Lol

with the series tied 2-2 the pistons were still 90% to win the series on tradesports

now down 3-2 and going to cleveland they are still 60%

Tradesports seems to share the same overconfident, smug attitude the Pistons have. But as much as I despite Detroit, you have to think they'll be a little bit more alive in Game 6.

Did Rasheed guarantee a game 6 win?

Not yet, they have not dominated the Cavs on their home court all year, be hard to make that type of a boast at this point.

For their sake, I hope not.

I am a diehard Pistons fan, but I am enjoying the fire, passion and hustle that the Cavs are playing with. While Rasheed is making guarentees...a 21-year old Lebron James is complimenting the Pistons and telling the reporter that they will have to play their best to close out a great Pistons team. That sure does show a lot about that young man's character.

I'm still rooting for the Pistons, but if it comes to an end tonight....I will be the biggest Cavs fan from MI around.

I guess TradeSports was right, I mean the Pistons came back down 3-2 against Miami last year, which was a much better team than the Cavs or Miami this year. They've been to the Finals 2 straight years and should have 2 titles in a row. I don't see how they'll lose game 7, although I guess it's possible since they lost game 5. I'd say their chance are 77%.

Well the Pistons won, but I have a comment about the coverage rather than the game.

Towards the end of the game when it was just about decided and Cleveland fans were no doubt starting to feel depressed, ABC started showing all the crushing playoff losses the Cleveland sports franchises have had over the years. LOL way to kick the Cleveland fans when theyre down. Who was the genius who came up with that idea?

Damn.

23 points in the second half, 10 in the 3rd quarter.

Great game by both teams. We will see good things from the Cavs for years to come.

Lol, you're kidding right. Not once Lebron leaves and their stuck over the cap with the extremely overpriced Hughes and also a 10 mil a year player in Ilgauskaus. There's no way Lebron signs an extension and doesn't test the FA waters. He'd made enough money off endorsements already and in the years to come to buy his own NBA team. If the cavs do no trade Drew Gooden for a legitimate pf such as KG, or get a REAL pg like Brevin Knight, Chris Paul, AI, then they have a slim shot of keeping him beyond nxt year. Since the salary he can receive is set in stone, he will most likely pick a team with a good young nucleus that's signed for awhile and pick them as his team of destiny that he leads to 3 straight championships.
Granted, if the cavs make a splash in the offseason by trasing Gooden or Ilgauskus for a superstart PG or big man then next year will be their best year ever and they STILL will struggle mightily to reach the Conference Finals, let alone the NBA finals. It pains me to say it, but this team was the best Cavaliers team yyou're gonna see on the court for the next five years minimum.
If Washington fails to land KG for Etan/Jamison, they will be going afer someone like Lebron next offseaon. Either way, the WIZARDS future looks MUCH brighter as they've got Arenas signed for another 4 or 5 years, Butler just signed an extension at a relatively cheap value of 7 mil for year. Haywood is locked in at a bargain 15 mil for the next 3 years. Jamison has a big salarly like $15 mil which is perfect for trading because his contract expires year after this, and also backup center Etan is trade bait as a solid big man with a $6 mil a year contract. Oh yeh, Antonio Daniels is a beast who is top 5 in ft percentage every year and always plays hard, he got the minutes over Ridnour last year in Seattle at the end of games. He's working on his jump shot this summer and is signed for 4 more years at the bargain price of 6 mil a year. Jeffries is a key defensive player, needs to improve his whole offensive game though, so he could also be part of a sign and trade. If we resign him, expect him to be a Tayshuan Prince with not as good O but much better D guaring anyone from AI to Lebron. Some team may offer him 6-8 mil a year, so we'll have to think about it.
Our brilliant GM Ernie Grunfeld always makes the right moves though, declining to sign Larry for 6 more years at $15 million per. Did he earn that salary this year with Cleveland? They were actualy better without him in the playofss with Flip getting more minutes. I'm not saying he's a bad player because he is a semistart, but no way with his injury history, hes never played more than 60 games in the past 5 years, is he worth 90 mil over 6 years. The Cavs handicuffed themselves with that signing. Ernie Grunfeld and the Wiz on the other hand, traded Kwame Brown for our second best player and Gilbert's new sidekick Caron Butler, who is an absolute monster. Not only does he have a 5 year 38 million contract, about half that of Hughes, but he is relentless, averaging over 20 pts, 6 rebs, 1.5 stls, good fg ,and ft over the second half of the season. He is so emotional, unlike LH, that be pulled down 20 borads in the playoffs midway through the fourth quarter and he is a SG. Even if their price taags were the same I'd take Butler over Hughes every single time.
Without Daniels vastly improving and Haywodd developing into a proficient Kaman like center, the Wizards will constantly have a top 5 team in the East. And if we trade Eta/Jamison/Jeffries for KG its all over for miami and Detroit. Daniels speeding the ball up court with top 10 player Arenas on one wing ready to shoot or take his man one on one, and Caron Butler on the other side ready to bury a jumper into some sorry dudes face, The KG psoting and passing at the top of the arc eith Haywood doing all the dirty work including offensive rebounds, eay outbackm and 2,5 blcks a game. In summation, Wiz future > Cavs future.

I kinda stopped reading at this point. You're that certain Lebron is going? What about this quote from him a couple months ago? ``I can't wait to sign my extension," the words were. Or this article?

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/14614672.htm

There is also a ton of info saying that KG doesnt want to be traded, he wants to have the Timberwolves bring in help, not go somewhere else.

