Presuming reasonably a starting 5 of Beverley, Harden, Ariza, Smith and Howard, and presuming no more moves, the Rockets' bench would likely be: Terry McDaniels Brewer Jones Motiejunas That ain't too shabby, particularly in the front court. It could use some better ball handling and perimeter shooting in the back court.
So its pretty good in my opinion. Varejao is great energy off the bench. Their starters are also insanely good. Cavs are stacked.
It definitely has the potential to be good. It also has the potential to disappoint. I feel solid about Mills, but don't know what the others will bring. Manu has been pretty up and down by year, and seems to be feeling the age. Last year was the first real significant step down year for him, and then he got even worse in the playoffs. He'll be 38 later this month and while it is amazing and all the way Pop has managed minutes and the Spurs have extended careers... on the whole, players of that age tend to drop every year. You're never really 100% sure what you'll get from Diaw. He also had a big drop last year, but he's at least younger. I like David West, but he ALSO had a big drop last year and is in his mid 30's. He should be good as a backup, though. I don't think Diaw or West can really play center, so they've got a LOT of PFs. It should all still work out for the Spurs, given the strenght in their starting lineup. But they do have a lot of ifs. - Parker, Manu and bench, will Timmy ever really decline, etc.
I still like the Lakers, assuming Randle starts and they keep Young on the bench: Hill (12/8) Bass (11/5) Young (13 ppg) Williams (15 ppg) Clarkson (12 ppg)
