Big Z to Miami

[Mike-Dub]

Nice signing. Big Z will give them a quality fourth big in the depth chart.

5-10 minutes a night is all they need from him.

Give Miami a bigger body to throw against the Lakers in the Finals too. That is important.

Wait with running out of cap space who will be the other three centers in front of Big Z?

[Who]

Nice signing. Big Z will give them a quality fourth big in the depth chart.

5-10 minutes a night is all they need from him.

Give Miami a bigger body to throw against the Lakers in the Finals too. That is important.

Wait with running out of cap space who will be the other three centers in front of Big Z?

Fourth big man (PFs + Cs) behind Bosh, Haslem (backup big) and J.Anthony (starting C).

Ilgauskas would be the second string center, well third really, Bosh will spend a fair bit of time at the center position when he is playing alongside Udonis Haslem. Similar to Gasol (Bosh) and Odom (Haslem).

[Mike-Dub]

Nice signing. Big Z will give them a quality fourth big in the depth chart.

5-10 minutes a night is all they need from him.

Give Miami a bigger body to throw against the Lakers in the Finals too. That is important.

Wait with running out of cap space who will be the other three centers in front of Big Z?

Fourth big man (PFs + Cs) behind Bosh, Haslem (backup big) and J.Anthony (starting C).

Ilgauskas would be the second string center, well third really, Bosh will spend a fair bit of time at the center position when he is playing alongside Udonis Haslem. Similar to Gasol (Bosh) and Odom (Haslem).

Ok I see what you mean.  I misinterpreted and thought you meant fourth center.

[Mike-Dub]

A LeBron call no doubt and one that will hurt them.  He is always hurt and can't D up but a helluva a nice guy.

He'll only hurt them if the Cavs are counting on him to play a big role.  As the second or third center off the bench, I think he'll be competent.

Cavs?  I thought he was going to Miami lol .

[Roy Hobbs]

A LeBron call no doubt and one that will hurt them.  He is always hurt and can't D up but a helluva a nice guy.

He'll only hurt them if the Cavs are counting on him to play a big role.  As the second or third center off the bench, I think he'll be competent.

Cavs?  I thought he was going to Miami lol .

Yeah, sorry.  The Cavs will be the team winning 15 games next year.

[Mike-Dub]

A LeBron call no doubt and one that will hurt them.  He is always hurt and can't D up but a helluva a nice guy.

He'll only hurt them if the Cavs are counting on him to play a big role.  As the second or third center off the bench, I think he'll be competent.

Cavs?  I thought he was going to Miami lol .

Yeah, sorry.  The Cavs will be the team winning 15 games next year.

Lol TP.  The Cavs will be the Nets of last season next season except with no cap space, not moving to the biggest market in 2 years, and won't have the most marketable and richest owner in the league lol.

They will have Dan Gilbert though... lol (even though I am in between on my opinion of his letter).

[Timdawgg]

At least all 3 of top teams other than the Celts in the east our in the same division. That means the C's are lock for the 2 seed no matter what.

This is the part that always confuses me.

So let me get this straight. Even if we have less wins than Magic, Heat, and Hawks, as long as we win our division, we will still get the number 2 seed for the post season?

For about a year or 2 that was the rule. The current rule:

The top 4 seads in each conference go to the division winners plus one wild card team.

You could see:

1. Miami 64 wins
2. Orlando 60
3. Boston 52
4. Chicago 49
--------
5. Atlanta 54
6. Milwaukee 46
7. Charlotte 44
8. New York 36
--------

Miami and Orlando are in the same division but in this scenario Orlando would get the 2 seed?

[Lucky17]

At least all 3 of top teams other than the Celts in the east our in the same division. That means the C's are lock for the 2 seed no matter what.

This is the part that always confuses me.

So let me get this straight. Even if we have less wins than Magic, Heat, and Hawks, as long as we win our division, we will still get the number 2 seed for the post season?

For about a year or 2 that was the rule. The current rule:

The top 4 seads in each conference go to the division winners plus one wild card team.

You could see:

1. Miami 64 wins
2. Orlando 60
3. Boston 52
4. Chicago 49
--------
5. Atlanta 54
6. Milwaukee 46
7. Charlotte 44
8. New York 36
--------

Miami and Orlando are in the same division but in this scenario Orlando would get the 2 seed?

With Atlanta as #5 seed and Charlotte as #7?

I agree that Washington will be the SE Division's doormat, but with the rest of the division pounding on each other, I don't think we'll see all four in the playoffs.

[Snakehead]

Very good pick up.  Can hit the open J and still play some inside ball, but people who think he's a starter are dreaming, or at least I hope for the Heat.

For post players, they should have Jamaal as their big body for Dwight, Z, Haslem, and then Joel Anthony.  That's a solid lineup.

If I was the Heat I'd run mostly small ball anyways with Bosh at center as long as I could afford it against the competition.

