Ok, so I didn't grow up with the 1992 Dream Team of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, and (how could we forget) Christian Laettner. I do remember the 1996 squad of Stockton, Malone, Jordan, Pippen, Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Penny Hardaway, Shaquille O'Neal, Mitch Richmond, Grant Hill, Reggie Miller, and Gary Payton. I thought, it'd be interesting to make my own 12 man squad of who would be up there on my dream squad, and how they would fit together to compete, who I'd have a specializers and who I'd have taking the shots. This would be fun to see in reality, or perhaps as close as I can get, which would be like NBA 2k8 or something. If I were to make my dream NBA team with the players today, here and now, here's what it'd look like:
Starting 5:
PG - LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
I know, half of you are thinking "WHAT?!" I'm sure everyone was half expecting Chris Paul, the other half expecting Deron Williams, and a small fraction perhaps expecting Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, or Baron Davis. LeBron is a ball handler, that's what you get when you have a point guard like Daniel ("Boobie") Gibson on your team. LeBron is a born passer, which, if you recall, merited him some criticism in the 2007 playoffs. However, despite LeBron's tendency now to finish, I still like it when he moves to pass. He's got the speed, the athleticism, the court vision, the touch, in addition to that, he's 6-8 and 240 lbs, name me a point guard that can guard that. I like size on a court, it creates a lot of mismatches, I think if he had the right pieces, and were able to focus more on distributing and defense, he'd be one of the best point forwards ever, hey, Scottie Pippen got his fair share of scoring done too.
SG - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
Despite his struggles to adjust to the international game, opening his first two games in the Olympics with with a respectable 41% FG percentage but shooting only 6% from beyond the arc. He managed to pick it up a little later in the games including an impressive 25 point showing on 10-16 shooting and 4-7 from three point range against Australia, which he promptly followed by shooting 5-14 from the field and 2-9 from beyond the arc against Argentina. However, despite all these struggles, I still think he's the best player in the league, at least on the offensive end. He's a potent creator for his shots, and while he draws comparisons I don't think his game is like Michael Jordan's really. MJ liked the 12-15 ft turn around fader from the post, whereas Kobe I think prefers the quick jab to a pull up jumper from about 18 ft out. Both are amazing, both can pass, both can finish, but I think their strengths are different. That being said, I'm making a roster of today's players, and Kobe would be my goto guy if I can't get my offense to work. Additionally, as much as you might think his defense is overhyped, the Lakers did win 2001, and got things done, especially after putting him on Allen Iverson since Tyronne Lue kept getting burned. Kobe may not have contained Iverson, but he did a heck of a job slowing him down.
SF - Rashard Lewis (Orlando Magic)
Another "What?!" from all the readers out there, I know, even with LeBron James as the starting point guard I'm sure you expected maybe Paul Pierce or Caron Butler or maybe even Tracy McGrady, I bet you probably thought a defensive specialist like Bruce Bowen or Tayshaun Prince might even get a better crack at the rotation. As you might have noticed, I'm a big Rashard Lewis fan. Every rotation I think needs a three point specialist, and as you might have noticed Rashard Lewis is something of a 3 pt specialist. I believe that his current stint with the Orlando Magic has been somewhat overshadowed by the emergence of Hedo Turkoglu, but I believe he's a better and more refined player than Hedo, they're just so similar he's relegated to shooting 3s more because he's better at it. If you actually look closely, Lewis also has a penchant for coming up with steals, he's big, and he's hard to guard, creating a lot of matchup problems. Additionally, I don't think you get a much better 3pt specialist than Lewis. We're talking about a guy who was making franchise 3 pt records, with Ray Allen as a teammate. Not just shot percentage, but number of attempts and number of makes.
PF - Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics)
So if we take out all the international USA basketball politics, and made all eligible players that were available, available to play on the team, I'd take KG. He's the most high energy, versatile, forwards I've seen play the game. His only problem is that he doesn't really have a go to move (his 12 foot fader, kind of a combo Michael Jordan/Karl Malone move, doesn't work enough for me to call it go-to), but I want him for his defense. Hard nosed man, his ability to roam on the weakside, his rebounding ability, etc... If he can get buckets, good for him. He's fast enough that I would love to see him and LeBron racing up in transition. Sick. His ability to roam out further than 7 feet from the basket make him readily able to guard larger forwards that like the midrange game and his size allows him to take the post well. All in all, one of the more solid defenders I've seen, sure I don't want him to guard a 2 guard, but I still like his game. His versatility, while a weakness, is also a strength in that it gives the team that much more leeway and that many more options on offense. I think his passing is also underrated, I like a team that can pass.
C - Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)
Tim Duncan's not a center! He guards all the centers when they play the Spurs. Tim Duncan's not a center! He takes all the tips at Spurs games. Tim Duncan's not a center! All the centers guard him when they play the Spurs. Tim Duncan's not a center! He's got better post moves than most centers in the league. Tim Duncan's not a center! Ok, ok, we get the picture. Personally I think the only reason Tim Duncan is not a center is because he can't win an All-Star ballot against Yao Ming and he was drafted when David Robinson was still playing. That being said, I think he's probably the best big man in the league (some would argue of all time). Sure he's getting older, but he can still score, still rebound, still block, still post, still shoot a decent midrange jumper, still defend, still do everything except shoot a decent free throw percentage. Seriously though, what legitimate US big man (so not Yao and not Pau Gasol) can? Maybe Chris Kaman (73% career), but seriously, would you pick him for your dream team? Don't tell me Troy Murphy is legit. Seriously though, Tim Duncan is one of the last true big men, and he's a little more finesse then I like for a guy that will guard some bangers like Marc Gasol, but he does a good job of it, he's strong, he's big, and he knows the game. He can score, he can pass, he can play defense. Ok, maybe I put him here because he's also my favorite player, but objectively, if I were to remake a dream team, I'd still put him here anyway. He's so easy to work around, that's part of what makes the Spurs go. I love Mr. Fundamental, even if he is like a robot sometimes.
Bench:
Guards:
Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)
The more the unofficial battle between Deron Williams and Chris Paul continues, the more I like Deron Williams. Granted, I think Paul is amazing as a slasher, he can get into the lane like there's no tomorrow, and he has amazing court vision, I think Williams isn't too shabby at driving and dishing as well. That being said, you can't teach size, and Williams can shoot. I like that a little more. Again, I like them both. I like them both a lot.
Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
Ok, ok, now CP3 gets some love. What's there to say? This guy is simply amazing. He's got the Steve Nash speed and passing ability, plus he has that Tony Parker floater. It's so hard to stay in front of him, and it's so hard to keep him from cutting into the lane. Maybe he doesn't shoot as well as Nash, but hey, he gets steals like crazy too (2.6 per game last season). If we wanted, we can go small and run that Chris Paul, Deron Williams backcourt that Coach K seemed to love so much in the Olympics.
Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets):
I changed this because I realized that I had 13 players active, meaning that I couldn't count. The more I think about it, the more I like versatile guys. Granted it'd be rather strange to see T-Mac and Kobe coexist on the floor, but T-Mac can play the SF slot as well if the team were to move small ball. He's known to be a tough defender, not the best, but good enough, and I like his jump shot. Sure he finishes at the rim a lot, but I think T-Mac can produce a lot of problems for the defense, and creates another starting point for the offense.
Forwards:
Shawn Marion (Miami Heat)
I like players that can defend multiple positions, and The Matrix fits the bill perfectly. Fantasy players love this guy because he fills so many categories (positive categories). He can rebound, he can score, he can finish, he can shoot the 3 (albeit an ugly shot). I mean, he probably wants more shots than is good for him, but I applaud his defensive tenacity and his can contribute consistently and regularly on the offensive end as well. He's the perfect power forward if you do decide to go with a small ball rotation. Sure no one talks about him ever since he went to be on the Heat, partially because the Heat sucked so much last year, but hey, he can still contribute.
Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns)
A lot of people (including Shaq) call him the best big man in the league. Might be true. He's got a solid game, and he's improved a lot. He's a little soft on defense, but some would say it's because he was playing out of position for so long. He's a tremendous offensive threat though and he's hard to stop inside. He also from all reports has a nice jumpshot as well. I don't know I'd call him the best, but he's one of the best. In a league that's running low on quality big men, he's a diamond in the rough.
Centers:
Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
Right now, he's an oversized Shawn Kemp. A little spin move and he dunks on you. He has a little running hook here and there, but it's kind of ugly. That being said, he's something of an unstoppable monster under and around the rim. He's the best rebounder in the league right now and is only 22. As he continues to develop his game (courtesy of assistant coach Patrick Ewing) I think he'll be an amazing player. He's still a little rough around the edges, but hey, he's probably the second best true center (in my opinion after Yao) there is.
Reserve:
Greg Oden (Portland Trailblazers)
Potentially the last glimmer of hope for the centers of old. He's rock solid under the basket, and despite his surgery, I think he'll be huge in the league in his premier this season. I would love to see a Portland v Orlando game and see Oden go head to head against Dwight Howard. Oden, having worked out a lot during the last season is supposed to be bigger than Howard now. That being said, he'll be amazing down low. I see a lot of Shaq comparisons, that is the Shaq of old (MVP Shaq), not the 36 year old Shaq that can't keep up with Steve Nash and the rest of the Suns.
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City)
I see a lot of potential in this kid. Of course, I also see a lot of potential for PJ Carlesimo to ruin this kid by pulling a Mike Brown and LeBron and shoving the ball down his throat every other possession. He's another one of those guys that I can see being able to defend multiple positions. I think the last season with Durant playing at the shooting guard position was a good experience, and he can really turn into one of those lanky small forwards that causes a lot of defensive problems. That being said, he's got an amazing sense of offensive awareness, and while right now he's taking tons of bad shots, I think that as he matures, he can learn to create and distribute more, again given the caveat that PJ Carlesimo doesn't ruin him fist. Hopefully Sam Presti eventually puts the right pieces around him, but I see him potentially being an All-Star version of Tayshaun Prince, tenacious on defense and even more deadly of a scorer.
Coaching Staff:
Head Coach:
Don Nelson (Golden State Warriors)
Nellie-ball has always been fun to watch. One of the big things is simply this, I think Nelson just trusts his players to do what they're supposed to do. He's more of a results guy than a process guy, he'll leave it to his players to make the right plays, whatever they may be. With a team of All-Stars, a little free-reign might be the right thing to do. Of course, he can always turn it to his assistant coaches to help out with the job if necessary. However, I believe that given a little freedom, the players in the lineup will thrive if you put the right pieces together. A hands off coach might be a good idea in this case.
Assistant Coaches:
Phil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers)
Through all the confusing playlists and highly technical playsets, Phil Jackson is first and foremost a motivator. A lot of people say that he doesn't really deserve his rings and isn't that great of a coach because he always arrives at a pre-constructed team of great players, however, I believe that there's something that makes people want to play for him, and something that makes players that do play for him want to win that much more. One other thing that I think that also works out is his emphasis on team passing. If you can get this team to start passing well, they'd be unstoppable.
Greg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)
The Spurs by popular consensus are the most boring team in the league to watch. Why? They play defense. It's all about defense, defense, defense. Not of that stupid ball-hawking that happened in the Olympics, none of that defensive breakdown that allows uncontensted layups, big men out of position for easy lay-ins or dunks, none of that failure to rotate to the outside shooter. Spurs have probably one of the most efficient defenses in the league, and for good reason, Popovich is hard-nosed about it. You want good defense to change into fast transition buckets, go for it. Just because Popovich runs the Spurs slow doesn't mean they can't crash-board well. How many times have you seen Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili finish on the break? You don't have to get steals to play good defense, Popovich knows that. Pressure them, make them take bad shots, and trust your rebounders, I mean, on this team it's Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, and Greg Oden, I think you're pretty well covered there.
There you have it, if I could draft any players into a team to make one, these are the ones that I would take. I'm sure you have your own different opinions and lineups and rosters and all that good stuff. Feel free to share or leave feedback. Here's my take, what's yours?
I realized I had 13 players, oops.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Top 5
So I had a list of players I felt got more credit than they actually contributed to, and simply, that means that there are players here that don't get enough credit for their actual contributions. Maybe I just like players more than others, so maybe I'm a little biased, but I feel like there are a lot of players that contribute a lot and ought to get noticed. Sure, some of them are based on their paychecks, but from my perspective, I could really care less about the salary, I just think they deserve a little credit here.
Five underrated players:
1.) Rashard Lewis (SF/PF, Orlando Magic)
I know he made bank with that ridiculous free agent signing with Orlando last year, and with the emergence of Hedo Turkoglu you have to wonder if he's really necessary. However, if you've even seen him play, you'll know that this guy is crazy. He lights it up from beyond the arc, he can slash, and he can finish. I believe that he's a more refined version of Turkoglu, why give Hedo the ball then? Because from beyond the arc I'd rather have Rashard Lewis shooting it. Make note that he was breaking all sorts of franchise 3pt records on the Sonics, and that was with Ray Allen on the team.
2.) Jason Richardson (SG, Charlotte Bobcats)
I think because he's on the Bobcats no one ever talks about him. He's a great shooter, great scorer, he carries the team that has no business really being the NBA, well maybe a little more business than the Memphis Grizzlies. This is an expansion team that never took off, and I think that if you look at J-Rich's numbers and his production you can say that he's playing spectacularly despite the problems with his team (perhaps you can blame the injuries of Sean May and Adam Morrison?). This man definitely deserves more credit.
3.) Gerald Wallace (SF, Charlotte Bobcats)
The first comparison I heard of this guy was that he's the next Scottie Pippen. He's not a prolific shooter, but he's up there when it comes to defense, the biggest knock on him being how prone to injury he is, the second being that he's on the Bobcats. However, his offense is quickly catching up to his defense, and his defense is crazy. This guy comes up with steals like Josh Smith comes up with blocks.
4.) Nick Collison (PF, Oklahoma City)
So, he doesn't get fancy numbers, and a lot of it comes from playing out of position because of the incompetency and frail bodies of Robert Swift, Johan Petro, and Mohammed Sene. He's a bruiser, he gets boards, he works hard, if David Lee gets love, so should Nick Collison.
5.) Chris Wilcox (PF, Oklahoma City)
He's kind of the anchor of the young team in Oklahoma. As much as the franchise is about Kevin Durant, you need that Udonis Haslem hard worker type like Wilcox. His rebounding may not be as great as Collison's, but he can get to the rim.
Five underrated players:
1.) Rashard Lewis (SF/PF, Orlando Magic)
I know he made bank with that ridiculous free agent signing with Orlando last year, and with the emergence of Hedo Turkoglu you have to wonder if he's really necessary. However, if you've even seen him play, you'll know that this guy is crazy. He lights it up from beyond the arc, he can slash, and he can finish. I believe that he's a more refined version of Turkoglu, why give Hedo the ball then? Because from beyond the arc I'd rather have Rashard Lewis shooting it. Make note that he was breaking all sorts of franchise 3pt records on the Sonics, and that was with Ray Allen on the team.
2.) Jason Richardson (SG, Charlotte Bobcats)
I think because he's on the Bobcats no one ever talks about him. He's a great shooter, great scorer, he carries the team that has no business really being the NBA, well maybe a little more business than the Memphis Grizzlies. This is an expansion team that never took off, and I think that if you look at J-Rich's numbers and his production you can say that he's playing spectacularly despite the problems with his team (perhaps you can blame the injuries of Sean May and Adam Morrison?). This man definitely deserves more credit.
