Post by Haberino on Jan 7, 2011 14:41:16 GMT -5
We're 40 days into the BBS season, which isn't midway and is instead one-third of the way through, but midseason is an easier title. So far this has been the most uninteresting season yet! Does the Contract Year need to be shortened or something? So many teams are either happily mediocre or blatantly tanking. There's like one team this season that can compete with the top five teams from like 1997-2007 in this version. What's going on? I guess great players like Gerald Wallace and Zach Randolph are being hidden on teams going nowhere, but there are so few exciting teams and so many truly bad teams only interested in losing. I think the Contract Year needs to be shortened. Anyway, here are the top 20 teams.
1. Denver Nuggets
Greeme continues to prove the doubters wrong with the Nuggets off to a 23-2. start. This team is loaded at the perimeter, and you knew they had great rebounding and shotblocking, but who thought Chris Kaman would bounce back to 25 PPG?
2. Phoenix Suns
The Suns aren't playing as well as they have in past seasons. Turnovers are up, rebounds are down, and that's apparent in their point differential. But they're 20-7, the best turnover-inducing team in the league, and Mark has something up his sleeve.
3. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons are a good bench addition away from being as good as it gets in BBS. They have three excellent scoring options, shotblocking, rebounding, and low turnovers, but the bench is a bit thin. It'd be nice to get a good scorer behind PJ Tucker.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
Their core is as good as ever, which is why Guillermo Diaz's excellent season so far may make this the year the Wolves come out on top. Then again, the Nuggets are 23-2, so the Wolves may be out of luck.
5. New Jersey Nets
Still very good, but no longer dominant. The Nets have had some surprising losses, but they've also been worse than ever against the teams they'll need to beat in the playoffs. Al Jeff's improved, but if he has an off night offensively, do the Nets still have the firepower?
6. Utah Jazz
The loss of Gilbert Arenas is already forgotten in Utah thanks to George Hill's improved shooting and stellar assist to turnover ratio. And look out: not only is LeBron having his best season yet, but Utah is also getting superstar caliber play from Donta Smith
7. Chicago Bulls
A very good but not great team, Chicago's clear weakness is its defense. Which is odd, because other than Gordon Hayward, this team is loaded defensively. Is Chicago a DC adjustment away from dominance?
8. New Orleans Hornets
Aar did a great job trading for good players whose value wasn't so high, and Javale McGee's excellent TC has the Hornets in the league's top ten for the first time in a while. Ricky Rubio has emerged as a superstar PG, and Dwight Howard is finally able to defer to more talented offensive players. Salary situation isn't so pretty...
9. Dallas Mavericks
Their window doesn't really extend beyond this season, but Dallas has to be taken seriously on the strength of their stacked starting lineup. Playing Manu anywhere but PG is a mistake, and he and Redick combine for possibly the league's best shooting backcourt. Dallas' bigs, meanwhile, are dominant defensively and on the glass.
10. Memphis Grizzlies
Tony Parker's play has really fallen off. Maybe one basketball just isn't enough in Memphis. Everyone's numbers are down, and it hasn't benefitted the team at all. The bench is bad and the turnovers are a bit high, but the Grizz have to be much better than a 16-11 team.
11. Houston Rockets
Right now, Marc Gasol is the best player in BBS. I knew he'd improve his stats, but to the tune of 30 PPG? Wow. Thad Young is having a good season, and Houston's won 12 of 15, but Andrew's done a pretty underwhelming job if this is his CY team. He has the assets to improve and should be doing so instead of holding out hope that he's getting Chris Paul with the NJ picks.
12. Washington Wizards
A mediocre roster thriving in an awful conference. Not much else to it, really. Hard to take them seriously with those blocks and rebounders.
13. New York Knicks
The Noah trade was huge for the Knicks. Love puts up good stats, but Noah is a much, much better player. There are areas where the two are similar, but Noah is pretty much better than Love at everything, especially defense. I love Prince as big minute backup. If NY gets more out of Diaw, they'll be elite.
14. San Antonio Spurs
JAH never converted his many promising pieces into elite talents, and now some of his best players have regressed. The result is JAH's specialty: mediocrity. A perennial ninth seed! Time for a rebuild, methinks.
15. Milwaukee Bucks
Carlos Boozer figures to be a big upgrade for Milwaukee. They still get no shotblocking and their rebounding is only OK. Milwaukee has a lot of perimeter talent, but Selby's disappointing and George isn't shooting enough. Still, I think they're good for 46 wins.
16. Cleveland Cavaliers
A two-man team that should probably win 30 games, the Cavs rank 16th on the strength of two players and the weakness of a conference. Take a look at how putrid the rest of their roster is. It's somehow more notable than the insanely good numbers Wallace and Kobe combine for.
17. Indiana Pacers
DeJuan Blair's one of the most underrated players in BBS. That's good for Indiana, since John Wall isn't actually that good and the rest of their team is total shit. .500! Jeff Green's playing alright for them.
18. Charlotte Bobcats
Obviously they're going to climb, but they're 11-14 at the moment, so I can't really rank them any higher. Eric Gordon's playing the best he's played in his career for Hype. Anthony Randolph is insanely valuable as a defensive stat stuffer. And with ZBo's addition costing them no contributors, this could be an excellent team.
