SA is getting older by the minute. I just don't understand how yous peoples can't see that...........despite adding the runaway husband.
I want to see how healthy Duncan is before I annoint San Antonio the best team in the West. I remember that ESPN game against us when he looked run down. Ginobili needs to be healthy for that team to be good as well.
i think people see a team returning all 6 of its players that averaged 20 minutes or more per game last year and add richard jefferson and antonio mcdyess to that.
I guess the same way somes people that know the Blazers biggest weakness last year was perimeter defense and did nothing to help that this year think we will be better? The Blazers should improve, but I don't think we did enough to overcome our pathetic record against above .500 teams on the road in the western conference. I also don't think it's logical to think Portland can continue to come back from double digits as many times as they did last year.
The Blazers virtually owned the Spurs last season and I think they'll pass them by this season. It's no wonder to me that a large number of Blazer fans would have rather seen them play the Spurs in the playoffs last season, as opposed to the Rockets.....HCA, or not.
of course the spurs didn't have manu for the playoffs last year and duncan clearly wasn't at 100%. in terms of the regular season, you've got to assume that an offseason of rest will help duncan and manu is going to come back. and with the roster additions, duncan and manu will likely be able to rest more during the season. i think in terms of the regular season, the spurs are definitely right there with and very possibly a little bit ahead of the blazers. for the playoffs, that all depends on how the new guys mesh for both teams, the health of the spurs, and the development of the blazers so it's hard to say at this point who exactly will have the advantage.
Fair enough. I just happen to believe that injuries will be a continuing theme with the Spurs. As I said above, they're aging by the minute these days. It's all good, though.
Yea the big elephant in the room in San Antonio will be about Ginobili coming back. That could be a 5 place slide easily, and the difference between contenders and one of the pack.
I understand the concern over age/injuries, but there is at least an equal chance that Duncan and Gino return to all-star level. Oden/Pryz have a worse track record for injuries than those 2 guys - but every prediction made so far is based on them being healthy. Dallas has Kidd (age), Denver has Billups (age), LA has Bynum (injuries), the Suns have Nash (age) and Amare (injuries).......you can talk yourself into believing *nobody* in the West is a play-off team!
So who else wins the 8th seed? GS has a tremendous ability to sabotage themselves, OKC is too young and too perimeter oriented, the Clips are a joke, and Houston is stuck in a holding pattern. The Suns may get the 8th seed just by default!
Winning on the road against good teams takes experience. I think the playoff experience will really help our confidence this year. I also think fans drastically underestimate how good a team defender Miller is. He knows where his help defense is and knows how to steer the offensive player to a position he's not comfortable. Adding Miller should also help with our confidence on the road. It will be nice to get some easy baskets this year.
that's ridiculous. the mavs and jazz have both been bad road teams the last couple of years, yet both teams are very experienced and have had lots of success at home.
i'll go with 65+ wins 1. lakers 55-65 wins 2. spurs 3. blazers 4. mavs 5. nuggets 50-55 wins 6. hornets 45-50 7. jazz 40-45 wins 8. suns 9. rockets 35-40 wins 10. warriors 11. thunder 20-30 wins 12. grizzlies 13. clippers 14. kings 15. twolves with the teams grouped together when i think they will finish with similar records.
That doesn't mean his statement is ridiculous. If you had pointed to inexperienced teams that have had success on the road, then you would be countering his point. I don't think he's saying that EVERY experienced team succeeds on the road, but he's saying that every inexperienced team fails there. Ed O.
A) Why do people think that OKC is magically going to win 15-20 more games this season than last season? That's a HUGE leap. What have they done in the offseason to make that leap? B) Why is everyone counting out Houston? Scola, Battier, Brooks, Landry, Hayes, and Ariza still make up a group of people who know how to win basketball games. Brooks and Landry could have breakout years, in fact.
my rankings: 1. Portland 2. L.A. Lakers 3. San Antonio 4. Denver 5. New Orleans 6. Dallas 7. Houston 8. Phoenix 9. Utah 10. L.A. Clippers 11. Memphis 12. Golden State 13. OKC 14. Minnesota 15. Sacramento
james harden is a good player. i expect him to make an impact immediately as a rookie. year 3 for durant and green helps as well as it being westbrook's 2nd year. because the rockets don't have anyone who can consistently create their own offense, have no one who can draw a double team, and have no defensive presence inside.
Everyone can put their money where their mouth is, so to speak, when the Western Conference Prediction Game gets announced in October. But I see nothing that tells me the Warriors will improve 12 or so games.
