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Someone is smoking something.
You have to be kidding! The Nets were picked 3rd overall in the East and the Pistons 4th! I can see where the Heat or Pacers can argueably be picked higher, but the Nets? Give me a break, Kidd's definitely slowing down, Carter gets hurt every year they have no depth so what the heck!
3. New Jersey Nets
This year the Nets are beaming. Mourning is in Miami, Kidd's left knee is sound, and coach Lawrence Frank has a full training camp to integrate swingmen Richard Jefferson, who missed 49 games with a ruptured ligament in his left wrist, and Vince Carter, who was acquired from the Raptors last December. Says Frank, "Guys have a much better feeling about the direction the franchise is going in."
A key to that direction is 7-foot center Nenad Krstic, who averaged 11.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in 57 starts as a rookie. Krstic's steady play spurred New Jersey's postseason push; the Nets were 29-12 when he scored in double figures. "I thought if he could give us three or four minutes a night, it would be a plus," Frank says. "He exceeded every one of our expectations."
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4. Detroit Pistons
Telling Number
Opponents shot 42.5% from the floor in the 74 games that Ben Wallace played. In the eight games he missed because of injury or suspension, foes shot 47.5%.
Life after Larry Brown won't be bad, specially for an underused bench
The Pistons made few changes to their roster, but point guard Chauncey Billups would have you believe that the club has undergone a major makeover. Reserves buried at the end of the bench last season will get more minutes, creating a deeper rotation. More significantly, the departure of a coaching icon has made them hungrier than ever. "We're going to miss Larry Brown, but so many times it was just about Larry," says Billups of the 65-year-old coach, who at first appeared on his way to the Cavaliers but wound up with the Knicks. "It was always, 'Larry did this, Larry did that,' with the result that I don't think the players got enough credit."
The controversial departure of Brown, who had three years left on his contract, has given way to the low-key approach of new coach Flip Saunders, who helped resurrect Billups's career when the two were together for two seasons in Minnesota. Now Billups is returning the favor. "Chauncey is working with the guys and helping to explain what we're trying to accomplish," says Saunders, who was fired by the Timberwolves last February. "This is a team that polices itself. They have a high basketball IQ."
During his 10 years in Minnesota, Saunders was adept at carving out valuable roles for players who, like Billups, had been overlooked elsewhere. That augurs well for Pistons reserves such as Carlos Arroyo, Carlos Delfino and Darko Milicic, all of whom had trouble earning minutes in Brown's seven-man rotation. "We're going to be deep like we were in our championship year [2003-04]," vows Billups. "Last year we played our starting five, and it seemed as if Lindsey [Hunter] and [Antonio] McDyess were the only people who played consistent minutes off the bench." -- Ian Thomsen
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/bas...uting.reports/
Someone is smoking something.
Nets are good, but have no frontcourt defense. Robinson is OK, but that's it. They'll be an average rebounding team and borderline quality perimeter shooting team.
Something tells me they'll lead the League in TO's. Kidd and Jefferson sould average 3 each.
I think the Pacers could be better, but this thought stemmed from a time before the last few weeks when Artest went clinical again. Pistons are solid. Probably the best, but there's no drama in having no weakness and not dominating on offense.
Indeed.
Are you sure they didn't put NJ at 3 because of the division alignment?
Didn't NJ whip you guys ass in the post season a couple of years ago, like the last team to beat you before us? You guys haven't proven you can beat Kidd when he's got a compe ive team, and he's got one now. I don't have a big problem with this ranking...
I have a bigger problem with everyone acting like you guys are going to lose Larry Brown, replace him with Flip Saunders, and never miss a beat...Where in the are people getting this conclusion from...Larry Brown is a huge loss, and Flip doesn't know squat about D....You can't just lose Larry Brown and move on like you are replacing the 13th man on the bench...it's a huge loss....and Flip has failed to make it out of the first round with teams twice as talented as the one you guys won a championship with...
Look, I think Larry Brown is pretty much a horses ass, he's untrustworthy, difficult...etc...but the man can freaking coach and losing him is pretty much an insurmountable loss if you aren't replacing him with Phil Jackson, Rudy T, Pat Riley...or Pop....and I'd argue that he's capable of doing more with less than any of those guys anyway.
I just don't see how no one is acknowledging the fact that the Pistons lost Larry Brown...it's like losing a SuperStar.
Last edited by whottt; 10-27-2005 at 01:30 AM.
Well it's a new season. Let's see people prove stuff on the court.. Enough talk..
Preseason is too BEEPing long...
could be Ranking is based on playoff positioning??
1. Ind
2. Mia
3. NJ
4. Det
That sounds good to me
Yeah, they swept us in the 02-03 Conference Finals and I acknowledge that we lost Larry Brown.I see what Spurminator is saying and I think he's right because they did have an asterisk next to NJ's team.
Like Vashner said, it's a new season, let's get it on!
Amen.Preseason is too BEEPing long...
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