NBA Offseason 2009

that's why i said "when healthy"

also if gasol is soft, bynum will be psychologically fucked with. that kid has been through more trauma then a little boy walking in on his mom with his uncle.

also you just made the case for manu being more dangerous if he comes off the bench, his minutes wont be in sync with anyone. and all theo ratliff has to do is body up bynum, theo is still a big body and space eater despite giving up a few inches to bynum.

and this upcoming year, kobe should be even more tired as his competition will be way harder. he's not going to get easy ass bs utah in r1 again. and let's not get started on if they have to face blazers before getting to the spurs.

healthy spurs will win on top imo
So, by this logic, the West will shape out like this:
1.Lakers
2.Spurs
3.Mavs
4.Blazers

So we should be worried about the Blazers.... but the Spurs get past the Mavs easily? The Mavs are a way harder matchup then the Blazers are. Plus, Kobe wont be as tired as you think. He had said to only be getting about 3 hours a sleep on those games when it was every other day. With the help hes got now, he can afford to take a few plays off. Ratliff wont be able to contain Bynum. Trauma or not he came back the first time improved from the knee injury. He was still solid when he came back the last few games, but was not there mentally in the playoffs. Its expected, hes only 21. Hes gonna come back this year looking to knock some people around. If it takes some time, we still have Odom to slide in making the Lakers easily one of if not the best starting 5 in the league. Plus, Utah was still not an easy team to play rd 1. The Lakers just made it look easy
 
i can assure you that the Mavs aren't done with trading and/or free agency. They have more than 15 signed players right now, and the Buck Shot has yet to be used. The Clippers have a lot of guys (and are extremely thrifty); I really like Chris Kaman with Dirk. I don't know how Howard will work at SG, but he's an expiring contract (and we have other expirings: Humphries, Jawai, Gooden, Thomas) that we can use to land a good SG if Howard doesn't pan out.

If the Mavs make a move for Kaman or Camby, I think they're a legit title contender as opposed to a "chance if everything goes right for them" with this lineup:

C: Kaman or Camby / Dampier
PF: Dirk / Gooden
SF: Marion / Ross / Nivins
SG: Howard / Terry / Carroll
PG: Kidd / Barea / Beaubois

but of course, I'm a homer, so whatever. ;D

As things are right now, I like the top four in the west as 1. LA, 2. SA, 3. Mavs, 4. Blazers.
 
i can assure you that the Mavs aren't done with trading and/or free agency. They have more than 15 signed players right now, and the Buck Shot has yet to be used. The Clippers have a lot of guys (and are extremely thrifty); I really like Chris Kaman with Dirk. I don't know how Howard will work at SG, but he's an expiring contract (and we have other expirings: Humphries, Jawai, Gooden, Thomas) that we can use to land a good SG if Howard doesn't pan out.

If the Mavs make a move for Kaman or Camby, I think they're a legit title contender as opposed to a "chance if everything goes right for them" with this lineup:

C: Kaman or Camby / Dampier
PF: Dirk / Gooden
SF: Marion / Ross / Nivins
SG: Howard / Terry / Carroll
PG: Kidd / Barea / Beaubois

but of course, I'm a homer, so whatever. ;D

As things are right now, I like the top four in the west as 1. LA, 2. SA, 3. Mavs, 4. Blazers.
The Mavs wont start Howard at the 2. Marion is gonna come off the bench, with Terry starting at the 2. Plus, what pieces may I ask do the Mavs have to offer the Clippers for Kamen or Camby? The only piece theyd move is Camby, and it would only make sense to dump cap. The Mavs arent exactly under the cap. You dont want this team to be 60 mill over the cap like the Knicks once were
 

franky

aka pimpdaddyfranky, aka frankydelaghetto, aka F, aka ef
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
@ Laker and Spur argument

Lakers are without a doubt on a verge for a repeat. The sound of "Artest replacing Ariza" makes me shake. That's a huge upgrade, considering the skillset Artest brings. The only problem is, can he play with chemistry? Yes he can, on the radio for Lakers, he said without a doubt, I know my role on this team. Watch out for a dynasty here.
 
