NBA Preview 2010

Is it time for me to venture into something that might be too large of a task for me to tackle all at once. I tried to think of whom I could call to get me through this if I get too tired and feel like giving up but no one came to mind. I will rely instead on a small pizza and a Weinhard’s Black Cherry Cream soda. Here is my attempt at an NBA preview. Not just a preview of the big story lines, but EVERY team. Even the soon to be contracted ones like Toronto. Wish me luck.

We begin with the Eastern Conference.

1. Washington Wizards- They are a team in flux. With a new owner and a new #1 overall point guard expectations are higher than they should be. John Wall instantly became a must watch player when he entered the league. Imagine a version of Rajon Rondo with a better jump shot and you have John Wall. What people forget about with this team is that they are guard heavy. Picking up Heinrich was a good move, but even his presence in the locker room is not enough to cancel out Gilbert. I believe that Gilbert still has something left in his career, just not for the Wizards. The fans are sick of him and if he doesn’t shape up he will be out the league with AI and Marbury overseas. Flip Saunders is a below average coach who will only make it through this season if John Wall is fantastic. As improved as this team is talent wise with the addition of Wall, Heinrich, Yi, and Thorton this team plays in the toughest division in the NBA. They will be lucky to get 25 wins.

2. Orlando Magic- Have you see the video of Dwight Howard working Hakeem over the summer? If he can even remember and use just one of those new post moves in an actual game, he might take his game to the next level. Besides Howard, this team is still very deep. Bass and Gortat are capable back-ups on defense and when healthy Jameer Nelson is a catalyst for the three point shot explosions this team is capable of. The two big issues for this team are its two highest paid players, Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis. They no show more often than any other tandem in the league and they shrink in big moments. This being said, if Howard can be the leader and get those crunch time minutes then this won’t be a problem. This team is deep and talented and could easily challenge the Heat, but only if they can stay healthy. Howard and Nelson have to play 65+ games together for this team to live up to its potential.

3. Miami Heat- This might be my shortest section. Pat Riley deserves the credit for a great roster; now the question is…will it be enough? The Heat will smoke in the regular season as long as they can stay healthy, but playing 7 games against the Magic, Celtics, and Lakers might reveal their weakness. They can’t score in the middle and as good as Anthony is of a defender, Gasol and Howard will eat him alive. This will require help from D-wade or Lebron and against the Magic, Celtics, and Lakers with accomplished outside shooters the game will get out of control. I respect that this is a great team and that the players on it are fantastic, but I also want to see them lose.

4. Charlotte Bobcats- This team surprised a lot of people last year. I expect a big fall off. They lost the cog to the Gerald Wallace machine when they lost Felton to the Knicks. Felton created angles for Wallace to crash the boards and get easy put-backs. As good as Larry Brown is, Kwame Brown is still a bust. This team reminds of the Land of Misfit Toys. When Desanga Diop is your starting center, be prepared for a fall. As rumors speculate about contraction of 1 or 2 teams in the league is the luster of a Michael Jordan owned team enough to save a team that goes 30-52.

5. Atlanta Hawks- I will try to be nice, but that Joe Johnson is a horrible signing. I don’t want to hear owners complain about not making money when they offer 120 million to someone that you can’t build around and chokes in clutch moments. I fully expect Bibby to die on the court and to watch his rotting corpse cause more turnovers and play better defense than he does alive and mobile. Watch for Teague to take his spot in the starting line-up. It is hard to find a team that could push the ball and score in the fast-break better then the Hawks bench players. The two Crawfords can flat out score and Powell loves to crash the boards. This is a middle of the road team on the way down because of that horrible contract to Joe Johnson.

6. Milwaukee Bucks- I love this team, on paper anyways. Find a hole in this squad? I dare you? My only concern is ego. Jennings is a rising star who was benched often last year when he made bad choices. Will he let Skiles to that again this year? Maggette is the only bad signing I see on this team, he falls in love with the three and it is hard to get him off it. He is also trouble in the locker room when unhappy. This leads me to my next concern, Bogut. Bogut might be the most undervalued big man in the league. He isn’t flashy, but is fundamentally sound and plays well in the half-court. Can he stay healthy and can he be the leader in the locker room? If he can, this team might just sneak up on the Bulls.