3.) Gerald Wallace (SF, Charlotte Bobcats)
The first comparison I heard of this guy was that he's the next Scottie Pippen. He's not a prolific shooter, but he's up there when it comes to defense, the biggest knock on him being how prone to injury he is, the second being that he's on the Bobcats. However, his offense is quickly catching up to his defense, and his defense is crazy. This guy comes up with steals like Josh Smith comes up with blocks.
4.) Nick Collison (PF, Oklahoma City)
So, he doesn't get fancy numbers, and a lot of it comes from playing out of position because of the incompetency and frail bodies of Robert Swift, Johan Petro, and Mohammed Sene. He's a bruiser, he gets boards, he works hard, if David Lee gets love, so should Nick Collison.
5.) Chris Wilcox (PF, Oklahoma City)
He's kind of the anchor of the young team in Oklahoma. As much as the franchise is about Kevin Durant, you need that Udonis Haslem hard worker type like Wilcox. His rebounding may not be as great as Collison's, but he can get to the rim.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Bottom 5
5 Overrated Players
So there are probably a lot of players that get undeserved hype, and honestly, these lists don't mean much other than the opinion of the writer, but since I want to share my opinions with you, which of course you so desperately don't care about, here they are. Honestly, I think that the list of players below probably get more hype than their game merits, and you'll see my reasons why too. Maybe I'm being unfairly biased, but hey, I'm supposed write what I think here right?
1.) Dirk Nowitzki (PF, Dallas Mavericks)
People have called him a choker, and he is, he's not really adept at handling pressure well, as seen by his recently horrendous streak of performances in the Olympics preliminary games. Germany beat Angola, who beat... no one. Honestly, as much as they say he's improved his inside game, all that means is that he can actually utilize his height advantage against Tracy McGrady in the paint, meaning that they actually have to put a real power forward to guard him now, which feasibly can create some match-up problems, but for all the points and rebounds he gets, to me he still seems something of a glorified 7-ft shooting guard. He's bigger, but he's slower, and honestly, his defense is kind of hurting (ok, so he gets defensive boards, but come on, so does Jeff Foster), and honestly despite his "improvement" in the post, Erick Dampier is still their "go-to" post man, seriously, what's that say? I never have, and still never do understand why his name is always mentioned as among the best PF in the league. Don't get me wrong he's good, but he's not that good.
2.) Carmelo Anthony (SF, Denver Nuggets)
He scores a lot, I'll give you that, I think J.R. Smith scores a lot too, oh yeah, so does Eddy Curry. I don't think anyone considers Smith or Curry among the elites of the NBA. I don't mean to knock on Melo, he's a monster offensively, but his horrid defense and poor decision making really make him something other than among the best SF in the league. I think people put his name up there because they can't think of anyone else to put up there. Even in Team USA, he ball-hawks, isn't overly efficient in rebounding, and honestly, doesn't have much of a feel for the defensive end, often his man being the one to have the open trey. Sure points wins you games, but it doesn't help if you don't stop the other team from making them too. I'm a defense-first kind of guy, and honestly, scoring ability and scoring ability alone doesn't count for too much, and Melo has nothing but scoring ability. At least Allen Iverson can dish and clog lanes for steals.
3.) Dwight Howard (C, Orlando Magic)
Don't get me wrong, I love Dwight Howard, he's one of my favorite players, and he's an amazing center with probably the most natural ability and the most athleticism out of any center in the league. That hardly makes him the best. He's a good rebounder, good shot blocker, but he lacks a go to move to make him elite. Right now, I have to say that it's more a lack of true quality centers (especially in the Eastern Conference) that makes him up there on the scales. He's sort of got a running hook, but until he develops a goto move, or rather, just any move that is not turning and dunking, he's more of just highlight jams than anything else. Body him up and he kind of loses his game. Don't get me wrong, he's hard to keep up with, but in my books, he's still shy of being among the elite.
4.) Lamar Odom (SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers)
People like his versatility, they like his length, they like how he can finish at the basket, they like his ball handling and passing abilities. That's great, but firstly he's still a choker. His mindset doesn't match his skill set. He can't handle pressure, but his skills are something that warrant him being the goto guy. He's like an oversized slasher who can't shoot the ball. He's not really an SF, but then again he's so soft on defense in the low post, actually, I think he's just soft on defense (period), tacked on to the fact that he doesn't really have a low post offense game, I can't really call him a PF either. He's a talented awkward player, but an awkward player nonetheless.
5.) Kevin Love (PF, Minnesota Timberwolves), OJ Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies)
I'm gonna go out and call it here, draft-busts. Mayo and Love both have not done anything to inspire excitement in me and I honestly don't think they'll live up to their draft hype. While Mayo looks to have the skill sets to make a good NBA player, there's not a significant amount of upside to him, and looks to be kind of like a J.R. Smith, someone who "could have been great" Love on the other hand seems to be something of a hard worker, but just kind of outclassed.
Soon to come: players that are underrated.
So there are probably a lot of players that get undeserved hype, and honestly, these lists don't mean much other than the opinion of the writer, but since I want to share my opinions with you, which of course you so desperately don't care about, here they are. Honestly, I think that the list of players below probably get more hype than their game merits, and you'll see my reasons why too. Maybe I'm being unfairly biased, but hey, I'm supposed write what I think here right?
1.) Dirk Nowitzki (PF, Dallas Mavericks)
People have called him a choker, and he is, he's not really adept at handling pressure well, as seen by his recently horrendous streak of performances in the Olympics preliminary games. Germany beat Angola, who beat... no one. Honestly, as much as they say he's improved his inside game, all that means is that he can actually utilize his height advantage against Tracy McGrady in the paint, meaning that they actually have to put a real power forward to guard him now, which feasibly can create some match-up problems, but for all the points and rebounds he gets, to me he still seems something of a glorified 7-ft shooting guard. He's bigger, but he's slower, and honestly, his defense is kind of hurting (ok, so he gets defensive boards, but come on, so does Jeff Foster), and honestly despite his "improvement" in the post, Erick Dampier is still their "go-to" post man, seriously, what's that say? I never have, and still never do understand why his name is always mentioned as among the best PF in the league. Don't get me wrong he's good, but he's not that good.
2.) Carmelo Anthony (SF, Denver Nuggets)
He scores a lot, I'll give you that, I think J.R. Smith scores a lot too, oh yeah, so does Eddy Curry. I don't think anyone considers Smith or Curry among the elites of the NBA. I don't mean to knock on Melo, he's a monster offensively, but his horrid defense and poor decision making really make him something other than among the best SF in the league. I think people put his name up there because they can't think of anyone else to put up there. Even in Team USA, he ball-hawks, isn't overly efficient in rebounding, and honestly, doesn't have much of a feel for the defensive end, often his man being the one to have the open trey. Sure points wins you games, but it doesn't help if you don't stop the other team from making them too. I'm a defense-first kind of guy, and honestly, scoring ability and scoring ability alone doesn't count for too much, and Melo has nothing but scoring ability. At least Allen Iverson can dish and clog lanes for steals.
3.) Dwight Howard (C, Orlando Magic)
Don't get me wrong, I love Dwight Howard, he's one of my favorite players, and he's an amazing center with probably the most natural ability and the most athleticism out of any center in the league. That hardly makes him the best. He's a good rebounder, good shot blocker, but he lacks a go to move to make him elite. Right now, I have to say that it's more a lack of true quality centers (especially in the Eastern Conference) that makes him up there on the scales. He's sort of got a running hook, but until he develops a goto move, or rather, just any move that is not turning and dunking, he's more of just highlight jams than anything else. Body him up and he kind of loses his game. Don't get me wrong, he's hard to keep up with, but in my books, he's still shy of being among the elite.
