Post by Orlando Magic on Jun 3, 2008 18:39:50 GMT -5
I thought I'd mix things up a bit here by doing some power rankings. When you put them together they're pretty useless, so I thought I'd do them by conference so they'd be a bit more....comparable.
Starters are listed as: C, PF, SF, SG, PG
Backups are listed from biggest to smallest (position-wise, not height-wise).
Western Conference:
1. [glow=yellow,2,300]Los Angeles Lakers[/glow]
The Lakers have a simply insane roster. With Chris Webber, Kwame Brown, and Kobe Bryant on the same team, there should be no stopping them. But the talent doesn't stop there! They also have Tony Parker, Doug Christie, and Kerry Kittles, who alone might be enough to get a team to an 8 seed. Their front court depth is in question, but this team can get through anything on talent alone.
Likely Starters: Brown, Webber, Christie, Bryant, Parker
Key Backups: Kittles, Daniels
2. [glow=blue,2,300]Utah Jazz[/glow]
IF, and only IF the Utah Jazz can stay healthy, they're the clear #1 in the Midwest Division this year. With an All-Star caliber player at every slot and some not to shabby backups in the back court, I'd say that this is another great year for the Jazz. Their fatal flaw is the fact that they have no front-court depth, which would murder them were Magloire or Wallace to go down, even for a few games. Believe me, a Nesterovic/Ratliff lineup does not look too bright. This roster is almost a mirror image of the Lakers, roster, except toned down a notch. I expect the Western conference finals to go 4-0, in favour of the Lakers.
Likely Starters: Magloire, Wallace, Jamison, Davis, Miller
Key Backups: Butler, Alvin Williams, Boykins
3. [glow=green,2,300]Vancouver Grizzlies[/glow]
After the Jazz and the Lakers, the talent in the West takes a huge down turn. The Grizzlies are good in their own right, but they can't hold a candle to the monsterhouses that are the Lakers and Jazz. As said before, they are lead by the play of Tim Duncan and Kenny Anderson, and every other position is filled with players who have their own skill that they bring to the table, such as Bo Outlaws Defense and Keith Davidsons Handles. If there's one thing the Grizzlies have over the Lakers and Jazz, it's depth, and who knows? That could lead them to the West championship.
Likely Starters: Duncan, McDyess, Outlaw, Katash, Anderson
Key Backups: Reeves, Prince, Battier, Bowen, Davidson
4. [glow=black,2,300]Portland Trailblazers[/glow]
The Trailblazers have a Nash to O'Neal combination, which is very similar and slightly better than the Grizzlies Anderson to Duncan Combo. However, they lack the depth that the Grizzlies have, which puts them a bit lower. On top of that, they have no power forward to speak of, and will probably have to put Christian Laettner in the spot, who is well past his prime. The future is also a big concern for this team, as Sprewell and Laettner will both retire soon, leaving this as a 5 man team. They have accounted for this by loading up on 2007 draft picks, but I fear that the Blazers may be stuck in the muddled middle for a while, and by the time that 07 talent develops, it will be too late for Nash. Still, this team has an outside shot at the conference title, and is still in far better position than some teams.
Likely Starters: O'Neal, Laettner, Harrington, Sprewell, Nash
Key Backups: Cato, Jay Williams
5. [glow=green,2,300]Seattle Supersonics[/glow]
The Sonics are a bit of a surprise to see in the Playoff hunt, but it was only a matter of time with Veteran GM Aflagrules at the helm. With an absolutely stunning backcourt of Redd, "Austin Powers" Cronin, and Bodiroga, I wouldn't be surprised to see this team small ball it at times. Their Frontcourt isn't amazing, but it's still nothing to sneeze at with vet Juwan Howard and Newbie Carlos Boozer learning from each other. Still, this team lacks the huge "big man star punch" that the Grizzlies and Blazers have, so I wouldn't expect them to win more than 45-48 games. Still, it's nice to see a newcomer to the playoffs, and this team only has room to grow with Boozer, Miller, and Redd still developing their games.
Likely Starters: Howard, Boozer, Miller, Redd, Cronin
Key Backups: Jerome Williams, Corey Benjamin, Dejan Bodiroga, Jacque Vaughn
6. [glow=red,2,300]Houston Rockets[/glow]
Yet again we see another Houston Rockets team launch under the banner of Tracy McGrady with little else to speak of. Well, there is Ilgauskas and Bravin Knight, but who's selling the jerseys? One can't blame the Rockets though, as they recently lost old-timer Daltheting to retirement, and new GM Ducky hasn't seen much to do with the team. They don't look to change in the future, but Delonte West might turn out to be a diamond in the rough.
