SI.com: Roundtable: Who can win it all? (McCallum still believes)

[duncan228]

Roundtable: Who can win it all? (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/nba/02/23/roundtable/index.html)
SI.com

SI.com's NBA writers analyze the latest news and address hot topics from around the league each week. (All stats and records are through Feb. 22.)

1. How many teams look capable of winning an NBA championship?

Ian Thomsen: The obvious favorites are the Cavs and Lakers by far, with potential challenges in the East from Orlando and Boston (if the Celtics achieve a level of health and defensive proficiency they haven't shown for most of this year). The Nuggets have a chance -- through Carmelo Anthony's terrific play -- to threaten the Lakers in the West, while Utah and Dallas could yet position themselves to take advantage if the Lakers suffer a major injury or two.

Frank Hughes: Five. I see Cleveland, obviously, and Orlando in the East. I hate to count out Boston, but I just have not seen enough from the Celtics in the past several weeks to make me think they are going to turn it around -- or, of course, get any younger. In the West, you've got the Lakers and the Nuggets, and I want to throw Dallas in there now that it has made the deal with Washington. Utah is playing very well, but its bench is not deep enough and it does not have enough size to compete with the others. I know it's not realistic, but I wish the Jazz had gotten Marcus Camby instead of Portland to make things really interesting.

Jack McCallum: See, almost every week I'm forced into either continuing my preseason position that the Spurs are going to win the NBA championship, or jumping off the bus. It's not March yet, so I'm going to stick with the seventh-place Spurs as having a chance. That would bring my number to five -- Cavs and Magic in the East, Lakers, Nuggets and Spurs in the West.

Chris Mannix: I suppose Boston, Orlando and Denver (and, to a lesser degree, Atlanta) are capable of winning the title, but at this point it's a two-horse race. Cleveland's upgrades -- and as we will see in the next week or two, Antawn Jamison is an upgrade -- give the Cavaliers a clear edge in talent, and I have a hard time envisioning any team shooting LeBron James out of the playoffs this year. The same thing can be said for Kobe Bryant, who has more talent around him this year (Ron Artest, a healthy Andrew Bynum) than he had last year in a conference that, to me, isn't as strong as it was a year ago. Lakers-Cavs? The NBA should finally get its wish.

[urunobili]

it'll require some drastic change in the way we're playing...

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

Still feels weird reading articles where people pick the Nuggets as a tam to win it all :lol

Gone are the days where they were nothing but 1st rd fodder for the Spurs/Lakers :lol

[Mr. Body]

Spurs have no chance. Magical gell season will not come around.

Denver has the players, the size, the clutch scoring, and by far most important the hunger, to knock of Los Angeles. Right now I'm picking Denver out of the West. They look ravenous and I'm not sure the LakeShow can match their hunger.

[AFBlue]

Can't exactly feel good about only 1 of 4 guys listing the Spurs and that one guy really being held back by the loyalty of his original pick...even going as far as saying, it's not March yet, which means he could jump off the bandwagon at any moment.

And truthfully, who would blame him for doing so...this team is playing like they want a slot in the lottery.

[phxspurfan]

Still feels weird reading articles where people pick the Nuggets as a tam to win it all :lol

Gone are the days where they were nothing but 1st rd fodder for the Spurs/Lakers :lol

That's cuz they finally built a supporting cast around Melo...or rather the players around him started playing like a team and got better. And Lawson adds a lot of punch to their bench.

In fact, almost every championship-caliber team has had some really good weapon off the bench like the Spurs' Manu, Lakers' Odumb, Mavs' Stackhouse, Pistons' McDyess

[phxspurfan]

Btw a Lakers-Cavs finals would kick ass.

[Mr. Body]

That's cuz they finally built a supporting cast around Melo...or rather the players around him started playing like a team and got better. And Lawson adds a lot of punch to their bench.

In fact, almost every championship-caliber team has had some really good weapon off the bench like the Spurs' Manu, Lakers' Odumb, Mavs' Stackhouse, Pistons' McDyess

The Nuggets are stacked all over the place. Lawson is terrific and the Birdman is a great energy guy off the bench. Martin and Nene are much more aggressive than the Lakers big men, who may be more individually talented. Although Anthony is easily their best player, the mechanism making them work is clearly Billups.

[HarlemHeat37]

This guy should be fired for even mentioning the Spurs..seriously..

