Fans React on Twitter to Best of NBA Offseason

Clippers.com Insider Eric Patten conducted an informal poll via Twitter to gauge fan opinion of who had the best offseason. Here are the results and a few of the best comments.

8/24/12
Eric Patten

Note: As a follow up to my Best of the Offseason feature (Click here), I compiled Tweets from readers who responded to the question: “What teams had the best offseason? Why?” Responders were not permitted to choose the Clippers and were restricted to one team from the East and one from the West. The responses were outstanding.

Many fans of the Clippers may not be equal partisans towards the Lakers, but they are fairly honest when it comes to their team’s intra-city rival. After two days of informal polling via Twitter about what teams in the league had the best offseason, the Lakers were most frequently mentioned.

Fans were asked to choose one team from the East and one from the West, excluding the Clippers. The acquisitions of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash clearly swayed fan opinion. And for the most part, it was obvious which of the responders prefer the Clippers because they often opened their Tweets with something to the effect of: “I hate to say it but…”

Other teams out West that came up were Denver for adding Andre Iguodala to an already exciting lineup; New Orleans for drafting Anthony Davis to go along with newly re-signed Eric Gordon and forward Ryan Anderson; Minnesota for turning their roster into one of the most interesting collections of international players in the league; and Golden State because as one fan (@JN8K) put it: they should be “fun.”

The Eastern Conference was a little more wide open. The Heat, which added former Seattle teammates Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, were selected the most often. But the Celtics, 76ers, and Nets garnered numerous votes as well.

It seemed like fans felt Boston, despite losing Allen, bolstered their bench both in the front court and on the wing, while Andrew Bynum’s presence in Philadelphia also made an impression on responders. Former Clippers team writer Sean Nami (@SeanNami) called the enigmatic center and the 76ers “a match made in heaven—on paper.” As for the Brooklyn-bound Nets, losing the Howard sweepstakes was not as big of a factor as partnering Joe Johnson with superstar Deron Williams. One Clippers fan (@noahwhitaker) suggested that Williams and Johnson are arguably the “best 1 and 2 in the East.” The Knicks and Wizards also received minimal attention in the poll.

Check back Monday, Aug. 27 for the four worst offseasons. Also, start sending your responses now to @ericpatten #LACInsiderPoll, naming one team from the East and one from the West that you felt had the worst offseason (once again, excluding the Clippers).

Here are some more reader comments from Twitter: