This topic contains 49 replies, has 26 voices, and was last updated by AvatarAvatar TEQU1LA 11 years, 7 months ago.

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  • #42357
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    Nbanflguy
    Participant

    How does everyone see the Western Conference shaking out? I know it is still early, but the draft is over and most of free agency is done. So how do you see the West right now?

    • Who do you have in the playoffs?
    • A dissapointing team?
    • A surprise team?
    • Conference Champion?
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  • #702449
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    Lebron’s Hairline
    Participant

    Golden state, Minnesota, and phoenix are my surprise teams, my disappointing team will be Dallas, they got better on the wings but their frontcourt got A LOT older. Portland won’t make the playoffs despite having a good offseason, they still need a center as Meyers Leonard just isn’t ready.My top 8 seeds are:1.OKC,2.San Antonio,3.LA Lakers,4.LA clippers,5.Memphis,6.Denver,7.Minnesota,8.Dallas/ golden state

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  • #702451
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    SwatLakeCity
    Participant

    Playoff teams:

    1. Thunder
    2. Spurs
    3. Lakers
    4. Clippers
    5. Jazz
    6. Mavericks
    7. Nuggets
    8. Wolves

    Suprise teams: Wolves, Warriors, Suns

    Dissapointing Team: Grizzlies. I think losing OJ Mayo and Tony Allen only getting older will really hurt the Grizzlies this year. Tony Wroten isn’t ready to take over a starting job but maybe next year.

    Conference Champion: Thunder

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  • #702455
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    Memphis Madness
    Participant

    Playoff Order:

    1. Oklahoma City Thunder
    2. LA Lakers
    3. Memphis Grizzlies
    4. San Antonio Spurs (older, may rest more and pick their spots)
    5. LA Clippers (not a lot of difference between 3, 4, and 5)
    6. Denver Nuggets
    7. Dallas Mavericks
    8. Minnesota Timberwolves

    Surprise team: same order as last year, but maybe the T Wolves but everyone is already picking them anyway. The Mavs are a surprise and will hang in there. The Nuggets will look as good as any team in the West. The Warriors will look really good for much of the year.

    Disappointing teams: The Spurs at 4 but I think they will lose in the first round to the Clippers. The Jazz miss out on the playoffs after having made it last year. The Suns are very volatile but end up out of the playoff hunt. The Rockets will look like what they are: a young team with talent and potential. However, I don’t see them making a run at the playoffs.

    Conference champion: I am going with the Lakers. Two superstars in the back court with two all-star 7 footers inside. Then you have MWP at small forward with Antawn Jamison off the bench followed by combo guard Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Goudelock, Jordan Hill, and the underutilized Josh McRoberts — the West Coast version of the bench mob. The Lakers have too much talent and too much size. Their depth off the bench has improved too.

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  • #702459
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    lisergx
    Participant

     1. Thunder

    2.Spurs

    3. Lakers

    4. Clippers

    5. Grizzlies

    6. Nuggets

    7. Jazz

    8. Wolves

    Surprises? Wolves, Golden State, Houston

    Dissapointing? Dallas, there will be chemistry problems.

    Champions? LA Lakers, Nash is final piece to starting lineup and previously had horrid benches but thay now have a quality bench.

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  • #702461
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    jmarg25
    Participant

    Playoffs

    1. Thunder
    2. Spurs
    3. Lakers
    4. Clippers
    5. Grizzlies
    6. Nuggets
    7. Jazz
    8. Suns

    Disappointing team: Mavericks. They are old, and I don’t think Nowitzki is a superstar anymore that can lead them into the playoffs.

    Surprise team: Suns. Despite losing Nash, I think they got better. They signed Dragic, Beasley, Scola, and traded for Wes Johnson. And they have one of the most underrated players in the NBA Marcin Gortat. Kendall Marshall is a very good backup, and I think this year, Markieff Morris will get more minutes to shine.

    Conference Champions: Lakers. The addition of Nash makes their offense so much better than before IMO. They are more experienced than the Thunder, and I think LA will take more advantage of their size this season.

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  • #702458
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    Hale
    Participant

    1. Oklahoma City Thunder

    2. Los Angeles Lakers

    3. San Antonio Spurs

    4. Los Angeles Clippers

    4-8 in no order (can’t decide): Minnesota, Dallas, Memphis, Denver

    I think the Clippers or Grizzlies will be a bit disappointing.

