We are days away from the new season tipping off and it looks to be a good one. I know basketball is a second tier sport on this board but there is usually some good discussion to be found.
I'm struggling to nail down my top five teams for the League Pass Broadband. Miami, OKC and Houston are surefire in. Chicago, Golden State and Washington are vying for the last two spots, and the trade today for Gortat and Shannon Brown is helping the Wizards cause.
The Heat bring back mostly the same roster, minus a small role Mike Miller and plus a small role Greg Oden. With the extra games they have logged after three straight Finals appearances, the Heat really need to be healthy come playoff time this year. Mainly Wade. The Bulls have talked about running on fumes by the last year of their threepeats, the number of games logged over other teams is just incredible. If Wade is giving 10-15 points a night in the playoffs the Heat will not get that third straight ring.
The Spurs mostly are holding the same roster too, though aging. They added Bellinelli and are hoping for growth from Leonard, though I still see him as too raw to be such a difference maker this year. OKC seems to have dropped off losing their third scorer in Kevin Martin and offering no real replacement. Westbrook's injury will affect their seeding as he will miss a good chunk of the season. Durant will be a monster in the meantime.
Everyone else around the league seems to be on the upswing though, making a run at the crown.
Chicago is bringing back a 100% healthy Rose. They need to make roster moves to get over the hump I think, but Rose alone is enough to put them in the ECF. The Nets won't be fun to watch I don't think but you can't deny their depth. The Pacers bring back Granger (though they might move him) and added a decent bench. The East is actually going to be stronger than the West this year.
The Rockets clearly upgraded and still could make a move or two. McHale is going to use his pieces properly and the Rockets are my pick to make the Finals run out West. The Clippers made roster moves to get some shooters and stretch the defense, and just like Houston now have a coach that will use pieces properly. Golden State is really intriguing with Iggy as the main addition. Just like the Rockets and Clippers, they bring great coaching to the table though I think they are still too green to be a real threat. WCF is possible though.
Overall the top teams are getting better as the bottom teams are starting early at tanking to try and clean up on the 2014 draft class. This may signify a change in how the NBA does business over the next few years. The more restrictive cap and repeater tax, coupled with GMs who aren't complete morons running more teams now (with the understanding that it is better to be in rebuilding status than trapped as an eighth seed), it may be common to see better teams get better short term while crappy teams plan long term by dropping assets.
Thoughts? Opinions?
I'm struggling to nail down my top five teams for the League Pass Broadband. Miami, OKC and Houston are surefire in. Chicago, Golden State and Washington are vying for the last two spots, and the trade today for Gortat and Shannon Brown is helping the Wizards cause.
The Heat bring back mostly the same roster, minus a small role Mike Miller and plus a small role Greg Oden. With the extra games they have logged after three straight Finals appearances, the Heat really need to be healthy come playoff time this year. Mainly Wade. The Bulls have talked about running on fumes by the last year of their threepeats, the number of games logged over other teams is just incredible. If Wade is giving 10-15 points a night in the playoffs the Heat will not get that third straight ring.
The Spurs mostly are holding the same roster too, though aging. They added Bellinelli and are hoping for growth from Leonard, though I still see him as too raw to be such a difference maker this year. OKC seems to have dropped off losing their third scorer in Kevin Martin and offering no real replacement. Westbrook's injury will affect their seeding as he will miss a good chunk of the season. Durant will be a monster in the meantime.
Everyone else around the league seems to be on the upswing though, making a run at the crown.
Chicago is bringing back a 100% healthy Rose. They need to make roster moves to get over the hump I think, but Rose alone is enough to put them in the ECF. The Nets won't be fun to watch I don't think but you can't deny their depth. The Pacers bring back Granger (though they might move him) and added a decent bench. The East is actually going to be stronger than the West this year.
The Rockets clearly upgraded and still could make a move or two. McHale is going to use his pieces properly and the Rockets are my pick to make the Finals run out West. The Clippers made roster moves to get some shooters and stretch the defense, and just like Houston now have a coach that will use pieces properly. Golden State is really intriguing with Iggy as the main addition. Just like the Rockets and Clippers, they bring great coaching to the table though I think they are still too green to be a real threat. WCF is possible though.
Overall the top teams are getting better as the bottom teams are starting early at tanking to try and clean up on the 2014 draft class. This may signify a change in how the NBA does business over the next few years. The more restrictive cap and repeater tax, coupled with GMs who aren't complete morons running more teams now (with the understanding that it is better to be in rebuilding status than trapped as an eighth seed), it may be common to see better teams get better short term while crappy teams plan long term by dropping assets.
Thoughts? Opinions?