Man I'm starting to feel real good about us verse Miami. The chasing the ring thing NEVER works. While I like Payton, I think he is the straw that breaks the camel's back in terms of chemistry. As stated earlier, Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen.

Lakers, Lakers, Lakers...

I don't get it. Payton does not bring that much at this stage of his career. Riley seems to want Showtime but Showtime could play defense in the 80s--they could lock down when they needed it.

GP is being brought in to push Williams and be a backup point. As a backup, he's a solid acquisition. He's not being brought in to start unless Williams falters.

Or maybe he is part of the Heat loading up for a mid-season trade...

__________________
To all of my friends, comrades and companions at PF.com

Thank you for another great season!

Who do you think they might trade for?

Its comforting knowing that every second that Payton is on, we'll have a known and proven good defender on him in either Chauncey or Hunter. Chauncey made mince meat out of Payton in the 2003-2004 Lakers, but then again Payton MAY have been tired all season from playing and keeping the Lakers where they should've been.

Just loading up salaries of veteran players. They have the money to spend, so they load up which will give them options at the deadline.

__________________
To all of my friends, comrades and companions at PF.com

Thank you for another great season!

I think he makes Miami better. He plays way better D than J Will. I don't give a shhhh how old he is. His numbers are actually better than J-Will's by a little bit on offense, too. People say they're not worried about the Miami and the moves they've made. I'm worried about it. A lot. I think Riley has made some aggressive moves. I like a GM that doesn't stand pat. Will all the moves blow up? Who can say? The Pistons, on the other hand, rather than bringing in a solid veteran contributor, are hoping a bench of unprovens can bolster a solid core. Should be an interesting season. I don't believe in ever standing pat. For example, if you like your current job, does that mean you should stop looking for a better one? Nope. San Antonio doesn't take that approach, why should Detroit? The Spurs improved themselves most likely. Did Detroit? We'll see. I'm not in favor of this "stand pat" philosophy, though. Joe D seems to banking on the fact that these bench guys are gonna pan out for a coach, that, frankly nobody knows is all that good.

__________________
"I don't believe there's any problem in this country, no matter how tough it is, that Americans, when they roll up their sleeves, can't completely ignore. - George Carlin

g-zoo,

You took the words right out of my mouth. I'm not anxious to see if Miami blows up, I'm anxious to see if they gel. Between Miami and Indiana, the Pistons will have their hands full, not to mention the Cavs, Baby Bulls, Sixers and Nets.

San Antonio's GM RC Buford (who works closely with Pop) is one of the best in the league. When they win and reload with vets, that sends a message. Lord knows they are way ahead of the rest of the league when it comes to drafting foreign talent (Parker, Ginobili, Oberto, Scola).

GP may not be all that anymore, but he's still better than most of the backup PGs in the league. People keep underestimating Miami. I hope that is not a mistake.

__________________
To all of my friends, comrades and companions at PF.com

Thank you for another great season!

Which people are you referring to? Everywhere I read, the Heat are favored to either win the East or win it all.