so the teams in the west that are contending in for a playoff spot are:
Lakers
Hornets
Jazz
Spurs
Suns
Mavericks
Rockets
Nuggets
Blazers
i would have put the Clippers in there if not for brand going to Sixers, and the Warriors should have been in there if not for davis going to LA. why the Blazers are in there? simple, Greg Oden. they manage to go .500 without him last season and almost made the playoffs too, now with oden in the lineup and a healthy team they are sure to contend for a playoff spot next season.
hope next season will be as exciting as this last one.
as for the east, well atleast its good to know that some team will be able to challenge the Celtics besides the Magic of course. im not expecting the Pistons or Cavs to scare the defending champs especially with the Pistons rebuilding and the Cavs not really that in a contender status with its lineup.
Celtics, Magic, Bulls, and Sixers. those are only the teams im expecting to watch next season.
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i like the play of brandon roy, very solid and it was rewarded with an all-star berth which he deserves.
going to the wiki, i noticed that Blazers and Sonics have a rivalry called I-95 rivalry however the link that mentions it doesnt work. so Monopoman, i know you are a Blazers fan, can you tell me a little bit about the I-95 rivalry with the Sonics and how it started. it would be nice if the Sonics are still in Seattle and with oden and durant battling each other out especially since oden probably thinks that the ROY was stolen from him because of his injury.
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Portland will be solid next season, but still not in the really, really good level. I'd figure that it should take about a season or two for now for the core to gel completely and start chalking up wins. I'm not too sure how Oden will start out playing - he might start out not as good as you'd expect him to coming from a looong layoff, but he's still an asset to the team and should provide some spark this season. The Blazers will still have Roy as their main guy next season, so a lot would still depend on him.
As for everyone else in the West:
- Lakers will still be good, if not better. The loss should have toughened them up, they still have a player named Kobe, and every other guy is out to pay back the Celtics. Plus, they got rid of Turiaf, who can't shoot to save his life. Brilliant move.
- Hornets and Jazz will be even stronger next season.
- The Spurs are aging a bit now, but they're still a strong team. Not as good as they were the past seasons though.
- Houston will be good enough to make the playoffs and get kicked out of the first round. Hasn't it dawned on them that T-Mac+Yao won't go far?
- Dallas gained age with that move for Jason Kidd, but they're still a good team.
- Phoenix = no comment
- Denver = Carmelo is overrated
So given that, seems like the Blazers can start making the postseason next year.
Couldn't care less about the East, Boston will still be good and so will Orlando. The Bulls and Sixers might throw a couple surprises.
dammit, we lost Ronny Turiaf
that guy was da bomb (even if he wasn't thaaaat good)-- good off the bench
well, we'll kick but with Andrew Bynum back in the mix
too bad we couldn't snag....say Posey or something...w.e
Well with what Bayless is showing in Summer League I really hope part of that can transition over to the NBA now.
While he may not get the shot attempts he wants if he can score at will that will be great. I would love to see Bayless become a Roy clone that would be so awesome I can see some similarities already.
Also looks like Koppenen may make the spot on this roster which is impressive this guy came out of nowhere.
I am just hoping the Blazers can beat out Denver for that 8th spot. My wildest dreams would be beating Utah record wise which would give them 4th or 5th for sure.
WHAT??????????????????????????????
Say what you want about Kobe but the man is amazing and is one of the greatest to ever play the game. I hope that was sarcasm or a joke I really do.
i agree, im a huge Celtics fan and have been one for the majority of my life time and i hate kobe.. i absolutely loathe him but he is one of the best players ever and has been the best since MJ (as much as i pains me to say it).
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Kobe's dang good man. Honestly, I wouldn't compare Kobe to Michael Jordan simply because I haven't seen a single NBA game with Michael Jordan in it---and have seen many with KB24. Kobe's the best player to be playing (currently) though I've heard people make the case for LBJ (he's good, and will get even better, but not at Kobe's level just yet). Carmelo Anthony is freaking good internationally, though---I have to admit.
Anyone watching the Olympics? Yeah... the Redeem Team! Only one more exhibition game to go (v. Team Australia)--and we've blow-torched Canada, Lithuania, and Russia so far.
I'm a little dissapointed we only beat the Aussies by 11 and they didn't have Bogut (some sort of foot injury). We better pick up the pace in the games because we can't settle for anything less than a gold. Personally I think we need to bench Kidd and hand the reigns over to CP3 with Deron Williams coming off the bench.
