If Nene has one of these magical years for some reason, Gordon and Anderson can stay healthy, Harden puts up Mvp type numbers like he always does, and Capela goes Ibaka. Ariza and bev play lock down. Why not 50 wins? I mean they have to play like Jeff said in top 20 near 15 on defense, and be a stellar offensive team i say 4th in offense, consistency. I see if harden needs rest, gordon and anderson has to be on the floor. Ariza and bev will have to play alot and focus on defense only and 3's when the team needs runs. Why not. Anything can happen its a new year, some teams are already getting scared of houston by offensive numbers if healthy...
Because it is rare in real life that this many "ifs" pan out. 50 wins is going to require an amazing stroke of luck, effort and chemistry. There are a dozen teams in the West with a roster as good as ours who could hit at least 50 with that many "ifs" going their way. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be shocked. But it's not a realistic expectation.
What does this mean? You think there's any chance either of these players become All Stars this year? How much do you want to bet? How much? It's ludicrous. I subjectively think Moses Malone will rise again and be our leading scorer. People are entitled to have their own opinion, but other people are equally entitled to their opinion - that the original opinion was absurd.
kj will have a breakout year if he gets used.. showed in the minutes he was given that he is fantastic perimeter defender and he can hold his own inside against undersized forwards. The thing stopping KJ is his shooting, if he can become a reliable 3 point shooter, even 33-35% that will make him a fantastic bench option for the Rockets. Will bartonesque year for him
MO DONUTS...aka...DMO. HE WILL HAVE THE BREAK OUT SEASON. This season for DMO will be like the release day of a prison inmate who goes straight to the hotel room w his GF. DMO is going IN! 15/10 w 35% from 3's. JK... I don't believe this. I think DEKKER will very surprising this year. If S. Marion was made a star, I'm certain MD will make a star outta Dekker!
I think Clint, Sam and yeah, KJ too, all of them have the chance to make a good step forward this season, maybe not that big, but i think it's ok to expect KJ playing finally like a solid 3&D guy, Dekker playing like (let's say) a young version of Parsons and Clint doing his 10+10+2 with ok defense. For me, this would be a solid outcome for us, everything more than this would be a great plus.
I think Clint has the best chance to become an all-star but I just don't know if he will be consistent enough for that to happen. Honestly, if he averages 10/10/2 and shoots 50/60 while playing great defense I will be ecstatic. I just can't help be remember the giant wall he slammed into last season after playing so well. If he can break into the rotation then I think Sam Dekker will surprise people. He has a complete game. What I really hope for is for Eric Gordon to play well enough to earn 6th man of the year and a possible all-star spot. If he has a healthy season then he could be the one. But the guy that really has me intrigued is Tyler Ennis. This is his 3rd year in the league (Rudy T used to say players make their biggest leap in the 3rd year) and he is in a system that I think is perfect for his skill set, plus I think the team around him is going to be really good. If Beverley gets injured for any length of time I think could see D'antoni move him into the starting line-up (providing he is playing well) instead of moving EG out of the 6th man role.
What exactly would it look like if Clint "broke out?" Would he magically develop a mid-range game? A post game? Would he start shooting 80%+ from the FT line?
At this stage for him, averaging a double double throughout the full season with meaningful minutes constitutes as a break out imo. And by meaningful he's in there during critical times consistently in games and not in when the game is out of reach
If Dekker could put up 8/4/3 it would be a breakout for him. If Capela can put up 10/10 it would be a breakout for him. And I don't mean that sarcastically. What we need is for each player to be what they can be, rather than needing someone to jump to all-star level. An MDA/Bzdelik coached team is going to need a balanced effort to hit its potential.
All Clint has to do is make some free throws and get older, bigger and wiser. He is already elite in the pick and roll, and with the added shooting and Mike D'Antoni he is going to feast.
Tyler ennis is clearly the best hope for a breakout season especially with this coach and system and his skillset.
Wow sorry but too many delusional people here. Nobody's going to break out and nobody has star written all over them. D-Mo, if he signs, KJ, Harrell and Dekker will not all of a sudden turn into monsters. Capela might have a nice year, but expecting a DJ / Ibaka type breakout is just disappointment waiting to happen.
