Early Playoff predictions
- Thread starter Bosnian Diehard
- Start date
Playoffs? 7 games back last year. As we look at our most recent acquisitions, versus Lakers Clippers acquisitions, I'm suspect that we again, are not a playoff team for the 14th year. Btw... I think Houston is a given for playoffs. Now, that the Lakers and Clippers are solidified, who drops and lets the Kings in? San Antonio. I don't know that the Warriors will drop that low. And then what? Aspirations for the 8th seed.. that's it, that's all we got?
Thunder likely out. Kings I thought were more talented than the Spurs last season(obviously head to head) but couldn’t take out the trash on the same level especially at home. The Kings are probably becoming a distinguished team on their home court away from having a pretty clear path to the playoffs. Lakers are a safe bet as well along with LAC, Portland, Utah, Denver, Houston, and GSW
I can’t believe how many people are drinking the LAL koolaid. Even before last night’s developments.
I don’t believe that team is top 4, let alone #1. I’m not even convinced they‘ll be better than the KINGS. I’ll have to see it to believe it.
Honestly, other than LAC and Den, I think everything else is wide open.
Utah should be better, but who really knows. Hou looks like they should be worse. OKC should be out of it. And the Warriors no longer have KD, Iggy, and will be without Klay for a long while. There’s no guarantee they’re still a playoff team next season, though they probably will be.
Lastly, does Russell Westbrook get traded now? If so, where to?
I don’t believe that team is top 4, let alone #1. I’m not even convinced they‘ll be better than the KINGS. I’ll have to see it to believe it.
Honestly, other than LAC and Den, I think everything else is wide open.
Utah should be better, but who really knows. Hou looks like they should be worse. OKC should be out of it. And the Warriors no longer have KD, Iggy, and will be without Klay for a long while. There’s no guarantee they’re still a playoff team next season, though they probably will be.
Lastly, does Russell Westbrook get traded now? If so, where to?
Yeah, everyone penciling in LAL is kind of mystifying to me. It’s Lebron + AD + a bunch of spares. And we saw last year that AD + Jrue + a bunch of spares was no where close to playoff contention. I know, I know...Lebron>Jrue, at least on offense. But Jrue is one of leagues best defenders and Lebron plays zero defense anymore.
The history of the league says Houston is due to plummet. Putting the entire team on the block just never works out the following year if none of those guys are actually dealt. And they fired D’Antoni’s entire staff and he is a lame duck—another terrible omen. If history is any guide they will be very disappointing, and end up trading Capela for 50 cents on the dollar. They are also one other potential Wiggins buyer to get the Chris Paul contract off their books.
The history of the league says Houston is due to plummet. Putting the entire team on the block just never works out the following year if none of those guys are actually dealt. And they fired D’Antoni’s entire staff and he is a lame duck—another terrible omen. If history is any guide they will be very disappointing, and end up trading Capela for 50 cents on the dollar. They are also one other potential Wiggins buyer to get the Chris Paul contract off their books.
Utah will definitely be tons better, you have to realize that. They got a good veteran PG and picked up Bojan too to help with scoring. They are significantly better than last season. They might contend for #1 seed, that is how highly I have them ranked. Houston hasn’t last anyone and apart from potential chemistry issues are the same team as last year. The Warriors might not be a top seed anymore, but Curry and Green aren’t just going to lie down and get steamrolled. Plus they have Russell and may use him for another trade (I just don’t know how he can play with Curry).
Westbrook should definitely get traded. He’s only going to decline and now is when you can get the most for him. The thing is though, who is willing to trade for him that really needs him? Lakers would love him but they don’t have the assets... hopefully he goes East. One less star to worry about would be great.
Westbrook should definitely get traded. He’s only going to decline and now is when you can get the most for him. The thing is though, who is willing to trade for him that really needs him? Lakers would love him but they don’t have the assets... hopefully he goes East. One less star to worry about would be great.
The following teams are in for sure:
Northwest:
Denver
Portland
Utah
Pacific:
Clippers
Lakers
Golden State
Southwest:
Houston
Given San Antonio/Dallas/New Orleans have to fight only one lock team in the division (4 games each) I think one of them sneaks in for the 8th spot and we need to hope for a little more lottery luck.
