The Western Conference: Who the Fuck Knows?
Nov 20, 2012 23:47:14 GMT -5
Post by Jiggy on Nov 20, 2012 23:47:14 GMT -5
Los Angeles Clippers (20-12)
Key Players: Dwyane Wade, Emeka Okafor, Andrei Kirilenko
The Good: Emeka Okafor is having a breakout year so far, AK is AK and D-Wade is shooting lights-out right now while doing a fantastic job limiting his turnovers. As of right now, the Clippers are shooting 47% as a team, which is tied for 3rd in the league and are a +4.6 in steals/blocks to turnovers as a team, which is just nasty.
The Bad: This doesn't appear to be a team that would be particularly worrysome come playoff time. They're not a good rebounding team and are also a below average free throw shooting team. Either of these facts could be somewhat forgivable if they were a dominant defensive team, but with Nene and Kyrylo Fesenko playing a combined 51 mpg, getting trampled in the first round wouldn't be much of a surprise.
The Ugly: Lack of depth. Aside from Earl Watson being able to manage a game, there is nothing even remotely menacing about the Clippers' bench. To make a long story short (and blunt), if anything happens to Wade or Meka, they're fucked.
Memphis Grizzlies (19-12)
Key Players: Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Stephon Marbury
The Good: Umm...Nowitzki, Marion and Marbury. The Grizzlies "big three" combine for 81ppg, which is pretty fucking ridiculous. What's most impressive is that all three players could put up these kind of numbers in just about any offensive scheme you put them in. Memphis is also a pretty good rebounding team and does a great job taking care of the ball.
The Bad: One wouldn't expect that a Magloire/Griffin frontcourt would hold up for very long in the playoffs. The addition of Ben Wallace will help out a bit, but at 34, he's a shadow of his former defensive player of the year self. Names like Nesterovic, Asik, Cato and Swift aren't very intimidating either.
The Ugly: Like so many other playoff caliber teams in the Western Conference, Memphis' future is still very uncertain. Having both Nowitzki and Marion on the last year of their respective deals is a nightmare waiting to happen. They should be enough to make Insane's CY for him, but anything beyond that is still unclear.
Seattle Supersonics (20-13)
Key Players: Allen Iverson, Amare Stoudemire, Rashard Lewis, Marcin Gortat, Kirk Hinrich
The Good: Just a year removed from being a CY team, Marty's old gang do a good job spreading the ball around and currently have 6 players scoring 11ppg or more. This may end up keeping Sonics players from making all-star and all-league teams, but should definitely see them staying in the hunt all season long.
The Bad: The Sonics' group of bigs, while being pretty talented, is still rather flawed and far from dominant. They don't get to the line very much, and when they do, they can't be counted on to hit crucial free throws when you really need them. And while the team has good depth overall, an injury to any of the key players could spell trouble.
The Ugly: While being in a good position to make a run this season, the future is kind of hazy in Seattle. Iverson is 33 years old and expiring and Kirk Hinrich is also expiring. And to top it off, both are legitimate flight risks. If the Sonics are gonna look to rebuild, they'd probably have to start thinking about moving both players soon, which would hurt them this year.
Los Angeles Lakers (17-11)
Key Players: Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams, Larry Hughes, Carlos Boozer
The Good: Anthony is dropping nearly 30 a game and El Jefe has 3 other players averging over 14 (not counting the injured Eddy Curry). And Melo is finally putting up the statistical defensive numbers to somewhat justify the inescapable 3 topg. Speaking of turnovers...as a team the Lakers are currently averaging under 11 per game thanks largely to stellar PG play from Deron Williams. And the recent addition of Boozer should beef up their frontcourt.
The Bad: Even with the addition of Boozer, the Lakers will be hurting for bigs until after the all-star break when Curry comes back from his broken leg. Maybe we'll get to see a little more of Fran Vazquez, though as of now, it's looking like he probably wasn't worth the wait.
