All Hype: Five Teams That Will Fail To Meet Expectations Next Season
This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report
Training camp is almost here... well, actually it is about a month away. But it is closer than it was at the end of last season.
After an offseason of big moves and power shifts, expectations are sky high.
If you didn't make a move, well you are expected to show you didn't need it.
If you did make a move, well you need to show that the new player will fit into your system.
Again, expectations are sky high. Some choke under the pressure but most will rise to the occasion. Which organizations have a disconnect between the fans and the players?
Because that is the driving factor for hype.
and if you fail to achieve what the fans believe you can, well then often times things can get ugly.
This is a compilation of the teams that will fail to live up to the hype.
Thank You for reading.
This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report
Atlanta Hawks
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This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report
What kind of team are the Hawks?
They like to play offense, but what kind of offense are they? Are they going to pound the ball down low or try to get easy baskets on the break.
I don't know.
and what is mostly responsible for that is the teams lack of leadership.
He doesn't look like he knows the Hawks are his team.
and that is a problem for the Hawks.
When your best player doesn't want to have the spotlight on him, that sends confusing messages to the players and coaches.
Who's team is it Atlanta? I'm ok with having your best player not be a vocal leader, but when no one in your starting five is a vocal leader, well then you have issues.
The Hawks have a lot of talent.
The talent is undoubtably there.
But the direction and leadership is not.
To be honest, I think that they Hawks have been vastly overrated for the past three to four years.
And since were being honest, I just don't see the Hawks being the team they were in years past.
This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report
New York Knicks
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This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report
Somehow, the Addition of Amar'e Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, and Anthony Randolph is supposed to catapult this team into a 45 Wins season.
In the past, I have been reluctant to accept the new York Knicks as a playoff team, but I am beginning to see how the new players will work within D'Antoni's system.
Felton is still a B or C Level Point guard, but his skillset plays to the uptempo New York Knicks offensive strengths.
Amar'e isn't an elite player in this league. But he is a very good one. His defensive abilities are almost no-existent, but that is irrelevant when you play for D'Antoni.
Each of the role players the Knicks signed in the offseason are shooting oriented players and that will help the Knicks next season.
Still, even with all of that progress, New York will be fighting for the eight seed in the playoffs.
and in no way will the Knicks be competing for anything close to home court advantage.
This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report
Milwaukee Bucks
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This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report
Brandon Jennings is going to find himself in a sophomore slump.
and it is unlikely that Michael Redd will return to his pre-injury form.
Even with all that, The Milwaukee Bucks will still be a playoff team.
Although, from what i've been hearing about the expectations of the young Bucks that might disappoint a large group of fans.
ESPN had it exactly right when they estimated the Bucks would win 46 games next season. I could see them winning 49 games, but I would have to see Bogut come back to form.
Prove me wrong.
The lowest I heard, was the seventh seed.
If this is really what the Milwaukee Bucks fan base thinks of their franchise, well then they are setting themselves up for disappointment.
For the Bucks to break into the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference, Brandon Jennings is going to have to be better.
You don't become the face of a franchise by being inconsistent and inefficient.
In other words, the leading scorer of a top flight NBA franchise cannot be shooting 37% from the field on an average night.
Expectations are high for the Bucks, and I just don't think Milwaukee has the assets to be the team many think they will become.
This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report
Oklahoma City Thunder
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This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report
and they are one or two pieces away from being a winning playoff team, a team that can challenge the Lakers for the Western Conference Title. But the still do not possess the talent required to be consistently successful in the post season.
First and foremost would be their post options. A jump shooting team will look spectacular as long as they are hitting shots, but when they start missing, then they start losing games.
Having a shooter that can consistently hit shots that end runs, a shooter that you can give the ball to at the end of the shot clock and expect him to give you something every single time, and that has the ability to hit shots that no one else can make, is a huge confidence booster.
But when the opposing team has a defender that can severely slow down your best shooter, well then the other team has essentially shut down your entire team.
You shut down Kevin Durant and you shut down the Thunder.
albeit is hard to do, but in a seven game series I can guarantee that the Coaches will find at least one way to hamper his production.
That is where a post presence comes in.
Every Championship team since the Michael Jordan Bulls has had a big man that could play efficiently with their back to the basket.
Right now, the Oklahoma City Thunder don't have that.
Although, Jeff Green has the tools to become a post player, he isn't there yet.
Points in the paint means a higher shooting percentage, easier shots for your perimeter players, and wider lanes to the basket.
and that is why Greg Oden was the right selection in the 2006 NBA draft and not Kevin Durant.
You draft on potential, not out of fear.
That is something that Trail Blazers fans could very well never get the chance to witness.
The second thing that the Oklahoma City Thunder need to push themselves over the edge is a solid defender. Right now the Thunder get by on length and athleticism.
Durant is a good defender because he can guard four different positions. Point guards can get by him, but his length is the equivalent of two steps, allowing him to affect their shot even though he is almost half a body length away.
The he can get by when he is guarding the four because of his length, but when matched up against a bigger, more physically overpowering big man, there is no contest.
The last thing you want is your best player wearing himself out in the regular season because he is the only player that can effectively guard the other teams best scorer.
Team defense is a great thing, but a lock down defender is something that can be priceless.
I see the Oklahoma City Thunder being a perennial playoff team until Kevin Durant retires, but I don't see them challenging the Lakers for the Top Seed in the West until they can address those needs.
This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report
Miami Heat
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This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report
No.
How about 75? No.
70? Nope.
60? Yeah, most likely.
The expectations for the Miami Heat have been sky high ever since the won the NBA lottery, snagging three of the best 10 players in the league.
anything other than a Championship will be a disappointment.
Give them a year to grow and find their roles within the team and I think their road to a title is much easier.
But right now, they just added 12 new players to the team, they are going to have chemistry issues right off the bat. The may be the most talented teams in the league, but they are fairly imbalanced.
Heck, I guess that is bound to happen when you commit 82% of your salary space to three players.
Essentially, the Miami Heat could be listed as a team that will fail to meet expectations every single year, only because their expectations are nearly unachievable.
Miami may very well be on this list by default.
This Article Courtesy Of Rip City Report
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