SB Nation User Blog: Grey Home

Western Conference Preview-Pacific Division

Grey Home — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:44:21 -0000

Previous previews

Western Con Southwest Division

http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/27/1103031/western-conference-preview

Eastern Con Atlantic with playoffs

http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/22/1096652/eastern-conference-preview

Eastern Con Central Division

http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/16/1088307/eastern-conference-preview-central

Eastern Con Southwest Division Preview Link here:

http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/12/1082607/eastern-conference-preview

Pacific Division		Playoff seeds
LA Lakers	66-16	1
Phoenix Suns	37-45	7
LA Clippers	35-47
Golden State Warriors	34-48
Sacramento Kings	24-58

Sacramento Kings

Prediction: 24-58 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Tyreke Evans	Beno Udrih	MVP: Kevin Martin Biggest Surprise: Tyreke Evans Biggest Letdown: Andres Nocioni Key to success: Running Wild Grab bag: Not one veteran leader on the team.
Shooting Guard	Kevin Martin	Francisco Garcia
Small Forward	Desmond Mason	Andres Nocioni
Power Forward	Jason Thompson	Jon Brockman
Center	Spencer Hawes	Sean May

The Kings have some good pieces. Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson are solid in the post. Thompson, especially can be a great player. He is very agile, a decent outside shot and 6’ 11” with long arms has the tools to become a very good player. His skills still need honing but they’re there. He played four years of college ball at Rider so there may not be much opportunity for improvement, but the more playing time he got last year the better he preformed. He is paired with Hawes who is the Starter without a real center behind him. He is a finesse center with a mean streak, if that makes sense. I am not a big fan of his three point shooting, but his midrange game is handy on a team that now adds a slasher point guard and small forward in Tyreke Evans and Desmond Mason.

Neither Mason nor Evans are accomplished outside shooters, so opening up channels inside to drive will be important to the Kings’ success. Hawes outside shooting will contribute to this as well as add a kick out option, especially for the new point guard, Evans. I am glad that Evans will be giving the reigns as a rookie, especially on a team with no current playoff aspirations. You might as well develop your talent in the beginning rather than put a more experienced player, who’ll help you in the short run. Although, in this case, I am not sure the Beno Udrih is that much better of a player.

Francisco Garcia is out for quite awhile, and that’s unfortunate because he can shoot, handle the ball and is a smart player. He is a solid role player and much different that Mason who takes his spot. Mason will provide some defense, but most of his offense is opportunistic. This should bode particularly well for this team with the new offensive philosophy based around the up-tempo, fast break game. Of course, the main offensive weapon is Kevin Martin. With an ugly release, but deadly results, a good handle and length to finish at the rim, Martin is one of the best scorers in the league. He isn’t a superstar, and probably won’t be until he adds some other aspects to his game. Right now he is just a scorer, but as this team develops he could be an important piece, but not the piece to get back to the playoffs

Golden State Warriors

Prediction: 34-48 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Monta Ellis	CJ Watson	MVP: Anthony Randolph Biggest Surprise: Anthony Randolph Biggest Letdown: Corey Maggette Key to success: Athletic Defense Grab bag: The Warriors are terrible at pretending to be happy with each other.
Shooting Guard	Anthony Morrow	Stephen Curry
Small Forward	Stephen Jackson	Devean George
Power Forward	Corey Maggette	Anthony Randolph
Center	Andris Biedrins	Ronny Turaif

This team is super dysfunctional. Three years ago they were the talk of the playoffs, the fans were back and the core was great. The just missed out on the playoffs the next year and shortly after the heart of the team, Baron Davis was lost to free agency. In his place Monta Ellis was to take over, but that never happened after a mo-ped injury. The rabbit hole got deeper and other pieces started to rust and now it seems that total hell has broken loose. Stephen Jackson wants a trade, and announced it publicly, Monta Ellis says he can’t play with Stephen Curry, Corey Maggette doesn’t like playing power forward and I am sure there are other issues that have yet to come to the surface.

I don’t like this team’s configuration. Stephen Jackson needs to go, not only for the sake of ridding a cancer but to get Anthony Randolph into the starting lineup. This guy is good. His ball handling has improved, he’s an athletic freak, above average playmaker and the potential to be a dominant defender, especially as a small forward. He has to play to get better, and his minutes crunch behind Maggette and Jackson doesn’t help his cause. The other young player who needs time is Stephen Curry. Why Monta says they can’t play together doesn’t have much weight. I see, from a defensive standpoint, why there could be some problems, but offensively it seems like a good match. Neither are natural point guards, but should be able to play off each other nicely. Curry is a great shooter, and Ellis is a slasher/driver type, shouldn’t they be able to find each other? That job comes down to Coach Nelson. For a coach that has a lot of control it seems quite the contrary. A lot of his players don’t seem to buy-in to what he’s selling, and chemistry-wise that is obviously very detrimental.

At the center position, Andris Biedrins quietly goes along as a very efficient hustle player with a nice touch. He is very slight, but he uses it to his advantage as he slithers his way for rebounds and tips. He has a surprising better touch around the basket than scouts give him credit for and despite is small frame he gets into the thick of things under the basket and on the floor. He is tough, just not strong. Ronny Turiaf provides more of the brawn under the basket. He is shorter, but has long arms and good timing on blocks. He is another one of those perfect role players for this squad once they decide to rebuild instead of treading along. Curry, Randolph, Biedrins, and maybe if Ellis turns his attitude around could make a nice core.

LA Clippers

Prediction: 35-47 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Baron Davis	Sebastian Telfair	MVP:Baron Davis Biggest Surprise: Sebastian Telfair Biggest Letdown: Al Thonton Key to success: point guard distribution Grab bag: Other LA team has a headliner for once.
Shooting Guard	Eric Gordon	Rasual Butler
Small Forward	Al Thornton	Ricky Davis
Power Forward	Blake Griffin	Craig Smith
Center	Chris Kamen	Marcus Camby

This team had a chance to make the playoffs before the season started, but now that Blake Griffin will miss about two months of his rookie year, it seems less likely. Rookies need all the help they can get when they first start out. Coming back into game shape will take a lot longer than the two months of injury recovery, and that will be against guys who are already in their midseason form. Griffin is a good player though, so having him at all will be a boost, just maybe not the same boost they were looking for. In the meantime, the Clippers are hoping that they can have a nice positive stretch, then reintegrate Griffin back onto a team as they hit their stride.

The positives are that the team is surprisingly deep. Marcus Camby could become the starter at power forward with DeAndre Jordan able to back up the center spot. Craig Smith is a good backup at power forward already. Camby won’t provide the offense Griffin can, but this team isn’t looking for offense as much because of Eric Gordon, Baron Davis and Al Thornton. Camby just needs to provide defense, and make the shots when he has them. Something he has done well over the last four years. With Baron Davis losing weight, a better backup in Sebastian Telfair and the emergence of Eric Gordon as a go to scorer, the Clippers have a solid rotation in the backcourt. While small, Rasual Butler will also spend some time there and is a good defender when necessary. It is very important for Baron Davis and Telfair to distribute the ball early in the shot clocks. Baron Davis has a bad habit of dribbling too much, then the team is left with a bad shot against the clock. If Baron Davis gets it inside to Camby (an underrated passer) or Chris Kamen first, the offense will flow much better. Kamen is a player who is a lot better than people think. He puts up solid numbers; unfortunately his hair leaves something to be desired.

This team should also be able to run. With Gordon and Thornton (an excellent finisher on the break and Davis or Telfair running the show, there should be plenty of easy baskets off the break. If a lot of things go right, and Griffin gets back into the swing of things early off his injury, this team has a shot at the playoffs.

Phoenix Suns

Prediction: 37-45 7th seed playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Steve Nash	Goran Dragic	MVP: Steve Nash Biggest Surprise: Channing Frye Biggest Letdown: Jason Richardson Key to success: Steve Nash’s choice Grab bag: Rolo Tamassy killed Jack Vincennes.
Shooting Guard	Jason Richardson	Leandro Barbosa
Small Forward	Grant Hill	Jared Dudley
Power Forward	Amare Stoudemire	Louis Amundson
Center	Channing Frye	Robin Lopez

The Suns will be better than last year. They are going back to Nash’s signature style; running, quick shots, leaving on the break. This also means they are going to be poor on defense. Steve Nash is awesome at most things, dribbling, passing, shooting, dancing, soccer, and charities to name a few. One thing he isn’t good at, is defense. Amare Stoudemire doesn’t even try to play defense. This has been one of the biggest hindrances of the Suns the last 5 years in the playoffs. Nash, at 35 isn’t going to magically start excelling at defense, but I do think that his attention to it, may be easier. Last year they tried to fast break with Shaq brining up the rear (how did it taste, I wonder?). Terry Porter got Shaq involved in the offense, but it hindered all the players around them to the extent of borderline depression. There was no joy anymore. The good news is that the joy is back, and Steve Nash is as happy as ever. That will go along way. The personnel has definitely gotten worse, but they’ll play above themselves in this system.

The starting lineup san Shaq returns with Channing Frye at center. Frye is a good addition for this style of play. He can hit the three, is much more agile than O’Neal was so the pick and roll, or more important pick and pop will be very effective. On the wings, Jason Richardson and Grant Hill will get the majority of minutes, and although Grant Hill no longer drinks Sprite, his legs are finally good to go and really, he hasn’t played as much basketball as his age suggests due to such injuries. He is still a solid veteran with a basketball IQ that can make up for his shortcomings in athleticism. Jason Richardson has never seemed to fit in in Phoenix, but I think the refreshed Nash will help reinvigorate him. When is the last time you’ve seen a highlight dunk of Richardson? Feels like its been awhile. Playing behind these two are Jared Dudley, and Leandro Barbosa, who is a blur with the ball, and despite an unorthodox release, is a good outside shooter.

The Suns are a playoff team for one reason though, Steve Nash. If he can find that magic of the three or four years ago teams, he will be one to be reckoned with on the offensive end. I would look for him to find his own shot this year and play a lot of two man games with Frye and Amare Stoudamire who will again try and stay healthy. As Nash goes the Suns go.

LA Lakers

Prediction: 66-16 1st seed playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Derek Fisher	Jordan Farmer	MVP: Pau Gasol Biggest Surprise: Adam Morrison Biggest Letdown: Machine Key to success: Ron Artest for the cause Grab bag: Yes it was a joke, Kobe Bryant is the MVP of the Lake-show.
Shooting Guard	Kobe Bryant	Sasha Vujacic
Small Forward	Ron Artest	Luke Walton
Power Forward	Pau Gasol	Lamar Odom
Center	Andrew Bynum	DJ Mbenga

Returning champions don’t often take risks in acquiring new players, especially starters known for their volatility. Ron Artest is better than Trevor Ariza, as long as he doesn’t disrupt team chemistry. To his credit, Artest had a good stay in Houston with the Rockets, and they came dangerously close to beating the Lakers, even once Yao Ming went down. As long as Artest plays his role as defender and fourth offensive option, the Lakers will have a better than good shot to repeat.

What else can you say about these guys. Kobe Bryant got a bit older, but he’s still in his prime, and he has more help than he ever has. Pau Gasol is in his prime, maybe he is a little worn down after the postseason and Eurobasket, but he’s been healthy. Andrew Bynum is back to health, finally proclaiming he will be injury free for the entire year (to be honest his last injury was pretty unlucky). Derek Fisher is old, but his game is not predicated on athleticism. Lamar Odom can play small forward, power forward and has totally bought into his sixth man role after resigning with the Lakers.

The Lakers also have the confidence and swagger from winning the finals. It wasn’t a fluke, they were there the year before. Even minor role players like Sasha Vujacic have confidence because of it. And there is also one person on the Lakers that steps up more than expected. Two years ago it was ‘Machine’ Vujacic, last year it was Trevor Ariza. This year I think Adam Morrison will get a chance to play if Luke Walton gets hurt. Morrison will find his shooting touch and provide what ‘Machine’ did two years ago. There isn’t much not to like as a Laker fan. They are playing to win again and know they are at the top.