4.) Lamar Odom (SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers)
People like his versatility, they like his length, they like how he can finish at the basket, they like his ball handling and passing abilities. That's great, but firstly he's still a choker. His mindset doesn't match his skill set. He can't handle pressure, but his skills are something that warrant him being the goto guy. He's like an oversized slasher who can't shoot the ball. He's not really an SF, but then again he's so soft on defense in the low post, actually, I think he's just soft on defense (period), tacked on to the fact that he doesn't really have a low post offense game, I can't really call him a PF either. He's a talented awkward player, but an awkward player nonetheless.
5.) Kevin Love (PF, Minnesota Timberwolves), OJ Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies)
I'm gonna go out and call it here, draft-busts. Mayo and Love both have not done anything to inspire excitement in me and I honestly don't think they'll live up to their draft hype. While Mayo looks to have the skill sets to make a good NBA player, there's not a significant amount of upside to him, and looks to be kind of like a J.R. Smith, someone who "could have been great" Love on the other hand seems to be something of a hard worker, but just kind of outclassed.
Soon to come: players that are underrated.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Team USA Still Needs Work, A Lot of Work
After watching some of the highlights from the recent exhibition games (against Turkey, Lithiuania, Canada, Russia, and Australia) there are some things that really have me worried about how Team USA has been playing. On paper, it's scary roster, something I'd love to play around with in my little NBA 2k8 game at home on my PS2. Unfortunately, here in the Olympics (or rather reality), I don't really have the luxury of being able to mash "lead pass" or "turbo" to alter how the player would normally play. I can't rack up 182 points (which they just call "a ton of points" because the number is too big) in a 40 minute game, 100+ in the paint, 70+ from fast breaks, winning by a margin of almost 100 points. I can't get Deron Williams averaging 25 points, 15 assists, and 7 steals a game, I can't have Kobe Bryant running up a 30 ppg average on 75% shooting, all the while tacking on 4 rpg,8 apg, and 5 spg. The closest thing I can get from this Team USA squad is potentially going 18-32 from beyond the arc in the course of a single game. I'm just arbitrarily making up some of these numbers, but you get the point. The game just doesn't run as fast as I can make it in a video game.
Here are the two major problems that I see happening right now on Team USA:
1.) They don't have an offensive set
If it's not in the fast break, then this team doesn't really look like it knows what it's doing. Everyone is looking to take the ball for themselves, and honestly it's not working. The passing previously had been better, and they need to look to do that more, a lot more. What see is too much of the "in your face" pull up or face up jumpers, in this case 3 pointers. Yes, I understand that the international 3 point line is a standard 20 ft NBA jumper, great. When there's 5 seconds left on the shot clock, then give Kobe the ball and let him do his thing. Team USA needs to do what it does best, which right now, is slashing, and kicking, and the mid range game. Chris Paul drives in, kicks it out to Kobe on the wing, to Michael Redd on the wing, hands it off to Dwight Howard after drawing the double team. A lot of teams will zone on Team USA, and the midrange game will destroy that. There are open shots to be had, Team USA just has to look for them. They are a good enough team that they can make up an easy but effective half-court set on the fly. I don't care if the goal is to get as many points as they can in transition, they still need to figure out how to run an offense, the whole "playing as a team" thing still isn't really there. At least play like they play in pickups, set screens for one another, cut to the basket, MOVE WITHOUT THE BALL.
2.) They don't have a defensive set
This is how scary this team is, that they can get away with just playing around and still win. I still think this team can be even more dominant. Sure Kobe Bryant can be the "Doberman" of the squad, hounding the best player on the other team, but teams like Argentina are going to have more than just Manu Ginobili. Someone has to go out there and stop the other offensive options out there, someone has to contest Carlos Delfino's shot, someone has to keep Pau Gasol and Luis Scola from getting open looks or getting too deep in the paint. Honestly, there's just way too much ball-hawking on this team, I haven't seen the whole "double-team the guy with the ball" tactic since like middle school. Just because the half court trap doesn't work and you don't get the steal, doesn't mean you don't have to play defense. There's no rotation out, and honestly, drive and kick is really the epitome of international play. Too many shooters are being left open, too many layups uncontested. It's like if they don't get the steal the team just has to watch because the only defensive option they have. All they have to do is man up, it's really not that hard, I see people do in the playgrounds all the time.
Now for a suggestion, that everyone will think I'm crazy for suggesting. Play less Chris Paul and more Jason Kidd. Before you start yelling at me about how Paul is a better guard, how he dismantled Kidd in the playoffs, how Kidd is old and past his prime, hear me out. Jason Kidd doesn't need his shots. In fact I would rather that he didn't take any. The fact is, is that Paul isn't really that effective in a half-court set, at least internationally, and when you're running a full court break, it really doesn't matter who's taking the ball up. I'm not saying to bench Paul completely, put him in when you have to play against the faster guards (like Ricky Rubio). However, I'd rather have a guy who can see the floor, distribute, and not have to take shots. Sure, he may not be as fast or as deadly as he used to be, but he knows the game, and I trust him to be sensible in developing some kind of half-court set on the fly.
Here are the two major problems that I see happening right now on Team USA:
1.) They don't have an offensive set
If it's not in the fast break, then this team doesn't really look like it knows what it's doing. Everyone is looking to take the ball for themselves, and honestly it's not working. The passing previously had been better, and they need to look to do that more, a lot more. What see is too much of the "in your face" pull up or face up jumpers, in this case 3 pointers. Yes, I understand that the international 3 point line is a standard 20 ft NBA jumper, great. When there's 5 seconds left on the shot clock, then give Kobe the ball and let him do his thing. Team USA needs to do what it does best, which right now, is slashing, and kicking, and the mid range game. Chris Paul drives in, kicks it out to Kobe on the wing, to Michael Redd on the wing, hands it off to Dwight Howard after drawing the double team. A lot of teams will zone on Team USA, and the midrange game will destroy that. There are open shots to be had, Team USA just has to look for them. They are a good enough team that they can make up an easy but effective half-court set on the fly. I don't care if the goal is to get as many points as they can in transition, they still need to figure out how to run an offense, the whole "playing as a team" thing still isn't really there. At least play like they play in pickups, set screens for one another, cut to the basket, MOVE WITHOUT THE BALL.
2.) They don't have a defensive set
This is how scary this team is, that they can get away with just playing around and still win. I still think this team can be even more dominant. Sure Kobe Bryant can be the "Doberman" of the squad, hounding the best player on the other team, but teams like Argentina are going to have more than just Manu Ginobili. Someone has to go out there and stop the other offensive options out there, someone has to contest Carlos Delfino's shot, someone has to keep Pau Gasol and Luis Scola from getting open looks or getting too deep in the paint. Honestly, there's just way too much ball-hawking on this team, I haven't seen the whole "double-team the guy with the ball" tactic since like middle school. Just because the half court trap doesn't work and you don't get the steal, doesn't mean you don't have to play defense. There's no rotation out, and honestly, drive and kick is really the epitome of international play. Too many shooters are being left open, too many layups uncontested. It's like if they don't get the steal the team just has to watch because the only defensive option they have. All they have to do is man up, it's really not that hard, I see people do in the playgrounds all the time.
