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yinoma2001
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 Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 10:49 am Post subject: Bottom 5 Candidates |
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Hate to say it, but a good chance the bottom 4 looks something like this:
1. 76ers (10-72)
Too many variables IMO at this time. Embiid's health is questionable, Noel/Oak, which one stays? Simmons may have star potential, but can he play against NBA comp that game plans against him and his non-existent shooting? If Embiid goes down, I can see the 76ers being last again, but possibly doubling their wins from last year.
2. NETS (last season's record: 21-61)
This is a franchise that is dead in the water. They owe picks to the Celtics and it appears they are proceeding as if those picks are a sunk cost (pun intended). They are one Brook Lopez injury away from possibly being the worst team in the NBA, which as a Lakers fan sucks b/c Boston benefits.
3. LAKERS (17-65)
I think our positioning may be the result of the bottom 5 being better this season than the last. I can see us winning 28-30 games, and looking more competitive towards the end of the year.
4. PHX (23-59)
They have some intriguing talent, but a couple of time bombs. They have Bledsoe/Knight/Booker, and all 3 probably deserve to play. Bender/Chriss are projects. I think the Lakers/PHX will be close to each other by season's end.
5. Other candidates:
Denver (33-49): nice collection of young guys, team is probably moving Faried/Barton.
Sacto (33-49): BOOGIE TIME BOMB. Add a sprinkle of Matt Barnes Will Kill You and other pieces.
Hornets (30-52): just seems they fall on bad luck. Injury concerns remain with this team, particularly with their star Anthony Davis.
Grizz (42-40): Their starting 5 has had an injury riddled recent past. Conley (various leg injuries), Parsons (2 major knee surgeries), Gasol (foot problems), coupled with guys like ZBO aging. I like their new coach, but he may see a team that may crash/burn with injuries.
Where do you see the Lakers amongst this morass of teams?
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dcarter4kobe
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 10:58 am Post subject: |
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No way I see the Grizz finishing bottom 5. That 5th spot most likely goes to the Pelicans or Kings, although the Kings have talent and a good coach in Joerger. Joerger somehow got the injury riddled Grizz into the play offs last year. He should be able to lead Cousins/WCS/Gay/Affalo/Collison with Barnes/Lawson/Koufos off the bench to 30+ wins
I have no idea why the Nets didn't go after cheap productive vets like Sullinger, Bass, JR Smith, T.Jones, J.Hill. All guys that would have helped them win games. Like I said in another thread, I have a hard time understanding why most projections I see have the Nets finishing over the Lakers.
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:04 am Post subject: |
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| dcarter4kobe wrote: | No way I see the Grizz finishing bottom 5. That 5th spot most likely goes to the Pelicans or Kings, although the Kings have talent and a good coach in Joerger. Joerger somehow got the injury riddled Grizz into the play offs last year. He should be able to lead Cousins/WCS/Gay/Affalo/Collison with Barnes/Lawson/Koufos off the bench to 30+ wins
I have no idea why the Nets didn't go after cheap productive vets like Sullinger, Bass, JR Smith, T.Jones, J.Hill. All guys that would have helped them win games. Like I said in another thread, I have a hard time understanding why most projections I see have the Nets finishing over the Lakers. |
I only put the Grizz there b/c of what happened to New Orleans this year. They have 3 out of their starting 5 with major injury concerns. All 3 could miss significant time and if that's the case, they're frakked.
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:05 am Post subject: |
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I have a hard time seeing the Nets do better than the Lakers too. It's really premised on the Nets having Lopez, who may be moved as his contract comes up in a year or two.
They've fundamentally moved on with the concept that the owed picks to Boston are sunk costs. I don't think they care about short-term moves.
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kikanga
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:15 am Post subject: |
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I think Grizzlies will make the playoffs again this year. Like the last 4 seasons.
Injuries or not.
Pelicans will be a bottom 5 team. And I won't be surprised if even we beat them in our season series.
