Darkhorses And Busts This Season?

[Fudge]

Who y'all got?

Darkhorses:
Pelicans - if healthy, they'll sneak into the playoffs.
Warriors - again, if Bogut can stay healthy, they should be okay.
Lakers - my surprise team of the season. I think Kobe will sneak them into the playoffs too.

Busts:
Cavs - only because it's their first year together. they're talented from top to bottom, but i'll give them a year to mesh.
Clippers - expecting another great regular season, but second round fodder, imo.

[Bandito]

Who y'all got?

Darkhorses:
Pelicans - if healthy, they'll sneak into the playoffs.
Warriors - again, if Bogut can stay healthy, they should be okay.
Lakers - my surprise team of the season. I think Kobe will sneak them into the playoffs too.

Busts:
Cavs - only because it's their first year together. they're talented from top to bottom, but i'll give them a year to mesh.
Clippers - expecting another great regular season, but second round fodder, imo.
I only see the Cavs busting because Varejao stays injured for a long time.

[Milbuck]

Clippers are gonna be really good, dude. Blake and DJ are gonna take another step forward, Hawes is an underrated pickup, and another year with Doc should help a lot. I think it's LA and OKC in the WCF, close 6-7 game series with OKC going to the finals.

[Cocaine80s]

Clippers were one Cp3 choke away from the WCF

How are they gonna bust this season?

[Legends66NBA7]

Darkhorses

Nuggets
Lakers
Pistons

Busts

Wizards
Pelicans
Suns

[Pushxx]

Pelicans are a great pick for a dark horse.

[Real14]

Darkhorses

Knicks
Pistons
Mavs
Lakers
Pelicans

Busts

Cavs
Bulls
Raptors
Wizards
Thunder

[Eric Cartman]

Pelicans ain't shit.

Darkhorse = Lakers and Milwaukee

[Cold soul]

Darkhorses:

Pelicans
Knicks
Warriors
Lakers
Mavericks

Busts:

Cavs
Clippers
Suns
Wizards

[HOoopCityJones]

Darkhorse = Lakers and Milwaukee

This.

[HOoopCityJones]

Darkhorses:

Pelicans
Knicks
Warriors
Lakers
Mavericks

Busts:

Cavs
Clippers
Suns
Wizards

This too :rockon:

[hawksdogsbraves]

Darkhorses:

Pelicans - Think they'll snag a playoff spot
Nuggets - Don't think they'll make the playoffs, but they'll be better than people expect

Busts:

Raptors - Don't buy into that core, think they regress
Lakers - Just look at the roster, they're going to be really bad even if they stay healthy which is unlikely

[Milbuck]

Darkhorse = Lakers and Milwaukee
Kendall Marshall / Brandon Knight / Nate Wolters
Giannis Antetokounmpo / OJ Mayo / Jerryd Bayless
Jabari Parker / Khris Middleton / Jared Dudley
John Henson / Ersan Ilyasova / Jabari Parker
Larry Sanders / Zaza Pachulia / John Henson

If the young guys..Giannis, Jabari, Marshall, Wolters, Knight, Middleton, etc..develop well under Kidd and give us good production, if Kidd can add structure to our offense but especially defense, and if we can stay healthy (especially Sanders)...I can honestly see us winning 37 to 41 games.

I'm predicting a 30 win season because injuries are bound to happen, and not every young player on the team will get the burn necessary to really develop. But if things do go right, Bucks could be a tricky young team like the Wizards in 2012-13 after they got Wall back.

[hawkfan]

Who y'all got?

Darkhorses:
Pelicans - if healthy, they'll sneak into the playoffs.
Warriors - again, if Bogut can stay healthy, they should be okay.
Lakers - my surprise team of the season. I think Kobe will sneak them into the playoffs too.

Busts:
Cavs - only because it's their first year together. they're talented from top to bottom, but i'll give them a year to mesh.
Clippers - expecting another great regular season, but second round fodder, imo.

I agree.
Cavs biggest problem is at the center position. They got a 5.3 million trade exception for Bogans, so they could trade for Zaza Pachulia. That would give them another big who can play defense and score a little. Varejao and Pachulia is solid defensively for the Cavs.