    For a surprise I think Minnesota could be all the way up to the 5th seed, or Phoenix making it at 8.

    Conference champion for sure is OKC.

    Edit: Actually I think a healthy Golden State will be really good too. If they are healthy I think they could be a 6 seed.

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  • #702469
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    Hoops Maestro
    Participant

    Kidd and Terry and Haywood are gone.

    Collison and Mayo and Brand and Kaman are in.

    Fear the Mavs.  Dirk will be rested and ready.

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    • #702500
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      Wavy Bagels
      Participant

      They will forever miss what Tyson Chandler did for them.

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  • #702470
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    Hoops Maestro
    Participant

    I know Beasley and Dragic can ball, but they just lost one of the best point guards of all time.  Guys like Gortat and Dudley are going to be exposed now that Nash is in LA.  I mean, c’mon.

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  • #702483
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    Toronto16
    Participant

     Minnesota is not making the playoffs when they have such a defensively weak team.

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  • #702485
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    Nbanflguy
    Participant

    Minnesota is not making the playoffs when they have such a defensively weak team

    How are they weak defensively?

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    • #702487
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      Hale
      Participant

       In terms of post defense they aren’t very good, but on the perimeter they should be great.

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      • #702854
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        RedDead93
        Participant

        How they have Broy Shved JJ Ridnour Bud Williams and Linko that’s not very good.

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        • #702881
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          Hale
          Participant

           Rubio is one of the top 3 defensive PG’s in the NBA. Shved is 6’6 with long arms and tries very hard, his length as a combo guard is great. Roy won’t defend much, Ridnour is actually a very good defender, Barea sucks. Budinger is a great athlete with great size and can’t be any worse then Beasley. Kirilenko is a top-notch perimeter defender.

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  • #702489
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    Truett
    Participant

    I think that the most disappointing team will be Minnesota, Khan is realling ruining that team, Kevin Love has basicaly said that he is happy he signed a shorter deal so he could bounce sooner. You need to have a great organization if you are going to be able to attrack free agents and Khans is really failing at that.. Roy(total X factory because of his injury, but was ball dominant when healthy), Budinger(decent deep threat, energy bench guy), and Kirilenko(took the last 3-4 years off to cash checks, held out for another big pay day… you really think he came to play hard?) are supposed to help Love and Rubio make the jump? I’m not seeing it. 

    I think the Playoffs will feature all the same teams, but maybe in different orders. Its a three horse race for the top of the west and every team is going to be playing hard to avoid having to go through the other two (as the 2 seed plays the 3 seed in the conference semis). Probably this will be determined by which team is healthiest throughout the year, but if I had to guess (assuming they would all face similar levels of injuries to key guys), I would say that its going to be, 1. LA 2. SA 3. OKC with LA coming out of the west. I could see SA getting the #1 because they have been so consistent for the regular season. However, I just think that OKC can get upset more over 82 games if 2 of their big three have an off night(which is bound to happen a few times over 82 games) and I think that LA and SA will be able to handle bad nights from parker/bryant better. The teams that could fall out are Dallas (new players at every position is Dirk going to play hard this year?) and Denver (need to get a lot better on D) but I don’t think they will be surpassed by the teams on the bubble. 

    The suprising team for me will be that the Golden State Warriors AFTER Curry goes down with another injury. I think that team is tough enough to deal with adversity and Jack might be the best all around back up PG in the league. Sorry, I like Curry, but I just don’t think he is going to get past his injuries this year. Management for this team has been super agressive so far making a lot of great moves, hopefully they show a little patience and let their young players develop.

    Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I think a lot of playoff games are decided by refs who recieve "guidence" from the league. Particularly in the Thunder series against Lakers and Spurs series last year. If you rewatch those games with cynical eye you are going to see a lot of calls go the Thunder’s way and the ref’s swallow their whistles on other calls. Not saying that the Thunder were not the better team, but those games should have been a lot closer than we remember them now. That said, the league needs an LA v. MIAMI title game. they need lebron v. kobe. they need young guns v. old guard. They need the "does this make Kobe as good as Michael?" discussion. They need the human interest story about Steve Nash’s incredible career and the decision he made to be close to his fam. They need all that so Stern is going to find a way to make it happen. LAL represents the west in the finals.

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  • #702490
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    IndianaBasketball
    Participant

    Minnesota ranked 25th in the league last season defensively…

    It’s not like they added any defensive stoppers this summer.

