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ESPN Insider Western Conference predictions
[QUOTE]1. Oklahoma City Thunder: 57.9 wins, 0.3 games worse
Oklahoma City's projected age (weighted by game minutes) for this season is 25.8 years, which ranks 22nd in the league. To give some context, the teams just behind the Thunder are Sacramento, Toronto and Washington. In other words, OKC sports a collective age typical of a franchise in rebuilding mode, yet the Thunder are coming off a Finals appearance.
The sky is the limit, especially considering the growth potential Oklahoma City still has on the defensive end, where it is projected to rank 11th. This is a squad that could win 60-65 games this season if healthy and focused.
2. Los Angeles Lakers: 54.8 wins, 9.6 games better
The Lakers' projection keeps nudging forward with every signing Mitch Kupchak makes to round out the league's oldest roster. Most of that optimism can be traced to the acquisitions of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. The Lakers project to jump from 10th to seventh on offense and 12th to fifth on defense.
3. Denver Nuggets: 51.1 wins, 2.2 games better
The Nuggets will be one of the league's most interesting teams to follow. Already fielding one of the NBA's deepest rotations, Denver bolstered its upside by upgrading from Arron Afflalo to Andre Iguodala. Iggy gives Denver one of the top five defenders in the league and a guy who should flourish in George Karl's frenetic system.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves: 51.0 wins, 16.3 games better
Only Brooklyn projects to make a bigger jump than the young, talented and suddenly deep Timberwolves. For all the abuse that general manager David Kahn has taken in the past, he had as good an offseason as any executive in the league. Minnesota has 12 legitimate NBA talents on its roster, giving Rick Adelman the versatility to play any style that suits him at any given time. And, yes, this projection takes into account the fact that Ricky Rubio will miss anywhere from 30-40 games while recovering from his knee injury.
5. San Antonio Spurs: 50.7 wins, 9.3 games worse
The league's most consistent franchise is once again displaying an amazing amount of continuity by bringing back about 98 percent of its minutes from last season, although DeJuan Blair has been rumored to be on the trade market. Still, the Spurs overachieved a bit last season based on their point differential, and their aging core is one year older, which means wilting playing time projections for Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.
6. Los Angeles Clippers: 49.1 wins, 0.6 games worse
This whole super-team fad is fairly new, so we're still not sure about the best method for filling out the roster for such a model. The Clippers have as much foundation talent as anyone, but the rest of the roster looks like a bunch of names. Jamal Crawford may or may not be an upgrade from Mo Williams, while recognizable but tepid players like Ronny Turiaf, Caron Butler, Willie Green, Ryan Hollins and Grant Hill -- the league's oldest player -- round out the bench to no real effect. A return to form by Lamar Odom would be a huge boost for the Clips.
7. Utah Jazz: 42.9 wins, 0.1 games worse
Utah has a lot of really nice, young pieces, but as the franchise continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how it's all going to fit together. With so many efficient interior scorers and a growing collection of 3-point shooters, the offense projects to be top-five in the league. However, the defense lags, and it will as long as the Jazz count on Al Jefferson to anchor the middle.
8. Memphis Grizzlies: 42.2 wins, 4.9 games worse
Small-market teams have to make hard decisions as they age and their core pieces become more expensive, and so it was for Memphis, which had no choice but to allow O.J. Mayo to walk. Jerryd Bayless will be asked to fill his role as a bench scorer and may be well-suited for the role. Memphis is woefully short of outside shooters, however, and projects to make the fewest 3-pointers in the league.
9. Dallas Mavericks: 38.2 wins, 5.7 games worse
The Mavericks' placeholder roster screams average, but with Rick Carlisle at the helm, you certainly can't rule out a run at a playoff berth. Despite the turnover in personnel, the Mavericks managed to remain long in the tooth, with a projection as the fourth-oldest team in the league.
10. Golden State Warriors: 34.7 wins, 3.3 games better
The Warriors fancy themselves as a playoff contender. We do not. Golden State has questionable depth despite the presence of veterans such as Richard Jefferson, Carl Landry and Brandon Rush on the roster. Harrison Barnes projects to be one of the worst players in the league. Indeed, his ability to outperform that forecast is the key to Golden State taking that longed-for step toward the postseason.
11. Sacramento Kings: 34.1 wins, 8.4 games better
The Kings seem to be headed in the right direction, but it has seemed like that for a few years now, and the results never quite measure up to the expectations. To say that this is a pivotal season for Tyreke Evans is an understatement.