The Ugly: And the broken record continues to spin... The Lakers, like most other Western Conference contenders have two key players on the last year of their deals. To be honest, I'd much rather lose Melo than Deron. I feel like he's a lot better than what we've seen.
Houston Rockets (16-11)
Key Players: Yao Ming, Pau Gasol, Royal Ivey, Manu Ginobili
The Good: Always a reliable, solid player in the past, Royal Ivey has gone batshit crazy so far this year and is currently putting up 25 ppg with C+ B- scoring ratings. And with Yao and Pau combining for 35ppg 26 rpg and 5.1 blocks pg, and a group of role-players that include Manu, Billups, Hill and Dalembert, it's easy to prophesize that the Rockets will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.
The Bad: On paper, the Rockets look to be a better defensive team than they currently are. The +3 ppg differential is far from dominant and that's something they will definitely have to improve upon if they are going to finally capture that BBS crown that has eluded them so far.
The Ugly: With the aquisition of Gasol several years ago, the Rockets looked to be in a good position to challenge for a title. However, they have always come up short and looked to be one solid player away from making it happen. Fast forward to 2008 and we find both Yao and Pau on expiring contracts with Manu and Billups owed 100+ million in the coming years. And with Tyson Chandler as a glaring reminder that players sometimes jump ship from a good team, the time is now in Houston.
Golden State Warriors (18-14)
Key Players: Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette
The Good: As far as starting lineups go, you'd be hard pressed to find a Western Conference team with a better starting five. The five Golden State starters are all averaging over 16 ppg, and if that wasn't enough, they just traded for Antawn Jamison. They're also a dominant rebounding team and seem to have put their early season shooting woes behind them.
The Bad: There really isn't much to dislike about the Warriors as a team, but if we're splitting hairs, the Jamison aquisition has left them without much big man depth. Luckily, if Shaq or Brand go down, KG is there to pick up the pieces.
The Ugly: It isn't a far-fetched scenario to wonder if the Warriors will be crippled at this time next season. The team is built to win now, but if that doesn't happen, it could get ugly. Shaq is 36 and like Arnie Grape "could go at any time." Also, KG will probably end up demanding a pretty penny to return. Is he really worth it?
Sacramento Kings (17-13)
Key Players: Tyson Chandler, Louis Williams, David Lee
The Good: The surprise offseason signing of stud PF Tyson Chandler allowed the Kings to come out of rebuilding mode a year early. And Chandler hasn't disappointed, averaging 18, 12 and 4.5 so far. Add in the sharp-shooting Louis WIlliams to go with all-star holdover David Lee and the Kings have a nice young core to build around.
The Bad: Even with the recent addition of Rasheed Wallace, the Kings don't have the worry-free depth to cover major injuries if and when they do occur. They also aren't a very good rebounding team and are a middle of the road shooting team at best. And as of right now, the Thabo Sefolosha experiment hasn't exactly gone as planned.
The Ugly: Yet another Western Conference team with multiple key players on the last years of their deals. Losing David Lee or Louis Williams would be a crushing blow to the young upstart Kings and might force them into rebuilding mode yet again. That is of course, if they even make the playoffs this year. If they don't and Lee or Williams boot, they're done for.
Portland Trailblazers (14-16)
Key Players: Michael Redd, Lamarcus Aldridge, Ray Allen, JamesOn Curry, Al Horford
The Good: The aquisition of Michael Redd is a game changer. He's good. Aside from him, Portland has 4 other players who are more than capable of putting up 20ppg. That's also good. But the best part about it, is that if the new-look Blazers are a success, Jay has the luxury of being able to enter his 2010 Opening day depth chart as "same."
The Bad: Because they are below average to awful in other key statistical areas, Portland may need every point they score. The amount of turnovers could at least be managable if they weren't such a bad rebounding/shotblocking team. You don't often see upper-tier teams in the bottom quarter of the league in those two areas.
