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NBA Power Rankings [15-6]
Topic Started: Aug 13 2013, 01:42 PM (249 Views)
Donny
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Let's hop into this.

[15] Portland Trail Blazers
Projected Starting 5:
C: Robin Lopez
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge
SF: Nicolas Batum
SG: Wesley Matthews
PG: Damian Lillard
The Blazers will compete, inexperienced or not, for a playoff spot. Lillard exploded at PG last season with 19 points, 6.5 assists per game, which if he can duplicate these efforts, this team will be a top 7 team in the West. Wesley Matthews is coming off of an elbow injury that limited his season and looks to be fully healed, pairing up with multi-skilled Small Forward Nicolas Batum and superstar Power Forward LaMarcus Aldridge. The only real hole in my opinion is Robin Lopez at Center. He doesn't rebound outstandingly well, but he can score and defend. However, if he's being beaten on the boards, inside points galore are likely to flow straight to their competitors. Mo Williams off the bench at PG will likely be their 6th man, combo guard draftee from LeHigh C.J. McCollum will backup Matthews, and Dorell Wright and Thomas Robinson round out the bench players who look to make a huge impact. I have this team nowhere lower than 8th in the West, but injuries can happen to a team where no one played the full season last season other than Robin Lopez and Damian Lillard.

[14] Atlanta Hawks
Projected Starting 5:
C: Al Horford
PF: Paul Millsap
SF: Kyle Korver
SG: Lou Williams
PG: Jeff Teague

The Hawks are my surprise team in the NBA. After losing Josh Smith, just 9 days later they went out and signed star bigman Paul Millsap to replace Smith at the 4, which in my opinion is a fantastic move, Millsap is a guy who can score, rebound, and best of all, he has some of the best post D in the league. Match him with Al Horford at Center and this team's inside game will be the best in the league, especially with Elton Brand coming off the bench, who stayed healthy almost all of the 2012-2013 season. Kyle Korver is a sharpshooting 6'7 Small Forward who can also play some good defense to go along with his amazing capabilities from 3 point range. Shooting Guard Lou Williams looks to come back from injury and show off his different abilities on the offense and defensive side, with underrated Point Guard Jeff Teague running the show, averaging a solid 15 and 7 last season with many multiple steal games. An underrated bench as well, John Jenkins and DeMarre Carroll look to make their names known around the NBA crowd. All in all, I see this team having no issues competing for a playoff spot in the East.

[13] Detroit Pistons
Projected Starting 5:
C: Andre Drummond
PF: Greg Monroe
SF: Josh Smith
SG: Rodney Stuckey
PG: Brandon Jennings
Talk about teams with great futures ahead of them, the Pistons have had themselves quite a special offseason, signing Josh Smith and trading for Brandon Jennings, as well as reacquiring Chauncey Billups. My only concern about this specific team is not knowing how all the egos will work together. Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings are both very out-there players and have very colorful opinions that they aren't afraid to share. However, I think they can work out any differences they have now and match up with Stuckey, Monroe, and Drummond to make a powerful contender that'll land somewhere around the 6th seed in the East. This is one of few teams that I see matching up extremely well to the Heat, if they did end up playing in the playoffs. Bench help should be no issue with Billups, Will Bynum, Kyle Singler, and draftee Tony Mitchell lining their bench. This team is a great mixture of young and old and should compete with no issue in the East.

[12] Denver Nuggets
Projected Starting 5:
C: JaVale McGee
PF: Kenneth Faried
SF: Danilo Gallinary
SG: Randy Foye
PG: Ty Lawson
Talk about deep teams, the Nuggets have a viable backup for every single one of their starters, making them a definite contender for a top 5 spot in the West. JJ Hickson and JaVale McGee look to battle for playing time at Center, where Faried and Gallinari can be backup up by oversized SF Wilson Chandler. At Shooting Guard Randy Foye looks to take over after Igoudala's departure, and underrated PG Ty Lawson looks to maintain his starting role with Nate Robinson breathing on his neck. I really think that the Nuggets can contend but they won't have a chance to make it past the 2nd round of the playoffs, as they have no real legitimate #1 scoring option. If someone like Gallinari or Faried establish themselves as a 20 PPG a night guy, they could really have a chance to compete for a top 4 spot in the West.