12. New Orleans Hornets: 33.2 wins, 3.6 games better
There is no doubt that the Hornets are on the upswing and the long-term picture is bright. While New Orleans has a really exciting core, it remains very young and raw. Austin Rivers could help matters by exceeding a horrific forecast, but even if he does, chances are that Ryan Anderson is going to fall short of his projection now that he's no longer joined at the hip with Howard.
13. Portland Trail Blazers: 33.1 wins, 6.1 games worse
The last epoch of Blazers basketball was utterly ruined by injuries, so Portland has effectively hit the reset button and projects to have a younger roster than all but four other teams in the league. Right now, this is just a franchise searching for an identity.
14. Houston Rockets: 29.4 wins, 12.2 games worse
The Rockets cleared the decks for a run at Howard, and once that didn't work out, they were left with the next-best thing for a team trying to escape the middle: flexibility. Houston projects as the league's worst offensive team, one that will get an inordinate amount of its scoring from a starting backcourt of Jeremy Lin and Kevin Martin. In that sense, this Rockets squad harkens to some of the lesser Rudy Tomjanovich teams that were led by the duo of Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley.
15. Phoenix Suns: 27.8 wins, 12.5 games worse
We're not exactly sure what the plan is in Phoenix, but the Suns are moving forward with a roster devoid of core players. They won't just be bad. They'll be boring. We'll have to see what the future brings.[/QUOTE]
You are welcome!
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Re: ESPN Insider Western Conference predictions
The Sun's won't be THAT bad. :wtf:
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This was absolutely terrible.
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Clippers at #6...Memphis at #8....Denver at #3....Sacramento ahead of New Orleans...Phoenix last....:wtf:
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ESPN really does sleep on the spurs. Every year they predict them to fall of and every year they prove them wrong time and time again. Spurs will be a 2 seed [B]AT WORSE[/B] .
I still remember last year before the season started Skip Bayless predicted that the spurs would make the WCF and Stephen A Smith laughed for a 1 minute and 30 seconds straight. :facepalm
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I think that Dallas will be a lot stronger than people think.
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iggy bringing the nuggets all the way to the 3 seed. hmmmmm... i guess its possible
but with that being said, this a prime example of why i dont ever try to talk basketball with one of my friends that gets all his info from espn and sportscenter.
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Minnesota won't be that good.
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I love how everybody just says it's wrong because it disagrees with THEIR opinion. Teams bounce around every year.
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[QUOTE=ESPN Insider]
1. OKC-[B]no problems here[/B]
2. LA Lakers-[B]no problems here[/B]
3. Denver-[B]Yeah, no way Iguodala is that much of a difference maker[/B]
4. Wolves-[B]ROFLMFAO hell to the no. Still don't think they make playoffs.[/B]
5. Spurs-[B]Too low[/B]
6. Clippers-[B]Too low[/B]
7. Jazz-[B]8th seed more likely IMO[/B]
8. Grizzlies-[B]too low[/B]
9. Mavericks-[B]They won't be great, but they won't miss the playoffs.[/B]
10. Warriors-[B]Could sneak into playoffs IMO[/B]
11. Kings-[B]Yeah, no. They suck.[/B]
12. Hornets-[B]Eh.[/B]
13. Blazers-[B]eh.[/B]
14. Rockets-[B]I'll be absolutely shocked if they aren't the worst team in the conference.[/B]
15. Suns-[B]LOL they won't be that mad, they should be mediocore[/B][/QUOTE]
:coleman:
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ESPN..that says enough. Not legit.
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Minnesota over the Spurs.
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
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Bradley Doolittle..... pfft.
He rates Harrison Barnes as one of the NBA's worst players. I say we bombard him with boxscore tweets and highlights once the season starts. I am no Barnes fan, but he is not by any means one of the worst players in the league. Doolittle needs to actually show what metrics he's using instead of talking about "our projections."
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Not sure why everyone is completely writing off the Wolves. If Roy returns to 85% of what he was then it's very possible.
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How are we so sure that the Suns can't be the worst in the West? They lost their best player in Steve Nash and already weren't even a playoff team. They added a rookie and a guy who has never been a part of a remotely good team. They are going to be VERY bad.
The Kings are going to have an insane frontcourt, and have depth at the PG position as well as a few shooters.
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[QUOTE=FireDavidKahn]Not sure why everyone is completely writing off the Wolves. If Roy returns to 85% of what he was then it's very possible.[/QUOTE]
as a wolves fan, how do you see roy and rubio pairing together. when his knees were still good, he was a ball dominant sg, who had blake standing in the corner to hit open 3s. With Rubio also being so ball dominant, do you think theyll mesh well together?