The Ugly: Tony Allen's contract. 42 million dollars? Really?
Key Players: Dwyane Wade, Emeka Okafor, Andrei Kirilenko
The Good: Emeka Okafor is having a breakout year so far, AK is AK and D-Wade is shooting lights-out right now while doing a fantastic job limiting his turnovers. As of right now, the Clippers are shooting 47% as a team, which is tied for 3rd in the league and are a +4.6 in steals/blocks to turnovers as a team, which is just nasty.
The Bad: This doesn't appear to be a team that would be particularly worrysome come playoff time. They're not a good rebounding team and are also a below average free throw shooting team. Either of these facts could be somewhat forgivable if they were a dominant defensive team, but with Nene and Kyrylo Fesenko playing a combined 51 mpg, getting trampled in the first round wouldn't be much of a surprise.
The Ugly: Lack of depth. Aside from Earl Watson being able to manage a game, there is nothing even remotely menacing about the Clippers' bench. To make a long story short (and blunt), if anything happens to Wade or Meka, they're fucked.
Memphis Grizzlies (19-12)
Key Players: Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Stephon Marbury
The Good: Umm...Nowitzki, Marion and Marbury. The Grizzlies "big three" combine for 81ppg, which is pretty fucking ridiculous. What's most impressive is that all three players could put up these kind of numbers in just about any offensive scheme you put them in. Memphis is also a pretty good rebounding team and does a great job taking care of the ball.
The Bad: One wouldn't expect that a Magloire/Griffin frontcourt would hold up for very long in the playoffs. The addition of Ben Wallace will help out a bit, but at 34, he's a shadow of his former defensive player of the year self. Names like Nesterovic, Asik, Cato and Swift aren't very intimidating either.
The Ugly: Like so many other playoff caliber teams in the Western Conference, Memphis' future is still very uncertain. Having both Nowitzki and Marion on the last year of their respective deals is a nightmare waiting to happen. They should be enough to make Insane's CY for him, but anything beyond that is still unclear.
Seattle Supersonics (20-13)
Key Players: Allen Iverson, Amare Stoudemire, Rashard Lewis, Marcin Gortat, Kirk Hinrich
The Good: Just a year removed from being a CY team, Marty's old gang do a good job spreading the ball around and currently have 6 players scoring 11ppg or more. This may end up keeping Sonics players from making all-star and all-league teams, but should definitely see them staying in the hunt all season long.
The Bad: The Sonics' group of bigs, while being pretty talented, is still rather flawed and far from dominant. They don't get to the line very much, and when they do, they can't be counted on to hit crucial free throws when you really need them. And while the team has good depth overall, an injury to any of the key players could spell trouble.
The Ugly: While being in a good position to make a run this season, the future is kind of hazy in Seattle. Iverson is 33 years old and expiring and Kirk Hinrich is also expiring. And to top it off, both are legitimate flight risks. If the Sonics are gonna look to rebuild, they'd probably have to start thinking about moving both players soon, which would hurt them this year.
Los Angeles Lakers (17-11)
Key Players: Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams, Larry Hughes, Carlos Boozer
The Good: Anthony is dropping nearly 30 a game and El Jefe has 3 other players averging over 14 (not counting the injured Eddy Curry). And Melo is finally putting up the statistical defensive numbers to somewhat justify the inescapable 3 topg. Speaking of turnovers...as a team the Lakers are currently averaging under 11 per game thanks largely to stellar PG play from Deron Williams. And the recent addition of Boozer should beef up their frontcourt.
The Bad: Even with the addition of Boozer, the Lakers will be hurting for bigs until after the all-star break when Curry comes back from his broken leg. Maybe we'll get to see a little more of Fran Vazquez, though as of now, it's looking like he probably wasn't worth the wait.
