Saturday "Shorts" - October 2

This post will be by no means short, but I just can't wait to post it so screw the title this is my preseason NBA rankings and a bit of analysis. Enjoy.

30) Minnesota Timberwolves- With Michael Beasley, Johnny Flynn, Wesley Johnson, and Kevin Love they have a decent young nucleus that could someday turn into a play-off team. That said the Wolves always seem a few years away and this team is no different. Sidenote: Anybody remember the days of Sebastian Telfair being heralded as the next great point guard? It's too bad homeboy didn't pan out.

29) Toronto Raptors- They lost Bosh and that's going to hurt for at least a few years, but they do have some good young bigs in Ed Davis and Joey Dorsey, with the potential for another one in Soloman Alabi, who could be a great shot blocker. Plus, with the continued development of DeMar Derozan this team will always be fun to watch. The veteran leadership of Leandro Barbosa, Andrea Bargnani, and Jose Calderon they could win a few games, but don't expect them to win a bunch of games.

28) Cleveland Cavs- They really should of traded Lebron to get some value out of them because now they're stuck with two guys in Mo Williams and Antwan Jamison who are number two options at best and can't carry a team. J.J. Hickson could develop into a good player, but outside of him there's not much in the way of potential on this team. Their best hope is to win the lottery and start over.

27) Detroit Pistons- I really think this team could be competing sometime soon. They have lots of young talent in Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, Terrico White, and Greg Monroe. They also have some really good veterans, most notably the majority of the core from their old championship teams, Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton, and Ben Wallace who can take a leadership role for this team. In addition to those vets they also have Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva who can both score in bunches if nothing else. Honestly I could see this team jumping up quite a few spots this year if things pan out well.

26) Indiana Pacers-Danny Granger is going to win games on his own. He's one of the best scorers in the game and has been playing mean defense the past few years. The rest of the team is pretty dreadful. Paul George is a great player, but does pretty much the same thing Granger does so his effectiveness could be lessened. Roy Hibbert could turn into a good defensive big someday, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. Hopefully Granger can get some talent to come help him out because he's a great player and deserves a better team.

25) Golden State Warriors- Steph Curry and Monta Ellis are going to score like mad, David Lee's going to be a double-double machine and the rest of the team will be super athletic. However, they won't win a lot of games unless they start playing much better D and that athleticism turns into great playing. That said, the combo of Lee and Ellis could improve both player's stats and will make these guys great fantasy players.

24) Sacramento Kings- Tyreke Evans is a legit superstar in the making and will soon become one of the best players in the West. They also added DeMarcus Cousins, who gives them a legit option in the post, something they haven't really had since Chris Webber was taking this team to the Conference Finals. However, the rest of the team is a long way from competing, but with some good draft picks the past two years they seem to be heading in the right direction.

23) New Jersey Nets- Devin Harris is a speed demon who puts up big time stats when healthy. His partner in crime, Brook Lopez, is not my favorite player, but he is becoming one of the best young bigs in the game. They picked up some good young players in Derrick Favors and Damion James in the draft who could help fill out the roster. Plus, they have one of my personal favorite players in Anthony Morrow, who is a long range sniper that will put up points in a hurry if you let him. They could make a jump this year depending on who stays healthy and how the young talent develops.

22) LA Clippers-So much young talent on this team it's crazy. This roster reminds me of the Warriors in the past, but hopefully for the Clips this talent actually turns into wins sometime soon. Blake Griffin could soon be an all-star and Al-Farouq Amini can ball when motivated. Eric Gordon is lights out from anywhere on the court, Willie Warren is a good scorer, Eric Bledsoe is a solid point guard and Jon Scheyer knows how to win, if nothing else. Not only that, but they have good vets in Baron Davis and Chris Kaman. All that said, I really have doubts, mostly because this is the Clippers and something always happens.

21) Washington Wizards- Gilbert Arenas is one of my favorite players to watch when healthy and John Wall was a great college player, whose game should easily transfer to the League. They also picked up Kirk Hinrich...wait, they have three really good points guards? And basically nothing else? Yep, they'll be exciting as usual, but probably won't be doing anything for quite awhile.