Western Conference Preview-Southwest Division Preview

Grey Home — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:47:40 -0000

Previous previews

Eastern Con Atlantic with playoffs

http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/22/1096652/eastern-conference-preview

Eastern Con Central Division

http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/16/1088307/eastern-conference-preview-central

Eastern Con Southwest Division Preview Link here:

http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/12/1082607/eastern-conference-preview

Southwest Division		Playoff Seeds
San Antonio Spurs	60-22	2
Dallas Mavericks	51-31	5
New Orleans Hornets	43-39	8
Memphis Grizzlies	34-48
Houston Rockets	31-51

Houston Rockets

Prediction: 31-51 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Aaron Brooks	Kyle Lowry	MVP: Aaron Brooks Biggest Surprise: TMac’s return Biggest Letdown: Ariza is not Artest Key to success: Interior defensive play Grab bag: Now TMac once to get to the second round without Yao. It won’t happen.
Shooting Guard	Tracy McGrady	Jermaine Taylor
Small Forward	Trevor Ariza	Shane Battier
Power Forward	Luis Scola	Carl Landry
Center	Chuck Hayes	David Anderson

Houston will probably be better than this. Record-wise, they’ll probably win more games than I am giving them credit for, and they will be a tough team to play against every night. Rick Adelman is a great coach. He is mostly known for getting his teams out on the break, the Blazers and Kings of yore, but he showed last year when he got the Rockets to be one of the best defensive teams in the league and play a slower pace to assure Yao Ming was still a viable part of the offense. Of course it helps when you have a agile 7’ 5” guy manning the middle in Yao, and a physically, probably crazy small forward in Ron Artest. Now here’s the thing, neither of these two are with the team this year. Granted, Trevor Ariza replaces Artest defensively, and can probably do about as good a job, and to start the season he will be paired on the wings with Shane Battier until Tracy McGrady returns. This should give the Rockets some good perimeter defending, but neither Battier and especially Ariza won’t be able to take as many chances without a big stopper clogging the lane behind them.

Chuck Hayes is a 6’ 7” center, but is an absolute tree trunk down low. He shouldn’t have too many problems against the stronger centers, but tall jump shooters or long armed agile post centers could give him problems because of his lack of height. David Andersen is taller as the backup, but also a lot softer in the post. Luis Scola returns as the power forward and will need to step up much more this year as the second option. He’ll probably be the first player to touch the ball in the offensive set in the high post. He can make plays from here, whether passing, driving or hitting the jumper. His role is heightened until McGrady returns.

Right now, the key to this team, again, until McGrady’s return, is Aaron Brooks. He has showed he can score because of his quickness and his outside shot, and last year’s playoff series against the Blazers and Lakers showed he can step up when needed. He is now the most dynamic offense player the Rockets have and will be looked upon to create his own shot. It is not as important for Brooks to run the offense as one might think. Adelman has always done well with shoot first point guards, Terry Porter, Jason Williams, Mike Bibby, to name more than a few. If Brooks can become more consistent, he could easily help form a good trio when TMac and Yao return.

Memphis Grizzlies

Prediction: 34-48 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Mike Conley	Allen Iverson	MVP: OJ Mayo Biggest Surprise: Mike Conley Biggest Letdown: Rudy Gay Key to success: Cohesion Grab bag: “Did you like my shooting coach?” “Who said that?”
Shooting Guard	OJ Mayo	Marko Jaric
Small Forward	Rudy Gay	Sam Young
Power Forward	Zach Randolph	Darrell Arthur
Center	Marc Gasol	Hasheem Thabeet

This team could easily blow up into the failed experiment it can be, but I have to think, talent alone will help this team win games. Sure, everyone on the team is a shoot first player. The defense, specifically interior, is atrocious with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, but again if this team starts out well, and everyone stays happy they could do alright before the inevitable crash.

The biggest single thing that could help this team is an injury. If one of the five starters misses a significant time it could be a classic addition by subtraction. For example if Rudy Gay goes down and Sam Young takes his place in the starting lineup, Young isn’t going to complain about lack of shots. He is a rookie, knows his place. Rudy Gay on the other had thinks, and maybe rightly so, that this should be his team, whether he takes ownership or not. He wants his shots, thinks he needs them, and will probably disrupt team chemistry whether he means to or not. It isn’t just Gay, though, Iverson, assuming he doesn’t buy into coming off the bench for the second straight year, could create the same problem. To make matters worse, he’ll start the season injured and then come back into the rotation. I think Iverson will get injured this year as well, causing even more amount of time to be lost.

Zach Randolph can score and rebound, but he wouldn’t be mistaken for a team player. He makes stupid plays, yes, he defends worse than the Alamo, but I honestly don’t believe he makes his team worse. This is not to say he makes his team better. ZBo is ZBo. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol aren’t a defensive tandem that anyone would like to have and that’s why Hasheem Thabeet will end up getting a lot of minutes next to Randolph.

Two players, young and talented, are in the backcourt together. Why Iverson was signed when you have Michael Conley and OJ Mayo doesn’t make much sense. Conley, who really hasn’t had full reign as the point guard, will get inconsistent minutes with Iverson on board, especially considering the Mayo, the most talented player on the squad, needs true star’s minutes to continue to develop. It is the obvious conclusion that talent and success don’t go hand in hand and blending talent and constructing a talented team are two very different things.

New Orleans Hornets

Prediction: 43-37 8th seed playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Chris Paul	Darren Collison	MVP: Chris Paul Biggest Surprise: Julian Wright Biggest Letdown: Morris Peterson Key to success: Steady outside shooting Grab bag: Lacking in the wings department
Shooting Guard	Morris Peterson	Devin Brown
Small Forward	Peja Stojakovic	James Posey
Power Forward	David West	Julian Wright
Center	Emeka Okafor	Hilton Armstrong

LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul. Best five players in the league? If not, who do your drop? It can’t be Paul. He has gotten better every season, and the past three years his team has gotten worse. This is no fault of Paul’s, rather the talent around him has broken down or not been reloaded. Paul is no keeping this team alive, maybe the franchise and he needs some real help.

Emeka Okafor is a good start to rebuilding this surviving playoff team. He is better than Tyson Chandler in every conceivable way except catching lob passes and they are both injured about the same amount, although recently Chandler has been injured more often. It’s a good start, and Paul will make him a more dangerous weapon than he was in Charlotte. He should add a legitimate post threat alongside David West where it is very important in the western conference.

The wings are where it gets a little tricky. Peja Stojakovic can still shoot, but the rest of his offensive game is limited, and that’s when he is healthy. He hasn’t been healthy for quite sometime. Morris Peterson is the shooting guard by default. Probably better suited as a small forward, but not a good starting option for either position, Peterson and Devin Brown are not what a playoff team needs. James Posey is a good sixth man, but even he has slowed down. A couple bright spots are Julian Wright as a Shawn Marion like power forward and Darren Collison at point guard. The development of these two might be the only hope of improving upon last year and providing Paul with some more support.

Dallas Mavericks

Prediction: 51-31 5th seed playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Jason Kidd	Juan Jose Barea	MVP: Dirk Nowitzki Biggest Surprise: Tim Thomas Biggest Letdown: Josh Howard Key to success: Howard/Marion not stepping on each other’s toes Grab bag: Solid one through four. Josh Howard is a piece of number two though.
Shooting Guard	Josh Howard	Jason Terry
Small Forward	Shawn Marion	Tim Thomas
Power Forward	Dirk Nowitzki	Drew Gooden
Center	Eric Dampier	Nathan Jawai

Dallas, as far as the group goes, might only have one or two more shots left at getting to the finals. Luckily, the Mavs made some moves this summer to insure that won’t only stay where they are, but have a chance to improve a great deal. This team has an outside chance of getting to the finals. Unfortunately, their weakest position might be there downfall.

From starters to backups, the Mavs are solid from positions one through four. They have one great point guard, Jason Kidd even still, and a energetic playmaker behind him in Juan Jose Barea. It gets better, Josh Howard slides down to the two with “The Jet,” Jason Terry playing behind him. Jason Terry is the best scoring guard off the bench, hands down (Barbosa is close, maybe Ben Gordon if he is on the bench again). The acquisition of Shawn Marion gives some depth the small forward and power forward positions, and hopefully, back with a great point guard, he can get a lot more east opportunities than in Miami and Toronto.

Former MVP and constant candidate Dirk Nowitzki does a lot for his team and it doesn’t need to be explained here, but his backup, Drew Gooden was a steal in free agency. I never understood why he didn’t stick. He averaged a near double-double everywhere he’s been, plays good defense and can hit a fifteen footer with regularity. He can spell Nowitzki or play alongside him. The Achilles heal of this team is at center. While Dampier is certainly solid enough for 25-30 minutes a game, his backup, Nathan Jawai is completely unproven. The absence of Desagna Diop in years past, or the unfortunate missed signing of Marcin Gortat this summer will really hurt the Mavs. Competing with the likes of Lakers, Blazers, Spurs, Hornets and some others, the center positions lack of depth will really hurt the Mavs come playoff time.

San Antonio Spurs

Prediction: 60-22 2nd seed playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Tony Parker	George Hill	MVP: Tim Duncan Biggest Surprise: DeJuan Blair Biggest Letdown: Michael Finley Key to success: Win quickly in regular season Grab bag: Just because Manu is white and not American, does not a euro make.
Shooting Guard	Michael Finley	Manu Ginobili
Small Forward	Richard Jefferson	Roger Mason
Power Forward	Antonio McDyess	DeJuan Blair
Center	Tim Duncan	Matt Bonner

On paper, probably the best, most experienced team in the league. Adding Richard Jefferson is great for depth on the wings, and if Manu Ginobli is healthy again, he Michael Finley and Roger Mason are a pretty deep and solid core. The drafting of DeJuan Blair and the free agent signing Antonio McDyess will finally give Tim Duncan some legitimate help down low.

The key for this team is to make sure to get through the regular season unscathed. This mean winning games early and getting the starters, and Ginobli less minutes. Tim Duncan is only 33 years old, but with the amount of playoff games he has played he might as well be forty. With the added depth, this should be possible.

Tony Parker continues to improve his game. His speed and finishing ability around the rim make him very hard to stay in front of. He also has a midrange game that has allowed him to pull up when the defender is off balance. George Hill backs him up and is another athletic point guard in the mold of Parker without as much skill.

Outside of having good players, San Antonio is so mentally tough as a franchise that once in the playoffs, high seed or not, they will be prepared to play whoever. If injuries weren’t a factor, the Spurs would be favored to go to the finals once again. That’s a big if. Coach Popovich is smart with his players. He knows Duncan is the ultimate key to success (it’s pretty obvious). Last year, Duncan would sit on the bench for significant stretches of time while the team struggled. Popovich would use this to not only give the role players a chance to shine under pressure, but build up Duncan’s anticipation to get back on the floor down the stretch. With more pieces, front court players and otherwise, the Spurs should be able to weather the storm when Duncan is on the sideline.

Eastern Conference Preview-Atlantic Div w/playoffs

Grey Home — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:37:25 -0000

We are double-dipping today on the previews with reader Grey Home's look at the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference Playoffs as a whole. Thanks to Grey Home for providing these.

See preview after the jump. Be sure and weigh in with your own thoughts below.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Atlantic Division		Playoff Seeds
Boston Celtics	57-25	3
Philadelphia 76ers	45-37	5
Toronto Raptors	38-44
New York Knicks	30-52
New Jersey Nets	22-60

New Jersey Nets

Prediction: 22-60 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Devin Harris	Rafer Alston	MVP: Devin Harris Biggest Surprise: Rafer Alston Biggest Letdown: Yi Jianlian…again Key to success: saving cap space Grab bag: Devin Harris and Brook Lopez are the only pieces that matter this season.
Shooting Guard	Courtney Lee	Terence Williams
Small Forward	Bobby Simmons	Jarvis Hayes
Power Forward	Yi Jianlian	Sean Williams
Center	Brook Lopez	Josh Boone

Unlike other bad teams, the Nets have a lot of light at the end of the tunnel. They have two franchise pieces in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, two prospects in Courtney Lee and Terence Williams, and the intriguing Yi Jianlian. The Nets also have a new owner, a very rich owner who will be looking to make a splash next summer when the Nets have a large amount of cap space to fill. In the meantime, the Nets are just trying to improve. The development of the aforementioned is the first priority. Unlike a lot of the other bad teams (Knicks, Bucks, Tulsa 66ers), the Nets aren’t trying to fool their fan base into thinking they have a shot at the playoffs. Get Devin Harris the ball, get Brook Lopez the ball. Mix in some Courtney Lee and Terence Williams. Repeat. Auto-wash.

