Miami Heat- LeBron's super team

[buballer82]

Here are just a few thoughts.........

-Miami is now 8-7, losing even to teams like Memphis, DWade is only 1-19 in 3-pointers over last 3 games

-Miami was even better, 9-6, at this point last year on the way to winning 47 games.

-LeBron's last team, the 2009-2010 Cavs, were 11-4 at this point

-The Bulls have struggled quite a bit at times, are still without their best player (Boozer) and yet they are 8-5 and in 1st place -- already having played SIX of their toughest road games of the year (@Boston and 5 games on the southwestern road swing)
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What a difference a couple of weeks make!!! Everyone can hate on Miami all they want, but as they have started to play together and play to their strengths, they have now won 7 in a row and are in 2nd in the East AHEAD of the Bulls. And that is without TWO of their starters!!!!

WAR - The Big 3 playing like the Big 3!!!!!

[SFP]

Or how he could have been even closer in chicago?

Still believe the Bulls had better pieces with LeBron to make a run at The Lakers and Celtics. The NBA season is a grind and come playoff time you better have a bench that can keep you in the game. You need 2 quality point guards and 2 quality big men to make a run at the title. Name one championship team that lacked those components.

[buballer82]

The NBA has just done the Heat a bit of a favor. Usually it requires a season-ending injury prior to Nov. 30. for the NBA to allow a team a seldom used exemption to utilize half that player's salary to sign or trade for another player to help their team. Udonis Haslem is out with a foot injury that has not been described as season-ending. In fact, he has vowed to return this season. But yesterday the NBA quietly granted the Heat the salary-cap injury exemption.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/m...,7950653.story

Not sure how the NBA did the Heat a bit of a favor. As stated in the article, "Should Haslem make it back from the torn ligament in his left foot, as he has vowed, it would not impact the ability to utilize the exception or retain a player added with the additional salary-cap space. It is granted solely under the expectation that the injured player could miss the balance of the season. Such a finding is made by an independent physician contracted by the NBA."

Obviously a torn ligament in his foot was serious enough for an independent physician to deem it season ending so the exception was granted. So because Haslem is optimistic of returning that means the NBA did the Heat a favor?

[thefish7]

Still believe the Bulls had better pieces with LeBron to make a run at The Lakers and Celtics. The NBA season is a grind and come playoff time you better have a bench that can keep you in the game. You need 2 quality point guards and 2 quality big men to make a run at the title. Name one championship team that lacked those components.

The Bulls had neither when they were winning...

[Da Coach]

Not sure how the NBA did the Heat a bit of a favor....

BUBaller, ever since the 1985 NBA draft lottery when IMO the NBA arranged for the floundering NY Knicks to get the #1 draft pick to land Patrick Ewing, I am a little suspicious that the league's decisions do get made to benefit teams in key markets that the NBA wants to succeed. This injury exemption is rarely invoked, and when it has been in the past, it has usually involved injuries more serious than Haslem's, and clearly season-ending. Since it was done secretly and does involve some subjective decison-making by the bosses at the NBA office, I guess I am in the group that believes they want the Heat to be able to sign a point guard.

By the way, if anyone doesn't know what I am referring to, here is a YouTube video showing the 1985 NBA draft lottery. Notice the 1st envelope David Stern pulls out of the drum has a distinctly bent corner. That envelope later was revealed to be the Knicks to give them the #1 pick and the draft rights to Patrick Ewing. A lot of people believe that envelope was marked before they were put into the drum to allow Stern to pick it #1.-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TgJE7C5wiU

Here is a slightly higher quality, shorter video-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mN3OGRGybA

[ser_solace]

I didn't make this, but it's just hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n7LWlLOrNk

[SFP]

The Bulls had neither when they were winning...

82-83' G - BJ Armstrong - Trent Tucker, C- Will Purdue - Bill Cartwright
87-88' G Steve Kerr - Rand Brown, C- Bill Wennington, Luc Longley

Besides they had greats in the 2-3 position for those teams where their 1 and 5 just had to be solid and were not asked to score in bunches. I can guarantee that without better then average PG or C The Bulls would not have won even with MJ and Pippen.

[amckillip]

82-83' G - BJ Armstrong - Trent Tucker, C- Will Purdue - Bill Cartwright
87-88' G Steve Kerr - Rand Brown, C- Bill Wennington, Luc Longley

Besides they had greats in the 2-3 position for those teams where their 1 and 5 just had to be solid and were not asked to score in bunches. I can guarantee that without better then average PG or C The Bulls would not have won even with MJ and Pippen.

I wouldn't call any of those better than average except for BJ. And Steve Kerr wasn't a PG anymore, it was Ron Harper. Kerr was a 2 guard by the time he played for the Bulls really.

[SFP]

I wouldn't call any of those better than average except for BJ. And Steve Kerr wasn't a PG anymore, it was Ron Harper. Kerr was a 2 guard by the time he played for the Bulls really.

OK whatever they had some decent PGs and big men! Miami has a decent PG in Arroyo but that's it. Why did the Celtics lose last year to the Lakers?

[amckillip]

OK whatever they had some decent PGs and big men! Miami has a decent PG in Arroyo but that's it. Why did the Celtics lose last year to the Lakers?

Haha, the Celtics have the 2nd best pg in the league!!! Rondo is far better than anyone on the Lakers. And big men they are at least equal. Andrew Bynum playing hurt isn't too great of anything, and the Lakers have no depth at big man. The Celtics got beat because at the end of the day, Kobe is a far better basketball player than anyone else in the league. Pau Gasol is good, but no better than Garnett. I think PG is important, even moreso in college, but in the NBA it's about who can take over the game, and that's Kobe, Melo, Lebron, and DWade right now. At a lesser level you have DRose, Pierce, and Amare. I hate it, but in the NBA that's what wins.

[SFP]

Hey Amp what big man did the Celts have? Perkins was out! Baby Shaq? The Celts did not have a big in the series and if you think Garnett played big, then we watched another series. Also, the Lakers played great D on Rondo. They took away his dribble penetration by daring him to shoot.