SPORTS ILLUSTRATED NBA Season Preview 2013-14

[KingSpeed]

1. Clippers
2. Thunder
3. Spurs
4. Rockets
5. Warriors
6. Lakers
7. Mavericks
8. T-Wolves
9. Grizzlies
10. Nuggets
11. Us
12. Pelicans
13. Kings
14. Jazz
15. Suns

Thunder win over Heat

No mention of Thomas Robinson in our preview. Very positive on Lopez. Not sure why they had us so low.

 

[magnifier661]

1. Clippers
2. Thunder
3. Spurs
4. Rockets
5. Warriors
6. Lakers
7. Mavericks
8. T-Wolves
9. Grizzlies
10. Nuggets
11. Us
12. Pelicans
13. Kings
14. Jazz
15. Suns

Thunder win over Heat

No mention of Thomas Robinson in our preview. Very positive on Lopez. Not sure why they had us so low.

Can't wait for all these dildos to jump on our bandwagon by December.

 

[Rhal]

I would wager all of mags life savings on us being better then 11 in the west.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

 

[Sean is the Mannion]

memphis was better than the lakers last year, the lakers got worse
rankings makes sense

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

LOL in what way did the Lakers get better this offseason? Must be that Kobe returning hype or something...

 

[Rastapopoulos]

It seems like a lot of people are hating on Memphis. Does Lionel Hollins have that many fans?

I think we'll be better than the Nuggets, I've got to say. But I will be (pleasantly) surprised if we make the playoffs.

(Also: any ranking that doesn't have Houston at the top is probably suspect.)

 

[Natebishop3]

Having the Lakers ranked 6th is fucking laughable. Gives this prediction zero credibility.

 

[KingSpeed]

memphis was better than the lakers last year, the lakers got worse
rankings makes sense

Grizzlies suck. That was proven last year (when playing healthy team, they got swept) and their bench is worse this year. D'Antoni has better team for his system this year. Getting rid of Howard is a plus

 

[Draco]

Getting rid of Howard is a plus

If so he's the worst damn coach of all time.

 

[magnifier661]

Grizzlies suck. That was proven last year (when playing healthy team, they got swept) and their bench is worse this year. D'Antoni has better team for his system this year. Getting rid of Howard is a plus

So you think the Lakers will be better than the blazers?

 

[magnifier661]

If so he's the worst damn coach of all time.

D'Antoni is pretty bad. He's a poor man's George Karl; able to do well in the regular season and fail in the post season.

Hell, he couldn't even take talent in NY and L.A. To greatness. It's embarrassing really!

 

[KingSpeed]

So you think the Lakers will be better than the blazers?

No but Lakers will be better than most in here think.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Grizzlies suck. That was proven last year (when playing healthy team, they got swept) and their bench is worse this year. D'Antoni has better team for his system this year. Getting rid of Howard is a plus

Wow, so many things wrong in that post.

First the Grizzlies don't suck. They won 56 games last year. You don't win 56 games by sucking. There is no way they finish behind the Lakers this season. One word: defense. The Grizzlies have it, the Lakers don't. You're right about one thing though. Since D'Antoni doesn't give a shit about defense, his roster this year is a better match for his coaching style and philosophy.

The Lakers were below league average in both defense and rebounding last season - and that was with Dwight Howard, 3-time DPOY who led the league in rebounding. Do you really think the Lakers will be a better defending, better rebounding team by replacing Dwight Howard with Chris Kaman? If you do: learn the game, then post.

And the Lakers perimeter defense sucks. Blake, Farmar and especially Nash are all defensive liabilities. By comparison, the Grizzlies have better interior defense, (Marc Gasol = DPOY) and MUCH better perimeter defense with Tony Allen, Tayshaun Price and Mike Conley. Defense is half the game and Memphis was the best defensive team in the league last season.

If you really want to see the difference between the Lakers and Grizzlies, go to 82games.com and compare the Net Production and Simple Ratings for the players on both teams, and also check out Kaman's stats for Dallas last season and Farmar's for New Jersey two years ago (he didn't even play in the NBA last year). The Lakers only had 4 players last season with a positive Net Production, and two of them are gone (Howard and Jamison). The other two were Kobe and Pau. Kaman had a negative Net Production for Dallas last season, and the last time Jordan Farmar had a positive Net Production was six years ago.