Northwest:
Denver
Portland
Utah
Pacific:
Clippers
Lakers
Golden State
Southwest:
Houston
Given San Antonio/Dallas/New Orleans have to fight only one lock team in the division (4 games each) I think one of them sneaks in for the 8th spot and we need to hope for a little more lottery luck.
!
I posted this in the LOL Lakers thread but here's my early prediction for playoff seeding now that Kawhi has picked the Clippers:
In any event, I'd say that San Antonio actually ends up being the final playoff team taking the spot of whichever team above falls out.
- HOU
- LAC
- DEN
- UTA
- LAL
- GS
- POR
- SAC
In any event, I'd say that San Antonio actually ends up being the final playoff team taking the spot of whichever team above falls out.
This could end up a freezing cold take but as it stands I don’t think Portland is a playoff team next year. They lost key wing defenders (Amina, Harkless) that otherwise hid the below average defense of Lillard and CJ. Nurk will be out for at least half the season. Miami nearly threw a parade Whiteside’s departure, I don’t think he helps them much. Collins is meh. Lost Seth Curry and Laymann so their shooting depth is shot (pun intended)
I see a huge step back.
I say the kings slip ahead of Portland and OKC. I think SA will remain ahead of the Kings. Can the Kings hold off Dallas and to a lesser degree NO? If so, playoffs.
I see a huge step back.
I say the kings slip ahead of Portland and OKC. I think SA will remain ahead of the Kings. Can the Kings hold off Dallas and to a lesser degree NO? If so, playoffs.
I will divide this in groups..
First one are the teams that I expect to be in PO:
- Clippers. With Kawhi and PG13, together with other players who are ready to play team bbl and defend, I put them as number one contender for a title. Really like what they have. Not much to be said on this one.
- Nuggets. Did not change much, they have PO experience now, and even last year they show they can handle injuries. Expect them to be in PO again.
- Portland. They are better and better every season, went to west finals, added nice piece in Whiteside. Also should make PO.
- Jazz. Had nice offseason so far, they have system, good quality players and they will have consistency needed to make PO.
Teams that you expect PO from, but can surprise negative way.
- Rockets. They are on border with two groups, but slide them to second one. They finished in bad manner last season, they had players put in a trade block, and that can distrupt chemistry a little bit, and if that happens, with full stacked west, they might have problems.. but if everything goes without problems, they will make PO.
- Warriors. If Klay was healthy, they would not have problems going to PO, even contend for title, even without KD.. but now it is strange situation.. Warriors have still good team, but I think they are very tired, more emotionally, than physically and now they do not have quality to win matches without playing 100%, like they could do in previous years.. So Steph and Green need to be at best whole year, plus DLo needs to gel nicely into Warriors basketball, that is a little bit different than what he played so far.. so they are favorites to make it, but again they need to be at the best for whole season.
- Lakers. Everyone puts them in PO, but I am not so sure.. besides AD and LBJ their roster is medium at best. Davis never played 82 matches, and LBJ is older than last year. for them to make it, both of them need to play more than 70 matches together in my opinion.
I think one of these three teams will not make it.
Third group is in the hunt group.
- Kings. more on them on some other thread, but they have more players that play defense, they have longer bench, so it should not happen to ran out of gas like last year after All Star break, and young players should grow.
- Spurs. They did not get much better than last year, but still it is Pop and Spurs.
Fourth group would be Mavs, which we have to see how Porzingis will look, and how good Luka will be in second year. New Orleans, I am not that big on Zion in NBA, and we will see Lonzo and Ingram now with more freedom. TWolves got lost in translation, so I do not expect much.
Fifth group. OKC who will trade Russ and go in rebuilding. Memphis, and off course Phoenix.
First one are the teams that I expect to be in PO:
- Clippers. With Kawhi and PG13, together with other players who are ready to play team bbl and defend, I put them as number one contender for a title. Really like what they have. Not much to be said on this one.
- Nuggets. Did not change much, they have PO experience now, and even last year they show they can handle injuries. Expect them to be in PO again.
- Portland. They are better and better every season, went to west finals, added nice piece in Whiteside. Also should make PO.
- Jazz. Had nice offseason so far, they have system, good quality players and they will have consistency needed to make PO.
