Basketball_Romantic23
Banned
1- Mavericks: Though the Mavs have lost J.J., and Chandler, they were able to trade (losing no players, and giving away pretty much nothing) for Odom, and also sign Vince Carter. The defending Champs look poised to defend their title, and barring they do not have any significant injuries this season with the compressed schedule, they will at least put together another strong run.
2- Thunder: This year the Thunder are older and wiser, but still young, explosive and exciting. they have a dynamic team, and arguably the best player in the NBA in Durrantula. There are perhaps two key questions this season that will determine how the season in OKC will go: The progression of Westbrook as a good Decision making PG and Does James Harden still continue to rise.
3-Grizzlies: Not only did they knock the Spurs out of the playoffs, but The Grizz took the Thunder to 7 games last season- Without their best player, Rudy Gay. Resigning Mark Gasol was a key move to their relevance as a legit contender. Lionel Hollins will have his hands full getting the team to mesh with Gay. (not too mention having a distraction like O.J. Mayo on the team.) look for the Grizz to make a strong push in the west.
4-Lakers: After Losing Odom to the Mavs for relatively nothing, the Lakers are as of right now not as good a team as they were last year. Kobe, Fisher, and Artest are a year older, Bynum will no doubt miss at least 15 to 20 games, and they are not that deep as far as the roster goes. The Lakers need a serious acquisition to become elite again. Dwight Howard seems unlikely at this point, and Chris Paul is not going to happen without Odom as piece to offer. It will be interesting to see if they can land anyone significant to placate Kobe and rejuvenate the Roster.
5-Spurs: Though the Tim Duncan era is coming to a close, the Spurs still have one more serious push left. The Contributions of Leonard and some of the other young guys will be needed if the spurs are to go deep, especially in such a compressed season.
6- Clippers:With the emergence of Blake Griffin and eric Gordon, and after resigning Jordan, and signing Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler, the Clippers are looking very relevant again. The Clippers are deep too, having Kamen, Mo Williams and other strong role players to come off the bench. Look for the Clippers to be a strong team this year. The leadership of Billups will be huge if he will chooses to play for the clips, and also if he can stay healthy.
7- Jazz: The Jazz look poised to play a strong season this year. Devin Harris and Al Jefferson will likely be more productive in their 2nd season in Utah, Youngsters Hayward and Favors showed very encouraging signs of elite level play late last season. Also, after 4 days of training Camp, the Word on the street is that Rookie Alec Burks is impressing coaches with his passing and scoring Abilities. Look for him to crack the starting lineup sometime this season.
8- Blazers: Even after losing Roy and Oden, The Blazers still have the talent to compete. Have to say however that can't help but feel bad for Portland Fans. a Few Years Ago, just after they had drafted Oden, they looked to have a seriously Bright Future ahead of them with a core of Aldridge, Oden, and Roy.
9- Hornets: After losing David West and watching the whole Chris Paul trade vetoed, the Hornets seem to be Slipping out of playoff team material. How effective will a disgruntled Paul be this year? and if he is effective, does he have the supporting cast to make much noise in a stacked western conference.
10-Warriors: The Warriors are talented but young; they also don't play defense, though Jackson says they will. Shouldn't be hard for Jackson to be a better coach then an announcer. but without a defensive stopper in the paint, the Warriors don't look to be any better than last year.
11-T-wolves: The Wolves are getting better, and i will go on record to say that it would not surprise me if they made the playoffs. How much of an impact will Rubio, Williams, and Adleman have on team that has a culture of losing.
12-The Rockets may actually be better than this, but a great deal seems uncertain. though they play like a team, you can't help but wonder if the rockets will be able to avoid the re-building phase.
13- Suns: The Suns are setting. Steve Nash may get moved before seasons end, who knows. You have to love Hills Dedication to the game and to his team after coming back from injuries and resigning with an aging team. Grant Hill is a rare breed, that is for sure.
14- Kings: How will Jimmer Gel with Reke, and Cousins. can you imagine Jimmer Hoisting up a shot from Jimmer Land as cousins is calling for ball on the low block, and then Cousins chasing Jimmer into the locker room out of anger (jk). one has to believe there are problems to be solved in regards to chemistry and maturity in Sac-town before they will be relevant again.
15-Nuggets: After losing Chandler, Martin, and Smith, the nuggets look to be on their way to a full blown rebuilding stage again. remember the Nuggets pre melo?... Yeah it may be ugly. Throw in the fact that Nene may not resign in Denver and you have a long hard road ahead of you if you are a nugget fan. It is too bad that a star like Melo can walk away (guns blazing) from the team that drafted him. you have to wonder if the League has many players that value Loyalty over the market and the money they make; players like that are a priceless commodity, and stars like that don't appear to exist.
