Post by AllHailManiac on Sept 18, 2005 0:12:27 GMT -5
Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards celebrated one championship last year, and they look to defend that title. They are still playing determined basketball. Not only that, Arenas was named the first member of the 2008 United States Olympic Team. Things are well in our nations capital.[/i]
1. Washington Wizards – They are the ultimate team. The defending champs are taking the league by storm once again. Arenas is putting up wicked sick numbers, Jamison is playing mad right now, and a solid frontcourt is putting up double/double’s every night. Solid bench play from Etan Thomas and Caron Butler has also contributed to the Wiz Show’s success.
2. Phoenix Suns – The Best of the West. These Suns are set up great for instant success, but they also have a core for the future. Wade is putting up MVP caliber numbers. The Suns are probably the top rebounding team in basketball. Gasol, Bogut, and Camby form what is disputably the top frontcourt in the league. They are currently my favorite to win the championship.
3. Milwaukee Bucks – How can you not love this team? They are a wicked athletic team. It’s not easy to cover Dirk, Marion, and Artest, especially when J-Kidd is dishing it out to them. They could use a stronger inside presence though. I would consider trading off one of those swingmen for a star big man. That would complete this team.
4. Utah Jazz – Boozer and Curry carry this team. Boozer is playing like a star, and has claimed a stake as one of the top big men in UBL. AK is tearing it up also, and Deron Williams has stepped up excellently at the PG spot. The Jazz play great team defense, but it’s tough to keep up with those Suns in the West.
5. Houston Rockets – The Yao/T-Mac duo is tearing through the league. They are both putting up excellent numbers and those two have the potential to carry any team a long ways. Swift is a blocking machine at the PF spot, and Jason Williams has done a great job. He has kept his turnovers to a manageable amount which really helps this team out.
6. Memphis Grizzlies – They probably have the most potent trio in the league. Baron, Pierce, and Peja are all amazing athletes, but my god they turn the ball over a lot. The three of them average close to a combined 10 turnovers a game. If the Grizzlies could add some defensive specialists and find the right game plan they could be a sleeper this season. They’re certainly fun to watch.
7. Portland Trailblazers – LeBron James. He is the second coming of Jesus to those in Portland. He is putting up numbers that make me believe he’ll be the MVP this season. He is close to averaging a triple double. That’s nuts. Finley appears to be a great pick-up. Chauncey needs to put a clamp on his turnovers, but remember…LeBron James.
8. Minnesota Timberwolves – This is pretty much a three-man team, but the Alien-Gino-KG trio has been doing very well. They have a few solid role players around those three that are allowing for success, but I do not think they are well-rounded enough to compete with the rest of the West. They’ll be a 4-5 seed, but I don’t see them advancing any further than the second round.
9. Orlando Magic – An East team finally cracks its way back into the rankings! They are playing well enough to be the current fourth seed in a pretty sad Eastern Conference. Joe Johnson is playing some great basketball and he is definitely carrying this Magic squad. Dwight Howard is coming along well. This is a very average team in a very average conference.
10. Seattle Supersonics – Petro appears to be a future star for the Sonics, but they are also playing solid ball this year. Ray Allen is playing great, Rashard Lewis is putting up solid numbers, but they struggle defensively. They’ll be in the playoffs this year in a very solid west, but I don’t see them making it out of the first round. As I said though, Petro looks to be the future.
11. Miami Heat – I wish this team could find a way to get a PF. If they could bump Odom to SF they would have much more success in my opinion. Odom doesn’t produce nearly as well at PF as he would at SF. This is still a very good team though. Shaq is playing well, and Vince Carter appears to be very happy in South Beach
12. Los Angeles Clippers – They have a team full of young guys with a few veteran players in the mix. I like the young mix they have going with guys like Wilcox, Radman, Korolev, and Livingston. Brand is playing pretty well, although I expected a little better numbers out of him. This team has a few years to go before it is really something to look out for. Maybe some of these young guys will really pan out.
13. New Jersey Nets – This is a team I feel could be a lot better than they are playing. Franchise is not really living up to his nickname. Larry Hughes is playing pretty well. He has a great all around game. You would think a starting five of Francis/Hughes/Richardson/Rahim/Magloire would be successful, but they just cannot seem to play well together. This is another team that cannot get past that mediocrity barrier.
