NBA.com's GM Survey & The Portland Trail Blazers
by Ben Golliver on Jan 17, 2012 10:45 AM PST
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PrintNBA.com put together its annual survey of the General Managers from around the league (Acting and otherwise) and compiled the results.
The Miami Heat are predicted to win the 2012 NBA Finals.
Here's how the Portland Trail Blazers stack up in the conference and division predictions.
Which team will win the Western Conference?
1. Oklahoma City -- 67.9%
2. L.A. Lakers -- 17.9%
3. Portland -- 7.1%
San Antonio -- 7.1%
Which team will win the Northwest Division?
1. Oklahoma City -- 71.4%
2. Portland -- 28.6%
Click through for individual mentions. The Blazers didn't win anything but received a fair bit of notice in player, coach and crowd categories. If you're looking to feel outraged there's definitely some snub potential in there too.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
Which player is most likely to have a breakout season in 2011-12?
1. James Harden, Oklahoma City -- 21.4%
T2. Ty Lawson, Denver -- 10.7%
T2. Kyle Lowry, Houston -- 10.7%
T4. Paul George, Indiana -- 7.1%
T4. Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia -- 7.1%
T4. Marcus Thornton, Sacramento -- 7.1%
Also receiving votes: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland
Who is the best power forward in the NBA?
1. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas -- 41.1%
2. Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers -- 17.9%
3. Kevin Love, Minnesota -- 14.3%
4. LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland -- 10.7%
What was the most underrated player acquisition?
T1. Brandon Bass, Boston -- 15.4%
T1. David West, Indiana -- 15.4%
T3. Shane Battier, Miami -- 11.5%
T3. Chauncey Billups, L.A. Clippers -- 11.5%
T5. Jamal Crawford, Portland -- 7.7%
T5. Richard Hamilton, Chicago -- 7.7%
T5. George Hill, Indiana -- 7.7%
Also receiving votes: Raymond Felton, Portland
What was the most surprising move of the offseason?
1. Chris Paul trade veto & trade to the Clippers -- 33.3%
2. Lamar Odom to Dallas -- 29.6%
3. Tyson Chandler to New York -- 14.8%
Also receiving votes: Jamal Crawford to Portland
Which international player is most likely to have a breakout season in 2011-12?
1. Ricky Rubio, Minnesota -- 37.0%
2. Nicolas Batum, Portland -- 14.8%
3. Danilo Gallinari, Denver -- 11.1%
Who is the best head coach in the NBA?
1. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio -- 42.3%
2. Doc Rivers, Boston -- 23.1%
3. Rick Carlisle, Dallas -- 11.5%
4. Mike Brown, L.A. Lakers -- 7.7%
Also receiving votes: Nate McMillan, Portland
Which team has the best home-court advantage?
1. Oklahoma City -- 44.4%
2. Utah -- 22.2%
3. Denver -- 14.8%
4. Chicago -- 7.4%
Also receiving votes: Portland
Which player does the most with the least?
1. Kevin Love, Minnesota -- 26.9%
2. Luis Scola, Houston -- 15.4%
3. Steve Nash, Phoenix -- 7.7%
Also receiving votes: Raymond Felton, Portland
Who is the toughest player in the NBA?
1. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers -- 32.1%
2. Rajon Rondo, Boston -- 10.7%
T3. Tony Allen, Memphis -- 7.1%
T3. Reggie Evans, L.A. Clippers -- 7.1%
T3. Kevin Garnett, Boston -- 7.1%
Also receiving votes: Kurt Thomas, Portland
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How can Ricky Rubio have a “breakout season” if this is his first?? Ooook.
"You know, when you are in the game, you hear 20,000 people behind you, you don't feel anything."
- Nicolas Batum on playing through his shoulder injury during the 2010 playoffs.
and apparently, "breakout season"
has nothing to do with the team’s overall record.
/s
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jan 17, 2012 10:59 AM PST up reply actions
Let's switch from Rip City
to “also receiving votes”.
