The Western Conference

[Mediocre Man]

Ok, so this conference just keeps getting better. GS is clearly ahead of everyone, then POR, OKC, HOU, UTAH, DEN, MIN, SA, MEM, NO all look like playoff caliber teams, with teams like LAC still lurking with a decent PG replacement.

Portland could actually play better, be better and miss the playoffs.

This next season really should mean every game counts

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Ok, so this conference just keeps getting better. GS is clearly ahead of everyone, then POR, OKC, HOU, UTAH, DEN, MIN, SA, MEM, NO all look like playoff caliber teams, with teams like LAC still lurking with a decent PG replacement.

Portland could actually play better, be better and miss the playoffs.

This next season really should mean every game counts

This is going to be my irrational belief all season long. "Sure we're under .500, but it's not because we're not good; it's just because the rest of the conference got so much better!"

We damn well better be .700 against the East.

 

[Trackjack]

Well if we start out slow like we did the last 2 years then we will be outside looking in.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

This is going to be my irrational belief all season long. "Sure we're under .500, but it's not because we're not good; it's just because the rest of the conference got so much better!"

We damn well better be .700 against the East.

Could be a blessing in disguise year. I'll gladly take missing the playoffs, ending up with the 10th or 11th pick and drafting a Paul Pierce or Klay Thompson to add to a core of Lillard, Cj, Nurk and Collins please.

 

[Mediocre Man]

FWIW, which is not much, Rick Fox just put us 6th in the conference......which isn't ridiculous either way, IMO

GS (clearly best)
SA (lost no one)
OKC (Paul George)
HOU (Chris Paul)
UTAH (with Hayward)
POR (great back court)
MEM (still solid. Love coach)
MIN (Butler, year older, Thibs)
DEN
NO

 

[Scalma]

Let's say Hayward stays.

I see it like this, if the season started tomorrow.

Warriors
Spurs
Jazz
Rockets
Blazers
Thunder
Nuggets
Wolves

 

[Strenuus]

FWIW, which is not much, Rick Fox just put us 6th in the conference......which isn't ridiculous either way, IMO

GS (clearly best)
SA (lost no one)
OKC (Paul George)
HOU (Chris Paul)
UTAH (with Hayward)
POR (great back court)
MEM (still solid. Love coach)
MIN (Butler, year older, Thibs)
DEN
NO

I put us at 5th or 6th, too.

 

[Reep]

FWIW, which is not much, Rick Fox just put us 6th in the conference......which isn't ridiculous either way, IMO

GS (clearly best)
SA (lost no one)
OKC (Paul George)
HOU (Chris Paul)
UTAH (with Hayward)
POR (great back court)
MEM (still solid. Love coach)
MIN (Butler, year older, Thibs)
DEN
NO

GS (clearly best) duh
OKC (Paul George) if Westbrook and George mesh and no injuries (big ifs)
HOU (Chris Paul) if Beard and CP3 can share the ball (another big if) and CP3 can stay healthy
POR (great back court) if they play like the Nurk era
MIN (Butler, year older, Thibs) seems like this is their year to make the jump
UTAH (with Hayward) lottery if Hayward leaves or he or Gobert get hurt
SA (lost no one) -LMA situation, old getting older, the beginning of the end.
DEN Milsap addition was huge for the short term
MEM (still solid. Love coach)
NO

Any way you cut it, two playoff worthy teams don't make it. This will be the year they change the playoff seedings. 8th place in the East will have a worse record than the worst team in the West.

 

[dviss1]

Here's mine with Hayward staying.

Warriors
Spurs
Rockets
Blazers
Jazz (cheat off Rubio to help on Hayward)
Thunder
Wolves
Nuggets

Jazz are not gonna be as good without Hill IMO.

 

[calvin natt]

GS
SA
Hou
OKC
Utah
Denver
Minn
Portland

Memphis
LAC

 

[Minstrel]

Mine currently, with Hayward staying:

Warriors

Spurs
Rockets

Jazz
Thunder
Timberwolves
Blazers

Nuggets

I separated them into tiers that I think will be super-competitive, where I could see the order being extremely volatile. To me, the Jazz, Thunder, Blazers and Wolves will all be pretty close to each other and all sorts of factors (health, of course, being predominant among them) will determine the exact finish. I think the Nuggets could work their way into the tier above, but I really think their defense is going to sink them. The Blazers' defense could also be an issue but, for now, I'm expecting Nurkic to be the kind of anchor that the Nuggets don't have.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Unless Nurk puts up Marc Gasol-like numbers on both sides of the court we're going to be fighting for that 8th spot.

It seems like since Brandon Roy was drafted we've been a fringe playoff team - always fighting for that 8th seed.

 

[rotary111]

1. GS
2. OKC
3. HOU
4. POR
5. SA
6. MINNY
7. DEN
8. MEM

LAC
NO

Nurkic makes us a top 5 team.

 

[OSUBlazerfan]

1. GS
2. OKC
3. HOU
4. POR
5. SA
6. MINNY
7. DEN
8. MEM

LAC
NO

Nurkic makes us a top 5 team.

Why exactly does SA go from 2 -> 5? You realize they won 61 games last year

 

[TBpup]

The Blazers were on pace for 33 wins before Nurkic showed up. Is he really worth a 20 game improvement? Because that is about what it would take or more to get a Top 4 seed and HCA.

