As I said in yesterday's post, I'll be doing an NBA preview this month leading up to the start of the season. Today is my Western Conference Overview, and I'll be doing individual posts for each of the Western Conference teams over the next few weeks.
Western Conference
Frontrunner
1) San Antonio Spurs- I think you have to consider the Spurs as far-and-away the favorite to win the title this year. They're better than they've ever been, they return their entire team, Tony Parker made "The Leap" in the Finals, and they heard a lot of people at the end of last year say that they can't be considered a dynasty until they win back-to-back titles. Now, does this mean I'd take the Spurs against the field? Probably not, but they're extremely talented, they have the game's best coach, and they'll be motivated.
Championship Contenders
2) Phoenix Suns - I still think they should've moved Stat for KG over the summer, but that is neither here nor there. As it stands, losing Kurt Thomas is a big blow to their defense, and it puts even more pressure on an unhappy Shawn Marion to make a difference on that end. Lots of questions on this team, but the addition of Grant Hill to the nucleus of Nash, Marion, and Stat means this team is still the biggest threat to a Spurs repeat.
3) Houston Rockets - It's all about health for the Rockets. They added a great PF in Luis Scola, and they improved their PG spot by leaps and bounds by adding Mike James, Steve Francis and draft pick Aaron Brooks, but it won't matter one bit unless T-Mac and Yao can stay healthy. If they stay healthy, nobody can match that top two and the Rockets' depth of talent, but if either of those guys goes down, it's over.
4) Dallas Mavericks - Say what you want about how Golden State was a bad matchup and how Dallas won more games than anyone and whatever else you want to say, I'm not sold on them. You can't discount the effect of two postseason letdowns like the ones that they've suffered.
5) Denver Nuggets - Maybe the most interesting team this year outside of Boston. Their season was so chaotic last year that you hardly know what to make of them. I don't know what will happen to them this year, but I do know that they have all the pieces needed to win the title. They've got a great defensive center (Camby), a legendary veteran hungry for a ring (AI), and a budding young star who was an MVP candidate before being suspended last year (Melo). Health and chemistry are all issues, but they've got tons of talent on that team.
6) Utah Jazz - This team would be the favorite in the East, but in the West, they're 4th at best. In my opinion, they're a very good team, but not a great team. They lack that dynamic superstar who scares you to death at the end of the game, but I could very easily see Deron Williams becoming that guy this season.
Dark Horse
7) Memphis Grizzlies - Honestly, I just really like the way this Grizzlies team is being built. They may not end up here at the end of the season, but I bet they'll be in contention for a playoff berth all year long. Remember, the Grizzlies were a playoff team two years ago, but just folded after Gasol went down for over 20 games at the beginning of the season. Marc Iavaroni is a very good coach, and there's a ton of talent on this team.
Other Playoff Potentials
8) New Orleans Hornets - No team in the West was as decimated by injuries as the Hornets were, and they still were only 3 games out of the playoffs. I still think Chris Paul is the best young point guard in the NBA, and they have a solid post scorer in David West, a dominant defensive presence in Tyson Chandler, and a great shooter in Peja if he can stay moderately healthy.
9) Los Angeles Lakers - Reasons why they'll contend for a playoff spot: Kobe. Reasons why they won't get real far: Everyone else. Any questions?
10) Golden State Warriors - Sure, they had a great run last year, but it was also the perfect storm of circumstances. Baron Davis has never been the picture of perfect health, and you never know what might happen with Steven Jackson in the fold. Could they get into the playoffs? Sure, and they'll be the team nobody wants to play if they get there, but they aren't built for the regular season, and they outplayed their expected W/L in order to make the playoffs.
The Young Nothwesterners
11) Portland Trailblazers- You've gotta feel for Blazers fans,
who win the biggest draft lottery in the last decade only to watch Greg
Oden fall to the curse of the Blazer big men. For the sake of mental
health of every basketball fan in Portland, you've gotta hope Oden
recovers. In the meantime, the first-name-for-a-last-name backcourt of
Jack, Roy, and Blake will keep the ship afloat.
12) Seattle Supersonics - Ladies and gentlemen, your 2007-08 NBA Rookie of the Year!!! I think these guys will be fun to watch, and they have enough young talent and spunk to win more games than everyone expects. They're like the anti-Sacramento.
