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Diary Of K. Washburn

Offseason: July 2010

The 2010 offseason began with some retirements. Ray Allen announced his surprise retirement from the NBA at the age of 34. Ben Wallace also called it quits. Kurt Thomas predictably retired, and Jason Williams called it quits for the second time. Other retirements included Eduardo Najera, Kevin Ollie, Lindsay Hunter and Adonal Foyle. Weak retirement class this year. The coaches were most concerning. George Karl resigned due to health concerns, and our coach, Flip Saunders, also announced he was done coaching. Looks like I'll need to get a replacement.

After much hoopla, many were disappointed to see LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carlos Boozer re-sign with their respective teams to maximum contracts. It looked like Chris Bosh would follow suit before we saw one of the most exciting trades in recent years. Bosh was dealt to Portland in a three-way trade which sent LaMarcus Aldridge to Golden State, and Andris Biedrins, Martell Webster, Rudy Fernandez and Portland's 2011 first-rounder to Toronto. Pretty awesome. Which I could have gotten in on that, if only to score a second-rounder or something. Oh well.

Due to the owner's "no big signings, god damn it" policy, I had opted to accept Josh Howard's $11 million option to preserve cap for next summer. This left me with about $15 million. After signing my three rookies, it was down to about $8 million (I gave Liam a bonus, considering his being my brother and all). I watched the Chicago Bulls pay far too much money to sign overrated shooting guard Joe Johnson (nine figures? Really, GarPax?), the Heat add Amar'e Stoudemire and the Knicks sign...*drumroll*... David Lee, Tracy McGrady, Hakim Warrick and Rudy Gay!. I guess they can't all be winners.

I pursued John Salmons and Raja Bell to temporarily shore up the SG position, only to have them sign with Atlanta and Houston, respectively. Eventually, I settled on former Wizard Larry Hughes, and hope he wouldn't take so many bad shots. With JaVale McGee being bad at basketball, I wanted some insurance at the Center position. After tarnishing his European reputation by threatening to rape the wives and daughters of low-balling Euroleague general managers, I was able to secure Darko Milicic to a two year, $4 million deal. To fill out the roster, I signed former all-star (current scrub) Steve Francis and sharpshooter Salim Stoudamire to minimum contracts.

-WiZZnutZZ-
Meet The Newest Wizards
[ Image ] [ Image ] [ Image ] [ Image ] July 13, 2010 - This is not a joke post. This is what it's come to. I was cautiously optimistic when we got this Washburn guy in here, hoping we could get a Sam Presti-type figure, but that proved to be a pipedream. Instead, we come out of the prized 2010 offseason with Larry Hughes and Darko Milicic as our prize acquisitions. No kidding. Not only am I going to need to change the name of this blog because of the team's name change, but we need to endure another terrible season. Thanks a lot.

He really has a lot of nerve too, signing his brother. We could have gotten another draft stea like Dexter Pittman, but instead we got his 6'4" PF brother. Sweet. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go purchase a stress ball now.

Harsh/hurtful words, but I had bigger fish to fry. I noticed that the Timberwolves, already stacked at the point guard position, had signed point guard Luke Ridnour. Naturally, David Kahn defended the signing, saying that Jonny Flynn, Ramon Sessions, Ricky Rubio and Ridnour could co-exist. Being a fan of Sessions, I made an offer for the former Bucks guard. I offered project-who-would-never-be-good Nick Young and a second-rounder for him. Kahn demanded Mike Miller and James Singleton be included. Since I wanted them gone anyway, I was very pleased to oblige. I had my point guard of the future, and some savings to report to the boss.

Its going to be August in a couple minutes, and I still don't have a head coach. Have to cut this entry short however. The Suns just traded Steve Nash!

Last edited by Lamrock on Mon Aug 03, 2015 5:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

Lets hope Steve Nash went to the Raptors.

Lol Liams a PF

Go Heat with Amar'e! Nice signings for you, but I expect Matiejaunas to be a bust, like your latest signing at C.

Anyway, can't wait for the season to begin.

Instead, we come out of the prized 2010 offseason with Larry Hughes and Darko Milicic as our prize acquisitions.

you weren't too hip on my Dubs off-season moves, but yours aint exactly blockbuster either bub luckily i've faith that that's all part of the master plan for some flexibility come Feb Trade Deadline

solid off-season writeup; look fwd to more

Can't wait to see where Steve is heading to.

