Than the Rockets, who in my opinion have the baseline of a 50-55 win team with Yao coming back and don't have to make a move to be/stay ahead of those teams. I'd be shocked if the Suns had a better record than the Rockets. Absolutely shocked.
wow....first there was overreaction because we didnt score one of the better players, now it's because we didnt get one of the average, but on the decline players?? Meanwhile, there's some complaining because houston did get lowry back who's better at this point as an acquisition than Bell?
hope you're right, but i don't see losing amare and gaining hedo, childress, andwhoever else dropping them from a 3 seed to out of the playoffs. they are still good, smart, and play great team basketball. and assuming jefferson stays healthy, boozer to him is a negligible downgrade.
man I have a bad feeling about this ... for the Rockets. As much as I hate the Jazz, I have to admit that coach Sloan's system tend to lead payers to their max potential and I know Bell could be one of the deadliest lock for our wings and a decent 3 pt shooter to fill for Kover.
They were a No. 3 seed that, at 54 wins, was only four games ahead of the No. 8 seed and only one game ahead of the 2009 Rockets. The Suns don't have to drop a lot for it to be significant in the standings. I think the 2011 Rockets are a better overall squad, right now, than the '09 version and the Suns are, at a minimum, slightly worse than this year's version (I think a lot worse).
like i said, i hope you're right. especially because, as i see it, the suns are the only of the 8 playoff teams from this past season that we have even a glimmer of hope of displacing. the other 7 are locks to keep playoff spots.
I hope supporters of the "no-stats all-star" see that Battier type players can easily be had through minor transactions and free agency like I've said all along. Also note that Bell is making less than half as much money as Battier.
Also note that Bell is nowhere nearly as highly regarded on defense as Battier, and that by training camp he will be 34, coming off major surgery and basically hasn't played in 1.5 years.
meehh...who really cares, im just glad he didnt roll over for kobe bryant like a lap dog, after all the crap kobe said basically talking like bell was a lesser man than him during that playoff series. bell hasnt played in a while, is aging, and he is not as good as korver. rockets are still adding the best center in the west to their roster, as well as having another year to build upon all their young pieces and getting kevin martin better acclimated to the team. we can definitely get a top 4 seed, dont doubt how deep this team is. as with any year the only thing in our way is health, and id say its about time were due for a healthy run through the season.
Missed ya Kwame, as well as your illogical posts. Please note that: 1) there's a 2 yr age difference in battier's favor. 2) battier's larger contract was given when he was in his prime years and is now coming to an end. This is the start of Bell's contract and at a much older age, so obviously bell's acquisition would be easier and cheaper. Also note bell wasnt given more than 3 yrs, while battier got 6 i believe, another sign of the different circumstances each was in when they signed. 3) finally, bell is coming of an injury that wouldnt quite go away and kept popping back up. Another reason to give him less money. I look forward to your next post, in 3 yrs, when bell is re-signed somewhere for the minimum at 35 yrs of age, and you reply how battier type players can be easily had through minor transactions and free agency
I hate the Jazz, but I like Raja, so this is a bit disappointing. In my opinion, he will be the first Jazz player to not know the art of flopping. Dude is tough. I hope he doesn't learn from AK47 or Okur.
Hate to disagree with you, but the Lakers are the only west team locked into the 10-11 playoffs. I think the Blazers(if health returns) & Thunder(another year experience under their belts) take 2 & 3. The Mavs(still haven't found chemistry after the 10 deadline trade), Rockets(a full season with Martin, Hill, JJ, PatPat & oh yeh-Yao in the mix), Nuggets(chemistry & CA issue) and Spurs(working Tigo Splitter into the rotation) will jocky for seeds 4-7 in that order imo. The Jazz & Suns will fight it out for the 8th seed due them not being able to replace what they lost in FA.
That gives me some comfort. Bell knows their system,and did well for them in the past. Coming off injuries,isn't easy as we all know.
hey man, no need to go to great lengths to try to justify battier. all you have to know is we gave up a nba star 20 ppg scorer for him. when we could have just been the jazz right now and picked him up cheap and easy in FA.
umm....? Rudy Gay is not an NBA Star. He is a mediocre player who has a suspect jumpshot and one of the worst defenders in the league.