Devin Harris has already established himself, becoming an all-start last year. It is important that this year he runs the team, instead of being part of it. He is still the first option on offense, but he needs to be more of an initiator and less of a finisher, specifically at the beginning of the game. He should force feed Lopez down low. His development is the key to long term success. It is always said that a good center is hard to come by, and it’s true. There are never more than 5 quality centers in the league at one time, and Lopez has a chance to an be an All-Star. He has a good outside touch, is a solid rebounder and is a smart passer. He needs to get a bit more tenacious on defense and offensive rebounding to further his development. The other post position will be filled by Yi. It will be interesting to see how long that lasts. He has a good game here and there, and I like his skills. He needs consistency and some aggressiveness to match his skill. It just doesn’t seem like he is trying. He could end up playing overseas when his contract is up.

Most of the other positions are filled by role players who aren’t necessarily important to the Nets long-term success. Sean Williams and Josh Boone are solid big man off the bench, and Rafer Alston has proved to be a good starting point guard in the league, although he probably isn’t happy being a Net after starting for an NBA finals team. But again, this team is building for the future, the team knows it, the management know it and the fans know it.

New York Knicks

Prediction: 30-52 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Chris Duhon	Nate Robinson	MVP: David Lee Biggest Surprise: Danilo Gallinari Biggest Letdown: Jordan Hill Key to success: Any sort of defense Grab bag: Nate Robinson will be out of the league in 3 years
Shooting Guard	Wilson Chandler	Larry Hughes
Small Forward	Jared Jeffries	Danilo Gallinari
Power Forward	Al Harrington	Jordan Hill
Center	David Lee	Darko Milicic

Mike D’Antoni is one of my least favorite coaches. His team’s playing style is fun to watch, its fast, lots of scoring, the players love it because they get to play a lot more freely than in most systems and the teams generally do a lot better than they would under this system…in the regular season. Proponents of the system point to the Suns teams that played so well in the regular season and made the Western Conference finals, only to have some controversial calls. In the end though, it was the lack of defense that caused the teams to not advance. The Suns may have had some good defensive players; Shawn Marion, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw for a time, but as team it seemed a lack of focus, not to say it’s by design. I am sure that D’Antoni coaches defense, but the mentality of quick offense seems to have a negative effect on most players. There are more gambles in the passing lanes, players leaving their assignments to break, even more so than coached to, and of course three point shots that lead to easy offense for the other team. I am just not sold. The Lakers of the eighties ran a fast paced scheme too, but they also were great at defense. It helps to have a 6’ 9” point guard reaching into the lanes with a 7 footer standing behind him, which the Knicks have neither of.

I also don’t see any big names coming to New York next year. Chris Bosh is probably the most likely, but honestly, the situation is better in Toronto for the foreseeable future. They at least have some pieces, but the Knicks? There is no legitimate star, or star in the making on the roster. Jordan Hill and Danilo Gallinari have outside chances, but David Lee is most likely gone, and he won’t put up these same numbers anywhere else. Nate Robinson is more of a showman than a basketball player. Wilson Chandler might be the only decent all-around player on the team. That isn’t saying much.

Of course, all of this is irrelevant because the Knicks are going to score tons of points with a chance to win on most nights. And for New Yorkers right now, that’s an improvement.

Toronto Raptors

Prediction: 38-44 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Jose Calderon	Jarrett Jack	MVP: Chris Bosh Biggest Surprise: Jarrett Jack Biggest Letdown: Hedo Turkoglu Key to success: Chris Bosh playing at MVP level Grab bag: Hedo drinks Dos Equis according to his wife
Shooting Guard	Marco Belinelli	DeMar DeRozan
Small Forward	Hedo Turkoglu	Antoine Wright
Power Forward	Chris Bosh	Amir Johnson
Center	Andrea Bargnani	Rasho Neterovic

Last year, I thought the Raptors were going to be a lot better. They had made the playoffs the previous season and had added Jermaine O’Neal who looked to be back healthy. Instead the Raptors floundered. O’Neal was traded and Andrea Bargnani is now the full time starter. Hedo Turkoglu was the big off season signing this year, and he is already hurting before the season has started due to Eurobasket. This isn’t encouraging.

Marco Belinelli is the projected starter at shooting guard, with a raw Demar DeRozan playing behind him. Just like in Golden State, Belinelli won’t last long. Jarrett Jack will be getting a majority of the minutes whether he is starting or not, while Rozan picks up any leftovers. Jarrett Jack will also serve as the backup point guard to Jose Calderon who wasn’t mentioned nearly as much as the previous breakout year. He is still solid, but he may need to be more aggressive if Toronto is to exceed expectations.

Again, Chris Bosh will be called on to carry this team. He is certainly capable of that, and in the pick in roll with Turkoglu, he should be more dynamic than Dwight Howard. That will be the go to play down the stretch for this team in close games, and it is potentially lethal as Bosh has much more range than Howard and is a better free throw shooter. With Bargnani playing the middle, he can creep out to the perimeter a la Rashard Lewis to hit a kick out three pointer off of a Bosh or Turkoglu pick and roll. The Raptors are in a sense, Magic-lite.

The Raptors will really need everyone to play at career year level to get to the playoffs or beyond, and Bosh himself, playing for a contract, will need to be near MVP level to take Toronto where he thinks they should be. This means defensively he’ll need to channel Kevin Garnett while still producing big on the other side of court.

Philadelphia 76ers

Prediction: 45-37 5th seed

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Louis Williams	Jrue Holiday	MVP: Andre Iguodala Biggest Surprise: Marreece Speights Biggest Letdown: Jrue Holiday Key to success: Brand the focus of offense Grab bag: Sadly the best UCLA player on the team is Jason Kapono
Shooting Guard	Andre Iguodala	Willie Green
Small Forward	Thaddeus Young	Jason Kapono
Power Forward	Elton Brand	Marreece Speights
Center	Samuel Dalembert	Primoz Brezec

Why would this team be better with the loss of Andre Miller? The offense initiator will change. Miller is a good point guard, but with the ball in his hands, he forces the team to play his way. The coaches he has had realize this and go with the flow, but now that he is gone to Portland, the offense will be much more post oriented. The Sixers will still look to run, but in the half court sets Elton Brand will be the first player to get the ball. Last year Brand was more of a cleanup man. Getting offense boards and put backs, never really the focal point of the offense. Granted, he is coming off two major injuries, but he needs to get more than twelve and a half shots per game. He will. Lou Williams isn’t a classic point guard by any meaning of the term, but he is smart enough to know he isn’t in there to be jacking up shots with Brand, Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young providing the offense.

Defensively, Samuel Dalembert will continue to roam the middle. Although his contract is much larger than it should be, he has been solid in the middle for the Sixers. Along with his minutes, his stats went down last year, but for a defensive minded center who is fairly athletic to play in 246 staright regular season games, I’d have to say the Sixers are getting fairly close to their money’s worth. It is odd to look at from a production value, but he does what he does, and that’s all they Sixers are expecting. He takes good shoots, hits free throws above 70%, and blocks about two shots per game. One reason for his more limited play is the emergence of Marreece Speights. This guy has a mean streak, is athletic enough, but has freakishly long arms, is a banger and can hit the midrange shot. He will get a lot of minutes off of the bench backing up Brand and Dalembert as he can play with either one.

Outside of Speights, the bench leaves something more to be desired. Jason Kapono is a great spot up shooter, Willie Green is a poor man’s combo guard and Primoz Brezec has only had two decent years as a NBA player (2004-2006). Jrue Holiday, the PG from UCLA hasn’t performed well in preseason and looks completely out of sorts. Expecting him to be the next Westbrook is probably too much, but his development will help push Lou Williams as the starter and hopefully between to two the Sixers can find a good PG.

Boston Celtics

Prediction: 58-24 2nd seed playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Rajon Rondo	Eddie House	MVP: Kevin Garnett Biggest Surprise: Glen Davis Biggest Letdown: Bench Key to success: Kevin Garnett’s defense Grab bag: All they need is Warwick Davis to run the point.
Shooting Guard	Ray Allen	Tony Allen
Small Forward	Paul Pierce	Marquis Daniels
Power Forward	Kevin Garnett	Glen Davis
Center	Kendrick Perkins	Rasheed Wallace

If this team is healthy, as in completely healthy, with a top two or three seed headed into the playoffs, they will win it all. The talent, post season experience and heart of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will win a championship...if healthy. With three of the top four players 32+, injuries, especially minor ones, are a real possibility. It’s not the regular season that matters as long as they procure one of the top three seeds. This team is deep enough, especially with the addition of Rasheed Wallace and development of Glen Davis in the playoffs last year, that if Garnett needs to be rested and play closer to 30 minutes a game, the Celtics can cope. Same goes with Ray Allen with Tony Allen and Marquis Daniels both able to play the two.

Paul Pierce is the Celtics best player now that Garnett has had a serious injury. Pierce continues to be clutch and the heart of the team. He will continue to play relatively heavy minutes because he can, but he won’t have to punish his body as much with the new developing weapons able to play important stretches. Daniels can play important minutes off the bench so that Pierce can be fresh for crucial stretches.

Kendrick Perkins has used his confidence boost of playing next to three future Hall of Famers and has actually become a solid player, especially defensively. He still thinks he is better than he is, but he is big, solid and strong, and has added a nice little touch inside. He doesn’t need to do too much with ‘Sheed and Garnett able to score down low, and guard the best post players, but Perkins is tough and can always give something extra the Celtics don’t necessarily need, but will take.

Rajon Rondo was talked about all summer after dominating in the playoffs. He butted heads with the coach. He wasn’t traded and he holds the starting job, and I think it was a good choice. Unless Rondo is the stupidest player in the NBA not named Zach Randolph. There is no way he would disrespect Allen, Pierce, Garnett or Wallace. Not all at the same time. Rondo will be fine and will continue to play a little wild, but effective. And if he wants to ‘get paid’ he will need to be on his best behavior, so when a potential contract or trade comes he won’t immediately alienate his new team. He also can’t ignore his backcourt partner Ray Allen. Rondo can make a living driving and dishing to Allen in the corner, at the top of the key, wherever. Rondo is smart enough, hopefully, to know he can gain the immediate respect from his team by making the pass and giving them easy baskets. He will, or Garnett will get down on all fours and “do things to him that you ain’t never seen befo’.”

East MVP: LeBron James East Most Improved: Marreece Speights

East Defensive POY: Dwight Howard East ROY: Brandon Jennings

East Playoff predictions:

1st round

1st seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 8th seed Miami Heat-Cavs win 4-0.

Cleveland is to big and to deep for the Heat. It’s an easy series as the O’Neal battle ends with Shaq dominating Jermaine. Wade and James are fun to watch as Wade averages 35+ a game, but nothing else is going as every other matchup is in the Cavs favor.

4th seed Atlanta Hawks vs. 5th seed Philadelphia 76ers- Hawks win 4-2

Series is tied 2-2, with both teams winning at home, until the Hawks step up and finally win on the road. Eventually the little nicks that the Sixers take over the course of the series add up as Atlanta’s depth shines through. Sixers play well, and are encouraged, but need a piece or two to move on next year.

3rd seed Boston Celtics vs. 6th seed Chicago Bulls-Celtics win 4-3

Turning into a great first round rivalry. Even with Boston completely healthy, Chicago takes them to seven games. Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo are each a blur but Rondo has better pieces and they provide the fire power. Celtics are too big in side as Chicago is strictly perimeter in the series. It is off when they need it, and the Celtics survive.

2nd seed Orlando Magic vs. 7th seed Washington Wizards-Magic wins 4-1

All the games are close, with the Wizards winning one game in Washington, but the Magic are good down the stretch of all the other games. Howard’s free throws becoming less and less of a burden.

East Semi-Finals

1st seed Cleveland vs. 4h seed Atlanta Hawks-Cleveland wins 4-1

Better than last year, but not by much. The interior is where the Hawks get beat. Horford can contend with Shaq and Illgauskas for only so long, and there are no other answers on the bench. James is on again, and keeps it all business.

2nd seed Orlando Magic vs. 3rd seed Boston Celtics-Celtics win 4-2

Firs upset of the east playoffs. Boston, fully healthy, is so organized and focused defensively that nothing comes easy to the Magic. Howard has to deal with the defensive trio of Perkins, Garnett and Wallace, while everyone else has Rondo, Pierce and Allen to chase around. Boston is focused and determined.

East Finals

1st seed Cleveland vs. 3th seed Celtics-Boston wins 4-3

Lebron and Shaq bring it everygame, and Mo’ Williams provides enough to win the first two games, but Boston wins the next two at home and takes that rhythm back to Cleveland and wins again. Game 6 is even most of the game until Lebron makes is free throws down the stretch after constant drives to the hoop a la Wade in the 2006 finals. Game 7 is back in Cleveland, the Cavs to lose, but Boston’s experience overcomes the will of Lebron and Boston returns to the finals.

