i think Detroit may be one of the tougher teams to predict. their starting 5 is beginning to get up there in age, and minutes played, but Joe Dumars has done an excellent job with late round draft picks. where the bench isn't overly deep its quality of play is virtually unmatched throughout the NBA. Where the starting 5 is old, the bench is the complete opposite being young and full of energy. it could be very effective mixing and matching this group. with the emergence of Rodney Stuckey in last years playoffs he should be able to give Billups some much needed rest so he has a full tank come playoff time. Jason Maxiel and Aaron Affalo will do the same thing. Young,full of energy, and very effective. The strength of each one is the most important, they all are above average defenders. Detroit's bench is the main reason I would pick this team to contend. I am not as confident in the starting 5 as much as I am with the bench players. I think Michael Curry will do an excellent job and give an old team a sense of freshness. Overall it should be an intesresting season for the Pistons. I think they will be there once again when its all said and done, but not for the reasons they have been their in the past. This time around strong bench play will give this aging team enough of a boost to compete at a high level.
i also agree with your assessment of Denver. A few head scratchers for moves thats for sure. I have a feeling AI won't be wearing a Denver jeresy when this season is over. I don't expect this team to make the playoffs either. Not enough defense. Mello has never been known for a defensive stopper and AI defense has slipped with age. It's not good when your best players are your worst defenders. It sets the tone for the team, and in this case its a bad thing. Just look at the best teams - Boston, San Antonio, Detroit, Lakers (to a lesser extent, but still much improved). They all are outstanding defensive teams. With that said it's going to be another frustrating season in Colorado.
Nice to see you stop by HD. I think we are forming a nice little NBA group here. A lot of combined knowledge is going to make us a bunch of money in the upcoming season. I feel like a fucking 6 year old and Christmas is right around the corner. I haven't been this excited for an upcoming NBA season since I was a kid and anticipated Jordan dropping 50 every night. I agree with your assessment of the young Detroit bench. They will be there at the end of the season but I think the age will catch up with them and I'm not sure if the young guys will pull it out late in the season. We will see though. I will do my Detroit analysis and maybe a few others tomorrow at work. I got a nice little shift and will keep doing work. I still have 20+ teams to go. If anyone (HD, ICC, Salty) has a grasp on any teams be my guest and start plugging away. Granted this thread is titled SA NBA that doesn't mean you guys can't put your two cents and/or own team preview in there. See you guys tomorrow. Time to cum on this poor girls face:bunnies:
Los Angeles Clippers
I think the Clippers will be a very improved team this season. Not only have they improved in a lot of ways, but they have players that are now playing with a chip on their shoulders. The Clippers have done a good job in sureing up the things about their teams that caused them to struggle recently. The have also added to some of their strengths and are now one of the more interesting teams in the entire league in my opinon. The Clippers are a team that will challenge teams like Denver and Golden St for a spot in the bottom half of the conference and I think will be a team that can get into the playoffs if they are able to stay healthy.
The two things about winning in the NBA are solid point guard play and the ability to rebound. A solid interior defense and players that are capable to hit outside shots are the other two key components in the NBA in my eyes. The Clippers have made themselves into a team that can do all of this. Toss in a couple other things, and this team is one that is prime to make a nice move in the Western Conference this year. They struggled with injuries last year, so players that made drastic improvements were lost in a team that basically played with no leader and no idenitiy all year long. The team now has its leader in the Mad Baron, and are filled with verteran leadership all over the floor.
Starting in the back-court, the Clippers have done a nice job in sureing up what is quickly becoming the most important spot on the entire floor. Baron Davis, if healthy, is an absolute beast when it comes to putting points up on the board and being able to get to the basket to help create shots for his teammates. With both Kaman and Camby very good on the offensive glass with good hands, I expect Barons penetration to open things up for those guys. Both are very good finishers around the basket, and I expect both of them to have improved offesive seasons. The back-up will be Jason Hart considering the retirement of Jason Williams. Hart has always been an above average defender and has always done a nice job in limiting his turnovers. He should do an adequate job in getting the ball to the scoers that this team has filled themselves up with over the last couple years.
