This topic contains 10 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by 
- AuthorPosts
- Posted on: Sat, 11/28/2015 - 9:40am #62013
mgreener_34ParticipantWell, we’re almost a 1/4 of the way through the season, and have a pretty good idea of what teams are contenders/pretenders, and what teams need to just blow it up or make moves.
Out West, GS, SA, and OKC have distinguished themselves from the pack, and are clearly the 3 best teams out West baring injuries.
The LAC, DAL, and MEM have shown that in this wacky 2015-16 season that having reliable veteran players, and overall good team basketball is more sustanable. These three teams will most likely make the P/O if they stay healthy.
-Everyone expected Dallas to slip, but Zaza, Deron, and Wes have all played great, and the two former are having their best years in a while. I don’t expect them to slip any time soon.
– LAC just have too much talent in Blake/CP3 to slip, they just need to better figure out how to use the weapons off their bench more.
-MEM is going to slip, but I think they have too good of a defense to fall of completely.
That leaves two teams. I’m not crazy in thinking that the Rockets will eventually turn it around, and win enough games to get one into the tourney. A team with James Harden and Howard should be good enough, and it’s just a matter of getting healthy, and getting everything figured out. They are only a couple of games out of the race, and totally expect them to make a push.
So that leaves me to ask the question, who gets the final playoff spot out west?
The final two spots right now are taken by some of the younger teams in the West in Minn, and Utah. I think we all expected Utah to be fighting for the 8th seed, and if they can ever get a reliable scorer other than Hayward than they are going to be more consistent. Right now they are #3 in defense, and have the #3 scoring bench in the entire NBA. If they can continue to get that type of production from Burkes and Burks, than I think they will hold onto one of the final two spots in the league.
But then there is Minn. Wiggins is becoming a consistent 20ppg scorer, they have one of hte best benches in the league in terms of scoring, they are getting fantastic production from Towns, and they have solid veteran presenses sprinkled throughout the lineup in Kevin Garnett, Martin, Tayshaun Prince, and Andre Miller. These are high character guys who have been through some serious battles, and all of them kind of are the glue holding the youngins together when they are in the games. They need to start winning at home, and their defense isn’t anything worth writing home about, but I can see how they continue to win games. Wiggins needs to continue to score though.
Other then those two teams I think the Suns are the only other team that can get it going. Knight and Bledsoe are a fantastic 1 and 2, and I like Chandler in the middle. TJ is doing what we all though he would, and their other young players have been pretty impressive in my opinion. I think that bodes well for the future, but not for the present. They are too bad defensively, and too young. I think they just miss out.
The rest of the West I have no hope for. NOR is in shambles, SAC are just running in circles, and DEN and POR are blatantly rebuilding and won’t go far with young guys playing the majority of minutes,
0 - Posted on: Sat, 11/28/2015 - 11:32am #1027600
nill650Participantwest looks less impressive this yr than in past 10, with exception of top 3 teams still being favored at winning a 7 game series against any eastern team besides cavs with a full roster (not now). Toronto and Charlotte could possibly hang with OKC but not sa or gsw.
answer: nobody anyone expected:timberwolves
rockets really suck unless harden scores 50… he cannot play off the ball rendereing the lawson aq worthless. lucky to make the playoffs
pelicans suck bad wont be fighting for anything but a high lottery pick
dallas is a playoff team and that wasnt expected to happen with plan Z at the 5.
of course this can’t last all season they will fall a little and could be the one team that actually falls out and is replaced by my 9 seed phx suns
lac are in trouble but still get in but don’t get out of the 2nd round…one injury to cp3 or griffin and they are lottery bound.
my revised top 8 projected at this time after 1 month.
1 gsw
2 sa
3 okc
4 dal
5 mem
6 lac
7 utah
8 min
9 phx
10 hou
11 port
12sac
13 no
14 lal
It might be a little premature to put houston that low,esp considering i thought they would be at the top with gsw…but harden has proven incapable of playing team basketball,so unless he can carry them they will be lucky to get 40 wins.