Eastern Conference Preview-Central Division

Grey Home — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:27:09 -0000

This is the second of 6 Division Previews, Culminating with a Blazers Preview.

Southwest Division Preview Link here:

http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/12/1082607/eastern-conference-preview

Central Division		Playoff Seeds
Cleveland Cavaliers	60-22	1
Chicago Bulls	44-38	6
Detroit Pistons	35-47
Indiana Pacers	25-57
Milwaukee Bucks	15-67

Milwaukee Bucks

Prediction: 15-67 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Luke Ridnour	Brandon Jennings	MVP: Michael Redd Biggest Surprise: Brandon Jennings Biggest Letdown: Luke Ridnour Key to success: Bogut scoring Grab bag: This is a very bad team that will only get worst with the inevitable injury.
Shooting Guard	Michael Redd	Charlie Bell
Small Forward	Luc Richard Mbah a Moute	Ersan Ilyasova
Power Forward	Hakim Warrick	Joe Alexander
Center	Andrew Bogut	Kurt Thomas

The Bucks might be the worse team in the league. They were bad last year and lost two important pieces in Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva, not to mention arguably their best player, Richard Jefferson. Granted, Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut were hurt most of the year, but they weren’t exactly lighting it up before the injuries. Scott Skiles did manage to get the most out of his team, but Brandon Jennings won’t be ready at least for a year or two, if ever, Mbah a Moute is an athletic defender but is no Richard Jefferson, and how confident can one be that Bogut and Redd will stay healthy for most of the year. It is hard to find a winning equation here.

Somehow, Luke Ridnour returns as the starting point guard. No matter how well Sessions played in his stead last year, Ridnour, for the most part, kept his starting job. He isn’t awful, but he never played like a lottery player either. He would be a good back up here, and maybe Jennings can overcome him at some point in the season. Jennings is a very exciting player and is better than I give him credit for. He gets into the lane and while he is still trying to find the space to pass to once he’s there, that would seem to come naturally with more time on the court. He is lucky to have Redd out there as a spot up shooter.

Redd is very important to this team. He is the only outside shooter in the starting lineup (don’t count Ridnour) and the best scorer on the team. Redd’s deep threat is enough to open space for guard penetration and the posts to have time to make a move before a double team. It is even better when Redd goes on one of his Reggie Miller-esque hot streaks and just starts pulling from deep with is left handed sling-shot.

Luc Mbah a Moute will start at small forward as kind of a do it all defensive specialist but I doubt he’ll play heavy minutes because, hopefully Joe Alexander is ready to play some small forward as he backs up both the three and four positions.

Hakim Warrick and Andrew Bogut are the posts. Warrick will get some nice hustle points and a few pick and roll baskets. He is a bit slight, but has great athleticism. I still don’t think he is a full time starter, but he is all the bucks have at this point. Bogut is another big piece. He is a good rebounder, has developed a mid-range game and has a very nice touch inside. When healthy he is a top five legitimate center. A lot hinges on the health of Bogut and Redd and the development of Alexander and Jennings. One more year in the lottery could get them a power forward and in two years we could have a playoff team.

Indiana Pacers

Prediction: 25-57 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	TJ Ford	Earl Watson	MVP: Danny Granger Biggest Surprise: Roy Hibbert Biggest Letdown: Point Guard play Key to success: Mike Dunleavy’s return Grab bag: Psycho T is the next Mark Madsen, without the smarts.
Shooting Guard	Danny Granger	Dahntay Jones
Small Forward	Mike Dunleavy	Brandon Rush
Power Forward	Troy Murphy	Tyler Hansbrough
Center	Roy Hibbert	Jeff Foster

I think the Pacers played a lot better then they should have. Especially considering that Mike Dunleavy was out most of the year. Outside of Dunleavy the Pacers haven’t added any legitimate pieces. Dahntay Jones? He started but didn’t play heavy minutes for the Denver Nuggets who used him as a starter so that JR Smith could come of the bench for more shots. Added to the Pacers, where he won’t be used in the same capacity seems counterproductive. Tyler Hansbrough is a nice player off the bench. He won’t take Troy Murphy nor Roy Hibbert out of the starting lineup this year, or maybe ever, however he can be a high energy guy who gets hustle points off the bench.

Roy Hibbert improved quite a bit as the season went on. He is so big he only needs to be near the basket on either end to be effective. He is surprising quick for his size as well. He isn’t fast, but his shoulders are quick enough to through off defenders with a couple fakes. Paired with Troy Murphy, who is a good jumper shooter, he should have a lost of space to post down low. Murphy meanwhile has become a fantasy basketball player’s wet dream; a big man who shoots and makes threes and is a great rebounder. The good news for the Pacers is that it helps their team too, not just the dude on yahoo fantasy sports. He gets his far share of inside hoops as well. And as with all left post players, they usually catch the defense off balance going with the left before they adjust, a la Zach Randolph in Memphis.

Granger is a great scorer who has focused on defense this off season. If he indeed does improve on defense he could move near the elite players in all-around game. He can shoot anywhere, a Steve Smith like big shooter, but can also slash, much better than Smith. He needs to add a post-up game to his repertoire. With that he could become a 30 ppg game scorer. Dunleavy will play on the opposite wing of Granger, and has a similar game except he is more of a playmaker and less of a scorer. I’m not really sure how well he’ll come back from injury, but I am assuming he should be alright. He wasn’t a player who relied on his athleticism. Dunleavy and Granger are both taller players that can handle and shoot the ball which causes match up problems. TJ Ford is the man getting these guys the ball, and his penetration and speed is great for kicking out to the shooters on the outside. Ford looks to score a little bit too often sometimes so it’s important he gets the ball to his shooters and feeds Hibbert on the post to keep the defense honest.

Jarrett Jack is actually a very significant lost as the combo guard because he would do a lot of little things and get some offense off the bench and play some stingy defense on opposing points when needed. There isn’t much coming off the bench for these guys except Brandon Rush who has the skills to be both a stopper and a scoring threat down the road.

I don’t have these guys getting many wins, but if I had to pick a dark horse to make the playoffs it would have to be the Pacers. It’s only that little matter of everything going right.

Detroit Pistons

Prediction: 35-47 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Rodney Stuckey	Will Bynum	MVP: Rodney Stuckey Biggest Surprise: Ben Wallace Biggest Letdown: Charlie Villanueva Key to success: Cohesion, Ben Gordon ‘playing nice’ off the bench Grab bag: Two scoring PGs, two jackers at SG and Villaneuva and Kwame in the post…awesome!
Shooting Guard	Rip Hamilton	Ben Gordon
Small Forward	Tayshaun Prince	Dajuan Summers
Power Forward	Charlie Villanueva	Jason Maxiell
Center	Kwame Brown	Ben Wallace

Based on talent alone, the Pistons would be a playoff team. Unfortunately this isn’t 2k or Live (I prefer 2K) where player ratings is the main determinate of doing well. Sadly, they can probably win quite a few games based on their real life skill.

The grab bag says it all, how is this supposed to work? Rodney Stuckey is a nice player and could very well end up have a nice year stats-wise, but is he really the playmaker all these scorers need. Will Bynum is the same way. Denver’s Chauncey Billups could get away with not being a great passing point guard (not to say he’s bad) because he set up the offense so well and did a great job of spacing. Stuckey is more of a penetrate and dish guy which is a good thing except his first option is to try and finish and the pass is only once he gets in trouble. Stuckey doesn’t have a shot from distance, he’s not a spot up guy like Billups so when he receives the kick out he drives right back inside. This brand of play hurts Rip Hamilton’s game of running off and around picks to find open space. There is entirely too much one on one play at the four guard spots. I am also sure that Ben Gordon is happy to be a sixth man again (facetious), playing behind an even better shooting guard than he has in the past. The good news is that, because Stuckey is a big PG he can slide over to defend the SG when Gordon and him are in together.

I like the addition of Ben Wallace and I think he will be somewhat revitalized and eventually return to the starting center position. Kwame Brown is a good stiff off the bench. I do like Dajuan Summers and Jason Maxiell, they should both get a lot of hustle chances with the amount shots getting jacked up.

It has also been talked about of having Gordon, Hamilton, Tayshuan Prince, with Charlie Villaneuva and Kwame Brown or Ben Wallace on the court together.. Prince acts as the point guard as he unsuccessfully did for about a week last year after the Iverson trade. With Gordon wanting the ball in his hands, Hamilton running around popping out for spot ups. Villanueva sitting on the three-point line and Kwame Brown pretending he wants the ball down low. Championship team? No. Playoff team? No. Lottery? Yes.

Chicago Bulls

Prediction: 44-38 6th seed playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Derrick Rose	Jannero Pargo	MVP: Derrick Rose Biggest Surprise: James Johnson Biggest Letdown: Tyrus Thomas Key to success: Loul Deng’s reintegration Grab bag: Someone needs to pull a Larry Johnson on Troy Polamalu to Noah on a fast break.
Shooting Guard	John Salmons	Kirk Hinrich
Small Forward	Luol Deng	James Johnson
Power Forward	Tyrus Thomas	Taj Gibson
Center	Joakim Noah	Brad Miller

John Salmons and Brad Miller were both huge boosts to the Bulls last year. Boston may not have had Kevin Garnett last year, but they were still a great team, and the Bulls, in a very thrilling series, took them to seven games. One of the big heroes of that series was Ben Gordon who left for Detroit. The Bulls are betting on the return of Luol Deng at small forward, and then pushing John Salmons to the two. It works in theory, and I like John Salmons, especially when he went to Chicago and helped make them better. Early in the season is when Salmons and Deng will need to prove they can play together, otherwise the Bulls may not return to the playoffs.

The wings are important but the immediate future relies on Derrick Rose. The kid can play. Most impressive was that his relative lack of a jump shot didn’t hinder him too much in the early going. Derrick Rose is on course to become very Dwayne Wade-like, except with more of a pass first mentality. You’ll remember that Wade began as a point guard. It was only after it was realized he is better suited as a scorer, for a team that needed scoring once Shaquille O’Neal was acquired for the scoring depth of Lamar Odom and Caron Butler. Rose still has other scoring pieces so if scores when he needs to, 17-18 ppg, and creates enough shots, 7-8 apg, this team will be just fine.

Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah will start as the four and five, but Noah will play a lot of power forward when Brad Miller is in during crunch time. Thomas is getting better, especially as a jump shooter, but he will never be the ball handler to play small forward, and he’ll literally never have the size to be the prototypical power forward that the Bulls have coveted since they traded Elton Brand. I don’t see the Shawn Marion comparisons. Taj Gibson has showed something in preseason, he’ll get some run behind Noah and Thomas. Another viable forward, mostly as the small forward, is James Johnson out of Wake Forest. He is a leaper and bounder with a “getting there” midrange game. He is more of a small forward than Thomas and it will be interesting to see how much time he gets.

Kirk Hinrich can play point, but with Rose, those minutes are limited. He’ll play some two because of his defense he can help spread the floor better than Salmons with his three point shot. He’ll get 22+ minutes a game between the two. This allows Chicago to play with their roster a little bit to figure out the best combinations and match-ups when it comes playoff time. I don’t see them getting out the of first round…yet.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Prediction: 60-22 1st seed playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Maurice Williams	Daniel Gibson	MVP: Lebron James Biggest Surprise: JJ Hickson Biggest Letdown: Delonte West Key to success: Feeding Shaq…the ball that is. Grab bag: Shaq ads one skin crease to the back of his neck for every team he’s been on, or he is just getting old.
Shooting Guard	Anthony Parker	Delonte West
Small Forward	Lebron James	Jamario Moon
Power Forward	Andersen Varajao	JJ Hickson
Center	Shaquille O’Neal	Zydrunas Illgauskas

Best regular season record last year. MVP last year. It will be the same this year, can O’Neal help win a championship. Shaquille O.Neal has played with some of the best guards of the last 20 years. First it was Penny Hardaway in Orlando with one finals trips. Then Kobe Bryant in L.A. with 3 championships in four finals appearances. Next to Miami with Dwayne Wade in his coming of age finals, a short stop in Phoenix, the first team he didn’t take to the finals and now Cleveland, with the reigning MVP Lebron James. The odds, it would appear, are good that Cleveland should at least get to the finals this season.

O’Neal should help the Cavs’ biggest problem, interior defense. This was caused mainly by Dwight Howard in the conference finals. I think the best additions to the team are two smaller signings, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. Both are tough, Moon is now the best perimeter defender on the team and Parker is a good outside shooter who isn’t afraid to get in the paint. Before the season starter, Delonte West had the starter’s job, but with his distractions and the inspired play of Parker, Parker should get the nod.