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    • #702491
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      Nbanflguy
      Participant

      When healthy they were in the top 15 defensively. AK47 is a great defender and Stiensma is pretty good to

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    • #702493
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      Hale
      Participant

      They got rid of Beasley, D-Will has spent the whole offseason working on being a 3, while adding AK47, Shved and Stiemsma. The defense should be much improved.

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  • #702497
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    B-ball fan
    Participant

     Playoffs:

    1. Thunder

    2. Lakers

    3. Spurs

    4. Clippers

    5. Grizzlies

    6. Mavericks

    7. Nuggets

    8. Timberwolves

    Warriors will disappoint those expecting them to make the jump to a playoff team.  The Lakers will disappoint people expecting them to unseat the Thunder as the top team in the west.

    Portland is really young, but I think they will surprise some people by remaining in the playoff picture for much of the season, if only from the outside looking in.  

    I predict OKC will be the conference champion.  They have had nice roster continuity and were already tremendously good last year.  LAL will generate headlines, but I think OKC will be better on the defensive end.  Plus, OKC showed an ability to become absolutely dominant on offense in crunch time last year. 

     

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  • #702503
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    dmo21
    Participant
    1.  Lakers
    2. OKC
    3. San Antonio
    4. Clippers
    5. Memphis
    6. Denver 
    7. Golden State
    8. Minnesota

    I think Dallas is to old down low (yet very good offensively) but their back court is quite young. I think everyone will look for their shots rather than playing team ball. They will struggle with injuries all season too.

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  • #702510
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    IndianaBasketball
    Participant

    Minnesota gave up over 100 points per game and teams shot over 45% against them…

    AK47 will help, but it’s not like this is early 2000’s. He’s not that great of a defender anymore.

    Minnesota is bottom defensive team and I don’t see how anybody can argue against that.

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    • #702511
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      Nbanflguy
      Participant

      Ok just ignore what I said before. When the Timberwolves were healthy they were a top 15 defense in terms of shooting % and points allowed.

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      • #702515
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        IndianaBasketball
        Participant

        What proof did you post to show that they were top 15 "when healthy"? I mean, it’s just blah, blah, blah to me.

        The facts are that this was one of six teams that gave up 100 points per game last season. Cleveland, Charlotte, Denver, Golden State, Sacramento and Minnesota. And the facts are also there that this team has been bad defensively for the last several years. They just don’t have the defensive personnel to be a very good defensive team. This team isn’t stopping anyone.

        AK47 will help, but he’s 31 years old and way past his defensive prime. Steimsma may help if he isn’t struggling with plantar fasciitis.

        They’re a bottom team defensively. The numbers don’t lie. You being a homer doesn’t change that.

         

         

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        • #702524
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          Hale
          Participant

          I’ll give facts. Before Rubio’s injury (one of the best defensive PG’s in the NBA) they gave up 96.5 ppg, which would’ve ranked 15th (tied with San Antonio). After Rubio’s injury they gave up 106 ppg which would be by far the worst in the NBA. You can’t really debate those numbers. The difference is HUGE. They cut ties with a few poor defenders, and added some better ones. If Rubio is healthy they will be an exceptional defensive team on the perimeter. They lack great post D, but they won’t be horrific.

          Rubio is they key to everything. Without him they went 5-20. With him they were 21-20. Now he might not be healthy, in which case you’ll probably be right and they won’t be great defensively. But if he is, watch out. I’m saying this as a guy who dislikes the Timberwolves quite a bit, but having watched many of their games they are definitely a team I fear. They can be scary good.

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        • #702555
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          Nbanflguy
          Participant

          Are the stats Y2G posted good enough for you?

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    • #702517
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      Raef LaFrentz
      Participant

      "He’s not that great of a defender anymore."

      He’s playing phenomenal ball. Just because his offensive performances have shined brighter than his defensive ones, that doesn’t mean he still isn’t going to be a top 5 inside+outside defender. Have you seen him play recently? He looks very good, he makes great reads, is a tremendous help defender (something the Wolves have lacked for years), and can guard multiple positions effectively. He’s "running like a young deer". You’re right, he will help. But he’ll help a lot more than you think.

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      • #702519
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        IndianaBasketball
        Participant

        He’s still a good defender. I’m just saying that he’s not that same defender that was making All-Star teams back in the early 2000’s. That was a guy who was averaging 3 blocks and almost 2 steals. He’s not that great anymore.