14.3% say Love is the best PF.
Hehe. No surprise, really. There are several GMs who don’t seem to give any creedence to defense, as illustrated by the pathetic rosters of losers they tend to put together. Love is nice, winning basketball, where the other team can’t score on you at will in the post, is better.
/s
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jan 17, 2012 10:58 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
and "toughest" player--no votes for Dwight Howard?
Hahaha. I love Kobe’s will to play through pain, but he has hand injuries. It’s not like he’s running around on an ankle that goes the wrong direction like Wesley was last season. He also makes quite certain everyone notices his injuries by constantly rubbing it for good luck. Yes, Kobe. We see you are injured. Thanks for reminding us.
But no, I’ll take Dwight Howard’s brand of toughness, that is, physically demoralizing the opponent with superior strength and agility, to any else’s. He doesn’t make a show of it like Kobe and KG, but he’s still kicking everyones’ asses this year, and badly.
Also, I think Derek Rose is tough! The dude picks himself up off of the floor constantly.
/s
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jan 17, 2012 11:04 AM PST reply actions
another vote for D rose, that guy has no fear going to the hoop
by StocktonNEP on Jan 17, 2012 11:14 AM PST up reply actions
Not injured much either. Rose is a stud.
Smaller guys like that take huge licks when they go to the hole. Rose is SO tough. So is Monta Ellis. He takes some bumps. Tony Parker? Manu? Those guys are all pretty tough in my book. Sometimes, the aggressor gets the credit for being “tough” but it’s the dude that constantly gets up off the floor and hits his free throws that gets my vote.
/s
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jan 17, 2012 12:21 PM PST up reply actions
All I know...
is if someone says Lebron, I’m laughing in their faces. Most of these guys are pretty tough… but Wes’ move to play through that ankle, when supposedly it was absolutely numb towards the end of the year… crazy.
by avalancheman on Jan 17, 2012 1:17 PM PST up reply actions
NBA GM's
have generally done a pretty horrible job for years now, so i wouldn’t take their opinions very seriously.
by YoniRap on Jan 17, 2012 11:05 AM PST reply actions 2 recs
I love Felton "doing the most with the least".
Yes, turning a lack of shooting touch into 15% from beyond the arc requires some real ingenuity. Turning average court vision into assists (for the other team) is also very clever…
/s
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jan 17, 2012 11:06 AM PST reply actions
Wow no love for the rose garden home court advantage
Rip City > Loud City, in my opinion.
The arena is loud but they sound really robotic, they all chant simultaneously, and there isn’t much vigor in their crowd noise.
by JMLakaShotCaller on Jan 17, 2012 11:20 AM PST via mobile reply actions
And I'd say Utah -
- is on that list due to some GMs still living in the late 90’s. Or at least that’s the last time they got out to SLC.
by stax o' wax on Jan 17, 2012 11:38 AM PST up reply actions
Depends on how you're defining best home court advantage.
Nobody can argue that the Rose Garden is as loud as other arenas (e.g. OKC, Boston, GS). But, Blazers fans are certainly better at spontaneously cheering, recognizing individual player accomplishment (e.g. "Mar-cus Camby cheer, Joel standing O) and appreciating the game as a whole. I’ve been to games in 10 other arenas and no other fan base even comes close to the Blazers for the number of people sitting and intently watching the game. While the ball is in play the Rose Garden concourse is a ghost town and I’ve rarely been to a RG game where I’ve had to repeatedly let someone in or out of the row during the action. In my opinion, it’s that attentiveness to the action that makes Blazers games unique. The crowd volume is great, but no better than the handful of other loud arenas in the league.
Every GM that votes this:
Which team has the best home-court advantage?
1. Oklahoma City — 44.4%
needs fired. now.
Disclaimer: There is a high chance this comment contains sarcasm, so please just chill out, relax, and have a nice l@ker hating day.
either would be acceptable.
I have no idea how many GM’s keep their jobs.