The Hopeless Ones
13) Sacramento Kings - When you're an aging team that won 33 games and your big offseason signing is Mikki Moore, you're probably in a bit of trouble. Over-Under on games it takes before Artest completely loses it on such a bad team? I'm going with 45 games.
14) Minnesota Timberwolves - The future is brighter now that KG is gone, with Foye, Brewer and Jefferson forming the nucleus and Green, Gomes, Smith and Richard as potentially good complementary players. However, the present is a bit bleaker. Life after KG will be pretty rough with Sebastian Telfair as the only true point guard on the roster.
15) Los Angeles Clippers - Few players represent the heart and soul of their team as much as Elton Brand does for the Clippers. With him, they're a playoff contender. Without him, they're terrible. Unless Sam Cassell turns the clock back 10 years and Chris Kaman suddenly and inexplicably morphs into the second coming of Kareem, it's gonna be a long season.
Best in the West
PG - Steve Nash SG - Kobe Bryant SF - Carmelo Anthony PF - Tim Duncan C - Yao Ming
I know, I'm not exactly going out on a limb with any of those guys, but that's just how it goes. Three of these guys are easily the best player in the entire NBA at their respective positions, and Yao is as well when he's healthy.
Rooks to Look For
Al Thornton, SF, Clippers - As a diehard ACC fan, I've watched Thornton work his magic for a while, and the guy is a human highlight reel on a bad team. That's a recipe for a pretty darn good rookie year. Thornton compares very favorably with Shawn Marion, you'll be seeing him on Sportscenter some this year.
D.J. Strawberry, PG/SG, Suns - Another ACC guy. Strawberry is a GREAT defender and a freakish athlete (he rated as the best athlete at the pre-draft combine) who should thrive in an up-tempo offense and should steal a few minutes in Phoenix to give Nash a breather.
Ian Mahinmi, PF, Spurs - Now, odds are that Mahinmi isn't going to get a lot of burn this season, but the Spurs are great evaluators of international talent, and they spent a first round pick on this guy back in 2005. He's an extremely athletic 6-10 post, and there's got to be some reason that they brought him over this year. It may be that he plays most of the season in the NBDL, and we're talking about him next year the same way we're currently talking about Amir Johnson. Keep an eye on him.
Morris Almond, SG, Jazz - If you're looking for the Hornacek to go with Williams and Boozer's Stockton and Malone, look no further. Almond was the best shooter in the draft, and he should get plenty of burn sinking wide-open jumpers off of pick and roll kickouts.
There you go, your Western Conference overview. Feel free to tell me how much a #### I am with my preview. You're entitled to your opinion, as long as you don't mind being wrong :P. Anyway, keep checking back over the next month as I look at each team individually, starting with Dallas tomorrow.
I have no problem with any of what you have said here except as a dark horse i would switch New Orleans with Memphis. The addition of Mo pete will help them be a playoff contender maybe as much as a six seed.
I don't understand why the Lakers are not the Dark Horse here, but that's ok because people are underestimating what this team can do. Here are my top 5 reasons why Los Angeles is a major dark horse to win the west. Yes, that's right WIN the WEST.
1) KOBE BRYANT is a leader, contrary to popular belief and his top-notch defense is back. It will rub off on the rest of his teammates.
2) LAMAR ODOM, former TEAM USA stud, is a year removed from tragedy, he has his health back, and he has more to prove than anyone else on this team, especially after being subject to so many trade rumors. Sooner or later you're either gonna show up and be an all-star or go back home and smoke the ganja the rest of your life.
3) ANDREW BYNUM, high school phenom, is going to blossom this year. The Lakers don't want to move him for a big reason and that may be because the SKY HOOK is coming out this year along with the rest of his game. Physically he is bigger and stronger than ever. 7-1, 285 lbs of muscle. Wait til slow-footed Yao, undersized Amare, softy and injury-prone Marcus Camby, and the rest of the mediocre centers in the West get a load of him.
4) The ROLE PLAYERS are better than what you think. The Lakers are deep and balanced, evidenced by last year's 26-13 start. Our VETS are solid and they understand their role (Fish, Walton, Evans, Radmanovic, Cook, Mihm), our KIDS bring energy (Turiaf, Farmar, Vujacic), and one of our rookies will shine (Crittenton, Elton Brown, Coby Karl, Larry Turner)
5) PHIL JACKSON. The only coach in the NBA who has proven that he can beat Popovic
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on October 3rd at 7:15 PM.