Teams that you expect PO from, but can surprise negative way.
- Rockets. They are on border with two groups, but slide them to second one. They finished in bad manner last season, they had players put in a trade block, and that can distrupt chemistry a little bit, and if that happens, with full stacked west, they might have problems.. but if everything goes without problems, they will make PO.
- Warriors. If Klay was healthy, they would not have problems going to PO, even contend for title, even without KD.. but now it is strange situation.. Warriors have still good team, but I think they are very tired, more emotionally, than physically and now they do not have quality to win matches without playing 100%, like they could do in previous years.. So Steph and Green need to be at best whole year, plus DLo needs to gel nicely into Warriors basketball, that is a little bit different than what he played so far.. so they are favorites to make it, but again they need to be at the best for whole season.
- Lakers. Everyone puts them in PO, but I am not so sure.. besides AD and LBJ their roster is medium at best. Davis never played 82 matches, and LBJ is older than last year. for them to make it, both of them need to play more than 70 matches together in my opinion.
I think one of these three teams will not make it.
Third group is in the hunt group.
- Kings. more on them on some other thread, but they have more players that play defense, they have longer bench, so it should not happen to ran out of gas like last year after All Star break, and young players should grow.
- Spurs. They did not get much better than last year, but still it is Pop and Spurs.
Fourth group would be Mavs, which we have to see how Porzingis will look, and how good Luka will be in second year. New Orleans, I am not that big on Zion in NBA, and we will see Lonzo and Ingram now with more freedom. TWolves got lost in translation, so I do not expect much.
Fifth group. OKC who will trade Russ and go in rebuilding. Memphis, and off course Phoenix.
Pelicans, Lakers, and Dallas will all be better teams this season than previous ones, and they were lottery teams. Of the playoff teams, I can only see OKC sliding out of the playoffs (or the Spurs, but it is hard to count out a Pop team). So that makes potentially two teams going from the playoffs to the lottery, with 3-4 teams in the lottery improving to compete for those spots. I could see the Kings ending the season anywhere from 9-12 position, and I don't think they've done enough in free agency to improve that much. I think they should have let Barnes go and go in a different direction at center, but Vlade trusts in his core a lot more than I do. I expect another lottery season with the direction they chose to go.
Fox, Bagley, Giles, Hield all must get better for the Kings to reach the playoff. And they should all get better because they work hard and are young (Hield just entering his prime) and very talented. Fox needs to play like an All Star. Bagley needs to play like a near All Star. Giles needs to play like someone you can view as a legit starter. Hield needs to improve the non-shooting aspects of his game - defense, seeing the floor, ball handling. This season is going to be a test of wills for the Kings. an endurance contest. Their bench is going to be critical to get to the playoffs.
The Clippers go to the top of the list in the West. They have depth plus two great players. Their defense should be stifling.
The Lakers are in the conversation, but with LBJ turning 35 and ADs history of injury, as well as putrid depth, they are in the "high risk" category. On the one hand, it wouldn't be surprising to see them at the top with the Clipps if the injury god doesn't visit them, but on the other I can see them out of the playoffs if one of their two main cogs goes down with injury for any length of time, which is probable in my view. Their ability to load manage is going to be severely hampered by the overall brutal strength of the West and their non-existent bench. It's hard to load manage when a dozen teams in the West can kick your butt on any given night if you decide to rest either AD or LBJ.
Utah, Portland, and Denver are all very solid and are much less risky than the Lakers because of the relative youth and better benches.
Houston is one small crack away from a gigantic fracture and I'm not betting on Chris Paul playing 60% or more during the regular season. There is psychological element that may be important to this team: their window to an NBA championship has closed. When they awake to that fact, their frustration may reach a crescendo.
Mavs and Pels have taken big upward steps from last year. If everything breaks just right for them and wrong for others, it's possible for them to reach the playoffs. Would I bet on it? Probably not.
