Reply With Quote
I'd put the Pistons above the Cavs. Other than that, I agree.
It's time for updated power rankings, even though the player movement portion of the offseason isn't done with:
West
1. Lakers - Lost Turiaf, added Bynum and Ariza. They'll be favorites to return to the Finals.
2. Hornets - Posey is not a guy who wins you championships, but has a specific skillset that blends in well with elite teams, and this is just enough to push the Hornets past the Spurs in my book.
3. Spurs - Not terribly impressed with their offseason.
4. Rockets - On paper, a fearsome squad.
5. Jazz - Not impressed with their offseason either
6. Mavs - They'll be slightly better than they were last year
7. Suns - Old, aging core.
8. Blazers - I don't know how good Oden will be, but I think him and Rudy Fernandez get them the eighth seed.
9. Nuggets - Lost too many pieces
10. Clippers - Counting on Camby and Davis to both play 70+ games is iffy.
11. Warriors - Lost too many pieces
12. Kings - Young, rebuilding team
13. Wolves - Young, rebuilding team
14. OKC - Young, rebuilding team
15. Grizz - Young, rebuilding team
East
1. Celtics - Losing Posey hurts, but Garnett will keep his teammates hungry and motivated.
2. Sixers - They look good on paper.
3. Cavs - LeBron and good team defense is good enough for third in the East.
4. Pistons - Still enough talent to slip too far in this conference.
5. Magic - Team on the rise, I might be mistaken by not putting them ahead of the Pistons.
6. Wizards - They could vault into the top four in the East if Arenas ever learns to play unselfishly.
7. Raptors - No comment
8. Bucks - They've added enough talent to win the honor of getting swept by Boston.
9. Bulls - Rose helps them bounce back somewhat.
10. Heat
11. Pacers
12. Knicks
13. Nets
14. Bobcats
15. Hawks - Smith is going to force a S'n'T to cap off a disastrous offseason for them.
I'd put the Pistons above the Cavs. Other than that, I agree.
nice evaluation
Bayless?
My bad. Portland at #1, then.
That's better!
Suns at 6 - Amare finally plays defense
Mavs at 7 - Josh Howard is an idiot
Nah, I got the Suns at 7 because Shaq won't play in more than 50 games, and Grant Hill and Nash are a year older.
I actually think the Pistons will fall further down than top 4 in the East unless they make a major move. A few weeks ago, I thought maybe they could still be a #3-5 seed in the East. But, I just don't like what they've done so far, or what they haven't done might be more appropriate. They're stale. They need at least one major change. Kwame Brown isn't that change. I think they could slip down to #6 or #7 in the East, and if the East wasn't so bad, worse.
Yeah, it really doesn't matter. I can't see the Suns above a 6-seed anyway, so it's a moot point. Only hope is that Barnes spells Hill to keep him fresh and they can utilize some kind of Diaw/backup PG platoon to keep Nash healthy.
Diaw should start at small forward and Grant Hill should come off the bench playing point forward when Nash rests. That way, you can regulate Grant Hill's minutes and you don't force Barbosa to be a play maker on the second unit.
Things could be worse: I could be a fan of the Hawks, Grizzlies, T-Wolves.
I agree. That should have happened in the Mike D'Antoni era and the Suns should have gotten out of the first round instead of having to sit the player that gave the Spurs some fits during the regular season (Grant Hill).
Aside from his appendix nearly bursting and costing about 3 weeks of games, Hill sat out an incredibly low number of games based on his age and previous injuries. However, I would have preferred that he played lower minutes and sat out some other games to have him available for the games that matter in the postseason.
While he's no longer the young triple-double threat he was in the early years, he's still a very smart, hardworking player who has an extreme desire to win a championship. It's sad he had to watch the Suns go down 4-1 last year from the bench.
Grant Hill vs. Spurs last year (regular season) -
Game 1 (Dec): 22 pts, 7 rebs, 3 ast, 3 blks
Game 2 (Jan): 10 pts, 3 stls, 5 rebs, 24 min
Game 3 (Mar): 18 pts, 6 rebs, 1 blk, 1 ast
Game 4 (Apr): 8 pts, 6 rebs, 1 blk, 2 ast
Averages: 14.5 pts, 6 rebs, 1.5 ast, 1.25 blks
Grant Hill vs. Spurs (postseason) -
Game 1: 5 pts, 7 rebs, 1 blk, 1 ast
Game 2: 0 pts, 5 stls, 2 rebs
Game 3: 6 pts, 4 rebs, 2 ast
Game 4: DNP-CD
Game 5: DNP-CD
Not saying that he had mind blowing stats in the regular season, but there is a noticeable drop in his post-season stats based on D'Antoni playing him 31 MPG in 70 games last year. I would definitely take 14 ppg and 6 boards from my 35-year-old back up PG/SF.
Shawn Marion used to have great stats vs the Spurs in regular season games too. It was the postseason where he disappeared, although Hill was hobbled by the groin injury.
Yeah, I'm willing to give Hill the benefit of the doubt thanks to his groin injury and abdominal strain. If he exhibits Marion's disappearing act this post-season, then I'll question him a little more.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
