Mambo
Member
Well you are. If all youre going to provide to this board is insults then I suggest you leave.
P.S
KanYe West is amazing.
My way to early seedings for the West
- Thread starter Jazz4ever
- Start date
Well you are. If all youre going to provide to this board is insults then I suggest you leave.
P.S
KanYe West is amazing.
TheMulletMutilator
Member
Disagree with the PS. I guess to each their own.
KhaOZ
Well-Known Member
I guess you have a point, but you're still wrong about Denver and OKC IMO. I'll give you that, stating that the Jazz will end up #2 without even seeing how this team plays together yet, is probably just as crazy as saying Denver will be #2. But then, this is a Jazz fan forum, so I expect Jazz bias. I even aid in it from time to time.
Mambo
Member
How? Denver had the 2nd seed for most of the season last year and i believe they wouldve kept it if Karl didnt get sick, and they still have same pieces and added a new one thats great
breezy
Member
i agree with this guy. we undervalue denver. although i do not like harrington addition for denver(they dont need offense, they need to focus on defense!!) remember they were poised to finish 2nd for two straight years before george karl went down. its more reasonable and safe to assume they will finish ahead of us than us jazz fans thinking we will finish 2nd without even knowing how well jefferson and bell will fit in. why dont we just say both team will finish in top 6?
Stickler
Well-Known Member
This is very similar to my thinking. I actually did this earlier tonight on another board.
1. Lakers
2. Jazz (and they will be very close to #1)
3. Thunder
4. Portland
5. Mavericks
6. Nuggets
7. Spurs
8. Rockets
Dark horse: Clippers. I happen think Blake Griffin is going to be an absolute monster in the NBA. He's the closest thing I've seen to a young Karl Malone.
Why I rate the Jazz at 2: In my opinion -- and we've actually seen him prove this over and over again -- Millsap can duplicate much of what Boozer did for us. I don't actually look at Al Jefferson as Boozer's replacement. Boozer's advantage over Paul is slight. Boozer is overrated, Paul underrated, and in the end, it comes very close to being a wash. I therefore see Al Jefferson mostly as a new addition to a team that already would have been as good as they were last season. I think our frontcourt defense will be greatly improved -- not because Jefferson is a great defender -- but by virtue of having Paul as our starting PF; say what you will about Paul, but he brings a toughness and a tenacity on defense that we never saw from Boozer. Is he an all-world defender? No. But he brings the effort. With the addition of Bell, Jefferson, and the (presumable) moving of Paul into the starting lineup, I anticipate a new attitude of toughness on the basketball court next season. We could win 60 games, but I think 58 is about right. If Jefferson actually *can* play defense, look out. I recently read a scouting report on him that said, when he first came into the league, he actually tried quite convincingly on defense, but he would foul out of games. Over the first few seasons in the NBA, he learned (and might have been coached) to back off on defense so that he could stay in games. I think our coaches might actually have something to work with, as far as his defense is concerned.
I don't think the Mavs will take a step backwards, really, but I think they're going to be leapfrogged with the improvements of other teams. Kidd and Dirk have a lot of miles on them, though.
In the Thunder, I just see the continued growth of Durant and that young core.
Assuming Portland gets some of their injured players back to full strength, they will be improved on that alone.
Ditto the Rockets. Is Yao really coming back? (If not, I'd take them off the list, btw)
I rate the Nuggets so low because -- yeah, they've had good runs. But that is a group of guys that falls apart from time to time. Headcases. Some of them are in decline. Billups isn't himself anymore. Neither is Birdman. I don't really think Harrington is going to add anything that they didn't already have. Then again, Karl might work his magic. Who knows?
Spurs are okay. I don't see them improving over last season though. They could quite reasonably continue to slide and continue to get worse.
I'm putting the Suns out because, that's just how tight the west is. If they've gotten 5 or 10 games worse (which I think they have), in the West, they'll slide right out of the playoffs.
My thoughts.
1. Lakers
2. Jazz (and they will be very close to #1)
3. Thunder
4. Portland
5. Mavericks
6. Nuggets
7. Spurs
8. Rockets
Dark horse: Clippers. I happen think Blake Griffin is going to be an absolute monster in the NBA. He's the closest thing I've seen to a young Karl Malone.
