lock for the playoffs

Did I really need to specify it was only those 4 teams as options?

 

Do your posts really need to be insufferable?

 

Do we need to add the disclaimer of “if they remain mostly healthy”? People saying nobody is a lock or only GS...cmon. Houston, Lebron, GS, Spurs (kawhi didn’t even play last year and they added Derozan and Poetl), Utah, they are in

 

Who's a lock NOT to make it?

Phoenix, Sacramento,...? Clippers probably won't.

 

I wonder if the Spurs are shopping LaMarcus or if they don't want to freak DeRozan out any more than he currently is.
What would be a good place for him? And a trade the Spurs could live with?

 

Apparently to some?

 

That makes a lot of sense - Porter strikes me as very Kawhi-like (albeit not as talented). Another idea, if the Spurs really want to unload all their old guys:



Or if Washington need incentive to give up Porter, add a Pau Gasol-for-Mahinmi swap.

 

Sidenote: if you're ever down on some of our contracts, check out Miami's! And Riley's supposed to be the genius GM...

 

Portland will make it. A couple of the others probably will too.

 

Healthy Roberson helps their defense, but hurts their offense. Westbrook (0.293) and Roberson (0.222) will be the worst 3-point shooting starting backcourt in the league. Throw in Schröder (0.290) and that may be the worst 3-point shooting guard rotation in the modern era.

I'm not sure what Patterson can bounce back to. Here's his PER and TS% for the last three seasons:

2015-16:
PER = 10.6
TS% = .534

2016-17:
PER = 10.8
TS% = .542

2017-18:
PER = 10.0
TS% = .555

His raw numbers were down last year, but that was almost entirely due to decreased minutes playing behind Carmelo and Jerami Grant. He is who he is. With Melo gone, both Grant and Patterson have moved up one spot in the depth chart at PF. So, Patterson's raw numbers should increase, but his efficiency won't (his .386 3FG% last season, actually tied his career high). If anything, playing more minutes against better competition may result in decreased efficiency. He's a weak rebounder, a poor passer and an average, at best, defender.

Lack of depth will again kill the Thunder. Here's their current depth chart:

PG: Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schröder, Raymond Felton, Deonte Burton (two-way)
SG: Andre Roberson, Alex Abrines, Terrence Ferguson, Hamidou Diallo
SF: Paul George, Kyle Singler, Abdel Nader, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
PF: Jerami Grant, Patrick Patterson
C: Steven Adams, Nerlens Noel, Tyler Davis (two-way)

That's a whole lot of guys, especially on the wings, with single digits PERs once you get past the starting 5 (Alex Abrines PER = 9.0, Terrence Ferguson PER = 7.4, Kyle Singler PER = 5.9, Abdel Nader PER = 5.1, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, PER = 7.0). Given Noel's injury history, they are even thinner up front than the Blazers.

I understand they plan to run Westbrook and Schröder together to let Russ play off the ball a little, but I'm not sure how that is going to work. Those are two very high USG% guys who are used to having the ball in their hands and both are terrible 3-point shooters.

Paul George is a great 2-way player and Westbrook is good enough to always have his team competing for a playoff birth (while simultaneously holding them back from anything greater), but they are a long way from being a lock. I know a lot of people consider trading Carmelo addition by subtraction, but when I look at their depth chart, especially at the 2, 3 and 4 spots, I'm not sure if they will win as many games as they did last season.

BNM

 

Will anyone be surprised if:

1) MIN has terrible team chemisrtry and regresses from last season.
2) Thibs plays his starters into the ground and MIN fades down the stretch

No one seems happy there. Butler wants out and doesn't like their young guys. And, the young guys know it. Wiggins got (ridiculously over) paid, but is still unhappy with his role as 3rd banana. Now Towns wants his and isn't happy about not immediately getting offered a max extension. So much bad blood in that locker room.

BNM

 

Your Dicks in what?

 

GSW & HOU.

 

If they didnt have this turmoil surrounding them theyd probably be my 3rd lock. When healthy, they were the 3rd best team in the West last year. I think this whole thing blows up in their face though.

 

It's funny that a lot of those people consider Schroder a good addition at the same time. Schroder is just as bad of a defender as Melo, a worse shooter, and needs the ball in his hands even more to be effective.

 

Thibs was a great asst coach..maybe the best but as a head coach he grates on players and the front office the way Stan Van Gundy does..both have a history of dysfunction

 

wrong group...

 

Must resist Mrs. HCP joke...

BNM