migya wrote:Utah will continue to be a very good team and even get better as they are still young.

Eh. That's what everybody said about the Hornets last year and look at them.

Injuries are a very real aspect of the NBA. The Jazz need to face the facts that they are built around 2 extremely injury-prone frontcourt players (Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko). Clearly, Boozer was the catalyst for the Jazz last year. None of their success would have been possible without him in the lineup all year.

Mehmet Okur has proven that he can by a Troy Murphy kind of 3rd option; providing 2nd option scoring when the lineup get thin, and Deron Williams is a stud... but if Boozer and AK combine to miss 40 games next season, I can't see the Jazz making the playoffs. Not in the West.

migya wrote:The Rockets were already a contender but now with Francis, if he gets back to normal, they are one of the favourites if not the favourite

The Rockets were a contender that couldn't get out of the first round?

The Rockets already had one of the league's deadliest duo. Nothing more, but it was still pretty devastating when it clicked. Francis and Yao had a thousand times better chemistry than TMac and Yao. The Rockets still need an answer on the wings. The Rockets still need a passing point guard. And the Rockets still better hope Yao or McGrady don't get hurt.

I think this next season is the last year the Rocket's management attempts to pair McGrady and Yao, who have clearly never clicked together. If the Rockets (with Francis) don't get out of the 1st round next year, look for Houston to put McGrady on the trade block in search of young studs and draft picks to stock pile around Yao.

32 wrote:

migya wrote:Utah will continue to be a very good team and even get better as they are still young.

Eh. That's what everybody said about the Hornets last year and look at them.

Injuries are a very real aspect of the NBA. The Jazz need to face the facts that they are built around 2 extremely injury-prone frontcourt players (Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko). Clearly, Boozer was the catalyst for the Jazz last year. None of their success would have been possible without him in the lineup all year.

Mehmet Okur has proven that he can by a Troy Murphy kind of 3rd option; providing 2nd option scoring when the lineup get thin, and Deron Williams is a stud... but if Boozer and AK combine to miss 40 games next season, I can't see the Jazz making the playoffs. Not in the West.

The Hornets overachieved by getting to the playoffs two seasons ago, really overachieved. They don't have the stars or role players the Rockets had and have now.

It is true that Boozer and AK47 are injuryprone but last season, Boozer was healthy and moved his game to superstar like caliber. He has turned the corner and the Jazz are reaping the rewards of paying him a huge salary, I definately thought Boozer was crap, and he was really, but now has risen.

Okur is a fair bit better than Murphy, only rebounding is close between them. Okur is a very good scorer who steps up and plays pretty good defense

32 wrote:

migya wrote:The Rockets were already a contender but now with Francis, if he gets back to normal, they are one of the favourites if not the favourite

The Rockets were a contender that couldn't get out of the first round?

The Rockets already had one of the league's deadliest duo. Nothing more, but it was still pretty devastating when it clicked. Francis and Yao had a thousand times better chemistry than TMac and Yao. The Rockets still need an answer on the wings. The Rockets still need a passing point guard. And the Rockets still better hope Yao or McGrady don't get hurt.

I think this next season is the last year the Rocket's management attempts to pair McGrady and Yao, who have clearly never clicked together. If the Rockets (with Francis) don't get out of the 1st round next year, look for Houston to put McGrady on the trade block in search of young studs and draft picks to stock pile around Yao.

The Rockets, by not getting out of the first round, deserve to not be truly considered contenders anymore, but based on regular season performance, they are.

It is not that TMac and Yao have no chemistry, they actually go great together, it is just that both have been injured either at different times or the same time since TMac arrived there. IF they both can be healthy, as showed last season at the end of the season, the Rockets are one of the best teams there is. Now with Francis, they must get out of the first round at the very least

migya wrote:The Hornets overachieved by getting to the playoffs two seasons ago, really overachieved. They don't have the stars or role players the Rockets had and have now.

It is true that Boozer and AK47 are injuryprone but last season, Boozer was healthy and moved his game to superstar like caliber. He has turned the corner and the Jazz are reaping the rewards of paying him a huge salary, I definately thought Boozer was crap, and he was really, but now has risen.

