1. GSW
2. Rockets
3. Clippers
4. Spurs
5. Thunder
6. Wolves
7. Grizzlies
8. Lakers
Wolves and Lakers are in, Blazers and Jazz out. I'm tempted to replace the Lakers with Portland but I've seen enough from Lonzo and I believe he'll get the Lakers to the playoffs. Career years for KCP, Randle, Lopez also helps their chances. Clippers looks amazing and a lot more balance than the CP3 era lob city. Spurs made a couple of unsatisfactory moves which will come back and bite them in the butt. Rockets is my dark horse pick to represent the Western Conference this year.
Warriors
Rockets
Spurs
Thunder
Blazers
Grizzlies
Clippers
Wolves
Warriors
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Rockets
Spurs
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Thunder
Blazers
Griz
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Clippers
Wolves
8. Lakers
Houston is so overrated it's funny. CP3 is perfect for the dantoni system. Harden is perfect for the dantoni system. But too bad that system is to have one single ball dominant lead guard and both of them are perfect for that system because both of them are ball dominant lead guards. I will have to wait till they figure out how either of them can produce as a spot up shooter before hailing them as the second best team in the west.
It could work tbh.. But i just don't see CP0 sustaining a mike dantoni season without getting injured and eventually shut down.
Yeah, I'm sure they will have a hard time adating to all those wide open catch and shoot opportunities.
Lakers ain't makin' the playoffs (before Lebron gets there).
Dubs
Rockets
OKC
T'Pups
Pelicans
Spurs
Guests
Clippers
Lakers
GSW
rest doesn't matter
Trust in Lonzo and Lavar
Bloodbath
Yeah. I am not saying that there is no way it would work, but a lot of things will have to fall in place.
CP3 and Harden are not the traditional catch and shoot guys, they are dribblers and pound the air out of the ball. I suppose it helps them mitigate the risk of one "choking" in the playoffs by having the other have the ball, but the reason both of them has a history of choking isn't really because they choke, it's because their style of play is easier to defend in the playoffs with proper game planning. They are ball dominant players, and unless both of them change the way they play significantly, they are duplicating each other's strengths.
I personally think CP3 is probably the better of the two in the role, as he is a better defender and facilitator, but then what will Harden do? Revert to his OKC role?
The problem with your reasoning is that CP3 and Harden are both very good shooters. If Wade and Lebron (both unreliable shooters) made it work on offense, I'm sure CP3 and Harden will be just fine.
It's about the style of play. They both love to dribble first before shooting when they get the ball. Can they be just shooters? I am sure they can be, but it's a habit they have to break.
Also, why would you pay someone max $ to be a catch and shoot guy if you can have one for $10M?
Because you aren't paying max money to Harden and CP3 to be strictly catch and shoot guys. You do know that there are more than enough possesions to go around for two ball dominant players in one team, right?
You have spent the last 15 years watching three ball dominant guys play together on the Spurs, why are you suddenly making a big deal about two ball dominant players playing together?
Are you saying Parker, Manu, and Duncan are/were ball dominant? I disagree with that.
Just because they got to play all together and share the load doesn't mean they weren't ball dominant players. In Argentina and Europe Manu got the ball on his hands every single time down the court, when he got to the NBA he obviously had to adapt. Duncan up to 2003 got the ball on the block almost everytime too, and Tony is probably the most ball dominant of the three.
They were all ball dominant players, but since they had to play together they had to share the ball, and since they were all great, talented and smart they made it work. Just like CP3 and Harden will make it work in Houston.
Timmy and Manu were always great passers. But they were put into situations where they didn't have the players around them to show that. I don't think this makes them ball dominant.
Regardless, I agree with you that CP3 and Harden will probably make it work.
Being great passers and being ball dominant players isn't mutually exclusive, tbh. In fact, those two things are often connected.
True. I still don't think most would consider Timmy and Manu "ball dominant".
I am assuming you are saying Duncan, Parker and Ginobili are ball dominant. I can see Parker being one, but Ginobili is extremely good off ball (one of the best), and Duncan can dominate games even without scoring (defense, positioning).
Besides, Duncan was clearly the one managing the offense all the way up to around 2008, then Ginobili took over for a few years before Parker took more of the offensive load in 2012 or so. Three of them were never ball dominant together.
Of course there are enough possessions, but the issue goes back to the original point I made, D'antoni's system is to have one single ball dominant lead guard dictate the offense. First with Nash, then with Lin, then with Kobe (failed because he wouldn't pass), then with Harden. I am not sure how he would integrate both of them in that offense. But I guess you are right, D'antoni is a very underrated offensive coach, perhaps he can break a decade of habit.
Ginobili became a good off ball player once he got to the NBA, before that he was always a ball dominant player. You know why he was able to do that transition? Because he's a good passer, a good shooter and has great instincts. All things that both Paul and Harden posses, so I see them easily being able to adapt to that role. Also, Harden began his career alongside Westbrook and Durant, I'm sure he knows a thing or two about playing off ball, tbh.
And the only thing D'antoni needs to do is keep preaching that fast tempo, free flowing offense and things will unfold naturally because he has more talent than ever before (for his style of play). And when he needs to set a midcourt offense just have Paul and Harden taking turns to run the pick and roll, tbh.
Last edited by DAF86; 08-01-2017 at 04:50 PM.
Doc spent years preaching a fast tempo, only for CP0 to ignore him and sloooooooowwwwwlyyyy dribble the air out of the ball on every possession. I suspect it will be the same story in Houston with Pringles.
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