Popovich, Sloan, Karl, and Adelman when it counts most. It's already been proven. Above all, PHIL is not going to let anyone stop him from passing RED for title #10.
gambit - Honestly, the 7-12 teams could all be rearranged and I wouldn't have a problem with it. Like I said with Memphis, they may not reach the plaoffs, but they'll be in the hunt all year. I labeled Memphis as my dark horse because
a) I've been calling them my dark horse ever since they drafted Conley and signed Darko.
b) I think people are expecting less from the Griz than they are from the Hornets, so the Griz have more of a surprise team/dark horse factor to them.
c) I'm not sold on Peja staying anywhere remotely near healthy, and the Hornets don't really have a great shooter without him.
jay - thanks. Keep checking back as I'll be doing more in-depth analysis on a team-by-team basis.
husker- hey, it takes time to get all this stuff together. A lot of research and looking over statistics goes into all this, I gotta take some breaks now and then :P
I'm not a Dallas believer, they'll have to win me over big time before I pick them over the Spurs.
The Lakers have about as much chance to win the West as I do to dunk on a regulation rim without the use of a trampoline, which is to say zero, zilch, nada.
1) We've known for the last few years that Kobe can play great defense WHEN HE WANTS TO. However, he has very rarely wanted to consistently over the course of an 82 game season. At any rate, great defenses aren't built around guards, they're built around great defensive centers, and the Lakers are woefully bad in that department.
2) Lets be clear here, averaging 9 and 6 on the most disappointing Olympic basketball team in US history does not qualify you as a "former team USA stud". Also, Odom has a long history of mediocrity and injury-proneness going against him. All things considered, he seems more likely to be going the "smoke the ganja" route than the all-star route.
3) I'm just going to assume you're joking and move on, this one doesn't even deserve notice.
4) Walton is an excellent role player (and terrible defender), Fish is a solid veteran, and Turiaf is a very good young talent. Outside of that, you'd be hard-pressed to find a guy in that group who is even league average. Crittenton is 2 years away from contributing, 1 year at bare minimum, and none of the other rooks are impact guys.
5)Last I checked, a common thread in all those big victories is gone, and the in-his-prime Big Diesel isn't walking through that door.
xphoenix87 ,
I dunno,the Jazz have made some pretty good moves in the off season (Almond and Ferenko for a start.)
Whatever happens I think the Jazz are going to have a good year.
Don't feel bad for us Blazer fans, we'll be just fine. If Brandon Roy gets hurt, that's when we'll cry in our beers. I don't see the Grizz being good this year, but in the future? No doubt.
Does anyone else love seeing the Lakers lose? I would say the Warriors are more of a possible contender than the Rockets. The Rockets never seem to play up to their massive potential. I think Rick Adelman will help right the ship.
It's great how so many people love bashing the Lakers when they're down. But all we do here is win championships because no city and no owner is as passionate about winning than Los Angeles and Jerry Buss.
In the last 37 years, the Lakers have appeared in the FINALS 15 times (an amazing 40%), winning 9. No other team is even close. Boston went 7 times, winning 5 and Chicago went six for six in the 90's.
So you guys can say that I hang onto memories just like Knicks fans - by the way NY has only been there 5 times, winning 2 since 1970 so there really isn't much in their yearbook compared to LA's - but as far as I'm concerned, the Lakers have a 40% chance to make it to the Finals every year.
The hardest thing to accept for all Laker Haters is that it won't be long til we get another one.
Other teams like Utah, Phoenix, Dallas, Portland, Denver, Philly, Cleveland, Houston, etc have to wait 10-20 years just to make a Finals appearance let alone win a title.
BIGDOG11, thanks for that comment. I'm glad you noticed I was die-hard.
At least you know I don't go hop on bandwagons, like a lot of Laker fakers.
Yo XP87 if great defenses weren't built around guards, then does that mean the BULLS DYNASTY (one of the greatest defenses of all time) was built around Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley?
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on October 4th at 1:11 PM.
dawg - The Jazz are very good, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they ended up as high as fourth in the conference. Still, they're not a very good defensive team, and they have big question marks on the wings (Who is going to get most of the minutes at SG? How is Kirilenko going to respond this season?). Also, if you're expecting anything out of Fesenko this season, you're probably gonna be disappointed, he's extremely raw.