Eric Gorden is a scorer. Al Thorton is a scorer. Ricky Davis is an idiot, but he is a scorer. This team shouldnt have issues getting the ball in the basket, and when Kaman is out resting, the will have a very talented group of guys running up and down the court along with Camby. The thing that I find so interesting about this team is their ability to play two totally different styles of basketball. This could be a double edged sword, because they could get confused and never find a true identity for their team. If things work out, they could be team that could cause major issues for other teams with their ability.
The Clippers will rebound this season. Kaman, Skinner, and Camby are all very good on the glass. Also, Baron is a good rebounding guard to help out along with swing men like Davis and Thorton. This should counter the lack of rebounding they will get from guys like Gorden and Mobley at the 2 spot. The interior defense will be much improved also. Skinner is an athletic high-energy player that has always been known for his ability to play solid defense in the paint. Camby is one of the best in the league at stopping penetration and blocking shots also. If DeAndre Jordan can play himself into some playing time, he is also an explosive 7-footer that can get himself up and down the floor. In the right situation, Jordan could become a contributor for this team down the strech as the older players begin to fade.
One hole I see with this team is going to be their poor perimeter defense. They just dont have any guys that are willing to do the job, and the loss of Ross is going to hurt them much more than they will realize. Other than Hart, there is a very poor defensive team out on the court at the one, two, and three spot. I think Thorton has the ability to be a solid defender, and I also hope that Gorden will take some pride in his defense at this level. He is very under-sized as a 2-guard, but his long arms and strong body could make him a solid defensive player.
With Mobley, Novak, and **deep breath** Tim Thomas this team also will have the ability to strech the floor. Both players can knock down jump-shots in their sleep, and with the new additons at the point, I expect both of them to get more open looks. Guys like Brevin Knight were never able to create shots for them. Knight might have some gaudy assist numbers, but most of them came on simple swing passes that resulted in forced jumpers that went in.
The have solid point play, they rebound, they hit jumpers, and they have a defensive stopper. The Clippers have the ability to be a very suprising team in the Western Conference this year. Other than health and the devleopment of their younger players, the issues with the Clippers come from the front office. With an owner that rides his coach constantly, the Clippers could fall victim to a power struggle between what is on the court and what the front office wants on the court. I would assume with the signing of Davis for big money that everyone is on the win-now page.
Oh and....Baron is coming home.
:aktion033
I think the Clippers will be a very improved team this season. Not only have they improved in a lot of ways, but they have players that are now playing with a chip on their shoulders. The Clippers have done a good job in sureing up the things about their teams that caused them to struggle recently. The have also added to some of their strengths and are now one of the more interesting teams in the entire league in my opinon. The Clippers are a team that will challenge teams like Denver and Golden St for a spot in the bottom half of the conference and I think will be a team that can get into the playoffs if they are able to stay healthy.
The two things about winning in the NBA are solid point guard play and the ability to rebound. A solid interior defense and players that are capable to hit outside shots are the other two key components in the NBA in my eyes. The Clippers have made themselves into a team that can do all of this. Toss in a couple other things, and this team is one that is prime to make a nice move in the Western Conference this year. They struggled with injuries last year, so players that made drastic improvements were lost in a team that basically played with no leader and no idenitiy all year long. The team now has its leader in the Mad Baron, and are filled with verteran leadership all over the floor.
Starting in the back-court, the Clippers have done a nice job in sureing up what is quickly becoming the most important spot on the entire floor. Baron Davis, if healthy, is an absolute beast when it comes to putting points up on the board and being able to get to the basket to help create shots for his teammates. With both Kaman and Camby very good on the offensive glass with good hands, I expect Barons penetration to open things up for those guys. Both are very good finishers around the basket, and I expect both of them to have improved offesive seasons. The back-up will be Jason Hart considering the retirement of Jason Williams. Hart has always been an above average defender and has always done a nice job in limiting his turnovers. He should do an adequate job in getting the ball to the scoers that this team has filled themselves up with over the last couple years.