2- Thunder: This year the Thunder are older and wiser, but still young, explosive and exciting. they have a dynamic team, and arguably the best player in the NBA in Durrantula. There are perhaps two key questions this season that will determine how the season in OKC will go: The progression of Westbrook as a good Decision making PG and Does James Harden still continue to rise.
3-Grizzlies: Not only did they knock the Spurs out of the playoffs, but The Grizz took the Thunder to 7 games last season- Without their best player, Rudy Gay. Resigning Mark Gasol was a key move to their relevance as a legit contender. Lionel Hollins will have his hands full getting the team to mesh with Gay. (not too mention having a distraction like O.J. Mayo on the team.) look for the Grizz to make a strong push in the west.
4-Lakers: After Losing Odom to the Mavs for relatively nothing, the Lakers are as of right now not as good a team as they were last year. Kobe, Fisher, and Artest are a year older, Bynum will no doubt miss at least 15 to 20 games, and they are not that deep as far as the roster goes. The Lakers need a serious acquisition to become elite again. Dwight Howard seems unlikely at this point, and Chris Paul is not going to happen without Odom as piece to offer. It will be interesting to see if they can land anyone significant to placate Kobe and rejuvenate the Roster.
5-Spurs: Though the Tim Duncan era is coming to a close, the Spurs still have one more serious push left. The Contributions of Leonard and some of the other young guys will be needed if the spurs are to go deep, especially in such a compressed season.
6- Clippers:With the emergence of Blake Griffin and eric Gordon, and after resigning Jordan, and signing Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler, the Clippers are looking very relevant again. The Clippers are deep too, having Kamen, Mo Williams and other strong role players to come off the bench. Look for the Clippers to be a strong team this year. The leadership of Billups will be huge if he will chooses to play for the clips, and also if he can stay healthy.
7- Jazz: The Jazz look poised to play a strong season this year. Devin Harris and Al Jefferson will likely be more productive in their 2nd season in Utah, Youngsters Hayward and Favors showed very encouraging signs of elite level play late last season. Also, after 4 days of training Camp, the Word on the street is that Rookie Alec Burks is impressing coaches with his passing and scoring Abilities. Look for him to crack the starting lineup sometime this season.
8- Blazers: Even after losing Roy and Oden, The Blazers still have the talent to compete. Have to say however that can't help but feel bad for Portland Fans. a Few Years Ago, just after they had drafted Oden, they looked to have a seriously Bright Future ahead of them with a core of Aldridge, Oden, and Roy.
9- Hornets: After losing David West and watching the whole Chris Paul trade vetoed, the Hornets seem to be Slipping out of playoff team material. How effective will a disgruntled Paul be this year? and if he is effective, does he have the supporting cast to make much noise in a stacked western conference.
10-Warriors: The Warriors are talented but young; they also don't play defense, though Jackson says they will. Shouldn't be hard for Jackson to be a better coach then an announcer. but without a defensive stopper in the paint, the Warriors don't look to be any better than last year.
11-T-wolves: The Wolves are getting better, and i will go on record to say that it would not surprise me if they made the playoffs. How much of an impact will Rubio, Williams, and Adleman have on team that has a culture of losing.
12-The Rockets may actually be better than this, but a great deal seems uncertain. though they play like a team, you can't help but wonder if the rockets will be able to avoid the re-building phase.
13- Suns: The Suns are setting. Steve Nash may get moved before seasons end, who knows. You have to love Hills Dedication to the game and to his team after coming back from injuries and resigning with an aging team. Grant Hill is a rare breed, that is for sure.
14- Kings: How will Jimmer Gel with Reke, and Cousins. can you imagine Jimmer Hoisting up a shot from Jimmer Land as cousins is calling for ball on the low block, and then Cousins chasing Jimmer into the locker room out of anger (jk). one has to believe there are problems to be solved in regards to chemistry and maturity in Sac-town before they will be relevant again.
15-Nuggets: After losing Chandler, Martin, and Smith, the nuggets look to be on their way to a full blown rebuilding stage again. remember the Nuggets pre melo?... Yeah it may be ugly. Throw in the fact that Nene may not resign in Denver and you have a long hard road ahead of you if you are a nugget fan. It is too bad that a star like Melo can walk away (guns blazing) from the team that drafted him. you have to wonder if the League has many players that value Loyalty over the market and the money they make; players like that are a priceless commodity, and stars like that don't appear to exist.
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