7. Indiana Pacers- This team is a mystery to me. They have multiple wingmen that can score in bunches, but their team defense is suspect and the obvious lack of athleticism is a disadvantage. If either new additions Paul George or Lance Stevenson can develop some chemistry with Collison, this team might be able to steal a game or two from some unsuspecting teams coming off the first game of a back to back. Can Hibbert come back from injury and provide the inside threat they desperately need? Granger will only carry this team to 35 wins.

8. Detroit Pistons- Greg Monroe better be ROY material for this team to make something from this season. This team is full of jump shooters; no one on this team can create off the dribble. How will they score any points? I have a feeling that Dumars is going to regret taking Monroe over Cousins. The only thing this team has to look forward to is the idea that Magic Johnson, a Detroit native, just sold his Lakers shares.

9. Cleveland Cavaliers- This roster is the biggest challenge of Byron Scotts coaching career. If he can get 1 player into the All-Star Team and if the team can make the playoffs, then it will be a miracle. I hope that all of the angry Ohio fans vote in Mo Williams and Delonte West into the All-Star game. I would love to see how Lebron will react. This team has no hope remaining unless Scott can give them some, along with some talent. Good luck.

10. Chicago Bulls- This team is going to be considerable better, do you know why? It is not because it got Boozer, but because it got Brian Scalabrine. He defines what it means to be a team player. No one has been as good of a bench cheerleader since Mark Madsen. In all seriousness, Lebron made the wrong choice. He should have gone to Chicago. They are a great basketball town and the roster is loaded. Rose is the real deal at PG, Boozer is a legit 20 pts, 10 rebound guy and Noah loves to play defense. This team could be as high as a 2 seed in the East heading into the playoffs. Don’t forget their depth, with Korver and Kurt Thomas coming off the bench. They can match up with any team and any style of play.

11. Toronto Raptors- Mail it in Toronto, mail it in. Your best players are DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani. I wouldn’t be surprised if your 1st round pick walks out of a game at half-time and never comes back. I wouldn’t come back. Don’t worry Toronto fans you will soon be removed from your Raptors torture as this team will be destroyed in the new CBA.

12. Philadelphia 76’ers- This year’s biggest draft bust is….Evan Turner. A slow, below average shooting wingman will not make it in this league. He looks out of place on the court and playing alongside Iguodala makes this pick even worse. The saving grace for this team is that Holiday looks really good and if Brand can stay healthy this team might be the 2nd best in its division.

13. New York Knicks- I am not as high on this team as some others are. I loved David Lee. He was on a team with no real help and averaged 15 pts/9 boards in his last two years. You let him go to get an Injury prone forward that is a defensive liability in Amare. How is he an upgrade? On the other hand I do like the other moves they made. Felton will be great in that system and both Turiaf and Roger Mason are great hustle players. In a weak division and conference, expect this team to put up fun numbers just to lose in the first round of the playoffs.

14. New Jersey Nets- This team has built a nice core of players. Even though they paid too much for him, I like Outlaw. This team needs Harris to step up to his previous All-Star self in order for the skill players on this team to succeed. Lopez is better than most people think and enjoys an up-tempo style of play. Because of this, I think that Favors is a great fit for this team if they are willing to push it. Either way, Favors is raw and might not be a huge factor. For this purpose, trading him for Melo would be a great move. With a scorer like Melo, this team could be a top 5 Eastern Conference team.

15. Boston Celtics- Doc Rivers is an awesome coach. Has anyone else seen this team’s bench during games? No one could write a story about a basketball team with as much character as this team has. This is the real question of this team; can all these egos coexist? Will Shaq be ok losing minutes when Perkins comes back? Either way, the core is still there and if Garnett can get back to 08’ level then the Heat better be careful to not lose by 25 in the first game of the season. Also note that they signed Delonte West. They finally have someone that can shoot to come in and replace Allen when he gets into a shooting slump.