Diary Of K. Washburn

Offseason: August 2010

All of the major free agents have been scooped up, leaving the Nets, Knicks and many other teams under the cap with no way to use it. News of second-tier deals, like Steve Blake to Miami, Grant Hill to Atlanta, Marcus Camby to Charlotte, JJ Redick to Milwaukee and Nate Robinson to Cleveland have been the talk as of late. There was also a blockbuster trade. Two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash has been dealt to the Houston Rockets for Ed Davis, a first-rounder and the expiring contract of Shane Battier. RealGM broke the deal down:

[ Image ]
Grading The Deal: Nash To Houston
Steve Nash to Houston for Ed Davis, Battier, Lottery-Protected First Rounder

[ Image ] August 1, 2010 - After Amar'e Stoudemire left Phoenix to sign with the Miami Heat, it became clear the Suns would be rebuilding. With Steve Nash still extremely productive, but on the tail end of his career, keeping him would be a major disservice. Because of this, few were surprised to see Nash dealt to the Houston Rockets for rookie Ed Davis, a (lottery protected) first-round draft pick and the expiring contract of Shane Battier.

While the Rockets seem to be set at the point guard position with 2010 Most Improved Player Aaron Brooks at the helm, Brooks is a shoot-first PG, and a pass-first PG like Nash would be a better fit next to franchise cornerstone Yao Ming. Daryl Morey called this deal "an opportunity you just don't pass up", while Brooks seemed okay with it, saying "even if it means my coming off the bench, the prospect of playing with Steve Nash is amazing". Kyle Lowry signed with the Milwaukee Bucks last week, preventing a major logjam at the point guard position.

Even with the return of Yao Ming, and the mid-season addition of Kevin Martin, Houston seems like fringe contenders at best. Adding Nash should elevate the play of the entire team and provide more efficient scoring at the point guard position. Second-year player Jordan Hill will likely see his numbers inflated by having Nash around. This deal was a must for the Rockets. The Rockets also signed Nash's good friend and former Sun Raja Bell to ease the transition for Nash. They have become contenders again.
Trade Grade: B+
The deal was basically a salary dump for Phoenix. Ed Davis and Houston's lottery protected first rounder are nice perks, but nothing to write home about. Without Nash and Amare, this team is going to be awful. Expect Jason Richardson's points per game to exceed the Suns' total wins this season. Shane Battier would make a decent mentor for Earl Clark and the other young Suns, but he is reported to be already in talks about a buy-out of the final year of his contract. Whether he re-signs with Houston or signs with a different contender is up in the air.
Trade Grade: B-
Overall, this trade is a classic example of a fallen former power sending their aging franchise player to a team where he can play for a ring. The acquisition of Nash puts Houston in the upper echelon of the West (on paper at least), and kicks off the rebuilding process for Phoenix. The Rockets may have made a mistake, upgrading at one of their strongest positions, while the Suns might have been able to get more for Nash, but I like this trade.

Projected Rockets Rotation: S. Nash | K. Martin | T. Ariza | L. Scola | M. Yao | 6th: A. Brooks
Projected Suns Rotation: G. Dragic | L. Barbosa | J. Richardson | C. Frye | R. Lopez | 6th: J. Dudley

With my roster set in stone, I decided to move on to the pressing issue: the staff. The team needed a new head coach, NBA scout and trainer. After reading my predecessor's notes about the staff (incompetent, could be easily replaced by Mexicans), racist as they were, I got an idea. Aside of managing this team to glory, I also wanted money, to pay off student loans, gambling debts, parking tickets and a stone bust of Larry Bird. So, I cleaned house, replacing my staff with illegal immigrants, signing them to $50 thousand dollar contracts.

I sold this to the owner by claiming that they were from the team "Real Mexico City", and used the rest of the coaching budget on myself. That's right. I will be assuming the role of head coach! I will be following in the footsteps of greats such as Mike Dumbleavy, Jeff "I am a walrus" Bower and Isiah Thomas. With that, my general manager duties had been fulfilled, and I could take a well earned vacation.

