rabman_gold
All-Star
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2008
- Messages
- 5,010
- Reaction score
- 6,016
- Points
- 113
I thought before the season started, I take a look back at the most successful teams from the past decade. (warning: a goddamn long thread)
2006-07 (1st Eastern Conference Championship):
Roster (throughout the year):
LeBron James
Larry Hughes
Drew Gooden
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Anderson Varejao
Eric Snow
Sasha Pavlovic
Damon Jones
Donyell Marshall
Daniel Gibson
David Wesley
Shannon Brown
Ira Newble
Dwayne Jones
Scot Pollard
10 players had played 60+ games and averaged 10+ minutes a game. 3 had more than 10 field goals attempted per game. 4 had 10+ points a game. 5 had made at least 45% of their field goals.
The coach, Mike Brown was in his second year and managed to get them to buy in. Only problem was the timeline. It was reported that he convinced them to play his D, but only if he let them do whatever they wanted on offense. A reward-based system that might've led to LeBron having 25 of the team's 27 points to end the game 5 of the Pistons/Cavs series.
They were able to take advantage of some changes to the lineup (Pavlovic instead of Snow or Gibson) and were able to make the Finals. But losing Hughes to injury (already an injury-prone player) made it one of the least competitive series in NBA Finals History.
Final analysis: Officially 10 players deep (6 still in their 20s), but only 7 players played more than 20 minutes a game (5 in their 20s). 5 regulars had more than 0.100 win-shares per 48 minutes (which means they were more important to the team's success). And 4 had more than 15 PER (which is more efficient than average).
A flawed team that had its Cinderella run at the right time.
2008-09 (most successful regular season to date):
Roster (throughout the year):
LeBron James
Mo Williams
Delonte West
Anderson Varejao
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Daniel Gibson
Ben Wallace
Wally Szczerbiak
Joe Smith
Sasha Pavlovic
J.J. Hickson
Darnell Jackson
Lorenzen Wright
Tarence Kinsey
Trey Johnson
Jawad Williams
9 players had played 60+ games and averaged 10+ minutes a game. 3 had more than 10 field goals attempted per game. 4 had 10+ points a game. 8 had made at least 45% of their field goals.
The coach, Mike Brown, had finally obtained the proper pieces to work in his system. He already was reaping the rewards of having LBJ, along with constant glue pieces Z, Andy, and Boobie. Now there was more defense (Ben), offense (Mo), two-way players (West), and heady vets (Joe, Wally) with some occasional players who could contribute every now and then (Sasha, J.J.). In general, the basketball IQ was much higher than the wins. It was this season that probably led Kuester to getting a head coach job since he was the person credited for the offense. My guess is that having a smarter (and better) point guard was the main reason.
It was a season to remember. It had produced 2 all-stars (1 was a replacement, for the record), and there was glee and goofing off throughout the year. But it was more notorious for the ultimate collapse in the Eastern Conference Finals. Would it have made a difference if we had a different set of circumstances? I really don't believe so. But who knows, we still lost, which is all people will remember (besides a must-win game 2 with a famous buzzer-beater).
Final analysis: Officially 11 players deep at the end of the season (7 still in their 20s), 8 players played more than 20 minutes a game (5 in their 20s). 8 regulars (1000 minutes played) had more than 0.100 win-shares per 48 minutes. And 3 had more than 15 PER.
Still flawed, but masked that perception most of the year, thanks to 66 wins.
2009-10 (most anticipated year):
Roster (throughout the year):
LeBron James
Mo Williams
Antawn Jamison
Anderson Varejao
Anthony Parker
Delonte West
Shaquille O'Neal
J.J. Hickson
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Sebastian Telfair
Daniel Gibson
Jamario Moon
Jawad Williams
Leon Powe
Danny Green
Darnell Jackson
Cedric Jackson
Coby Karl
9 players had played 60+ games and averaged 10+ minutes a game. 3 had more than 10 field goals attempted per game (though one played less than 30 games). 4 had 10+ points a game (2 less than 60 games). 6 regulars had made at least 45% of their field goals.
The coach, Mike Brown, was able to utilize this team however he wanted. With a plodding center (Shaq), a stretch center (Z), both of whom were successful (and still useful), he could try his hand at defending or setting up offense in different ways. Antawn made for a good stretch four while Andy was able to improve his overall game to be a two way player. There were decent players at all the other positions (besides the obvious: LBJ). The biggest weakness is that some of these guys couldn't provide at one end, another was the amount of injury/ego left on the team. Otherwise, it was a favorite to win the whole enchilada.
Again, we were expected to win. But it was clear that it wasn't in the cards. Shaq missed more than 30 games, a majority to his thumb injury. Delonte had the most unfortunate circumstance, which I'm not going into. But this team was deeper and the reason 62 wins was possible was because there was depth at every position and guys were more than capable of filling in. Too bad it made no difference against the Celtics. It was said that an elbow injury might have hampered our star, but some disagree with this. It doesn't matter in this thread, it was still a failure of a season if the end goal wasn't met.
Final analysis: Nearly 12-13 players deep at the end of the season (assuming all were healthy; 9 still in their 20s), 9 players played more than 20 minutes a game (5 in their 20s). 9 regulars (1000 minutes played) had more than 0.100 win-shares per 48 minutes. And 5 had more than 15 PER.
We were expected to win it with the additions we made, but it was clear that those players' faults would not allow us to succeed, whether the reason was age, lack of ability, bad timing, etc.
2014-15 (a preview with huge expectations):
Roster (as of 10-25-14):
LeBron James
Kevin Love
Kyrie Irving
Dion Waiters
Anderson Varejao
Tristan Thompson
Shawn Marion
Mike Miller
James Jones
Matthew Dellavedova
Brendan Haywood
Louis Amundson
Joe Harris
A.J. Price
Alex Kirk
While it's impossible to provide stats for this year, last year has some bearing to some extent:
9 players had played 60+ games and averaged 10+ minutes a game. 4 had more than 10 field goals attempted per game. 7 had 10+ points a game. 6 of each team's regulars had made at least 45% of their field goals.
We haven't seen much of David Blatt, the new coach, but we could make one assumption based on his past merits: there will be a lot of good results this year.
The fact is: we have depth at every position, with exception to center (cannot say anything about Haywood since he missed all of last year).
# of possible two-way players (does not represent the majority): 4
# of possible true all-stars (does not represent the majority): 3
And that's not to include possible offensive threats (LBJ, Love, KI, DW), additional shooting threats (MM, JJ; along with others mentioned), high level defenders (Andy, TT, Louis?), among others who may reach their respective list with improvement.
This team is hungry, with a lot of fresh faces on the court and in the huddle. While I expect a good rise in wins compared to the last 4 years, I don't expect exactly the same finish. But I don't know what that is.
Final analysis: I don't know the final numbers, but there might be 12-13 players deep at the end of the season (assuming all were healthy; 6 still in their 20s). And it's not just that: they have a good balance all over. 2 young big men with the ability to produce (another in his young 30s with less mileage), 3 perimeter starters (to start) who are between 22-30), 2 more depth pieces in their 20s and 3 key guys who, while not young, know what it takes to win. And there's may not be too many dumb/egotistical guys here, if at all.
Are the stars aligned? Who knows. History has taught us not to pile expectations or you might be thoroughly surprised, for the better or the worse. But right now, hopes are much higher. Let's wait and see.
2006-07 (1st Eastern Conference Championship):
Roster (throughout the year):
LeBron James
Larry Hughes
Drew Gooden
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Anderson Varejao
Eric Snow
Sasha Pavlovic
Damon Jones
Donyell Marshall
Daniel Gibson
David Wesley
Shannon Brown
Ira Newble
Dwayne Jones
Scot Pollard
10 players had played 60+ games and averaged 10+ minutes a game. 3 had more than 10 field goals attempted per game. 4 had 10+ points a game. 5 had made at least 45% of their field goals.
The coach, Mike Brown was in his second year and managed to get them to buy in. Only problem was the timeline. It was reported that he convinced them to play his D, but only if he let them do whatever they wanted on offense. A reward-based system that might've led to LeBron having 25 of the team's 27 points to end the game 5 of the Pistons/Cavs series.
They were able to take advantage of some changes to the lineup (Pavlovic instead of Snow or Gibson) and were able to make the Finals. But losing Hughes to injury (already an injury-prone player) made it one of the least competitive series in NBA Finals History.
Final analysis: Officially 10 players deep (6 still in their 20s), but only 7 players played more than 20 minutes a game (5 in their 20s). 5 regulars had more than 0.100 win-shares per 48 minutes (which means they were more important to the team's success). And 4 had more than 15 PER (which is more efficient than average).
A flawed team that had its Cinderella run at the right time.
2008-09 (most successful regular season to date):
Roster (throughout the year):
LeBron James
Mo Williams
Delonte West
Anderson Varejao
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Daniel Gibson
Ben Wallace
Wally Szczerbiak
Joe Smith
Sasha Pavlovic
J.J. Hickson
Darnell Jackson
Lorenzen Wright
Tarence Kinsey
Trey Johnson
Jawad Williams
9 players had played 60+ games and averaged 10+ minutes a game. 3 had more than 10 field goals attempted per game. 4 had 10+ points a game. 8 had made at least 45% of their field goals.
The coach, Mike Brown, had finally obtained the proper pieces to work in his system. He already was reaping the rewards of having LBJ, along with constant glue pieces Z, Andy, and Boobie. Now there was more defense (Ben), offense (Mo), two-way players (West), and heady vets (Joe, Wally) with some occasional players who could contribute every now and then (Sasha, J.J.). In general, the basketball IQ was much higher than the wins. It was this season that probably led Kuester to getting a head coach job since he was the person credited for the offense. My guess is that having a smarter (and better) point guard was the main reason.