Imo the top 10 teams in the nba
1.Lakers
2.Spurs
3.Cavaliers
4.Orlando
5.Celtics
6.Mavericks
7.Denver
8.Blazers
9.Atlanta
10.New Orleans
 
And of course, nothing from the Suns...aside from getting Nash for another 2 years (where he'll undoubtedly and sadly age without ever winning a championship) and Grant Hill again, nothing new. Suns are all but doomed next season :(
 

Dubulous

I look just like Buddy Holly.
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Imo the top 10 teams in the nba
1.Lakers
2.Spurs
3.Cavaliers
4.Orlando
5.Celtics
6.Mavericks
7.Denver
8.Utah
9.New Orleans
10.Miami
I disagree slightly with this list. Here's my ten:

1. Cavaliers
2. Spurs
3. Lakers
4. Mavericks
5. Magic
6. Blazers
7. Celtics
8. Nuggets
9. Jazz
10. Hawks
 
celtics at 7 is a joke

out of last year's contenders they added the biggest piece, kevin garnett. Add sheed and marquis daniels to the mix and the celts are one hell of a team. If i have to rank the top 10 teams i'd do so like

1. Celtics
2. Lakers
3. Cavaliers
4. Spurs
5. Magic
6. Mavericks
7. Portland
8. Denver
9. Washington
10. Utah

Atlanta was difficult to keep off that list. I'm going out on a limb with washington, but i think they really have the pieces to surprise next year. They can beat up on all the mediocre east teams they'll play a lot. If washington got one more quality big i'd like them alot more though. People i think are really forgetting how good a healthy gilbert arenas really is, washington was a regular eastern playoff team, and this is definitely the best team washington has had in awhile.

Arenas/James
Miller/Foye/Stevenson
Butler/Young
Jamison/Blatche
Haywood/McGee

I think that team will have a very good regular season, winning around 50 games, but i could see them having trouble in the playoffs, and a 2nd round exit at best. Definitely my dark horse team this year.
 
celtics at 7 is a joke

out of last year's contenders they added the biggest piece, kevin garnett. Add sheed and marquis daniels to the mix and the celts are one hell of a team. If i have to rank the top 10 teams i'd do so like

1. Celtics
2. Lakers
3. Cavaliers
4. Spurs
5. Magic
6. Mavericks
7. Portland
8. Denver
9. Washington
10. Utah

Atlanta was difficult to keep off that list. I'm going out on a limb with washington, but i think they really have the pieces to surprise next year. They can beat up on all the mediocre east teams they'll play a lot. If washington got one more quality big i'd like them alot more though. People i think are really forgetting how good a healthy gilbert arenas really is, washington was a regular eastern playoff team, and this is definitely the best team washington has had in awhile.

Arenas/James
Miller/Foye/Stevenson
Butler/Young
Jamison/Blatche
Haywood/McGee

I think that team will have a very good regular season, winning around 50 games, but i could see them having trouble in the playoffs, and a 2nd round exit at best. Definitely my dark horse team this year.
Arenas cant stay healthy... His knee is never going to be the same. That lineup isnt exactly scary either. They can contend, but the best they could do is 4th or 5th in the weak ass east.

As for the Celtics, they arent better then the Lakers yet. The Big 3 is getting old. I still think the Lakers are just the better team. Their team is mostly just depending on Bynum returning to form/Artest accepting being a third scoring option. Garnett changes that Celtics team, but the Lakers proved it would be different after they swept the season series with them this past year
 

Stallion

Tree Young
is a Tiering Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Three-Time Past WCoP Champion
First of all - the guy who put Cleveland at 1 and the Celts at 7 is a fucking idiot lol.

Ok I'm having trouble as it is picking between the Celtics and the Lakers for first, I am a lakers fan but Big 3/Rondo (who is a matchup nightmare for the Lakers)/Sheed is a crazy good best 5, don't forget Daniels either who averaged around 15 ppg last season.

