I am pretty certain I have never laughed so loud at something ever. Cool post bro! And I dont have a subscription...sorry mate!
Interesting article. What percentage would guys place on that happening? I'd have to go at least 70%. Then there's the secondary issue that I hadn't thought much about until I read this.
CHRIS BROUSSARD: Every season, a lottery team makes the jump to the playoffs. This season, you've got Milwaukee and probably Charlotte and Toronto in the East, and Oklahoma City and Phoenix in the West. I think the lottery team most likely to make the leap next season is Houston. RIC BUCHER: We agree that Chicago actually is the lottery team most likely to be in the playoffs next season, but since the Bulls still could squeak past Toronto this season, we're making them ineligible. The West's first eight are so good I decided I had to look in the East for my turnaround team -- and I decided to go with what would amount to a colossal about-face. I'm picking the Nets as my team to go from worst to first (or at least eighth). CB: Even though I'm not willing to go that far, I do agree that New Jersey's future could be bright if the Nets get some breaks, like the No. 1 pick and a top-flight free agent or two with all their cap room this summer. But playoffs? Playoffs? (In my best Jim Mora voice.) Don't talk to me about playoffs! I just hope they can win 10 games! And as good as John Wall is (I think he'll be a star), he still needs a lot of work. He often plays out of control, he needs to work on his J and he'll be facing the toughest competition in the league as a point guard. My point is, whomever the Nets get in the draft is going to take a while to develop. And while I don't completely blame Devin Harris and Brook Lopez for this disastrous season, their mental toughness and leadership have to be questioned because that team has much more talent than its record suggests. It's fair to ask whether those two have the mentality to be top players on a winning club. RB: As for Wall or another rookie needing time to make an impact, I direct your attention to Derrick Rose and, to a lesser extent, Brandon Jennings. Both are PGs who supposedly needed a lot of work. But both helped their teams get to the playoffs as rookies, in large part because they're in the East. However, getting Wall and a quality FA aren't my only reasons for seeing the door open for the Nets. It's that they had so many rectifiable elements working against them this season. Bruce Ratner was all about cost cutting to sell the franchise. Lawrence Frank had lost the team before training camp started, but Rod Thorn opted to wait until 0-18 to make a change, and that was only to send assistant GM Kiki Vandeweghe to mop up an empty building. All that changes next season. What makes you think Houston will be 10 to 15 games better next season? CB: I have several reasons, but I'll start with coach Rick Adelman. He is one of the most underrated coaches in the league, and this will be only the third time in his 19 seasons as an NBA head coach that he misses the playoffs. He makes players better -- Terry Porter, Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic (to name just a few) all played their best ball under him. The Rockets don't yet have title-contending talent, but they've got enough for him to work with to get them to the postseason. RB: I agree on Adelman, but I don't see the go-to perimeter scorer. Yao Ming will be back but probably in a limited capacity. Kevin Martin doesn't fit the Rockets' style and never has delivered on a winning team. Trust me, I know the Nets have more questions than answers, but let's just say they hire Jeff Van Gundy, steal David Lee from the Knicks and get Wall, Evan Turner or Wes Johnson in the draft. Add the boost they'll get from playing in front of a real crowd in Newark and everybody thinking of them as 10-game-winning sad sacks (you know those impressions linger; look at how teams still don't guard Jason Kidd's J), and they have a shot. CB: Can we give Martin a chance in Adelman's system before we crush him? Adelman was in Sacramento when the Kings drafted Martin, and while Martin's career took off after Adelman left, he has averaged 22 points in 17 games in Houston. I'll give you the fact that he hasn't won, but he also has never been on very good teams -- and no one's arguing that he's a No. 1 guy. However, he has all the tools to play in that system -- 3-point shot, gets to the free throw line, can go off the bounce -- especially when you give him a post threat like Yao next season. A starting five of Aaron Brooks, Martin, Trevor Ariza, Luis Scola and Yao is pretty strong, especially with a coach like Adelman on the sidelines. I'm somewhat with you on the Nets, but I don't think they can make the jump from 10 or 11 wins to the 40 it'll take to make the playoffs. RB: Martin's a nice player, just not a $10 million-a-year player. He's not much of a defender, he's not a pure catch-and-shoot guy, and every time I've seen him, he has struggled mightily to get a good look at crunch time. Those five names look good individually, but who is their Kevin Durant/Brandon Roy/Kobe Bryant/Steve Nash/Carmelo Anthony/Deron Williams/Dirk Nowitzki/Manu Ginobili? Every playoff team has that crunch-time playmaker. I like Brooks, but he's not in the group I just named. Overall, I just don't see room for tremendous improvement in a conference that demands it. For pure names, I'd take the Clippers over the Rockets in a heartbeat. I just believe Baron Davis is either the sun or the shadow on that whole scene, and the way he looks physically, we're talking heavy clouds. And I know the Nets don't have that guy right now, either -- but they have a couple of shots at getting one. CB: The Rockets clearly don't have a No. 1 guy on par with those you mentioned. But they went farther last season than they ever did with a supposed No. 1 guy (Tracy McGrady) because of their coach and system. I believe in GM Daryl Morey's system. He and Adelman have proved they can get more out of their team than the sum of the individual parts. Depending on what happens with Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix could drop. Depending on what happens with Manu Ginobili, San Antonio could drop. Depending on what happens with Carlos Boozer, Utah could drop, opening up spots in the West's top eight. RB: The Western whats and ifs are endless. New Orleans, Memphis and the Clips could move up as easily as San Antonio, Phoenix and Utah could move down. Bottom line: The West is stocked. The Rockets hitched their wagon to Martin as a go-to guy with the T-Mac trade. For me, Carl Landry was a better go-to guy. In any case, the Rockets are not a free-agency player as a result. As I see it, we've got two hands of cards. The Rockets are five cards face up. The Nets are two up, three (coach, free agent, draft pick) down. I'm betting on the blind because the face-up hand wasn't a winning one this season and I can't see Yao, at 25 minutes a night, being enough to change that. I could have a losing hand, too. But, as of right now, at least I can dream of a playoff chip. CB: Scola has stepped in to fill Landry's shoes, and while you dismiss Martin's scoring ability, not many perimeter guys can pour in points like he can (usually on a decent shooting percentage). You said it with the Clips: Davis is the key, and I wouldn't want my playoff hopes to hinge on him, especially now that he's paid and old. Rose went to a team many expected to make the playoffs, and Jennings learned a lot more about running an offense in Italy than Wall did at Kentucky. Overall, I agree that the Nets will make great strides, just not enough to reach the playoffs next season. Real quick, I don't even have an insider account, but there is a very easy way to find any insider article. Simply copy and paste a little blurb or the title verbatim into google with quotes and the article will ALWAYS appear within the top ten hits. Enjoy your newfound insider accounts!
