2009/2010 Team Preview: Denver Nuggets October 1, 2009
Posted by thebigfundamental in NBA.Tags: 2009/2010 Preview, Denver Nuggets, NBA
2 comments
Of all the teams that have come 180 in a season, Denver of the 2008/2009 season were one of the best transformations I have ever seen. They went from being the “All-thugs” of the NBA with a list that was more famous for misdemeanors than basketball ability to the darlings of the playoffs, the team everyone wanted to win simply because they were the toad that turned into Prince Charming. The question hanging over Denvers head this season however is; was it a fluke? It’s a tough question and some may even go as far as to say, unfair, but we’ll keep this in the back of our minds as we go to the depth chart:
"Hmmm... Where too from here?" Hopefully the Finals for Denver fans.
PG: Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Ty Lawson
SG: JR Smith, Aaron Afflalo
SF: Carmello Anthony, Renaldo Balkman, James White
PF: Kenyon Martin, Malik Allen
C: Nene Hilario, Chris Andersen, Johan Petro
That starting 5 is one of the best in the league with either Andersen or Smith coming off the bench to give defense or offense – take your pick. This is handy for coach Karl as it means he can choose what type of start he wants his team to have, then use the bench to counteract as needed. He also has energy players such as Balkman, Lawson and Afflalo if for some reason the 6th player doesn’t do what they’re supposed too. So given all that, why are people everywhere saying that last season was a fluke? Well, it’s a case of zebra’s and their stripes – here’s why I think the stripes have changed for good:
Reason #1: Chauncey Billups is still there and has had a full pre-season with the team. This can not be emphasized enough. Last season Billups’ impact was immediate WITHOUT really getting to know his team. Such was the contrast between he and Iverson, coupled with the respect he demands from those around him, Billups transformed the mindset of the entire team. This season he’ll be there in camp – passing on his knowledge, mentoring the young guys, and getting everyone to follow the system to the most minute detail. Expect this to improve the Nuggets half-court sets dramatically (especially given that before Billups, there really was no such thing as a half-court set in Denver!!!) and for them to have set options ready for all their opponents.
If Carmello can stay healthy, he can be the league leader in scoring this season
Reason #2: Carmello Anthony had an average season and they still made the West Finals. Even by Melo’s own admission his 2008/2009 season was average. His statistics fell across the board, but he improved dramatically in a particular area that had been lacking for his entire career – leadership. Melo finally showed that he had the ability to show up when it counted (I’ll never forget that shot against Dallas), and keep his team-mates heads in the game (rather than the complete opposite). Now he knows he’s capable, I’m sure this season he’ll be looking to mesh his two worlds – the old high powered, unstoppable scoring machine, with the more-aware, mature, floor leader. Add too that he’ll probably look to hit the boards harder this year and you have a pretty scary prospect for other SF’s in the league and even PF’s who attempt to go “out” to guard his now deadly jumper. My prediction is Melo to lead the NBA in scoring this season and in doing so, lead the Nuggets back to the West Finals.
If the team does have weaknesses, they’re defense and injuries. The defense is getting better no doubt, but the injuries have plagued this team constantly since Melo arrived. If they have a healthy season they’re too versatile, and deep a team to not be considered in the Wests top 4, or even Top 2. My prediction is for them to win the Northwest division, get second seed in the West, and sail on through to the finals where they’ll meet LA or San Antonio.
2009/2010 Team Preview: Golden State Warriors September 30, 2009
Posted by thebigfundamental in NBA.Tags: 2009/2010 Preview, Golden State Warriors, NBA
add a comment
Is this even worth doing??? I mean, we know they won’t make the playoffs, someone will have a sook and demand a trade, and a rookie won’t be treated properly and will leave to join another team and flourish there. Are we done? Actually no I should be fair and do this properly I guess. Here’s the depth chart for the Golden State Shooting Guards – I mean Warriors:
Liek Bobby and Whitney before them, you just know this is going to end in tears or fistycuffs... Or both.
PG: Stephen Curry, CJ Watson, Acie Law, Speedy Claxton
SG: Montas Ellis, Anthony Morrow
SF: Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Kelenna Azabuike, Devean George
PF: Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright, Mikki Moore
C: Andris Biedrins, Ronny Turiaf
Looking at that lineup one can immediately see that it’s chock full of young talent, and chock full of people 6’6 or below. For the record, the average height of the team is 6’6 without taking into account some generous “listed heights”. What’s also obvious is that Golden State isn’t short of shooters – apparently that’s what Nellie wants in his uptempo offense – or of depth at the 1/2/3 positions. What’s disturbing is the other positions – 4/5. If Beidrins goes down then the season is over – he is possibly the most important player on any team to hardly get the recognition he deserves. 10+ boards, 2+ blocks and solid percentages make Biedrins an antidote to Nelsons virus. Anthony Randolph is an intriguing prospect as well – we know he can get up and down well, but he can also jump out of a building so if he’s coached well he could transform into quite a handy shot-blocker. Possibly the most disturbing Golden State fact however, is the list of first round picks that have gone wandering elsewhere after their rookie contract or been traded ASAP. Marco Bellinelli, Patrick O’Bryant, Ike Diogu, Mikael Pietrus to name a few and Brandan Wright looks like he might be growing wings soon as well. Something about Don Nelsons Golden State makes it an awful place to develop young bigs… Who’d have thought?
