In or Out ? Attrition has infested the West .

[Tinman]

In or out
Memphis- lost boatload of constants .
Utah-Lost Hayward
LAC- Paul,Reddick & River penciled in as starting SG!
San Antonio- They have POP, but wow!
Portland- stagnant, way over cap & no inside game. Too guard heavy?
Denver- lost Galinari & offensive coach?
Minny- is Butler enough to make the leap

Golden State
Houston
OKC

So, can Pels vie for 4 ?

[Nola3]

We'll be lucky to vie for 6.

GS
HOU
OKC
SAS- still have Kawhi and Pop and that's been good enough for the 3 or 4 seed for forever. Don't see that changing
UTA- lost Hawyard and Hill but added a bunch of solid people and their young core figures to develop. They're on the same tier as us
LAC- lost CP but if Blake and DJ are healthy, they have a better surrounding cast than usual
DEN - got Millsap who is a huge upgrade over Gallo
MIN - depends on how their kids come out of the gate, but they're arguably the second most talented team in the conference

The only teams I see dropping out from last year are Memphis and Portland, and neither of them are sure things to fall off. Both have solid foundations with years of continuity. So even if we assume they stay the same and the others are in, that still leaves us, Minny, Denver, Portland, and Memphis chasing after 2 spots. And then don't forget about the Mavs, who are always in the mix with Carlise (sp?) and Dirk.

[Tinman]

We'll be lucky to vie for 6.

GS
HOU
OKC
SAS- still have Kawhi and Pop and that's been good enough for the 3 or 4 seed for forever. Don't see that changing
UTA- lost Hawyard and Hill but added a bunch of solid people and their young core figures to develop. They're on the same tier as us
LAC- lost CP but if Blake and DJ are healthy, they have a better surrounding cast than usual
DEN - got Millsap who is a huge upgrade over Gallo
MIN - depends on how their kids come out of the gate, but they're arguably the second most talented team in the conference

The only teams I see dropping out from last year are Memphis and Portland, and neither of them are sure things to fall off. Both have solid foundations with years of continuity. So even if we assume they stay the same and the others are in, that still leaves us, Minny, Denver, Portland, and Memphis chasing after 2 spots. And then don't forget about the Mavs, who are always in the mix with Carlise (sp?) and Dirk.

I don't see Utah or the Clippers being better than us in any aspect of game. Not sure Milsap helps Denver. Galinari was a better fit. I love Pop & Kawhi, but this is the year. They have NO legit PG to start the year. Aldridge will be gone by training camp. Lost Simmons. Their lineup of Kawhi, Gasol & coin flipping won't be enough . Minny is the enigma!

[luckyman]

Milsap is not a "huge" upgrade over Gallo in any dimension. None.

[Tinman]

Milsap is not a "huge" upgrade over Gallo in any dimension. None.

Yeah, not quite sure how He came to that conclusion! but then again, San Antonio will be 3or4 because of Pop & Kawhi FOREVER . As far as LAC- when Austin Rivers is your starting SG & you lose CP & Reddick, how exactly does the supporting cast get better?

[tyler]

I actually think Portland is a sleeper... We really didn't get to see what they can do now that they have their new center plus dude can actually ball.

Didn't he get hurt the second game he played?

[tyler]

Milsap is not a "huge" upgrade over Gallo in any dimension. None.

Isn't he an all-star?

[Tinman]

I actually think Portland is a sleeper... We really didn't get to see what they can do now that they have their new center plus dude can actually ball.

Didn't he get hurt the second game he played?

Yeah, I actually want to like Portland, but man, there 2 guards are really HUGE Ball Hogs. Plus, they are going to have to make moves to shed salary. They are wayyyyyyyy over the cap.

[Tinman]

Isn't he an all-star?

Was that a NON-Starter all-star in the eastern conference ? Phooey !

[Impose]

If we get 4th seed I think it would exceed every paid sports analysts expectations by a large margin.