The Ugly: And the broken record continues to spin... The Lakers, like most other Western Conference contenders have two key players on the last year of their deals. To be honest, I'd much rather lose Melo than Deron. I feel like he's a lot better than what we've seen.
Houston Rockets (16-11)
Key Players: Yao Ming, Pau Gasol, Royal Ivey, Manu Ginobili
The Good: Always a reliable, solid player in the past, Royal Ivey has gone batshit crazy so far this year and is currently putting up 25 ppg with C+ B- scoring ratings. And with Yao and Pau combining for 35ppg 26 rpg and 5.1 blocks pg, and a group of role-players that include Manu, Billups, Hill and Dalembert, it's easy to prophesize that the Rockets will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.
The Bad: On paper, the Rockets look to be a better defensive team than they currently are. The +3 ppg differential is far from dominant and that's something they will definitely have to improve upon if they are going to finally capture that BBS crown that has eluded them so far.
The Ugly: With the aquisition of Gasol several years ago, the Rockets looked to be in a good position to challenge for a title. However, they have always come up short and looked to be one solid player away from making it happen. Fast forward to 2008 and we find both Yao and Pau on expiring contracts with Manu and Billups owed 100+ million in the coming years. And with Tyson Chandler as a glaring reminder that players sometimes jump ship from a good team, the time is now in Houston.
Golden State Warriors (18-14)
Key Players: Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette
The Good: As far as starting lineups go, you'd be hard pressed to find a Western Conference team with a better starting five. The five Golden State starters are all averaging over 16 ppg, and if that wasn't enough, they just traded for Antawn Jamison. They're also a dominant rebounding team and seem to have put their early season shooting woes behind them.
The Bad: There really isn't much to dislike about the Warriors as a team, but if we're splitting hairs, the Jamison aquisition has left them without much big man depth. Luckily, if Shaq or Brand go down, KG is there to pick up the pieces.
The Ugly: It isn't a far-fetched scenario to wonder if the Warriors will be crippled at this time next season. The team is built to win now, but if that doesn't happen, it could get ugly. Shaq is 36 and like Arnie Grape "could go at any time." Also, KG will probably end up demanding a pretty penny to return. Is he really worth it?
Sacramento Kings (17-13)
Key Players: Tyson Chandler, Louis Williams, David Lee
The Good: The surprise offseason signing of stud PF Tyson Chandler allowed the Kings to come out of rebuilding mode a year early. And Chandler hasn't disappointed, averaging 18, 12 and 4.5 so far. Add in the sharp-shooting Louis WIlliams to go with all-star holdover David Lee and the Kings have a nice young core to build around.
The Bad: Even with the recent addition of Rasheed Wallace, the Kings don't have the worry-free depth to cover major injuries if and when they do occur. They also aren't a very good rebounding team and are a middle of the road shooting team at best. And as of right now, the Thabo Sefolosha experiment hasn't exactly gone as planned.
The Ugly: Yet another Western Conference team with multiple key players on the last years of their deals. Losing David Lee or Louis Williams would be a crushing blow to the young upstart Kings and might force them into rebuilding mode yet again. That is of course, if they even make the playoffs this year. If they don't and Lee or Williams boot, they're done for.
Portland Trailblazers (14-16)
Key Players: Michael Redd, Lamarcus Aldridge, Ray Allen, JamesOn Curry, Al Horford
The Good: The aquisition of Michael Redd is a game changer. He's good. Aside from him, Portland has 4 other players who are more than capable of putting up 20ppg. That's also good. But the best part about it, is that if the new-look Blazers are a success, Jay has the luxury of being able to enter his 2010 Opening day depth chart as "same."
The Bad: Because they are below average to awful in other key statistical areas, Portland may need every point they score. The amount of turnovers could at least be managable if they weren't such a bad rebounding/shotblocking team. You don't often see upper-tier teams in the bottom quarter of the league in those two areas.
The Ugly: Tony Allen's contract. 42 million dollars? Really?
