Best Starting Lineups in the NBA

[Wamu]

wouldn't ruin your day...

















...would it...?

In the big scheme of things no.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I wouldn't say championship or bust. There looks to be too much parity in the league for any team to be championship or bust this season.

But I think anything less than a WCF appearance could be considered a disappointment.

1,000% percent championship or bust.

You mortgaged all your young players and picks to take advantage of the last of LeBron's prime.

There is not a team in the league that is more championship or bust than the Lakers. It is not even close.

 

[WiggyRuss]

No.

It is absolutely CHAMPIONSHIP OR BUST for the Clippers, Lakers and Sixers.

You don't make those type of future franchise altering moves and not consider the Season a failure if you don't win it all.

No excuses about.....We never been to the Conference finals...

It takes time to build chemistry...

We have to learn to play together....

We have to learn how to win.

Nah.

It's a failure.

Sixers are debatable - Simmons and Embiid are still so young.

Clippers yes because of the time table Leonard put you on.

 

[WiggyRuss]

If I was to rank the conteders with the must pressure on them to win it all:

1. Lakers- easily- gave up a ton of picks and young players to try and take advantage of the last of LeBron's prime. Sucked for 6 years and traded all the assets they collected over that time span besides Kuzma to win it all. Dealt Ball, Ingram, Hart, 3 first round picks, a pick swap for Davis who was going to be a free agent 1 year from now in order to WIN NOW. LeBron is gonna be 35. I mean this is common sense.

2. Houston Rockets- the team is teetering on the edge. They made a blockbuster trade to try and finally get over the top. Tons of pressure on Harden and Westbrook now that the Warriors have taken a big step back. Where do they go if this doesnt work?

3. LA Clippers---- Leonard put them on a time table by only signing a shorter term contract. They have to show him that he can win here and that they are set long term before his contract comes up.

4. Milwaukee Bucks---- similar to the Clippers- gotta show Giannis sthat this is the place for him long term. They had cap issues and lost some players but made some solid additions.

5. Denver Nuggets- a lot of talent- a ton of wins last year and should have a ton of wins this year. Pressure will be on them to at least get to the WCF, if not the Finals. They are a very good team-- and they are still young and all under contract- but there is opportunity this year and they have to show they can capitlize.

6. Boston Celtics--- after last year and KYrie leaving they have to prove that they are on the right track.

7. Philadelphia 76'ers--- they are probably the favorite in the East- and that brings some pressure but with Simmons and Embiid signed up for the long term they aren ot going anywhere anytime soon. There will be pressure to win but not near what it is for some of the other teams above them on this list.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

Sixers are debatable - Simmons and Embiid are still so young.

Clippers yes because of the time table Leonard put you on.

Dude, they are gonna have 4 near or max guys on their roster.

But, you might be right for one more year.

That payroll when the Simmons max contract kicks in says title or bust.

You can't pay Horford and Harris that much to lose in the Conference Finals.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Dude, they are gonna have 4 near or max guys on their roster.

But, you might be right for one more year.

That payroll when the Simmons max contract kicks in says title or bust.

You can't pay Horford and Harris that much to lose in the Conference Finals.

I totally get what you are saying- my counter would be that Embiid, Simmons and Harris are all young and all have contracts spanning AT LEAST the next 4 years.

Philly is in it for the long haul.

They have pressure as the favorites in the East- I agree with that. Embiid is 25, Simmons 23 and Harris 27. They have a 4 year window with the core of Embiid, Simmons and Harris-- and in 4 years Harris will be starting his decline at age 31.

I do agree they face significant pressure as the Eastern Conference favorite though.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

Yeah, it's funny. I don't know if he did it intentionally or not, but by choosing the Clips over the Lakers, he actually hurt his own chances at another ring.

Good on him, especially if it was intentional, because he made the league more competitive.

But when considering load management, etc. he made things harder on himself.

Great for the league though.

Lakers would have had 3 top 5 players.

Unreal.

But, they'd have a Shit supporting cast.

No Danny Green...

No Cousins...

Nothing but vet minimums.

They'd be the Dubs after Durant went down.

Still good.

Not a shoe in.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

I totally get what you are saying- my counter would be that Embiid, Simmons and Harris are all young and all have contracts spanning AT LEAST the next 4 years.

Philly is in it for the long haul.

They have pressure as the favorites in the East- I agree with that. Embiid is 25, Simmons 23 and Harris 27. They have a 4 year window with the core of Embiid, Simmons and Harris-- and in 4 years Harris will be starting his decline at age 31.

I do agree they face significant pressure as the Eastern Conference favorite though.

Agree.

I just don't see paying those taxes being sustainable if you aren't winning rings.

On some level, OKC Ownership has to be relieved to get from under that payroll for a team that's a 1st round out.

You are right that age makes this situation very different.

Horford is really the only guy up their in age and everyone is locked up long-term.

I think they have the best starting 5.

But, I also see them having real issues with spacing the floor.

I will say, Horford was a great signing because of his intangibles.

But, more so because he mitigates the situation that's the big elephant in the room when it comes to Philly.

They are no longer a Joel Embiid injury away from being average.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

Lakers would have had 3 top 5 players.

Unreal.

But, they'd have a Shit supporting cast.

No Danny Green...

No Cousins...

Nothing but vet minimums.

They'd be the Dubs after Durant went down.

Still good.

Not a shoe in.

Yeah, I Fucked this up.

They'd be a bit better than the Dubs minus Draymond, but with Durant.

I say better because Kawhi is better than Klay, all around.

Klay is the better shooter, they both defend.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Dude, they are gonna have 4 near or max guys on their roster.

But, you might be right for one more year.

That payroll when the Simmons max contract kicks in says title or bust.