Let us move to the Western Conference

1. Dallas Mavericks- Rick Carlisle had real issues managing the egos on this team last season. Can he step up and put some of these aging stars in the correct spots in the rotation? Will Shawn Marion be willing to play 15-20 minutes off of the bench? Will Kidd die trying to cling to every minute he doesn’t deserve as both Jose Barea and Rodrique Beaubois develop into exciting and competent players? Rumor has it that Tyson Chandler has found new fire watching the dedication of Dirk to personal development. If Tyson can stay healthy and if Haywood will treat this season as another contract year, then this team can have a barrage of post players to threaten the Lakers.

2. Houston Rockets- This is one of the youngest teams in the NBA. 10 of the 15 players on the roster have been in the league for 5 years or less. With a brittle Yao Ming, the team has announced plans to limit his minutes to around 25 a game. I question how a team in the Western Conference can compete for a playoff spot if your most skilled post player is not playing crunch time minutes. Can Kevin Martin relieve the pressure of off Aaron Brooks to carry the team in the back court? Louis Scola played at a new level in international play this summer, will it translate to the regular season? This is a team with young assets in Scola, Patrick Patterson, and Kyle Lowry. Combine this with cap space and they could be the big winners before the trade deadline for Melo. The only issue with this trade is if Melo would sign an extension in Houston. All early signs point to no.

3. Memphis Grizzlies- This is my second choice for a team to be contracted. Tennessee is a football state and attendance would be low even if the team was competitive. This team might just be the youngest team in the league. 12 of 15 players are under 5 years in the league. The youth of this team shows in one way-they will run anyone off of the floor. Rudy Gay, Tony Allen, Acie Law, O.J. Mayo, and Xavier Henry are all amazing athletes but lack the polish to score easily in the half-court. If Marc Gasol proves to follow in the same path as his brother, he might be the silver lining of this roster. Pau was a late bloomer as most European big men are. If Marc improves to this level expect the Grizz to trade him to a contender for a 2nd round pick in 2012-when the team doesn’t exist.

4. New Orleans Hornets- How good is Chris Paul? This season will prove it. The owner of this team is bankrupt and is trying to cut costs but dumping young talent. The bulk of the pressure falls on Paul. Can he turn Ariza or Pondexter into a viable wingman? Can David West put in the effort to rebound as he does in his 13 foot jump shot? I expect very little of this team and if Paul suffers a rash of injuries like last season, expect this team to get a lottery pick as it barely wins 20 games.

5. San Antonio Spurs- The most underrated player pick-up this year is Tiago Splitter from Brazil. Like almost every big man coming from international play, they have amazing skills on offense. He has a consistent jump shot and is a great touch passer. His defense is a concern, but with the presence of Duncan and McDyess he should learn quickly. Expect to see more of DeJuan Blair and the resurgence of Tony Parker as the team’s best point guard. If the veteran players can stay healthy this team will annoy everyone in the western conference because they just won’t stop being competitive.

6. Denver Nuggets- This team went through a tough year with George Karl sitting out most of the year fighting throat cancer. Now that Karl is back, he should gut this team and start over. What did I learn from this team when Karl was away from the team? There is no leader on this team, Billups can talk all he wants but the team crashed in the playoffs and he shrunk in every major moment. Kenyon Martin is a distraction, and Melo wants out. George Karl is a good coach, but this team is poisoned. I still expect this team to make the playoffs but I think that they could make it just as easily trading Melo and Martin to the Rockets for Lowry and Battier. Basketball is a chemistry sport and this team is radioactive.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves- Minnesota could be the most depressed sports state in the country in 2010-2011. The Twins choked against the Yankees. The Vikings are on the outside looking in for the NFC playoff picture. The Gophers fired their football coach last week after starting the year 1-5. Tubby Smith is on his way out as the Gophers basketball coach after bumping heads with the AD. The Wild didn’t sell out a game for the first time since the Target Center opened and David Kahn is the worst GM in all of sports. Kahn gave away their best player for nothing in Al Jefferson and the team is comprised of 13 guards/small forwards with Darko Milic the starting center after publicly saying that he prefers playing in Europe. Ladies and gentlemen give a warm round of applause for the worst team in the NBA.

