Post by Haberino on Aug 10, 2010 12:54:39 GMT -5
1. Phoenix Suns
The Suns have BBS' most stacked lineup, and in a year with no real powerhouse teams, this is enough to make Phoenix the best team. Their bench is weak. Their defense and rebounding could stand to improve. But the Suns have incredible balance in their starting five. Chauncey Billups, one of the league's best guards, is a great distributor and shooter. Larry Hughes is jack of all trades, as is versatile superstar Shawn Marion, and the two form a great perimeter duo on both ends of the floor. The Suns get nearly 40 PPG from their frontcourt, something few BBS teams can say. Although the Suns may be one great bench piece away from true dominance, they can outscore anyway with a lineup loaded with great shooters, slashers, post players, and free throw shooters.
2. Utah Jazz
May not seem so just yet, but the Jazz are a great team. Chris Kaman and Pau Gasol form the league's best starting frontcourt (their backups, Chris Andersen and Danny Fortson, rebound, score, and block shots better than any reserve tandem, too). Michael Redd, Cuttino Mobley, Mike Miller and Felipe Lopez complement the league's best inside-scoring duo with unquestionably its best shooting attack. The Jazz have undergone some early-season changes, but when they get going, expect them to be BBS' best team. All the pieces are there for an remarkably balanced and dangerous scoring attack, along with great passing, shotblocking, defense, and depth.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves are 14-6 despite losing Shaq for 8 games. He and Robert Traylor are a better version of Yao Ming and Mark Blount. Vince Carter and Jason Terry are a better version of Mike Redd and Cuttino Mobley. What's missing? Not much, but the Wolves' complementary pieces aren't enough. Anthony Peeler, Bruce Bowen, Andrew Declercq and Mike Doleac are all good players. But if the Wolves outman the Suns inside and the Jazz on the perimeter, they're still clearly inferior. The Suns have Shawn Marion and Chauncey Billups to throw at Bowen and Terry, and if Larry Hughes neutralizes VC, watch out. Similarly, the Jazz have superior depth to the Wolves and the Kaman/Gasol-Traylor matchup swings the pendulum Utah's way. Again, the Wolves are elite, but the sum of their parts has them a step behind Utah and Phoenix.
4. New York Knicks
The Knicks are a sexy team. AK is one of the most exciting players in BBS, and a bona fide superstar. Steve Nash is breaking out as one of the league's best offensive players, sporting a spectacular A:TO ratio and even better shooting percentages. His backcourt mate, Jamal Crawford, somehow manages to have him beat in that department. So with two 20+ PPG, 50% FG guards, a 17/12/4/4/2 big, and one of the league's better scorers in Glenn Robinson, the Knicks should be tough to beat. But they're very beatable. Nash and Crawford are C and C+ defenders, respectively. The Knicks rebound poorly. And if they expect to beat the Wolves, Jazz, or Suns with Memo guarding some of the league's best bigs, it will be their downfall. So while the Knicks back up their exciting pieces with some serious substance (101 oPPG, 6 more BPG+SPG than TPG, team FG% of 47.6), they have serious defensive question marks that will likely be exposed by elite teams.
5. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors don't look special on paper, but their combination of perimeter and inside threats make them a great scoring team. They run an uptempo offense with Ray Allen at the 1, they get solid contributions from their wings (Rashard Lewis could stand to step his game up), and Amare Stoudemire is emerging as a force up front. However, Golden State's lineup is far from special; what puts them over the top is brilliant bench play. Delonte West, Shane Battier, Luis Scola and Brendan Haywood combine to average over 30 PPG for one of BBS' best bench. The group keep low turnovers, and they rebound and defend well. Battier has been especially impressive. His shooting percentages are brilliant, as are his 2 BPG + SPG off the bench. Scola's 10 PPG in 17 MPG aren't far behind. Barring injury, this is a team that will win a lot of games with their depth.
6. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are an amazing rebounding team with very good perimeter scoring, an emerging PG, and 6MOY candidate in Mike Dunleavy. They block shots well, but must boost their steals per game and lower their turnovers. Though the Pacers allow just 101 PPG, they will have to overcome Antoine Walker's horrendous defense against elite teams. Furthermore, TJ Ford is clearly inferior to the likes of Steve Nash and Chauncey Billups, and he must lower his turnovers in order to at least attempt to keep pace with them offensively. Though Zo is defending and rebounding better than ever, he's never neutralized the league's great big man, and though Jimmy King is a great scorer, is he better than Mike Redd or Vince Carter? Simply put, the Pacers have a lot of good pieces, but their top talents don't compare to those of the teams ahead of them, and even if they lead the league in wins this year, they're nothing more than a good regular season team. Not a contender in my eyes.
