I think the Kings should win the division now that Joe Johnson and Q Rich, two big parts of the Suns amazing season, are gone. To me the Suns are stupid b/c how do you let two of the best 3 point shooters in the league go, I mean they should of atleast kept one of these guys, but hey I'm glad b/c the Kings should be able to have no problem winning the division and getting home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. What do you guys think about this situation?
KINGS 05-06 Pacific Division Champs
- Thread starter jay dubb
- Start date
Our team in its current state has very little chance winning the division right now. Phoenix will still be a great team and as much as I hate to say it, I wouldn't count out the Lakers just yet. The Warriors will be better...probably won't win the division, but they'll be better. It's just too early to make that kind of statement. Phoenix proved in the playoffs that they're still very good without Johnson, and IMHO, Q's loss won't hurt them that much.
I wouldn't say the Kings have "very little chance" of winning the division. Phoneix isn't going to hit nearly as many threes in transition without Q-Rich and JJ on the floor. Their whole identity changes. They become essentially what Dallas was when they had Nash. With the Lakers and Warriors probably improving and the Suns probably declining a bit, I'd say the division is now wide open - and we've got about as good a shot as anyone. I don't think Phoenix is nearly as great without the three point threat and everyone else - Lakers, Warriors, Clippers, Kings - has enough of their own flaws that there's no clear favorite.
I think I agree for the most part...I'm just a pessimist by nature
. I just think it's way too early...plus, I was saying that about "our current state". I think there are just too many unanswered questions about our team right now. I won't feel comfortable making any judgements until a couple weeks into the season.
They have no chance as constructed right now and I will go ahead and say it.
The FA/Trade action is about to get crazy so I say we wait and talk about this after all deals are made. Right now its way to early for anyone to predict much... Well unless your Chad Ford.
Lot of player movement yet to be done. If we don't pick up a legit PF/C, well see my prediction above.
The FA/Trade action is about to get crazy so I say we wait and talk about this after all deals are made. Right now its way to early for anyone to predict much... Well unless your Chad Ford.
Lot of player movement yet to be done. If we don't pick up a legit PF/C, well see my prediction above.
As everyone else has been saying, we will be on a similar level as Phoenix, LA and Golden State. You should also keep in mind that the Suns won the division by 12 (Twelve!) games last season. Even if the changes cost them 10 games, they still win, seeing as no one else has made too significant improvements, excluding the Warriors who have a long way to the top to begin with. Let's even say for the sake of argument that we're as good as the Suns. We have to last an entire season getting beat up by our rivals in the Pacific, meaning it will be very tough to win the division. A sea of mediocrity can be just as tought to win as a great division.
And maybe we should wait until the offseason is over to start making predictions, seeing as we have no idea who will be starting and playing on what teams.
And maybe we should wait until the offseason is over to start making predictions, seeing as we have no idea who will be starting and playing on what teams.
Amare is better than Miller and it stops there. Nash is MVP but not better than Bibby. At least not head to head. Pedja is better than Marion and it is his contract year. The game is still 5 on 5 or even 8 on 5 if necessary. Last year we got killed by threes from Johnson and Richardson. Not there anymore. Also Suns have to prove to be consistant. Kings have been there for 7 straight years. That has got to be worth something. We have Bonzi who can be very usefull if he accepts his role. Also with Wells there Nash would have to guard Bibby and that can happen when the hell freezes over. Pedja has done well against Marion. We have beaten Suns twice lasy year and one of two losses was a robery. We did not lose Pacific head to head. We lost them dues to injuries, trades and injuries. We can compeat wit Suns. Spurs on the other hand - way too good for us.
Season has not even started yet - I refuse to give in without the fight. We have players who know how to win and who will win 50 games. We still have ARCO. All we need is to stay healthy which we never could before.
Season has not even started yet - I refuse to give in without the fight. We have players who know how to win and who will win 50 games. We still have ARCO. All we need is to stay healthy which we never could before.
I agree Nash is not better then Bibby. However they are both 1 dimensional players and pretty much bring the same style of game. One runs the other walks. Neither plays a lick of D
Not sure I agree with Peja being better then Marion, since Marion has a much more rounded game. The type of game that we need from our SF.
Marion last year... 19.4 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 83% FT %, 1.9 Asts
Peja Last year..... 20.1PPG, 4.3 RPG, 92% FT % 2.1 Asts
The stats alone tell us we need a SF more like Marion then Peja. Although it is Pejas contract year and I will give him that. Lets see what happens now.
I have almost lost all hope that Peja will become a real force in this league. He lacks what a lot of Euro's do and that is Killer instinct and heart.
Not sure I agree with Peja being better then Marion, since Marion has a much more rounded game. The type of game that we need from our SF.
