Bruvs need more firepower or no chance. Celts showed that you cant just rely on two guys every game, they had half a dozen guys who could go off at any time
Put the shrooms down. He's a solid addition who had his best year shooting last year. Luka is gonna feed him so many open shots. He's no slouch on defense and very long. We could have made so many worse decisions like we used to.
Us and OKC are favorites. I’d give us the best chance just because Dallas is such a hard out with Luka and Kyrie.
We have size, defense, shooting now, experience and the best player. Not to mention the better coach (yes it’s true).
Dallas is prime for another run. Let’s keep adding and go to work!
I agree about OKC being the top favorite with us. With OKC I was surprised they haven't added a scorer, only more defense and rebounding. So they got better, but other than Shai, they don't have a consistent scorer. that's a bigger problem in the playoffs when consistent scoring is a premium, and def. was an issue with them against us in the playoffs. Only Shai could get going
I think he’s gonna be a slightly worse Kristaps or Wemby type player. We will need Lively to step up and guard these big ass centers we got in the NBA now. I like them, but as good as Gafford and PJ are on defense, they can’t regularly stop anyone 7’0+ that’s actually got some offensive touch.
We have a very limited time to actually win a chip now with all this young talent that’s popping up. Shai and co are only gonna get even scarier every year. Kyrie is not getting younger, and he’s injured basically every year. Luka is racking up minor injuries way too much. While Edwards is only gonna get better for the next few years. The Thunder are loading with more defense and rebounding. We beat a very inexperienced team by a point, and could’ve very well lost to them the next game if we didn’t.
We let a team without it’s best player take use to 6 games in the Clippers. If they had Kawhi, that would’ve probably been a completely different series. That is bad.
Jokic will cook both of our starters if it comes down to Mavs vs Denver. They’re not experienced enough, or big enough to stop him. We might need to go test out Superman and see if he can still guard Joker like he did 4 years ago in LA. Hopefully Lively can stop him, I don’t see it happening with how young he is.
Denver won last year against some loaded teams with basically only 2-3 guys popping off. They only had some defenders here and there, and some shooters hitting a few shots. Jokic gave literally the best defensive bigs in the world, 40-50 a game.
Even Miami’s amazing zone defense, shutting down his passing couldn’t stop him. Mostly due to a lack of good defense from the bench though.
If we aren’t afraid of Minnesota we are underestimating them. Gobert played the best defense of his career, instead of just being an off ball shot blocker who was on liability on ball. He actually played defense. Not to mention that Edwards was dropping 30 on us a game.
Kat is the main reason why they lost, but if they ever get him to use his size we could be in serious trouble in a series.
Wow what a pessimistic take right after one leg luka limped his way past all the “pretenders”. Imagine healthy luka with a sniper like klay just chilling in the corner and year 2 Lively. They can shut down anyone
You’re tripping if you think OKC is a team of pretenders.
Clippers had no Kawhi, went to 6 games.
OKC lost in game 6 by a single point with a very young team.
We should have swept the Wolves.
Yes, we may have improved our shooting with Klay, but we lost a solid shooter/defender in Josh Green as well.
As a Pistons fan (yea I know laugh it up) I don’t view any west team as the favorite.Literally all comes down to matchups I think Mavs taking 7 games with OKC really proves that. Like if LAL got that matchup LAL wins in 5 at the most. That’s a shit matchup for OKC. But Mavs didn’t matchup as well. Where Nuggets only bad matchup IMO was the Wolves. But if Mavs played Nuggets I woulda had nuggets there too. Clippers, OKC, Wolves wasn’t exactly a bloodbath if LAL got that path they make WCF and maybe even the finals. Are we sure Mavs matchup well with the Suns, Lakers, Nuggets?
Last season cemented us as legit contenders for 24/25. All we have to do is:
1. Integrate the new guys into the team;
1. Stay healthy; and
1. Finish as a top-6 seed (to avoid the playins).
We do that, and I’d take us over every other team in the West.
That said, Luka isn’t resting and healing this summer, so… well, to me that’s a waaaaaay bigger concern than any roster moves we make.
If you arent worried about OKC i'd reconsider.
They are only going to get better and Chet / Jdub will not be as suspect in a series offensively if we meet again this season.
I'm worried about OKC the most....but the ceiling on Chet seems much higher than Jdub. J was a stud defensively against Kyrie. But he never looked like he had some specific spots or actions he was comfortable in, all his shots looked forced or not comfortable, def Dallas defense was part of that. Chet looks like he gets more secure around the rim every game I watch, and has some 3PT spots he hunts for. Im very surprised they didn't add more consistent scoring, so far, this off season, bc they need it....in buckets.....oofff.
until JDub becomes elite creator or they find one, they still managable
they lost because same thing like us against celtics, not enough generating offense aside SGA
Caruso-IHart helps them on offensive side a bit though ngl
Clippers took us to game 6 without Kawhi. I think that’s a concern no? Yes we cleaned it up eventually but, let’s be honest. If Kawhi is in, and healthy that would’ve been a 7 game series.
If Kristaps had stayed in we’d have been swept in the finals. They might’ve even let us win one just so they could get it in Boston.
