GM-a-Team Voting Thread - VOTING OVER!

[zong]

After much thought, we'll use a slightly modified version of Kingz' scoring system. There will be 3 types of voting, and only GMs that have partcipated and has a roster can vote (29 GM Ballots maximum). You CANNOT vote for your own team.



WRITE-UPS THREAD (USE THIS FOR REFERENCE)

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=831238


CATEGORY 1)
Best Job as GM for Transactions Turning The Franchise to Instant Contenders

-Conferences: Top 8 in the West, Top 8 in the East
-Teams that have not submitted write-ups will lose 4 points if the vote is in the TOP 4 of the conference
-Teams that have not submitted write-ups will lose 2 points if the vote is in the TOP 6 of the conference but -NOT- Top 4
-You May Not Vote for a Team to be the same rank if they are the exact same choice in Category 2(Ex. If I vote Lakers 1st for Best Job for Instant Contention Moves, I cannot vote the Lakers 1st for Rebuilding)

CATEGORY 2)
Best Job as GM for Transactions Turning The Franchise Successfully Into Rebuilding and Moves for the Future

-Conferences: Top 8 in the West, Top 8 in the East
-Teams that have not submitted write-ups will lose 4 points if the vote is in the TOP 4 of the conference
-Teams that have not submitted write-ups will lose 2 points if the vote is in the TOP 6 of the conference but -NOT- Top 4
-You May Not Vote for a Team to be the same rank if they are the exact same choice Category 1 (Ex. If I vote Lakers 1st for Best Job for Rebuilding, I cannot vote the Lakers 1st for Best Job for instant contention, etc)

CATEGORY 3)
Best Job as GM for Overall Achievement in All Areas

-No conferences, vote for top 15 in entire league
-Teams that have not submitted write-ups will lose 5 points if the vote is in the TOP 5 of the
-Teams that have not submitted write-ups will lose 3 points if the vote is in the TOP 10 of the conference but -NOT- Top 5



Scoring System (Categories 1 and 2):

1st Place Vote - 10 Points
2nd Place Vote - 8 Points
3rd Place Vote - 7 Points
4th Place Vote - 6 Points
5th Place Vote - 5 Points
6th Place Vote - 3 Points
7th Place Vote - 2 Points
8th Place Vote - 1 Point



Scoring System (Category 3):

1st Place Vote - 20 Points
2nd Place Vote - 18 Points
3rd Place Vote - 17 Points
4th Place Vote - 16 Points
5th Place Vote - 15 Points
6th Place Vote - 13 Points
7th Place Vote - 12 Points
8th Place Vote - 11 Points
9th Place Vote - 10 Points
10th Place Vote - 9 Points
11th Place Vote - 8 Points
12th Place Vote - 7 Points
13th Place Vote - 6 Points
14th Place Vote - 5 Points
15th Place Vote - 4 Points




I want the GMs to vote only, and I'd also like them to vote with integrity and in a manner that is impartial and discrete, please do not try to convince people on the thread for voting, nor by communicating over instant messengers and e-mail. Of course we're free to discuss possible outcomes, but try not to strike any bargain deals.

Also, I'd like the voting post to be like this:

Vote Category 1:

WEST:

1st - TEAM = # POINTS
2nd - TEAM = # POINTS
3rd - TEAM = # POINTS
4th - TEAM = # POINTS
5th - TEAM = # POINTS
6th - TEAM = # POINTS
7th - TEAM = # POINTS
8th - TEAM = # POINTS

EAST:

1st - TEAM = # POINTS
2nd - TEAM = # POINTS
3rd - TEAM = # POINTS
4th - TEAM = # POINTS
5th - TEAM = # POINTS
6th - TEAM = # POINTS
7th - TEAM = # POINTS
8th - TEAM = # POINTS



Vote Category 2:

WEST:

1st - TEAM = # POINTS
2nd - TEAM = # POINTS
3rd - TEAM = # POINTS
4th - TEAM = # POINTS
5th - TEAM = # POINTS
6th - TEAM = # POINTS
7th - TEAM = # POINTS
8th - TEAM = # POINTS