Last edited by Lamrock on Mon Aug 03, 2015 5:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

What a lineup by the Rockets... and Morey has done it again

I will be following in the footsteps of greats such as Mike Dumbleavy, Jeff "I am a walrus" Bower and Isiah Thomas.

classic.
your team now has all the makings of future implosion; keep up the good work

Thanks Clutch. Though Josh Howard is the only guy I'm willfully overpaying (Hughes and Darko make about 2.5 million a year each, while Franchise and Salim make a combined $1 million), I won't lie: my GM'ing has been incompetent at best to this point. Should make it all the most interesting going forward.

As you can see, I threw together a quick sig for this, starting the Bullets' own Agent 6. Hopefully Jae can make me a proper sig soon.

EDIT: Check out the awesome new sig Jae made.

I'm just not digging the Nash deal to Houston.

I like the new sig

Thanks Clutch. Though Josh Howard is the only guy I'm willfully overpaying (Hughes and Darko make about 2.5 million a year each, while Franchise and Salim make a combined $1 million), I won't lie: my GM'ing has been incompetent at best to this point. Should make it all the most interesting going forward.

As you can see, I threw together a quick sig for this, starting the Bullets' own Agent 6. Hopefully Jae can make me a proper sig soon.

EDIT: Check out the awesome new sig Jae made.

i'm glad you went the route you did instead of an insta-noodle-just-add-Wader All-Star squad; it'll be awesome to look back (when you've hit page 20+ or so) and see the evolution of the team

mad props to Jae; that new sig is although i did see your placeholder sig for all of a few minutes; swap that one in every now and then just to change it up because it was just as awesome in it's own right

That new sig is hot. Wish I had seen the previous one.

I think it's in his 'Photoshop' thread.

Good stuff so far Lamrock, I am following even though I don't post.

Sit, Its just like in Nellieball. You can't stand star PG's being traded.

Azzdogs, Me too. Jae is awesome as making sigs.

Clutch, Yeah. Going for the true Wizards/Bullets experience. Don't like to use overpowered teams in the beginning anyway. I opted to put the old sig on the first post of the thread.

Martti.,

buzzy, Thanks for checking in Buzzy.

Depth charts of the other teams coming up next. I have break next week, so the season should be kicked off by then. Stay tuned!

Nice new association Lamrock. I wasn't able to follow your previous ones. Hopefully this one will interest me.

Superb sigs, both of them

I also like both sigs Hopefully you get something out of those loosers you signed. I try to do the same often, just signing cheap scrubs and trying to get something out of them. The Nash trade is not to my liking at all, but hey they are rebuilding.

I just don't think Nash is a good fit in Houston. Look... Nash in Portland was cool but Nash in Dallas again like in ALIB III... now that's hard to top.

Don't like to use overpowered teams in the beginning anyway. I opted to put the old sig on the first post of the thread.

great place/usage for the original sig! i'm the same way with my dynasties; gotta give my scrub players the benefit of the doubt, at least until the trade deadline hah

Diary Of K. Washburn

RealGM posted pre-season power rankings with the projected rotations for the 2010-11 season. It's a decent read, in my opinion. The author has us (the Bullets) ranked at #27. Some fans might say its too low. I'd say its just right, sadly. With a month until the season, and a week until pre-season starts, I'm cautiously optimistic that the team will be better than last year's New Jersey Nets. However, I wouldn't be stunned if the team started 0-19, and/or finished with (lucky) 7 wins.

[ Image ]

[ Image ] 1. Portland Trailblazers | Previous Season: 48-34, NBA Finalists
Starters: Andre Miller | Brandon Roy | Nicolas Batum | Chris Bosh | Greg Oden
Rotation: Jerryd Bayless, Joel Przybilla, Shelden Williams, Dante Cunningham, Jarvis Hayes, Patty Mills, Paul George
While the Magic basically rested on their championship laurels, Kevin Pritchard went to work, dealing LaMarcus Aldridge and a couple bench players for superstar Chris Bosh. The acquisition makes the defending Western Conference champs the sure-fire favorites to win it all. As good as Bosh makes the team however, the health and development of Greg Oden will be paramount in the Blazers' title hopes. Without Oden, the team would have likely been eliminated in the first round last season. Despite sporting a slightly shallower roster than last year, the Blazers look set for a fantastic year.

