2014-15 Around the NBA thread

Crystallas

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Thunder are going to have a perfect excuse to tank and play that lottery.
 

RamiTheBullsFan

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Can't imagine the Thunder any lower than 6th seed even if they are plagued with injuries all season. I'd be very surprised if they won't be a top 4 seed.
 

clonetrooper264

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Can't imagine the Thunder any lower than 6th seed even if they are plagued with injuries all season. I'd be very surprised if they won't be a top 4 seed.
With the West being as good as it is and KD and Westbrook out for the next couple months, it's not hard to see OKC losing a bunch of games and falling behind in the standings. Obviously once Durant returns, he'll bring them back up, but it's a matter of how much ground they'll have to make up. At the same time, only a few games will separate a top 4 team from the 9th seed.
 

Scoot26

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Can't imagine the Thunder any lower than 6th seed even if they are plagued with injuries all season. I'd be very surprised if they won't be a top 4 seed.
That team without its best two ALL-STAR players is going to look like the 2001 Bulls. Brooks isn't Thibodeau. I don't see him working miracles.
 

clonetrooper264

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That team without its best two ALL-STAR players is going to look like the 2001 Bulls. Brooks isn't Thibodeau. I don't see him working miracles.
Well they have Reggie Jackson...whenever he stops being injured. Definitely not on the level of Westbrook, but he can play. Him and Ibaka will have to carry the scoring load though...that's not really a great thought for Thunder fans. Perry Jones had a good game yesterday, but who knows how good he actually is.
 

RamiTheBullsFan

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That team without its best two ALL-STAR players is going to look like the 2001 Bulls. Brooks isn't Thibodeau. I don't see him working miracles.

Tim Floyd <<< Scott Brooks. Neither of them will be out forever so it won't be that bad, either way.
 

Scoot26

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Tim Floyd <<< Scott Brooks. Neither of them will be out forever so it won't be that bad, either way.
No, but I expect them to lose a lot of games while they are..It'll put them behind in the playoff race. They'll be playing catchup is more so my point.
 

RamiTheBullsFan

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With the West being as good as it is and KD and Westbrook out for the next couple months, it's not hard to see OKC losing a bunch of games and falling behind in the standings. Obviously once Durant returns, he'll bring them back up, but it's a matter of how much ground they'll have to make up. At the same time, only a few games will separate a top 4 team from the 9th seed.

I see a noticeable gap between the Spurs-Clippers-Warriors-Blazers tier and the Grizzlies-Rockets-Nuggets-Hornets-Suns tier. It's not like the Thunder are going to lose every game without Durant and Westbrook. Just keep a record of about 8-12 in their first 20 games, and 42-20 in their final 3/4's of the season will get them to 50 wins at worst in my opinion.
 

clonetrooper264

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I see a noticeable gap between the Spurs-Clippers-Warriors-Blazers tier and the Grizzlies-Rockets-Nuggets-Hornets-Suns tier. It's not like the Thunder are going to lose every game without Durant and Westbrook. Just keep a record of about 8-12 in their first 20 games, and 42-20 in their final 3/4's of the season will get them to 50 wins at worst in my opinion.
50 wins is well and good, but 50 wins could also land you outside the playoff picture in the West, as we all know.
 

RamiTheBullsFan

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50 wins is well and good, but 50 wins could also land you outside the playoff picture in the West, as we all know.

I don't think it will this season. I think 50 wins would be the bare minimum, and I'm pretty sure that there has only been one time in NBA history that a team has missed the playoffs after winning 50 games. I think they'll be in decent shape.
 

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No team in NBA history has missed the playoffs and won 50 games. 48 is the record. Done by the Suns last year and the Warriors in 2008.
 

clonetrooper264

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No team in NBA history has missed the playoffs and won 50 games. 48 is the record. Done by the Suns last year and the Warriors in 2008.
lol shows how much I know :rolleyes:
 

ursamajor

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Can't imagine the Thunder any lower than 6th seed even if they are plagued with injuries all season. I'd be very surprised if they won't be a top 4 seed.

In the West? Are you kidding? KD is basically a 7 footer with now a foot injury. The Thunder will be lucky if it ONLY hobbles him for this season, nagging on and on, and not for years.

And with Westbrook being out potentially 2 months, they may be, for all intents and purposes eliminated from the postseason in the west, before the all-star break.

They are already 0-2.

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ursamajor

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. Obviously once Durant returns, he'll bring them back up, but it's a matter of how much ground they'll have to make up.

He will be bothered all season by his foot, and rusty. It won't be as simple as flipping a switch.


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RamiTheBullsFan

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In the West? Are you kidding? KD is basically a 7 footer with now a foot injury. The Thunder will be lucky if it ONLY hobbles him for this season, nagging on and on, and not for years.

And with Westbrook being out potentially 2 months, they may be, for all intents and purposes eliminated from the postseason in the west, before the all-star break.

They are already 0-2.

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You speak of Durant as if he was Greg Oden. He's a finesse perimeter scorer and jump shooter. He'll be fine.

That 0-2 came against two of the best teams in the league. And they played pretty well even without Westbrook against the Clippers. They'll be semi-okay without either of them for a little while. No chance in hell they'll be out of the playoff picture before the All-Star break.
 

ursamajor

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You speak of Durant as if he was Greg Oden. He's a finesse perimeter scorer and jump shooter. He'll be fine.

That 0-2 came against two of the best teams in the league. And they played pretty well even without Westbrook against the Clippers. They'll be semi-okay without either of them for a little while. No chance in hell they'll be out of the playoff picture before the All-Star break.

Westbrook and Durant accounted for more than 50% of points scored by the Thunder last season.

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RamiTheBullsFan

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Westbrook and Durant accounted for more than 50% of points scored by the Thunder last season.

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And they still have Ibaka, Jackson, and Lamb to make up some of the difference and help them win some games before they get back like 25% of the way through the season. They were also one of the best defensive teams in the NBA and neither Durant or Westbrook are All-NBA defenders. They'll be fine.
 

czman

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Thunder are probably going to be out of the playoffs. I have no clue how they are going to even play 30% without Westbrook and KD. I did not look at their schedule but if they play the 76ers, Magic, Bucks every game till Christmas they might be fine. Outside of that they are in real trouble.

Not a fan of suggesting tanking, but they may want to think about sitting those to out longer and praying to the bouncing balls.
 

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