EAST:

1st - TEAM = # POINTS
2nd - TEAM = # POINTS
3rd - TEAM = # POINTS
4th - TEAM = # POINTS
5th - TEAM = # POINTS
6th - TEAM = # POINTS
7th - TEAM = # POINTS
8th - TEAM = # POINTS



Vote Category 3:

1st - TEAM = # POINTS
2nd - TEAM = # POINTS
3rd - TEAM = # POINTS
4th - TEAM = # POINTS
5th - TEAM = # POINTS
6th - TEAM = # POINTS
7th - TEAM = # POINTS
8th - TEAM = # POINTS
9th - TEAM = # POINTS
10th - TEAM = # POINTS
11th - TEAM = # POINTS
12th - TEAM = # POINTS
13th - TEAM = # POINTS
14th - TEAM = # POINTS
15th - TEAM = # POINTS

Please state if points need to be minused due to missing write-up.


HAVE FUN VOTING!!

[bryant08]

The teams that DID post their write ups are:

Portland
Toronto
Milwaukee
Miami
Minnesota
Atlanta
Seattle
Chicago
Golden State
Memphis
Indiana
New Jersey
New York
Houston

[zong]

Houston finished its writeup a couple of days ago too

[sterncohen]

[quote="zong"]
I want the GMs to vote only, and I'd also like them to vote with integrity and in a manner that is impartial and discrete, please do not try to convince people on the thread for voting, nor by communicating over instant messengers and e-mail. Of course we're free to discuss possible outcomes, but try not to strike any bargain deals.

Let's encourage comments and explanations of votes, though - I know I'd like feedback and I'd bet others would as well.

[babyjax13]

Vote Category 1:

WEST:

1st - Portland
2nd - Golden State
3rd - San Antonio (no write up)
4th - New Orleans (no write up)
5th - Dallas
6th - Houston
7th - Utah (no write up)
8th - Denver

EAST:

1st - Toronto
2nd - Miami
3rd - Cleveland (no write up)
4th - New Jersey
5th - New York
6th - Chicago
7th - Orlando (no write up)
8th - Indiana



Vote Category 2:

WEST:

1st - Seattle
2nd - Minnesota
3rd - Portland
4th - San Antonio
5th - Utah
6th - New Orleans
7th - Memphis
8th - Golden State

EAST:

1st - New Jersey
2nd - New York
3rd - Chicago
4th - Charlotte (no write up)
5th - Atlanta
6th - Miami
7th - Toronto
8th - Indiana



Vote Category 3:

1st - Portland

2nd - Toronto- The only hole in their roster is at point guard, Toronto was able to improve their roster, and add a young center to take the pressure off of Kaman in the post. I think R Jefferson is a good addition to a team with such good interior play. The Raptors are a scary team who I would not want to meet in the playoffs.

3rd - Golden State- Diop-Jefferson-Butler-Allen-Billups make up the scariest team in the nba in the present. I think Golden State could win an nba championship THIS YEAR, but they don't have much for the future outside of Jefferson.

4th - San Antonio (no write up)- One of the deepest teams in the nba, KG-Lewis-Harris-Kirilenko. The problem is that they list Tyrus Thomas on their team--he's on mine...

5th - Miami- Using the 2nd pick in the draft as well as Dwayne Wade to try and improve his roster was an interesting move. Miami was able to get some very good players on the wings (Williams,Iguodala,Richardson) and turn them selves into a competitor with a lot of upside. Miami is also one of the deepest teams in the NBA. That alone was not enough to get my vote though...What really sold me on this team is the fact that they will have cut about 35 million dollars of contracts two years down the road, enough to be a strong competitor in upcoming free agency classes.

6th - New Jersey- Davis, Smith, Gallinari, Okafor, Boone, Blake, Barbosa...This team is not only deep, it's young and will be able to compete for years to come. New Jersey is under the salary cap, and has a team that can work inside-out, outside in, or go uptempo.

7th - New York- The Knicks were able to dump significant salary hogs with no potential for improvement for players that are not only good, most of them have reasonable contracts. New York will be a good offensive and defensive team becuase of all the transactions that were made.