I'm going:

1. Celtics
2. Lakers
3. Spurs
4. Cavs
5. Magic
6. Nuggets
7. Blazers
8. Mavs (why is everyone overrating them just case darkers loves them?)
9. New Orleans (I'm banking on okafor having a career year with cp3)
10. Atlanta

also cyberzero, the raptors haven't improved at all from last year lol. They have more firepower but Shawn Marion was really their only player aside from cb who rebounds (Barnagni is a pussy 3 pt shooting centre lol). Unles they get another big or someone who can improve them on defense and rebounding, they are fucked.
 

franky

aka pimpdaddyfranky, aka frankydelaghetto, aka F, aka ef
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
1. Lakers
2. Celtics
3. Spurs
4. Cavaliers
5. Blazers
6. Magic
7. Mavericks
8. Denver
-- beyond this point, its pretty much anyone
9. Hawks
10. Raptors (homer pick)
 
my top ten at this very moment would be:

1. lakers
2. celtics
3. magic
4. cavs
5. spurs
6. mavs
7. blazers
8. nuggets
9. hornets
10. wizards


i'm with franky. i don't think any team is really in the same tier as the teams 8 and better. i don't think new orleans got any better, but still, there were pretty good. washington i think got a lot stronger, but the miami has dwyane wade who'll win a lot of games for them alone. they still have their MLE, so I don't think they're quite done yet. still, I said based on the teams at this very moment, so I think washington is better so far. i think the blazers can surprise if andre miller fits in well.

i think the west will shape out similar to (as of right now):

1. lakers
2. spurs
3. mavs
4. blazers
5. nuggets
6. hornets
7. jazz
8. suns

and the east:

1. celtics
2. magic
3. cavs
4. wizards
5. heat
6. toronto
7. chicago
8. atlanta
 

Stallion

Tree Young
is a Tiering Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Three-Time Past WCoP Champion
Thats a pretty good top 10 darkie, I think that having the celts, lakers, magic, spurs, cavs as a top 5 in any order really is pretty accurate, with Denver/Blazers/Mavs being in the next tier of teams. Don't discount Okafors potential to score big due to the presence of cp3 (when he got opportunites, he averaged 15/10 as a rook!!), so that's why theyre my nine. Also Gilbert won't be back to 100 % and the Wizards won't make the playoffs most likely.

Edit: fuck I forgot how poor the east is, wizards as 6th seed
 
basically everyone is in agreement that the top 5 teams are bos/orl/cle/la/sa in any order, and teams 6-8 are por/dal/den. After that i agree that it really is a tossup depending on personal opinion with atlanta, utah, miami, washington, and new orleans.

Next season is shaping up to be a very interesting season
 

Dubulous

I look just like Buddy Holly.
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
First of all - the guy who put Cleveland at 1 and the Celts at 7 is a fucking idiot lol.
OK -- let me try and defend myself on my selections.

1. Cavaliers -- Have you seen their team for this year? Obviously their team lacks the star power of the other top teams, but they went out and got nice complimenting pieces to LeBron. This is a good thing; it'll help them more than superstars who need to stuff their stat sheets every night. They're going to be ridiculously dominant against the weak East. Orlando and Boston are the only teams that can compete against them.

2. Spurs -- The upstart team of this year, though they've always been so solid this decade. Now, however, they're back with the leagues elite. They have a premier three-point shooter back in Matt Bonner, and getting Richard Jefferson to go alongside Parker/Manu/Duncan isn't bad either.

3. Lakers -- The returning champions will be just as dangerous with the Artest addition, but I think that the Ariza loss will hurt them more than they think. Odom coming back for sure now will definitely secure their place as a top team in the West. This is more of a gut feeling pick; I just think that the Spurs will end up prevailing in the West.

4. Mavericks -- They made a ton of great additions this year and will certainly be a challenge for the Lakers and Spurs. They're lineup will be quite scary, as Darkie's posts have shown. The Lakers and the Spurs are just too good, however, and their coaches are miles ahead of Carlisle, which could be the difference.

5. Magic -- A good team last year should be just as good this year. Carter to replace Turkoglu is an upgrade in my opinion. They're weak at power forward though, which could prove to be a problem. Nelson/Howard/Lewis have now had another year of experience and have only gotten better. This was the team in the Finals last year and they should not be overlooked.