[ Image ] 2. Orlando Magic | Previous Season: 57-25, NBA Champions
Starters: Jameer Nelson | Vince Carter | Matt Barnes | Rashard Lewis | Dwight Howard
Rotation: Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, Brandon Bass, James Anderson, Eddie House, Ryan Anderson
The defending champions made few changes in the off-season, keeping the same score together. The team did lose rotation players JJ Redick and Jason Williams to free agency and retirement respectively, but things are looking up in O-Town. The Magic were outbid for point guard Steve Blake, LeBron James remains a Cavalier and the Portland Trailblazers just got a whole lot better, but the Magic remain in an enviable position. Expect the champs to stand pat, and add some veterans by the trade deadline. However, I wouldn't quite call them favorites to repeat.

[ Image ] 3. Cleveland Cavaliers | Previous Season: 62-20, East Finalists
Starters: Maurice Williams | Anthony Parker | LeBron James | Antawn Jamison | Shaquille O'Neal
Rotation: Nate Robinson, Delonte West, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, JJ Hickson, Daniel Gibson, Jamario Moon
The Cavaliers have been "the best team in the NBA", but they have yet to put it all together in the post-season. After another heartbreaking conference finals loss to the Orlando Magic, most expected LeBron James to leave for greener pastures. Instead, LeBron signed a huge six-year extension (with every perk possible), committing himself to the team. The Cavaliers are extremely stacked, being two, sometimes three-deep at every position. There's no reason why they shouldn't win it all this year, but despite the acquisition of Nate Robinson, I'm favoring a Magic/Blazers finals rematch.

[ Image ] 4. Los Angeles Lakers | Previous Season: 60-22, West Finalists
Starters: Derek Fisher | Kobe Bryant | Ron Artest | Pau Gasol | Andrew Bynum
Rotation: Lamar Odom, Randy Foye, Luke Walton, Von Wafer, Juwan Howard, Sasha Vujacic, Etan Thomas
The 2009 champions looked invincible last year, but an injury to Pau Gasol sent the Lake Show home early. Now, the Lakers are a year older and without their emergent guards Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown. Derek Fisher (the worst starting point guard in the league at this point) is the sole weak link on an extremely talented, but injury prone and complacent Lakers team. The Lakers reportedly went after William "Fresh" Sit, going so far as to offer Lamar Odom, but to no avail. The Lakers are still an extremely dangerous team, but they will likely be in the rearview mirror of Chris Bosh and the Blazers.

[ Image ] 5. Utah Jazz | Previous Season: 52-30, West Semifinalists
Starters: Deron Williams | Evan Turner | Andrei Kirilenko | Carlos Boozer | Mehmet Okur
Rotation: Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, Sebastian Telfair, CJ Miles, Ronnie Price, Kosta Koufos
The Jazz nearly took out the Lakers in last year's conference semis. With an extended Boozer and #2 pick Evan Turner in tow, the Jazz should make up for what they lack in depth in talent and discipline. Utah should be fringe title contenders this year, and a Western Conference force in the conceivable near future. The Jazz look like they are a defensive Center and a couple bench players away from a championship.

[ Image ] 6. Houston Rockets | Previous Season: 43-39, 9th Place In West
Starters: Steve Nash | Kevin Martin | Trevor Ariza | Luis Scola | Yao Ming
Rotation: Aaron Brooks, Jordan Hill, Raja Bell, David Andersen, Chase Budinger, CJ Watson, Sean Williams

[ Image ] 7. Denver Nuggets | Previous Season: 54-28, West Semifinalist
Starters: Chauncey Billups | Aaron Afflalo | Carmelo Anthony | Kenyon Martin | Nene
Rotation: JR Smith, Chris Andersen, Ty Lawson, Joey Graham, Renaldo Balkman, Mickael Gelabale

[ Image ] 8. Boston Celtics | Previous Season: 51-31, 4th Place In East
Starters: Rajon Rondo | Paul Pierce | Shane Battier | Kevin Garnett | Kendrick Perkins
Rotation: Rasheed Wallace, Flip Murray, Marquis Daniels, Glen Davis, JP Prince