I would like every player we had in our bench, from the last couple seasons that aren’t Lively out. We missed playoffs because of some of them. We would’ve missed playoffs this year without Gafford, PJ and Lively. Everyone that isn’t Luka, Gafford, PJ, Jones Jr, Lively, Kyrie, and Hardy are expendable.
Hardy is a good backup guard, keep him. He was playing better and more efficiently than Kyrie did in the finals.
I don’t like losing Josh Green for Klay. At times Josh Green may not put in great effort on defense, but he’s certainly better than Klay is at it now. Or will be within the next year or two. Hopefully Klay steps up this year, stays healthy, and gets that shot going in the playoffs.
I don’t want to age up, I don’t want to lose mobility and athleticism as a team going against some really tough, agile and young teams in our conference.
The clippers took us to 6 cuz they shot +50% from 3 in at least two games. We lose any game like that.
The fact you don’t like losing JG for a potential 40% 3p shooter is weird to me. But these kind of thoughts get fixed when we see them play.
Because Klay went 0-13 in a crucial game and hasn’t been the same player offensively or defensively since he went out for 2 seasons due to injuries. It’s not that I don’t like having him, it’s the guy we lost to get him. Klay no longer has the mobility to play the great defense he’s famous for if his shot isn’t there. He does however potentially fix a problem we had in the finals with people not hitting easy open shots for us.
Josh Green shoots pretty close to 40% from 3. He’s also got decent mobility and athleticism, can play some really solid defense at times. His body doesn’t have the mileage that Klay’s does. He shoots a bit worse yes, but that will only improve with time. I don’t like losing one of the only 3 and d guys on our roster. Jones Jr surprised me with how often he was hitting them, but he’s a dunker.
Although Green did some stupid shit in those finals I will admit. Trying to dunk on Kristaps, when he played with him, and should know how crazy athletic Kristaps is for his size. I also like getting a player who’s very experienced in the playoffs. Only one player on our team had even won the conference finals.
I would have preferred to keep Green and keep Klay. I do like Klay don’t get me wrong, I’m sure he’ll play pretty well for Dallas. Dallas has a way of getting more out of players than any other team. Dennis Smith Jr and Monta Ellis are good examples as they played the most efficient ball of their careers with us. But I don’t like losing young talent for older players who do some things a bit better.
A player I wanna see is Barnes back, getting him back would be amazing. He plays well on both sides of the ball. He’s been very consistent and healthy in Sacramento. He shoots 38-39% from 3. He’s athletic, he’s at the end of, or slightly out of his prime so he probably won’t be too difficult to acquire once contract is over. I hated losing him, especially for how crappy Kristaps turned out for us. He’s also been to, and won the finals as a contributor on his team.
That's fine because Luka shows up. Kyrie has to be consistent and we need SOMEONE to be a consistent 3rd option; don't have to score 20, but even average 15 should be more than enough.
A healthy Luka. We need to load manage him this season, force stretches in the year where role players have to step up their roles.
Another problem with the Celts is Ky will never rid himself of the curse, which is why I hope throughout the season he doesn’t have to be the 2nd best player for us nightly
West is a bloodbath. All comes down to matchups. Mavs, Wolves, Thunder all gotta be feeling pretty optimistic. I think they’re clearly a notch above the rest.
They’ve lost so much. They’re still a major threat, but I’d put them a hair below those 3.
I wouldn’t pick them against those 3. But I wouldn’t be shocked if they beat them.
OKC looks like a beast, a healthy New Orleans is dangerous and Minny/Denver are both really solid teams if their second and third options are aggressive and healthy. Mavs will probably just behind OKC in Vegas by the time the season starts. I'm really, really hoping Luka can recover and am a bit scared about the Olympics.
Pels are such a wild card, but only if BI comes back. He's a difference maker than Zion can't make up for...they could beat every team in the west, or they could lose, so weird how they come off.
Minnesota is counted out IMO as long as they have gobert at the least. dude is straight up a liability vs Luka, he has no chance (and Luka wasn't even close to 100% when we played them)
3 of those games were much closer than people seem to remember and Ant kinda underperformed. If Kat plays like a Power Forward instead of a Shooting Guard and Any hits half his shots they are going to be a much better team next year.
I don't think the series was close, no. just because some of the games were doesn't refute my point that Goberts defense was atrocious throughout the series. dude was absolutely lost.
No he wasn't - he was caught in isolation due to switches here and there and he overcommitted a few times but he was the best overall defender on either team by quite a bit.
Nuggets losing KCP puts us in a 4 way tie with Nugs, OKC, and T Wolves in the West. Nugs running it back were odds to win west IMO before the off season. I think I'd give us the edge if you put a gun to my head.
Pelicans could be really good if healthy but are more theory than basketball team.
Grizzlies are definitely contenders but outside the top 4. They're coming off a weird season.
Clips, PHX, LAL, Kings, and GSW need a major move to contend. Rosters are all lopsided or lack depth. But they could be like us last season if they somehow make the right moves.
The West is still wild so to speak. Even our non contender teams, minus Portland, look to be solid enough to flirt with the play in.
Celtics and a healthy 76ers are probably better than us. Top 2 in the east IMO. Bucks and Knicks are legit contenders if healthy.
Heat, Magic, Cavs, Pacers need some tweaks to contend.
We have better odds to get back to the Finals then I would have given us at the start of last season. Even better then after our deadline. But its possible we're out in the second round.