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but hey, kidd starting isnt a bad idea... they just have to accept the fact that they cant make him finish the game as well...
i like the idea of CP3 and Dwill having play time together but wouldnt it be more effective if they played on different playing time? you do have kobe, wade and redd for your #2 spot...
and no love for bosh? dwight is a good player but his ball handles arent the best... so when they double team him, he just coughs it. and boozer is a 4 spot, enough said. bosh played 4-5 spot for the raptors and i think he can deal being a centre in international games. like they have a shaq-like player in international games (big Z and bogut aint playing... maybe kaman and gasol would be a threat for US down at the 5 position)
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I am convinced that WotC is "dumbing" the game because of all the stupid posts they come across on MTG-related forums
and why is there more love to the nuggets than blazers???
nuggets are on a slow decline... AI getting old, camby gone, melo... well... my point is nuggets lost their most defensive guy, AI can be an okay defesive pg but hes getting old...
on the other hand, blazers have tons of potential... they did do good last year (compared to top 4-8 teams in the east) and they didnt have oden. i really hope hes a dominant force in the paint... then you have roy, then aldridge, then their SFs....
and atlantic division is gonna be a tight race... celtics on their peak, raptors getting a defensive edge (finally), philly trying to play catch up, NY getting a good coach (hey, NY does have talent, just no chemistry). dont be sleeping on the nets though, they might have lost 2 of their key players last season but VC is surrounded with new, younger, "potential" players and a couple of draft kids...
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I am convinced that WotC is "dumbing" the game because of all the stupid posts they come across on MTG-related forums
dont be sleeping on the nets though, they might have lost 2 of their key players last season but VC is surrounded with new, younger, "potential" players and a couple of draft kids...
they were supposed to have their breakout year two years ago with kidd, carter, jefferson and kristic. they even had a decent bench to back them up. but most of the pieces were gone for last year, and i simply don't think that carter will refresh his game with new guys around him. his attitude in toronto horrible because he didn't want to be part of a rebuilding process. now he's in a worse rebuilding position than he was when he was with the raptors, and at his age, he's not going to be making any personality turnarounds. in his time with the nets, he has made a 360 in his attitude change. too bad 360 puts you back to where you originally where, lol.
Not really sure where you get this one? Unless you live in Denver or something because not many posts on this thread are heralding the Nuggets much.
So yeah I think there isn't that many Nugget fans outside of Denver.
and ESPN really doesn't favor one or the other, from what I've seen.
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actually I think ESPN favors Denver, since AI and Melo make for a bigger TV draw. Personally I think the Blazers will sneak into the playoffs. Roy is and All-Star, Oden is coming, and Aldridge is an emerging star. Personally I think the Nuggets will be lucky to finish ahead of the Warriors and even the Clippers.
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Well Oden has plenty of hype around him being the must have player on the 2007 draft. I'm sure given some time and looking at the dedication Greg Oden has he will be as big of name as Kobe or Lebron.
It will take some time though that's to be sure, he will have to get himself some big time media exposure. Roy also has the potential his game is really complete and will probably be an MVP someday if he keeps improving like he has his first 2 years in the league.
i cant believe Oden has that many media exposures already at such a young age and he hasn't played a single nba game yet. Oden can be as popular to MJ last decade and Kobe and LBJ this decade. i think Oden's time will be next decade when he is reaching his prime.
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i think Oden's time will be next decade when he is reaching his prime.
His time is now... he'll be the Rookie of the Year, no doubt about it. Beasley will fall into a distant second, if only because his numbers wont hold up next to Dwayne Wade's ever expanding ball-carry time. Rose wont even be close to a rookie of the year candidate, and you can quote me on that. He's getting shoved onto an amazing, young team that has turned into a bunch of soft, pushover malcontents.
OJ Mayo is a high volume scorer who takes too many shots for the amount of points he as (i.e. Agent Zero, AI). He will struggle as a point guard without making turnovers, he will probaly put up at least 15 points for a sorry grizzlies team, but the fact that his team will not move up in the rankings very much will cost him in the ROY race since Oden, Beasley, and maybe even Rose are all on teams expected to improve.
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I don't like the idea of people expecting Greg Oden to be this basketball god who averages 20 and 10 this season. He is coming off micro fracture surgery and probably won't play like he did in college for awhile, maybe into the 09-10 season. People need to remember just how intense that surgery is, and it takes a lot of time to come back from it, and some people just aren't the same afterwards. Secondly, he has no NBA experience under his belt, so he is going to go through some growing pains, and probably have a fair number of games where he is in foul trouble most of the game.
