Im sure hes just been reading teh stuff on EG...Guess these gus who are paid to watch and analyze basketballdont watch preseason games. Breaking down the Western Conference By Chad Ford NBA Insider Send an Email to Chad Ford Tuesday, October 28 The West has always been wild but . . .this summer, things just flat out got out of hand. It was as if Jerry Springer was hosting a Western Conference owners summit. First Jerry Buss lifts his shirt up. Then Gavin Maloof pimp slaps Mark Cuban. Soon the whole crowd is chanting "Jerry! Jerry!" Checks are flying, all-stars are being shipped around the country and David Stern's 10 seconds away from unsealing the launch codes. Blame it, like you blame everything else, on the Los Angeles Lakers. Hell bent on taking over the NBA, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak went out and added not one, but two Hall of Famers. Not to be outdone, T-Wolves GM Kevin McHale struck next. A trade for Sam Cassell, a blockbuster to net him Latrell Sprewell and a free-agent signing of Michael Olowokandi super-sized the fledgling T-Wolves overnight. Meanwhile in San Antonio, Spurs GM R.C. Buford was trying his best to woo Jason Kidd, Jermaine O'Neal and Elton Brand to his already dominant Spurs. When his efforts failed, Buford signed Rasho Nesterovic to replace David Robinson and Robert Horry, and then traded for Hedo Turkoglu and Ron Mercer. The Kings need Vlade Divac, left, and Chris Webber to be healthy come playoff time. The Maloof brothers would have none of that. Before the summer started, the Kings had the deepest team in the NBA and arguably the most talented starting five. Now they were looking like a distant fourth to the Lakers, Spurs and Wolves. With one wave of the wand, the Kings forked out some serious cash to bring one of the few all-star-caliber centers in the East, Brad Miller, as insurance should Vlade Divac finally wear out. An all-star for insurance? Enter Mark Cuban. Never one to let the spotlight settle on someone else for long, he engineered two blockbuster trades that have made the Mavericks the most potent offensive weapon in the past few decades. First he parleyed Nick Van Exel into Antawn Jamison. Then he got rid of Raef LaFrentz and added Antoine Walker to the mix. Pick your poison. Shaq-Kobe-Payton-Malone in Los Angeles. Nowitzki-Nash-Finley-Walker-Jamison in Dallas. Garnett-Sprewell-Cassell-Szczerbiak-Olowokandi in Minnesota. Webber-Stojakovic-Bibby-Divac-Miller and Christie in Sacramento. Duncan-Parker-Nesterovic-Ginobili-Turkoglu-Mercer-Horry in San Antonio. The gauntlet has been dropped. The war or words and signings are over. Five NBA dream teams will suit it up in the Wild, Wild West. One of them will lose in the first round of the playoffs. Welcome to the super-sized Western Conference. Hope you enjoy the ride. Also see: Eastern Conference Preview 1. Dallas Mavericks Projected Record: 62-20 2003 Record: 60-22 (No. 2) The Mavs No. 1? Why not. The team that Nellie built may not survive in the grind-it-out playoff format the NBA has adopted. But over an 82-game regular season? You try keeping up with them. The Mavs now have depth, speed, athleticism and the most potent offensive quintet the NBA may have ever seen. All five guys are capable of dropping 30 on a given night. Sure they lack defense and toughness. Go ahead, try and guard them. Expect the Mavs to run away with the best regular-season record. Whether their engine stalls come playoff time is a question only time will answer. 2. Los Angeles Lakers Projected Record: 60-22 2003 Record: 50-32 (No. 5) Kobe's in trouble. Shaq's complaining. The Mailman is yearing for the quiet comforts of Utah. The Glove . . . he feels right at home. The regular season hasn't even begun and the Lakers are just as much of a mess as they were when they imploded last season. Phil Jackson may not be the best coach in the NBA, but he's the best at meddling egos together. The may start out slow, but if Kobe can stay out of jail all season, the Lakers will roll all the way to the Finals. 3. San Antonio Spurs Projected Record: 58-24 2003 Record: 60-22 (No. 1) In a conference where it seems like more is more, the Spurs still rely on a refreshingly different type of basketball. Their philosophy is simple. Give the ball to Tim Duncan and get out of the way. The Spurs stayed to true to their core values this summer. They added four talented players to the team, but got no one who would eclipse Duncan's shadow. They're deeper than they were last season and arguably more talented. But considering that it will take awhile for this team to mesh and given the stiffer competition, they may lose just a step trying to repeat as champs. 4. Sacramento Kings Projected Record: 56-26 2003 Record: 59-23 (No. 3) The window in Sacramento hasn't already closed. . . but it's close. Serious injuries in the playoffs to Peja Stojakovic and Chris Webber have derailed the Kings championship train. However, for my money, there still isn't a better starting five in basketball than the Kings. They may not have the talent or name recognition of the Lakers, Mavs or TWolves. But, they play seamlessly together. If they can stay healthy (a big if given their history) they can beat anyone. 