PF - The Rockets had a lot of injury problems last year and had gaping holes at PF and PG and still managed to grab the 4th seed. If they can stay relatively healthy, the addition of Luis Scola (who is every bit as good as advertised) and the improvement at the point make them very scary.
J - Nobody is going to question the Lakers' historical cred. No franchise outside of Boston can compare to that. However, games are not won by history, they're won by players, and LA's players outside of Kobe just aren't very good.
"In the last 37 years, the Lakers have appeared in the FINALS 15 times"
There's a key part of all those Finals appearances who is missing now, and he goes by the name of Jerry West. The Lakers' personnel moves since West left have been, to put it lightly, absolutely terrible.
As far as great defenses go, the Bulls are, as they usually are, the exception to the rule. They were built around three of the greatest defensive players ever to touch a basketball in Jordan, Pippen and Rodman. However, even then if you look at defenses historically compared to the league average, Chicago's '96 team barely breaks the top ten. Teams like the early 90s Knicks (unarguably the greatest defensive team of all time), the late 90s Spurs, the Elvin Hayes/Wes Unseld Bullets, the Mark Eaton Jazz and the Zo Heat teams all rank higher. If you look over the greatest defenses of all time, there are a few exceptions here and there, but the overwhelming majority have a dominant shot blocking center. In addition, if you look at great defensive guards (Joe Dumars, Gary Payton, etc.) they can end up on bad defensive teams, but if you look at great defensive centers like Ewing or Olajuwon, their teams are almost never bad defensively. Evidence overwhelmingly supports the idea that great defenses are founded on great centers.
San Antonio hasn't won back to back yet. Will this motivate them or just their makeup. If the Suns stay healthy, big if, I think this will finally be their year. Don't think Marion will be a problem. They will play a deeper lineup this year with Stat, Marion, Grant Hill, Diaw, Skinner in the frontcourt and Nash, Bell, Barbosa, Strawberry at the backcourt. Watch out for this Strawberry kid. A real steal in the 2nd round.
Just because the Kings didnt do well last season doesnt mean they wont fare much better this season.Last years team was the same team who made the playoffs the year before and scared the hell out of SA. Mikki Moore and Spencer Hawes will provide a scoring option in the middle that the Kings havent had since Vlade left. No the Kings are not a threat to win the title however they could sneek in at number 7 or 8
Hoff - Glad you liked it. I'll be looking forward to that preview.
Rick - The issue with the Suns, as it has been for the last 3 years, will be post defense. There are just too many great big men in the West for Stat to continue playing matador defense.
RunTMC - I think the Warriors will be lucky to do as well as they did last year. They have a lot of terribly inefficient offensive players and they're a bad defensive team. Their saving grace is that their play style transitions well to the playoffs, and Davis is one of the few players who is genuinely terrifying to play against when his head is on straight because he's so insanely talented.
one - The problem with the Kings is that their key players (Bibby, Shareef, Miller, Thomas) are all hitting 30 and not aging particularly well. Since most of these guys were borderline all-stars in their prime, the dropoff really ended up killing the team last year, and it won't be getting better next year.
Well I disagree completely. I dont think Thomas and Rahim should even be considered key players. Kevin Martin, Ron Artest, Mike Bibby Brad Miller Francisco Garcia,and Quincy Douby are keys and Hopefully Spencer Hawes amd Moore can add a few points in the paint and also play interference in the middle on defense. I see a team playing much better than last year at an up tempo under Reggie.
I'll bet you a plate of crow.
You argued that they were effectively the same team that went to the playoffs two years ago. That team was led by Bibby, Miller, Abdur-Rahim, and Thomas, as well as Artest for half the season, Martin, and Wells. The first four have declined significantly and Wells is gone. So you're banking on a bunch of average, aging players, the player who redefined crazy (Artest), a borderline all-star (Martin), a third year 23rd pick and a 2nd year 19th pick who have shown nothing extraordinary so far, and a guy who just happened to have a career year while playing with Jason Kidd in his contract year. I'm supposed to get excited about that?
Also, they're being led by a new coach with no NBA coaching experience who was an assistant under Rick Pitino. College coaches have a notoriously bad track record in the NBA, and I shouldn't have to remind you of how awful Pitino's tenure in the NBA was.
If the Kings make the playoffs, I will write up an entire post detailing my stupidity and praising your prediction skills, but it ain't gonna happen.
Last edited by xphoenix87 on October 4th at 8:48 PM.