         

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  • #702513
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    stifler101
    Participant

    As of now, I think the playoff order is as follows:

    1. Thunder

    2. Lakers

    3. Clippers

    4. Spurs

    5. Grizzlies

    6. Nuggets

    7. Mavericks

    8. Timberwolves

     

    Surprise teams: Timberwolves & Warriors.  The T’Wolves are finally making some smart moves.  Addition by subtraction by getting rid of Beasley and Wes Johnson.  Rubio coming back healthy, the development development of Derrick Williams, and with the additions of Kirilenko, Roy, Shved, Budinger, and even Stiemsma, they have a solid & versatile roster with a great coach.  The Warriors have a ton of talent and shooting, and Bogut should help a lot of the defensive woes, but the asterisk for them is their health…

     

    Disappointing team: Houston is going to be awful…enough said.

     

    Conference Champion: I agree with many who have stated that my Lakers will uncrown the Thunder.  I think that the additions of Nash and Jamison, coupled with a full training camp for this group will do wonders for this team.  They’ll take some time to develop, but I think they’re going to hit their stride come May and make a run at another title.  This could be even more of a slam dunk if we acquire an engaged Dwight Howard, but I still think we can win without him.

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  • #702514
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    aamir543
    Participant

    I like the T-Wolves, but too many uncertainties for me to ride with them, they have top 5 in the West potential for as soon as this year, but there are too many moving parts this season, I honestly have no clue if B-Roy is gonna be 22 ppg Portland Roy or 8ppg 39% shooting washed up shell of himself(I hope it’s the first) we don’t know when Rubio’s coming back, and how good he’ll be when he gets back. I love Nik Pek, think he’s gonna be great but we haven’t seen nearly enough from him to guage how he’s gonna do this season, you have several new guys that you try to throw together, it’s gonna take some time for these pieces to mesh. But let me tell you, Alexey Shevd is one bad man, he can really make some noise, If B-Roy can even give 15 ppg that’s huge, Kirilenko is not the defender he once was, but he will still chip in 8-12 ppg, plus you have Love and hopefully Rubio will be close to full strength when he comes back. But for me this season is going to be a transitioning season, and I do see them in the lotto this season, but I expect great things from them in the future and would not be surprised if they breakout and win 50 though.

    As for a surprise team, I really like the Nuggets again. They’re fast, have shooters, and unbelievable depth. Anthony Randolph is gonna make their rotation, which means that Al Harrington may be the odd man out, they have Lawson, Miller, Afflalo, Brewer, Chandler, Gallo, Harrington, Faried, Randolph, McGee, and Mozgov. Plus you have young guys like Fournier and Hamilton who could break out. And if your bigs McGee and Mozgov get into foul trouble or get hurt, you have Koufas who had the starting job for a portion of last season. Realistically, a guy like Gallo or Chandler or McGee isn’t going to become a star player, it’s not going to happen, but I do think they could pose a serious threat to other teams in the league despite their lack of star power. If George Karl could use training camp to instill some really solid defensive scheme or even a zome that improves their defense, I would seriously watch out for the Nuggets this season. 

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  • #702518
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    aamir543
    Participant

     

    As for the standings, very similar to last year’s except for the 8th spot. No disrespect to Utah, they do have a bright future, but there are going to be too many teams vieing for that last spot, it’ll be one of these following teams: Utah, Minny, Houston(yes, I love their rooks, love them), and my dubs. I do think the Nuggets will snag a top 5 spot, but I still think the Spurs will be a top 3 team, and they’ll win close to 60 games. LA, OKC and SAS will finish top 3 in no particular order, and then my next three are Denver, LAC, and the Grizz, with the Mavs still very solid but I just don’t think they have enough to contend. And then 8th is up for grabs.

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  • #702520
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    fcb206
    Participant

    I have a weird take on the west, I am much more bullish on the T-wolves than most. I think their combination of Love and Rubio and a better supporting cast could make them a 50+ win team.  I agree that golden state could really shine if their injury prone guys can stay on the court and Klay Thompson improves and Barnes makes a significant contribution.

    1. Thunder

    2. Lakers

    3. Wolves

    4. Clippers

    5. Spurs

    6. Grizzlies

    7. Nuggets

    8. Warriors

     

    I think dallas is a lottery team next year.

