| 06 March 2011
Questions asked by Jeff Fox of Hoops Manifesto, answers supplied by Don and Rob (brumbygg) of With Malice...
1) Your All-NBA Team after four months of play (2 guards, 2 forwards, 1 center)
Don: Derek Rose, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard and... Blake Griffin.
Rose and Howard are front runners for the MVP. I had LeBron James in... but switched for Durant. Until Miami sorts out how to win a) close games, and b) against opponents with winning records, I won't include him (or Wade). Going to upset a few people here with my selection of Griffin, but I don't really care. I am a true believer, with the zeal and fanaticism that this entails. Griffin's been amazing, and I'm not going to bar him from selection merely on the grounds that he's a rookie.
Kobe... well, Kobe's still Kobe. What else do you want?
Rob: Derrick Rose, Kobe, LBJ, Amar'e, Dwight Howard. D-Wade awfully close to pushing Kobe out.
2) The Knicks are scraping along at around a .500 clip since acquiring Carmelo Anthony - will the Melo experiment work?
Don: Hell no. As I've said before: NYK have gutted their team to put a guy who plays next to no defense next to a guy who plays next to no defense. What did people THINK was going to happen? The losses to Cleveland - 2 now - have to be particularly worrying (tho' to be honest, I think the Cavs have turned a significant corner).
Rob: The word 'experiment' is misleading in this case. It's like the old joke about bacon and eggs - the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed. The Knicks are pretty well committed to making Melo and Amar'e the centrepieces of this franchise. But right now the decision to gut the franchise to obtain Melo is not paying dividends. You make this kind of change and you expect to be doing more than playing .500 ball.
3) Paul Silas recently stated that Bobcats owner Michael Jordan could still average 15-20 points/game if he played in the NBA. Agree or disagree?
Don: I'll call BS on that. I don't think he could log the minutes required. Sure, he might have the stroke, and he might be playing at the local rec center at a very high level... but there's a big jump from that to the NBA - I very much doubt that the wheels have the kinda speed needed.
I hope to hell it never eventuates. I think it'd end up being kinda sad.
Rob: Rocky 5, Rambo 4, Batman and Robin, Superman 4, Look Who's Talking Now, Karate Kid 3, Highlander 3, The Godfather III, Jaws 3 and 4...... Can you see where this one is heading? Only MJ could make the sequel almost as good as the original, but MJ 3 - Time of the Wizard(s) was pretty lame. Does anyone really want to see MJ 4 - Bobcats Ain't No Pussies??? I think MJ would struggle to get open, struggle to a hit a shot over any of the semi-elite defensive players in the NBA and not have the legs to take it to the hole. Let's hope and pray that he doesn't get it into his head to give it a go.
4) Game of the Week - pick the winner - Thurs, Mar 10th - Lakers @ Miami
Don: Lakers. By 5.
Rob: Heat by double digits.
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And Happy 39th Birthday Shaquille O'Neal... elder statesman of the NBA. Who'da thunk it?