Disclaimer: There is a high chance this comment contains sarcasm, so please just chill out, relax, and have a nice l@ker hating day.
Is anybody else creeped out
That Chad Buchanan is holding up a jersey that says “DIE” on it. What’s that about?
"You can walk away from someone who doesn’t love you. And you can walk away from someone you don’t love. But when the love is mutual," Roy said. "The hardest thing is to walk away."
Would you prefer
To draft a player named LIVEbler?
by JMLakaShotCaller on Jan 17, 2012 11:28 AM PST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Well, honestly - best home court advantage has to be denver.
They do have the elevation helping them.
Otherwise, bias says the Rose Garden.
RIP CITY - We're back!
I would guess the Hornets are probably last on the list.
Judging from the attendance at last night’s game.
"You can walk away from someone who doesn’t love you. And you can walk away from someone you don’t love. But when the love is mutual," Roy said. "The hardest thing is to walk away."
Where is the snub potential?
Maybe the arena thing but most everything else seems somewhat realistic.
Denver and Utah have the advantage..5280 and 4320 feet elevations respectively..
visiting NBA players are going to feel both. Unless they are from Denver or Salt Lake City that is…
Golden State can be tough too.
Denver has got to be the worst though. High elevation coupled with style of play makes winning there a real challenge.
Sure, the Jazz used to be the toughest, but that had to do with the quality of their team and the fact that their old arena seated around 10k.
/s
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jan 17, 2012 12:23 PM PST up reply actions
not to mention Denver (and SLC) is often a logistical choice for a 2nd night of a back to back
seriously, how many teams play a game on the West coast, then play the next night in Denver or Salt Lake?) Seems like everyone does it. That’s a huge advantage as well, especially coupled with the elevation.
"But if Ding Dongs and prime rib were the path to NBA pivot stardom we'd all be wearing the uniform." -Dave
It's nice that LA is in the top 4....
I don’t know if I think Love and Griffin are better than LA but at I KNOW he’s better than Gasol, Stoudamire and Bosh… it’s nice that GMs think this…. also, all 4 PF are in the west…
Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.
Ok...funny how so many of the media and other coaches give lip service to McMillan's coaching skills and yet..
they end up giving a completely honest answer to this question:
Which head coach makes the best in-game adjustments?
1. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio — 35.7%
2. Rick Carlisle, Dallas — 14.3%
T3. Doug Collins, Philadelphia — 10.7%
T3. Doc Rivers, Boston — 10.7%
T3. Tom Thibodeau, Chicago — 10.7%
6. Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City — 7.1%
Also receiving votes: Rick Adelman, Minnesota; Lionel Hollins, Memphis; Scott Skiles, Milwaukee
Last year: Gregg Popovich — 28.6%
and I agree…he does deserve to left off that list.
Maybe he will earn a spot on the list one day but not yet.
Actually Nate McMillan didn't get positive votes in ANY of the categories...
nor did his assistant coaching staff…not even Bob Ociepka…imagine that.
Do wonder if Larry Greer is good..first year though.
And obviously none of the voting GMs saw the Blazer/Hornet game yesterday or they would have changed their vote on this one…
Which team is the most fun to watch?
1. Miami — 33.3%
2. L.A. Clippers — 29.6%
3. Oklahoma City — 18.5%
Also receiving votes: Denver, Golden State, Indiana, Minnesota, Toronto
Last year: Oklahoma City – 51.8%
The GM's have confused "best attendance" here with home court advantage...
And as far as “best attendance” goes… really what else is there to do in OKC?
Which team has the best home-court advantage?
1. Oklahoma City — 44.4%
2. Utah — 22.2%
3. Denver — 14.8%
4. Chicago — 7.4%
Also receiving votes: Boston, Miami, Portland
Denver and Utah have the home court ADVANTAGE hands down. There should actually be some kind of point handicap for the visiting team in both cities.
thing is
no one else comes close to us in that category either.. We’ve been selling out the Rose Garden longer than OKC has had a franchise at this point.
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