Maurice Williams is the best “help” James has gotten in Cleveland and Shaquille O’Neal should add to that, giving Williams more open threes. Andersen Varajao is down low too and as a hustle and defensive guy he should do well. Zydrunas Illgauskas moves to the bench as the best offensive big man to be a back up. He and Shaq will be close to splitting time. The Cavs should be exited about JJ Hickson. He has developed enough to the point where he can be a legitimate backup at power forward.

Of course the championship rides on Lebron James. He will keep doing what he is doing, and as long as his help does what they’ve been doing, the Cavs should get back to the finals. James has no excuse if they can’t get there this year. The Cavs have done everything to get him help, now he has good players around him, its up to James to make it come together.

Eastern Conference Preview-Southeast Division

Grey Home — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:17:06 -0000

Southeast Division		Playoff Seeds
Orlando Magic	58-24	2
Atlanta Hawks	47-35	4
Washington Wizards	41-41	7
Miami Heat	39-43	8
Charlotte Bobcats	32-50

Charlotte Bobcats

Prediction: 32-50 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Raymond Felton	D.J. Augustin	MVP: Raymond Felton Biggest Surprise: Gerald Henderson Biggest Letdown: anyone playing PF Key to success: Felton and Augustin playing together Grab bag: Larry Brown quits coaching, but doesn’t tell anybody
Shooting Guard	Raja Bell	Ronald Murray
Small Forward	Gerald Wallace	Vladimir Radmanovic
Power Forward	Boris Diaw	Derrick Brown
Center	Tyson Chandler	DeSagana Diop

After several years of positive growth, the Bobcats have seemingly regressed. No new talent outside of the draft was added and a trade that seems very lopsided.

Gerald Henderson could very well end up being a good player, but not a star, and not yet. He figures to do well in the Larry Brown "system" having come from a very structured program in Duke, but he’ll have to earn his minutes behind Raja Bell, who is still a good on-ball defender and the newly acquired Flip Murray who will play almost exclusively at the two, because of the duo of Raymond Felton and DJ Augustin at the one.

Felton has played very steadily over his career, good for about 14ppg and 6+ apg, but from game to game he is very inconsistent. There were many weeks where Felton would put up 32 points followed by 4 points,followed by 14 points. The per game average isn’t bad, but the lack of consistency is. He did become more steady the last month of the season, so the Bobcats hope it continues, which I think it will. If it doesn’t, the Bobcats have another option at PG in Augustin. Augustin had a pretty successful rookie campaign, but with Felton ahead of him on the depth chart he doesn’t have much time to procure. Augustine and Felton will need to learn to play together. Both are kind of combo-guards in that they can score and passing isn’t the first priority. They both can pass though. Felton will still run the point when they are in together so that Augustin can be more of a spot up guy off the ball. Felton isn’t tall, but he is his strong so he shouldn’t get taken advantage of by opposing shooting guards. And with Tyson Chandler behind him, he can afford to play up on his man.

Tyson Chandler is the new man in the middle with the Okafor swap. While he can certainly block or alter shots on the defensive end and throw down alley-oops on offense, the Bobcats aren’t going to get much low post sets from Chandler. Chandler won’t be getting nearly as many ‘oop opportunities without Chris Paul either. Boris Diaw is his partner up front. Diaw, an excellent passer, will be counted on to give Chandler good looks, but still, Diaw isn’t the classic post up PF, and the lack of an inside game should give the Bobcats problems when the lane is closed and the outside shots aren’t falling.

The best player on the team is Gerald Wallace. He is an athlete and slasher and his midrange game has improved. He still isn’t great at breaking down a defender off the dribble, but he can usually find a way to get a shot off. His health is a concern as he has never played more than 72 games in a season (71 last year). The depth behind him isn’t much, most likely Gerald Henderson and Vlade Radmanovic finding the limited minutes. There just isn’t anything exiting about these guys, and Larry Brown won’t be able to get this roster to the playoffs. At least Iverson would have added some intrigue.

Miami Heat

Prediction: 39-43 8th seed playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Mario Chalmers	Chris Quinn	MVP: Dwayne Wage Biggest Surprise: Beasley doesn’t start Biggest Letdown: Jermaine O’Neal Key to success: Wade’s heath…seriously Grab bag: If team gets really good, Riley takes over…again
Shooting Guard	Dwayne Wade	Daequan Cook
Small Forward	James Jones	Quentin Richardson
Power Forward	Udonis Haslem	Michael Beasley
Center	Jermaine O’Neal	Jamaal Magloire

Miami made the playoffs last year due to one thing. And while you can’t disagree to much with Lebron James being awarded the MVP trophy, Dwayne Wade’s Heat would have been near the bottom of the standings without him. Not something you can say about the Cavaliers. Wade being healthy for most if not all of the season makes this a playoff team. He just plays so damn hard. Regardless of what you think of the questionable foul shots earned, he makes his team better and can win a game by himself.

Mario Chalmers will continue at the point, and as long as he plays within himself he is a decent option. He won’t do anything special, but he has a respectable jumper, doesn’t make a lot of mistakes and plays above average defense. He is less of a facilitator and more of a means to an end of getting the offense started. Quinn offers a lot of the same qualities on offense, but with a better three point bomb and is a lesser player defensively.

James Jones will split time with Quentin Richardson and Michael Beasley at the three. Beasley will take a couple more years before he can be a full time small forward if that is indeed what the Heat need him to be. I envision Beasley as an Anthony Mason type when he played with the Hornets and Heat in his later career. Beasley will need to put on some weight either way to become a big strong guy who can handle the ball and can move over to the 4 spot occasionally because Udonis Haslem, while a good player can’t man the power forward spot himself.

Haslem is so dependable he hasn’t lost his starting spot. His biggest problem is his height. His size is fine in that he is athletic and strong, but his arms aren’t freakishly long nor is he the athlete that Beasley appears to be. Without a dominant center next to him, Haslem won’t find many easy opportunities such as the ones he used to get at the top of the key when Shaquille O’Neal was down low. To his credit, Haslem has found ways to keep scoring, but with a different O’Neal, Jermaine, who is a jump shooter as well, Haslem has lost some of his effectiveness.

Jermaine will be only 31 years when the season begins, but his body has worn out and his post game is almost non-existent. The last few seasons he has vowed he is healthy to start the season, but shortly after there is a set back. His backup, Jamaal Magloire, is actually a pretty decent option, just not as a starter. If O’Neal can indeed find some rejuvenation powers in his legs he can be the second option until Beasley finds his way, and maybe Miami can get back into the playoffs with a chance at the second round.

Washington Wizards

Prediction: 41-41 7th seed playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Gilbert Arenas	Randy Foye	MVP: Gilbert Arenas Biggest Surprise: Gilbert’s attitude Biggest Letdown: Not a huge win total improvement Key to success: Defense Grab bag: No hibachi, no agent zero, no fun?
Shooting Guard	Mike Miller	Nick Young
Small Forward	Caron Butler	Dominic McGuire
Power Forward	Antawn Jamison	Andray Blatche
Center	Brendan Haywood	Javale McGee

The return of Gilbert Arenas has been prophesized as the return to the playoffs and a run into the second round for the first time since 2005. Arenas has vowed not to be a "character" this year, which he deemed a distraction. It sounds good in theory, but the Wizards hope it doesn’t take the joy out of Arenas’ game. Don’t be surprised if Arenas’ scoring numbers fall, but his assists rise, as he now has two more weapons to feed in Randy Foye and Mike Miller. Miller will add some floor spreading ability and Foye is a combo guard not unlike Arenas, meaning they can play together and both are dangerous with the dribble creating problems for the defense which can open up the outside.

Caron Bulter has been a steady contributor, making two of the past three all-star games and is dynamic enough to hit jumpers and slash. His defense is above average and he will spend a lot of time guarding the opposing teams’ best wing because of Miller’s defensive deficiencies. Dominic McGuire and Deshawn Stevenson can still come off the bench as "stoppers" but with Bulter’s and Miller’s heavy minutes don’t expect those two to see much time. Nick Young is the scorer off the bench who pairs with Foye in the backcourt. He should be able to add a lot of the same things that Miller does with his outside shooting.

Antawn Jamison is old faithful. He keeps on rebounding and making a variety of shots. When you watch him play, you don’t immediately see or feel his impact, but by the end of the game he has 21 points and 9 boards. Over the last 2 years he has only missed 3 games. He just doesn’t get the credit that Vince Carter, the player he was traded for, gets because of his down to earth game.

Jamison, Butler and Arenas can be counted on to perform. And when the 3 are healthy, or at least mostly healthy, they make the playoffs. Now with these added pieces, which don’t include Flip Saunders, the Wizards should have a good opportunity to meet their fan’s expectations. Arenas is still the key. If he goes down, the team might be able to get to the playoffs still, but they won’t take the next step. Even healthy, a low seed in the playoffs will make it very difficult to get to the second round. The Wizards need to shoot for the fourth or fifth seed to have a chance.

Atlanta Hawks

Prediction: 47-35 4th seed playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Mike Bibby	Jeff Teague	MVP: Joe Johnson Biggest Surprise: Jamal Crawford Biggest Letdown: Won’t make any steps, as everyone at the top got better. Key to success: road wins Grab bag: Who would win in a game of Chess; ZBo or Josh Smith?
Shooting Guard	Joe Johnson	Jamal Crawford
Small Forward	Marvin Williams	Maurice Evans
Power Forward	Josh Smith	Joe Smith
Center	Al Horford	Zaza Pachulia

Atlanta has better talent than last year. Jamal Crawford is a perfect scorer off the bench. He can create his own shot and play with the ball or off the ball. He is a perfect compliment to Joe Johnson when Bibby is out and Johnson runs the point. Both are ball handlers and Johnson; who is still underrated, even on a two time playoff team with great scoring, rebounding and assists numbers for a guard/forward, can be a distributor and playmaker instead of a scorer. Even with Joe Johnson playing more of a Point Forward or Point Guard, I still think Bibby is one of the biggest keys to playoff success.

Bibby statistics have lowered, but his game is still there. He is only 31 years old, was healthy, and during the season had decent if not great numbers. It was his playoff numbers that dwindled, and that is when he has shined in the past. The Hawks aren’t expecting Kings vs. Lakers 2002 numbers, but rather for him to get in that zone during parts of the series or at least parts of the game. He has great handles and a good pull up jumper. Great pull up jumpers are the most lethal shot a player can have because it is un-guardable, and Bibby as that capability. On offense Bibby can have his way with even the elite guards and it was sorely lacking against the likes of Mario Chalmers and Mo’ Williams in the last post season. Jeff Teague was a nice pick up for a backup man behind Bibby, and could eventually inherit the starting job in a few years when Bibby really begins to decline.

Marvin Williams will start at the three, with Josh Smith at the four. Neither are very good defensively. Williams lack the lateral quickness to stay with smaller, quicker small forwards, and Smith, outside of weak-side blocks hasn’t shown any real ability to slow down true post forwards. These two positions are really where the defense breaks down. They both have incredible length and can be good off the ball defenders. Smith is better at guarding small forwards and Williams still hasn’t shown the ability to guard any position. On the offensive side of the ball Josh Smith’s game is high flying with an added touch from mid range the last few years. He is shooting more three pointers but they aren’t falling any more regularly. He needs to continue to play like Amare-lite, except try on defense.

Al Horford mans the five spot again, and again he gets closer to never playing his natural position at the four. He doesn’t really have a choice as the only other option at center is Zaza Pachulia. Al Horford is a good center, but he can’t contend with the likes of Dwight Howard, Shaquille O’Neal, Kendrick Perkins on a nightly basis. And Pachulia is even worse. Those are the centers on the top three teams. Atlanta gets beat inside, and having a center, at least defensively, so that Horford can move to the power forward position for parts of the game could help challenge the Celts, Magic and Cavs. It would be nice to see some sort of a trade for a Nazr Mohammed or Desagna Diop type center, at least for Horford’s sake.

