Post by New Jersey Nets on Jul 25, 2008 14:51:43 GMT
Preaseason Power Rankings
Eastern Conference:
1.
While I do think the Eastern Conference is a lot better this season, I still believe that my lineup of Kidd-Kobe-Hill-Kirilenko-O’Neal will be a dominant force. The defense presented by this lineup is just uncanny. The Nets have the experience, and should have no trouble winning games and making another run to the championship. Not to mention, the Nets bench is full of 70+ rated players, and is perhaps the best in the league now after the free agent signings.
2.
The Pistons didn’t really do too much in free agency. Nonetheless, I think the acquisition of my old players (Ray Allen and Gerald Wallace) will help the Pistons win a bunch of games this year, and will especially help them in the playoffs. There are two flaws with the Pistons roster, though: First, they have Mike Dunleavy starting at power forward. Secondly, the team’s bench is sub-par. Still, this team is very experienced and full of veterans.
3.
The Hawks have a very young and talented team. Joe Johnson didn’t do much for them last season, but I see him and Al Jefferson stepping up and both average about 20 ppg, while the other guys do their roles and lead this team to a great season. The bench is really good, but I possibly see some issues arising due to the lack of experience this team has. Anyway, the roster is really solid, and this team is ready to compete in the only conference to win a title in D5.
4.
I had a hard time figuring out who to put here, and after much deliberation, I decided to go with the Bobcats. This team is very experienced, and has a great 1-2-3 punch of Billups-Prince-Martin. But, the thing I like about this team, is the role-players that the GM has acquired. I think Big Ben and Mobley will fit in really well with the others, and the Bobcats should be in for a great season. The bench is also good, as the GM has made some key signings in free agency.
5.
Once again, it was hard to figure out who to put here. The Celtics have a completely nasty 1-2-3 punch of Williams-Smith-Boozer. JR Smith would be great to start in real life, but I’m not sure he will perform so well in a video game. Kendrick Perkins would also be great to start in real life, but once again, this is a video game. Anyway, the bench is pretty good, and the team is young and ready to start winning some games. Smith is going to have to step it up on the scoring end a little bit, but I don’t see this team having many problems.
6.
This team is ranked here because I like their role players better than some other teams. The Cavaliers signed Ben Gordon this offseason, and I guess they are planning on playing him at point guard, to form a lineup of Gordon-Jefferson-Lebron-Collison-Ilgauskus. The first three players are good, and Ilgauskus is overdue for a bit of a ratings boost if you ask me. I see this team winning a good bit of games, and maybe even making a run in the playoffs led by Lebron James.
7.
With the recent controversy over the Emeka Okafor signing, this team appears to be in a dire situation. They ended up signing Michael Finley and James Posey with the money that was supposed to go to Okafor, which isn’t bad, but it sure isn’t good. Anyway, Chris Paul and Andre Igoudala is just nasty. Put a defensive minded James Posey at the 3, and have Okur to score as a big, and you got yourself a legit playoff team.
8.
Paul Pierce and Dwight Howard combine for possibly the most lethal pairing of players in the entire league. Hedo Turkoglu should get a ratings boost, and this team could possibly have three 80+ players. The supporting cast isn’t too good though, with Foye and Frye expected to end up in the starting lineup. The Magic built a pretty nice bench in free agency, and I see this team making the playoffs for another year.
9.
The Knicks are still very young and are going to have a hard time trying to make the playoffs this season.
10.
The Bucks are my dark horse team to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference this season, but they still need a year to get better.
11.
Even if the best two players on your team are Tony Parker and Chris Bosh, it’s hard to win when the 3rd best player is Morris Peterson.
12.
The Pacers have a few pieces now to win some games… but they still are not on a competitive level.
13.
This team appears to be in a downward spiral, and judging by this years free agency, will have a hard time trying to resign Gilbert next offseason.
14.
The Heat look like a mess right now… because they ARE a mess right now.
15.
Ugh… not much to say
Western Conference:
1.
The Jazz have three great players in Wade, T-Mac, and Brand. They have one of the best 2nd-year players in Al Horford. They have a great looking bench full of defense and experience. The Jazz have probably improved from last season, but it is still unknown if they will perform better or worse with T-Mac in the lineup instead of a more balanced attack that they presented last season. Anyway, the team looks great, and the Jazz are ready to dominate the Western Conference.
2.
The Spurs are returning all of their starters from the successful team last year, so I am finding it hard to pick against them (which I love to do). Anyway, this is definitely one of the top defensive teams in the league, and it is hard to lose when you have Duncan and Ginobli scoring loads every night. The roleplayers are going to have to step up for another year, which didn’t seem like much of a problem last season.
3.
Honestly, I didn’t like the TJ Ford trade very much for the Warriors. But, they still have a great lineup, which is now much more balanced. The only problem I see arising for the Warriors is that they don’t really have a go-to guy anymore, whereas they had two of them last season. Anyway, this team is still going to be one of the best in the league.