[crc21209]

The NBA is a crazy league...the so called "favorites" every year hardly ever get the job done. For example the Lakers in 04', Mavs in 06', Lakers in 08', etc....It's whoever gets hot at the right time...and as bad as this season has gone...as long as #21 is still out there for us....I'll always believe...:flag:

[TJastal]

I had the nuggets picked as the western conference representatives in the finals from the last game in the pre-season when Ty Lawson went off for 27 points.

Replacing Dahntay Jones with Afflalo was an upgrade IMO. If any team needed a shot of level headedness and a more team player "system" guy it was the crazy nuggets. Afflalo is that boring yet extremely productive Steve Smith type assassin who can still provide the same type of stifling defense that Jones could.

Anderson is playing much tougher this year than last. I thought a big reason the lakers won last year was because he let Odom push him around in the paint. Every game so far this year against the lakers he has not taken any b.s. from laker players and especially Odom. This has almost led to a few bench clearing brawls between the two but it signifies that the nuggets aren't going to be pushed around this time around.

[HarlemHeat37]

Ya that's true, but generally when the favorites don't win, another contender does..

The Spurs aren't contenders..

West: LA, Denver..
East: Cleveland, Orlando..

I'd be absolutely shocked if another team won the title..

[HarlemHeat37]

I had the nuggets picked as the western conference representatives in the finals from the last game in the pre-season when Ty Lawson went off for 27 points.

Replacing Dahntay Jones with Afflalo was an upgrade IMO. If any team needed a shot of level headedness and a more team player "system" guy it was the crazy nuggets. Afflalo is that boring yet extremely productive Steve Smith type assassin who can still provide the same type of stifling defense that Jones could.

Anderson is playing much tougher this year than last. I thought a big reason the lakers won last year was because he let Odom push him around in the paint. Every game so far this year against the lakers he has not taken any b.s. from laker players and especially Odom. This has almost led to a few bench clearing brawls between the two but it signifies that the nuggets aren't going to be pushed around this time around.

I agree with all that, but I still don't trust their mental composure..I'll have to see it to believe it in a series..

Afflalo wasn't only an upgrade, he was a huge upgrade IMO..Jones is a fucking idiot that is pretty much all athleticism and nothing else..

I think if Kurt Thomas gets bought out, they should go after a guy like him..they need a veteran big man in the lineup to keep shit under control, and Kurt still has a little game left too..it also obviously helps for depth purposes too..

[bostonguy]

Spurs have no chance. Magical gell season will not come around.

Denver has the players, the size, the clutch scoring, and by far most important the hunger, to knock of Los Angeles. Right now I'm picking Denver out of the West. They look ravenous and I'm not sure the LakeShow can match their hunger.

Sorry but I don't see it. You also forgot Denver's D hasn't proven they can consistently limit the Lakers O in a 7 game series. You can already forget about eliminating the Lakers if your best method is a shootout. You forgot to mention George Karl is still their head coach. You forgot to mention that they implode when a team continues to impose their will on them (Lakers did that to perfection last year in game 6).

Nuggets better pray the Lakers don't have that hunger. A hungry and focused Laker team=game over for Denver.

[Johnny RIngo]

This guy should be fired for even mentioning the Spurs..seriously..

Haha, yeah. I appreciate his enthusiasm but the Spurs really have no shot at a championship. The FO making no moves at the trade deadline kinda tells us that the team has waved the white flag. Between Parker's gimpiness, Pop's awful lineups, our pathetic frontcourt, and RJ's uselessness we're probably going to have a hard time just making the playoffs.

[bostonguy]

I had the nuggets picked as the western conference representatives in the finals from the last game in the pre-season when Ty Lawson went off for 27 points.

Replacing Dahntay Jones with Afflalo was an upgrade IMO. If any team needed a shot of level headedness and a more team player "system" guy it was the crazy nuggets. Afflalo is that boring yet extremely productive Steve Smith type assassin who can still provide the same type of stifling defense that Jones could.

Anderson is playing much tougher this year than last. I thought a big reason the lakers won last year was because he let Odom push him around in the paint. Every game so far this year against the lakers he has not taken any b.s. from laker players and especially Odom. This has almost led to a few bench clearing brawls between the two but it signifies that the nuggets aren't going to be pushed around this time around.

Nuggets can be a physical as they want. Their unclutch D will still get exposed. Denver is too much of an emotional team. Once things don't go their way, they fall apart. That is still their identity.

[bostonguy]

I still wouldn't put my eggs in the Nuggets' basket


http://nbcsportsmedia.msnbc.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061218/061218_georgeKarl_vsmall.widec.jpg


:toast

I felt the very same way about the 2002 WCF. Even with the Kings up 3-2 Adlemen was still their head coach. George Karl fits the bill of a coach who can't take down the great coaches especially Phil Jackson.

[HarlemHeat37]

Well to be fair, the Kings did kind of win that game 6.."unofficially"..

[Mr. Body]

Sorry but I don't see it. You also forgot Denver's D hasn't proven they can consistently limit the Lakers O in a 7 game series. You can already forget about eliminating the Lakers if your best method is a shootout. You forgot to mention George Karl is still their head coach. You forgot to mention that they implode when a team continues to impose their will on them (Lakers did that to perfection last year in game 6).

Nuggets better pray the Lakers don't have that hunger. A hungry and focused Laker team=game over for Denver.

You forget the Celtics won with Doc Rivers as their coach, who is extremely shitty. George Karl is a much better coach than shitty Doc Rivers. And shitty Doc Rivers with HUNGRY-ASS players DESTROYED Phil Jackson's pathetic Lakers team that year.

The Lakers cannot stop the Nuggets. They'll be victimized.

Billups did not have a full year with the team last year. The team looks very different now. They're PISSED OFF they lost to the Lakers last year. They're locked in.

Lakers don't have that hunger.

They don't. They may think they can turn it on in the last weeks, but Denver has been SEETHING for almost a year now.

QED You're wrong.

[LakeShow]

Don't have hunger? The Lakers are the best playoff team in the history of the game. Nobody is hungrier. KB will be sure to have the Lakers driven and focused in the playoffs.

Denver is good and a very good matchup for the Lakers. The Lakers are proven, battle tested champions and they will bring it in the P.O.

Lakers in 6

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

Lakers are screwed. They aren't winning anything this season, unless Kobe gets injured for the rest of the season :lol

[bostonguy]

You forget the Celtics won with Doc Rivers as their coach, who is extremely shitty. George Karl is a much better coach than shitty Doc Rivers. And shitty Doc Rivers with HUNGRY-ASS players DESTROYED Phil Jackson's pathetic Lakers team that year.

The Lakers cannot stop the Nuggets. They'll be victimized.

Billups did not have a full year with the team last year. The team looks very different now. They're PISSED OFF they lost to the Lakers last year. They're locked in.

Lakers don't have that hunger.

They don't. They may think they can turn it on in the last weeks, but Denver has been SEETHING for almost a year now.

QED You're wrong.

Yeah you seemed to ignore my other points. Denver isn't a very good defensive team. They aren't going to beat LA if it comes down to a shootout. And Boston beat LA not because of a balanced offense but also because they had a suffocating D. Denver doesn't have anything close to that. They can't make the stops when it matters. How the hell are they going to beat LA 4 times if they can't take anything away from their offense. On top of that, talk to me when they prove they have it when adversity hits.

Again :lmao:lmao@you really comparing these nuggets to that 08 Celts team.

The Sacramento Kings were pretty damn hungry in 2002 and they still couldn't get past LA. It's about being able to execute which is something Denver still has yet to prove.

[bostonguy]

Oh and you keep saying Denver is such a different team from last year...so are the Lakers. Last year when they kicked Denver's ass by 27 points in the clincher, they were an unproven championship team. Now they are a proven champion and they still have the mental edge over the Nuggets.

[bostonguy]

If I am not mistaken, the Lakers hunger/toughness etc was really questioned last year especially during the Houston series. The same bs was spewed on how they had no chance against Denver and how did that turn out? :lmao

[Brazil]

lakers in the west, for the east I don't know if cavs are in a such good position, I can smell an upset for them before the ECF.

[LakeShow]

Lakers are screwed. They aren't winning anything this season, unless Kobe gets injured for the rest of the season :lol

I think the Nuggets will become unstable in a lakers/nuggets series worst than last season.

Ron can't deal with Carmelo now but in the playoffs when contact, holding and physical play is allowed. He'll f with Carmelo. Carmelo doesn't react wisely to physical play, nor does he play well. He'll probably punch artest and run and be suspended. :)

[Mr.Robinson]

Don't have hunger? The Lakers are the best playoff team in the history of the game. Nobody is hungrier. KB will be sure to have the Lakers driven and focused in the playoffs.

