The whole team couldn't shine, because LeBron was the end-all, be-all of the team. Now, guys like JJ Hickson and Mo Williams get to step up and become the first / second options on offense, while guys like Varejao also get to show their skills. Their team this year mirrored ours last year. Without Yao, AB exploded and became MIP, while others also stepped up and showed what they could do when the main star wasn't there. Good for Cleveland. Seriously, good for Cleveland. I hope they beat the crap out of the Heat.
yeah i agree. i find it hard not to cheer for the cavs this year. a hard working group of players that does not care of individual accomplishments is always great to see. As someone else have stated, this proves that this team is not 'useless crap of a supporting cast' that the media was proclaiming when lebron failed.
How are they proving they are "more than decent" by sporting a losing record early on with one of the softest early schedules in the league? They're showing that they're now horrible. But I think a team needs to be at least .500 for a season to be considered more than decent.
When you take away the best player of the league from your team, what do you expect? They are having a much better record than the Rockets, and we were supposed to be a star (not necessarily LeBron's caliber) away from being a contender.
I would expect the Lakers to win close to 50 games in the tougher western conference without their best player. I would expect the Celtics to still be a playoff team without their best player. The fact that Cleveland has close to a .500 record playing a soft stretch of their schedule has not proven to me that they are "more than decent." It has proven that without Lebron they're not the worst team in the league. That's about it. The Rockets have been missing not only that star player the team was built around (Yao), but also the guy who stepped up and became the team's leading scorer in his absence (Brooks). Also, this is essentially the start of year two without Yao for the Rockets. The league has figured them out.
They're doing a good job treading water like we did last year, and they've got that big TE in their pocket if a good trade arises. They could bring in someone like Troy Murphy in February for rental help, as one example, and could get a 2nd rd or low first for their trouble. They don't have much talent, but they do have established chemistry and a good rallying factor for this year. I'd love to see them get the 8th seed, and I'd love to see them tear the Heat up Thursday.
I think the Lakers would be just a little better than a .500 team without Kobe. They actually have a better supporting cast this year than last year. For last year's team, they probably would have had a hard time making the playoffs without Kobe. (And I am a notorious Kobe hater.) The Celtics don't really have a clearcut best player. They are the most balanced team in the league in terms of talent. They are not just "not the worst team in the league." They are #8 in their conference. Granted, that's the East. But that is hardly just not the worst.
You shouldn't be surprised. This team is legit. Top 5 center easily. Top 5 small forward who finally realizes he can play really good defense. Rush is solid and shut down Wade with ease. Tough scrappy players like McRoberts, Hansbrough, Dunleavy.
Forgot Collison, he hasn't lived up to the potential yet but imagine if he does. TJ Ford off the bench has been a spark.
byron scott is a good coach. this isn't surprising. if lebron wasn't such a stuck up hoe and listened to his coaches then this team would be rocking and rolling right now.
Last year the Lakers were 6-3 without Kobe, including wins over the Spurs, @Por (where they never win), @Utah (same); they lost by 2 @Den and by 1 to Boston. It is pretty likely this Lakers team would contend in the West without Kobe.
Lakers won 57 games last year, 6 of them coming out of Kobe's last shot. They had 0 penetration capability without Kobe, and you think they can win 50 without him. Sounds about right.