4.
I actually like this team a lot better now that they have Kevin Garnett. The combination of Dirk and Garnett is going to be absolutely insane, but I see Garnett taking a more defensive role with Dirk scoring, and the GM having to trade one of the two. Rip Hamilton is a nice addition to this team, and Boris Diaw should be able to hold his own. Mike Conley performed pretty well for Dallas last season, so I think this lineup will be solid.
5.
The Nuggets are quietly one of the best looking teams in the west. They have a great 1-2 punch of Carmelo Anthony and Michael Redd, but they also have an extremely solid lineup surrounding the two of Barbosa, McDyess, and Chandler. The bench even looks pretty good. This team is going to make a big splash in the Western Conference this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they got as high as the 3 seed come playoff time.
6.
This team still looks really solid for now. I’m not sure if I trust the GM enough to make good decisions yet, but they were able to resign Ron Artest, and the team is looking very strong. A problem I see arising is team defense. Artest is a great defensive player, but aside from him, the rest of the lineup is pretty bad at it. Anyway, this team should easily make the playoffs at this point.
7.
This is another team that is looking really strong. Raymond Felton may fall in value if he does not get to start in real life, but he will still be good for this season. If Felton can provide any good play at the pg position, I see Jeff Green taking a completely defensive role, and the Jamison-Amare backcourt working extremely well. They also have Corey Maggette. This is a solid playoff team.
8.
This team still isn’t complete, but I have inside information that the GM has a plan to win it all next season, not this season. Anyway, the team is really solid with Nash-Odom-Gasol, and the roleplayers of Crawford and Wally should be pretty good. I’m not sure if the defense is going to be there for this team, especially in the backcourt, but only time will tell!
9.
If rating changes do good to the Sonics, then I think they will be able to compete for the last playoff spot. This team is really solid, but still has a few flaws.
10.
They are right on the verge of becoming a playoff team, but I don’t think they will make it this season.
11.
I snubbed them last season in my preseason power rankings, and I am going to snub them again. Sorry LAC, but I don’t think the supporting cast is there this year.
12.
The bottom of the west looks really bad this year, and I see only 11 teams with a legitimate chance of making the playoffs. This team is number 12.
13.
The Trailblazers should have at least tried to resign Iggy… now they have Biedrins instead. Tough luck.
14.
Hey, they are better than someone this season!
15.
Starting a lineup of rookies sounds like a joke to me. I doubt if this team wins 10 games. Yea, I said it. 10 games.
Eastern Conference:
1.
While I do think the Eastern Conference is a lot better this season, I still believe that my lineup of Kidd-Kobe-Hill-Kirilenko-O’Neal will be a dominant force. The defense presented by this lineup is just uncanny. The Nets have the experience, and should have no trouble winning games and making another run to the championship. Not to mention, the Nets bench is full of 70+ rated players, and is perhaps the best in the league now after the free agent signings.
2.
The Pistons didn’t really do too much in free agency. Nonetheless, I think the acquisition of my old players (Ray Allen and Gerald Wallace) will help the Pistons win a bunch of games this year, and will especially help them in the playoffs. There are two flaws with the Pistons roster, though: First, they have Mike Dunleavy starting at power forward. Secondly, the team’s bench is sub-par. Still, this team is very experienced and full of veterans.
3.
The Hawks have a very young and talented team. Joe Johnson didn’t do much for them last season, but I see him and Al Jefferson stepping up and both average about 20 ppg, while the other guys do their roles and lead this team to a great season. The bench is really good, but I possibly see some issues arising due to the lack of experience this team has. Anyway, the roster is really solid, and this team is ready to compete in the only conference to win a title in D5.
4.
I had a hard time figuring out who to put here, and after much deliberation, I decided to go with the Bobcats. This team is very experienced, and has a great 1-2-3 punch of Billups-Prince-Martin. But, the thing I like about this team, is the role-players that the GM has acquired. I think Big Ben and Mobley will fit in really well with the others, and the Bobcats should be in for a great season. The bench is also good, as the GM has made some key signings in free agency.
5.
Once again, it was hard to figure out who to put here. The Celtics have a completely nasty 1-2-3 punch of Williams-Smith-Boozer. JR Smith would be great to start in real life, but I’m not sure he will perform so well in a video game. Kendrick Perkins would also be great to start in real life, but once again, this is a video game. Anyway, the bench is pretty good, and the team is young and ready to start winning some games. Smith is going to have to step it up on the scoring end a little bit, but I don’t see this team having many problems.
6.
This team is ranked here because I like their role players better than some other teams. The Cavaliers signed Ben Gordon this offseason, and I guess they are planning on playing him at point guard, to form a lineup of Gordon-Jefferson-Lebron-Collison-Ilgauskus. The first three players are good, and Ilgauskus is overdue for a bit of a ratings boost if you ask me. I see this team winning a good bit of games, and maybe even making a run in the playoffs led by Lebron James.
