post season picture when observing just which of these five borderline and former below-average teams could possibly make some noise in the postseason race at the end of April.
We'll start off with the Eastern Conference and the guarantees. You could easily write in Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, and Atlanta Hawks as definite teams that are going to make it to the postseason next year.
The Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers showed a lot of promise last year, but they could be replaceable with a few up and coming Eastern Conference teams on the rise.
However, a team like the Celtics could possibly find themselves on the outside looking in within the next few years when their Big Three retires.
The Western Conference picture is all over the place with a high number of veteran teams taking up a few spaces. Teams like the San Antonio Spurs or Los Angeles Lakers could find themselves on the decline soon as their many All-Stars begin truly showing their age.
The Dallas Mavericks also fall into that same boat with Dirk Nowitzki at the age of 34 and not getting any younger.
The New Orleans Hornets are unpredictable since we're not sure whereChris Paulis going, the Denver Nuggets have no true team leader, and the Memphis Grizzlies could have just been a surprise that gained momentum late in the season and into the postseason.
Among the guarantees for the next few seasons will be the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers and not many other teams, which leaves the door wide open for the many young, up-and-coming teams in the West to take up a few playoff spots.
You only get one chance, actually a few, so it would be in the best interest of these five teams to begin making their playoff pushes and the journey out of mediocrity and obscurity as soon as next season.
The Los Angeles Clippers of the East as I like to refer to them, the Washington Wizards possibly possess more athleticism and potential in their young, future All-Stars than any other team in the NBA.
Building their roster off solid draft picks over the past five seasons, the Wizards now find themselves in position to make some noise in the Eastern Conference playoff picture after allowing a number of these youthful athletes to develop and become the players they are today.
The Wizards finished the season last year at a dismal 23-59, good enough for 13th in the East, and yet there's still so much reason to watch and start believing in this team.
You could possibly start off with their soon to be second-year point guard in University of Kentucky productJohn Wall, who exceeded expectations as a first-round pick by being able to transition that fast paced style of play from the NCAA into the NBA.
Wall averaged 16 points per game on 41 percent shooting from the field while also leading all rookies in assists at eight assists and two steals per game to go along with a modest four rebounds. Impressive stats for the rookie who showed a tremendous amount of promise when it comes to leading a team.
He might have averaged four turnovers, but keep in mind that Wall is playing with a young team and that many of his giveaways were unforced.
He is the perfect point guard for this team as he's able to run a fast-paced offense with a team that's always looking to run and hit the fast break.
Joining Wall will be other promising players in guards Nick Young, Jordan Crawford and center JaVale McGee.
The Wizards face a minor dilemma in which direction they want to go in when choosing their starting shooting guard next season between a fifth-year player in Young and a sophomore in Crawford. Young had a breakout year last season, averaging a career-high 17 points per game while Crawford averaged 16 points in 29 games.
Either way, the Wizards are going to come away with a solid shooting guard that they could rely on for the next decade.
The Wizards have plenty of talent with these three players, as well as their high-flying, shot blocking center in McGee, and another athletic behemoth in the Czech Republic's 6'10" small forward Jan Vesely.
Accompanying these players will also be volume-scoring power forward Andray Blatche and always-threatening perimeter shooter Rashard Lewis.
Don't expect the Wizards to make a significant push yet as they still have to compete in one of the toughest divisions in the NBA with 12 games per season against the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Miami Heat.
They also need to create a bigger emphasis on defense, and need to improve overall as a team. With Flip Saunders leading the way, you can expect the Wizards to begin improving as soon as next season and in the postseason within three years.
A new philosophy is about to hit the Golden State Warriors franchise, and it could possibly result in a new-look team that could make a serious playoff push as soon as next year.
The Warriors now have first-year coach and former New York Knicks point guard Mark Jackson as their new leader, who is hoping to bring some new ideas to a hungry team that is looking to make a statement in a conference that has usually excluded them from the after-party that is the NBA postseason.
The Warriors have only made the playoffs once since 1994, and that one instance came during their dream run in 2007 when they became the third No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed.
There's no doubt that this Warriors team has shown that it wants to win games and that they have the capability of doing so with some of the most electric and intense NBA fans you'll see in this league behind them.