Likely Starters: Ilgauskas, Abdul-Wahad, Maurice Taylor, McGrady, Knight
Key Backups: Ekononmou, West
7. [glow=blue,2,300]Kansas City Kings[/glow]
Okay, a lot of people are going to accuse me of homerism for putting the Kings in the 7 spot. In year one ADR (After D-Rob), the smart thing for the Kings to do would have been to rebruilded and looked for some Youth. What did they do instead? Sell away their future by trading away their old farts for slightly less old farts and late 1st rounders. Right now they've got a few good players who will die in a couple of years, and some late first rounders that will never be anything but backups. So, they'll get the 7 seed this year, but I think there will be a lot of cellar-dwelling in the years to come. Anyway, they still do have a fantabulous backcourt of Rice, Finley, and Van Exel, and a developing Mihm in the frontcourt along with "okay at everything but not good at anything" Austin Croshere. They are backed up at every position, but with nobody that really blows you away. This team has a shot, but they'll have to use a lot of teamwork and a little bit of luck to achieve anything more than a first-round out.
Likely Starters: Mihm, Croshere, Rice, Finley, Van Exel
Key Backups: Ellis, Foyle (MVP, will lead them to a championship this year for sure), Blackburn, Cassell
8. [glow=gold,2,300]Denver Nuggets[/glow]
Rounding off the playoff field this year will be the Denver Nuggets. GM Cyrux11 has been busy Commishing his own league, but he still manages to lead a team with a bright future. Jason Richardson continues to defy the odds by acutaly being a pretty good #2 pick, leaving the people shouting "BUST!" in the dust. Antoine Walker is old but he can still ball, and Chris Kaman still has a small windown of opportunity left to become a good big man. Boris Diaw looks liek he could develop into a JRich type player, too. Even with their decent talent, a team with 5 (really 6) Point Guards on their roster can only go so far, as they have no depth at any other position.
Likely Starters: Kaman, Walker, Haslem, Jason Richardson, Williams
Key Backups: Diaw, Anybody on their team that has PG next to their name (Claxton, Alston, Harris, Gill)
9. [glow=orange,2,300]Golden State Warriors[/glow]
Yet again the Warriors will narrowly miss the Playoff field. They do have good players in Battie, Tim Thomas, and Marbury, but all of them have reached their peaks, and won't get much better. Keith Van Horn and Quentin Richardson are good, but nothing great. The team is going nowhere fast, and I'd depreately try to improve soon or start rebuilding if I were LutonLOL, because this team doesn't have enough talent and simply has no depth. Still, if they can stay injury free all season, they'll have a shot at the playoffs.
Likely Starters: Battie, Thomas, Van Horn, Quentin Richardson, Marbury
Key Backup: Pargo
10. [glow=blue,2,300]Minnesota Timberwolves[/glow]
The T-Wolves are once again in the cellar. They are slowly improving, but long-time Minnesota fans are probably pining for the days of that magical Chuck Person run to the finals. This team COULD get to the playoffs, but it's a long shot. They'll have to get a lot out of Whitney, their only really good guard. Sadly for the Wolves, Whitney has historically underperformed at most positions. Foster and Randolph is a good front court, but they could never hold a candle to the Webber/Brown front court of the Lakers, especially defensively. This team will probably average over 100 a game, but they'll get run over on D. To top it all off, noone is a GREAT scorer, so the team is fatally flawed. Still, I wouldn't be surprised to see them up in the standings once Okafor and Nelson develop.
Likely Starters: Foster, Randolph, Kapono, Salmons, Whitney
Key Backups: Okafor, Korver, Nocioni, Jaric, Nelson
11. [glow=blue,2,300]Dallas Mavericks[/glow]
The Mavericks, like the Clippers, are a team that things it can get by with two good swingmen. Well, if they could combine the two swingmen into a McGrady or a Bryant, than maybe, but they can't. Richard Jefferson and Stackhouse will fill their positions nicely, but Murphy and Mohammed are backups at best for their positions, and Crawford can't distribute the ball well. so I have a feeling he'll throw up a John Starks-like amount of bricks. The Brick City Mavs do have a little bit of talent, so they're better off than the Clippers this season. That Kings pick is a nice gamble as well.
