San Antonio - I'm picking them to go to the finals. They added Barry and a re-signed Ginobli to an already loaded lineup, Duncan, Nestrovic, Rose, Bowen, Parker. I don't see anyone beating the Spurs. Minnesota - They now have a year of competitive playoffs experience. If Hudson is resigned they will once again be in the WCF where they will lose to the Spurs. Sacramento - The Lakers have been dismantled and now the Kings feel as though they have new life. They still have their same main core of Webber, Bibby, Stojakovic, Christie, Miller and Bobby Jackson together. I say they will have the second best record in the West next year, behind the Spurs but will once again come short of the Finals. Lakers - With Kobe on this team, they will be a competitive Western Conference team. The question is, how far with that take them. If Kobe is in Jail, the Warriors should be ahead of them. Denver - They have made many nice addittions to last year's suprise team. I suspect they will only improve on last years mark. Dallas - They will find out the hard way just how important Nash was to their franchise. Oh yea, they still won't play any D. Memphis - They are practically the Western Conference's version of the Pistons. If only they played in the Eastern Conference... Houston - T-Mac and Yao sound good but their are still many question marks surrounding this team. Lue is their starting PG? Phoenix - They added one of the games best PGs in Steve Nash. That could be enough to get them that 8th spot in the playoffs. New Orleans - They will miss the playoffs, welcome to the big West. Portland - Rebuilding stage + NVE = lottery pick. Utah - this team have talent. Harpring, Arroyo, Kirilenko, Boozer, Okur coached by Sloan. But where is the bench help? Warriors - A lot of questionable moves by Mullin this offseason. I pray everynight that I am wrong about this but we miss the playoffs for the 11th year in a row. Clippers - They are the clippers. Seattle - I'm still trying to figure out what direction they are going. These teams aren't really in any particular order. What are your thoughts on the upcoming season? Where do these teams stand?
Excellent description of each team, my prediction: 1) San Antonio (best big man in West, and nice upgrade in Barry) 2) Minnesota (will be just as good, but not better, than last year) 3) Sacramento (but won't win in playoffs with CWebb on the roster) 4) Denver (what a fun team to watch) 5) Dallas (if they trade Walker, still a ton of depth and talent) 6) Memphis (best coach in the West?) 7) Phoenix (could be lower if lack of center kills them) 8) Utah (Okur is overrated, but Boozer is not, and AK is way underrated) 9) Houston (Still probably a bad mix, but getting better, Yao has no stamina) 10) Lakers (Kobe will have to elevate his game to carry team to playoffs) But it is only with great trepidation that I predict Houston and the Lakers will miss the playoffs. I think Houston got better, but Denver, Utah and Phoenix might have gotten more better. Spots six through 10 are all within an inch of each other.
1). Kings - Before Webber got hurt in the Playoffs 2 years ago, he was an MVP candidate and as much as I hate him, he showed some heart last year in the playoffs playing on 1 leg. I think he will defer to Peja more this year and they have to feel renewed energy with the Lakers out of the picture. 2). Spurs - Best player on the planet, great pick up in BB, Parker continues to evolve. 3). Wolves - Second best player, but backcourt is old, Hudson should help inject some life into it off the bench, bad move letting Hassell go. 4). Rockets - Yao and Tmac, with VanGundy's defensive intensity, they are going to be very good. 5). Denver - Just got deeper, and Melo is on the cusp of superstardom 6). Lakers - I hate them so much, I know they'll be ok. 7). Dallas - A big drop off for them, Finley is older and it will be tough to take minutes from him, even though they should. 8). Warriors - Great mix of realizing potential with Jrich, Dunleavy and Murphy along with very experienced veterans who know how to win. 9). Memphis - I think teams will start to figure them out. 10). Utah - Overacheived by miles last year, but I think the League is prepared for them now. 11). Suns - They still can't guard anything. 12). Portland - They are okay but injury concerns and cohesivness is a big problem 13). Clips - Same ol' story, will be very competitive but.... 14). Hornets - Injury concerns are a big problem, and with Mash being shipped out(probably) it's all up to Baron with a bad back and Jamaal Magloire. 15). Seattle - They are not good, although I love Rid and think he'll be good, they need time for him, collison, swift to develop, Rashard to toughen up and Ray to be happy. Damn the West is going to be tough again this year.