[11] New York Knicks
Projected Starting 5:
C: Tyson Chandler
PF: Carmelo Anthony
SF: Metta World Peace
SG: Iman Shumpert
PG: Raymond Felton
The Knicks barely don't crack my top 10 after finishing 2nd in the East last season. Why, you ask? There are a few things. Raymond Felton is a huge problem for this team, in my opinion. He's not good enough to carry the ball up the court every time and make plays for his team, which is the one thing that Melo has never really had to set him up, which is a massive problem because if Melo didn't have the ball in his hands in tightly guarded situations and he had more open shots because of the PG making him space, he'd likely be one of the best shooters in the league percentage-wise. Another major problem is the playtime distribution. There is no way this turns out well, having to distribute bigman minutes to Carmelo, Chandler, Bargnani, and Amare. They all want to play, and I think that the Bargnani pickup was completely ridiculous for this team because of what a poor rebounder Bargnani is. For a labeled scoring bigman, his scoring is mediocre at best, his defense is meh, and he CANNOT REBOUND TO SAVE HIS LIFE. Just a few issues. However, MWP and Shumpert look to save the day with two of the best defending 2/3 duos in the league, as well as having sharpshooter JR Smith off the bench. This team may break the top 3 in the East again just because of poor schedules, but I see them going nowhere yet again.

[10] Houston Rockets
C: Dwight Howard
PF: Marcus Camby???
SF: Chandler Parsons
SG: James Harden
PG: Jeremy Lin
What the hell's going on at PF for the Rockets? Asik's not a PF and their only other options are Camby, Greg Smith, or Donuts. I really am confused as to what the Rockets are going to do here, unless they can totally 180 degree turn Asik into a PF, which will take time and will be tough. Dwight Howard's the big man in town now, but how much better does he make this team? Parsons is a solid role player at SF, Harden is the #1 option at SG, and then you have Jeremy Lin. Jeremy Lin is an overhyped PG with a ton of upside that has major turnover issues that need to be solved ASAP if this team looks to try to contend for the championship. I don't see this team being any better than the Lakers would be with Dwight unless they get a real PF, but at the moment, I've got them at 10, barely, and a whole lot of trouble ahead.

[9] Memphis Grizzlies
Projected Starting 5:
C: Marc Gasol
PF: Zach Randolph
SF: Tayshaun Prince
SG: Tony Allen
PG: Mike Conley
This is the best defensive team in the league, hands down, in my opinion. Having Gasol and Randolph at the 4/5 is spectacular for any team, who wouldn't want to have two tough rebounds who can score as well and defend the best of the best. Add in veteran SF Tayshaun Prince's defensive prowess and Tony Allen at Shooting Guard and what else do you need to contend in the West? Right, a Point Guard, which the Grizzlies also have in Mike Conley. The Grizzlies will contend for a top 3 spot in the West with ease, but the lack of scoring options may really hurt them in the long run, especially if players like Conley and Prince can't get anything going. Signing 3 point specialist Mike Miller to man the bench with Jerryd Bayless, Ed Davis, and ex-Nugget Kosta Koufos and this team looks to be extremely solid and deep.

[8] Chicago Bulls
Projected Starting 5:
C: Joakim Noah
PF: Carlos Boozer
SF: Luol Deng
SG: Jimmy Butler
PG: Derrick Rose
Rose is back, back again. Rose is finally expected to be healthy for the upcoming season, and if he can stay completely healthy this team will be a top competitor in the East. My only problem is that ouside of Kirk Hinrich, Taj Gibson, and Mike Dunleavy, this team's bench is straight up mediocrity. Bigman Carlos Boozer is coming off of a strong 16 and 10 season and superstar PG Derrick Rose looks to return back to the court and contend for the title vs Miami, Brooklyn, and Indiana. Don't sleep on Jimmy Butler, either. A gritty, 6'7 SG/SF, Butler looks to be a great defender with an offensive ability to boot. If this team's bench steps up, I think the Bulls should be able to pull off a top 3 seed in the East.