You can't pay Horford and Harris that much to lose in the Conference Finals.

Don't you ever get tired of spewing out all of this bullshit?

 

[Sparhawk]

Dude, they are gonna have 4 near or max guys on their roster.

But, you might be right for one more year.

That payroll when the Simmons max contract kicks in says title or bust.

You can't pay Horford and Harris that much to lose in the Conference Finals.

Agreed.
Sixers are pot committed with Embiid, Simmons, and Harris.
Horford gives them a 3-4 year window depending on if he remains an efficient player as he ages.
His contract might be the easiest to move, if need be.

They will have two years to determine if J-Rich is worth further investment.

Losing Redick hurts some of that spacing, but Horford+J-Rich made nearly as many 3P as Redick+Butler.
They will need to be a top-5 defense and winning might just come down to how efficiently they can score.
Can they get enough easy 2s or shoot league average or better from beyond the arc????
I believe Horford will be the main facilliator at the end of games, as he probably has the best awareness on when to shoot and when to pass in crunch time. I have no statistical proof to back that up, but it just seemed that way whenever he played against us...

 

[bksballer89]

Dude, they are gonna have 4 near or max guys on their roster.

But, you might be right for one more year.

That payroll when the Simmons max contract kicks in says title or bust.

You can't pay Horford and Harris that much to lose in the Conference Finals.

I even think this year the expectations are higher. Not saying they have to win the title but IMO their season is a bit of a failure if they don't at least make the finals

 

[flyerhawk]

Dude, they are gonna have 4 near or max guys on their roster.

But, you might be right for one more year.

That payroll when the Simmons max contract kicks in says title or bust.

You can't pay Horford and Harris that much to lose in the Conference Finals.

The Sixers are not title or bust next year. They basically have a 4 year window.

When Simmons' contract kicks in, that will put them in the luxury tax and close to the apron. That will certainly limit their options but the only guy in their core over the age of 26 is Horford.

Their core is pretty young and the luxury tax timer hasn't kicked in yet. They still have time.

IMO, the only title or bust teams are the Rockets, Clippers and Lakers.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Sixers are debatable - Simmons and Embiid are still so young.

Clippers yes because of the time table Leonard put you on.

Kawhi went to the West and they were one shot away from beating the Champions. Plus they picked up a veteran Horford, his goal personally has to be getting to the Finals or winning it. I know the roster is young and this particular roster will be together for 3-4 years but I would say this team is Finals or bust, the goal is to obviously win it all but getting to the Finals and getting that experience would be a key. The Bucks are the team they have to beat to get there.

 

[Shanemansj13]

The Sixers are not title or bust next year. They basically have a 4 year window.

When Simmons' contract kicks in, that will put them in the luxury tax and close to the apron. That will certainly limit their options but the only guy in their core over the age of 26 is Horford.

Their core is pretty young and the luxury tax timer hasn't kicked in yet. They still have time.

IMO, the only title or bust teams are the Rockets, Clippers and Lakers.

Yeah they have a 4 year window but I think they need to make the Finals in the next 2 years. They have a veteran in Horford and they have enough talent to get to the Finals, so wouldn't say age is an excuse. They have the most talented team in the East, maybe in the NBA. Horford is getting younger and like you said Simmons contract will kick in soon, we need to see improvement from him but this roster is so talented they could still get to the Finals even if he doesn't improve. That tells you about how much talent he has around him. If Lebron had this much talent around him in his first stint I cant imagine how many championships he would have won.

 

[flyerhawk]

Yeah they have a 4 year window but I think they need to make the Finals in the next 2 years. They have a veteran in Horford and they have enough talent to get to the Finals, so wouldn't say age is an excuse. They have the most talented team in the East, maybe in the NBA. Horford is getting younger and like you said Simmons contract will kick in soon, we need to see improvement from him but this roster is so talented they could still get to the Finals even if he doesn't improve. That tells you about how much talent he has around him. If Lebron had this much talent around him in his first stint I cant imagine how many championships he would have won.

Oh for sure the expectation would be NBA finals at the very least.

But if they don't make the finals I wouldn't except them to blow it all up.

 

[eaglesnut]

Sixers need to figure out how they're going to score in the last 4 minutes. But they could blow teams out in the first 44.

 

[bksballer89]

Sixers need to figure out how they're going to score in the last 4 minutes. But they could blow teams out in the first 44.

Lol

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

Oh for sure the expectation would be NBA finals at the very least.

But if they don't make the finals I wouldn't except them to blow it all up.

Yeah, I agree.

They don't need to blow it up, this year or next, if they don't win it.

By year 3?

Decisions need to be made.

That's a lofty luxury tax bill for a non-championship level team.

I concede they aren't finals or bust this year.

Year 2 of that Simmons max?

Without question.

Failure if they don't make the finals.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

Agreed.
Sixers are pot committed with Embiid, Simmons, and Harris.
Horford gives them a 3-4 year window depending on if he remains an efficient player as he ages.
His contract might be the easiest to move, if need be.

They will have two years to determine if J-Rich is worth further investment.

Losing Redick hurts some of that spacing, but Horford+J-Rich made nearly as many 3P as Redick+Butler.
They will need to be a top-5 defense and winning might just come down to how efficiently they can score.
Can they get enough easy 2s or shoot league average or better from beyond the arc????
I believe Horford will be the main facilliator at the end of games, as he probably has the best awareness on when to shoot and when to pass in crunch time. I have no statistical proof to back that up, but it just seemed that way whenever he played against us...

That Fultz breakdown really fucked up the geometry.

He should have been your other floor spacer.

Shamet would have filled that role.

BUT, you give him up for Tobias 10 out of 10 times.