20) Memphis Grizzlies- This roster looks crazy good on paper. Marc Gasol, Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo, Zack Randolph, the list goes on. But Gasol is coming back from an injury and I'm not sure Gay and Mayo are going to mesh that well. I can see them competing in a few years, and could make a push this year, but realistically they're probably a year away. This team will be a force this next few years, especially if Xavier Henry and Hasheem Thabeet develop into good bench players.

19) New York Knicks-I really don't think Amare has the skill set to carry a team on his back and needs another superstar to help him win. Unfortunately, I don't see another superstar anywhere on this roster and can't see them doing any better than 8th in the East. Anthony Randolph has some crazy raw athleticism, which is always fun to watch, and Kelenna Azubuike has one of the best names in Leauge.

18) Philadelphia 76ers- This team is like the knock off Atlanta Hawks. The whole roster has good size and is really athletic. Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala are going to make a pretty fun pair to watch and Elton Brand will get his. Brand doesn't really fit in with this team, but he's still a good player who they should trade and get some value out of him. Their bench is also rounding out nicely with lots of good young talent and, if they can get in a big who better fits their style they could compete pretty soon.

17) New Orleans Hornets- Chris Paul can do a lot, but the rest of his team is getting older and not really getting better. Although, putting Paul together with Trevor Ariza could become quite the exciting duo. But without any legit options down in the paint they probably won't go very far.

16)  Phoenix Suns- Anytime you have Steve Nash on your team you're going to put up points...and a lot of them. I think they're going to fall back quite a bit after losing Amare, but they probably did the smart thing in not paying him and getting money to someday get another big stud and maybe this time that stud can actually take this team the distance. Until that day comes though Nash is going to throw out dimes and the Suns are going to rain threes and lose in the playoffs.

15) Charlotte Bobcats-These guys play mean defense and that will always get you wins and make you a tough out in the play-offs. But, I really don't see a guy on this team who can take over a game when you need him too. Gerald Wallace is an amazing defender and gets by on offense with his athleticism and Stephen Jackson can score, but isn't the kind of guy who can really just take a game over and close the door. Until they find that guy they'll be on the outside looking in, I'll watch every game I can though because I love to watch Tyrus Thomas play, because his raw athleticism just jumps off the screen.

14) Houston Rockets- If Luis Scola can keep up the play he had during the summer this team could become a player in the west, but with Yao Ming coming off an injury I don't seem them competing for any more than a playoff spot. They do have Patrick Patterson and Kevin Martin so they might be able to prove me wrong, but I just don't see it any championship gold in their future.

13) Milwaukee Bucks-I love this team. First, they have Branden Jennings who has mad swagger and game to back it up. Anytime he talks up his game I love it because I like to hear athletes talk trash and just be conceited overall. They also have John Salmons, Andrew Bogut, and Michael Redd...all good players. And then they went out and added Chris Douglas Roberts, Tiny Gallon, and Larry Sanders. All three of which have tons of potential to be good players in their own right. My favorite is Larry Sanders because he plays amazing defense. Besides my OKC Thunder and the Heat this is going to be THE team to watch for me this year because of all the good young talent I want to see.

12) Denver Nuggets-I don't care what Melo says, he's not going to be all there this year and the Nuggets could suffer from it. I think they have too much talent to not make the play-offs, but they probably won't challenge for the 'ship. At the very least they'll be fun to watch with J.R. Smith and Chris "The Birdman" Anderson.

11) Dallas Mavericks-Dirk is going to keep them in games and they have some good talent. Unfortunately the talent is all old. Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and Caron Butler are all getting up there and will probably start to downslide sometime soon. Some people think this team could challenge the Lake Show, but I just can't see it. It's about to be time to start rebuilding and they might want to look into trading off Dirk for some young talent before they're left in the cold.

10) Utah Jazz- Deron Williams is the best point guard in the League and I don't care what anyone says. With Jerry Sloan's system this team could be really good because Paul Milsap and Al Jefferson will probably be really good in the pick and roll with Deron. They don't have too many good shooters though so that will hold them back from going very deep in the play-offs though.

