I honestly think his list looks pretty good. I love him throwing the Mavs down. My little weather Forecast for the Mavs: 7) Mavs Major additions: Doug Christie Major subtractions: Michael Finley Mav Fans better bring their umbrellas this season because a very Heavy Lightening/ Thunder storm is rising from the South. The storm originating in San Diego which later shifted and emerged stronger than ever from Houston, now known as Storm Rockets, is coming in with a vengeance and could tear everything in site from inside out. Raining by stinging 3’s in the outskirts, the storm has Mav authorities scrambling for answers and some for shelter. Those trying to run towards the center/inside, thinking it is safe, will definitely run into problems as well. Bolts of lightening mostly striking together in a trio has already scared many of the usual locals parked in the middle. These bolts of lightening have become so famous for just ruthlessly striking at such ferocious forces and smacking/tearing anything that gets in their way that they have been given individual names, Tracy Mcgrady, Yao Ming and Stromwile Swift. Mav Fans are suggested to evacuate immediately because it is absolutely pointless trying to fight the emerging storm.
Seedings is less important than record. By record I see SA and Hou as the 1 and 2 teams--maybe 60 win teams. Barring major injuries, these are the two teams in the West with the defensive and offensive ingridients to make a run for the title. I see these teams a notch ahead in the West barring long term injuries to their superstars. There are a bunch of teams who could be mid 50s win teams. I would not at all be surprised if SAC is next. A lot depends on Wells, but they have other good young SG prospects if he faulters. Everywhere else (PG, SF, PF, C) they are solid to outstanding. In this next group is Phx (defintely worse than last year--right now I'd pick Sac ahead), Dallas (they were good, but can't see how they got better), and Seattle. Denver would be the darkhorse to join this group and have an outside shot at home court in the 1st round. Melo needs to play better and more consistent than he ever has--like he deserves consideration for 2nd or 3rd team all-nba, for this to happen. I do not see Golden State or the Lakers in the playoffs nor probably Memphis. I expect KG to bring his team back to the playoffs--they would be my pick for the last slot. He still is clearly the best player in the WC outside of SA and Houston. So much went wrong with that team (worst it possibly could have been) and they still almost made it to playoffs, bound to have some bounce back even if far from their form 2 years ago.
As much as alot of us hate the Jazz, I think they are the sleepers and could sneak in the final playoff spot. They have deron williams that i think will make a great impact on their team. The divison they are on also doesn't seem like havoc either. Seattle, portland, nuggets, and timberwolves.... the jazz look decent this upcoming season. the wolves are lacking alot of pieces too.... hmmm and seattle doesn't look as strong this season.... jerry sloan is still coaching the jazz and with him alot is possible...
Am I the only one here who's worried big time about injuries? In the frontcourt, Stro could miss 10-20 games this season if you look at his history. Juwan's season last year ended early due to a major heart condition. Deke's 39. In the backcourt, no one has any idea whether (or how long) DA will hold up. Sura's always a risk to go down. Jon Barry is 36. (... And everybody wants to trade Wesley?) We'll have big, big problems if Sura or DA go down, and I don't even wanna think about the prospect of both getting injured at the same time. Overall, if we do stay healthy, I'm expecting 55-58 wins... 60, I think, is pushing it, but I wouldn't be shocked. Still, the West is still going to be tough, and a lot of the Eastern teams ain't no pushovers either... Especially if we let Charlotte sweep us again.
I agree with you, having Sura and DA in the same backcourt is scary when it comes to injuries. I have very little confidence in both players health.
Everyone has their opinions. I know a lot of people dont like Ford, but I dont mind reading his articles. You just have to realize how he thinks. Ford is easily seduced by offense. Loved those Nets teams a few years ago, loved the Suns, Mavs...and now the Kings are loaded offensively. I dont think Ford takes into account good chemistry, good fit and good defense. Clearly the Kings have that run and gun offense, but defensively they are very average and in the end I think we all know that will be their undoing. Clearly Ford isnt as sold on the Rockets yet, probably because he is unsure of the fit of Swift, will Swift bring it every night? I think he will under JVG and playing with TMAC.