[Bandito]

Clippers were one Cp3 choke away from the WCF

How are they gonna bust this season?
CP3 is still there:oldlol:

[bagelred]

Yo, why the horse gotta be dark, yo...dats racist!

[fos]

Darkhorses? I can see the Lakers making the playoffs.

Busts? I don't see Houston or the Clippers making it far.

[Real14]

Darkhorses:

Pelicans - Think they'll snag a playoff spot
Nuggets - Don't think they'll make the playoffs, but they'll be better than people expect

Busts:

Raptors - Don't buy into that core, think they regress
Lakers - Just look at the roster, they're going to be really bad even if they stay healthy which is unlikely

Are you serious?:biggums:

[Bandito]

DarkHorses would be the Knicks. THey were so bad in 2013-2014 that the only way is up.

[Real14]

DarkHorses would be the Knicks. THey were so bad in 2013-2014 that the only way is up.
Amen:applause:

[HOoopCityJones]

Lakers have looked really good during scrimmages, particularly Kobe and Nash, which can only mean good things. Either way we'll have Steve Nash or Jeremy Lin coming off the bench, with Young, Randle,Kelly, Davis, Sacre and Clarkson. That's a pretty decent second line, and I hear Ronnie Price has been a Bull on the defensive end.

[TylerOO]

Define bust.

Because Cavs are a lock for the finals

[Legends66NBA7]

That's a pretty decent second line, and I hear Ronnie Price has been a Bull on the defensive end.

Probably the only way he still finds a way on NBA teams.

[Bandito]

Define bust.

Because Cavs are a lock for the finals
Bust if the Cavs lose.


Bust is a championship material team that when they lose horrendously (like Lebron in 2011) it ends in shame.

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

Dark Horse-Mavs
Bust-Rockets

[poido123]

Darkhorses to win championship:

warriors
Mavs
Bulls

Darhorses to make playoffs:

Pelicans
Knicks
Milhaukee

Bust

cavs
houston
clippers

[BigMacAttack]

Is it finals or bust for the Cavs? Only Chicago looks in the same realm on paper in the east and they have some question marks(as do the Cavs).

[Real14]

Is it finals or bust for the Cavs? .

Its winning at least 1 game in the finals or bust actually.

[senelcoolidge]

Darkhorse: Bucks. I think they have a shot at making the playoffs which is a very big step from last season. They aren't going far, but just making the playoffs is big time after last season.

Heat. People think they are going to fall off really hard without Lebron. I don't think so. They will be very competitive. May go far in playoffs.

Busts: Cavs. Too many people are expecting them to win the championship. Anybody want to bet that Love or/and Irving last through the whole season and the playoffs? They will go far because of a crappy conference. Probably even make the finals.

Grizzlies: Why are people still high on this team that hasn't improved and has gotten older with the same issues they have always had. While other teams have improved they are the same but older.

[Real14]

Darkhorse: Bucks. I think they have a shot at making the playoffs which is a very big step from last season. They aren't going far, but just making the playoffs is big time after last season.
.
:roll:

[LongLiveTheKing]

Darkhorses to win championship:

warriors
Mavs
Bulls

Darhorses to make playoffs:

Pelicans
Knicks
Milhaukee

Bust

cavs
houston
clippers
How are Bulls a dark horse to win ? A lot of people have them as better than the Cavs. I saw on ESPN yesterday they were ranked the 2nd best team in the league behind the Spurs :biggums:

[Milbuck]

:roll:
:durantunimpressed:

[poido123]

How are Bulls a dark horse to win ? A lot of people have them as better than the Cavs. I saw on ESPN yesterday they were ranked the 2nd best team in the league behind the Spurs :biggums:


They are a darkhorse, because everyone now thinks the Cavs are too stacked and unbeatable...

[Real14]

:durantunimpressed:
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/heraldextra.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/bc/5bcec670-a693-5864-92d8-57014eee4ce5/50b1a6e8dbbb9.preview-620.jpg

[Milbuck]

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/heraldextra.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/bc/5bcec670-a693-5864-92d8-57014eee4ce5/50b1a6e8dbbb9.preview-620.jpg
:oldlol: Seriously though how is there zero shot?

