1. Spurs 2. Lakers 3. T-wolves 4. Kings 5. Mavs 6. Houston 7. Phoenix 8. Portland 9. Memphis 10. Clippers 11. Denver 12. Seattle 13. Utah 14. Golden State
1. Lakers 2. Spurs 3. Sac 4. Minn 5. Mavs 6. Phoenix 7. Houston 8. Blazers 9. Sonics 10. Memphis 11. Clippers 12. Denver 13. Golden State 14. Utah
1. Mavericks 2. Spurs 3. Lakers 4. Kings 5. T-Wolves 6. Suns 7. Rockets 8. Blazers I wont bother doing the next 6. Conference Championship: Lakers over Mavericks
1. Lakers [I hate this team!!] (I'm not sure how to judge this team because I've never seen so many superstars on one team... my opinions on this team change constantly because I don't see malone working with this team. Payton fit's perfect imo. LA needed yet another trash talker right?... I think they will "underacheive" in the regular season... say 64 wins... lol and then seemingly dominate the playoffs until the C. Finals where the Pups shock the world and go on to win it all... 2. T-Wolves (Garnet will not let them fall out of the top three... it's completely in the coaches hands because he has the makings of an extremely balanced team. I think a lot depends on how Olowakani (or however you spell it) plays. His defence, clean-up baskets, and how well he can box out shaq will determine how far they go in the playoffs) 3. Spurs (The game against Houston means nothing. They will get Ginobili & Parker back and play as balanced team until the playoffs in which I think they will step it up) 4. Mavs (They will kill in the regular season and fail in the playoffs... do they not understand that they need at least a decent center to win a championship??) 5. Houston (This is the highest the Rocket's can get and yet they are completely capable of belonging there! I don't just think they are going to improve a little this year... I think they will exponentially improve because they have been underachieving for years and now they will not only meet their expectations but Jeff will not let them be satisfied until they surpass their expected accomplishments.) * Jeff is known for coaching overacheiving teams. **Pending outcome of current Rocket's drama (They will not go deep in the playoffs... 2nd round loss is borderline "homer" but feazable) 6. Kings (they will lose more games than expected because of injury as well as loss of players but look for them to finish strong but playing catch-up with the surprise team - The Rockets!) 7. Suns (I think they were more hype last year than substance but it's impossible to go far with out a center) 8. Blazers (I hate this team.. but getting rid of pip has got to help) 9. Sonics (something about a guy from houston doing good... ) 10. Memphis (bla... bla... no sign of life in this B string team) 11. Clippers (carried by Brand) 12. Denver (CA looked nice) 13. Utah (smart teams almost never finish completely last.. lol) 14. Golden State (eesh) What do you guys think?
The mavericks will kill in the regular season, but will only be the 4th seed? I think everyone is giving Minnesota a lot more credit than they deserve.
Actually, you are right on that. Got cought up in their playoff performance. They will be number three and the Spurs will be number 4 but with the same playoff expectations as I stated earlier. The heart with which Garnet plays with and that he demands from his new team deserves all the credit in the world... don't you think?
I agree with most of the rankings on these lists, except for the low ranking of the Blazers. Granted they only got worse w/o Pippen but they still are a good veteran team which has some good key components. In Wallace, Wells, and of course Randolph who is going to have a breakout year. Of course Anderson is a solid player, Davis is a pretty good center, and Patterson will be that spark off the bench but they may make a trade. Me personally I'm ready to see McInnis start ahead of Stoudamire because I don't care much for Damon. I see them easily finishing ahead of the Suns and the Rockets.
I really don't know... Top 5 will obviously include Dallas, Lakers, Twolves, Spurs, and Kings. But I don't know in what order. THeir teams have totally changed...improved. Whoever can play well together. Rockets can make #6. It's not impossible. But Suns, Blazers, and Sonics could as well. Interesting!
1) Lakers 2) Mavs 3) T- Wolves 4) Spurs 5) Rockets 6) Kings ( webber not back till december, lost a lot of depth, and have an aging center) 7) Suns 8) Blazers
1. Lakers.... 4 future Hofers enuff said 2. Mavericks ..... can put up 120+ points on any given night 3. Spurs...... Loss of David Robinson hurts more than people might expect. 4.Timberwolves..... very good team if they can keep it together 5.Kings...... ranked 5th only because of Webbers injury. loss of Clark, Hedo, JJ hurts depth. 6. Rockets..... will be surprise team of year. The hiatus of missing the playoffs will soon come to an end. 7. Blazers.... still a solid team with lots of talent. 8. Suns...... probably will have similar year as last year.
