Zach Lowe's NBA Tiers- you gotta be kidding me

[KingSpeed]

He has fucking Brooklyn on the same tier as us and somehow the OKC Thunder is a lock even though we swept them last year and Denver how somehow leapfrogged us too. Zach Lowe usually knows what he's talking about. Portland on the same tier as CHARLOTTE? Unbelievable. Here it is:

Tier 1: Golden State Warriors
Warriors have to try their hardest

• Boston Celtics
• Houston Rockets

Searching for the proper paperwork to move up one tier

• Toronto Raptors

Rock solid playoff teams, tier 1

• Utah Jazz
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Denver Nuggets
• Minnesota Timberwolves in an alternate reality where everything isn't always ruined there

Rock solid playoff teams, tier II

• Los Angeles Lakers
• Indiana Pacers
• Washington Wizards
• Miami Heat with Jimmy Butler (Team does not currently exist)

Right on the borderline

• San Antonio Spurs
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Portland Trail Blazers
• Miami Heat without Jimmy Butler
• Detroit Pistons
• Charlotte Hornets
• Brooklyn Nets

Door is cracking open, but West is still too good

• Dallas Mavericks
• Memphis Grizzlies
• LA Clippers
• Minnesota without Jimmy Butler

Bad

• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Phoenix Suns
• Sacramento Kings
• New York Knicks
• Chicago Bulls
• Orlando Magic
• Atlanta Hawks

 

[Driew]

Funny how they pick the nuggets to make the playoffs every year haha. If they stay healthy yes...but that's a big if right now.

 

[BonesJones]

I'm telling y'all, most media that covers the NBA is absolute trash. It's a joke...

 

[Strenuus]

I'd maybe move us up to tier II playoff team, but eh. It's a prognosticator, it doesn't hold any weight.

 

[illmatic99]

Lowe is usually better than this. Don't get the Denver love-- their home/away splits are massive every year and the schedule makers deliberately tried to get rid of that this year by providing more rest to teams flying into DEN. Should be taken into account. That's a not a legit playoff team, especially with their shit defense, and Millsap only getting older.

 

[THE HCP]

#40 wins and battling for a playoff spot is about right where this team is in the tough west. Not sure how this is that far off.

 

[Propagandist]

#40 wins and battling for a playoff spot is about right where this team is in the tough west. Not sure how this is that far off.

My Trail Blazer emblazoned heart says gtfo! We're tier 1! Then my brain reminds me of our roster...and I just sit and stare.

 

[TBpup]

Was in Vegas and took the 'Over' on the win prediction.

 

[THE HCP]

My Trail Blazer emblazoned heart says gtfo! We're tier 1! Then my brain reminds me of our roster...and I just sit and stare.

Be careful using that common sense around here FAMS!

 

[Pinwheel1]

Questioning this Blazer team this year and last is not really the issue. It is that every year they tend to put teams ahead of us that also have some big question marks.

The first tier 1 seems obvious:

Golden State Warriors.....................Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors

It is the next "rock solid" group in the WEST that is more of a crap shoot.
You can't say for sure that these 4 are better than the Blazers. It is pretty debatable that any of them are.

• Utah Jazz
• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Denver Nuggets
• Minnesota Timberwolves

 

[TBpup]

If healthy, I would put the Jazz in front of the Blazers. They had a lot of injuries last year (starting with Gobert) and still finished only 1 game back of Portland. The Blazers meanwhile, were one of the healthiest teams in the league.

 

[Pinwheel1]

If healthy, I would put the Jazz in front of the Blazers. They had a lot of injuries last year (starting with Gobert) and still finished only 1 game back of Portland. The Blazers meanwhile, were one of the healthiest teams in the league.

Maybe, but their starters against us the other night did not impress me. Not saying the Blazers are better, just that the Jazz are not either.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

We got swept out of the playoffs. Had we had put a better effort in, perhaps we would be higher. But the number of games from being the 3 seed to being out of the playoffs was pretty slim, so yeah, we are borderline.