We were slaughtered by injuries last year..our defensive anchor Sanders missed 60 games, Mayo, Ilyasova, and Zaza missed around 30 each..if Sanders didn't miss damn near the whole season I have no doubt we would've cracked 25-30 wins. Add the other 3 for like another 10-15 games and that might be another 4-5 wins there.

And Giannis was an 18-19 year old rookie going from 2nd division Greek competition to playing against grown men in the best basketball league in the world. He looks much improved now.. There's so much young talent improving like Giannis, Jabari, Henson, Knight, Marshall, Wolters, Middleton, etc..

Kendall Marshall / Brandon Knight / Nate Wolters
Giannis Antetokounmpo / OJ Mayo / Jerryd Bayless
Jabari Parker / Khris Middleton / Jared Dudley
John Henson / Ersan Ilyasova / Jabari Parker
Larry Sanders / Zaza Pachulia / John Henson

It's the freaking Eastern conference..where Melo almost dragged a pile of shit to the playoffs. If we're close to fully healthy and Kidd can bring some structure to the team..I don't see how 35-40 wins is out of the question

[3ball]

:oldlol: Seriously though how is there zero shot?

We were slaughtered by injuries last year..our defensive anchor Sanders missed 60 games, Mayo, Ilyasova, and Zaza missed around 30 each..if Sanders didn't miss damn near the whole season I have no doubt we would've cracked 25-30 wins. Add the other 3 for like another 10-15 games and that might be another 4-5 wins there.

And Giannis was an 18-19 year old rookie going from 2nd division Greek competition to playing against grown men in the best basketball league in the world. He looks much improved now.. There's so much young talent improving like Giannis, Jabari, Henson, Knight, Marshall, Wolters, Middleton, etc..

Kendall Marshall / Brandon Knight / Nate Wolters
Giannis Antetokounmpo / OJ Mayo / Jerryd Bayless
Jabari Parker / Khris Middleton / Jared Dudley
John Henson / Ersan Ilyasova / Jabari Parker
Larry Sanders / Zaza Pachulia / John Henson

It's the freaking Eastern conference..where Melo almost dragged a pile of shit to the playoffs. If we're close to fully healthy and Kidd can bring some structure to the team..I don't see how 35-40 wins is out of the question
cause y'all are the bucks.... y'all might be cursed... :yaohappy:

[sammichoffate]

Darkhorse: Lakers, Nuggets, and Grizzlies
Bust: Cavs, Rockets, and Brooklyn

[poido123]

:oldlol: Seriously though how is there zero shot?

We were slaughtered by injuries last year..our defensive anchor Sanders missed 60 games, Mayo, Ilyasova, and Zaza missed around 30 each..if Sanders didn't miss damn near the whole season I have no doubt we would've cracked 25-30 wins. Add the other 3 for like another 10-15 games and that might be another 4-5 wins there.

And Giannis was an 18-19 year old rookie going from 2nd division Greek competition to playing against grown men in the best basketball league in the world. He looks much improved now.. There's so much young talent improving like Giannis, Jabari, Henson, Knight, Marshall, Wolters, Middleton, etc..

Kendall Marshall / Brandon Knight / Nate Wolters
Giannis Antetokounmpo / OJ Mayo / Jerryd Bayless
Jabari Parker / Khris Middleton / Jared Dudley
John Henson / Ersan Ilyasova / Jabari Parker
Larry Sanders / Zaza Pachulia / John Henson

It's the freaking Eastern conference..where Melo almost dragged a pile of shit to the playoffs. If we're close to fully healthy and Kidd can bring some structure to the team..I don't see how 35-40 wins is out of the question


Teams who have been in the lottery tend to wear the stigma of being bad, even when they have clearly improved.

35-40 wins with that group of players is very possible.

[Milbuck]

cause y'all are the bucks.... y'all might be cursed... :yaohappy:
Seriously, if I told you 7 years ago that in 7 years the Clippers would be a championship contender with a legit top 3 MVP candidate PF, a top 2 PG in the world, a borderline DPOY-caliber C, and a top 4 coach, what would you tell me?

[Milbuck]

Teams who have been in the lottery tend to wear the stigma of being bad, even when they have clearly improved.

35-40 wins with that group of players is very possible.
Yeah. It's just getting tiring seeing the same old "Bucks will always suck" shit when franchises like the ****ing Clippers are contending right now.

[hawksdogsbraves]

Are you serious?:biggums:

Name one above average player for their position on that roster besides Kobe.

[poido123]

Yeah. It's just getting tiring seeing the same old "Bucks will always suck" shit when franchises like the ****ing Clippers are contending right now.


If any ball club deserves the criticism the most, it is the Clippers or Rockets who have had the star players/team, but have done nothing with it.

Beating up on and mocking lottery teams is too easy and pretty unintelligent.

Bucks have some freakish and unique talent/length which can prove to be a real problem for opposing teams. I really think they will need a leader who has won big playoff games to take it to the next step as I think leadership maybe the problem.

Clippers and Houston will NOT win a championship in the next 5 years. There I said it :pimp:

[Cocaine80s]

Darkhorse is definitely the Cavs

[poido123]

Darkhorse is definitely the Cavs


I'd like to know what your criteria is for a favourite :oldlol:


4 allstars? 5 allstars? Allstar team?

[hawkfan]

If the Bucks trade for Rondo, and get their guys healthy, they could make a serious push for the no. 8 seed this year.

[Cocaine80s]

I'd like to know what your criteria is for a favourite :oldlol:


4 allstars? 5 allstars? Allstar team?
Literally half the people in this thread think theyre gonna bust.


Doesnt being a darkhorse mean that they will prove people wrong?

[Droid101]

Literally half the people in this thread think theyre gonna bust.


Doesnt being a darkhorse mean that they will prove people wrong?
No.

Dark horse means nobody thinks they'll win. Everyone pretty much thinks the Cavs are one of the favorites.

Bust means they're supposed to do well, but don't.

So, in this thread, many people think the team that should do well, the Cavs, will bust, aka, not do so well.

You can't say "I think the favorite team, the Cavs, is the dark horse!"

It makes no sense.

[Cocaine80s]

No.

Dark horse means nobody thinks they'll win. Everyone pretty much thinks the Cavs are one of the favorites.

Bust means they're supposed to do well, but don't.

So, in this thread, many people think the team that should do well, the Cavs, will bust, aka, not do so well.

You can't say "I think the favorite team, the Cavs, is the dark horse!"

It makes no sense.
ok so Cavs got the most busts in this thread. which you said means they think they wont win...

Therefore theyre the dark horse in my eyes because I think they will win even though most people think they wont.

[Droid101]

ok so Cavs got the most busts in this thread. which you said means they think they wont win...

Therefore theyre the dark horse in my eyes because I think they will win even though most people think they wont.
:facepalm

Okay dude. Cavs are totally dark horse championship contenders this year.

[3ball]

They are a darkhorse, because everyone now thinks the Cavs are too stacked and unbeatable...


This..

ESPN overrates the Bulls EVERY YEAR... What evidence do they have that the Bulls won't have problems offensively, as they ALWAYS have - is old man Pau going to turn it all around for them offensively??... Didn't they lose Deng?

Here are the comparisons of the starting 5 for the Bulls and Cavs, as well as a comparison of their bench.


Bulls Starters..............Cavs Starters

Derrick Rose................. Kyrie Irving
Jimmy Butler................ Dion Waiters
Mike Dunleavy.............. Lebron James
Pau Gasol..................... Kevin Love
Joakim Noah................. Anderson Varejao

Cavs: 3 All-Star starters.... Bulls: 2

Cavs: 4 shot-creators/playmakers as starters.... Bulls: 1.5 (old man Pau is the half)



Bulls Bench................ Cavs Bench:

Kirk Hinrich................. Matthew Delladova
Tony Snell.................. Ray Allen
Doug McDermott......... Shawn Marion AND Mike Miller
Taj Gibson.................. Tristan Thompson
Nazr Mohammed......... Brendan Haywood


At this point in his career, anyone would snap-take Love over Pau, and it's not close... and no more Deng to tag-team with Butler guarding Lebron... and the Cavs bench - holy crap, they destroy the Bulls at SG and SF, while the bigs are a wash.
.

