Post by Clifford "Poop" Harris on Aug 5, 2010 12:13:47 GMT -5
It's hard to make predictions before i even know how good some of these players are so i'm basically going off tc's (ratings) and last year's results.
7.
It's hard to imagine the Grizzlies might already have the best Center in the game in only his second season in the league. It seems Fab Melo is primed for another 25 ppg 10 rpg season, if not better. They lack the overall talent to be anything more than a high lotto pick team though. The development of Terrence Jones has definitely been encouraging for the future of the team but the future won't look much brighter if they keep butchering picks like they did this past draft. It looks like the sidekick to Melo will be Terrence Jones so the Grizzlies GM needs to realize that and start injecting Jones with some points by means of an article or by posts. The future looks bright with Fab Melo but they might not have enough time to rely on youth with their Contract Year coming next season, barring any miracles this season. It will be another tanking season for the Grizzlies with another win tally in the twenties. By far the worse team in the division.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Fab Melo
PF: Mouphtaou Yarou
SF: Terrence Jones
SG: Josh Howard
PG: Ryan Harrow
Projected Record: 25-57
6.
The Utah Jazz have ended the season with less than 35 wins in each of the past six seasons. Some of the worse seasons in franchise history have come under the management of Prince and this season might be no different. The Jazz are in a tough position considering it's their cy and it seems their lineup falls short of a 40 win team. They're definitely better than last seasons 32 win team, but not by much. Alex Oriakhi might be the key to this whole season for them, he's coming off a 14 ppg and 13 rpg season and he definitely has the talent to improve those numbers this season. If Oraikhi can pitch in around 18-20 ppg, Jazz might just have enough to make cy. Prince is going to have to be aggressive though if he wants to secure making his CY. They might want to consider trading one of their Point Guards for a Small Forward so Kobe can play his natural position. As it stands, it looks like one of the point guards is going to have to play Shooting Guard, far from ideal.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Alex Oriakhi
PF: Andrea Bargnani
SF: Kobe Bryant
SG: Russell Westbrook
PG: Acie Law
Projected Record: 36-46
5.
The Rockets will be right there with the Jazz in the race for worse of the division. The only thing keeping the Rockets from being on the top of this list is Kevin Durant. Despite coming off a sub-par training camp, he should still hover around the 27-32 ppg mark this season. After Durant, the next best player is Jason Richardson whose more of a third option on a good team. Jeff Green has failed to become the stud we all thought he'd be after putting up 20 ppg in only his second season. These are solid role players, but not second and third options. They'll have to address their biggest weakness if they want to make the playoffs, their Point Guard situation is far from desirable. Johnny Flynn should be nothing more than a backup and they lack the depth to overcome the lack of talent in the starting lineup. It looks like it will be another inconsistent and mediocre season for Houston again this season. I don't really see them surpassing their 39 win total of last season.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Joakim Noah
PF: Jeff Green
SF: Kevin Durant
SG: Jason Richardson
PG: Jonny Flynn
Projected Record: 38-44
4.
Taking a quick look at the Nuggets lineup and it looks like a borderline playoff/lotto team. That's surprising considering they've been competitive the last four seasons. The Nuggets are going to have to rely heavily on the production of both Brandon Roy and John Wall. They might be relied upon a little too much though. I don't see another starter being capable of putting up as low as even 15 ppg this season, maybe not even 10 ppg. A great percentage of the scoring will have to come from the back court. No doubt this season will be a struggle offensively for the Denver Nuggets, the defense is going to have to be top notch if they want to make the playoffs. The lack of talent and depth will take this team straight into the lotto unless the GM pulls off some trades. I don't really see this team getting 46 wins like they did last year, the bottom four teams in the division are so tightly grouped i wouldn't be surprised if they came out last. They are an injury to Roy or Wall away from being absolutely horrible. It's a tough situation to be in without your pick.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Hasheem Thabeet
PF: Ekpe Udoh
SF: Thaddeus Young
SG: Brandon Roy
PG: John Wall
Projected Record: 39-43
3.
