NBA Weekly - Season Preview

With the NBA season starting next week, I thought I would throw up some previews from some of the prior NBA Weekly posts and then make some predictions for this season:

Eastern Conference:

Boston Celtics: The Celtics remain the favorites in the East in my mind, despite losing James Posey to the Hornets. They still have the best trio of players in the NBA with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. They didn't add much in the offseason but they are probably counting on Rajon Rondo and some of the other young players to continue improving. Tony Allen's scoring and Eddie House's lights out shooting in the preseason could be the keys to replacing James Posey.

Cleveland Caveliers: The Cavs could be the biggest threat to the Celtics in the East. The addition of Mo Williams gives the Cavs another scorer to help out Lebron. The one issue I have with them though is that they still don't have any low post scoring and traded away Joe Smith to get Williams. Their first round draft pick J.J. Hickson did have a solid summer league by averaging 19.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks on 53.4% shooting, but I think it might be a little too much to be relying on a 19 year old rookie for low post scoring on a championship caliber team. The Cavs are an interesting team to me because I want to see if they have given Lebron enough help this season to get them back into the NBA Finals.

Detroit Pistons: This team will be solid again, but I still don't think they have enough to get back to the NBA Finals. They didn't make any major moves this offseason and are pretty much relying on the improvement of Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo. I wouldn't be surprised to see this team knocked out in the second round by someone like Orlando or Philadelphia, who I think have improved enough to beat the Pistons now.

Orlando Magic: The major move the Magic made in the offseason was drafting guard Courtney Lee. Lee was decent in Summer League play, averaging 20.2 points and shooting 47.1% on threes. I think he will help the Magic right away as a solid role player, since he won't be a featured player in the offense. I think the Magic could use another big man to help out Dwight Howard down low before I would consider them a legitimate title contender, but I would not be surprised if they advanced to the Eastern Finals this season. That might be a tough task this year though with the improvement of the 76ers and the new look of the Cavs. They also added Mickael Pietrus to their squad.

Philadelphia 76ers: This is probably the most intriguing team in the East because nobody really knows just how good the addition of Elton Brand will make them. I think they will top out around the 50 win range, which is solid and definitely an improvement. I don't think they are a title contender yet, but they will definitely be in the mix for the Eastern Finals. You know Elton Brand, Andre Miller, and Andre Igoudala will be solid, so if Thaddeus Young and Louis Williams continue to improve than this team could be really scary. Also, I was very impressed with the play of Mareese Speights in Summer League and I think he could help them out right away, especially since the 76ers lost Jason Smith for the season.

Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks return pretty much the same roster as last season, except they have replaced Josh Childress with Maurice Evans and Flip Murray. They will have Mike Bibby for a full season and Al Horford should be an absolute stud for them in his 2nd season. If they can get Acie Law to play solid minutes for them off the bench, then this team should be able to play ball at a better than .500 clip. They probably won't make it above 6th in the East but that would still be an improvement for this young team.

Washington Wizards: The Wizards are a team that is stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference as a 4, 5, or 6 seed in the playoffs. I don't see this team being strong enough to make it past the second round and I wouldn't be surprised to see them lose in the first round. If everyone stays healthy then they are definitely a playoff team but they still have issues down low and I don't think the offensive capabilities of Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and Gilbert Arenas alone are enough to get them very far in the playoffs. Andray Blatche could be key for them this season, but I'm not sure how much he brings to the table defensively.

Toronto Raptors: The Raptors major move this offseason was adding Jermaine O'Neal, who will help them but only if he can stay healthy. Adding O'Neal to go along with Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon should be enough to get Toronto back the playoffs but they don't have much margin for error with the improvements of some other teams in the East, like Miami and Indiana. I think this team is a Jermaine O'Neal injury away from being in the lottery next season.