Likely Starters: Murphy, Mohammed, Richard Jefferson, Stackhous, Crawford
Key Backups: Dampier, Evans, Sweetney
13. [glow=red,2,300]San Diego Clippers[/glow]
This team is a carbon coby of the Mavericks, but without the talent. After last years magical Darrell Armstrong run, the fans might be dissapointed, but DaEggs can't do much for his team at this point but sit on that Spurs pick and hope its the #1. I wouldn't be surprised to see him ship out Hill and Rose for picks. I'd bet on a very good team in 2007 or so. But for now, lets hope that they can find a point guard better than Hassell. And FAST.
Likely Starters: Ramos, Szwcyk, Hill, Rose, Hassell
Key Backups: None (Matt Barnes doesn't count.)
14. [glow=black,2,300]San Antonio Spurs[/glow]
Spurs. Yuck! They have Camby, who is good on defense but not much of an offensive threat, and a couple good PGs, but it all goes down from there. Their MLE pickup, McKie, looks a lot like the ill-fated Ginobili, and probably isn't that much better. Still, this team will be shooting a lot of 3s, as Mashed potatoes is the only guy who can score under the hoop. McKie and Posey will go at it all day. Gerald Wallace is looking like a failed experiment at this point. They've got a couple of mediocre picks this year, and unless they get lucky, I don't see a very bright future for the Jason Frost crew.
Likely Starters: Camby, Ellison, Posey, McKie, Snow
Key Backups: Wallace, Mashed Potatoes, Watson
15. [glow=orange,2,300]Phoenix Suns[/glow]
Well, what can you say about the good 'ol Phoenix Suns? I hate to say it, but this year will be as bad as ever. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. They'll have a good pick again this year (and also have the Warriors pick, which might be lottery) to go with the developing talents of Perkins, Al Jefferson, Milicic, and T.J. Ford. All they need to do is get a decent SG and SF in the next draft, and BOOM!, they're in like Flynn for the 2007 playoffs. Manu Ginobili is already a great swingman backup. I'd say this team can contend pretty soon....just wait and see. I'll revere the day that the Lakers monster is crushed by the Suns 3-headed big man monster of Kendrick Perkins, Al Jefferson, and Darko Milicic.
Likely Starters: Milicic, Perkins, Jefferson, Ginobili, Ford
Key Backups: Radmonovic, Dunleavy Jr., Courtney Alexander
Alright, hope you guys enjoyed! I'll have the East Rankings up later tonight. (Apologies if your team colour is a little off.)
Starters are listed as: C, PF, SF, SG, PG
Backups are listed from biggest to smallest (position-wise, not height-wise).
Western Conference:
1. [glow=yellow,2,300]Los Angeles Lakers[/glow]
The Lakers have a simply insane roster. With Chris Webber, Kwame Brown, and Kobe Bryant on the same team, there should be no stopping them. But the talent doesn't stop there! They also have Tony Parker, Doug Christie, and Kerry Kittles, who alone might be enough to get a team to an 8 seed. Their front court depth is in question, but this team can get through anything on talent alone.
Likely Starters: Brown, Webber, Christie, Bryant, Parker
Key Backups: Kittles, Daniels
2. [glow=blue,2,300]Utah Jazz[/glow]
IF, and only IF the Utah Jazz can stay healthy, they're the clear #1 in the Midwest Division this year. With an All-Star caliber player at every slot and some not to shabby backups in the back court, I'd say that this is another great year for the Jazz. Their fatal flaw is the fact that they have no front-court depth, which would murder them were Magloire or Wallace to go down, even for a few games. Believe me, a Nesterovic/Ratliff lineup does not look too bright. This roster is almost a mirror image of the Lakers, roster, except toned down a notch. I expect the Western conference finals to go 4-0, in favour of the Lakers.
Likely Starters: Magloire, Wallace, Jamison, Davis, Miller
Key Backups: Butler, Alvin Williams, Boykins
3. [glow=green,2,300]Vancouver Grizzlies[/glow]
After the Jazz and the Lakers, the talent in the West takes a huge down turn. The Grizzlies are good in their own right, but they can't hold a candle to the monsterhouses that are the Lakers and Jazz. As said before, they are lead by the play of Tim Duncan and Kenny Anderson, and every other position is filled with players who have their own skill that they bring to the table, such as Bo Outlaws Defense and Keith Davidsons Handles. If there's one thing the Grizzlies have over the Lakers and Jazz, it's depth, and who knows? That could lead them to the West championship.
