Post by Tigertecz on Jun 18, 2009 5:39:06 GMT -5
My second article… Sort of like a playoff power rankings, but rather than just ranking the teams I’ve gone for something different and focused on their best strengths for when the playoffs roll round.
Seed 1: Vancouver Grizzlies, 51-15 (.773)[/u]
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Team MVP: Shaquille O’Neal – 25.0ppg, 12.8rpg, 4.0apg, 2.9bpg, 50.7% FG%
Team’s Biggest Strength: Dominance – Outscores opponents by nearly 10ppg, 3rd in league for PPG, 4th in league for oPPG, 1st in RPG, APG, SPG, 3rd in BPG
Vancouver are dominant. They were last season, and they are this season (to a slightly lesser extent). In the paint they have what could possibly be the most dominant presence UOSLR will ever see in the Diesel, a league MVP candidate this season for sure. Offensively imposing while swatting shots on D and grabbing rebounds at both ends of the court, Shaq can do it all. He even passes better than a lot of players in this league who don’t play the point. He’s a 24 year old monster still looking to hit his prime where he’ll be even more dominant. Outside the paint though this team boasts a sharp shooting 24.9ppg scorer who is only a year older than Shaq in Allan Houston. H20 rarely turns the ball over yet shoots great percentages (49.7% FG%, 90.2% FT%, 46.2% 3PT%), taking advantage of being open when teams try to double or even triple up on Shaq inside. Meanwhile, the team’s role players are doing all the dirty work to try and make this team go a step further this year and win the ultimate prize. Simmons chips in 16.2ppg and 8.1rpg at the 3, while Ellison helps Shaq up front averaging a double double with a couple of blocks to boot. Strickland is the veteran floor leader every Championship contending team looks for, averaging a double double including the 4th best assist numbers in the league (10.3) and playing solid D (2.2spg). All the starters on this team gel together well with everyone knowing their role, and they look like they could be the favourites when hitting the postseason from the West. Anything less than a Finals spot would be a disappointment for the Grizzlies, especially after last season.
Seed 2: Sacramento Kings, 38-29 (.567)[/u]
Team MVP: Steve Smith – 24.9ppg, 5.3rpg, 5.3apg, 1.7spg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Fundamentals – 6 players averaging double digit PPG with 5 averaging over a steal per game and 2 front men averaging over 2bpg each
There are no superstars in Sacramento, but they’ve managed to lead their Division and currently hold the 2nd seed spot in the Western Conference. Despite not having a clear standout player, they work well as a team and are very fundamentally sound team indeed, sharing out the offensive load with Roy Tarpley, Jimmy Jackson, Steve Smith and Tim Hardaway all averaging over 17ppg. Hardaway also dishes the ball 10.2 times per game (good for 5th best in the league) to go with his 18.7ppg, which helps spread the offense round and gets his teammates open looks at the basket. Steve Smith looks like thriving off as his backcourt partner, as his numbers seem to suggest. Tarp is a fundamentally sound big, averaging 17.5ppg, 12.4rpg, 2.0bpg and is even reliable from the charity stripe (82.2% FT%), making up for Lang’s lack of offensive prowess. Lang does manage to get 2.9bpg though (8th best in the league) and nearly averages a double double. JJ has come in to the team to provide more offensive help, and as a team, they seem to get the job done. As relative underdogs, they will look to cause some upsets in the postseason with their solid fundamentals, but it is quite likely that they will struggle to beat some of the other Playoff bound teams over 7 games.
Seed 3: Houston Rockets, 42-25 (.627)[/u]
Team MVP: Hakeem Olajuwon – 24.4ppg, 13.7rpg, 3.9apg, 1.2spg, 4.0bpg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Experience – Youngest starter is 29, but all can ball with the best in the league still… even in their wheelchairs
Some people would call this team old… others, experienced. I prefer the latter, because they still seem to be able to play at the highest level. The Dream is still putting up MVP-like numbers at 33, justifying his enormous contract. Having already won 4 MVP awards and 6 DPOY awards, he still knows what to do to win games and fill up box scores. He’s still and MVP candidate and looks like one of the frontrunners for the DPOY again this year. Led by his defensive talents, the Rockets are the league leaders for holding opponents to only 92.7ppg, nearly 2ppg lower than any other team. His supporting cast are still also playing well, with 37 year old Dominique Wilkins still averaging over 20ppg, despite not featuring in as many highlight reels as he did in his prime. Fans would still love to see Nique dunk out of his wheelchair though. Clyde Drexler isn’t the player he once was, but he’s still good enough to put up 16.6ppg to go with 6.7rpg and 4.0apg and live up to his nickname, as his wheelchair glides across the court smoother than anyone else’s in this league. Kevin Edwards does his best to pass the ball to spark Houston’s offense, and is clearly doing a good job, averaging a 6th in the league best 10.1apg. Massenburg and Duckworth rotate up front to try and help the Dream out, but they look like slowing him down. Opposing teams in the Playoffs may want to exploit this weakspot (PF), otherwise the Wheelchair Rockets may be able to go deep in the playoffs as the Dream looks for that elusive UOSLR Championship ring.
