Teams that will make it at 08.

[Anthony15]

East this year:

1. Detroit
2. Chicago
3. Nets
4. Heat
5. Cleveland
6. Celtics - I'm still not sure that C's are gonna be that good, even with addition of KG and Allen, look at Nuggets last year, they had so much hype with 2 superstars, no better then 6th.
7. Washington
8. Orlando

9. Toronto - hate them with a passion
10. Charlotte


West:

1. Phoenix
2. San Antonio
3. Dallas
4. Denver
5. Houston
6. Utah
7. Golden State
8. New Orleans

9. Lakers
10. Memphis

[Clock]

6. Celtics - I'm still not sure that C's are gonna be that good, even with addition of KG and Allen, look at Nuggets last year, they had so much hype with 2 superstars, no better then 6th.

Are you kidding me? How the hell can you compare AI and Melo to Ray Allen KG and Pierce?

First, Boston plays in the east, not the west like Denver. Second, the Nuggets had no one that can play defence except for Camby. Boston has KG, Pierce and Rondo who are at least decnent defenders (maybe Allen too. Haven't seen enough of him to know). Third, Celtics have 3 superstars, while Denver had 2. Plus one of them might be the best big man in the league, the other is one of the best shooters in the league, and the third can do everything on the court.

I'd say the Celtics are going to do quiet a lot better than the Nuggets did last year.

[Sauru]

not to mention i fully expect the celtics threesome to pass the ball alot more than iverson is willing to

[Anthony15]

Clock, okay, I don't care, I just told you what I think will happen; they won't win the championship anyways, even with them 3. 1st, maybe 2nd round exit.

[Clock]

We'll see...

[MC Hao]

as long as doc is coaching, the celts aint going anywhere.

[NovU]

9. Toronto - hate them with a passion

WHAT!!!

4. Heat

WHAT!!!

6. Celtics - I'm still not sure that C's are gonna be that good, even with addition of KG and Allen, look at Nuggets last year, they had so much hype with 2 superstars, no better then 6th.

Huh?

[Clock]

as long as doc is coaching, the celts aint going anywhere.

IMO, when a team have 3 superstars the coach realy isn't that important for the team to win. What's important is whether the stars will mesh together or not.

[TheMC5]

6. Celtics - I'm still not sure that C's are gonna be that good, even with addition of KG and Allen, look at Nuggets last year, they had so much hype with 2 superstars, no better then 6th.

In addition to the reasons previously stated, the Celtics trio of superstars will be better and more successful than AI and Melo due to the fact that latter 2 players are among the worst defenders in the league, Carmelo in particular, whereas KG is an exceptional defender, both 1 on 1 and as help defender, and Paul Pierce is probably an above average to good defensive player. Ray Allen is the only weak link defensively, although I feel his defense has been somewhat underrated, due to playing on a really poor defensive team the last few seasons.

9. Toronto - hate them with a passion

I highly doubt your hatred for the Raps is going to impact the team that much. At very least they're better than Orlando, who you have in the 8th seed. A few years from now, when Bosh is putting up 26 PPG, 10 RPG, and 2 BPG, you're going to realize the Nuggets made a mistake by drafting the one-dimensional and self-centered Anthony over Bosh, who will become a dominant force on both sides of the court, not just offense, and is by all accounts a great team player and terrific leader.

[Anthony15]

In addition to the reasons previously stated, the Celtics trio of superstars will be better and more successful than AI and Melo due to the fact that latter 2 players are among the worst defenders in the league, Carmelo in particular, whereas KG is an exceptional defender, both 1 on 1 and as help defender, and Paul Pierce is probably an above average to good defensive player. Ray Allen is the only weak link defensively, although I feel his defense has been somewhat underrated, due to playing on a really poor defensive team the last few seasons.