[7] Brooklyn Nets
Projected Starting 5:
C: Brook Lopez
PF: Kevin Garnett
SF: Paul Pierce
SG: Joe Johnson
PG: Deron Williams
The biggest move in the offseason was completed when the Nets moved Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, and MarShon Brooks to get Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the Boston Celtics. How does this team stack up to other teams in the East? Pretty damn good, if I might say so myself. The starting 5 looks pretty good, but what about the bench? Rebounding stud Reggie Evans, solid scorer and defender Andray Blatche, sharpshooter Jason Terry, and defending guru Andrei Kirilenko buffer up the defense for the Nets. The Nets don't seem to be messing around and should be there to compete with the Pacers, Bulls, and Heat for a top 3 spot in the league. Can they win a ring? I think they certainly could because in the playoffs, anything can happen.

[6] Golden State Warriors
Projected Starting 5:
C: Andrew Bogut
PF: David Lee
SF: Harrison Barnes
SG: Andre Igoudala
PG: Steph Curry
Coming up with the starting 5 was the most difficult part of analyzing this team. It'll either be Igoudala and Barnes or Thompson and Igoudala, both of which should propel this team to contender-ship. Let's just stop and think here, a team with Steph Curry, Andre Igoudala, and David Lee? Three extremely valuable scoring options and decent defenders, not to mention having Bogut, Thompson, and Barnes there who are all very capable scorers in their own way, especially Thompson. To be honest, this is my dark horse team from the West to make the Finals. Depth is key, and having Maurice Speights, Toney Douglas, and Jermaine O'Neal all bring valuable experience to this team's roster. The health problems for the Warriors are the only thing I can think of which can stop this team from competing for the #1 spot with Kevin Durant and the Thunder, Chris Paul and the Lakers, and Tim Duncan of the Spurs. All in all, I believe they will be #2 in the West behind the Thunder, by 2 games at the most.
Edited by Donny, Aug 13 2013, 09:11 PM.
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Bay
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Grizz and Nuggets too high IMO
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Dash
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Rockets > Grizz, Warriors imo

GSW way too high. Brooklyn below Warriors and top 5 is criminal.
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LeBron
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why wouldn't they start asik and howard together tbh
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Charle$
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LeBron
Aug 13 2013, 03:59 PM
why wouldn't they start asik and howard together tbh
Well, they both want the ball 5 ft from the basket, so that makes it complicated ... neither player really has range so it would sort of rape their floor spacing. Then they would have no one to come off the bench to play the other like 14-16 minutes at center.

Dash
 
GSW way too high. Brooklyn below Warriors and top 5 is criminal.

Did I miss something? They have a healthy C, PF, and just got Iguodala... put all that together in last years playoffs and who knows what happens. The Warriors are one of the most exciting and dangerous teams in the league.


I think the Hawks, Nets (old/HC ?), and Nuggets (lost Iggy, HC ?) are a bit high, and the Warriors a bit low at 6 haha. Nice write up about the Pistons, I'm thinking that Chauncey will start at the SG position though.

My Backcourt Minutes Distribution in Detroit:
SG: Chauncey: 15 (starts), KCP: 20, Stuckey: 13.
PG: Jennings: 32, Chauncey: 8, Bynum: 8.

Total: Jennings 32
Chauncey: 23
KCP: 20
Stuckey: 13
Bynum: 8

So Chauncey doesn't play a ton of minutes because he's older and its a concern, and the rookie gets 20 MPG just like Drummond did last year. Stuckey should be tradebait and won't really fit with the rest of the players in the starting lineup. A slashing/cutting SG that can't shoot 3s just clogs up the paint even more. At least KCP and Chauncey are threats to score from deep and help the spacing situation.
Edited by Charle$, Aug 13 2013, 04:22 PM.
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tripleaamin
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I think Houston should be higher, but overall good list.
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Donny
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Rockets have no PF and it really hurts them, because unless Asik can make the transformation, there'll be no production and when it comes time to play contenders, they won't have any big men to guard other bigmen. Warriors vs Rockets, Warriors win because there'll be no way to lock down all of the Warriors stars. Same with the Grizz. Marc and Zach can easily outdo Dwight/whoever at PF, scrub PF. You need a good starting 5 and they have a starting 4 and then a PF position that'll be less produced at than anywhere else in the league.