Seed 4: Minnesota Timberwolves, 39-28 (.582)[/u]
Team MVP: Charles Barkley – 24.7ppg, 10.1rpg, 3.9apg, 1.4spg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Balance – Three 20+ppg scorers on the team spread out around the court, able to hurt you offensively in many ways
The Wolves don’t have one particularly standout superstar but they do have 4 very very good starters, all capable of filling box scores on any given night. Sir Charles leads the team in scoring and rebounding (along with the David Robinson on 10.1rpg) and provides a good inside offense with the Admiral as they combine for nearly 47ppg between them. Meanwhile, Reggie Lewis can burn opposing teams by scoring well both inside and out, as he averages 23.9ppg. None of these three players are going to stand out with their defensive numbers, despite the Admiral’s ability to alter shots, but they do manage to outwit the best of defensive teams. They are helped massively by the young floor general Jason Kidd, who is still improving vastly and becoming one of the league’s hottest prospects. J-Kidd averages nearl 10apg, and is a good rebounder at his position. He steals the ball 2.3 times per game and has a developing offensive game himself too. Come the postseason, if he steps up his game to another level, he may even be able to help steer his three veteran scorers to a deep run, but another player that’ll have to step up his game is their final starter, Robert Horry. He quietly goes about his business with relatively poor numbers, but then, if the Wolves are down by 2 points with a second left on the clock, I wonder who will take the shot? One of the three 20ppg scorers or Big Shot Bob?
Seed 5: Utah Jazz, 36-27(.571/b]
Team MVP: Scottie Pippen – 24.1ppg, 7.0rpg, 5.0apg, 2.0spg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Fundamentally balanced – All 5 starters average double figure PPG
Utah are another very balanced team that seems to do the fundamentals pretty well. With chip-on-his-shoulder Pipp leading the charge, they hope to make some noise in the postseason. Pippen manages to fill up stat sheets by himself, and is arguably in the league MVP race, but the team as a whole doesn’t seem to dominate at any one aspect of the game, and lacks that fear factor that other teams have in the Playoffs. Despite this, Arvy and Manning combine for 37.6ppg, 21.3rpg and 3.4bpg up front, playing good fundamental basketball as prototypical big men. In the backcourt Sherman Douglas and Hu Weidong struggle to add significant offensive help, but they’re no slouches on D. The glue that holds the team together though is clearly Scottie Pippen, and if they are to make it past the early stages of the Playoffs, he will have to be on his game while his supporting cast will need to provide some creativity too. I doubt Pippen can do it all on his own, but he may think otherwise.
Seed 6: Denver Nuggets, 34-27 (.557)[/u]
Team MVP: Terrell Brandon – 21.6ppg, 5.5rpg, 9.3apg, 1.5spg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Offense – 2nd best scoring team in the West behind Vancouver with 104.6ppg and 6 players averaging 9.8ppg or more
Terrell Brandon is one of the best PG’s in UOSLR, as he puts up good numbers across the board. His passing is a key reason why the team has 9 players averaging over 8ppg. Offensive production in Denver is very good, bettered in the West only by the number 1 seeds, and the team can score from anywhere on the court. Donyell Marshall is a testament to this, as he can score both inside and out from both forward positions. The team is also good on the boards, as four players average over 8rpg, and when you can grab a lot of offensive rebounds, your chances of putting more points on the score sheet naturally go up. Despite their offensive strength though, Denver are relatively poor defensively, with only Clifford Robinson putting up good individual numbers (2.4bpg). Despite scoring 104.6ppg, they give up 102.3ppg, and this may come back to haunt them in the postseason. As we all know, defense wins Championships, so if they want to go far in the Playoffs, they’ll need to step up their defensive game. Vlade Divac seems to produce poorly, but if he can become a defensive presence in the paint like we all know he should be capable of being, then this team may be able to upset some of the big boys.
