The NBA is, if anything, a league of dynasties. In the 90s, it was the Rockets and Bulls, and for the greater part of this past decade, its been the Lakers and Spurs with few exceptions (Pistons). I believe that this year is the year wherein the Western Conference gets redefined; The Lakers show all the tell-tale signs of a team on its last hurrah. They remain the top contenders for a championship out of the west, but now more than ever, other teams have a bonified chance of de-throning them from the championship pedestal. A weakened western conference will likely keep them atop the west through the season and playoffs- big name players have been making an exodus to the Easten conference for the past few years, and the East is now composed of 3 championship-calibre teams (Boston, Miami, Orlando...Chicago's debatable, but I'd put them atop the 2nd tier for right now). Pheonix was the only team who provided a challenge to the Lakers last season in the playoffs, and this past offseason they lost Amare. That said, there are teams that could conceivably overthrow the Lakers, namely Denver and Portland (Sorry, although I think we'll be good this season, I dont see us competing for a championship as of yet). My entire point is this: the Lakers dynasty is coming to an end very soon; at best, they will win one more and ride into the sunset, or they'll lose this season late in the playoffs or the championship. For the next few seasons the west is going to be wide open with an opportunity to claim the top spot, but even then, is it fair to say that we are all going to be battling for bids to be the next Utah Jazz? Perennially finishing in 2nd place to an Eastern Conference team so superior to us that we cant even take the series to 7 games? Trust me, I know this is premature...but it's been on my mind and I'm wondering if anyone else sees it the same way. ( ::waits to get blasted by posters lol:: )
You're forgetting the inevitable roster rejuvenating trade the Lakers will make in which they give up a bag of peanuts for an all-star caliber player who's still in his prime. That will extend their time as a championship competitor.
I like your argument/point but I think with the new CBA coming into place next season, or after depending, it will be hard to say who will come out of it okay. I think financially, the Lakers are a mess and if a hard cap comes into play then something will need to be done with those guys along with Kobe starting to breakdown. You mentioned Denver but they are close to imploding and with Melo leaving sooner rather then later they are done. I'll leave the Rox out of the equation for now but these are my teams to watch over the next decade... OKC - Young, dynamic and with an excellent cap situation. They should be the heir apparent to the Lakers in the West with one or two more moves. Portland - Same as above except their cap situation isn't as nice. Depending on what happens with the new CBA, they made need to break a few pieces off their puzzle. After that, there are a bunch of questions with SA, Dallas, Utah, Phx, and the Lakers so time will only tell how these guys survive retirements, FAgency and the new CBA. The Rox, IMHO, are the wildcard. Morey has set them up to contend and still be in a very good cap situation before and after the gloom and doom of next summer. A lot will depend on the development of AB, Chase, Hill and PP as true leaders and MAYBE MAYBE stars or at least trade bait to acquire a star. Of course, Yao will also be a huge factor in how we view them. Is he going to stay healthy, will he return to all-world Yao and how will his new contract look after this season? My future top 8, two to three years, in the West... OKC Portland Houston then it gets fuzzy Utah - Deron Williams future decisions play a major role in this. Sacramento - Cousins, Landry, Thompson and Evans are a dam good core. Dallas - Dirk still has some time left and Cuban won't let the team go to crap so fast. Memphis - Good nucleus, with a potential top 10 center and a current top 10 center. GState - They have nice talent with Curry, Ellis and Lee along with a not so insane coach. Phx - When Nash retires its goodnight. NOLA - Paul will leave sooner rather then later and no Collison to take over. Denver - As I mentioned Melo is history and Billups isn't a spring chicken. SA - Duncan is gone in two years, Manu is injury prone and Parker is going to NY.
Unfortunately, I think this is still too early. The Lakers are a team in their prime. I think most of their major players are in their early 30's. Jordan won his 6th ring when he was 35 and I think Jordan could have won 1 or 2 more. It does really depend on Kobe. Is he injured and will he ever heal? If Kobe can't come back from this injury then I agree with you. If Kobe can get back to 27 ppg then I think the Lakers are still going strong. If anything, with their off-season FA pickups, my friends have been telling me the Lakers are even stronger this year.