Miami Heat: I think the Heat could be back in the playoffs this season if Dwayne Wade has a bounce back season. He looks great in the Olympics and he will be joined for a full season by Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley. Wade is good enough to lead his team into the playoffs as long as he has decent talent around him. The problem with this team might be the defense though. I see the Heat topping out as a 7 or 8 seed at best.

Out of the rest of the teams in the East, I think the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Charlotte Bobcats would be next in line for competing for the final playoff spot. I think the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets could compete as well but there is also a possibility they will be horrible. I think the Knicks are still one of the worst teams out East and they don't have much chance to make the playoffs.

Western Conference:

Los Angeles Lakers: The biggest move for the Lakers is getting Andrew Bynum back from injury. Once he returns, it will be interesting to see if he picks up where he left off last season or if he struggles. If he plays as well as he was last year, then the Lakers might be pretty tough to beat out West, but if he struggles then I think the Lakers would have a good chance of getting knocked off. The Lakers also added Chinese star Sun Yue, but who knows how much he'll help them out this season. Jordan Farmar could be primed for a monster season off the bench for the Lakers as well. This team is deep and the added presence of Bynum in the middle makes them scary.

New Orleans Hornets: This team is probably my favorite to win the West if the Lakers don't. I think the addition of James Posey will really help them out, especially when they go up against Kobe. Of course he'll also help them against Ginobili and McGrady and any other wing player they go up against in the playoffs. No other big additions for the Hornets, but Julian Wright should see some more playing time this year and could make a solid impact.

San Antonio Spurs: This is a team that I think could be in a little bit of trouble because Manu Ginobili seems like he is breaking down. He was not 100% healthy in the playoffs last season and now he just got hurt at the Olympics as well. He plays such a hectic style and throws his body all over the place, so I'm not sure he is going to be able to stay healthy. I think the biggest mistake the Spurs made was not adding another wing player, like Corey Maggette this offseason. If Ginobili goes down again, they will certainly be in trouble, but even if he doesn't, they might have a hard time making it out of the West. Roger Mason, Jr. could give them good minutes in the abscence of Ginobili.

Houston Rockets: The Rockets are the team that everyone is going to be talking about coming into the season because of the addition of Ron Artest. I like the move and think the Rockets will be a much improved team, but you just never know for sure until they play some games together. McGrady, Artest, and Yao have all been injury prone throughout their careers too, so that is also something to think about. I like the additions of Brent Barry, D.J Strawberry and Joey Dorsey as well. This team could win the West if everything goes right for them, but I want to see them play some games before I'm ready to declare them a Finals contender for sure.

Utah Jazz: The Jazz didn't do much this offseason to improve their team. Their biggest weakness is at SG and while Morris Almond played well in the Summer League, I don't think he is the answer there. Maybe Ronnie Brewer will develop some more. I still don't see how this team will be able to stop Kobe if they have to face the Lakers again and I don't think they improved all that much from last season. I see them being a 4 or 5 seed and getting knocked out in the 2nd round at best. Word on the street is that Brewer has looked great in the preseason, so it's possible he might make a bigger contribution for the Jazz this year.

Phoenix Suns: The Phoneix Suns should be an interesting team to watch all season. They are definitely a playoff team, but I don't see how they can compete with the better teams out West as long as they have 3 flawed defenders in Nash, Shaq, and Stoudemire. The addition of Robin Lopez should help them defensively when Shaq isn't on the floor but it's still not enough. I think Nash is on the decline as well, which makes their offense less potent and makes it harder for them to beat teams without playing great defense. They picked up the high energy Matt Barnes in the offseason too, which should help them out.

Portland Trailblazers: This team should be fun to watch this season with their young core of talent. Greg Oden will be the story early on and I'm interested to see just how good he is. Even if he struggles, this team should still be in the playoffs, because they have plenty of talent. Jerryd Bayless looks like the real deal offensively and we know what Brandon Roy can do already. I think Portland is at least the 7th best team out West and should make the playoffs easily. Rudy Fernandez looks to be the 6th man on a team that has a ton of depth. The biggest problem on this team might be deciding who gets the minutes. I actually think they will be better then Phoenix this year and if the Spurs, Rockets, or Jazz have injuries then I wouldn't be surprised to see Portland finish ahead of any of those teams either.