[Birdbrain]

Nice signing. Big Z will give them a quality fourth big in the depth chart.

5-10 minutes a night is all they need from him.

Give Miami a bigger body to throw against the Lakers in the Finals too. That is important.

Wait with running out of cap space who will be the other three centers in front of Big Z?

Fourth big man (PFs + Cs) behind Bosh, Haslem (backup big) and J.Anthony (starting C).

Ilgauskas would be the second string center, well third really, Bosh will spend a fair bit of time at the center position when he is playing alongside Udonis Haslem. Similar to Gasol (Bosh) and Odom (Haslem).

That's one of the weaker Center rotations in a league in a league with very few good Centers.  Looks like we got them at the Point and Center and bench at worst. Should be an interesting match up.  Forgot too mention coaching goes to us as well.

Maybe the King (Wade) and the Queens (LJ,Bosh) won't be so unstoppable.

I have to laugh when I read Big Z has anything left and he's actually better than Anthony.

[Who]

Nice signing. Big Z will give them a quality fourth big in the depth chart.

5-10 minutes a night is all they need from him.

Give Miami a bigger body to throw against the Lakers in the Finals too. That is important.

Wait with running out of cap space who will be the other three centers in front of Big Z?

Fourth big man (PFs + Cs) behind Bosh, Haslem (backup big) and J.Anthony (starting C).

Ilgauskas would be the second string center, well third really, Bosh will spend a fair bit of time at the center position when he is playing alongside Udonis Haslem. Similar to Gasol (Bosh) and Odom (Haslem).

That's one of the weaker Center rotations in a league in a league with very few good Centers.  Looks like we got them at the Point and Center and bench at worst. Should be an interesting match up.  Forgot too mention coaching goes to us as well.

Maybe the King (Wade) and the Queens (LJ,Bosh) won't be so unstoppable.

I have to laugh when I read Big Z has anything left and he's actually better than Anthony.

I think Boston have a matchup advantage at the point while Miami have matchup advantages at both wing positions and their backup wing. Possibly their backup big man too.

I don't think Boston has an advantage at center.

I think Bosh vs Garnett will be a neutral matchup. If Bosh goes to the five, then he has an advantage there and Garnett an advantage against Haslem.

[FallGuy]

Nice signing. Big Z will give them a quality fourth big in the depth chart.

5-10 minutes a night is all they need from him.

Give Miami a bigger body to throw against the Lakers in the Finals too. That is important.

Wait with running out of cap space who will be the other three centers in front of Big Z?

Fourth big man (PFs + Cs) behind Bosh, Haslem (backup big) and J.Anthony (starting C).

Ilgauskas would be the second string center, well third really, Bosh will spend a fair bit of time at the center position when he is playing alongside Udonis Haslem. Similar to Gasol (Bosh) and Odom (Haslem).

That's one of the weaker Center rotations in a league in a league with very few good Centers.  Looks like we got them at the Point and Center and bench at worst. Should be an interesting match up.  Forgot too mention coaching goes to us as well.

Maybe the King (Wade) and the Queens (LJ,Bosh) won't be so unstoppable.

I have to laugh when I read Big Z has anything left and he's actually better than Anthony.

I think Boston have a matchup advantage at the point while Miami have matchup advantages at both wing positions and their backup wing. Possibly their backup big man too.

I don't think Boston has an advantage at center.

I think Bosh vs Garnett will be a neutral matchup. If Bosh goes to the five, then he has an advantage there and Garnett an advantage against Haslem.

Biggest matchup problem I see for Boston is trying to defend Wade and LBJ. Both of those guys need a double team and really, an entire team's D needs to set up to contain them. Handling both is going to absolutely exhaust Paul and Ray and leave them with little gas to expend on the offensive end. Our offense suffered for this reason before we lost Tony and now Ray and Paul are a year older.

This is an insoluble problem, in my opinion. And the reason why Miami will beat Boston if they meet in the playoffs next year. (A secondary issue is that the two positions at which Boston might be favored (PG and C) are not home runs by any stretch. Playing off Rondo is still an effective strategy and Perk is useless on offense).

All this plays into why I keep whining about the need for a legitimate guy who can create his own shot and finish off the bench. And why, should the opportunity ever come up, that we should offload Rondo for Chris Paul.

[Birdbrain]

Nice signing. Big Z will give them a quality fourth big in the depth chart.

5-10 minutes a night is all they need from him.

Give Miami a bigger body to throw against the Lakers in the Finals too. That is important.

Wait with running out of cap space who will be the other three centers in front of Big Z?

Fourth big man (PFs + Cs) behind Bosh, Haslem (backup big) and J.Anthony (starting C).

Ilgauskas would be the second string center, well third really, Bosh will spend a fair bit of time at the center position when he is playing alongside Udonis Haslem. Similar to Gasol (Bosh) and Odom (Haslem).

That's one of the weaker Center rotations in a league in a league with very few good Centers.  Looks like we got them at the Point and Center and bench at worst. Should be an interesting match up.  Forgot too mention coaching goes to us as well.