8. Portland Trailblazers- Looking purely at talent, this team is in the top 5 in the league. The problem they have is that they can’t seem to get all of this talent to play at the same time. I still believe that Oden is due for a healthy season. If the new addition of the “35 million dollar man”, Wes Matthews is actually as good of a signing as both Jazz fans and Portland fans say it is then this team could overachieve by my standards. Andre Miller needs to retire and let someone else play point. With a capable point guard, Aldridge is a top 5 power forward. He is great with his back to the basket and can finish with both hands. The next two years are invaluable for this team. With Kevin Pritchard (general manager) leaving the team, it is destined to fall apart.

9. Oklahoma City Thunder- I am as high as a kite on this team. Durant has done and said everything right in the off-season and proved he can dominant when it matters while playing for team USA this summer. He also showed a more developed post game and post defense. Look for him to play considerable time at the four spot this year leaving Russell Westbrook alone up top to destroy opposing overmatched point guards. This team is the definition of a team in sync. Durant is league MVP this year and his entire bench will be nominated for the sixth man award.

10. Utah Jazz- This team gets the award for best new jersey design. Bringing back the note is a great move. The Utah Jazz fan base is in high hopes for this year even though they lost 4 big names in the off-season. Boozer, Korver, and Brewer left for Chicago and Wesley Matthews signed with the Blazers. What seems like a rough off-season was forgotten when they robbed the great (sarcasm) David Kahn in MN for Al Jefferson. When you combine this with a motivated Deron Williams, they might not miss a beat. They still have some holes at SG but with successful roster management they might be able to find a matchup that works to their advantage in each game. If this team starts slow, look for them to move the perpetually underachieving AK-47 and his horrible contract. He belongs with the Nets.

11. Golden State Warriors- This team is still looking for an identity. With Nelson gone, coaching is going to be more important with this team than any other in the league. Curry is a great young talent, but is in a battle with turnover prone Monta Ellis for the starting role. David Lee had a career year with the Knicks last year. Will shooting the ball less affect his desire to rebound at the same level? Udoh and Amundson are scrappy players that provide great defensive presence but have no offensive upside coming off the bench. This team is one big question mark. On the bright side, the new logo might finally help people know that they are in San Fran.

12. LA Clippers- Isn’t it amazing what one player can do for a team. Blake Griffin is a beast. He plays like his hair is on fire and is my favorite for ROY. The big question is if his reckless style will get him hurt again. This team has three legit players in Bledsoe, Griffin and Kaman. After these three, good luck picking any real lock as a contributor off the bench. This is where I love Del Negro as their new coach, while in Chicago he got that team to play as team. If he can do the same here and if Griffin stays healthy, this team could make the playoffs.

13. LA Lakers- Not much needs to be said about this team. They have Kobe, the league’s best player. They have Gasol, the league’s best big man. They have Artest, Blake, Barnes, and Odom as role players. If they can stay healthy this team is my pick for the NBA championship. No one matches up to them, not even the Heat. Odom would be a 20/10 guy on every other team in the league and he is coming off of the Lakers bench. Watch for them to move Bynum before the trade deadline. They have Ratliff and their newly drafted forward Caracter is full of potential.

14. Phoenix Suns- I want this team to do well, but I just don’t see how it happens. They have 5 small forwards, an aging point guard and NO scoring threat in the post. They lost Kerr as a GM and then overpaid for Frye. As much as I don’t care for Amare, he was important to this team. I love Nash, but I don’t see how even he can get this team to the playoffs.

15. Sacrament Kings- They got the steal of the draft in Cousins. He was the most complete post player of the draft and should take enough pressure off of Evans that his shot selection should improve. Udrih should be playing the point in that offense, setting up Cousins. Eventually Cousins will face multiple double teams in each game. When this happens Landry can clean up the boards for easy put-backs. This team is in on the rise. I just hope that the Maloof’s don’t mess it up.