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sacbee.com After a wild week of moves, the West is changed - and stacked.

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by scotia, Jul 19, 2004.

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scotia Member

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If this has been posted before, sorry

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/10044725p-10965893c.html

In terms of power balance, where does the Shaquille O'Neal deal leave the Kings and the rest of the West?
Factoring all of the offseason dealings so far, the West still emerges as the stronger conference. Here's a mock playoff eight at this point:

1. Minnesota - The Timberwolves fell to the Lakers in the West finals and return the much better unit with MVP Kevin Garnett and a nice supporting cast, including freshly re-signed guard Troy Hudson.
2. San Antonio - Maybe the Spurs are No. 1, with Tim Duncan and a swift three-guard combo of Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Brent Barry. Whom do you stop here?

3. Kings - Still hoping to re-sign Vlade Divac, the Kings will inject rookies Kevin Martin and Ricky Minard into the mix. A healthier Chris Webber and Bobby Jackson keep the Kings among the elite.

4. Memphis - With oozing talent, the Jerry West master plan is coming into focus. The Grizzlies could be the deepest team in the NBA.

5. Houston - The NBA's leading scorer the past two seasons - Tracy McGrady - joins the West's best big man in Yao Ming. This won't be a Kobe Bryant-O'Neal personality battle (Yao is too gentlemanly to bark at his owner for a raise, to call out teammates, etc.).

6. Denver - The Nuggets have gone from a 17-win wreck to the playoffs to a big threat, adding forward Kenyon Martin to a front line that includes Carmelo Anthony, Nene and Marcus Camby.

7. Dallas - The Mavericks lost Steve Nash and Antawn Jamison and brought in rookie guard Devin Harris and veteran scorer Jerry Stackhouse. Does this somehow make them better? Expect owner Mark Cuban to pull another deal or two before the season starts.

8. Utah - The addition of forwards Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur makes a Jazz team that just missed the playoffs last season more formidable.

And those lovable Lakers?
So where does this leave the Lakers? Just another club? A 44-win team?Bryant may have helped push O'Neal and coach Phil Jackson out of Southern California, but he doesn't lead a better unit. It's amazing how losing one player - Shaq - can reduce the Lakers from NBA title favorite to scrambling to reach the postseason.
How will Bryant, already known to brood over shots, react when the Lakers are mired in a six-game losing streak, when Lamar Odom is shooting 32 percent at midseason and Brian Grant is out of gas? And with one of his few friends on the team, Derek Fisher, headed to the Warriors, Bryant will be a legitimate loner.

There's also Phoenix to consider in the playoff push, with the addition of Nash and, reportedly, Quentin Richardson.

Welcome wagon
No doubt the Heat brought O'Neal in to win games. Miami also acquired him to help keep the franchise from crumbling into the Atlantic.Miami's ticket sales office has been buzzing since the trade. Heat officials said it had lost as much as $30 million annually in recent years, with sellouts rare. Miami's 15,207 average attendance last season ranked 24th in the NBA. O'Neal's new No. 32 Heat jersey is a hot seller, with hundreds sold in the first few hours after the deal was complete.
"The first couple of days that I walked by the sales office," Heat executive Eric Woolworth told reporters, "a guy stood and gave me a hug."

Mild interest
Despite whipping the rumor mill into a frenzy, Cuban insists the Mavericks' interest in O'Neal was loaded with roadblocks.Cuban told a a CBS late-night host that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak wanted to get O'Neal out of the West and that the Mavericks had no players of interest.
"I'm saying in no uncertain terms that they did not want Dirk Nowitzki," Cuban said. "I mean, maybe I'm slow, but maybe when (Kupchak) said, 'We don't want anybody on your roster, there's nobody that you have that we like,' I took that to mean he did not want Dirk Nowitzki."

And can Bryant win a title without O'Neal?

"(Bryant is) an amazing player, but I don't think he's a very good (general manager), so I don't think so," Cuban said.

