Did [Team X] get better? Pacific Division

Okay, here's where the Suns go:

I think Dragic will be very good for them. Good handle, good shooter, smart, won't force the action. He won't outplay the top guys, but he'll still contribute. BUT.

They didn't get Eric Gordon. Look at their roster and you'll see they needed him, bad.

PG-Dragic...then Bassy Telfair and the Kendall Marshall rookie. Not deep.
SG-Ummm...Shannon Brown and Dudley. Not good.
SF-Beasley and...uh...Childress? Dudley? Not good.
PF-Scola/Channing Frye. Scoring, some rebounding, not bad. Scola knows how to play.
C-Gortat/Lopez/Frye. Gortat actually knows how to play, he's not bad. Not a great athlete but big and strong and can shoot.

If Beasley blows up...they're still gonna suck and that's just the starters. The bench is weak. Too bad.

30-52. Better if they sign/trade/purloin/kidnap an upgrade at SG and Beasley really takes off. Worse if the losing starts to grind 'em down.

WTF? A quick look at the Kings roster leads inescapably to that popular TLA*.

Honestly, a deeper look leads to the same reaction.

Okay, they now list Tyreke Evans as G/SF. Everyone pretty much agrees that his famous 20/5/5 as a rookie didn't actually happen, or was an illusion, or didn't mean what we thought it meant. So the Kings list 3 "real" PGs...Isaiah Thomas, Aaron Brooks and Jimmer Fredette. Not strong. That's a poor man's Nate Robinson, a poor man's Aaron Brooks (who has not shown he can play for a long time), and a poor man's Volume Scoring Shooting Guard in a White Point Guard's Body.

That is entirely unimpressive. Might be their achille's heel. But the other positions...they actually have some talent. Too much, almost.

SG-Tyreke? Sure, if he's not a PG, then the Next Big Thing should just move over to SG, right? Oh, hell, forgot about John Salmons!! Oh crap, they've got Francisco Garcia, too! And Terrence Williams@!!! Wow. Talk about a crowd! Huh? What's that? Marcus Thornton?? Marcus ****** Thornton! HE is their SG. So I dunno what you do with all those other guys, then.

But at least they don't have to experiment with Donte Green playing SG like they did for some games in 2010. That's probably over.

SF-okay, here's where you put one or two of those wing players. Garcia? He's a backup, and likes it. T.Will probably too. Donte Greene too. But where's the starter? That's three guys, not counting Salmons and Evans who have the size to play SF too. So 5 guys, no starter. And that's not counting JAMES JOHNSON, TRAVIS FREAKIN' OUTLAW, AND TYLER WHO THE ****** IS THIS GUY HONEYCUTT. So they've got 8 guys who can play SF, just give 'em 6 minutes each.

You see the problem. Too many duplicated talents in there. Half the team is an athletic 6'8" slasher with a sketchy outside shot.

PF/C-a more sane situation than PG/SG/SF I hope.

Demarcus Cousins is the freaking center and a damn good one. A damn good, crazy, stupid, selfish, out-of-control, shallow, sensitive, egotistical, competitive one. But it's a position you can pencil in for 20/10 and plus defensive stats. Also tantrums, technicals, suspensions, coach-firings, staff abuse and locker room fights. But maybe we'll be hearing how he's grown up. If Cheech Beasley and Knucklehead McGee can grow up...why not?

That leave C backup and PF minutes for Jason Thompson, who sometimes seems pretty good but it's clear the team doesn't think he's the answer. Or AN answer. They've got Chuckie Hayes, hot rookie Thomas Robinson and one-time "Should the Jazz take him?" prospect Hassan Whiteside, who after two years in The League has now logged 111 minutes.

I think they fall apart. Despite what appears to be terrific depth, it's all just a bunch of flawed players who look good running and jumping, who mostly play the same position the same way. If they could start a lineup with PG/SG/SG/SF/SF/PF/C they'd win a lot of games. As it is...

Throw in the horrible ownership who don't want the team in Sacramento and a fan base that (justifiably) thinks they deserve better, a 35-47 record is possible. I COULD be better I suppose, but I don't think it will be. They're not coming for one of the playoff spots.

