Post by Sixers GM (LM TRP) on Oct 27, 2012 23:51:11 GMT -5
Okay remember this all opinion. I am of course bias towards my team but i am trying to evaluate the teams fairly. I will give the rankings in order from what i think is best to 10th best for each conference. Then i will say why. I take to account everything injuries, cap space, position depth and star power.
1. Thunder - Are Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka gonna be enough for this team to win a championship. At this stage there is no reason to suggest they wont. They are the favorites for the title based on the simple fact that they have 4 top 30 players (dont even try to argue). The rest of their team is enough to get them a high playoff spot (im talking 1-3). Thats why they are the top team in these rankings. But if they draw the Timberwolves week 1 of the playoffs all hell could break loose. With the beard now lining up in the red and white jersey his value is skyrocketing (credit cavsgm) and the future is bright for this OKC franchise.
2. Nuggets - Nuggets are another team that will be right up there. They will contest will in each category and will put up large numbers. My tip for the highest playoff team in the west. Another team with great PG depth (Parker, Lawson, Conley). If they are serious about a championship they might need to find some more bench players. Could be a Philly v Denver for the title.
3. Miami - The only co-owner team. They will be top 8 dont even argue about it. Whats scary is the draft picks they made. Jonas, Nicholson, Kawhi are all gonna get better. The issue i saw was there were still players available for them to win this year which might cost them. They will hav a strong team but i dont think they have the team to win.
4. Sixers - This team has the pieces to win for a long time. If curry is fit and firing (big if) they can win this year. Great positional depth (3 starting point guards). This team could be in for a deep run into the playoffs.
5. Celtics - This is the team i want to beat. Picked up the right players in draft and FA and will have a great chance to replicate the celtics run to the ECF last year. Yet to see them make a trade which is hard to tell how that will turn out. One weakness i will look to target is the teams lack of PG options early. The fact that they have very few roster spots takes them from 2-5 in my opinion
6. Knicks - Another team that went light on PGs and it could hurt them in the long run because otherwise they have a solid team. Will lose the assists every week but with rising stars like paul george to pair with melo and stat they will be a team that nobody will want to face.
7. Warriors - The LM's in this league have really done a solid job managing their respective. I think this team will be mid league. One of those teams where they try to keep rebuilding in a solid team. It will be tough to make a run at the title against some of the marquee teams but hopefully we see them make a run come playoff time. Klay will play huge this year, but outside of that i dont see there frontcourt Barnes, Favors and McGee getting enough minutes for this team to seriously contend.
8. Suns - I like this suns team a lot. They are gonna be a team that put some serious heat on your team. Stole AL Jefferson with pick 10 (Still cant believe that). Made some smart moves looking for experienced veterans and they are a team to keep an eye on.
9. Clippers - If they can get a full season from kobe, cp3 and blake then it could be a productive season for the Clips. I dont see them winning a title for several reasons. 1 they hav a horrible bench. 2 an injury to kobe or cp3 then they are done for the year. 3 they have very little cap to trade with and that could hurt them later on. For this team to do any damage in the playoffs they need to get lucky.
10. Lakers - Bit the bullet and cut the Black Mamba. Its hard tot tell what the ramifications of that will be right now but this team is in a tough spot right now. Dwight if healthy will make this team a playoff team. They like other teams around them (Cavs, Clippers etc.) have failed to get a deep team which could hurt later on. Injuries are gonna be costly to teams like this. If dwight misses time or MKG and Mayo cant shoot the ball look for this team to head south.
11. Hornets - I cant believe they got deron williams without giving Davis, Gordon, Gasol or Rivers. They will be thin at both SG and SF so for that reason i dont think they can win. But they are only a few pieces away from a solid team and they will be another team fighting for a middle playoff spot. Hopefully they dont take the sting out of your season
12. Cavs - Its hard pinpoint the exact direction this team is going. They drafted well to cover there weakness at SG (no offence to Waiters) but they failed drastically in there quest for a top C (offence to Varejao). That is the weakness of this team. They did make a solid selectoin of Ian Mahinmi but he isnt enough to warrant a good C backup. They could be the team that surprise people in the playoffs though with their mixture of youth and experience. Treat them lightly at your own peril.