Seed 7: Dallas Mavericks, 32-32 (.500)[/u]
Team MVP: Shawn Kemp – 21.2ppg, 12.1rpg, 2.8apg, 1.7bpg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Offense – 3rd in the West for scoring with 102.7ppg and all 5 starters averaging over 12ppg
Much like Denver, for the Mavs to compete this year they are going to have to shoot the lights out, because they aren’t a great defensive team. Shawn Kemp and John Stockton are above average defenders, but they don’t seem to have enough D to stop other big scoring teams. With Glen Rice though, they may be able to shoot the lights out, as he averages 24.3ppg on decent averages from the SF spot. Mitch Richmond is also a good shooter, partnering the very fundamental John Stockton in the backcourt, who can also shoot the ball. If these three players can keep it raining from deep, they could trouble many other teams. Having said this, they aren’t the team’s only offensive focus, as both Shawn Kemp and Horace Grant can clean up the boards well and score in the paint very competently. Grant’s 16.5ppg and 11.3rpg are an asset for any team and he’ll be thriving off offensive boards along with the athletic Shawn Kemp. The five starters together provide a potent threat both inside the paint and from the perimeter, but without a defensive force, they may find It difficult to hang with the true Championship contenders.
Seed 8: Los Angeles Lakers, 30-34 (.469)[/u]
Team MVP: Harold Miner – 26.8ppg, 5.8rpg, 3.5apg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Their backcourt – Miner and Payton combine for 45.3ppg, 10.3rpg, 11.8apg
The Lakers won’t be contending for the Championship this season and may not even hold on to the 8th seed spot in the West. Outside of the Glove and Harold Miner, the team is struggling… a lot. Having said that, Miner is one of the league’s best scorers (7th in the league) while Gary Payton can still score, pass and defend at the highest level. The backcourt in LA is good, very good in fact, but that’s all this team has. If they make the Playoffs, they’ll be out in the first round. And that’s about all that can be said about this team I’m afraid.
Seed 1: Vancouver Grizzlies, 51-15 (.773)[/u]
+ Team MVP: Shaquille O’Neal – 25.0ppg, 12.8rpg, 4.0apg, 2.9bpg, 50.7% FG%
Team’s Biggest Strength: Dominance – Outscores opponents by nearly 10ppg, 3rd in league for PPG, 4th in league for oPPG, 1st in RPG, APG, SPG, 3rd in BPG
Vancouver are dominant. They were last season, and they are this season (to a slightly lesser extent). In the paint they have what could possibly be the most dominant presence UOSLR will ever see in the Diesel, a league MVP candidate this season for sure. Offensively imposing while swatting shots on D and grabbing rebounds at both ends of the court, Shaq can do it all. He even passes better than a lot of players in this league who don’t play the point. He’s a 24 year old monster still looking to hit his prime where he’ll be even more dominant. Outside the paint though this team boasts a sharp shooting 24.9ppg scorer who is only a year older than Shaq in Allan Houston. H20 rarely turns the ball over yet shoots great percentages (49.7% FG%, 90.2% FT%, 46.2% 3PT%), taking advantage of being open when teams try to double or even triple up on Shaq inside. Meanwhile, the team’s role players are doing all the dirty work to try and make this team go a step further this year and win the ultimate prize. Simmons chips in 16.2ppg and 8.1rpg at the 3, while Ellison helps Shaq up front averaging a double double with a couple of blocks to boot. Strickland is the veteran floor leader every Championship contending team looks for, averaging a double double including the 4th best assist numbers in the league (10.3) and playing solid D (2.2spg). All the starters on this team gel together well with everyone knowing their role, and they look like they could be the favourites when hitting the postseason from the West. Anything less than a Finals spot would be a disappointment for the Grizzlies, especially after last season.