The Kings are going to be a very ,very good team with Shareef. They wont have chemistry problems and remember we had trouble beating them at half speed. they're going to be a hard out in the west. They can and should win the Pacific this season.
Ford: "The Spurs won in convincing fashion last season"....umm, what? You mean in the first 7 game series in 11 years? You mean in the Game 5 where their all world superstar forward couldn't make a shot if his life depended on it and who subsequently got bailed out by nothing short of a miracle found in Horry? I saw that series and I say it was just as close as the series between us and the Knicks. I'm not just saying this because I'm a Rocket fan, but I' not afraid of the Spurs. I think Parker is a shrinking violet (it's almost not even an opinion anymore...it's fact) and Duncan has shown serious fragility. Ginobili is great, can't deny that, and Bowen is nice on one end of the court. They're not a foregone conclusion, they're not invincible, and are about as soft and tough as the Rockets are. What they do have, and this is what makes the Spurs what they are IMO, is chemistry, cohesion, and familiarity...there's not people being shipped out constantly, and hell, they got a great coach. The Rockets do not have cohesion and that intagible of familiarity, but of course, that takes time. But yes, we DO have a great coach and coaching staff, so we'll get there.
the QUEENS are exactly the same team they were last year except the addition of SAR, but how does adding him make them from a 7 to a 2 contending in the west.? the writer must be smoking something
Right on. I think too many posters are already conceding that the Spurs will be better than us and will beat us. I agree that the Spurs deserve respect for being the defending champs, but they can be defeated and I know the Rockets will be very good next year. We were good in the second half of last year and now we've added a young, athletic PF and a versatile SG/SF. We can take them down. Go Rockets!
1. Spurs- Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Finley? They will be good, no great if they stay healthy. I say a 65+ win season is in there reach. 2. Rockets- Same team(allmost) that won 51 games last year. You add another year to jell and give them Swift and Aderson and I could see them winning 60 games which should put them in the divers seat for the number two seed. 3. Kings-They have alot of talent. They won 50 games last season and made improvements in the off season imo. Abdur-Rahim should be big for them, Wells and Thomas give them wide bodies that can attack the basket. Peja and Bibby are allways solid. I say 55 wins maybe more if they jell right. 4. Suns- Yea they lost Johnson and Richerson, but they still have Amare who I am going to say wins the MVP next season. I go out on a limb and say Amare averages will be 30+ppg, 10+ppg and shoot close to 60%. Amare will lead the Suns into the playoffs with home court advantage. Amare is the reason Nash won the MVP, which should have went to a Heat player. Shaq or Wade. 54 wins 5. Mavs- They still have the big German and Dirk will have a nice run fighting for the #4 seed. When it is all said and done Amare's team will bet him out by 1 or 2 games. Amare will also beat Dirk for the MVP voting, but Dirk will still be in the top 5 in votes. 53 wins. 6. Nuggets- Carmelo, Miller, Martin, Camby, and some nice role players should get the Nuggets back to the post season. And they should get 50 wins or more if they stay healthy, if they lose Camby or Martin then they will not even make they playoffs. One of the LA teams will take there spot. 50 wins if healthy, maybe in the 30's if they lose one of there baggers(Martin or Camby). 7. T-Wolves- KG gets back in the playoffs. He has a younger team with more atheletic ablilty. Marko Jaric has a great year 15ppg and 8 dimes, but he will owe his improvements to KG. I think the wolves get on a roll in the middle of the season and end up with 47 wins and a 7th seed. 8. Up in the air. I think this will be a very good year for the NBA. Sonics, Jazz, Clippers, Lakers, and Warriors will fight over the last month for the final playoff spot. My gut feeling is that the Jazz with the ROY winner Deron Williams will somehow from brilliant coaching from Sloan end up in the final spot. IMO Williams is going to be a very solid pro. And I chould not think of a better team for him than the Jazz. There style of play will make Williams NCAA to NBA change easier. Final predictions for the Western Conferrence only. 1. Spurs-65 wins 2. Rockets-60 wins 3. Kings-57 wins 4. Suns-54 wins 5. Mavs-53 wins 6. Nuggets-50 wins 7. T-Wolves-47 wins 8. Jazz-43 MVP(west only) 1. Amare 2. Dirk 3. T-Mac 4. Duncan 5. KG