0 - Posted on: Sat, 11/28/2015 - 11:32am #1027733
nill650Participantwest looks less impressive this yr than in past 10, with exception of top 3 teams still being favored at winning a 7 game series against any eastern team besides cavs with a full roster (not now). Toronto and Charlotte could possibly hang with OKC but not sa or gsw.
answer: nobody anyone expected:timberwolves
rockets really suck unless harden scores 50… he cannot play off the ball rendereing the lawson aq worthless. lucky to make the playoffs
pelicans suck bad wont be fighting for anything but a high lottery pick
dallas is a playoff team and that wasnt expected to happen with plan Z at the 5.
of course this can’t last all season they will fall a little and could be the one team that actually falls out and is replaced by my 9 seed phx suns
lac are in trouble but still get in but don’t get out of the 2nd round…one injury to cp3 or griffin and they are lottery bound.
my revised top 8 projected at this time after 1 month.
1 gsw
2 sa
3 okc
4 dal
5 mem
6 lac
7 utah
8 min
9 phx
10 hou
11 port
12sac
13 no
14 lal
It might be a little premature to put houston that low,esp considering i thought they would be at the top with gsw…but harden has proven incapable of playing team basketball,so unless he can carry them they will be lucky to get 40 wins.
0 - Posted on: Sat, 11/28/2015 - 4:31pm #1027634
DrivingDownTheStreetinmy64Kings gits final 8th spot!!!! If they play Marco more
0 - Posted on: Sat, 11/28/2015 - 4:31pm #1027767
DrivingDownTheStreetinmy64Kings gits final 8th spot!!!! If they play Marco more
0 - Posted on: Sat, 11/28/2015 - 11:31pm #1027705
Ahkasi ClayParticipantthe fact that the east has a better winning percentage than the west at this point is messing with my mind.
and Utah is 5th in the west!
0 - Posted on: Sat, 11/28/2015 - 11:31pm #1027839
Ahkasi ClayParticipantthe fact that the east has a better winning percentage than the west at this point is messing with my mind.
and Utah is 5th in the west!
0 - Posted on: Sun, 11/29/2015 - 1:10am #1027855
ExumInfernoParticipantI will rule out the Lakers. New Orleans do have many injured and injury-prone players, and with a bad start to the season may not catch up. Denver and Sacramento are maybe in a bit of a chaotic place, trying to figure out roles and who starts, while Portland had most of their team leave so they were always going to be struggling for a playoff spot.
Houston, they have to be able to turn things around. I would give them the edge over Minnesota and Phoenix for getting into the playoffs. Maybe Beverley back as a defending guard will help the Rockets.
0 - Posted on: Sun, 11/29/2015 - 1:10am #1027721
ExumInfernoParticipantI will rule out the Lakers. New Orleans do have many injured and injury-prone players, and with a bad start to the season may not catch up. Denver and Sacramento are maybe in a bit of a chaotic place, trying to figure out roles and who starts, while Portland had most of their team leave so they were always going to be struggling for a playoff spot.
Houston, they have to be able to turn things around. I would give them the edge over Minnesota and Phoenix for getting into the playoffs. Maybe Beverley back as a defending guard will help the Rockets.
0- Posted on: Mon, 11/30/2015 - 3:04pm #1028173
nill650Participantbefore the seaon started i would agree with you,but harden has proven he is a selfish player…no player is going to get out of the west by himself. yes the likelyhood of them making the playoffs is still good, but i am betting on phx and the timberwolves to be better"teams" than houston has shown at all this yr. that is saying alot too,considering i had thought with the ty lawson aquisition the houston brass was confident harden could play off of lawson and the 1 -2 punch would make them legit, i was wrong,and if they thought that so were they.
0 - Posted on: Mon, 11/30/2015 - 3:04pm #1028038
nill650Participantbefore the seaon started i would agree with you,but harden has proven he is a selfish player…no player is going to get out of the west by himself. yes the likelyhood of them making the playoffs is still good, but i am betting on phx and the timberwolves to be better"teams" than houston has shown at all this yr. that is saying alot too,considering i had thought with the ty lawson aquisition the houston brass was confident harden could play off of lawson and the 1 -2 punch would make them legit, i was wrong,and if they thought that so were they.
0
- AuthorPosts
| You must be logged in to reply to this topic. | Login |