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OK.
So I gather they have Kevin Love leading a team to 50 + wins?
If Rubio was going to be there from day 1...then maybe..but....be serious.
It's Kevin Love.
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Minny too high. Denver probably too high. L.A at 6 and Spurs at 5 feel low to me. That being said this is the Western Conference. Besides L.A and OKC there isn't any locks. I don't think Denver finishes at 3 but if they did I wouldn't be shocked or anything.
Minny at 4 seems high right now but maybe this is the year they finally break out?
They predicated a 2 game separation from 3-6. They didn't even put the Lakers that high above 3.
I won't pretend to predict that last playoff spots. Besides 5-6 teams it's anyone's spot. Wouldn't be surprised to see a team like Golden State if healthy steal that 7-8th seed.
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Dumbest list I've ever seen. I like Minny, but 4th seed is a joke. Nuggets at 3rd is almost just as ridiculous.
Also, no way Suns are at the bottom. They did get rid of Steve Nash and Hill but they gained Goran Dragic, Beasley, and Scola. And they still have Gortat and Morris. The suns have a pretty solid roster. They are definitely better than the Rockets.
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1. OKC
2. Spurs
3. Lakers
4. Nuggets
5. Clippers
6. Minesota
7.Dallas
8. GSW.
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[QUOTE=Rubio2Gasol]1. OKC
2. Spurs
3. Lakers
4. Nuggets
5. Clippers
6. Minesota
7.Dallas
8. GSW.[/QUOTE]
Memphis loses Mayo and fall from 4th seed to completely out of the picture. Wow, he's more of an impact player than I though.
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[QUOTE=Levity]as a wolves fan, how do you see roy and rubio pairing together. when his knees were still good, he was a ball dominant sg, who had blake standing in the corner to hit open 3s. With Rubio also being so ball dominant, do you think theyll mesh well together?[/QUOTE]
Roy being ball dominant wont be an issue. Rubio and Roy are both very smart players and they will learn to play together just fine. One of Minny's biggest problems last year was that we had NO wing player aside from our PGs that could handle the ball at all which is why Barea and Ridnour had to play the 2 guard last year.
People also seem to forget that a healthy Rubio + Love + Pek themselves are good enough to be an 8th seed. The Wolves started out 3-7 with Rubio coming off the bench last year and then went out and compiled an 18-13 (47 wins in an 82 game season.) and did this with a supporting cast full of extremely negative players in Beasley, Wesley Johnson, Dorko, Webster.
This off season we've gotten rid of all those negative players and replaced them with much superior players in AK47, Roy, Shved (wildcard but more suited to be a 2 guard then Ridnour or Barea), Chase, Steimsma (his passion for the game and hustle alone makes him better then a constantly lazy and sulking Dorko.) 50 wins is not out of the question at all but getting to that level would require Brandon Roy to play at a high level. Rubio also won't miss anywhere close to 40 games.
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I'll go
1. OKC
2. LAL
3. LAC
4. San Antonio
5. Memphis
6. Denver
7. Minnesota
8. Dallas
First round:
OKC over Dallas
LAL over Minnesota
LAC over Denver
Memphis over San Antonio
Second round:
OKC over Memphis
LAL over LAC
WCF
LAL over OKC
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[QUOTE=BuffaloBill]Nuggets at 3rd is almost just as ridiculous.
[/QUOTE]
I don't think they finish 3rd, but I don't get how it's ridiculous. Denver was hit by injuries pretty hard last year. There a team that's only going to improve with Lawson getting another year starting under his belt, McGee developing more, Faried going into his 2nd year. We'll have a full year of Wilson Chandler. Denver gave up the most 3 pointers last year on the best %, who better to improve that than Iggy? Not to mention he's pretty much the ideal fit in a fast paced offense like Denver.
Memphis and L.A won 3 & 2 more games than Denver last year. Gotta think even tho the 66 game season was really condensed playing in a full 82 game season can only be a positive for arguably the deepest team in the league.
Seriously. People need to realize how close the West usually is. Will the Clippers finish higher? Yeah I'd think that's the safe bet. It won't be by anymore than 5-6 games most likely, so a 5 game gap is now "ridiculous"?
3rd seed won 5 more games than the 8th seed last year.
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OKC will probably have a better record at the end of the day, but I don't think the gap will be that big between them and the Lakers.
