Post by tmaczdaddy on Jul 21, 2010 18:03:50 GMT -5
Every 5 seasons I rank who I think are the top 11 teams in the league and go in-detail about each of those teams. Enjoy:
#1 - New Jersey Nets. Current Record: 21-6
A ridiculously talented team that has no weaknesses. Outside of Xavier Henry they have five players averaged between 14.2ppg-15.2ppg. Most the guys on their team would be stars on any other team, but they are all sacrificing to bring back-to-back championships to the city of New Jersey. The Nets made no moves to improve their roster last off-season, but they did make a key move to bring back Paul Millsap, Dirk, and Pryzbilla. Favors has been a bit of a disappointment this year for the Nets, but with all the options that are around him I don't think you can expect too much out of him. I don't see any other team that will provide much of a fight come playoff time. The Bucks and the Pacers are always competitive in the east, but the Bucks will get torn apart at the guard positions with Fredette, Lamb, and Thornton getting meaningful minutes. I think the Pacers should have a good shot.
Overall, the Nets are stacked and are the favorites to take the ship again in UOSLR.
#2 - Sacramento Kings. Current Record: 20-8
The Kings are extremely happy that they still happened to get Chris Bosh after not sending him bids for Day 1. They are also extremely happy that they did not get to offer the max/4 year deal that Marty said he would have offered if he had sent Day 1 bids in. Fortunately for marty, Chris Bosh exploded in TC while Whiteside happened to get worse and has already been tossed around the league. The Kings are one of the best defensive teams in the league, only giving up only 94.4ppg. No one on the team who gets meaningful minutes for the Kings has worse then B+ defense. An amazing stat. Rubio is the quarterback of the team, handing out dimes to the stars of the team(Bosh and Outlaw). Although his shooting still had a ways to go, Rubio should be considered as the best point guard in the league. His assist-to-turnover ratio is absolutely ridiuclous and he knows how to get it done defensively, leading the team in steals with 2.1spg. Oden and Varejao are great fits for the Kings, since they are not forced to do anything offensively, but they are doing what they do best which is rebounding and playing defense.
The Kings are the favorites in the West right now, even without their starting 2 Dajuan Wagner. Kings vs Nets finals.
#3 - Indiana Pacers. Current Record: 19-7
I know most people are thinking that the Milwaukee Bucks should be in this position, but I really like the elderly Pacers and what they can do offensively. Marion, Rip, Randolph, and Lee are all on the decline so this is the final year before the Pacers should consider rebuilding. The problem with the Pacers is that they have no true PG. Redd used to be able to dish quiet well, but has last his touch over the past few years. Although they lead the lead in PPG, they are 8th last in assists per game. Their best handler is Yi Jianlian who currently plays center for them. Carmelo never has lived up to the hype as the #1 pick, but is still producing for the Pacers offensively. David Lee is still a monster scorer/rebounder, but that defense is going to be trouble when he goes against bigs like Favors, Monroe, and Al Jeff in the playoffs. The "guy" for the team is now Darko Milicic. Michael Redd has passed the torch to this defensive monster. Darko has always been known for being one of the best defensive players in the league, but he is showing others that he is more then capable offensively by averaging near 18ppg(career high). Darko is the key to the Pacers success, if he can stay healthy along with the rest of the aging team, I see them going surprisingly far in the deep east.
#4 - Milwaukee Bucks. Current Record: 17-7
Milwaukee got off to a nice 8-0 start to the season, but they have since been slowed down thanks to an injury to star player Dwayne Wade. There was some criticism of GM Kruwaukee when he handed out that 170+mill/7 year contract to Dwayne Wade. Since then, Dwayne Wade and the Bucks have proved doubters wrong. Although Wade is getting up there in age(32) he still has his game rocking for him. Averaging 29ppg/7rpg/4apg/2spg, Dwayne Wade surely is one of the leading candidates for MVP this season. He's the heart and soul of the Bucks, but he isn't the only player. The Bucks have two young stars(both 24) which have helped push the Bucks into a championship contender. Greg Monroe was seen to be a project player coming out of college, but in only 5 season he has turned into a star averaging 21ppg/10rpg. Claimed 2nd coming of Etienne Priera by GM Kruwaukee, Travis Leslie hasn't gotten to that point of stardom but is definitely a superstar in the making. The Bucks do have some major weakness which is at the Point Guard spot. Jimmer Fredette, a C defender, has been given partial duties at the PG spot with Rookie Doron Lmab. Both far from being "proven" point guards, I expect most teams to take advantage of the Bucks come playoff time. Their bench in general is looking like one of the weakest in the league. Their 2nd unit is also going to be torn apart come playoff time. If the Bucks hope to go deep in the playoffs they are going to be depending on their Big 3 to carry the load. Any injury to one of those 3 players and the Bucks have no chance.