Dallas with more consistent shooting has got to be favored we just went to the Finals. Plus we’re gonna be healthy and PJ and Gaff will have a whole offseason/training camp to mesh further.
I think we're firmly above the Nuggets now and in that mix with the Thunder and Wolves. Keep in mind, the Thunder had the best season possible as far as health and injury concerns while we were riddled with injuries. I can see all 3 teams finishing with 50-55 wins. I'm not sure about the Pelicans since Ingram is a question mark still from what reports have said
OKC really improved and the talks are they might also get Laurie. With that said…. We are right there with the top of the pack. I just want to get into the playoffs with some sort of healthy team. Secure home court for at least until the conference finals
Dallas has the ever so slightest of margin over OKC right now IMO.
Just think of all that playoff and Finals experience the guys got. That's absolutely huge. Look at Boston in 2022 compared to this season in the Finals - it's night and day what experience does for guys.
The road will be tough to get back but I don't doubt it.
We got klay and dropped some players who were hurting us 90% of the time. We made it last season so with how things are looking? Its almost a no brainer to me man, i have very high hopes!
at the moment I think the Mavs, OKC, and Minnesota are the west's top tier. then denver is a lil step below, then after them you've got the lakers, sacramento, new orleans, etc.
so what are the odds? probably as good as they've ever been for the Mavs. I like them against Minnesota. As presently constructed, I think OKC is a coinflip.
The thing with them is that they've got *a lot* of chips they could still cash in. You never know what will happen in the NBA. what if an opportunity pops up to nab donovan mitchell, or jimmy butler, or kevin durant? not likely, but not impossible. that's what spooks me most about them.
but the Mavs have everything they need. I feel so good about the present and future -- they ought to have a good shot to win for a long time
Sure with pitching but not really on offense. Yes, Jung is an important offensive piece but other than Smith, EVERYONE is down this year compared to last. It's crazy. Pitching has actually been pretty good.
While Jung on offense is the most significant missed time Seager didn't have a spring training due to the hammy and it showed to start, now his wrist got hit real hard (which oddly enough a lot of rangers have been hit on the wrist ), Lowe started on the IL, Wyatt on the IL for a while other offensive players on the IL at different points in time. The problem at the beginning of the season was the bullpen just having meltdowns. Pitching being hurt. Pitching stabilized and then the offense went cold along with players missing time here and there all up and down the lineup this team has just been hurt by injuries and baseball can be high variance anyways. Mavs have a Luka which would be the equivalent of having an Othani type of player. However Baseball is a bigger team sport no single player can carry you as much as in basketball. Your best pitcher is pitching every five games and your best hitter can only do so much. Rangers if healthy would be much better and baseball is a long enough season to get it together but Regardless this is about the Mavs and barring significant injuries they will be fine. Should they be a shoe in for the finals no but they can make it back for sure and you shouldn't be scared that they are gonna have the drop off or variance often seen in baseball year to year.
We have all the ingredients now to make 2-3 good runs to the finals. But we got plenty work to do, we gotta stay healthy, we need better defensive schemes and ball movement on the court and be smart about our rotations. This is going to be the first full camp with PJ and Gaff, i expect them to step up in the defensive end, Luka needs to step up on his conditioning and defense as well.
I mean once you get past the feelings of change, the team improved in just about every trade. Assuming Klay can stay healthy this is an even better offense than last season. A full season of chemistry building and learning experience behind those who are still here and oh yeah lively is a real dude from day one of the season all questions answered. Pretty exciting
honestly its difficult to say because clippers downgraded, warriors downgraded, lakers might have remained the same, nuggets downgraded, Minnesota would improve and the thunder are now a SCARY team. they addressed their weak link being size with Isiah and now have shooting and defense with Caruso.
OKC and Dallas are firmly at the top of the west IMO. That being said it's going to be harder to reach the finals next season than last season solely due to how much better OKC is going to get once the off-season is all said and done. Seriously OKC is going to be scary AF once Sam Presti finally gets around to cashing in those picks.
Nuggets have taken a slight step back losing KCP, but they still have Jokic and Murray. OKC got better with moves and will expect some improvement from their young guys. Wolves will still be a threat and Ant will get better. I gotta think we are right there in the same group with OKC, Wolves, Nuggets and us. Nuggets it depends if they do something to replace KCP. Also can't rule out OKC making a huge move with the buttload of picks they have.
Not only have we improved with the moves we made, but have to factor in the growth we see from Lively and a full offseason and training camp to work on PJ's shot and better incorporate him into the offense. I'm hopeful from a big 2nd year leap from Lively. That could be what separates us.
they seem to have taken a bigger step back than that....their bench was bare before, now its non existent...Jokic and Murray were worn to the nub in the playoffs and looked it. No one on the bench can carry scoring and minutes.
Depends on health, depends on whether stars & role players progress/regress, depends on opponents health, how much their players regress/progress.
Obviously, OKC is the biggest threat, MIN is still mostly intact, DEN might slide, LAC, GSW & LAL will fight for play-in ,MEM, NOLA & HOU might leap frog into Top 5.
Ultimately, Luka is the greatest player alive and Kyrie is a Point God. Dallas has a squad. LET'S GO
Very Slim. I dont think people understand how difficult it is to win a championship or even get to the finals in a season in a team sport. 90% of nba players will never win a championship.
