Sim 1 (S4)

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Donkey

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Who are the top 5 contenders this season in order (in sim league) and why?

 

mngopher35

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1. Timberwolves - kg is insane, they were missing Scottie and still look like one of top teams on file

2. Magic - shaq and penny still plus they got nice fits around them last year. Both one seeds from last season remain at top imo

3. Bucks - Payton/dirk/Duncan/Bradley, last year in playoffs gp got injured in our series but this team is dangerous when healthy

4. Bullets - I think the move for drob pushed them into legit contention. Terry and ray are ready to lead them on a playoff run

5 Heat - We lost in game 7 ecf last year and added divac/Williams as opposed to day 2 fas as my bigs so while no drob we really improved in frontcour from that run. Kobe and pierce continue to grow as well.
 

notail

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Timberwolves - they have depth and superstars in KG and Scottie
Magic - Shaq, Penny with the dream and Straks to add for scoring
Nuggets - I still believe they have one of the better defensive team. and good offense from Christian
Bullets - Drob alongside Ray and Terry are enough to beat any team
Bucks - Payton is the main reason as he's the best PG imo in the league. Dirk and Duncan are still young and are in the brink of superstar status, but not quite there yet. Bradley can block too
 

Panic!

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Wolves - because of defense
Magic - because of shaq
Grizzlies - because of panic
Bullets - because of big 3
Bucks - because of payton
 

BradS4President

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Magic - The Shaq and Penny duo is great. Throw in Hakeem and Tyronne in the frontcourt with John Starks, Eddie Jones, and Rick Fox on the wings. Great seven man rotation
Timberwolves - Kevin Garnett looking like the GOAT. Him and Ostertag locking down the frontcourt. Scottie on wing will be great once he is in the lineup. Ellis and Grant provide great depth. And can't forget about Nash and Anderson in the backcourt.
Bullets - Ray Allen and Jason Terry are filling. With tremendous defense in the frontcourt, they
Bucks - Great defense up front with Bradley, Duncan, and Purdue. Dirk and Todd Day provide great scoring punch. Payton and Fisher are a good duo in the backcourt
Nuggets - Great Defensive guards in Christie and Blaylock. Jackson provides scoring off the bench. Lattener and Gattling provide the scoring while Mutombo protects the hoop.
 
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cavsfan817

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Timberwolves -- They look unreal and Scottie didn't even play. They're going to be so unfair on both ends of the floor. Orlando's best shot will be hoping that Penny can abuse Nash and that the others don't cover up for him too much.

Magic -- Moving Hill for a package of better fitting parts wasn't great from a value standpoint, but from a team standpoint it was exactly what Orlando needed. Shaq/Penny are an obviously dynamic 1-2 punch. Being gifted Hakeem was huge because he's a perfect fit next to Shaq. Starks & Jones filling in as rotation guys is huge for them.

Bucks -- Duncan/Dirk may be a little too young to really push them over the edge at this current junction. I'm a big fan of Bradley and he helps clean up the mistakes that the rest of the lineup makes. GP is balling for them, although I look for him to regress back a touch. Very formidable team that could win it all with another big move or if they get hot.

Nuggets -- This team might be here just by default, since they only have to deal with the Timberwolves in the west currently. Laettner at SF has been huge for them. I didn't love the value on the Gatling deal, but he's a great fit. I'm not a believer in their backcourt, so I think they are susceptible to a lot of matchups, but having the ultimate eraser in Dikembe should help ease things.

Heat -- Maybe more of a surprise pick because most people will probably have the Bullets in their top 5 (they are 6 for me). The Kobe/Pierce duo has gotten (albeit small) some Heat since draft day because people thought that the wing duo would be redundant, but they are both uber echelon stars and have both hit. I think the Heat have an overall very solid team without a ton of weaknesses. If they decide to push the chips in and move away from Starbury, I think they could be just as scary as any team out in the East with their potential firepower. Whether gopher decides to do something like that remains to be seen.
 

Donkey

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1. Orlando Magic - I don't know how they're not the top contender this year. If a team below them gets Jordan, that could tip the scales. The Magic have the best front court in the league. Hakeem is old but he's still an elite defender. Starks/Jones are lockdown on the wings and Penny is a tremendous offensive guard. This team simply doesn't have any holes.

2. Washington Bullets - The Bullets added David Robinson to an already talented roster, and are significantly better now. On top of that, the duo of Ray Allen and Jason Terry should only be getting better, so this team is here to stay for awhile. You know you have a loaded roster when John Stockton can come off the bench. If they were able to upgrade Jim McIlvaine and/or Chris Dudley, both of whom are overpaid, they could be the best team in the league.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves - It appears that Kevin Garnett has taken a serious leap this season, and once Pippen is ready to play, they're going to be a scary duo. The one issue for them is that Nash is still pretty raw. They are plenty of contenders who have better point guards, so it will be interesting to see if NC looks to upgrade that position for this season.

4. Miami Heat - Last season, the Heat made a surprise post-season run with their dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce. After a series of off-season moves, the roster looks a lot more complete now. The team is ready to make some major noise out East, but with all of the good teams in that conference, it won't be easy. They could use an elite defender in the post if they want to beat the Magic.

5. Milwaukee Bucks - I don't think this team necessarily did enough in the off-season, they are rolling back a similar team. Luckily for them, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki should only be getting better every season, so without doing anything, the Bucks should be better than last season. They could really use to upgrade at shooting guard, and bump Todd Day into a sixth man role.
 

