Who will be better: Kings, Lakers or Warriors?

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AllNet:</div><div class="quote_post">First off my reply wasn't in response to yours and last of all the Clippers do deserve to be in this disussion. They added Cassell and Mobley this summer both vets who can shoot the ball. Which is the main reason the Clippers have not made much of an impact the past few years or ever infact. The Clippers frontcourt is fine with Maggs, Brand and Kaman. All they really lacked was outside shooting to help those guys out. Mobley is a very good outside shooter and depending on Cassell's attuide will also help in that area. Mainly mid-range shooting.

The Clippers have also added some nice pieces for their bench with Walta and Rodney White. With Chris Wilcox rounding up the bench they have a nice look this season. So Honestly I think you need to put the Clippers in the same disussion as the Kings and the Warriors.</div>

Boo!

Cassel and Mobley is like the Warriors adding Derek Fisher; very little significance. The Clippers have had basically the same squad for years and have not done anything. I am excited about Shaun Livingston though. I hope he pans out. I think the Warriors are almost polar opposites of the Clippers.

Great backcourt and horrible front court compared to horrible backcourt and decent frontcourt...

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Warriorfansnc93:</div><div class="quote_post">Boo!

Cassel and Mobley is like the Warriors adding Derek Fisher; very little significance. The Clippers have had basically the same squad for years and have not done anything. I am excited about Shaun Livingston though. I hope he pans out. I think the Warriors are almost polar opposites of the Clippers.

Great backcourt and horrible front court compared to horrible backcourt and decent frontcourt...</div>


You cant be serious comparing the addition of Cassell & Mobley to Derek Fisher...Cassell, who when healthy is a top 10 point guard in this league. And has had a major impact role on every team he has played on....what exactly are the Wariors bringing to the table that makes you think they are much different then they have been in past seasons...and please dont tell me its because of the way they played last year when they got Baron Davis...that play is extremely overatted...they were done, nobody expected anything from them and they beatr a few teams nothing more nothing less....But Baron Davis will find away to miss most of the crucial parts of the season, he always does....the Warroirs are one of the most overatted teams in my opinion going into 04-05...Iam not saying the Clippers are a playoff team...I think that shaking off a losing history as long as the Clippers have is one of the hardest things in basketball to do. As the season goes on you dont really know how a team with the Clipper's history will react...as good as guys like CM and Brand are all they have known since they got in LA is losing...

but to think that the Warriors wont face similar obstacles is crazy imo. I dont see anything on their roster that makes them locks for the playoffs, if there is, please point me in the direction. Kings are probably the only thing in the Pacific division close to a lock for the playoffs cause of the expereince they have playing together and fighting through advesity...their core Iam talking about Miller, Bibby, Peja, every other team will have to scrap to hope for those last 1 or 2 spots in the West.

 

When Phil Jackson took over as coach before the 1999-2000 season, the Lakers were known more for underachieving than winning - a talented group in need of a strong leader.

Jackson provided that, guiding them to three straight championships and another berth in the NBA Finals in a five-year span. I think there is the potential for Phil and Kobe to co-exist and actually respect each other the way they would have liked to but couldn't because of Shaq's presence. I think Phil really likes Kobe's game, but his hands were tied to really allow Kobe to blossom within the triangle because of the constant attention Shaq required.

 

interesting

This is an interesting one cause it could go many different ways. Each of the four teams has a shot at coming out on top of the California mini-league at least. Here are my predictions in order of how they will come out.

1. KINGS: They have a good front line, a very good point guard, bench players and a coach who is very adaptable. With Shareef and Miller, they should be able to stop 85% of teams from penetrating in the lane. So their defending the pick and roll and the 3-point shot will be crucial. Offensive-wise, they have no problems. After Bibby and Peja, their two twenty pointers, they now have 5 other players who averaged in the double points last year. Bibby is their leader and he always competes hard. He will help motivate Bonzi and Reef to step up to their potential. Teams will have to send help to stop Bonzi or Bibby and that means an open Peja. Chris Webber was always a soft player in the post. I envision a tougher front line than Sacramento has had in previous years. Corliss and Kenny Thomas off the bench changes the personality of the frontline away from the finesse style. And passing will never be too big a problem as long as Bibby and Peja are running the show. KINGS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS

2 - CLIPPERS: Playing in L.A. will suit Sam Cassell, he loves the big situations. But he's not a ball hog and he fires up the other players much like the way Kenyon Martin does. Mobley is a find for any team, an allround player who can score, plays decent D and can pass pretty well too. We already know how dependable Brand is. Chris Kaman is an intriguing new center. And Shaun Livingston could be the icing. Bottom line this is a capable basketball team with VETERANS who know the game. Clippers despite sucking have good fan support - a lot of struggling actors and screenwriters who can't afford to be Laker fans - so that will give them something to play for. CLIPPERS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS

3 - LAKERS: Jackson says he will use the triangle. It will take these kids a while to learn it. A lot depends on the poise of whoever becomes their point guard. I think Kwame will be a disappointment. you can bet that staples center will be rooting for Kwame to take that step into becoming a great player, well, the last time someone had high hopes for him, he didn't respond. If you can't get motivated by MJ being confident in you, Hollywood celebrities praying you're going to make them forget Shaq ain't gonna do it.
In fact, i feel like we're going to see Phil/Kwame conflict and Kobe and Phil will be best buddies. Lamar Odom doesn't strike me as a good fit for the triangle. McKie does though. So does Luke Walton obviously with his passing ability. But where is the long-range shooting for the Lakers this year? This is a glaring flaw I think. Look at all the great shooters Phil has had with his successful teams. This team is really too much of a puzzle to figure out, and by the time they figure out the puzzle, it could be 50 games in already, so the season will be pretty much decided. LAKERS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS - JUST.