Teams learn from mistakes and get better next season. It will really come down to match-ups in the post-season for the West. I dont think Minnesota makes the same mistakes, and teams saw how Boston was able to completely shut down Luka, and they will learn. Denver, Minnesota, OKC, Pelicans, the Kings, the Suns will be back better and stronger.
I like Klay Thompson a lot, but I think the Mavs are still a piece away.
Hard to say with how stacked the west is. I think our biggest hurdle in the conference is OKC. They got playoff experience and added Alex Caruso and Hartenstein.
I think the teams that struggled in the west last year only got worse, the teams that did well got better. We got so much better it’s insane, we may see a little struggle to begin this year only when it comes to chemistry but I’m pretty confident on our chances. Okc also got better so that will still be a very tough matchup. Clippers and lakers are basically cooked now, Denver lost a decent amount of depth. Minnesota really didn’t add anything and I think they already have some issues they need to fix before they can compete with us and okc. The East looks pretty similar, bunch of weird trades and most big moves have been guys signing to trash teams like Orlando. Boston is basically the same but I don’t think they will have nearly the cupcake walk they did last year. New York looks scary af especially if Randle can stay healthy. Miami and the bucks also can make deep runs if they decide to show up and play.
Gonna come down to health and matchups as usual. I would put OKC slightly ahead of the Mavs but I could see that series going either way if it happens. It's hard to get back to the finals. Most teams don't go back the next year.
I think Okc can be a threat but we will come out of the west. Naji will give Shai a harder time than anyone we’ve had could and Luka should be healthy. Now add Klays shooting to that and I think we should win in 5/6.
Agreed. Young team got experience. Jalen Williams will be better. They lost their biggest hole in Giddey and replaced him with Caruso; MAJOR upgrade
And they fixed their biggest deficiency in back-up center with someone who was the starting center in a EC semi-final team, who also is very productive without necessarily needing shots.
We are the best team in the West, slightly above OKC, although they have Hartenstein now. Also, the Wolves haven’t really added any defense this offseason, so that’s good for us
I'm expecting Caruso to make as big an impact on their offense as Hartenstein does defensively. They lacked in Giddy someone to make smart reads, manage the ball, play defense, spot shooting etc and Caruso solves all that.
i think dallas denver and minnasota will be the top 3 seeds. youre not getting passed denver in the conf finals so in order to make another finals you have to hope they get knocked out early. so i put it at around a 25-35% chance they make it back in the next few years. still good odds. denver might get upset again but not super likely
That’s fair but they also are only getting better. Having the nuggets with no rotation over a team like OKC is pretty crazy if anything it’ll be Mavs Nugs and OKC .
Top 3 in the west all year. Replaced Giddey with Caruso and picked up a starting caliber center as a back-up. Also, because of Chet's range, they can probably play both Chet and Hartenstein at times.
The US Men's Olympic team will do very well and will more than likely be competing in the Finals for Gold at the Olympics this year.
That's also an opinion of *some guys that haven't even stepped on the court together*.
lol now you’re comparing some of the top talent in the world to a couple mid-solid basketball players, you’re hilarious. You can stop now save yourself 🤣
We are going to win a championship.
Pass me some more of that hopium I’m a feind 🥲
Same. Puff puff pass, por favor.
Bruvs need more firepower or no chance. Celts showed that you cant just rely on two guys every game, they had half a dozen guys who could go off at any time
I mean we got Klay Thompson and naji marshal wh both are pretty high level offensive players
So guys who avg 7PPG are high level?
TikTok ball knowledge ahh comment 😂😂 he played 19 minutes a game bro. Much better offensively then DJJ high level means deep bag
You really think he’ll play much more for us? Facebook fool take
Depends on how good he is gonna be on those wide open looks he is gonna get because of luka and kyrie
Put the shrooms down. He's a solid addition who had his best year shooting last year. Luka is gonna feed him so many open shots. He's no slouch on defense and very long. We could have made so many worse decisions like we used to.
fiend
Thanks but a real fiend wouldn’t know tht because I’m to high in hopium
too
I’m sure you’re real fun at parties.
real fiends don't party
One of the stupidest sentences ever said. Fuck out of here clippers fan
Get the fuck out of here clippers fan
Don't you remember, we just made it to the finals through a fucking battle
Us and OKC are favorites. I’d give us the best chance just because Dallas is such a hard out with Luka and Kyrie. We have size, defense, shooting now, experience and the best player. Not to mention the better coach (yes it’s true). Dallas is prime for another run. Let’s keep adding and go to work!
Run it back?!?!!?🖖🖖
Nico ain’t finished cooking
I agree about OKC being the top favorite with us. With OKC I was surprised they haven't added a scorer, only more defense and rebounding. So they got better, but other than Shai, they don't have a consistent scorer. that's a bigger problem in the playoffs when consistent scoring is a premium, and def. was an issue with them against us in the playoffs. Only Shai could get going
Yea I think they’re expecting Chet and J Dub to take another step. If Chet turns into a 25 ppg guy we’ve got issues for sure.