7.
With the recent controversy over the Emeka Okafor signing, this team appears to be in a dire situation. They ended up signing Michael Finley and James Posey with the money that was supposed to go to Okafor, which isn’t bad, but it sure isn’t good. Anyway, Chris Paul and Andre Igoudala is just nasty. Put a defensive minded James Posey at the 3, and have Okur to score as a big, and you got yourself a legit playoff team.
8.
Paul Pierce and Dwight Howard combine for possibly the most lethal pairing of players in the entire league. Hedo Turkoglu should get a ratings boost, and this team could possibly have three 80+ players. The supporting cast isn’t too good though, with Foye and Frye expected to end up in the starting lineup. The Magic built a pretty nice bench in free agency, and I see this team making the playoffs for another year.
9.
The Knicks are still very young and are going to have a hard time trying to make the playoffs this season.
10.
The Bucks are my dark horse team to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference this season, but they still need a year to get better.
11.
Even if the best two players on your team are Tony Parker and Chris Bosh, it’s hard to win when the 3rd best player is Morris Peterson.
12.
The Pacers have a few pieces now to win some games… but they still are not on a competitive level.
13.
This team appears to be in a downward spiral, and judging by this years free agency, will have a hard time trying to resign Gilbert next offseason.
14.
The Heat look like a mess right now… because they ARE a mess right now.
15.
Ugh… not much to say
Western Conference:
1.
The Jazz have three great players in Wade, T-Mac, and Brand. They have one of the best 2nd-year players in Al Horford. They have a great looking bench full of defense and experience. The Jazz have probably improved from last season, but it is still unknown if they will perform better or worse with T-Mac in the lineup instead of a more balanced attack that they presented last season. Anyway, the team looks great, and the Jazz are ready to dominate the Western Conference.
2.
The Spurs are returning all of their starters from the successful team last year, so I am finding it hard to pick against them (which I love to do). Anyway, this is definitely one of the top defensive teams in the league, and it is hard to lose when you have Duncan and Ginobli scoring loads every night. The roleplayers are going to have to step up for another year, which didn’t seem like much of a problem last season.
3.
Honestly, I didn’t like the TJ Ford trade very much for the Warriors. But, they still have a great lineup, which is now much more balanced. The only problem I see arising for the Warriors is that they don’t really have a go-to guy anymore, whereas they had two of them last season. Anyway, this team is still going to be one of the best in the league.
4.
I actually like this team a lot better now that they have Kevin Garnett. The combination of Dirk and Garnett is going to be absolutely insane, but I see Garnett taking a more defensive role with Dirk scoring, and the GM having to trade one of the two. Rip Hamilton is a nice addition to this team, and Boris Diaw should be able to hold his own. Mike Conley performed pretty well for Dallas last season, so I think this lineup will be solid.
5.
The Nuggets are quietly one of the best looking teams in the west. They have a great 1-2 punch of Carmelo Anthony and Michael Redd, but they also have an extremely solid lineup surrounding the two of Barbosa, McDyess, and Chandler. The bench even looks pretty good. This team is going to make a big splash in the Western Conference this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they got as high as the 3 seed come playoff time.
6.
This team still looks really solid for now. I’m not sure if I trust the GM enough to make good decisions yet, but they were able to resign Ron Artest, and the team is looking very strong. A problem I see arising is team defense. Artest is a great defensive player, but aside from him, the rest of the lineup is pretty bad at it. Anyway, this team should easily make the playoffs at this point.
7.
This is another team that is looking really strong. Raymond Felton may fall in value if he does not get to start in real life, but he will still be good for this season. If Felton can provide any good play at the pg position, I see Jeff Green taking a completely defensive role, and the Jamison-Amare backcourt working extremely well. They also have Corey Maggette. This is a solid playoff team.
8.
This team still isn’t complete, but I have inside information that the GM has a plan to win it all next season, not this season. Anyway, the team is really solid with Nash-Odom-Gasol, and the roleplayers of Crawford and Wally should be pretty good. I’m not sure if the defense is going to be there for this team, especially in the backcourt, but only time will tell!
9.
If rating changes do good to the Sonics, then I think they will be able to compete for the last playoff spot. This team is really solid, but still has a few flaws.
10.
They are right on the verge of becoming a playoff team, but I don’t think they will make it this season.
11.
I snubbed them last season in my preseason power rankings, and I am going to snub them again. Sorry LAC, but I don’t think the supporting cast is there this year.
12.
The bottom of the west looks really bad this year, and I see only 11 teams with a legitimate chance of making the playoffs. This team is number 12.
13.
The Trailblazers should have at least tried to resign Iggy… now they have Biedrins instead. Tough luck.
14.
Hey, they are better than someone this season!
15.
Starting a lineup of rookies sounds like a joke to me. I doubt if this team wins 10 games. Yea, I said it. 10 games.