13. Kings - Kings are always a good fantasy team (unlike real life). I do feel that the squad quite well in the draft (Bogut, Lowry, Miller) but got the rough end of the Harden Trade and Lamb now is a 3rd string SG for the Thunder. This team doesnt hav enough players really to hav a shot at winning. They simply wont be able to get enough guys on the court
14. Bulls - I see these guys peaking at the playoffs. (Obvious statement if Rose comes back). But this could be a disaster year for the Windy City if the 2011 MVP doesn't return. They will be a mid ranked team if all goes well till playoff time. I dont see them taking down the big guns but they could cause an upset if Rose is fit and firing in April.
15. Nets - This team has made some questionable trades but overall they should scrape into the playoffs as a bottom seed. The Deron Williams trade for me was quite shocking as this team seemed to have given up this year after selecting Kemba and Selby and then trading for Thompson and Zeller. This team could surprise and maybe make a very low playoff spot, building towards next year.
16. Wizards - Wizards have some potential but i see them as one of the teams that struggle to make the playoffs. They have low SG, PF and SF depth (especially if Randolph goes down). Another team with small numbers and than is simply to hard to see teams win. Look for them in a few years.
17. Blazers - This team has a good 7 or 8 but it drops off to far from there. They will pick up wins but i dont see to many of them this season. Will be an up and down season for the team with the most rookies (5).
18. Timberwolves - What looked like a promising season has turned to disaster for this young team. Love out till December, Rubio indefinitely, Bynum cant find the court and they hav no one at SG. This team wont win any over the first few weeks so u will be lucky to draw them early. However if they can claw out some wins with K-Love and rubio back (and if Bynum can manage some time on the court) the could sneak a playoff spot. If that happens i sure dont wanna play them come playoff time.
19. Bucks - This team has some solid pieces, But with their best player out for at least the first 2 weeks is very intimidating for a team that lacks depth. Wins are gonna be hard to find for this team. Fingers crossed we can get a taker.
20. Hawks - I must say it looks like a long seen for Atlanta. So very questionable decisions (not selecting Lou Williams in the team, signing Oden to a 1 yr deal). The Hawks took some interesting selections in the retraction draft going for old veterans instead of young studs. Really there isnt much future in a struggling team. Lets pray for something Linsane in Atlanta this season.
1. Thunder - Are Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka gonna be enough for this team to win a championship. At this stage there is no reason to suggest they wont. They are the favorites for the title based on the simple fact that they have 4 top 30 players (dont even try to argue). The rest of their team is enough to get them a high playoff spot (im talking 1-3). Thats why they are the top team in these rankings. But if they draw the Timberwolves week 1 of the playoffs all hell could break loose. With the beard now lining up in the red and white jersey his value is skyrocketing (credit cavsgm) and the future is bright for this OKC franchise.
2. Nuggets - Nuggets are another team that will be right up there. They will contest will in each category and will put up large numbers. My tip for the highest playoff team in the west. Another team with great PG depth (Parker, Lawson, Conley). If they are serious about a championship they might need to find some more bench players. Could be a Philly v Denver for the title.
3. Miami - The only co-owner team. They will be top 8 dont even argue about it. Whats scary is the draft picks they made. Jonas, Nicholson, Kawhi are all gonna get better. The issue i saw was there were still players available for them to win this year which might cost them. They will hav a strong team but i dont think they have the team to win.
4. Sixers - This team has the pieces to win for a long time. If curry is fit and firing (big if) they can win this year. Great positional depth (3 starting point guards). This team could be in for a deep run into the playoffs.
5. Celtics - This is the team i want to beat. Picked up the right players in draft and FA and will have a great chance to replicate the celtics run to the ECF last year. Yet to see them make a trade which is hard to tell how that will turn out. One weakness i will look to target is the teams lack of PG options early. The fact that they have very few roster spots takes them from 2-5 in my opinion
6. Knicks - Another team that went light on PGs and it could hurt them in the long run because otherwise they have a solid team. Will lose the assists every week but with rising stars like paul george to pair with melo and stat they will be a team that nobody will want to face.