 

[rotary111]

Why exactly does SA go from 2 -> 5? You realize they won 61 games last year

They have to crash at some point and the west is stacked.

...And they have Lamarcus Aldridge.

 

[H.C.]

Why exactly does SA go from 2 -> 5? You realize they won 61 games last year

Tony Parker.
Aldridge situation.
I feel if Parker doesn't return to form they will be considerably worse.
Manu retired? Not retired?

They'll be worse than last year.

 

[HailBlazers]

The Blazers were on pace for 33 wins before Nurkic showed up. Is he really worth a 20 game improvement? Because that is about what it would take or more to get a Top 4 seed and HCA.

Him alone no. But a healthy squad with more experience playing together is.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I think we all agree that GS is far and away the best team in the league, so is it important which place we end up in? or is it more important that we continue to get better by developing our young players? Granted I still want to have a winning record, but if we finish behind OKC this year and next year they lose PG and Westbrook....who is really the winner? (Just one example)

 

[Scalma]

The Blazers were on pace for 33 wins before Nurkic showed up. Is he really worth a 20 game improvement? Because that is about what it would take or more to get a Top 4 seed and HCA.

Yes.

 

[Gronk Brady]

The Blazers were on pace for 33 wins before Nurkic showed up. Is he really worth a 20 game improvement? Because that is about what it would take or more to get a Top 4 seed and HCA.

If I'm not mistaken, Blazers were 14-6 with Nurkic last year for a .700 win percentage...

82 x .700 = 57 wins

Why is it so unbelievable?

 

[Rhal]

Unless Nurk puts up Marc Gasol-like numbers on both sides of the court we're going to be fighting for that 8th spot.

It seems like since Brandon Roy was drafted we've been a fringe playoff team - always fighting for that 8th seed.

Fringe playoff team? We'v gotten the 8th seed once since Roy was drafted, if you want to say it doesn't feel like we are a home court playoff team that is fine but we fighting for the 8th spot is something we rarely do. Since we made the playoffs with Roy for the first time we have made the playoffs 7 times since, 2 4th seed, 2 6th seed, 2 fifth seed and one 8th seed.
08-09: 54 Wins 4th seed
09-10: 50 wins 6th seed
10-11: 48 wins 6th seed
11-12: 28 wins Lottery, hello Lillard
12-13: 33 wins Lottery, hello CJ
13-14: 54 wins 5th seed
14-15: 51 wins 4th seed
15-16: 44 wins 5th seed
16-17 : 41 wins 8th seed

 

[Strenuus]

Fringe playoff team? We'v gotten the 8th seed once since Roy was drafted, if you want to say it doesn't feel like we are a home court playoff team that is fine but we fighting for the 8th spot is something we rarely do. Since we made the playoffs with Roy for the first time we have made the playoffs 7 times since, 2 4th seed, 2 6th seed, 2 fifth seed and one 8th seed.
08-09: 54 Wins 4th seed
09-10: 50 wins 6th seed
10-11: 48 wins 6th seed
11-12: 28 wins Lottery, hello Lillard
12-13: 33 wins Lottery, hello CJ
13-14: 54 wins 5th seed
14-15: 51 wins 4th seed
15-16: 44 wins 5th seed
16-17 : 41 wins 8th seed

We didn't draft someone who was probably an undrafted guy in reality, so he gets a little cranky.

 

[B-Roy]

If I'm not mistaken, Blazers were 14-6 with Nurkic last year for a .700 win percentage...

82 x .700 = 57 wins

Why is it so unbelievable?

1. They had an exceptionally easy schedule after acquiring Nurk.
2. The Western Conference is much tougher this year.
3. It's not really that convincing to extrapolate a 20 game sample size to a whole season. A lot of things, internally and externally happen throughout the course of 82 games.

 

[Rhal]

We didn't draft someone who was probably an undrafted guy in reality, so he gets a little cranky.

That reminds me of the most epic meltdown this forum as ever seen and that was BlazeX(or whatever his name was) when we took Lillard over Austin Rivers.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Mods...

Re-title this to 'Western Conference bloodbath'

Not my idea but it's fitting.

 

[Strenuus]

That reminds me of the most epic meltdown this forum as ever seen and that was BlazeX(or whatever his name was) when we took Lillard over Austin Rivers.

Someone has a quote of his in their sig.. I wish I could have been here for it.

 

[BlazerBeav]

1. They had an exceptionally easy schedule after acquiring Nurk.
2. The Western Conference is much tougher this year.
3. It's not really that convincing to extrapolate a 20 game sample size to a whole season. A lot of things, internally and externally happen throughout the course of 82 games.

Mixed in there were some of the best wins of the season (at red hot Miami, at San Antonio). There were so many close losses to bad teams prior to getting Nurk that's it's not inconceivable that he would have swayed a number of them to our win column.

 

[dviss1]

GS
SA
Hou
OKC
Utah
Denver
Minn
Portland

Memphis
LAC

Fuckin' Chicken Nuggets fans.... That's what my son calls y'all. The chicken nuggets!

 

[dviss1]

Unless Nurk puts up Marc Gasol-like numbers on both sides of the court we're going to be fighting for that 8th spot.

It seems like since Brandon Roy was drafted we've been a fringe playoff team - always fighting for that 8th seed.

He's gonna average a double double with 4 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal.

MIP FTW.