They feature one of the strongest back courts in the NBA with 26-year-old shooting guard Monta Ellis and 23-year-old point guard Stephen Curry. Both considerable offensive threats and high volume scorers that could impact a game just between the two of them.
While many will argue that it should be Curry possibly leading the way, it's tough to build up a case against a player of Ellis' caliber, who is one of the league's most underrated slashers and finishers around the rim.
Despite being listed at 6'3" and 175 pounds, Ellis still possesses the athleticism and strength to lift off and finish over anybody while also using an exceptional amount of speed to drive at will and consistently hit the mid-range.
He's also developing a three-point shot as he has improved his shooting percentage year by year and is coming off a career year where he hit 36 percent from deep.
Having no problem hitting from deep are the many other three-point threats on this team that includes Curry, a 44 percent shooter after two seasons, Dorell Wright, the league leader in total three-pointers last season, and the up-and-coming Reggie Williams who shot 42 percent from deep last season.
Curry and Wright will find themselves in the starting lineup once again while Williams will find himself receiving an increased role on the bench.
The Warriors also have plenty of other young talent on this team in Klay Thompson out of Washington State and second-year defensive-minded big man Ekpe Udoh out of Baylor.
Golden State has one of the youngest rosters in the NBA as they only possess one 10-year veteran and only four players that have played in more than five seasons. With a young coach taking over a young team, the results are sure to be unpredictable.
After a 36-46 campaign in 2010-11, the Warriors could see themselves in the postseason if they're able to keep up with the other rising squads out of the Pacific Division.
Or should I be saying Brooklyn Nets by this point?
Whichever state or borough they reside in, the Nets aren't going to find themselves contending for the worst record in league history any time soon.
Instead, they'll be going in the opposite direction as a possible playoff contender within the next few seasons if the organization could get some legitimate talent to surround their All-Star point guard in Deron Williams.
He worked some miracles in Utah with not always the best lineup, but the current quality of this Nets just isn't going to cut it at the moment. Williams was able to show that he could establish chemistry with any team in this league after averaging 12 assists per in the 12 games that he played with the Nets last season.
Considering he's surrounded by offensive threats like Brook Lopez, Anthony Morrow and Kris Humphries, I'd say that Williams has his work cut out for him.
Williams is widely considered by many to be the league's top point guard and there's a large argument that can support this claim.
He's the strongest player of his size and can drive at will against any lighter guard, has the athleticism to finish over front court players, and is still a considerable threat from the mid-range and three-point line.
He's a multi-dimensional offensive threat and also uses that strength and athleticism to help him on the defensive end.
The Nets also possess one of the better scoring centers in Brook Lopez, who is coming off of a career season where he averaged 20 points per game. Lopez has shown a lot of promise as an offensive-minded center over his first three seasons in the league and has proven how volatile he can be in the post with his feet while also hitting from the mid-range.
The only problem with Lopez is that's all he can do. He's not a strong defender, even at 7' and 265 pounds, and is an abysmal rebounder and is coming off of a ridiculous season where he only averaged six boards, second lowest among centers.
Aside from Lopez and Williams, there isn't too much proven talent on the Nets. They're banking on a number of young players with Providence's Marshon Brooks, Texas' Damion James and Maryland's Jordan Williams to name a few.
Brooks could be one of the draft's biggest steals as he is coming off of a year where he averaged 25 points per on 48 percent shooting from the field to go along with seven boards and three assists.
The Nets may have to look towards free agency to address the majority of their concerns, but there's no doubt that they'll be able to take a step in the right direction with Deron Williams leading the way.
In a wide-open Eastern Conference, the Nets have just as much a chance as anyone else to make a postseason push.
Possibly the most hyped up 32-50 team in NBA history, the Los Angeles Clippers showed tremendous improvement as a collective unit despite only winning three more games from the year before.
The Clippers possess some of the league's most athletic and promising players in the NBA with the likes of Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Eric Gordon leading the way.
With only two postseason appearances since 1996, the Clippers have always been regarded as one of sports most laughable franchises.
From horrid draft picks (Michael Olowokandi) to questionable trades (Baron Davis), the Clippers have finally seemed to get it right over the past few seasons with draft acquisitions in Gordon and Griffin.