5. Minnesota Timberwolves Projected Record:55-27 2003 Record: 51-31 (No. 4) You'd think all of Kevin McHale's maneuvering would earn him an upgrade, not a downgrade in this year's preseason rankings. While it's likely that the T-Wolves will win more games than at any other time in team history, they are also facing the stiffest competition ever for a title. The talent is all there, but how will this team mesh together? The Mavs, Spurs and Lakers all have chemistry issues as well. But no team (with the possible exception of the Blazers) has more players with black marks on their permanent record. If they start winning early, they're as dangerous as any of the other top four. If the stumble out of the gates, call in the riot squad. 6. Phoenix Suns Projected Record: 48-34 2003 Record: 44-38 (No. 8) The Suns stunned everyone in the league last season with an amazing performance. It was due, in large part, to the breakout season of Amare Stoudemire and a career year for Stephon Marbury. Now the Suns, arguably the best young team in the NBA, are a year older and a new kid, Joe Johnson, looks like he's ready to turn the corner. If they stay hungry, they'll stay dangerous. If they try to sit back and rest on last season's accolades, they'll fall right out of the playoffs. There is little margin for error here. 7. Portland Trail Blazers Projected Record: 45-37 2003 Record: 50-32 (No. 6) The Blazers are still a mess, but it's still a talented mess. The emergence of Zach Randolph should be just enough to make up for the costly losses of Arvydas Sabonins and Scottie Pippen this summer. 8. Memphis Grizzlies Projected Record: 43-39 2003 Record: 28-54 (No. 12) The last seed is really a tossup between the Grizz and the Rockets. The Rockets appeared all summer to have the inside track, but I'm not so sure anymore. With a year of Hubie 101 under their belts, the Grizzlies are running like a well oiled machine. The additions of Mike Miller and James Posey and the maturation of Pau Gasol and Stromile Swift should give the Grizzlies their best and deepest team ever. 9. Houston Rockets Projected Record: 42-40 2003 Record: 43-39 (No. 9) The Rockets may very well beat out the Grizzlies for the final playoff spot. The question is, how long will it take for Steve Francis and the rest of the team to adapt to Jeff Van Gundy's inside-out approach? Francis is slowly coming around, but the team still feels a little out of synch right now. The problems with Eddie Griffin, and numerous injury concerns, also pose a problem. If everything comes together, the Rockets will challenge the Blazers for a seventh seed. If the team can't quite find its beat in year one with Van Gundy, a ninth seed seems just about right. 10. Seattle Super Sonics Projected Record:37-45 2003 Record: 40-42 (No. 10) If everyone is healthy, the Sonics will rival the Mavs for the best perimeter shooting team in the league. But so far, everyone is far from healthy. First-round pick Nick Collison (who many felt would win the starting power forward job) is out for the season. Ray Allen's ankle is hurting, meaning he's out indefinitely. And Jerome James, who was supposed to be the team's starting center, has already been demoted. If this keeps up, the Sonics could be in a free fall. But right now, 37 wins feels about right. 11. Denver Nuggets Projected Record:32-50 2003 Record: 17-65 (No. 14) They added the Rookie of the Year, one of the best young point guards in the league and a couple of veteran shooters. Put them together with an improving Nene, Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Rodney White and the Nuggets will surprise a lot of people this season. If Marcus Camby could stay healthy all year, they could make a run at the playoffs. Instead a 15-game improvement will have to do. 12. Los Angeles Clippers Projected Record: 30-52 2001 Record: 27-55 (No. 13) Want to know why Donald Sterling hates to spend money? The $120 million he just spent to lock up Elton Brand and Corey Maggette should earn him roughly three extra wins this season. 13. Golden State Warriors Projected Record: 28-54 2003 Record: 38-44 (No. 11) If Nick Van Exel stays healthy and motivated . . . if Jason Richardson decides to play a little "D" . . . if Mike Dunleavy doesn't give up 35 points a night . . . if Troy Murphy stays healthy . . . and if Erick Dampier plus Adonal Foyle equals one real center, the Warriors may equal their 38-win total from last season. If they don't? Welcome home Golden State. Welcome home. 14. Utah Jazz Projected Record:18-64 2002 Record:47-35 (No. 7) If the Jazz actually lose 64 games this season, there's a good chance that Jerry Sloan will be standing trial for homicide at some point before the season ends. Given the talent he has to work with, there isn't a jury in the world that would convict him. ESPN Web Inside the NBA Draft NBA Depth Charts E-mail Chad Ford ESPNLocal links Updated NBA Depth Charts Ford: Eastern Conference preview Ford: Will Kobe leave L.A.? Ford: Who will get an extension? Ford: Training camp heroes Ford: Players on the block Ford: Who needs a center? Ford: Houston, we have a problem Ford: Realignment breakdown Ford: Second guessing Ford: Anthony a quick study ESPN Tools Email story Most sent Print story Daily email ESPN.com | Fantasy Games | Member Services Copyright ©2003 ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form. Please click here for legal restrictions and terms of use applicable to this site. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Use. More Useful Everyday MSN Home | My MSN | Hotmail | Search | Shopping | Money | People & Chat ©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
I too think Chad Ford is correct in his assessment of the Rockets. A lot will depend how they start in the first 15-20 games with a number of away teams to play against.