Denver is good and a very good matchup for the Lakers. The Lakers are proven, battle tested champions and they will bring it in the P.O.

Lakers in 6

Agreed. Plus, they also have the league on their side.

[SouthTexasRancher]

What the hell is Jack McCallum smoking? The guy is totally delusional. The Spurs are going for a good draft pick and will bypass this season's playoffs. They do not need a 3rd year in a row of making fools out of themselves in the playoffs. It is time to rebuild with youth but, Pop will continue his idiotic ways and go with guys drafted from an old folks home.

[Danny.Zhu]

That's because McCallum is stupid.

[FeZZy]

:lmao

[taps]

:toast

I felt the very same way about the 2002 WCF. Even with the Kings up 3-2 Adlemen was still their head coach. George Karl fits the bill of a coach who can't take down the great coaches especially Phil Jackson.

Funny, reminds me of Phil's quote b4 game one of the 92 finals, "This Portland team plays in spurts, ultimately they tend to self-destruct." and Magic's analysis of the 1991 WCF, "we always felt as long as we kept it close they would turn the ball over or make some mistake that we could exploit to beat them."

Denver typified this last year with two bad inbound passes that lost two games in a 6 game series. Ouch. It will be up to I guess to artest to fill that void ariza left and cash in on those mistakes.

Even still i must say the lakers teetered many times on the western leg of their 09 finals run and as a Spurs fan I'm definitely rooting for my ABA bretheren over the feckin lakers

[TD 21]

Ya that's true, but generally when the favorites don't win, another contender does..

The Spurs aren't contenders..

West: LA, Denver..
East: Cleveland, Orlando..

I'd be absolutely shocked if another team won the title..

Couldn't agree more.

The Celtics are the '08 Spurs, which is to say, they're done. They'll still be a tough out this season, but they're no longer a contender.

Hawks, Jazz and Mavs are all a cut below. Of the three, I'd go Mavs one, Hawks two, Jazz three, but none of them are legit contenders. They're all typical second round fodder.

The Spurs fit in a group a cut below that group, along with the Thunder, Suns and Trail Blazers. If the Spurs are to "turn the corner", they'll likely only go up to the Hawks, Jazz and Mavs level.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Jack McCallum: See, almost every week I'm forced into either continuing my preseason position that the Spurs are going to win the NBA championship, or jumping off the bus. It's not March yet, so I'm going to stick with the seventh-place Spurs as having a chance.

McCallum clearly states that he's just hanging on to his pre-season pick, and then cites SPAM as his last hope.

Good luck with that, Jack! (Time to get off that bu I'm afraid... :lmao )

[mountainballer]

West: LA, Denver..
East: Cleveland, Orlando..

I'd be absolutely shocked if another team won the title..

I hate to say it, but I don't think we can not NOT include Dallas.
Haywood already showed his value for them and once Butler starts hitting his shots they will be very dangerous. and they are the only team that can match the Laker's size.

[Tradition]

You forget the Celtics won with Doc Rivers as their coach, who is extremely shitty. George Karl is a much better coach than shitty Doc Rivers. And shitty Doc Rivers with HUNGRY-ASS players DESTROYED Phil Jackson's pathetic Lakers team that year.

The Lakers cannot stop the Nuggets. They'll be victimized.

Billups did not have a full year with the team last year. The team looks very different now. They're PISSED OFF they lost to the Lakers last year. They're locked in.

Lakers don't have that hunger.

They don't. They may think they can turn it on in the last weeks, but Denver has been SEETHING for almost a year now.

QED You're wrong.



:lmao:lmao:lmao

[Bender]

lakers in the west, for the east I don't know if cavs are in a such good position, I can smell an upset for them before the ECF.
good call :toast

[Tradition]

You forget the Celtics won with Doc Rivers as their coach, who is extremely shitty. George Karl is a much better coach than shitty Doc Rivers. And shitty Doc Rivers with HUNGRY-ASS players DESTROYED Phil Jackson's pathetic Lakers team that year.

The Lakers cannot stop the Nuggets. They'll be victimized.

Billups did not have a full year with the team last year. The team looks very different now. They're PISSED OFF they lost to the Lakers last year. They're locked in.

Lakers don't have that hunger.

They don't. They may think they can turn it on in the last weeks, but Denver has been SEETHING for almost a year now.

QED You're wrong.



Again! :lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao