Post by BrazilianDude on May 1, 2014 5:34:58 GMT
So it’s been three seasons in this league am I’m finally starting to see how things work a little bit. Teams will build up a great roster see where it can take them. If it doesn’t take them all the way they have to break down and rebuild. You can tell who the good GM’s are even if it’s not reflected on their record. Some people are so smart they see a few steps (or seasons) ahead of the game, while others will make a desperate move in search of something that is just not there. A lot of teams this year will be in contention for the trophy and not many people have their eyes on a clear cut winner. After the first four days of free agency I felt the need to write a little bit about how I think things can play out this season. I don’t want to take all the fun away so somebody else can write a little bit about the eastern conference while I focus on a conference that should be known as the Wild Wild West.
This conference features some clear cut dominant teams that should be a shoe in for another deep playoff run.
The Contenders:
Timberwolves
First off you have the Minnesota Timberwolves; this team finished with the best record in the NBA at 61-21 but did not make it all the way. Last year’s team was stacked throughout; some would even call the roster flawless. Dominant scoring from Elton Brand and a vet like Tim Duncan and even a number one pick on their team in Derrick rose. Some may ask did they get better this offseason or worse? The team lost Tim Duncan and Rudy Gay and did not sign any super significant players. I think they will see a small drop off in wins but depending on the emergence of Mark Gasol they will be just fine. A playoff team for sure.
Predicted record 52-30
Kings
Next you have a small market team down in Sacramento California This team had 50 wins last season. Relying on veteran Peja Stojakovic to carry them to the promise land they seemed like a team ready to make big moves. This year they seem like a team that will rely on the Defense down low of DeAndre Jordan and Brazilian superstar Nene to carry them back to the dreams of seasons past. This team made a big signing of Asian superstar Jeremy Lin to run the point for them and I have a feeling they may try and bring in one more piece to make what seems like a long shot a reality. Will Linsanity help take the kings to the promise land? I am not sure we will find out soon.
Predicted record 43-39
Jazz
The Utah Jazz may have the best Big man combo in the league with 7’6 juggernaut Yao Ming and young future superstar Lamarcus Aldridge. Coming off a 54-28 playoff season Utah and Yao will stop at absolutely nothing short of a title. Sadly for them their team was not enough to get them to the championship last year and without much cap they cannot really do much in free agency. I feel they have the right GM to make moves to get them back to the playoffs but it’s up to Ming to put the team on his back and take what he came to America to claim.
Predicted record 44-38
Lakers
They came so close and were the underdog the entire time. The LA Lakers have a lot of history when it comes to winning so they will stop at nothing to make the playoffs. After finishing 45-37 which may have been disappointing to the fans they made a deep playoff run and lost to the Magic in the finals. A slow offseason will lead to the same team taking the floor in 2010 which may not be a bad thing at all. If Joe Johnson can play in the regular season like he did in the post season they can finish stronger than they did last year. The future of that team is Luol Deng at age 25. He will look to take the reins and bring the Lakers further then they went in 2009.
Predicted record 47-35
Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets go into the 2010 season with a potential MVP candidate in Carmelo Anthony. The team has made no moves in free agency, has 29 million in cap space and Melo has 0 supporting cast. Sounds familiar right? They finished 44-38 last year. That was as far as Carmelo could take them on his own. I feel that if they do not make some moves soon the new GM could be fired just like the last. However if the right moves are made the team will be a championship contender. But with this roster I just don’t see it.
Predicted record 38-44
Trailblazers
Portland Trailblazers are an interesting team. Finishing below expectations last year at 43-39 they look to better themselves this season. The Gm is definitely praying that CP3 is ready to get up and take this league by storm. With the recent emergence of bigs Tyson Chandler and Anderson Varejao they certainly have an advantage on the boards. I feel this team is lacking the number 2 scorer that they need. Their best chance at success is a rapid development of swingman Adam Morrison. If he can provide a little assistance to CP3 from the outside it will spread the floor and those big men will put up monster stats. This team could go either way with their season depending on how badly cp3 wants it.