Likely Starters: Duncan, McDyess, Outlaw, Katash, Anderson
Key Backups: Reeves, Prince, Battier, Bowen, Davidson
4. [glow=black,2,300]Portland Trailblazers[/glow]
The Trailblazers have a Nash to O'Neal combination, which is very similar and slightly better than the Grizzlies Anderson to Duncan Combo. However, they lack the depth that the Grizzlies have, which puts them a bit lower. On top of that, they have no power forward to speak of, and will probably have to put Christian Laettner in the spot, who is well past his prime. The future is also a big concern for this team, as Sprewell and Laettner will both retire soon, leaving this as a 5 man team. They have accounted for this by loading up on 2007 draft picks, but I fear that the Blazers may be stuck in the muddled middle for a while, and by the time that 07 talent develops, it will be too late for Nash. Still, this team has an outside shot at the conference title, and is still in far better position than some teams.
Likely Starters: O'Neal, Laettner, Harrington, Sprewell, Nash
Key Backups: Cato, Jay Williams
5. [glow=green,2,300]Seattle Supersonics[/glow]
The Sonics are a bit of a surprise to see in the Playoff hunt, but it was only a matter of time with Veteran GM Aflagrules at the helm. With an absolutely stunning backcourt of Redd, "Austin Powers" Cronin, and Bodiroga, I wouldn't be surprised to see this team small ball it at times. Their Frontcourt isn't amazing, but it's still nothing to sneeze at with vet Juwan Howard and Newbie Carlos Boozer learning from each other. Still, this team lacks the huge "big man star punch" that the Grizzlies and Blazers have, so I wouldn't expect them to win more than 45-48 games. Still, it's nice to see a newcomer to the playoffs, and this team only has room to grow with Boozer, Miller, and Redd still developing their games.
Likely Starters: Howard, Boozer, Miller, Redd, Cronin
Key Backups: Jerome Williams, Corey Benjamin, Dejan Bodiroga, Jacque Vaughn
6. [glow=red,2,300]Houston Rockets[/glow]
Yet again we see another Houston Rockets team launch under the banner of Tracy McGrady with little else to speak of. Well, there is Ilgauskas and Bravin Knight, but who's selling the jerseys? One can't blame the Rockets though, as they recently lost old-timer Daltheting to retirement, and new GM Ducky hasn't seen much to do with the team. They don't look to change in the future, but Delonte West might turn out to be a diamond in the rough.
Likely Starters: Ilgauskas, Abdul-Wahad, Maurice Taylor, McGrady, Knight
Key Backups: Ekononmou, West
7. [glow=blue,2,300]Kansas City Kings[/glow]
Okay, a lot of people are going to accuse me of homerism for putting the Kings in the 7 spot. In year one ADR (After D-Rob), the smart thing for the Kings to do would have been to rebruilded and looked for some Youth. What did they do instead? Sell away their future by trading away their old farts for slightly less old farts and late 1st rounders. Right now they've got a few good players who will die in a couple of years, and some late first rounders that will never be anything but backups. So, they'll get the 7 seed this year, but I think there will be a lot of cellar-dwelling in the years to come. Anyway, they still do have a fantabulous backcourt of Rice, Finley, and Van Exel, and a developing Mihm in the frontcourt along with "okay at everything but not good at anything" Austin Croshere. They are backed up at every position, but with nobody that really blows you away. This team has a shot, but they'll have to use a lot of teamwork and a little bit of luck to achieve anything more than a first-round out.
Likely Starters: Mihm, Croshere, Rice, Finley, Van Exel
Key Backups: Ellis, Foyle (MVP, will lead them to a championship this year for sure), Blackburn, Cassell
8. [glow=gold,2,300]Denver Nuggets[/glow]
Rounding off the playoff field this year will be the Denver Nuggets. GM Cyrux11 has been busy Commishing his own league, but he still manages to lead a team with a bright future. Jason Richardson continues to defy the odds by acutaly being a pretty good #2 pick, leaving the people shouting "BUST!" in the dust. Antoine Walker is old but he can still ball, and Chris Kaman still has a small windown of opportunity left to become a good big man. Boris Diaw looks liek he could develop into a JRich type player, too. Even with their decent talent, a team with 5 (really 6) Point Guards on their roster can only go so far, as they have no depth at any other position.