It could happen if everything went right this year.

Denver is legitimately scary. What they gain by adding Millsap over Faried far outweighs what they lose in the Gallo/Wilson Chandler trade off. They still have trade chips to upgrade their PG position if they want to as well.

Minnesota had the best off season in the league. Butler, Teague and Gibson give a great balance of offense and defense to a veteran supporting cast for Wiggins and Towns. Minnesota could easily be a 50 win team next year if they stop blowing leads in the 4th.

I think Utah, being so well coached, will still be in the mix. Rodney Hood is probably able to jump up to a 20ppg scorer, and they replaced Hill with Rubio which brings a different dynamic that might help Gobert offensively too. I have them winning around the same amount of games as us.

LAC may have actually gotten better. Lou Williams, Pat Beverly, Milos Teodosic and Austin Rivers is a solid combination of offense, defense and play making in a 4 man guard rotation. Will give Doc a lot of flexibility to get the right match ups on the court. Adding Gallo to a Blake and DJ front court can only help, but their season will be determined by health largely IMO. I think their depth is much improved, but star power lost. if Blake goes down for a significant period of time, they'll flounder.

OKC are a bit of a wild card, don't really know yet how Westbrook and George will play alongside each other and how the rest of the team will gel. But on paper they are more talented than us, easily.

Portland are probably ok going in to this season with mostly the same group they ended last year with. They beasted with Nurkic on the squad and I feel like they have a few more wins in them than us.

So far I'm looking at the West and thinking:

GSW
HOU
DEN
OKC
SA? (resigning Pau?)
MIN
POR/UTA/LAC/NO fighting for 7 and 8.

The west is so brutal. That's why I'm so pissed off Dell hasn't gotten anything done to improve the roster significantly.

[tyler]

Was that a NON-Starter all-star in the eastern conference ? Phooey !

If your saying he wouldn't be an all star in the West then yea I can see that but dude did ball out plus he defends also so that's what really stands him out against gallo

[Tinman]

If we get 4th seed I think it would exceed every paid sports analysts expectations by a large margin.

It could happen if everything went right this year.

Denver is legitimately scary. What they gain by adding Millsap over Faried far outweighs what they lose in the Gallo/Wilson Chandler trade off. They still have trade chips to upgrade their PG position if they want to as well.

Minnesota had the best off season in the league. Butler, Teague and Gibson give a great balance of offense and defense to a veteran supporting cast for Wiggins and Towns. Minnesota could easily be a 50 win team next year if they stop blowing leads in the 4th.

I think Utah, being so well coached, will still be in the mix. Rodney Hood is probably able to jump up to a 20ppg scorer, and they replaced Hill with Rubio which brings a different dynamic that might help Gobert offensively too. I have them winning around the same amount of games as us.

LAC may have actually gotten better. Lou Williams, Pat Beverly, Milos Teodosic and Austin Rivers is a solid combination of offense, defense and play making in a 4 man guard rotation. Will give Doc a lot of flexibility to get the right match ups on the court. Adding Gallo to a Blake and DJ front court can only help, but their season will be determined by health largely IMO. I think their depth is much improved, but star power lost. if Blake goes down for a significant period of time, they'll flounder.

OKC are a bit of a wild card, don't really know yet how Westbrook and George will play alongside each other and how the rest of the team will gel. But on paper they are more talented than us, easily.

Portland are probably ok going in to this season with mostly the same group they ended last year with. They beasted with Nurkic on the squad and I feel like they have a few more wins in them than us.

So far I'm looking at the West and thinking:

GSW
HOU
DEN
OKC
SA? (resigning Pau?)
MIN
POR/UTA/LAC/NO fighting for 7 and 8.

The west is so brutal. That's why I'm so pissed off Dell hasn't gotten anything done to improve the roster significantly.