And finally, ANY success the Lakers have this year will be 100% tied to Kobe's health. Other than Pau, the rest of that roster flat out sucks. Pau is still a good second option, but he can't carry a team all by himself. Latest report is Kobe isn't even running at full speed isn't close to practicing with the team,ad is several weeks away from being game ready.

I'm not a betting man, but if I was, I'd say the Grizzlies finishing ahead of the Lakers is the closest thing to a sure thing out there.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

No but Lakers will be better than most in here think.

Depends on what "most here think". I think they will be worse than last year, will finish below 0.500 and will miss the playoffs. They won't be the worst team in the West, but no way is that a playoff team. Terrible defense, weak rebounding, old and injured does not sound like a playoff team to me.

BNM

 

[Rhal]

The only reason the Lakers made the playoffs last year was because down the stretch they, as a freaken jump shooting team, led the NBA in FTA's while the team they were racing against(Jazz) suddenly started taking over 5 less FT's a game and were attacking the paint with a vengeance. Tell me that isn't a "coincidence" because you damn well know who the NBA would rather have in the playoffs.

 

[magnifier661]

No but Lakers will be better than most in here think.

Well since SI said the Lakers will be better than us, and has us 11th in the West, I am calling them out. I don't give a shit if people think they suck, just as long as they suck worse than us.

 

[tlongII]

Since Stern retired the Lakers have no chance at making the playoffs.

 

[santeesioux]

This is good bulletin board material for the team.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Since Stern retired the Lakers have no chance at making the playoffs.

Well, in this case, I think it has more to do with their personnel than any influence from the commissioner. Have you looked at that roster?

Kingspeed: who exactly, have the Lakers added to their roster that makes you think they will be better this year than last? They lost Howard (their best defender, best rebounder and 2nd leading scorer), Artest/World Peace (2nd best defender and 5th leading scorer) and Jamison (6th leading scorer) and Kobe is coming back from a major injury and weeks away from being ready to play.

Have they added a single above average player to replace any of these guys?

Do they have any young players you expect to have a breakout year?

Even if Kobe was 100% right now, I don't see how they will be better this year than last.

BNM

 

[santeesioux]

Well, in this case, I think it has more to do with their personnel than any influence from the commissioner. Have you looked at that roster?

Kingspeed: who exactly, have the Lakers added to their roster that makes you think they will be better this year than last? They lost Howard (their best defender, best rebounder and 2nd leading scorer), Artest/World Peace (2nd best defender and 5th leading scorer) and Jamison (6th leading scorer) and Kobe is coming back from a major injury and weeks away from being ready to play.

Have they added a single above average player to replace any of these guys?

Do they have any young players you expect to have a breakout year?

Even if Kobe was 100% right now, I don't see how they will be better this year than last.

BNM

I heard they want to bring back Shannon Brown, that'll totally turn them around and vault them into the playoffs.

 

[MickZagger]

LOL in what way did the Lakers get better this offseason? Must be that Kobe returning hype or something...

They were shitty with Kobe last year.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Wow, so many things wrong in that post.

First the Grizzlies don't suck. They won 56 games last year. You don't win 56 games by sucking. There is no way they finish behind the Lakers this season. One word: defense. The Grizzlies have it, the Lakers don't. You're right about one thing though. Since D'Antoni doesn't give a shit about defense, his roster this year is a better match for his coaching style and philosophy.

The Lakers were below league average in both defense and rebounding last season - and that was with Dwight Howard, 3-time DPOY who led the league in rebounding. Do you really think the Lakers will be a better defending, better rebounding team by replacing Dwight Howard with Chris Kaman? If you do: learn the game, then post.

And the Lakers perimeter defense sucks. Blake, Farmar and especially Nash are all defensive liabilities. By comparison, the Grizzlies have better interior defense, (Marc Gasol = DPOY) and MUCH better perimeter defense with Tony Allen, Tayshaun Price and Mike Conley. Defense is half the game and Memphis was the best defensive team in the league last season.

If you really want to see the difference between the Lakers and Grizzlies, go to 82games.com and compare the Net Production and Simple Ratings for the players on both teams, and also check out Kaman's stats for Dallas last season and Farmar's for New Jersey two years ago (he didn't even play in the NBA last year). The Lakers only had 4 players last season with a positive Net Production, and two of them are gone (Howard and Jamison). The other two were Kobe and Pau. Kaman had a negative Net Production for Dallas last season, and the last time Jordan Farmar had a positive Net Production was six years ago.

