I'll be honest I didn't think there was a chance in hell that we'd ever be the division leader after this past summer where every team in the division added all star players.
I think the soft starting schedule means you could probably shave a win or two off if they were playing a more robust set of opponents with the same level of production. So, what does that mean? I have no idea. Maybe they'll start putting it together on offense, and maybe the defense isn't a mirage? Ultimtely though, I still think they'll have about 43 wins when it's all said and done; there's just too many "so-called" good teams in the West that still feel like they're getting it together (OKC, most notably) and it's all going to make for a very crowded field in slots 3-10, without a lot of separation.
A 12-8 record with the 4th best offense and 17th best defense would feel worse than a 12-8 record with a 17th best offense and 4th best defense. In scenario 1, that would be our presumed ceiling. Nobody would expect our defense to be better than that, and that would be our ceiling offensively. In scenario 2, our defense is surprisingly elite, and although it was built off of an easy schedule we've also been missing Aminu. Our offense is underperforming, so if that can improve (which it easily could) and our defense remains solid, we could be very good.
Millsap hasn't been a good fit, Utah list Hayward, Minnesota is solid but lacks shooting and Butler+Wiggins is an awkward wing pair, and OKC is less than the sum of their pieces because of their lack of bench and cohesion. It should be a lessen to everybody that simply adding a very good player doesn't necessarily make a team that much improved. Cohesion is underrated, and having players who's skillsets compliment each other and who's games work well off each other is very important. Basketball is more than paper. Most "experts" or "analysts" don't realize this though.
We've won 2 in a row, and now you're trying to Jinx us tonight against the Knicks! No wonder they call you Jinxspeed
Here's what I've noticed: Pat is a very good role player. He hustles, he cuts to the rim, he hit's 3s. Shabazz is also a good role player. He hits the 3, and plays smart, stays within himself. I don't miss Crabbe and his poor all around game, especially for the price. Ed Davis is back, and a big part of our rebounding success. Vonleh is playing like a beast, though still driving me nuts by not looking at the basket when he's more than 10 feet from the rim. ET is occasionally crazy good, sometimes mediocre. Our bench seems to be OK and occasionally very good, even with Aminu out and Harkless playing "unevenly." Our defense is much better. Here's hoping defense wins championships. I was disappointed in losing to Sacramento and Brooklyn, but the concept of the bad team seems to be a myth this year. LAL, Brooklyn, NY, and several other teams thought to be "trash" at the beginning of the year are beating quality teams. Right now, GS is in a dogfight in the 4th with Sacramento who has been leading much of the game. (update Sac and GS tied with 1 minute left in the game. Edit: Sac wins)
When we put Aminu back in the rotation I think we will look a lot better. Switch him at both forward positions, but for the love of all that is holy.... don't have Turner and Harkless on at the same time. Our offense dies when that happens. Hell, use Layman for the odd 5-10 minutes if you have to. They stuck him out there today.
