New SI Power Rankings

Very slow time of the year basketball-wise. Apparently Chris Mannix thinks the Spurs are the best team. Blazers have a very solid ranking too.

almost 3 years ago axel360 17 comments 0 recs |

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If the Spurs are healthy...

then they are, without a doubt, the best team in the league.

I just can’t see them being healthy.

by Nick Van Excellent on Aug 25, 2009 8:22 PM PDT reply actions

I guess I’m just slow to recognize it. I will say that they are preseason contenders…but I just cant picture them being overwhelming favorites. Well the article agrees with you and not me, so NVE 1 PA 0.

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by Philthyanimal on Aug 26, 2009 1:32 AM PDT up reply actions

Think of it this way: They were a playoff team without Ginobili for much of the season, with Timmy breaking down at the end of it because he had no good backups, and with a SF lineup of pretty much washed up Bowen, Finley, and Udoka.

Now they expect Ginobili back healthy, they have an army of new quality big men (McDyess, Bonner, Blair, Mahinmi, Haislip, Ratliff) to give Duncan some more rest (and a coach who is actually willing to start slow and lose a few games more because of it knowing only the playoffs count), and one of the top 20 scorers in the league who also happens to be a decent defender starts on SF. If your 4th best player is Richard Jefferson even a little past his prime, that’s a pretty good sign to me.

by Norsktroll on Aug 26, 2009 2:14 AM PDT up reply actions

It's a good sign, but do those things push them psat the other teams who proved themselves last year?

Before the season starts and we see how they play, you have to weigh heavily in favor of what’s been shown. LA won, Cleveland, Boston and Orlando all out played the Spurs at their peak last year. It wasn’t close. Pushing the Spurs over the top means you have an awful lot of confidence in guys like Jefferson and McDyess. They’re good, but not that good.

How they play as a team and under one of the best coaches in history is what would push them beyond the proven elite. We may expect them to play well together, but how well is questionable.

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Aug 26, 2009 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions

I wouldn’t rank them over the Lakers, but at #2 in the West.

by Norsktroll on Aug 26, 2009 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions

You could be right.

But that’s why I said “IF” they are healthy.

A healthy Duncan is probably still the best PF in the West. He was averaging 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists during the playoffs when he was in terrible shape. Manu is still a top 5 shooting guard. Jefferson looked just ok on the Bucks, but he also seemed disinterested. I’m sure he’ll be working harder on the Spurs.

It all depends on how much Tim and Manu have left in the tank. Assuming there are no major health problems, this is how I see it:

McDyess+ Duncan= Gasol+Bynum
    Ginobli + Parker > Fisher + Kobe
           Richardson ? Artest
         Spurs bench < Lakers bench

by Nick Van Excellent on Aug 26, 2009 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm iffy on the Spurs

They had a great offseason, but their’s no denying that their old. Timmay didn’t quite look the same last year……he’s got a lot of miles on those knees.

But even healthy, I see them as second or third in the west behind LA and possibly the Blazers.

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by iDea on Aug 27, 2009 8:21 AM PDT up reply actions

Once again, the Washington Wizards

are just WAY too high.

The Kings have the best bench I’ve seen. There are easily 14 guys on this team good enough for every bench in the league. Now if we could only get some starters, I’d totally jizz in my pants.

Kings fan

by dyshooter182 on Aug 25, 2009 8:26 PM PDT reply actions

mmm hmmm. every year its this way.

by dario argento on Aug 25, 2009 11:23 PM PDT up reply actions

Agreed

The league is getting stronger again and a kooky guy like Arenas just isn’t enough anymore to make a dent. At best I see the Wizards fighting the Hawks for position. At worst, the Raptors.

by Decaf on Aug 25, 2009 11:40 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't know...

You see, with gilbert arenas coming back, there is no doubt the Wizards grab the title this year. I know, it’s only August, but I’ll say it right now: The Washington Bullets are the champs for the 2009-2010 Season.

by EvilKaramazov on Aug 26, 2009 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Blazers ahead of Denver and Dallas

that’s more like it

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Aug 25, 2009 9:31 PM PDT reply actions

Those rankings seem about right IMHO. As long as the Spurs are healthy anyway.

by dario argento on Aug 25, 2009 11:24 PM PDT reply actions

Only thing I would say

is that I think Mannix is overlooking how old some of these teams have become. The spurs and the Celtics most notably.

I mean his comment about the Celtics are that they now have a two-year window? In my opinion the window closed last year, and then Lebron hired a carpenter to put steel shutters over that window, and then just decided to burn the whole house down just to be on the safe side.

The Spurs I think have better personnel this year, with McDyess (sp?) and Jefferson, and the return of Manu, but they need Tim Duncan to win. If Tim isn’t a full health by the playoffs, the team is in trouble. Tim Duncan allows everyone else on that team to do what they do, I mean the team is practically (and literally) hand-picked to compliment Tim’s skills.

Which means my opinion is that the Cavs are the team to beat this year, with the Magic being number 2, LA is number 3, Blazers number 4, and Denver number 5 no one else is competing for the Championship this year.

Yea the Celtics and Spurs might end up with better regular season records, but as far as actually competing for the championship this year, these are the 5 in my opinion.

"The faster you begin an opponent’s blow-out, the more shots everyone will get." - El Blog Ilusorio de Rudy

"The cake was a lie..." -blazeraddict

by TheOdenator on Aug 26, 2009 2:35 PM PDT reply actions

The Celtics go as far as KG can take them

Remember, he was hurt last playoffs. If he’s healthy, they could even have won it all. He’s a pretty important player.

He had a weird injury though, so who knows how he comes back. If he comes back healthy, though, they’ll be another elite team.

Morty

by Mortimer on Aug 26, 2009 7:56 PM PDT up reply actions

For the first time in a while

The Spurs are overrated. Are people forgetting Tim Duncan is the franchise and how old he looked last year? Once the playoffs come around, he will be 34. And he has played TONS of playoff games. As for Manu, he hasn’t just played a lot of playoff games, but also a lot for his country. And Richard Jefferson is alright, but he has made exactly zero all star games and is most likely past his prime. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Blazers end up with more 5 more wins than the Spurs.

Roy, Aldridge, Oden, Rudy, Batum, Outlaw, Webster, Bayless, Blake, Miller, Joel... Holy crap!

by axel360 on Aug 26, 2009 4:27 PM PDT reply actions