Over the next couple of weeks, to get ready for the NBA season, Kris and Dan are going answer a bunch of questions. One question and two responses per post. Pretty straight forward.
One twist: if there's a question you want Kris and Dan to answer about the NBA, submit it in the comments. And if it's not totally dumb, we'll answer it in a post. Cool? Cool.
Question 1: Will the Eastern Conference be legit this season after the additions of All-Star caliber players like Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Zach Randolph, Jason Richardson, and Rashard Lewis?
Kris says:
The Eastern Conference teams definitely did what they needed to do in order to compete. Some teams went with youth additions on their bench like the Pistons or some like the Celtics and Magic made the big splash by acquiring All-Star players. Clearly the East is not as top heavy as the Western Conference, there are still no dominant forces like the Texas Two and the team in Phoenix, but the East can compete this year.Dan says:
Last year I would have told you that I didn’t really believe any of the Eastern teams could win the title. However, this season I can see Chicago, Detroit , Boston , and Miami all being title contenders. Furthermore, I think teams like Cleveland, Washington, and New Jersey if they were able to add pieces during the year via trade could clearly make a move. Just remember by the February trading deadline there could be some interesting Western Conference players looking to be dealt, including Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady (if the Rockets struggle again), Pau Gasol and Shawn Marion.
At the very least the East will be much more compelling this year. Clearly the story of the offseason was made in Boston and you can’t argue that even non Boston fans might be pulling for this team a little because of the quality of people and players that Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are. We also have the drama of watching LeBron and see if he can follow up that unbelievable playoff performance and take his game to an even higher level, which is scary to think about. Add those factors to the fact that the Big Fella says he is healthy and ready for one more shot at glory and you have an Eastern Conference worth watching this year.
If the question was “will the East be more compelling this year” then the answer clearly would be yes.
Of course there is the new Big 3 in Boston. The Bulls seem like they should be better, with a lot of the young talent (Deng, Heinrich, Gordon, Tyrus Thomas) having more experience going into this year. The Heat still have Wade and Shaq. The Nets still have Kidd and Carter and Jefferson. The Pistons still have their core, and some intriguing young guys (Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiel, Rodney Stuckey) to work into their rotation. LeBron still plays for the Cavs (though no one else seems to.) Washington’s big three (Arenas, Jamison, Butler) could have given the Cavs trouble in the playoffs last year if they were healthy, and they’re all back this year.
In tier two, the Hawks have some players worth watching (Josh Smith and Joe Johnson) along with two top-10 picks from this past draft (Horford and Law IV) so they could bring some excitement. Same with the Bobcats, adding Jason Richardson to a team that already has the best and most exciting player to watch you don’t hear enough about, Gerald Wallace (worth the price of League Pass by himself.) And the Knicks, well, they won’t be boring with all those characters on the team, if nothing else (though they will sure to be maddening, frustrating, and ultimately heartbreaking for their fans. That's another topic for later.)
But the question here is “will the East be 'legit'?” And, despite being better than last year, I don’t think they are quite legit yet.
These teams in the West would be favored to win the East if they switched conferences tomorrow: Dallas, San Antonio, Phoenix, Houston, and Utah.
These teams in the West would be considered strong contenders to be in the top three in the East if they switched conferences tomorrow: Denver, New Orleans, Golden State, and the Lakers.
That’s nine teams in the West that are better than or just about as good as the top three teams in the East (Detroit, Boston, Chicago.)
Think of it this way: if you put Detroit in the Finals, which team in the West would they be favored against? Any of the top five in the West? Maybe Utah? What about Boston or Chicago? Would they really be favored against any of those top five?
So while there is certainly a lot to watch for this year in the East, and while there is certainly a lot of future potential, I don’t think the addition of those All Star players makes this conference any more of a legitimate threat to win a championship in 2008.
5 comments:
I neglected to mention the Magic in the reasons the East will be more compelling.
Rashard Lewis plus Dwight Howard plus a Van Gundy brother should make them a better team.
They'd still finish no better than 9th in the West, so it doesn't change the overall point, i.e. compelling does not equal legitimate.
I have an NBA question:
What does it take for Isiah Thomas to be fired? Not only is he a lousy coach and an even worse GM, he's a sexual harasser. None of us would keep our jobs if we were as bad at them as Isaih, and doubly so if we sexually harassed our co-workers.
So answer that, tough guys.
Well some questions are unanswerable. The fact that they say Tom Dolan Jr. runs MSG like a frat house may have something to do with it, that is my best guess.
The Answer is:
The Dolans are actually Japanese, and are inherently and deblitatingly afraid of losing face.
Firing Isiah would mean losing face.
That is about as logical as anything else.
Here's a question:
What do I have to do to get some respect around here? The NBA never gives me any props and all I do is kick ass and take names. Is there anyway you think I will get some kudos for the awesome I provide every year??
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