Now for a suggestion, that everyone will think I'm crazy for suggesting. Play less Chris Paul and more Jason Kidd. Before you start yelling at me about how Paul is a better guard, how he dismantled Kidd in the playoffs, how Kidd is old and past his prime, hear me out. Jason Kidd doesn't need his shots. In fact I would rather that he didn't take any. The fact is, is that Paul isn't really that effective in a half-court set, at least internationally, and when you're running a full court break, it really doesn't matter who's taking the ball up. I'm not saying to bench Paul completely, put him in when you have to play against the faster guards (like Ricky Rubio). However, I'd rather have a guy who can see the floor, distribute, and not have to take shots. Sure, he may not be as fast or as deadly as he used to be, but he knows the game, and I trust him to be sensible in developing some kind of half-court set on the fly.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Trade Reviews v1.2
So there have been a few more trades that have come about, but nothing huge, well, except perhaps for the Houston trade, but we'll see about that. I'm still all for the Lakers throwing Odom around for someone more serviceable, but, there's hesitation, understandable, because they don't know if Bynum will be back 100% yet and if his knee has yet to fully recover. If it's the case that he doesn't, then Pau Gasol will have to spend a couple more games at the C while Odom retains his PF spot. I don't know why people think this is the case, but I really don't see Odom thriving as a small forward unless he's going to get massive amounts of touches on the ball, which means he needs to be a better scorer, which, he's shown he can do, but not under pressure. Anyway, we're here to talk about trades, so here they are:
Knicks and Nuggets
New York sends Renaldo Balkman and cash
Denver sends Bobby Jones, Taureen Green, and 2nd round pick in 2010
I can't say that I've seen Renaldo Balkman play enough to say what he's like, it's obviously movement for cap space and prepping for the lush 2010 free agency by New York though. Arguably, I've seen analysts write that Balkman was somewhat of a bust, and that Wilson Chandler, brings the same things to the floor (which is to say, not much) but adds some semblence of a jump shot. Obviously the New York front office was under the crazed influence of Isaiah Thomas when they drafted Balkman then an identical player in Chandler the following year. The only reason that Wilson Chandler and Renaldo Balkman got any sort of playing time last season was due to the fact that they were marginally better than Jared Jeffries, Fred Jones was playing the guard, and Quentin Richardson was injured. Now tack on their latest pick in Danillo Gallinari then you have a glut of forwards for one position, Balkman was easy to let go of. As expected, New York has waived Jones and Green, added another pick in addition to more cap space.
If anything Balkman is known for his defensive tenacity, which Denver let a lot of go with the trade of Marcus Camby and the loss of Eduardo Najera to free agency. Of course, I don't know that Balkman adds that much, the trade is somewhat confusing to me on this end as well, even more so than on the New York end. I think Denver is trying to make up for its defensive woes by adding Chris Anderson and Balkman, while trying to cut costs in getting rid of Camby. It seems like downgrading almost, but I suppose cost is the key here, though the Balkman trade just adds salary. Additionally, Balkman standing at 6-8 and only weighing 208 pounds is even less of a power forward than Carmelo Anthony, so presumably he'll be playing behind both Anthony and Linas Kleiza, which means, he won't be playing very much at all. It doesn't solve their big man problem, since now they only have Nene Hilario and Kenyon Martin, unless they move to small ball and start playing Melo as a 4, in which case, they will get rocked even more at the defensive end, and which, I think will limit Melo's game a lot more.
Rockets and Kings
Houston sends Bobby Jackson, Donte Green, future 1st round pick, and cash
Sacramento sends Ron Artest
It's an upgrade for Houston, they don't really lose out on much, and Artest does make the Rockets better on both ends of the floor. Rick Adleman can opt to run Artest either as a 4 in a smaller lineup or start him as a 3 and have Shane Battier come of the bench as a 6th man. Either way, Artest adds the extra consistent scoring option needed behind Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, especially given their tendency to be injured. With two defensive stop plugs in Battier and Artest, and an additional scorer I see the Rockets and T-Mac finally making it out of the first round, maybe, for once. Bobby Jackson is just one guard out of 5, with T-Mac taking a lot of time at the 2, that means he'd have to fight for time with Rafer Alston, Brent Barry, Luther Head, and possibly Aaron Brooks. The biggest question is whether or not Artest will let his off-court antics get the better of him again. For now though, we'll say that this is a good trade from all appearances, and hope that Artest is true to his word and Adleman really does bring out the "winner" in him.
For the Kings it's really a matter of jettisoning excess baggage that they don't need. The Kings are going in a different direction and Artest hadn't been a part of the picture for a while. They bring back former King and backup point guard Bobby Jackson to play behind Beno Udrih and a young big man with a lot of potential in Donte Green who lit up Las Vegas Summer League with a 40 point game. Kings are trying to get younger and it looks like Kevin Martin will be now carrying the burden of scoring, I also look to see Fransisco Garcia and John Salmons get a lot more playing time now too and thriving a lot. Kings are likely still trying to get rid of Kenny Thomas, but all in all, they've changed their look, whether or not they can remain competitive in the Western Conference remains to be seen, but I honestly have my doubts. I say .500 team at best, along par with maybe the new Clippers, definitely not playoff bound, so that means one of the better lottery teams.
Knicks and Nuggets
New York sends Renaldo Balkman and cash
Denver sends Bobby Jones, Taureen Green, and 2nd round pick in 2010
I can't say that I've seen Renaldo Balkman play enough to say what he's like, it's obviously movement for cap space and prepping for the lush 2010 free agency by New York though. Arguably, I've seen analysts write that Balkman was somewhat of a bust, and that Wilson Chandler, brings the same things to the floor (which is to say, not much) but adds some semblence of a jump shot. Obviously the New York front office was under the crazed influence of Isaiah Thomas when they drafted Balkman then an identical player in Chandler the following year. The only reason that Wilson Chandler and Renaldo Balkman got any sort of playing time last season was due to the fact that they were marginally better than Jared Jeffries, Fred Jones was playing the guard, and Quentin Richardson was injured. Now tack on their latest pick in Danillo Gallinari then you have a glut of forwards for one position, Balkman was easy to let go of. As expected, New York has waived Jones and Green, added another pick in addition to more cap space.
If anything Balkman is known for his defensive tenacity, which Denver let a lot of go with the trade of Marcus Camby and the loss of Eduardo Najera to free agency. Of course, I don't know that Balkman adds that much, the trade is somewhat confusing to me on this end as well, even more so than on the New York end. I think Denver is trying to make up for its defensive woes by adding Chris Anderson and Balkman, while trying to cut costs in getting rid of Camby. It seems like downgrading almost, but I suppose cost is the key here, though the Balkman trade just adds salary. Additionally, Balkman standing at 6-8 and only weighing 208 pounds is even less of a power forward than Carmelo Anthony, so presumably he'll be playing behind both Anthony and Linas Kleiza, which means, he won't be playing very much at all. It doesn't solve their big man problem, since now they only have Nene Hilario and Kenyon Martin, unless they move to small ball and start playing Melo as a 4, in which case, they will get rocked even more at the defensive end, and which, I think will limit Melo's game a lot more.
Rockets and Kings
Houston sends Bobby Jackson, Donte Green, future 1st round pick, and cash
Sacramento sends Ron Artest
It's an upgrade for Houston, they don't really lose out on much, and Artest does make the Rockets better on both ends of the floor. Rick Adleman can opt to run Artest either as a 4 in a smaller lineup or start him as a 3 and have Shane Battier come of the bench as a 6th man. Either way, Artest adds the extra consistent scoring option needed behind Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, especially given their tendency to be injured. With two defensive stop plugs in Battier and Artest, and an additional scorer I see the Rockets and T-Mac finally making it out of the first round, maybe, for once. Bobby Jackson is just one guard out of 5, with T-Mac taking a lot of time at the 2, that means he'd have to fight for time with Rafer Alston, Brent Barry, Luther Head, and possibly Aaron Brooks. The biggest question is whether or not Artest will let his off-court antics get the better of him again. For now though, we'll say that this is a good trade from all appearances, and hope that Artest is true to his word and Adleman really does bring out the "winner" in him.