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Last edited by kikanga on Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:17 am; edited 1 time in total |
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:17 am Post subject: |
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| kikanga wrote: | I think Grizzlies will make the playoffs again this year. Like the last 4 seasons.
Injuries or not. |
Perhaps. But look what happened to the Pelicans. Grizz have:
1. major injury concerns;
2. new coach;
3. aging core.
Pelicans went from playoff darlings to the lottery after injuries decimated Davis, Holiday, Anderson, and Gordon.
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The Logo
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:23 am Post subject: |
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| New Orleans is always an Anthony Davis injury away from being a bottom five team. They can put out various interesting lineups, with playing Hill at the 4 being their most potent lineup, but they also have Holiday out for the beginning of the season. Also not a good sign for Brooklyn when your second best player is Lin. |
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dcarter4kobe
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:25 am Post subject: |
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Memphis does have injury concerns but everyone should be healthy by the time the season starts. Gasol/ZBO/Parsons/Allen/Conley. I would say their success (or lack of) will depend on their bench..Which looking at it from a distance, is pretty weak (Wright/Green/Ennis/Carter/Wroten)
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:27 am Post subject: |
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| The Logo wrote: | | New Orleans is always an Anthony Davis injury away from being a bottom five team. They can put out various interesting lineups, with playing Hill at the 4 being their most potent lineup, but they also have Holiday out for the beginning of the season. Also not a good sign for Brooklyn when your second best player is Lin. |
Yeah. Pretty amazing how fragile a lot of these teams are (Pelicans, Grizz).
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kikanga
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:30 am Post subject: |
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| yinoma2001 wrote: | | kikanga wrote: | I think Grizzlies will make the playoffs again this year. Like the last 4 seasons.
Injuries or not. |
Perhaps. But look what happened to the Pelicans. Grizz have:
1. major injury concerns;
2. new coach;
3. aging core.
Pelicans went from playoff darlings to the lottery after injuries decimated Davis, Holiday, Anderson, and Gordon. |
Forgot about the coaching change. Good point.
But considering they still made the playoffs last year with Gasol and Conley missing ~30 games a piece. I think they'll be fine.
If they kept Joerger, I would say they're a top 4 seed in the west. But with a new coach, they'll still make the playoffs IMO.
They have Parsons now instead of Jeff Green. I think that'll be a wash. They still have continuity with guys that overachieved last year as well (Chalmers, T. Allen, Carter). And I wouldn't be surprised if Jamychal Green keeps improving. Not a fan of him personally, but can appreciate his per36 #s.
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The Logo
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:34 am Post subject: |
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Green and Parsons might be a wash overall, but Parsons is a much better fit for the Grizzlies at the 3 than Green was. Memphis is certainly an older team, but if they can get like 60 games from Parsons and everyone else is relatively healthy, they'll be fine. Charlotte and Miami are the two teams I'm questioning. They're getting MKG back and Sessions is coming back for a stint, but Lin was pretty productive for them. Miami is also a Bosh incident away from tanking it out.
Last edited by The Logo on Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:35 am; edited 1 time in total |
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:34 am Post subject: |
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| kikanga wrote: | | yinoma2001 wrote: | | kikanga wrote: | I think Grizzlies will make the playoffs again this year. Like the last 4 seasons.
Injuries or not. |
Perhaps. But look what happened to the Pelicans. Grizz have:
1. major injury concerns;
2. new coach;
3. aging core.
Pelicans went from playoff darlings to the lottery after injuries decimated Davis, Holiday, Anderson, and Gordon. |
Forgot about the coaching change. Good point.
But considering they still made the playoffs last year with Gasol and Conley missing ~30 games a piece. I think they'll be fine.
If they kept Joerger, I would say they're a top 4 seed in the west. But with a new coach, they'll still make the playoffs IMO.
They have Parsons now instead of Jeff Green. I think that'll be a wash. They still have continuity with guys that overachieved last year as well (Chalmers, T. Allen, Carter). And I wouldn't be surprised if Jamychal Green keeps improving. Not a fan of him personally, but can appreciate his per36 #s. |
I think a team like the Grizz is a team we will surpass in the next 2-3 years. That core is looking yucky, starting possibly this year, and def in 3 years.
