Don't forget Ryan Anderson. He's probably one of the most underrated players in the league.Apollo wrote:
Don't forget Ryan Anderson. He's probably one of the most underrated players in the league.
"I don't lie. I willfully participate in a campaign of misinformation." - Fox Mulder
No point writing the whole list.
Few points: I still don't see a starting pg for the Knicks that I like. So they're probably around 5 or 6 in my eyes. The Hawks lost a pretty important part, so I have them around 7. And Orlando, with all this turmoil, has got to fall to around 8.
For some reason, I think Boston will be a top 4 seed in the East. They have the parts -- they're just old. My guess is that becomes more relevant in the playoffs.
I actually have the Raps around 11 or 12. From 10-15 will be close this year, but, this is the first time in a while the Raps have little personnel turnover. That, and their youth will allow them to be slightly more bearable than expected.
The Knicks don't need a realy pointguard with Stoudemire and Anthony on the team. They basically just need someone to bring the ball up the floor who can play defense and shoot the 3 to spread the floor. Toney Douglas can do exactly that.
Until D'amntoni decides to preach defense, NY won't be better than 6th in the conference.
My rankings...
1.Chicago
2. Miami
3. Philly
4. Orlando
5. Boston
6. Ny
7. Indiana
8. Atlanta
9. Milwaukee
10.New Jersey
11. Detroit
12. Toronto
13. Washington
14. Cleveland
15. Charlotte
-"You can’t run from me. I mean, my heart don’t bleed Kool-Aid."
-"“I ain’t no diva! I don’t have no blond hair, red hair. I’m Reggie Evans.”
Canadian High School/Prep School prospects.
http://crownmagonline.com/
http://www.flagrantfouls.com/
Ryan Anderson is starting.
I'm watching Orlando and Miami right now and Orlando is looking GREAT.
Jameer Nelson and Jason Richardson are lighting it up and Big Baby is looking pretty trim and VERY effective.
Assuming they get a package equal to Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman and Aminu for Howard, I think they'll still be competitive for 6th in the East.
BIG fan of Ryan Anderson.
He's basically on the path that I'd hoped Bargnani would develop into.
“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”
― Oscar Wilde
'blackjitsu wrote:
Few points: I still don't see a starting pg for the Knicks that I like. So they're probably around 5 or 6 in my eyes. The Hawks lost a pretty important part, so I have them around 7. And Orlando, with all this turmoil, has got to fall to around 8.'
no love for a motivated baron (assuming he returns relatively quickly, and relatively unscathed), playing in NY, in an up-tempo offense, with melo & stat & chandler?
the garden is gonna luuuuuv him, and he feeds off that. we remember fat, slow, don't-give-a-shit baron davis from the clips & cavs, but put him in an electric environment like NY/MSG, and he goes nuts (in a good way).
agree re. D, which is why i don't see them as a top-6 team, but i think they are (at worst) solid, esp with the backcourt solidified by BD. and if you had to pick a team outside the top-5 to pull an upset in the playoffs???
TRUE LOVE - Sometimes you know it the instant you see it across the bar.
The Knicks have a great ball-stopper at the point, Douglas, and great post defender, Chandler. In addition, their rebounding should be good. I don't think they'll have a defensive problem. They don't have a distributor at the point, and that's a problem. I'd like to see them get Nash.
Baron davis is chunky.
I'm trying to understand why all the Philly love? ESPN ranked them 5th.. others have said 3rd or 4th. They basically have the same team as last year, and they were .500, and in the playoffs they got spanked by the Heat. I think they'll be ranked 8th.. but will be a fringe team competing with Milwaukee, NJ and Atlanta to make the playoffs.
Am I missing something?
It's probably because most of Philly's key pieces last year (i.e. Holiday, Turner, Young, Williams) were young and relatively inexperienced, while also working out the kinks with a new coach.
This year, everyone's 1 year older/wiser, is comfortable with Collins' system, and Brand is finally playing to the level of his contract (almost).
Philly started the season 3-13, but went 38-28 (.576) to end the season. That projects to 47 wins through a full 82 game schedule, which sounds about right for a 4 or 5 seed.
Last edited by Nilanka; Thu Dec 22nd, 2011 at 01:07 PM.
"I don't lie. I willfully participate in a campaign of misinformation." - Fox Mulder
That's good reasoning - thanks.
The Sixers are basically fielding a team that is very similar to what the Raptors have (minus an Iggy or Brand - unless you count Bargnani and Calderon). So if they jump up to 4th or 5th in the standings, that gives the Raptors a lot of hope for the future, in my opinion.
Jrue Holiday is turning into the Main guy in that offense, and he is a very special player.
I think alot of 'Experts' are going off what they saw in the Playoffs from Holiday, and figuring if that carries over, the Sixers will be a VERY different team.
“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”
― Oscar Wilde
I have him in my fantasy pool. I think we're one spot higher than Detroit though.
“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King
We are going to have some trouble staying behind New Jersey and Washington. I watched the first quarter of the Lopez-less Nets against Atlanta and that was as terrible as it can get. Atlanta wasn't even playing well and managed to go up about 15 easily. Unlike yesterday against Washington the Nets aren't coming back in this one (4th quarter now, behind 30+). I didn't watch anymore of the game because choosing between Miami-Boston and this game ...
I didn't see the Nets versus the Wizards, but they somehow managed to win that game. This is going to be tough, we might have to start Bayless or find other creative line-ups at the end of the season to finish below NJ and WW.
after watching the Jazz last night, they may be another team to add to that list. They were pathetic. Yes they played the Lakers, but a Lakers team that just played their 3rd game in row.....
Charlotte
Jazz
Detroit
NJ
Cleveland
could all easily be duking it out with the Raps for best of the worst.
I'm suprised by the number of people thinking Orlando and Atlanta will be fighting for a playoff spot this year.
East:
Miami
Chicago
Boston (if healthy)
NY
Orlando (with Dwight... without take them off the list)
Atlanta
Indy (not willing to put them higher until they prove they can beat those other teams, but moving up is very likely)
Philly
think there is a huge drop off after that, with maybe Milwaukee kicking at Philliy's heels.
I wasn't impressed by Atlanta yesterday (even though they won by a landslide). I have also seen part of the Milwaukee game; they have a really good team with some decent bench players. Bogut looks to be healthy, which will be big. They didn't play particularly well, with quite a lot of bad offensive possessions, but this is a team which should make the play-offs when Bogut stays healthy. I don't know which of the other teams will drop out, dare I say Atlanta?
Dave Berri's site predicts Raptors will be "Terrible":
http://wagesofwins.com/2011/12/26/to...l-be-terrible/Power forward will continue to be the team’s strength. The point guard position will be roughly average — a relative strong point for Toronto. Shooting guard, small forward, and centre will all be around a WP48 of zero; there will be a small number of wins produced at SG, but most of these wins will be offset by the losses created by the team’s centres (specifically the team’s least productive player).
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