young team mistakes and make them often. They can get away with that type of thing when playing weaker teams (something the Eastern Conference is loaded with). But what happens in a grind it out series against the Bulls or Hawks? Or even if they win the East, then they will be facing a Western Powerhouse! Teams like the Spurs, Warriors, Grizzlies, Clippers, or Rockets. Each one is a team that has owned the Cavs this season. I just don't see them matching up well against the top Western teams. Your thoughts, and please keep it clean.

After Game 1 Clippers fans were talking about how the Spurs were to old to win the series, while Spurs fans said it was just a poor showing from the Spurs. In Game 2 Clippers fans said it was a mistake that the Spurs won (sure it could have gone either way but it was a win for SAS). Now in Game 3 the Spurs utterly destroy the Clippers by a 28 point margin. Did the Clippers have a bad game? Yes they did, but actually so did the Spurs. The Spurs star players (Duncan, Parker, & Ginobili) combined for only 12 points. This Spurs win I think stands as proof of what many have said going into this matchup, that San Antonio is much deeper than the Clippers. If Paul and Griffin get shutdown or have a bad showing the Clippers just don't have enough players who can create for themselves and produce offense. While the Spurs on the other hand are loaded with many specialists. They have players to fit every need. They have shooters, defenders, rebounders, and rim protecting bigs. You remove one guy then another steps up. Sure they aren't stars, but they don't need to be. They are role players. If the Clippers don't get some solid "CONSISTENT" production from 2 bench guys (other than Crawford) I believe they are going home in 6. Your thoughts on the matchup, and please keep it clean.

First off let me say that I'm a Spurs fan, that is just to put some perspective on my comments. In this first round I think the most impressive Eastern Conference showing has been from the Wizards. They are playing a Raptors team that has been on fire since the second half of last season and have been utterly destroying them night after night. I was expecting this series to be a dog fight going to 7 games, but the Wizards finally got it together. They are beginning to look like the team everyone says the could become. If they finish off Toronto (and that seems likely) it's possible they could really do some damage moving forward. Your thoughts on the possibility of them going forward past round 2 and maybe even winning the east. Please keep it clean.

Many wrote off SAS after game 1. After last nights game where the LAC bigs couldn't contain a man more that 10 years their senior and the lack of a Clipper bench was exposed, how do you think this plays out now?

My original prediction was Spurs in 7. I'm sticking with that because I think this series is going to be a war of attrition and the lack of depth is what will hurt the Clippers.

Brooks has brought nothing but success to OKC. Sure he hasn't won the big one yet but the one time he had a healthy roster he coached a VERY young OKC team into the NBA finals.

OKC has had terrible luck with injuries ever since the one finals appearance. Also the GM made a terrible choice to trade James Hardin instead of paying him. If anyone should be fired it should be that bonehead GM. I have a feeling the team will live to regret the firing, OKC fans please comment.

With the imminent breakup of the Heat and the fact that the Spurs has resigned their ENTIRE roster, who do you think is the favorite to win the 2015 championship. Some will say the Spurs are "to old", but those are the same people who said Miami would make them this year. OKC has lost several key players, actually weakening their roster, the Clippers have lost depth as well. Houston and Dallas have mad some critical moves, but will it be enough to get them past the Spurs? If Miami was the best the East had to offer, and you saw how badly they were dominated by the Spurs, if they stay healthy what team could realistically be considered a better team?

With LeBron's departure back to the Cavs how many people who kept calling themselves Miami fans will still claim Miami as their team next season?

BTW... less than two months ago I was on here telling Miami fans that LeBron would walk if his team lost in the Finals. Many Heat fans said I was crazy (that was the kinder replies), but most said there was "NO WAY" LeBron would leave Miami. Cavs fans felt the same way in 2010. LeBron has created his own status of being the greatest ever, and is in a race against time to establish a legacy based on a self imposed standard, instead of building a career legacy that stands on its own, he's chosen to measure himself against Jordan, and he knows that as he's approaching 30 he still needs 4 more championships to measure up. But what is putting even more pressure on him is that now Tim Duncan and his unmatched record of sustained excellence is now looming larger than him as the greatest player of a generation.

You want to compare LeBron to Jordan? Jordan would never quit on his team in a closeout game!