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Oh wait no, that's our backup center.
NBA Offseason 2013 - Page 82
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Jibba
United States22883 Posts
Oh wait no, that's our backup center. | ||
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icystorage
Jollibee19347 Posts
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DystopiaX
United States16236 Posts
On October 04 2013 20:09 AntiGrav1ty wrote: I actually think there haven't been as many real contenders as this year in a long time. I could see a lot of teams making it to the finals. Yeah it's cause this offseason a lot of mid-tier teams decided to full out tank rather than compete, and many lower tier teams decided not to improve. Thinking Celtics and 6ers in particular. | ||
XaI)CyRiC
United States4471 Posts
On October 04 2013 19:01 Doctor Who wrote: Bullshit! Houston has the same problems the Clippers have. Houston can make it into the Top5 in the west, but thats the end. I doubt they will win a playoff series. The championship this year is between Indiana and the Heat. OKC and the Spurs just don't have it anymore. What problems do the Rockets share with the Clippers? Very generally I guess you could say both teams need to improve their defense and integrate new player(s), but that's oversimplifying it. The Rockets are looking to make the jump from bottom seed to championship contender on the back of an Allstar Center who is trying to bounce back from a debilitating back injury, who may or may not mess with the great offense they had last season. The Clippers are looking to make the jump from regular season elite to championship contender based on a new coach (and thus entirely new system on offense and defense) and improved perimeter shooting, while having issues with frontcourt depth and uncertainty as to whether their starting Center can anchor a good defense. Seems pretty different to me. I agree that OKC took a significant step back by losing KMart and now having to rely on Jackson and Lamb to step up in his place, and the injury to Westbrook only makes things more cloudy for them. I don't see why the Spurs should be considered any less dangerous this season as last season. Any decline in Duncan and Manu will arguably be mitigated by the continued development and improvement of Kawhi, Green, and Splitter. The Pacers still need to see continued improvement from George and Stephenson, Hibbert to build on last season, and for the new bench to play significantly better than last season's. I think there's a good chance that these things happen, but there are no guarantees. The Heat will have key players another year older and past their primes (i.e. Wade, Battier, Ray), which may result in declines in production and more injuries. It also remains to be seen if their offseason acquisitions (Oden and Beasley) will be able to contribute anything. Beyond the Pacers and Heat, the Bulls and Nets are likely to be significantly better this season and could pose a serious challenge if they can stay healthy. | ||
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XaI)CyRiC
United States4471 Posts
On October 04 2013 21:00 Doctor Who wrote: Obviously he won't make it until December. If I were him I would not play this year at all. Even with Kobe at 100% they won't make the playoffs. Reports are that the trip to Germany was a planned part of his recovery that will only help him get healthy faster. While I have my doubts about Kobe coming back within the first two months of the season, I don't think anyone considers it "obvious" considering this is Kobe and he'll be itching to come back before December just to prove he can. I think the Lakers have a shot at the playoffs if Kobe comes back 100% and some other things go right (Nash and Pau avoid significant injury, the role players perform their roles, and everyone buys into D'Antoni's system). However, I agree in that I would prefer that Kobe simply sit the season out (or at least most of it) and have the Lakers be a fun, up-and-down team who loses a bunch of games to get a nice draft pick for next year. This season is lost anyway because no one cares about anything but getting back to contender status. | ||
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Jerubaal
United States7684 Posts
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RowdierBob
Australia13006 Posts
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AntiGrav1ty
Germany2310 Posts
Don't agree with your Clippers assesment this year. They got waaay better. Having Dudley, Reddick, Barnes and Crawford in the backcourt / on the wings is pretty damn good. Mullens and Jamison to back-up Griffin and add some midrange is decent as well. They have a year more experience and an upgrade from Vinny to Doc is as big as it can get for the coaching position. From worst to possibly best overall coach in the league. His championship experience and the respect he gets from players alone can make a huge difference. I can definitely see them winning the west with Doc. I also think Houston could possibly beat the Spurs. Probably too early to tell but on paper it's definitely possible. People keep writing off Dwight cuz of one mediocre season with a crippled Lakers roster. This Houston team is way better than what he ever had in Orlando! It might not be this year but If they get it together they can definitely go very far. GSW could make a splash after that breakout season. They are a very young team with a year more experience for the players and the coach, a healthy Bogut in his contract year and they added freakin Iggy. Their frontcourt is damn good, their backcourt is one of the best in the league. They took the Spurs to 6 games last year. I don't see them getting worse this year. They definitely have a shot if they keep it going. The Spurs are still the favourites but I can see 3-4 teams that could legitimately dethrone them and some teams that have an outside shot. Health is also an issue for the spurs every year. If they aren't 100% (which is not unlikely) pretty much 8 teams in the west can knock them out. | ||
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Doctor Who
Germany21 Posts
I think the Lakers have a shot at the playoffs if Kobe comes back 100% You need to point out your sarcasm better or people will think you really mean it. | ||
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AxionSteel
United States7754 Posts
Clippers to get top seed in the west, but not neccesarily make the finals! | ||
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Jibba
United States22883 Posts
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MassHysteria
United States3678 Posts
And the knee procedure for Kobe is due to his knee issue being a chronic condition, so once his achilles heals up he will also have to get his knee back in shape. Dr. Klapper also said that he's heard Kobe is going to have to strengthen his core and whole body pretty much again to be in basketball shape. He still has a lot of work left just to be able to play... | ||
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scaban84
United States1080 Posts
On October 05 2013 21:52 RowdierBob wrote: Is Rose playing pre-season tonight vs Indy? Yep thats what nba.com says. | ||
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jmbthirteen
United States10734 Posts
On October 05 2013 21:52 RowdierBob wrote: Is Rose playing pre-season tonight vs Indy? Yeah he is a go. As is Granger, who will be coming off the bench tonight at least. I've never been so excited for a preseason game. | ||
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a176
Canada6688 Posts
ill believe it when i see it | ||
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Ace
United States16096 Posts
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Disregard
China10252 Posts
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Devil Trigger
United States107 Posts
In my opinion, Pop should try and make Patty Mills the backup for Parker. Based on his Trail Blazers days, Mills shown more offensive potential than both Corey Joseph and Nando de Colo, but he's worse on defense. The past two years whenever Duncan went to the bench, I felt the floodgates was opened. Teams would start their run and then Pop would insert Duncan back in to stop the bleeding, but it was too late. Splitter is a good defender in the post, but he's not a shot-blocker. As for teams that could challenge the Spurs, Golden State,Houston, and Oklahoma would be my top three picks. Clippers has a new coach albeit Doc is better than Vinny, but I have to see how their offense plays out. Also need to see how much Griffin and Jordan improve. I think Grizzles are going to be worse with a new coach. What it comes down to is being able to shoot the ball effectively from the perimeter verse the Spurs. | ||
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Ace
United States16096 Posts
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iLoveKT
Philippines3615 Posts
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