Better future: Minny vs. POR vs. GSW

[JimmyTD3]

Let's assume the Warrriors have 3 20ppg players in Ellis, Jackson, and Maggette? Whose getting 20 for these other teams? Jefferson ... am I forgetting anyone??

Well, as long as we are assuming.....

Roy, Aldridge and Oden can all score 20 ppg. Heck, throw Outlaw, Bayless and Fernandez in there too as long as we are assuming.

Whether the trio of Warriors score 20 or not, each of them will give up 20+ so it doesn't really matter.

Roy and Aldridge have never averaged 20 ppg, and Oden has never played in the NBA.

Stephen Jackson, Monta, and Maggette all averaged 20 or over last season. It's not as much an assumption as it is a fact

[TradeMachine]

Roy and Aldridge have never averaged 20 ppg, and Oden has never played in the NBA.

Stephen Jackson, Monta, and Maggette all averaged 20 or over last season. It's not as much an assumption as it is a fact

[Dick Cheney voice] SO? [/Dick Cheney voice]

How does that even matter?

[Devilzsidewalk]

Portland is the obvious answer. Barring failed development, or something weird like injury, that team is solid from top to bottom on paper.

MN and GS have potential, but it'd depend on unforeseen developments like Monta becoming a true PG or Love playing good defense

[yehyeh82]

Meh, the "true pg" is the most over-rated thing in nba basketball. Over the last 15 years, the only team with a great true PG was the Pistons, and even Billups turned into a scorer in the playoffs. The Bulls, Spurs, Rockets, Heat, Lakers and to an extent Celtics (Rondo just isn't there quite yet but seems to be on his way), none of them had a "true pg." What they all had was either a top notch 2 guard, a top notch big man, or both. And while Al Jefferson is very good, he just isn't there defensively with the Hakeems, Duncans, Garnett's and even Shaq's of the world. The only team that seems to have all the ingredients right now is the Trailblazers.

But this argument is really going to come down to who you surround your young talent with. If its a bunch of Ricky Davis type players, you're in trouble. If its a bunch of Posey type players, everything's gonna be allright.

[microfib4thewin]

Both Ellis and Jackson has inflated numbers on a team that doesn't care much about defense. Maggette's number is inflated because he's on a horrible team that had players miss over 300 games from injuries who doesn't play defense. GSW's depth is too reliant on unproven players who are underweight, and GSW fans overrate their future by saying it's a sure thing they have a solid core of youngsters.

[yehyeh82]

Well I can say that Jefferson's numbers are inflated because he played on a terrible team, actually top 5 worst teams in the league two years running. So what. The "Monta's numbers are inflated because of the system" is one of the most overblown and overused statements on these boards. Its really just a cop-out to try and downgrade a fantastic young player. The fact of the matter is Monta is one of the most efficient young players in the league, and this would be the case if he played on the Warriors or for Larry Brown. But keep trying to tell yourself that Monta isn't really that good. Just like Tim Hardaway wasn't really that good because he had inflated stats playing for Nellie. I'm sure Heat fans would agree with you.

[microfib4thewin]

All I am saying is, for a team that has the fastest pace in the league, the amount of points they put up will be high just as the amount of points they allow would also be considered mind boggling. It looks great on paper to have 3 guys who can score over 20 points, but the amount of points they give up, which is not accounted for in simple statistics most people use, is an important factor that gets overlooked because you are considered a stats geek if you use any numbers other than PPG, RBG, and APG. In essence, scoring 20 points in a Nellie team does not have as big of an impact as say, scoring 20 in a McMillan team because you are naturally giving up more points in a running team.

About Big Al, I did entertain the thought that he may only be a 20/10 guy because he's on a scrub team, but since I don't watch him enough I decline to make a comment.