NBA Top 10 for '10

[SniperSB23]

Now that we have the draft trades and results in I think we have seen a shift in power in the NBA and would even go so far to suggest the Lakers could be the sixth best team in the NBA next year.

1. Cleveland
2. San Antonio
3. Boston
4. Denver
5. Orlando
6. Lakers
7. Portland
8. Houston
9. Chicago
10. Utah


Thoughts?

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

Now that we have the draft trades and results in I think we have seen a shift in power in the NBA and would even go so far to suggest the Lakers could be the sixth best team in the NBA next year.

1. Cleveland
2. San Antonio
3. Boston
4. Denver
5. Orlando
6. Lakers
7. Portland
8. Houston
9. Chicago
10. Utah


Thoughts?

This is ridiculous. Why would the lakers slip to 6th if not for your bias? Come on...at least be realistic.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

This is ridiculous. Why would the lakers slip to 6th if not for your bias? Come on...at least be realistic.

Cleveland adds Shaq, San Antonio adds Jefferson and gets back Ginobili, Boston was better than the Lakers when healthy, I still think Denver was better than the Lakers and I think Lawson as the backup PG will be a huge addition, and Orlando added Vince Carter. Meanwhile the Lakers have added nothing, have Kobe getting a year older (which is a huge factor with the number of games he has played), and likely will lose either Ariza or Odom. Everyone else is stepping forward and I think have moved ahead of the Lakers.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

Cleveland adds Shaq, San Antonio adds Jefferson and gets back Ginobili, Boston was better than the Lakers when healthy, I still think Denver was better than the Lakers and I think Lawson as the backup PG will be a huge addition, and Orlando added Vince Carter. Meanwhile the Lakers have added nothing, have Kobe getting a year older (which is a huge factor with the number of games he has played), and likely will lose either Ariza or Odom. Everyone else is stepping forward and I think have moved ahead of the Lakers.

Get a grip snipe. Orlando got worse. They added a chemistry killer and lost their second best player. The addition of Jefferson was good but it still doesnt address a couple of basic matchup problems the spurs have with the lakers and thats in the post. The lakers are simply too big for them now and duncan isnt getting any younger. Cleveland adds shaq...it will be interesting to see what 37-38 year old shaq can do for them. Time has told us that adding ancient centers to a contender doesnt work. Denver isnt better than the lakers and adding a backup point guard isnt going to do it. Boston is viable and the opinion that they are better is at least debatable.

You are too good of a gambler to let your personal feelings dictate these bad opinions.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Get a grip snipe. Orlando got worse. They added a chemistry killer and lost their second best player. The addition of Jefferson was good but it still doesnt address a couple of basic matchup problems the spurs have with the lakers and thats in the post. The lakers are simply too big for them now and duncan isnt getting any younger. Cleveland adds shaq...it will be interesting to see what 37-38 year old shaq can do for them. Time has told us that adding ancient centers to a contender doesnt work. Denver isnt better than the lakers and adding a backup point guard isnt going to do it. Boston is viable and the opinion that they are better is at least debatable.

You are too good of a gambler to let your personal feelings dictate these bad opinions.

I have Orlando third in the east, I hate Vince Carter (was actually a Nets fan until they acquired him) but there is no denying he has talent and his career playoff numbers are pretty impressive. At the very least a lineup of Nelson, Carter, Lewis, Turkoglu, and Howard is incredibly dangerous. We'll see how they all coexist.

I think with the Lakers you are failing to discount how significant this season will be with Kobe hitting 1000 career games (even ignoring the postseason). Even the ultra-durable Garnett hit the 1000 game dropoff in durability and he's had nowhere near the number of playoff games of Kobe (175 to 73).

Denver is a really good team and they will be ahead of the Lakers next year even if they return intact which is highly unlikely. Most likely either Ariza or Odom is gone.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

I have Orlando third in the east, I hate Vince Carter (was actually a Nets fan until they acquired him) but there is no denying he has talent and his career playoff numbers are pretty impressive. At the very least a lineup of Nelson, Carter, Lewis, Turkoglu, and Howard is incredibly dangerous. We'll see how they all coexist.