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dcarter4kobe
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:39 am Post subject: |
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And honestly I really like the Sixers roster, even with Embiid injury concerns. I would pencil him in as the back up to be safe
Noel/Embiid/Okafor
Simmons/Saric
Covington/J.Grant
Henderson/H.Thompson
Rodriquez/Bayless
They need to move Okafor or Noel for more guard help, but Bayless/Henderson/Rodriquez will make a big difference in the back court for Philly IMO.
This projection has the Lakers finishing last with ~21 wins. Has Memphis finishing 11th in the West
https://twitter.com/kmedved/status/778276530321395712
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:49 am Post subject: |
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30 wins for Nets? That's so laughable.
20 wins for the Lakers? Dubious.
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dcarter4kobe
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:58 am Post subject: |
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Jeff Sherman from Las Vegas SuperBook (and Lakers fan), have the Lakers at 24.5 wins (2nd worst).
https://twitter.com/golfodds
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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| dcarter4kobe wrote: | Jeff Sherman from Las Vegas SuperBook (and Lakers fan), have the Lakers at 24.5 wins (2nd worst).
https://twitter.com/golfodds |
I think the 25-32 win group is accurate IMO.
Adding Deng/Moz/Ingram/Yi/Calderon, with improvements from DLO/JC/Randle/Nance and taking out Byron and the rest of the departed improve this team.
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kikanga
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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| yinoma2001 wrote: | | kikanga wrote: | | yinoma2001 wrote: | | kikanga wrote: | I think Grizzlies will make the playoffs again this year. Like the last 4 seasons.
Injuries or not. |
Perhaps. But look what happened to the Pelicans. Grizz have:
1. major injury concerns;
2. new coach;
3. aging core.
Pelicans went from playoff darlings to the lottery after injuries decimated Davis, Holiday, Anderson, and Gordon. |
Forgot about the coaching change. Good point.
But considering they still made the playoffs last year with Gasol and Conley missing ~30 games a piece. I think they'll be fine.
If they kept Joerger, I would say they're a top 4 seed in the west. But with a new coach, they'll still make the playoffs IMO.
They have Parsons now instead of Jeff Green. I think that'll be a wash. They still have continuity with guys that overachieved last year as well (Chalmers, T. Allen, Carter). And I wouldn't be surprised if Jamychal Green keeps improving. Not a fan of him personally, but can appreciate his per36 #s. |
I think a team like the Grizz is a team we will surpass in the next 2-3 years. That core is looking yucky, starting possibly this year, and def in 3 years. |
That's definitely possible.
Depends how much and how fast Conley, ZBo, and Marc decline.
Our guys will definitely be better than they are now in 2-3 years.
We have the potential, now it's just a matter of time.
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Laker's Fan
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 12:28 pm Post subject: |
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| yinoma2001 wrote: | | dcarter4kobe wrote: | Jeff Sherman from Las Vegas SuperBook (and Lakers fan), have the Lakers at 24.5 wins (2nd worst).
https://twitter.com/golfodds |
I think the 25-32 win group is accurate IMO.
Adding Deng/Moz/Ingram/Yi/Calderon, with improvements from DLO/JC/Randle/Nance and taking out Byron and the rest of the departed improve this team. |
IMO a lot depends on how much impact you feel KFT and more importantly Parking Break had (I've also heard the term ankle weights  ). Just putting guys in a position to succeed and coaching with positive feedback should lead to being far more competitive.
We may be pretty bad defending the perimeter though.
Still, I expect with a draft this talented the race to the bottom will be strong this year and don't expect LA to conform. Maybe we can even pick up some talent late in the season from a team racing for a top pick.
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Eindhoven
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 12:36 pm Post subject: |
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Lock
Brooklyn: I'll be surprised if they're not the worst team this Season.