1. Lakers (don't need a explanation Fuc*ing Fakers ) 2. Wolves (great team _if_ the chemistry is there) 3. Spurs (Tim Duncan... ) 4. Kings (very deep talented team) 5. Mavs (great offense, poor defense... Fortson or Bradley as C?) 6. Rockets (Yao, Steve are all stars.... Van Gundy great coach, very talented team. Go Rockets! ) 7. Blazers (Zach will burst. Sheed is great... Solid team) 8. Suns ( Marbury, Amare, Marion, all great, but the _team_ isn't. Whos playing C? A lot of mediocre players) 9. Sonics (Rashard and Allen, not much else) 10. Denver (Very young, talented and exciting, but not good enough yet) 11. Memphis (just mediocre) 12. Clippers ( Elton is good... Maggette is ok... Who else will step up? Q? Jaric? They ain't good enough) 13. Warriors (well they are talented... Dunleavy Jr. J-Rich, Murphy... But not good enough) 14. Jazz (They suck )
1. Spurs They only got better this offseason. 2. Lakers Kobe will be a distraction, big-time. 3. Mavericks. Lot of firepower. 4. Kings. Injuries and window-has-closed. 5. Wolves. $72 mil payroll and still 5th. 6. Rockets. Bank on it. 7. Suns. Amare, Matrix, and Starbury; good solid team. 8. Blazers. Better chemistry, less talent.
I disagree what you guys are saying about the Kings they still have quite a few players. Chris Webber Peja S. Brad Miller Vlade Divac Mr. Bibby But on the same token this better be the year that they do something in the playoffs. I think they will suprise you guys.
1. Spurs (Added Depth and versatility but lost D. Robinson which is a problem. Robinson was not only 7 ft 2 but his defensive presence and favorable calls he got from the refs will be missed. However, Duncan is consistent if not anything else and will power his way to another outstanding individual season and team season. Already I hear the chants of MVP for 2004. 2. Mavericks (Capable of another 60 point season. Dirk, Nash, Finley are still the foundation of this team and all three come to play every night. This is why they are placed this high. The additions of Walker and Antawn Jamison is a poor attempt by Mav's to make everyone else think they really have improved their low post scoring and defense. Mav's will always be the team that buildings up a great record during the regular season but could easily be beaten by the Spurs, Kings, Lakers, and Blazers during the playoffs. Reason being is that their best player is a perimeter shooter named Dirk. I'll take a Slam dunk from Shaq, or a Layup by Tim Duncan over Dirks 20 ft jumper. 3. Kings (Still have the best team chemistry. Team will thrive and gain confidence knowing they can get the job done without Webber again. Vlade is a year older which is a concern but the addition of B. Miller was a good pick up even at 60 million. Also, Gerald Wallace will become a major contributor and hopefully a more consistent threat). Mike Bibby is also healthy and if anything he will be better then he was last year. 4. Lakers (Simply Shaq factor. He is huge, he is big, and knowing his little buddy Kobe is in trouble makes Shaq feel good. Now Shaq knows Kobe can't resort to his antics of the past due to the sensitive personal issues he is involved in. So there won't be any question of who the offense runs through. Kobe might be humbled for the first time in his life knowing he can’t just speak his mind anymore. Oh and I guess Payton and Malone will help add depth to their team but they are old and have been outplayed by younger guys in recent years) 5. Wolves. (Garnett ability alone warrents this position. The addition of Sprewell and Cassell will help them become a more consistent team and take pressure off Garnett and leave Wally open for more open looks. Look for the field goal percentage and number of shots taken to increase for this team. Although the Wolves helped themselves they also hurt themselves by loosing (Radoslav Nesterovic, Mark Jackson) and signing Candi and trading for Erving. Candi is a worthless bum and Erving is foul prone without any offensive skills. Without a doubt Minn down graded at the center position. This could be a problem considering size is everything in the West. 6. Rockets. (Rockets will become a vastly improved team this year. Convincing Van Gundy to coach the Rockets was as important as any move the Rockets have made. No longer do the Rockets have a baby sitter but now they have someone who will teach and discipline the players. In addition Gundy will bring about a winning attitude. These efforts could possibly mean home court advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs which would greatly increase our chances to make it to the 2nd round. This is a huge leap for a team that has been absent of the playoffs for the past few years. The addition of J. Jackson and Pike will also help solidify the type of players we want to surround the Rockets two best players with "Yao and Steve". This team is on the verge of threatening the top teams in