#5 - Seattle Supersonics. Current Record: 21-10
The supersonics have been competitive the last few years, but never a real contender to win the Championship. I think after making a few moves with new GM's, he has turned the corner to compete for a ship. First, they made a great move by riping off the Jazz GM for one of the best players out of the draft. All they had to give for the stud rookie was their pick in the 2019 draft. Tony Mitchell had a great TC and producing as a rookie at an alarming rate. 7ppg in 12.9mpg! The next good move they made was to pick up DeAndre Jordan. Sonics were weak at the Center spot with Joakim Noah being the starter, but they made a very nice upgrade to Jordan by giving up Noah and 2 first rounders. The sonics now are a complete team at each position. The real surprise for the Sonics has been Mo Williams, who I myself never thought would live up to anything a few years back. The Sonics handed out a large contract to him a while back and was highly criticized, but has gone on a tear the last few years to prove everyone wrong. He's leading the team with 26ppg/8apg. But what seattle is most known for is their defense. They lead in the lead by holding their opponents to 93.3ppg! Jordan and Howard are absolute beasts in the middle and Wright and Evans are two of the best perimeter defenders in the league. One of the setbacks that the Sonics are going to have to deal with is the money they are handing out to Jordan, Howard, Wright, Evans, and Mo. Outside of those 5 players the rest of the team makes less then 7 million! An outstanding stat. This results in an extremely weak bench this year and it will only get worse in the future with the contracts of those 5 getting bigger each year.
Overall, I like the Sonics. They have a solid at each position and have a good mix of offense/defense. I would like to see rookie Tony Mitchell get more playing time since their bench is pretty weak to begin with and he produces at a solid rate. They should do some major damage in the western conference playoffs, but I don't see them getting past a healthy Kings team.
#6 - Portland Trailblazers. Current Record: 20-11
The Blazers are led by the French duo of Tony Parker and Nicolas Batuuum. After making it to the finals last year, the Blazers took a step back by losing starting guard Josh Howard to the Clippers. The Blazers contemplated tearing everything down and building around Batum, and it looked that way after they trade Sene and Samb for their first from the Warriors. Since then they acquired Ellis to replace Howard and are returning to last seasons form. Tim Duncan looks to be on the decline at 38, but still manages to put up solid number for the Blazers. Diop is a defensive specialist in the paint. Their bench is solid with the 2nd unit containing Blatche, Wallace, Curry, and Bouldin. I think they'll give some serious competition to the Sonics and Kings in the east. Batum and Paker will always do their thing, but do they have a reliable 3rd option to go to? Ellis or Duncan will have to answer that call come playoff time.
#7 - Denver Nuggets. Current Record: 20-8
The Nuggets have been a major surprise so far this season. Could the success be because of the newest GM of the Denver Nuggets? I doubt it. Most of the success has lied in the hands of the best back-court in the league. John Wall and Brandon Roy have proven one of the deadliest duo's in all of UOSLR. John Wall has lived up to the hype as the #1 pick and is putting up all-star stats. He's a top 3 PG at this point, which is scary considering he is only 24. B-Roy on the other hand is having a break-out season. The best he has ever averaged in a season was 22.8ppg, this season he's averaging 28.5ppg. The Nuggets also have a strong supporting cast behind those two with players like Calderon, Thabeet, Brand, Udoh, and Sibert playing key roles for the team. The nuggets have a nice balance and are fairly deep. I think they'll cool off eventually after this hot start, but definitely a team to be reckoned with come post-season.
#8 - Minnesota Timberwolves. Current Record: 18-9
The Timberwolves have a bunch of shooters on their team. They made a nice move to acquire both Josh Howard and shut-down defender Danny Granger from the Clippers. Harden, Telfair, Howard, and Dunn all have A- outside shooting and all score over 11 points per game. Their offense runs through scoring machine Amare Stoudemire, who is dominating all others by averaging 33ppg/13rpg. Telfair feeds to ball down low to Stoudemire and they triple team him, and then he kicks the ball out to one of the 4 shooters available. That's how the Timberwolves offense works. Amare is the face of the timberwolves, but things would not run smoothly were it not for all-star PG Telfair. Although his game has dropped off recently, he still knows how to find his teammates and how to shoot the rock. Honestly, don't see them getting far in the east with teams like Portland, Seattle, and the Kings. Their defense is sub-par and they rely too heavily on one player to make their offense go. Good team, but I just don't think they can compete for a championship with the roster they have. Too one-dimensional.