Why I rate the Jazz at 2: In my opinion -- and we've actually seen him prove this over and over again -- Millsap can duplicate much of what Boozer did for us. I don't actually look at Al Jefferson as Boozer's replacement. Boozer's advantage over Paul is slight. Boozer is overrated, Paul underrated, and in the end, it comes very close to being a wash. I therefore see Al Jefferson mostly as a new addition to a team that already would have been as good as they were last season. I think our frontcourt defense will be greatly improved -- not because Jefferson is a great defender -- but by virtue of having Paul as our starting PF; say what you will about Paul, but he brings a toughness and a tenacity on defense that we never saw from Boozer. Is he an all-world defender? No. But he brings the effort. With the addition of Bell, Jefferson, and the (presumable) moving of Paul into the starting lineup, I anticipate a new attitude of toughness on the basketball court next season. We could win 60 games, but I think 58 is about right. If Jefferson actually *can* play defense, look out. I recently read a scouting report on him that said, when he first came into the league, he actually tried quite convincingly on defense, but he would foul out of games. Over the first few seasons in the NBA, he learned (and might have been coached) to back off on defense so that he could stay in games. I think our coaches might actually have something to work with, as far as his defense is concerned.
I don't think the Mavs will take a step backwards, really, but I think they're going to be leapfrogged with the improvements of other teams. Kidd and Dirk have a lot of miles on them, though.
In the Thunder, I just see the continued growth of Durant and that young core.
Assuming Portland gets some of their injured players back to full strength, they will be improved on that alone.
Ditto the Rockets. Is Yao really coming back? (If not, I'd take them off the list, btw)
I rate the Nuggets so low because -- yeah, they've had good runs. But that is a group of guys that falls apart from time to time. Headcases. Some of them are in decline. Billups isn't himself anymore. Neither is Birdman. I don't really think Harrington is going to add anything that they didn't already have. Then again, Karl might work his magic. Who knows?
Spurs are okay. I don't see them improving over last season though. They could quite reasonably continue to slide and continue to get worse.
I'm putting the Suns out because, that's just how tight the west is. If they've gotten 5 or 10 games worse (which I think they have), in the West, they'll slide right out of the playoffs.
My thoughts.
roseparkjazzfan
Well-Known Member
i agree denve has the talent to finish 2nd even 1st if the lakers struggle, but i dont think the have the metal part to do it. harrington is just another thug
carolinajazz
Well-Known Member
...yeah, they pass the ball well, shoot well, and are 3rd or 4th in the league in assists. Much rather see hopper ball with forced shots and missed dunks!
DWill_Gr8tness
Member
And when did Denver learn to play D? Harrington can score, but they still don't have any Defense! Denver will not be a 2.
As for the ranking, I agree with the general ideas thrown around for the top 4, I think the bottom 4 will mix up a bit, but the Big surprise could be LA. I may take some crap for this but I think that the Lakers are turning into the Spurs and that they will slow down and not worry about being 1. They could be content with a top 4 and resting guys. I honestly think the Jazz could be a 1 seed if they stay healthy and everyone plays well. But looking at past years Jazz will most likely have some kind of obstacle or dip in play and end up as a 3 while blowing a perfect opportunity to be the top seed. That is all
Chad Feldheimer
Well-Known Member
So Phoenix, who btw was in the WCF last year, will fail to make the playoffs according to everyone?
Gyp Rosetti
Banned
No Amare. Nash a year older.
Mambo
Member
Theyll finish over .500 but their is too much talent in the West and they signed turkogulou who has yet to prove anything since he got his huge contract. Stoudemire carried the team down the home stretch of the season.
Also look who they had to play to get the WCF.
An injured Portland and a SA team that used all its energy to make the Mavericks look like choke artists again.
Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
Jazz that high? Whatch you talkin' 'bout, Willis?
Seriously, I'm already on record saying the Jazz have an excellent shot at the #2 seed. We were almost there last season before fading late. And the team got off to a slow start.
Then again, you can also say OKC, Denver, Dallas and maybe Houston (Yao back) and Portland could. And never count SA out. Another year where all 8 seeds should win 50 games.
In terms of sneaking into the playoffs, Memphis is a dark horse. And the Clippers and Sacramento should be much improved. Kings are going to make some noise. I think they could easily be the most improved team in the league. Well, unless Miami gets 70 wins.
They're all jump shooters, and their guards have a hard time defending.
I'd say it should go...
1 Lakers (still rolling along)
2 Jazz (tougher and more balanced; CJ and even Fess become factors; Hayward should be getting regular minutes after the All-Star break)
3 Dallas (tough regular-season team)
4 Denver (the issue is that Billups is slipping, see last year's play-offs, but still ahead of Porty and OKC)
5 OKC (up and coming, but Durant can't play much better than he did last year; they lack front-court power, and I'm not sold on Westbrook; how big an impact is Harden going to make, and how well will they share the ball?)
6 San Antonio (Manu is healthier and they sneak a few more wins unless Duncan totally falls off)
7 Portland (even when they were healthy, they were so-so; what happened to Aldrige?)
8 Phoenix (Nash is older and his favorite pick-and-roll target is gone; their season depends on how big a force Lopez becomes)
9 Houston (what kind of shape is Yao in; otherwise, Yao and Martin create an inside-outside game)
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