The Mavericks seem like a mediocre team with a chance at sneaking into the playoffs. They have one of the best young bigs in the game if not the best in Jonas, but the rest of the team is filled with mediocre veterans. The gaping hole at Small Forward just compounds the problem. It looks like a few guys are going to be forced to play out of position and that's just a recipe for disaster. The team is probably best served to just tear the whole thing down, other than Jonas, and start from scratch. Jonas is still only 22 so injecting some youth into the team would be great for the future to prevent any of Jonas' prime years to be wasted. Emeka, Devin and Duhon are at the tail ends of their career so it'd be better to rebuild now than a few years down the road when these guys are too old to trade. If the Mavericks GM is fine with just making renewing his CY than this team should get the job done. They'll be just as mediocre as they were last season.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Jonas Valanciunas
PF: Emeka Okafor
SF: Will Barton
SG: Chris Duhon
PG: Devin Harris
Projected Record: 41-41
2.
The Timberwolves probably aren't going to be as good as they were last year but they'll still be good. No longer title contenders or conference title contenders, but they're a sure fire playoff team. It's unclear what position this team will be in by the end of the season though. Trunks seems like he wants to rebuild so he's probably going to be making moves from now on. The lineup will look different than it does right now unless Trunks has a change of plans. The Timberwolves are pretty old so rebuilding seems like the way to go, can't fault Trunks for tearing up a potential 50 win team if he does choose that route. Amare Stoudemire is still capable of putting up 25 ppg and he has good sidekicks in Dunn and Telfair so he's not doing it all alone. The team is just getting older though and chances are the win totals will keep decreasing as the players start degressing if this lineup stays together.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Joel Pryzbilla
PF: Amare Stoudemire
SF: Danny Granger
SG: LaceDarius Dunn
PG: Sebastian Telfair
Projected Record: 50-32
1.
The Spurs are the clear favorites to win the division and it's easy to see why. They have arguably the best player in the league in Rudy Gay and great surrounding pieces. It doesn't stop there, they have two guys in the back court who can easily drop 20 ppg in Ray Allen and Deron Williams. There's no question the Spurs can outscore anyone in the league and that's what makes them so dangerous. I'd expect last season's Western Conference champs to compete for the title once again this year. I don't see the Timberwolves challenging them for the division so a top two seed is very likely. Look for Ray Allen, Gay and Deron to average a combined 70 ppg this season, forming the best trio in the game. The Spurs won't be satisfied with just a division title though, GM Play is probably thinking championship or bust.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Keith Benson
PF: Larry Sanders
SF: Rudy Gay
SG: Ray Allen
PG: Deron Williams
Projected Record: 59-23
All Midwest Team
C: Fab Melo
PF: Amare Stoudemire
SF: Rudy Gay
SG: Ray Allen
PG: John Wall
7.
What the hell happened to the Lakers? Not too long ago they had the best young squad in the game destined for nothing but success. Well, after a couple horrible moves that saw Avery Bradley and Gilbert Arenas shipped out, the Lakers look like one of the worse teams in the league. They were already a lotto team last year and this year they just seem to be worse, it's surprising a GM of DBW's caliber has built a team this poorly. To go along with the poor roster, there seems to be no glimmer of hope amongst the young players currently in place. There's not one player you see that makes you say that the Lakers future will be much better. I wouldn't be surprised if DBW did a complete 180 over the next few years, but it's not looking good at the moment. I don't see anyone worse than them in the division. They just haven't recovered since losing Jared Sullinger in Free Agency.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Tobias Harris
PF: Adreian Payne
SF: Dalton Pepper
SG: Jameer Nelson
PG: Austin Rivers
Projected Record: 28-54
6.
No surprise here, the Clippers are in the middle of a rebuilding period so they'll probably be satisfied with all the losses they'll be receiving. The acquisition of Paul Milsap was a little bit of a head scratcher considering they don't have the talent yet to rack up any good number of wins. They lack the Point Guard necessary to win , but they have some nice youth and some nice picks so they probably won't abandon the rebuilding plan. They aren't good at all but I'll give them the slight edge over the Lakers in the win column. They won't factor into any playoff race this season, they're about a season or two away. The Milsap acquisition can be a sign of things to come though, maybe they'll continue acquiring "win-now" talent w/ the young pieces and picks they have. Jordan Price and Brad Beal should be pieces everyone else wants.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Paul Milsap
PF: Carlos Boozer
SF: Vander Blue
SG: Jordan Price
PG: Cory Joseph
Projected Record: 31-51
5.
