Spurs>Thunder>Rockets>Warriors>Clippers>Grizzlies> Lakers. But ball biting close
Lakers aren't even close to a playoff team, tbh..
Kobe got all the credit last year, but Howard had a great 2nd half of the season and was their most important player during their run to the playoffs, since he was by far the best defensive player on their team, tbh(while Kobe was one of the worst defensive players in the league)..
I'd be absolutely shocked if the Lakers aren't the worst defensive team in the NBA next season, tbh..
I think here, hindsight is 20/20. Throughout the entire year, pundits, as well as fans, talked about how stacked the West was and that it's "anybody's race". It's easy to say now that it was a two-horse race, but at that time, it was anybody's guess who would come out. Remember, nobody, least of all the fans, trusted the Spurs to get back to the Finals.
With this, I feel like it's going to be the same as last year: Two teams who are ahead of the pack record-wise and the rest of the West beating each other up for 3-8. The compe ion will remain the same, only the order of the records will be different. I believe Houston might take Denver's spot and push the Lakers out of the 8 spot, and that's pretty much all that will change.
Well forget the Lakers and Grizz. What about the others?Lakers aren't even close to a playoff team, tbh
Kobe got all the credit last year, but Howard had a great 2nd half of the season and was their most important player during their run to the playoffs, since he was by far the best defensive player on their team, tbh(while Kobe was one of the worst defensive players in the league)..
I'd be absolutely shocked if the Lakers aren't the worst defensive team in the NBA next season, tbh..
I agree with your order, although I'd have the Clippers ahead of the Warriors, tbh..
Who knows.. any team can get good at any moment, think we have a great chance but to say it got easier is just ting on other teams. That's what people said about us last year, spurs have no chance really to go to the finals but we did and so could okc or clipps or Houston or a surprise team. Will be an interesting and fun to watch season for sure though
I think the Lakers got better
Dallas will be back in the playoffs next season and them mavs have always been a nightmare matchup to the Spurs no matter where they rank on the scale of the whole league, and there has been no gauge of the Rockets yet, but according to some rockets fans the rockets will be a top team in the west. Clippers will also be a better team than last season with a better coach and a higher average IQ.
Uhhhh, I might've been out of the loop today, but did Lin get traded??? I mean he was listed among those "gone" from HOU..
West Predictions:
1. Spurs, (Best all around team in the West)
2. Clippers (Should have good chemistry now in starting line-up, decent bench)
t-3. Houston, t-3. Warriors, (These teams need to work on chemistry, may take another season for them to gel)
t-5. Thunder (No bench, Westbrook recovering from major surgery)
t-5. Grizzlies (Still no Offense)
7-8. Does it really matter?
My reasoning is that it seems as though other teams do not have a bench...
Pending injuries/trades, I feel the Spurs should be favorites from the West. The East looks a lot stronger this year though. Hopefully bruise up Miami a little bit...
You could say that both ways there, Spurs a nightmare for them as well! Vice versa! Rivals always seem to have that factor. I think the Spurs are better no doubt, but the Mavs can upset you or make you have a HARD series.
The Warriors did not get better.
They lost Jack and Landry. Both of them are 6th men caliber players. Curry is injury prone and Jack was a great backup to have. Bogut is injury prone and Landry is a great 4-5 backup.
Iggy creates problems on offense. Barnes is a rising star but you opted to bring in an established former all star who plays the same position. This means that Barnes will have to come off the bench, unless he becomes the backup PF, he won't play nearly as many minutes as he should. Iggy was actually a below average player last season (PER) On a team that pushed the ball and really only had 2 or 3 other legit options on offense. GSW has Curry, Lee, Thompson, Barnes and Bogut in the post. They are also without Ezili until January. They need to fill out their bench as well.
They're after the Spurs, OKC, Clippers and possibly Houston
Yeah I'm confused, I checked ESPN and Hoop Hype he hasn't been moved. Houston is reportly interested in moving him and or Asik for assets though.
Not yet but he will be. The Rockets have a dynamic young point guard in PAtrick Beverly they love. Played instead of Lin in playoff games. Lin will be moved before start of season. Jury still out on Asik...
can't wait for the season to start. gonna be great.
don't think we'll come out of the west, but you just never know.