Dallas Mavericks: You know, it seriously wouldn't surprise me if the Mavericks didn't make the playoffs this season. They didn't add anything to their team and they still have Jason Kidd as their PG. Kidd is pretty much worthless right now and it looks like the Mavs made a big mistake by trading Devin Harris. If teams like the Clippers, Nuggets, Warriors, and Kings play well this season then Dallas could be in the lottery next season. If Dirk Nowitzki has an off year or gets hurt, then it could be a long season for Dallas.

Los Angeles Clippers: Despite losing Elton Brand and Corey Maggette this offseason, I like what the Clippers added to their roster to make up for those losses. Marcus Camby should help ease some of the loss felt from Brand's departure and I think DeAndre Jordan will be solid off of the bench. Baron Davis will make a big impact on this team and should help out Al Thornton and Eric Gordon. The problem with this team might be the defense though. They are going to have to play an uptempo style of ball to be successful enough to make the playoffs.

Denver Nuggets: I really don't like the Nuggets chances without Marcus Camby, but I'm not sold on Dallas or the Clippers 100% and any team with Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson is going to have a chance to win every night. The Nuggets didn't do much to try and replace the defense of Camby, so that is going to be their biggest issue. They don't have much down low at all and that will keep this team from making the playoffs if Dallas doesn't falter. Josh Smith looked great in the preseason and could be in for a breakout season if he can keep his head on straight.

Golden State Warriors: The Warriors just lost Monta Ellis for 3 months, which would put him out until December probably. They should be able to stay afloat without him and it's possible this team could sneak into the playoffs. They added Corey Maggette in the offseason and he should thrive in the Warriors offense. I expect him to put up big numbers while Ellis is out. Brandan Wright and Anthony Morrow could give the Warriors some unexpected solid play this season as well. DeMarcus Nelson has played surprisingly well in the preseason also.

Sacramento Kings: There's just something about this team that makes me think they could have a good year, but then when I look at the roster I'm not sure anymore. They played well last season but now they have lost Ron Artest and got a lot younger in the process. Jason Thompson played well in the Summer League and I'm interested to see what he brings to the table during the regular season. Beno Udrih was solid at the end of last season and he'll join the underrated Kevin Martin in the back court, but I'm not sure the added enough in the offseason to build upon last seasons showing. Martin has shown and increased aggressiveness driving to the basket more often in the preseason and could be primed for a monster season.

Minnesota, Memphis, and Oklahoma City should be fun to watch this season but I don't think they have any chance at the playoffs. They all should be more competitive than last season though and they all have good young talent and could develop into playoff caliber teams over the next 2-3 years if everything works out.

Here's what I had to say about Minnesota's squad last week along with video of Ryan Gomes talking about the team:

The Timberwolves have started the preseason with a 3-1 record and while we shouldn't look too much into the preseason, I think the TWolves have a chance to be a solid team this year. Now when I say solid, I'm only talking about close to a .500 record, but still that would be a vast improvement over what they have been over last season where they won just 22 games. I could easily see them winning 35-40 games this season and maybe even more. Most people would probably think I am crazy for saying this, but check out their roster of players: Al Jefferson, Mike Miller, Kevin Love, Randy Foye, Ryan Gomes, Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair, Rashad McCants, Corey Brewer, and Rodney Carney. Now this isn't a mind blowing roster, but with Big Al Jefferson they certainly have a low post stud and Mike Miller is a consistent scorer from the 2-spot. Jefferson averaged a healthy 21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds a game last season and Miller averaged 16.4 points and 6.7 rebounds a game and you might be surprised to hear that both of them shot over 50% from the floor. If you throw in Kevin Love, who has a great basketball IQ and should be able to shoot well from the floor, the Wolves have 3 pretty damn efficient offensive players. Rashad McCants quietly had a solid season last year averaging 14.9 points and shooting a respectable 45% from the field. McCants should prove to be a solid 6th man off the bench. Throw in the intangibles that Ryan Gomes brings to the game , along with his 12.6 points and 5.6 rebounds and the TWolves should have no problem putting up points this season. By the way, Gomes has come into the preseason pretty ripped and truly looks like a SF now instead of a tweener who was trapped with a PF-like body.