8th - Dallas- Pierce-Nowitzki-Martin...Dallas is a scary offensive team, a true point guard would be a plus, as well as more depth, but they are still a great team that no one would want to face in the playoffs.

9th - New Orleans- Pual, Dunleavy, Moon, Duncan, Artest, Hawes, Foye, Chandler...New Orleans is incredibly deep, and has a chance to win championships now, and in the future. I do not think that Duncan will be around for much longer, so Hawes better be ready to take over but other than that this teams future looks bright.

10th - Chicago- Made a huge improvement over their original roster. Turned Ben Wallace into Pual Millsap, Jarvis Hayes, and a few other role players as well as a massive TE. This alone is worthy of some votes. Then he added Michael Redd to Loul Deng on the perimeter, as well as Al Harrington. Luck came in with his draft pick, but luck still counts as success.

11th - Seattle- Has an absolutely fantastic back-court for the future. The jump from Watson, Durrant, Szczerbiak, and Green to Green, Durrant, Stuckey, and Bayless is significant. Where Seattle truly shines though is it's front-court. In the future they will have a line of Haywood-Love-Hendrix-Fazekas-Sene, an absolutely huge, and skilled front court. The Sonics will also have one or two more years in the lottery, which really makes them a scary team.

12th - Cleveland (no write up)- I think adding Jermaine O'neil to Lebron was worthy of getting this spot. An interior presence that could score is exactly what the Cavs needed to become a successful team. Also the addition of Mike Miller on the wings doesn't hurt either.

13th - Minnisota- was able to get rid of a lot of bad contracts and add some great young players at all positions. It has been mentioned many times that Jefferson is a horrible defender, while true he is also a great offensive player. Minnesota was able to use Jefferson to get a lot of good young talent as well as some lottery picks. Also you have to take into consideration that they have OVER $40 million in expiring contracts to cash in on the free agency class in 2010.

14th - Houston- Another team that could win a championship IF Yao lasts, IF Kidd can still play, IF Wallace is still any good IF Bowen and Foster can last off the bench... You get the point.

15th - Atlanta- The only goal this team had was to get young players that had high ceilings. Looking at their starting five it is not as potent offensively without Joe Johnson, but it is a decent defensive team, and there are a lot of good young players. If things go their way in the draft, and with players developing Atlanta could be a very good team.

A lot of the teams in this game were very deep and competitive, so many teams that improved still did not make my list...

[zong]

Let's encourage comments and explanations of votes, though - I know I'd like feedback and I'd bet others would as well.

You're right, I would like comments from voters in their voting post to give a bit of insight why they voted the way they did, this way, it clears up any misconstrued theory of conspiracies and stuff.

[zong]

bump.

[babyjax13]

Bump...I'll add explanations to mine later...

[sterncohen]

Seattle's votes
(- after a vote means the team didn't submit a writeup)

Category 1 (Improved chance to contend immediately)

East
1. Cleveland (-)
2. Orlando (-)
3. Milwaukee
4. Atlanta
5. Toronto
6. Chicago
7. New York
8. Indiana

West
1. New Orleans (-)
2. Houston
3. Portland
4. Dallas
5. Golden State
6. Utah (-)
7. San Antonio (-)
8. Denver (-)

Category 2 (Improved chance to contend in the future)

East
1. Charlotte (-)
2. New Jersey
3. Philadelphia (-)
4. Milwaukee
5. Chicago
6. Atlanta
7. Toronto
8. New York

West
1. Portland
2. New Orleans (-)
3. Minnesota
4. San Antonio (-)
5. Dallas
6. Memphis
7. Clippers (-)
8. Denver (-)