Eric Gorden is a scorer. Al Thorton is a scorer. Ricky Davis is an idiot, but he is a scorer. This team shouldnt have issues getting the ball in the basket, and when Kaman is out resting, the will have a very talented group of guys running up and down the court along with Camby. The thing that I find so interesting about this team is their ability to play two totally different styles of basketball. This could be a double edged sword, because they could get confused and never find a true identity for their team. If things work out, they could be team that could cause major issues for other teams with their ability.
The Clippers will rebound this season. Kaman, Skinner, and Camby are all very good on the glass. Also, Baron is a good rebounding guard to help out along with swing men like Davis and Thorton. This should counter the lack of rebounding they will get from guys like Gorden and Mobley at the 2 spot. The interior defense will be much improved also. Skinner is an athletic high-energy player that has always been known for his ability to play solid defense in the paint. Camby is one of the best in the league at stopping penetration and blocking shots also. If DeAndre Jordan can play himself into some playing time, he is also an explosive 7-footer that can get himself up and down the floor. In the right situation, Jordan could become a contributor for this team down the strech as the older players begin to fade.
One hole I see with this team is going to be their poor perimeter defense. They just dont have any guys that are willing to do the job, and the loss of Ross is going to hurt them much more than they will realize. Other than Hart, there is a very poor defensive team out on the court at the one, two, and three spot. I think Thorton has the ability to be a solid defender, and I also hope that Gorden will take some pride in his defense at this level. He is very under-sized as a 2-guard, but his long arms and strong body could make him a solid defensive player.
With Mobley, Novak, and **deep breath** Tim Thomas this team also will have the ability to strech the floor. Both players can knock down jump-shots in their sleep, and with the new additons at the point, I expect both of them to get more open looks. Guys like Brevin Knight were never able to create shots for them. Knight might have some gaudy assist numbers, but most of them came on simple swing passes that resulted in forced jumpers that went in.
The have solid point play, they rebound, they hit jumpers, and they have a defensive stopper. The Clippers have the ability to be a very suprising team in the Western Conference this year. Other than health and the devleopment of their younger players, the issues with the Clippers come from the front office. With an owner that rides his coach constantly, the Clippers could fall victim to a power struggle between what is on the court and what the front office wants on the court. I would assume with the signing of Davis for big money that everyone is on the win-now page.
Oh and....Baron is coming home.
:aktion033
I also love that everyone is going to have their eyes on the Lakers this season. Teams come in town and get these two back to back all the time. The Clippers are going to get looked past in a lot of games at home this season, and I think they have the rebounding and poing guard play to win some tough games late.
I worry about health. It seems like the Clippers had 2 games where they had their roster at full strength last year. Kaman is a liability at all times. Baron has had a tendency to completely break down at the end of the season the last couple years. If they were smart, which they aren't, they would limit Barons minutes early in the season. Any more and he is gonna be toast when and IF they have a chance at the playoffs. But they'll probably run him into the ground much like the Suns do with Nash..
I agree. I think that is the major issue with this team other than identity. If Baron smells the chance for the playoffs though he will be healthy. I think a lot of Barons health issues have to do with the teams performance. He is always going to have something hurting him, but its a matter of how much he wants it that matters. Look at the playoffs two years ago, he was 100% after going hard for the whole season. I think Baron needs to be motivated, and getting the hometown Clip-show back the the promise land is one of the things that might be enough. I agree on Kaman as well, but youve got to think Dunleavy will limit him big time to start the season. Especially with Camby around and the disaster that Kaman tried to go in the Olympics. Id expect them to limit him until about game 35 and then let him loose. IF they stay healthy they will be a solid team IMO. What are you thinking about for O/U? Im guessing somewhere around 30.
30 sounds about right.
I do like the Gordon and Davis additions. I think Gordon has a long way to go, but this team needs scoring. They struggled to score over 90 points a game last year. (2nd to last in the league) They need to get the rock in the hole. Bottom line.
29th in Fg %
29th in 3 pt % as well
I do like the Gordon and Davis additions. I think Gordon has a long way to go, but this team needs scoring. They struggled to score over 90 points a game last year. (2nd to last in the league) They need to get the rock in the hole. Bottom line.