Difficult logic for me to follow... * The Grizz get Posey and have Hubie and Mike Miller for a whole season... * The Rockets lose Rudy T, Posey and possibly Eddie Griffin... Net result = Rockets 1 fewer win than 2002-03, Memphis 15 more wins than 2002-03. Ford either: A) Thinks extremely highly of James Posey. B) Thinks extremely highly of Rudy T. C) Thinks highly of Eddie Griffin and Mike Miller. D) All of the above. That's the only way I can explain it. Anyone else?
Chad Ford is an idiot He reminds me of posters here who throw out crazy trade proposals that have no merit and also blows everything out of proportion.
You forgot what makes it more confusing - Rox add Jackson, Pike, and A Griffin. And if Gasol is allowed "maturation" then so should Yao Ming.
This ranking by Ford goes in line with his stupid Rockets article he wrote last week. I think he thinks that there is all this INTERNAL trouble within the Rockets and that Francis is resisting change and thus the team is in chaos. Has he not watched the last 4 games? I think Ford thinks with the Griffin thing and JVG being the new coach there are all of these distractions. That is what he is using to downgrade the Rockets here. But in reality the team is pretty tight and I have not seen anything over the last few weeks that says to me that Francis is not working within the team. Just look at how active Yao has been. Clearly to me Ford OVER estimates the Grizzlies and UNDER estimates the Rockets. The Grizzlies have some depth but other than Paul no real Star type players to take them to the next level. And until they get that they will be hovering where they currently are.
Maybe it is just me or maybe it is just the highlight-reel effect, but I think a lot of people of really over-estimating Amare Stoudamire's coming breakout season and really under-estimating Yao's. I think Stoudamire is just a freakin' beast and he is only going to improve, but all Yao has done this preseason is be in the top 5 in 4 different statistical categories - points/gm, rebounds/gam, FG% and FT%. The Suns haven't really added any depth or improvement behind that annually injury-plagued group of guys and they still aren't going to play defense, especially at the center spot unless Jake Voshkul suddenly becomes the second coming of Mark Eaton. And the Grizzlies? Seriously? Hubie is great and all and West is a GM guru, but putting them in the playoffs this year is pretty nutty. Plus, I think that people are WAY under-estimating Francis' ability to adapt to JVG. He has shown the same pattern with every negative situation - complain, accept, excel. He was clearly upset over the drafting of Yao. He adapted to the situation. He improved himself and became Yao's friend. He was worried about a new coach. He has, according to JVG, improved dramatically (especially on defense) during the preseason. He will have a big year. Granted, the west is a beyotch, but, until proven otherwise, no way the Grizz should get the nod over the Rockets.
Although I don't agree with it, I can understand someone (like A-Train ) predicting the Rockets not making much improvement (43 wins). But why does he think the Grizzlies will win 15 more games than last year?
The most ironic part of the Griffin fiasco is that the Rockets actually are a better team without him on the floor. The fact that he was such a zero on and off the court makes his absence that much easier to ignore.
If everything goes right for the grizzlies...and everything goes wrong for the rockets...his assessment may be spot on. But on the balance of probabilities -- nobody takes that bet. Rockets over Grizz. (I'm hoping it's the Blazers that get the 9th seed -- but no one will give me good enough odds to make that bet ).
Well IIRC the grizz got off to a horrible start last year before hubie came in and got the team playing pretty good. Maybe Ford thinks it'll carry over to this year and they wont have that horrible start this year. They certainly have the talent to be competitive every night. Not that I think they should be ranked ahead of the rox right now(though just about all these rankings are stupid and pointless, yes even the ones ranking houston high), but I certainly don't think it's out of the realm of possibility for the grizz to be fighting with the rox for a playoff spot. I'm certainly not taking the playoffs for granted after last year's huge disappointment.
SCREW CHAD FORD, he allwayz puts down tha rockets 4 no damn reason ??? & yes if som1 does find CHAD FORD give him a DAMN clue !!!!!!
Maybe he thinks the addition of Jake T and Bo Outlaw will make a difference as well. I think the Rockets can beat the Grizzlies. If we don't have any more injuries and Mo, Pike and A.Griffin recover quickly we will have a strong bench which can help out a lot. I feel that if the Rockets play good team ball throughout the season we should be able to make it to the playoffs.
Give me Barbosa and Zarko over Piatkowski, Griffen and Jackson anyday. Suns age average 25.5 Rockets age average 28.5 And it would be even bigger difference if I didn't figure in Googs and Scott Williams who don't really play a role on the Suns and will be replaced after this season anyway. Even if the Suns young talent improves only as much as the Rockets' their total talent pool will increase more than the Rockets'. The same can be argued for the Grizzlies. And don't bring up preseason statistics, they mean nothing.
We should be 7, Phoenix 8, Grizz 9 I'm not so sure Portland is all that much better than the above group as well...
Typical slinslin post: The Suns are better than the Rockets .......blah blah blah ......our players are better than your players ........blah blah blah. You really need to come up with some new material. Your posts are stale.