Category 3: Overall Improvement
1. Portland. No comment necessary.
2. New Orleans (-). Very impressive - Dunleavy, Artest, Duncan in place of Stojakovic, Peterson, West - and Foye and Hawes thrown in for good measure.
3. Houston. Added Kidd and Rasheed to Yao, McGrady and Battier - and, unlike most of the other teams that acquired big-name players, also strengthened the bench (Foster / Landry / Bowen / Webster / Terry) Can start a retirement community together in a few years, but scary as hell right now.
4. Cleveland (-) O'Neal and Mike Miller alongside LeBron.
5. Charlotte (-) Beasley, Granger, and Roy are the nucleus of a remarkable team, and they've got tons of cap space and good picks coming up.
6. Milwaukee. Arenas and Gerald Wallace along with Bogut are the core of a much improved team that will actually play some defense. Significant holes at PF and SG, but also cleared bad contracts and still young enough to improve.
7. Orlando (-). Brad Miller and Andre Miller complementing Turkoglu and Howard make a strong combination in the short run, and they're free from overpaying Lewis for five more years.
8. Dallas. Nowitzki / Pierce / Martin are quite a core. Lou Williams isn't a starting PG, though.
9. New Jersey. Very nice job of starting a total rebuild, getting value for Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson. My only question is whether Baron Davis will still be at or near his peak when this team adds enough pieces to contend.
10. Golden State. Can't argue with Jefferson / Butler / Allen / Billups; worried about a very weak bench.
11. Atlanta. Ford / Brewer / M. Williams / Horford / Okur or Nene is a very nice starting lineup - but they did give up their two best players to get it.
12. Toronto. Kaman and Jefferson are fine additions and the bench is quite strong - but they now have no starting caliber PG and I don't think Posey is a starting wing.
13. Utah. Added Brand, Josh Smith, Ginobili, and some nice backups; gave up all their current starters except Williams but I think the team is stronger on balance, at least in the short run.
14. Chicago. I didn't credit them for lucking into the #1 pick; Redd, Harrington, Millsap, plus clearing Wallace's contract, for Hinrich / Gordon / T. Thomas seemed an improvement but not an overwhelming one.
15. Philadelphia. Excellent young talent and lots of cap space; would look even stronger if the real Sixers hadn't turned themselves into contenders immediately.

I didn't fit Indiana in to the top 15, but want to note that the current owner inherited a team that had been destroyed and made some very nice moves.

[Teddy KGB]

? I did post a write-up...

[skorff26]

Minnesota GM's ratings (if you have any questions about my ratings and why I rated your team where I did, you can contact me ask me at skorf26@yahoo.com

Category I (Teams that most improved their chances to win now)

East
1. Milwaukee
2. Cleveland
3. Orlando
4. Toronto
5. Miami
6. Chicago
7. New York
8. New Jersey

West
1. Portland
2. New Orleans
3. Houston
4. Seattle
5. Utah
6. Golden State
7. Lakers
8. Dallas

Category II (Improving the future, 2 or 3 years down the road)

East
1. New York
2. Milwaukee
3. Philly
4. New Jersey
5. Charlotte
6. Indiana
7. Atlanta
8. Orlando

West
1. Seattle
2. Memphis
3. Golden State
4. Clippers
5. Portland
6. New Orleans
7. Lakers
8. Dallas

Category III (Overall opinion of all teams)
1. Seattle
2. Milwaukee
3. Portland
4. New York
5. New Orleans
6. Houston
7. Toronto
8. Golden State
9. Dallas
10. Charlotte
11. Orlando
12. Memphis
13. Clippers
14. New Jersey
15. Lakers
-There are about 20 teams that I thought did a very good job, and it was really hard to make this final decision

[sterncohen]

? I did post a write-up...

What team are you? I'll correct my post.

[LeQuitterNotMVP]

The Mavs did post a write-up, bryant08.