#9 - San Antonio Spurs. Current Record: 16-14
Play has always found a way to make his team suck, but he has finally turned the corner of mediocrity and his team is ready to compete. The Spurs have been found to give out big contracts like candy. They have Kevin Love, T-Will, and Crittenton some large looking contracts which they haven't(didn't) live up to. Still the Spurs have acquired enough talented youth through drafts to trade them for some starrs over the past year or so. Deron Williams, Rudy Gay, and Ray Allen have turned the face of the franchise into contenders quickly. They are very weak in the post, which should be a worry for the team. Deron Williams produces tremendously offensively, but his defense is suspect and with all the PG's in the west, the Spurs should be in for a short stint in the playoffs. They have some of the best guard play in the league with Deron, T-Will, Ray, and Gay. But their lack of a post-presence and their defensive liabilities should hold them back from going anywhere in playoffs.
#10 - Orlando Magic. Current Record: 17-13
Outside of the top 9 teams in the league, there is a major drop-off in talent. The magic are looking to blow up their team at any time and are at the brink of mediocrity. Andre Igoudala's contract is ridiculous, and with a decrease in production this year and a "D" scouted potential the quicker he gets rid of Iggy the better. Odom and Lopez are bench players on most teams. Not much to say here about the magic other then I see them going out of the playoffs quickly. Probably should have put the knicks here TBH.
#11 - Toronto Raptors. Current Record: 14-12
Just recently added BIG man Yao Ming to the roster by trading picks and Dexter Pittman. Not sure I like the move on the Raptors part. It doesn't look like they'll be able to compete for a ship anytime soon and that Yao contract is brutal. Not to mention that Pittman himself is a pretty darn good player. His stats are very similar to that of Yao Ming and his contract is much better then Yao's. I don't like the move for the Raptors, but they still will get a little better which is why they are here at #11. Thompkins, Hayward, and McCallum were a nice young trio to build around. With the addition of Yao, I can see them getting past the 1st round if they have an attractive match up. I think they could have a surprise run during the playoffs if they stay healthy. Still don't like the move for Yao, but they're a good team.
So close:
Knicks
Hawks
76ers
#1 - New Jersey Nets. Current Record: 21-6 A ridiculously talented team that has no weaknesses. Outside of Xavier Henry they have five players averaged between 14.2ppg-15.2ppg. Most the guys on their team would be stars on any other team, but they are all sacrificing to bring back-to-back championships to the city of New Jersey. The Nets made no moves to improve their roster last off-season, but they did make a key move to bring back Paul Millsap, Dirk, and Pryzbilla. Favors has been a bit of a disappointment this year for the Nets, but with all the options that are around him I don't think you can expect too much out of him. I don't see any other team that will provide much of a fight come playoff time. The Bucks and the Pacers are always competitive in the east, but the Bucks will get torn apart at the guard positions with Fredette, Lamb, and Thornton getting meaningful minutes. I think the Pacers should have a good shot.
Overall, the Nets are stacked and are the favorites to take the ship again in UOSLR.
#2 - Sacramento Kings. Current Record: 20-8 The Kings are extremely happy that they still happened to get Chris Bosh after not sending him bids for Day 1. They are also extremely happy that they did not get to offer the max/4 year deal that Marty said he would have offered if he had sent Day 1 bids in. Fortunately for marty, Chris Bosh exploded in TC while Whiteside happened to get worse and has already been tossed around the league. The Kings are one of the best defensive teams in the league, only giving up only 94.4ppg. No one on the team who gets meaningful minutes for the Kings has worse then B+ defense. An amazing stat. Rubio is the quarterback of the team, handing out dimes to the stars of the team(Bosh and Outlaw). Although his shooting still had a ways to go, Rubio should be considered as the best point guard in the league. His assist-to-turnover ratio is absolutely ridiuclous and he knows how to get it done defensively, leading the team in steals with 2.1spg. Oden and Varejao are great fits for the Kings, since they are not forced to do anything offensively, but they are doing what they do best which is rebounding and playing defense.
The Kings are the favorites in the West right now, even without their starting 2 Dajuan Wagner. Kings vs Nets finals.
