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WOW I guess defending champs and signing R-test hasnt improved our chances in winning the chip this year according to SI, but wasnt it S.I that picked N.O to win it all last year.

The offseason has been anything but a period of downtime for the NBA's top teams. Several contenders have made bold moves in an attempt to unseat the Lakers, who themselves have rolled the dice by signing Ron Artest. Let's take a look at how the league stacks up with about five weeks left until the start of training camp.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/w ... z0PE6b32Q2

Los Angeles Lakers
You can't argue that the Trevor Ariza-for-Ron Artest swap doesn't look good on paper. But as I've said before, I have my reservations about Artest -- which explains why the defending champions are No. 3 on this list. Will the 29-year-old forward accept a complementary role? Will he play within the offense and control his shot selection?

i saw that tony, but i didn't even want to post it and give it more attention. the teams that have made the finals the last two yrs lal/bos/orl are 3-4-5 while the spurs and cleveland are 1-2. the reasons given for the rankings are just as bad.

They should just stick to football.

didn't i tell you guys i wrote for SI?

jk

Do the LAL ever get picked? I don't read every fish rap, but it seems ever since I remember we are rarely ever picked to win it all, the showtime era included.

The questions about Ron Artest are fine, but to just heavily discount them for that seems like even if we kept Ariza then the Lakers would still be ranked down there. The writer ranks Spurs and Cavs based on offseason moves and the names involved in those trades. Just because we didn't land someone close (or considered close) on that caliber, the writer just puts Lakers down there. I think it's just some bias against the Lakers.

iamworthy wrote:They should just stick to taking pictures of beautiful women.

corrected for accuracy.

Simply put that dude doesn't understand jack about ball period.

What's the bigger gamble?

Ginobli's health? Shaq's attitude & stamina? or Artest's impact?

Bogus!

It's all a plot to piss Artest off and see what he can still do as a defensive menace. I love the fact some people think the "experiment" won't work in LA. It will be that much better when we win more games than last year and steamroll through the playoffs.

Thats better than I rank their magazine

How do these journalists keep thinking that a player selfish enough to leave a winning team, a championship team to be the man (cough Marbury, JJ, Ariza) have their head on straight.

If the player isnt out to win a championship and sacrifice for the team then they are not the type of player a championship team wants.

Honestly, I don't have a problem with those rankings at all. All of the championship contenders have made big changes, it's going to be an adjustment period for all of them. Going into the season those rankings are legit for a preseason source IMO.

Assuming everybody is healthy, I think of every new player aquired Artest might take the longest to fit into his team. His game is so different, isolations are a big part of his game, how is Phil going to fit that into the LAL bullet train, it's a big question to me.

The coaches were polled/interviewed at some coaches summit, I posted it a month or so ago, and they said, pre lamar signing, that SAS had had the best off season up to that point, plus they made another brilliant draft signing D Blair, whom looks to be one of the biggest value picks in a very long time.

SI ?! Why I don't see the Grizzlies on the top of the rankings ?!

Well, the season will show who's stronger, lucky and who's WRONG !

DubaLakers wrote:Honestly, I don't have a problem with those rankings at all. All of the championship contenders have made big changes, it's going to be an adjustment period for all of them. Going into the season those rankings are legit for a preseason source IMO.

Assuming everybody is healthy, I think of every new player aquired Artest might take the longest to fit into his team. His game is so different, isolations are a big part of his game, how is Phil going to fit that into the LAL bullet train, it's a big question to me.

The coaches were polled/interviewed at some coaches summit, I posted it a month or so ago, and they said, this is pre lamar signing, that SAS had had the best off season up to that point, plus they made another brilliant draft signing D Blair, whom looks to be one of the biggest value picks in a very long time.

Normally when a guy falls like that, there's reasons for it. I don't think Blair will have a huge impact. He's undersized and really lacks any sort of offensive game. I think he could be a Ben Wallace esque player but I don't think he plays as good defense or is going to block shots.

DEEP3CL wrote:Simply put that dude doesn't understand jack about ball period.

Yup.
So Spurs signed R.J and an old 35 year old McDyess that averaged 9.6ppg and 9.8 rpg, and givin the history of draft picks the Spurs have gotten out of Parker and Manu I would say Blair might be a decent pick, but to go from first round elimination for last years playoffs to a favorite is seriously a joke. Specially when your ranking teams like DC said the Cs/La/Orl in 3/4/5th is seriously either a lack of knowledge about the game or your being very bias towards your favorite teams based on ish that doesnt have to do with basketball.

He writes "You can't argue that the Trevor Ariza-for-Ron Artest swap doesn't look good on paper"
Sure, but isnt that how your basing your opinion about both the Cavs and the Spurs?

Then he writes.
"But as I've said before, I have my reservations about Artest "
Ya okay and what is your reservations about Artest.............. NOTHING, More like Im waiting for him to screw up before I give him or the Lakers props.
Since here is all of his articles he has written for S.I and nowhere has he actually discussed anything about R-test,

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/writer ... x/archive/

but you can tell he is a Spurs homer and he claims that he is reservations about Artest yet he writes on this article.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/w ... index.html

"Equally important for the Spurs is that they did not have to break apart their core to make the deal"

Okay so here's the defending champs that basically has their entire core of their championship team less ONE player "Ariza" and we picked up "R-test"

-- "which explains why the defending champions are No. 3 on this list. Will the 29-year-old forward accept a complementary role? Will he play within the offense and control his shot selection?"
I guess this idiot doesnt realize that we actually do have a few players named Kobe as well as Pau, Lamar, Bynum etc, or how about the fact that we acquired R-test for his defensive presence and the fact that R-test has addressed that he is looking to play D and lock down ******. I guess his offense or shot selection isnt a concern for us or him and Im sure he will be able to play withing our offense, I mean even numnuts like Kwame and Smush were able to, what makes this idiot think that R-test cant.

Also the Cavs coming out in second, I can clearly see the Cs and the Majic owning the Cavs this season.

I love our squad but to say we are better than a healthy San Antonio (on paper) is a reach... I love our chances but a healthy Duncan and Manu would be scary and deserves some #1 consideration in my opinion... My list would be as follows:

1. San Antonio Spurs
2. LA Lakers
3. Boston Celtics
4. Orlando Magic
5. Cleveland Cavaliers

I can't wait for the year to start...

wow, are they serious? SPURS are the favorites now?!?!!!

Wow, just wow....
















wow.

S.I. is (Please Use More Appropriate Word) defending champions not the fav and i know the spurs are going to be a challenge but we own them in the playoffs i dont think they want to see us and no bruce bowen so who is going to cover kobe? no one wants us to repeat but they know its inevitable thats why you see everyone picking other teams there scared lol