[ Image ] 9. Miami Heat | Previous Season: 44-38, 6th Place In East
Starters: Mario Chalmers | Dwyane Wade | Michael Beasley | Amar'e Stoudemire | Jermaine O'Neal
Rotation: Steve Blake, Udonis Haslem, Ray Lliach, Willie Warren, James Jones, Chris Duhon, Quincy Pondexter

[ Image ] 10. Seattle Sonics | Previous Season: 49-33, 6th Place in West
Starters: Russell Westbrook | Thabo Sefolosha | Kevin Durant | Jeff Green | Nenad Krstic
Rotation: James Harden, Devin Ebanks, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison, Eric Maynor, Sherron Collins, Kalin Lucas

[ Image ] 11. San Antonio Spurs | Previous Season: 47-35, 8th Place In West
Starters: Tony Parker | Manu Ginobili | Richard Jefferson | Tim Duncan | Brendan Haywood
Rotation: DeJuan Blair, Travis Outlaw, George Hill, Xavier Henry, Antoine Wright

[ Image ] 12. Atlanta Hawks | Previous Season: 52-30, East Semifinalist
Starters: Mike Bibby | John Salmons | Grant Hill | Josh Smith | Al Horford
Rotation: Jamal Crawford, Marvin Williams, ZaZa Pachulia, Maurice Evans, Martti Must, Jeff Teague, Da'Sean Butler

[ Image ] 13. Chicago Bulls | Previous Season: 38-44, 9th Place In East
Starters: Derrick Rose | Joe Johnson | Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Joakim Noah
Rotation: Kirk Hinrich, James Johnson, Kemba Walker, Larry Sanders, Joe Alexander, Acie Law, Jerome Jordan

[ Image ] 14. Dallas Mavericks | Previous Season: 55-27, 2nd Place In West
Starters: Jason Kidd | Caron Butler | Shawn Marion | Dirk Nowitzki | Erick Dampier
Rotation: Jason Terry, Craig Smith, JJ Barea, Rodrigue Beaubois, Matt Carroll, Deshawn Stevenson, Andrew Ogilvy

[ Image ] 15. Milwaukee Bucks | Previous Season: 46-36, East Semifinalist
Starters: Brandon Jennings | Michael Redd | Carlos Delfino | Ersan Ilyasova | Andrew Bogut
Rotation: JJ Redick, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Kyle Lowry, Chuck Hayes, Al-Farouq Aminu, Charlie Bell

[ Image ] 16. Charlotte Bobcats | Previous Season: 43-39, 7th Place in East
Starters: Raymond Felton | Stephen Jackson | Gerald Wallace | Tyrus Thomas | Marcus Camby
Rotation: Boris Diaw, Tyson Chandler, Nazr Mohammed, DJ Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Thierry Tirieux, Derrick Brown

[ Image ] 17. Los Angeles Clippers | Previous Season: 32-50, 12th Place in West
Starters: Baron Davis | Eric Gordon | Quentin Richardson | Blake Griffin | Chris Kaman
Rotation: Derrick Favors, Ryan Gomes, Mardy Collins, DeAndre Jordan, Carlos Arroyo

[ Image ] 18. Golden State Warriors | Previous Season: 24-58, 14th Place in West
Starters: Stephen Curry | Monta Ellis | Corey Maggette | Anthony Randolph | LaMarcus Aldridge
Rotation: Anthony Morrow, Kelenna Azubuike, Greg Monroe, Rafer Alston, Ronnie Turiaf, Vladimir Radmanovic, Devean George

[ Image ] 19. New Orleans Hornets | Previous Season: 40-42, 11th Place in West
Starters: Chris Paul | Marcus Thornton | Peja Stojakovic | David West | Emeka Okafor
Rotation: Darren Collison, Leo Lai, James Posey, Julian Wright, Morris Peterson, Darius Songalia, Julian Martin

[ Image ] 20. Philadelphia 76ers | Previous Season: 32-50, 10th Place in East
Starters: Louis Williams | Allen Iverson | Andre Iguodala | Elton Brand | Marreese Speights
Rotation: Thaddeus Young, Patrick Patterson, Jrue Holiday, Willie Green, Samuel Dalembert, Jason Kapono