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  • #702525
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    aamir543
    Participant

    How do you guys have San Antonio out of your Top 3? They didn’t get worse, they kept the team intact, and niether one of their older guys have showed any signs of significantly dropping off. If anything they should do better, Manu was hurt for a majority of last season and only averaged 12 ppg, he’ll do a bit better, You have to assume that Cap’n Jack has more in the tank than just to be a "nasty" guy, and until the OKC debacle they didn’t even lose a game with Boris Diaw. I have a real tough time seeing them drop below even the Lakers, let alone out of the Top 3. They’re still going to be  top tier team this coming season.

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    • #702553
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      stifler101
      Participant

      For me, at least, I think that the top 4 in the west will be pretty neck and neck record-wise.  I have the Spurs as 4th, but it could be any of those 4 really.  I think that the Clippers have improved drastically, getting Chauncey back healthy and revamping their bench giving them some potent depth.  Come playoff time, it comes down to matchups, and I think that the Thunder will take them out again in the second round.

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      • #702567
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        aamir543
        Participant

        ^That’s cool, I wasn’t trying to call out anyone who didn’t have them in the Top 3. Your reason is definatly valid, the West is so tight, I expect 5 55 win teams, which also means several teams will have sub-25 win seasons, I think that the teams in the West are so good, but I also think that the East will be so horrendous, a 30-somthing win team will sneak in, in fact so bad that the 8th seed in the West will probably be a 3 or 4 seed in the East, just like 2007 when the Nuggets barely sneaked in at 50-32, and my dubs got robbed at 48-34.

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        • #702821
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          stifler101
          Participant

          Agreed.  I was just posting somewhere else how the bottom of the West will be a dogfight between Dallas, Utah, Golden State, and Minnesota.  The East’s bottom will be a dogfight, too, but with much worse all-around teams, like Philly, Washington, Atlanta, Orlando, Milwaukee, and maybe even Toronto.  Should be an interesting season.

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  • #702536
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    Memphis Madness
    Participant

    I think a big question that others have brought up is when will Rubio be healthy? How much time will he miss? I have them as the 8th seed but I think they could give the Thunder a good series. I think AK-47 would do as well as anyone on
    Durant then you have a better pass-first point guard in Rubio. The T Wolves have better centers with Pek and Stiemsma and Ibaka will have his hands full with Kevin Love. … I think that Brandon Roy is a good counter point to James Harden.

    I also think that Rick Adelman is a better coach than Scott Brooks. T Wolves vs. Lakers would be another great first round matchup.

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  • #702565
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    Grandmama
    Participant

    Playoff teams;  Thunder, Lakers, Clippers, Spurs, Mavericks, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Blazers….last 2 out Wolves, Warriors

    Champ:  Thunder

     

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  • #702572
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    lilballa141
    Participant

    Playoffs

    1. OKC

    2. Clippers

    3. Spurs

    4. Warriors

    5. Lakers

    6. Grizzlies

    7. Nuggets

    8.Wolves

    This kinda hurts leavin the mavs and jazz out.. i think the wolves are at 8 no matter what but mavs/jazz could have that 6/7 spot just as easily as grizz and nuggets missing the playoffs.

    Disappointing team.. Could be mavs lakers/ warriors / nuggets / grizz.. Im going with lakers tho as far as their expectations. yes they got nash or watever.. I think bynum is making it clear he wants out..pau’s feelings are probably hurt for all these trade rumors.. nash a year older.. kobe a year older + played in olympics.. this team has a recipe for success as well as failure

    Surprise team.. as you can tell is my Warriors.. yes i may have reached for homecourt but Healthy I see them pulling this off.. keyword Health.. we are young and deep.. Klay emerging as one of the better shooting guards as he’s already one of the better shooters in the league. Steph can create for himself as well as others..also one of the best shooters.. with a polished harrison.. david lee and finally a big man in bogut.. with that bum Beans backing him up…also just picked up Carl Landry.. great addition.. works hard and is physical..backup pg…i dont see us missing the playoffs even with a injury to curry with Jack in town

    Conference champ.. OKC

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  • #702574
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    Cheesus
    Participant

    Thunder – another year of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden.  Plus a solid supporting cast.  

    Lakers – Got better with Nash and Jamison.  They are going to have an impresive starting five and a good bench. May get worse if the add CJ miles thoough.