Only made marginal improvements to our bench, while losing some front court reliability in Ed Davis.

 

[jlprk]

He has fucking Brooklyn on the same tier as us

They should be ahead of us now. They zoom up while we plummet. The Ed Davis effect. All because you guys wouldn't listen to me years ago about Olshey.

 

[Pinwheel1]

They should be ahead of us now. They zoom up while we plummet. The Ed Davis effect. All because you guys wouldn't listen to me years ago about Olshey.

They zoomed because they now have Olshey players? Kind of an oxymoron.

 

[HailBlazers]

Gee wonder who this is on realgm:

 

[Pinwheel1]

yeah the east and west should not even be in the same discussion. Borderline for one conference is much different than borderline for the other.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Gee wonder who this is on realgm:

View attachment 22693

Least we know how he feels about it.

 

[tlongII]

Was in Vegas and took the 'Over' on the win prediction.

How much you bet?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

What's dumb is that most of the "Rock Solid Playoff Teams" in the East would be "Right on the Borderline" in the West.

 

[jlprk]

All these rankings are written to get clicks. Yesterday ESPN rated teams by how entertaining they are.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...omani-jones-preview-2018-19-nba-season-dramas

A couple of days ago, Zach Lowe ranked them in entertainment, a different way.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24846824/zach-lowe-2018-19-nba-league-pass-rankings-part-1

 

[Boob-No-More]

Gee wonder who this is on realgm:

View attachment 22693

How sophomoric.

BNM

 

[KingSpeed]

What's dumb is that most of the "Rock Solid Playoff Teams" in the East would be "Right on the Borderline" in the West.

I don't know. I think Boston, Toronto, and Philly are legit teams that could hang with the West's top teams. But yes, then there's a big drop off.

 

[Natebishop3]

This isn't college football. Rankings don't mean anything. I don't even read them anymore.

 

[jlprk]

Gee wonder who this is on realgm:

I don't know. I think Boston, Toronto, and Philly are legit teams that could hang with the West's top teams. But yes, then there's a big drop off.

How did you appear here so fast, when you're over THERE?

 

[illmatic99]

Here's another statistical projection: https://fivethirtyeight.com/feature...e-knicks-how-were-predicting-the-2018-19-nba/

More Nuggets love. I just don't get it 50 wins in the west is no joke.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Here's another statistical projection: https://fivethirtyeight.com/feature...e-knicks-how-were-predicting-the-2018-19-nba/

More Nuggets love. I just don't get it 50 wins in the west is no joke.

So, they are predicting our defense will drop from 8th best to 18th. They have obviously been reading this forum and adjusted their algorithm to factor in losing Ed Davis.

It does make me wonder though, why there is no corresponding improvement for BRK's defense (22nd last season, projected as 22nd this season):



BNM

 

[THE HCP]

View attachment 22733

So, they are predicting our defense will drop from 8th best to 18th. They have obviously been reading this forum and adjusted their algorithm to factor in losing Ed Davis.

It does make me wonder though, why there is no corresponding improvement for BRK's defense (22nd last season, projected as 22nd this season):

View attachment 22734

BNM

So my 40-42 is pretty close to these guys prediction. I do’t know if thats good or not.

 

[H.C.]

View attachment 22733

So, they are predicting our defense will drop from 8th best to 18th. They have obviously been reading this forum and adjusted their algorithm to factor in losing Ed Davis.

It does make me wonder though, why there is no corresponding improvement for BRK's defense (22nd last season, projected as 22nd this season):

View attachment 22734

BNM

lol.
three 55+ win teams
eight 50 win teams.(5 west, 3 east)
five teams with 45 or better
On top of GSW winning 60+

These predictions might be logical if the teams didn't have to play one another.
Or
If they predicted one conference would be completely ass after the top couple of teams.

 

[Boob-No-More]

So my 40-42 is pretty close to these guys prediction. I do’t know if thats good or not.

On the morning of the election, they gave Hillary an 83% chance of winning. So, yeah...

BNM