Earlier today, Kyle Baillargeon made his preseason predictions for the Eastern Conference. Now it's time to take a team-by-team look at the Western Conference.
Here is how Kyle sees the Western Conference playing out:
1. Los Angeles Lakers - 61-21
The triangle offense is just a distant memory with Steve Nash at the helm, and this team should expect to score in spades. When Dwight Howard comes back, assuming he is his normal self, watch out.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder - 60-22
The Thunder will be at or near the top for years to come, with only the retooled Lakers poised to stand in their way. The Thunder should take last year's loss in the NBA Finals as a learning experience and expect to come into this season with something to prove. It's also amazing to consider that KD35 just turned 24.
3. San Antonio Spurs - 59-23
Tempted to give the Spurs a lower record, simply because they know it's all about the playoffs and not the regular season. But that's just silly. This team will continue to be good until they prove otherwise.
4. Los Angeles Clippers - 54-28
Chemistry is a concern for the bench, where Matt Barnes and Jamal Crawford are not necessarily known for being quiet role players. CP3 combined with the talented and athletic front court should make for a four seed in the tight west.
5. Denver Nuggets - 53-29
This should be an exciting team to watch. Denver will be running all year, and Iguodola gives them a defensive anchor. With the right matchups, this team could surprise many and go deep into the playoffs.
6. Memphis Grizzlies - 51-31
Memphis opened some eyes two seasons ago in the playoffs, and they showed last season that they're no fluke. We've seen in this league, however, that you need a star to be one of the elite teams. Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Rudy Gay are all very good, but it's tough to imagine them in the championship with this squad as constituted.
7. Dallas Mavericks - 50-32
At this stage, Darren Collison is likely preferable to Jason Kidd, so that's an upgrade. Though it isn't the same as Deron Williams, whom they tried hard to get. Assuming there aren't any chemistry issues with all the new faces, don't put it past Dallas to make another run.
8. Utah Jazz - 46-36
The Jazz proved you can still be a solid team after trading away your best player. They just aren't ready yet to move up in this tough conference. Thankfully, they're very young and in a few years we could be talking about them as championship contenders.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves - 45-37
If Rubio comes back quickly, this team could end up higher than this. Minnesota has the best power forward in the league in Kevin Love, and they're somehow a very fun and potentially dangerous team. Brandon Roy is a wild card, and if he can play anything like we've seen in the past, he's a fantastic addition.
10. Phoenix Suns - 41-41
The Suns are finally in the post-Steve Nash era, and things don't look quite so bad. They won't contend this year or next, but patience and a little bit of luck in the lottery could help them out sooner rather than later. Losing Channing Frye hurts, with no idea of when he'll return. Kendall Marshall was a great pickup in the draft this year and should be a solid building block for the future.
11. Golden State Warriors - 39-43
This team is too much of an injury risk to put any higher. If Curry and Bogut are healthy though, they could very well contend for the eighth seed. Klay Thompson is ready to take another step and will hopefully avoid a sophomore slump.
12. New Orleans Hornets - 35-47
It's probably too much to expect this many wins out of such a young squad, but the talent is there. Anthony Davis is a stud and Eric Gordon is ready to put a frustrating season behind him. The rebuild could be quick for the Hornets.
13. Portland Trail Blazers - 34-48
The Blazers don't quite have an identity, but Aldridge is still young and a solid piece to build around. Batum made headlines with his actions at the Olympic games, and he is hoping to make headlines with his play this season.
14. Sacramento Kings - 30-52
Jimmer Fredette was a big miss, and Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins are both talented but not of the right mindset to be leaders. This team is a mess and the chemistry, or lack thereof, will certainly hurt them.
15. Houston Rockets - 28-54
The Rockets shot high in trying to get Dwight Howard, but all they did was shoot themselves in the foot, at least for this season. It's well known that Daryl Morey believes you need to either be elite, or in the basement, and not somewhere in the middle. The Rockets will most certainly be contending for the 1st overall pick this year.
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Showing posts with label Jimmer Fredette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jimmer Fredette. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
NBA Notes, 1/29/12
Here are some notes, stats and observations from Saturday's games:
- Pistons center Greg Monroe had his third straight double-double although he shot only six of 19 from the field.
- Not only did Kemba Walker have the third triple-double in Bobcats history, Boris Diaw, one of the other two, had his third double-double of the season: 21 points and 10 rebounds.
- Charlotte's Byron Mullens had a season-high 23 points off the bench.
- In his past three games combined, Wizards center JaVale McGee had only 17 points. He led the Wizards in scoring (22 points) Saturday night and also had 10 rebounds and five blocked shots.
- Houston's Jordan Hill had his second straight double-double off the bench. In tonight's win over the Knicks, Hill had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
- After scoring 21 points last night, Chase Budinger led the Rockets in scoring off the bench tonight with 19 points.
- Kyle Lowry had a rough game: three points, three rebounds and four assists.
- Coming off a seven-3's performance, New York's Bill Walker was only one of seven from three-point range.
