Problem with Rondo and Nash is that they have major holes in their game. Williams doesn't. Williams isn't the defender Rondo is, the distributor Nash is, or the scorer Rose is, but he is very good at all three skills. Nash couldn't keep Javi Gonzalez from scoring on him, and Rondo couldn't beat him in HORSE. These are huge flaws that good teams will exploit in the playoffs. Williams doesn't have these flaws. He has lame tattoos and a bad haircut, but as a player, he is as close to complete as they get.

2/23/2011 3:41:41 PM

Both of those players you mentioned have either a ring or an MVP too.

It's no coincidence that their game is heavily geared towards making other players better. The very definition of what great point guards are supposed to do.

[Edited on February 23, 2011 at 3:46 PM. Reason : jack of all trades, master of none?]

2/23/2011 3:45:37 PM

Rondo has a ring like Adam Morrison has a ring...he was the 4th or 5th best player on that team.

Point is, Williams gives New Jersey a chance to be relevant, which is all they can really ask for at this point.

2/23/2011 3:54:08 PM

Rondo was an integral part of their title run that season.

^ I can agree on that 2nd point, though. I will most certainly be laughing when he bounces next summer for the Lakers or another big club.

[Edited on February 23, 2011 at 3:58 PM. Reason : .]

2/23/2011 3:56:28 PM

He averaged 10 and 5 in 30 minutes a game. I'd argue James Posey was more integral to that team. A lot can change in 3 years.


Because now, in 2011, choosing between Williams, Paul, Rose, Rondo and Westbrook has become more about personal preference than any type of objective exercise.





[Edited on February 23, 2011 at 4:14 PM. Reason : x]

2/23/2011 4:07:59 PM

He averaged 17 and 10 in the playoffs that year. Those playoffs were Rondo's coming out party.

^ I agree with that 2nd part 100%

2/23/2011 4:19:20 PM

I believe you're looking at the stats for the 2009 playoffs, when they lost to Orlando without KG,

But its inconsequential in the scope of the discussion at hand.

2/23/2011 4:21:22 PM

I watched (not by choice) the NBA dunk contest last Saturday. What a fucking joke. Dunking over a KIA, biting a kid's stuffed animal off the rim, etc.....

For a few I thought I was watching the circus...

2/23/2011 4:24:01 PM

^^ today has not been a good day for me

2/23/2011 4:27:24 PM

I'd say williams is top 2 point guard, top 10 player in the league, melo is prob just slightly behind him on the ranking, top 15 I'd say

2/23/2011 6:51:31 PM

Williams is good at running a HOF coach out of town because they didn't get along, then proceeding to leave anyway

Maybe I wouldn't hate that faggot so much if he didn't shut the bed against UNC in the finals

2/23/2011 7:13:03 PM

Billups and Melo had good games in a Knicks win, Amare did ok and fouled out

2/23/2011 11:14:19 PM

predictions for the rest of the season for the Knicks?

2/23/2011 11:15:04 PM

Best case: 4th seed, second round KO

Worst case: 6th seed, first round KO


I side with the latter

2/23/2011 11:23:19 PM

before the trade would you have said your second scenario was more best case or do you think the Knicks regressed with their trade?

2/23/2011 11:24:06 PM

Best case is probably 3rd, optimally for them, if Chicago regresses and Atlanta and Orlando continue to play stagnant

But they're probably gonna be part of a helluva 4/5 matchup

2/23/2011 11:26:34 PM

well i'm not pleased with Melo or Derron Williams because they got traded mid week and each sat out a game costing my fantasy team points.

2/23/2011 11:27:31 PM

I'm dying to hear DROD's take on the Davis-Williams trade.

Two top 10 picks this year....Irving/Jones could be a good first step back to respectability.

2/24/2011 9:15:26 AM

I definitely like the deal, Mo wasnt even playing and Moon is nothing more than a career bench player. The only downside is Baron's big contract that makes him virtually untradable (almost $30 mil over the next two years I believe). But Baron still has a little bit of juice left, so its not like we got Eddy Curry or someone else who would just be a money pit.

I do feel kinda sorry for Baron and Antawn Jamison who are spending the last years of their career on a bad team. But hopefully whoever we pick up in the draft (Irving, Sullinger, etc.) can be mentored by them.

Its hard for me not to believe that the Cavs got the better deal here, should make for a fun draft to watch. I guess I'm going to root for the Clippers to have a bad second half of the season now, even though I like the team.

also, this hurts my fantasy team since Baron was putting up really good numbers lately and finally figured out how to play in the Clippers uptempo system

[Edited on February 24, 2011 at 9:28 AM. Reason : asdf]

2/24/2011 9:25:35 AM

Thunder going all in with Perk and Mohammed.

They're still behind SA, Dallas, and La, but right behind them

2/24/2011 3:31:58 PM

Will be funny if league nixes Mayo deal because it was a few mins late

Still relying on faxes in 2011

2/24/2011 4:01:15 PM

Where does Jeff Green fit in with the Celtics? That seems like an odd trade from their perspective unless they feel the O'Neal's can get/stay healthy.