[Milbuck]

ok so Cavs got the most busts in this thread. which you said means they think they wont win...

Therefore theyre the dark horse in my eyes because I think they will win even though most people think they wont.
:biggums:

[poido123]

No.

Dark horse means nobody thinks they'll win. Everyone pretty much thinks the Cavs are one of the favorites.

Bust means they're supposed to do well, but don't.

So, in this thread, many people think the team that should do well, the Cavs, will bust, aka, not do so well.

You can't say "I think the favorite team, the Cavs, is the dark horse!"

It makes no sense.



Pretty much.

It's funny when threads like this pop up, Bulls get pulled down and underrated in "are bulls all hype?" threads and then when we start discussing darkhorses and busts, bulls are suddenly elevated to favourite status.

:roll:

[ImKobe]

Darkhorses:

Pelicans - Think they'll snag a playoff spot
Nuggets - Don't think they'll make the playoffs, but they'll be better than people expect

Busts:

Raptors - Don't buy into that core, think they regress
Lakers - Just look at the roster, they're going to be really bad even if they stay healthy which is unlikely

How would that make them a bust? :coleman: Everyone is expecting them to suck/be medicore and most people have written Kobe off and calling him Wizards MJ (20 ppg chucker with horrible TS%)

[Cocaine80s]

:facepalm

Okay dude. Cavs are totally dark horse championship contenders this year.
:cheers:

[3ball]

Cavs are the only team itl with three all-stars as starters and they supposedly have the best player itl.

Therefore, they are a bust if they don't win the championship this year.

The east is the weakest it's ever been, even weaker than last year - they can't get props for winning their conference when the 8 seed in the West would ALSO have won the east (i.e. Dallas would have won the east last year).

[poido123]

Cavs are the only team itl with three all-stars as starters and they supposedly have the best player itl.

Therefore, they are a bust if they don't win the championship this year.

The east is the weakest it's ever been, even weaker than last year - they can't get props for winning their conference when the 8 seed in the West would ALSO have won the east (i.e. Dallas would have won the east last year).


They have legit excuses in their first year. Like any team building chemistry and a new coach.

No, the east isn't worse than last year, it is stronger.

Teams like;

Raptors
hornets
Wizards
Pistons
Atlanta
Knicks


Should all be improved...

Is the east still worse than the West in over all talent? Sure.

Are the best teams from both conferences pretty even? Yes.

[Timmy D for MVP]

Strong darkhorse candidates this year are the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets. Both teams, I think, will perform above expectations, and I even think they can make some serious noise in the playoffs.

Idk who has bust potential. I mean injury is always the boogeyman so who knows what could happen? I guess the Timberwolves have a really low floor, but no one expects them to be good anyway.

[3ball]

They have legit excuses in their first year. Like any team building chemistry and a new coach.

No, the east isn't worse than last year, it is stronger.

Teams like;

Raptors
hornets
Wizards
Pistons
Atlanta
Knicks


Should all be improved...


That's really nice that there will be more teams in the East capable of making the 2nd round..

But how many teams from the East are CHAMPIONSHIP-LEVEL teams.... Seriously, how many??...

The mediocrity of the 2nd round doesn't count in determining the strength of a conference - there will ALWAYS be several teams capable of making the 2nd round - that doesn't determine the strength of a conference... the number of teams capable of winning a championship is what matters.

Teams capable of winning a championship in the West are the Spurs, OKC, and Dallas, while Portland, Houston, Clippers, Golden State, and Memphis are all knocking on the door and better than the bevy of 2nd round-level teams that you listed in the East.




Are the best teams from both conferences pretty even? Yes.


Uh, this is not true at all... How many teams in the East are as good as any of the top 8 Western seeds from last year's playoffs??.. Seriously, let's name them.

[tpols]

This..

ESPN overrates the Bulls EVERY YEAR... What evidence do they have that the Bulls won't have problems offensively, as they ALWAYS have - is old man Pau going to turn it all around for them offensively??... Didn't they lose Deng?

