As I said in my previous post, while the West is still top heavy, the depth toward the bottom of the playoff picture has fallen significantly. The door is wide open for Sacramento to zoom past the Suns, Warriors, Clippers, and Nuggets. I'm confident that Artest won't be missed as much as everyone thinks. Garcia's a nice player, he plays quality defense, and he won't demand the ball as much as Artest did. He fits next to Kevin Martin much better than Artest.
Again, behind the Lakers, Jazz, Spurs, Hornets, Rockets, and possibly Mavericks, how is this conference stacked? I've already explained that three teams (Suns, Warriors, Nuggets) in last year's picture did themselves a real disservice with their roster moves, and the Clippers will lack chemistry and probably lack health for most of the season. None of those teams are threats. Beyond the top 5 or so, the West is not stacked. The Kings have as much of a shot as anyone to grab one of the last two playoff spots.
A. The Kings will not make the playoffs. Not in this western conference. B. No way the Grizz finish 11th. They suck haha.
Dammit tim, do I gotta go over it a 4th time?? They have a lot of good young talent there, not unlike your Wolves. Conley, Mayo, Marc Gasol, and Gay won't be enough to get them to the playoffs, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them make some strides.
I think that Phoenix still has a chance to be great, possibly even grab homecourt if they can mesh in time, I just don't see them finishing after the Kings, come on. They still have Steve Nash and Amare, Shaq is old but still better than most centers. On nights when he isn't going up against a Tim Duncan or Garnett he will still be able to score 16 ppg which would be all they need from him.
That's the thing, they won't mesh. Terry Porter is going to install a different style than D'Antoni. They won't score nearly as much points, and there will a lot more emphasis on defense. Now that would be a good thing, if the Suns made any other dramatic roster changes (besides Shaq) from the horrific defensive team and fast-paced oriented team they had been. Nash's defensive defeciencies will be further exposed, and this will be the first time in a long time (if not ever, as a pro) that he won't be playing a high-speed style of offense. That doesn't bode well. Stoudemire can't bank on an easy 10 or so points a game by just running the floor and dunking. Shaq will have a few good nights, but out of the 40 games he's going to play, he'll look old and outdated in at least half of them. Barnes's only two good seasons came with the Warriors and their frantic style of play. Hill is injury prone and likely done. Barbosa's numbers will be somewhat hurt by the new style, his speed on the fast break was a major weapn. Bottom line, they're through.
Utah have owned the Hornets since Deron and Paul have both come into the league. Last year Utah was missing Memo for a whole month and didn't have Korver yet, so they had no 3-pt shooting for almost a whole month, which led to a near .500 record. After they got Korver last year, they were arguably the 2nd best team in the west with the Lakers obviously being #1 with Gasol. I have to agree with him the Kings might be a sleeper. Last year, I believe Kevin Martin was out during the same time as Ron Artest, but I'm not completely sure on that. They also didn't have an improved Spencer Hawes last year either, who will really add a new dynamic to this team. The other day, Spencer Hawes dropped 25/16 on Yao and made Yao look silly. They are definitely a team to watch for with John Salmons getting more PT, and a new role on this team. Salmons was tearing it up last year when Kevin Martin was out and he was a great scorer off the bench but Artest was simply a ballhog. This year their offense will have better passing IMO, and Kevin Martin is legit. Blue Light Special (Martin) is probably the most efficient star player in the league, and there's no doubt about that. This team is a real threat though when their team starts to gel, not championship bound or anything but they're legit. They have great depth upfront to compete in the west with Brad Miller, Mikki Moore, Spencer Hawes, Kenny Thomas, Shelden Williams and Jason Thompson. Now the question mark is their swingman depth, with Kevin Martin, John Salmons, and Francisco Garcia being good but after that they have nothing with experience. If Greene can improve his D, and keep up a good work ethic, he will be that 4th guy that turns this team into a playoff lock, but for now they're depending on 2-PG lineups with Udrih/Jackson/Bobby Brown with Garcia and Douby both out.