Seed 2: Sacramento Kings, 38-29 (.567)[/u]
Team MVP: Steve Smith – 24.9ppg, 5.3rpg, 5.3apg, 1.7spg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Fundamentals – 6 players averaging double digit PPG with 5 averaging over a steal per game and 2 front men averaging over 2bpg each
There are no superstars in Sacramento, but they’ve managed to lead their Division and currently hold the 2nd seed spot in the Western Conference. Despite not having a clear standout player, they work well as a team and are very fundamentally sound team indeed, sharing out the offensive load with Roy Tarpley, Jimmy Jackson, Steve Smith and Tim Hardaway all averaging over 17ppg. Hardaway also dishes the ball 10.2 times per game (good for 5th best in the league) to go with his 18.7ppg, which helps spread the offense round and gets his teammates open looks at the basket. Steve Smith looks like thriving off as his backcourt partner, as his numbers seem to suggest. Tarp is a fundamentally sound big, averaging 17.5ppg, 12.4rpg, 2.0bpg and is even reliable from the charity stripe (82.2% FT%), making up for Lang’s lack of offensive prowess. Lang does manage to get 2.9bpg though (8th best in the league) and nearly averages a double double. JJ has come in to the team to provide more offensive help, and as a team, they seem to get the job done. As relative underdogs, they will look to cause some upsets in the postseason with their solid fundamentals, but it is quite likely that they will struggle to beat some of the other Playoff bound teams over 7 games.
Seed 3: Houston Rockets, 42-25 (.627)[/u]
Team MVP: Hakeem Olajuwon – 24.4ppg, 13.7rpg, 3.9apg, 1.2spg, 4.0bpg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Experience – Youngest starter is 29, but all can ball with the best in the league still… even in their wheelchairs
Some people would call this team old… others, experienced. I prefer the latter, because they still seem to be able to play at the highest level. The Dream is still putting up MVP-like numbers at 33, justifying his enormous contract. Having already won 4 MVP awards and 6 DPOY awards, he still knows what to do to win games and fill up box scores. He’s still and MVP candidate and looks like one of the frontrunners for the DPOY again this year. Led by his defensive talents, the Rockets are the league leaders for holding opponents to only 92.7ppg, nearly 2ppg lower than any other team. His supporting cast are still also playing well, with 37 year old Dominique Wilkins still averaging over 20ppg, despite not featuring in as many highlight reels as he did in his prime. Fans would still love to see Nique dunk out of his wheelchair though. Clyde Drexler isn’t the player he once was, but he’s still good enough to put up 16.6ppg to go with 6.7rpg and 4.0apg and live up to his nickname, as his wheelchair glides across the court smoother than anyone else’s in this league. Kevin Edwards does his best to pass the ball to spark Houston’s offense, and is clearly doing a good job, averaging a 6th in the league best 10.1apg. Massenburg and Duckworth rotate up front to try and help the Dream out, but they look like slowing him down. Opposing teams in the Playoffs may want to exploit this weakspot (PF), otherwise the Wheelchair Rockets may be able to go deep in the playoffs as the Dream looks for that elusive UOSLR Championship ring.
Seed 4: Minnesota Timberwolves, 39-28 (.582)[/u]
Team MVP: Charles Barkley – 24.7ppg, 10.1rpg, 3.9apg, 1.4spg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Balance – Three 20+ppg scorers on the team spread out around the court, able to hurt you offensively in many ways
The Wolves don’t have one particularly standout superstar but they do have 4 very very good starters, all capable of filling box scores on any given night. Sir Charles leads the team in scoring and rebounding (along with the David Robinson on 10.1rpg) and provides a good inside offense with the Admiral as they combine for nearly 47ppg between them. Meanwhile, Reggie Lewis can burn opposing teams by scoring well both inside and out, as he averages 23.9ppg. None of these three players are going to stand out with their defensive numbers, despite the Admiral’s ability to alter shots, but they do manage to outwit the best of defensive teams. They are helped massively by the young floor general Jason Kidd, who is still improving vastly and becoming one of the league’s hottest prospects. J-Kidd averages nearl 10apg, and is a good rebounder at his position. He steals the ball 2.3 times per game and has a developing offensive game himself too. Come the postseason, if he steps up his game to another level, he may even be able to help steer his three veteran scorers to a deep run, but another player that’ll have to step up his game is their final starter, Robert Horry. He quietly goes about his business with relatively poor numbers, but then, if the Wolves are down by 2 points with a second left on the clock, I wonder who will take the shot? One of the three 20ppg scorers or Big Shot Bob?
Seed 5: Utah Jazz, 36-27(.571/b]
Team MVP: Scottie Pippen – 24.1ppg, 7.0rpg, 5.0apg, 2.0spg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Fundamentally balanced – All 5 starters average double figure PPG
Utah are another very balanced team that seems to do the fundamentals pretty well. With chip-on-his-shoulder Pipp leading the charge, they hope to make some noise in the postseason. Pippen manages to fill up stat sheets by himself, and is arguably in the league MVP race, but the team as a whole doesn’t seem to dominate at any one aspect of the game, and lacks that fear factor that other teams have in the Playoffs. Despite this, Arvy and Manning combine for 37.6ppg, 21.3rpg and 3.4bpg up front, playing good fundamental basketball as prototypical big men. In the backcourt Sherman Douglas and Hu Weidong struggle to add significant offensive help, but they’re no slouches on D. The glue that holds the team together though is clearly Scottie Pippen, and if they are to make it past the early stages of the Playoffs, he will have to be on his game while his supporting cast will need to provide some creativity too. I doubt Pippen can do it all on his own, but he may think otherwise.
Seed 6: Denver Nuggets, 34-27 (.557)[/u]
Team MVP: Terrell Brandon – 21.6ppg, 5.5rpg, 9.3apg, 1.5spg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Offense – 2nd best scoring team in the West behind Vancouver with 104.6ppg and 6 players averaging 9.8ppg or more
Terrell Brandon is one of the best PG’s in UOSLR, as he puts up good numbers across the board. His passing is a key reason why the team has 9 players averaging over 8ppg. Offensive production in Denver is very good, bettered in the West only by the number 1 seeds, and the team can score from anywhere on the court. Donyell Marshall is a testament to this, as he can score both inside and out from both forward positions. The team is also good on the boards, as four players average over 8rpg, and when you can grab a lot of offensive rebounds, your chances of putting more points on the score sheet naturally go up. Despite their offensive strength though, Denver are relatively poor defensively, with only Clifford Robinson putting up good individual numbers (2.4bpg). Despite scoring 104.6ppg, they give up 102.3ppg, and this may come back to haunt them in the postseason. As we all know, defense wins Championships, so if they want to go far in the Playoffs, they’ll need to step up their defensive game. Vlade Divac seems to produce poorly, but if he can become a defensive presence in the paint like we all know he should be capable of being, then this team may be able to upset some of the big boys.
Seed 7: Dallas Mavericks, 32-32 (.500)[/u]
Team MVP: Shawn Kemp – 21.2ppg, 12.1rpg, 2.8apg, 1.7bpg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Offense – 3rd in the West for scoring with 102.7ppg and all 5 starters averaging over 12ppg
Much like Denver, for the Mavs to compete this year they are going to have to shoot the lights out, because they aren’t a great defensive team. Shawn Kemp and John Stockton are above average defenders, but they don’t seem to have enough D to stop other big scoring teams. With Glen Rice though, they may be able to shoot the lights out, as he averages 24.3ppg on decent averages from the SF spot. Mitch Richmond is also a good shooter, partnering the very fundamental John Stockton in the backcourt, who can also shoot the ball. If these three players can keep it raining from deep, they could trouble many other teams. Having said this, they aren’t the team’s only offensive focus, as both Shawn Kemp and Horace Grant can clean up the boards well and score in the paint very competently. Grant’s 16.5ppg and 11.3rpg are an asset for any team and he’ll be thriving off offensive boards along with the athletic Shawn Kemp. The five starters together provide a potent threat both inside the paint and from the perimeter, but without a defensive force, they may find It difficult to hang with the true Championship contenders.
Seed 8: Los Angeles Lakers, 30-34 (.469)[/u]
Team MVP: Harold Miner – 26.8ppg, 5.8rpg, 3.5apg
Team’s Biggest Strength: Their backcourt – Miner and Payton combine for 45.3ppg, 10.3rpg, 11.8apg
The Lakers won’t be contending for the Championship this season and may not even hold on to the 8th seed spot in the West. Outside of the Glove and Harold Miner, the team is struggling… a lot. Having said that, Miner is one of the league’s best scorers (7th in the league) while Gary Payton can still score, pass and defend at the highest level. The backcourt in LA is good, very good in fact, but that’s all this team has. If they make the Playoffs, they’ll be out in the first round. And that’s about all that can be said about this team I’m afraid.