If Golden State are to be taken seriously this year, and they have the players to do it, then they have to lose the attitude, the coach, and several toxic players. Basically I’m calling train-smash on Golden State and saying “start again”. Here’s why:
- Stephen Jackson is not and should never be considered, a team leader: “Wacko Jacko” is aptly named and is a terrible role model for up and coming players. He’s selfish, he has no tact on or off the court, and he brings organizations down (even though he’ll tell you it was him who took them to the playoffs in 2007). At present WJ is calling to be traded. If I’m Golden State – I trade him for draft picks or up and comers. Whatever it takes, get him out of there.
- Fire Don Nelson: I’m not comfortable calling Nellie a coach. He has no strategy, no play book, and no idea how to manage Gen Y players. I’d hire anyone ahead of this guy, though I’d be paying special attention to the Sam Mitchell’s floating about who are famous for getting young bigs to play to their potential.
- Move the big contracts: Lose Maggette, Montas Ellis and Speedy Claxton and get in some expiring contracts and draft picks. Even if Maggette et al. are given away ala Zach Randolph style it doesn’t matter – they’re no help to you on or off the court. Maggette is like WJ just more often injured. Montas is a little nutter developing some serious attitude and we all know his play was flukey thanks to B Diddy being around. Claxton has an expiring contract which is good and hopefully he can be a role model for the young guys coming through but if you can get a draft pick for his contract why not grab it?
- Kill the front office: Metaphorical or not a lot of the problems stem from here…
The Warriors should scrap their plans and build arounf their young core of Randolph, Curry and Biedrins.
The Warriors are going to have another up and down season. They’re like a good action movie – creating suspense, some action, then a soft finish EXCEPT this team won’t live happily ever after. They’ve got enough raw young talent in Curry, Randolph, Morrow and Azabuike to catch some teams off-guard when combined with the ever solid Biedrins but they’ll be lucky to finish better than 12th in the west.
2009/2010 Team Preview: Indiana Pacers September 28, 2009
Posted by thebigfundamental in NBA.Tags: 2009/2010 Preview, Indiana Pacers, NBA
1 comment so far
It’s no secret that I am a closet Indiana fan. Actually, maybe that’s better described as a MASSIVE Danny Granger fan?? Either way I definitely like that Larry Bird has placed his faith in Granger and decided to build around him. Would I have chosen the same building blocks? Is there a pattern associated with skin colour in a similar way as with the Utah Jazz? Who knows. What I “think” I know is that Indiana are a team on the up and up and have plenty of reasons to be excited about the 2009/2010 season. Here’s the depth chart:
Indiana's young up and comers (from left): Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough, and Brandon Rush
PG: TJ Ford, Earl Watson, Travid Deiner, AJ Price
SG: Dahntay Jones, Brandon Rush, Luther Head
SF: Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy
PF: Troy Murphy, Josh McRoberts, Tyler Hansbrough
C: Jeff Foster, Roy Hibbert, Solomon Jones
That’s not the type of lineup to make you go “WOW” but it’s the old adage here in Indiana, “A superstar team will beat a team of superstars,” and thats exactly what they have the makings of. Rebounding – check. Points – check. Range – check. Defense – getting better. Pressure play – they have Granger. Athleticism – … Youth – in abundance. It’s the last two points that really are they keys for Indiana in my opinion if they’re to have success in 2009/2010.
Area #1: Athleticism. White men cannot jump – I can say that because I’m white. Indiana have the most white people on their roster, other than Utah (der). Hansbrough, Murphy, Foster, McRoberts, Dunleavy, Deiner are all EXTREMELY hard workers and have adopted the Larry Bird philosophy that you don’t get nothing for nothing, but they’re still a step slower than most of their direct opponents at their given positions. This is slightly problematic in most situations, but Indiana are in the process of building, similar to San Antonio, a solid team defensive strategy that won’t simply rely on insane athleticism but rather sound structure, communication, and machine like rotation. If the team defense works, the athleticism is no longer an issue.
Area #2: Youth. This is the reason I get excited about Indiana’s prospects, with or without Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy hardly played last season giving young players like Rush a chance to see some serious minutes in the big show. This has served Rush in particular very well, and I expect him to break the shackles this season and start filling the void Marquis Daniels left (especially with Dunleavy an uncertain starter for opening night). The other guy that excites me is Roy Hibbert – another Georgetown monster from the people who brought us Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning. And my how he’s grown in the off-season. His summer league performances were ominous. His body looks balanced and filled out. He seems to have a handle on his foul problems (this will be what determines how effective he is this season) and if he can do all this, we should see the torch officially passed this season from Foster, who’s been carrying it for far too long.
Danny Granger: 2009 MIP, All-Star, All round good bloke. Can he lift the Pacers to new heights in 2010?
So all in all Indiana are looking goof for 2009/2010. They’ve made some excellent acquisitions to help their inside/outside game in Luther Head and Tyler Hansbrough, while Dahntay Jones has been brought in to be a “stopper” for the East’s never ending supply of shooting guards. And they have two players who have come off career season – Troy Murphy and Danny Granger. Murphy probably won’t repeat his efforts from last season but he’ll still be effective giving other PF’s a headache with his 3 point shooting capability coupled with his strong rebounding. Granger on the other hand is not a fully-fledged superstar, an All-star lock, and a franchise player. As long as he stays healthy, the Pacers should be around the 41 win mark come playoff time. Will this be good enough for the playoffs? Who knows but if Indiana can be more consistent in beating team they SHOULD beat, and still keep upsetting the big names (Lakers/Spurs were notable scalps last season) then 41 wins shouldn’t be a problem. My tip is 9th in the East, pipped at the post by Philly.
Baseline Cut's 