I didnt mention the Clippers because well .... they are the Clippers. They will find a way to screw up a wet dream. DeAndre Jordan's a UFA after the season. I just have no faith that this franchise ever turns the corner even with the talent that is Griffin. San Antonio has been really good. Sure , Ginobli has been playing great and Parker is steady at the point. But take away their ability to toss it into the post and get a good look any time they want and they start to look a lot like .... The Rockets.Splitter and Blair are good young players but neither is a replacement for Duncan. Dallas , yes they will have money to spend after this season when those you listed come off the books. Who are they going to spend it on ? They will have competition for those FA's. Just because they have a pile of money to spend doesnt mean they will get a premier player. As for Dirk I see him a lot like Martin .... great scorer but doesnt do much else. Cant see him carrying a team to a championship. They have proved this year after year winning a lot of games in the regular season and falling on their faces in the post season. OKC - Durant , Westbrook , Serge Ibaka & Co ..... nuff said. Utah - We pretty much agree on , they always find a way. But .... they have to find a way to maintain their success. Andrei Kirilenko ($17m) comes off the books after this season they will be in the mix with the other teams fighting for FA talent. Portland - The anlogy of Yao and McGrady isnt a perfect fit because they never got on the court together , but the idea is the same , two top tier (draft) talents who's potential wasnt realized because of injuries - We never really got to see Yao and McGrady healthy for a full season and playoff run. Drexler and Sam Bowie suit you better ? The Kings - Yep , they have some good young players and will likely have a top 5 pick again. They get this one right and they could see an extended period of strong contention. The point is that many of the top teams could take a significant step back within a very narrow window. The Rockets with all their "assets" are in prime position to take a leap forward. Sure doesnt mean its going to happen .... we held our collective breaths last season at the deadline all for naught. This time the stakes are considerably higher for the Rockets because so many of their assets come off the books at the conclusion of this season - no less than five contracts expire. The rest of the roster is on rookie deals or similarly priced contracts. They are in a use it or lose it situation from the looks of it.
Hopefully, the Lakers don't pull another disgusting trade and somehow ship Kobe Bryant off in the next few years for Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon.
Even a 32 year old Kobe is better than a 28 yr old Martin and a 30 yr old gasol is better than a 30 yr old Scola and a 23 yr old Bynum is better than a 27 yr old Hayes.
LOL. That future of not tossing into the post anytime is already here. The Spurs have the best record in the league, even with Duncan barely doing getting any touches. Spurs have declined so much, that the Rockets are almost 20 games behind them with half the season left to go.
No , that future is not here - While Duncan might be logging less minutes he's still a very effective player and the cornerstone of that team. While getting just 29minutes per game he's still averaging 13.6 points and 9.4 rebounds , 0.7 steals , 2 blocks and better than 3 assists ... add in 48% shooting from the field. Point blank , they have the option to give it to him at any point and get a reasonably good shot or create a mismatch because of a double team. Take away that option and they look much like the Rockets with a 6'7" center in Blair .... Im not implying that they dont have better players at other positions .... namely Parker and Ginobli. But without Duncan's presence in the paint they arent nearly as good.
Sorry to burst your bubble dude, but Duncan/Ginobili/Parker will still kick our butts next year, so will Kobe/Gasol/Bynum, Thunder, Mavericks, Trailblazers, Jazz.