Another team destined for the lotto. The Warriors are one of the youngest teams in the league thanks to the fact they have no player over the age of 28. They aren't just young, they're young and good with a nice core of young players led by Andre Drummond and Avery Bradley. Andre Drummond looks like a perennial all-star in the making and at only 25 years old, Avery Bradley should have no problem continuing the pace he set last season. You can't ask for a better young player to build around than Andre Drummond. It doesn't stop there, Quinn Cook looks like he can be a starter in the future, but there's definitely some pieces that need to be added in order to secure a winning future. If they can have another losing season and grab another great player in the upcoming draft, watch out.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Andre Drummond
PF: Ed Davis
SF: Al-Farouq Aminu
SG: Avery Bradley
PG: Darren Collison
Projected Record: 34-48
4.
This is where the list of potential playoff team begins, although the Suns are far from a lock they might have a shot at a playoff spot. Depending on how bad the bottom of the Western Conference is, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Suns grab an 8th seed. That's about as far as they'll reach though, they simply don't have the talent quite yet. They made a big acquisition via trade in the off-season by trading for Derrick Favors but no one's certain if he'll ever reach his peak. They have some solid pieces around him, starting with Kenny Boynton and Chris Paul but it's not enough to really make too much noise. In order for the Suns to perform at optimal level, Favors is going to have to get his act together and finally start playing up to his talent, because up until now he's been a major disappointment offensively. That being said, he's still one of the best defensive bigs in the league with the ability to lock down any Power Forward he faces up against. If he and Boynton can mesh well together, i see the Suns claiming a playoff birth.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Roy Hibbert
PF: Derrick Favors
SF: Paul George
SG: Kenny Boynton
PG: Chris Paul
Projected Record: 39-43
3.
It's hard to judge the Sonics before the season even starts. It's not every day you see a GM ship out his two best players after four consecutive fifty win seasons. It's hard to knock them though since it landed them one of the top three players in the game in Perry Jones. The trade with the Knicks is probably a move that will pay dividends in the long term and not so much right now. I don't see them winning another 50 games this season, thanks in large part to the regression of Maurice Williams. He came up way too short of his 24 ppg output of last season by only putting up 14 ppg in the preseason. I might be over analyzing but it doesn't look like they'll compete for much this year. For the near future, Perry Jones has fallen back into the same situation he was in with the Knicks, stuck on a 40-some win team while putting out some of the leagues best numbers.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: DeAndre Jordan
PF: Tony Mitchell
SF: Perry Jones
SG: OJ Mayo
PG: Mo Williams
Projected Record: 45-37
2.
I feel like they're only three valid contenders for the conference championship in the Western Conference are the Kings are one of them. They had to unload some good role players and nice pieces due to the Hard Cap problems the team was facing but they should still be pretty good. I don't really know what Martinez plans to do with the logjam at PF with Blake or Bosh, one of them will probably end up playing SF, but I'm not sure who. They have a great defensive presence to compliment Bosh and Blake in the middle with Greg Oden and they have an outstanding Point Guard hitting his prime in Ricky Rubio. Dajuan Wagner is getting up there in age, but he still seems to be playing at his prime, albeit twilight of his prime. The lack of depth could lead to the demise of the Kings though, outside of their top five or six players, there's really nothing there so they're going to have to make it through the season without any major injuries.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Greg Oden
PF: Blake Griffin
SF: Chris Bosh
SG: Dajuan Wagner
PG: Ricky Rubio
Projected Record: 54-28
1.
The Trailblazers could possibly be the best team in the league. They are definitely title contenders and it's easy to see why. They have one of the best Point Guards in the game in Tony Parker, one of the best Small Forwards in the game in Nicolas Batum, a late blooming stud in Monta Ellis and a veteran whose one a few championships in his own, in Duncan. The window for the Trailblazers could be closing soon over the next few years, but everyone seems to be on top of their game coming into the Regular Season. Just like the Spurs, it's probably championship or bust for the Blazers as they'll probably see their chances at a championship get smaller and smaller every passing season.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Desagana Diop
PF: Tim Duncan
SF: Nicolas Batum
SG: Monta Ellis
PG: Tony Parker
Projected Record: 60-22
All Pacific Team
C: Paul Milsap
PF: Chris Bosh
SF: Perry Jones
SG: Avery Bradley
PG: Tony Parker
Midwest Division
7.