*-TLA. Three Letter Acronym. If you're on the internets and don't like TLAs, well TFB.

Cousins COULD be an All-Star every yr. You captured his flawed-yet-undeniable-talent in a nutshell. Crazy but talented.

Can you imagine the wool-over-the-eyes pullin Sactown could achieve if they went to Cousins in a dark bar and said "Here's the deal, we don't like you but you're a beast on the court so here's our proposition: If you smile a lot, never get a tech, still get your 20/10, talk about how your coach and teammates are your second family away from home, AND, go to the local hospital and visit the sick and afflicted- shedding a tear or 50, ON CAMERA, for the rest of the league to see..... we'll pay you an extra 2 million this yr under the table." "why would we do that you ask?" "Well, you're crazier than anyone we've ever seen before, no offense."
"Once you've perpetrated a fraud by perpetrating you're normal, we're gonna trade your crazy @zz for a legit guy that can be cohesive to the teams chemistry, no offense n-k."

You know He would go for it. Heck, just put the money in a suitcase by his bed before every game to remind him that he can do it. It's possible...

Pau. Bynum. Kobi-Wan, Steve Nash...plenty of star power there.

The rest of the team is the same as the team the could expect to win most of their regular season games but had little hope of getting to the Conference Finals. And even less of winning the championship. So any change dramatic enough to alter their expectations has to come from Nash.

How much better can Nash make the Fakers? In theory, a LOT. Never mind that you'll hear things you'd never have dreamed of in the past ("Now entering the game for defensive purposes, Steve Blake."), IF Kobi-Wan can make an effort to play off the ball, he'll actually play better, or at least better for the team. And Bynum and Pau will get better passes, lobs and handoffs from Nash's patented dribble-through moves. Pau in particular, being such a smart player, should benefit. Hell, he's NEVER played with a PG remotely as good as Nash. Plus. the Fakers haven't had a PG who can shoot like Nash, meaning a whole lot less hero-ball from MJ wannabe.

So, in theory, on OFFENSE, they could be one of the best teams in the league.

Can they contend?? Probably not. MJ wannabe is old, in NBA years. Cartilege and tendons do not respect "will to win" or "competitive spirit" and at some point, all that working out just results in a very fit declining player. The Fakers will also be sloooow.

They should still be good in the regular season, but...no ring for YOU!

56-26...might or might not make the conference finals.

ps) I don't think any of that changes much if they get Dwight "Kryptonite Spine" Howard.

"A change in the culture of the Clippers....", "These are no longer the hapless blahdeblah...", "After years of being snake-bit, cursed, and Donald Stirlinged into hopelessness, these new look Clippers are..." etc., etc., etc.... Tired of hearing that crap? I got tired of the whole "rejuvenated franchise" storyline about...mmm...October of last year. And guess what? It's not even true.

I've read that the Clips were "...bringing in some respected, high-intelligence veterans". If by that they mean having 7 players with 10 or more years in the league, then sure. A less enthusiastic writer might say "The Clippers succeeded in getting older in the offseason." and it would be equally true. And "respected, high-intelligence veterans"?? Crawford?? Odom?? Okay, sure. So the optimist, the person who buys into the "culture change" storyline looks at this roster and pencils the Clips in at #4/5 right?

PG-CP3, Bledsoe...ummm...Foye? Billups?
SG-Crawford, Billups, Foye
SF-Caron Butler. Odom. Grant Hill. The intelligent, respected Bobby Simmons.
PF-Blake Highlight. Kenyon Martin's Expiring Knees. Trey Tompkins? Odom?
C-Deandre Jordan, Ryan Hollins.

Barring injury, they should win a lot of games. Chris Paul is awesome, he really is.

But...how can you look at that lineup and seriously say "Barring injury" with a straight face?

I expect half this team to miss some time with injuries. I mean, K-Mart, Billups, Butler and Grant Hill have defective parts at their healthiest. And if the Kardashian Klan needs ratings, expect Odom to wilt like a blowtorched flower in response to the highly-publicized drama. Hell, Chris Paul has bad knees, he puts a lot of wear on 'em and if he goes down this team suddenly looks mediocre. But a highly intelligent and respected 'mediocre', right?