14. Denver Nuggets – Back to the west we go! The Nuggets are currently the ninth seed in the western conference. Kenyon Martin is playing pretty good ball along with Melo’. Carmelo Anthony has really stepped up on a team that needed a leader. The Nuggets do not have enough to pass the mediocre barrier, but things could be worse in Denver. They just better pray Carmelo doesn’t leave the Mile High City.
15. New York Knicks – The east is bad. The Knicks, who are a below average team, have managed to slip into the current playoff standings. Martell Webster has the look of a superstar, they’ll have a bunch of cap space to throw around, and Nate Robinson is playing very well. Robinson/Head/Webster forms a nice young trio, but they have no center to speak of. This team cannot play much in the way of defense either.
16. Indiana Pacers – This team honestly has no real direction. They have a few nice young guys, a few old guys, and one superstar in Jermaine O’Neal. It isn’t proving to be a successful formula. They have been hurt by injuries, do not there pick this year, and things are just really rough in Indiana.
17. Dallas Mavericks – They have way too many players capable of playing PG. Marbury is playing well at SG, Ricky Davis is somehow putting up 23 points a game, but they are just not very good. They struggle defensively, average a few to many turnovers, and they struggle against the elite teams.
18. Atlanta Hawks – The Hawks recently slipped into the eight seed in the Eastern Conference. This is another team that has a bright future. Chandler, Francis, and Boone create a nice future rotation. Marvin Williams still has the potential to become great, Louis Williams looks awesome, and Telfair looks to be a future star point guard. They better have a good off season.
19. Detroit Pistons – This team has AI, AI, and of course AI. The Answer is not able to carry the Pistons all by himself. He really has no help around him and he has to be frustrated. His numbers, along with the morale in Detroit, are down. This franchise needs a major makeover.
20. Boston Celtics – The Celtics are a team that at least has a respectable future. They have a ton of youth that could produce some solid players. Orien Greene looks like he’ll be a future star in this league. Aldridge and Jefferson are both great looking big men. This team has a ton of potential, some cap space to play with, and a few picks. If all goes well in the off season this will be a team to watch for a few years from now.
21. Los Angeles Lakers – We have yet another team that one superstar cannot manage. They have a nice backcourt, but they do not have a formidable big man. They rarely out-rebound a team and they could not block a shot if they were covering a bunch of midgets. Felton shows a lot of promise though, and hopefully he’ll develop well with Kobe and Redd by his side.
22. Philadelphia 76ers – The Sixers are also in a bit of a rut. Iggy is managing some pretty nice numbers and Childress looks like he could be a nice player one day. They need to dump some of there bad contracts off and hope they can have a nice free agency one of these years. They fortunately have there draft pick. Maybe they should be the worst that they can be!
23. Sacramento Kings – Not all is well in Sac-Town. They really struggle to rebound the ball, they turn it over a fair amount, and they really struggle with that whole concept of scoring. Okafor is playing decent, along with Gordon. At least they have there pick this year, and the next…actually wait, they don’t have there pick in the next three years.
24. New Orleans Hornets – It is sort of a toss-up at this point, but at least the Hornets have some cool players. McCants, Morrison, Smith, and Paul are all developing well. The young guns can score, but they haven’t figured out the key to defense yet. They have nothing that deserves to be called a frontcourt, but at least they have cap space and there picks.
25. Toronto Raptors – Ben Wallace and Chris Bosh form a good PF/C duo, but the Raptors cannot say much outside of that. Kirk Hinrich is playing decent, but this is another team that cannot score. They do not shoot well, they have no great three point threat, but once again at least they have there pick. They are 7-3 in there last 10 games though.
26. San Antonio Spurs – I’m not quite sure why this team sucks something awful. You would think having a few guys like Jason Terry, Tim Duncan, and Brad Miller would at least allow a team a winning record. Instead the Spurs are ten games below .500. This is another team that kills itself with turnovers, and apparently they just cannot play well as a team. Who knows what is wrong? All I know is that they should not be this bad.
27. Cleveland Cavaliers – Why would you ever trade LeBron James? Why? Why? Why? I was tempted to put you last for trading LeBron James. You deserve to be, but I decided to be a nice guy. Why? Why the hell would you do it? What kind of sick perverted man trades LeBron James? I personally despise you for trading LeBron James. Asshole.
28. Golden State Warriors – At least they are not last! The Warriors are probably the worst offensive team in the league. It is pretty depressing actually. Monta Ellis and Jameer Nelson both look quite nice though. Not sure what the point of two young talented point guards is, but who really knows?
29. Chicago Bulls – What the fuck was Amare Stoudamire thinking? Good call. Stupid fucker.