It's hard to imagine the Grizzlies might already have the best Center in the game in only his second season in the league. It seems Fab Melo is primed for another 25 ppg 10 rpg season, if not better. They lack the overall talent to be anything more than a high lotto pick team though. The development of Terrence Jones has definitely been encouraging for the future of the team but the future won't look much brighter if they keep butchering picks like they did this past draft. It looks like the sidekick to Melo will be Terrence Jones so the Grizzlies GM needs to realize that and start injecting Jones with some points by means of an article or by posts. The future looks bright with Fab Melo but they might not have enough time to rely on youth with their Contract Year coming next season, barring any miracles this season. It will be another tanking season for the Grizzlies with another win tally in the twenties. By far the worse team in the division.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Fab Melo
PF: Mouphtaou Yarou
SF: Terrence Jones
SG: Josh Howard
PG: Ryan Harrow
Projected Record: 25-57
6.
The Utah Jazz have ended the season with less than 35 wins in each of the past six seasons. Some of the worse seasons in franchise history have come under the management of Prince and this season might be no different. The Jazz are in a tough position considering it's their cy and it seems their lineup falls short of a 40 win team. They're definitely better than last seasons 32 win team, but not by much. Alex Oriakhi might be the key to this whole season for them, he's coming off a 14 ppg and 13 rpg season and he definitely has the talent to improve those numbers this season. If Oraikhi can pitch in around 18-20 ppg, Jazz might just have enough to make cy. Prince is going to have to be aggressive though if he wants to secure making his CY. They might want to consider trading one of their Point Guards for a Small Forward so Kobe can play his natural position. As it stands, it looks like one of the point guards is going to have to play Shooting Guard, far from ideal.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Alex Oriakhi
PF: Andrea Bargnani
SF: Kobe Bryant
SG: Russell Westbrook
PG: Acie Law
Projected Record: 36-46
5.
The Rockets will be right there with the Jazz in the race for worse of the division. The only thing keeping the Rockets from being on the top of this list is Kevin Durant. Despite coming off a sub-par training camp, he should still hover around the 27-32 ppg mark this season. After Durant, the next best player is Jason Richardson whose more of a third option on a good team. Jeff Green has failed to become the stud we all thought he'd be after putting up 20 ppg in only his second season. These are solid role players, but not second and third options. They'll have to address their biggest weakness if they want to make the playoffs, their Point Guard situation is far from desirable. Johnny Flynn should be nothing more than a backup and they lack the depth to overcome the lack of talent in the starting lineup. It looks like it will be another inconsistent and mediocre season for Houston again this season. I don't really see them surpassing their 39 win total of last season.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Joakim Noah
PF: Jeff Green
SF: Kevin Durant
SG: Jason Richardson
PG: Jonny Flynn
Projected Record: 38-44
4.
Taking a quick look at the Nuggets lineup and it looks like a borderline playoff/lotto team. That's surprising considering they've been competitive the last four seasons. The Nuggets are going to have to rely heavily on the production of both Brandon Roy and John Wall. They might be relied upon a little too much though. I don't see another starter being capable of putting up as low as even 15 ppg this season, maybe not even 10 ppg. A great percentage of the scoring will have to come from the back court. No doubt this season will be a struggle offensively for the Denver Nuggets, the defense is going to have to be top notch if they want to make the playoffs. The lack of talent and depth will take this team straight into the lotto unless the GM pulls off some trades. I don't really see this team getting 46 wins like they did last year, the bottom four teams in the division are so tightly grouped i wouldn't be surprised if they came out last. They are an injury to Roy or Wall away from being absolutely horrible. It's a tough situation to be in without your pick.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Hasheem Thabeet
PF: Ekpe Udoh
SF: Thaddeus Young
SG: Brandon Roy
PG: John Wall
Projected Record: 39-43
3.
The Mavericks seem like a mediocre team with a chance at sneaking into the playoffs. They have one of the best young bigs in the game if not the best in Jonas, but the rest of the team is filled with mediocre veterans. The gaping hole at Small Forward just compounds the problem. It looks like a few guys are going to be forced to play out of position and that's just a recipe for disaster. The team is probably best served to just tear the whole thing down, other than Jonas, and start from scratch. Jonas is still only 22 so injecting some youth into the team would be great for the future to prevent any of Jonas' prime years to be wasted. Emeka, Devin and Duhon are at the tail ends of their career so it'd be better to rebuild now than a few years down the road when these guys are too old to trade. If the Mavericks GM is fine with just making renewing his CY than this team should get the job done. They'll be just as mediocre as they were last season.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Jonas Valanciunas
PF: Emeka Okafor
SF: Will Barton
SG: Chris Duhon
PG: Devin Harris
Projected Record: 41-41
2.
The Timberwolves probably aren't going to be as good as they were last year but they'll still be good. No longer title contenders or conference title contenders, but they're a sure fire playoff team. It's unclear what position this team will be in by the end of the season though. Trunks seems like he wants to rebuild so he's probably going to be making moves from now on. The lineup will look different than it does right now unless Trunks has a change of plans. The Timberwolves are pretty old so rebuilding seems like the way to go, can't fault Trunks for tearing up a potential 50 win team if he does choose that route. Amare Stoudemire is still capable of putting up 25 ppg and he has good sidekicks in Dunn and Telfair so he's not doing it all alone. The team is just getting older though and chances are the win totals will keep decreasing as the players start degressing if this lineup stays together.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Joel Pryzbilla
PF: Amare Stoudemire
SF: Danny Granger
SG: LaceDarius Dunn
PG: Sebastian Telfair
Projected Record: 50-32
1.
The Spurs are the clear favorites to win the division and it's easy to see why. They have arguably the best player in the league in Rudy Gay and great surrounding pieces. It doesn't stop there, they have two guys in the back court who can easily drop 20 ppg in Ray Allen and Deron Williams. There's no question the Spurs can outscore anyone in the league and that's what makes them so dangerous. I'd expect last season's Western Conference champs to compete for the title once again this year. I don't see the Timberwolves challenging them for the division so a top two seed is very likely. Look for Ray Allen, Gay and Deron to average a combined 70 ppg this season, forming the best trio in the game. The Spurs won't be satisfied with just a division title though, GM Play is probably thinking championship or bust.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Keith Benson
PF: Larry Sanders
SF: Rudy Gay
SG: Ray Allen
PG: Deron Williams
Projected Record: 59-23
All Midwest Team
C: Fab Melo
PF: Amare Stoudemire
SF: Rudy Gay
SG: Ray Allen
PG: John Wall
Pacific Division
7.
What the hell happened to the Lakers? Not too long ago they had the best young squad in the game destined for nothing but success. Well, after a couple horrible moves that saw Avery Bradley and Gilbert Arenas shipped out, the Lakers look like one of the worse teams in the league. They were already a lotto team last year and this year they just seem to be worse, it's surprising a GM of DBW's caliber has built a team this poorly. To go along with the poor roster, there seems to be no glimmer of hope amongst the young players currently in place. There's not one player you see that makes you say that the Lakers future will be much better. I wouldn't be surprised if DBW did a complete 180 over the next few years, but it's not looking good at the moment. I don't see anyone worse than them in the division. They just haven't recovered since losing Jared Sullinger in Free Agency.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Tobias Harris
PF: Adreian Payne
SF: Dalton Pepper
SG: Jameer Nelson
PG: Austin Rivers
Projected Record: 28-54
6.
No surprise here, the Clippers are in the middle of a rebuilding period so they'll probably be satisfied with all the losses they'll be receiving. The acquisition of Paul Milsap was a little bit of a head scratcher considering they don't have the talent yet to rack up any good number of wins. They lack the Point Guard necessary to win , but they have some nice youth and some nice picks so they probably won't abandon the rebuilding plan. They aren't good at all but I'll give them the slight edge over the Lakers in the win column. They won't factor into any playoff race this season, they're about a season or two away. The Milsap acquisition can be a sign of things to come though, maybe they'll continue acquiring "win-now" talent w/ the young pieces and picks they have. Jordan Price and Brad Beal should be pieces everyone else wants.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Paul Milsap
PF: Carlos Boozer
SF: Vander Blue
SG: Jordan Price
PG: Cory Joseph
Projected Record: 31-51
5.
