NBA-What we have learned through the first weekend.
-Like I have said before the Cavs big men cannot defend the perimeter. This was evident in the first two games of the year which resulted in losses against the Celtics and Raptors. I am not saying the Cavs won’t make the playoffs or won’t win 60 games, but they will struggle against teams with versatile or great shooting 4 or 5 men. These teams include BOS, ORL, LAL, DAL, ATL, TOR, Utah, PHO, OKC, MIA (if Michael Beasley continues to start at PF) and PHL (if Thaddeus Young starts at PF once Elton Brand gets hurt, it will happen eventually)
-The Lakers, Celtics and Magic (with or without Vince Carter) all look capable of winning 65 or more games this year.
-The Nuggets might also belong in that class and they will stay in the top tier with the NBA’s elite as long as Melo plays the way he has. Melo has more skill than LeBron and is looking to put himself in the NBA’s elite class along with Kobe, DWade, and Bron.
-The Thunder is 2-1 and if they make a playoff push this year, then there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Northwest Division is the best in the NBA. Denver is elite, Portland is young and talented, and the Jazz are always solid. Minnesota is bad and Ricky Rubio wouldn’t really help much.
-Memphis beat Toronto 2 days after the Raptors beat King James and the Cavs. The Raptors frontcourt did look impressive against the Cavs. They have 3 versatile guys at 6-10 or taller.
-The second best division in the NBA might be the Southeast. The Magic are nasty and the Hawks have as good of a starting 5 as any team in the league. The Heat is 3-0 and they have that Wade guy on their team. The Wizards have looked impressive as the Gilbert Arenas of old has returned. The Bobcats are terrible. They scored 59 points in the opener and were led by Gerald Wallace’s 10 points.
-Avery Johnson said Tony Parker was the second best PG in the league behind Chris Paul after the Spurs beat the Hornets. A day later, Derrick Rose completely out played Parker in the Bulls win proving that Rose might be the second best PG in the league. However Rose followed that game with 2 bad performances in losses against the Celtics and Heat. So I would have to say that Deron Williams is the number 2 PG in the NBA right now. His 11 assists per game give him a slight edge over Chauncey and Steve Nash. Here are my PG rankings right now:
1) Chris Paul
2) Deron Williams
3) Chauncey Billups
4) Steve Nash-He is looking like the Nash of old and the Suns are 3-0, but don’t expect 20 assists like he had vs. the Warriors every night).
5) Aaron Brooks- The most underrated player in the NBA right now. He is averaging 22 and 8 through the first 3 games and the Rockets are somehow 2-1 without Yao or Artest.
Just outside the top 5: Derrick Rose, Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook.
-The Mavs have looked good since their opening night loss to the Wizards.
-I don’t know what to think about the 76ers yet, other than I hope every Philly team beats a New York team, but the Phillies are losing to the Yankees. I really hate the Yankees.
-The Clippers really really need Blake Griffin to heal fast.
-Danny Granger and Kevin Martin are both likely to average more points per game than wins for their team. I am guessing Granger at 27.1 ppg with the Pacers going 20-62 while Kevin Martin gets 26.5 ppg while the Kings go 14-68.
-Speaking of bad teams the New York/Jersey Jets and Giants aren’t the only teams in the New York Metro area struggling. The Knicks and Nets are both stinking it up. So which teams will LeBron chose this summer? Your guess is as good as mine.
-The Bucks are so bad the NBA wouldn’t let them pay a game until Friday. However they did upset the Pistons on Saturday and Brandon Jennings has looked good in his first two games.
-Another rookie that has looked good is second round steal DeJuan Blair. He’s averaging 8 and 8 off the Bench for the Spurs.
So those are my thoughts thus far. I somehow managed to mention every team at least once.
-The Lakers, Celtics and Magic (with or without Vince Carter) all look capable of winning 65 or more games this year.
-The Nuggets might also belong in that class and they will stay in the top tier with the NBA’s elite as long as Melo plays the way he has. Melo has more skill than LeBron and is looking to put himself in the NBA’s elite class along with Kobe, DWade, and Bron.
-The Thunder is 2-1 and if they make a playoff push this year, then there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Northwest Division is the best in the NBA. Denver is elite, Portland is young and talented, and the Jazz are always solid. Minnesota is bad and Ricky Rubio wouldn’t really help much.
-Memphis beat Toronto 2 days after the Raptors beat King James and the Cavs. The Raptors frontcourt did look impressive against the Cavs. They have 3 versatile guys at 6-10 or taller.
-The second best division in the NBA might be the Southeast. The Magic are nasty and the Hawks have as good of a starting 5 as any team in the league. The Heat is 3-0 and they have that Wade guy on their team. The Wizards have looked impressive as the Gilbert Arenas of old has returned. The Bobcats are terrible. They scored 59 points in the opener and were led by Gerald Wallace’s 10 points.
-Avery Johnson said Tony Parker was the second best PG in the league behind Chris Paul after the Spurs beat the Hornets. A day later, Derrick Rose completely out played Parker in the Bulls win proving that Rose might be the second best PG in the league. However Rose followed that game with 2 bad performances in losses against the Celtics and Heat. So I would have to say that Deron Williams is the number 2 PG in the NBA right now. His 11 assists per game give him a slight edge over Chauncey and Steve Nash. Here are my PG rankings right now:
1) Chris Paul
2) Deron Williams
3) Chauncey Billups
4) Steve Nash-He is looking like the Nash of old and the Suns are 3-0, but don’t expect 20 assists like he had vs. the Warriors every night).
5) Aaron Brooks- The most underrated player in the NBA right now. He is averaging 22 and 8 through the first 3 games and the Rockets are somehow 2-1 without Yao or Artest.
Just outside the top 5: Derrick Rose, Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook.
-The Mavs have looked good since their opening night loss to the Wizards.
-I don’t know what to think about the 76ers yet, other than I hope every Philly team beats a New York team, but the Phillies are losing to the Yankees. I really hate the Yankees.
-The Clippers really really need Blake Griffin to heal fast.
-Danny Granger and Kevin Martin are both likely to average more points per game than wins for their team. I am guessing Granger at 27.1 ppg with the Pacers going 20-62 while Kevin Martin gets 26.5 ppg while the Kings go 14-68.
-Speaking of bad teams the New York/Jersey Jets and Giants aren’t the only teams in the New York Metro area struggling. The Knicks and Nets are both stinking it up. So which teams will LeBron chose this summer? Your guess is as good as mine.
-The Bucks are so bad the NBA wouldn’t let them pay a game until Friday. However they did upset the Pistons on Saturday and Brandon Jennings has looked good in his first two games.
-Another rookie that has looked good is second round steal DeJuan Blair. He’s averaging 8 and 8 off the Bench for the Spurs.
So those are my thoughts thus far. I somehow managed to mention every team at least once.
Comments
Post a Comment