Maybe the King (Wade) and the Queens (LJ,Bosh) won't be so unstoppable.

I have to laugh when I read Big Z has anything left and he's actually better than Anthony.

I think Boston have a matchup advantage at the point while Miami have matchup advantages at both wing positions and their backup wing. Possibly their backup big man too.

I don't think Boston has an advantage at center.

I think Bosh vs Garnett will be a neutral matchup. If Bosh goes to the five, then he has an advantage there and Garnett an advantage against Haslem.

I'm not sure how you could come to that conclusion but, too each his own.  If Bosh goes to the 5 teams will average 60 points in the paint on them.

I'll give it to Bosh on stats as of right now and then hope for an improved KG.

[FallGuy]

Nice signing. Big Z will give them a quality fourth big in the depth chart.

5-10 minutes a night is all they need from him.

Give Miami a bigger body to throw against the Lakers in the Finals too. That is important.

Wait with running out of cap space who will be the other three centers in front of Big Z?

Fourth big man (PFs + Cs) behind Bosh, Haslem (backup big) and J.Anthony (starting C).

Ilgauskas would be the second string center, well third really, Bosh will spend a fair bit of time at the center position when he is playing alongside Udonis Haslem. Similar to Gasol (Bosh) and Odom (Haslem).

That's one of the weaker Center rotations in a league in a league with very few good Centers.  Looks like we got them at the Point and Center and bench at worst. Should be an interesting match up.  Forgot too mention coaching goes to us as well.

Maybe the King (Wade) and the Queens (LJ,Bosh) won't be so unstoppable.

I have to laugh when I read Big Z has anything left and he's actually better than Anthony.

I think Boston have a matchup advantage at the point while Miami have matchup advantages at both wing positions and their backup wing. Possibly their backup big man too.

I don't think Boston has an advantage at center.

I think Bosh vs Garnett will be a neutral matchup. If Bosh goes to the five, then he has an advantage there and Garnett an advantage against Haslem.

I'm not sure how you could come to that conclusion but, too each his own.  If Bosh goes to the 5 teams will average 60 points in the paint on them.

I'll give it to Bosh on stats as of right now and then hope for an improved KG.

KG has always eaten Bosh alive. Bosh is intimidated by KG.

But KG will spend so much time playing help D on Wade and LBJ that Bosh will score a lot easier than he used to.

[Who]

Nice signing. Big Z will give them a quality fourth big in the depth chart.

5-10 minutes a night is all they need from him.

Give Miami a bigger body to throw against the Lakers in the Finals too. That is important.

Wait with running out of cap space who will be the other three centers in front of Big Z?

Fourth big man (PFs + Cs) behind Bosh, Haslem (backup big) and J.Anthony (starting C).

Ilgauskas would be the second string center, well third really, Bosh will spend a fair bit of time at the center position when he is playing alongside Udonis Haslem. Similar to Gasol (Bosh) and Odom (Haslem).

That's one of the weaker Center rotations in a league in a league with very few good Centers.  Looks like we got them at the Point and Center and bench at worst. Should be an interesting match up.  Forgot too mention coaching goes to us as well.

Maybe the King (Wade) and the Queens (LJ,Bosh) won't be so unstoppable.

I have to laugh when I read Big Z has anything left and he's actually better than Anthony.

I think Boston have a matchup advantage at the point while Miami have matchup advantages at both wing positions and their backup wing. Possibly their backup big man too.

I don't think Boston has an advantage at center.

I think Bosh vs Garnett will be a neutral matchup. If Bosh goes to the five, then he has an advantage there and Garnett an advantage against Haslem.

I'm not sure how you could come to that conclusion but, too each his own.  If Bosh goes to the 5 teams will average 60 points in the paint on them.

I'll give it to Bosh on stats as of right now and then hope for an improved KG.

Perkins is a vastly superior player versus Anthony but I am having trouble visualizing where that advantage will materialize itself in this specific matchup.

Perk he isn't skilled enough offensively to take advantage of Anthony. No advantage there. Defensively, there is no low post scorer that Perk can take out of the game and their (Perk + Anthony) team defense is comparable. So no advantage there either for Boston.

Maybe on the boards, Perkins is a much better rebounder than J.Anthony. That might be enough to give Boston a matchup advantage ... but I'm thinking Anthony is covered well enough by his teammates to avoid that. So I'm reluctant to give an advantage to Boston here but this is a real possibility.

As for Jermaine O'Neal, I think Jermaine creating his own shot against Anthony is a good thing for Miami. A negative for Boston. Something Miami should welcome. Equal defensively. Jermaine is a better rebounder versus Anthony (same song as above) but I don't think he is superior enough to give a matchup advantage to. Not as a good a rebounder as Perk, not as good as grabbing the loose ball or at keeping the opponent off the glass. It's a small advantage for Boston but largely insignificant.