Predicted record 42-40
Suns
Led by Ricky Davis and Al Horford the Suns look to leave the level of mediocrity and become either a better team or a lotto team this year. After not doing anything too significant this offseason besides drafting Alexy Shved they look to reclaim a playoff spot and win a few more games this year. But in the wild west will their be enough opportunity for this team to win. That relies in the play of the youth of this team. With Horford, Bargnani and Gallinari all being under 25 one must wonder how this team will look this year, but the future is bright.
Predicted record 41-41
Clippers
Perhaps one of the best young teams in the league the LA Clippers look to reclaim LosAngeles in these next couple years. Some may argue this team is a few steps away but I think that they may be right there. Last season they finished 41-41 and had James Harden emerge as my vote for ROY and Ty Lawson was an all-star. IF the bigs on this team can step up the clippers are poised for a run. The signings of under rated Ilyasova will be huge. The guy can get boards and score at will. They also signed Lowry to a really good deal. Remember he was asking for 5 years 99 mil in the offseason. UPDATE they just pulled in AK47. This team is poised to make a run.
Predicted record 50-32
Grizzlies
Here we have the Memphis Grizzlies a team with much history in recent seasons. 4 years removed from their nba championship the Grizzlies are looking to be a contender once again. After a huge season last year trading their best player in Kobe Bryant for the young protégé Demarcus Cousins they look to see how the youth can mesh with the veterans in search for a title. After a big offseason drafting swingman Gordon Hayward, signing vets like Jason Richardson and Richard Jefferson the Grizzlies may be putting out their best team yet. If Cousins can turn into half the player he should and Pau can be the same player he was last year this could be a champion ship team but hey I’m a little bias.
Predicted record 54-28
Spurs
Perhaps my favorite team in the west this coming year is the San Antonio Spurs. They took a step back last year to see which direction they wanted to go in. they moved some younger pieces and the 9th overall pick to put them in win now mode. They acquired Dirk Nowitzki and we all know what he brings to the table. Pairing him down low with a 20-10 guy like Darko Milicic while having a young Gordon Dragic run the floor they may have the best team in the league. I didn’t even mention their best player yet. Dwayne Wade aka the flash is looking to take this league at light speed this year. He is an all-around great player and at 28 is in the prime of his career. If this team can fill out the bench with some MLE offers in the last day of free agency they will be just fine going forward.
Predicted record 56-26
SuperSonics
The most disappointing team last year was by far the Seattle Supersonics. They were so bad that their GM decided to resign out mid season. How can a team with both Kevin Durant and Chris bosh only win 35 games? This is a question that nobody has the answer to. They finished the season 9-1 and will look to take that into next season. With a new GM and a new coach this is one of the best teams going into the 2010 season. If Durant can turn up and get support from his cast of Bosh Bogut and Baron Davis this team could go from lotto to championship easily.
Predicted record 50-32
Warriors
The Warriors fans have been doing nothing but pulling their hair out. Up until the GM swung a deal. Acquiring rudy gay for a bag of rocks. After a 25-57 season the warriors look to just get better. This team probably won’t contend just yet. They will be hoping to win more games and do good in the lottery. I don’t think a team of Rudy Gay and Eric Gordon is ready yet. A few years down the road they will read this article and say now we ready. Come and get us.
Predicted record 30-52
Mavericks
The Dallas who? That is what everyone is saying. After winning only 19 games and not even having a top 3 pick in the lotto the mavs fans are just upset. Their current roster is composed of 5 guys. Only none which would start on a lot of playoff teams. With 39 million in cap space the fans are screaming OH MY LORD MAKE A MOVE. This team seems destined to win nothing but the lotto next year.