6. Blazers -- Blazers vs. Celtics was tough for me at six. I ended up going with the Blazers because they are younger and they have so much potential that they are bound to make the leap soon. I believe that it will be this year. I forsee Oden coming into his own and becoming a very good center. Andre Miller is a nice addition, not so much as a player but as a veteran presence that the Blazers have never really had.

7. Celtics -- They're starting five from their run of two years ago remains in tact, but they don't have much support behind them. Sheed is great but will steal minutes from KG. Daniels is good support behind Perkins, but after that they are thin. They can either be elite or they can be second-tier. This is the team that has the biggest variable: Injuries seem inevitable on this team, but if they manage to stave them off they can jump the Magic and the Cavs.

8. Nuggets -- They remain a very good team from last year, and I can also see them jumping past the Mavericks if everything goes right for them. They're a second tier team, however.

9. Jazz -- Still have the nucleus from the team that many were calling to win the West a few years ago. This has since become second tier, however.

10. Hawks -- The Bulls can also qualify for this spot. They're basically tied, but I put Altanta on because they had a better year last year.

Essentially, both leagues are very top-heavy this year. The top seven can be switched amongst each other without much argument from me, because they are so close basketball wise that it essentially gut-feeling amongst them.
 
The problem with the Cavs: They still havent done anything to fix their huge hole at the PF. Throwing varajao 10 million is just money they could of put into somebody else. The Magic only got better, which means they will still take the Cavs to school with ease. All they did was upgrade at the 5, which wasnt exactly a weak spot for them. Plus, how do the Cavs expect to stop the Celtics in the East? With Garnett back that isnt exactly an easy team for them to beat. Its scary to think Lebron will continue to get better, but last season proved that they were only able to win 66 games because they played in the weak east.

Plus, how will sheed steal minutes from Garnett? Their starting 5 is still going to be Rondo/Allen/Pierce/Garnett/Perkins. Sheed will come off the bench for Perkins, with big baby getting spot minutes to give Garnett a rest.
 
7. Celtics -- They're starting five from their run of two years ago remains in tact, but they don't have much support behind them. Sheed is great but will steal minutes from KG. Daniels is good support behind Perkins, but after that they are thin. They can either be elite or they can be second-tier. This is the team that has the biggest variable: Injuries seem inevitable on this team, but if they manage to stave them off they can jump the Magic and the Cavs.
Our bench at this moment consists of rasheed wallace, eddie house, and marquis daniels. Im expecting glen davis to return too, so that makes 3 backups who have proven themselves to be solid starters in the league, and eddie house who is the celtics energy guy off the bench. Theres also a chance marbury stays, but i admit that is very doubtful. Also, marquis daniels is not a center, he's a wingman, mainly playing the 2 or 3 depending on matchups. He also has the skills to be the primary ball handler and if the celts do not get a quality backup for rondo expect daniels to handle the ball alot when rondo's getting a rest.

Also, our starting lineup is just as good as the year we won the championship if not better. Rondo and perk have grown leaps and bounds in the late part of the season and the playoffs. Everybody knows about rondo averaging almost a triple double in the playoffs this year. Everybody knows about perkins absolutely shutting down dwight howard on the block. The thing people didnt really see was the huge improvement of perk's post moves on the block. He used to be pretty poor there, but did quite well 1v1 post moves in the postseason, against noah/howard mainly, 2 good defenders.

I have no idea how you can rank the celts the 7th best team
 

franky

aka pimpdaddyfranky, aka frankydelaghetto, aka F, aka ef
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
@dubbery

Cavaliers at 1? They lost this off season. Required Shaq and nothing else. They didn't even grab Drew Gooden for their PF which they need to fill as their hole. Don't get me wrong, Cavs are still good they dont deserve the 1 spot.

Lakers should be staples at 1 spot. Upgrade over Artest and re-signing Odom? They are the team to fear next season.

Spurs are decent, I'd say picking up Bowen again after Bucks waived him. He my not be the same but he sure knows how to play with his old team mates. They should be at 3 best.

Also Celtics at 7? They may age but they got some up-rising stars next season. They got a solid bench. They are a top 3 team for sure. Any lower than that, then your smoking too much crack.
 

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