Post by Utah on Jun 9, 2007 11:33:03 GMT -5
Hopefully this can help stir up some activity here.
5. Washington Wizards: Very good team with a solid starting 4. However, Arenas has never shown much of a propensity to be a good shooting guard and it shows. The Wizards have chosen to try to deal Hinrich instead of Arenas. The gm has shown great skill in making deals to make his team better by getting Artest and Prince. They are a center away from being very very good and causing problems all season in the East. I see them trying to trade Hinrich or Arenas and moving one or the other to the point and let Raja play the shooting guard while they try to acquire a better center. If I'm the wiz, I keep Hinrich and trade Arenas.
4. Celtics: Any team with Van Horn deserves a long look as one of the best teams in the East. Van Horn is currently playing point guard and he is clearly out of position averaging nearly 4 turnovers a game. The Celtics need a point guard to distribute the ball to everyone else on this team. With some great inside players in Chandler and Frye, they would have a great scoring punch of Villanueva and Van horn at shooting guard and small forward. I think this team is a player or two away from knocking on the doors of Atlanta and really causing problems for everyone else.
3. Toronto Raptors: The gm is a bit loony and needs medications but that is ok. This is a team with arguably the best starting 5 in the Eastern Conference. Ming, Reeves, Martin, Wagner and crawford are all very good players and this team can put up some points and has outscored their opponents by 9 points so far this season. With the two towers underneath nobody in the league can match their size. Wagner hasn't improved much as a shooting guard and will lose most matchups there, but this team is very good and is tough to beat night in and night out.
2. Philadelphia 76ers: I love this team. Any team where you have to question if Lebron is the first option or not is a great team. So far, Lebron is off to a terrible start scoring in the high teens and shooting horribly. The addition of Shaq really puts them over the top. Much like the Celtics, this team needs a point guard to lead them and get the ball to McGrady, Lebron, Boozer and Shaq. Any of them can score but can also dominate the ball. A point guard would allow them to all play their natural positions and play well. If you ask me, the Lebron at point experiment should end. I see them trading some of their other players to look for that point guard. They have Ridnour and Boykins able to play but so far are only seeing the pine. Jayborne is an experienced gm who knows what he is doing and this team will be right there come playoff time.
1. Atlanta Hawks: The closest thing to a dynasty that the league has ever seen since "he should not be named" left the league. This team has some holes however, but until they are knocked off the eastern conference podium they are the team to beat. They lack a strong scoring center, but they have the best small forward in the league and the best point guard in the league in Diaw and Williams. Any time you have two of the best on your team at any position you are in a good spot. With Noah, Aldridge, Williams they have some very good youth that is up and coming and great trade bait to acquire the pieces to get them over the top. This team can be beat where they are right now, especially by teams that have dominant big men. The Sixers could match up well if they had a point to match up to Williams but the same could be said of all of us.
I look for the Hawks to make some moves to get out of the East again but in a close series over the Sixers in the conference finals. Jayborne will quit and come back a day later and take over the Nuggets who will be run by proxy throughout the season.
5. Washington Wizards: Very good team with a solid starting 4. However, Arenas has never shown much of a propensity to be a good shooting guard and it shows. The Wizards have chosen to try to deal Hinrich instead of Arenas. The gm has shown great skill in making deals to make his team better by getting Artest and Prince. They are a center away from being very very good and causing problems all season in the East. I see them trying to trade Hinrich or Arenas and moving one or the other to the point and let Raja play the shooting guard while they try to acquire a better center. If I'm the wiz, I keep Hinrich and trade Arenas.
4. Celtics: Any team with Van Horn deserves a long look as one of the best teams in the East. Van Horn is currently playing point guard and he is clearly out of position averaging nearly 4 turnovers a game. The Celtics need a point guard to distribute the ball to everyone else on this team. With some great inside players in Chandler and Frye, they would have a great scoring punch of Villanueva and Van horn at shooting guard and small forward. I think this team is a player or two away from knocking on the doors of Atlanta and really causing problems for everyone else.
3. Toronto Raptors: The gm is a bit loony and needs medications but that is ok. This is a team with arguably the best starting 5 in the Eastern Conference. Ming, Reeves, Martin, Wagner and crawford are all very good players and this team can put up some points and has outscored their opponents by 9 points so far this season. With the two towers underneath nobody in the league can match their size. Wagner hasn't improved much as a shooting guard and will lose most matchups there, but this team is very good and is tough to beat night in and night out.
2. Philadelphia 76ers: I love this team. Any team where you have to question if Lebron is the first option or not is a great team. So far, Lebron is off to a terrible start scoring in the high teens and shooting horribly. The addition of Shaq really puts them over the top. Much like the Celtics, this team needs a point guard to lead them and get the ball to McGrady, Lebron, Boozer and Shaq. Any of them can score but can also dominate the ball. A point guard would allow them to all play their natural positions and play well. If you ask me, the Lebron at point experiment should end. I see them trading some of their other players to look for that point guard. They have Ridnour and Boykins able to play but so far are only seeing the pine. Jayborne is an experienced gm who knows what he is doing and this team will be right there come playoff time.
1. Atlanta Hawks: The closest thing to a dynasty that the league has ever seen since "he should not be named" left the league. This team has some holes however, but until they are knocked off the eastern conference podium they are the team to beat. They lack a strong scoring center, but they have the best small forward in the league and the best point guard in the league in Diaw and Williams. Any time you have two of the best on your team at any position you are in a good spot. With Noah, Aldridge, Williams they have some very good youth that is up and coming and great trade bait to acquire the pieces to get them over the top. This team can be beat where they are right now, especially by teams that have dominant big men. The Sixers could match up well if they had a point to match up to Williams but the same could be said of all of us.
I look for the Hawks to make some moves to get out of the East again but in a close series over the Sixers in the conference finals. Jayborne will quit and come back a day later and take over the Nuggets who will be run by proxy throughout the season.