Solid Snake wrote:When they lose to the Magic in the second round.......
Really though, like a lot of others have stated as well; the Pistons are just that a good team. Look at the Spurs too. When you know how to play basketball, you know how to play basketball. Shows you that things like upside, hops and a freak body aren't always a necessity to keep winning.
That's big part of the reason I've been following the Trailblazers a lot ever since the 2006 draft. Nate McMillan has been getting flack from a lot of Blazers fans over at the Blazers board, but IMO it is amazing to see the type of mindset he's already implemented with the team. They're one of the youngest teams ever in the NBA, but managed to get a .500 season in the rediculously deep western conference this year. Portland has done a terrific job at keeping their youngsters (particularly Outlaw and Webster) around and giving them time to gel.
With guys like Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge that really know how to play basketball (by that I mean skill/tactics wise, like the Pistons and Spurs really) already in place and super studs in Oden and Rudy Fernandez coming in, that team to me looks like the most likely franchise to become a dynasty the next generation.
I'm still not entirely convinced the Magic's management are as capable as Kevin Pritchard on setting up a great team, but they've definitely made a nice attempt this year. Hiring Stan Van Gundy, putting the ball in Hedo's hands and acquiring Rashard Lewis (albeit at his rediculous price) were very solid moves at an attempt to set down the base of this team IMO.
The point guard spot remains the big question IMO.
I think Jameer has improved a lot this year: his turnovers went from 2.39 to 2.04 while his assists went up from 4.3 to 5.6, his FG% went up from .430 to .469 and his 3PT% went up from .335 to .416. Granted, some of those upgrades might've been a direct result of the better spacing on the floor due to the team improving drastically from the outside, but overall it seems like Jameer is making much smarter decisions. His TO and % are actually quite good for a PG right now.
Forget 'pass-first' and 'shoot-first' point guards. You want your point guard to make smart decisions and play within your teams offense. From what I've seen from Jameer this season, he's getting a lot better at that and is very adequate at this point. Sure, he's no Chris Paul, but at least on the offensive side he's a good fit for this team IMO. He's a decent leader, doesn't necessarely need to be in the spotlight at all times or need to take a million shots (his FGA went down from 875 to 603, for those who are counting). I like him on this team.
On the defensive side though, well... he's tiny.

We know that. That's why I feel Arroyo isn't that great a backup for him.
I for one am really for the Magic signing Chris Duhon to form a PG combo with Jameer next year. Like Jameer, Duhon is a decent floor general, isn't all about flashy play and seems like a better defender for taller point guards depending on the matchup.
Man, this is starting to get really off topic lmao...

To come back to my point; I think the Magic are slowly taking steps towards becoming an annual contender as well. Keep Dwight, Hedo, Rashard and Jameer together, and keep surrounding them with good role players and see how they grow. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed the rediculous salaries aren't going to be a problem in the future...