Orlando Magic

Prediction: 58-24 2nd seed playoffs

Depth Chart

Point Guard	Jameer Nelson	Jason Williams	MVP: Dwight Howard Biggest Surprise: Matt Barnes Biggest Letdown: JJ Redick Key to success: Integrating Vince Carter Grab bag: This team is stacked, and I don’t mean Stan Van Gundy’s sweater.
Shooting Guard	Vince Carter	JJ Redick
Small Forward	Mickael Pietrus	Matt Barnes
Power Forward	Rashard Lewis	Brandon Bass
Center	Dwight Howard	Marcin Gortat

I like that attitude that the Magic expect to be playing the Lakers again in the finals. Going out and getting Vince Carter, Brandon Bass and resigning Marcin Gortat proves it. They are playing to win it now. Jameer Nelson is fully healthy and he should provide a pick and roll option now that Hedo Turkoglu is off in Toronto.

Critics seem to think that the pick and roll with Turkoglu was there most effective weapon, and it no doubt yielded results, but it also became the single focus of the offense when others shots weren’t falling and it bogged down the flow of the entire game plan. Yes, it worked well against the Cavs, and was still working against the Lakers, but it can be game planed against, like it became so versus the Lakers.

Carter makes the offense more dynamic. He is a player who can find his own shot without relying on being set up. He is a better defender than Turkoglu (when he wants to be) and unless he doesn’t buy into the team concept, is an overall upgrade over Turkoglu. I don’t think it should be too much of a concern that he will cause chemistry problems because he knows what is at stake. This is the best collection he has been a part of in his career. Starting in the backcourt with Carter is Jameer Nelson, who was an All-Star last season, but missed all of the playoffs until his return in the finals. Nelson still wasn’t comfortable in the finals, but his injury is healed and has time to re-mesh with his team. He should have another good year at All-Star level. Jason Williams is interesting as his backup. It’s not quite certain how many minutes he will play and how effective he can be, but Anthony Johnson is solid and can play the backup minutes as well.

Pietrus will most likely start as the “stopper” small forward so that Carter won’t have to guard the best of the two wings. Pietrus will most likely be substituted for Brandon Bass and have Rashard Lewis slide down to the three spot. This is probably the best lineup, Nelson, Carter, Lewis, Bass and Dwight Howard at center. With Lewis starting at the four he will be able to bring the opposing power forward out on the perimeter giving more space for penetration and, most importantly, Dwight Howard. As Bass and backup center Marcin Gortat will play together a lot and feed of each other’s hustle.

Howard is again at center, and with Yao Ming out for the year is no doubt the best center in the league. His free throw shooting improved as the playoffs went on and if he shoots closer to 70% than 50%, he is going to be that much more dangerous. His rebounding, defense, and athleticism are all top of the class, he just needs to find a little better offense touch, and a 8-10 foot jumper to keep the opposing team from sagging in. The Magic rely on Howard to get good looks outside and his passing out of the doubles will be essential to open shots.

The Magic think they should get back to the finals because their team more experienced and better equipped that then team last year. As long as the offense is straightened out and Carter has a commitment to defense, there aren’t too many reason why it can’t happen.

Next division preview in 2-3 days.

Typical Blazer Conversation

Grey Home — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:16:12 -0000

Bru # 1:

While I think the Blazers are over achieving right now and doing a great job amidst a tough schedule, I see one glaring issue. . .
We've got a log-jam on our team. . . and these players are predominantly found at two positions.

PG and SF
PGs: Blake, Sergio, and Bayless in that order
SFs: Webster, Outlaw, and Batum in that order
Mike and Mike this morning reported that Bayless is frustrated and potentially would like a trade because of his limited playing time.
Earlier this season, Outlaw verbalized his frustration with getting his starting spot taken from a rookie.
Same thing with Sergio. . . he was frustrated earlier this season.
We're a quarter way into the season and while we're one of the deepest teams in the league, do you really think the Blazers front office/coaching staff are going to be able to keep all 15 over-inflated NBA egos in check? Doubtful. . . Players want the playing time to get paid more when their contracts are up. That's how the NBA works. You can't keep potentially great players on the bench and expect them to not complain. If I was Bayless, I would be complaining to. I just tore up summer league, I'm a savage on the court, and I'm getting 6 minutes a game.
When was the last time a lottery-pick rookie averaged 6 minutes a game? Especially one with as much potential as Bayless.
As much as Blake is a good person, loves Portland, he's an extremely average NBA player. He's got poor lateral quickness, no strength, and limited driving ability (I know Roy does, but it would be helpful to have two starting backcourt players with that ability).

Bayless also has something that both Blake and Rodriguez lack. . .that edge, that ability to not back down to anyone (e.g. see elbow to Kobe in game one, and walking through Garnett's antics last game against Celtics). He's a better defender, has better driving ability, and is considered by the squad to be one of the best, if not thee best shooter on the team.

Everyone is always saying, "Let's just let this young team grow together."

We can have a great young nucleus that grows together, but realistically, our most valued assets are Roy, Oden, Aldridge, Fernandez, Martell, and Bayless (I think he's going to be great). We can let these guys grow together, and throw in a star vet and be in the NBA elite now and later, instead of just later.

I would like to see a package of Outlaw, Frye, and Rodriguez and/or Blake for a veteran PG and bruiser PF (a Brandon Bass type player comes to mind) as a backup for LaMarcus.

I would really like to see Bayless become the second string PG. . .as mentioned before, we need a better defender that will stop opposing PGs from getting down the lane and someone to take a little pressure off B Roy. The more experience we give Bayless now, the faster he can progress into becoming that great combo guard the Blazers could really utilize.

My thoughts on the situation I guess. . . regardless, I'm excited to be a fan of such a promising young franchise built around great character and talent. I'd be happy playing with what we have. . .I just worry about playing with almost too much depth, and having to deal with the frustration of deserving players getting snubbed and becoming problematic.

Thoughts?

First Reply (Bru#2):

In regards to Bayless;

There have been plenty of lottery picks that haven't seen playing time from the get go. Jermaine O'Neal, Darko Milicic, Andrew Bynum, Martell Webster, Luke Jackson, Fred Jones, the list goes on. While I would prefer Bayless on the court to Sergio or Blake even, I don't think he is ready. I also don't believe he asked for a trade. Are guys unhappy when they don't play, always. I want my guys on the bench to want to play, that is competitive nature.

I want Bayless to be the starter in 2-3 years. I do see a need to get him more playing time for development purposes and I think after this season, Sergio will be gone.

One thing that isn't talked about is the development of Fernandez's game. His all around game is average. While he is a good passer and shooter, he can't drive and is mostly dependent upon a playmaker to get him the ball, that is partly the reason Sergio is sticking around. He and Rudy play well together. Rudy needs to figure out how to create is own shot that isn't a step back 3. This will allow him to fit better with Bayless, Blake or Roy.

I love Channing but I agree he will be gone next year if not this. This will open up minutes with Travis at the 4 in the second unit. While he may not be strong he will be helped by the length of Przybilla and Batum with Rudy and Bayless/Blake. Diogu can also fill in.

All this said, I don't think anything needs to be changed this year. Martell still hasn't been integrated into the team and that could change our makeup. I say let it ride into the offseason when some of the money comes off or our books so we have flexability and we can decide then.

Second reply (Bru # 3):

think we already have the bruiser in Ike Diogu (who I have always thought was better then brandon effing bass). I'd like to see a GOOD point guard, not a VETERAN point guard. Whether or not they have been in the league awhile doesn't really mean s*** to me. I don't want a Jason Kidd type or a Mike Bibby type or anything like that. Somebody who is good and still has something left... and honestly there aren't a whole lot of candidates out there. I think finding a good 3 might be a whole lot easier, but then you cut into a lot of guys' minutes. I'm still for standing pat, unless you can get something for Frye.

Graham, I agree almost completely with the slight correction that J O'Neal wasn't a lottery pick. Anyways, Lottery picks frequently don't get to play, especially when they are 19 year old college freshmen. I actually like sergio's game, and see him as a longer term solution then Blake. You can always teach someone to shoot, and thats what he's missing on the offensive end.

Third Reply (Bru #2 again):

Sergio needs to improve shooting and defense, and that is the most important thing Bayless brings. We give up so much penetration, which can be attributed to so many things like bigs not sliding over, but mostly it is Sergio and Blake's lateral quickness, or lack thereof. Neither is athletic which is Bayless' advantage.

Good catch on "What about Jermaine?" I'll substitute it with Marcus Haislip of Bucks infamy.

Bobcats and Suns Trade analysis w/Blazer Impact

Grey Home — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:58:06 -0000

On Tuesday the Charlotte Bobcats tradedJason Richardson, Jared Dudley and a 2010 second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for Raja Bell, Boris Diaw and Sean Singletary

Suns Outlook:

Terry Porter must have the confidence that he can make Jason Richardson buy into the Suns attempt at defense because it doesn’t appear that the need any added punch to their offense.

While in the past 3 years the Suns have had the most potent offense in the league, this year they are still the only team in the league shooting over 50% from the field and are averaging 101.7 PPG, good enough for 7th in the league. They are scoring about 9 points less than last season where they were the third highest scoring team by a difference of a point. Defensively they gave up 105 ppg on 45% shooting in 2007-08 compared to this years’ 101.1 on 45% shooting. The have attempted the 2nd fewest shots per game this year which explains the drop in scoring and scoring defense is attributed to the pace of the game, which Phoenix has obviously chosen to slow down.

Jason Richardson can’t possibly ‘improve’ a team’s offense that is already shooting over 50% can he? And Raja Bell, the team’s only truly defensive player wasn’t a slouch on offense, being able to hit an open three and guard the 1-3 positions very effectively. I would consider him a top 10 lockdown player in the league, but what separates him is that he guards the best perimeter player every night, as opposed to K. Bryant and other superstars who only “lockdown” for portions of the game.

I doubt that Porter is giving up on defense this early in the season so it sounds as if GM Steve Kerr is taking another “shot.”

While the talent level is certainly improved from and offensive perspective it doesn’t necessarily mean it is the right fit.

Note: Jared Dudley is a good bench warmer but he won’t get much run for the Suns.

Bobcats Outlook:

What is going on? Is Felton going to start at the 2 with Augistin at the 1? How does Raja Bell and a 3rd string (at best) point guard help this team? They already have the lowest scoring offense in the league and they trade away a guy who is scoring 19 ppg? Boris Diaw, while originally thought to be a steal in Joe Johnson trade and since regressed. He can’t play power forward, I don’t care what Hollinger says. He is a finesse player even at the 3, and at the 4 he’ll have to bang. As far as cap space goes, it makes the cash spread around a little more, but besides being able to move pieces and sign role playing free agents there has to come a point when teams should give up on the Wade/Bosh/Lebron sweepstakes because they are all going to resign with their current teams or go to the best situation to win now, which isn’t aren’t any of the teams with cap space outside of the Blazers and maybe the Nets in two years.

Michael Jordan has seriously hurt this franchise by ‘giving away’ their franchise player.

What does this mean for the Blazers?

Good things. First off, the Blazer’s have never matched up well with the Suns. One of the reasons being that Raja Bell has made it just tough enough to effect Brandon Roy’s game. Without him, Brandon will be able to make that many more plays. It sounds simple, and it is. Of course on the flip side, Richardson will have to be guarded, but his range is equal to Bell’s and it is the sinking nature of our defense against O’Neal and Stoudamire that leaves the perimeter open, and so that change is minimal.

It also weakens the Bobcats who the Blazers still have to play twice.

I will say that Phoenix, if they do buy into the defense that Porter is trying to preach could end up being a match-up problem at 4 of their 5 starting positions. I still think Phoenix will end up with a much worst record than last year but will be a much better playoff contender making it to the Western Conference Finals.

Predicions

http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/10/27/647692/western-conference-preview

Oden isn't the End All

Grey Home — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:27:26 -0000

Watching the game was nothing less than frustrating. The Blazers couldn't hit shots, and outside of long jump shots and three pointers, none were taken without being under intense duress. Listening to 'The Game' this morning in which Mr. Dawson silenced callers with concerns other than Oden's ankle, worried me. Is this all the franchise has come down to? As worried as I am about Oden's injury and its severity, it was actually apparent that Oden, and the expectation upon him were wearing on the entire team. The guys were plaing nervous. Visually and mentally. Where was the scowls, the smiles. The game was over before it started, not because they gave up, but because a 15 point deficit to the predicted NBA champions is not an easy task to mount. When Greg when out of the game, the team settled, and looked much more comfortable. We didn't play much better, but the second half was much better than the first. The score didn't widen by the same margin as the first and players who had yet to find space, particularly Brandon Roy started to get the shots we are accustomed to seeing. Przybilla knows his role, Oden is still figuring his out. He'll miss a few games with sprained ankles, and go up against teams with players capable of guarding him, but learning to play within the team will take time, around one or two full months.