19. Atlanta Hawks
Hey, Blake's pretty good. I don't think Fab Melo is going to be a star. Rose has taken a step back from last season. I remember when I had Charlie Villanueva.
20. Nobody
Everyone else is tanking. Sucks.
1. Denver Nuggets
Greeme continues to prove the doubters wrong with the Nuggets off to a 23-2. start. This team is loaded at the perimeter, and you knew they had great rebounding and shotblocking, but who thought Chris Kaman would bounce back to 25 PPG?
2. Phoenix Suns
The Suns aren't playing as well as they have in past seasons. Turnovers are up, rebounds are down, and that's apparent in their point differential. But they're 20-7, the best turnover-inducing team in the league, and Mark has something up his sleeve.
3. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons are a good bench addition away from being as good as it gets in BBS. They have three excellent scoring options, shotblocking, rebounding, and low turnovers, but the bench is a bit thin. It'd be nice to get a good scorer behind PJ Tucker.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
Their core is as good as ever, which is why Guillermo Diaz's excellent season so far may make this the year the Wolves come out on top. Then again, the Nuggets are 23-2, so the Wolves may be out of luck.
5. New Jersey Nets
Still very good, but no longer dominant. The Nets have had some surprising losses, but they've also been worse than ever against the teams they'll need to beat in the playoffs. Al Jeff's improved, but if he has an off night offensively, do the Nets still have the firepower?
6. Utah Jazz
The loss of Gilbert Arenas is already forgotten in Utah thanks to George Hill's improved shooting and stellar assist to turnover ratio. And look out: not only is LeBron having his best season yet, but Utah is also getting superstar caliber play from Donta Smith
7. Chicago Bulls
A very good but not great team, Chicago's clear weakness is its defense. Which is odd, because other than Gordon Hayward, this team is loaded defensively. Is Chicago a DC adjustment away from dominance?
8. New Orleans Hornets
Aar did a great job trading for good players whose value wasn't so high, and Javale McGee's excellent TC has the Hornets in the league's top ten for the first time in a while. Ricky Rubio has emerged as a superstar PG, and Dwight Howard is finally able to defer to more talented offensive players. Salary situation isn't so pretty...
9. Dallas Mavericks
Their window doesn't really extend beyond this season, but Dallas has to be taken seriously on the strength of their stacked starting lineup. Playing Manu anywhere but PG is a mistake, and he and Redick combine for possibly the league's best shooting backcourt. Dallas' bigs, meanwhile, are dominant defensively and on the glass.
10. Memphis Grizzlies
Tony Parker's play has really fallen off. Maybe one basketball just isn't enough in Memphis. Everyone's numbers are down, and it hasn't benefitted the team at all. The bench is bad and the turnovers are a bit high, but the Grizz have to be much better than a 16-11 team.
11. Houston Rockets
Right now, Marc Gasol is the best player in BBS. I knew he'd improve his stats, but to the tune of 30 PPG? Wow. Thad Young is having a good season, and Houston's won 12 of 15, but Andrew's done a pretty underwhelming job if this is his CY team. He has the assets to improve and should be doing so instead of holding out hope that he's getting Chris Paul with the NJ picks.
12. Washington Wizards
A mediocre roster thriving in an awful conference. Not much else to it, really. Hard to take them seriously with those blocks and rebounders.
13. New York Knicks
The Noah trade was huge for the Knicks. Love puts up good stats, but Noah is a much, much better player. There are areas where the two are similar, but Noah is pretty much better than Love at everything, especially defense. I love Prince as big minute backup. If NY gets more out of Diaw, they'll be elite.
14. San Antonio Spurs
JAH never converted his many promising pieces into elite talents, and now some of his best players have regressed. The result is JAH's specialty: mediocrity. A perennial ninth seed! Time for a rebuild, methinks.
15. Milwaukee Bucks
Carlos Boozer figures to be a big upgrade for Milwaukee. They still get no shotblocking and their rebounding is only OK. Milwaukee has a lot of perimeter talent, but Selby's disappointing and George isn't shooting enough. Still, I think they're good for 46 wins.
16. Cleveland Cavaliers
A two-man team that should probably win 30 games, the Cavs rank 16th on the strength of two players and the weakness of a conference. Take a look at how putrid the rest of their roster is. It's somehow more notable than the insanely good numbers Wallace and Kobe combine for.
17. Indiana Pacers
DeJuan Blair's one of the most underrated players in BBS. That's good for Indiana, since John Wall isn't actually that good and the rest of their team is total shit. .500! Jeff Green's playing alright for them.
18. Charlotte Bobcats
Obviously they're going to climb, but they're 11-14 at the moment, so I can't really rank them any higher. Eric Gordon's playing the best he's played in his career for Hype. Anthony Randolph is insanely valuable as a defensive stat stuffer. And with ZBo's addition costing them no contributors, this could be an excellent team.
19. Atlanta Hawks
Hey, Blake's pretty good. I don't think Fab Melo is going to be a star. Rose has taken a step back from last season. I remember when I had Charlie Villanueva.
20. Nobody
Everyone else is tanking. Sucks.
