Post Your Way Too Early 1-8 Seeds:

[HizzleRocker]

We pretty much now know what teams will have. I am assuming Melo in NY, Pau in Chicago. Only outlier is Love, but oh well, it's time to guess rankings:

West:

1. OKC Thunder
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. LA Clippers
4. Portland Blazers
5. Golden State Warriors
6. Houston Rockets
7. Memphis Grizzlies
8. Kobe's Lakers

** Odd men out include Dallas and Phoenix

East:

1. Indiana Pacers
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Cleveland Cavs (yes I think they will improve this much)
4. Toronto Raptors
5. New York Knicks (Fisher may get coach of the year as a puppet)
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Miami Heat
8. Boston Celtics

** Odd men out include Washington and Charlotte


Thoughts?

 

[gordontrue]

I like your rankings except Id switch NY and Washington

 

[HizzleRocker]

I like your rankings except Id switch NY and Washington

Washington was a close call to make playoffs. I think they will lose Ariza which will hurt a lot, and I don't think they will add much.

 

[purguy12]

West:

1. OKC Thunder
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. LA Clippers
4. Houston
5. Golden State Warriors
6. Portland
7. Memphis Grizzlies
8. Dallas



East:

1. Indiana Pacers(Lance leaves and goes to Bulls then I have Bulls as #1 seed and Pacers fall to 3)
2. Cavs
3. Bulls
4. Wash
5. Atlanta
6. Miami
7. Raptors
8. Knicks

 

[trojanfan12]

West:


1. Spurs
2. Thunder
3. Clippers
4. Grizzlies
5. Trailblazers
6. Warriors
7. Suns
8. Mavs


East:


1. Bulls
2. Pacers
3. Cavs
4. Heat
5. Hawks
6. Wizards
7. Raptors
8. Knicks

 

[Shoveyjoe]

1.) Cavs
2.) Bulls
3.) Raptors
4.) Hawks
5.) Heat
6.) Wizards
7.) Pacers
8.) Knicks

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

We pretty much now know what teams will have. I am assuming Melo in NY, Pau in Chicago. Only outlier is Love, but oh well, it's time to guess rankings:

West:

1. OKC Thunder
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. LA Clippers
4. Portland Blazers
5. Golden State Warriors
6. Houston Rockets
7. Memphis Grizzlies
8. Kobe's Lakers

** Odd men out include Dallas and Phoenix

East:

1. Indiana Pacers
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Cleveland Cavs (yes I think they will improve this much)
4. Toronto Raptors
5. New York Knicks (Fisher may get coach of the year as a puppet)
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Miami Heat
8. Boston Celtics

** Odd men out include Washington and Charlotte


Thoughts?

My thought is that you are an extreme Lakers homer, optimist....
but nothing wrong with that.

Then, I don't see how anyone can not rank the Spurs #1, as of today in the West.


The East won't be clear, but should be much clearer in the next few days.

If I'm picking a 1 seed today, it's the Bulls.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

We should actually have a contest for those who want...closer to start of season.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

West

1. Spurs

2. Thunder

3. Clippers

4. Rockets

5. Warriors

6. Blazers

7. Griz

8. Suns

* If everyone is Healthy, The Pelicans could bump one of the last 2 seeds

East

1. Pacers

2. Bulls * With Gasol

3. Cavs

4. Wizards

5. Heat * with Deng/Ariza

6. Hornets

7. Raptors

8. Knicks

 

[tlance]

We pretty much now know what teams will have. I am assuming Melo in NY, Pau in Chicago. Only outlier is Love, but oh well, it's time to guess rankings:

West:

1. OKC Thunder
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. LA Clippers
4. Portland Blazers
5. Golden State Warriors
6. Houston Rockets
7. Memphis Grizzlies
8. Kobe's Lakers

** Odd men out include Dallas and Phoenix

East:

1. Indiana Pacers
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Cleveland Cavs (yes I think they will improve this much)
4. Toronto Raptors
5. New York Knicks (Fisher may get coach of the year as a puppet)
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Miami Heat
8. Boston Celtics

** Odd men out include Washington and Charlotte


Thoughts?

Knicks and Celtics in with the Wizards out?



That is really bad. Only way this happens is if Wall misses most of the season.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Same teams that made it in the West except swap Dallas with Phoenix and same teams in the East except swap Cleveland with BKN.

 

[trojanfan12]

My thought is that you are an extreme Lakers homer, optimist....
but nothing wrong with that.

Then, I don't see how anyone can not rank the Spurs #1, as of today in the West.


The East won't be clear, but should be much clearer in the next few days.

If I'm picking a 1 seed today, it's the Bulls.

