[quote]Teledin wrote:
Should be a solid season. Teams seem a little more stacked this year all around. Plenty of room for some guys in smaller market teams to step up and shine. Also I think this rookie season is going to be the best for a while. Hard to pick who might get ROY.
Also hella excited to see Brandon Roy back and seemingly healthy. Dark day when that man had to retire.[/quote]
teams seem more stacked except for lakers and miami. it’s freaking unfair. it’s almost basically one all star team against the other
Unbelivably I caught myself watching the first quarter of the Celtics-Nets preseason game last night. Barclays looks great. Boston will be even more of a terror than usual defensively, with Lee/Bradley replacing some of Allen’s minutes.
The Nets can do a TON on offense due to the versatility of Joe Johnson and Deron Williams. Deron is a great off-the-ball player for a PG, and can come off screens or work in the post against smaller guards. Joe is a great shooter, has huge size for a 2-guard with the ability to back down smaller players, and can come off screens, etc.
Nets also have a TON of rebounding… Lopez sucks in this regard but every other player in their starting lineup outrebounds his position.
That being said, they are going to have a hard time stopping anyone from scoring and have almost no depth (particularly in the frontcourt). They’ll probably finish top 4 in the East but aren’t a threat to win the title.
I love Dwight Howard as a player, but I’m going to withhold judgment of the Lakers’ title chances until I see him on the court. Back surgery is a scary thing.
They NEED his everywhere-at-all-times defense, so if he’s at 80% mobility, I’m still taking OKC over them. If he’s at 100% then I like the Lakers for WCF winners.
I am really curious to see the Nash-Kobe ballhandling dynamic.
I’m also predicting OKC as the dominant team in the West. I’d like the Lakers to finish as low as possible but I think they’ll be the second best team. I’m really curious to see how Kobe and Howard get along once he starts doggin it.
In the East, I’m going with the Heat (easy one there). I’ll also say they’ll have the best record in the NBA. I’m going with 65 wins if everyone is healthy. I’m curious to see how D-Wade looks given the minor knee surgery he had. He was looking off in last years playoffs. I think that was a major factor.
The Knicks should take the Atlantic division. But then again, last year was a big “should” year for them too. The Rasheed Wallace pick up was weird for me. Chandler always reminded me of him. His mannerism and hotheadedness always made me think of Wallace. Between the 2 of them next year, they might be able to set some record for technical fouls. Kind of like back when Laimbeer played with Rodman.
Lakers won’t be a top team in the regular season due to player usage, but in the playoffs where starters/stars play a much higher percentage of minutes, LAL will be right there with OKC.
Their bench is dreadful but it matters less in the playoffs.
If Wade gets hurt again (not unlikely), some crazy stuff could happen in the east.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Lakers won’t be a top team in the regular season due to player usage, but in the playoffs where starters/stars play a much higher percentage of minutes, LAL will be right there with OKC.
Their bench is dreadful but it matters less in the playoffs.
If Wade gets hurt again (not unlikely), some crazy stuff could happen in the east.[/quote]
I really hope Wade can stay healthy. IN the two preseason games against the Clippers he was playing great defense, getting blocks, steals, moving very well etc, but was very rusty shooting the ball. Yesterday they played the Pistons and Wade had 21 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, a block, and a steal in 23 minutes. He looked great.
I know the pre-season doesn’t matter or mean much but going 0-8 and playing the way they have played thus far, even with Dwight Howard, isn’t impressing anyone.
NO WAY is this team winning more than 70 games like Metta predicted. I feel dirty for even bringing that up. I can’t even seriously contemplate them winning 60 games - not with the talent there is around the league today.
Just heard about Tracy McGrady going over to China to finish his career. The guy will definitely be missed from the vantage point he won’t be associated with the NBA any more. Obviously, T-Mac lost relevance a couple of years ago (or more than a couple) after his string of injuries. He had that awesome run back in the day when he was just dominating the league and putting up crazy numbers.
He was 2-time NBA leading scorer and used to be one of the most exciting players to watch. It’s a sad story especially because he had so much talent. I’ve heard people say he could have been at Kobe’s level or (gasp) above it. He went from being at the top of the league to slowly, then abruptly sinking into obscurity. I don’t know if it was just injuries at play that resulted in his decline (you may have to factor in hard-work and motivation) but it makes you appreciate even more the talent out there that has done it and continues to do it consistently. I’m talking about KG, Kobe, Duncan, (who else am I missing) - guys who have played All-Star calibre basketball for an extensive period of time.