Thunder and the Warriors are the big losers. Paul George was the best player by far on the Thunder last year; Westbrook couldn't hit an open outside shot if his life depended on it; a full reboot could be in the offing with a possible Westbrook trade. The Warriors are going to be playing with two very good offensive guards and bunch of schlock for more than half the season. Iggy, their best wing defender is gone. No shot blocker. No offensive threat in the low post. Mediocre defenders at the guard position (until Klay is 100%, which might not be this season). Teams will load up on the two offense-oriented guards and attack, attack, attack the basket. I think the Thunder and Warriors both miss the playoffs, which is why I think the Kings have a chance.
Wolves. The West is going to be ultra competitive. Almost by definition, that leaves a team led by Towns and Wiggins out of the conversation.
Spurs. Aldridge will be 34 this season. At times last season he looked like he was 36. He's the key for their team. How much is left in the tank? Murray is back, which could be a shot in the arm if he can resume his old form. Gay is 33, not getting any younger. Pop's strength is that he has his guys playing their roles, something of which the Kings' should take note. It's hard to bet against Pop, but this jalopy has been held together by bailing wire and duct tape for a while now. They are reaching the dreaded no-man's land of being a middling team. They are definitely on the cusp. A few nights of load management for a tired Aldridge and they are out of the playoffs.
The Clippers go to the top of the list in the West. They have depth plus two great players. Their defense should be stifling.
The Lakers are in the conversation, but with LBJ turning 35 and ADs history of injury, as well as putrid depth, they are in the "high risk" category. On the one hand, it wouldn't be surprising to see them at the top with the Clipps if the injury god doesn't visit them, but on the other I can see them out of the playoffs if one of their two main cogs goes down with injury for any length of time, which is probable in my view. Their ability to load manage is going to be severely hampered by the overall brutal strength of the West and their non-existent bench. It's hard to load manage when a dozen teams in the West can kick your butt on any given night if you decide to rest either AD or LBJ.
Utah, Portland, and Denver are all very solid and are much less risky than the Lakers because of the relative youth and better benches.
Houston is one small crack away from a gigantic fracture and I'm not betting on Chris Paul playing 60% or more during the regular season. There is psychological element that may be important to this team: their window to an NBA championship has closed. When they awake to that fact, their frustration may reach a crescendo.
Mavs and Pels have taken big upward steps from last year. If everything breaks just right for them and wrong for others, it's possible for them to reach the playoffs. Would I bet on it? Probably not.
Thunder and the Warriors are the big losers. Paul George was the best player by far on the Thunder last year; Westbrook couldn't hit an open outside shot if his life depended on it; a full reboot could be in the offing with a possible Westbrook trade. The Warriors are going to be playing with two very good offensive guards and bunch of schlock for more than half the season. Iggy, their best wing defender is gone. No shot blocker. No offensive threat in the low post. Mediocre defenders at the guard position (until Klay is 100%, which might not be this season). Teams will load up on the two offense-oriented guards and attack, attack, attack the basket. I think the Thunder and Warriors both miss the playoffs, which is why I think the Kings have a chance.
Wolves. The West is going to be ultra competitive. Almost by definition, that leaves a team led by Towns and Wiggins out of the conversation.
Spurs. Aldridge will be 34 this season. At times last season he looked like he was 36. He's the key for their team. How much is left in the tank? Murray is back, which could be a shot in the arm if he can resume his old form. Gay is 33, not getting any younger. Pop's strength is that he has his guys playing their roles, something of which the Kings' should take note. It's hard to bet against Pop, but this jalopy has been held together by bailing wire and duct tape for a while now. They are reaching the dreaded no-man's land of being a middling team. They are definitely on the cusp. A few nights of load management for a tired Aldridge and they are out of the playoffs.
Look, the Kings are either going to fit really well together on the floor or not. If they do they could shock some folks. This is on Luke Walton at this point. In terms of rosters it's hard to see the moves Vlade made this summer being the difference but that's where the 3 point line and defense comes in to play. Right now I don't think you can necessarily write off any teams including the Thunder. Even without PG13 they have been together for a long time so their style of play won't change. If anything, they'll just hitch their wagons to Westbrook even tighter. If they can run things like Larry Brown would have with AI at the helm they might not drop much in the end.
If Bagley makes a leap (which I think is a reasonable expectation) and Fox and Buddy continue their trajectories, Barnes is fully integrated into a system that utilizes his strengths and Bogi and Giles settle into realistic expectation, this team makes a big leap even before factoring in the additions.
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