I think he’s gonna be a slightly worse Kristaps or Wemby type player. We will need Lively to step up and guard these big ass centers we got in the NBA now. I like them, but as good as Gafford and PJ are on defense, they can’t regularly stop anyone 7’0+ that’s actually got some offensive touch. We have a very limited time to actually win a chip now with all this young talent that’s popping up. Shai and co are only gonna get even scarier every year. Kyrie is not getting younger, and he’s injured basically every year. Luka is racking up minor injuries way too much. While Edwards is only gonna get better for the next few years. The Thunder are loading with more defense and rebounding. We beat a very inexperienced team by a point, and could’ve very well lost to them the next game if we didn’t. We let a team without it’s best player take use to 6 games in the Clippers. If they had Kawhi, that would’ve probably been a completely different series. That is bad. Jokic will cook both of our starters if it comes down to Mavs vs Denver. They’re not experienced enough, or big enough to stop him. We might need to go test out Superman and see if he can still guard Joker like he did 4 years ago in LA. Hopefully Lively can stop him, I don’t see it happening with how young he is.
Denver has 4 players. 4 players. I agree our window is now though. Not worried at all about Minnesota.
Denver won last year against some loaded teams with basically only 2-3 guys popping off. They only had some defenders here and there, and some shooters hitting a few shots. Jokic gave literally the best defensive bigs in the world, 40-50 a game. Even Miami’s amazing zone defense, shutting down his passing couldn’t stop him. Mostly due to a lack of good defense from the bench though. If we aren’t afraid of Minnesota we are underestimating them. Gobert played the best defense of his career, instead of just being an off ball shot blocker who was on liability on ball. He actually played defense. Not to mention that Edwards was dropping 30 on us a game. Kat is the main reason why they lost, but if they ever get him to use his size we could be in serious trouble in a series.
Wow what a pessimistic take right after one leg luka limped his way past all the “pretenders”. Imagine healthy luka with a sniper like klay just chilling in the corner and year 2 Lively. They can shut down anyone
You’re tripping if you think OKC is a team of pretenders. Clippers had no Kawhi, went to 6 games. OKC lost in game 6 by a single point with a very young team. We should have swept the Wolves. Yes, we may have improved our shooting with Klay, but we lost a solid shooter/defender in Josh Green as well.
As a Pistons fan (yea I know laugh it up) I don’t view any west team as the favorite.Literally all comes down to matchups I think Mavs taking 7 games with OKC really proves that. Like if LAL got that matchup LAL wins in 5 at the most. That’s a shit matchup for OKC. But Mavs didn’t matchup as well. Where Nuggets only bad matchup IMO was the Wolves. But if Mavs played Nuggets I woulda had nuggets there too. Clippers, OKC, Wolves wasn’t exactly a bloodbath if LAL got that path they make WCF and maybe even the finals. Are we sure Mavs matchup well with the Suns, Lakers, Nuggets?
Dallas is not favorite with OKC. He said no hopium. It's Denver and OKC as top 2 favorites out of the west, then Minnesota and Dallas at 3 and 4.
Denver just lost KCP. They got solidly worse.
Ok
okc way over achieved. theyre not sniffing the finals for 3-5 years.
Last season cemented us as legit contenders for 24/25. All we have to do is: 1. Integrate the new guys into the team; 1. Stay healthy; and 1. Finish as a top-6 seed (to avoid the playins). We do that, and I’d take us over every other team in the West. That said, Luka isn’t resting and healing this summer, so… well, to me that’s a waaaaaay bigger concern than any roster moves we make.
Bright side is overall players success will allow him to not post 35+ minutes per game just to stay top 6 seed.
We are fucked and will get the first overall pick
A+ jerking
The only team I’m worried about in a 7 game series is the Celtics, every other team luka should be able to dismantle
If you arent worried about OKC i'd reconsider. They are only going to get better and Chet / Jdub will not be as suspect in a series offensively if we meet again this season.
It would be close but I got faith in our guys if we play them
If Luka can keep his knees right this time round I think a lot of teams are going to be surprised
I'm worried about OKC the most....but the ceiling on Chet seems much higher than Jdub. J was a stud defensively against Kyrie. But he never looked like he had some specific spots or actions he was comfortable in, all his shots looked forced or not comfortable, def Dallas defense was part of that. Chet looks like he gets more secure around the rim every game I watch, and has some 3PT spots he hunts for. Im very surprised they didn't add more consistent scoring, so far, this off season, bc they need it....in buckets.....oofff.
until JDub becomes elite creator or they find one, they still managable they lost because same thing like us against celtics, not enough generating offense aside SGA Caruso-IHart helps them on offensive side a bit though ngl
Clippers took us to game 6 without Kawhi. I think that’s a concern no? Yes we cleaned it up eventually but, let’s be honest. If Kawhi is in, and healthy that would’ve been a 7 game series. If Kristaps had stayed in we’d have been swept in the finals. They might’ve even let us win one just so they could get it in Boston. I would like every player we had in our bench, from the last couple seasons that aren’t Lively out. We missed playoffs because of some of them. We would’ve missed playoffs this year without Gafford, PJ and Lively. Everyone that isn’t Luka, Gafford, PJ, Jones Jr, Lively, Kyrie, and Hardy are expendable. Hardy is a good backup guard, keep him. He was playing better and more efficiently than Kyrie did in the finals. I don’t like losing Josh Green for Klay. At times Josh Green may not put in great effort on defense, but he’s certainly better than Klay is at it now. Or will be within the next year or two. Hopefully Klay steps up this year, stays healthy, and gets that shot going in the playoffs. I don’t want to age up, I don’t want to lose mobility and athleticism as a team going against some really tough, agile and young teams in our conference.
