1. Kings 2. Spurs 3. T-wolves 4. Suns 5. Denver 6. Houston 7. Portland 8. Lakers/Utah/Mavs/Memphis The Kings and Suns are the biggest winner in the O'neal trade and it will show. I think Denver is going to show up & shock the hell out of a lot of teams next year as is Utah. Yes, i have a four way "who knows" going on for the last spot. (at this point im leaning towards the lakers getting that final spot.
1) T-Wolves 2) Spurs 3) Kings 4) Rockets 5) Nuggets 6) Mavericks 7) Jazz 8) Grizzlies/Lakers/Suns Anyone could get spots 6-8, It's going to be really close.
How do the Kings and Suns win with the O' Neal trade? Whoopteedoo, it got him out of the West, but, I don't see how the Kings or Suns win from it. The Suns, firstly, aren't good enough to make a top 4 run. They have a very young team, but, currently, that young team hasn't learned how to play well with eachother, which is why they really stunk last year. I don't see them getting too much better this year. They do have a ton of potential, but, they don't have the ability to be a top 4 seed yet in my opinion. Portland, I don't see in the playoffs either. After Randolph, who do they have? Not too much. They have Anderson and Stoudamire. That's about all. I don't think they'll make it in over the Lakers. I still think the Lakers have the capability to finish top 5 due to the fact that they now have a ton of offensive firepower with the addition of Odom and Butler, and the resigning of Kobe. That's a lot of offense right there. They did lose Shaq, but, they did get some good players back in return, so, I think they'll be good. But, the Suns, no, no way. They're not good enough. At least they haven't proven to me yet they are good enough. They didn't show any consistency last year. So, to me, no. They aren't playoff quality quite yet. In a couple years though, maybe.
1) Timberwolves-everyone back intact and should be healthy something they werent at any point last year. 2) Spurs- Its no shock what the Spurs will bring to the table next year, lots of defense and an ok but sometimes inconsistent offense very dependent on the success of Duncan & Parker. if they acquire Karl Malone they may finish 1st, but I doubt it because all I see Malone being is a Kevin Wllis/Malik Rose (when they use to get minutes in 02'-03') type player. 3)Kings- The Kings been arguably on of the top 2 regalar season teams of the spand of the last 4 years,so I dont see that changing, after the lost to Minny last year, there was talk of them making a laker type overhall of their roster but it seems like they will comeback basically with the same roster, and the experience and chemistry they have will keep them in the hunt for the west title. 4) Nuggets- The team called the Western Conference version of the Nets, just became the Nets with them acquiring K-Mart. In the west were frontlines are so important its hard to agrue that any team in the west is more deeper & talented then the nuggets on the frontline. They can throw Melo at the 3, Martin at the 3,4 or 5 spots depending on matchups, Nene at the 4 or 5, and Camby at the 4 or 5. versatile is the call of the day for the day for the Nuggets frontline. They brought in a playoff tested Martin and expeinced a playoff dog-fight with the Wolves last year. So while the Nuggets will be one of the youngest teams in the league, they seem ready to be a team to crack the west's top4, that was full of veteran teams last season. 5) Rockets- the 5th or 6th spot was a difficult decision. Yes the Rockets now have the most popular 2 man combo in the league, but how many wins will that really equal too? This trade has left the Rockets with a hole in their point guard position and their defense. And how long will it take for Mcgrady to adjust to the offense going thru Yao most of the time? As Francis showed last year,its hard for a guard to who has spent his who career with so much scoring freedom to now adjust to the Van Gundy style of play. If the Rockets chemistry struggles I could easily see them dropping down to about 7 or 8th in the west. 6) Grizzlies- Depth is the one word that comes to mind when thinking of the Grizzlies. But they still have a few questions that need to be answered before they can comfortably sit in the top 5. Is Pau Gasol the franshise player that going to put them in that class? I mean he is a nice player but he going to have to find away to stand out & become that go to player the grizzlies are going to need to be a real contender. 7) Dallas- Well the fun & gun Mavs will suffer alot of hard times this year in my opinion. The Mavs who seem to have found away over the years to be a top team in the west without playing any D, will now find out why D is & has always been the key to winning. The teams the Mavs use to be able to beat because of the pure fact they had more offense weapons, have now retooled with offense but still have much better defenses then Dallas. Also Dallas needs to find away to get rid of some of those useless washed up players they added to take a run at shaq. The Mavs need to focus now on the development of Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels, Devin Harris with Dirk a their Key part. That means getting rid of Walker, Stackhouse, and maybe even finley for young parts. 