[THE'clip'SHOW]

Originally Posted by Rawse

He's a better shooter and scorer than Williams - especially from distance - and has similar assist numbers. He also isn't historically the headcase Williams is.

He's not perfect, of course. But he's an improvement - JWill was just torture on- and off-court to watch more than occasionally.

The same Stoudamire who got caught with weed going through a metal detector because (drumroll) he had it wrapped in tin foil!

Thats gotta be the best ever.

[Sir Patchwork]

1. San Antonio Spurs 61-21 - They are the defending champions in their prime, with some nice offseason additions in Oberto, Finley and Van Exel.

2. Denver Nuggets 56-26 - They were 32-8 in the final 40 games of last season, then got run over by the Spurs. The key is health. They have the scorers, the interior defense and the rebounding. They excel at the most important aspects of the game.

3. Houston Rockets 55-27 - I think a year under the belt is the biggest thing going for them next season. I'm not sure about the Mike James/Rafer Alston swap, and I don't Swift is anything more than a rotation player, but the three names that matter most are Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming and Jeff Van Gundy.

4. Dallas Mavericks 52-30 - Dirk Nowitzki just got done having his best year, and they have some really nice young talent who got a lot of experience last season. They still need a center, but they're pretty much set at every other position. This is the most consistent team in the league outside of the Spurs.

5. Sacramento Kings 51-31 I expect them to win a lot of games in the regular season too. They always do, they're another consistent team. Unfortunetly, they'll probably run into a better team in the playoffs. With Bibby, Peja, Miller and now Rahim, with Adelman coaching, they'll always be a good team.

6. Seattle Supersonics 47-35 - This team is a question mark, because a team without it's coach is a team without it's identity. That identity won Seattle a lot of games last year. However, they still have Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, and a lot of talented players. We'll see what they can do with it.

7. Utah Jazz 46-36 - I have a lot of faith in Jerry Sloan. He has a mess on his hands, no doubt. He has a pretty unorthodox frontcourt. Regardless, at the end of the day, he has a lot of talent there and I think he can put it together. They will also play defense and play hard every night. Barring injury, this is a playoff team.

8. Memphis Grizzlies 43-39 - They are still a team with a good rotation and good coaching. I think they'll be right there in the playoff picture, although this spot is up for grabs in my opinion. Several teams will be fighting for it.

9. Los Angeles Lakers 43-39 - I think they'll be fighting for the last spot also. With Kobe healthy the whole season, with Phil being able to get the most out of players, hopefully improved defense, and whatever they can get from Kwame Brown, they should be a lot better.

10. Minnesota Timberwolves 43-39 - Here is another team fighting for the last spot. Garnett can get them a long way, but they still need another player to step up. My guy is Rashad McCants, I have him picked for rookie of the year. Depending on his play, they could win anywhere from 40-50 games.

11. Phoenix Suns 40-42 - No post presence, and stripped of their potent attack. Nash will have to try to keep this team afloat with his scoring, and that's not a good situation for him to be in.

12. Golden State 38-44 - They are a wildcard. Baron Davis is inconsistent with his shape. If he comes into the season inshape and not settling for three pointers, the Warriors could do a lot better than 38 wins.

13. Los Angeles Clippers 32-50 - They have too many isolation players. Cassell, Mobley and Maggette are only going to take shots away from the guy who should be getting the ball the most, and that's Brand. Their defense will also be among the worst in the league.

14. New Orleans Hornets 29-53 - Chris Paul and J.R. Smith should be fun to watch. I can't see them above any of the teams above though.

15. Portland Trailblazers 28-54 - It's going to be a long season for Portland I think. They went youth too quick and now they're beginning with a new coach.

I'm not worried about the totals adding up, because there is no right or wrong answer if you aren't including the eastern conference.

[supermati]

Lakers....everyone is giving them a higher % that expected

[myELFboy]

6. Seattle Supersonics 47-35 - This team is a question mark, because a team without it's coach is a team without it's identity. That identity won Seattle a lot of games last year. However, they still have Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, and a lot of talented players. We'll see what they can do with it.

lol, you make it seem like they have the custodian @ McDonalds running the team now....Weiss shares the same philosophy as Nate pretty much, except moving the ball up the floor quicker & better team defense, that was a main focus in training camp. Ray Allen & Rashard are pretty much the identidy anyway, last year & this....there was a lot of drama between Nate & the Sonics last year that people don't know about...Ray & Nate didn't exactly get along as smoothly as people believed, but they still made it work.

[Cinco de Mayo]

Originally Posted by THE'clip'SHOW

The same Stoudamire who got caught with weed going through a metal detector because (drumroll) he had it wrapped in tin foil!

Thats gotta be the best ever.

That's not even in the Portland Trailblazer Top 5.

Weed issues didn't make Damon Stoudamire an on-court headcase, or much of a headcase in general.

Sorry. And when was the last time he got busted for pot anyway?

[TonyMontana_83]

After further consideration, I don't believe there's much of a difference between Damon Stoudamire and Jason Williams, playing wise. I will, however, concede this argument to Grizzlies' fans because it's obvious that Williams in Memphis was simply not working out and was bad for team chemistry. At least with Stoudamire they get a fresh start.

[P33r~]

Originally Posted by MemphisX

What I want explained is what Minnesota, Utah, Golden State, and the Lakers did to surpass the Grizzlies? If you want to argue that the Sonics and Suns will be better and the Grizz will still be the 8th seed, I could understand but to say the Grizzlies don't have talent and then have Utah making the playoffs I do not understand. Heck, I can at least understand the reason for drinking the Warriors' kool aid or believing that KG is going to be Shaq in his prime and lead that roster of scrubs to the playoffs but Utah has two players that should be starting in the league on their entire roster.

That's fine and I agree that a team like Utah is not going to make the playoffs over the Grizzlies. My perception of the Grizzlies is a borderline playoff team, probably contesting for the 8 seed with the Lakers. But what in the world makes you say that they will be better team than the Rockets?

[TonyMontana_83]

That's fine and I agree that a team like Utah is not going to make the playoffs over the Grizzlies.

Umm, if the Grizzlies can make the playoffs then the Jazz surely can. The talent level is about the same, if not tipped in favor of Utah, and the Jazz have a better coach. Like I said, it will be all about how the players come together for these two teams to determine which one will be better.

[MemphisX]

Originally Posted by TonyMontana_83

Umm, if the Grizzlies can make the playoffs then the Jazz surely can. The talent level is about the same, if not tipped in favor of Utah, and the Jazz have a better coach. Like I said, it will be all about how the players come together for these two teams to determine which one will be better.

You cannot seriously think that Utah has as much talent s as the Grizz..can you?

[Cinco de Mayo]

Well, Memphis trucked over the Miami Heat tonight in front of a pro-Heat Puerto Rican crowd.