Do you guys know anything about basketball or just listen to what an article in the Cleveland or Picayunte Times tells you? Seriously, I've been following the NBA since u were still succking ur mommas aerolas.
As for the KG issue, OF COURSE he will publicly say he wants to stay in Minnesota and win a championship there, and part of him actually is loyal to Minnesota and doesn't want to leave. However, the practical side of him WANT TO WIN more than anything else, and the way the Timberwolves are built, with the players they have, and in the powerhouse West, that ain't happening anytime soon. By saying he wants to win in Minnesota, the fans and city will still love him and come out to see him, unlike the situation with Iverson and Webber now in Philly. However, if he gets traded to a winning team he won't be crying. Well, maybe at first but then he'll come to his senses and jump for joy. Trust me, I've read plenty of articles and heard inside sources say Garnett REALLY wants out of Minnesota. Yet, there is no way in hell the Wolves' 20 million franchise player is allowed to say in public I want to be traded. Some superstars like TMAC in Orlando, are different stories, but unless the Wolves fall to bottom 2 in the West, he will not publicly demand a trade. Everything is BEHIND THE SCENES in the NBA, and what players like Garnett tell the media is what is politically correct for his own self and the franchise to say.

Now, as for the other guy that posted an article from TWO months ago sayign Lebron can't wait to sign his extension, basically the same thing goes. He can't outright say publicly he wants to leave the Cavs or refuse to sign an extension. The day when he can sign is fast approaching, and it will just as quickly fly by without a 7 year extension. He will be a restricted free agent then his fourth year and of course the Cavs will match any offer. There are two options at the end of next year.
Option 1, Cleveland and Hughes come back strong and have another great season. Lebron likes the city of Cleveland and thinks he can win multiple championships there. Therefore, he resigns for the max allowed.
Option 2 - Cleveland has an average season and gets bounced in the first round of the playoffs. They don't make any serious moves in getting a better PG because they are over th cap. Lebron decides not to resign and wait one more year. He plays his last year of his contract out and then is an UNRESTRICTED free agent. All kinds of teams will wine and dine him and offer him the max, but he will have his sight sets on established teams such as the Spurs, Heat, Lakers(this is actually plausible, Kobe and Lebron) Suns, Nuggets, Wizards and Twolves(w/Garnett). He'll want to go to a championship contender that already has a superstar that he can pass to and will take the pressure off him. Imagine him working with DWADE in Miami, Arenas in Washington, Kobe in LA, Minny with Garnett(great duo), or the Nuggests with long time friend Carmello Anthony. Even some of these teams are over the cap they will work out a sign and trade if Lebron tells the Cavs he's not coming back. That's usually what happens because the Cavs can offer one extra year on his deal(7 years compared to 6), and a bit more money. In return, the Cavs actually get a good player instead of losing Lebron for nothing. This is how the NBA works. He could be traded to Denver for Andre Miller, Kenyon, Camby who all would have equal contracts, or to the Lakers for Odom, or to the Suns for Marion(even though Marion's a beast). Just imagine Nash, Stoudamire, and Lebron. Sick!
If the Cvs really struggle next year he could be dealt in a scenario like this during the year, but if I were a betting man, which I man, I would surmise Lebron gets traded in the offseason next year, when he;s going into the last year of his contract. In return the Cavs will get someone decent and stay a playoff team while whichever team Lebron goes to will be an instant Championship contender, like the Miami Heat were with Shaq. This is still early so it could change, but right now I think the teams that have the best shot of landinf james are Denver, LA, NY(cuz its media capital of the world and with a good GM it could be rebuilt into a solid team, Minnestoa(if KG stays), and the Spurs with some longshot teams like Miami, Washington, Golden State, and Phoenix in the mix. But there's still at least a 50% chance he stays in Cleveland AS OF RIGHT NOW, because he came off such a great season in terms of team success and chemistry. It all will be determined next year when we see if the Cavs take that next step and are up there with Detroit, or if they regress back to a 6-8 seed.

Did you just turn into KowboyKoop?

I hope you're not passed out from all that hot air coming out of your head. That made me laugh. My favorite was this:

LeBron's not leaving the Cavs. The current NBA salary rules in place give th current team the best chances to re-sign their own players. The Cavs can give more money to LeBron than anyone else, he's basically playing in his hometown, and the team should consistantly make the playoffs. The only way he's leaving is if he has some personal infighting with the owner (which isnt going to happen).

Throughout NBA history, star players have stayed with their original teams. Shaqs one of the few exceptions, but he did so primarily over money and he felt the team personally insulted him. That's not the case here. If James leaves while Cleveland is making every effort to make the team better, he will look like a big sellout and he knows it. No way he's leaving.

And KG isnt getting traded unless they can get something comparable in return. That's not likely to happen. And the Twolves arent completely stupid. They're not giving KG away for nothing. Basically KGs going no where.

Cleveland is kinda hindered with some bad contracts (and no, I'm not talking Larry Hughes). Damon Jones was a complete bust aside from one game winning shot in the playoffs, and Illgauskus, who was outplayed by Sideshow Bob Varejao. They desperately need someone on that team who can consistently knock down outside shots. Had Damon Jones provided that, and Larry Hughes not had his problems, they would have been an even more solid team. I don't see LeBron leaving anyway. I think he's just too comfortable there. If he goes to NY, the second he loses a playoff series he'll be villified. In Cleveland, he is the King. I don't see him giving that up.