    Spurs- another year older, but with their big three coming back and all three looking good still they should still be a pretty tough team to beat.  Also as long a coach Pop is there they should be competitive. 

    Grizz – I think the Clippers are the popular choice for number 4 in the west but I have the Griz slightly ahead of them.  Gasol is getting better, Randloph is still playing like a beast.  Conley and Allen make a really good back court.  I think there success depends on how Gay plays.

    Clippers – CP3 is a beast.  Griffin is getting better.  Adding Hill and Odom will help with depth.  Butler is still a good contributer and I think Bledsoe will have a break out season coming off the bench and helping the second unit.

    Jazz – I may have them a little high on account of my homerism, but the were 8th seed last year and have only gotten better this off season.  Lots of there players are on contract years so I expect an increase in production.  There biggest improvements will come from within however, with Hayward and Favors entering there 3rd season and Burks and Kanter entering there second season.  Players generally see a lot of improvements from these jumps.  

    Mavs -I thought they’d end up with an awful off season after losing so many free agents, but they ended up doing pretty well.  I thought about putting them higher, but I think it may take awhile for all there players to mesh togather.  They will be a tough matchup come play off time though.

    Denver – They are deep at every position, and they have a lot of young talent.  They lack an all star caliber player though.  If they stay healthy they will barely make the playoofs.

    I really wanted to put the timberwolves, blazers, and golden state on the list but I think they will be the three teams that are on the outside looking in.  The timberwolves success will depend on Rubio.  The trailblazers just seem to be cursed, and the Warriors will have to depend on the health of Bogut and Curry, two players who just can’t seem to stay healthy. 

     

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  • #702643
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    u mad bro
    Participant

     1. OKC

    2. Lakers 

    3. Spurs

    4. Clippers

    5. Dallas 

    6. Twolves

    7. Memphis

    8. Denver

    Dissapointing team: Memphis- lost some nice role players

    Supprise team: Warriors- if healthy they could be good

    Conference champs: OKC

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  • #702648
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    Truett
    Participant

    That there are a lot of timberwolves fans in this forum… Question: would you be disappointed if they missed the playoffs? I know that I would. They have a lot of fun players to root for, but I think that they have had one of the worst off seasons of any team this year because they have the worst currently employed GM in the league (a title formerly held by otis smith). Mark my words, in 2015-16 the wolves will be deep in the tax, kevin love will be demanding a trade, and someone will be asking whether or not Khan was the worst GM of all time.

    Not only did he send away a top five pick in Johnson(who was prob a bust, but khan also drafted him with a top 5 pick), but he also sent away another protected 1st rounder in order to sign andre kirilenko to a 2 year 20 million dollar contract! This is same kirilenko who basically stopped trying hard in 2006, who was only getting $4m a year in russia, but somehow got 2.5 times that to come to the U.S.! Normally, players go to europe to get paid because they are not going to be able to get a good contract in the league. Someone needs to give his agent a medal. The only reason that happened is because they whiffed so badly on the Batum signing (where they gave him an offer sheet they could not actually meet). Prior to that the signed brandon roy whom I love as a player, but is a really low probability of success move, albeit one that could have been used as leverage in a batum sign and trade (the more money that Roy is paid the less that the Blazers need to pay off his contract). However, because he he didn’t have that leverage, the only move that Khan could do was alienate his most recent top 5 draft pick. 

    When I color the fact this way things do not look optimistic for the wolves . I’ll admit that I am a little bit of a hater when it comes to khan, and I’ll admit that I think the budinger deal was a good hedge move. However, I just dont think that budinger, along with the aforementioned moves, along with sheved (23 y/o moving half way around the world), and Steisma (got 7mins a game in the playoffs, less than ryan hollins got) are going to make the wolves a playoff team. That’s disappointing to me because I think timberwolves fans deserve better, I think that the kevin love is the best young PF in the league right now, I think rubio has a lot of potential, and I want to see these players in the playoff. Unfortunately that might not happen because Khan is completely inept. 

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    • #702736
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      Nbanflguy
      Participant

      You are way off base. The Timberwolves have had one of the BEST offseasons in the league. Last year we were really not that great of a team, but we were still posed to make the playoffs before Rubio went down. We have cut all the garbage now and replaced it with great pieces. Look at our depth chart:

      PG: Rubio, Ridnour, Barea, Lee

      SG: Roy, Shved, Buddinger

      SF: Kirilenko, Buddinger, Hummel

      PF: Love, Williams, Cunningham

      C: Pekovic, Stiensma

      That is just a basic outline and most of those players can and will play multiple positions. That is a very solid and deep team and lets not forget that all those players fit into Adleman’s system perfectly.

