Post by tmaczdaddy on Mar 12, 2010 21:33:13 GMT -5
1-San Antonio Spurs. Current Record:13-5.
Well, the Spurs had a great start to the season and some people thought that this could be a fluke(including myself). But Play has made some strong moves this season to acquire both Dirk Nowitzki and Manu Ginobili. These trades have put them over the top and they are now one of the favorites to win the 'ship. The amazing thing about the Spurs is that they don't have any players over the age of 30. Pretty scary stuff for the future. They should be able to compete for a championship for the next 4-5 seasons or so. Play has been long due to get this team some recognition and he finally has(not before many years of mediocrity though).
(play rollerblading.....)
2-New Jersey Nets. Current Record: 16-1.
This team has been ready to break out to one of the top teams in the league and it seems like they finally have. The talent has been there for the Nets over the last couple years, but now the team has matured and they also added some key depth this last off-season(Wallace and Diawara) to provide some much needed help on the bench. Stevenson has been putting up MVP numbers this year, and with Priera actually having a down year it seems very possible for Stevenson to come away with the trophy if he and the Nets can continue this way of play. This back-court(VC and Stevenson) is averaging 55 points per game, 11 rebounds per game, and 17 assist per game. What a joke!
(Stevenson wants the MVP bad)
3-Vancouver Grizzlies. Current Record: 16-5.
It seems like every year, the Grizzlies are mentioned in the top 5 teams in the league and always competing for a championship. This year is no different for them. After resigning Wade, the Grizzlies made a strong move by trading superstar Zhi-Zhi for 30 time MVP Etienne Priera. But Priera has been struggling so far this year, only averaging 18 points per game on awful shooting percentages. Will the reign of MVP's/complete league comination finally come to an end? We shall see how he bounced back from the early slump. On the other hand, the Grizzlies still have 2 top-10 players in the league in Tim Duncan and Dwayne Wade. They've both been spectacular as usual, but the huge surprise for the Grizzlies for far in this early season has been the play of Rand Livingston. Randy who? This guy has been averaging near 20ppg on shooting of 53% from the field. Compare that to his career averages 9ppg and 47% from the field, you can see how he has really picked up his game.
(Randy Livingston is having a career year)
4-Los Angeles Lakers. Current Record: 17-5
The Lakers lost a player this year who is averaging 26ppg with his new team. The thing is, this guy was the 5th best player on the Lakers team. Amazing. The Lakers lost Rip this year because of the hard cap, but still managed to keep their four best players. The Big 4 are doing their thing and should lead the Lakers to another 60 win season. The only problem I see this team having is depth. If one of the Big 4 goes down in the playoffs, you'll see a player like Dunleavy/Powell/Boykins filling in the void and getting some big minutes. That poses a big problem for the Lakers, but if they can stay healthy throughout the playoffs, look out.
(Can you feel the love in LA?)
5-Indiana Pacers. Current Record: 14-9.
The Pacers are an exciting and fairely young team. They score a lot of points and have the best shot blocker in the league. This team really has a lot of talent and will do a lot of damage in the east. Michael Redd is just tearing up every other PG in this league by averaging 33ppg/7rpg/7apg and only 1.8topg. They also have Marion, Turkoglu, Grant, and Darko. They are stacked at the SF position and this has lead to a drop in Melo's stats this year. His dropped 8points from last year and is not showing much improvement defensively. Right now he's on the outside looking in. the Pacers don't need anymore scoring(averaging 113ppg), but they do need some defense and Melo cannot provide that right now. Definitely one of the most talented teams in the league and has a great shot to get to the Finals.
6-Sacramento Kings. Current Record: 11-7.
The kings are led by the amazing duo of Tony Parker and Dajuan Wagner and have a solid supporting cast of Pau Gasol and Rasheed Wallace. Marty has done a nice job of building around Parker and Wagner, and the Kings look to build upon last seasons success.
It will be tough to get far in the playoffs with the likes of the Spurs, Grizzlies, and Lakers but with the duo of Parker and Wagner, anything can happen.
The Kings are solid at each position and don't really have any weak spot. Although they have gotten off to a slow start, I expect them to pick it up and to be within striking distance of the top 3 teams by the end of the season.
7- Los Angeles Clippers. Current Record: 17-8.
crazymike has to be pleased with the start that the Clippers have gotten off to.
Houston is balling it up offensively, going for 29ppg. Yao Ming is doing his thing, but the Clips have been missing their contribution from Arenas.
Arenas is struggling at the PG position this year, averaging 18ppg, 9apg, and 3.5topg. Not very efficient. The Clippers should look to move him to SG to drop those turnovers and let him fire loose on the 3's.
The problem is, the Steve Francis is even less efficient than Arenas at PG. They need a PG to distribute the ball to Houston/Yao/Arenas and they should do nicely.
They should be in the same boat with the Kings come playoff time, a half-step behind the big 3.
8-New York Knicks. Current Record: 15-9.
This team really surprised to with the start they've had. I thought they'd be a top 6-7 seed in the East, but they've been much more then that in the early going. The Knicks are led by Amare, who is having a career year averaging 28ppg/11rpg.