Don't get me wrong, I love Greg Oden, and I love my Blazers. I think we have a legitimate chance at the playoffs, but I don't like people setting the bar for Oden so high. He will probably be great in due time, but combined with no NBA experience and coming off an intense surgery, I think it would be more reasonable to think he will average around 12 and 10. He is going to be a force in the paint on defense, and he will grab rebounds, but he isn't that great of a scorer at this point, and wasn't at Ohio State. I just don't want people think he is going to like Ewing in his prime this season and set their expectations too high. He is still a rookie. He just came off micro fracture surgery. Let's not get carried away just yet.
I don't like the idea of people expecting Greg Oden to be this basketball god who averages 20 and 10 this season.
I'm not sure anyone really believes he'll post 20 and 10 this year. It's widely acknowledged that he wont be at full strength for a large portion of this season, and nobody expects him to put up David Robinson stats right off the bat.
I project him at Rookie of the Year with 15 and 10, with 2-3 highlight reel blocks each night. That's based off of his collegiate preformance, and the numerous scouting appearances he's made against NBA talent like Aldridge, Tyrus Thomas, and the Vanilla Gorilla himself!
I just think its a stretch that you are lableling him rookie of the year, hands down, without even seeing him play for over a year. I hope he wins, I think it would be great for him and for the organization, but I don't think he will put up the scoring numbers that he needs. Beasley at this point is probably the better scorer, and on a team like Miami who was in the dumpster last year, he will assuredly get his numbers, as he has a nose for the ball and putting it in the hoop. It was like when Oden came out last year, people said that he wouldn't win rookie of the year because Durant was going to score too many points and that would overshadow Oden's intangibles. I have a feeling something similar may happen as Oden will probably get most of his points early in year from offensive rebounds. Early in the year I doubt he will be a primary scoring option, it will just be him trying to get into basketball shape and get a feel for the game.
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Lakers
Hornets
Jazz
Spurs
Suns
Mavericks
Rockets
Nuggets
Blazers
i would have put the Clippers in there if not for brand going to Sixers, and the Warriors should have been in there if not for davis going to LA. why the Blazers are in there? simple, Greg Oden. they manage to go .500 without him last season and almost made the playoffs too, now with oden in the lineup and a healthy team they are sure to contend for a playoff spot next season.
hope next season will be as exciting as this last one.
as for the east, well atleast its good to know that some team will be able to challenge the Celtics besides the Magic of course. im not expecting the Pistons or Cavs to scare the defending champs especially with the Pistons rebuilding and the Cavs not really that in a contender status with its lineup.
Celtics, Magic, Bulls, and Sixers. those are only the teams im expecting to watch next season.
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The Analysts all counted the Blazers out till that 13 game win streak then they were like ok this team is very good.
Oden+Fernandez+Bayless fills a lot of holes and this team will be hard to beat and even harder 2-3 seasons from this coming season.
Brandon Roy and Lemarcus Aldridge should be even better next year and they were both very good last year.
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going to the wiki, i noticed that Blazers and Sonics have a rivalry called I-95 rivalry however the link that mentions it doesnt work. so Monopoman, i know you are a Blazers fan, can you tell me a little bit about the I-95 rivalry with the Sonics and how it started. it would be nice if the Sonics are still in Seattle and with oden and durant battling each other out especially since oden probably thinks that the ROY was stolen from him because of his injury.
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As for everyone else in the West:
- Lakers will still be good, if not better. The loss should have toughened them up, they still have a player named Kobe, and every other guy is out to pay back the Celtics. Plus, they got rid of Turiaf, who can't shoot to save his life. Brilliant move.
- Hornets and Jazz will be even stronger next season.
- The Spurs are aging a bit now, but they're still a strong team. Not as good as they were the past seasons though.
- Houston will be good enough to make the playoffs and get kicked out of the first round. Hasn't it dawned on them that T-Mac+Yao won't go far?
- Dallas gained age with that move for Jason Kidd, but they're still a good team.
- Phoenix = no comment
- Denver = Carmelo is overrated
So given that, seems like the Blazers can start making the postseason next year.
Couldn't care less about the East, Boston will still be good and so will Orlando. The Bulls and Sixers might throw a couple surprises.
that guy was da bomb (even if he wasn't thaaaat good)-- good off the bench
well, we'll kick but with Andrew Bynum back in the mix
too bad we couldn't snag....say Posey or something...w.e
While he may not get the shot attempts he wants if he can score at will that will be great. I would love to see Bayless become a Roy clone that would be so awesome I can see some similarities already.