There is NO WAY Denver is 3rd. Their game was predicated on Finch offense & shooting 50 3's per game. They lose Finch and a stretch in Galinari. Milsap is a product of a completely different system.
LA loses top 3 PG & one of the best pure shooters in Redick & replace them with Beverly & Rivers! Really? DeAndre Jordan is an average Center at best w/out CP3.
Utah being so well coached WITH Hayward & Hill went about as far as they could last year. Now they have a PG who can't hit the broad side of a barn & has NO go to guy to throw it to . They regress 7-10 games.
Minny better shoot a lot from 18ft and in. They have NOBODY to shoot 3's.

[bojangles837]

Milsap is not a "huge" upgrade over Gallo in any dimension. None.

Milsap is easily a top 20 player in this league

[msusousaphone]

I don't really understand everyone's faith in the Spurs.

Yes. They have been contenders since David Robinson.......but they had one of the best trios in the league that entire time. It's not like they constantly had their core leave and kept winning with a new core, the core was intact that entire time. As soon as the big three start to decline, they get Leonard. Now they are coached well, and the FO is top notch so I expect them to turn it around at some point.....but the way the team is now we would have to sustain some major injuries for them to keep pace with us.

[bojangles837]

I don't really understand everyone's faith in the Spurs.

Yes. They have been contenders since David Robinson.......but they had one of the best trios in the league that entire time. It's not like they constantly had their core leave and kept winning with a new core, the core was intact that entire time. As soon as the big three start to decline, they get Leonard. Now they are coached well, and the FO is top notch so I expect them to turn it around at some point.....but the way the team is now we would have to sustain some major injuries for them to keep pace with us.

People have faith in the spurs because they have won 50+ games in each of the last 18 seasons.. They are better than us.. We arent some 60 win team yet

[Impose]

There is NO WAY Denver is 3rd. Their game was predicated on Finch offense & shooting 50 3's per game. They lose Finch and a stretch in Galinari. Milsap is a product of a completely different system.
LA loses top 3 PG & one of the best pure shooters in Redick & replace them with Beverly & Rivers! Really? DeAndre Jordan is an average Center at best w/out CP3.
Utah being so well coached WITH Hayward & Hill went about as far as they could last year. Now they have a PG who can't hit the broad side of a barn & has NO go to guy to throw it to . They regress 7-10 games.
Minny better shoot a lot from 18ft and in. They have NOBODY to shoot 3's.

Losing Finch doesn't mean they lose what they've established. So that doesn't mean anything. Gallinari is more injury prone, Millsap averages about 10 more games played per year the last 3 seasons. Millsap is a very high level defender compared to Gallo, and the 'system' Argument is pretty void IMO when you consider Atlanta has been one of the best ball movement teams of recent years and Denver is a smart passing team. Millsap fits well.

Clippers is a wildcard, I'm not going to bother arguing this, I just have a different opinion to you as to how it will play out.

Utah were one of the teams hit worst by injuries last year and they still dominated. They have young players coming back from injury who can improve like Hood, Burks and Favors. They aren't falling off a cliff over Hayward.

Minnesota have better 3pt shooters than we do so I'm not sure that's the smartest argument to make. Are you saying you'd truly rather have AD/Cous/Jrue/Rondo over KAT/Wiggins/Butler/Teague? Really?

[tyler]

There is NO WAY Denver is 3rd. Their game was predicated on Finch offense & shooting 50 3's per game. They lose Finch and a stretch in Galinari. Milsap is a product of a completely different system.
LA loses top 3 PG & one of the best pure shooters in Redick & replace them with Beverly & Rivers! Really? DeAndre Jordan is an average Center at best w/out CP3.
Utah being so well coached WITH Hayward & Hill went about as far as they could last year. Now they have a PG who can't hit the broad side of a barn & has NO go to guy to throw it to . They regress 7-10 games.
Minny better shoot a lot from 18ft and in. They have NOBODY to shoot 3's.