7. Toronto Raptors
62.8. The Raptors look like they could kinda suck. Hubert Davis is a bad defender. Their SF and PF options are far, far from on pace with the teams in front of them. Their starting center shoots 36% from the field. But the Raps are a system team with the most dangerous duo in BBS by miles and miles. AI is the best player in the league and it's not even kind of close right now. Hubert Davis, long underrated, is still one of the best scorers in BBS at age 34. The two average almost 63 PPG in just over 70 minutes a night. Unreal. The Raptors need to look for cheap scoring options, because with one more guy who could light it up, they'd be staring at a possible repeat. KVH is out there, isn't he? The Raptors block shots well, and Austin Croshere, Josh Childress and Mo Williams make for very nice bench scorers. BBS is weak right now. DJ has a chance to capitalize and go for a repeat, and to my eyes, one more scorer will be enough to put him in position.
8. Boston Celtics
Their offseason sucked, but with Moochie Norris on board, the Celts are still very good. One question, though: what the hell is Jeff doing with Larry Johnson? OK, his ratings have taken a hit...but he's still an excellent scorer. The guy did almost 19 points in 28 minutes a night last year! He's doing 7 PPG in 13 MPG this year, and shooting 54% from the field! Play the man! Boris Diaw is very clearly a bench player right now, whose versatility is a plus as a 2/3 backup. With the way teams like Utah, Phoenix, NY, and Golden State can light it up, the only way Boston can keep pace is to throw their best scorers forward. Limiting a great offensive player to 13 minutes a night isn't exactly putting Boston ahead of the pack.
9. Denver Nuggets
On the right night, they can probably beat anyone. Kobe is pretty much unstoppable, and with the addition of Eddie Elisma, the Nuggets defense and rebounding are elite. If only D-Wade and Arenas were just a little bit better, because there wouldn't be enough talent in BBS right now to stop a trio like that. PG play is a big question mark, and the Nuggets must start with lowering their turnovers. Nanz needs to get going with articles in order to get his guys where they need to be. If not, he's just sitting on a potentially dominant team and letting it be very good, but not great. Another question mark: can the Nuggets land a certain UConn prospect?
10. Nobody
I'm using this space to say that there isn't another team deserving of a top ten ranking. The Bucks? EH. Their team FG% sucks and they don't block shots. Meka is straight shit. Why did he got top ten? Ew. The Pistons have three great players (actually 2 because Z is sucking it up) and not much else. Spurs and Hornets are good and interesting but not special at all. Cavs surrounded TD with a bunch of pretty good pieces, but very clearly have nobody on par with other teams' second and third best pieces. I think too many guys are just sitting tight with good talents and nothing teams!
The Suns have BBS' most stacked lineup, and in a year with no real powerhouse teams, this is enough to make Phoenix the best team. Their bench is weak. Their defense and rebounding could stand to improve. But the Suns have incredible balance in their starting five. Chauncey Billups, one of the league's best guards, is a great distributor and shooter. Larry Hughes is jack of all trades, as is versatile superstar Shawn Marion, and the two form a great perimeter duo on both ends of the floor. The Suns get nearly 40 PPG from their frontcourt, something few BBS teams can say. Although the Suns may be one great bench piece away from true dominance, they can outscore anyway with a lineup loaded with great shooters, slashers, post players, and free throw shooters.
2. Utah Jazz
May not seem so just yet, but the Jazz are a great team. Chris Kaman and Pau Gasol form the league's best starting frontcourt (their backups, Chris Andersen and Danny Fortson, rebound, score, and block shots better than any reserve tandem, too). Michael Redd, Cuttino Mobley, Mike Miller and Felipe Lopez complement the league's best inside-scoring duo with unquestionably its best shooting attack. The Jazz have undergone some early-season changes, but when they get going, expect them to be BBS' best team. All the pieces are there for an remarkably balanced and dangerous scoring attack, along with great passing, shotblocking, defense, and depth.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves are 14-6 despite losing Shaq for 8 games. He and Robert Traylor are a better version of Yao Ming and Mark Blount. Vince Carter and Jason Terry are a better version of Mike Redd and Cuttino Mobley. What's missing? Not much, but the Wolves' complementary pieces aren't enough. Anthony Peeler, Bruce Bowen, Andrew Declercq and Mike Doleac are all good players. But if the Wolves outman the Suns inside and the Jazz on the perimeter, they're still clearly inferior. The Suns have Shawn Marion and Chauncey Billups to throw at Bowen and Terry, and if Larry Hughes neutralizes VC, watch out. Similarly, the Jazz have superior depth to the Wolves and the Kaman/Gasol-Traylor matchup swings the pendulum Utah's way. Again, the Wolves are elite, but the sum of their parts has them a step behind Utah and Phoenix.