For the Kings it's really a matter of jettisoning excess baggage that they don't need. The Kings are going in a different direction and Artest hadn't been a part of the picture for a while. They bring back former King and backup point guard Bobby Jackson to play behind Beno Udrih and a young big man with a lot of potential in Donte Green who lit up Las Vegas Summer League with a 40 point game. Kings are trying to get younger and it looks like Kevin Martin will be now carrying the burden of scoring, I also look to see Fransisco Garcia and John Salmons get a lot more playing time now too and thriving a lot. Kings are likely still trying to get rid of Kenny Thomas, but all in all, they've changed their look, whether or not they can remain competitive in the Western Conference remains to be seen, but I honestly have my doubts. I say .500 team at best, along par with maybe the new Clippers, definitely not playoff bound, so that means one of the better lottery teams.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Voyage Across the Atlantic
A lot of recent developments have shown that an increasing number of players are beginning to take offers from teams in Europe, offers that are much more lucrative than those that their skills can garnish here in the NBA. While there is no major All-Star caliber name that is leaving the league for lush contracts in Europe, the large number of players leaving is alarmingly high and this appears to be a growing trend for more and more players that aren't happy with where they're playing, how much they're playing, and just simply put, where they are in the NBA. Among the players to leave include Josh Childress, Jorge Garbajosa, Nenad Kristic, Carlos Delfino, Bostjan Nachbar, Primoz Brezec, and Juan Carlos-Navarro.
Granted most of the players leaving are non-US players to begin with, it would make sense that they would be willing to go back home, such as in the case of Juan Carlos-Navarro, after finding that the NBA isn't as great of a fit for some as it is for others. However, in the case of Josh Childress, we have US talent that is now being lured overseas, with Carl Landry also pulling the Europe card, it shows that the international basketball market is swiftly catching up with that in the US. What does that mean for the US franchises? For one it means that in order to keep serviceable swingmen and role players like Josh Childress and company, the teams are going to have to pay a lot more, or they're going to have to bank on a lot of potential panning out. All in all, the NBA is going to start looking very different, a lot of new players filtering in and out, and maybe some familiar faces we are used to drifting to different markets playing games that we have to find somewhere on YouTube instead of on cable. What this really means now, is that the Europe card is real and it's serious, it's a new leveraging tool that many players are willing to use as the NBA gets younger.
Granted most of the players leaving are non-US players to begin with, it would make sense that they would be willing to go back home, such as in the case of Juan Carlos-Navarro, after finding that the NBA isn't as great of a fit for some as it is for others. However, in the case of Josh Childress, we have US talent that is now being lured overseas, with Carl Landry also pulling the Europe card, it shows that the international basketball market is swiftly catching up with that in the US. What does that mean for the US franchises? For one it means that in order to keep serviceable swingmen and role players like Josh Childress and company, the teams are going to have to pay a lot more, or they're going to have to bank on a lot of potential panning out. All in all, the NBA is going to start looking very different, a lot of new players filtering in and out, and maybe some familiar faces we are used to drifting to different markets playing games that we have to find somewhere on YouTube instead of on cable. What this really means now, is that the Europe card is real and it's serious, it's a new leveraging tool that many players are willing to use as the NBA gets younger.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Early Playoff Predictions v1.0: Western Conference
So I posted my 2008-2009 playoff predictions for the Eastern Conference, and call me audacious if you will, but until a major move comes along or someone breaks their knees in training camp, then version 1.0 remains the version that I will hold to. As implicitly promised, since I did it for the Eastern Conference, here is my call for the Western Conference.
1.) Los Angeles Lakers
No surprise here, the incumbent Western Conference champions to return to the number 1 slot. It may take Bynum a while to get back into game shape but when he does this is a fairly scary roster. Granted it's already scary when you have the best player in the NBA on your team, but tack onto that a frontcourt made up of a 20 year old 7 footer with massive upside and arguably the best player from Spain (who also happens to be 7 feet tall) and you have a scary roster. Of course, the big if, is whether or not Andrew Bynum does come back 100%. However, look for Pau Gasol to slide over to the PF position and try to find his midrange 10-15 jumper again. With Kobe Bryant at the center of the offense and Derrick Fisher sitting at the wings jacking up threes, it's really hard to think of a way to stop this team, especially with the excellent team passing that this team has. This is the ideal roster for Phil Jackson's triangle offense, with one slight kink; they need an SF that can play defense, but also one that can shoot. Currently the slew of candidates don't look very promising. Either Vladamir Radmonivic needs to learn to play defense or Trevor Ariza or Lamar Odom have to develop a jump shot. The easiest solution would be to trade Lamar Odom for someone that fits the bill, honestly I think the best fit would be either Bruce Bowen or Tayshaun Prince, however I'd settle for Caron Butler or Gerald Wallace as well. I've been told that Phil Jackson may want to keep Odom and try out a massive frontcourt with Odom at the SF position, enabling the Lakers to essentially clog the entier baseline. If I were to run the Lakers lineup I'd start Ariza and move Odom as a 6th man off the bench behind Gasol, they need his rebounding more, and that's where he'd be most effective, if he could run the offense for the second squad, I see him thriving.
2.) New Orleans Hornets
They were the feel good NBA story of the year last season, with Chris Paul at the helm it seemed like nothing could go wrong. Of course, depth is always an issue with this squad, however you can't get a starting five better than Paul, Morris Peterson, Peja Stojakovic, David West, and Tyson Chandler. Granted Peja is reaching an older age, but they just need him to heave those threes with abandon when Paul collapses the defense. West is still athletic and explosive and has that killer mid range jumper, and Tyson Chandler is just a monster down low gobbling up everything off the glass. Jannero Pargo needs to develop a more consistent game but has shown that he's somewhat reliable as a backup and the acquisition of James Posey makes them very tenacious defensively off the bench. I think they might have overpaid for him a little, but hey, maybe he's worth it, he's got a ring with Miami and another with most recently Boston, where he was heralded as the difference maker. My primary concern is with the depth in their frontcourt, Hilton Armstrong and Melvin Ely aren't exactly premier reserve big men and Hornets have shown that they struggle a lot when David West is out of the game. Hopefully they can solve that somehow. Oh yes, and we can't forget that they still have Mike James.
3.) San Antonio Spurs
Ok, so they're old. The biggest thing they need to work on is conserving Manu Ginobili's health and energy. The 7 game series with New Orleans killed them leaving (at least Manu) with almost nothing going into the series against the Lakers. However, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan still I consider regular and consistent contributors. I like the addition of Roger Mason, when he did get playing time (because both Gilbert Arenas and Antonio Daniels were injured) he put up some very good numbers. He's athletic and he can score, big improvement over Jacque Vaughn. I've heard murmurings of trying to get JR Smith and I think that if any one can whip him into shape it'd be Greg Popovich, I think Smith would have a lot of upside, but of course, that's all heresay. Resigning Kurt Thomas was a solid move and George Hill looks to be a potentially solid addition as a rookie. The core is pretty much the same with Bruce Bown, Fabricio Oberto, and company staying on, I'd look for something of a Michael Finley replacement (JR Smith!) but all in all, another solid year from the most solid club in the league. Pity they couldn't convince Tiago Splitter to join ranks, that, would've been crazy. Just one more shot Robert Horry, that's all we're asking for.
4.) Utah Jazz
They're squad is solid, I think Andrei Kirilenko is learning that he doesn't have to be the goto guy on offense to produce. I'm a little alarmed at how Carlos Boozer sort of faded during the playoffs, but with his play, I think he needs to adapt to how the refs call the games nowadays a little more, and he'll be fine. Solid job of extending Deron Williams on the part of Utah's front office, and I think given the scoring options here, Brevin Knight would be a serviceable backup. I expect Ronnie Brewer and Paul Milsap to continue to grow and improve, and as usual Kyle Korver is there as the perimeter threat, it'd help if they could add another one, but they have Mehmet Okur as well, and their rookie, Koufa Kosta, who while a little on the slow side is said to absorb contact well and by all reports be a younger Okur. Sloan is as always the pick and roll master and he runs a solid club, even if they don't win anything they're always top 5 in the West for the next few years in my opinion. Solid, young club that just looks to keep getting better and better.