9) Atlanta Hawks-Ok, I'm going to level with you and say that I'm super biased towards the Hawks because Josh Smith is my favorite player in the league. They do have some great players with guys like Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Mike Bibby. Their bench is a little weak, but I still think they could make a move this year. I don't think they will crack the top four in the East, but I could see them beating at least one of them in the play-offs and making a decent run. With the talent in the East I don't think they have a shot at making the 'ship, but the Conference Finals could happen, if lots of things go their way.

8) Portland Trailblazers- This team used to be so hot and now lots of people seem to be forgetting about them. Much like the Mavs and the Nuggets they have one really good star player in Brandon Roy and a few good secondary players. The main reason I put them higher than those teams is because they have lots of quality bigs to throw at teams. that'll help a lot in playoffs. The other reason I have them higher is because I think Roy is a better player than Melo and Dirk.

7) San Antonio Spurs- As much as  I hate the Spurs you can't count out Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili. Those three alone will get them in the playoffs, but they also have quality depth in Antonio McDyess, Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair, James Anderson, and George Hill. This will probably be there at the end and make at least the semi-finals depending on match-ups.

6) Chicago Bulls- I'm really high on the Bulls and almost put them third on the list, but I had to keep them back here at six because I don't know how well Carlos Boozer will fit in the offense. I mean, I'm pretty sure it's going to work, but it's not the sure thing the teams above them are. They will be right there with the big three in the East all year and could easily challenge for a spot in the Conference Finals. Derrick Rose will light the court on fire with his speed, Korver, Brewer, and Deng will get buckets, and Joakim Noah will try hard. That might not sound like high praise, but trust me, it is for him because nobody out tries that man on the hardwood.


5) Orlando Magic- This team will, yet again, be a tough out in the play-offs. Dwight Howard is the best big in the League and will be for the foreseeable future. When you add Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, and Chris Duhon you get a team that's going to cause lots of problems and be a match-up nightmare for anybody outside of maybe the Lake Show. They also have some good bench players in Mickael Pietrus and J.J. Reddick. It's going to be a tough year to win games in the East when this is the third or fourth best team.


4) Oklahoma City Thunder- Kevin Durant is going to win the MVP. It's that simple, Lebron is going to lsoe some stats to D-Wade and Durant has crazy hype coming out of the summer. Not only that, but this team is going to be GOOD. Russell Westbrook is poised to become a great point guard after a good summer and Jeff Green is one of the best do-everything players in League. They also have Thabo Sefolosha, who might be the best backcourt defender in the league. They also brought in a quality big in Cole Aldrich and that bench will just continue to get better and better. You know this team is going to play great defense and, with Durant dropping 30 points a game, they'll be challenging the champs in the West.

3) Boston Celtics- The Celtics are old and their window is probably going to close soon, but I think they have at least one more year before it shuts completely. You know what you're going to get with Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. They also have some great younger guys in Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins. Rondo is going to win games on his own and is quickly become one of the best guards in the League. I could see them beating the Heat because the Heat don't have a point guard close to Rondo's skill level and the Celtics have so many old quality bigs to throw at people in the play-offs.

2) Miami Heat- We all know about the Big 3 and how excited everyone is to see Lebron, Wade, and Bosh play together. But their bench and secondary players are what's going to make or break this team. They have quite a few quality bigs in Big Z, Jamaal Magloire, Juwan Howard, and Udonis Haslem. Add to that a great shooter in Mike Miller, a solid PG in Mario Chalmers, and a pretty good rookie in Da'Sean Butler this team is poised to make a legit run at the title and might have a chance to win quite a few over the next few years.

1) LA Lakers- The Show is the defending champs and probably still has the best total line-up in the League. They returned most of the key players from last year and added solid rookies that could've been lottery picks in Derrick Caracter and Devin Ebanks. Not only that, but they picked up Steven Blake and Matt Barnes, two solid role players. The rich get richer and the Lake Show will be going to the 'ship at the end of the year.

See ya next time. Some time, same place.