#3 - Indiana Pacers. Current Record: 19-7 I know most people are thinking that the Milwaukee Bucks should be in this position, but I really like the elderly Pacers and what they can do offensively. Marion, Rip, Randolph, and Lee are all on the decline so this is the final year before the Pacers should consider rebuilding. The problem with the Pacers is that they have no true PG. Redd used to be able to dish quiet well, but has last his touch over the past few years. Although they lead the lead in PPG, they are 8th last in assists per game. Their best handler is Yi Jianlian who currently plays center for them. Carmelo never has lived up to the hype as the #1 pick, but is still producing for the Pacers offensively. David Lee is still a monster scorer/rebounder, but that defense is going to be trouble when he goes against bigs like Favors, Monroe, and Al Jeff in the playoffs. The "guy" for the team is now Darko Milicic. Michael Redd has passed the torch to this defensive monster. Darko has always been known for being one of the best defensive players in the league, but he is showing others that he is more then capable offensively by averaging near 18ppg(career high). Darko is the key to the Pacers success, if he can stay healthy along with the rest of the aging team, I see them going surprisingly far in the deep east.
#4 - Milwaukee Bucks. Current Record: 17-7 Milwaukee got off to a nice 8-0 start to the season, but they have since been slowed down thanks to an injury to star player Dwayne Wade. There was some criticism of GM Kruwaukee when he handed out that 170+mill/7 year contract to Dwayne Wade. Since then, Dwayne Wade and the Bucks have proved doubters wrong. Although Wade is getting up there in age(32) he still has his game rocking for him. Averaging 29ppg/7rpg/4apg/2spg, Dwayne Wade surely is one of the leading candidates for MVP this season. He's the heart and soul of the Bucks, but he isn't the only player. The Bucks have two young stars(both 24) which have helped push the Bucks into a championship contender. Greg Monroe was seen to be a project player coming out of college, but in only 5 season he has turned into a star averaging 21ppg/10rpg. Claimed 2nd coming of Etienne Priera by GM Kruwaukee, Travis Leslie hasn't gotten to that point of stardom but is definitely a superstar in the making. The Bucks do have some major weakness which is at the Point Guard spot. Jimmer Fredette, a C defender, has been given partial duties at the PG spot with Rookie Doron Lmab. Both far from being "proven" point guards, I expect most teams to take advantage of the Bucks come playoff time. Their bench in general is looking like one of the weakest in the league. Their 2nd unit is also going to be torn apart come playoff time. If the Bucks hope to go deep in the playoffs they are going to be depending on their Big 3 to carry the load. Any injury to one of those 3 players and the Bucks have no chance.
#5 - Seattle Supersonics. Current Record: 21-10 The supersonics have been competitive the last few years, but never a real contender to win the Championship. I think after making a few moves with new GM's, he has turned the corner to compete for a ship. First, they made a great move by riping off the Jazz GM for one of the best players out of the draft. All they had to give for the stud rookie was their pick in the 2019 draft. Tony Mitchell had a great TC and producing as a rookie at an alarming rate. 7ppg in 12.9mpg! The next good move they made was to pick up DeAndre Jordan. Sonics were weak at the Center spot with Joakim Noah being the starter, but they made a very nice upgrade to Jordan by giving up Noah and 2 first rounders. The sonics now are a complete team at each position. The real surprise for the Sonics has been Mo Williams, who I myself never thought would live up to anything a few years back. The Sonics handed out a large contract to him a while back and was highly criticized, but has gone on a tear the last few years to prove everyone wrong. He's leading the team with 26ppg/8apg. But what seattle is most known for is their defense. They lead in the lead by holding their opponents to 93.3ppg! Jordan and Howard are absolute beasts in the middle and Wright and Evans are two of the best perimeter defenders in the league. One of the setbacks that the Sonics are going to have to deal with is the money they are handing out to Jordan, Howard, Wright, Evans, and Mo. Outside of those 5 players the rest of the team makes less then 7 million! An outstanding stat. This results in an extremely weak bench this year and it will only get worse in the future with the contracts of those 5 getting bigger each year.
Overall, I like the Sonics. They have a solid at each position and have a good mix of offense/defense. I would like to see rookie Tony Mitchell get more playing time since their bench is pretty weak to begin with and he produces at a solid rate. They should do some major damage in the western conference playoffs, but I don't see them getting past a healthy Kings team.
