Friday, February 29, 2008

Western Conference Ranks

With the daily movement within the Western Conference ranks, I thought it would be fun to place the teams in a personal preference order and provide some fodder for the comments section.

They've been on fire since the Pau trade. I'm looking forward to the return of
Bynum (a member of my fave-five.)

I'm no Jazz fan, but this team looks really good. Solid interior play, a fantastic point guard, and a sharpshooter makes for a tough out in the playoffs. AK47 seems to be the piece that would really put them over the top.

This team just doesn't have the same inevitability they have had in previous years. I don't know if they are showing some wear and tear, or if it is the six legitimate contenders in the West that are displaying more resistance. Is it me, or does Manu not know how to dribble with his right hand?


Ladies and Gentlemen, your league MVP Chris Paul (CP3 another great nickname.)



Can they prove anything before the playoffs start?


Why do I have them higher than the Suns? Because if these two teams meet in the playoffs, I would pick Golden State. This team would literally run Shaq off the court, and I loved the they way they played in the playoffs last year. Man-ologue fully endorses their point guard.


Not the post-trade start the team was looking for. I do appreciate Nash playing in "trash."

I was on the Nugget Bandwagon before the season, but it hasn't fully come together for the team this year.


Honorable mention:

Rockets, Kings and Blazers

2 comments:

Ryan said...

I don't think I can really argue with any of your picks but I do have a few thoughts:

I like what the Sports Guy said about Bynum coming back. Who knows when it will happen and if he'll be healthy enough to make an impact beyond what Gasol has already made.

The Spurs know when to turn up the volume, and recently they have. As much as I hate watching Manu only dribble with his left hand (excellent observation), the Spurs have something that noone else has: Tim Duncan.

Thank you for not putting the Rockets on the list. Yes, they've won 17 in a row, but T-Mac won't be able to carry the team far into the playoffs. Sidenote, I know one of Tracy Mcgrady's 11th grade teachers, who said the following: "Skipping college was the smartest thing he ever did."

Oh, The Warriors. Growing up in Nor-Cal, I grew up watching hundreds of GS games, and they were atrocious. I eventually gave up on them and fell in love with the Kings. Why now, after all these years are they everything exciting about basketball?? Can I activate my expired Warriors fancard? (This paragraph could be developed into a future post, including a Sharunis Marciolunis refrence, depending how far they go in the postseason)

If I hear another analyst say this is a golden era of the NBA, I'll shoot a hole in my radio and/or TV. The Western Conference may be in a renaissance, but the East is still in the Dark Ages as far as I'm concerned. Any thoughts?

Brad said...

I didn't even see your reply until yesterday.
It's just my luck to have a real man-crush on someone, just to have him go down the next week. He really needs to get back and work with Pau before the playoffs start.
I think the Warriors could take down just about anybody, including the Spurs which would be great. With the way some teams improve just in time for the playoffs, it's as if the regular season only serves to build anticipation for the playoffs.
Another good post would be to detail the Dirk mental situation, the controling coach, and crazy owner. Jessica could contribute.
I know what you mean about the current era hype, but the difference between now and 10 years ago are all the young talented players. The East is pretty weak, but it does have three things going for it: Will LeBron carry the Cavs again? Can the Celtics live up to the hype? Are the Pistons individual parts greater than the Big Three? Tayshon Prince is another player that I really don't like - I just don't know why.