I was planning to do a really good preview but it's do late in the season to do that so I will do a smaller one than I would have liked. I'm pretty pissed off at myself because the NBA is actually my favorite all around regular season now.
I will however, be posting regularly about the league now that the World Series is over and I watch more games.
Since I haven't watched much I haven't changed my order of finish at all since the season began. And I am do this ignoring any current injuries and basing it on opening day rosters.
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics
They are old but they are fully healthy and they now this is likely their last real run. I expect Kevin Garnett to have a monster season and Glen Davis to continue to blossom.
2. Orlando Magic
It's no secret that I hate Vince Carter more than any other active athlete and this season will prove why. The guy is lazy and never wanted the pressure of being The Man on a great team, so I fully expect him to have a great year being the number 3 guy, maybe even number 4, on this team. Dwight Howard will only get better as will Jameer Nelson.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
I hated the Shaq trade for a couple reasons. First, Shaq has never taken a second fiddle and he has to here for them to win it all. Last year in Phoenix he had good numbers because he made himself the main option and that is not happening with LeBron around. Second, Dwight Howard killed the Cavs int he playoffs last year with his quickness and athleticism, two things Shaq doesn't have anymore. Because it will take this team a while to gel they will not get home court in the second round and will face the Magic again. And get bounced by them again.
4. Atlanta Hawks
There is not much not to like here. Mike Bibby is still solid at the point and they improved their depth up front with Joe Smith and Jason Collins. And Marvin Williams should improve a lot.
5. Miami Heat
Dwayne Wade busts his ass every night so his impending free agency is not going to make him work any harder. It's the rest of the team I think will get better. Now that Michael Beasley has taken control of his problems I expect him to have amonster coming out party. They even have pretty good scoring coming off the bench with Quentin Richardson.
6. Toronto Raptors
Andrea Bargnani very quietly put up very good numbers as a starter last year. And Hedo Turkoglu only helps spread the floor for him. Add in the always solid Jose Calderon and Chris Bosh in a free agent year and the Raps are back in the playoffs.
7. Chicago Bulls
Don't let last year's incredible series with the Celtics fool you - This team is not that good. They were able to take advantage of an injured Garnett to keep it close. They have a bad frontcourt of Ty Thomas and Joakim Noah and lost their top scorer. Derrick Rose is phenomenal but he can only take them so far. I'll be shocked if they win more than 44 games.
8. Washington Wizards
On paper this is a great team but they never add up to the sum of their parts. As much as I like Gilbert Arenas he has never shown the ability to make his team better. They still have the most underrated player in the league in Caron Butler as well as Antawn Jamison. And I liked the addition of Mike Miller. They just to prove to me they can be great.
9. Detroit Pistons
I'm not a Ben Gordon fan because he always wants the ball and takes a lot of bad shots. I don't see how he is going to play along Rip Hamilton. I also don't think Charlie Villenueva is the answer at power forward. I love Tayshaun Prince and wouldn't be surprised if he was dangled near the trade deadline.
10. Charlotte Bobcats
I think this team will surprise people. Tyson Chandler should thirve under Larry Brown and could lead the league in blocks. Boris Diaw is a soid go to guy and Gerald Wallace is tough to defend. And you know they will bust their ass on the defensive end.
11. Philadelphia 76ers
Elton Brand is healthy but it really doesn't matter because there is not much else there. Andre Igoudala is the type of guy who puts up 18 a game only because he is on a bad team. He is a bench player on a playoff team. The bench isn't oo pretty either.
12. Milwaukee Bucks
Despite giving away Richard Jefferson they will not be completely awful. Andrew Bogut is a serviceable center and Micheal Redd can still score. Hakim Warrick and Luc Mbah A Moute are stong defenders but what I really think will help is the arrival of Brandon Jennings. Playing against men in Europe last year should really help him this year.
13. Indiana Pacers
Here is another team with decent players that don't add up to much. TJ Ford takes too many bad shots, Roy Hibbert is a statue in the paint and Troy Murphy can't do it by himself in the paint. I expect Tyler Hansbrough to be a fan favorite but I don't expect him to be very good.
14. New York Knicks
It has going to be a hell of a long season at The Garden. All they have to hope for all year is that LeBron decides to come to NY in the off-season. As much as I like David Lee, if he is your best player you are in trouble.
15. New Jersey Nets
This roster looks like an expansion team. Aside from Devin Harris they don't have any great players. Brook Lopez is good and Courtney Lee should put up better numbers in a bigger role than he had in Orlando but it won't be near enough.
Western Conference
1. LA Lakers
I don't see any real drop off for this team at all. Kobe is not the type of guy who lets winning satisfy him for too long. He wants more rings than Jordan and he is driven enough to do it. The addition of Ron Artest does not make them that much better though. He is slightly better than Trevor Ariza at this point because he has slipped defensively. There is a chance that he will flourish and get a lot better under Phil Jackson and playing with Kobe. Phil worked wonders with Rodman and I thin khe can with Artest too, at least for a year.
2. San Antonio Spurs
The biggest winner of the off-season. Just when you though they might be getting too old to really compete for a title they steal Richard Jefferson, add a proven team guy and banger Antonio McDyess and and absolutely steal DeJuan Blair in the second round of the draft. Jefferson and a healthy Manu Ginobli allow Tony Parker to run when he can in the open court and they will still be strong in the half court with Tim Duncan. With Duncan anchoring the defense again and Jefferson defending the wings this these guys are neck and neck with the Lakers again.
