I would say the following teams have hopes of winning a championship this year:
The Favorites, in order:
Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Darkhorses, in order:
Orlando Magic
Denver Nuggets
Dallas Mavericks
Atlanta Hawks
You can quibble with that list if you like, but if you're a fan of one of the aforementioned teams, what do you see as your team's biggest weakness or fatal flaw?
For the Mavericks, I think they play good enough defense and can get enough points in the paint, but they don't have a consistent #2 scorer that can take some of the pressure off of Dirk. Jet has been too inconsistent, and Josh is an injury-prone and inconsistent head case. Barea is an end of a rotation piece being pressed into a major role and Marion gets his points off others creating for him. In the playoffs, they will run into a team that will let Dirk go off and lock down on everybody else, just like the Nuggets did last year.
LeBron & KG to follow that Oden guy into the dust that is always the end.
& I ain't in' around either.
I don't see what we can give the Wiz that they would want, unless they totally go into tank mode.
plus Spurs need to be on dark horse list. If Manu can wake up. And they make a trade.
Manu can't wake up. There is a fork in him.
Cavaliers need a "stretch" four. Antwan Jamison or Troy Murphy would fill the bill here.
To live up to their capabilities, and possibly a defensive-oriented center that can help Timmy hold down the paint and grab boards. Camby seems ideal.
I've heard murmors. Arenas + Butler dont like eachother. Wiz need cap relief. And they might be willin to take a chance on smokey for a SF.
They would be a very distant 8th right now. At some point, they will lose the respect that comes from winning four les in the Duncan Era. I would still say they win a le this year before the Suns do.
Billy "The Sports Putz" Simmons was jackin' his weenus over the small-ball lineup that they used against the Suns. I didn't see the game, but I assume they played LeBron at the 4 and Sideshow Varejao at the 5. So Mo Williams plays the point, Jamario Moon at the 3 and Parker at the 2?
Think about it though, even after hitting rock bottom theyre what 2 games out in the loss colum from your boys in blue? As horribly dissapointing as the Spurs have been theyre still right in the thick of things for the 2-8 seeds out west. Its not only been Manu either, Tony has been horribly dissapointing, has been dissapointing, Dice who nearly averaged a double-double last year is averaging like 4 & 4 this year. When Matt Bonner is your second most consistant player behind Tim you know that isnt right. If one or a couple of those guys manage to get their form back the Spurs will be a legit darkhorse, if all of them can peform the way theyre capable of than theyll be as scary as people were expecting them to be.
Lakers need a better option than Fisher at the PG spot, especially given all the quick and speedy PGs they'll likely encounter.
Can't do it, Fin. Without him I may not very well have that 15th. You don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
Agreed Tony and Manu can turn it around. E aially Tony. Manu might just be done.
sucks
Hes done
Sounds familiar (Mavs with JJ Barea) Only difference is that Dirk is a beast. And Marion has been working wonders for our defense.
I just don't see Manu ever regaining that 2005-2007 form again, and I think that's what they need from him to win another le. I also agree that they need a defensive upgrade at C to team with Duncan, and Jefferson is what he is: It's one thing to get your points when you can take all the shots you want on a bad team, to being the 4th option on a team that demands efficiency. I don't see Jefferson getting better, I see this is exactly what he would do in the Spurs system.
The more I think about it Caron Butler for Josh Howard wouldnt put us over the top.
We need someone like Igudala to be able to beat score enough to win a championship.
They need him coming off the bench for the 2nd unit, because he's a clutch shooter. The Lakers were lucky that they didn't run into one of those speedy types last year.
Lanier High's finest
Will they encounter quick speedy PG's though? Paul is on an irrelevant team, so is Parker... Jazz aren't very good... Billups and Kidd are the PG's of the 2nd and 3rd best teams in the West and aren't quick or speedy.
If they make the Finals though I suppose with Rondo/Williams/Nelson some problems could be there.
Josh Howard, Gooden's partial-guaranteed and whatever else it takes to get Ellis. Wonder if that works under the cap.
They did run into a speedy type. Brooks ate Fisher's lunch. Fortunately for the Lakers, they were a much better team.
Huevos.
Aaron Brooks destroyed them last year, enabling the Rockets to force a seventh game. The Rockets just didn't have the horses to beat the Lakers in a series, but Fisher was destroyed by Brooks. They'll have trouble at the PG matchup in the Finals, no matter who comes out of the East (Cavs, Celtics, Magic).
Mo, Delonte, Jamario, LeBron and Varejao.
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