Here are the comparisons of the starting 5 for the Bulls and Cavs, as well as a comparison of their bench.


Bulls Starters..............Cavs Starters

Derrick Rose................. Kyrie Irving
Jimmy Butler................ Dion Waiters
Mike Dunleavy.............. Lebron James
Pau Gasol..................... Kevin Love
Joakim Noah................. Anderson Varejao

Cavs: 3 All-Star starters.... Bulls: 2

Cavs: 4 shot-creators/playmakers as starters.... Bulls: 1.5 (old man Pau is the half)



Bulls Bench................ Cavs Bench:

Kirk Hinrich................. Matthew Delladova
Tony Snell.................. Ray Allen
Doug McDermott......... Shawn Marion AND Mike Miller
Taj Gibson.................. Tristan Thompson
Nazr Mohammed......... Brendan Haywood


At this point in his career, anyone would snap-take Love over Pau, and it's not close... and no more Deng to tag-team with Butler guarding Lebron... and the Cavs bench - holy crap, they destroy the Bulls at SG and SF, while the bigs are a wash.
.

and what about defense?

[poido123]

That's really nice that there will be more teams in the East capable of making the 2nd round..

But how many teams from the East are CHAMPIONSHIP-LEVEL teams.... Seriously, how many??...

The mediocrity of the 2nd round doesn't count in determining the strength of a conference - there will ALWAYS be several teams capable of making the 2nd round - that doesn't determine the strength of a conference... the number of teams capable of winning a championship is what matters.

Teams capable of winning a championship in the West are the Spurs, OKC, and Dallas, while Portland, Houston, Clippers, Golden State, and Memphis are all knocking on the door and better than the bevy of 2nd round-level teams that you listed in the East.


Uh, this is not true at all... How many teams in the East are as good as any of the top 8 Western seeds from last year's playoffs??.. Seriously, let's name them.


Right now? Bulls/Cavs


The spread of good teams is in favor of the West.

The east has some emerging young teams capable of reaching good team status by the end of this year, depending on results.

Like I said, two contenders on the east will be every bit as good as the two out west.

Spurs may be the only one with a decisive edge on Bulls/Cavs though if they make it that far...

[ImKobe]

and what about defense?

:oldlol:

don't expect your casual fan to appreciate defense, all they see is the offensive side of the floor and not the ability to shut down star players and grind out games. Bulls have the ability to force a slower pace on these younger teams and if Rose and Pau are healthy, their offense will at the very worst be average, which would be a tremendeous upgrade from the last 2 years. Bulls could still be a top 4 team in the East while having a bottom 5 offense in the league, what you think adding Pau and Rose wouldn't up their stock a lot? They had the 3rd most wins in the East last year (tied with Toronto) and they were a bottom 3 offense in the NBA :oldlol:

Rankings are based on the fact that Rose & Pau will contribute, you put them in that defense of theirs and it's gonna lead to a lot of wins.

[3ball]

and what about defense?
good point here...

bulls crush the cavs defensively, at least based on a first look at the rosters on paper and knowing how thibs gets down.

i'm hoping this is a deciding factor in the bulls being > cavs

i can't really refute your defense argument, but i can muse on what i've been seeing lately in the game of basketball - in all reality, gone are the days where you could just slow a series down to a grinding halt with great defense... i'm not sure it's possible to win a series against a championship-level team just based off of defense like you used to be able to.

it seems harder to shut down a great offensive team in today's game - offenses have learned how to best exploit the defensive 3 second rule and there's just too much spacing, along with guys shooting the 3 too well.

i think that in today's game, you need to have a good defense AND a good offense to win it all.... and with offenses more capable of going off today due to 3-point shooting and spacing, the last thing you want to do is have a bad offense yourself that gives the other team's offense consecutive buckets, which in turn gives that offense momentum (i.e. optimism, confidence, energy and adrenaline - everything is easier in life when you have these things, including scoring buckets and running up the score).

look at last year's Finals - the spurs' offense was like that kid grounding and pounding some other kid at school and gaining more and more confidence with each UNANSWERED punch - with each unanswered score, the spurs defenders gained more confidence to go back down on the other end and continue the drubbing/run up the score, just like the kid getting a bigger and bigger grin on his face with each successive downward blow.

of course, a bad offense has always been a boon to the other team's offense (since a bad offense can't answer the other team's buckets often enough, which gives the other team consecutive buckets and momentum).... but in today's game, having a bad offense hurts you more than in previous eras, because the 3-point shooting and the spacing allows the other team to better use the momentum gained from their scores going unanswered - teams use momentum and go off to a greater extent now due to the 3-point shooting/spacing.

