Contender or Pretender: A Look at Five Red Hot NBA Teams

[aali34]

http://bballbreakdown.com/2016/11/16/contender-or-pretender-five-teams/

 

Edited November 16, 2016 by aali34

[AHF]

Short Version:

Raptors and Hornets are pretenders

Spurs are contenders

LAC depends on health

Hawks are still an unknown depending on Shredder, Korver, and development for the team (including chemistry)

[macdaddy]

1 minute ago, AHF said:

Short Version:

Raptors and Hornets are pretenders

Spurs are contenders

LAC depends on health

Hawks are still an unknown depending on Shredder, Korver, and development for the team (including chemistry)

Everyone is scared to jump on the bandwagon.  I don't blame them.   But we're 8-2 and our most effective lineup seems to be Delaney, Hardaway, Thabo, Sap and Dwight.     I don't know that for sure but that's the implication.    

I guess it's possible we stumble and don't ever put the pieces together.   But nothing in Bud's short history as a head coach suggests that will happen.   He's got lots of tools to work with.   He's going to build something great. 

[Lurker]

I'm going to continue pushing the button. The difference both last year and this year was not the PG starting, its the wing players. Korver's shooting is back to normal but he isn't giving the effects he did in 14/15. The confidence boosting threes are not there anymore, the run breaking threes are not there, and the team is not playing off of his effects effectively like 14/15.

For a guy that is supposed to have "extra effects" due to his shooting, a 96-100 ORTG ain't flying long term. It's being covered up by the bench mob right now.

Better pray hard that the bench mob continues or Korver finds his 14/15 magic.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Lurker

[Guest]

[sturt]

Of course, this isn't new territory for us...

... hence, the hesitation to let the bandwagon get a little farther down the road.

[macdaddy]

2 minutes ago, sturt said:

Of course, this isn't new territory for us...

... hence, the hesitation to let the bandwagon get a little farther down the road.

Well we finished 4th in the east with 48 wins.    It's not like this is evidence of a hot start and then a collapse.   

[sturt]

Right... no argument... but it's also not like this is evidence we should figure this is how the entire year is going to go and that we've regained the magic of 2014-15 (... or, better, surpassed it).

[Guest]

I think @sturt is a pretender. 

[sturt]

5 minutes ago, kg01 said:

I think @sturt is a pretender. 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, sturt said:

I jus' ....

 

[macdaddy]

1 hour ago, sturt said:

Right... no argument... but it's also not like this is evidence we should figure this is how the entire year is going to go and that we've regained the magic of 2014-15 (... or, better, surpassed it).

I'm not sure anyone is saying that.   But obviously there are signs that this could be a really good team.  

[BigDog90]

3 hours ago, AHF said:

Short Version:

Raptors and Hornets are pretenders

Spurs are contenders

LAC depends on health

Hawks are still an unknown depending on Shredder, Korver, and development for the team (including chemistry)

Raptors were never contenders. They lucked up Miami wasn't healthy in the playoffs and still almost to them with Winslow starting at C. They're a treadmill team.

Hornets are nice...if healthy. Clifford is an underrated coach. Keyword, if healthy. Losing Lin and Lee might not hurt now but if Batum, MKG or Kemba goes down they're not a top 8 East team anymore.

[Plainview1981]

The Hawks COULD BE a 14-16 PPG wing scorer away from giving Cleveland a tough series. I mean, you love guys that will move the ball and can shoot, but sometimes guys have to be able to take it to the defense and score.

[sturt]

Fresh Prince, did you hear that?