2/24/2011 6:42:02 PM

dunno but if you recall, the Celtics drafted Green originally, then traded him for Ray Allen

and the circle is complete

2/24/2011 6:42:47 PM

This is a headline on realgm

Quote :

"Hornets Pulled Out Of Mayo Three-Way"

I laffed

2/24/2011 9:51:05 PM

wow the trades were getting out of control, the bobcats pretty much traded the only good stroke of their franchise to cap it all off, too bad I never gave a shit about them, the celtics I think actually made a good trade; I said they needed to add some young scorers to that team over the off season, I'm sad to see houston give up on aaron brooks too

[Edited on February 25, 2011 at 2:50 AM. Reason : are the celtics going to start green at the 4?]

2/25/2011 2:45:34 AM

They'll probably start Baby at the 4 now.

It's going to be interesting to see who "wins" that trade in the long run. Both teams made out very well imo, with OKC obviously receiving the biggest short term leap since they now have somebody inside.

The Bulls had to love hearing that Perk was gone. With Noah, Boozer, and Gibson all playing well that's a straight up mismatch underneath. The C's better hope they can avoid Chicago come playoff time.

2/25/2011 8:10:10 AM

I wouldn't be shocked to see the Celtics lineup in a few years look like

Rondo
Pierce
Green
Baby
Howard

2/25/2011 9:00:29 AM

2/25/2011 11:27:22 AM

He should be fined for that bullshit.

2/25/2011 11:36:42 AM

I feel like the east playoffs are gonna be amazing this year. Well at least the second round assuming Chicago, Boston, Orlando, and Miami all advance.

2/25/2011 11:39:24 AM

Quote :

"are the celtics going to start green at the 4?"

if i had to guess...i'd guess they'll continue to start Garnett at the 4

2/25/2011 12:15:43 PM

It's crazy how quickly it went from being a Western dominated league where the Eastern conference was absolute shit...to an extreme powershift to where the East is easily the best conference and there are only a couple contenders in the West. I knew it would eventually balance out...just didn't think it would happen so quickly.

2/25/2011 12:19:04 PM

The Lakers are licking their chops

2/25/2011 12:22:19 PM

Quote :

"Maybe I wouldn't hate that faggot so much if he didn't shut the bed against UNC in the finals"

he had 17 and 7 and only 1 turnover, although i can't remember if that last steal by felton was from him or dee brown

2/25/2011 1:16:02 PM

whatever happened to Dee Brown? Luther Head has had a decent career as an outside shooter, but I have no idea what happened to Brown

2/25/2011 1:22:44 PM

Bosh with the sweet 1-18 shooting last night. GG.

2/25/2011 1:37:20 PM

^^Wasn't that great of a shooter, too small, and not athletic enough to make it in the NBA at his size.

I remember him backing up Williams in his first year with the Jazz (and thinking it was quite humorous) I think he had a stretch where he was starting for the Wizards for like 10 games at some point after that. Fairly sure he's overseas where he belong.

2/25/2011 1:52:33 PM

He's playing in China on the same team as Chris Williams from UVA

2/25/2011 2:05:01 PM

Quote :

"if i had to guess...i'd guess they'll continue to start Garnett at the 4"

garnett is starting at the 5 right now but they obviously have some injuries, big baby at the 4, if they gave up a starter for green, I think they should try him at the starting 4 some at least, they can put shaq and garnett together when they are playing a really big team

2/25/2011 3:02:58 PM

They don't want to start Green, they want to have him be able to spell Pierce or Allen, because Von Wafer is not the guy you want guarding Wade in the playoffs.

In crunch time, they'll go with Rondo-Allen-Pierce-Green-Garnett, just like they did with Posey in 08.

2/25/2011 3:12:38 PM

glen davis is such a douchey looking fuck. all i can think of when i see his fat face is that .gif someone made of him sticking his tongue out repeatedly. whines like a bitch too

2/25/2011 5:54:22 PM

guys like ^ should have their NBA dream team now. the Nuggets have two of the best UNC PG's ever, a UNC coach, and a UNC commit on the same team.

2/25/2011 6:13:13 PM

Felton and Gallo better get rat a tat tatted up if they want to fit in on that team. Birdman can be their tour guide.