So yeah, i think it's possible that if the Bulls have a bad offense against the Cavs, they could get blown out, depending on how potent the Cavs offense is able to get by playoff time.

[ralph_i_el]

Darkhorses

Knicks
Pistons
Mavs
Lakers
Pelicans

Busts

Cavs
Bulls
Raptors
Wizards
Thunder
How can half the easts playoff teams be busts :facepalm
Maybe if all the good players on those squads blow out their knees....the Knicks can make the playoffs

[gcvbcat]

Spurs lose in 2nd round, bust?

mavs- Dark horse

[Real14]

How can half the easts playoff teams be busts :facepalm
Maybe if all the good players on those squads blow out their knees....the Knicks can make the playoffs
keep talking shit man.

11 knicks- lost round 1
12 knicks- lost round 1
13 knicks- lost in semis
14 knicks- no DAMN playoffs (due to injuries, woodson and felton)


11 wizards- no DAMN playoffs
12 wizards- no DAMN playoffs
13 wizards- no DAMN playoffs
14 wizards- lost in semis (beat a rose-less bulls jv team in the 1st round)

[LongLiveTheKing]

Dark horse: Miami.

[Nets fan 93]

keep talking shit man.

11 knicks- lost round 1
12 knicks- lost round 1
13 knicks- lost in semis
14 knicks- no DAMN playoffs


11 wizards- no DAMN playoffs
12 wizards- no DAMN playoffs
13 wizards- no DAMN playoffs
14 wizards- lost in semis (beat a rose-less bulls jv team in the 1st round)
What does the past have to do with this upcoming season?

[Real14]

Dark horse: Miami.
I think everybody have them in the top 5.

[Real14]

What does the past have to do with this upcoming season?

I did that to let him know that he shouldn't be talking shit.

[ZeN]

DarkHorse: Lakers, Bobcats, Knicks


Busts: Clippers, Rockets, Thunder

[j3lademaster]

How are the Pelicans a "dark horse" when 99% of bball fans think they'll sneak into it? Now if you want to be bold and predict the Pels going further than the 1st round then yeah, they're a dark horse, but if not your opinion on them isn't special just like the rest of us.

[beastee]

Dark Horse: Atlanta Hawks

They can win the division if Horford stays healthy. I can see them making 2 round and even giving fits to Cavs in a 7 game series.

Busts: Only two teams could qualify: Cavs and Clippers.
Both have rosters EXPECTED to win. No other team other than say Thunder/Spurs or Bulls have rosters even close with prime level superstars.

[Fudge]

How are the Pelicans a "dark horse" when 99% of bball fans think they'll sneak into it? Now if you want to be bold and predict the Pels going further than the 1st round then yeah, they're a dark horse, but if not your opinion on them isn't special just like the rest of us.
99%? Really?

These are the West teams that most people (that i've seen) have making the playoffs. Hard to leave any of these teams off the list. There's also the Suns that I didn't include.

Spurs
Thunder
Clippers
Rockets
Mavs
Warriors
Blazers
Grizzlies

So yeah, i'd consider the Pelicans a darkhorse if they were to make it over ANY of these teams.

[King Boozer]

Kendall Marshall / Brandon Knight / Nate Wolters


Marshall starting? I think Knight starts over Marshall / Wolters.

I'm still sad L.A. couldn't re-sign Marshall though. Now we have potentially Ronnie Price...:(

MIL is stacked with young talent but i think DET edges them out as the East dark horse. I hope Kidd doesn't mimic the gazillion different rotations that were going on in MIL last season! (Fantasy) :lol