Thanks to Jason Kidd and the pickups of Tyson Chandler and Dorrell Wright, the Knicks have become one of the best defensive teams in the league. They are 6th in the allowing points and 3rd in the league in opponent FG %.
Dejan and Wright are a great SF tandem that can both shoot the ball extremely well and play great defense as well. This is one of the mos well-rounded teams in the league. Great mix of post scoring, 3pt shooting, shot blocking, stealing. They have it all.
I think the Knicks will continue to surprise people throughout the season and should be very well in the postseason as well.
9-Cleveland Cavaliers. Current Record: 13-8.
The team with the brightest future in the league is the Cleveland Cavaliers. No player on the team is over 28 years old and they are already having the success that people expected them to have a couple years down the road
The Cavs finally got what they had been looking for, a post presence that can block shots and rebound. And they got just that when they traded Brandon Roy for Emeka Okafor.
Okafor has helped tremendously down low and is posting up some major defensive stats(4.1bpg and .8spg). Rudy Gay and Chris Bosh also have helped by improving their game this season, but the team is led by the veterans Josh Howard and Larry Hughes.
One of the many great PG/SG tandems in the league, they average 44ppg combined.
I'm not sure if they're ready for the big time yet, but the Cavs are really making a case that they are one of the best teams in the East.
10-Miami Heat. Current Record: 18-8.
The Miami Heat have gotten off to a great start. They are already 10 games over .500, and are led by the two big men, KG and SAR.
iflip made a questionable move last year trading Kobe Bryant for KG. So far, the Heat and KG have proved the doubters wrong. KG anchors one of the best defenses in the league, but is also helped out by Battier/Pryzbilla/Ratliff/Rose.
To bo honest, I think this quick start has been a fluke for the Heat and I think they'll cool off quickly. They have to find a PG before they can talk about competing for a championship.
11-Toronto Raptors. Current Record: 10-7.
The off-season started off very dim when Dirk left for the lowly Charlotte Hornets. The Raptors still managed to sign Andre Miller, Vlad, and West.
Vlad was a great addition and really worked on his game in the offseason. You can see his hard work payoff by the career year he's having.
Andre Miller has turned into a great fit for the Raptors and is playing all-star basketball. He has taken a lot of the load off of Kobe, maybe too much of the load.
Coming into the season, Kobe got his wish of being the #1 option and the team leader after Dirk left. Expectations were high, but Kobe so far is only putting up 22ppg. He is shooting solid percentages, but he isn't getting the touches people expected him to get.
We'll see if the Raptors make some changes to get the ball to Kobe more.
So close:
Milwaukee Bucks
Well, the Spurs had a great start to the season and some people thought that this could be a fluke(including myself). But Play has made some strong moves this season to acquire both Dirk Nowitzki and Manu Ginobili. These trades have put them over the top and they are now one of the favorites to win the 'ship. The amazing thing about the Spurs is that they don't have any players over the age of 30. Pretty scary stuff for the future. They should be able to compete for a championship for the next 4-5 seasons or so. Play has been long due to get this team some recognition and he finally has(not before many years of mediocrity though).
(play rollerblading.....)
2-New Jersey Nets. Current Record: 16-1.
This team has been ready to break out to one of the top teams in the league and it seems like they finally have. The talent has been there for the Nets over the last couple years, but now the team has matured and they also added some key depth this last off-season(Wallace and Diawara) to provide some much needed help on the bench. Stevenson has been putting up MVP numbers this year, and with Priera actually having a down year it seems very possible for Stevenson to come away with the trophy if he and the Nets can continue this way of play. This back-court(VC and Stevenson) is averaging 55 points per game, 11 rebounds per game, and 17 assist per game. What a joke!
(Stevenson wants the MVP bad)
3-Vancouver Grizzlies. Current Record: 16-5.
It seems like every year, the Grizzlies are mentioned in the top 5 teams in the league and always competing for a championship. This year is no different for them. After resigning Wade, the Grizzlies made a strong move by trading superstar Zhi-Zhi for 30 time MVP Etienne Priera. But Priera has been struggling so far this year, only averaging 18 points per game on awful shooting percentages. Will the reign of MVP's/complete league comination finally come to an end? We shall see how he bounced back from the early slump. On the other hand, the Grizzlies still have 2 top-10 players in the league in Tim Duncan and Dwayne Wade. They've both been spectacular as usual, but the huge surprise for the Grizzlies for far in this early season has been the play of Rand Livingston. Randy who? This guy has been averaging near 20ppg on shooting of 53% from the field. Compare that to his career averages 9ppg and 47% from the field, you can see how he has really picked up his game.
(Randy Livingston is having a career year)
4-Los Angeles Lakers. Current Record: 17-5
The Lakers lost a player this year who is averaging 26ppg with his new team. The thing is, this guy was the 5th best player on the Lakers team. Amazing. The Lakers lost Rip this year because of the hard cap, but still managed to keep their four best players. The Big 4 are doing their thing and should lead the Lakers to another 60 win season. The only problem I see this team having is depth. If one of the Big 4 goes down in the playoffs, you'll see a player like Dunleavy/Powell/Boykins filling in the void and getting some big minutes. That poses a big problem for the Lakers, but if they can stay healthy throughout the playoffs, look out.
