For a team relying so heavily on Baron Davis, I don't think the "injuries" card is a point in the Clippers' favour. And new players? Two of the Clippers' best three players will be new.
Exactly. The team to watch out for this season is MINNESOTA. Al Jefferson has help with Mike Miller and Kevin Love. They are tough on NBA 2K9 and they will be tough in real life.
Well Im talking about the Suns not the Clips. Ithink it will affect the Suns negatively obviously. I know its not supposed to go down like that according to most but things never go exactly like the majority think and I think this will be one of those cases. Clips have a top 5 PG and C, a defensive presence in Camby, a hell of a 2nd year player in Thorton, I think he will do very well. Ricky Davis who I dont like but he can put the ball in the hoop better than most. While Barron has been injury plagued, he did play a full 82 last year...maybe he can do it again or at least come close. They dont have a bench to speak of but I think they still have enough.
I almost agree with this but only if you say next year...not this one. They will be dropping a lot of bad contracts AND all Jefferson and Love will gain experience.
I actually like Ricky Davis but I'm not sure he's ever been to the playoffs. Wherever he goes, that team immediately tanks. Hell, put him on the 2006 Champion and they turn into record-setting losers.
1. New Orleans Hornets 2. Portland Trail Blazers 3. Los Angeles Lakers 4. Houston Rockets 5. San Antonio Spurs 6. Utah Jazz 7. Phoenix Suns 8. Dallas Mavericks ------ 9. Golden State Warriors 10. Los Angeles Clippers 11. Denver Nuggets 12. Minnesota Timberwolves 13. Sacramento Kings 14. Memphis Grizzlies 15. Oklahoma City Dead To Mes
I realize.My point is that you suggested that the Suns are the better team but the Clippers will overtake them due to a few factors, two of them being injuries and integrating new players. However, I think those two factors will affect the Clippers at least as much, if not more. Also, I don't agree with your evaluation of the Clippers' talent. I don't think Davis is a top five point guard. I'd at least take Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Tony Parker and Chauncy Billups ahead of Davis. Baron Davis is capable of some flashy numbers, but overall he's not a very efficient scorer. And Kaman as a top-five center? Maybe barely. I'd place Yao Ming and Dwight Howard way, way ahead of him, Jermaine O'Neal and Al Jefferson clearly ahead of him, and put Kaman in a group with Andris Biedrins, Tyson Chandler and Mehmet Okur. So he might be top-five, or he might not, but he's not an impact player, IMO. And that's just among established centers. I expect Andrew Bynum and Greg Oden to be more valuable players than Kaman this season, too. Camby is a decent enough player, but his defense is quite overrated. He plays for blocked shots and gives up a lot in man defense and against the pick and roll. After that, I think the Clippers have almost no talent. Eric Gordon and Al Thornton might be good players at some point, but it's unlikely to be this season. They're basically a "Big Three" team without an impressive Big Three. That doesn't spell playoffs to me in a tough West.
Okay..top 6 going into this year if your list is correct...close enough Being 5 is top 5 Notice I said "defensive presense, not DPOY"....i did that on purpose I dont disagree about Gordon but I do on Thorton. Look at his game log (LINK). I also have seen him too since I get Clippers broadcasts. Hell he had a 39 point game last year not to mention a lot of other quality games. Sure there were bad ones in between but it was his rookie year! He is only going up, and quick.
You guys have to remember that top 3 are division winners and the 4th spot goes to the next best record. Therefore, I'll go with this 1. Lakers 2. Rockets 3. Jazz 4. Hornets 5. Spurs 6. Suns 7. Mavs 8. Trailblazers 9. Nuggets
Those five for sure,IMO. Gilbert Arenas is ahead of him, too, if you count him as a point guard. Players like Devin Harris and Monta Ellis are questionable but might also be ahead of him. If he is. I put four centers ahead of him and placed him in a group with several other centers for the fifth spot. But the more important point is that even if he squeaks into the top-five, he's not an impact player. There isn't a lot of separation between him and the next bunch.
Well Gilbert and Monte wont be playing even close to a full year this year will they. You're just nitpicking now
The highest non-division champ can be above a division champ, but all division champs are gaurunteed a top 4 seed.
Not nit-picking at all. If Kobe Bryant ends up missing half of this season with an injury, would you say that moves all other shooting guards up a rank? I wouldn't. In any case, the point is, Davis is not that tremendous of a talent these days. He's certainly a good player, but I think you are overstating his, and Kaman's, significance. For a team with as little depth as the Clippers, their top-end talent is not that impressive.
After intense preparation - IE I spent more time picking out smilies than working on the list - here are my wild guesses: Lakers Hornets Rockets (a real wildcard due to injury concerns) Jazz Mavs Spurs (age, injuries, and ennui = tanking regular season) Suns Blazers (another important step forward) Nugs (lousy defense less important in the regular season than in the playoffs) Clips Warriors Kings TWolves (maybe next year) Grizz Plunder
