Keys to being a Contender

[rayhl111]

First and foremost, for any team to be considered a true blue contender requires two very important ingredients IMHO. First, a big man who can defend the paint and second a PF that can patrol the paint and grab boards on the D and second chance boards. Bogut is indeed a big man that can defend the painted area, grab boards and block shots. David Lee is not the prototypical 4 that are found on most championship teams. Lee is not really a weak spot as anyone who can put up 19-20 and 10 is not normally considered a weakness - he is simply not the PF I would prefer. W/a slightly undersized PF it'll be important for both JO and Speights to play big and be more than just spot minute players. They must be enforcers. JO is probably better suited to being a big man as Speights seems to be more finesse though he goes 6-10 260.

The other next important key to winning a ring is shooting. In this regard, few teams can match the shooting prowess of the GS Warriors. Klay, Steph, Harrison, Lee and Ike can all score. I see no weaknesses whatsoever. Barnes must become more fluid and spend less time driving into traffic and Klay must create more trips to the FT line. Other than that, them boys are going to score a lot.

3rd key: Depth. Warriors should be ok. Green, Toney, Festus can play D and should know their roles. Depth should be a plus.

4th key: Leadership. Iggy helps. I don't believe Steph is a born leader. Iggy is a top all around player and can defend three spots. I think Igudala will be the leader though SC is the QB.

5th and final key: The modern game is a game of PGs. In the last few years the PG has become the dominant position and Steph has a chance of breaking into the top 5. A little less risk and maybe more work on the man to man D and Curry can be as good as anyone though physically he can't compete. Having an all star PG is huge and w/out teams are doomed.

Though I have the Warriors as the 4th-5th best team in the West, they'll be the team nobody wants to play come playoff time. They're built for the upset.

R

 

[CitySushi]

These are the three biggest keys to a championship caliber team in my opinion:

1) Creating easy buckets. The Warriors are a primarily jump shooting team. From what I've seen in the past teams that are usually around towards the end are those who can create easy scoring opportunities. In the regular season you're going to win more games than not simply by being a superior shooting team. In the playoffs the intensity, physicality and defense all go up a few notches. If you're not scoring consistently from the outside, you need a few guys who can get you the easy ones going to the basket (or by way of freethrows). One underrated aspect of AI is his ability to get to the rim and finish above it. Klay and Steph haven't shown their ability to go to the hoop with any kind of force. It's not a strong suit in their game. HB showed some great flashes last year and hopefully he can build on that. In the playoffs like last year, Klay or Steph can go off at any time. It's also the ability to produce when they're not lighting it up that will depend on how far the Warriors can go.

2) Defending at a superior level. The Warriors took a big step forward last year with their defense, and got a bit better with the addition of Iguodala who is one of the best perimeter defenders in the game. Lee doesn't defend but he does rebound well. Bogut showed last year he's still every bit the defensive player we thought he was. Klay took a step forward as well and Barnes was a big surprise for me on the defensive end. Toney Douglas is an above average defender which will help immensely with our perimeter offense. Hopefully Ezeli comes back with some life to his game. I think we can be an extremely tough team on D and that's going to be extremely important going up against the elite teams in the NBA.

3) Game planning. Coaching is one of the biggest factors that come into play when the playoffs roll around. Teams adapt, they watch film, they see your tendencies and have to beat you for 4 games. You're not going to be able to just get away with throwing the guys out there and letting them play. You need to be able to counter-punch while still sticking to your strengths as a team.

4) Health. Every year it's a roll of the dice to see who's there at the finish line. Last year the team basically broke down in the Spurs series. This is probably where depth is a bonus, but we still have to hope for the best when the playoffs roll around.

 

[ChuckDurn]

First and foremost, for any team to be considered a true blue contender requires two very important ingredients IMHO. First, a big man who can defend the paint and second a PF that can patrol the paint and grab boards on the D and second chance boards. Bogut is indeed a big man that can defend the painted area, grab boards and block shots. David Lee is not the prototypical 4 that are found on most championship teams. Lee is not really a weak spot as anyone who can put up 19-20 and 10 is not normally considered a weakness - he is simply not the PF I would prefer. W/a slightly undersized PF it'll be important for both JO and Speights to play big and be more than just spot minute players. They must be enforcers. JO is probably better suited to being a big man as Speights seems to be more finesse though he goes 6-10 260.

The other next important key to winning a ring is shooting. In this regard, few teams can match the shooting prowess of the GS Warriors. Klay, Steph, Harrison, Lee and Ike can all score. I see no weaknesses whatsoever. Barnes must become more fluid and spend less time driving into traffic and Klay must create more trips to the FT line. Other than that, them boys are going to score a lot.

3rd key: Depth. Warriors should be ok. Green, Toney, Festus can play D and should know their roles. Depth should be a plus.