Issues, three-fold
Among the things that should concern the Lakers about the O'Neal deal: Odom couldn't wait to jet out of Los Angeles the last time he worked there with the Clippers. He signed a six-year, $65 million offer sheet with the Heat last summer, and the Clippers didn't match it, with general manager Elgin Baylor saying then that Odom's off-court problems and "issues of character and other risks involved" made the decision to let him walk easy.Odom was asked about Baylor's comments during the Lakers' news conference Friday.
"They do drive me, every day," he said.

Also of concern: Forward Caron Butler has bad knees, to the point that the Heat tried to deal him during the season. Grant has bad knees, bad ankles, a bad back and a bad contract, $44 million remaining over three years.

Et cetera
* From CBS' Craig Kilborn: "Boy, it was hot today in Los Angeles. It was so hot, Shaquille O'Neal got sunburned mooning the Lakers."* Lakers season tickets prices will increase by $7.50 a game (and the value-for-value is what again?).
* Bryant, in his news conference after signing his $136 million deal, on O'Neal and Jackson: "I just wish them all the best. May God bless them. I hope they each have a great life."

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#1 scotia, Jul 19, 2004

yipengzhao Member

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these rankings sound about right.

sometimes i wonder if the grizzlies will take a dive, and how good can a team possibly be when their best player is Pau Gasol? But then, after the all-star break last year the Grizz did have the best record in the NBA, and this year they'll only be more used to their system.

#2 yipengzhao, Jul 19, 2004
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I like the comment about us. I think Yao and T-Mac will definitely gel together. Just need that PG to run this squad.

#3 Rockets34Legend, Jul 19, 2004
thegary Member

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Originally posted by yipengzhao
these rankings sound about right.

sometimes i wonder if the grizzlies will take a dive, and how good can a team possibly be when their best player is Pau Gasol? But then, after the all-star break last year the Grizz did have the best record in the NBA, and this year they'll only be more used to their system.
Click to expand...

i also wonder if the grizz might not slide a bit. unless they make a move or two, i don't see them in the top four.

#4 thegary, Jul 19, 2004
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Originally posted by scotia

3. Kings - Still hoping to re-sign Vlade Divac, the Kings will inject rookies Kevin Martin and Ricky Minard into the mix. A healthier Chris Webber and Bobby Jackson keep the Kings among the elite.
Click to expand...

Puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuulease!!!

#5 swilkins, Jul 19, 2004
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Originally posted by thegary
i also wonder if the grizz might not slide a bit. unless they make a move or two, i don't see them in the top four.
Click to expand...

Not to mention Sacramento with Webber in decline and old man flop headed for Hollywood. We will be battling for #3 or #4 this year, barring injury, and maybe even higher if we catch some breaks.

#6 jopatmc, Jul 19, 2004
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I think Vlade leaving is a blessing in disguise for that team. Who do you think will start at C now? Brad Miller.. hes not too shabby himself and I think the Kings only started Vlade to keep chemistry and his leadership on the court.

Now the Kings will be running with.

PG - Mike Bibby (always solid)
SG - D Christie
SF - Peja (early season MVP consideration)
PF - Webber
C - Brad Miller

#7 room4rentsf, Jul 19, 2004

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IMO, people incline to over-estimate griz these days. I don't think they will reach top 4 next year.

#8 littlefish_220, Jul 19, 2004
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I think the Lakers should be the eighth seed, not Utah especially if they end up signing Divac! IMO, The Rockets are the team hardest to predict. They still have pieces to add and that will determine how this team will finish the season. The west is stacked and I won't be surprised to see a 45-win team not make the playoffs this season.

#9 Aemon, Jul 19, 2004
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Yeah, I'm afraid this year's Jazzholes will be last year's Grizzlies.

And the Griz won't be too shabby either!

HATE the Jazzholes!

#10 Toast, Jul 19, 2004
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Any team that has these three players will be a threat in the West. Maybe not a favorite, but certainly a darkhorse.

