Latch

I want to add that I think AI is a very good-great basketball player. He's not one of the top 5-10 basketball players in the world though. He one time has taken a team to a Finals appearance in a very week conference. He has to take a bunch of shots to contribute what he contributes. I would take at least 5 PG's or SG's in front of him if I were trying to build a championship team for this year. And I would take at least 8 big guys before him. I can't even believe people would argue that he's a top 5 player in the NBA this year.

Ok, but the question was starting a team. I know he will be one of the most valuable players to his team b/c the team is clearly built around him taking all of the shots and handling the ball a lot. If the ridiculous hypothetical situation was there and you could pick any player in order would you pick him in the top 10? I would never pick him in the top 10. Stats can be very misleading. Wade is one of the 2 best players in the NBA. He has a higher ceiling than anyone else in the NBA except for maybe LBJ.

Three years ago he said Kobe. Ask him now. Did you hear what he said when they asked him about Dwight howard after he played them this year?

Every GM (ecxept maybe 1) would take him before AI if they got to pick one or the other for this year.

Maybe I'm not the biggest NBA fan in the world, but I'm telling you that Isaiah Thomas, you, and AI's mother might be the only people in the country that would take him 5th if you could have any player in the NBA for this year.

If you watched the playoffs for the last 3 years you would know that Wade has been there all of them and won a championship. He has been the best player over the last 3 years in the NBA. The only person w/ a higher ceiling right now is LBJ. That's where the list ends of possible players you take before Wade for this year. Have you watched Dwight Howard?

What's laughable is that most of these guys are just added on to others mentioned. So you name one player and say what I said is laughable. I'm quite sure I would take a 6'8" SG-PF who is under 30 with a history of injury ow/ McGrady's ability ahead od AI for this year. I said Ray Allen was a possibility. He's shooting over 34% this year on 3's.

Artest can guard the PG through the PF. Do people realize he asked originally if you could pick for this year? This is starting to get out of hand.

Seriously I can't take another NBA opinion of your seriously if you take a 30 something year old PG 5th out of every player in the NBA. Wade is 100 times better right now and would be picked by every GM in this hypothetical situation ahead of AI. I seriously think not one GM in the NBA would take AI in the top 15. I can name at least 8 players who play the 4 or 5 that they would take ahead of him or get fired. The one possible exception is Isiah Thomas.

So in a hypothetical situation and your picking 4th to start an NBA franchise for just one year your taking AI? That is absurd. Did you watch the finals last year? There was a 7 footer running the floor and scoring at will and his team didn't win b/c of one player on the other team.

Would AI be in your top ten? I know it might be a homer answer from you, but I would add some people to his list and might only take off between 2-5. I would add: Shawn Marion Amare Stoudemire Chauncey Billups Tracy McGrady Jermaine Oneal Gilbert Arenas Chris Bosh And possibly some others including...Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Artest, Tony Parker, & Michael Redd.

Why would you not want your best player to be happy? It seems to me that you would be more successful if your best player or players are happy. Could he have possibly been frustrated that they were out of shape and could not run? Is it possible that he gave as much effort as possible and didn't see the same effort from everyone else? They very easily could have been a faster paced team last year. They chose not to. How do you know he didn't give his best effort?

I'll try to get through the ones I understood. Rondo could have been upset that they slowed it down. It could have seemed to him that they weren't trying to score enough points. I don't know that he was promised that, but it was reported. I know you can't go on everything that was reported, but people are bashing him b/c they heard he didn't get along w/ people on the team. Rondo could have been upset that the second of the big three bailed on him and the rest of the team, but was allowed back. He could have thought that the he was the best player and the offense should have adjusted to his abilities b/c...... He was by far their most talented player. He could end up proving that he was one of the best few players in the country. The other superstars around college were catered to by their coaches. ie..JJ and Morrison. This may be a different era and people may not like it but you should try to make your best player happy. It is widely speculated that his team last year was out of shape. I did not see that from him. He could have been upset about that. All I know is the NBA scouts and people that watch players play said he was one of the best players in the country, and now he's getting rave reviews. Maybe everyone else is right and Tubby got it wrong with him.

I hope HC doesn't think that they won't be in close games in the ALL A. I've heard that St. Henry will be pretty good. There have been times when the team that wins the regional tournament was not ranked in the top 3 in the beginning of the year.

Maybe he had the heart and played as hard as he was allowed to play with in the system he was told to play. Maybe he knew that if they dribbled the ball for 28 seconds and then tried to take a bad shot and play good defense to win a game 60-59 they might have trouble winning games. Possibly he knew he was considered one of the best players on the USA team he played on the summer before and was promised while recruited they were going to run, but he was never given the chance to do that. At the same time someone who joined his recruiting class left, but was catered to b/c he was 6'10''. Maybe he thought the mysterious fax that Tubby found ruined their chances at running and winning games. That was the second of the three that left the school by the way. Maybe he realized that he would also get a chance to show his NBA worth in the summer and that NBA people thought he was being used wrong and that he was going to be a very good pro.

If he's out 6 to 8 weeks doesn't that put him back in December? I think they'll be ok if he's back in December.

The Detroit Pistons would win the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics. You just can't throw a team together and expect it to work.

I get your point, but they now have to play Beechwood I believe so it would be someone else replaced.

Is this a reported rumor or are you just speculating? I would probably pull the trigger if I were the Reds. They would need free agent help though for the lineup this year.

Braham told me this weekend that he might be able to play in the last 2 regular season games and the playoffs. He will not retire if they ask him back.

I think St Henry will surprise some people this year. If I remeber correctly they have some seniors and a very good player.

I think the Ohio court system helped him "get around the rules". I'm pretty sure he's going to be in the next draft.

Thank you for answering all of my questions.

My only real question about this would be wouldn't he have had to have another hit against him as far as the drug policy? I thought he was suspended by the league for something like not acting like an NFL player should.

Totally off subject, but that is also my understanding. So it is safe to assume that this is Merriman from San Diego's secon failed test.