Lol Minny is team is fire top to bottom

[Nola3]

I don't really understand everyone's faith in the Spurs.

Yes. They have been contenders since David Robinson.......but they had one of the best trios in the league that entire time. It's not like they constantly had their core leave and kept winning with a new core, the core was intact that entire time. As soon as the big three start to decline, they get Leonard. Now they are coached well, and the FO is top notch so I expect them to turn it around at some point.....but the way the team is now we would have to sustain some major injuries for them to keep pace with us.

I mean they won 61 games last year with pretty much the same roster that they have now....

[tyler]

Losing Finch doesn't mean they lose what they've established. So that doesn't mean anything. Gallinari is more injury prone, Millsap averages about 10 more games played per year the last 3 seasons. Millsap is a very high level defender compared to Gallo, and the 'system' Argument is pretty void IMO when you consider Atlanta has been one of the best ball movement teams of recent years and Denver is a smart passing team. Millsap fits well.

Clippers is a wildcard, I'm not going to bother arguing this, I just have a different opinion to you as to how it will play out.

Utah were one of the teams hit worst by injuries last year and they still dominated. They have young players coming back from injury who can improve like Hood, Burks and Favors. They aren't falling off a cliff over Hayward.

Minnesota have better 3pt shooters than we do so I'm not sure that's the smartest argument to make. Are you saying you'd truly rather have AD/Cous/Jrue/Rondo over KAT/Wiggins/Butler/Teague? Really?

All that said I still wouldn't but Denver 3rd

[tyler]

I mean they won 61 games last year with pretty much the same roster that they have now....

Plus they added Rudy Gay

[Impose]

All that said I still wouldn't but Denver 3rd

I really think they'll take a big step this year. Maybe 3rd is too high, Depends on if they flip Faried and Mudiay for another good guard and if Murray can earn consistent productive minutes shooting the lights out.

But their system is 5th best offense in the league last year and they added an All Star to that who is super solid offensively and a good interior defender. They have really good depth. It's a very promising team that I feel will surprise a lot of teams this year. Just my 2 cents.

[Tinman]

Losing Finch doesn't mean they lose what they've established. So that doesn't mean anything. Gallinari is more injury prone, Millsap averages about 10 more games played per year the last 3 seasons. Millsap is a very high level defender compared to Gallo, and the 'system' Argument is pretty void IMO when you consider Atlanta has been one of the best ball movement teams of recent years and Denver is a smart passing team. Millsap fits well.

Clippers is a wildcard, I'm not going to bother arguing this, I just have a different opinion to you as to how it will play out.

Utah were one of the teams hit worst by injuries last year and they still dominated. They have young players coming back from injury who can improve like Hood, Burks and Favors. They aren't falling off a cliff over Hayward.

Minnesota have better 3pt shooters than we do so I'm not sure that's the smartest argument to make. Are you saying you'd truly rather have AD/Cous/Jrue/Rondo over KAT/Wiggins/Butler/Teague? Really?

You may want to freshen up on your stats. We had 3 players that shot better 3pt % than anybody on Minny's team.

[Tinman]

Lol Minny is team is fire top to bottom

So, is KAT better than Boogie? Is Teague better than Rondo ? Is Wiggins better than Jrue? Is Gibson better than AD? I guess that leaves Butler being better than Solo. Huh. So much for Minny being all that.

[bojangles837]

So, is KAT better than Boogie? Is Teague better than Rondo ? Is Wiggins better than Jrue? Is Gibson better than AD? I guess that leaves Butler being better than Solo. Huh. So much for Minny being all that.

ummmm id take Kat over Boogie, Teague over rondo and Wiggins over Jrue

[Tinman]

You may want to freshen up on your stats. We had 3 players that shot better 3pt % than anybody on Minny's team.

Make it a poll then !!
You would rather

Teague or Rondo
Wiggins or Jrue
Butler. Or AD
KAT. Or Boogie !

& you choose Minny? Wow !!