i may come back and edit this tomorrow to add a short description of each team but i started to do it and didn't feel like finishing so here are just the predictions instead. Eastern conference 1. Boston 2. Cleveland 3. Detroit 4. Orlando 5. Toronto 6. Philadelphia 7. Miami 8. Washington 9. Indiana 10. Atlanta 11. Chicago 12. New jersey 13. Milwaukee 14. Charlotte 15. New york First round Boston over Washington in 5 Cleveland over miami in 5 Detroit over Philadelphia in 6 Orlando over Toronto in 7 Second round Boston over Orlando in 5 Cleveland over Detroit in 6 Eastern conference finals Cleveland over boston in 7 Western conference 1. Lakers 2. Houston 3. New Orleans 4. Portland 5. San Antonio 6. Utah 7. Phoenix 8. Dallas 9. Denver 10. Clippers 11. Golden state 12. Memphis 13. Sacramento 14. Minnesota 15. Oklahoma city First round Lakers over dallas in 4 Houston over phoenix in 5 New Orleans over Utah in 7 Portland over san Antonio in 6 Second round Portland over lakers in 7 Houston over new Orleans in 6 Western conference finals Portland over Houston in 7 NBA finals Portland over Cleveland in 6
well it has something to do with oden being a top 3 center by the end of the season(or top 5 depending on how you would like to classify duncan and amare), brandon roy being the 3rd best sg (behind kobe and wade) and a top 15 player in the league, aldridge providing everything you could ask for as a complimentary big man, and them being surrounded by a host of role players that all fit together pretty well(webster and blake's spot up shooting, outlaw being an offensive spark off the bench, rudy making explosive plays and doing everything, frye basically being a poor man's aldridge, and joel providing great interior defense and rebounding). this portland team is just the perfect storm of young talent that is going to completely expose the myth of "playoff experience" being more important that just being a very good basketball team.
Oden's a top 3 C already? Guy has been okay in preseason but the fact that he hasn't played a single game with meaning on the NBA level kinda makes me wonder why he's a top 3 C already? Maybe in a year or two, but to say he's already better than some guys like Camby, Kaman, Biedrins, or even Bynum is pretty crazy IMO. Guy is going to be good but not quite yet, and his knee still has to hold up for a whole year. I agree about Roy though, guy is legit, but he's also got to stay healthy for 82 games. Without Roy, this team isn't a contender in the West, so that's the biggest thing for them. Webster is also out for 2 months to start the season, so do they really have shooting outside of Blake right now? I just don't see how this team is better than Utah when both teams are healthy. Everyone underestimates Utah IMO because they were one of the youngest teams in the league the last few years along with Portland. Deron, Boozer, Memo, and AK are all entering their prime right now with guys like Brewer, Miles, Ronnie Price, and Millsap all getting better also, while they still have vets like Jarron Collins, Brevin Knight, and Matt Harpring. Utah's young core has also gained GREAT experience and proven they show up in the playoffs the last 2 years, while younger/inexperienced players simply don't show up in the playoffs sometimes. Doesn't matter what skills you have unless you use them in the playoffs, sometimes players just get caught up in emotions and try too hard. I'm not saying it's not possible, but I do think you're playing it off as it being easier than it is. Especially going to LA for a game 7 and winning there, I doubt Kobe would let that happen lol
i did say by the end of the year, he's going to be a top 3 center. and speaking of oden's knees it's not like bynum, camby, and kaman have the greatest injury records themselves. bynum has proven that he was a good player in 35 games. camby has proven that he's an offensive liability with his 45% shooting. kaman has only played at a high level on a terrible team when he had all the chances he could ask for. and biedrins is a solid rebounder and defender but only a garbage man on offense. i'll trust the talent i've seen in oden from college and preseason that he's going to be a force in the league very soon. and with all the depth behind him, it's not like he has to worry about foul trouble and can play as aggressive as he wants to. yeah they do. outlaw shot just under 40% from 3 last season. roy isn't a bad outside shooter and has been working on his shot. both frye and aldridge have range that extends deep into midrange and potentially even to 3 point range(though obviously neither guy should actually take many 3s). bayless and rudy are both very good shooters as well. kobe obviously isn't all powerful as the finals last year would prove. it's not about what kobe lets happen.
Are you crazy? I'm just curious. Oden, while I love him, won't be a top 3 center by years end. Camby, Howard, Okafor, Duncan, Yao, Bynum...all them should be ahead of him in those rankings. Brandon Roy as the 3rd best SG? That's more believable, but I don't think he's quite there. Aside from the aforementioned Kobe and Wade, I'd also take Paul Pierce (still a 2, just played out of position to accommodate for the Ray Allen acquisition), I'd also take a healthy TMac too. Joe Johnson is also another guy that is right up there with Roy, he just doesn't get as much notice since he plays in Atlanta. Oh yea, and Kevin Martin. The dude is a stud. So really, after Kobe, Wade and Pierce, there's a glut of players that could be in there, so I can say that Roy is at worst a top 10, but I'm not sure about top 5. As for some other things you mentioned...first, Rudy. I love him, but to say he's explosive because he's looked good in preseason is very ill-advised. In the preseason, he's playing against a lot of second-team guys as well as scrubs just trying to make a team. Come the season, he'll be playing against more first teamers and some very, very good benches. Until he shows what can do in the regular season, I will say nothing about him, aside from the fact that he's talented. The rest of the bench, admittedly, is very good. Outlaw is great, and I like Webster. However, good luck finding minutes for all of them. I fully expect some trades to go on. The other thing to touch on is the playoff experience. I just don't buy that a team with no playoff experience amongst its stars can win a playoff series. Talent and all is nice, but when you face a team like the Spurs or Lakers or Suns, who have all sorts of playoff experience, it's tough. They know what it's like to play in those games and they know how to perform under the pressure. To show proof of playoff experience mattering - look at the '07 Finals. The Cavs had basically none...the Spurs had a bunch. Who won that series? And for that matter, who won it in pathetically dominant fashion? The Spurs. For that matter, I can't think of a team that kicks that common thought to the curb. Basically, what you're doing is saying that this team is going to be good because of their potential. They're young. Very young. I like their potential, but youth can get in the way. They don't know how to win yet, and while I think they'll make the playoffs, I think that lack of experience will prevent them from winning a title. You also hinge A LOT of hope on a guy who hasn't even played a meaningful game in the NBA yet. If Oden comes out and plays how everyone thinks he can, than they could very easily be competitive come playoff time....assuming they make it. If he's not all he's cracked up to be in year one or if, god forbid, he gets injured again, the Blazers could be in trouble. Last thing here....you really think they can beat the Lakers in a seven game series? The Lakers have the deepest team in the NBA...they should have the best front court rotation in the NBA too. They also have Kobe Bryant, who is going to be even more determined this year now that he got so close last year. At this point, the Lakers are the cream of the crop in the NBA, either conference. They proved they could win without Bynum last year, and now adding him to the mix, as well as Gasol, Odom, Kobe, etc., makes them even more dangerous. He also fills the one void they lacked last year when he went down - a defensive presence in the paint. As good as Gasol was for them, he's not the defensive presence Bynum is. These, amongst other reasons, is why the Lakers are the definite favorites in the NBA this year.
as i said, 3rd best center(5th best if you count duncan and amare as centers). that puts yao and howard in front of him. where did i say i was calling him explosive because of what he did in the preseason? that obviously factored in, but that's not like it's the sole thing i'm judging him on. he was an explosive player in europe(where i didn't watch him play so i'm not putting an incredible amount of stock into it). he was an explosive player during the olympics. he was an explosive player in the preseason. he just is an explosive player period. it doesn't mean he's going to be great this year or anything, but he's going to be able to fill a role the team needs and also bring great shooting. the hornets last year won a playoff series with no playoff experience. the cavs lost in the finals last year, but guess what? they made the finals. i'd say that would be evidence for my point that playoff experience doesn't matter nearly as much as being better than the team you are playing. and the jazz made the conference finals with no playoff experience a couple of years ago. the fact of the matter is that playoff experience is mostly just a buy product of being a good team. the good teams one year are generally the good teams the next year. so the teams winning championships and going deep in the playoffs generally have the most playoff experience because they've been the best teams the last few years. playoff experience doesn't make them good, them being good gets them the playoff experience. and like i said, the blazers are the perfect storm of young talent. they were a .500 team last year and add 3 huge talents to the team this year in oden, rudy, and bayless. throw in roy and aldridge who seem likely to make improvements going into their 3rd year and the deepest bench in the league and this is a unique situation of a team becoming much better from one season to the next. no, i'm not saying this team is going to be good because of their potential. they have the potential to be the best team in nba history a few years down the line. that's how high their potential is. i'm saying this team is going to be good because i feel like they are going to be this good this season. it has nothing to do with their potential. saying they don't know how to win is a meaningless statement. the cream of the crop in the nba at this point in the boston celtics. they are the defending nba champs. they beat the lakers in the finals. and there certainly are legitimate questions about whether bynum, gasol, and odom will even be an effective frontcourt as it's going to be hard for the 3 of them to spread the floor. the lakers are the definite favorites for laker fans, but for anyone else it definitely isn't so clear cut.
^Bynum, Pau, and Odom arent going to be playing together for most of the game since Odom isnt starting, Vlade is.
that shouldn't be too much of a problem during the regular season as it will allow everyone to get plenty of rest and it's not like the lakers are going to struggle to make the playoffs. but if they 3 of them can't play well together it's going to hurt in the playoffs. because at that point they'll either be seeing significant time on the court together or somehow is going to be very unhappy about not getting to play minutes when they actually matter.
Rockets and Hornets can't go 2 and 3. They are both in the same division. Which means Lakers, Jazz, Hornets/Rockets/Spurs will be top 3. I'll do mines later
Sure they can. They changed that rule a couple years ago. Instead of the 3 division winners getting one of the top 3 seeds, now a division winner is only guaranteed a top 4 spot, nothing more. Hornets and Spurs went #2 and #3 last year...
