Randle and Porter is a nice 1-2 punch, but there’s not a lot else there.

Some of you are sleeping on the Nets. They may not win 50 games, but they are going to be good.

I think their floor went up quite a bit, but I think 50 wins is a stretch. Not enough defense, no real PG. A team likely to experience considerable difficulty closing games. Not terrible, but with most other EC teams improving, somewhere around 37 wins feels right.

He’s started and played decent minutes on some shitty teams but has been decent for them. As a back up he could be pretty solid?

I don’t know but I like all these camp invites.

I remember him as a very nice guy, so sad to see him go so young.

OKC could be better too and healthier. I don’t think the Spurs will lose necessarily bc of their arrogance. I think despite whatever they said in the aftermath of the finals they most certainly were probably humbled a bit by the experience.

But a key injury and the wrong time or they face a team that’s clicking at the right time and they might not even make the finals.

If you did think they would all improve, it would be incongruous to think the team wouldn’t be better.

I don’t agree.

And I certainly don’t see how you conclude “so you think they peaked” from “I think they’ll take a step back next year.”

That clown show as you called them won 62 games and had 4th quarter leads in all of the 5 finals games.

yes that’s when the clown show would begin.

FWIW I think they’ll probably lead the NBA in regular season wins. But I’m picking them to get knocked off in the west, and probably not even by OKC.

No. You just made that up.

I don’t think so. That is your MO. After I mentioned it tortured reason to think that a team led by a 20, 21 and 22 yr old would be anywhere near their peak you responded:

Harper certainly will. That guy’s a beast.

But team progress isn’t always linear, and I think they’re overrated.

I mentioned Wemby, Castle and Harper as being locks to improve greatly. You responded by agreeing specifically with Harper. By not mentioning the other two, the only reasonable inference was you didn’t think Wemby and Castle would improve. If you did think they would all improve, it would be incongruous to think the team wouldn’t be better.

Yes it is master of the obvious to say progress isn’t always linear. But with those 3 young guys far below finished products it is hard to believe SA won’t improve.

They didn’t make the finals because they were ready, and the clown show they put on there proved it. They made the finals because the whole damn west was injured.

That clown show as you called them won 62 games and had 4th quarter leads in all of the 5 finals games. Wemby was coming off a season before where he had 4 months of enforced rest due to a DVT. His conditioning will be better this coming season. Adding a vet like Tobias Harris will help too.

The experience of a first time playoff team going 4 rounds to the NBA finals will be a negative in their development?

Yes, because it fostered arrogance.

Arrogance that had them laughing at the Knicks while accepting the WC trophy.

Arrogance that made Wemby say he doesn’t even have to play good to beat the Knicks after game 1.

Arrogance that made them walk off the court unwilling to show respect to an opponent that had just completely outclassed them.

Arrogance that gave them the audacity to declare that they dominated the series when they actually made fools out of themselves.

I believe this arrogance is a vulnerability, and next year someone’s going to hand their asses to them again. Then they’ll take a step forward after that, assuming they’re not so stupid that they talk themselves into thinking they dominated another series they lost.