[ Image ] 21. Memphis Grizzlies | Previous Season: 41-41, 10th Place in West
Starters: Michael Conley | OJ Mayo | Ronnie Brewer | Zach Randolph | Marc Gasol
Rotation: William Sit, Hasheem Thabeet, Demarre Carroll, Darrell Arthur, Sam Young, Hamed Haddadi, Marcus Williams

[ Image ] 22. Indiana Pacers | Previous Season: 28-54, 13th Place in East
Starters: John Wall | Dahntay Jones | Danny Granger | Troy Murphy | Roy Hibbert
Rotation: Brandon Rush, TJ Ford, Mike Dunleavy, Tyler Hansbrough, Jeff Foster, Luther Head

[ Image ] 23. New York Knicks | Previous Season: 27-55, 14th Place in East
Starters: Sergio Rodriguez | Tracy McGrady | Rudy Gay | Danilo Gallinari | David Lee
Rotation: Wilson Chandler, Hakim Warrick, Bill Walker, Toney Douglas, Earl Watson, Eddy Curry

[ Image ] 24. Detroit Pistons | Previous Season: 30-52, 11th Place in East
Starters: Rodney Stuckey | Richard Hamilton | Tayshaun Prince | Charlie Villanueva | Hassan Whiteside
Rotation: Ben Gordon, Jonas Jerebko, Will Bynum, Jason Maxiell, Chris Wilcox, Austin Daye, Stanley Robinson

[ Image ] 25. Sacramento Kings | Previous Season: 28-54, 13th Place in West
Starters: Tyreke Evans | Francisco Garcia | Andres Nocioni | Carl Landry | Spencer Hawes
Rotation: Shannon Brown, DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson, Antonio McDyess, Omri Casspi, Beno Udrih, Donte Greene

[ Image ] 26. Toronto Raptors | Previous Season: 40-42, 8th Place in East
Starters: Jose Calderon | Rudy Fernandez | Hedo Turkoglu | Andrea Bargnani | Andris Biedrins
Rotation: Jarrett Jack, Martell Webster, DeMar DeRozan, Reggie Evans, Marco Belinelli, Jan Vesely, Sonny Weems

[ Image ] 27. Washington Bullets | Previous Season: 29-53, 12th Place in East
Starters: Ramon Sessions | Larry Hughes | Josh Howard | Andray Blatche | JaVale McGee
Rotation: Gilbert Arenas, Al Thornton, Darko Milicic, Quinton Ross, Donatas Motiejunas, Steve Francis, Liam Washburn
K. Washburn's tenure as general manager: Changing the team's name to "bullets" following the team's star player having a Mexican standoff in the locker room. Drafting his brother and signing him to a large rookie contract. Accepting Josh Howard's $11 million contract, despite it being three times his market value. Signing Larry Hughes and Darko Milicic as the team's marquee free agency signings. Trading a trio of rotation players for a guy who plays the same position as the team's star player. At least they aren't New Jersey!

[ Image ] 28. Minnesota Timberwolves | Previous Season: 18-64, 15th Place in West
Starters: Jonny Flynn | Nick Young | Corey Brewer | Kevin Love | Al Jefferson
Rotation: Al Harrington, Luke Ridnour, Cole Aldrich, Mike Miller, James Singleton, Damien Wilkins, Avery Bradley

[ Image ] 29. New Jersey Nets | Previous Season: 8-74, Worst team ever.
Starters: Devin Harris | Courtney Lee | Wesley Johnson | Yi Jianlian | Brook Lopez
Rotation: Chris Douglas-Roberts, Louis Amundson, Kris Humphries, Craig Brackins, Terrence Williams, Keyon Dooling, Trenton Hassell

[ Image ] 30. Phoenix Suns | Previous Season: 50-32, 5th Place in East
Starters: Jordan Farmar | Leandro Barbosa | Jason Richardson | Drew Gooden | Robin Lopex
Rotation: Jared Dudley, Channing Frye, Goran Dragic, Earl Boykins, Ed Davis, Earl Clark

Last edited by Lamrock on Mon Aug 03, 2015 5:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

God the Suns look horrible

Some interesting lineups there.

not sure Bosh puts the Blazers over the top for some reason he's a great player but I'm not sure he's the difference maker, as Gasol was to LA for example; strange to see Spurs ranked as fighting for a playoff spot as well

you've got your work cut out for you with your roster one thing, don't ditch McGee - make him into a superstar!