4 - WARRIORS: Agreed with shapecity, the Baron Davis run meant very little. The pressure was nil. now that there are expectations, we will see what the Warriors are made of. How many guys on the roster are proven winners besides Fisher. Baron had that clutch performance in the playoffs, what 3 years ago now? Besides that, he's been Amazing one second, injured the next. I just feel that this team scares nobody. They have a lot of talent and will be fun to watch though. In the same way that Clippers have fan support because L.A. is a hoops town, the Warriors have weak community support because of the 9ers, the Raiders, the A's, and the Giants all being such good franchises. I understand that has changed a bit with some of the roster moves, but when I was living in SF in 2001 they had Larry Hughes and Gilbert Arenas before they were stars and it was almost like the team didn't exist. WARRIORS MAKE A RUN BUT ULTIMATELY DON'T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS

 

Lakers have the best upside among the three and with Suns missing Amare, I think Lakers have a good chance to win the Pacific and grab the #3 playoff spot! PhilJax and Kobe can pull it off.

 

^ I dont understand what constitutes "not getting it done in the playoffs". Obviously no team is going past the Spurs,so pretty much everyother west team isnt going to get it done in the playoffs.I also dont understand why everyone still thinks the Suns are an elite team. They arent going to put up 120 points everynight like they did last year,and thats what seperated them from the rest of the league. Raja bell is a nice defender,but so was Joe Johnson. Kurt Thomas is 6'9. Ming,Garnett,Miller,Nowitzki, and everyother nice bigman are just going to shoot over him. So if youre saying Thomas adds a significant amount of D to this team im saying its going to be negated by his height. Teams arent going to have a hard time scoring in the paint against a front court thats 6'9 and 6'10.Thasts just common sense.They need some size. Nash gets torched by every pointguard on D. I can say the Suns D got a little better by being able to slide Marion back to the 3,and thats about it.Ill be the first to admit the Kings still wont have any D,but everyteam in the league is going to have a hard time outscoring them.Their starting 5 is loaded with talent and scoring and if you cant realize that you probably have some bias.With that said ,assuming all teams maintain a similar level of health, i think the Kings are the obvious choice out of the cali teams and i expect them to win the pacific division.

 

Expect the Suns to fall deeper into that list, as well as the injuries to Steve Nash, reports say that Amare will be out for about 4 months. Suns are going to have a horrible start this year.

 

I feel sorry for who ever came up with this thread. I know its preseason but damn. Look out!

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting STAT5:</div><div class="quote_post">I feel sorry for who ever came up with this thread. I know its preseason but damn. Look out!</div>

I came up with the thread. If you thought that was impressive, how about this...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251013013

 

The Kings.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Warriorfansnc93:</div><div class="quote_post">I came up with the thread. If you thought that was impressive, how about this...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251013013</div>
Wow I'm impressed. If it really counted I would be even more impressed. You know, Kind of like the game the night before when the Lakers beat the Warriors.

 

Kings will be the best by far. 56-26. Warriors finish 50-32. Lagirls finish 4-78.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">Want to put your money where your mouth is on that Laker prediction? </div>

Sorry, was being a bit hard on them there, I'll give them a record of 5-77

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">This site is for intelligent posting if you haven't done so please read the GUIDELINES

I don't mind a little trash talking, but at least be witty about it.</div>


Sorry. I'll be funny anymore.

 

The Lakers were good last year until Rudy quit and injuries began to hit. Kobe, Lamar, Chris, Jumaine, etc. all have a year together under their belt now, plus they have a much better coach and more low-post presence to be able to contest shots. I wouldn't count my Lakers out just yet.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shootingmachine:</div><div class="quote_post">Sorry. I'll be funny anymore.</div>

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shootingmachine:</div><div class="quote_post">Sorry. I'll be funny anymore.</div>

This doesn't make sense. "I'll be funny anymore"? You will be funny or you won't be? I just came across the prediction now and found it to be quite hilarious. Why is it that some Kings fan's try to slate the Lakers at every opportunity they get? Is it jealousy or what?

Anyway, here's my predictions:

Golden State Warriors: 40-42
LA Lakers: 42-38
Sacramento Kings: 43-39

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Laker_fan:</div><div class="quote_post">This doesn't make sense. "I'll be funny anymore"? You will be funny or you won't be? I just came across the prediction now and found it to be quite hilarious. Why is it that some Kings fan's try to slate the Lakers at every opportunity they get? Is it jealousy or what?

Anyway, here's my predictions:

Golden State Warriors: 40-42
LA Lakers: 42-38
Sacramento Kings: 43-39</div>


Well the Kings and Lakers have a rivalry, so thats one reason. But you were supposed to laugh at my prediction, that was the point of it, my other post saying "Sorry, I'll be funny anymore" was aimed at some moderator that said my post wasn't witty. Nothing too serious, but I felt that he should know that just because he didn't find it witty doesn't mean others won't. Understand? So, overall, thanks for the compliment. But no the Kings are not jealous of the Lagirls, why would they be? Plus my bro is a Lagirls fan so I try to get a dig in whenever possible. The Kings going 43-39? Are you serious? I can guarantee (bar some major injuries) that they will be at least 50-32.