And finally, ANY success the Lakers have this year will be 100% tied to Kobe's health. Other than Pau, the rest of that roster flat out sucks. Pau is still a good second option, but he can't carry a team all by himself. Latest report is Kobe isn't even running at full speed isn't close to practicing with the team,ad is several weeks away from being game ready.

I'm not a betting man, but if I was, I'd say the Grizzlies finishing ahead of the Lakers is the closest thing to a sure thing out there.

BNM

and....scene.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

The only reason the Lakers made the playoffs last year was because down the stretch they, as a freaken jump shooting team, led the NBA in FTA's while the team they were racing against(Jazz) suddenly started taking over 5 less FT's a game and were attacking the paint with a vengeance. Tell me that isn't a "coincidence" because you damn well know who the NBA would rather have in the playoffs.

In other words, you're telling KS to "learn the league mandate, then post."

 

[Rhal]

In other words, you're telling KS to "learn the league mandate, then post."

Repped for making me laugh so hard I chocked on some chips and woke my daughter up.

 

[KingSpeed]

BNM- where do I begin? Gasol is their starting center, not Kaman. When an offense is run through Gasol, good things happen. Dude is capable of triple doubles, 20 rebound games etc. I assume Kaman comes off the bench.

 

[KingSpeed]

Oh and the Grizzlies do suck. 56 wins was fine in weak West last season but they won't keep up this year.

 

[mook]

BNM- where do I begin? Gasol is their starting center, not Kaman. When an offense is run through Gasol, good things happen. Dude is capable of triple doubles, 20 rebound games etc. I assume Kaman comes off the bench.

Gasol has put up 20 rebounds 3 times in the past 240 games. He's still a good rebounder, but it's not like 20 boards is a regular occurrence. And even if it were, Pau only played 49 games last year. He had knee surgery at the end of last season, he has a history of plantar fascitis, he's 33, he's played one season of more than 65 games in the past 4 years, and he's been playing pro basketball since 1998.

I like Gasol a lot, but not as the guy who will have half the responsibility of carrying my team into the playoffs.

Of all the teams expected to be in the playoffs, I see the Lakers as the most obvious candidate to go into full tank mode by late December. If Nash, Kobe or Pau has any kind of injury problem beyond what's expected, and given history they probably will, it's just not going to be a very good team.

And even if they stay healthy, I just don't see Nash and Kobe co-existing. Even in a D'Antoni offense.

 

[Boob-No-More]

BNM- where do I begin? Gasol is their starting center, not Kaman. When an offense is run through Gasol, good things happen. Dude is capable of triple doubles, 20 rebound games etc. I assume Kaman comes off the bench.

Man, I wish you were coaching the Lakers. Oh, never mind. D'Antoni is just as clueless.

Fine Coach, start Gasol at center and now who's your starting power forward? Shawne Williams who had PER = 4.9 and shot .286 from the field last year. Bwaa ha ha...

The Lakers would be better off starting Gasol at the 4 and Kaman, or even Jordan Hill at the 5, but neither one of them is going to give them the defense and rebounding they got from Dwight last season. Fine, run the offense through Gasol (like that will happen once Kobe is back, when Kobe plays the offense ALWAYS runs through Kobe). But, what the heck, might as well let both offenses run through Gasol.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

Oh and the Grizzlies do suck. 56 wins was fine in weak West last season but they won't keep up this year.

You do realize that the Lakers BARELY made the playoffs in that same "weak" Western Conference last season, right? And they are going to be even worse this year. So, if the West was so weak last year, why did the Lakers only win 45 games with 4 future Hall of Famers on their roster?

Here's a hint: age. Other than Dwight Howard, those Hall of Famers are all old and injury prone - and they are another year older, the best of them is starting the year on the inactive list after major surgery and the other two missed 32 and 33 games last year.

BNM

 

[Pinwheel1]

You all know when it comes down to the Lakers it comes down to Kobe. They surrounded him with enough role players to make the playoffs if Kobe returns to last year's years form. And everyone else stays healthy.......That is a big if though. But possible. #8 is more likely than #6