It was a season to remember. It had produced 2 all-stars (1 was a replacement, for the record), and there was glee and goofing off throughout the year. But it was more notorious for the ultimate collapse in the Eastern Conference Finals. Would it have made a difference if we had a different set of circumstances? I really don't believe so. But who knows, we still lost, which is all people will remember (besides a must-win game 2 with a famous buzzer-beater).
Final analysis: Officially 11 players deep at the end of the season (7 still in their 20s), 8 players played more than 20 minutes a game (5 in their 20s). 8 regulars (1000 minutes played) had more than 0.100 win-shares per 48 minutes. And 3 had more than 15 PER.
Still flawed, but masked that perception most of the year, thanks to 66 wins.
2009-10 (most anticipated year):
Roster (throughout the year):
LeBron James
Mo Williams
Antawn Jamison
Anderson Varejao
Anthony Parker
Delonte West
Shaquille O'Neal
J.J. Hickson
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Sebastian Telfair
Daniel Gibson
Jamario Moon
Jawad Williams
Leon Powe
Danny Green
Darnell Jackson
Cedric Jackson
Coby Karl
9 players had played 60+ games and averaged 10+ minutes a game. 3 had more than 10 field goals attempted per game (though one played less than 30 games). 4 had 10+ points a game (2 less than 60 games). 6 regulars had made at least 45% of their field goals.
The coach, Mike Brown, was able to utilize this team however he wanted. With a plodding center (Shaq), a stretch center (Z), both of whom were successful (and still useful), he could try his hand at defending or setting up offense in different ways. Antawn made for a good stretch four while Andy was able to improve his overall game to be a two way player. There were decent players at all the other positions (besides the obvious: LBJ). The biggest weakness is that some of these guys couldn't provide at one end, another was the amount of injury/ego left on the team. Otherwise, it was a favorite to win the whole enchilada.
Again, we were expected to win. But it was clear that it wasn't in the cards. Shaq missed more than 30 games, a majority to his thumb injury. Delonte had the most unfortunate circumstance, which I'm not going into. But this team was deeper and the reason 62 wins was possible was because there was depth at every position and guys were more than capable of filling in. Too bad it made no difference against the Celtics. It was said that an elbow injury might have hampered our star, but some disagree with this. It doesn't matter in this thread, it was still a failure of a season if the end goal wasn't met.
Final analysis: Nearly 12-13 players deep at the end of the season (assuming all were healthy; 9 still in their 20s), 9 players played more than 20 minutes a game (5 in their 20s). 9 regulars (1000 minutes played) had more than 0.100 win-shares per 48 minutes. And 5 had more than 15 PER.
We were expected to win it with the additions we made, but it was clear that those players' faults would not allow us to succeed, whether the reason was age, lack of ability, bad timing, etc.
2014-15 (a preview with huge expectations):
Roster (as of 10-25-14):
LeBron James
Kevin Love
Kyrie Irving
Dion Waiters
Anderson Varejao
Tristan Thompson
Shawn Marion
Mike Miller
James Jones
Matthew Dellavedova
Brendan Haywood
Louis Amundson
Joe Harris
A.J. Price
Alex Kirk
While it's impossible to provide stats for this year, last year has some bearing to some extent:
9 players had played 60+ games and averaged 10+ minutes a game. 4 had more than 10 field goals attempted per game. 7 had 10+ points a game. 6 of each team's regulars had made at least 45% of their field goals.
We haven't seen much of David Blatt, the new coach, but we could make one assumption based on his past merits: there will be a lot of good results this year.
The fact is: we have depth at every position, with exception to center (cannot say anything about Haywood since he missed all of last year).
# of possible two-way players (does not represent the majority): 4
- LeBron James
- Anderson Varejao
- Tristan Thompson
- Shawn Marion
# of possible true all-stars (does not represent the majority): 3
- LeBron James
- Kevin Love
- Kyrie Irving
And that's not to include possible offensive threats (LBJ, Love, KI, DW), additional shooting threats (MM, JJ; along with others mentioned), high level defenders (Andy, TT, Louis?), among others who may reach their respective list with improvement.
This team is hungry, with a lot of fresh faces on the court and in the huddle. While I expect a good rise in wins compared to the last 4 years, I don't expect exactly the same finish. But I don't know what that is.
Final analysis: I don't know the final numbers, but there might be 12-13 players deep at the end of the season (assuming all were healthy; 6 still in their 20s). And it's not just that: they have a good balance all over. 2 young big men with the ability to produce (another in his young 30s with less mileage), 3 perimeter starters (to start) who are between 22-30), 2 more depth pieces in their 20s and 3 key guys who, while not young, know what it takes to win. And there's may not be too many dumb/egotistical guys here, if at all.
Are the stars aligned? Who knows. History has taught us not to pile expectations or you might be thoroughly surprised, for the better or the worse. But right now, hopes are much higher. Let's wait and see.