home Team raptors. MAny believed they were a playoff team last year(albeit no injuries expected). And they had made hte playoffs the season before last. With VInce back, and hopefully playing better than before his injuries, the raptors have alot with VInce himself. With michael bradley showing some skills and the raptors new aquisitions(proper spelling ?!?!?)...I believe they can make the playoffs, a big difference from last year.. PS. sorry if the post is crap, im tired...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting airforce1s:</div><div class="quote_post">There is no why memphis will be the suprise team next year. They might improve by 5 games but that wouldnt be a shocker</div> I agree whole heartedly. They will improve as Gasol and other mature more however the fact remains the same that they play in the toughest confrence against the best teams. I cant see them being a huge surprise. They dont have talent to compete with the good teams the west has to offer. Now if they were in the Eastern confrence that would be a different story.
They got Posey and Miller Miller easy could avg 18 points a game and posey will avg 12 to 15 a game Swift will improve a lot. And u have JWill and Gasol who will get better playing with each other. And dont forget they have J West and H Brown
i think the grizz are going to be a surprise team(like the warriors last year). they just need to get off to a somewhat decent start, unlike 0-13 last year. they are a fun team to watch, and like j will said, all their players will get better and play as a team better. i think that miller will give them a good 2nd option, with j will dishing the rock to gasol, miller, posey, stro. in the east, i don't know if u could consider them a surprise, but the magic will move up 3 or 4 playoff seeds. they've got a 2nd option now, with only 1 starter that's the same as the beginning of last year. if not, i would guess the wizards, they have good young talent, the only problem is all that talent is at the guard position(excluding kwame).
Magic will improve because they have 2 good big man in the middle Howard and Gooden. Gooden prove that he can play when he out play BIG BEN. GO TMAC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How are the Rockets going to be a surprise team? They are already slated to take over the Jazz spot in the playoffs. I think a team in the West who will surprise is going to be the Los Angeles Clippers. They lost Odom and Kandi, but these two players have been outspoken about their lack of desire to play 110%. Getting rid of team cancers like these two will have a positive impact in the locker room and the Clippers can move forward. They showed a lot of their young players they are committed to winning by re-signing Brand & Maggette. Also Mike Dunleavy is a solid coach and will maximize the talent on the Clippers. In the East I'm going to go agree and choose the Raptors. Of course their success relies heavily on the health of Vince Carter. He can be an impact player, and the team is built around him and will improve tremendously if he can stay healthy. I am already high on the Bulls, and I think they should be able to make the playoffs this season, otherwise I would select them as a surprise team. A lot of people feel the Raptors window of opportunity has passed because of the aging veterans on the team. Aside from VC, I like the acquisition of Moiso and I also think Chris Bosh could have a significant role on the team. He's a little thin, but he's a good scorer, and will give the Raptors another offensive option in the post besides AD.
^^we all know this. andre miller showed he is expendable and as stated above, odom and kandi where cancers to the team.
Clippers might surprise us all...I think a 500 record might well happen for them..Last I heard they are also making a run for Jason Terry...so they could be pretty strong with him Brand Maggette Terry is a nice trio...along with ely...who is a good talent
This really bothers me that I have to agree with JWilltheFreak on this......but in the West, my choice is Memphis. Reasons? Houston aims to replace the Jazz. But what else could happen? Portland is slipping. They will feel the loss of Pippen more than anything. He could play PG, and start their offense. Now they must turn the reigns over to Stoudamire. He is not the same player that he was in Toronto. He has regressed by quite a bit since then. Portland is slipping fast. And Memphis is a team that could squeak in. Lets compare the 2 teams. And I know position vs. position means jack........but it is interesting to note: PG- Williams/Bell/Watson vs Stoudamire/McInnis Williams led the league in assist to TO ratio, I believe. Bell was a 4 year collegiate player. He should have a similar impact as Battier did coming out of college(but as a backup). And Watson is a good backup PG. Stoudamire and McInnis can't match the Grizzlie PGs. SG/SF- Posey/Miller/Person/Jones/Battier vs Anderson/Wells/Woods/Outlaw/Patterson This is where it gets interesting. Supposedly, Portland is supposed to be better here........but are they really? Wells is a good scorer. But so is Miller. Miller is more consistent though. And a better shooter. Wells is the better low post player and defender. Wells