# Blazers 8th in NBA Power Ranking



## The_Lillard_King (Jul 15, 2014)

http://www.nba.com/powerrankings/



Seems like a fair ranking given the Blazers quiet off season moves. Looking forward to being in the playoffs for a second year in a row and seeing what Blazers do from there.

If any of the young guys can develop into a factor off the bench, look out!


----------



## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

Dallas at #4 ? Where is this John Schuhmann from?


----------



## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

People forget that the Grizzlies were 33-13 (that's a 66-win pace) with a healthy Marc Gasol last season. That team is still a threat to finish as high as 3rd in the conference in they dodge the injury bug.


----------



## The_Lillard_King (Jul 15, 2014)

RollWithEm said:


> Dallas at #4 ? Where is this John Schuhmann from?


Dallas picked up Parsons and Tyson Chandler. 4 does seem high for Dallas but they got the biggest FA in the Western Conference and made a big trade too.

I do agree that Dallas is high and Memphis is too low.


----------



## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

Power rankings don't mean a thing.


----------



## Ballscientist (Nov 11, 2002)

*There is a reason that no team in the East ranks higher than Warriors!*


----------



## Ballscientist (Nov 11, 2002)

Lakers are 2nd worst team in the West? They did not count signing Ed Davis as a success.



> Very, very bad. They were awful last season,





> 25 L.A. Lakers (27-55)
> Pace: 101.0 (2), OffRtg: 101.9 (21), DefRtg: 107.9 (28), NetRtg: -6.0 (27)
> Key addition(s): Lots of "And one!" yelps
> Key question: Just how bad can they be defensively?
> Very, very bad. They were awful last season, the only plus defender on the roster (Ed Davis) is competing for minutes with Carlos Boozer and Julius Randle, and the last time Byron Scott (the only candidate, it seems) coached was the last time a team ranked in the bottom five in defensive efficiency three straight seasons.


----------



## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

Where's mixums? #ShutUp mixums.


----------



## kbdullah (Jul 8, 2010)

RollWithEm said:


> Dallas at #4 ? Where is this John Schuhmann from?





RollWithEm said:


> People forget that the Grizzlies were 33-13 (that's a 66-win pace) with a healthy Marc Gasol last season. That team is still a threat to finish as high as 3rd in the conference in they dodge the injury bug.





The_Lillard_King said:


> Dallas picked up Parsons and Tyson Chandler. 4 does seem high for Dallas but they got the biggest FA in the Western Conference and made a big trade too.
> 
> I do agree that Dallas is high and Memphis is too low.


Dallas, Memphis, Golden State, and Portland are all in the same tier to me, with Dallas and Memphis at the forefront. The critique of Portland's defense in the article is legitimate. So for me Memphis is too low, but Dallas isn't necessarily too high.


----------



## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

kbdullah said:


> Dallas, Memphis, Golden State, and Portland are all in the same tier to me, with Dallas and Memphis at the forefront. The critique of Portland's defense in the article is legitimate. So for me Memphis is too low, but Dallas isn't necessarily too high.


Interesting. You don't think Houston is in that same tier?


----------



## kbdullah (Jul 8, 2010)

Nah. Houston has gotten worse. Parsons for Ariza isn't bad, but no Lin, Asik will take a toll. Plus Houston lost to Portland despite having home court, and then lost talent, so they are clearly inferior to teams in that tier.


----------



## The_Lillard_King (Jul 15, 2014)

I don't get the yearly love affair for Golden State. They always seem to be ranked high and this year seems the same. They finished 6th last yr in the Western Conference and haven't really improved this summer. Is Livingston that much of a difference?

If Memphis stays healthy, they will be competing for home court. If not, well Marc could be with a different team this time next year.

I think the Rockets took a big step back, OKC got no better (maybe worse) and San Antonio is one yr older. It could be the Clippers year.


----------



## edabomb (Feb 12, 2005)

RollWithEm said:


> People forget that the Grizzlies were 33-13 (that's a 66-win pace) with a healthy Marc Gasol last season. That team is still a threat to finish as high as 3rd in the conference in they dodge the injury bug.


Were they going to go 33-3 to finish this hypothetical season?

Or were the NBA going to assign them an extra 10 games so they could get to 66-26?


----------



## BlazersDozen (Jul 14, 2014)

Blazers made quiet moves in the offseason but the quiet moves filled gaping holes on the roster which could help dramatically in the probable 30-40 minutes Blake & Kaman play a game. Will Barton looks like his all around game has improved a lot, just need to see if he can take it from SL to the actual season. I have a lot of faith in McCollum to do what Mo Williams did for the team last season but be more consistent with it. The big problem I felt was the rotation. There were times every game where all 5 starters would be out of the game together. I personally hate seeing that especially with how weak Portland's bench has been the past couple years. Offense should still be potent and the defense should be slightly improved. If Dallas signs Jameer Nelson with Devin Harris & Raymond Felton already on the roster, with the upgrade of Parsons, the Mavericks look pretty good. I wouldn't add Chandler into their evaluation until he can prove he can put together a good healthy season again.


----------



## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

RollWithEm said:


> Dallas at #4 ? Where is this John Schuhmann from?


So Dallas just added Jameer Nelson and Al-Farouq Aminu. Solid low cost moves Cubes.


----------



## The_Lillard_King (Jul 15, 2014)

BlazersDozen said:


> Blazers made quiet moves in the offseason but the quiet moves filled gaping holes on the roster which could help dramatically in the probable 30-40 minutes Blake & Kaman play a game. Will Barton looks like his all around game has improved a lot, just need to see if he can take it from SL to the actual season. I have a lot of faith in McCollum to do what Mo Williams did for the team last season but be more consistent with it. The big problem I felt was the rotation. There were times every game where all 5 starters would be out of the game together. I personally hate seeing that especially with how weak Portland's bench has been the past couple years. Offense should still be potent and the defense should be slightly improved. If Dallas signs Jameer Nelson with Devin Harris & Raymond Felton already on the roster, with the upgrade of Parsons, the Mavericks look pretty good. I wouldn't add Chandler into their evaluation until he can prove he can put together a good healthy season again.


I am not as optimistic about the Blazers moves this summer, but I agree the moves fills gaps and helps overall. I'm concerned with their age and injury history and wonder if they can be relied on the whole season, but always nice to have another big man and Blake is better than Mo. I also don't quite see Barton being a big factor but do believe CJ will be a factor this year and T-Rob will continue to improve.

In the west I only see Blazers, Dallas, Clippers and NO really improving . . . maybe GS with Livingston, but that was a big contract they had to dish out for him.

Good to hear from another Blazers fan. After last season, I'm excited to see if the Blazers can continue and even improve from last year.

Think 8th is the right ranking going into the season?


----------