5.) Houston Rockets
I think everyone is hoping that Rafer Alston's emergence after Yao's injury was not a fluke. Look for Luis Scola to continue to develop, and the 40 point game Donte Green laid out at Summer League leaves Houston fans hopeful. There's a lot going on for them and health will always be the perennial issue and the plague of the Houston Rockets, too much rides on the back and frail feet of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. Additionally, the fact that Shane Battier has to undergo surgery over the offseason is not great news either, hopefully he can recover 100% for next season. All in all a solid club, just hoping for the All-Stars to stay healthy and the role-players to step it up. They still need a legitimate third option to emerge, maybe Brent Barry will get a lot more playing time now, but their glut of guards still kind of confuses me, between Barry they also have to split time with Alston, McGrady, Aaron Brooks, Luther Head, and Bobby Jackson. My call is Brooks goes to the D-League or becomes something of a permanent bench warmer. I don't dislike the team, but relying on both McGrady and Yao to have healthy seasons is really asking for a lot.
6.) Portland Trailblazers
I'm sure a lot of people are looking at me funny for putting the Blazers this high, and maybe I am crazy for doing so. However, I love this how this squad looks and honestly I think it only gets better. Let's just look at this upcoming season though. Last season when Greg Oden had to get season ending microfracture surgery on his knee before the season even started, everyone thought it was over, boy did the Blazers prove us wrong. Spearheaded by Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge the Blazers put together an impressive 41-41 season, having all of their role players step up during critical times to do their part. One major factor was the emergence of Travis Outlaw off the bench. The team is versatile, talented, and very, very deep. At the point they have Summer League MVP Jerryd Bayless, granted Bayless is more of a pentrator and scorer, it works out pretty well with Brandon Roy distributing the ball. When Roy comes off, we can put serviceable Steve Blake in with Spanish hot shot Rudy Fernadez. Granted they're young and unproven, but I like the frontcourt of Oden and Aldridge a lot more than Bynum and Gasol. The big what if, is whether or not Oden recovers as well as Amare Stoudamire did from his surgery. Rumors have Oden beefing up, being bigger than even Dwight Howard.
7.) Phoenix Suns
Weren't these the guys that have been favored to win it by a decent crew for like the past 3 years? Yes, but I'm again not sold on how well this team does. Sure they have one of the best point guards in the game in Steve Nash, they have one of the best big men in Amare Stoudamire, but, they also are getting old, and their team just doesn't fit any mold to win them anything. Shaquille O'Neal is 36 going on 37 as is Grant Hill. Too much rests on Grant Hill being 100% healthy and Boris Diaw actually trying for Phoenix to really be any sort of contender. Matt Barnes is a good add, something of an upgrade from Gordan Giricek, and they still have Brazilian speed demon Leandro Barbosa, with added defensive size in Robin Lopez, I don't really see them really winning anything. Grant Hill is too fragile to have so much going on him, the problem is, that the Suns need him, he was supposed to be the Marion replacement, but, his body failed him, both him and the Suns. I hope Shaq isn't overconfident again this year, that would really ruin their chances.
8.) Dallas Mavericks
Officially the trade has become Jason Kidd for Devin Harris and a mid-level exception. I don't know that Diop is worth that much, but I guess the Mavs are a little deseperate for some kind of defensive legitimacy in the low post. Honestly though, even with Kidd at the helm I don't see this squad being any better than it was in its loss to Miami and it's two first round playoff exits over the past 3 seasons. Unless Brandon Bass develops into some kind of interior monster Dallas is still just a team of perimeter shooters with Erick Dampier in the middle. I hear Rick Carlisle wants to base the offense more around Jason Kidd, which is good and all, but he's 35, he's good even at 35, but he's 35 nonetheless. Dirk Nowitzki has shown that he's not an interior player and despite the number of rebounds he grabs he's not a presence in the low post, he's content to jack up shots with Jason Terry and Josh Howard. Too many redundant players, too many shooters, not enough people inside to help out Kidd and Dampier. To me they're kind of caught in this uncomfortable limbo, they're too perimeter based to play a halfcourt set, but they're too big to play fast. Unless Nowitzki suddenly gets to be as fast as Kirilenko on the break, I don't see them being much more than first round exits, it's just embarrassing to me because Dirk gets so worked up about it, I get embarrassed for him.
As usual there are those teams that are sort of on the bubble that people will be berating me about not being in there, well you guys are entitled to your opinions too. Those on the bubble for me are the Los Angeles Clippers, the Golden State Warriors, and the Denver Nuggets, in that order. The Clippers look like their better what with Baron Davis at the point, the emergence of Al Thornton as a legitimate offensive threat, the drafting of Eric Gordon, and the frontcourt of Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman. Honestly though, I'm not impressed, first round exit at best. Baron hasn't really shown any compunction to play, and outside of a club run by a coach like Don Nelson, I see him easily becoming a headcase again, he just wanted to go home, have a 5-6 year contract and make a lot of money. Furthermore, I'm not sold on the Kaman-Camby front court. Sure Baron can just chuck it up and one of them will get it, but I see Camby chucking flatfooted 15 footers all day, a shot which if reciprocated, I don't see Camby guarding, at least not with much gusto and effectiveness. All in all it's a squad of misfits that really don't care for the basketball, they'll do well, but I don't see them going far, nothing into the playoffs, especially not in the Western Conference. Golden State will need to adjust now that Monta Ellis is running the point, they'll still be the most fun team to watch, but without Baron Davis they have a lot to change, meaning, they get edged out once again. As for Denver, honestly, it's just a bad basketball atmosphere, no one cares, and no one seems inclined to, except for Marcus Camby, and he's gone.
1.) Los Angeles Lakers
No surprise here, the incumbent Western Conference champions to return to the number 1 slot. It may take Bynum a while to get back into game shape but when he does this is a fairly scary roster. Granted it's already scary when you have the best player in the NBA on your team, but tack onto that a frontcourt made up of a 20 year old 7 footer with massive upside and arguably the best player from Spain (who also happens to be 7 feet tall) and you have a scary roster. Of course, the big if, is whether or not Andrew Bynum does come back 100%. However, look for Pau Gasol to slide over to the PF position and try to find his midrange 10-15 jumper again. With Kobe Bryant at the center of the offense and Derrick Fisher sitting at the wings jacking up threes, it's really hard to think of a way to stop this team, especially with the excellent team passing that this team has. This is the ideal roster for Phil Jackson's triangle offense, with one slight kink; they need an SF that can play defense, but also one that can shoot. Currently the slew of candidates don't look very promising. Either Vladamir Radmonivic needs to learn to play defense or Trevor Ariza or Lamar Odom have to develop a jump shot. The easiest solution would be to trade Lamar Odom for someone that fits the bill, honestly I think the best fit would be either Bruce Bowen or Tayshaun Prince, however I'd settle for Caron Butler or Gerald Wallace as well. I've been told that Phil Jackson may want to keep Odom and try out a massive frontcourt with Odom at the SF position, enabling the Lakers to essentially clog the entier baseline. If I were to run the Lakers lineup I'd start Ariza and move Odom as a 6th man off the bench behind Gasol, they need his rebounding more, and that's where he'd be most effective, if he could run the offense for the second squad, I see him thriving.
2.) New Orleans Hornets
They were the feel good NBA story of the year last season, with Chris Paul at the helm it seemed like nothing could go wrong. Of course, depth is always an issue with this squad, however you can't get a starting five better than Paul, Morris Peterson, Peja Stojakovic, David West, and Tyson Chandler. Granted Peja is reaching an older age, but they just need him to heave those threes with abandon when Paul collapses the defense. West is still athletic and explosive and has that killer mid range jumper, and Tyson Chandler is just a monster down low gobbling up everything off the glass. Jannero Pargo needs to develop a more consistent game but has shown that he's somewhat reliable as a backup and the acquisition of James Posey makes them very tenacious defensively off the bench. I think they might have overpaid for him a little, but hey, maybe he's worth it, he's got a ring with Miami and another with most recently Boston, where he was heralded as the difference maker. My primary concern is with the depth in their frontcourt, Hilton Armstrong and Melvin Ely aren't exactly premier reserve big men and Hornets have shown that they struggle a lot when David West is out of the game. Hopefully they can solve that somehow. Oh yes, and we can't forget that they still have Mike James.