      Now to address some more of your points:

      • Wes Johnson was one of the worst players in the league last year and showed absolutely no signs of progress. He is also 25 years old, much older than most 2nd year players.
      • The Brandon Roy signing literally has no risk to it. It is a no risk-high reward move. It is a 2 year deal for only like $10 million dollars. The 2nd year is not guaranteed and the contract is insured so that if he cant play we get all our money back. There is literally no downside. The wolves were competitive last year with the worst SG play in the league by far and a Roy at even 50% is a upgrade.
      • Kirilenko fits a perfect need. He literally can do everything and is very undervauled. In fact if you look at alot of metric stats he is statistically a top 100 player in nba history (I know he really is not that good talent wise, but based on metrics he has a huge impact). Once again not alot of risk here. People are acting like 2 years for $20 million is a big deal, but it is not. Even if he does suck or get injured then he will be a valuable trade asset next year because in the nba a $10 million expiring contract is pure gold.
      • Shved is a question mark, but it appears like he does have pretty high upside. It will probably take a little while for him to adjust to the nba game, but like I said we hade the worst sg’s in the league last year and it wont take alot for him to be an improvement.
      • Stiensma is a very solid defender and we lacked that in the post last year
      • Buddinger knows Adleman’s system and can shoot the 3 which our wings could not do last year.

      We had a great offseason and if we stay healthy we will be a team that no one wants to face.

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      • #702857
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        RedDead93
        Participant

        Roy won’t be 50% the wolves only hope is Rubio. If he has a lost year coming back mid January the team will be in the lottery or lose in the first round.

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      • #703089
        AvatarAvatar
        BothTeamsPlayedHard
        Participant

        "Last year we were really not that great of a team, but we were still posed to make the playoffs before Rubio went down. We have cut all the garbage now and replaced it with great pieces. Look at our depth chart"

        They weren’t going to the playoffs. Minnesota was 21-20 when Rubio went down despite an absurdly frontloaded home schedule in a compressed season where road trips ruined the records of every non-elite team (OKC, San Antonio, Miami, and Chicago) in the league. There is a reason that they had to play 18 straight games without back-to-back home games. It is because they loaded up early in the season, and did nothing special with it. They had every advantage early on, and did nothing. When the schedule got tough, they folded like every bad team in the league did (4 wins in those 18 games).

        "The Brandon Roy signing literally has no risk to it. It is a no risk-high reward move. It is a 2 year deal for only like $10 million dollars. The 2nd year is not guaranteed and the contract is insured so that if he cant play we get all our money back. There is literally no downside. The wolves were competitive last year with the worst SG play in the league by far and a Roy at even 50% is a upgrade."

        Brandon Roy has not magically grown cartilage in his knee. Orthokine therapy and growth hormone-rich plasma injections do not grow back cartilage. Kobe Bryant has done more marketing for these procedures than anyone, but what did it accomplish? He was gunning inefficiently because Lamar Odom was gone. His numbers jumped because the Lakers played him more minutes and he took more shots. It was dumb of them to do so, and he was burned out by March. Gilbert Arenas underwent blood spinning and his play was abysmal. DeShawn Stevenson went to Germany and said he never felt better and that his knees hadn’t felt ten years younger. He swore that his knees never felt better, but his shot was never worse. Alex Rodriguez went to Germany to have Orthokine therapy and while I don’t know how his shoulder and knee feel, it hasn’t altered the fact that he is in decline. Jonathan Bender, Darius Miles, and Allen Houston tried to make a comeback. They felt better going in, but the pain that comes with an NBA season is not the same as that of a comeback workout. In Roy’s final season, he wasn’t the guy who was operating off the dribble and able to either get to the rim and finish or pull up in mid-range and be as good at that range as anyone. Minnesota is not getting the 2008 Brandon Roy. He was a 40 percent shooter and 33 percent from three. The best they can hope for is that Roy has a McGrady-like post injury career where in limited minutes his head allows him to make a few plays. It is not worth $5 million on a rebuilding team.