Miami Heat votes:

Top 8 contending teams:

East:
1. New York Knicks - 10
2. Cleveland Cavaliers - 4
3. Milwaukee Bucks - 7
4. Toronto Raptors - 6
5. Orlando Magic - 3
6. Charlotte Bobcats - 1
7. New Jersey Nets - 2
8. Chicago Bulls - 1

West:
1. Houston Rockets - 10
2. New Orleans Hornets - 4
3. Portland Trail Blazers - 7
4. Golden State Warriors - 6
5. Dallas Mavericks - 5
6. Utah Jazz - 1
7. Los Angeles Clippers - 2
8. Seattle Supersonics - 1

Top 8 rebuilding teams:

East:
1. New Jersey Nets - 10
2. New York Knicks - 8
3. Charlotte Bobcats - 3
4. Philadelphia 76ers - 2
5. Milwaukee Bucks - 5
6. Indiana Pacers - 3
7. Chicago Bulls - 2
8. Orlando Magic - 1

West:
1. Portland Trail Blazers - 10
2. Memphis Grizzlies - 8
3. Seattle Supersonics - 7
4. New Orleans Hornets - 2
5. Minnesota Timberwolves - 5
6. Dallas Mavericks - 3
7. San Antonio Spurs - 2
8. Los Angeles Clippers - 1

Overall:

1. Portland Trail Blazers - 20
Uh... yeah
2. Houston Rockets - 18
They definitley have a small contending window, but adding Kidd, Sheed, and a very good bench to T-Mac, Yao, and Battier was very impressive.
3. New Orleans Hornets - 12
Paul+TD+Artest = complete domination. I also like the additions of Hawes and Foye.
4. New York Knicks - 16
Not only did they rebuild and get rid of the Knicks' trash, but they also became semi-competitive.
5. Golden State Warriors - 15
Not much of a bench, but Billups, Ray Ray, Butler, and Big Al would be very hard to deal with.
6. Milwaukee Bucks - 13
Choose one: Arenas, Wallace, Lopez or Redd, Williams, Charlie V. Uh... let's see here...
7. Charlotte Bobcats - 9
Beasley-Roy-Granger --- scary in the future.
8. Dallas Mavericks - 11
If they had a true PG, they would be tough to beat.
9. New Jersey Nets - 10
Love the way they rebuilt.
10. Cleveland Cavaliers - 6
Lebron + JO + Mike Miller = championship
11. Toronto Raptors - 8
If they had kept Calderon, they would've been a force to be reckoned with.
12. Seattle Supersonics - 7
Also another great rebuild; they will be tough in the future.
13. Utah Jazz - 6
Wow... Deron, Manu, Smoove, Brand...
14. Chicago Bulls - 5
No credit for getting Rose, but they still improved the rest of the team slightly.
15. Los Angeles Clippers - 4
The slight downgrade from Boozer to Brand was more than made up by the addition of Calderon.

[LeQuitterNotMVP]

Bump.

Come on guys, get your votes in!

[clydestudent1276]

Chicago GM rankings, if you have any questions feel free to email me at nickclansbergen@hotmail.com

Part 1 Improved current chances of winning

East
1st - Toronto
2nd - Milwaukee
3rd - New York
4th - Charlotte
5th - Miami
6th - Indiana
7th - New Jersey
8th - Detroit

West
1st - Utah
2nd - Portland
3rd - Seattle
4th - New Orleans
5th - LA Lakers
6th - San Antonio
7th -Golden State
8th - Dallas

Part II - Winning in the future

East
1st - Milwaukee
2nd - Toronto
3rd - Charlotte
4th - Philly
5th - New York
6th - Miami
7th - Indiana
8th - Washington

West
1st - Seattle
2nd - Utah
3rd - Portland
4th - San Antonio
5th - Dallas
6th - LA Lakers
7th - New Orleans
8th - Golden State

Overall
1st - Portland
2nd - Toronto
3rd - Seattle
4th - Utah
5th - New Orleans
6th - Milwaukee
7th - New York
8th - Dallas
9th - San Antonio
10th - New Jersey
11th - Indiana
12th - Miami
13th - LA Lakers
14th - Charlotte
15th - Washington

[Garmfay]

Category I (Teams that most improved their chances to win now)

East
1. Cleveland
2. Milwaukee
3. Toronto
4. Orlando
5. Miami
6. Chicago
7. New York
8. Atlanta

West
1. Houston
2. New Orleans
3. Portland
4. Utah
5. Dallas
6. Lakers
7. Seattle
8. San Antonio

Category II (Improving the future, 2 or 3 years down the road)

East
1. New Jersey
2. Milwaukee
3. Philly
4. New York
5. Charlotte
6. Indiana
7. Atlanta
8. Orlando