4th key: Leadership. Iggy helps. I don't believe Steph is a born leader. Iggy is a top all around player and can defend three spots. I think Igudala will be the leader though SC is the QB.

5th and final key: The modern game is a game of PGs. In the last few years the PG has become the dominant position and Steph has a chance of breaking into the top 5. A little less risk and maybe more work on the man to man D and Curry can be as good as anyone though physically he can't compete. Having an all star PG is huge and w/out teams are doomed.

Though I have the Warriors as the 4th-5th best team in the West, they'll be the team nobody wants to play come playoff time. They're built for the upset.

R

I'd suggest that the NBA champion of the last 2 years failed on points 1 and 5, and were pretty marginal on numbers 3 and 2.

Not that this list is bad - I agree with most of it. But one necessary addition is "Dominant, All-NBA performer capable of taking a game over". That belongs on the top, and can supersede many of the others.

 

[rayhl111]

good points all

Having a dominant player who can dominate when the going gets tough as it does it the post season is crucial for a title run. Curry comes close to fitting that bill yet is still unproven in that regard. MIA is a unique team. They have a very avg PG, no true big man in Bosh and a so-so bench they seem to break all my rules. When you have Wade and Lebron rule breaking is Ok. Re the Heat: if D. Wade continues his slide and if Bosh begins his decline, they are in big trouble especially as Indiana, Chicago and the Nets will be much more of a force in the East.

 

[shaffdogg76]

You guys are making this way to complicated. The only two ways to contend for a title are -

1. Get the best basketball player in the world on your team, let him pick his secondary stars and then fill out the roster without being a moron (Danny Ferry in Cleveland this applies to you).

2. Get one of the top 3 bigs in the NBA on your team and pair him up with a really exceptional lead guard.

The Ws haven't met either criteria which means the Warriors, as currently constructed, are contending to become a contender... and are not yet ready from a talent standpoint to contend for a title.

The current situation is a step up from last season when the Ws were limited by their collective talent to merely contending for a playoff spot.

 

[rayhl111]

What happens if the Best Basketball Player in the World goes down to injury? Would the same apply to the 2nd best player in the world or only the best? Re your big man theory: right now - Brooke Lopez of Brooklyn is the best Big in the game. He's currently teamed w Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. We'll see if that works, it just might. MIA who currently have the best in the world is certainly a very good team but they are by no means unbeatable and will have more competition in the East than they are accustomed to.

 

[NBKLee]

What happens if the Best Basketball Player in the World goes down to injury? Would the same apply to the 2nd best player in the world or only the best? Re your big man theory: right now - Brooke Lopez of Brooklyn is the best Big in the game. He's currently teamed w Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. We'll see if that works, it just might. MIA who currently have the best in the world is certainly a very good team but they are by no means unbeatable and will have more competition in the East than they are accustomed to.

Did you just say Brook Lopez was the "best Big in the the game?"


Centers' I would rather have, in no particular order

1) D12
2) Bogut
3) Chandler
4) Cousins
5) Hibbert
6)Deandre "no FT' Jordan
7) Pekovic
8) Larry Sanders


Yeah, I don't know Lopez is good, but not the "best" by far.


Word.

 

[ChuckDurn]

Brooke Lopez of Brooklyn is the best Big in the game.

Offensively....... Maybe. But when defense is considered, I haven't heard anybody advocate for him over Howard and Marc Gasol. (And others have been brought in the conversation above him as well.....)

 

[ChuckDurn]

Did you just say Brook Lopez was the "best Big in the the game?"


Centers' I would rather have, in no particular order

1) D12
2) Bogut
3) Chandler
4) Cousins
5) Hibbert
6)Deandre "no FT' Jordan
7) Pekovic
8) Larry Sanders


Yeah, I don't know Lopez is good, but not the "best" by far.


Word.

I'd take Lopez over many of these guys. Jordan? Come on......

How do you do this list without including Marc Gasol and Noah? They're right near the top, way above most of the rest of the guys on the list.....

 

[rayhl111]

The Shaqmiester is very high on Lopez. Gasol and Noah would be 2/3 on my list. Noah is an intriguing player. I don't find him to be that talented. Yet his energy and desire is so off the charts. Lopez is probably closer to average on the D and needs to improve his rebounding, but offensively I think he's the most gifted. Gasol comes in a close second.

Re NBK's list: Chandler is on the decline; Hibbert is very good on both ends and often can have a real impact on the game; Sanders - don't know enough; Bogut - if healthy top 5; Cousins - the talent is there; D12 - also on the decline but will produce about 19 13 and help lead Hous for the next 4-5 years along w/Harden to making title runs; Pekovic - lose some weight will you?; Jordan - if he can anchor the D, the Clippers are for real.

having said all that, I take Lopez as my #1 C. Lopez is the mini-me Big Fundamental. needs to play w/a lot more heart.