3.) San Antonio Spurs
Ok, so they're old. The biggest thing they need to work on is conserving Manu Ginobili's health and energy. The 7 game series with New Orleans killed them leaving (at least Manu) with almost nothing going into the series against the Lakers. However, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan still I consider regular and consistent contributors. I like the addition of Roger Mason, when he did get playing time (because both Gilbert Arenas and Antonio Daniels were injured) he put up some very good numbers. He's athletic and he can score, big improvement over Jacque Vaughn. I've heard murmurings of trying to get JR Smith and I think that if any one can whip him into shape it'd be Greg Popovich, I think Smith would have a lot of upside, but of course, that's all heresay. Resigning Kurt Thomas was a solid move and George Hill looks to be a potentially solid addition as a rookie. The core is pretty much the same with Bruce Bown, Fabricio Oberto, and company staying on, I'd look for something of a Michael Finley replacement (JR Smith!) but all in all, another solid year from the most solid club in the league. Pity they couldn't convince Tiago Splitter to join ranks, that, would've been crazy. Just one more shot Robert Horry, that's all we're asking for.
4.) Utah Jazz
They're squad is solid, I think Andrei Kirilenko is learning that he doesn't have to be the goto guy on offense to produce. I'm a little alarmed at how Carlos Boozer sort of faded during the playoffs, but with his play, I think he needs to adapt to how the refs call the games nowadays a little more, and he'll be fine. Solid job of extending Deron Williams on the part of Utah's front office, and I think given the scoring options here, Brevin Knight would be a serviceable backup. I expect Ronnie Brewer and Paul Milsap to continue to grow and improve, and as usual Kyle Korver is there as the perimeter threat, it'd help if they could add another one, but they have Mehmet Okur as well, and their rookie, Koufa Kosta, who while a little on the slow side is said to absorb contact well and by all reports be a younger Okur. Sloan is as always the pick and roll master and he runs a solid club, even if they don't win anything they're always top 5 in the West for the next few years in my opinion. Solid, young club that just looks to keep getting better and better.
5.) Houston Rockets
I think everyone is hoping that Rafer Alston's emergence after Yao's injury was not a fluke. Look for Luis Scola to continue to develop, and the 40 point game Donte Green laid out at Summer League leaves Houston fans hopeful. There's a lot going on for them and health will always be the perennial issue and the plague of the Houston Rockets, too much rides on the back and frail feet of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. Additionally, the fact that Shane Battier has to undergo surgery over the offseason is not great news either, hopefully he can recover 100% for next season. All in all a solid club, just hoping for the All-Stars to stay healthy and the role-players to step it up. They still need a legitimate third option to emerge, maybe Brent Barry will get a lot more playing time now, but their glut of guards still kind of confuses me, between Barry they also have to split time with Alston, McGrady, Aaron Brooks, Luther Head, and Bobby Jackson. My call is Brooks goes to the D-League or becomes something of a permanent bench warmer. I don't dislike the team, but relying on both McGrady and Yao to have healthy seasons is really asking for a lot.
6.) Portland Trailblazers
I'm sure a lot of people are looking at me funny for putting the Blazers this high, and maybe I am crazy for doing so. However, I love this how this squad looks and honestly I think it only gets better. Let's just look at this upcoming season though. Last season when Greg Oden had to get season ending microfracture surgery on his knee before the season even started, everyone thought it was over, boy did the Blazers prove us wrong. Spearheaded by Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge the Blazers put together an impressive 41-41 season, having all of their role players step up during critical times to do their part. One major factor was the emergence of Travis Outlaw off the bench. The team is versatile, talented, and very, very deep. At the point they have Summer League MVP Jerryd Bayless, granted Bayless is more of a pentrator and scorer, it works out pretty well with Brandon Roy distributing the ball. When Roy comes off, we can put serviceable Steve Blake in with Spanish hot shot Rudy Fernadez. Granted they're young and unproven, but I like the frontcourt of Oden and Aldridge a lot more than Bynum and Gasol. The big what if, is whether or not Oden recovers as well as Amare Stoudamire did from his surgery. Rumors have Oden beefing up, being bigger than even Dwight Howard.
7.) Phoenix Suns
Weren't these the guys that have been favored to win it by a decent crew for like the past 3 years? Yes, but I'm again not sold on how well this team does. Sure they have one of the best point guards in the game in Steve Nash, they have one of the best big men in Amare Stoudamire, but, they also are getting old, and their team just doesn't fit any mold to win them anything. Shaquille O'Neal is 36 going on 37 as is Grant Hill. Too much rests on Grant Hill being 100% healthy and Boris Diaw actually trying for Phoenix to really be any sort of contender. Matt Barnes is a good add, something of an upgrade from Gordan Giricek, and they still have Brazilian speed demon Leandro Barbosa, with added defensive size in Robin Lopez, I don't really see them really winning anything. Grant Hill is too fragile to have so much going on him, the problem is, that the Suns need him, he was supposed to be the Marion replacement, but, his body failed him, both him and the Suns. I hope Shaq isn't overconfident again this year, that would really ruin their chances.
8.) Dallas Mavericks
Officially the trade has become Jason Kidd for Devin Harris and a mid-level exception. I don't know that Diop is worth that much, but I guess the Mavs are a little deseperate for some kind of defensive legitimacy in the low post. Honestly though, even with Kidd at the helm I don't see this squad being any better than it was in its loss to Miami and it's two first round playoff exits over the past 3 seasons. Unless Brandon Bass develops into some kind of interior monster Dallas is still just a team of perimeter shooters with Erick Dampier in the middle. I hear Rick Carlisle wants to base the offense more around Jason Kidd, which is good and all, but he's 35, he's good even at 35, but he's 35 nonetheless. Dirk Nowitzki has shown that he's not an interior player and despite the number of rebounds he grabs he's not a presence in the low post, he's content to jack up shots with Jason Terry and Josh Howard. Too many redundant players, too many shooters, not enough people inside to help out Kidd and Dampier. To me they're kind of caught in this uncomfortable limbo, they're too perimeter based to play a halfcourt set, but they're too big to play fast. Unless Nowitzki suddenly gets to be as fast as Kirilenko on the break, I don't see them being much more than first round exits, it's just embarrassing to me because Dirk gets so worked up about it, I get embarrassed for him.
As usual there are those teams that are sort of on the bubble that people will be berating me about not being in there, well you guys are entitled to your opinions too. Those on the bubble for me are the Los Angeles Clippers, the Golden State Warriors, and the Denver Nuggets, in that order. The Clippers look like their better what with Baron Davis at the point, the emergence of Al Thornton as a legitimate offensive threat, the drafting of Eric Gordon, and the frontcourt of Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman. Honestly though, I'm not impressed, first round exit at best. Baron hasn't really shown any compunction to play, and outside of a club run by a coach like Don Nelson, I see him easily becoming a headcase again, he just wanted to go home, have a 5-6 year contract and make a lot of money. Furthermore, I'm not sold on the Kaman-Camby front court. Sure Baron can just chuck it up and one of them will get it, but I see Camby chucking flatfooted 15 footers all day, a shot which if reciprocated, I don't see Camby guarding, at least not with much gusto and effectiveness. All in all it's a squad of misfits that really don't care for the basketball, they'll do well, but I don't see them going far, nothing into the playoffs, especially not in the Western Conference. Golden State will need to adjust now that Monta Ellis is running the point, they'll still be the most fun team to watch, but without Baron Davis they have a lot to change, meaning, they get edged out once again. As for Denver, honestly, it's just a bad basketball atmosphere, no one cares, and no one seems inclined to, except for Marcus Camby, and he's gone.
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