IP Ranks The Pick-Two Teams By Divison (All Divisions Are Up)

[StartOrien]

(As for Gasol's "head troubles", I'm not sure how much you can rely on that.  Don't those go away since Who has a different front office and a different team structure?)

He had girlfriend troubles last year, I think he'd find something to cry his spanish tears about.

(USA! USA! USA!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxVdU2eVYSg

[nickagneta]

Just so that we are all on the same page, 2 MVPs say Nash was the best player on those contending Suns teams not Amare.

Also, agree with Roy. Don't see that LA defense with Pau and Kobe for offense getting beat by that Memphis team, especially with that back court. You think LA sags off Rondo, guess what they do to Kidd and Redd? Marc Gasol would never have room to work and West like Kidd like Amare like Odom like Scola like Jameer Nelson like Stephen Jackson like a lot of players this year, aren't the players they have been in the past and should be judged accordingly.

[StartOrien]

Also, agree with Roy. Don't see that LA defense with Pau and Kobe for offense getting beat by that Memphis team, especially with that back court. You think LA sags off Rondo, guess what they do to Kidd and Redd?

Get burned by sagging off Kidd and Redd too much?

[nickagneta]

Also, agree with Roy. Don't see that LA defense with Pau and Kobe for offense getting beat by that Memphis team, especially with that back court. You think LA sags off Rondo, guess what they do to Kidd and Redd?

Get burned by sagging off Kidd and Redd too much?

LOL...that's funny. Both guys are shooting around 28% for the year from three even though they are averaging like 8 3-pointers a game combined.

I think LA would be happy to let them hit their 2-3 3-pointers a game while collapsing the pocket and not letting Gasol do anything.

[indeedproceed]

aren't the players they have been in the past and should be judged accordingly.

Ha, listen to you Judge Judy. Each player should be judged by whatever basis whoever the heck is judging the player by believes they should be judged. This is Amurrica, Nick.

And your STAT hatin's gonna eat you alive. Embrace the awesome that is Amar'e.

[StartOrien]

Also, agree with Roy. Don't see that LA defense with Pau and Kobe for offense getting beat by that Memphis team, especially with that back court. You think LA sags off Rondo, guess what they do to Kidd and Redd?

Get burned by sagging off Kidd and Redd too much?

LOL...that's funny. Both guys are shooting around 28% for the year from three even though they are averaging like 8 3-pointers a game combined.

I think LA would be happy to let them hit their 2-3 3-pointers a game while collapsing the pocket and not letting Gasol do anything.

I don't think that number is indicative of the type of play you can expect from world champion Jason Kidd in the playoffs. And you know that.

But I appreciate you complimenting my comedy. TP!

[GreenFaith1819]

Just so that we are all on the same page, 2 MVPs say Nash was the best player on those contending Suns teams not Amare.

Also, agree with Roy. Don't see that LA defense with Pau and Kobe for offense getting beat by that Memphis team, especially with that back court. You think LA sags off Rondo, guess what they do to Kidd and Redd? Marc Gasol would never have room to work and West like Kidd like Amare like Odom like Scola like Jameer Nelson like Stephen Jackson like a lot of players this year, aren't the players they have been in the past and should be judged accordingly.

I share much of the same mindset, but I don't think David West has fallen off a cliff, either .

I think he is just not getting the same amount of touches in Indy that he would get in THIS format. He is perhaps the 4th option in Indy - behind Granger, George, Hibbert?

Even being the 4th option on offense on many nights, he's still had a few breakout games. In Indy, I think their offense is spread out more - like BOS.

DWest was a top-tier PF in the West..and before he went down with his leg injury, many were saying that he could've been the difference maker in the LA-NOH series last May.

David is only 31? 32? I just don't think he'd be as less a threat as you stated Nick. I'm venturing that he'd average 16-18 pts and around 9 rebs in the Pick Two MEM.

After all - weren't MANY of us clamoring for Danny to sign this guy? David West, in Green, was SUPPOSED to be the difference maker.

I trust Danny. And so does Lionel Simmons in THIS format.

Yep - he'd still be a STUD.

[Roy H.]

After all - weren't MANY of us clamoring for Danny to sign this guy? David West, in Green, was SUPPOSED to be the difference maker.

Compared to JO, West would have been a brilliant acquisition.  Against Pau Gasol, though, he'd struggle. 

[indeedproceed]

Matchup 7:

Portland Blazers (4, H) V T-Wolves (5, A)
‘Sticky’ Lou Williams V Ricky Rubio
Wes ‘The Bink’ Matthews V Marcus Thornton
Gerald ‘Crash Banidcoot’ Wallace V Chandler ‘Monica’ Parsons
Elton ‘John’ Brand V Kevin Love
LaMarcus (Spanish for ‘The Marcus’) Aldridge V ‘Slammin’ Sammie Dalembert
*~xXBenchXx~*
Jerryd ‘Skip’ Bayless V Goran ‘Tragic’ Dragic
Iman ‘Shump-Shump’ Shumpert V Kyle Korver
Anthony Parker V James “J-J” Johnson
Trevor Booker (T) V Ersan ‘Illy’ Ilyasova
Amir ‘I don’t play center’ Johnson V Josh ‘Who am I?’ Harrellson

Key Matchup: LaMarcus Aldridge V Sam Dalembert
Sam Dalembert is at his best as a help defender. Ironically, in this situation, he’s going to need the help. He’s not going to get it, Aldridge is going to absolutely abuse him.

Key Matchup: Kevin Love V Elton Brand
Quick, what does Kevin Love do best? The answer is get defensive rebounds, pass, and shoot jumpshots. Is Elton Brand going to be able to stop any of this? No. Will Kevin Love be able to stop Elton Brand from doin what he does best, playing in 2007? No. No, but seriously since Kevin Love has become a starter, he’s been played consistently tough by Brand. Kevin Love is a great player, but I don’t think this matchup is as much of a win as it might appear on paper. Edge Love.

Rest of the Starters: Rubio is better than Sticky Lou (especially as a starter), and Gerald Wallace is a lot better than Chandler Parsons. Wes Matthews/Marcus Thornton is pretty close, favoring Matthews.  

Bench: With the way Ilyasova has been playing recently, I like the T-Wolves’ bench better, but I’m really impressed with neither. If both teams were forced to go to a 9 man rotation, Bayless, Shumpert, Parker, Booker vs Dragic, Johnson, Ilyasova, Harrellson, I think both kind of fail to impress.

How I see this playing out: I like Portland’s potential, and higher talent levels. The way I see it, the T-Wolves have a lot of youth, and potential, but not a lot of real-world success (4 of the 5 starters have never even seen an NBA playoff series) and they’re still a year or two away. Great start though.

Blazers in 5

[GreenFaith1819]

After all - weren't MANY of us clamoring for Danny to sign this guy? David West, in Green, was SUPPOSED to be the difference maker.

Compared to JO, West would have been a brilliant acquisition.  Against Pau Gasol, though, he'd struggle. 

See - that's the thing, here.

So I'm guessing that you'd think DWest would be matched up with Pau in a MEM-LA series? While Pau would have a slight advantage, this leaves Asik on Marc. Marc wins this one. Asik would slow Marc down a bit, but Marc is still > Asik.

And the more I'm thinking of it...in my initial response to IP as far as matchups...if Asik was matched up with DWest, DWest would have a speed/quickness advantage, too. I'm sure he would utilize this.

Kobe would still be the key in such a matchup. But our frontcourts are awfully close, here.

[indeedproceed]

Matchup 8:

Cleveland Cavaliers (4, H) V Atlanta Hawks (5, A)
Kyrie Irving V Rajon Rondo
Landry (Clark) Fields V Tony Allen
Luol Deng V Marvin Williams
Kris ‘Humpty-Hump’ Humphries V Josh Smith
Andrew Bynum V DeAndre Jordan
-Bench-
Earl Watson V Jamal Crawford
George Hill V Rip Hamilton
Sam Young V Shard Lewis
Brandon Bass V Anthony Randolph
Matt Bonner V Chuck Hayes

Key Matchups: Kyrie Irving V Rajon Rondo
Well…shoot. Looks like this Irving kid can ball a little. You’d think Rondo would be able to step up to the plate to stop him, but the proof is in the puddin’. Rondo has experience on his side, as he’s played more playoff minutes in his career than Irving has played professional NBA minutes, but I think more than anything that ups Rondo’s production, rather than cutting Irvings’. I still like Rondo over Irving for the experience, and the knowledge that Rondo can pick up his play during the playoffs, but only just.

Key Match-Up: Luol Deng V Tony Allen
Oh, you thought he’d be playing Marvin Williams? Shut it, Roy, this is my show! Since Landry (Clark) Fields is who he is, Marvin Williams defers the tougher wing assignment to Tony Allen. Luol Deng is having a heck of a year, but he’s also 6’9, with freakishly long arms. Deng will be able to shoot over Allen as long as he gets a little bit of room, and that’ll be enough for Deng to continue his current production levels. 16 pts, 7 boards, 3 assists, 41% shooting. Not great, but good enough.

Key Matchup: Kris Humphries V Josh Smith
Kris Humpries thought he got worked over by Kim Kardashian. He was wrong. Rajon Rondo is not near the scorer Kyrie Irving is, but he’s twice the passer, and Josh Smith is one of the best finishers at the hoop in basketball. Rondo to Smith will be the go-to move for the Hawks here, and the Cavs have nobody who can even slow it down. When Smith and Humphries have played each other over the years, Smith has fared very well.

Key Matchup: Andrew Bynum V DeAndre Jordan
It’s a win for the Cavs here, and a pretty big one….not a huge one, but a big one. Since DeAndre Jordan has become a full-time starter and flavor of the month, he’s played pretty much like Tyson-Chandler Lite, but the New Orleans Hornets version. He doesn’t shoot buckets he can’t make (which means non-dunks or alley-oops), he rebounds well, and blocks tons of shots. Recently when he’s played Bynum, he’s played Bynum well. Not great, but okay. Bynum gets about what he gets against the league average.

Bench: Atlanta’s bench will play a key role in this series, I’m not sure what Cleveland’s bench will do. If George Hill plays alongside Irving, I almost think that’s worse for the Hawks, because they can’t switch Tony Allen to Deng. Also Matt Bonner, Sam Young, and Brandon Bass are all very useful pieces. However, Chuck Hayes likely plays the biggest role among any bench player. Career, Bynum is a 47% shooter in games Hayes has played, and while Hayes can’t take complete responsibility for that number, it’s a bit of a game-changer in that it allows the Hawks to play aggressively with their frontcourt fouls, especially DeAndre Jordan.

How I think this is gonna go: You gotta check back in tomorrow to find out.

[indeedproceed]

SEEEEE-YAAAAAAAAA

[StartOrien]

While Atlanta might not be as talented as Cleveland, I kinda feel like Atlanta could run the Cavs out of the gym. I'll have to give this a car ride home.

[StartOrien]

I wish the Blazers would've gotten a good swing man off their bench. They didn't really get to capitalize on Gerald Wallace the way the should've been able to.

[Edgar]

I wish the Blazers would've gotten a good swing man off their bench. They didn't really get to capitalize on Gerald Wallace the way the should've been able to.

but but but
Gerald Green is available for 10 days so problem solve