[quote]Gettnitdone wrote:
I know the pre-season doesn’t matter or mean much but going 0-8 and playing the way they have played thus far, even with Dwight Howard, isn’t impressing anyone.
NO WAY is this team winning more than 70 games like Metta predicted. I feel dirty for even bringing that up. I can’t even seriously contemplate them winning 60 games - not with the talent there is around the league today. [/quote]
The thing is, Pau/Kobe/Nash aren’t getting any younger, and in particular Nash is gonna need resting in the regular season. If Nash plays 30 mins/night and their big guns all play in the high-ish 30s, they’ll probably win 60 games or so because their bench is AWFUL, again.
However, when the postseason starts and the stars are all playing 40-44mins per game, the bench woes go away and they get like 30-40 extra (total) minutes of all-pro caliber play from 4 positions. This team is built for the postseason, period, and the vets probably know it.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Lakers won’t be a top team in the regular season due to player usage, but in the playoffs where starters/stars play a much higher percentage of minutes, LAL will be right there with OKC.
Their bench is dreadful but it matters less in the playoffs.
If Wade gets hurt again (not unlikely), some crazy stuff could happen in the east.[/quote]
I really hope Wade can stay healthy. IN the two preseason games against the Clippers he was playing great defense, getting blocks, steals, moving very well etc, but was very rusty shooting the ball. Yesterday they played the Pistons and Wade had 21 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, a block, and a steal in 23 minutes. He looked great. [/quote]
He’s never played 80 games in a season, seems to always have a lingering ailment, and is turning 30 in January. I wouldn’t bet on him remaining healthy, which is why I don’t think the Heat are winning 65+ games.
[quote]Gettnitdone wrote:
I know the pre-season doesn’t matter or mean much but going 0-8 and playing the way they have played thus far, even with Dwight Howard, isn’t impressing anyone.
NO WAY is this team winning more than 70 games like Metta predicted. I feel dirty for even bringing that up. I can’t even seriously contemplate them winning 60 games - not with the talent there is around the league today. [/quote]
The thing is, Pau/Kobe/Nash aren’t getting any younger, and in particular Nash is gonna need resting in the regular season. If Nash plays 30 mins/night and their big guns all play in the high-ish 30s, they’ll probably win 60 games or so because their bench is AWFUL, again.
However, when the postseason starts and the stars are all playing 40-44mins per game, the bench woes go away and they get like 30-40 extra (total) minutes of all-pro caliber play from 4 positions. This team is built for the postseason, period, and the vets probably know it.[/quote]
And you also have to factor in how Kobe is going to play with all this extra help. He hasn’t has this much talent on his team since Shaq. I think it goes either way - he’s either going to improve his production or ruin the team’s chemistry.
What about Mike Brown - can he handle all the talent on the roster? And the forgotten man, Pau Gasol? I actually think Pau will up his game with all the additions the Lakers have made. That doesn’t necessarily mean a higher scoring average but improved efficiency. You have to think the off-season opened his eyes on how disposable he was in all the trade talk. Playing with nash can’t hurt either. If he stays bland then I think’s it’s definitive that his best years are behind him.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Lakers won’t be a top team in the regular season due to player usage, but in the playoffs where starters/stars play a much higher percentage of minutes, LAL will be right there with OKC.
Their bench is dreadful but it matters less in the playoffs.
If Wade gets hurt again (not unlikely), some crazy stuff could happen in the east.[/quote]
I really hope Wade can stay healthy. IN the two preseason games against the Clippers he was playing great defense, getting blocks, steals, moving very well etc, but was very rusty shooting the ball. Yesterday they played the Pistons and Wade had 21 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, a block, and a steal in 23 minutes. He looked great. [/quote]
He’s never played 80 games in a season, seems to always have a lingering ailment, and is turning 30 in January. I wouldn’t bet on him remaining healthy, which is why I don’t think the Heat are winning 65+ games.[/quote]
He doesn’t need to play 80 games though and I doubt they have to win 65 games either. Miami will most likely still get the number one spot in the East, especially with aging Boston and Rose-less Bulls. He’s going to be playing fewer minutes, which is good. Save him for the playoffs. I’ve been following all the Heat preseason games and Wade is looking much, much better than all of last season.
