And he's no top 5 either.

You guys are forgetting about Arvydas Sabonis in terms of passing big men

Now? I think Duncan has lost a step in the last couple years....

I was very impressed with Gasol in the Finals last year. Up until then, he was very hot/cold (for me at least).

If I was starting a team today, sure I'd take Gasol over a Duncan or a KG just because of the mileage but that doesn't mean that Duncan doesn't have one more run left in him--dude lives to coast under the radar and strike when you least expect it.

Also, are we the Obner Basketball Minds completely discounting Cleveland and Orlando?

I think I like Orlando's chances better than Cleveland, since I think this is finally the year that Shaq is gonna break down and Delonte West has gone off the deep end.

1. Boston
2. Orlando
3. Cleveland

1. Lakers
2. Spurs
3. Blazers

Not top 5 in the league whatsoever, but agree that he is an all-star and could (probably will) continue to get better. But I have a better chance of losing 200 pounds by tomorrow than Pau Gasol does of ever making the Hall of Fame. That's just ridiculous.

Players OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD unquestionably better than Pau Gasol...

LeBron
Kobe
Duncan
Chris Paul
KG
Dirk
Durant
Dwight Howard
Amare

I actually think that Cleveland will be better than Orlando just because losing turk and getting VC is a huge downgrade in terms of creating matchup problems for other teams. Also I admittedly feel about VC the way people used to feel about Peyton- the next big game he wins is his first. I just don't like him personally.

also, Gasol is just the perfect big man for that offense.  In Memphis he was a borderline all-star, and he got moved to a great situation and all of the sudden looks great.  To call him a hall of famer is homerism of the highest order.  if Kobe goes down, that team struggles to win 45 games (and I hope to god we get to see that theory put to the test).

Couldn't agree more and also why I don't really like them or Cleveland to win it all. I'm not discounting them by any stretch but I fail to see any moves that have made them somehow better than last year. Turk was HUGE for Orlando down the stretch. They don't win several games without him.

As for Cleveland, anybody thinking that Shaq is going to the be the savior is just fooling themselves.

Oldest players in the league as of 2009:

Grant Hill - 37
Kurt Thomas - 37
Shaq - 37
Brent Barry - 37
Lindsey Hunter - 38

Granted Shaq, just by his body size alone warrants attention but you'll also notice that all those guys are just role players at this point. I think it's not a question of if Shaq will break down, but when.

Should be an interesting season for the legacy of several players from the past decade. Does Shaq, Duncan, KG, McGrady, Kobe have another run in them? They've all dominated the league for years but they all can't win it and they're all getting a little long in the tooth for the NBA.

Or will Lebron or Dwight finally break through? Which young team will break out finally? Hawks? Blazers?

Can't wait for the Knicks to tip off tomorrow. Oh Wait - Maybe I Can...

It's inevitable that Shaq has a hard year without the benefit of the best trainers/doctors in sports to maintain his health like he did last year. I think the Cavs still have a stronger shot than people are willing to give them, but it's still not enough to take down a healthy Boston team. That considered, maybe Rondo outta stop trying to dunk.

Orlando... we'll see. I think VC is vastly overrated, and I agree h doesn't cause the mismatches that a Hedo might. I'm also curious to see whether or not Nelson learned to play some D over the summer.

In all, though, I think there's a more uncertainty to the league this year than there was last year. I don't want a season-long prelude to "Kobe vs. LeBron" this year. Old dudes getting older, and a new class of dudes getting ready to dominate the league. I feel like there's a couple of teams that could come out of nowhere to be contenders this year, but at the moment it's still the Lakers/Celts/Spurs to lose.



This is a lot of question marks right here. I'm not even a fan of Pau Pau, but I'd probably take him over any of these guys solely out of inury/mileage concerns.

Also props to Tommy for bringing Sabonis into this thread.

Seriously - No way Gasol is a better passer than Sabonis - no disrespect to Gasol - Sabonis was in a class by himself.

harry must be having an orgasm right about now.

Because of Bynum's first half?

As a whole it's a pretty sloppy win... but on the way to 73 reg season w's I'll take this one.

nah, that circle jerk ring ceremony.

Didnt get a chance to see the first Laker game... but a win as expected... i do expect to be attending another parade next year and to hear you guys discredit this new era of Laker Championships

Olajuwon is probably my favourite center of all time. Of course he's much better than Gasol, but I think Gasol (along with Duncan) has the best set of post moves since Olajuwon.

Gasol is not a center. Best center, to my mind, if you rate every aspect of the game (defense, shot making, rebounding, passing, leadership, presence) is Jabbar at his peak. Wilt also was a force of nature. Olajuwon is in the next tier with Shaq, Russell, Walton... then in the next tier Malone, Robinson....

precum, no orgasm. the big one will come with the next 3-peat rings in two years.

I can give you a list of great hotels in San Antonio.

Mostly agree, except Malone was strictly a PF and Robinson was better than Walton. Oh, and Wilt/Russell have to be 1a and 1b, with all due respect to the great Kareem/Hakeem at 2a and 2b. I'd say those four really have a big gap before you get to Shaq and Robinson.

No shit. Russell takes back seat to NO ONE.

Dude AVERAGED 22 rebs for a career and was possibly the best shot blocker of all time when they didn't even record that statistic.

Also, more rings than anyone.

Truth be told, Russell should be ahead of Wilt, if anything, seeing how he was half-a-foot shorter and played him to a standstill throughout their careers while piling up the championships.