Then there's the sheer amount of foot/pounds involved in Blake Griffin torqueing through a spin move and elevating that 250 lbs what seems to be six feet into the air. I can visualize a tiny joint-Scotty in Griffin's Knee Engine Room screaming "Cap'n! She's aboot to blow!!". Not wishing it on him, but it will happen someday and it'll be ugly.

Okay, hate to dis on a team based mostly on injuries that haven't happened yet, but...here we are.

48-34. Playoff run depends on who is healthy in May.

aliveandkickin wrote:

Cousins COULD be an All-Star every yr. You captured his flawed-yet-undeniable-talent in a nutshell. Crazy but talented.

Can you imagine the wool-over-the-eyes pullin Sactown could achieve if they went to Cousins in a dark bar and said "Here's the deal, we don't like you but you're a beast on the court so here's our proposition: If you smile a lot, never get a tech, still get your 20/10, talk about how your coach and teammates are your second family away from home, AND, go to the local hospital and visit the sick and afflicted- shedding a tear or 50, ON CAMERA, for the rest of the league to see..... we'll pay you an extra 2 million this yr under the table." "why would we do that you ask?" "Well, you're crazier than anyone we've ever seen before, no offense."
"Once you've perpetrated a fraud by perpetrating you're normal, we're gonna trade your crazy @zz for a legit guy that can be cohesive to the teams chemistry, no offense n-k."

You know He would go for it. Heck, just put the money in a suitcase by his bed before every game to remind him that he can do it. It's possible...

lol. Thing is, I don't think Cousins is actually stupid. I think he's got an active mind. But it's just a bunch of neurons firing randomly and crashing into each other.

The one everyone has been waiting for. The Holders of the Next Jazz Lottery Pick...the last one for a very long time, perhaps.

No little research went into discovering that the Warriors will play 82 games this year, and they will have a roster of tall men who are NBA players. But to quote The Bard, it is "...a roster full of centers and power forwards, coached by an idiot, signifying nothing". This current roster shows no less than 7 players 6'10" or over, not including David Lee. (Or Kwame Brown, whose recent trade to the Sixers officially ends the Kwame Brown Era* of Warriorball.)

PG-Steph "Glass Ankles But a Hot Mom" Curry, Jarret Jack, Nate Robinson, Charles Jenkins
SG-Klay Thompson, Brandon Rush
SF- Richard Jefferson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Greene, Dominic McGuire
PF- David Lee, Chris Wright, Mikell Gladness, Mikki Moore
C- Bogut! Andris Biedrins, Festus Ezeli, Ognjen Kuzmic, Jeremy Tyler

Not strong on the wings, a big drop off after Curry at PG and if you can find a 96 min/game rotation at the 4/5 out of those 9 bigs, you're a better coach than I am. And probably a better coach than Marc "I meant we'd make the playoffs THIS year" Jackson.

Lee, Bogut and Curry are very good players and Jack, Rush, Klay Thompson, and Richard Jefferson are...umm...NBA players. But I think our big concern, given the injury history of Bogut and Curry, is that they will be sooo freaking bad the pick might be protected again!! (top 6, right?) That would take some doing, given that the fans will burn down the arena if asked to support another tank job...but I'm more worried about that than that the pick will be out of the lottery.

But it might not be total disaster, either...38-44. We get the 13th or 14th pick.

I am here in the SF Bay area again. Last I read, Bogut still had not played five on five and Curry had set out the last two or three pre-season games with a tweaked ankle. Warrior fans here are nervously holding their breaths about Curry and Bogut while trying to remain optimistic.

"Banged-up ankles hold keys for Warriors"

http://www.sfgate.com/warriors/article/Banged-up-ankles-hold-keys-for-Warriors-3987648.php

Clips are looking pretty strong. They now have home wins over the Spurs, Heat, Thunder and Grizz and road wins over Lakers and Trailblazers. Before the season, Crawford claimed he was showing up in about the best shape in his career, and he is playing like it. So far he is looking like a runaway leader for sixth man award with his instant offense off the bench. Young center Jordan is still getting better and the Clips still might get more help from injured Billups and Grant down the road. On the negative, Odom is looking like a really bad investment so far.