Pharoh
09-20-2007, 09:08 PM
By far, the worst off season of any significant NBA team. Lost some major role players and added some insignificant players.
Dorrell, Walker, Alonzo, Williams, Smush, Penny are just not enough. Their perimeter defense is nothing to talk about. Their outside shooting is inconsistent.
Wade wont be himself until late December. Shaq always starts the season disinterested and umotivated. Pat Riley has a tendency to jump ship when the going gets tough
The East is still weaker than the West but they have improved. We can pretty much guarantee Pistons, Bulls, Cavs to be there.
Wizards were on pace for 50+ last year when injuries to Butler and Arenas slowed them down. They are healthy now and Arenas still has that chip on his shoulders.
Orlando started out hot but fell apart later due to youth and inexperience. They have added big firepower in Rashard Lewis and Howard's experience from team USA will improve his game.
The Nets was also a team that was hindered by injuries. Kristic and Jefferson are now fully healthy. They solved their center problem by acquiring Magloire who is a double double threat every night.
The Celtics have added Garnett, Allen and are surprisingly filling out the rest of their roster pretty well.
The NY Knicks have added Zach Randolph. While I'm not sure how Curry and him will co-exist down low on the defensive side of the ball, Zach does add a low post scoring and rebounding threat. He was a 25/10 monster last year.
The Raptors haven't done much. Adding Kapono will help but the loss of Morris Peterson will hurt too. They won 47 games last year, it was no fluke. They found a winning formula and they will run with that. Bargnani should be a pleasant surprise. Although, I'm skeptical on Bosh's plantar fascistic.
Milwaukee have an nice roster as well. Mo Williams, Bogut and Villanueva will continue to get better. Redd will be Redd. Possibility of Yi having instant impact.
Don't sleep on Charlotte. That team could be the surprise of the year. They added a nice swingman in Richardson. Ray Felton, Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor. I like that core a lot. They have a very competitive and talented roster. Last year, they defeated many of the top teams including Spurs, Pistons, Cavaliers, Bulls. They were missing experience and identity. This could be the year.
Not all those teams will make the playoffs or will be better than the Heat, but the East is very competitive now. Between the way Shaq usually starts the season and his overall body, the recent Wade injury, the loss of important role players, the aging of others, and a bad off season, there will be trouble in South Beach. I see a slow start and failure to ever make a complete recovery leading to a lottery berth.
Dorrell, Walker, Alonzo, Williams, Smush, Penny are just not enough. Their perimeter defense is nothing to talk about. Their outside shooting is inconsistent.
Wade wont be himself until late December. Shaq always starts the season disinterested and umotivated. Pat Riley has a tendency to jump ship when the going gets tough
The East is still weaker than the West but they have improved. We can pretty much guarantee Pistons, Bulls, Cavs to be there.
Wizards were on pace for 50+ last year when injuries to Butler and Arenas slowed them down. They are healthy now and Arenas still has that chip on his shoulders.
Orlando started out hot but fell apart later due to youth and inexperience. They have added big firepower in Rashard Lewis and Howard's experience from team USA will improve his game.
The Nets was also a team that was hindered by injuries. Kristic and Jefferson are now fully healthy. They solved their center problem by acquiring Magloire who is a double double threat every night.
The Celtics have added Garnett, Allen and are surprisingly filling out the rest of their roster pretty well.
The NY Knicks have added Zach Randolph. While I'm not sure how Curry and him will co-exist down low on the defensive side of the ball, Zach does add a low post scoring and rebounding threat. He was a 25/10 monster last year.
The Raptors haven't done much. Adding Kapono will help but the loss of Morris Peterson will hurt too. They won 47 games last year, it was no fluke. They found a winning formula and they will run with that. Bargnani should be a pleasant surprise. Although, I'm skeptical on Bosh's plantar fascistic.
Milwaukee have an nice roster as well. Mo Williams, Bogut and Villanueva will continue to get better. Redd will be Redd. Possibility of Yi having instant impact.
Don't sleep on Charlotte. That team could be the surprise of the year. They added a nice swingman in Richardson. Ray Felton, Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor. I like that core a lot. They have a very competitive and talented roster. Last year, they defeated many of the top teams including Spurs, Pistons, Cavaliers, Bulls. They were missing experience and identity. This could be the year.
Not all those teams will make the playoffs or will be better than the Heat, but the East is very competitive now. Between the way Shaq usually starts the season and his overall body, the recent Wade injury, the loss of important role players, the aging of others, and a bad off season, there will be trouble in South Beach. I see a slow start and failure to ever make a complete recovery leading to a lottery berth.