 

[Reefer]

The Shaqmiester is very high on Lopez. Gasol and Noah would be 2/3 on my list. Noah is an intriguing player. I don't find him to be that talented. Yet his energy and desire is so off the charts. Lopez is probably closer to average on the D and needs to improve his rebounding, but offensively I think he's the most gifted. Gasol comes in a close second.

Re NBK's list: Chandler is on the decline; Hibbert is very good on both ends and often can have a real impact on the game; Sanders - don't know enough; Bogut - if healthy top 5; Cousins - the talent is there; D12 - also on the decline but will produce about 19 13 and help lead Hous for the next 4-5 years along w/Harden to making title runs; Pekovic - lose some weight will you?; Jordan - if he can anchor the D, the Clippers are for real.

having said all that, I take Lopez as my #1 C. Lopez is the mini-me Big Fundamental. needs to play w/a lot more heart.

Lopez is not even a mini-me version of Duncan. Lopez is a gifted offensive player, but Duncan is a dominant defensive player and can change the game without doing anything on the offensive end. I'd take Gasol easily over Lopez and I'd rather have Noah as well. Lopez is definitely a top 5 center in my book though.

 

[NBKLee]

I'd take Lopez over many of these guys. Jordan? Come on......

How do you do this list without including Marc Gasol and Noah? They're right near the top, way above most of the rest of the guys on the list.....

Forgot about Gasol, since he lost all that weight, he sorta faded away from my list of Centers.


Noah isn't exactly the most talented offensively, he has the fire and defense to run up and down, but his offensive skills would probably be less than Lopez Defensive abilities.

 

[ChuckDurn]

Forgot about Gasol, since he lost all that weight, he sorta faded away from my list of Centers.


Noah isn't exactly the most talented offensively, he has the fire and defense to run up and down, but his offensive skills would probably be less than Lopez Defensive abilities.

Noah has an ugly shot, but it's pretty effective. Plus he took huge strides offensively this year, stepping up when Rose was out - dude averaged 4 assists / game, which is nearly unheard of if you're a center unless your last name is "Gasol". They ran a lot of the offense through him, and he had a PER of 18.2 (almost a purely offensive stat) - way above average.

Howard and Gasol are a clear 1-2 in the league as centers. After that, Lopez and Noah are pretty close, albeit with different types of games. Everybody else (Bogut included) has big holes in their game that need to be filled to be in the conversation.

 

[CitySushi]

Noah has an ugly shot, but it's pretty effective. Plus he took huge strides offensively this year, stepping up when Rose was out - dude averaged 4 assists / game, which is nearly unheard of if you're a center unless your last name is "Gasol". They ran a lot of the offense through him, and he had a PER of 18.2 (almost a purely offensive stat) - way above average.

Howard and Gasol are a clear 1-2 in the league as centers. After that, Lopez and Noah are pretty close, albeit with different types of games. Everybody else (Bogut included) has big holes in their game that need to be filled to be in the conversation.

I think everyone is sleeping on Hibbert. The guy is going to take off big time this year. He's 7'2", has a few go to post moves, great defender and a 73% free throw shooter. He averaged 12 points a game last year without even being a focal point of the offense. I would definitely take Hibbert over both Lopez and Noah right now.

 

[shaffdogg76]

Duncan is the best big in the NBA, imo. The next tier would be D12 and the Gasol brothers. Those 4 players would fit my criteria outlined above about having one of the top bigs.

Noah and Hibbert are on the cusp of joining the guys I have listed above.

Brooke Lopez would be behind KG, Horford, Unibrow, and several others on my rankings to be honest. Admittedly, I am not a huge low post scoring fan, especially when the player doesn't play amazing D or rebound very well.

As far as I am concerned, Lopez is a slightly better version of Al Jefferson and I don't have a really high opinion of Jefferson's game.

 

[geneh_33]

I think everyone is sleeping on Hibbert. The guy is going to take off big time this year. He's 7'2", has a few go to post moves, great defender and a 73% free throw shooter. He averaged 12 points a game last year without even being a focal point of the offense. I would definitely take Hibbert over both Lopez and Noah right now.

That block on Lebron's dunk was spectacular.

 

[geneh_33]

Team chemistry is huge as well as coaching.

The teams that had the best chemistry last year were in the final four. Chemistry among teammates goes a long, long way.

 

[rayhl111]

Chemistry is huge. Hard to define.

Re Hibbert: still would take Lopez. Thing w/ Hibbert he doesn't seem to put together two good games in a row. However, Hibbert often can impact the game in a way that maybe no other center in the league does other than maybe Noah. But for my taste, I'll go w/Lopez. He's the only Center other than Duncan w/a well rounded low post game. He has varied moves, can hit from the elbow and is plain difficult to defend. Also, he's a 20 ppg scorer and that's rare. DH might return to form but I doubt it. I think he'll regain much of his former luster and be very productive and w/Hous' ability to shoot, you can't double team him easily. But a bad back is a bad back.