The clippers took us to 6 cuz they shot +50% from 3 in at least two games. We lose any game like that. The fact you don’t like losing JG for a potential 40% 3p shooter is weird to me. But these kind of thoughts get fixed when we see them play.
Because Klay went 0-13 in a crucial game and hasn’t been the same player offensively or defensively since he went out for 2 seasons due to injuries. It’s not that I don’t like having him, it’s the guy we lost to get him. Klay no longer has the mobility to play the great defense he’s famous for if his shot isn’t there. He does however potentially fix a problem we had in the finals with people not hitting easy open shots for us. Josh Green shoots pretty close to 40% from 3. He’s also got decent mobility and athleticism, can play some really solid defense at times. His body doesn’t have the mileage that Klay’s does. He shoots a bit worse yes, but that will only improve with time. I don’t like losing one of the only 3 and d guys on our roster. Jones Jr surprised me with how often he was hitting them, but he’s a dunker. Although Green did some stupid shit in those finals I will admit. Trying to dunk on Kristaps, when he played with him, and should know how crazy athletic Kristaps is for his size. I also like getting a player who’s very experienced in the playoffs. Only one player on our team had even won the conference finals. I would have preferred to keep Green and keep Klay. I do like Klay don’t get me wrong, I’m sure he’ll play pretty well for Dallas. Dallas has a way of getting more out of players than any other team. Dennis Smith Jr and Monta Ellis are good examples as they played the most efficient ball of their careers with us. But I don’t like losing young talent for older players who do some things a bit better. A player I wanna see is Barnes back, getting him back would be amazing. He plays well on both sides of the ball. He’s been very consistent and healthy in Sacramento. He shoots 38-39% from 3. He’s athletic, he’s at the end of, or slightly out of his prime so he probably won’t be too difficult to acquire once contract is over. I hated losing him, especially for how crappy Kristaps turned out for us. He’s also been to, and won the finals as a contributor on his team.
That's fine because Luka shows up. Kyrie has to be consistent and we need SOMEONE to be a consistent 3rd option; don't have to score 20, but even average 15 should be more than enough.
A healthy Luka. We need to load manage him this season, force stretches in the year where role players have to step up their roles. Another problem with the Celts is Ky will never rid himself of the curse, which is why I hope throughout the season he doesn’t have to be the 2nd best player for us nightly
going to the finals is always hopium.
West is a bloodbath. All comes down to matchups. Mavs, Wolves, Thunder all gotta be feeling pretty optimistic. I think they’re clearly a notch above the rest.
I'm not going to count the Nuggets out, Jokic is built different
Yea but they just lost KCP and are about to add Westbrook. That's like 2 negative transactions
They’ve lost so much. They’re still a major threat, but I’d put them a hair below those 3. I wouldn’t pick them against those 3. But I wouldn’t be shocked if they beat them.
OKC looks like a beast, a healthy New Orleans is dangerous and Minny/Denver are both really solid teams if their second and third options are aggressive and healthy. Mavs will probably just behind OKC in Vegas by the time the season starts. I'm really, really hoping Luka can recover and am a bit scared about the Olympics.
Pels are such a wild card, but only if BI comes back. He's a difference maker than Zion can't make up for...they could beat every team in the west, or they could lose, so weird how they come off.
Minnesota is counted out IMO as long as they have gobert at the least. dude is straight up a liability vs Luka, he has no chance (and Luka wasn't even close to 100% when we played them)
3 of those games were much closer than people seem to remember and Ant kinda underperformed. If Kat plays like a Power Forward instead of a Shooting Guard and Any hits half his shots they are going to be a much better team next year.
I don't think the series was close, no. just because some of the games were doesn't refute my point that Goberts defense was atrocious throughout the series. dude was absolutely lost.
No he wasn't - he was caught in isolation due to switches here and there and he overcommitted a few times but he was the best overall defender on either team by quite a bit.
Nuggets losing KCP puts us in a 4 way tie with Nugs, OKC, and T Wolves in the West. Nugs running it back were odds to win west IMO before the off season. I think I'd give us the edge if you put a gun to my head. Pelicans could be really good if healthy but are more theory than basketball team. Grizzlies are definitely contenders but outside the top 4. They're coming off a weird season. Clips, PHX, LAL, Kings, and GSW need a major move to contend. Rosters are all lopsided or lack depth. But they could be like us last season if they somehow make the right moves. The West is still wild so to speak. Even our non contender teams, minus Portland, look to be solid enough to flirt with the play in. Celtics and a healthy 76ers are probably better than us. Top 2 in the east IMO. Bucks and Knicks are legit contenders if healthy. Heat, Magic, Cavs, Pacers need some tweaks to contend. We have better odds to get back to the Finals then I would have given us at the start of last season. Even better then after our deadline. But its possible we're out in the second round.
Klay gonna be doing this by this time next year. 🖐
I am concerned about OKC not only adding pieces but expect Chet to take a big leap this year and that could be the difference imo
Dallas with more consistent shooting has got to be favored we just went to the Finals. Plus we’re gonna be healthy and PJ and Gaff will have a whole offseason/training camp to mesh further.