29th in Fg %
29th in 3 pt % as well
Camby is a career 46% guy too. I think it might be a lot of addition by subtraction too. Look at the numbers their PGs put up last season. Absolutely terriable, especially from deep. It also should be noted that Mobley was hurt the entire season and even though his FG %s were about at his career averages, he will help to bring that up with more shots. Magette went 78-203 from 3. How many is he going to jack up in GS? That could be scary.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Projected Starters:
PG Monta Ellis **(out 2 months with injury)
SG Stephen Jackson
SF Corey Maggette
PF Al Harrington
C Andres Biedrins
Key Reserves:
PG Marcus Williams
SG Marco Belinelli
SF Kelenna Azubuike
PF Brandon Wright
C Ronny Turiaf
Rookie Anthony Randolph
Outlook:
Pretty disappointing end to the 07-08 season for the Warriors. Let me rephrase, Extremely disappointing. They had high expectations coming into the season after knocking off the #1 seed Mavs the year before in the playoffs and a core group back. They end the season with a 48-34 record and miss out on the playoffs. That is demoralizing for a team. Then in a even bigger kick in the junk they lose their team leader, Baron Davis, to the Clippers. A move, for the most part, nobody on the team expected. They counter with the signing of Maggette and trading for Marcus Williams.
On to this season. This team has one thing going for them imo. They are young. Average age is 23. Other than that, there is not much going in their favor. They lock down Monta for 6 years and he proceeds to go out and shred his ankle in a mo-ped accident. He is out at the very least two months. This is kind of strange injury so who even knows how well he will recover when he does come back. He is a player that streaks to the baskets, gets out on breaks, I don't think it's going to be one of those situations where he comes back and is back in form right away. I also think him in the point guard position is a huge mistake. This is up for debate of course, but imo a point should not be the main focus of your offense.
With Monta out, the load of the offense is up to Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette. Both are certainly capable of putting up 20+ a night but that will not be enough when your defense gives up a league worst 108.8 points a game. Nelly will have this team scoring points, it's just the way their offense works. We all know this team wants to run and gun with everyone but I feel without an established point this year they are going to be in trouble. They will win their share of games by out-chucking the other team, but in most cases it will cost them more losses.
On paper, they look to have a decent bench, but looking further into it they have a bunch of inexperienced guys. Brandan Wright did not have an impressive first year. Marcus Williams will be getting the bulk of the load to start the season at point, so CJ Watson will most likely get back up duty. Belinelli only has 33 games under his belt. Azubuike and Turiaf are decent back ups but nothing to write home about. They drafted Anthony Randolph out of LSU which seems to be a great pick. He was projected top 5 early last year but with some question marks surrounding him he fell to the Warriors. Judging by his summer league games, they may have found a gem. The loss of Peitrus to the Magic and his 8 and 4 off the bench will not help things either.
I think this will be a tough year for the Warriors. They are with out their best player for the first couple months of the year. There are question marks about how he he responds the injury. When he does come back, there is a conflict having him run the point. This team will score, no doubt. But they still do not play any defense. Giving up 110 points a game and not having a viable point option does not spell playoffs for this team imo. I figure they will finish with around 34-36 wins and end up outside the playoff picture. They are young and have a foundation for their future but I don't believe they have what it takes to compete this year.
Side Notes:
I will look to play this team as a short home favorite over some better teams. They usually bring their best game on their home floor. They will have some big lines on the road as a dog and I will look to stay far away from these. They will always look tempting with the way these guys can fill it up but in the last few years betting this team on the road will find your pockets empty.
Projected Starters:
PG Monta Ellis **(out 2 months with injury)
SG Stephen Jackson
SF Corey Maggette
PF Al Harrington
C Andres Biedrins
Key Reserves:
PG Marcus Williams
SG Marco Belinelli
SF Kelenna Azubuike
PF Brandon Wright
C Ronny Turiaf
Rookie Anthony Randolph
Outlook:
Pretty disappointing end to the 07-08 season for the Warriors. Let me rephrase, Extremely disappointing. They had high expectations coming into the season after knocking off the #1 seed Mavs the year before in the playoffs and a core group back. They end the season with a 48-34 record and miss out on the playoffs. That is demoralizing for a team. Then in a even bigger kick in the junk they lose their team leader, Baron Davis, to the Clippers. A move, for the most part, nobody on the team expected. They counter with the signing of Maggette and trading for Marcus Williams.
