1. Lakers 2. Spurs 3. Hornets 4. Rockets 5. Jazz 6. Clippers (assuming Brand resigns) 7. Suns 8. Mavs 9. Blazers 10. Nuggets 11. Warriors
Here was the Warriors lineup last year: Baron, Monta, Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Andris Biedrins Baron = Baron. Monta/SJax >> Mobley/Thorten. Brand/Kaman > Harrington/Biedrins, but not by as much, especially with Brand coming off an injury and Kaman being hit or miss (by season). Plus I think the Warriors bench is/was better. And the Warriors missed the playoffs. I'm not saying the Clips can't slip in - but they still have basically othing coming off the bench (Eric Gordon, Tim Thomas, Quinton Ross, Josh Powell...ouch)
With the Rockets being healthy "the whole team" the only team that has a real great chance of beating us is San Antonio. We can beat the Lakers we have someone to hold Kobe and Bynum can't even handle Mutombo. Our point guards outplay their point guards we have advantages against them because of our style of play and matchups.
and to that i'll add that we haven't gotten significantly better, as of yet... Morey needs to make a big move before i even consider the Rox to contend for a playoff spot...
We DON'T NEED to get significantly better. We are fine as is. WE JUST NEED TO STAY HEALTHY. When Healthy we can play and beat any team in the league.
With no major additions and not counting the unknowns (rookies), I would say the Rockets are fifth or sixth in the West. Without TMac or Yao, lotto. Spurs, Hornets, LA, Jazz, and Suns are presently better. Watch out for the Okies.
As of now with all the rumors and everything I think here is my pecking order 1. Lakers 2. Hornets 3. Jazz 4. Spurs 5. Rockets 6. Mavs 7. Blazer 8. Denver 9. Suns
How are we lotto? We didn't have Yao last year and still maintained the streak, get out of here with that Lotto crap.
we can beat any team on any given day. but we need to be at a level where we can beat ANY team FOUR TIMES out of 7 games. that's the key part. i don't care if we can beat a team for one time. we have to be on a level where we can clearly beat a team 4 times.
I don't agree at all. With healthly T-Mac and Yao we are even 2nd team in the West. Come on man, those guys have shown they can even win without Yao.
right now we can't do that to the best teams i don't think (celtics, spurs, lakers). i think we CAN beat the jazz, hornets... in a 7 game series IF we're healthy (which is not a guarantee too) but you're right. the reason we need a 3rd scoring option that can consistently put up 15-17 ppg is that when our 2 stars struggle, others can pick up the slack and win us that elusive 1-2 game. tmac AND yao will struggle at one point in the playoffs for several games. that other star will help win us that elusive game. pierce-kg-allen did that to perfection. allen and pierce sucked hard, but kg stepped up earlier on. as the playoffs went on, pierce and allen stepped up. until then, all we're gonna say is we CAN beat that team any given day. but that's not the goal.
Yao and Mac together are where they need to be and I think we can make a run. The problem is the Jazz were an absolute matchup nightmare for us. And it all hinges on Mehmet Okur. IIRC, no other playoff team had a 5 who drifted out behind the three point line other than the Jazz. Slow Yao and Slower Mutumbo couldn't handle it and were put on quick Boozer. Bad defender Scola was forced upon Okur. And yet were still able to compete in most of the games. Its all about matchups to me. Where we get hurt is if we play a team with tough inside presence. Fortunately that is becoming more and more of a premium around the league, and we can not understate Battier's value to more or less ease the perimeter threat. We have a good team, perhaps even great. The offseason is the annual time for the GARM to complain uncontrollably about our teams inescapable faults and dream about having an unlimited supply of money burried in Morey's backyard and being exempt from the cap. But let's face facts: No team looked better January/February of last year, when the team was coming in stride with Adelman's offense. What we need is health. It's been said before but that's the key. Not a new PG, not a 3rd scorer, but health. Those things would be nice, but are certainly not a necessity. My fingers, toes, and eyes are crossed praying and hoping that Yao nor Scola go down in August. I'll continue to hold my breath everytime Yao slips and/or falls on the court (Note to ownership: make sure all errant banana peels are kept clear of Toyota Center). We all will. Because we all know that when healthy, 1st round should not be an issue. We had no physically able center this year and still managed to put up a decent fight against the Jazz. With Yao I am not worried, because even with the defensive limitations, he brings back a whole new dimension to our offense (Don't forget how many FREE THROWS Yao would've made). We stand well compared to the rest of the WC, and I can't wait for the season.
I agree. It would be nice to add a guy who can CONSISTENTLY score about 15-17 ppg, but on the other hand we don't want to lose defensive skills that Battier gives you. This team needs more offense, I agree. But what I think is that Scola can be that great 3rd option. I am sure he is capable of scoring 14 ppg adding about 10 rebound to that mix. You are right McGrady and Yao are gonna struggle sometimes, but they gotta stay healthly. Even without major changes but with HEALTHLY team I think we can do a lot in the West and in the whole leauge.
look, great offense beats great defense individually. but great team defense can stop a great offense. even without battier, i'm FOR SURE our team defense will still be at the elite level. we won't have him to stop a guy like kobe but who does? it's not like battier does it without help anyways. we're a team that is dependent on great team defense than battier's individual defense. but our lack of offense is more of a glaring weakness. defense has never been a problem with us. it wasn't BEFORE battier is a rocket. it will not be if he's gone. i love for him to stay but if he can net us a legit all-star 3rd option, you cannot say no. i trade him for mike miller right now,.
would someone translate this in english? can they stop typing chinese here, since this is an english board
you are completly right. team defense is the key. I remember Adelman saying : "you have to have inteligent people to play good defense." Even without Shane I also think Rockets could be successful defensivly, because they can play real, tough defense as an unit. Of course it is easier to guard guys like Kobe, LeBron, Wade with Shane, cause he cause 1-on-1 defense is also very important. He makes the life tougher for them. But look at Celtics now. Do they really have that great defenders on the perimeter? Ray Allen is not a great 1-on-1 defender, neither is Pierce. But as you said, they play great TEAM defense and because of that they can easily slow down Kobe, Tracy, LeBron, etc... If there is any chance that we can trade Shane for Miller I would do that in heartbeat. Usually when is comes to playoffs we are out of gas. This team looks tired and offense is usually pathetic. We need more offensive power to be successful.