I think with the Lakers you are failing to discount how significant this season will be with Kobe hitting 1000 career games (even ignoring the postseason). Even the ultra-durable Garnett hit the 1000 game dropoff in durability and he's had nowhere near the number of playoff games of Kobe (175 to 73).

Denver is a really good team and they will be ahead of the Lakers next year even if they return intact which is highly unlikely. Most likely either Ariza or Odom is gone.

But Turk is as good as gone. There is no way they are going to pay him now that they have added Carter's contract. And even if they do, you would now have four guys on the floor that can't play defense. Turk is gone though. That team regressed.

Originally Posted by dalakhani

The addition of Jefferson was good but it still doesnt address a couple of basic matchup problems the spurs have with the lakers and thats in the post. The lakers are simply too big for them now and duncan isnt getting any younger.

The basic problem is not the post.

The basic problem is Kobe.
The second problem is the mobility of Gasol.

The basic problem for any team against the Lakers is Kobe.
If Fisher remains point the Lakers are beatable.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by pgardn

The basic problem is not the post.

The basic problem is Kobe.
The second problem is the mobility of Gasol.

The basic problem for any team against the Lakers is Kobe.
If Fisher remains point the Lakers are beatable.

The kobe thing goes without saying. At the same time, the lakers will have a problem with Tony parker.

The real problem is the lakers size. The spurs simply can't match up with gasol, bynum and odom. The spurs just don't have anyone in the post besides duncan. Thats the problem and thats why they won't contend.

They can always make more moves though. Lots of teams want to get under that luxury tax.

[2 Dollar Bill]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

Now that we have the draft trades and results in I think we have seen a shift in power in the NBA and would even go so far to suggest the Lakers could be the sixth best team in the NBA next year.

1. Cleveland
2. San Antonio
3. Boston
4. Denver
5. Orlando
6. Lakers
7. Portland
8. Houston
9. Chicago
10. Utah


Thoughts?

I wonder WHAT your Betting line would be on this listing..? If you feel this way would the (World Champs) Lakers be 10-1 ?

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by 2 Dollar Bill

I wonder WHAT your Betting line would be on this listing..? If you feel this way would the (World Champs) Lakers be 10-1 ?

I actually think the top six would all be right around 6-1 with no one else having much of a chance at all. If Orlando loses Turkoglu then they would drop into the no else having much of a chance at all category. I think anyone betting Cleveland or the Lakers at 2-1 when they are going to hold your money for the next year is completely insane. I'll take a shot on San Antonio and Denver at 12-1 but even then I feel like I'm getting ripped off when they get to hold my money for a year.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

I actually think the top six would all be right around 6-1 with no one else having much of a chance at all. If Orlando loses Turkoglu then they would drop into the no else having much of a chance at all category. I think anyone betting Cleveland or the Lakers at 2-1 when they are going to hold your money for the next year is completely insane. I'll take a shot on San Antonio and Denver at 12-1 but even then I feel like I'm getting ripped off when they get to hold my money for a year.

Anyone betting on San Antonio or denver would be getting ripped off because they will be holding your money a lot longer than a year.

[Cannon Shell]

1. Cleveland (Shaq helps and they are supposedly looking hard at Wallace. Obviously short term moves but they have one year or they go back to being irrelevant again)
2. San Antonio (The Jefferson giveaway helps, Blair is a nice addition but Ginobilli's health is a question mark and Duncan is one year older)
3. Boston (I would rank them far down the list. They have done nothing to improve, Garnett is a question mark coming off a serious injury, Allen is in a decline which may become rapid and Ainge has been shopping without success. Last year seems like a long time ago)
4. Denver (Lawson was a nice addition but hardly is a difference maker. They also need to resign Anderson)
5. Orlando (The Carter thing was a strange move as they not only traded a promising player making peanuts, in essence they traded Turkeyglu also. I dont think they are better)
6. Lakers (Stood pat while others got better. Remains to see what will happen with Ariza and Odom. Losing one is an issue in my mind because they dont have a readily available replacement and an Ariza-like improvement from a mid level guy cant be expected every year. The team to beat but lots of question marks not to mention the coaching situation.)
7. Portland (Still a bit away from primetime)
8. Houston ( Yao is hurt, MeGrady is coming off being hurt, artest is still nuts, and they aren't doing anything)
9. Chicago (They arent as good as Atlanta or Miami)
10. Utah (They arent as good as Dallas)