the West and everyone knows it. 7. Blazers. (This team still has loads of talent and that is why they are still Number 7. The problem is that they just refuse to learn how to play as a team. Perhaps it is the players fondness for Blunts or maybe it's their sexual appetites that prevent them from becoming a better team. Whatever the case their attitude prevents them from beating a team like the Kings, Mav's or Lakers not the talent level. This team believes it can just turn it on in the playoffs and they almost got away with it last year against the Mav's. Although this team has many problems Zack Randolph isn't one of them. At least not yet. The guy can rebound, rebound, and rebound. Did I also mention he can score? Randolph will get significant playing time this year after having impressed the Blazers during his brief stint at the powerforward position during the playoffs.) 8. Suns. (Yes, the suns get the final position. Starbury worked his ass off last year and redefined his game to help distribute the ball more. He took over games when he had to and his timing of passes has improved dramatically. He will do the same this year. Of course, Amare will keep improving as well and probably will be a better offensive threat this year. Showing great athleticism last year as well as aggressiveness, I expect to see a greater array of shots from Amare. Possibly a 10 ft jumper. Shawn Marrion will also help the Suns obtain the final spot. Marrion isn't one of my favorite players because he plays great during the regular season and disappears during the playoffs. This is a good team but will again have a difficult time holding this position for the playoffs mainly because their best player is a point guard who at times is shoot first. Other teams I expect to fight for this position are (LA Clippers, Golden State, Grizzlies, and of course Seattle)
The 1st and 2nd seeds have to come from opposite divisions. The Mavs' won't get the 1st seed unless they magically start beating LA, Sac, and SA in the regular season.
i disagree. the problem is with the king IMHO is that the last couple of years they were a verry deep team now they are not. a agree the starting 5 are good. But where is the bench? and about the starting 5 1 Webber: great player, i just hope for the kings sake that he will be injury free, and he will not disapear wheen it counts. 2 Peja: great shooter. can also pass. good player. 3 Miller: i really do not like him, he played well in the east. but he shoudn't have been all star. he works but he isn't verry good IMHO. 4 Divac: is getting verry old. he is still a smart player. but his body will not alow him to be dominant. 5 Bibby: i think he is overrated. he played one great play off serie. and he can pass. but he is not that great. he is a good point guard but nothing special (IMHO). solid point guard. so i really think that the kings aren't top3. if the wolves get chemistry then not even top 4.
1] T.Wolves 2] Rockets 3] Spurs 4] Lakers 5] Mavericks 6] Suns 7] Kings 8] Clippers I know that this is going out on a limb but dont be surprised that the Lake show just might suffer from geriatrics and the Kings have lost too many key role players.The Mavericks have too many shooters and keep knocking each other off the shot. The Spurs have a let down season after being crowned champions and the West is wide open.
Yetti, you are being sarcastic right?? The Mavs almost alway beat who they are suppose to beat and have a good chance at beating those on their own level.. that alone will get them at least in the top 4 regular season records right... and the Lakers have too much telent and experience on the court at the same time that they can't possibly drop out of the top three... I love the Rockets optimism though! I can't wait for this season to start!!
1.LAL - too much hall of fame power...Malone wil benefit at the PF spot with Shaq in the middle. 2.Dallas - gonna lose some games to the top dogs but otherwise I dont see them ever lose to anyone else. 3.SA - I think some injuries will keep them from beating the teams they suppose to beat. 4.Minnesota - expect KG to do even better. 5.Sac - average start but will bloom when Webber comes back. 6.Portland - Huge frontcourt with PF Zach and SF Sheed will dominate. 7.Houston - Consistency is the key. 8.Phoenix - I seriously dont see how the hell the Suns are gonna do any better than last year. Amare is back with a better eye, the Matrix is gonna have another great year, Marbury will get his 20/8ast a game but they have the same damn team and did just that last year and finished 8th behind a Stockton/Malone Jazz, which is replaced by a Franchise/Dynasty Rox WCF - SAC over LAL in 6. I personally think Webber will come back healthy for the playoffs and carry his team to the promise land at last.
The 1st and 2nd seeds must come from opposite divisions. It's like, a law or something. Kings and Clipps at 7 and 8 is funny too.