On to this season. This team has one thing going for them imo. They are young. Average age is 23. Other than that, there is not much going in their favor. They lock down Monta for 6 years and he proceeds to go out and shred his ankle in a mo-ped accident. He is out at the very least two months. This is kind of strange injury so who even knows how well he will recover when he does come back. He is a player that streaks to the baskets, gets out on breaks, I don't think it's going to be one of those situations where he comes back and is back in form right away. I also think him in the point guard position is a huge mistake. This is up for debate of course, but imo a point should not be the main focus of your offense.
With Monta out, the load of the offense is up to Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette. Both are certainly capable of putting up 20+ a night but that will not be enough when your defense gives up a league worst 108.8 points a game. Nelly will have this team scoring points, it's just the way their offense works. We all know this team wants to run and gun with everyone but I feel without an established point this year they are going to be in trouble. They will win their share of games by out-chucking the other team, but in most cases it will cost them more losses.
On paper, they look to have a decent bench, but looking further into it they have a bunch of inexperienced guys. Brandan Wright did not have an impressive first year. Marcus Williams will be getting the bulk of the load to start the season at point, so CJ Watson will most likely get back up duty. Belinelli only has 33 games under his belt. Azubuike and Turiaf are decent back ups but nothing to write home about. They drafted Anthony Randolph out of LSU which seems to be a great pick. He was projected top 5 early last year but with some question marks surrounding him he fell to the Warriors. Judging by his summer league games, they may have found a gem. The loss of Peitrus to the Magic and his 8 and 4 off the bench will not help things either.
I think this will be a tough year for the Warriors. They are with out their best player for the first couple months of the year. There are question marks about how he he responds the injury. When he does come back, there is a conflict having him run the point. This team will score, no doubt. But they still do not play any defense. Giving up 110 points a game and not having a viable point option does not spell playoffs for this team imo. I figure they will finish with around 34-36 wins and end up outside the playoff picture. They are young and have a foundation for their future but I don't believe they have what it takes to compete this year.
Side Notes:
I will look to play this team as a short home favorite over some better teams. They usually bring their best game on their home floor. They will have some big lines on the road as a dog and I will look to stay far away from these. They will always look tempting with the way these guys can fill it up but in the last few years betting this team on the road will find your pockets empty.
haha its def a lot of work but by the time the season tips off I like to think I have a really good grasp not only on a few teams, but on the whole league. I'll observe the league for a couple weeks when it starts as well and closely watch exhibitions but by mid november I should be ready to make some money
Thanks for Doing GS, PHX and LAC so far....I like the clips to make the playoffs actually...I say they are way more than a 30 win team..if they stay healthy
Thanks for Doing GS, PHX and LAC so far....I like the clips to make the playoffs actually...I say they are way more than a 30 win team..if they stay healthy
Good write up on Golden St, but one thing I disagree with is their bench play. I think it will be solid. I expect Wright to be much better this season. In most cases your rookie year is a learning experience. It's much different grinding out 82 games then playing a high school or college schedule where you play 40 games at the most. His body should be better conditioned this season. He has too much upside not to produce. i'm expecting a big improvement this year.
Azibuke is also a solid bench player. He will match up favorable against most opposing bench players. Also signing Turiaf will give them the interior defensive toughness that they need. He will provide energy and always play hard for you. Can't ask for anything more from a guy who will be playing 18-24 minutes a game. The west is just too tough though and if Ellis misses any more time than he already is expected it could be a long season
Azibuke is also a solid bench player. He will match up favorable against most opposing bench players. Also signing Turiaf will give them the interior defensive toughness that they need. He will provide energy and always play hard for you. Can't ask for anything more from a guy who will be playing 18-24 minutes a game. The west is just too tough though and if Ellis misses any more time than he already is expected it could be a long season