Predicted record 13-69
Rockets
The Houston Rockets are the most improved team this off-season. After winning only 18 games in rebuild mode and making a few trades they were able to land some high picks in this past draft. This allowed them to establish quite the guard tandem for the future in John Wall and Lance Stephenson. After signing a lot of vets this year they will be able to win some games….if they want to. They may look to lose out again to snag a top player in the next draft but this team could very well be a playoff team if they try.
Predicted record 41-41
This conference features some clear cut dominant teams that should be a shoe in for another deep playoff run.
The Contenders:
Timberwolves
First off you have the Minnesota Timberwolves; this team finished with the best record in the NBA at 61-21 but did not make it all the way. Last year’s team was stacked throughout; some would even call the roster flawless. Dominant scoring from Elton Brand and a vet like Tim Duncan and even a number one pick on their team in Derrick rose. Some may ask did they get better this offseason or worse? The team lost Tim Duncan and Rudy Gay and did not sign any super significant players. I think they will see a small drop off in wins but depending on the emergence of Mark Gasol they will be just fine. A playoff team for sure.
Predicted record 52-30
Kings
Next you have a small market team down in Sacramento California This team had 50 wins last season. Relying on veteran Peja Stojakovic to carry them to the promise land they seemed like a team ready to make big moves. This year they seem like a team that will rely on the Defense down low of DeAndre Jordan and Brazilian superstar Nene to carry them back to the dreams of seasons past. This team made a big signing of Asian superstar Jeremy Lin to run the point for them and I have a feeling they may try and bring in one more piece to make what seems like a long shot a reality. Will Linsanity help take the kings to the promise land? I am not sure we will find out soon.
Predicted record 43-39
Jazz
The Utah Jazz may have the best Big man combo in the league with 7’6 juggernaut Yao Ming and young future superstar Lamarcus Aldridge. Coming off a 54-28 playoff season Utah and Yao will stop at absolutely nothing short of a title. Sadly for them their team was not enough to get them to the championship last year and without much cap they cannot really do much in free agency. I feel they have the right GM to make moves to get them back to the playoffs but it’s up to Ming to put the team on his back and take what he came to America to claim.
Predicted record 44-38
Lakers
They came so close and were the underdog the entire time. The LA Lakers have a lot of history when it comes to winning so they will stop at nothing to make the playoffs. After finishing 45-37 which may have been disappointing to the fans they made a deep playoff run and lost to the Magic in the finals. A slow offseason will lead to the same team taking the floor in 2010 which may not be a bad thing at all. If Joe Johnson can play in the regular season like he did in the post season they can finish stronger than they did last year. The future of that team is Luol Deng at age 25. He will look to take the reins and bring the Lakers further then they went in 2009.
Predicted record 47-35
Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets go into the 2010 season with a potential MVP candidate in Carmelo Anthony. The team has made no moves in free agency, has 29 million in cap space and Melo has 0 supporting cast. Sounds familiar right? They finished 44-38 last year. That was as far as Carmelo could take them on his own. I feel that if they do not make some moves soon the new GM could be fired just like the last. However if the right moves are made the team will be a championship contender. But with this roster I just don’t see it.
Predicted record 38-44
Trailblazers
Portland Trailblazers are an interesting team. Finishing below expectations last year at 43-39 they look to better themselves this season. The Gm is definitely praying that CP3 is ready to get up and take this league by storm. With the recent emergence of bigs Tyson Chandler and Anderson Varejao they certainly have an advantage on the boards. I feel this team is lacking the number 2 scorer that they need. Their best chance at success is a rapid development of swingman Adam Morrison. If he can provide a little assistance to CP3 from the outside it will spread the floor and those big men will put up monster stats. This team could go either way with their season depending on how badly cp3 wants it.