If Murph and Jrich stay healthy and Dunleavy starts playing worthy of his #3 pick status we could slip into an 8th spot. But I just think this team doesn't have the right parts. Either you build around your center/power forward or your point guard and I just feel we don't have that type of center or a point guard yet. I mean Dunleavy is no Rick Barry or Chris Mullin. Those guys were primetime scorers and they were little bit more crafty when it came to the other end of the floor. I just think we went the wrong direction with Dunleavy. Build around Murphy, who has a good chance to be one of those rare rebounders/scorers and get him the defensive and scoring help he needs. BTW I'll get to the analysis of the other teams in our conference a little bit later.
I'll throw in my two cents. San Antonio: Still the best team defense in the west. Barry will be great. Binho Udrih will be a big surprise and competent back-up to Parker. Minn.: KG is almost Superman, and he'll have to be, this backcourt is getting old and the teams' standing could be supplanted by a young upstart like.... Denver: Great off season. If they could gel quickly and find a way to spread the ball around, they could push the Spurs. They could also develop a case of the 'me's and have a new coach by December. Utah: With Boozer and Okur, Kirilenko can play SF exclusively, and people will finally understand how good he really is. Humphies and Snyder will get some PT and are great pick-ups, plus Harpring as their sixth man; not too shabby. Sacto: Getting old, but still damn good. Could go a long way in the playoffs if they finally learn from all of their experience. Memphis: They didn't get much better, but they're good. Even though they have one of the best defenders in the league (Posey) I still think their team defense is a little suspect. If I'm wrong they could go higher. Houston: A two man game can only take you so far, even if those two are Yao and T-mac. I think this is best case scenario. Warriors: Look for continued improvement in their team defense. I think we are going to see a huge difference in their offensive style. We will see a lot of motion. Watching the Warriors offense will be reminiscent of an ant farm, motion everywhere. Richardson getting the hand off from Adonal in the high post after a pick; who needs to take a man off the dribble when you can get the ball while you're already going to the basket? Dunleavy will be involved in a lot of pick and rolls, and back-door cuts. Dallas: If they could put 11 men on the court they'd be Super-Bowl champs. Nelson tinkers way too much for them to find chemistry or a rotation, and there is not enough ball to go around. Lakers: Kobe wants to be the man, we'll see how good he really is.
My Personal TOP 8 Western Confernece Teams Standings 1.Minnesota T-Wolves 2.Los Angeles Lakers 3.Sacromento Kings 4.Houston Rockets 5.Dallas Mavericks 6.Denver Nuggets 7.Memphis Grizzlies 8.Golden State
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting MR_SAC_KING:</div><div class="quote_post">1.Minnesota T-Wolves 2.Los Angeles Lakers 3.Sacromento Kings 4.Houston Rockets 5.Dallas Mavericks 6.Denver Nuggets 7.Memphis Grizzlies 8.Golden State</div>So you think the Lakers are going to be good enough to lock down the #2 spot? I guess only time will tell.
The Lakers ain't going that high. I see the a repeat of the 2003-2004 Orlando Magic if Odom's injuries start acting up or Vlade becomes hurt and there's no team chemistry between any of the other above average players like Caron Butler or Marcus Banks. I see Odom and Vlade as the glue guys.
I think this Lakers team will finish 7th in the West. It really depends on how they play together. Its hard to make a prediction before even seeing them play.
It's all about team chemistry. Dampier Lamar Odom Ricky Davis Allen Iverson Gilber Arenas bench: Gordon Giricek Al Harrington may look good on paper, but it isn't the greatest chemistry.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting MR_SAC_KING:</div><div class="quote_post">1.Minnesota T-Wolves 2.Los Angeles Lakers 3.Sacromento Kings 4.Houston Rockets 5.Dallas Mavericks 6.Denver Nuggets 7.Memphis Grizzlies 8.Golden State</div> I think you forgot the Spurs...no way they miss the playoffs
The only teams I think have a visible advantage over the Warriors are the Wolves, Kings, Lakers, Mavericks, Nuggets, and Rockets. The last two playoff spots are up for the taking and it'll be a toss-up to see if the Warriors snatch one of those two.