Likely Starters: Kaman, Walker, Haslem, Jason Richardson, Williams
Key Backups: Diaw, Anybody on their team that has PG next to their name (Claxton, Alston, Harris, Gill)
9. [glow=orange,2,300]Golden State Warriors[/glow]
Yet again the Warriors will narrowly miss the Playoff field. They do have good players in Battie, Tim Thomas, and Marbury, but all of them have reached their peaks, and won't get much better. Keith Van Horn and Quentin Richardson are good, but nothing great. The team is going nowhere fast, and I'd depreately try to improve soon or start rebuilding if I were LutonLOL, because this team doesn't have enough talent and simply has no depth. Still, if they can stay injury free all season, they'll have a shot at the playoffs.
Likely Starters: Battie, Thomas, Van Horn, Quentin Richardson, Marbury
Key Backup: Pargo
10. [glow=blue,2,300]Minnesota Timberwolves[/glow]
The T-Wolves are once again in the cellar. They are slowly improving, but long-time Minnesota fans are probably pining for the days of that magical Chuck Person run to the finals. This team COULD get to the playoffs, but it's a long shot. They'll have to get a lot out of Whitney, their only really good guard. Sadly for the Wolves, Whitney has historically underperformed at most positions. Foster and Randolph is a good front court, but they could never hold a candle to the Webber/Brown front court of the Lakers, especially defensively. This team will probably average over 100 a game, but they'll get run over on D. To top it all off, noone is a GREAT scorer, so the team is fatally flawed. Still, I wouldn't be surprised to see them up in the standings once Okafor and Nelson develop.
Likely Starters: Foster, Randolph, Kapono, Salmons, Whitney
Key Backups: Okafor, Korver, Nocioni, Jaric, Nelson
11. [glow=blue,2,300]Dallas Mavericks[/glow]
The Mavericks, like the Clippers, are a team that things it can get by with two good swingmen. Well, if they could combine the two swingmen into a McGrady or a Bryant, than maybe, but they can't. Richard Jefferson and Stackhouse will fill their positions nicely, but Murphy and Mohammed are backups at best for their positions, and Crawford can't distribute the ball well. so I have a feeling he'll throw up a John Starks-like amount of bricks. The Brick City Mavs do have a little bit of talent, so they're better off than the Clippers this season. That Kings pick is a nice gamble as well.
Likely Starters: Murphy, Mohammed, Richard Jefferson, Stackhous, Crawford
Key Backups: Dampier, Evans, Sweetney
13. [glow=red,2,300]San Diego Clippers[/glow]
This team is a carbon coby of the Mavericks, but without the talent. After last years magical Darrell Armstrong run, the fans might be dissapointed, but DaEggs can't do much for his team at this point but sit on that Spurs pick and hope its the #1. I wouldn't be surprised to see him ship out Hill and Rose for picks. I'd bet on a very good team in 2007 or so. But for now, lets hope that they can find a point guard better than Hassell. And FAST.
Likely Starters: Ramos, Szwcyk, Hill, Rose, Hassell
Key Backups: None (Matt Barnes doesn't count.)
14. [glow=black,2,300]San Antonio Spurs[/glow]
Spurs. Yuck! They have Camby, who is good on defense but not much of an offensive threat, and a couple good PGs, but it all goes down from there. Their MLE pickup, McKie, looks a lot like the ill-fated Ginobili, and probably isn't that much better. Still, this team will be shooting a lot of 3s, as Mashed potatoes is the only guy who can score under the hoop. McKie and Posey will go at it all day. Gerald Wallace is looking like a failed experiment at this point. They've got a couple of mediocre picks this year, and unless they get lucky, I don't see a very bright future for the Jason Frost crew.
Likely Starters: Camby, Ellison, Posey, McKie, Snow
Key Backups: Wallace, Mashed Potatoes, Watson
15. [glow=orange,2,300]Phoenix Suns[/glow]
Well, what can you say about the good 'ol Phoenix Suns? I hate to say it, but this year will be as bad as ever. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. They'll have a good pick again this year (and also have the Warriors pick, which might be lottery) to go with the developing talents of Perkins, Al Jefferson, Milicic, and T.J. Ford. All they need to do is get a decent SG and SF in the next draft, and BOOM!, they're in like Flynn for the 2007 playoffs. Manu Ginobili is already a great swingman backup. I'd say this team can contend pretty soon....just wait and see. I'll revere the day that the Lakers monster is crushed by the Suns 3-headed big man monster of Kendrick Perkins, Al Jefferson, and Darko Milicic.
Likely Starters: Milicic, Perkins, Jefferson, Ginobili, Ford
Key Backups: Radmonovic, Dunleavy Jr., Courtney Alexander
Alright, hope you guys enjoyed! I'll have the East Rankings up later tonight. (Apologies if your team colour is a little off.)
