Originally posted by house:
quote:
Originally posted by Rileysrighthand:
We all know House is from Philly and yes they have great players on paper but how can one be so sure that they will have great team chemistry this coming season?
A. I'm not from Philly. I'm from central NJ on the outskirts of Philly territory. If I go literally 10 miles down the road, the majority of people are NY fans, which I happen to be, with the exception being the Miami Heat.
B. Being a mostly NY fan, I HATE Philly teams and their fans even more so. In case you were wondering, yes, they are just as bad as they are said to be. So for me to actually like this team means that I really, really have to like them.
C. While they do just look good on paper right now, they were a 40 win team without Brand. They won 62.5% of their final 32 games last year, without Brand. Just to let you know, 62.5% equals 51.25 over 82 games. So they were already playing like a 50 win team, without Brand. And I understand that they have to do it on the court, but the transition from being good on paper to good on the court is much easier when Andre Miller is your PG. That guy knows how to play basketball and he knows how to make those around him better. And while they may only look good on paper, I know for a fact they will be one of the best defensive teams in the league. Miller is solid and tough at PG. Iggy can play good D against the best perimeter scorers in the league (especially if he doesn't have to be the offensive cornerstone, which he won't). Brand averages 2.1 blocks and 10.2 boards for his career with lows of 1.6 blocks and 9.4 boards (excluding the 8.0 in boards he put up last year). Dalembert averaged 10.3 boads and 2.3 blocks last year (8.0 and 2.0 over his career). And it's not like Dalembert and Brand are just stiffs who get stats. They are big, long, quick, and agile. Easily 100% the best PF-C defensive combo in the league. Depending on where they decide to play Iggy, they're either going to have Green (another very good offensive player) starting at SG or Young (a very solid 20 year old [who I was praying to drop to the Heat last year]) starting at SF. Then look at their bench. Maybe you don't know these guys, but I do. A lot of teams were interested in Louis Williams, a high scoring combo guard. Reggie Evans is the perfect guy to come of the bench, bring energy, play great D, and mix it up a little. They've got Kareem Rush who even could end up starting because he's a great outside threat who plays defensive. Then they have Marreese Speights, a rookie PF that people are very high on (he dominated summer league). And finally, they have Royal Ivey and Theo Ratliff, 2 guys who are not bad to have at the bottom of your bench. And as I'm writing this, I see that they have just signed Donyell Marshall, giving them even more depth. They're a stacked team right now. Here's their Depth Chart:
PG: Miller, Williams, Ivey
SG: Green, Rush
SF: Iguodala, Young
PF: Brand, Evans, Speights, Marshall
C: Dalembert, Ratliff
This isn't a local bias. This is acknowledgement of a great team being built. Obviously, they have a weakness at making 3s. You know what though? They were already the worst shooting team from 3 last year, so its not like they're any worse than before. If anything, having Brand as one of the true low post scorers in the league is only going to help this team improve in that aspect. I'm going to love watching this team next season. This team is going to get so many transition buckets created on the defensive end it's not even funny. So doubt them all you want. You and the 40% of the voters who said that 47 wins is too high is going to look ridiculous. I actually can't wait to pull this thread out after you all realize just how silly it was to not recognize a team so well put together.