Assuming Kobe is healthy and is able to be at least 85% of his pre-Achilles self, I expect the Lakers to hover at around the .500 mark and flirt a little with the playoffs. End of the day, though, .500 won't get it done in the West.

If Kobe gives Nash the number for his doctor in Germany, Nash is healthy and has one last good season, then the Lakers might make the playoffs. I ain't gonna hold my breath.

 

[HizzleRocker]

Knicks and Celtics in with the Wizards out?



That is really bad. Only way this happens is if Wall misses most of the season.

Those are the 3 most controversial calls in the East, granted. I think the Knicks will be better and the Wizards will be worse. Celtics was a complete flier. I think Smart will pan out, and Avery Bradley is in for a career year.

Lakers was a homer pick. But in all fairness, when Kobe has played, I think he's only missed the playoffs once in his entire career. He'll figure out a way to will us into the 8 seed.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

Washington was a close call to make playoffs. I think they will lose Ariza which will hurt a lot, and I don't think they will add much.

Washington did the right thing by showing Gortat the money over Ariza. We've seen this movie before form Mr. Contract Year (Ariza), while true centers like Gortat are a rare commodity in the modern NBA.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Assuming Kobe is healthy and is able to be at least 85% of his pre-Achilles self, I expect the Lakers to hover at around the .500 mark and flirt a little with the playoffs. End of the day, though, .500 won't get it done in the West.

If Kobe gives Nash the number for his doctor in Germany, Nash is healthy and has one last good season, then the Lakers might make the playoffs. I ain't gonna hold my breath.

Last I got banned from the a Lakers team board by being a little over zealous with my opinions...and clearly being rude in a personal way to Ram ( which I did privately apologize to him for).
This year, I'm just going to pretty much take the much more quiet, conservative road...and see how it plays out.

I do have way more confidence in Kobe staying healthy this year then I did last year.
I thought he rushed it, and that is why I thought amnesty was the safest/ smartest route for the Lakers to go.

 

[tlance]

Those are the 3 most controversial calls in the East, granted. I think the Knicks will be better and the Wizards will be worse. Celtics was a complete flier. I think Smart will pan out, and Avery Bradley is in for a career year.

Lakers was a homer pick. But in all fairness, when Kobe has played, I think he's only missed the playoffs once in his entire career. He'll figure out a way to will us into the 8 seed.

Ariza is replaceable.

If Beal and Wall continue to develop, the Wizards will be a top 5 team in the East, right there with Cleveland and Miami. If Cleveland gets Love, they leapfrog everyone and join the Bulls at the top of the conference.

With or without Ariza, the Wizards are a playoff team. The Celtics are more likely to lose 60 than they are to make the playoffs.

 

[Clayton]

1. Spurs. They'll rest players but they'll also make a run at the end of the year. Eventually age will catch up to some of their players but they have enough depth to get the top spot.

2. Thunder. Slim Reaper, Westbrook, homecourt, another year for them to come of age. Morrow should be an addition albeit a slight one.

3. Warriors. Coaching upgrade. I feel like they underachieved last year and they still made the playoffs
4. Clippers.
5. Grizzlies. Carter better overall than Miller but mostly a push
6. Rockets.
7. Blazers
8. Suns.

Mavs still look like they need to make a roster move or two and if they do ill give them the nod over the Blazers and Suns because they are so consistent with Dirk. Lakers and Pelicans could also make a push but they need more than a push to get into the playoff chase. Kings still could add Rondo and get in that latter mix of 'playoff push' as well. Wolves are last without Love and still short with him.


1. Bulls. The one team that you know will try hard in the regular season and Pau would be big
2. Cavs. They probably have a move still left in them
3. Hawks. Spread offense of doom + Horford
4. Raptors. And no one will notice
5. Wizards. And lots of people will notice
6. Pacers. Not sure which direction this team is going 6th or 1st
7. Heat. They probably still have a move left in them.
8. Bobcats

 

[tlance]

As for the Knicks, have you looked at their roster? There are 6 or 7 really solid teams in the East and the Knicks aren't one of them. It will take some serious maneuvering for the Knicks to get higher than a 7 seed.

 

[gordontrue]

Also, I definitely see the suns in the playoffs. Nearly made it last year and that was without Bledsow half the season.

I'd put them in front of DAL and LAL

 

[Hambombs]

West:

1. OKC Thunder
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. LA Clippers
4.golden state
5. Houston
6. Portland
7. Memphis Grizzlies
8. Dallas



East:

1. Indiana Pacers(Assiming lance is back)
2. Cavs
3. Bulls
4. Wash
5. Atlanta
6. Miami
7. Raptors
8. Knicks