The Vegas Chicks...

As mentioned on the JBL site - I have come up with 3 tiers in the JBL Power Rankings. First up - 3 teams that failed to impress me as title contenders as currently constructed. Notice how I phrased that last sentence? All three of these teams have very good components but I think they will need some minor (and some major) tweaks to get into title contention.

So, without further rambling, and in no particular order, the Vegas Chicks are....

Maui Ribs - I thought Trev did a decent job of getting some top end talent and this team is build around the back court duo of Chris Paul and Monta Ellis (I think he should be OK in steals with those two guys). Other solid options include Odom, Scola, and Hibbert. Like a lot of these Vegas girls though - we have some talent that we just don't know what we'll get from them? Rashard Lewis? Al Harrington? John Salmons? How will they play this season? They could be good role guys or they could really struggle. Only time will tell. Also, at quick glance, I'm wondering if there is enough FG% helpers on this team build around 2 scoring guards. Beasley and Dalembert could be key contributors to this team as well this season.

Montreal Poutang - This team is like the fat girl in Vegas who only has fat chick friends. What's the fun in hanging out with that group of girls? Marko wisely brought in Deron Williams as his #1 stud but it appears his 2nd best player is Andre Iguodala or Marc Gasol? Both very good players in their own rights but I'm not sure either is talented enough to hold the distinction of being a #2 option on a JBL team. What Montreal does have is plenty of young talent that could have breakout seasons. Guys like Blair, Irving, Batum, and Nick Young. The new franchise in Montreal will need these guys - and the aging veterans - Dunleavy, Ginobili and Turkoglu - to have very good seasons for them. Who is going to block in Poutang town? Appears Perkins and Gasol are the only 2 guys at the moment. The one thing we do know about Marko is that he's not afraid to make some moves in trying to improve his squad.

Juan de Fuca Yo Mamas - This team has 2 hotties (Durant and Dirk) and then a whole bunch of question marks. Maybe a better way to put it is that the other chicks in Juan are wearing full on sweatsuits - so I really don't know what I'm getting with them. What kind of year will Rubio have? He could peel off that tracksuit to reveal a stunning bikini model or it could be Rosanne Barr. And how about Glen Davis, Jameer Nelson, and Corey Maggette? What will they look like this season? It's like trying to tell if a girl is hot from 400 metres away? It's very tough to do. I have a lot of questions about this Juan de Fuca team. My first one would be - who is the 3rd best fantasy player on this team? Cousins? Afflalo? Chandler? I'm not really sure. I know Juan is taking a lot of heat from Bangkok and other teams over this draft and their performance over the last couple of years. Remember, this was the last JBL team to win a title who's first name was not Ben, John, or Phil. Was 2000 a fluke? Will Juan rise up in the face of ugly Vegas chicks? Only time will tell...

JBL fans...that's your Vegas Chicks tier...up next...the Cougars...