2/25/2011 6:56:46 PM

fuck yeah

Redick vs Harden

2/25/2011 8:30:12 PM

I was just reading through the Bill Simmons trade article and it seems like he is talking directly to a couple users in these paragraphs.

rallydurham

Quote :

"PEOPLE WHO DON'T REALIZE THAT CARMELO IS A LEGITIMATE SUPERSTAR: F-minus-minus One of the strangest subplots this week: Everyone rushing to pick Carmelo's game apart, especially people who rely on advanced metrics and ended up getting caught up in small-picture stuff. Carmelo has one elite skill (he rebounds extremely well for a small forward) and one transcendent skill (he's as good as anyone in the league at scoring and/or getting to the line, especially in crunch time). You can absolutely, positively, unquestionably win a championship if Carmelo Anthony is your creator at the end of a basketball game. The Knicks didn't have anyone like that. Few teams do. Now throw this in: He's only 26. Now throw this in: Ten guys started the 2011 All-Star Game. In a 30-team league, the Knicks suddenly have two of them. Now throw this in: The other players know. They know who's good. They know who's worth a damn. They know who they'd go to war with. So you can't discount (A) how well Carmelo played on the 2008 Olympic team; (B) how much the other guys respected him; and (C) how the key guys on that team were Kobe, LeBron, Wade and Carmelo. It can't be forgotten. It just can't. Neither can the fact that he nearly carried a limited Nuggets team to the Finals two years ago. Now throw this in: If there was ever a player who could be ignited by a great basketball city and a consistently fantastic crowd, it's Carmelo Anthony. He's been stuck in a relatively icy cruise control for two solid years, playing in a city he didn't totally love, being professional about it, trying hard every game ... and yet, there was something detached about him. No longer. I hate how he weaseled his way to the Knicks and pissed on Denver fans, but that's over. Let's look at this thing objectively: He's going to kill it with the Knicks. I'd bet anything. They haven't had someone like this since Bernard King, which is funny because I always thought Melo was Bernard 2.0. Playing in New York isn't for everyone, but in this case, it will be the best thing that ever happened to Carmelo Anthony. I keep hearing that you can't win a title with Melo and Amare. Agreed. But you can win the title with Carmelo, Amare and Chris Paul (or Dwight Howard, or Deron Williams). In the short term, you can make some noise, rock the building and make Knicks fans forget about the 10 excruciating years they just endured. And you can scare the living hell out of the fans from the other Eastern contenders. Believe me, as a Celtics fan, I want no part of the Knicks this spring for one reason: You never want to play a playoff series in which the other team has the best guy. There's a decent chance Carmelo could just go off 1984 Bernard-style in Round 1 or Round 2. I'm crapping my pants just thinking about it. Over everything else, THAT is why they had to make this trade. A week ago, the Knicks were a .500 team. Now, they matter. And if you're throwing stats at me, I'll counter with this one: 15 for 15. Thank you and please drive through."

DROD900

Quote :

"EVERYONE WHO CLAIMS THE NBA IS BEING RUINED BECAUSE SUPERSTARS WANT TO CONTROL WHERE THEY PLAY: D-minus What a lazy argument. Over the past six decades, the following players pushed their way from a worse situation to a (seemingly) better one either by trade or free agency: Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Rick Barry, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Bill Walton, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Gary Payton, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Clyde Drexler ... should I keep going? Now this "phenomenon" is endangering the game??? As Kenny Smith said last night, "If [a small-market team] builds the right pieces around the right guy, he will stay." Period. Duncan stayed in San Antonio because it built the right team around him. Stockton and Malone stayed in Utah because they had each other. Durant will stay in Oklahoma City because of Westbrook and everyone else. LeBron left Cleveland mainly because it made bad trades and signed the wrong guys. And Utah never would have thought it might lose Deron Williams if it hadn't screwed up the roster around him. Besides, why is it such a bad thing to have six or seven loaded teams and six or seven terrible ones? Oh crap, I hate seeing the Finals with all these elite players! Give me a break."

2/26/2011 3:53:02 PM

I knew someone was going to quote that second paragraph in here

good stuff

2/26/2011 3:54:51 PM

Michael Jordan - the greatest owner ever???

2/26/2011 8:31:28 PM

I dont give a shit if players want to play 'in a better' situation. I think it sucks that there are 8 or 9 good teams in the league. There is no parity. The only games shown on espn or tnt are interchangeable mixes of new york, lakers, miami, chicago, okc, orlando, boston, and maybe san antonio. Maybe its good for the league, but it sucks for fans of small market teams.

Argue all you want, or claim its a tired argument, its still true.

2/26/2011 9:52:52 PM

I don't think I posted my thoughts on the trade yet, being a Knicks fan. I didn't like it. 'Melo was going to sign in NYC anyway after the year in all likelihood. Patience would have been nice and has been said he isn't in the top tier of elite overall players in the league.

Chandler and Gallinari were having very good years and Felton was affordable and a short-term contract. Giving up all that, plus Randolph and picks for a guy who could have been signed after the season and an aging PG who we don't will be a great fit in the offensive systems seemed a bit silly to me.

I'm not going to bitch and whine about it, but it's not something that I think was necessary.

^ um, three of those teams you listed are in comparatively small markets (Orlando, OKC and San Santonio)... and the Knicks have sucked for a full decade so to say the NYC large market has had any pull at all is silly

[Edited on February 27, 2011 at 3:55 PM. Reason : x]

2/27/2011 3:54:16 PM

Quote :

"and has been incorrectly said he isn't in the top tier of elite overall players in the league."

2/27/2011 3:58:07 PM