(OT) Which if any current seed in the west can you see following out of playoffs?

I think its become clear that our main competition for the 8th seed is the suns and grizz with an outside shot of houston. GS I just dont see making the playoffs.

With that said, is there a team in the top 8 out west that you can see falling apart and missing the playoffs? I know Denver is the obvious choice assuming they trade Carmelo but they have been killing teams without him. The good news is... this is the last season of denver and phoenix as they will rebuild.

My dark horse is drop out is the Hornets. I think they played out of their mind in November and now reality has struck. They are good but I really think they could struggle down the stretch. I also expect Paul to get hurt at some point. If that happened its over for them with no Collison.

thoughts? could the blazers ever get the 7th seed????

 

We will finish 4th or 5th.

 

I think injuries will dictate what happens. If the Blazers can remain relatively healthy, and get 35-40 productive minutes out of Brandon Roy, then they've got the horses to reach the playoffs - IF another team falls off.

One significant injury to ANY of the teams ahead of the Blazers - except for the Lakers who'd probably have to lose more than one of their exceptional players - would open the door for Portland.

If all nine teams - Blazers + the eight teams currently ahead of them in the standings - all remain relatively healthy into the spring, I think it's anybody's guess where the teams end up. New Orleans and Denver are probably the most likely candidates to fall off, but they're playoff-calibre teams, so I wouldn't count on them falling too far, without injury problems.

 

in a joking mood are we???

 

Nope.

 

we are currently 8th seed even when we lose tomorrow so its holding off suns, grizz. im wondering if we could get 7th seed

 

Lose? To San Antonio? A team we haven't lost to in almost 2 years? I think not.

 

at absolute best we could get 7th seed assuming denver falls apart. those teams 1-6 have like a 7 game lead on us and okc/hornets have tiebreakers. our only hope is denver trading carmelo.

 

Actually we're only 4.5 games back of the 3rd seed.

 

still.... we arent passing dallas, SA, Lakers, OKC, utah

maybe we pass hornets or denver..... big maybe.

hell we have a 1 game lead over suns and grizz

 

We'll see.

 

Ah - right you are!

I think the Blazers can hold off the Suns and Grizzlies, and get the 8th spot. Beyond that - see my post above. I think it all depends on who's healthy and who's not (I know, not an earth-shattering conclusion).

 

I expect the Suns level of play to pick up at least for a "while" when Robin Lopez comes back. It will provide an energy injection, and last year when he came back from injury, it did the exact same thing.

Right now I expect the Rockets to make a trade to try and right the ship. Their GM is not afraid to make moves, and in fact, is quite bold IMO.

Now if you consider the top teams are LA, San Antonio, Dallas, and Utah right now.

After that is Denver and New Orleans. I expect Denver at some point, to implode over the Carmello issue, and the fact that he won't want to get hurt in a free agency year, but yet he will want to pad his stat line for a fatter paycheck. New Orleans I expect to steam to somewhere near 50 wins.

Then after that you have Portland and Phoenix. Since Portland already has beaten PHX 3 times, I expect Portland to get the 7th seed, and PHX the 8th. None of the other teams are even close to playoff worthy.

 

you forgot okc.

like i said... all likely hood 8th seed = blazers/suns/grizz and maybe rockets

 

Yea I did. Still drinking my morning coffee. Now you know why I fear driving to work each morning before I have a cup of coffee. Dangerous times!

 

I'd say 7th seed is the most likely scenario, IMO. If that happens, is it worth it, or does Cho get bold around the trade deadline and package Miller/Przy, and maybe even Camby, to try to negotiate a blockbuster 3-way trade? If a trade becomes available, I'd go with the latter option, because I don't see this team winning a 7-game playoff series as currently constructed. Oden's injury is just too difficult to overcome this year for the remaining players. This remainder of this road trip scares the hell out of me.

 

Where do you get your standings from?

We're 3 up on the Grizz right now, and they're in some big turmoil with the whole OJ thing.

 

If you ever need a bookie, call me anytime.