Late edit on the last post but the Cavs signed Alex Kirk with their first attempt at addressing their rim protection issues. It's rather nice to be able to have an actual basketball discussion during the sporting abyss that is the month of August.
@NateRich:
The worse argument is dismissing their chances at a repeat simply because they've never done it before. They had never made it to two straight finals before last season either so I'm saying that claim doesn't hold much weight when regarding this current Spurs roster.
Dismissing? Come on now, am I dismissing the Cavs and Bulls just because neither happened to be the team I picked? I have my reasons for not picking both, just like with the Spurs. It's more like using whatever logic I can in order to come up with a prediction. One of the biggest problems with San Antonio at this point is probably their enabling fanbase. Like, if Spurs fans I know catch me saying anything other than that they're the greatest team ever, they blow a lid and cry blasphemy like the last seven years never happened. The ones I know are treating it as a foregone conclusion that they're just going to run all over the league and prance through the playoffs destroying everyone without a care in the world because they're just that good. How is a team supposed to keep their edge in that kind of atmosphere? It's not that I don't think they're capable of winning another title this year, but just like with Thibs and his minute distribution issues, or the Cavs and their rim protection issues… I'll believe it when I see it.
If I was a fan of the Spurs who lived in San Antonio, I'd want to remind that team every single day that they've never been repeat champions, rather than serenade them with endless rants about how unstoppable and perfect they are. Anyway, the reason for them making two straight finals this time around made all kinds of sense. It was the first time they'd ever even lost in the finals (and to do it on a buzzer beater while the trophy was being wheeled out). Complacency was never a worry last season like it will be this season.
Again, that's not me saying they can't do it. I did say they have one of the best teams in the entire league. It's just a prediction.
Also, a side note about the Cavs rim protection. Kevin Love played the majority of his defense in Minnesota with his hands at his sides in order to stay out of foul trouble because of how insanely important he was to their offense. It's likely that he'll start contesting shots with his hands raised above his head in Cleveland since they have a number of players who can score and they'll need more of that from him.
May as well use more current info if you mention that matchup; the Grizzlies got swept by the Spurs in 2013. And the Spurs roster from that year is practically identical to the current one, with Neal instead of Belinelli respectively. The Thunder haven't really made improvements from last season so I have less faith in them.
Eh, that was a conference finals which was further than the Grizzlies had ever been before, which they reached by eliminating the Thunder without Westbrook. The point is that the Grizzlies just play a different game than like any other team in the entire NBA, and a lot of teams have difficulty adapting to it. Them coming in as a lower seed and scaring the pants off of whoever they're playing is just sort of par for the course for them.
As for the improvements the Thunder made? How about their five best players (Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, Jackson, and now Adams) all being quite young still and so they should all be individually better players next season. Adams could start this season, as well, and help to bolster their lineup. Thabo's gone (let's face it his defense was slipping and his offense sucked), and Caron's "local calling only" in the playoffs is gone too, and they brought in Morrow. Meh, the main 5 will make or break the team.
Marion is a good player on both sides of the court but the transition to Parsons should more than make up for it. And the Chandler(Tyson) addition will mask their lack of perimeter defense to a degree. Devin Harris isn't half bad as a combo guard but Ellis often functions as the playmaker regardless so maybe they won't get embarrased by West guards.
Parsons more than makes up for it on the offensive end and then some. Defensively? We'll see, but they could really be hurting for defensive wings if they need Ellis to defend the point. But best of luck to Parsons, Felton, and Nowitzki. Tyson was the legit defensive player of the year 4 years ago or whatever, but that was many moons and many injuries ago. He might only be half the player he was when he captained that defense to a title. Devin Harris was one of my favorite players, but sometime around his Utah years all those injuries began catching up to him. The guy lived on penetration and getting to the line, but his body can't take it anymore. The best case scenario for him at this point in his career might be a cheap man's Jamal Crawford/Manu Ginobili.
I'm a big Ellis fan and I was really sad to see him leave Milwaukee. But if they intend on having him defend the opposing point, and function as the playmaker, then he should just play point guard and leave Felton in a tub of butter so that they can find a real wing. And for the record, Ellis isn't really all that good of a defensive player either, but he's at least all effort all the time.
If they were in a different division I'd have some more faith in them but the Pelicans will likely just get bullied all season. They can put up another winning record on the East though lol
Well, the Pelicans have rarely even taken the court with the lineups they'd prefer to use. Let's see what their starters are actually capable of before writing them off. Also, I seem to recall the Sonics/Thunder being a perennial 20 win team before suddenly jumping to 50+ in a single season, mostly just by letting Durant and Westbrook develop together. The precedent is there, as is the talent. I think it's a bit much to assume that an extra 2 games or whatever against the Spurs and Mavs will destroy their entire 82 game season. In fact, Anthony Davis would credit those games for them getting good. When they asked his opinion on Kevin Love going to Cleveland he said "I wish they were in the West. They'd make us a lot better if we had more chances to play against them."
hahaha
