College Wolf wrote:
Loser buys lower section tickets for 2 to the next Wolves-Nuggets game... AND has to attend said game dressed up as this old prospector with a sign that says "TwolvesBlog.com made me do it."

wolfenstein wrote: So you mean two years from now after next season?

If that's what you want to bet, then ok... it's on.

College Wolf wrote:
I'm not discounting the Wolves. I still think they will be a playoff team but I think the 4 seed is quite high with the Clippers, Nuggets, Grizz still just as good. I'm interested to see how good the Warriors and Hornets can be too

Murphs56 wrote:
The thing is that any one or maybe two of those teams *could* finish ahead of the Wolves. But assuming injuries are not an issue the Wolves and the Grizzlies are the best of the 4 teams.

Chris Paul makes the Clippers tough, but Blake Griffin is a highlight factory which leads to him being really overrated. If he comes back shooting 75% from the stripe, then we'll talk.

Nuggets... Good team. Lots of overachievers. Great coach. But overall less talented than the Wolves. I don't see it over the course of a season for them. They'll make the playoffs and make some noise there for sure though.

wolfenstein wrote:
I actually think the Clippers got a lot better. Obviously, Paul is always going to make them a playoff team but I fully expect Butler to be better this year and Blake to be better on the glass, shooting free throws and jump shots. Also adding Odom, Hill, Crawford and getting back Chauncy is big for them

Murphs56 wrote:
Who Hill? Blake is a step behind on the skill part of the game. He's a smaller less dominant Dwight Howard.

Odom is a toss up. Suddenly he's back in California and stops being a suck-off? Hmmm.

Crawford I've always felt is overrated. Ever notice how his teams never win anything important?

Chauncey, if healthy, could be a good role player. They have no wings.

Butler is a castoff.

I don't think the Clips have a better record than us this year. Highly doubtful unless we get devastated by injuries again.

Murphs56 wrote:
Getting Billups back will be HUGE for the Clippers! Despite the talent and ability of CP3, Blake & DAJ, having that veteran presence & experience that Chauncey brings to the court, cannot be underrated or under-appreciated. Having Billups on the floor is as good as having another coach on the court.

Billups to the Clippers is as Roy is to the 'Wolves. Both coming off injuries that took a year (or, longer) to rehab. Both are past All-Stars. If they both are healthy, they both provide a huge spark to their respective teams.

Don't overrate the FT% of a great player. Neither Chamberlain nor Shaq could shoot FTs to save their lives. There have been several extremely good SFs who, likewise, were not very good from the FT line. As long as Blake keeps going 20-15+, he's one of my top players.

What makes the Nuggets more formidable than their line up might indicate is that guy named George Karl. More than anything else in the LA-Denver series last season, I think it was Karl that caused LA the most problems. Never, ever discount a George Karl-coached team, if he has any players, at all!

The Magic got raped in this trade. Great trade for the Lakers and Nuggets, and for the 76ers as well if they can re-sign Bynum.

Nash
Kobe
Artest
Pau
Howard



Who can beat that? I bet Grant Hill if feeling like a massive idiot right now for choosing the Clippers over the Lakers.

Also for the people that think the Wolves are going to get the 4th seed in the west, I think you will be sorely disappointed. Rubio is the heart and soul of this team and he may not even be back until January. Roy, Ak47, and Pek are injury risks and Love isn't good enough to carry the team. I have no doubt we will make the playoffs, but the 4th seed is lofty expectations.

Some numbered bullets:

1. Why even have a season at this point? Why do the Lakers always win? Disgusting. UGHIUHgiewijfwcmk;saf

2. I actually sorta see this trade from Orlando's perspective. They don't take on some meaningless, lame salary of someone like Gasol who still doesn't lead Orlando to the playoffs or do anything good for them long-term. They are mailing it in and rebuilding through the draft. Sure, it sounds like a weak trade but I think there are plenty of arguments to be made why this is a better trade for them long term vs. getting Gasol. However, not getting Bynum or shedding Turkeyglue's salary is very puzzling. Bynum is a new franchise guy for them and is still very young. Every other team made out like bandits.

3. Speaking of Turkeyglue, my dad (an artist by trade) made this video a few years back while learning photoshop:


4. College Wolf has been beating off daily to a cache of shirtless McGee pics for years (but he dunks good!). We irrationally love our guys. Hence my retarded handle name.

5. I don't think it's crazy to think Denver is better than the Wolves either. Agree with CW. It's debatable whether McGee is better than Nene long term(I think no way), but they also maintain a $13 million trade exception until the trade deadline to make another big move. They also have an absolutely superb GM whose name escapes me.

And a coach who is better at squeezing everything he has out of his guys than Adelman.... who just scoffs at his young players like a bitter old WWII vet.

6. I LOVE IT when, just as I did in the Pek debate last week, people arguing here will use advanced stats articles from time to time to support their own arguments and then will laugh/criticise others for doing so.

6. Agree on Wolfenstein's Clipper assessment - I could honestly see Minny beating them out in the standings as well.

4-7 seed for Minny depending on injury situations for all teams.

C'mon roundhouse. The Heat and I would say Thunder also could beat them. They are still old. Howard will help for sure but it's not that they are the best team by far now.

I'll still put my money on the Heat vs Thunder.

WallyWorld wrote:
Agree. What do you think about these standings in the end, realistic?

1. Thunder
2. Fakers
3. Spurs
4. Grizz
5. Nuggets
6. T-Wolves
7. Floppers
8. Warriors

College Wolf wrote:
CW knows as usual.

Btw. Since I started to play basketball in the town in the twolves t-shirt you send me, I haven't lost a game. Thanks once again!

Did Orlando WANT Dwight to be a mega star in LA like Shaq? Is that their idenity and they can't get past it? Honestly what is that trade?

Young Studs - .25 credit for Afflalo who is much more useful on a real team
Picks - Kahn - .25 credit "You want late round picks, you can have em', they ain't worth shit." No high picks. Best case 2 role players. Meaningless.
Salary - They took on Harrington who makes more than J-Rich. Negative 1 point.

You are going to sit there and tell me that shit sandwich is even 75% as good as what Houston and Brooklyn offered at their peak. I doubt it is even as good as 75% of their worst offers. I'd have expected more than that in return for a 1 year rental.

You are telling me GS wouldn't have done Curry or Barnes + Filler?

The only argument I hear from Orlando's perspective is it doesn't force them to rebuild around a non-franchise guy like Gasol or Disney (on a max salary no less)...similar to how the Wolves got stuck rebuilding around Al Jefferson in a pointless state for the team. It's pointless without bottoming out for your own pick which is what Orlando will do when they win the lottery next year. Who wants to bet against this?

Also,
1. Where were these mystery lottery picks Orlando could have gotten at any point during the Dwight saga? Was never even possible...

2. Orlando's GM is 30 years old.

and, most importantly:

3. Bynum would have been an exception to the above. I am baffled why they didn't want him. He is a potential franchise guy. Way better than Disney fricken' Lopez. I am also baffled they keep Hedo in this.