And Charles:

Stuckey's got more potential to succeed than Chauncey imo, much younger and quicker.
Edited by Donny, Aug 13 2013, 04:44 PM.
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Dash
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LeBron
Aug 13 2013, 03:59 PM
why wouldn't they start asik and howard together tbh
Because they'd kill their spacing...

Quote:
 
Did I miss something? They have a healthy C, PF, and just got Iguodala... put all that together in last years playoffs and who knows what happens. The Warriors are one of the most exciting and dangerous teams in the league.


And? This would make sense if the teams mentioned didn't make improvements but they did and BIG ones. GSW will be dangerous but not good enough to beat arguably the 2nd best team on paper (Nets) or a team with two top ten players (Houston and one of which can be top 3 when he's healthy).
Edited by Dash, Aug 13 2013, 04:48 PM.
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Charle$
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Donny
Aug 13 2013, 04:44 PM
And Charles:

Stuckey's got more potential to succeed than Chauncey imo, much younger and quicker.
He has more potential to succeed? He's absolutely terrible. He can't shoot. He forces his own offense. He's a selfish prick. All he can do is drive to the hoop... and we have Drummond, Monroe, Smith already on the floor. Every single person who talks about the Pistons offense is like "How are the egos going to work" and "how is the spacing going to happen?" It's public knowledge that Stuckey has an ego ... and even though Monroe and Smith are great passers for their positions, why would you want to put the team in that situation.

I guess I'd rather have someone who can be a spot up shooter, can handle the ball, and is a winner on my starting squad. Chauncey can also take control of the offense and let Jennings work off the ball. Even at his age, I think he's a better overall player and a better fit on this roster than Stuckey.

Just because you're younger and quicker ... lol cmon Donnybreh.
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Donny
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IDK Stuckey's my homie doe :(

Nah I know, Chauncey's just injury prone.
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Charle$
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Dash
Aug 13 2013, 04:45 PM
Quote:
 
Did I miss something? They have a healthy C, PF, and just got Iguodala... put all that together in last years playoffs and who knows what happens. The Warriors are one of the most exciting and dangerous teams in the league.


And? This would make sense if the teams mentioned didn't make improvements but they did and BIG ones. GSW will be dangerous but not good enough to beat arguably the 2nd best team on paper (Nets) or a team with two top ten players (Houston and one of which can be top 3 when he's healthy).
Yeah Dash, huge improvements. The Nets got a pair of old players who are on the downside of their career. KG is great on defense, but won't score that much. Then Pierce ... who had an extremely high usage percentage and will be like the ... 3rd or 4th option? It's not like he's going to be a 20 PPG guy. They might be the 3rd or 4th place team in the East, behind: Miami, Chicago, Indiana ... uhh maybe even the Knicks might end up higher. This team is a disaster waiting to happen. I think I like where Donny put them.

The Rockets, alright you got two stars and an alright 3rd guy in Parsons ... and? Yeah. That roster has a pretty big question with its depth. I think the Warriors will end up a higher seed than the Rockets, if everyone stays healthy (I'm talking Howard/Lin and Curry/Bogut/Lee). You would take the Rockets over the Warriors in a 7game series?
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Donny
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Oh and about Denver:

The team is so deep that they should be fine with whatever they do, they've got 10+ good players.
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Dash
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Charles
Aug 13 2013, 05:09 PM
Dash
Aug 13 2013, 04:45 PM
Quote:
 
Did I miss something? They have a healthy C, PF, and just got Iguodala... put all that together in last years playoffs and who knows what happens. The Warriors are one of the most exciting and dangerous teams in the league.


