Early Western Conference Power Rankings

[jayviabay]

you minds well adjust your rankings because Kobe is not going to come back from an achilles rupture and be anywhere near normal Kobe.

based on what? I am not saying kobe is peterson or anybody else but you dont know an outcome until it plays itself out. peterson came back from a severe injury and almost broke the rushing record. I know you will bring up his age. what you probably didnt weigh into your equation, is todays medicine/technology, the determination of the individual, his heart, and the fact that everyone is different. How many injuries has kobe had where everyone has written him off? His knees were reported to be bone on bone but yet he comes back to score 27 pts a game! I think we should let time tell this story...

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Conference rankings doesn't mean shit at this time of the year and truthfully they really don't mean shit even after the season has started.

Just the truth

 

[bksballer89]

Conference rankings doesn't mean shit at this time of the year and truthfully they really don't mean shit even after the season has started.

Just the truth

nothing means anything until the playoffs so should we just sit on our asses for 9 months until the playoffs begin?

 

[Flauge]

nothing means anything until the playoffs so should we just sit on our asses for 9 months until the playoffs begin?

laker fans a little cranky right now knowing this season is a waste. heat circa 2009. nothing worse than going through the motions. kobe a year older.

but next off season they are going to have some serious dough to throw around. maybe by that time buss will finally realize what a world class idiot he is.. get phil, and let phil bring in the free agents. i dont think there is a player in the league that wouldnt want to play for phil.

 

[Black Adam]

laker fans a little cranky right now knowing this season is a waste. heat circa 2009. nothing worse than going through the motions. kobe a year older.

but next off season they are going to have some serious dough to throw around. maybe by that time buss will finally realize what a world class idiot he is.. get phil, and let phil bring in the free agents. i dont think there is a player in the league that wouldnt want to play for phil.

dunno about "cranky", but i DO like the 2nd part of that plan, though...

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

Duncan, ginobli and Parker are all another year older...

I do not think they would have made the finals with a healthy OKC...this next season will be fun to see!!!

And Kawahi Leonard is a year older as well.

Experience will only make his already impressive game become allstar level game.

the Big 3 gave SA the luxury of protecting his development at a slower pace.

I expect Leonard to not just be a star BUT be a superstar in this league.

The Finals gave the world its first taste of Kawahi Leonard.

He is better than Bruce Bowen on defense, but he has offensive skills and rebounding to spare.

He is essentially Bruce Bowen mixed with Scottie Pippen.

Popovich kept the kids gloves on him as long as TP/Manu/Duncan were driving the bus.

Now that Manu is somewhat faded. He will unselfishly hand over his keys to Kawahi.

The Spurs will be better with the TP/Leonard/Duncan BIG 3.

 

[jayviabay]

And Kawahi Leonard is a year older as well.

Experience will only make his already impressive game become allstar level game.

the Big 3 gave SA the luxury of protecting his development at a slower pace.

I expect Leonard to not just be a star BUT be a superstar in this league.

The Finals gave the world its first taste of Kawahi Leonard.

He is better than Bruce Bowen on defense, but he has offensive skills and rebounding to spare.

He is essentially Bruce Bowen mixed with Scottie Pippen.

Popovich kept the kids gloves on him as long as TP/Manu/Duncan were driving the bus.

Now that Manu is somewhat faded. He will unselfishly hand over his keys to Kawahi.

The Spurs will be better with the TP/Leonard/Duncan BIG 3.

I dont think most of them realize how old TP is? If tiago starts to develop more and get some sort of mean streak in him, that could be a nice trio for some years

 

[piss-tons]

And Kawahi Leonard is a year older as well.

Experience will only make his already impressive game become allstar level game.

the Big 3 gave SA the luxury of protecting his development at a slower pace.

I expect Leonard to not just be a star BUT be a superstar in this league.

The Finals gave the world its first taste of Kawahi Leonard.

He is better than Bruce Bowen on defense, but he has offensive skills and rebounding to spare.

He is essentially Bruce Bowen mixed with Scottie Pippen.

Popovich kept the kids gloves on him as long as TP/Manu/Duncan were driving the bus.

Now that Manu is somewhat faded. He will unselfishly hand over his keys to Kawahi.

The Spurs will be better with the TP/Leonard/Duncan BIG 3.

Bruce Bowen is overrated on defense. He was a dirty player who kept putting his feet under players when they pulled up for the J, and because of that players were always thinking about getting injured when Bowen defended. He would cheap shot you in the balls and I think I even seen him kick some one in the face. There is a difference between physical play, hell even trying to hurt someone and trying to injure someone.

