SpongeWorthy

I realize that getting Flames to renounce his loyalty to the Packers is about as remote a possibility as UMFan renouncing his love of musical theater but a guy can hope.

Flames is a good dude which is why it's our moral obligation to beat him into submission until he renounces his Packers fandom and starts rooting for the Bears.

Anyone remember that time the Bears ended Favre's career and clinched the NFC North?

Hester:women on the 7th floor::NSBB:packers fans

Because the Packers are lame and effeminate. As are anyone that would deign to root for the Packers and Cubs simultaneously. That ain't right.

I forgot...

wsup NFC North division champ buddies *highfive*

Ed Werder just did a report saying that Favre visited a dying 5 year old on Friday. We're hosed.

I honestly can't tell if you are a Bears or vikings fan the way you are simultaneously defending minneapolis and speaking from the mind of a Vikings fan, and rooting for the Bears. Look at the guy missing the Bears game to go watch Les Miserables questioning the loyalty of someone else.

LOLLLLL

What would we be giving back?

Definitely. Jackson is crazy but he plays his ass off, can defend, shoot, and be a secondary ball handler. He'd be perfect.

JR Smith had a crazy dunk:

The only real issues with marginal teams in the playoffs are from the NBA and NHL. The NFL has had a weak NFC West for a few years now, but 1 of those teams went to and nearly won the Superbowl. Plus, you're still talking about only 12 of 32 teams getting in the playoffs, and most teams earn their way by winning either 10 games or beating other contenders head-to-head. MLB only allows 4 teams from each league of 30, no complaints there. NBA and NHL have over 1/2 the teams getting in which is [expletive]. But at least in the NHL, it has been proven that anything can happen in the playoffs, and you often have lower seeds doing very well. So, that leaves the NBA as the only legit complaint. And I think the real problem isn't a team like Boise running the table in the tourney. It's a team like Alabama or LSU who has had chances to beat heavyweights and have failed 2-3 times. They are probably still good enough to do some damage in the tournament, but their inability to beat those tops teams shouldn't get rewarded with a chance at a national title. A team with 1 slip-up like Boise is one thing, whether it's against a mediocre team or not. But a team that starts the year ranked high but loses 2 or 3 tough games is another. Alabama starting the season #1 pretty much guarantees them a shot at the national championship, because unless they lose 4 times they are going to finish ranked high enough to get in the tourney. These are fair points. I would get rid of polls for at least the first 6 weeks of the season or so. You'd still have a bias towards powerhouse programs but there'd be less anchoring effects going on in the rankings.

I don't see how the 14th best team, or whatever, is less deserving of a shot at the title than basically any other marginal team in every sport that uses a playoff system (basically all of them). If Boise or whatever ran the table in a playoff system and won it all who would have a problem with it? Besides goony

I'd rather have a substandard playoff system than the BCS.

My biggest concern is Noah getting lazy in the next couple months because he can't play and returning to the form of his first couple seasons.

I'd consider 45 wins, even without Noah for 2+ months, a disaster considering the start we've had and the remaining schedule. I agree with whoever said we can still go something like 20-10 over the next 30 and would've expected better with a healthy Noah.

I hope Minnesota loses the game because they refuse to pay $10 an hour for backbreaking labor.

I dunno I guess I'd just prefer a defensive oriented guard at the 2 with the starting lineup we have. We already have supposedly below average defenders in Rose and Boozer in the lineup, and as awesome as Noah is he struggles in certain situations against bigger matchups. Adding a 3rd bad defender could really cause the starting lineup to struggle. I mean I guess he would be ok. He only shot 33% from 3 last year though, and 6 attempts per game. Is that even beneficial? I am asking seriously because I didn't think 33% was all that good. I don't prefer a defensive oriented SG. I would like a guy that can shoot the 3 like JR, but can also at least serviceable on defense. Since Smith can't play D at all, I would like to keep Brewer around and play the matchups. Sometimes you use JR for offense, sometimes you use Brewer for D. Sometimes you use both when Deng disappears. I will say though, that the 33% last year (closer to 34% actually) was an anomaly for JR. He's 37% for his career, and if you include this year so far he's had 4 of his last 5 years over 39%, which is wonderful. My problem is JR doesn't have an off button. You're as likely to get a 1-8 from 3 from him as you are a 5 for 7. He shot 40% in 08-09, yet he still had 15 games where he shot under 35% with at least 6 shots. In 2 playoff losses to the Lakers that year he went a combined 3-20 from 3. Yeah, he has his flaws. That's why you're looking at a rumored swap centered around Brewer/Bogans types. The defense would suffer but you're still putting Deng on the best offensive wing player anyway. I do think Rose would be able to generate cleaner looks for Smith than Billups does. Billups doesn't collapse defenses like Rose does and while Melo can, he's not a PG. Imagine all the WIDE open corner 3s going from Bogans to Smith.

I dunno I guess I'd just prefer a defensive oriented guard at the 2 with the starting lineup we have. We already have supposedly below average defenders in Rose and Boozer in the lineup, and as awesome as Noah is he struggles in certain situations against bigger matchups. Adding a 3rd bad defender could really cause the starting lineup to struggle. I mean I guess he would be ok. He only shot 33% from 3 last year though, and 6 attempts per game. Is that even beneficial? I am asking seriously because I didn't think 33% was all that good. We're 4th in defensive rating and 19th in offensive rating. Even with Korver, Rose, and Deng all hitting 3s, we could use some more shooting. I don't think giving Bogans and Brewer's minutes to JR Smith is going to cause our D to plummet but the shooting immediately improves. Bogans is a decent defender (not great by any means), has terrible foot speed so he doesn't help in an up tempo game, and can't do anything offensively. So maybe you get him to guard pretty well but the other guy has to expend absolutely no energy at all in defending him.

A high volume, high percentage three point shooter at SG would help a lot. He is a chucker and a head case which is why someone with his talent is even available at such a low reported price in returning players. Plus he's a 6 million dollar expiring contract.

Did you guys actually read/hear something that Favre playing is actually a possibility?

Smith would murder playing off of Rose.

And nobody has given me a satisfactory answer as to why Rose is being discriminated against by referees. "There oughta be an investigation" is not an acceptable answer Stacey They don't know how to ref him fairly. I don't think there is some systemic conspiracy to keep him off the line.