Okur is a fair bit better than Murphy, only rebounding is close between them. Okur is a very good scorer who steps up and plays pretty good defense

I'm gonna have to disagree with you about the Hornets; they got the best rookie since LeBron James, they signed Peja in the offseason, along with Bobby Jackson, made a deal to get Tyson Chandler (who became a monster in New Orleans), AND were doing it all following the breakout season of David West. The Hornets have major talent. For them not to have made the postseason last year was disgraceful. They should have easily been the 7-seed over the Lakers.

migya wrote:The Rockets, by not getting out of the first round, deserve to not be truly considered contenders anymore, but based on regular season performance, they are.

It is not that TMac and Yao have no chemistry, they actually go great together, it is just that both have been injured either at different times or the same time since TMac arrived there. IF they both can be healthy, as showed last season at the end of the season, the Rockets are one of the best teams there is. Now with Francis, they must get out of the first round at the very least

Again, I have to disagree. Calling Yao and McGrady "great" together doesn't make sense to me. Yao clearly plays at a much higher level when McGrady isn't in the game. In fact, Yao borderline dominates when he isn't taking a backseat. McGrady proved in Toronto (with Vince Carter) that he can click with certain players, but it just doesn't work with Yao. Their games don't overlap at all and they can't get into a groove with one another. Either one is hot or the other is.

32 wrote:

migya wrote:The Hornets overachieved by getting to the playoffs two seasons ago, really overachieved. They don't have the stars or role players the Rockets had and have now.

It is true that Boozer and AK47 are injuryprone but last season, Boozer was healthy and moved his game to superstar like caliber. He has turned the corner and the Jazz are reaping the rewards of paying him a huge salary, I definately thought Boozer was crap, and he was really, but now has risen.

Okur is a fair bit better than Murphy, only rebounding is close between them. Okur is a very good scorer who steps up and plays pretty good defense

I'm gonna have to disagree with you about the Hornets; they got the best rookie since LeBron James, they signed Peja in the offseason, along with Bobby Jackson, made a deal to get Tyson Chandler (who became a monster in New Orleans), AND were doing it all following the breakout season of David West. The Hornets have major talent. For them not to have made the postseason last year was disgraceful. They should have easily been the 7-seed over the Lakers.

Yeah, the Hornets just had terrible luck with injuries. This season will be different. The way I see it, if they're relatively injury-free, they're a lock for the playoffs.

32 wrote:

migya wrote:The Hornets overachieved by getting to the playoffs two seasons ago, really overachieved. They don't have the stars or role players the Rockets had and have now.

It is true that Boozer and AK47 are injuryprone but last season, Boozer was healthy and moved his game to superstar like caliber. He has turned the corner and the Jazz are reaping the rewards of paying him a huge salary, I definately thought Boozer was crap, and he was really, but now has risen.

Okur is a fair bit better than Murphy, only rebounding is close between them. Okur is a very good scorer who steps up and plays pretty good defense

I'm gonna have to disagree with you about the Hornets; they got the best rookie since LeBron James, they signed Peja in the offseason, along with Bobby Jackson, made a deal to get Tyson Chandler (who became a monster in New Orleans), AND were doing it all following the breakout season of David West. The Hornets have major talent. For them not to have made the postseason last year was disgraceful. They should have easily been the 7-seed over the Lakers.

migya wrote:The Rockets, by not getting out of the first round, deserve to not be truly considered contenders anymore, but based on regular season performance, they are.

It is not that TMac and Yao have no chemistry, they actually go great together, it is just that both have been injured either at different times or the same time since TMac arrived there. IF they both can be healthy, as showed last season at the end of the season, the Rockets are one of the best teams there is. Now with Francis, they must get out of the first round at the very least

Again, I have to disagree. Calling Yao and McGrady "great" together doesn't make sense to me. Yao clearly plays at a much higher level when McGrady isn't in the game. In fact, Yao borderline dominates when he isn't taking a backseat. McGrady proved in Toronto (with Vince Carter) that he can click with certain players, but it just doesn't work with Yao. Their games don't overlap at all and they can't get into a groove with one another. Either one is hot or the other is.

Well the Hornets did have alot of injuries but their team doesn't impress me either. Chris Paul is great but David West is a scorer (not a great one but very good) and nothing else, Chandler is a defender and rebounder and Peja is a shooter and nothing more. Together, that lineup plays its roles but they can't beat teams like Spurs, Suns, Mavs, Jazz, Rockets, Nuggets and Warriors. All those teams have more firepower and/or talent.

As for the Rockets and the TMac/Yao combination, when they play together and both are healthy, the Rockets have been very successful and won most of their games