8) Blazers/Lakers- The Lakers lack of a frontline imo will be the dealth of LA. Brian Grant use to be able to hang with the West bigbodies during his portland days, but I dont think he will now. And the thing that made Odom so effective last season was he was able to play alot of 4 in the east. So he created alot of matchup problems but in the west do to the fact he wont be able to guard any big's out there, he will consistently be at the 3. And Odom wont create the matchup problems of taking bigger 4's out on the perimeter & off the dribble etc,so Odom's consistency level is problably going to be alot more up & down,simialr to his days with the Clippers. Also the Lakers 2 best frontline players are SF,which could present some problems. And I dont expect much from guys on their frontline like Devean Goerge, Luke Walton etc because their games are basically from playing off a dominate low post player. If the Lakers are smart they will find away to move Butler for a legit PF/Center because even if Kobe stays their frontline will not get them over the hump in the west. The Blazers with Zach Randolph's offense & rebounding and Theo' defense & rebounding/shot blocking the Blazers have one of the better PF-C combo's in the west. And with them expected to move Reef for a quality wing player, they are going to have a legit shot at making the playoffs this season. They need to become a better road team. And add some quality depth at certain postions. But they should be in the playoff hunt. The two teams that will sit on the playoff door mat, along with the loser of the LA/Portland battle for 8th, will be the Jazz & Suns. I like what the Jazz did this off season so far with Boozer & Okur and the draft with Kirk Synder etc. But they havent added the one thing they needed to become a playoff team, thats a go to player, who can get the job done late in close games. The Jazz lost alot of close games imo due to the fact they didnt have that type of player. And they still dont. The Suns added Nash to their backcourt,nice addition. But Iam not sure about the Q-Rich addition, Joe Johnson seems to struggle when he shares shot & minutes with another wing guard, as he did when penny was there. I can see the overload of wing players, Marion/JJ/Q-Rich creating consistency & chemistry problems. And teams like Seattle, Clippers, New Orleans are just not good enuff to be a legit player in the race for a playoff spot. Anyway the offseason is just getting started so everything is pretty much subject to change but I think the top 8 will pretty much stay the same.
1) Sacramento Kings 2) Minnesota Timberwolves 3) San Antiono Spurs 4) Denver Nuggets 5) Houston Rockets 6) Dallas Mavericks 7) Los Angeles Clippers 8) Golden State Warriors
1. Spurs 2. Kings 3. Rockets 4. T-Wolves 5. Nuggets 6. Suns 7. Lakers 8. Mavericks Its real tough to leave off teams like the Jazz, Trail Blazers and Grizzlies. The West is just so loaded. I think almost every team in the West has a legit chance at making the playoffs.
1. Spurs 2. Wolves 3. Kings 4. Rockets 5. Nuggets 6. Lakers 7. Hornets 8. Suns Mavs and Grizzlies will just miss the playoffs. West is so nasty, still!
I dont know about the rest of these teams but the houston rockets will win that conference. Between tmac and yao man they will dominate...especially without the lakers at full force
1. Sacramento Kings Since the Lakers are broke up, the Kings have finnally regained their crown at the #1 seed in the Western Confrence for the 2004-2005 season. Expect them to blow it in the season with all healthy players. 2. San Antonio Spurs I see nothing bad about this team. Having Parker and Duncan will be a great duo again, but make it only at the #2 spot because of the Kings' fierce offense. 3. Minnesota Timberwolves Not as good as last season, but also expect KG to win MVP again, and the Big 3 on their team (Garnett, Sprewell, Cassell) will just do fine. 4. Dallas Mavericks Their team won't be as bad as last year, and Nowitski and Finley won't do bad without Nash. Expect Dirk to be the top scoring leader for the NBA and be a threat on offense once again with his spectacular shot. 5. Houston Rockets Since it's all T-Mac and Yao this year, their scoring will be great. Expect Yao getting the Most Improved Player of the year, and be way better in the post. Since Shaq's gone from the West, Yao has nothing to worry about now. 6. Denver Nuggets After recently getting Kenyon Martin, the Nuggets will be great in both the offense and defensive sides of the court. Good players with Andre Miller/Earl Boykins and Veshon Lenard in the backcourt and Melo and Martin in the front, the Nuggets will be a very suprising team coming back from the eighth to the sixth spot. 7. L.A. Lakers Since they lost Shaq, and now Fisher, rebuilding is the time. All they have now is Kobe and Payton, with a few other former Miami Heat players (Odom, Grant, Butler). But since most of the time they will rely on Kobe, expect him not to come through that much, but still make it to a low seed playoff spot. 8. Memphis Grizzlies They weren't bad last year, not bad at all, but I belive it was a fluke. After being swept by the Spurs last year, the Grizzlies still had the Playoffs in them and will make it thru again, but being a little worse than last year, only 2 spots down.