Need to improve:

1) Spacing-allowing our wings and guards a chance to penetrate and score or dish

2) Movement-Two man games don't necessarily mean only two people are involved

3) Setting the offense-Blake specifically, needs to get the Blazers in their offense early. His inability to pull up off the dribble hurts his penetration ability. If he is able to get the offense set early (and lobbing it into Oden or Aldridge to try and back in for 5 seconds doesn't count), then the Blazers can get easier baskets as oppossed to jump shots.

4) Zone Defense isn't rotating fast enough. This is a matter of will and knowing which corners are ok to cut i.e. identifying personnel on the court.

5) Aldridge and Frye both need to initiate the offense out of the high post with their size and outside shooting ability. This is crucial and creates the best chance at spacing under the basket. Defenders cannot sag off of Frye nor LMA. LMA can drive to the hoop, shoot a jumper or pass to a cutter or a bigman in the post a la Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, this is absolutely the most efficient way to use him in combination with Oden. When Oden is out, then LMA can slide deeper into the post.

Problems that will naturally correct themselves:

1) Jump Shooting will not equal a 19% in a quarter very often (this includes, Roy, Blake and Aldridge against the Lakers)

2) Greg Oden will get his dunks

3) Brandon Roy will be himself the entire game

4) The Rotation will be fine tuned after 3 weeks and then again when Webster returns

Frankly, the Lakers are scary good and are much better than the Blazers right now. The are so long and that was the most defensively active they have played in years. That said, the Blazers missed many open shots that Phil Jackson himself even alluded to, and that is the difference between a close game and a blow out. The Blazers played their first game with a player who has been thrust into a role that is effecting our creators and nothing can simulate that better than a game, there is no way to 'ease' into it. Even without Oden, the Blazers are formidable, and don't think that because this game was such a poor showing the Blazer fans have anything to worry about. The Blazers will still make the playoffs.

Western Conference Preview-Northwest Division w/ playoffs

Grey Home — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:23:01 -0000

This wraps up the Previews. This also includes playoff series.

There is a larger Blazers Preview

Previous Southwest Division Preview Link

http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/10/14/634996/western-conference-preview

Previous Pacific Division Preview Link

http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/10/10/632524/western-conference-preview

Previous Altantic Division Preview Link

http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/9/15/614761/eastern-conference-preview

Previous Southeast Division Preview Link

http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/9/2/606260/eastern-conference-preview

Previous Central Division Preview Link

http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/9/4/607441/eastern-conference-preview

Northwest Division		Playoff Seeds
Utah Jazz	54-28	3
Portland Trailblazers	49-33	6
Denver Nuggets	33-49
Minnesota Timberwolves	24-58
Oklahoma Thunder	23-59

Oklahoma Thunder

Prediction: 23-59 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

PG	Russell Westbrook	Earl Watson	MVP: Kevin Durant Biggest Surprise: Jeff Green’s production Biggest Letdown: Won’t have a legitimate center Key to success: Running by creating turnovers Grab bag: The Thunder need to fire the scout that researches their centers.
SG	Kevin Durant	Damien Wilkins
SF	Jeff Green	Desmond Mason
PF	Chris Wilcox	Joe Smith
C	Nick Collison	Johan Petro

Oklahoma City might as well be an expansion team, because that is about the quality of their players. Surprisingly though, they are going to be annoying to defend. Their wings, starters and reserves, are incredibly athletic. Jeff Green, who will start at small forward, and Desmond Mason, who will back him up, are easily in the top tier of athleticism in the league. While neither is an accomplished outside shooter, Jeff Green will have improved his jumper enough that the defender can’t back off of him and give him free jump shots.

Kevin Durant and Damien Wilkins provide a much wider range of offensive skill than Green and Mason. Wilkins, despite being unable to dribble with his left hand, is a steady ball handler and can set the offense. His three point shot is very good, especially from either corner and he is long enough and tall enough that it is hard to bother his shot for most 2’s. His shooting percentage was low last year, at 40% but In November and half of December he averaged about 14 ppg and shot near 50%. If he can at least get his shooting percentage closer to 50% for the year he will be a good option off the bench for Durant. Durant, if he continues to fine tune his dribbling, will a dreadful defensive assignment. He is 6’9” and has a ‘Stretch Armstrong’ reach. He has a feathery jump shot combined with above average athleticism. At the end of last season he started to “get it” and became a ‘demand the ball-type’ player instead of an, ‘I’ll take it because you told me to’ guy. He can shoot from all over the floor, drive to the hoop, and has put on enough weight that he can start to hold his own in the post. Guarding him with most shooting guards won’t work because he is too tall, and asking a small forward to slide over creates a match up problem with Jeff Green able to over power most shooting guards. There just isn’t an easy way to counter this combination of size and skill.

Russell Westbrook is the new point guard for the Thunder. He is an excellent defender and driver because of his superb athleticism. He will initiate the offense but don’t look for too many assists out of offensive sets. Most of his stats will come from running on fast breaks and either hitting Green or Durant, or just taking the ball all the way to the hoop. Watson provides as the steady backup and can play with Westbrook at the 2. The Thunder don’t need Westbrook to do much besides play defense and look to attack on offense, he will not be relied on to, at this point, to run the offense.

Up front are Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox, who are both capable of 10 ppg and 10 rpg. Neither will get there, but the threat of those numbers is there, which means they aren’t completely incapable. The problem here is that neither player is prime post player. Pairing Collison or Wilcox as as ecod option with a star would make them much more viable. They are both essentially hustle players and asking them to do more than that takes them out of their comfort zone. Collison in particular would be a great compliment to a legit center like Yao Ming or even Zydrunas Illgauskas in Cleveland. Wilcox can put up points and is another extremely athletic player who will thrive in a fast break up-tempo offense.

The Thunder will most likely have another 2-3 years before they really turn the corner. They don’t have many tradable pieces outside of Wilcox, and Durant still needs at least another year before he is an elite scorer (25+), Jeff Green needs to continue to develop his outside shot and Westbrook will need to learn how to run the offense in slow sets. Go Sonics…

Minnesota Timberwolves

Prediction: 24-58 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

PG	Randy Foye	Sebastian Telfair	MVP: Al Jefferson Biggest Surprise: Sebastian Telfair starts…a lot. Biggest Letdown: Corey Brewer’s shot. Key to success: Inside, outside game. Grab bag: The Timberwolves will make the playoffs if Mike Miller shoots 100% from behind the line, the 3 point line.
SG	Mike Miller	Rashad McCants
SF	Corey Brewer	Rodney Carney
PF	Kevin Love	Craig Smith
C	Al Jefferson	Calvin Booth

Trading for Kevin Love was good move for the Timberwolves because they didn’t need another guard in Mayo and Love is not a reach for talent. The league knows what you are getting with Love. He is a solid big man who can shoot and pass like a perimeter player and is extremely adept at outsmarting his opponents in necessity to make up for his lack of NBA level athleticism. Love’s numbers are entirely dependent on the amount of minutes he plays. He will be as solid in his rookie year as he will in three years which isn’t a bad thing. He is already so skilled that there isn’t a lot of room for improvement and playing next to Al Jefferson isn’t going to hurt. Love will never be a 20+ scorer, but he could be a 16-18 ppg with 10 rpg and 4 apg and the ability to hit the three.

Jefferson is almost the anti-Love. He is more of a bruiser who uses his athleticism to get the rim rather than his smarts. He gets to the foul line and for a big man his 72% is deadly. He will never be as good as Kevin Garnett, the man he was traded for, but there aren’t many players in the history of the NBA who will be. Jefferson is easily the center piece of the team and as the Timberwolves improve over the next few years, could be a perennial all-star.

Another reason Jefferson will have a big year is that defensives won’t be able to key on him because of shooters like Rashad McCants, Love and especially Mike Miller. Miller, behind the Celts’ Ray Allen and Utah’s Kyle Korver, is the one of the best pure shooters in the league. He is big and tall for a shooting guard and is able to get a clean look on whoever is guarding him. His ball handling is about average, but his ability to pull up off the dribble is what makes him so dangerous. Backing him up is another great scorer, Rashad McCants. He put up 15 ppg off the bench (he did start 25 games). He is able to come in and pick up right where Miller leaves off. He is a good three point shooter, but he also can get to the rim. With a better record last year, he would have gotten serious consideration for 6th man of the year. The other starter is Corey Brewer, who hasn’t been able to transition his offensive game from College thus far. Defensively he is still solid, but if he is ever able to get an offensive game outside of close to the basket hoops he can become a Bruce Bowen type wing who can play great D and open the floor on the offensive end.

The TWolves sport two point guards who have yet to show they can handle the year ‘round duty. Randy Foye has been injured often and as a combo guard hasn’t had much of an opportunity to play at the point for long periods of time. He can definitely score, and is a playmaker, but at this point the TWolves need a PG that can get the ball into Miller’s and Jefferson’s hands. Sebastian Telfair is the back up and shockingly, is still in the league. He had a decent year in 07-08 but like Foye, mainly needs to penetrate and find the open man and not worry much about scoring.

A lot of people are picking the Timberwolves to be a sleeper pick in the west. Not a playoff team, but a surprise to play much better than they did last year. While they certainly have improved, the Western Conference has gotten deeper, meaning there are more good teams. Where are the Timberwolves going to get their wins? Against the bottom feeders like the Thunder and the Grizzlies yes, but how many games can they beat the middle of the pack like the Nuggets, Warriors, Blazers and Clippers? There aren’t many games to be won for the Timberwolves and they don’t get to play the Eastern Conference every other night. I think the will be improved but the win column won’t be much of a change.

Denver Nuggets

Prediction: 33-49 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

PG	Anthony Carter	Chucky Atkins	MVP: Allen Iverson Biggest Surprise: Anthony Carter is good Biggest Letdown: Defense Key to success: Outscoring the other team Grab bag: This is going to be the highest scoring worst team in the last 10 years
SG	Allen Iverson	J.R. Smith
SF	Carmelo Anthony	Renaldo Balkman
PF	Kenyon Martin	Linas Kleiza
C	Nene Hilario	Chris Andersen

Trading away Marcus Camby was plain not good. Saving money in the NBA is like leaving the TV behind in the occurrence of a fire, it shouldn’t happen. The goal is to make money, not save it. Without putting a great product on the floor, is that going to happen? Essentially the fan takes heed that management is giving up on the current era. There is absolutely no way that the Denver Nuggets win a championship this year with their current roster. Camby at least gave them a fighting chance.

With Camby’s absence, the hopefully fully recovered Nene will start at center. Nene is a good player, but he hasn’t had much run in this offense due to his injuries and he certainly isn’t the player that Camby is. He is a huge question mark. Kenyon Martin is at forward, and without Jason Kidd feeding him the ball, nothing more than a solid player. Neither of these players can nor will play over 32+ mpg simply because of their fragility. It isn’t encouraging that their backups are a small forward and a player who has just returned to the league after a drug problem. Linas Kleiza won’t be asked to guard many power forwards, but the fact that he is coming off the bench will mean he won’t have much of a choice in who takes advantage of him.

Allen Iverson is one of the greatest scorers in the history of the league. Despite his short comings, whatever people may label them as; Iverson has always proven himself on the court to be a hard worker. He literally throws himself at his work. In Denver he hasn’t scored as much because he hasn’t had to. But this year, without any defense behind him he knows that he has to score more, has to lead, create for teammates, and in short, takeover every game. This could and probably will, completely backfire. Not because Iverson will alienate his teammates, but because no matter how much he scores, their opponents will score more. One of the best stories that came out of the pairing between Iverson and Carmelo Anthony is that it did not hinder either player’s offensive game. They both took fewer shots but shot higher percentages than in recent years. That experiment is working. Anthony could score 30+ if Iverson was gone, but he would have to work harder for it, especially because the man responsible for getting them the ball is Anthony Carter.

The Nuggets and the Timberwolves could easily exchange their records, but I think Allen Iverson will be on a mission this year and be able to single handedly keep the Nuggets have no business being in.

Portland Trailblazers

Prediction: 49-33 6th seed playoffs

Team Overview: Portland finds itself in a good position; they have the personnel, they have the chemistry, and they have high expectations. Hype and expectations are not synonymous with one another. The Blazers are expected to do well, and with their team, they should. Don’t worry about expectations. Expectations are only bad when you don’t meet them right? The Blazers are young, their leaders (Roy, Blake, Aldridge) won’t let them slide. This team will turn the corner and know how good they are as soon as Aldridge and Roy have bad games, but the team still wins. The pressure will come off the team and they will start to play. There will always be some nights that things just don’t go your way, but with so many options style of play, usually a solution can be formed.