has a slight advantage here. Posey vs Anderson? Posey is the better defender and should be able to stop Anderson from scoring. Anderson is the better shooter, but is often injured. Id give Posey the nod here. Battier and Patterson? Patterson hustles, but Battier brings more to the table. Person vs Outlaw? Person still wins this, Outlaw will be nothing more than an athlete his 1st couple of years until he develops. Memphis seems to have the edge in the swing position as well. PF/C- Gasol/Wright/Trybanski/Swift vs Wallace/Davis/Randolph/Boumjte-Boumjte Gasol can match Rasheed's output..........go look at their stats. But Gasol seemed to struggle a bit against Rasheed. Once again, Rasheed's defense is underrated(if he tries, he is good). Wright and Davis are close enough to a wash. Davis has the edge in rebounding and defense, Wright in scoring. This position wont have a major impact on the game. Backup C's? Both aren't worth mentioning. Swift and Randolph is intriguing. Swift is the better defender and rebounder. Randolph the better scorer. Both have plenty of upside. Randolph showed good signs down the stretch. But so did Swift. It will come down to how Gasol plays against Rasheed. If Gasol can get the better of Wallace, Id give Memphis the nod. And thats why Memphis is my surprise team in the West. They do have all the tangibles to knock off Portland. And if this doesn't convince you, I have Robyg agreeing with me(so I dare you to disagree )
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting allnet:</div><div class="quote_post">Clippers might surprise us all...I think a 500 record might well happen for them..Last I heard they are also making a run for Jason Terry...so they could be pretty strong with him Brand Maggette Terry is a nice trio...along with ely...who is a good talent</div> Terry would be good for them. QRich will be fine at the starting spot. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting JWillTheFreak:</div><div class="quote_post">They got Posey and Miller Miller easy could avg 18 points a game and posey will avg 12 to 15 a game Swift will improve a lot. And u have JWill and Gasol who will get better playing with each other. And dont forget they have J West and H Brown</div> Unfortunately for them, it still won't be enough for them to be in the playoffs.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting slamduncan21:</div><div class="quote_post"> Unfortunately for them, it still won't be enough for them to be in the playoffs. </div> Why not? As of now, the locks seems to be Minnesota, Los Angelas, Dallas, Sacramento, and San Antonio. Houston and Phoenix are pretty close to being considered locks as well. Now, with Portland slipping, its conceivable Memphis can slip in as the 8th seed. To do that, they have to avoid a horrendous start.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting allnet:</div><div class="quote_post">Clippers might surprise us all...I think a 500 record might well happen for them..Last I heard they are also making a run for Jason Terry...so they could be pretty strong with him Brand Maggette Terry is a nice trio...along with ely...who is a good talent</div> Kaman will start ahead of Ely I think. Clipper management was high on Kaman. But Terry is a Hawk. Any offer that is given to Terry will be matched by the Hawks(assuming its reasonable.........and when do the Clippers ever overpay?) So Terry is in essence staying put. And its not like he wants out either. He has stated that he wants to remain in Atlanta.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Vintage:</div><div class="quote_post">Why not? As of now, the locks seems to be Minnesota, Los Angelas, Dallas, Sacramento, and San Antonio. Houston and Phoenix are pretty close to being considered locks as well. Now, with Portland slipping, its conceivable Memphis can slip in as the 8th seed. To do that, they have to avoid a horrendous start.</div> The Blazers would REALLY have to screw up in order to miss the playoffs. It could happen too, but I don't think it will. Who knows
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting slamduncan21:</div><div class="quote_post">The Blazers would REALLY have to screw up in order to miss the playoffs. It could happen too, but I don't think it will. Who knows </div>Everybody is not a lock for the playoffs. You could say the Grizzlies would REALLY have to screw up in order to miss the playoffs also. I really like Vintage's post. Everything in it was true.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting slamduncan21:</div><div class="quote_post">The Blazers would REALLY have to screw up in order to miss the playoffs. It could happen too, but I don't think it will. Who knows </div> Its not so much the Blazers screwing up, as the Grizzlies just being the better team.
ahh yes... i think there was a thread about this... and my sleeper team was the grizzlies finishin 4th in the midwest... I see many people agree now
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PFKApurehoops:</div><div class="quote_post">ahh yes... i think there was a thread about this... and my sleeper team was the grizzlies finishin 4th in the midwest... I see many people agree now</div> Actually, I have been saying this for quite a while.