 

[SoPortland]

Conference rankings doesn't mean shit at this time of the year and truthfully they really don't mean shit even after the season has started.

Just the truth

Well it's pretty much a fact that barring some miraculous recovery and injuries elsewhere throughout the league... the Lakers aren't making the post-season.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Well it's pretty much a fact that barring some miraculous recovery and injuries elsewhere throughout the league... the Lakers aren't making the post-season.

Not really - look what the Spurs did this last year - granted they had a few players slightly younger, but injuries can happen anywhere anytime including to Miami. Nothing is written in stone and the games have to be played.

Besides that the Lakers might not be done making trades and etc yet. I would think that a person would atleast wait until the season is ready to start before jumping to conclusions

 

[SoPortland]

Not really - look what the Spurs did this last year - granted they had a few players slightly younger, but injuries can happen anywhere anytime including to Miami. Nothing is written in stone and the games have to be played.

Besides that the Lakers might not be done making trades and etc yet. I would think that a person would atleast wait until the season is ready to start before jumping to conclusions

So the team that barely made the playoffs last season with Kobe/Artest/Dwight... is going to make it without them?

Cool homer logic. This is the West we're talking about. Not the East. 41 wins is not going to cut it.

Portland and NOLA are already better than whatever the Lakers can throw out there. You have to understand Kobe is gone for a while. The only trades the Lakers are going to do is to tank it. And it appears they're content with just middling around 30-40 wins.

I know you're used to the Lakers getting their way... but if it's going to happen anytime soon it's winning the lottery. And getting all the FA signings they can dream of in 2014... which won't include Lebron.

 

[Clayton]

The Spurs will be better with the TP/Leonard/Duncan BIG 3.

Isn't that what they were last year in the playoffs?

I do like the Marco Belinelli signing and you have to think the Spurs are a Finals caliber team if they stay healthy.

 

[Heatles84]

And Kawahi Leonard is a year older as well.

Experience will only make his already impressive game become allstar level game.

the Big 3 gave SA the luxury of protecting his development at a slower pace.

I expect Leonard to not just be a star BUT be a superstar in this league.

The Finals gave the world its first taste of Kawahi Leonard.

He is better than Bruce Bowen on defense, but he has offensive skills and rebounding to spare.

He is essentially Bruce Bowen mixed with Scottie Pippen.

Popovich kept the kids gloves on him as long as TP/Manu/Duncan were driving the bus.

Now that Manu is somewhat faded. He will unselfishly hand over his keys to Kawahi.

The Spurs will be better with the TP/Leonard/Duncan BIG 3.

I like Kawahi Leonard ALOT. But I'm not going to put him in the super star category. He's a phenomenal defender and great perimeter shooter. But he's not exactly a dynamic player where he can make his own shot consistently off the floor. I think he'll be an all-star, but I won't put him in the top 10 players in the league at any point.

Looking at the last two wing players (Paul George from the Pacers, and Leonard from the Spurs), I'd have to give the nod to Paul George having more of a chance to become a super star.

I'm also curious if you think the next big 3 that you outlined will be better then the Big 3 that won all those titles between 2003-2007. I think you might want to go back and look at how good Manu was as well as having Tim Duncan during his prime years.

 

[Heatles84]

Isn't that what they were last year in the playoffs?

I do like the Marco Belinelli signing and you have to think the Spurs are a Finals caliber team if they stay healthy.

Ya that signing came out of nowhere. That has me a bit concerned.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

I never said the SPURS Big 3 of the past was worse.

I said the TP/Timmy/Kawahi in 2013 will be a better big 3 than TP/Timmy/Manu of 2012.

Manu was great for us, but his decline is unfortunately happening rapidly now.
Pop knows its time to make it TP/Duncan/Leonard ..... instead of TP/Duncan/Manu.

And Manu is more than willing to hand the keys over to Kawahi.

Kawahi was not really a featured guy. He had to be a 3 point shooter and offensive rebounder to mostly get his points. He willingly deferred his game a bit in 2011 and 2012.

I expect him to touch the ball a lot more in the offense as a primary option type of player.

I cannot wait to see the next step in Kawahi's evolution now that he will likely be a feature player.

He is still insanely young with room to grow. He is over a year younger than Paul George.

He will the featured franchise player and face of the SPURs for the next 10 years.

 

[Clayton]

He will the featured franchise player and face of the SPURs for the next 10 years.

For sure. The Spurs' window is based around Tim Duncan and Pop, though, and Pop says he is stepping down when Duncan leaves so thats a 2 year championship window tops.