Marion last year... 19.4 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 83% FT %, 1.9 Asts
Peja Last year..... 20.1PPG, 4.3 RPG, 92% FT % 2.1 Asts
The stats alone tell us we need a SF more like Marion then Peja. Although it is Pejas contract year and I will give him that. Lets see what happens now.
I have almost lost all hope that Peja will become a real force in this league. He lacks what a lot of Euro's do and that is Killer instinct and heart.
This I can't agree with. Maybe he's got a little hitch in his form, and his shot might degrade a bit outside of 18 feet or so, but I wouldn't mind him having the ball at the end of a game. His penetrating runner in the lane is almost all you need! And not clutch? He carried them in the playoffs! His performance in the playoffs was one of the best individual performances I've seen in a long time, especially by a point guard. Don't get me wrong...I do think Bibby is better, but you make Nash sound like a scrub.
I deffinetly agree with what has been previous stated, that at this point it seems to be pretty even and absolutely too early to tell.
To me, adding Bonzi is the biggest improvement in the division this offseason. Kurt Thomas could prove me wrong, and obviously there will be more deals made.
If I had to pick a team to win it in a life/death situation, I'd be torn between the Kings and the Suns and probably end up with the Kings...RIGHT NOW. Talk to me in October.
Plus, skipping picking the Warriors might be a big mistake, imho.
To me, adding Bonzi is the biggest improvement in the division this offseason. Kurt Thomas could prove me wrong, and obviously there will be more deals made.
If I had to pick a team to win it in a life/death situation, I'd be torn between the Kings and the Suns and probably end up with the Kings...RIGHT NOW. Talk to me in October.
Plus, skipping picking the Warriors might be a big mistake, imho.
Andriod_KiNg said:
Its kind of hard to grab a rebound if the other team keeps scoring 
, buts part will too, i think Peja is ready for his best year ever... (Hopefully )
, buts part will too, i think Peja is ready for his best year ever... (Hopefully )
Pacific wide open
The Kings may be about the same, about 50+-5 wins. To get some heightened energy we need some youngster playing time ... and another couple of big guys or at least a breakout season by Darius.
Phoenix is weaker, and if Steve goes down, as he often does, they become weak from outside. I predict they have just about as many wins as Sacramento. But they could fall off badly.
The Lakers, if they get Jason Williams in a learning mode, could improve greatly. If Kobe's work ethic rubs off on JAson, not only will the Lakers play very tight ball, but everybody has a chance to break through: Kobe, Jason Kwame, Mihm, Odum and even Phil. I worry the most about LA next year. Or maybe, Jackson will seem like he is ready to retire, Kobe may get pissed off at everybody, Jason and Kwame may dumb up when asked to play the triangle. Mihm and Odum may already have shown their best.
Golden State seems ready to roll, and God knows what the Clippers are thinking. Cuttino seems like a bad move for them.
The Kings may be about the same, about 50+-5 wins. To get some heightened energy we need some youngster playing time ... and another couple of big guys or at least a breakout season by Darius.
Phoenix is weaker, and if Steve goes down, as he often does, they become weak from outside. I predict they have just about as many wins as Sacramento. But they could fall off badly.
The Lakers, if they get Jason Williams in a learning mode, could improve greatly. If Kobe's work ethic rubs off on JAson, not only will the Lakers play very tight ball, but everybody has a chance to break through: Kobe, Jason Kwame, Mihm, Odum and even Phil. I worry the most about LA next year. Or maybe, Jackson will seem like he is ready to retire, Kobe may get pissed off at everybody, Jason and Kwame may dumb up when asked to play the triangle. Mihm and Odum may already have shown their best.
Golden State seems ready to roll, and God knows what the Clippers are thinking. Cuttino seems like a bad move for them.
And we have another good shooter in Bonzi. And I can't see their Thomas being that much better than our Thomas.
As for Nash vs Bibby, they play different games. Nash doesn't beat you by scoring or making big plays, he wins by engineering the offense and setting the tempo. Bibby does similar things, but their focus is on different parts of the game. Granted, Bibby would torch Nash one on one, but that's really moot when considering how well they match up against each other during an NBA game.
Also, Pheonix, at the rate they're going, will still not have any sort of a bench. I think we can still make some move to have a good bench that can give us an edge over them.
As for Nash vs Bibby, they play different games. Nash doesn't beat you by scoring or making big plays, he wins by engineering the offense and setting the tempo. Bibby does similar things, but their focus is on different parts of the game. Granted, Bibby would torch Nash one on one, but that's really moot when considering how well they match up against each other during an NBA game.
Also, Pheonix, at the rate they're going, will still not have any sort of a bench. I think we can still make some move to have a good bench that can give us an edge over them.