Starters: The Trail Blazers’ starters are young for the most part. But the two guys running the show, Steve Blake and Brandon Roy are sages with the basketball. The game doesn’t get out of hand with these two calming ball handlers. They can get the ball where it needs to go and they can play off of each other interchanging between the shooting guard and the point guard. The Blazers will play from inside-out with their big presence on the blocks in Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge. Double teaming one of them may work, but not both. Aldridge has more space and the other shooters on the outside. Blake, Roy, and even Batum can get jumpers with regularity when given ample time.

PG-Steve Blake

Scouting: Blake is exactly what this team needs. He doesn’t try to do too much. He doesn’t look for his shot over teammates, ever. You never see Blake take a shot and say, “he should have passed that one.” He makes careful decisions and because of that, doesn’t rack up assists. He can hit the open shot, specifically from three where he is constantly left open. Blake’s defense isn’t more than average, but his work rate is tremendous which allows him to ‘will’ his body into place. Above all, players like playing with him and that is ultimately what kind of sentiment you want players to have towards their point guard.

Outlook: Blake will need to get more aggressive attacking the basket. If he probes more he can find his big man’s hands, or a corner shooter. If nothing else, he can draw a foul or put it in the basket. Defensively he needs to shadow PG’s towards space rather than playing straight between the man and the basket. With help behind him, he can dictate where the offense moves the ball.

Season stat line: 9 PPG 6 APG 1SPG

SG-Brandon Roy

Scouting: Roy will be considered a top 10 player in the league after this season because his exposure at the national level due to TV. His statistics are great, enough to warrant an all-star selection, but they don’t tell the whole story. He literally takes over the game with the ball in his hands. He can pull up for a shot, drive on anyone and finish in traffic. If the traffic is too dense he can find a teammate for an open shot. He breaks down all offenses so fluidly that when fans watch him they ask, “how did he make that?” He can be a lockdown defender defensively as well, but right now his tough defensive assignments are usually in crunch time. He has exhibited a nose for the ball at the end of games.

Outlook: Translating his defensive prowess to a full game ends up being a conditioning issue. If Roy can get to an elite level of conditioning while playing 37+ minutes a night he could be Hall of Famer when it is all said and done. This is the one hark on Roy, he is great at many things, but not elite at any particular one. His multi-facet game is what makes him an elite player, but not something that sets him apart from any other elites. Roy needs to carve a niche, something more than a go to move that makes him completely unstoppable and that card may be defense. The worst thing to say about him is that he isn’t the absolute best. I don’t think Roy has much to worry about.

Season stat line: 19 PPG 6.5 APG 5 RPG

SF-Nicolas Batum/Martell Webster

Scouting: Right now Batum is the starter because of his ability to play defense and the fact that if Outlaw was brought into the starting lineup, he would meddle with the harmony that is the bench. His shot is coming along and he will be able to hit shots from the corner and his dribbling is adequate but not enough to go by someone.

Webster is injured, but figures, with his new commitment to defense, better handle and always gorgeous shot to be the perfect fit when he returns.

Outlook: Batum should be fine as a starter because as a rookie he will be surrounded by the team’s best talent. Batum won’t be asked to do much more than play defense and hit wide open shots. He will hold this spot until Martell Webster is fully recovered from his injury and may have a shot of keeping it if all things go well. He won’t get many minutes but will start each half. He can earn playing time from his performance based on a night to night basis.

Season stat line: 5 PPG 4 RPG 1.5 SPG* *as a starter

PF-LaMarcus Aldridge

Scouting: When he is hitting from the outside it is impossible to guard him. He has great quickness, foot speed and full court speed. His quickness allows him to slip by similar sized opponents and his foot speed in the post helps him spin and jab to get the defender off balance. In the open court he is faster than his defender 9 times out of 10 and will get easy baskets at the rim. Defensively he is long and gets a hand in the offensive player’s face. He is a good help shot blocker and his rebounding is sound.

Outlook: LaMarcus Aldridge is his own worst enemy. He has a great stroke from the outside, but sometimes it just doesn’t hit. Aldridge started to go inside towards the end of last season and we can only hope he continues. When his outside shot isn’t falling he needs to learn that he can still get his points inside and at the free thrown line. His back to the basket skills are there, but he needs to force his way inside. Defensively he needs to try and box out instead of releasing. He tried to release too early last year and it allowed some offensive rebounds. He needs to use his lower body when getting backed-in in the post rather than leaning with his upper body. If the offensive player turns and shoots, his long arms can’t bother the shot as much as if he stays upright where he can challenge many more shots.

Season stat line: 22 PPG 8.7 RPG 1.5 BPG

C-Greg Oden

Scouting: This is the closer player to Shaq that the league has seen. Oden has an uncanny ability to do a standing dunk from 3 or 4 steps away. His strength is tremendous and his athleticism, in due time, will be on the scale of Amare Stoudemire. He goes after rebounds instead of letting them fall to him. He is a good enough foul shooter that fouling him equals points.

Outlook: Despite all of Oden’s prowess, he will not need to put up ridiculous numbers. His area of expertise is defense and that is what he will be called on to provide. Rebounding, blocks, alternating shots and dunks, lots of dunks, dunks on people’s heads is all he needs to do. A big area of concern is his ability to stay out of foul trouble and his conditioning. The condition will likely solve itself as the season progresses, but knowing when to foul and when to go for a block will need to be lessons learned fast.

Season stat line: 13 PPG 11 RPG 2.2 BPG

Bench: Portland’s bench aims to be one of the best. With Travis Outlaw, Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodriguez, Channing Frye and Joel Przybilla, this should be the best second unit. This doesn’t include the rookie Jerryd Bayless who could break into this rotation at any point in the season and will get some minutes anyway. Outlaw and Fernandez will play significant minutes off of the bench and will keep a good scoring punch when Roy and Aldridge are off the floor.

Season stat lines:

Rudy Fernandez-12 PPG 3 APG

Travis Outlaw-12 PPG 3 RPG

Channing Frye-7 PPG 3 RPG

Joel Pryzbilla- 3 PPG 7.5 RPG 2 BPG

Team Outlook: The Blazers can play to their strengths, which are quite many. Coach McMillan will have to find the best combinations on the floor but he won’t have to necessarily worry about any egos. These players like each other, which makes it easier for players sharing time to coexist. Besides natural growth in the NBA game, Portland’s players don’t need to work on much individually besides the basics of improving their shots and defensive ability. With so many weapons they won’t have many dry spells, and this should allow the focus to be on D. Outside of injuries the single greatest threat to the Blazers is their team defense. Last year the Blazers played a bend-not-break style defense. This year the need to force more turnovers so that can get easy points. McMillan has already put a light on some of his plans. In the preseason, the Blazers showed a pressure defense several times. With the seemingly unlimited quality bodies this allows starters to be fresh when needed.

All this said, the Blazers aren’t going to win a championship this year. They still need to grow a little bit, get their feet wet in much more intense games (playoffs). When Oden and Bayless and a few others have completely settled in, the Blazers can be perennial challengers.

Utah Jazz

Prediction: 54-28 3rd seed playoffs

Depth Chart

PG	Deron Williams	Ronnie Price	MVP: Deron Williams Biggest Surprise: Boozer will sign long contract Biggest Letdown: All the hubbub about Boozer Key to success: Let Deron and Jerry decide how to win Grab bag: I can’t remember which Collins twin was the good one anymore.
SG	Ronnie Brewer	Kyle Korver
SF	Andrei Kirilenko	C.J. Miles
PF	Carlos Boozer	Paul Millsap
C	Mehmet Okur	Jarron Collins

The Utah Jazz have all the right pieces in the right places. Deron Williams, their point guard is in the top 3 at his position. Ronnie Brewer is a defensive stopper-type wing who can hit an open shot, Andrei Kirilenko is solid at every aspect of the game and highly skilled at the defensive end, Carlos Boozer is a bruiser with a soft touch and Mehmut Okur as an accomplished outside shooter. The five starters all compliment each other, therefore enhancing each player’s skills. It doesn’t end with the starters though. Kyle Korver comes off the bench to provide a deep threat, Paul Millsap provides front court energy, and CJ Miles can continue with a decent defensive presence on the perimeter.

One crucial element of every team is chemistry. Boozer seems to hold that in the balance. Unlike; Okur, Kirilenko and Brewer, the loss or unhappiness of Deron Williams and/or Carlos Boozer would have this team on the outside looking in. Deron Williams though, is likely, as the starting PG to remain content, Boozer on the other hand always seems to be looking for the next thing. It could be a matter of whether or not he sees a chance to win a championship, but he already has the Jazz worried he is looking elsewhere at the end of the season. If this becomes a legitimate concern it could create turmoil for the Jazz and disrupt the chemistry. The worst case scenario would be if the Jazz end up trying to trade Boozer before the deadline in fear he will not resign (player option in 09/10) at the end of the year. This huge distraction could seriously damage the Jazz’s hopes and despite their chemistry, a loss like Boozer would take serious mending over several years, he is not an easily replaceable piece.

Despite all this, as none of it could come to fruition, the Jazz should be able to perform well. An injury here and there to anyone but Deron Williams could be managed, because he is after all, the one that makes them go. The Jazz will need to hit there stride going into the playoffs. Their chemistry has a lot to do with the momentum they will carry, and that needs to happen at the right time. While their interior defense leaves a little to be desired, the perimeter D in the match-ups category is uncouth for opposing players because of their length and speed. This cuts down on a lot of sliding over by big men and leaves them to only worry about their assignment.

Utah has a good thing going. With the right match ups in the postseason they could easily have a run at the championship. Last year, the Jazz were right on the cusp, it only takes a little more luck and momentum to push them further.

PREDICTIONS

West MVP: Chris Paul West Most Improved: Al Thornton

West Defensive POY: Tim Duncan West ROY: Greg Oden

West Playoff Predictions:

1st Round

1st seed Los Angeles Lakers vs. 8th seed Dallas Mavericks-Lakers win 4-0

A couple close wins in Dallas for the Lakers, but they easily dispatch the Mavs in what may be the Mavs last trip to the playoffs for awhile.

2nd seed New Orleans Hornets vs. 7th seed Phoenix Suns-Suns win 4-1

Phoenix flexes their muscles in the post and while their defense isn’t much against the Hornets, Amare and Shaq destroy West and Chandler. Chris Paul, the MVP, does all he can. Raja Bell discourages him just enough in the series that he can’t pull it out.

3rd seed Utah Jazz vs. 6th seed Portland Trailblazers-Blazers win 4-3

The Blazers, who had played Utah tough all year use their depth in this back and forth series which culminates in a win over the Jazz in Salt Lake City. Brandon Roy and Oden are the difference makers.

4th seed Houston Rockets vs. 5th seed San Antonio Spurs-Rockets win 4-2

The Rockets made it out of the first round. Yao averages a double-double and Alston runs circles around Parker.

West Semi-Finals

1st seed Los Angeles Lakers vs.4th seed Houston Rockets-Lakers win 4-3

Artest contains Kobe as best as possible, but Gasol abuses Luis Scola and company on the front line. TMac is non existent the entire series except for game 7 when he goes for 42 points. Sadly, the shots weren’t falling from the other boys in red.

7th seed Phoenix Suns vs. 6th seed Portland Trailblazers-Suns wins 4-3

The series is completely grind it out. The Oden-Shaq match-up is classic, and Aldridge-Amare doesn’t disappoint. The difference comes down to three-point shooting as even Grant Hill joins the party for the Suns.

West Finals

1st seed Los Angeles Lakers vs. 7th seed Phoenix Suns-Lakers win 4-3

Phoenix has now found their style and this is another great series for big men. Nash is slowing down the offense and forcing the ball inside to Shaq who is playing with a chip on his shoulder. On the other end, Kobe makes Raja Bell piddle himself, which leads to the disparity in wins. Somebody get a mop.

NBA MVP: LeBron James NBA Most Improved: Ronald Stuckey

NBA Defensive POY: Kevin Garnett NBA ROY: Greg Oden

NBA Finals

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics-Celtics win 4-3

Everyone picked the Lakers, but Boston says nuh uh. The Celtics, completely healthy, use their team defense to slow down the game. Garnett essentially becomes the point guard and averages 7 assists for the series. The rivalry is truly renewed.

Good News about D. Miles

Grey Home — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:19:19 -0000

Good News about D. Miles

Second Segment, "One Last Thing"