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Wolves are right where I said they would be.
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[QUOTE=NuggetsFan]I don't think they finish 3rd, but I don't get how it's ridiculous. Denver was hit by injuries pretty hard last year. There a team that's only going to improve with Lawson getting another year starting under his belt, McGee developing more, Faried going into his 2nd year. We'll have a full year of Wilson Chandler. Denver gave up the most 3 pointers last year on the best %, who better to improve that than Iggy? Not to mention he's pretty much the ideal fit in a fast paced offense like Denver.
Memphis and L.A won 3 & 2 more games than Denver last year. Gotta think even tho the 66 game season was really condensed playing in a full 82 game season can only be a positive for arguably the deepest team in the league.
Seriously. People need to realize how close the West usually is. Will the Clippers finish higher? Yeah I'd think that's the safe bet. It won't be by anymore than 5-6 games most likely, so a 5 game gap is now "ridiculous"?
3rd seed won 5 more games than the 8th seed last year.[/QUOTE]
The better team almost always finishes with the better record. Even if it's only a 5 game advantage. No way does Denver finish higher than the Lakers, Thunder, Spurs, or Clippers. If they finish end up higher than the 5-6 seed, then I'll admit that I was wrong.
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Did Lebron get traded to Minnesota? 16 game jumps don't just happen without adding a significant piece.
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54 wins for kobe/nash/howard/pau/metta/jamison/hill/meeks/blake/ebanks??????
:biggums:
:hammerhead:
closer to 60 and we got a deal
LOL@ insider.... people pay for this?
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does espn insider realise the lakers last year even without a bench or a pg or howard had a win% of 62%
yet theyre predicting with all their mega all time greatest starting 5 and other upgrades... the lakers will only increase to a 65% win%
thats what 54 wins is out of 82
LOL
:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm
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Re: ESPN Insider Western Conference predictions
1.Lakers
2.OKC
3.Spurs
4.Clippers
5.Nuggets
6.Grizzlies
7.Wolves
8.Mavs
[B]Lakers[/B]/Mavs in 5
[B]OKC[/B]/Wolves in 5
Spurs/[B]Grizzlies[/B] in 7
[B]Clippers[/B]/Nuggets in 6
[B]Lakers[/B]/Clippers in 6
[B]OKC[/B]/Grizzlies in 6
[B]Lakers[/B]/OKC in 7
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T-Wolves over the Clippers? CF86 gonna have a field day when he sees this :eek:
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the nuggets will be a great regular season team. everyone keeps saying this
#3 seed is very possible IMO
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Re: ESPN Insider Western Conference predictions
[QUOTE=FireDavidKahn]Not sure why everyone is completely writing off the Wolves. If Roy returns to 85% of what he was then it's very possible.[/QUOTE]
rubio is coming of a serious injury and might miss few months
you remember how bad they were after he got injured last year right?
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Consider me Miles Davis.....
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Re: ESPN Insider Western Conference predictions
[QUOTE=alenleomessi]rubio is coming of a serious injury and might miss few months
you remember how bad they were after he got injured last year right?[/QUOTE]
see[QUOTE=FireDavidKahn]Roy being ball dominant wont be an issue. Rubio and Roy are both very smart players and they will learn to play together just fine. One of Minny's biggest problems last year was that we had NO wing player aside from our PGs that could handle the ball at all which is why Barea and Ridnour had to play the 2 guard last year.
People also seem to forget that a healthy Rubio + Love + Pek themselves are good enough to be an 8th seed. The Wolves started out 3-7 with Rubio coming off the bench last year and then went out and compiled an 18-13 (47 wins in an 82 game season.) and did this with a supporting cast full of extremely negative players in Beasley, Wesley Johnson, Dorko, Webster.
This off season we've gotten rid of all those negative players and replaced them with much superior players in AK47, Roy, Shved (wildcard but more suited to be a 2 guard then Ridnour or Barea), Chase, Steimsma (his passion for the game and hustle alone makes him better then a constantly lazy and sulking Dorko.) 50 wins is not out of the question at all but getting to that level would require Brandon Roy to play at a high level. Rubio also won't miss anywhere close to 40 games.[/QUOTE]
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damn. i loved seeing denver at 3 until i saw minnesota at 4. means that list is pretty much garbage.
3rd seed woulda been nice though :)
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It will depend on chemistry a little, but the Mavs should win over 45 games. I really hope that 38 win mark is way off.
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LOL wolves, what a joke .. at most they should be 8/9 and the clippers/SAS being underrated.