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The NBA's 4th and 5th regular season winningest teams last year all fired their head coaches.

The Nuggets and Grizz hired assistants for their new head coaches while the Clips went with Doc Rivers who is considered as probably one of the top 5 active head coaches in the league.

While Rivers would clearly prefer to improve the Clips defense, the team did nothing in the off season to bring in significant defensive help but did increase the number of quality 3 point shooters with Redick and Dudley.

The Nuggets, under rookie head coach Brian Shaw, also want to improve their defense while at the same time undergoing a major change in offensive philosophy. They, however, worsened their talent defensively with off season personnel changes and are essentially trying to transform the majority of returning players from a system that was undoubtedly better suited to their strengths to one in which said strengths are restricted if not negated.

The Grizz, on the other hand, have undergone only minor personnel changes and apparently are making little, if any changes to either their offensive or defensive schemes. While it is true that they did win not one but two P.O. series and got to the WC Finals, in reality most would say that was only due to Westbrook not being available for OKC in the 2nd round. In any case, that didn't save Lionel Hollins job, due to the same type of friction that Karl had with his new owner.


I would say that, given equal good or bad fortune on the injury front, the Grizz are most - and quite - likely to match last season's success, the Clips have a decent chance to do so and the Nuggets have just about zero likelihood of such an occurrence.

Yes or no?

We get it man, you think the Nuggets will be ****. You've said it about 50 times in slightly different ways. What's the point?

The "point" would be seeking an opinion as to which of 3 very successful 2012-13 teams is actually closer to heading in the right direction.

Regardless of you understanding my view on the Nuggets decisions, what is YOUR view on the question that I asked?

It all depends on where you set the bar for success. I'll go with playoff wins. The Grizz probably won't make the WCF again, so they'll be less successful than last year. The Clippers have a good chance to win a 1st round series, so they'll be better. I predict a 1st round loss again for the Nuggets, so about the same.

Regular season wins, I predict the Clippers. They should have less growing pains with an established coach.

However it's difficult to forecast with the unknowns of how a new coach or player will mesh with their new team. It's mostly speculation at this point. Everybody predicted Iguodala would be the perfect player for George Karl's system and he was not.


Which team is headed in the right direction? That's an entirely different question that requires a longer perspective (beyond next season).

Wow! Thanks for a real response to the question.

I do believe, however, that the direction the Nuggets started upon in the off-season must, unfortunately in my opinion, lead to the further blowing up of last year's team.

A decision was made, wrongly I believe, to place too much faith and responsibility on the significant improvement of McGee. If that does not occur, PARTICULARLY defensively, the Nugz will almost certainly not make the P.O.s and the dismantling will continue.

Well, I have the Nuggets falling out of the playoffs, and the Clippers and Grizz winning over 50, so I guess that's my answer.