#11 Raven, Jul 19, 2004
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he said lakers are scrambling to makethe playoffs, what the hell is he talking about, the season hasnt even started, u cant predict anything right now

#12 indaclubam2pm, Jul 19, 2004
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Originally posted by indaclubam2pm
he said lakers are scrambling to makethe playoffs, what the hell is he talking about, the season hasnt even started, u cant predict anything right now
Click to expand...

ok

#13 JPM0016, Jul 19, 2004

room4rentsf Member

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I agree about the Lakers.. if im a Lakers fan im worried if that team even makes the playoffs.

Pg - GPayton will probably be better than last year but he wont be faster.
SG - Kobe elite player but will he maintain that status w/out Shaq?
SF - CButler better than what they had previously.
PF - LOdom if he can stay healthy is a borderline all star
C - biggest gap but who in the NBA has good Centers.

on paper they have a decent team.. but I think Kobe will try to dominate all the time freezing out his teammates.

They will probably win 40 - 44 games but not enough to make the playoffs this year especially with the West beating them up.

J

#14 room4rentsf, Jul 19, 2004
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Originally posted by Aemon
I think the Lakers should be the eighth seed, not Utah especially if they end up signing Divac! IMO, The Rockets are the team hardest to predict. They still have pieces to add and that will determine how this team will finish the season. The west is stacked and I won't be surprised to see a 45-win team not make the playoffs this season.
Click to expand...

The Lakers have far more holes to fill then the Rockets, and Divac is not the answer. Divac started to break down when he played more then 20 minutes per game. The Rockets are in far better shape then the Lakers simply because of the frontcourt.

#15 RocksMillenium, Jul 19, 2004
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Jazz and Denver I think got a lot better and they were pretty good last year. the Grizz just seem to keep getting better every year. Among the elite West teams it looks like the Dallas is most poised for a fall but they probably have more moves to come.

#16 munco, Jul 19, 2004
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Originally posted by yipengzhao
these rankings sound about right.

sometimes i wonder if the grizzlies will take a dive, and how good can a team possibly be when their best player is Pau Gasol? But then, after the all-star break last year the Grizz did have the best record in the NBA, and this year they'll only be more used to their system.
Click to expand...

I heard somewhere that Hubbie was leaving the Grizz, is this true? If so, there is no way that they can keep that team disciplined enough to make it through a whole season.

Heck, before Hubbie, JWill was just a flashy point guard, now he's one of the most consistant PG's in the game.

#17 HotRocket, Jul 19, 2004
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i wonder if the grizz would make a play for jkidd and bring in phil jackson. that would move them up a notch.

#18 thegary, Jul 19, 2004

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Assuming Rox got Battie & Daniels; Lakers got Divac; Suns got Q & Ostertag; Grizzlies re-signs Swift.

1. Spurs (Duncan in the middle, BB+Parker+Manu on perimeter )
2. T-Wolves (#1 last season but Sam & Spree are declining)
3. Kings (all depends on CWebb's health)
4. Rockets (only IF we find the right pieces at 1 & 4/5)
5. Nuggets (added K-Mart, Melo's 2nd season, still 1 spot behind us )
6. Grizzlies (improve of Rox & Nuggets made them slide a bit)
7. Suns (Q & a decent 5 would make them better but Nash make them a playoff team)
8. Lakers (hey they got Rudy, don't under estimate the heart of a champion! )

Jazz: they got a talanted roster on paper, JS'd give them a push for the playoff but lack of a go-to guy would cost them a berth of playoff.

Mavericks: they'll find out that Nash is more difficult to replace than they think, especially by a rookie. also Jamison's 82 games played last season will be replace by Stackhouse's 26)

#19 Hard Rock, Jul 19, 2004
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How are you guys supposed to get Battie?

I still don't see the Rockets as a better team than the Grizzlies. A T Mac scrub backcourt is worse than what you had last year IMO and the defensive toughness lost with Cato moving on should hurt you guys also. Now when Ming goes out it will be a virtual layup drill vs. your defense. A combination of poor perimeter defenders and lack of shotblocking is bad. You guys really need to make a splash at the PG position.

#20 MemphisX, Jul 19, 2004

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