You have a deal....as you can see many people think highly of their own teams. It hard to be completely accurate in any prediction forum. There will be surprises both ways in this years NBA season. There will certainly be teams expected to do well that wont and there will be teams that were expected to be bad that will surprise. I am saying the Kings will be one of those surprise teams and I think Phoenix is going to be one of the good teams that wont do as well as expected. There will be many more surprises other than just those two. I think it is going to be a very nteresting season.
Don't get excited about him. He has no outside shot, and never made himself into a standout player on a mediocre Maryland team. There's a reason he was drafted so late.
Very nice recap and it is good to see that someone recognizes that a surprise team, or Dark Horse as you call it, has to be a team that no one is expecting anything from and not a team that was so close to the playoffs last season. NBA.com has the Celtics as the biggest surprise team of the season! Who is going to be surprised if Boston succeeds with KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce?
I do have one small question. How can Mike Conley be one of the main reasons you predict Memphis to be a dark horse and not list him among rookies to look for?
one- yup, like I said, you have the right to disagree with my opinion, just as long as you don't mind being wrong :P
jay - Strawberry was also the best perimeter defender in the draft and one of the best transition players in college basketball. He's not going to be a world-changer, but I think he'll get a good chunk of time as Nash's backup.
chip - Glad you liked it. With regards to Conley, I tried to make my rookies list guys who weren't as well known. Anyone can give you a list of rookies to watch for and then list off the top 6 picks of the draft, but I wanted to highlight some of the guys who might have slipped through the cracks.
All I know is I got tix to see the nuggets play the celtics- should be fun. As a knicks AND nugs fan (moved out to CO), I love camby but hold my breath every time he hits the floor. Denver has been good for him, but it's a matter of time. I love the individuals on the team, but if they end up winning the west (shi*t- getting out of the first round would be nice), then I think you can say (s)Karl(face) is a genius. Nene is a BEAST in the waiting, and if it weren't for injuries he would get all sorts of run. Crossing my fangers. I've given up on the knicks- for like half a decade.
All teams have to go though it before they to win the big one,Detriot-Boston in late 80's,Chicago-Detriot in the early 90's Lakers getting swept by Utah and San An in the late 90's.It takes about 4 years for a team to come together. So that being said I think the Lakers are right on schedual.People are quick to blast a team when there down. Let not forget that the last years was a rebuilding process, some things are just meant to be*** and the Lakers, Cowboys and Yanks are those things
wow a phoenix guy predicts phoenix to be San Antonio's biggest threat...big suprise. Guess what Im from north Texas and I think Dallas will be the biggest threat. At least my team has beat them in the playoffs in recent history, what has Phoenix done to get the nod over the Mavs.
Quit being a homer. Dallas had a let down, but it wasnt the team or Dirk (who still averaged about 20 and 8 in the playoffs even while being triple teamed)in either of the past two season , it was the coach. Avery is a rookie coach who had the pieces to win against the Heat and the Warriors, but he was outcoached by his mentor and by one of the greates ever in Pat Riley.
Dallas will be back, but the proof is in the pudding and all the Mavs fans will have to endure #### like this until they win it all (though no one other than a Spurs, Lakers, Miami, or Detroit fan has much to celebrate over the last decade).
Phoenix is unraveling and everyone sees it. Nash can't run and gun forever, Amare's ego is too big, Marion is underappreciated and becoming disgruntled, Kurt is gone so they can't play with the big guys, and they are putting all their hopes on Grant Hill? Please.
Warriors are rated way too low I have them as the 5th best team in the west behind San Antonio, Phoenix, Houston and Utah. I dont know what yall are smoking or drinking but you will see when the season starts...players to watch Belinelli, Wright and Azibuke. respect to B-Diddy, Jack, Big Al and Andris.
well, I unexpectedly have internet access at the beach this weekend, so I'll answer some of these comments.
lynx - The Nugs are loaded with talent, but they definitely have some chemistry and health issues. Nene is talented, but he looked absolutely terrible in the Tournament of the Americas this summer. He really needs to get his weight down if he wants to earn some of that monster contract.
South - I'm not blasting the Lakers, I'm just giving an honest assessment of where I think they are. They may well be good in a few years, but right now I think they're a 7th or 8th seed at best.
