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1) There was an Informative Sports article that stirred some controversy on a Yahoo Sports article. Having the theme of the IS article in mind, which team do you believe has the best conditions to become the "team of the next decade"?

Andrew York: It’s almost impossible to pick one considering that the entire NBA landscape could change dramatically with next year’s free agency class. The Cavs would probably be my pick at the moment. If they can keep LeBron James they’ll always be contenders. There’s not one single team that I think is going to dominate the next ten years.

David Snipes: I think it’s the OKC Thunder, you have to look at the central player- Lebron could make it Cleveland- but he might be gone, the next best chance is New Orleans with CP3, but he has the worst owner in sports, Miami has problems, as does Chicago. So the next best young player is Durant- and they have some solid players around him. Lucky drafting- and add a Point and that team could be scary in 2 years.  I disagree with Portland, I do not like the direction that franchise has turned (Hedo? Really?) .

Alexander Jefferson: I'm torn between Oklahoma City and Portland, but I'm gonna have to go with the Thunder. They have their superstar (although if he leaves, say goodbye to the dynasty) in Kevin Durant, who I have previously compared to Melo, LeBron, Paul Pierce, Larry Bird and more: the man is a superstar. He has the height to post up, the touch to shoot outside, the scoring ability to put up 30 a night, and the age to get even better. Russell Westbrook is an awesome point guard, a 15-5-5 guy as a rookie who can run the offense, score when needed, and is an excellent rebounder for his size. But the reason I so highly of Westbrook is his on-ball defense. It's incredibly rare to see a guy who can be a legitimate threat to put up 18 or so points and 10 or so assists a night, grab some rebounds and play potentially shut-down defense. Can you think of any other PG who can do that? They have the most underrated player in the league in Jeff Green, who is a star waiting to happen as the third option. Throw in the most complete SG in the draft in James Harden, a 1-2 combo of potential-filled young centers in Nenad Kristic and B.J. Mullens, and some cap space and you have yourself a potential dynasty.

Summary: Alexander and David have their eyes on the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Andrew picks the Cavaliers.

 2) What are your thoughts on the already (in)famous Michael Jordan speech at the HOF 2009 enshrinement ceremony?

Andrew York: Well, it certainly wasn’t what I expected. Most of these types of speeches are usually pretty boring. Was it classy or dignified? No. Was that the real Michael Jordan? Most likely. One of the reasons that we all loved watching Michael play was his extremely competitive nature. For those of us that had always heard the stories of his competitiveness none of what he said should’ve been shocking. Michael Jordan holds grudges and that’s a big part of what made him the greatest player ever.

David Snipes: Jordan's a prick, always has been, and he has always held grudges. Not everyone can bash his KIDS in a speech. I think he's bitter, and if he isn't careful he can damage his legacy even more than when he is with the Bobcats.  Part of the issue is he went in with 2 players that are among the classiest in NBA history, plus a coach that is respected as well.

Alexander Jefferson: It was ridiculous, plain and simple. Michael Jordan has all the respect in the world from the basketball community. He has a company that makes millions of dollars every year. He has the admiration of multiple generations. He has the legacy as arguably the greatest of all time that will be cemented in history. And how does he embrace it? By calling people out. Over and over and over again. Who cares if you played with the flu in Utah? Were you also guarding five people? Were you scoring on every single possession? Were you playing Karl Malone in the post? Throughout his careers, MJ had one of the 50 greatest playing with him, tremendous defenders playing alongside him, awesome shooters stretching defenses for him, and multiple good coaches. There might not be an I in team, but it's fairly obvious that there's an I in Michael.

P.S. If we wanna talk about MJ, he makes millions off of shoes made in third world countries by people who make far-below minimum wage and work in inhumane conditions so his logo can get put on these overpriced, underusable, and frankly not very good sneakers. That is all.

Summary: there’s not really a way to summarize all this but I think we can all agree that Jordan’s speech went a “little” too far. The crowd was into it, they were cheering, but the tone of his speech was arguably too harsh for the kind of ceremony that it was; even more so if we compare it with the speeches from Stockton or David Robinson.

 3) Talking about Jordan, who would you consider MJ's all-time biggest rival? There were many, but who would you call the greatest?

Andrew York: Michael never had a rival in the way that Magic and Larry had each other, but the Pistons would have to be at the top of the list. There was no one player that challenged Michael consistently, but the team of Isiah, Joe, Rodman and Laimbeer stopped Mike more than any other. I just wish that we could’ve seen Michael square off against Reggie Miller more.

David Snipes: Isiah Thomas, easy. The Pistons were doing their best to be the next team after the Celtics- and Isiah lead the way in freezing out Jordan famously at the all-star game. Then the Pistons beat the Bulls in THREE straight playoff series and won two titles. But age and bad personnel moves started the Pistons decline, but Zeke breaking down gave Jordan the chance to breakthrough. Jordan got Zeke back in freezing HIM out of the Dream Team. Isiah was the biggest rival who actually could go toe-to-toe with Jordan for over a half decade- back when you could be fouled by Jordan and you could touch him without getting a flagrant two.

Alexander Jefferson: I'm gonna say Michael Jordan. Yes, he drove to be greater than everyone else, but he also pushed himself like probably no one else ever has. He strove to be the best, and if anyone seemingly stood in his way, he made himself better. MJ put in the work, spent the time and made the effort to be what nobody else would; why? Because he made himself do it. It might seem crazy, but I can honestly say, with confidence, that the Michael Jordan was his greatest rival.

Summary: David picks Isiah Thomas, Andrew Picks the entire Bad Boys outfit, and Alexander believes Jordan was his own biggest rival.

 Submitted 9/24/2009

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