West
1. Portland
2. Seattle
3. Memphis
4. Clippers
5. Minnesota
6. New Orleans
7. Utah
8. Dallas

Category III (Overall opinion of all teams)
1. Portland
2. New Orleans
3. Houston
4. Milwaukee
5. Utah
6. Seattle
7. New Jersey
8. Toronto
9. Dallas
10. Cleveland
11. Miami
12. Memphis
13. Chicago
14. Minnesota
15. Lakers

[calderon13]

My Votes

Category I (Teams with most improved chances to contend now)

East
1. Cleveland
2. Milwaukee
3. Orlando
4. Toronto
5. Miami
6. Atlanta
7. New York
8. Chicago

West
1. New Orleans
2. Houston
3. Portland
4. Utah
5. Lakers
6. Dallas
7. San Antonio
8. Seatle

Category II (Improving the future)

East
1. New Jersey
2. Milwaukee
3. Philadelphia
4. Charlotte
5. New York
6. Indiana
7. Atlanta
8. Orlando

West
1. Portland
2. Seattle
3. San Antonio
4. Clippers
5. Minnesota
6. New Orleans
7. Utah
8. Dallas

Category III (Overall)
1. New Orleans
2. Portland
3. Houston
4. Utah
5. Milwaukee
6. Seattle
7. New Jersey
8. Toronto
9. Dallas
10. Cleveland
11. Miami
12. Lakers
13. Chicago
14. San Antonio
15. Minnesota

[zong]

Portland GM votes:

Top 8 contending teams:

East:
1. Toronto Raptors - 10 (Unstoppable frontcourt for the next decade, backcourt in question, but good team defence all over)
2. Milwaukee Bucks - 8 (Franchise scorer in Arenas was perfect blend into a team with excellent role guys at every position)
3. New York Knicks - 7 (Got rid of dead weight, good wing scoring and young talent)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers - 2 (JO and Miller are very underrated players next to LeBron, and should work)
5. Orlando Magic - 3 (Brad Miller should be a better fix at PF than Shard and they finally get a better PG to run the show for Howard in Andre Miller)
6. Miami Heat - 3 (Very deep and athletic on the wing)
7. Indiana Pacers - 2 (Young and underrated backcourt, very athletic on the wings)
8. Detroit Pistons - 1 (good and balanced team, but nothing spectacular)

West:
1. Houston Rockets - 10 (Unstoppable as long as Sheed keeps his cool)
2. New Orleans Hornets - 4 (good defence, but Strawberry at SF over Artest? chemistry issues may happen, but very good defensively and competitive)
3. Golden State Warriors - 7 (good mix of offence and defence as well as youth and experience)
4. Utah Jazz - 2 (Would've been ranked higher if a C anchored the D better, but a Deron-Manu-Brand combo is pretty intriguing)
5. Dallas Mavericks - 5 (Suddenly, this team becomes very scary with the trio of Dirk-Pierce-Martin)
6. San Antonio Spurs - 1 (Turned a slow, boring team into a pretty entertaining team with perhaps even better D with the addition of KG and Harris)
7. Seattle Supersonics - 2 (Very deep, but lacks experience)
8. Denver Nuggets - 1[/b] (Offensively gifted as any team in the league, Defense, is another issue)

Top 8 rebuilding teams:

East:
1. New Jersey Nets - 10 (Cap relief and a young core oozing with potential)
2. Philadelphia 76ers - 4 (See above, but lacks experience)
3. Charlotte Bobcats - 3 (Roy-Granger-Beasley oozes with big-time potential)
4. New York Knicks - 6 (Getting rid of future contract obligations was important, JJ and Augustin was a bonus)
5. Milwaukee Bucks - 5 (Brook Lopez, Andrew Bogut, and Travis Outlaw makes a very intirguing young support core for Arenas)
6. Indiana Pacers - 3 (Dumped most of previous Indy GM's mistakes and has tons of young talent to develop)
7. Chicago Bulls - 2 (shaped a good roster around Derrick Rose and future contractual issues)
8. Atlanta Hawks - 1 (very, very young team, core pieces like PG and C in place)