- For the second straight game, Milwaukee's Drew Gooden has scored 23 points and he has had one three-pointer in each of the past four games.
- On a night with a couple of triple-doubles, Kobe Bryant was just shy of his own: 27 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
- Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock scored double-digits for the second straight game with 13 points off the bench.
- Like his brother Pau, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol had a double-double last night: 18 points and 13 rebounds. He added four blocked shots.
- Teammate Mike Conley added a double-double of his own: 15 points and 10 assists, which ended a four-game drought of double-doubles. Conley is averaging 12.9 points and 7.5 assists on the season.
- Jared Dudley had a season-high 20 points last night. He added six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two three-pointers.
- Sacramento's Tyreke Evans had a season-high 31 points. So did teammate Jason Thompson, who scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
- Meanwhile, Jimmer Fredette has scored in double-digits for the fourth straight game and he has made 14 three-pointers during that span.
- Utah's Gordon Hayward scored a season-high 21 points last night. It was only the seventh game this season that Hayward has been in double-digits. C. J. Miles scored a season-high 20 points off the bench.
- Pistons center Greg Monroe had his third straight double-double although he shot only six of 19 from the field.
- Not only did Kemba Walker have the third triple-double in Bobcats history, Boris Diaw, one of the other two, had his third double-double of the season: 21 points and 10 rebounds.
- Charlotte's Byron Mullens had a season-high 23 points off the bench.
- In his past three games combined, Wizards center JaVale McGee had only 17 points. He led the Wizards in scoring (22 points) Saturday night and also had 10 rebounds and five blocked shots.
- Houston's Jordan Hill had his second straight double-double off the bench. In tonight's win over the Knicks, Hill had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
- After scoring 21 points last night, Chase Budinger led the Rockets in scoring off the bench tonight with 19 points.
- Kyle Lowry had a rough game: three points, three rebounds and four assists.
- Coming off a seven-3's performance, New York's Bill Walker was only one of seven from three-point range.
- For the second straight game, Milwaukee's Drew Gooden has scored 23 points and he has had one three-pointer in each of the past four games.
- On a night with a couple of triple-doubles, Kobe Bryant was just shy of his own: 27 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
- Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock scored double-digits for the second straight game with 13 points off the bench.
- Like his brother Pau, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol had a double-double last night: 18 points and 13 rebounds. He added four blocked shots.
- Teammate Mike Conley added a double-double of his own: 15 points and 10 assists, which ended a four-game drought of double-doubles. Conley is averaging 12.9 points and 7.5 assists on the season.
- Jared Dudley had a season-high 20 points last night. He added six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two three-pointers.
- Sacramento's Tyreke Evans had a season-high 31 points. So did teammate Jason Thompson, who scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
- Meanwhile, Jimmer Fredette has scored in double-digits for the fourth straight game and he has made 14 three-pointers during that span.
- Utah's Gordon Hayward scored a season-high 21 points last night. It was only the seventh game this season that Hayward has been in double-digits. C. J. Miles scored a season-high 20 points off the bench.
Monday, June 20, 2011
2011 NBA Mock Draft, 2.0
The 2011 NBA Draft is roughly 72 hours away.
Here is the latest update of our mock draft from Kyle Baillargeon, our NBA Draft guru, (see his first mock) with plenty of changes throughout:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers - Kyrie Irving, Duke (discuss pick): Irving has the potential to be an all-star caliber point guard. In an era of great point guards, Cleveland would be smart to start rebuilding around one of their own.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves - Derrick Williams, Arizona (discuss pick): I still think Minnesota will wind up making a trade here. If that doesn't work out, however, expect them to take Williams and look to trade someone out of their front court (likely Beasley, if anyone is willing to take him). Rubio to Williams doesn't sound so bad in Minnesota.
3. Utah Jazz - Brandon Knight, Kentucky (discuss pick): The Jazz will look to start from scratch at the point guard position and it looks like Knight gets the edge over Kemba Walker.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers - Enes Kanter (discuss pick): The Cleveland dream scenario is gone now that Minnesota has taken Williams. Expect them to go with Kanter to beef up their front court.
5. Toronto Raptors - Jonas Valanciunas (discuss pick): Colangelo loves international players, and with his recent extension he has the kind of security to make this pick. Also, Toronto doesn't have a good center on the roster.
6. Washington Wizards - Tristan Thompson, Texas (discuss pick): The Wizards can pair Thompson up with JaVale McGee and potentially trade Andray Blatche for some help elsewhere. The team is still in the early rebuilding stages, and Thompson is a good building block here.
7. Sacramento Kings - Kemba Walker, Connecticut (discuss pick): While Knight isn't available in this version of the mock draft, Walker can come in and allow the Kings to move Tyreke Evans to the SG position where he belongs.
8. Detroit Pistons - Bismack Biyombo (discuss pick): The Pistons will hope that Biyombo can be another Ben Wallace. Thankfully, the original Ben Wallace is already in Detroit and hopefully he can take the beast from Congo under his wing.
9. Charlotte Bobcats - Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State (discuss pick): New GM Richard Cho will try to make a splash by taking a player we had in the top three in our last mock. Charlotte would be very happy to see Leonard slide this far.
10. Milwaukee Bucks - Alec Burks, Colorado (discuss pick): Burks could give Milwaukee an explosive tandem in the backcourt for years to come.
11. Golden State Warriors - Marcus Morris, Kansas (discuss pick): Morris is a bit on the smaller side, but that won't hurt him as much in the run-and-gun Golden State offense. He can also inject some much-needed toughness into the front court.
12. Utah Jazz - Jan Vesely (discuss pick): Vesely could very likely be gone at this point in the draft, perhaps even to Utah with the third pick. But if he somehow falls this far, expect Utah to snatch him up.
13. Phoenix Suns - Chris Singleton, Florida State (discuss pick): Singleton can give Phoenix a strong perimeter defender from the start. While Singleton has a lot of work to do on the offensive end, who better to learn from than Steve Nash?
14. Houston Rockets - Jimmer Fredette, BYU (discuss pick): Jimmer may seem like a bit of a head-scratcher here, but are Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic really the point guards of the future in Houston? Not likely. Jimmer would be an upgrade for Houston, and likely just the first of many moves by Daryl Morey this offseason.
15. Indiana Pacers - Klay Thompson, Washington State (discuss pick): The Pacers will hope that Thompson becomes their point guard of the future. There is a chance he won't be, but he can shoot and could at the very least be a good role player.
To see the rest of our first-round NBA Mock Draft, click here. Or for our NBA Mock Draft database, click here.
Here is the latest update of our mock draft from Kyle Baillargeon, our NBA Draft guru, (see his first mock) with plenty of changes throughout:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers - Kyrie Irving, Duke (discuss pick): Irving has the potential to be an all-star caliber point guard. In an era of great point guards, Cleveland would be smart to start rebuilding around one of their own.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves - Derrick Williams, Arizona (discuss pick): I still think Minnesota will wind up making a trade here. If that doesn't work out, however, expect them to take Williams and look to trade someone out of their front court (likely Beasley, if anyone is willing to take him). Rubio to Williams doesn't sound so bad in Minnesota.
3. Utah Jazz - Brandon Knight, Kentucky (discuss pick): The Jazz will look to start from scratch at the point guard position and it looks like Knight gets the edge over Kemba Walker.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers - Enes Kanter (discuss pick): The Cleveland dream scenario is gone now that Minnesota has taken Williams. Expect them to go with Kanter to beef up their front court.
5. Toronto Raptors - Jonas Valanciunas (discuss pick): Colangelo loves international players, and with his recent extension he has the kind of security to make this pick. Also, Toronto doesn't have a good center on the roster.
6. Washington Wizards - Tristan Thompson, Texas (discuss pick): The Wizards can pair Thompson up with JaVale McGee and potentially trade Andray Blatche for some help elsewhere. The team is still in the early rebuilding stages, and Thompson is a good building block here.
7. Sacramento Kings - Kemba Walker, Connecticut (discuss pick): While Knight isn't available in this version of the mock draft, Walker can come in and allow the Kings to move Tyreke Evans to the SG position where he belongs.
8. Detroit Pistons - Bismack Biyombo (discuss pick): The Pistons will hope that Biyombo can be another Ben Wallace. Thankfully, the original Ben Wallace is already in Detroit and hopefully he can take the beast from Congo under his wing.
9. Charlotte Bobcats - Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State (discuss pick): New GM Richard Cho will try to make a splash by taking a player we had in the top three in our last mock. Charlotte would be very happy to see Leonard slide this far.
10. Milwaukee Bucks - Alec Burks, Colorado (discuss pick): Burks could give Milwaukee an explosive tandem in the backcourt for years to come.
11. Golden State Warriors - Marcus Morris, Kansas (discuss pick): Morris is a bit on the smaller side, but that won't hurt him as much in the run-and-gun Golden State offense. He can also inject some much-needed toughness into the front court.
12. Utah Jazz - Jan Vesely (discuss pick): Vesely could very likely be gone at this point in the draft, perhaps even to Utah with the third pick. But if he somehow falls this far, expect Utah to snatch him up.
13. Phoenix Suns - Chris Singleton, Florida State (discuss pick): Singleton can give Phoenix a strong perimeter defender from the start. While Singleton has a lot of work to do on the offensive end, who better to learn from than Steve Nash?
14. Houston Rockets - Jimmer Fredette, BYU (discuss pick): Jimmer may seem like a bit of a head-scratcher here, but are Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic really the point guards of the future in Houston? Not likely. Jimmer would be an upgrade for Houston, and likely just the first of many moves by Daryl Morey this offseason.
15. Indiana Pacers - Klay Thompson, Washington State (discuss pick): The Pacers will hope that Thompson becomes their point guard of the future. There is a chance he won't be, but he can shoot and could at the very least be a good role player.
To see the rest of our first-round NBA Mock Draft, click here. Or for our NBA Mock Draft database, click here.
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