A Quick Tangent
Before we start the Eastern Conference I'd like to begin my mentioning a team I'd forgot about completely in yesterday's post, The New Orleans Pelican. It is my opinion that this team made a huge mistake by trying to rush the rebuilding process with the questionable Jrue Holiday trade and Tyreke Evans signing. That is not to say they are horrible moves by any means, nor do I believe that either are bad players. However, this team clearly has a new ownership that is not patient and they have mortgaged their future for one overpaid and one overrated player (they could both easily fit under each description by the way). Jrue Holiday is a bit overhyped in my opinion since last year his stats were inflated by being the only facilitator on a bad team requiring him to be the focal point of the offense. I think it was a fluke year personally a bit though he is certainly a solid starting point guard. I'd not rate him as an all-star level point guard, and moreover he's really not much better than Jeff Teague who makes around four million dollars less each year. Listen, I would be happy with Holiday as my point guard any day of the year, but trading Nerlens Noel and another likely lottery pick in a stacked draft is not something I can support. He is simply not that valuable and that huge of an upgrade over new King Geives Vazquez. The defensive Two Towers tandem that a Noel Davis combination could have created, with Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson's shooting touches would have been the basis of a very dangerous two way team. Instead they've basically supplied the Sixers with possibly two future all stars. And lets face it, Tyreke Evens is a position less ball handler who can't shoot. Still, Jrue Holiday is an above average point guard and still an upgrade (even not a huge one), while Tyreke should be able to fully embrace and succeed in a Sixth Man role if he is supplied one (which the Pelicans should). New Orleans with three primary ball handlers in Gordon, Evans, and Holiday will begin the season with major chemistry issues on offense to start the season and no one on the roster is really a standout defender, yet (except of course the all mighty Al-Farouq Aminu). They probably won't succeed this year and will be back in the lottery for the third year in a row only this time to give their pick to another team. Thats not to say this team won't improve in the future as this is an extremely talented roster with almost every major player having plenty of potential left. There's really no telling how good the Pelicans could end up being if everything fall together just right. All the young players should improve on defense, though no one but Holiday, Davis, and Aminu project to be anything more than decent at most, and as bench depth is added the future is bright in the Big Easy.
I'm gonna put off the Eastern Conference for another day, but disclaimer it will only be for the last seed as I see the Wizard's and Hawks taking the sixth and seventh seeds.
A quick what if: I remember reading in 2000 Tim Duncan almost joined Tracy Mcgrady and Grant Hill in Orlando. lets say Grant Hill stays healthy, that team if it meshes is almost guaranteed dynasty and my opinion and I get giddy just thinking about it. Also in 2003 Jason kidd almost joined Manu and Duncan in San Antonio another super team that was barely evaded. Now the first one would probably lead to Mcgady and Grant Hill being Hall of Fame locks instead of the borderline ex-players they are now. People especially forget how amazing Grant Hill was early in his career. Meanwhile who picks Dwight Howard in 2004 and does Dwightmare still happen? For the Spurs scenario it may or may not have lead to Tony Parker being traded. To who of for what is an anyones guess but how his career would have turned out behind Kidd or out San Antonio all together is an interesting thought.
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