Deandre Jordan is OK and all, but talking about him being the key to anything is insane talk IMO. They key to the Clippers is how coach and PG mesh. And if Blake Griffin moves forward....

Yeah...THAT'S going to remain a problem lol. What are your impressions of the Blazer's Damian Lillard? I know some people believe he has pretty much peaked but I love what he's done so far, and think he has more upside. Defense is still a work in progress.

This is what Skip Bayless and Wilbon and those types of guys want you to believe because they dont actually watch games not on Sunday afternoon or not involving the Heat or Lakers. However the coach/PG nonsense is pretty close to immaterial in this case. Obviously Paul signed off on Rivers. Paul isn't going to play any differently than he has. The key is Jordan because he needs to get better and the obvious weak area here is defense. His back up is Ryan Hollins. Think that they are getting through Memphis (Gasol and Randolph) and Houston (Howard) with Hollins playing big minutes? The NBA is the most misunderstood of the big sports as everyone just focuses on the stars but truth is they are amazingly consistent from year to year with what they give you. The difference is usually the development of guys like Jordan who needs to improve in a few area's which can create a domino effect on other players. Teams spend 50% of the time of defense, trying to stop the other team from scoring and with minus defenders like Collison, Crawford, Jamison, Dudley and Mullens scheduled to play big minutes, Jordan protecting the rim and covering their weaknesses means a lot. Even Griffin is only an average defender who relies too much on his athleticism as opposed to fundamental concepts and positioning.

I don't know why anyone would think he peaked. He got a little tired down the stretch but thats understandable considering how many minutes he played as a rookie. He needs to improve the obvious, better shot selection as a shoot first PG, needs to get to the line more, needs to work on his defensive positioning, cut down on bad turnovers, etc. Typical stuff small college guards need to develop with experience. Bringing in Williams and Watson should help with leadership and maybe cutting Lillard's minutes back a little considering he led the league in minutes played last year as a rookie.

DeAndre Jordan is clearly the key to the Clippers.

Derrick Rose is clearly a top 10 NBA player but is probably also a little bit overrated but that's only because they gave him an MVP award. By the way, Nash getting back to back MVP's was worse than Rose getting one.

Assuming good health for all, I like Indiana to win the East and the Clippers to win the West.

James
Durant
Wade
Bryant
Rose
Paul
Westbrook
Howard
Anthony
Irving

Those are my top ten fully healthy players in the NBA.

Top four East-Indiana, Miami, Chicago, Brooklyn/Cleveland
Top four West-LA Clippers, OKC, Houston, SA

I believe people are way overrating Cleveland.

The East is pretty much boring as far as top teams who are legit contenders to win that conference.

Heat
Pacers
Bulls

With the rest of the playoff teams being:

Nets
Pistons
Knicks
Hawks
Wizards


The West on the other hand is so wide open.

Clippers
Rockets
Warriors
Thunder
Grizzlies
Spurs

And to round out the eight possible playoff seeds I'd go:

Blazers
Nuggets

i can't stand bayless. is there a more arrogant sports talking head then him?

I would not argue with you there. Read Bennett was diagnosed with asthma and sleep apnea and it's been a struggle with him. Mike Brown said it was difficult for him to even watch him at times. Probably not a good thing to say about the number 1 pick in the draft. I think Bynum was a good gamble as it's only a 1 year thing contract wise if it works or doesn't work. Varejao back if he can actually play will also help. Waiters isn't very good, Tristan Thompson's switch to right-handedness now has actually gone pretty well. I think they can be in the mix for a low playoff seeding if Bynum and/or Varejao can actually play most of the year. Neither has a great recent history of doing that however.

I saw them play a few days ago and Bennett looked sluggish and heavy. He might eventually be an effective player but I dont know how much he gives them this season. Bynum is a certainly worth a short term deal plus they needed to get over the minimum salary line. That being said how much he gives them is a huge question mark. He didn't exactly distinguish himself in Philly with his rehab work. Waiters has ability but needs a defined role. Varejao being healthy and in shape gives them a big leg up on last years team but that's not exactly a given right now. I think the Jack and Clark signings are solid moves but this is a team that went 24-58 last season and has a lot of lingering issues.

It's how he became a "star" I suppose. Would be hard to believe that he actually believes a lot of the nonsense he says

Speaking of terrible teams, Milwaukee is horrid. Watching them play the Bulls right now and they have no skills at all, albeit with Mayo tonight.

Its gonna be 95% Bulls fans in Milwaukee this year instead of the customary 75%

They made a huge mistake last year trading Harris for a few months of Reddick. Supposedly the owner told the GM last year to "win now" which of course was impossible. Bizarre team.

Well his stay in Philly didn't last long...released by the Sixers today. Philly now has to swallow the $1.7 million owed to him during the second year of his rookie contract. I really can't see him getting anymore chances in the NBA.

They got money from Houston to cover this years salary and have team options the next 2 which they will obviously not exercise. So essentially he cost them nothing. He seemed to have played decently but maybe it is just too big of a pain in the ass to deal with his issues. He seems to have NBA level talent but only star players probably are worth all the headaches.