And? This would make sense if the teams mentioned didn't make improvements but they did and BIG ones. GSW will be dangerous but not good enough to beat arguably the 2nd best team on paper (Nets) or a team with two top ten players (Houston and one of which can be top 3 when he's healthy).
Yeah Dash, huge improvements. The Nets got a pair of old players who are on the downside of their career. KG is great on defense, but won't score that much. Then Pierce ... who had an extremely high usage percentage and will be like the ... 3rd or 4th option? It's not like he's going to be a 20 PPG guy. They might be the 3rd or 4th place team in the East, behind: Miami, Chicago, Indiana ... uhh maybe even the Knicks might end up higher. This team is a disaster waiting to happen. I think I like where Donny put them.

The Rockets, alright you got two stars and an alright 3rd guy in Parsons ... and? Yeah. That roster has a pretty big question with its depth. I think the Warriors will end up a higher seed than the Rockets, if everyone stays healthy (I'm talking Howard/Lin and Curry/Bogut/Lee). You would take the Rockets over the Warriors in a 7game series?
I'm not even that big of a fan of the Nets but on paper, I don't see how you can leave them out of the top 5. The Nets don't need 20 PPG from Pierce, they have plenty of other options and the Nets' success will likely hinge on how Kidd gets these pieces to mesh.

We have a top 8 center coming off the bench. Depth is the LAST thing we're concerned with.
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tripleaamin
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Charles
Aug 13 2013, 05:09 PM
Dash
Aug 13 2013, 04:45 PM
Quote:
 
Did I miss something? They have a healthy C, PF, and just got Iguodala... put all that together in last years playoffs and who knows what happens. The Warriors are one of the most exciting and dangerous teams in the league.


And? This would make sense if the teams mentioned didn't make improvements but they did and BIG ones. GSW will be dangerous but not good enough to beat arguably the 2nd best team on paper (Nets) or a team with two top ten players (Houston and one of which can be top 3 when he's healthy).
Yeah Dash, huge improvements. The Nets got a pair of old players who are on the downside of their career. KG is great on defense, but won't score that much. Then Pierce ... who had an extremely high usage percentage and will be like the ... 3rd or 4th option? It's not like he's going to be a 20 PPG guy. They might be the 3rd or 4th place team in the East, behind: Miami, Chicago, Indiana ... uhh maybe even the Knicks might end up higher. This team is a disaster waiting to happen. I think I like where Donny put them.

The Rockets, alright you got two stars and an alright 3rd guy in Parsons ... and? Yeah. That roster has a pretty big question with its depth. I think the Warriors will end up a higher seed than the Rockets, if everyone stays healthy (I'm talking Howard/Lin and Curry/Bogut/Lee). You would take the Rockets over the Warriors in a 7game series?
Charles, I think you are overlooking the impact that KG will make on that team.
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Rog
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:-?

Brooklyn is rated too low, Houston slightly too low, but I can see the argument. I think Memphis is fine, they were in the final four last year and they got better.

Honestly wonder if the Rockets can't figure out a guy to start at SF that is a shooter and put Parsons at the 4, cuz then you'd have really nice floor spacing. Harden playing Iso and pick and roll with Dwight should be devestating with no spacing, but add two good shooters as well as Lin and you have a really hard to stop offense.

Anyway: Grade 1.75k
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Charle$
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Miami should be worried about Detroit, they would be the hardest matchup possible in the first round.
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Dash
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Parsons is too valuable a defender at the 3 to play him at the 4. Plus his skillset works best while at that spot.

I don't understand why other fans seem to think Houston NEEDS a stretch 4, a more traditional power forward like Terrence Jones would be just fine. Morey seems to be confident that either Jones/Motiejunas break out this year or maybe Casspi pulls a Delfino and gets crucial minutes at that spot.
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Tyler
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Charles
Aug 13 2013, 10:29 PM
Miami should be worried about Detroit, they would be the hardest matchup possible in the first round.
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Dash
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Charles
Aug 13 2013, 10:29 PM
Miami should be worried about Detroit, they would be the hardest matchup possible in the first round.
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