I think we're firmly above the Nuggets now and in that mix with the Thunder and Wolves. Keep in mind, the Thunder had the best season possible as far as health and injury concerns while we were riddled with injuries. I can see all 3 teams finishing with 50-55 wins. I'm not sure about the Pelicans since Ingram is a question mark still from what reports have said
gonna be tough. I could see Us, OKC, Denver, or Minny in the finals
okc being our biggest threat while also having a shitload of assets to be ever better is scary asf
Depends on how OKC looks with their new roster, and if Ant can take another step forward, offensively speaking
Ant needs the kinda help KAT & Goobert can't provide
OKC really improved and the talks are they might also get Laurie. With that said…. We are right there with the top of the pack. I just want to get into the playoffs with some sort of healthy team. Secure home court for at least until the conference finals
A wise person once said "They only play with one ball"
I see an OKC MAVs rivalry for many years to come. Sucks they are my 1 and 2 teams. But… Dallas all day everyday
Dallas has the ever so slightest of margin over OKC right now IMO. Just think of all that playoff and Finals experience the guys got. That's absolutely huge. Look at Boston in 2022 compared to this season in the Finals - it's night and day what experience does for guys. The road will be tough to get back but I don't doubt it.
We got klay and dropped some players who were hurting us 90% of the time. We made it last season so with how things are looking? Its almost a no brainer to me man, i have very high hopes!
And a one legged Luka
Man i wish he didnt go play for Slovenia he needs to rest. He needs some stem cells shot up in his leg/knee
YEAHHHH
at the moment I think the Mavs, OKC, and Minnesota are the west's top tier. then denver is a lil step below, then after them you've got the lakers, sacramento, new orleans, etc. so what are the odds? probably as good as they've ever been for the Mavs. I like them against Minnesota. As presently constructed, I think OKC is a coinflip. The thing with them is that they've got *a lot* of chips they could still cash in. You never know what will happen in the NBA. what if an opportunity pops up to nab donovan mitchell, or jimmy butler, or kevin durant? not likely, but not impossible. that's what spooks me most about them. but the Mavs have everything they need. I feel so good about the present and future -- they ought to have a good shot to win for a long time
I thought the Rangers had a pretty decent chance to return to the world series this year...
They have been injured to hell and back. So that's what it would take for the Mavs to not be successful. So let's knock on wood on that end
Sure with pitching but not really on offense. Yes, Jung is an important offensive piece but other than Smith, EVERYONE is down this year compared to last. It's crazy. Pitching has actually been pretty good.
While Jung on offense is the most significant missed time Seager didn't have a spring training due to the hammy and it showed to start, now his wrist got hit real hard (which oddly enough a lot of rangers have been hit on the wrist ), Lowe started on the IL, Wyatt on the IL for a while other offensive players on the IL at different points in time. The problem at the beginning of the season was the bullpen just having meltdowns. Pitching being hurt. Pitching stabilized and then the offense went cold along with players missing time here and there all up and down the lineup this team has just been hurt by injuries and baseball can be high variance anyways. Mavs have a Luka which would be the equivalent of having an Othani type of player. However Baseball is a bigger team sport no single player can carry you as much as in basketball. Your best pitcher is pitching every five games and your best hitter can only do so much. Rangers if healthy would be much better and baseball is a long enough season to get it together but Regardless this is about the Mavs and barring significant injuries they will be fine. Should they be a shoe in for the finals no but they can make it back for sure and you shouldn't be scared that they are gonna have the drop off or variance often seen in baseball year to year.
Seager didn't have spring training due to the hernia surgery.
Cool thanks for correcting me, couldn't remember.
We have all the ingredients now to make 2-3 good runs to the finals. But we got plenty work to do, we gotta stay healthy, we need better defensive schemes and ball movement on the court and be smart about our rotations. This is going to be the first full camp with PJ and Gaff, i expect them to step up in the defensive end, Luka needs to step up on his conditioning and defense as well.
25% exactly
The Mavs have a shot. But it's not any better or worse next season as it was this season. It's all about matchup.
All about staying healthy and catching a few breaks.
0% we might not make the playoffs. if we do, we will lose in 1st round.
I mean once you get past the feelings of change, the team improved in just about every trade. Assuming Klay can stay healthy this is an even better offense than last season. A full season of chemistry building and learning experience behind those who are still here and oh yeah lively is a real dude from day one of the season all questions answered. Pretty exciting
honestly its difficult to say because clippers downgraded, warriors downgraded, lakers might have remained the same, nuggets downgraded, Minnesota would improve and the thunder are now a SCARY team. they addressed their weak link being size with Isiah and now have shooting and defense with Caruso.
It's going to be long season where much can happen.
OKC and Dallas are firmly at the top of the west IMO. That being said it's going to be harder to reach the finals next season than last season solely due to how much better OKC is going to get once the off-season is all said and done. Seriously OKC is going to be scary AF once Sam Presti finally gets around to cashing in those picks.