4. New York Knicks
The Knicks are a sexy team. AK is one of the most exciting players in BBS, and a bona fide superstar. Steve Nash is breaking out as one of the league's best offensive players, sporting a spectacular A:TO ratio and even better shooting percentages. His backcourt mate, Jamal Crawford, somehow manages to have him beat in that department. So with two 20+ PPG, 50% FG guards, a 17/12/4/4/2 big, and one of the league's better scorers in Glenn Robinson, the Knicks should be tough to beat. But they're very beatable. Nash and Crawford are C and C+ defenders, respectively. The Knicks rebound poorly. And if they expect to beat the Wolves, Jazz, or Suns with Memo guarding some of the league's best bigs, it will be their downfall. So while the Knicks back up their exciting pieces with some serious substance (101 oPPG, 6 more BPG+SPG than TPG, team FG% of 47.6), they have serious defensive question marks that will likely be exposed by elite teams.
5. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors don't look special on paper, but their combination of perimeter and inside threats make them a great scoring team. They run an uptempo offense with Ray Allen at the 1, they get solid contributions from their wings (Rashard Lewis could stand to step his game up), and Amare Stoudemire is emerging as a force up front. However, Golden State's lineup is far from special; what puts them over the top is brilliant bench play. Delonte West, Shane Battier, Luis Scola and Brendan Haywood combine to average over 30 PPG for one of BBS' best bench. The group keep low turnovers, and they rebound and defend well. Battier has been especially impressive. His shooting percentages are brilliant, as are his 2 BPG + SPG off the bench. Scola's 10 PPG in 17 MPG aren't far behind. Barring injury, this is a team that will win a lot of games with their depth.
6. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are an amazing rebounding team with very good perimeter scoring, an emerging PG, and 6MOY candidate in Mike Dunleavy. They block shots well, but must boost their steals per game and lower their turnovers. Though the Pacers allow just 101 PPG, they will have to overcome Antoine Walker's horrendous defense against elite teams. Furthermore, TJ Ford is clearly inferior to the likes of Steve Nash and Chauncey Billups, and he must lower his turnovers in order to at least attempt to keep pace with them offensively. Though Zo is defending and rebounding better than ever, he's never neutralized the league's great big man, and though Jimmy King is a great scorer, is he better than Mike Redd or Vince Carter? Simply put, the Pacers have a lot of good pieces, but their top talents don't compare to those of the teams ahead of them, and even if they lead the league in wins this year, they're nothing more than a good regular season team. Not a contender in my eyes.
7. Toronto Raptors
62.8. The Raptors look like they could kinda suck. Hubert Davis is a bad defender. Their SF and PF options are far, far from on pace with the teams in front of them. Their starting center shoots 36% from the field. But the Raps are a system team with the most dangerous duo in BBS by miles and miles. AI is the best player in the league and it's not even kind of close right now. Hubert Davis, long underrated, is still one of the best scorers in BBS at age 34. The two average almost 63 PPG in just over 70 minutes a night. Unreal. The Raptors need to look for cheap scoring options, because with one more guy who could light it up, they'd be staring at a possible repeat. KVH is out there, isn't he? The Raptors block shots well, and Austin Croshere, Josh Childress and Mo Williams make for very nice bench scorers. BBS is weak right now. DJ has a chance to capitalize and go for a repeat, and to my eyes, one more scorer will be enough to put him in position.
8. Boston Celtics
Their offseason sucked, but with Moochie Norris on board, the Celts are still very good. One question, though: what the hell is Jeff doing with Larry Johnson? OK, his ratings have taken a hit...but he's still an excellent scorer. The guy did almost 19 points in 28 minutes a night last year! He's doing 7 PPG in 13 MPG this year, and shooting 54% from the field! Play the man! Boris Diaw is very clearly a bench player right now, whose versatility is a plus as a 2/3 backup. With the way teams like Utah, Phoenix, NY, and Golden State can light it up, the only way Boston can keep pace is to throw their best scorers forward. Limiting a great offensive player to 13 minutes a night isn't exactly putting Boston ahead of the pack.
9. Denver Nuggets
On the right night, they can probably beat anyone. Kobe is pretty much unstoppable, and with the addition of Eddie Elisma, the Nuggets defense and rebounding are elite. If only D-Wade and Arenas were just a little bit better, because there wouldn't be enough talent in BBS right now to stop a trio like that. PG play is a big question mark, and the Nuggets must start with lowering their turnovers. Nanz needs to get going with articles in order to get his guys where they need to be. If not, he's just sitting on a potentially dominant team and letting it be very good, but not great. Another question mark: can the Nuggets land a certain UConn prospect?
10. Nobody
I'm using this space to say that there isn't another team deserving of a top ten ranking. The Bucks? EH. Their team FG% sucks and they don't block shots. Meka is straight shit. Why did he got top ten? Ew. The Pistons have three great players (actually 2 because Z is sucking it up) and not much else. Spurs and Hornets are good and interesting but not special at all. Cavs surrounded TD with a bunch of pretty good pieces, but very clearly have nobody on par with other teams' second and third best pieces. I think too many guys are just sitting tight with good talents and nothing teams!