Portland has a good chance of making it next year in my opinion. With Theo averaging 4.5 blocks a game and literally changing the opposing teams whole strategy with his defensive presence was almost enough to get em to the playoffs this year. Zach Randolph will have another 20-10 season where he will most likely be the go to guy on offense. Darius will be a key player in the tandem as well showing flashes of brilliance in the latter part of the season last year. I still think we are gonna deal Reef for a good SG so that would boost us up quite a bit. Whats with all the Damon haters? Have you actually seen him play? Damon is a point guard for 3 quarters of the game but when crunch time rolls around he lights up the scoreboard. He is a great shot and a great leader for the blazers. They should end up being a 5-7 seed.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting sactomofo:</div><div class="quote_post">1) Sacramento Kings 2) Minnesota Timberwolves 3) San Antiono Spurs 4) Denver Nuggets 5) Houston Rockets 6) Dallas Mavericks 7) Los Angeles Clippers 8) Golden State Warriors</div> Thanks for being hopeful for us, but even as a Clipper fan I wouldn't count on that unless Livingston explodes, hopefully though
1.Sacremento 2.Twolves 3.Houston 4.San Antonio 5.Denver 6.Portland 7.Utah 8.Memphis Kinda crazy but...eh..why not
The only thing that matters is the top 5 Spurs Kings Wolves Dallas Rockets/Denver dont know what order it will be in but those will be the top 5
I have faith this'll be the year the Warriors break out and make the playoffs, mainly because I believe the Lakers are going to be horrible next year.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting dee still ballin:</div><div class="quote_post">The only thing that matters is the top 5 Spurs Kings Wolves Dallas Rockets/Denver dont know what order it will be in but those will be the top 5</div> I don't see Dallas as a top 4 team next year. They slid this past year and I think they will continue to do so. They play no defense at all. That hurts them. They got more offensive fire power this offseason with Stack, but, they don't need him. They should have traded Jamison for that 5th pick and got some good defensive player, assuming the Wizards have any. But, I think they'll continue to decline. They play no defense and teams that play the way they do tend to wear out during the course of the season and that affects the way they play in a very negative fashion. I don't see them finishing any higher than 6th.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting All-Star:</div><div class="quote_post"> 1. Sacramento Kings Since the Lakers are broke up, the Kings have finnally regained their crown at the #1 seed in the Western Confrence for the 2004-2005 season. Expect them to blow it in the season with all healthy players. 2. San Antonio Spurs I see nothing bad about this team. Having Parker and Duncan will be a great duo again, but make it only at the #2 spot because of the Kings' fierce offense. 3. Minnesota Timberwolves Not as good as last season, but also expect KG to win MVP again, and the Big 3 on their team (Garnett, Sprewell, Cassell) will just do fine. 4. Dallas Mavericks Their team won't be as bad as last year, and Nowitski and Finley won't do bad without Nash. Expect Dirk to be the top scoring leader for the NBA and be a threat on offense once again with his spectacular shot. 5. Houston Rockets Since it's all T-Mac and Yao this year, their scoring will be great. Expect Yao getting the Most Improved Player of the year, and be way better in the post. Since Shaq's gone from the West, Yao has nothing to worry about now. 6. Denver Nuggets After recently getting Kenyon Martin, the Nuggets will be great in both the offense and defensive sides of the court. Good players with Andre Miller/Earl Boykins and Veshon Lenard in the backcourt and Melo and Martin in the front, the Nuggets will be a very suprising team coming back from the eighth to the sixth spot. 7. L.A. Lakers Since they lost Shaq, and now Fisher, rebuilding is the time. All they have now is Kobe and Payton, with a few other former Miami Heat players (Odom, Grant, Butler). But since most of the time they will rely on Kobe, expect him not to come through that much, but still make it to a low seed playoff spot. 8. Memphis Grizzlies They weren't bad last year, not bad at all, but I belive it was a fluke. After being swept by the Spurs last year, the Grizzlies still had the Playoffs in them and will make it thru again, but being a little worse than last year, only 2 spots down.</div> What do you mean by the Minny statement. How are we not as good as last season. If I recall, Wally was out for most of the season, same with Hudson. If we hold onto Wally and don't trade him we're good, even though I'd like to trade him and Kandi for a center. But if we resign Hoiberg and Hassell, we're even better. I say we are only getting better.
Why were so many people putting the Lakers ahead of the Nuggets? Anyways, my seedings... 1) Minnesota 2) San Antonio 3) Sacramento 4) Denver 5) Houston 6) Dallas 7) Utah 8) Memphis
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting The Next Lebron:</div><div class="quote_post">I dont know about the rest of these teams but the houston rockets will win that conference. Between tmac and yao man they will dominate...especially without the lakers at full force</div> Hostoun Will not repeat WILL not take the western conference title. They will take the 4th spot IMO. The Rockets are now the lakers. No depth but 2 super stars. Except Kobe and Shaq owned Yao and T-Mac in every possible way and Yao and T-Mac will NEVER be as good as the old duo of Shaq and Kobe. I cannot see Yao and T-Mac winning 3 (not alone 1 ) back to back titles like the Lakers have. Spurs wil have the west. This year will be a Pistons v Spurs match up in the finals with the Spurs winnigng it IMO. BTW im not a spur fan.