Likely
Philly: Good players that don't seem to match, lack of backcourt
Lakers: Starting a turnaround, expect some struggles, mainly on the 1st half of the season
Phoenix:inconsistent, but with some good players.
Other candidates
Sacramento: Boogie is the big question mark, he can make or break the team.
Denver: lack talent
Orlando: strong defense on the paint, but no fire power
Minnesota: I expect them to leave the bottomfeeders group, but still...
New York: I don't trust a team with so many injury prone players
New Orleans: depends on how healthy Davis will stay
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 12:46 pm Post subject: |
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Also remember that the Nets have a rookie coach too, and Earl Watson will have to navigate the minefield (PHX again) that will exist in deciding who starts with Bledsoe/Booker/Knight.
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kikanga
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 12:55 pm Post subject: |
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Considering PHX guard depth it's crazy how bad they are expected to be this year. Not saying the projections are wrong. Just astonished by their ability to under achieve.
I know the league is all about high efficiency offense. But Defense still wins ball games.
We'll see if Bledsoe and knight can stay healthy. They are both above average offensive players. Even though they both are ball dominant point guards, and 1 will have to play SG. They should really make a trade.
Makes little to no sense running Booker at the 3. Won't do them any favors on the defensive side of the ball. And booker's %s could also drop offensively because he's guarding bigger players and has the ball in his hands far less.
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 12:58 pm Post subject: |
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| kikanga wrote: | Considering PHX guard depth it's crazy how bad they are expected to be this year. Not saying the projections are wrong. Just astonished by their ability to under achieve.
I know the league is all about high efficiency offense. But Defense still wins ball games.
We'll see if Bledsoe and knight can stay healthy. They are both above average offensive players. Even though they both are ball dominant point guards, and 1 will have to play SG. They should really make a trade.
Makes little to no sense running Booker at the 3. Won't do them any favors on the defensive side of the ball. And booker's %s could also drop offensively because he's guarding bigger players and has the ball in his hands far less. |
Yeah, Booker is a really nice prospect, but if Knight/Bledsoe are healthy, his shot attempts are going down.
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Eindhoven
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 1:18 pm Post subject: |
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| yinoma2001 wrote: | | Also remember that the Nets have a rookie coach too |
Another reason I believe the Nets won't win more than 20 games. Atkinson is a very promising coach, but whatever system he's implementing will take time. They arguably have only one starting caliber player (Lopez) which happens to be injury prone and with bad defense. They have no assets to make a decent trade - maybe RHJ, but it's not much - and their reserves, except Vasquez and Scola, are D-League level.
The only thing they don't have is a reason to tank.
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 1:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Eindhoven wrote: | | yinoma2001 wrote: | | Also remember that the Nets have a rookie coach too |
Another reason I believe the Nets won't win more than 20 games. Atkinson is a very promising coach, but whatever system he's implementing will take time. They arguably have only one starting caliber player (Lopez) which happens to be injury prone and with bad defense. They have no assets to make a decent trade - maybe RHJ, but it's not much - and their reserves, except Vasquez and Scola, are D-League level.
The only thing they don't have is a reason to tank. |
If he's running the Hawks system, he certainly doesn't have the tools. Brook Lopez isn't exactly the best center for that style.
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kikanga
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 1:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Eindhoven wrote: | | yinoma2001 wrote: | | Also remember that the Nets have a rookie coach too |
Another reason I believe the Nets won't win more than 20 games. Atkinson is a very promising coach, but whatever system he's implementing will take time. They arguably have only one starting caliber player (Lopez) which happens to be injury prone and with bad defense. They have no assets to make a decent trade - maybe RHJ, but it's not much - and their reserves, except Vasquez and Scola, are D-League level.
The only thing they don't have is a reason to tank. |
They could use an elite PG badly. And the top 2 picks could fit the bill (if they develop well in the league). Brooklyn going for the #1 pick is a no-brainer. But Prokorov has more $ than brains. Lucky for them, their roster sucks so bad they'll get a top pick no matter what.
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Last edited by kikanga on Tue Sep 20, 2016 1:22 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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