Friendly Bounce RTOE: Is Boris Diaw the answer?

Anthony Davis played three years with a torn labrum. What is the worst injury you could handle living with for three years?

Chris Barnewall (@ChrisBarnewall): Live…with…an injury for three years? I’m not sure I understand the question.

Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg): I lived with a sprained ankle for three months and it was awful.

Taylor Smith (@TaylorBojangles): I had a stiff neck for a day last week and I could barely function. I’m far too big a wimp to deal with something being torn for years.

Ian Dougherty (@IanDougherty): I have no idea, and I don’t really care to find out. *knocks on wood furiously*

Ryne Prinz (@ryneprinz): I stubbed my toe and contemplated calling 911. Anthony Davis is incredible.

Dan Favale (@danfavale): One time, I burned the roof of my mouth so bad, it hurt for, like, five days. Pretty sure that means I can handle anything now.

Matt Cianfrone (@Matt_Cianfrone): Nothing mostly because my wife would kill me after like 10 days worth of complaining about whatever injury it was.

Is Boris Diaw the answer to the Warriors?

Barnewall: Diaw is the answer to everything

Goldberg: The Warriors are a riddle that I’m not sure has an answer. Is Boris Diaw the answer? I don’t know. Maybe Diaw minus Andrew Bogut minus Andre Iguodala plus bad shooting nights by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are, though.

Smith: Perhaps, but wrong answers still count as answers, right?

Dougherty: Diaw’s creativity and large rear-end make for a useful tool versus the Warriors, but I’m not sure there is an actual answer. The Spurs did use the best strategy, though; and that is to hit the offensive glass, blitz pick-and-rolls, and pray that Steph doesn’t carve you up anyways.

Prinz: Say it louder for the people in back, Chris.

Favale: There really is no answer for the Warriors (other than hoping the mothership calls Steph Curry home). Just as the Spurs weren’t really able to play Tim Duncan in their win over Golden State, they should find it hard to keep LaMarcus Aldridge on the floor once Andre Iguodala returns and the Warriors are better equipped to run super small.

Cianfrone: Probably not but that isn’t going to stop me from pretending he is.

Thoughts on Frank Kaminsky’s celebration after the Wisconsin buzzer beater?

Barnewall: The pure joy he had at that shot going in was the best thing about this tournament so far and that says a lot with how great the tournament has been.

Goldberg: I would have a similar reaction if UCF even made it to the NIT.

Smith: SAFE!

Dougherty: I’ve never done a baseball slide, but sprinting around the house is a pretty standard sports celebration for me.

Prinz: The only way it could have been better would be if he had sprinted all the way to St. Louis.

Favale: A+ celebration. C- slip ‘n slide form.

Cianfrone: I once broke a chair jumping out of it in celebration of Georgia beating LSU in football so I can’t really say much bad about Frank.

Do the Toronto Raptors catch the Cleveland Cavaliers for the one seed in the East?

Barnewall: I think they do actually. Cleveland doesn’t seem to care too much about getting home court.

Goldberg: I think the Cavaliers are in a slump, but will figure it out in time for a late push. We aren’t that far away from when we were asking how far the Oklahoma City Thunder would slide in the West.

Smith: I think so. They seem to be getting stronger and stronger as the season goes on. The Cavs, meanwhile, are subtweeting each other.

Dougherty: It wouldn’t be a LeBron James basketball team without some weird sort of drama, and what provides better late-season drama than losing out on a one seed you had all season, and in result having everyone say the team is done for?

Prinz: The Cavs are struggling, and the Raps are surging, but Cleveland’s opponents down the stretch aren’t that great. I think they remain in their current standings.

Favale: I just can’t see the Raptors getting over the hump and staying there. When the Cavaliers try, man, they’re good. I also feel like LeBron will use this “King James unfollowed the Cavs on Twitter” debacle as a means to explode…in a good way.

Cianfrone: Probably but the Cavs have some serious problems that they need to fix first, like Kyrie Irving unfriending Tristan Thompson on XBox Live. If they can’t do that soon, they will fall behind the Raptors.

In a March Madness style tournament where NBA players play with players from their colleges who wins? Give me a starting five. (Ex. Arizona with Jerryd Bayless, Jason Terry, Andre Iguodala, Aaron Gordon and Channing Frye).

Barnewall: I’ll take Duke. Kyrie Irving, J.J. Redick, Justise Winslow, Josh McRoberts for that passing, and one of the Plumlees. I don’t care which just pick one.

Goldberg: I like UCLA. The Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute played well together and made it to the Final Four in their one season together. Then I can fill out the roster with Arron Afflalo and Trevor Ariza.

Smith: How can it be anyone other than Kentucky? I suppose the starters could be John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Then you get Karl-Anthony Towns, Brandon Knight, Julius Randle, Devin Booker, Nerlens Noel and others off the bench. The list goes on. Their second unit would probably beat the starters from most other teams.

Dougherty: It’s not a perennial power like some of the other programs listed, but Wake Forest would have a pretty good shot. Tim Duncan, Chris Paul, Jeff Teague, Al Farouq-Aminu, and a washed Josh Howard would make a pretty solid starting five; and you’d have Ish Smith and James Johnson coming off the bench.

Prinz: A team of Texas alums would be great, at least in terms of talent. Cory Joseph and Avery Bradley would hound opposing guards, Kevin Durant and LaMarcus would provide all of their scoring at the forward positions and Tristan Thompson can play center. Their bench players include D.J, Augustin, P.J. Tucker and Myles Turner.

Favale: All the good ones are taken, so I’ll side with Taylor. That said, a UCLA lineup of Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holiday, Trevor Ariza, Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love would be pretty fun—rim protection be damned.

Cianfrone: I’m going to agree with Taylor and say Kentucky.  And now that Anthony Davis is shooting threes, I’m going giant with John Wall, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns and DeMarcus Cousins. Davis will be good enough on the wing defensively to make life miserable for teams to score on Towns and Cousins inside. Booker is there purely for shooting around Wall/Davis or Wall/Towns pick-and-rolls…..Be right back going to try this team in 2k.