Maravich - I'm actually not a Phoenix fan. This SN is one that I've always used and it's a reference to the mythical flaming bird, not the place. Dallas beat SA when Duncan had struggled with injury all year and won on a dumb foul by Ginobili. Phoenix lost in maybe the dodgiest series in playoffs history (the suspensions, the Donaghy stuff). On the heels of two huge playoff disappointments, you have to question the Mavs' psyche. By the way, Nowitzki was absolutely terrible in those two series, he shot less than 40% and got abused on defense.
I agree that Phoenix doesn't have a lot of time left, which is why I thought they should've made a move for KG. Still, until Nash collapses, they've got a chance to contend.
Youre gonna be wrong about the Clippers. Yes Elton Brand is out for quite a while, but the rest of the team will be stepping up. Chris Kaman's game will be improved and look to see Corey Maggette, Quinton Ross, Al Thornton and Josh Powell's games all upped another level. And Sam Cassell may turn out to be the Brett Favre of the NBA this year. I know it all looks bad with Brand being injured, but it dont take any brains, passion for the game or guts to count the Clippers out. They return to the underdog role and prove the critics wrong again this year. Clippers fan through thick and thin...I'm out.
Yes please don't feel bad for our Portland TrailBlazers who knows this may just be a blessing in disguise we may just end up with Mayo because of Odens injury!! HEHHEHEHEHE
Good call; Rockets got the tools, talents and now a coach who will "cut 'em loose".
Healthy? Wouldn't bet the ranch on it....but if they stay healthy, sit back and watch some great bench rotation. Watched Stevie come into the league with Cat; he'll be a major improvement or just a "movement".
Mutombo is really a speciman for being only 58 YO.
Mac and Yao gotta have their best year for the Rockets to go full throttle.
A definite maybe; but will be entertaining.
Man.....looking at the Rockets bench depth, cut time is going to be tough. There are some obvious "no ways", but where does this leave Rafer and Luther? I really liked these kids last year; kinda reminded me of Franchise and Catino back when.
And Bob Sura....is he done? What a shame....lotta talent in that guy.
I was telling some younsters about Pistol Pete the other night at the watering hole and they didn't know who he was. Crazy! If Pete was playing today with all this raw and explosive talent, Pete would be right there with any elite shooting guard in the NBA. The guy was a highlight reel.....love to catch old footage on ESPN Classics on Pistol Pete.
Still holds a few records if not mistaken.
Texans win today; good for them; good team that could overachieve and make the playoffs, but they sure miss Andre.
Being an Astros fan since I was knee high, gotta say: "Thanks Craig!" Any pro, any sport should check out Mr. Biggio and his mindset towards the game! Style, class, totally in respect of the game and still has lots of time with "Sunshine Kids" in Houston. Talk about a role model....he's it!
I agree with everything except for the Hornets. I see them being a 35-win team at best.
I think Portland and Seattle will be the two worst teams in the league.
Morris Almond is indeed a player. The Jazz have desperately needed a shooting guard for some time now. I wouldn't be surprised if this guy got major burn and ROY contention.
Train - The Hornets suffered terrible injury problems last year (18 games missed from Chris Paul, 30 from David West, 26 from Bobby Jackson, 9 from Tyson Chandler, almost the whole season from Peja) and still won 39 games. If that team is reasonably healthy and you add Mo Pete and Julian Wright to it, I think they're about a 45-46 win team.
I understand your rationale, but I don't think it's that simple. You'd think they'd be better with the return of their full squad, but the fact of the matter is this still isn't a very good team.
What's Peja Stojakovic at this point? Really... the guy can do NOTHING but shoot spot-up shots.
Who's coming off the bench? Is there a worse bench in the league?
I don't see it. Paul is a stud, but nobody else on this team comes close to being a stud.
David West is a nice player, but when he's your second-best player, your team ain't very good.
We'll see. I definitely get your logic. I just don't think this team has what it takes. I mean, Bobby Jackson? How many games is he going to miss? Chandler is always getting nicked up.
Last edited by TrainOntheBall on October 11th at 9:00 PM.
win the title this year. They're better than they've ever been, they return their entire team, Tony Parker made "The Leap" in the Finals, and they heard a lot of people at the end of last year say that they can't be considered a dynasty until they win back-to-back titles. Now, does this mean I'd take the Spurs against the field? Probably not, but they're extremely talented, they have the game's best coach, and they'll be motivated.
handler, and a great shooter in Peja if he can stay moderately healthy. 
make the playoffs.