No, no, no. Please stop calling the Heat contenders until they actually play some real games. How is the west even weak? 50 wins barely gets you into the playoffs. Nothing weak about the conference. Portland can't even get out of the first round and haven't improved much. how are they suppose to beat the defending champions? How is Denver whe they haven't put up much of a fight against them and are having their own problems? OKC and dallas have a much better shot at beating LA. You need either a really good defense or a lot of firepower to beat them, which neither portland or denver have and OKC and dallas do. I dont understand the idea that LA's run is coming to an end. That gets thrown around like nothing and it's not really true. All they need to do is protect Kobe like the Spurs did with TD and Manu and they could easily extend their run another 2 yrs. Obviously if Kobe doesnt recover, then it could happen, but that's not a sure thing. They made some significant moves for a championship team. They had solid talent as it was, but now they added a great back up in Blake and Barnes can be good in certain situations. Bynum is still only 22 and is far from done, even with his injuries. He's young enough to not only bounce back, but develop into the all-star he was suppose to be. Remember there's not alot of centers to stand in his way. He could post some very good numbers soon. Looks at the teams around them. Spurs are almost done with and will be rebuilding. Denver is fixing to get blown up. Phoenix is also. Portland is running in mud. Dallas could lose Butler and chandler next year and Kidd and terry the year after. Although I disagree the conferenc is weak now, it's very possible all the playoff teams, except for maybe Utah, OKC and houston will be shaken up in a bad way within the next 3 yrs....that means that as LA is aging, the surrounding competition is decreasing, which sets them up to be contenders for another 2-3 yrs. The younger teams like GS, clips, and sac are not likely to be legit during that time either, if ever. severely.
Did you hear the news? Lebron plays for the Heat now. Whether you like it or not the Heat are contenders now and will be for a while...
The West is weak because it's been a one-team conference for the last three years. The East has had three legitimate championship contenders, while the West has only one.
lol true. Agree about Denver, but my argument is that they currently have the pieces to give the Lakers a tough time in the playoffs. I'm not sure they'd beat them in a best of 7, but taking a series to 7 games isnt out of the question. I dont see any other team out of the western conference that can do that (maaaaybe portland but I'm not convinced yet). OKC is still a year or two away. They have a ton of potential and could be the heir-apparent to LA as the Wests rep in the finals, especially if Durant's supporting cast progressively improves. I like Portland, but have been surprised by their lack of progress in the past few years. They've had a solid roster the past two seasons yet have failed to get out of the first round, and last year the Suns beat them convincingly in 6. I agree that we are the wild card, and feel that we are setup to be contenders for the next few years moreso than this upcoming season. Should the Knicks pick pan out the way we all hope (top 15 at the very least), a nice move would be to package it along with some of our more appealing pieces to make a sizable upgrade at any position in the starting lineup. @ Yaozow: No way the lakers are still in their prime. Kobe is definitely not. Phil is likely retiring after the season. Fisher's gotta hang em up in the near future, and the progress of Shannon Brown and Farmar will make him more expendable. As for the rest of the team, though they are nice, they are not world beaters sans Kobe. @ RV6: Its pretty clear that the Heat are contenders. Anyone denying that fact is simply ignoring reality. LA's run coming to an end is very evident for anyone following the warning signs: Kobe and Bynum both nursing knee injuries. You dismiss Bynum's rehab process due to his youth, but realize that knee injuries are all the more perilous for a player his size. Add to the fact that there has been a lot of internal worrying, illustrated by poor showings in the preseason, and there is a lot more cause for concern. Its almost a certainty that they'll make it out of the west this season due to the lack of a competitive counterpart, but I honestly see this as the last time and believe that there's a possibility they lose out to some other team late in the playoffs before getting to the finals. I'm a little confused at your appraisal of the west. At first you mention 50-wins barely getting you into the playoffs- a historical fact that likely will end this season- but then follow it up by acknowledging the decline of traditional powerhouses Dallas, San Antonio, Utah, Denver, and Phoenix. In any case, as I mentioned early on, we are all likely vying to be the next Utah Jazz.....
