R. Rich

Why can't he play @ the pro level? He has good feet for a big guy and is a fiery player. As I mentioned earlier, I'll be curious to see if he can get his short shuttle time down to the 4.4/4.5 range he says he can. If so, and he's there in the middle rounds, I'd love to see the Bills draft 'em.

Erving's ABA years featured him @ his best. Not to say he couldn't get it done in the NBA, but his prime years were his years w/ the Nets. Duncan was a standout player too, so there's no harm in putting him on a team. There's plenty of guys who could be in that discussion: Elgin Baylor, Elvin Hayes, Bob Petit, Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett, Kevin McHale, and one of my favorite athletes ever, Charles Barkley. As for centers, you're right. So may great ones to choose from. Olajuwon definitely is one of my favorites, being a longtime Rockets fan. The guy was great in so many phases. I recall the Finals duel he had w/ Shaq, and it was a good one. Both guys had great games and it went back and forth. The difference in that series was the guy who @ the very least should've been co-MVP and would later play a key role in getting Shaq one of his rings: Robert Horry. Anyone who doesn't believe Shaq is in the discussion of top centers of all time is nuts.

Most of the "star" players take liberties @ will when it comes to those violations. I can recall a game where Patrick Ewing took a layup.....from 'bout 4 paces away from HALF COURT!

How could you not? The guy had crazy range in terms of shooting, was as fundamentally sound as any player before or since, and one of the best passers to ever play the game. That, plus he was one of the all-time trash talkers too, though he wasn't as ignorant as today's brand of trash talkers. Here's my all time starting 5: Poing guard: Magic Johnson Best player of all time, though I am sure Generation ESPN would beg to differ. Off guard: Michael Jordan Phenomenal player, and maybe the next best player all time after Magic. Forward: Julius Erving The "One Man Fast Break", Dr. J would block a shot, recover it, and then finish the play on the other end, usually in spectacular fashion. Right, Michael Cooper? Forward: Larry Bird For all of the reasons mentioned above. Bird and Magic kept the NBA from tanking in the 80s, as before they arrived, the Finals were on tape delay. The league owes those two more than they could ever repay. Center: Bill Russell As one of my old Street and Smith basketball guides once said of Russ, "11 championships in 13 years. Nuff said." Perhaps the greatest winner of 'em all: winning championships in college, as a pro player, and as a pro player/coach (and Sportsman of the Year).

Well, actually, I gradually made my way to the Wall. I started just reading the Two Bills Drive front page for a while, then started to actually read the Wall posts right after 9/11. I did that for a few months before I registered and then kept reading for 'bout another 4 months before I began posting. I see you registered 10 users ahead of me.

Yeah. I heard that interview also. They mentioned his 4.7 short shuttle from the combine (pretty good for a lineman), and he was saying how he felt he could do a 4.4 or 4.5 @ his pro day. Now that would be impressive.

Good lord.

Magic, like Jordan, was one heck of a help defender. Jordan's one on one defense was good, but not all time greatest good (Jordan may be the best help defender I saw play, I would add). Dennis Rodman was a far better one on one defender; even getting Jordan to foul out while locking 'em up in one contest. True, Magic wasn't as great a man defender as either Jordan or Kobe, but he did well enough to average nearly 2 steals per game for his career, finishing 15th in the category all time and still has Kobe by nearly 200 steals by the start of the current season even though his career was 100 games shorter than Kobe. Not too shabby for a guy "lacking" in defense. Wilt not as great an athlete as LeBron????? Wow. You do realize that, in addition to being a phenom on the hardcourt, Wilt was also an outstanding track athlete. The guy was a standout sprinter, shot putter, triple jumper, and a 3 time conference champ in the high jump while @ Kansas. He was known for being unbelievably strong and fast for a guy his size. I don't know if there has been a guy who was as well rounded an athlete as the Big Dipper. As for the best ever NBAer....I've contended it's been Magic Johnson for years. No, he wasn't as dominant a scorer as Jordan, but it wasn't 'cause he COULDN'T do it (see Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals as proof of how he could score....@ CENTER, no less!), just 'cause he would rather set up his teammates (which led to 'em being the all time assist king @ the time of his retirement) and having a well rounded game (only the Big O, Oscar Robertson, had more triple doubles than Magic and he's 'bout 3 boards a game away from AVERAGING a triple double for his entire career). To Magic, it wasn't all 'bout the points.

Oh, really? Which conference did he play his football in? Just wondering.

Who's Brian Belichick?

Yeah, yeah, we know...none of the QBs in this draft are any good except Sam Bradford. Nothing safer than drafting a Big 12 QB.

Convincing, isn't it?

Sure, but only if we can't get Wesley Walker.

This is "railing" on the Bills?

Well, there ya go: he's a QB. Now the Bills are all set. Well, they can use another 3 or 4 picks on a QB, just to be sure.

Outstanding.

Defensive Player of the Year and MVP polls are now posted. Go check 'em out and cast your vote.

By the very definition of him being a restrictred free agent, he would be in line to get a huge pay raise, plus the Ravens would have the right of first refusal. And living here in the Baltimore area, I've never heard or read anything resembling any discord from Gaither while w/ the Ravens.

I wouldn't get all hyped up 'bout it. From what I've read, he could end up in San Fran. Then again, anything is possible. We'll see.

My guess is that they figure they've seen enough of Oher to know he can handle the left side full time. They then figure it's a combination of getting good value (a 2nd round pick is good value; remember how much the Ravens gave up to acquire a very productive Willis McGahee?) for Gaither if they trade 'em and also figuring they can make do w/ either O'Neill Cousins or Tony Moll on the right side. Just a guess though.

Ah, I see. Okay... Considering the Bills have the 9th overall pick, and there's a better than average chance that niether Clausen or Bradford will be available w/ the 9th pick, what do you believe they should do? Trade up and get one of 'em? Right now, you have 2 of the top 4 teams that could consider drafting a QB in the right circumstance. So, where do you move up to and how much do you give up to get there?

It's a reach to take Williams, arguably the best NT available in the draft, @ 9th overall, but not one to take Dunlap or Morgan? If a DE is in the plans, and considering the move to a 3-4 front, I'd rather see Jason Pierre-Paul or Jared Odrick (a DT who would be a good fit as a 3-4 DE) instead.

Huh???

And there you have it.

Totally disagree. The Bills should've signed Julius Peppers and traded Lynch, Whitner and a 3rd round pick for Vince Wilfork. No. There's plenty of QB talent. Jimmy Clausen and Sam Bradford are future Canton enshrinees and guys like Tony Pike, Colt McCoy, and John Skelton will be perennial Pro Bowl players. Not to mention the deity that is Tim Tebow... My wife loves to watch that country fried shrink Dr. Phil, who always says something to the effect that adding "but" to a sentence is to say, "disregard what I just said". 'Til Ralph give his GM total control, the Bills are apt to make these kind of boneheaded decisions. Maybe Nix will break the mold. Let's hope, huh? Why not? It works in Madden... I've said that if the Bills' organization believe that Bradford or Clausen can be THE guy and they're there w/ the 9th pick (doubtful), then go for it. Otherwise, use the pick to get the best talent you can. The Bills have plenty of areas they can go w/ the pick, so they don't have to narrow their scope to one or two players. After the first round, I just hope the Bills work to fill as many holes on this team as they can: get a nose tackle if you can, get a decent left tackle if you can, get an OLB that can rush the passer and has enough size to hold up against the run, and so on.