3. Denver Nuggets
A lot of people are predicting a fall for these guys because they didn't do much in the off-season. I think part of the reason for that is because they realize they were pretty damn good last year. Carmelo is only going to get better after maturing a lot last year and Chauncey Billups has a full year to lead this team. Throw in an improved JR Smith, steady paly from Kenyon martin and Nene and the energy of Chris Anderson and Ty Lawson and they will be back on top of the division again.
4. Portland Trail Blazers
I love this team and I still think they are going to win about 4 titles sooner than later. That just won't start this year. Adding Andre Miller was curious because he slows things down in order to be effective but late in games the ball will be in Brandon Roy's hands so it won't matter that much. LaMarcus Aldridge broke out last year and I expect him to get even better this year and so will Travis Outlaw. The real question is Greg Oden. I know he can be a defensive player of the year but I am starting to wonder about his offense. He doesn't show much feel around the basket and doesn't pass that well for a guy with his good hands. If he can develop offensively than watch out.
5. Utah Jazz
Another team that didn't change much with pretty good reason. There starting 5 is great with Deron Williams anchoring the backcourt and Carlos Boozer back up front. What they lack is a lot of depth and that's where they get hurt in the playoffs. Late in games they just won't be able to match up with the Lakers or Spurs.
6. Phoenix Suns
Call this addition by subtraction but they will be much improved without Shaq who was the focal point of the offense last year and shouldn't have been. As long as Steve Nash is at the point this team needs to run. Although Amare Stoudemire is nowehre near the player everyone thought he would become he is still damn good and perfect for Nash. Throw in smart veternas like Grant Hill and Jason Richardson and this team should be fun to watch again.
7. Dalls Mavericks
I don't see this team winning 50 games again. Despite being a bad team player I think bringing in Shawn Marion was a smart move. He is still one of the 3 or 4 best defensive players in the league and he can cover a lot of Jason Kidd's defensive deficiencies against the fast guards out west. Josh Howard is also a good defender but I think he lacks enough maturity to be a star. The Diggler and Jason Terry should be their usual strong selves but it's going to be a furst round and out season for them again.
8. Houston Rockets
I don't see impending doom for this team because they work their asses off every night and the bottom of the west is really bad this year. I think Aaron Brooks is going to have a breakout season and Trevor Ariza will put up decent numbers. I actually think Ariza is in for a tough season in the sense that everyone thnks he is better than he is. They assume that he was the number 4 guy on the Lakers last year and he will be an 18/6/4 guy now that he is starting and he just isn't that good. What he can do very well though is defend. And it's defense that will keep the Rockets in the playoffs.
9. New Orleans Hornets
I really don't like much about this team. Chris Paul is a great point guard but he seemed just miserable last season and I don't see that improving. Their frontcourt is bad and I am not a big Emeka Okafor fan. I don't think he can average 10 rebounds a night in the west or block as many shots. I also think this team has too thin a bench to make the playoffs.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder
These guys are going to be very competitive this year. Kevin Durant still doesn't have the body strength to post guys up but he figured out last year that he can just shoot over guys gaurding him and that won't change. I love Russell Westbrook. He's competitive as hell and really knows the game. Jeff Green is very strong up front as well. I don't know what to make of rookie James Harden though. Last year at Arizona St. he wouldn't take the big shots with the game on the line and looked to dish too often so I really question whether he wants to be a go to guy. At least with Durant around he won't have to be, which could be perfect for him.
11. Los Angeles Clippers
There is actually a lot of talent on this team with Baron Davis healthy, future all-star Eric Gordon, and Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman up front. Blake Griffin is going to be an all-star too. He is really strong and works his butt off to get better. The problem with this team is coaching and the fact that, well, they are the Clippers. Something is bound to go wrong at some oint.
12. Golden State Warriors
This is a team with playoff talent but they are a bunch of idiots. They can't play as a team and don't even care on the defensive end. Stephen Jackson should be shipped out immediately. Corey Maggette is just as selfish but they can't trade him because his contract is so big. This is not an environment for a potential star like Stephen Curry to walk into but he is stuck with it.
13. Memphis Grizzlies
What they hell they were thinking signing Allen Iverson is beyond me. He is a terrible team player, will not come off the bench and will be a terrible influence on guys like OJ Mayo and Zazk Randolph who are already bad team guys. Poor Rudy Gay. He has talent and heart and he has to play with morons. He would be great on a good team.
14. Minnesota Timberwolves
This is a team with a strong frontcourt in Al Jefferson and the underrated Kein Love. I also think Jonny Fylnn will be a good point guard eventually. They just don't have enough talent around them to compete night in and night out. And don't get me started on how stupid it was for them to draft Ricky Rubio.
15. Sacramento Kings
I don't think the Kings can win 15 games. Aside from Kevin Martin their is very little talent and even he would be a number three players on a top five team. They have a lot of guys who are perfectly good 7th or 8th men like Desmond Mason but they are starting.
Conference Finals
Boston over Orlando
LA Lakers over San Antonio
Finals
Lakers over Boston