OKC was more of a 2/3 year projection however saying that, I feel they could challenge this season with their lineup. I still think, even though Ibaka seems solid, they lack a true big man like Bynum or Gasol to bang with the Lakers. I think they are waiting for the right guy to become avilable or hope Cole Aldrich becomes that guy. On Portland, don't forget they had TONS of injuries last season and still managed the sixth seed. The year before, they ran into the Rox who just had more experience and firepower. Don't be surprised to see them explode this season with a healthy team and take that next step up. Even without Oden or Flopzilla, they still have Camby to anchor the middle and I am a fan of the combo of Wesley Matthews and Batum as a great complementary role players to Roy/LA. IMHO, this is the year the Lakers go down and their empire begins to crumble. They are older now and while Kobe maybe in his early 30s, people tend to forget that he came straight from high school and his body has taken a beating over the years. The signs are obvious that he is braking down, saying that I still see them in the WCF.
Good points. The only point I'd add is with regards to Portland, I've heard a number of people speak about Portland and how they sustained a lot of injuries last season, but the bigger question is whether or not that is endemic to the type of players they rely on. Oden has been injured his entire career, Pryzbilla is still rehabbing, and Pendergraph (Przybilla's replacement) is already out for the season with a knee injury. They need to get a big who can stay healthy. If whoever they start down low ends up being serviceable, then I'd concede that they'd be the toughest western conference matchup for the lakers in the playoffs. Until and unless that happens, they'll remain a mid playoff seed destined to lose in the 1st or 2nd round....
Did you hear the other news? Wade already got injured and the season hasnt even started. To label them contenders before the season even starts is ridiculous. That doesnt make the west weak. It just means the East has more championship contenders on paper. The race within the western conf is really competitive. What have they accomplished in the real world? Nothing. That's not reality, that's a guess. A good one, a safe one, but not a sure thing. No one has any idea how they'll truly play together in the regular season and that is what is being ignored.
It does make the West weak if you're talking about championship competition. The "race" within the western conference is only a race for who gets to get their butts kicked by the Lakers in the conference Finals. The race in the East is an actual competition where any of the top three teams could legitimately challenge for the title.
I agree they might draft this centuries Magic or worthy. Not players of the elite caliber but someone the Lakers could draft and could be a legit player rather than some scrub.
How do we know Miami wont own both those teams? How do we know they won't own Orlando at least? Why are people willing to give Miami the contender status, putting them side by side to a formaer champion with 2 finals appearances and another team with a finals appearance, yet they won't put them ahead of them? I don't agree with giving them that much respect, but it also doesnt make sense to automatically put them no higher or lower than those two. Boston pretty much owns Orlando. If Miami does the same then Orlando isn't really a legit contender in their conference. In the west you have a better Dallas team and houston should be thrown in the mix, especially if Miami can without having accomplished jack. Yes houston has it's holes, but Miami has bigger holes at center and the bench. Their 3 guys have to overcome more and do it more consistently. Now you pretty much have 1 contender in each conf who's proven itself and then 2 other teams with potential in each conference. The only reason it appears lopsided is rockets' fans being pessimistic, hating Dallas, and giving the Heat too much too soon.
Maybe Miami will own both of those teams and the East will turn out to be a one team conference. In that case, they would most likely own the Lakers as well and it would really just be a one team league. That doesn't help your case that the West has multiple contenders. Please take off the homer glasses and stop comparing a team who's best player will not play more than 24 minutes per game or appear in both games of a back-to-back to a team that has two of the four best players in the entire league, not to mention an all-star power forward. Barring a major trade or injury, the Lakers will win the West. Dallas isn't contending. Houston isn't contending. OKC isn't contending.
True, the West only has one contender. But it has a bunch of 2nd tier teams. The East has two contenders last year, and if Miami pans out they may have three this year. But apart from those three teams, the rest of the conference would have a hard time getting into the playoffs if they were in the West. Overall, the two conferences might be about even. But the West is still more competitive because of the many good teams fighting for playoffs spots and once they get in, have to fight hard in every round to get to the Finals.
The East had three contending teams last year, unless you're dismissing the 60-win Cavs just because they ended up losing to Boston in the second round.
So why do we play the regular season? Let's just skip it and get to the playoffs, before any injuries, improvements, chemistry-issues, and breakthroughs happen. It's not like that's ever affected the league, right? Actually, let's just get to the conference finals to avoid any bad playoff matchups disrupting the already fixed results.