Looks like it's back to the D-League, although he refused to report two times last year.

Did you see Sports Illustrated's NBA preview issue? They have the Lakers #6 out West with Memphis at #9. I don't know which ranking is worse...can't understand that whatsoever

I havnt seen it yet. Not sure I want to now

Other than those two, I would switch out their #7 (Mavericks) and #8 (T-Wolves) with the Blazers and Nuggets.

In the East I'd go with the Pistons their #9 a bit higher...maybe somewhere between #5 an #7 and move the Raptors out of the top eight seeds.

Wizards might have locked up 8 seed and sure 0-4 sweep with the Gortat trade. Hard to believe that teams like this still don't value number 1 picks enough not to make these types of trades. Which I suppose is why they are "teams like this".

Lol...I like that "teams like this".

After that trade...it's going to be a big time battle to see who can do the better tanking job the rest of the year. Should be extremely competitive between the Sixers and Suns. Noel supposedly sitting out the entire year even though he should be ready to go sometime during the season.

I'm liking the Pistons...the more I look the more I like their team. They brought in enough shooters to open things up inside, and I see Drummond being one of the most improved players in the league this year. No chance to contend with the top teams like the Heat and Pacers but they are much better than last years 29 win team.

They certainly have increased the overall talent level there. The issue IMO is that Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings are kind of players that accumulate stats on flawed teams guys as opposed to filling a role that leads to making others around them better. Smith is best as a small ball 4 and Jennings would be best as an off the bench scorer like Jamal Crawford. Casting them as a wing 3 and PG with their typically poor shot selection is going to be interesting. They will surely win more than 29 though I'm not seeing them as being as good enough to finish in the top 8

Chuck...who are your top 8 in both the East and the West?

1.Chicago
2.Miami
3.Indiana
4.Brooklyn
5.Knicks
6.Atlanta
7.Washington
8.Cleveland
9.Toronto
10.Detroit
11.Charlotte
12.Orlando
13.Boston
14.Milwaukee
15.Philly

1. SA
2. OKC
3. Memphis
4. LA Clippers
5. Houston
6. Golden State
7. Minnesota
8. Portland
9. Dallas
10. Denver
11. New Orleans
12. Sacramento
13. LA Lakers
14. Utah
15. Phoenix

The West is really tough to figure out. Obviously injuries play a big factor. You could make a case for any of the top 5 teams. GS is going to be overrated after last years run and with Barnes beginning the year injured, Curry always a risk, Lee coming off an injury and Bogut, they are easily the team that could drop right out of the playoffs with a few bad breaks. If MN stays healthy they will make the playoffs. I like Portland to sneak in though Dallas, Denver or even New Orleans would not be a surprise.

In the East the top 4 are clearly a cut above. While unlikely the 1st round may be 4-0, 4-0, 4-0, 4-0. I think Miami does a SA and rests their stars more and allows Chicago to sneak by them for the best record. The Knicks have big issues and are 5th by default. You can throw a blanket over 6-10. Charlotte may be a bit better than you'd think and I hope Orlando will be a little better than expected.

Pretty much agree with you..we'd just differ with the Cavs and Pistons in the East and the T-Wolves and Nuggets out West as far as potential playoff teams go.

I wouldn't argue with either one of those.

Should be a great NBA season. I'm just hoping to see the Blazers back in the playoffs.

Here's mine

Miami
Indiana
Chicago
Brooklyn
Cleveland
New York
Detroit
Toronto

Houston
Golden St
Clippers
ThunderThunder
Spurs
Minnesota
New Orleans
Lakers

Only 5 teams can realistically win it. Heat huge favorite then Indiana, Houston, Golden St and Spurs assuming they don't fall right apart. Age scares me with them.

MVP Lebron 1/5. Harden 9/2 George 8/1 no one else can win it

Rankings, not by record though, but where I see them at season's end :

Indiana, Miami, Chicago, Cleveland, Brooklyn, NY, Detroit, Washington, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Charlotte, Toronto, Orlando, Philadelphia, Boston

LA Clippers, OKC, Houston, SA, GS, LA Lakers, Minnesota, Memphis, Dallas, Portland, Denver, NO, Sacramento, Utah, Phoenix

The Clippers have major issues on defense.

Definitely need to switch Philadelphia and Boston...Sixers look like they're in full tanking mode.

You saw that one coming a mile away

While the Lakers scrubs probably wont repeat that performance the rest of the year the Clippers defensive matchup issues are going to be a real problem for them. Basically their best defender by far is 6'0"

They are up like 56-9 or something

Carter-WIlliams with an impressive opening 9min to his career

Who do you think will finish with the better record Sixers or Celtics?

What's wrong with Wade that he's not playing?

I think both teams will be really bad. I would think Philly will be 4-8 games worst. Best players Young and Turner could be traded. I think Young is 100% gone. Boston still has Rondo and Green. They will win a few games.

They aren't playing him on occasion the 2nd night of back to backs on road. Said knee is sore.

That can't be good this early in the season...certainly wasn't good for the Heat tonight lol. 114-110 Sixers