Too early to tell, IMHO.
Granted that the East still sucks, no one will now be fooled by atlanta's record and it's still Bron's conference but is the West really that much better?
The rockets are failing horribly, pelicans only have 1 win, Memphis is just unwatchable, clippers also not having a good record, blazers are one of the worst, dallas also looks bad. So 6 out of 8 playoff teams really look out of sync right now. And OKC aside from their season opener has been sucking too. Only good teams are really Spurs who are still struggling offensively and the Warriors.
So is the West being better just based on cliche? Do you think most of the teams can bounce back? Or is it really between Gsw and Spurs right now?
Too early to tell, IMHO.
Dallas looks surprisingly good in my opinion ... another fine job by Mark Cuban putting something together on the fly and Carlisle's offense looks better than Pops tbh. Dwight Powell is my favorite rookie so far this season ...
He's done fine, he'll find his way
![]()
Really? Thought they looked bad outside of that home game against clipps but thats just from rumors
I watched quite a few games ... Parsons and Mathews still get much rest after returning from injuries, but even with them and Nowitzki not playing they won big in Houston. When fully healthy they might stay in playoff position ...
I came into this thread fully prepared to defend David West.
![]()
Rick Carlisle man. He's just one the best coaches out there. His ability to make things work out better than anyone would think it would.
Still early...The rockets do look bad - Kardashian Kurse. Unfortunately for Spurs fans, and the rest of the Western Conference contenders, McHale's days in Houston are numbered.
I was really surprised that the re-upped with them already. Considering that Cuban hasn't done him any favors in the player moves. Rick must be convinced that he will have a strong say in the post Dirk era.
or he likes the yearly challenge of trying to build something out of the spare parts he gets every season.
David West? Yeah he sucks so far
Thanks man, Dwest needed your help. With this post I expect a double double from hin next game![]()
I hope the West is weaker than expected. A higher seed for the Spurs.
It's clearly weaker, at the moment, since Houston and Memphis look like trash with no miracle fixes, and the 7-8 seeds are going to be much weaker than usual..
Still, though, Warriors have been historically good, and the Clippers are still an elite team..
Overall, I'd say the Western Conference is still better than the East. While there are many teams faltering early season in the West, it's not like any of the East teams suddenly look like world-beaters. Outside of Cleveland, Atlanta, and maybe Chicago (which were the three top East teams last season)...I'd have a hard time pegging any of the other Eastern teams to win a 7-game series against the West.
Sure, the Heat, Raptors, and Pistons have all surprised early...but that was based on the expectation of them being terrible. Just like people are dogging on the Rockets and Grizzlies because they came in with high expectations for the season. I'd still take either of the two latter teams over any of the former in a playoff series though.
Really, the only difference I can tell so far is the distance between the top of the Western bracket and the bottom has gotten wider. Still a lot of games to be played, though, so things will likely even out.
Lol. Same here.
Only the Warriors look all that good. I'm not too impressed by the Spurs 8-2 record so far with the level of compe ion they have faced. Brooklyn, Portland, Charlotte, Washington, New York. The only competent teams they have played so far are OKC and Boston.
West clearly isn't as loaded this year, so far. Grizzlies are looking a little better with Chalmers, something that almost hurts to say.
Even so, looking at the East, it's just a painfully thin conference.
The top 4 teams out West (Dubs/Spurs/Clips/Thunder) would beat anyone in the East aside from the Cavs, who would be 50/50 with most. Chicago could probably push a couple of teams to 7 games if Rose is balling.
The West is still far and away better, they're just top heavy now, is all.
Golden State is clearly the class of the league right now. Spurs, OKC, Clips are all second tier at the moment imo.
OKC looks more of the same to me, a 2-man show and lacking interior D when Ibaka is pulled away from the basket, and with a rookie coach still acclimating to the League. Still dangerous when healthy though.
I think the Clippers still look pretty good and are legitimate contenders out West, despite the atrocities that are their uniforms (easily one of the worst uniforms in NBA history). If healthy though, I'd like our chances against them in a 7-game series.
Spurs have looked good, not great offensively. Starting 5 still trying to find a rhythm and learn how to play off one another. Thankfully our defense has been fantastic, as has our bench. I think The offense will improve with time.
Cavs are still a virtual lock for the Finals out East. Nothing new there.
Only 10 games into the season though. By All-Star break we should have a better idea of where each team stands.
Last edited by BatManu20; 11-17-2015 at 02:11 PM.
You can't make that assumption until the trade deadline: The Cavs didn't look like contender last season until they made the Mozgov/Shumpert trade.
The Rockets are bound to make a coaching change (Scott Brooks?) & their frontline has been decimated by injury:
-Beverley has to start & Lawson needs to be converted into a 6th man
-They need Motiejunas as he is their most dependable post scorer
-Their 3 point shots have also not been falling & it's only a matter of time before they start falling
Everyone on the Grizzlies perimeter players have been struggling w/ their shots but they are bound to regress to the mean:
-Mario Chalmers is already making a difference & opening up the floor for Gasol
-Conley is making his shots & they have won 3 straight
The Cippers are trying to figure who should be their starting small forward (Pierce) but they will be an elite team as long as Re /Cp3/Blake/DJ are all healthy.
-Pierce is cruising until the postseason
-Crawford/Lance have been ass so they can only play better (Crawford just had a breakout game)
OKC will be dangerous as long as Durant/Westbrook/Ibaka are healthy.
-They will most likely make a trade to get a starting wing-player, which would elevate them a contender
The Mavs are a playoff team despite their starter being walking-injured status
Pelicans have been decimated by injures & might already be out of it but the Suns/Jazz are looking like a complete team.
Sacramento can beat any team on a given night & Minnesota/Blazers don't look so terrible as a rebuilding team.
Lakers are a joke as expected
As far as the East:
-The Cavs are hard to judge until Kyrie gets back but at the moment Bron is carrying the team & pulling out victories in the 4th quarter.
-The Bulls are the 2nd best team in the East but just lost to the Wolves in Chicago
-The Hawks are the 3rd best team & just lost the the Jazz in Atlanta
-Pistons went on a Western conference road trip & left w/ a 4 game losing streak (should have been 5 if it's wasn't for the Blazers blowing a 20pt 4th quarter lead)
-Heat barely beat the Jazz in Miami
-Raptors just lost to the Kings
-The Celtics best player in Isaiah Thomas
-The Pacers frontline is a joke: Hill/Ian
....if anything the East's bottom dwellers aren't as ty as past seasons.
Last edited by Kawhitstorm; 11-17-2015 at 02:24 PM.
Same here! He has been playing great.
I came into it expecting a post about David West that quickly derailed into a Porker thread.
Powell not a rookie. I think he's a second year player. He came into the Mavs from Boston last year in that Rondo trade. He barely played in Boston, and obviously not much for the Mavs last year either.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)