West:
1. Seattle Supersonics - 10 (So many young talent to develop, all with good potential)
2. Los Angeles Clippers - 8 (Young nucleus of players and good fits)
3. Memphis Grizzlies - 3 (retained good core pieces but lack experience, lots of cap space in the future though)
4. San Antonio Spurs - 2 (restocked with young talent after disposing of old players)
5. Timberwolves - 5 (would've been higher had the waived contracts not appear)
6. Sacramento Kings - 1 (the 3 Andre's make a good frontcourt along with Udrih)Minnesota
7. Houston Rockets - 2 (2010 Cap Space Plan, yikes)
8. Dallas Mavericks - 1 (KMoney and Lou Williams and Bass still makes a good future trio)

Overall:

1. Houston Rockets - 20
Small opportunity window, but they look unstoppable anywhere on the court. Adding Sheed, Terry, Kidd, Foster, Nocioni, Bowen with Alston, Scola, and Luther Head is just amazing.
2. Milwaukee Bucks - 18
Although the team does not look very flashy, they have good role players at every position besides the scoring.
3. New Orleans Hornets - 12
Although they are good defensively, its hard to tell if Duncan and Paul will work out as they are different players entering different stages in their career. Although, the defensive intensity of the team is surely there.
4. Seattle Supersonics- 16
Quietly getting lots of draft picks and experienced vets were some very shrewd moves under the radar.
5. Golden State Warriors - 15
A short rotation of some very experienced players make this an instant improvement over the old nellie team.
6. Toronto Raptors - 13
Not much of a backcourt, but they are very underrated defensively and possesses a lethal starting frontcourt trio of Kaman-Bosh-RJ
7. New York Knicks - 12
Getting rid of dead weight while adding some talent improved their team a lot, and thats an understatement.
8. Dallas Mavericks - 11
Very nice wing combo to go with Dirk, but defence is very suspect on this team.
9. New Jersey Nets - 10
Some nice under the radar rebuilding.
10. Utah Jazz -6
Started off good, but it looks like they will have a tough time defending frontcourt players.
11. Philadelphia 76ers - 8
Very active in acquiring good young guys with lots of potential, but this team looks lost without a proven veteran leader in a few positions, luckily, they have tons of cap space.
12. Charlotte Bobcats - 7
Good rebuilding with the core of Beasley-Granger-Roy, should be tough to beat in about 3 years.
13. Miami Heat - 6
Getting a very deep bench and PG combination was a vast improvement, does not possess a true #1 option, but the team is talented in every position
14. San Antonio Spurs - 5
Swapping Duncan for KG was a wash, but upgrading every facet of the team in other parts earns the Spurs GM a berth in the top 15
15. Memphis Grizzlies - 4
Picking up Monta was a pretty good move, while getting Biedrins was a pretty bad move, however, they look young and will probably compete very soon.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Hey guys, just want to apologize for disappearing. I made a sudden decision to move and have not had a internet to be on here a lot. I should have it on the 5th and will be back to cast my votes.

[MJallday59]

SA here....I know i'm late but have mercy and let me at least put my vote in!!! : )

San Antonio Votes

East in contention now

1. Orlando - with Andre Miller running the point and Brad Miller this team instantly is a contender in the east. Solid draft for them as well bringing in Roy Hibbert

2. Toronto - PG Spot is suspect, Besides that Bosh and Kaman will be the most productive PF-C combo in the east for like...forever

3. Cleveland- Lebron + anything can get you into the playoffs, Lebron + JO and Mike Miller can get you to the finals...now if only JO can stay healthy.

4. Miami- Good team but too many stars...who plays and who sits during crunch time?

5. Chicago - Should be a great running team for years but no inside scorer, unfortunately Harrington won't cut it...

6.Milwaukee - Gilbert + unselfish role players = nice playoff run

7.Atlanta - No freaking way Nene starts over Okur, team needs shooters but cracks the top 8 in the east.

8.Indiana - Parker + Magette not great....but not bad either


West in contention now