7. Warriors - The LM's in this league have really done a solid job managing their respective. I think this team will be mid league. One of those teams where they try to keep rebuilding in a solid team. It will be tough to make a run at the title against some of the marquee teams but hopefully we see them make a run come playoff time. Klay will play huge this year, but outside of that i dont see there frontcourt Barnes, Favors and McGee getting enough minutes for this team to seriously contend.
8. Suns - I like this suns team a lot. They are gonna be a team that put some serious heat on your team. Stole AL Jefferson with pick 10 (Still cant believe that). Made some smart moves looking for experienced veterans and they are a team to keep an eye on.
9. Clippers - If they can get a full season from kobe, cp3 and blake then it could be a productive season for the Clips. I dont see them winning a title for several reasons. 1 they hav a horrible bench. 2 an injury to kobe or cp3 then they are done for the year. 3 they have very little cap to trade with and that could hurt them later on. For this team to do any damage in the playoffs they need to get lucky.
10. Lakers - Bit the bullet and cut the Black Mamba. Its hard tot tell what the ramifications of that will be right now but this team is in a tough spot right now. Dwight if healthy will make this team a playoff team. They like other teams around them (Cavs, Clippers etc.) have failed to get a deep team which could hurt later on. Injuries are gonna be costly to teams like this. If dwight misses time or MKG and Mayo cant shoot the ball look for this team to head south.
11. Hornets - I cant believe they got deron williams without giving Davis, Gordon, Gasol or Rivers. They will be thin at both SG and SF so for that reason i dont think they can win. But they are only a few pieces away from a solid team and they will be another team fighting for a middle playoff spot. Hopefully they dont take the sting out of your season
12. Cavs - Its hard pinpoint the exact direction this team is going. They drafted well to cover there weakness at SG (no offence to Waiters) but they failed drastically in there quest for a top C (offence to Varejao). That is the weakness of this team. They did make a solid selectoin of Ian Mahinmi but he isnt enough to warrant a good C backup. They could be the team that surprise people in the playoffs though with their mixture of youth and experience. Treat them lightly at your own peril.
13. Kings - Kings are always a good fantasy team (unlike real life). I do feel that the squad quite well in the draft (Bogut, Lowry, Miller) but got the rough end of the Harden Trade and Lamb now is a 3rd string SG for the Thunder. This team doesnt hav enough players really to hav a shot at winning. They simply wont be able to get enough guys on the court
14. Bulls - I see these guys peaking at the playoffs. (Obvious statement if Rose comes back). But this could be a disaster year for the Windy City if the 2011 MVP doesn't return. They will be a mid ranked team if all goes well till playoff time. I dont see them taking down the big guns but they could cause an upset if Rose is fit and firing in April.
15. Nets - This team has made some questionable trades but overall they should scrape into the playoffs as a bottom seed. The Deron Williams trade for me was quite shocking as this team seemed to have given up this year after selecting Kemba and Selby and then trading for Thompson and Zeller. This team could surprise and maybe make a very low playoff spot, building towards next year.
16. Wizards - Wizards have some potential but i see them as one of the teams that struggle to make the playoffs. They have low SG, PF and SF depth (especially if Randolph goes down). Another team with small numbers and than is simply to hard to see teams win. Look for them in a few years.
17. Blazers - This team has a good 7 or 8 but it drops off to far from there. They will pick up wins but i dont see to many of them this season. Will be an up and down season for the team with the most rookies (5).
18. Timberwolves - What looked like a promising season has turned to disaster for this young team. Love out till December, Rubio indefinitely, Bynum cant find the court and they hav no one at SG. This team wont win any over the first few weeks so u will be lucky to draw them early. However if they can claw out some wins with K-Love and rubio back (and if Bynum can manage some time on the court) the could sneak a playoff spot. If that happens i sure dont wanna play them come playoff time.
19. Bucks - This team has some solid pieces, But with their best player out for at least the first 2 weeks is very intimidating for a team that lacks depth. Wins are gonna be hard to find for this team. Fingers crossed we can get a taker.
20. Hawks - I must say it looks like a long seen for Atlanta. So very questionable decisions (not selecting Lou Williams in the team, signing Oden to a 1 yr deal). The Hawks took some interesting selections in the retraction draft going for old veterans instead of young studs. Really there isnt much future in a struggling team. Lets pray for something Linsane in Atlanta this season.