NBA Power Rankings, EAST.

[morello]

[ QUOTE ]
Geez. My only point with the Garbo and Parker on Pierce and Allen was that they would not get killed and would do an above average job guarding them as they are better than average defensive players. I'll admit I've only seen Rondo play for maybe 15 minutes, so I assumed that a sophomore pg might have a bit of trouble (despite what I have read on this forum) with, arguably, the best pg duo in the L.

[/ QUOTE ]

Depending on Allen's health, Parker may be able to cover him somewhat effectively. But the NBA is still a league where an effective offensive player is going to beat an effective defensive player, always. You can't guard Kobe one on one, you can't guard Dirk one on one, etc etc for about 30 players in the league. Allen and especially Pierce are in this group. I'm a Raptors homer and I wouldn't make the claim that Garbo is gonna slow Pierce down, let alone stop him. He'll get carved up one on one. It's the job of the coaches to make sure the bigs are quick to rotate with help defense.

[MVPaul]

Agreed. But by this logic, Bosh and Garnett will each get their 25 points and 10 boards even though they are guarding each other... I'm pretty sure Garnett will greatly cramp up Bosh's style.

[MVPaul]

[ QUOTE ]
I wanna hear some offers/lines on an o/u place finish bet for the bucks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Over/Under set at 39.5. I'll take the under.

[MEbenhoe]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I wanna hear some offers/lines on an o/u place finish bet for the bucks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Over/Under set at 39.5. I'll take the under.

[/ QUOTE ]

reading comprehension.

[Assani Fisher]

[ QUOTE ]
Nice try...but not so much.

Assani: the two teams in last year's finals had Jaques Vaughn and Eric Snow getting major minutes.
Irish: Snow came off the bench in all 4 games and averaged 10.3 mpg. Vaughn came off the bench in all 4 games and averaged 10.0 mpg.

Your only options at that point are being quiet or "you're right, I was totally talking out my a$$, my bad."

Trying to defend a wholly untenable position isn't really an option...though obviously your credibility isn't something you're too concerned with, judging by this series of posts. I make mistakes and say stupid stuff all the time...but at least I've got the kahunas to admit it and move on. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you really trying to goad me into a semantical argument over what counts as "major minutes"? I'll pass.

[Assani Fisher]

[ QUOTE ]
Daniel Gibson projects to a guy like Luther Head or Delonte West.

Good small guard on a team that has a wing player who dominates the ball (LeBron, T-Mac, Pierce), or backup on most teams.

[/ QUOTE ]

I feel as if you guys are way underrating him....we'll see though.

[kidcolin]

MEB,

11.5

[T_Mac]

I am a franchise-long Raptors fan and Mo Pete was one of our most popular players. But I hate the guy, was happy to see him go and am astonished that an otherwise seemingly reasonable person would pick him over Bowen. I don't know how you can call Bowen a one trick pony for shooting 3's when that is all Mo Pete does. At least Bowen is reliable in his shooting and incredible D. MoPete will go 5 games going 0-4, then have two hot nights vs mediocre teams and plays barely above average defence at best. But the ONE THING that pisses me off the most about MoPete is that somehow his ability to drive the [censored] ball has somehow decreased every year he was in the league. His first year he actually seemed able to run by some people, or post them up. Since then his drives are seriously embarassing to watch. They usually end with him stumbling and throwing up an off balance shot.

Anyway I still think the Raps have a lot of things going for them. They're kind of like the teams that beat the USA in international play the last few years where their shooting, passing, and great familiarity and unselfishness can trump superior talent. Also their depth (while not star quality) can help them overcome minor injuries (Bosh, Ford, Bargnani all missed chunks of games last year). And I have no doubt that Bargnani is a superior player now from last year seeing the smoothness of his drives this pre-season, his improved ability to post-up, and the greater minutes and responsibility he's being given. I see him as between a solid player and a star, then in between a role player and a solid player. Our offence can be seriously scary, as I don't know if anyone can guard Bosh/Bargnani/Kapono/Parker/Ford (Calderon). If our young guys can buckle down and play some D then I think we can surprise some people this year. If not, then the future is still very bright in Toronto.

[BobboFitos]

future is bright in toronto, but for them to be a title contender they need another all star. i mean bosh type quality player.

[MVPaul]

hmmm... What type of player would you like to see on the raps? A slashing guard or quality center to back up Bosh up front? I'd like to see T.J., Anthony Parker, Rasho and some picks for Joe Johnson. Is this feasible?