(Can you feel the love in LA?)
5-Indiana Pacers. Current Record: 14-9.
The Pacers are an exciting and fairely young team. They score a lot of points and have the best shot blocker in the league. This team really has a lot of talent and will do a lot of damage in the east. Michael Redd is just tearing up every other PG in this league by averaging 33ppg/7rpg/7apg and only 1.8topg. They also have Marion, Turkoglu, Grant, and Darko. They are stacked at the SF position and this has lead to a drop in Melo's stats this year. His dropped 8points from last year and is not showing much improvement defensively. Right now he's on the outside looking in. the Pacers don't need anymore scoring(averaging 113ppg), but they do need some defense and Melo cannot provide that right now. Definitely one of the most talented teams in the league and has a great shot to get to the Finals.
6-Sacramento Kings. Current Record: 11-7.
The kings are led by the amazing duo of Tony Parker and Dajuan Wagner and have a solid supporting cast of Pau Gasol and Rasheed Wallace. Marty has done a nice job of building around Parker and Wagner, and the Kings look to build upon last seasons success.
It will be tough to get far in the playoffs with the likes of the Spurs, Grizzlies, and Lakers but with the duo of Parker and Wagner, anything can happen.
The Kings are solid at each position and don't really have any weak spot. Although they have gotten off to a slow start, I expect them to pick it up and to be within striking distance of the top 3 teams by the end of the season.
7- Los Angeles Clippers. Current Record: 17-8.
crazymike has to be pleased with the start that the Clippers have gotten off to.
Houston is balling it up offensively, going for 29ppg. Yao Ming is doing his thing, but the Clips have been missing their contribution from Arenas.
Arenas is struggling at the PG position this year, averaging 18ppg, 9apg, and 3.5topg. Not very efficient. The Clippers should look to move him to SG to drop those turnovers and let him fire loose on the 3's.
The problem is, the Steve Francis is even less efficient than Arenas at PG. They need a PG to distribute the ball to Houston/Yao/Arenas and they should do nicely.
They should be in the same boat with the Kings come playoff time, a half-step behind the big 3.
8-New York Knicks. Current Record: 15-9.
This team really surprised to with the start they've had. I thought they'd be a top 6-7 seed in the East, but they've been much more then that in the early going. The Knicks are led by Amare, who is having a career year averaging 28ppg/11rpg.
Thanks to Jason Kidd and the pickups of Tyson Chandler and Dorrell Wright, the Knicks have become one of the best defensive teams in the league. They are 6th in the allowing points and 3rd in the league in opponent FG %.
Dejan and Wright are a great SF tandem that can both shoot the ball extremely well and play great defense as well. This is one of the mos well-rounded teams in the league. Great mix of post scoring, 3pt shooting, shot blocking, stealing. They have it all.
I think the Knicks will continue to surprise people throughout the season and should be very well in the postseason as well.
9-Cleveland Cavaliers. Current Record: 13-8.
The team with the brightest future in the league is the Cleveland Cavaliers. No player on the team is over 28 years old and they are already having the success that people expected them to have a couple years down the road
The Cavs finally got what they had been looking for, a post presence that can block shots and rebound. And they got just that when they traded Brandon Roy for Emeka Okafor.
Okafor has helped tremendously down low and is posting up some major defensive stats(4.1bpg and .8spg). Rudy Gay and Chris Bosh also have helped by improving their game this season, but the team is led by the veterans Josh Howard and Larry Hughes.
One of the many great PG/SG tandems in the league, they average 44ppg combined.
I'm not sure if they're ready for the big time yet, but the Cavs are really making a case that they are one of the best teams in the East.
10-Miami Heat. Current Record: 18-8.
The Miami Heat have gotten off to a great start. They are already 10 games over .500, and are led by the two big men, KG and SAR.
iflip made a questionable move last year trading Kobe Bryant for KG. So far, the Heat and KG have proved the doubters wrong. KG anchors one of the best defenses in the league, but is also helped out by Battier/Pryzbilla/Ratliff/Rose.
To bo honest, I think this quick start has been a fluke for the Heat and I think they'll cool off quickly. They have to find a PG before they can talk about competing for a championship.
11-Toronto Raptors. Current Record: 10-7.
The off-season started off very dim when Dirk left for the lowly Charlotte Hornets. The Raptors still managed to sign Andre Miller, Vlad, and West.
Vlad was a great addition and really worked on his game in the offseason. You can see his hard work payoff by the career year he's having.
Andre Miller has turned into a great fit for the Raptors and is playing all-star basketball. He has taken a lot of the load off of Kobe, maybe too much of the load.
Coming into the season, Kobe got his wish of being the #1 option and the team leader after Dirk left. Expectations were high, but Kobe so far is only putting up 22ppg. He is shooting solid percentages, but he isn't getting the touches people expected him to get.
We'll see if the Raptors make some changes to get the ball to Kobe more.
So close:
Milwaukee Bucks