Another team destined for the lotto. The Warriors are one of the youngest teams in the league thanks to the fact they have no player over the age of 28. They aren't just young, they're young and good with a nice core of young players led by Andre Drummond and Avery Bradley. Andre Drummond looks like a perennial all-star in the making and at only 25 years old, Avery Bradley should have no problem continuing the pace he set last season. You can't ask for a better young player to build around than Andre Drummond. It doesn't stop there, Quinn Cook looks like he can be a starter in the future, but there's definitely some pieces that need to be added in order to secure a winning future. If they can have another losing season and grab another great player in the upcoming draft, watch out.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Andre Drummond
PF: Ed Davis
SF: Al-Farouq Aminu
SG: Avery Bradley
PG: Darren Collison
Projected Record: 34-48
4.
This is where the list of potential playoff team begins, although the Suns are far from a lock they might have a shot at a playoff spot. Depending on how bad the bottom of the Western Conference is, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Suns grab an 8th seed. That's about as far as they'll reach though, they simply don't have the talent quite yet. They made a big acquisition via trade in the off-season by trading for Derrick Favors but no one's certain if he'll ever reach his peak. They have some solid pieces around him, starting with Kenny Boynton and Chris Paul but it's not enough to really make too much noise. In order for the Suns to perform at optimal level, Favors is going to have to get his act together and finally start playing up to his talent, because up until now he's been a major disappointment offensively. That being said, he's still one of the best defensive bigs in the league with the ability to lock down any Power Forward he faces up against. If he and Boynton can mesh well together, i see the Suns claiming a playoff birth.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Roy Hibbert
PF: Derrick Favors
SF: Paul George
SG: Kenny Boynton
PG: Chris Paul
Projected Record: 39-43
3.
It's hard to judge the Sonics before the season even starts. It's not every day you see a GM ship out his two best players after four consecutive fifty win seasons. It's hard to knock them though since it landed them one of the top three players in the game in Perry Jones. The trade with the Knicks is probably a move that will pay dividends in the long term and not so much right now. I don't see them winning another 50 games this season, thanks in large part to the regression of Maurice Williams. He came up way too short of his 24 ppg output of last season by only putting up 14 ppg in the preseason. I might be over analyzing but it doesn't look like they'll compete for much this year. For the near future, Perry Jones has fallen back into the same situation he was in with the Knicks, stuck on a 40-some win team while putting out some of the leagues best numbers.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: DeAndre Jordan
PF: Tony Mitchell
SF: Perry Jones
SG: OJ Mayo
PG: Mo Williams
Projected Record: 45-37
2.
I feel like they're only three valid contenders for the conference championship in the Western Conference are the Kings are one of them. They had to unload some good role players and nice pieces due to the Hard Cap problems the team was facing but they should still be pretty good. I don't really know what Martinez plans to do with the logjam at PF with Blake or Bosh, one of them will probably end up playing SF, but I'm not sure who. They have a great defensive presence to compliment Bosh and Blake in the middle with Greg Oden and they have an outstanding Point Guard hitting his prime in Ricky Rubio. Dajuan Wagner is getting up there in age, but he still seems to be playing at his prime, albeit twilight of his prime. The lack of depth could lead to the demise of the Kings though, outside of their top five or six players, there's really nothing there so they're going to have to make it through the season without any major injuries.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Greg Oden
PF: Blake Griffin
SF: Chris Bosh
SG: Dajuan Wagner
PG: Ricky Rubio
Projected Record: 54-28
1.
The Trailblazers could possibly be the best team in the league. They are definitely title contenders and it's easy to see why. They have one of the best Point Guards in the game in Tony Parker, one of the best Small Forwards in the game in Nicolas Batum, a late blooming stud in Monta Ellis and a veteran whose one a few championships in his own, in Duncan. The window for the Trailblazers could be closing soon over the next few years, but everyone seems to be on top of their game coming into the Regular Season. Just like the Spurs, it's probably championship or bust for the Blazers as they'll probably see their chances at a championship get smaller and smaller every passing season.
Projected Starting Lineup
C: Desagana Diop
PF: Tim Duncan
SF: Nicolas Batum
SG: Monta Ellis
PG: Tony Parker
Projected Record: 60-22
All Pacific Team
C: Paul Milsap
PF: Chris Bosh
SF: Perry Jones
SG: Avery Bradley
PG: Tony Parker