#6 - Portland Trailblazers. Current Record: 20-11 The Blazers are led by the French duo of Tony Parker and Nicolas Batuuum. After making it to the finals last year, the Blazers took a step back by losing starting guard Josh Howard to the Clippers. The Blazers contemplated tearing everything down and building around Batum, and it looked that way after they trade Sene and Samb for their first from the Warriors. Since then they acquired Ellis to replace Howard and are returning to last seasons form. Tim Duncan looks to be on the decline at 38, but still manages to put up solid number for the Blazers. Diop is a defensive specialist in the paint. Their bench is solid with the 2nd unit containing Blatche, Wallace, Curry, and Bouldin. I think they'll give some serious competition to the Sonics and Kings in the east. Batum and Paker will always do their thing, but do they have a reliable 3rd option to go to? Ellis or Duncan will have to answer that call come playoff time.
#7 - Denver Nuggets. Current Record: 20-8 The Nuggets have been a major surprise so far this season. Could the success be because of the newest GM of the Denver Nuggets? I doubt it. Most of the success has lied in the hands of the best back-court in the league. John Wall and Brandon Roy have proven one of the deadliest duo's in all of UOSLR. John Wall has lived up to the hype as the #1 pick and is putting up all-star stats. He's a top 3 PG at this point, which is scary considering he is only 24. B-Roy on the other hand is having a break-out season. The best he has ever averaged in a season was 22.8ppg, this season he's averaging 28.5ppg. The Nuggets also have a strong supporting cast behind those two with players like Calderon, Thabeet, Brand, Udoh, and Sibert playing key roles for the team. The nuggets have a nice balance and are fairly deep. I think they'll cool off eventually after this hot start, but definitely a team to be reckoned with come post-season.
#8 - Minnesota Timberwolves. Current Record: 18-9 The Timberwolves have a bunch of shooters on their team. They made a nice move to acquire both Josh Howard and shut-down defender Danny Granger from the Clippers. Harden, Telfair, Howard, and Dunn all have A- outside shooting and all score over 11 points per game. Their offense runs through scoring machine Amare Stoudemire, who is dominating all others by averaging 33ppg/13rpg. Telfair feeds to ball down low to Stoudemire and they triple team him, and then he kicks the ball out to one of the 4 shooters available. That's how the Timberwolves offense works. Amare is the face of the timberwolves, but things would not run smoothly were it not for all-star PG Telfair. Although his game has dropped off recently, he still knows how to find his teammates and how to shoot the rock. Honestly, don't see them getting far in the east with teams like Portland, Seattle, and the Kings. Their defense is sub-par and they rely too heavily on one player to make their offense go. Good team, but I just don't think they can compete for a championship with the roster they have. Too one-dimensional.
#9 - San Antonio Spurs. Current Record: 16-14 Play has always found a way to make his team suck, but he has finally turned the corner of mediocrity and his team is ready to compete. The Spurs have been found to give out big contracts like candy. They have Kevin Love, T-Will, and Crittenton some large looking contracts which they haven't(didn't) live up to. Still the Spurs have acquired enough talented youth through drafts to trade them for some starrs over the past year or so. Deron Williams, Rudy Gay, and Ray Allen have turned the face of the franchise into contenders quickly. They are very weak in the post, which should be a worry for the team. Deron Williams produces tremendously offensively, but his defense is suspect and with all the PG's in the west, the Spurs should be in for a short stint in the playoffs. They have some of the best guard play in the league with Deron, T-Will, Ray, and Gay. But their lack of a post-presence and their defensive liabilities should hold them back from going anywhere in playoffs.
#10 - Orlando Magic. Current Record: 17-13 Outside of the top 9 teams in the league, there is a major drop-off in talent. The magic are looking to blow up their team at any time and are at the brink of mediocrity. Andre Igoudala's contract is ridiculous, and with a decrease in production this year and a "D" scouted potential the quicker he gets rid of Iggy the better. Odom and Lopez are bench players on most teams. Not much to say here about the magic other then I see them going out of the playoffs quickly. Probably should have put the knicks here TBH.
#11 - Toronto Raptors. Current Record: 14-12 Just recently added BIG man Yao Ming to the roster by trading picks and Dexter Pittman. Not sure I like the move on the Raptors part. It doesn't look like they'll be able to compete for a ship anytime soon and that Yao contract is brutal. Not to mention that Pittman himself is a pretty darn good player. His stats are very similar to that of Yao Ming and his contract is much better then Yao's. I don't like the move for the Raptors, but they still will get a little better which is why they are here at #11. Thompkins, Hayward, and McCallum were a nice young trio to build around. With the addition of Yao, I can see them getting past the 1st round if they have an attractive match up. I think they could have a surprise run during the playoffs if they stay healthy. Still don't like the move for Yao, but they're a good team.
So close:
Knicks
Hawks
76ers