Laughably poor comparison, tbh.... Blake is nothing like Bible Kemp....
It'll be interesting to see how Houston plays with Howard, and to see what kind of effect Doc Rivers has on the Clippers. While I don't think it's easier than last year, the Spurs should be considered the favorites.
Btw, people are really underselling the effects that actual plays, a modern defensive scheme, floor spacing, and legitimate shooters will have on the Clippers.... sure, the Clipps were deep last year, but they had nothing even close to a quality starting wing, and the coaching was laughable.... I still think the Spurs are the better team until proven otherwise and the most likely Western Conference representative in the Finals, but a Spurs/Clippers rematch in the WCF isn't out of the question, tbh....
I don't think the Clippers make the jump until Blake (or someone on the team) develops as a post threat. Imagine how dangerous that team could be if he demanded a double team in the post?
He's developed a few solid post moves and his PPP on post-ups has improved every year.... now that we finally have a coach whose offense is more nuanced than "bail me out, Chris" and who actually sees the good parts of Blake's game (Doc even brought up Blake's passing skills at his introductory press conference), I'd be shocked if he doesn't take a big step forward this year especially in the post, tbh....
I agree, and as you know, I've been saying that about Griffin all year..
He does have a solid post game and he has improved as a player, despite what the mainstream media and fans seem to believe, tbh..
The problem with Griffin is that the Clippers go to him early, but he stops getting touches the rest of the game..IIRC, he was an elite 1st quarter scorer but the Clippers would forget about him as the game moved forward..
The concern I'd have for the Clippers is the 3rd guy on their team, and even more important, their ty frontcourt..Jordan is a terrible basketball player, and their backup bigs are weak, tbh..
If OKC doesn't up their game, the Clippers don't need to tbh. The Clippers will be automatic.
Spurs are the clear #1 and their re-signings and new signings show they totally believe in their way of doing things. Signing Ginobili & Splitter were exactly what I thought PATFO was going to do, picking up the likes of Belinelli gives them another shooter/ball handler who helps relieve Manu as 2nd primary ball handler. He'll still handle it alot with Parker to the bench, but hopefully, Marco can help those guys better than Gary Neal ever did. If he can, then perhaps Parker won't be so gassed when he needs to be on the court late. Jeff Pendergraph gives the Spurs some added interior post depth. And until he's officially signed somewhere else, I still think that they may even be in the running for a guy like AK-47 to backup stud SF Kawhi Leonard-
I don't really care about any other teams in the West but if I had to venture a guess, then I will take the teams that favor cohesion over all-star first my turn, then your turn bball
.
Teams that trust their systems and play good D will advance further than teams that just dominate on offense.
OKC-They got nothing for Harden now that KMartin is in Minnesota. Will they have enough scoring? Who is their 3rd scoring threat? Scott Brooks is a capable coach but his team need to believe in him.
LAC-Got Doc, need to see the rest of the moves. On Paper, they are solid from top to bottom but I see a weakness in both DeAndre and Blake and their inconsistent mid-range jumpshots. What do they do when the lob is taken away?
GSW-What they did last season is a mirage, unreal what they accomplished with all that went bad for them. They need health and the AI signing was a good one. He simply fits into what that team needs. He's not the disruptive type and he'll do everything that Mark Jackson asks him to.
For the 5th spot, it's between Memphis and Houston. With Memphis, since they have the same core, I'd stick with them. Losing Lionel Hollins is huge but that team still has a solid frontline and a young PG that is starting to recognize his impact on the court.
Houston-has the most upside with bringing in DHo. They will have lots of roster moves to accomodate Howard's contract. It's those losses I think, that will hinder them. They don't scare me out of the box but on paper, they could be a threat.
LAL, Utah, PHX are all LOL and in a state of flux.
backing down, turning around and trying to dunk on the other person isn't really considered post moves. Blake needs to take a page from some NBA legends and learn some footwork; I'm surprised it's taking him so long to learn it though. But no one will ever be as slow when it comes to learning other than Dwight lol
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