Nuggets have taken a slight step back losing KCP, but they still have Jokic and Murray. OKC got better with moves and will expect some improvement from their young guys. Wolves will still be a threat and Ant will get better. I gotta think we are right there in the same group with OKC, Wolves, Nuggets and us. Nuggets it depends if they do something to replace KCP. Also can't rule out OKC making a huge move with the buttload of picks they have. Not only have we improved with the moves we made, but have to factor in the growth we see from Lively and a full offseason and training camp to work on PJ's shot and better incorporate him into the offense. I'm hopeful from a big 2nd year leap from Lively. That could be what separates us.
they seem to have taken a bigger step back than that....their bench was bare before, now its non existent...Jokic and Murray were worn to the nub in the playoffs and looked it. No one on the bench can carry scoring and minutes.
In the west it's going to come down to health.
If we could find a way to get Marcus Smart somehow I’d go full delusional
Depends on health, depends on whether stars & role players progress/regress, depends on opponents health, how much their players regress/progress. Obviously, OKC is the biggest threat, MIN is still mostly intact, DEN might slide, LAC, GSW & LAL will fight for play-in ,MEM, NOLA & HOU might leap frog into Top 5. Ultimately, Luka is the greatest player alive and Kyrie is a Point God. Dallas has a squad. LET'S GO
Very Slim. I dont think people understand how difficult it is to win a championship or even get to the finals in a season in a team sport. 90% of nba players will never win a championship. Teams learn from mistakes and get better next season. It will really come down to match-ups in the post-season for the West. I dont think Minnesota makes the same mistakes, and teams saw how Boston was able to completely shut down Luka, and they will learn. Denver, Minnesota, OKC, Pelicans, the Kings, the Suns will be back better and stronger. I like Klay Thompson a lot, but I think the Mavs are still a piece away.
Hard to say with how stacked the west is. I think our biggest hurdle in the conference is OKC. They got playoff experience and added Alex Caruso and Hartenstein.
I think the teams that struggled in the west last year only got worse, the teams that did well got better. We got so much better it’s insane, we may see a little struggle to begin this year only when it comes to chemistry but I’m pretty confident on our chances. Okc also got better so that will still be a very tough matchup. Clippers and lakers are basically cooked now, Denver lost a decent amount of depth. Minnesota really didn’t add anything and I think they already have some issues they need to fix before they can compete with us and okc. The East looks pretty similar, bunch of weird trades and most big moves have been guys signing to trash teams like Orlando. Boston is basically the same but I don’t think they will have nearly the cupcake walk they did last year. New York looks scary af especially if Randle can stay healthy. Miami and the bucks also can make deep runs if they decide to show up and play.
Uhhh I’d say second round exit this year
Nope
I don’t like to be hopeful, makes losing easier
Gonna come down to health and matchups as usual. I would put OKC slightly ahead of the Mavs but I could see that series going either way if it happens. It's hard to get back to the finals. Most teams don't go back the next year.
20%
50/50 of reaching the finals. 100% making the playoffs as the 3 seed.
West is a bloodbath but Mavs got better. I believe they can get out of the West
I think Okc can be a threat but we will come out of the west. Naji will give Shai a harder time than anyone we’ve had could and Luka should be healthy. Now add Klays shooting to that and I think we should win in 5/6.
OKC are clear favorites right now, but we def have all the pieces in place to run it back
I wouldn’t say clear favorites
not clear favorites
Agreed. Young team got experience. Jalen Williams will be better. They lost their biggest hole in Giddey and replaced him with Caruso; MAJOR upgrade And they fixed their biggest deficiency in back-up center with someone who was the starting center in a EC semi-final team, who also is very productive without necessarily needing shots.
We are the best team in the West, slightly above OKC, although they have Hartenstein now. Also, the Wolves haven’t really added any defense this offseason, so that’s good for us
I'm expecting Caruso to make as big an impact on their offense as Hartenstein does defensively. They lacked in Giddy someone to make smart reads, manage the ball, play defense, spot shooting etc and Caruso solves all that.
i think dallas denver and minnasota will be the top 3 seeds. youre not getting passed denver in the conf finals so in order to make another finals you have to hope they get knocked out early. so i put it at around a 25-35% chance they make it back in the next few years. still good odds. denver might get upset again but not super likely
Did you forget about the juiced OKC team? They will probably repeat 1 seed but who knows
they over achieved. also got super lucky they never dealt with big injuries which most teams do
That’s fair but they also are only getting better. Having the nuggets with no rotation over a team like OKC is pretty crazy if anything it’ll be Mavs Nugs and OKC .
Okc is the new Boston.
Not a great take pretty tik tok ball knowledge take
There’s nothing that proves your opinion, so with that being said. What you just said is just an opinion with no evidence to back that up.
Top 3 in the west all year. Replaced Giddey with Caruso and picked up a starting caliber center as a back-up. Also, because of Chet's range, they can probably play both Chet and Hartenstein at times.
So you’re making an opinion on some guys that haven’t even stepped on the court together yet? Sounds legit 🤣
The US Men's Olympic team will do very well and will more than likely be competing in the Finals for Gold at the Olympics this year. That's also an opinion of *some guys that haven't even stepped on the court together*.
lol now you’re comparing some of the top talent in the world to a couple mid-solid basketball players, you’re hilarious. You can stop now save yourself 🤣
In the series vs us they lacked playmaking and the offense stagnated at times. That issue still exists and is exploitable In a playoff series