I don't know if I've seen a bigger hustler on the perimeter than AI, Melo's defense is quite weak, but he's nothing close to the worst defender in the league, he did average 1.2 SPG this year. Besides Nuggets averaged around 108 PPG, and when you're 2nd in the league, I personally wouldn't give a shit about playing D.

I highly doubt your hatred for the Raps is going to impact the team that much. At very least they're better than Orlando, who you have in the 8th seed. A few years from now, when Bosh is putting up 26 PPG, 10 RPG, and 2 BPG, you're going to realize the Nuggets made a mistake by drafting the one-dimensional and self-centered Anthony over Bosh, who will become a dominant force on both sides of the court, not just offense, and is by all accounts a great team player and terrific leader.

One-dimensional???

Self-centered? Hmmm, maybe yes maybe not. Right now in the beginning of his career he does want to show off, but I doubt he'll keep doing that and in the end it will turn out better for Nuggets then Raptors. Melo is a good team player, and AI is Nuggets' team leader; plus I will never want to see that giraffe wear a Denver uniform.

[cyanide]

9. Toronto - hate them with a passion

Hehe, why do you hate them? I can't think of a player on the team that's unlikeable, so I'm just curious. Is it TJ Ford?

[Clock]

Besides Nuggets averaged around 108 PPG, and when you're 2nd in the league, I personally wouldn't give a shit about playing D.

Do you need a reminder of what your Nuggets achieved last year? Or what the Suns won last year, and the year before that, and the year before that......?

You have to "give a shit about playing D" in order to get the ring in the NBA.

I geuss you want to watch your team play fast and win nothing...

[TheMC5]

I don't know if I've seen a bigger hustler on the perimeter than AI, Melo's defense is quite weak, but he's nothing close to the worst defender in the league, he did average 1.2 SPG this year. Besides Nuggets averaged around 108 PPG, and when you're 2nd in the league, I personally wouldn't give a shit about playing D.

AI hustles, I'll give him that. What makes Iverson a poor defender is that, a) he has no concept of team defensive schemes, or he just doesn't care, and b) he gambles too much going for steals, which leads to him getting burned. Anthony does the same thing, but his biggest problem is that he seems totally disinterested in playing D.

Also, steal totals are in no way indicative of a player's overall defensive abilities.

One-dimensional???

Self-centered?

Yeah, one-dimensional and self-centered. What does he do other than score and ignore his man on defense so that he can focus on trying to grab the rebound and increase his numbers?

...AI is Nuggets' team leader; plus I will never want to see that giraffe wear a Denver uniform.

OK, so the guy who can't show up for a damn practice is the Nuggets leader. Whoop-dee-doo.

And say what you want about Bosh's lanky physique, the man's a baller and a team player. If he adds a bit of muscle, he'd be absolutely dominant. Like KG minus the passing (and maybe losing a little on the boards, too), but with a better outside stroke.


Cyanide: The Raps are my favorite team, and there are few players I'm not too fond of, but mostly for their on court performance rather than perceived personality issues. Joey Graham, for instance, pops into my mind right away. In fact, the only real upside I see to the additions of Kapono (other than his shooting) and Delfino is that Graham hopefully won't have to play anymore. Sort of addition by subtraction. The less you need to rely on Joey Graham, the better.



Also, I want to make this very clear. I think both Iverson and Carmelo are very good basketball players, and exceptional scorers, but both are also highly overrated. And I don't think their respective skill sets compliment each other very well.

[cyanide]

I'm assuming it's Bosh that Anthony15 doesn't like. I'd take Bosh over Anthony or AI because of Bosh's character. He's like a poor man's KG, at this point, and he's still very young.

TheMC5: I hear you on Joey Graham. He's too inconsistent, and he's going to be fighting for minutes this year. I think it's his last chance. If he loses out to Delfino and Kapono, then I don't see him on the roster for too long.

[benji]

Besides Nuggets averaged around 108 PPG, and when you're 2nd in the league, I personally wouldn't give a shit about playing D.

For reference...Nuggets were 8th on offense, 11th on defense.