[King Glorious]

1-Cleveland. I thought they were the best team this year but they couldn't match up well with Orlando. That's how it goes sometimes. There can be one or two teams that you don't match up well with but still be the best overall team in the league. If the Lakers had to play Charlotte in the Finals, they might get swept (lol). The addition of Shaq is huge. The don't even need him to repeat this year but if he can give them 13-7 a night, it's over. I love the addition of Danny Green as a perimeter defender with some length.

2-Boston. The injury to Garnett gave him half a year off. But more important, it gave guys like Davis and Powe a chance to gain significant experience. Rondo really stepped it up big time in the playoffs too. I think that the drafting of Hudson is going to pay big for them. I see him a lot like Rodney Stuckey in Detroit. He can play both guard positions. He can shoot the ball, something Rondo can't do. He can create and finish, something Allen can't do.

3-Denver. They gave the Lakers all they could handle and had a very realistic chance of beating them. I'm a believer in the feeling that teams need to go to through the process to know what it feels like and I think having this season under their belt and a better backup for Billups will make them the team to beat in the West.

4-Los Angeles. Right there with Denver. Never count out Kobe Bryant. He's getting up there and has put a lot of wear on his body but he's just so damn good. I think it's more important for them to keep Odom than Ariza but losing either one drops them just below Denver. If they keep both, I'll put them right ahead of the Nuggets. I think Odom is the key, not Bryant or Bynum.

5-Orlando.
6-Porland.
7-San Antonio.
8-Utah.
9-LA Clippers.
10-Dallas.

[SniperSB23]

If Turk goes to Portland:

1. Cleveland
2. San Antonio
3. Boston
4. Denver
5. Lakers
6. Portland
7. Orlando

[King Glorious]

I think next year is going to be one of the best we've had in the league in awhile. If all of the principles have good health, there have been some big moves made by top contenders that should make it very competitive up top. You've got Artest to the Lakers while losing Ariza. Bynum will start off the year healthy. The question is will they still have the hunger? It's always harder to defend a title but if there's one guy you want leading your team in that situation, it's Kobe Bryant. Cleveland has added Shaq? Can he play like he did this past season? If he can, the season might be a mere formality. The Celtics may have been the best last season if healthy. Now they've added Wallace and possibly Grant Hill so they should be even better. Orlando lost Turkoglu and that will hurt the way their offense flows but they got in Carter a guy that's always been the kind of guy that you could go to when the shot clock is winding down that can create a shot. That's one thing they didn't have last year. San Antonio has added Jefferson and if Ginobili can stay healthy, they may have one more run in them before Duncan's knees give out. Utah showed last year in the playoffs that they could be a pretty good team when healthy. If Boozer stays healthy, they will be a factor. Denver took a big step last year and that's usually a huge experience to help a team get to the next level. Billups is getting a little slower and the addition of Lawson should help keep him fresher when the big time moments come. One move that is not talked about at all but might turn out to be significant is the signing by Dallas of Gortat, or however you spell his name. While he's not a superstar, he did play very well in Howard's absence in Orlando and he's an upgrade over Dampier. They need Josh Howard to stay healthy though and if he can, they can't be counted out of having a big impact on the West. Portland is going to be tough too. How good can they be if Oden can up things to say 12-8 a night and figure out a way to stay out of foul trouble all the time?

[King Glorious]

It keeps getting better. Now the Mavs are adding Shawn Marion and the Spurs are adding Antonio McDyess. The Lakers are dragging their feet on Odom. It's an odd situation. The market says there isn't a lot out there for him but he's almost got the Lakers in a position where they HAVE to re-sign him if they want to remain among the favorites.