Bledsoe/Dragic and IT off the bench will work if Bledsoe remains healthy(which he probably will) and doesn't even improve one bit. I don't know why people are confused about them having these guards. They probably would have won 50 games if Bledsoe didn't come down with an injury and Thomas is waaaaaaay better than Ish Smith. They got Thomas for a bargain contract sort of how we got Lowry for a bargain contract way, way back. They re-sign Dragic for 13-16 million next season and they're one big man away from being a legit player in the western conference. After that they can fill out the roster and they're set. Plus they will still have all the financial stability they will need. If they sign Bledsoe for less than the max then Ryan McD is a certified G and I will be very impressed with his GMing.
ChrisInAZ: Can you give us your take on this whole "Sarver is cheap" topic? Is there any validity to that? I'm just wondering how that might play into the Dragic negotiations, assuming that Bledsoe is resigned.
grrrr.... Howard Beck and Ric Bucher are picking Houston to win 48 games this year, six game drop off from last year. I think they are still a 50 plus win team.
it's just their opinion. who cares. remember the tools that picked the Texans as super bowl contenders last year, and they went 2-14? opinions opinions opinions.
Yeah your right, I'm just very optimistic for the rockets, I think they will be a better team with ariza.
Who is more a Mr Irrelevant, Bucher or Brussard? And who gives a flap's flip over preseason progging?
These "on paper" preseason projections have only so much usefulness. Chemistry, health and other factor can each cause a team to win or lose a few games. The West looks to have 3 "tier 1" teams: OKC, SAS and LAC. HOU, POR, DAL, MEM, GSW and PHX are all in the tier below it. A couple extra wins or losses can matter a great deal on playoff seeding.
I like Asik's game but honestly he didn't contribute much to the win total last season. Losing Parsons(the asset moreso than the player) for nothing was a setback but Ariza should fill in the void for at least this coming season. Defensively they should be much better on the perimeter. Could see them easily matching or even exceeding the win total from last season. I'm guessing Morey still has a trick up his sleeve too.
If the Suns re-sign Bledsoe (which I think is smart, since losing him for nothing or getting minimal return due to perceived lack of options is less than ideal), they are going to have a logjam at guard at wing, and no real talent at PF or C (unless Alex Len figures it out). It's going to be a very unbalanced team. I wonder if they plan on unloading Thomas down the road with the intent of securing Dragic and Bledsoe long term. Bottom line is, one of those 3 have to go for them to have any real chance at being a contender.
Agreed!! I watched him play for Syracuse and from what I saw in my opinion he is a really good fit for this team. He is not a great scorer but if he is the worst scorer in our starting line we would be ok mainly because of his shot selection. Smart player can lead this team right now. That said I am not sure if he is a point guard that can help us right now against the likes of Chris Paul, so at least for most o the season P Beverley would be our starter, with the better PG coming off the bench.