Despite both players averaging over 22 points per game last year, the media's attention was so solely focused on the exploits and high-flying ability of former Oklahoma Sooner Blake Griffin.
After suffering a knee injury in the last preseason game prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, Griffin would make his NBA debut as a second year rookie and would start the year off with a bang by posting up 20 points and 14 boards in his first game.
Griffin would go on to win Rookie of the Year after averaging 23 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists. He was most remembered in his rookie season for the unbelievable dunks he was able to pull off from just about anywhere within 10 feet as he became a YouTube and highlight legend in the span of 82 games.
Griffin has the capability to be a Karl Malone-type power forward, but he has plenty to improve on with his overall defense and offensive game outside of 15 feet being the main concerns.
Joining Griffin once again will be fourth-year shooting guard Eric Gordon. In his third year, Gordon had a breakout season where he averaged a career high 22 points on 45 percent shooting while also connecting on two three-pointers per game on 36 percent from beyond the arc.
He's a Dwyane Wade-type guard that has a smallish body for a shooting guard, but can still hit the mid-range shot at a consistent rate while relying heavily on his athleticism to slash and drive at will.
The Clippers will have to make a large decision in the near future when it comes to their center situation as well.
The team is looking to have a foundation based on athleticism and young talent and they're going have to decide between the oft-injured veteran in Chris Kaman or the athletic DeAndre Jordan.
Kaman is obviously the better player at the moment, thanks to his offensive skill set, but he has played in 32 games or less in two of the past three seasons.
Jordan may not have too much of an offensive game, there's none to be honest, but he's a terrific athlete and is a stellar defender and shot blocker that averaged two blocks filling in for Kaman last year.
Los Angeles has the talent and potential to become a playoff contender and they'll still need to pick up a reliable bench to support this star-studded starting lineup.
With Griffin and Gordon leading the way and improving by the year though, the Clippers could very well find themselves as an eight seed next year.
Finishing 24-58 last season and last overall in a weak Pacific Division that featured four teams with records below the .500 threshold, the Sacramento Kings are going to have to vastly improve if they want to find themselves in the postseason within the next five years.
The chances are unlikely that this team will begin winning 45-50 games anytime soon, but they do have the potential and the talent to do so at a consistent rate when they are ready.
The Kings feature one of the league's youngest starting lineups with the 22-year-old rookie Jimmer Fredette possibly starting at point guard, 22-year-old Tyreke Evans at the two, 23-year-old J.J. Hickson at the four, and second year player DeMarcus Cousins getting the start at center, with the 31-year-old John Salmons being the only possible veteran to crack the first unit.
On a team with not much help from the bench and with no player being in the league longer than nine seasons, the Kings are left to rely on their future All-Stars and hope that they're able to lift this team out of obscurity soon.
The team will find themselves at a dilemma when deciding just how they're going to fill in the starting lineup.
They've said before that they would like to start the three-point specialist in Fredette, but that also means high volume scorer Marcus Thornton coming off the bench and Tyreke Evans having to make the transition to shooting guard.
Evans would fill in well as a shooting guard since he has the size and athleticism to do so, but he's also a largely effective floor general and is well and capable of leading an offense.
Moving Thornton to the bench would be disappointing as well since it appears that the former LSU Tiger has the potential to become one of the more formidable offensive threats, as he possesses a solid driving game to go along with a stellar jump shot that excels past the three-point line.
Thornton averaged 21 points in 27 games with the Kings after arriving via trade from the New Orleans Hornets midway through last season.
The Kings will also look to see improvement from their raw forward/center in former University of Kentucky product DeMarcus Cousins. He showed the organization that he does have the footwork and size to become a formidable threat in the post on both sides of the ball.
Cousins will need to improve his discipline on and off the court however as he commits too many silly turnovers while also reportedly getting inaltercationswith his own teammates.
Evans, Cousins, Thornton and Fredette fill out an impressive starting lineup and the team could get a whole lot more impressive if they can surround the team with a solid bench and some support in the front court.
Only then will the Kings find themselves in the postseason picture and only then will the Kings finally regarded as a legitimate team for the first time since the early 2000s.
What is the duplicate article?
Why is this article offensive?
Where is this article plagiarized from?
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment