Watching all this go down tonight, can't help but remember that only one team from the East plays in the Finals every year. Melo migrating East just opens up the West even more. Who is going to be the super team(s) in the West for the next 5-8 years? San Antonio-they're done as soon as Timmy hangs them up. Back to a total rebuild. Lakers-PJ leaving after this year. Kobe getting old. Don't know how much longer they're gonna hold together. Morey is in prime position to build our team going forward. Especially if he can acquire a top 5 player at their position and not pay max contract dollars for him. Think about it like this. 3 max or near max guys under the current CBA accounts for around $45 million of the salary cap. But 4 guys being paid $11 a piece who are top 5 at their position is the same money. We've got one piece. Kevin Martin. Reasonable contract for a near superstar player, probably the fifth or sixth best SG in the business at worst. If we could acquire a player of Wallace's magnitude for $10 mill per, that's a very reasonable contract for a top 5 SF. That's two positions with top 5 players anchored for the next 5 years. Next, the PG position. We don't have a top 5 point. Sorry. Lowry is a very good point though and TWill has the potential to become a superstar at that position. Now, the big man spots. We have .......... parts. Morey needs to find a top 5 center/power forward. That's why he wants Nene. Another top 5 guy, another guy making $11 per. Doesn't look like we'll get him............right now. But don't be surprised at what Morey pulls off. And don't be surprised if we wind up with one superstar and 4 guys that are top 5 guys at their position. And don't be surprised if most of this gets done before Thursday and sets us up to come out of the new CBA in a very good position to compete. Morey is going to acquire his players before the deadline and a new CBA locks down teams and makes it very difficult for teams like Miami to get signficantly better without getting guys to sign with them that are playing for under signficant value. I'm still optimistic. We're not rebuilding. We're building. And we're building a team that can come out of the West. And we'll only have to beat one team coming out of the East.
Won't be surprised if the other la team takes the lakers spot...but it won't really matter..the east is winning the next 10 championships anyway...
(answer to this question in 2007) Portland will be champs in 3 years.. oh.. nvm.. Just goes to show you how unpredictable things can go in the NBA, we never know, maybe OKC will become the next Blazers
Lets not forget the possibilty of the unhappy CP3/Dwill rellocating and thus removing utah and NO for the equations. By 2013 i think it will come down to: OKC - West top team for the next 5 years Portland - Promising, but crippled by Roy's contract NO/Utah - depending on wether they can still retain franchise point guards Memphis - Promising, but need to find a way to retain gasol + randolph + mayo Houston - Needs to either develop Lowry/twill/patterson into a star or trade for one
I like your optimism. But there is going to be another franchise center jumping from Orlando to the Lakers. Yeah, I think I am getting more cynical about the NBA by the day.
Chandler would be great here but he would be absolutely ridiculous playing in OKC. Westbrook Harden? Durant Ibaka Chandler Talk about athletic!
The NBA is becoming a major market league, thats why teams like the Lakers will always be in contention, even after Kobe retires. Once the big 3 in San Antonio are done, we will never hear of the Spurs again, the same can be said for Utah and New Orleans once Deron and Paul leave. Dwight already said he would like to play for the Lakers if things don't work out in Orlando, which means he is outta there the moment his contract is up. The NBA needs to do something about this or the league will become a dominant 4 or 5 team league.
I like how easily you count out the Spurs. Well managed teams like the Lakers, the Spurs, Mavs, don't just end up sucking because they lose a key player. Did you ever think that the Lakers, after losing Shaq, would somehow end up with Pau Gasol and a young center that everyone thought would be a bust that turned out to be pretty good? Or the Spurs who were supposed to be mediocre this year and are the best team in the west with a Tim Duncan that averages 13 points a game and none of the players playing more than 32 minutes a game? Or the Mavs who even though haven't won a champ who every year continue to remain one of the best? They've brought in talent from Antoine Walker to Antawn Jamison to Jason Kidd to Josh Howard to Shawn Marion. Well managed teams don't lose. Poorly managed teams like the Hornets end up fluctuating wildly. You can put Houston in that category too as a team that has been simply inconsistent throughout the years.
The bright side to all of this is, we will get to see which of us are actually fans of the Rockets. We will be unimportant for some time and thus no bandwagon
I don't really know how Melo going East opens up the west? Denver is a way better team now because of this trade.
OKC should be the heir apparent to LA and SA in the West but Presti needs to stop being so dam conservative and go get Camby or even Nene. I can see why Morey wants to stay relevant while he rebuilds but I just don't believe we can get any of the big three FAgents in 2012 with the way the team is constructed. Now, lets see how the team looks in 3 days and I may change my mind.
When taking about future competition, some other young teams to consider besides the Thunder, that aren't making much noise right now and that have REAL superstar talent and strong complimentary players around that talent, are: --------------------------- The Minnisota Timberwolves: Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Wesley Johnson, Ricky Rubio, Anthony Randolph + High 2011 NBA lottery pick (Irving, P. Jones III, Sullinger, Valanciunas) The Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, Al-farouq Aminu, DeAndre Jordan, Eric Bledsoe, + 2011 NBA lottery pick ( T.Jones, Walker, Motiejunas, Barnes) The Sacramento Kings: Demarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans, Omar Casspi, Hassan Whiteside, Donte Greene, + High 2011 NBA lottery pick (Irving, P. Jones III, Sullinger, Valanciunas) ---------------------------- I know these teams have been jokes in the past, but I think its time to start taking the talent they posses seriously. For these particular teams are collecting an amount of talent that can overtake many of the aging teams in the west (Lakers, Spurs, Mavericks). They all have legit foundations on which to build on, real "superstar" talent, that would put borderline All-stars like Gerald Wallace, Kevin Martin and Luis Scola to shame. Don't be surprised if some of these teams come out of nowhere in the next season or two, and start challenging for the west ala the Thunder.
Great post. Can also add Memphis on way up as well, the west has some great young talent and upcoming teams