To me the seedings in the west will go as followed 1.Spurs-Best team in the western conference purely down to the fact Brent Barry was signed, Manu was re-signed as was Bruce Bowen. Only Hedo the playoff choker was lost. Barry will open things up for Duncan which will give Bones plenty of open shots where he shot 45% from downtown last year, that % could go up even further in San Antonio. 2.Wolves- They still have the same core back, matching the Trenton Hassell offer was certainly key. They could of easily dropped had they choose not to. 3.Kings- All this depends on the Peja/Webber relationship, If they can learn to get along and C-webb comes back heathly then they will be a top 3 seed again purely down to their firepower. Offense wins regular season games and they still have quite alot of it. 4.Nuggets- Adding Kenyon Martin was a big off-season signing, teaming him up with Camby and Nene inside could prove to be dangerous on both ends of the floor. To go with an improving Carmelo Anthony, these guys will be fun to watch but most importantly very tough to beat. 5.Rockets- Adding Mcgrady puts them in this spot to team up with Yao but there is plenty of question marks about this team. Do they have good enough role players and how effective will their defense be after losing 3 good defenders to Orlando as well as adding a bad defender in Juwan Howard. Cato was the guy who helped Yao alot against the big's of the west, who does that job now? 6.Jazz-Adding Boozer and Okur boosts their frontcourt options, teaming them with up AK47 is quite a trio in the frontcourt. They surprised alot of people last year with the way they played defense and played togeather as a unit. I guess It was foolish to settle for anything less from a Jerry Sloan team. Don't doubt them again, certainly after Boozer is spearheading their PF spot. 7.Suns- Adding a great point guard and floor general in Steve Nash puts Phoenix back in the post season for me. Quentin Richardson is a very good scorer, shooter and fastbreak player which completely fits their style. Add that to Johnson, Marion and Amare and you've got yourself a very talented and dangerous team. 8.Lakers- Kobe Bryant finally has a chance to have his own team, no more hiding behind Shaq on defense or resting on offense. He has a good supporting cast around him, Odom, Butler both very talented swingmen, Divac brings experience and a very soild presents inside. But unless Kobe shows some MJ magic, this team is not going anywhere for a few years.
I think they stand a little bit out side of the playoff picture. Sort of on the outside looking in with the signing of d-fish and some of there other moves. I think had they not taken that huge blow by losing arenas last off season they could be ranked any where from 6-8 out west. Fisher will be a solid point guard for them as he is clutch and has a good jumper and with j-rich getting another year out of the way his experence will help the team along with the resignings they got. If they can get dampier to sign a 1 year deal due to not being able to work anything out with new york or them being able to get a good big man in a trade they will have a good shot at the 8 seed out west.
The Warriors stand pretty much at the bottom. The only team possibly worse than the Warriors are the Clippers. And then there is a toss up between the Sonics and the Warriors. And then it's sort of an uphill climb through everyother team. Yeah I'm being a little pessimistic right now. But I don't like this team's chances a lot without Musselman and his magic. Can we count on the Warriors being able to win games against the elite teams like they did last year? I am not sure, I think Musselman had a big part in that. And now we have a coach in Montgomery that hasn't been great in big games. I don't know if you could really say the Warriors are close to the playoffs. But everything is so close that almost anything can still happen. And maybe the Warriors will be lucky enough to make the playoffs.
I can see where you're coming from Clif, but I'm a bit more optimistic than you. I think that the Warriors are stronger than/as strong as Portland, New Orleans, the Clippers, and Seattle. That's at least 11th out of 15 teams on the West. I feel that Memphis, Phoenix, Denver and Dallas will be our closest rivals in the standings. Most likely though, either two of those 4 teams will have to seriously falter for us to sneak into the final playoff spot (odds are thus stacked against us, though if I were to choose the faltering teams, it would be Phoenix and Denver), or GS will have to surpass even the wildest expectations.
I've got a feeling we're going to struggle this year but we'll get better afterward once the new system is in place.
here is mine: 1. San Antonio Spurs - Argueably the best team in the west, maybe even the league. 2. Minnesota T-Wolves - Last year, they couldn't win due to the lack of experience. This year, they have some, not to mention they have the best player in the world. 3. Sacramento kings - Although I put them this high, I don't even see them with a chance of getting back to the WCF unless Peja and C-Webb can coexist. 4. Denver Nuggets - With Kenyon Martin now on board, they have the most athletic frontcourt in the NBA. I could have put them ahead of Sacramento, but i'm not too sure on the team chemistry. 5. Los Angeles Lakers - I honestly believe Kobe can take them this high, and IF the Lakers stay healthy they could possibly grab the number 4 spot. 6. Houston Rockets - a TMac-Yao combo will definitely take them to the playoffs, but it makes me wonder how TMac will adjust to Van Gundy's system. 7. Pheonix Suns - Steve Nash, Quentin Richardson, Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudamire, that just looks great on paper. Steve Nash is one of the best pure point guards in the league, with his style of play, I can see this as a very exciting team. 8. Dallas Mavericks - It's possible they could even fail to make the playoffs this year. If Nowitzki wasn't on the team, I'd put them at 11 possibly 12. 9... <u>10. Golden State Warriors</u> - I don't see them making the playoffs this year. With everything set, I can see them making an appearance as early as the 06' season, maybe even next season.