Also looks like Koppenen may make the spot on this roster which is impressive this guy came out of nowhere.
I am just hoping the Blazers can beat out Denver for that 8th spot. My wildest dreams would be beating Utah record wise which would give them 4th or 5th for sure.
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Say what you want about Kobe but the man is amazing and is one of the greatest to ever play the game. I hope that was sarcasm or a joke I really do.
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Anyone watching the Olympics? Yeah... the Redeem Team! Only one more exhibition game to go (v. Team Australia)--and we've blow-torched Canada, Lithuania, and Russia so far.
but hey, kidd starting isnt a bad idea... they just have to accept the fact that they cant make him finish the game as well...
i like the idea of CP3 and Dwill having play time together but wouldnt it be more effective if they played on different playing time? you do have kobe, wade and redd for your #2 spot...
and no love for bosh? dwight is a good player but his ball handles arent the best... so when they double team him, he just coughs it. and boozer is a 4 spot, enough said. bosh played 4-5 spot for the raptors and i think he can deal being a centre in international games. like they have a shaq-like player in international games (big Z and bogut aint playing... maybe kaman and gasol would be a threat for US down at the 5 position)
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nuggets are on a slow decline... AI getting old, camby gone, melo... well... my point is nuggets lost their most defensive guy, AI can be an okay defesive pg but hes getting old...
on the other hand, blazers have tons of potential... they did do good last year (compared to top 4-8 teams in the east) and they didnt have oden. i really hope hes a dominant force in the paint... then you have roy, then aldridge, then their SFs....
and atlantic division is gonna be a tight race... celtics on their peak, raptors getting a defensive edge (finally), philly trying to play catch up, NY getting a good coach (hey, NY does have talent, just no chemistry). dont be sleeping on the nets though, they might have lost 2 of their key players last season but VC is surrounded with new, younger, "potential" players and a couple of draft kids...
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they were supposed to have their breakout year two years ago with kidd, carter, jefferson and kristic. they even had a decent bench to back them up. but most of the pieces were gone for last year, and i simply don't think that carter will refresh his game with new guys around him. his attitude in toronto horrible because he didn't want to be part of a rebuilding process. now he's in a worse rebuilding position than he was when he was with the raptors, and at his age, he's not going to be making any personality turnarounds. in his time with the nets, he has made a 360 in his attitude change. too bad 360 puts you back to where you originally where, lol.
Objection!
Not really sure where you get this one? Unless you live in Denver or something because not many posts on this thread are heralding the Nuggets much.
So yeah I think there isn't that many Nugget fans outside of Denver.
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and ESPN really doesn't favor one or the other, from what I've seen.
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It will take some time though that's to be sure, he will have to get himself some big time media exposure. Roy also has the potential his game is really complete and will probably be an MVP someday if he keeps improving like he has his first 2 years in the league.
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His time is now... he'll be the Rookie of the Year, no doubt about it. Beasley will fall into a distant second, if only because his numbers wont hold up next to Dwayne Wade's ever expanding ball-carry time. Rose wont even be close to a rookie of the year candidate, and you can quote me on that. He's getting shoved onto an amazing, young team that has turned into a bunch of soft, pushover malcontents.
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Don't get me wrong, I love Greg Oden, and I love my Blazers. I think we have a legitimate chance at the playoffs, but I don't like people setting the bar for Oden so high. He will probably be great in due time, but combined with no NBA experience and coming off an intense surgery, I think it would be more reasonable to think he will average around 12 and 10. He is going to be a force in the paint on defense, and he will grab rebounds, but he isn't that great of a scorer at this point, and wasn't at Ohio State. I just don't want people think he is going to like Ewing in his prime this season and set their expectations too high. He is still a rookie. He just came off micro fracture surgery. Let's not get carried away just yet.
I'm not sure anyone really believes he'll post 20 and 10 this year. It's widely acknowledged that he wont be at full strength for a large portion of this season, and nobody expects him to put up David Robinson stats right off the bat.
I project him at Rookie of the Year with 15 and 10, with 2-3 highlight reel blocks each night. That's based off of his collegiate preformance, and the numerous scouting appearances he's made against NBA talent like Aldridge, Tyrus Thomas, and the Vanilla Gorilla himself!