GB

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Magic - shaq is best player in the league imo and he’s got a robin in penny and great supporting cast/depth
Minnesota - 67 wins I believe and added pippen
Bullets - drob can dominate any big on any night and they have solid 2/3 options. Think they could use some more scoring depth
Nuggets - really good defensive team at the right positions and some scoring depth
Bucks - almost put heat but give bucks the edge because they have better bigs which makes them a little more well rounded
 

Foreman

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1. Magic - need a dominant big man to have any success, Shaq is the best in the league.
2. Timberwolves - Star filled team who added another star to an already great team.
3. Bullets - Even with overpays, they have the right mix of youth and depth to make some noise.
4. Heat - Kobe and Pierce may be approaching where they can carry the team on their own.
5. Bucks - Like the Bullets, right mix of youth and depth but probably need one more big move to be successful
 

Cloud

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Timberwolves - Will give the Wolves the edge over the Magic here because they have the easier path to go through out west, and 4 of my other top 5 teams are all in the East, so should be easier for the Wolves to come out of their conference in the playoffs. Scottie and KG is absurd, Ostertag is very good. I assume he plays Scottie at the 2 and Ellis at the 3, so his PG and SF are definitely attackable on defense but their rebounding margin is other worldly and the defense will be very good. They should have a very strong case for a title this year, on paper.

Magic - 2 time MVP in the center, elite defensive PF to compliment, strong perimeter shooting and perimeter defense to surround them and a star offensive PG to run the engine, Magic should have all the pieces on paper. Strong second unit with Hill and Fox doing most of the heavy lifting. Can they get past the gauntlet and potentially slay the Wolves? Tall task but the pieces are there.

Bullets - D Rob is about as good a counter to Shaq as you can ask for, Allen and Terry have really great scoring volume it seems. Very strong core for this season, probably going to have to make some pretty tough decisions if they want to leapfrog and hop into the drivers seat to become favorites but they’re pretty close.

Bucks - Elite defender at PG, which is tough to find, gives them an edge over most contenders there. While this team is well rounded, it doesn’t feel like they have a player that can just consistently take over games, at least not to the level of a title contending threat.

Heat - Pierce and Kobe have developed very nicely over the past couple of seasons and form a legitimate tandem on the wings that could potentially carry them pretty far given the right circumstances. PG spot is obviously not ready for the big time yet, but the bigs are much improved from last years team, albeit still probably not good enough to keep up with the other contenders.
 

Catdude

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Timberwolves - I mean it’s obvious. They’re incredibly dominant and they were missing Pippen in sim 1. KG has broken out this season too.

Magic - Shaq duh. But they’re also a very balanced team. Moving Hill for Starks and Jones was just what they needed.

Bullets - that Allen/Terry combo in the backcourt is lethal.

Heat - Kobe and PP. Need I say more?

Lakers - I gotta believe in myself because otherwise who will? I think once I figure out my DC we will be a sleeper pick out west.
 

NCツ

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Magic - They have the best player in the league, great perimeter defenders, and a star at PG in Penny. Perfect recipe for a championship in FBB. They've been expected to win a ring the last two years so they are due for one this season

Nuggets - Like the Magic they have the tools to win a championship in FBB. Great interior defense in Mutombo, strong perimeter defenders, elite play at the PG position, and a go to scoring threat (but not MVP caliber player) in Laettner. There is a reason they have been to the finals 2/3 seasons and in the western conference finals all 3 seasons

Timberwolves - 13-2 without Scottie Pippen, hopefully his turnover problem won't disrupt this 67 win team from the year before. The wolves currently hold an absurd +13.8 rebounding differential and that should improve with Pippen starting over Kenny Anderson sim 2

Heat - Made a surprise run to the ECF last season and made improvements this off season. Starbury is probably another year away, but Kobe/Pierce should be able to carry them back to the ECF this year.

Bullets - Allen and Terry are very good, but that is also because they are getting 85 minutes a game from 3 players who literally don't try to score. D Rob is a great 3rd banana for them but they are vulnerable to one key injury screwing them over. Despite all that they are very balanced and play strong defense. Could be a sleeper in the East
 

Xxplayerxx23

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Wolves- are a great all around team got ripped off last year added Scottie should be the best
Magic- best eastern conference team by far star power good depth should make it to the finals
Fighting for second place in each conference
Bullets- adding drob was huge. Already has a nice 1-2 punch in the backcourt. Great team overall needs an injury from Orlando imo

heat - Made ECF a nice TC and added some bigs, slightly below the bullets IMO but should be a tough out
bucks- dirk/Duncan/Payton is sick. Unfortunately there’s so many talented teams out east now. Need another move.
 

The Godfather

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Wolves- Tag and KG down low a nightmare

Magic - Shaq by himself makes them great with help makes them the Beast of the East

Nuggets- experience team with match-up defensive wizards and now much needed scoring added with Gatling /Jackson

Heat - So young so good so fast ...better win one more soon or just 1 above teams cause these puppies are becoming full grown Pitbulls fast

Bucks- starting to click and Glove may be the best PG in the league right now
 

hokeyrules

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Orlando - Have Shaq and are 11-0 to start the season
Minnesota - Best player had to sit and only lost 2 games
Washington - Have Ray Allen and David Robinson
Denver - Because you just can not count out Henny
Toronto - Because I am trying to get Tracy McGrady, and somehow my team will make the playoffs and surprise a team. Oh and because Baron Davis is BOOOOOSTED
 
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