I expect the Wolves to be a very efficient team offensively, but a lot of that will also depend on the PG play of Randy Foye and Sebastian Telfair. Telfair is more of a true PG, but he can't shoot and his small size hurts him on the defensive end of the floor. Foye played well after the All-Star break last year, but is not a true PG at this stage of the game. In some ways, they compliment each other, so the TWolves may be able to use both effectively in stretches throughout their games. If either one of these two exceed expectations at the PG position then the TWolves will have a great chance to win 40 games in my mind.

The other role players on the team will certainly be useful off the bench. Craig Smith is a beast down low (just ask Andres Nocioni and Tyrus Thomas), who also shoots it very well from the floor at just over 53%. Corey Brewer has shown some progress on the offensive end in the preseason averaging 14 points a game so far. We already know that he has the length to be a strong defender in the NBA, so if his offense continues to develop he should be a solid contributor to this team on a nightly basis. Defense happens to be the teams biggest weakness, so if a strong defensive player like Brewer continues to improve offensively, it could be best for the TWolves to get him as much playing time as possible to help them out defensively. Truth be told, the defense might be better this season simply because they will have Jefferson and Love attacking the defensive boards every night. Don't underestimate the defensive benefit of holding the opposing team to just one shot attempt.

I believe that Minnesota can beat anybody in the NBA on any given night, outside of the top 10 or so teams. That leaves about 20 other teams that they can match up with quite well. So while it may seem crazy, I think the TWolves have a good chance to be close to a .500 team and they certainly will be competitive on a nightly basis at the very least.

Here's what I had to say about the Memphis Grizzlies and their roster of dunkers:

Speaking of dunks, the Memphis Grizzlies might suck this year, but even if they do then they still have three of the most exciting players and dunkers in the league. With Rudy Gay, Hakim Warrick, and O.J. Mayo on the same roster, you can expect a ton of highlight reel dunks from this team. They might be the three best dunkers on any team in the league. Rudy Gay just recently dunked on Brent Barry in the preseason, O.J. Mayo threw down a thunderous dunk on Hilton Armstrong in the preseason, and Hakim Warrick has a handful of monster dunks throughout his career. Should be an exciting team to watch for the fans in Memphis.

Also Ed from Ed The Sports Fan did a team preview of the Oklahoma City Thunder that you can check out. I personally think Kevin Durant is going to have a breakout season, because the second half of last year he started shooting the ball a lot more effeciently.

Predictions:

Eastern Conference:

1. Boston Celtics
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. Detroit Pistons
4. Orlando Magic
5. Cleveland Caveliers
6. Toronto Raptors
7. Atlanta Hawks
8. Miami Heat
9. Washington Wizards
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Indiana Pacers
12. Chicago Bulls
13. New Jersey Nets
14. Charlotte Bobcats
15. New York Knicks

Eastern Conference Champs: Boston Celtics

Western Conference:

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. New Orleans Hornets
3. Houston Rockets
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Utah Jazz
6. Portland Trailblazers
7. Phoenix Suns
8. Dallas Mavericks
9. Denver Nuggets
10. Los Angeles Clippers
11. Sacramento Kings
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
13. Golden State Warriors
14. Memphis Grizzlies
15. Oklahoma City Thunder

Western Conference Champs: New Orleans Hornets

NBA Champs: Boston Celtics

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