Im going to say about 47-48. Which would mean the BLazers need about 25-26 more. That should be very do-able in basically 3 months and a half. And we are gonna get key guys back.
I think that is a good estimate in the west. In the east there ma be a few sub .500 teams in. The 3rd to last team in the west would nly be 1/2 game out of the playoffs in the east.
This is a clever trick MIXUM. You're really doing a fine job laying the groundwork for a summer of rants about why the team failed to meet expectations and how this season was a massive letdown. Impressive stuff.
Exactly. When things are going badly, he rants. When things are going well, he slowly builds up his own expressed expectations far enough that they're bound to eventually fall short...allowing him to rant again, about failed expectations.
you mean just like everyone on here thinks roy, la, rudy, batum, bayless are major pieces for future titles yet nobody here thinks they can make the playoffs? truth is... you are all just as bad as me and dont wanna admit it. hcp who is a pure homer already called no playoffs yet he and the rest of you think this team will win titles lol. if roy and la cant get us the 8 seed.... being as good as you all have made them out to be... then i think its time to start thinking playoffs are nice each year instead of contending. cant have it both ways.
Being a piece for the future and being a piece for the present isn't quite the same thing. And without a true center anchoring the defense (which this team has relied on for 3 years) then, no I don't think this is a playoff team this year.
But who in the west makes it over us? Oklahoma City, without a true center? Houston without a true C? Phoenix without a true C?
I've got to side with Mixum on this one. -------------------------------------- Re: your Thread; I think it will take 50 wins to make the playoffs. Two teams may have 49 wins - and one gets in due to a tie-breaker, but 50 is my own magic number. The only way I see the Blazers getting there is to trade Blake/Outlaw, etc. (Rudy if necessary) to get a Center - and a decent one at that.
I think it will only take 45 or 46 wins to grab the 8th seed in the West this year. Why? Fewer truly awful teams in the West. In the recent past, the Western Conference has been made up of 8 (or occasionally 9) really strong teams, one or two average teams and a bunch of patsies. The result was a lot of 50 win teams, combined with a lot of 50 loss teams and very few teams in between. There is a new parity in the West. OKC, Memphis, Sacramento, and even the Clippers are no longer the push-overs they've been. These teams have had multiple high lottery picks over the past 3 or 4 years and those high picks are now starting to produce. In past seasons, there was a huge gap between the 6th and 11th team in the West. That gap has narrowed considerably. In past seasons, the 6th, 7th and 8th place teams in the West feasted on the teams below them. They could pencil in 3, or usually 4, easy wins a season against the 9th, 10th, 11th and below teams. Not so any more. For the remainder of this season, the six teams fighting for the last three play-off spots will be beating up on each other - splitting most of their head-to-head games. This will cause those teams to trend more towards 0.500 than in the past. Fewer patsies = fewer easy wins for the bottom half of the play-off bracket. So, this season, I think we will see fewer 50-win teams in the West, and correspondingly, a fewer 50-loss teams. I think we will see several teams, as many as six, bunched up with between 40 and 46 wins. I think 46 wins gets you into the play-offs. I could even see a two or three way tie at 45 wins with the 8th seed going to the team that holds the tie breaker. BNM
After posting the above reply, I went to ESPN and checked out Hollinger's current Power Rankings and Play-Off Odds. He has us 10th in his Power Rankings with an 85.9% chance of making the play-offs (as the 5th seed). I also noticed that he had OKC as the 8th seed with 46 projected wins and Utah and Memphis at 9/10 with 44 wins each. Pretty close to what I predicted in my previous post. He also had only two teams (Golden State and Minnesota) projected to lose 50 games. Last year, there were six 50-loss teams in the West, including five that lost at least 58 games. So, like I said, fewer truly awful teams this year means fewer wins for the teams above them. I think it will be tougher to win 45 or 46 games this season than it was to win 48 or 49 last season. BNM
i just think theres so many posters on here who jerk off to "our great core" yet the the main 2-3 are playing and yet many thin we wont make the playoffs. The truth is... if we roy, la, and rudy are all that... they get in. no injury excuses, no coaching excuses... if you really think we are gonna win titles yet 2-3 of our best players cant get us teh fucking 8 seed... you need your head examined. guys like hcp and others will be giddy when we are winning games and everyones healthy... but the the nasty truth is.... you win with star players in the NBA today. Everyone wants to say Oden is the reason we are different then other teams cause we have a legit center. But ya know what... hes never healthy and roy, la, and cant seem to play with him so far. Thats facts and if roy, la, and rudy cant get us to teh playoffs this year... then dont come on here and stroke this team. You have no faith in teh core players if you come here now and say NO PLAYOFFS. Its the truth... and you all know it.
OKC may not have great centers, but Ibaka, Krstic, and Collison are all solid NBA bigs. Houston has Chuck Hayes who is one of the best post defenders in the NBA and if he was 3 inches taller would absolutely dominate, plus they've also got Scola and Landry who are no slouches, lastly, Phoenix doesn't need a true center with the way they play and the way they score. I'm just saying there are teams out there that are much better positioned for a playoff run than we are (even Memphis).
but but but..... kp is agenious and we are gonna win 3-4 titles but yet our 2 best players cant outlast the grizz, hornets, and okc? are u fucking kidding me? if tahts teh case then we dont have a bright future. gotta pick one here boys... cant have it both ways.
LOL. It's not a choice between championships or lottery parties. This team (AS CURRENTLY CONSTUCTED) probably has a "bright future" insofar that (when mostly healthy) they will probably be a perennial 48-52 win team for the next 5 or so years, but will not be a championship contender if they are counting on LMA to turn into an all-star or Oden to stay consistently healthy.
Most teams also don't have just Juwan Howard and a rookie second round draft pick power forward at center either.
So, you go from NO PLAYOFFS WITHOUT A TRADE!!1!!, to no excuses for not making the playoffs? What the hell is up with that? Does posting ignorant, contradictory crap ever get old to you? It sure as hell gets old to me. Go Blazers