        "Kirilenko fits a perfect need. He literally can do everything and is very undervauled. In fact if you look at alot of metric stats he is statistically a top 100 player in nba history (I know he really is not that good talent wise, but based on metrics he has a huge impact). Once again not alot of risk here. People are acting like 2 years for $20 million is a big deal, but it is not. Even if he does suck or get injured then he will be a valuable trade asset next year because in the nba a $10 million expiring contract is pure gold."

        He cannot be undervalued when he went from a 6-year $86 million contract to a 2-year $20 million contract. He misses 20 games per year on average for his career, and the expiring contract is not pure gold. How is that golden Jose

        Calderon contract treating Toronto? When healthy, Kirilenko is a good player, but he hasn’t played 70 games since 2008.

        "Stiensma is a very solid defender and we lacked that in the post last year"

        He was a big body who tried to block every shot and was more likely to send guys to the line than stop someone. They paid Darko to go away to overpay a lesser Darko.

        "Buddinger knows Adleman’s system and can shoot the 3 which our wings could not do last year."

        From 3
        Budinger-
        2009-10: 92-249, 36.9
        2010-11: 89-274, 32.5
        2011-12: 88-219, 40.2
        Career: 269-742, 36.3

        Webster
        2009-10: 124-332, 37.3
        2010-11: 55-132, 41.7
        2011-12: 37-109, 33.9
        Three Year: 216-573, 37.7
         

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  • #702669
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    TallmanNYC
    Participant

     Let’s look at it this way, the Wolves starting lineup might be Rubio, Shevd, AK47, Love and Pek. Four of those guys could be starting for Olympic teams right now. Shved and AK are starting for a 2 and 0 Russia team that might end up being a medal contender. They are also both doing some work out there. (AK is averaging about 25 per game and shooting something like 80%!!!) Rubio is out, but would be starting for Spain. Love is playing about as well as anyone on the US team right now, except for KD and Lebron. I could easily see him being the starting PF before the end of the Olympics. If Roy beats out Shevd, that might be because he has gotten some of his game back. But Shevd should be about an average SG, maybe slightly below average. It will still be a huge improvement over Barea and Ridnour attempting to guard SGs. I don’t know if Rubio can come back fully healthy this season and I don’t know if Pek can keep it up. But this team is a playoff team on paper, easy.

    Buddinger and Steisman are also good role player pickups. Each does their job, though Steisman does foul too much.

    The thing is Beasely, Johnson and Darko are gone! My above analysis about all these new players kind of misses the point. You don’t need much more than average to good players in the starting lineup because they have Love and his 25 points and 13 rebounds. That’s their star. When they win 50 games, it isn’t because Love will somehow have gotten better, it is that he will have better teammates around him.  

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    • #702859
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      RedDead93
      Participant

      Dude the Olympics aren’t the NBA or chris Paul would be out of a job and Pops mensa would be a starter.

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      • #702931
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        TallmanNYC
        Participant

         Actually the Olympic teams that advance out of the preliminary rounds, could easily give the average NBA team all it could handle. You have teams that couldn’t beat a D1 squad from the ACC playing in the preliminary rounds. But the squads that advance are going to be very good teams. US will crush them but it isn’t because NBA basketball is such a higher level than Olympic level basketball. The US team would crush any but the top two or three NBA teams. Frankly, I think the Heat and OKC could give the US team a good game because of superior chemistry. But ultimately for eithe team when their starters went to the bench they would be crushed by the US team’s bench.

        Anyway, you are dissing Olympic basketball because of the preliminary rounds. Wait until the weak teams are kicked, then you are going to have some pretty good squads. Spain’s team, for example, could easily be put into the NBA and compete just fine. Same thing for all the medal contenders. 

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  • #702988
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    Truett
    Participant

    Listen, you Wolves fans and I are just so far apart there is no point in talking about it. I am not going to convince you and you can’t sway me. I will admit that I thought the Budinger signing was a good move considering your needs (2s and 3s) and the players available in the draft at that point…but thats it… why dont we shelve this convo till the trade deadline? when actual games have been played? If the wolves are in the playoffs I will say that you were all right and I was wrong, but if they are not, you have to admit that David Kahn is a bad GM… sound fair? 

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  • #703143
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    TEQU1LA
    Participant

     What drafting Flynn over Curry or W.Johnson over Cousins doesn’t float your boat? It’s not like he traded away Lawson or Montiejunas for cr@p, oh wait he did, LOL.

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