Predicted record 42-40
Suns
Led by Ricky Davis and Al Horford the Suns look to leave the level of mediocrity and become either a better team or a lotto team this year. After not doing anything too significant this offseason besides drafting Alexy Shved they look to reclaim a playoff spot and win a few more games this year. But in the wild west will their be enough opportunity for this team to win. That relies in the play of the youth of this team. With Horford, Bargnani and Gallinari all being under 25 one must wonder how this team will look this year, but the future is bright.
Predicted record 41-41
Clippers
Perhaps one of the best young teams in the league the LA Clippers look to reclaim LosAngeles in these next couple years. Some may argue this team is a few steps away but I think that they may be right there. Last season they finished 41-41 and had James Harden emerge as my vote for ROY and Ty Lawson was an all-star. IF the bigs on this team can step up the clippers are poised for a run. The signings of under rated Ilyasova will be huge. The guy can get boards and score at will. They also signed Lowry to a really good deal. Remember he was asking for 5 years 99 mil in the offseason. UPDATE they just pulled in AK47. This team is poised to make a run.
Predicted record 50-32
Grizzlies
Here we have the Memphis Grizzlies a team with much history in recent seasons. 4 years removed from their nba championship the Grizzlies are looking to be a contender once again. After a huge season last year trading their best player in Kobe Bryant for the young protégé Demarcus Cousins they look to see how the youth can mesh with the veterans in search for a title. After a big offseason drafting swingman Gordon Hayward, signing vets like Jason Richardson and Richard Jefferson the Grizzlies may be putting out their best team yet. If Cousins can turn into half the player he should and Pau can be the same player he was last year this could be a champion ship team but hey I’m a little bias.
Predicted record 54-28
Spurs
Perhaps my favorite team in the west this coming year is the San Antonio Spurs. They took a step back last year to see which direction they wanted to go in. they moved some younger pieces and the 9th overall pick to put them in win now mode. They acquired Dirk Nowitzki and we all know what he brings to the table. Pairing him down low with a 20-10 guy like Darko Milicic while having a young Gordon Dragic run the floor they may have the best team in the league. I didn’t even mention their best player yet. Dwayne Wade aka the flash is looking to take this league at light speed this year. He is an all-around great player and at 28 is in the prime of his career. If this team can fill out the bench with some MLE offers in the last day of free agency they will be just fine going forward.
Predicted record 56-26
SuperSonics
The most disappointing team last year was by far the Seattle Supersonics. They were so bad that their GM decided to resign out mid season. How can a team with both Kevin Durant and Chris bosh only win 35 games? This is a question that nobody has the answer to. They finished the season 9-1 and will look to take that into next season. With a new GM and a new coach this is one of the best teams going into the 2010 season. If Durant can turn up and get support from his cast of Bosh Bogut and Baron Davis this team could go from lotto to championship easily.
Predicted record 50-32
Warriors
The Warriors fans have been doing nothing but pulling their hair out. Up until the GM swung a deal. Acquiring rudy gay for a bag of rocks. After a 25-57 season the warriors look to just get better. This team probably won’t contend just yet. They will be hoping to win more games and do good in the lottery. I don’t think a team of Rudy Gay and Eric Gordon is ready yet. A few years down the road they will read this article and say now we ready. Come and get us.
Predicted record 30-52
Mavericks
The Dallas who? That is what everyone is saying. After winning only 19 games and not even having a top 3 pick in the lotto the mavs fans are just upset. Their current roster is composed of 5 guys. Only none which would start on a lot of playoff teams. With 39 million in cap space the fans are screaming OH MY LORD MAKE A MOVE. This team seems destined to win nothing but the lotto next year.
Predicted record 13-69
Rockets
The Houston Rockets are the most improved team this off-season. After winning only 18 games in rebuild mode and making a few trades they were able to land some high picks in this past draft. This allowed them to establish quite the guard tandem for the future in John Wall and Lance Stephenson. After signing a lot of vets this year they will be able to win some games….if they want to. They may look to lose out again to snag a top player in the next draft but this team could very well be a playoff team if they try.
Predicted record 41-41
