2004 - 05 NBA Season Preview

OK people, first things first. The single most important thing you can do today is GO VOTE. Regular readers of this site know who I filled out my absentee ballot for but that matters very little. What matters more is you going down to your polling place and pulling that lever (or hitting that touch screen or whatever) no matter how long it takes standing in line. This only happens once every four years and the future of the country is at stake. Make it happen.

Now, to the matter at hand. The second most important thing you can do today is read my NBA preview, which, by the time I get everything uploaded, will span across three different websites! Very exciting, no? Once again we are bringing you each team's respective previews in 50 words or less:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlanta Hawks: Hawks continue their rebuilding plan that started in the 90's. Jason Terry and Stephen Jackson became Antoine Walker and Al Harrington. Walker will fire at will, gunning for a new contract next year. Hawks have seven small forwards on their roster. Josh Childress has bust written all over him.

Boston Celtics: Gary Payton will get Pierce the ball in position to score. PP will be a happy camper. Can Raef and Blount man the middle? Team D has been a problem in the preseason, but not when rookie Tony Allen plays. Fantasy league owners should tab Jiri Welsch now. Ainge will trade Banks soon.

Charlotte Bobcats: Will be lucky to win 10 games. Roster full of Okafor and a bunch of nobodies. Gerald Wallace always looked good in garbage time with the Kings, now he'll get to show us what's up. Team needs help all over but will play hard. Wait, Steve Smith is alive?

Cleveland Cavaliers: Loss of Boozer will hurt. He was happy to do dirty work for LeBron. Can Drew Gooden fill that role? If not, Cavs are sunk. Don't expect much scoring from backcourt of Snow and McInnis. Additon of Luscious Harris will help. Rookie Anderson Varejao has looked good in pre-season.

Chicago Bulls: Another rebuilding year for Bulls. Didn't extend Curry or Chandler, action at trade deadline? They will continue to struggle this year, but young 'uns will get plenty of PT. Kirk Hinrich was a complete surprise last year. He's a keeper. Tabbed 3 good rookies in draft: Gordon, Deng and Duhon.

Detroit Pistons: NBA's best gets better with addition of McDyess and Delfino. Coach Brown has plenty to prove after Olympic meltdown. What will a whole year of Rasheed be like? Deep bench means Darko will continue to have the best seat in the house. Won't sneak up on anyone this year.

Indiana Pacers: Would Pacers have played for title if not for injuries to JO and Tinsely? Traded for Jackson and now have solid back up for aging Miller. Who is go to guy at crunch time? Injury bug to entire front line means a slow start. JO has a big forehead.

Miami Heat: Will supporting cast be enough for Shaq, Wade and Jones? Heat must win now. Shaq for MVP or scoring crown? Wade has plenty to prove after Olympics. Can he hit a jump shot? Shaq will enjoy having a backup center for once (Doleac). Loss of Samaki Walker will hurt greatly. Not.

Milwaukee Bucks: Faded after rookie Ford went down. He's still out so Mike James gets the nod. He's solid but unspectacular. Redd might be league's best shooter. Kukoc still getting it done after all these years. Loss of Skinner depletes already thin front line. Van Horn enjoying life out of the spolight.

New Jersey Nets: Dealt Martin and Kittles and didn't get a single body in return. Kidd is hurt and out until December. Can Jefferson carry team until then? He's exposed without Kidd. If 'Zo plays 10 games this year, Nets must pay the rest of his ridunculous salary. Ron Mercer starting at SG? Hahahahaha.

New York Knicks: Allan Houston $17.5 million + Stephon Marbury $14.6 M + Penny Hardaway $14.6 M + Tim Thomas $12.9 M + Shandon Anderson $7.5 M + Jamal Crawford $5.8 M = a .500 record. NY press has them trading for Vince, 'Toine AND Webber any day now. Go Isiah go!

Orlando Magic: Not enamored with Stevie Franchise. He and Mobley will get all the shots they want. Dwight Howard is soft and has Danny Manning written all over him. Having G Hill back on the court would be nice. Turkoglu got the big bucks, now can he produce consistently?

Philadelphia 76ers: Dalembert came on nicely at the end of last year. Coach OB will move AI to PG, freeing up minutes for Willie Green and John Salmons. Tough but undersized front line with Taylor, Skinner and Scoreless. Like all the other teams in division, could win it or finish under .500.

Toronto Raptors: Bosh is the real deal and now has some protection in Araujo. Why did they resign MoPete? VC is a girlyman and wants a trade, but no one wants him. Rose exposed as me first gunner last season. Signing Alston as the PG was a step in the right direction.

Washington Wizards: Team in turmoil before season even starts. Jamison will be All Star in East, due to no comp and all the shots he'll get. Wiz now Warriors East with Jamison, Hughes and Arenas reunited. Team has potential, but those three didn't get along the first time around.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Dallas Mavericks: Mavs lost out letting Steve Nash walk. Rookie Devin Harris and J Terry won't fill that void. Traded Jamison for Stackhouse but can Stack put the team first? Dirk can't be considered an elite player until he plays D and rebounds. Is Dampier the answer in the middle?

Denver Nuggets: Kenyon Martin and Nene are already fighting, literally. Still no SG to speak of. This is 'Melo's team, is that a good thing? Traded away all their picks for Martin, so must sign free agent next year to improve. Can Boykins do it again? Lack of backcourt depth could be a problem.

Golden State Warriors: Paid big bucks for Adonal Foyle, D Fish, J Rich and Troy Murphy? Typical Warriors. Expectations are high, but starting 5 doesn't scare anyone. Ex-Stanford coach Montgomery figures to join ranks of overmatched college coaches. Dunleavy keeps progressing but can't (won't?) play D. Coach K shaking head in disgust.

Houston Rockets: Made big move for T-Mac, will he pass to Yao and play D? Yao improves every year but has played 3 years straight due to national team commitments. PG's are a complete joke. Juwan Howard happy to be fourth wheel again. Still wondering why Kings let Jimmy Jackson go.

LA Clippers: Lost Q Rich to Phoenix. Replace him with…Kerry Kittles? Maggette will put up All Star type numbers again. Can Brand ever stay healthy? Will Chris Wilcox ever see the light of day? Kaman has been nice surprise, team has fingers crossed for Shaun Livingston. Should have gone to Durham! Argh!

LA Lakers: Congrats Kobe, it's your team now. Say hello to Mr. Tripleteam. Will Odom revert to old ways in LA? His dealer's number probably hasn't changed. Chris Mihm has no clue but will tantalize every few games. Can Divac play 20 minutes a game? Rookie Vujacic could surprise people.

Memphis Grizzlies: Rest of conference elite improved greatly, Grizz added Brian Cardinal. It'll be tough to improve upon last year. James Posey was a revelation, should have been All Star. Gasol was best player at Olympics. Hoping Hubie can last the season. Stacked roster primed for a trade (w/ Chicago for Curry?)

Minnesota T’wolves: Spree needs money to feed his fam, Cassell wants the love too. Waaaaah! Not the best start in Minny. Trade rumours dog Wally, can KG keep it together or will he just punch someone? Get your gat! Big hole in middle since Rasho left for Texas. Will NJ send Kidd this way?

New Orleans Hornets: Same story in the Big Easy. Team showed B Diddy the money, now he wants out. Magloire too. Playoffs are a long shot without injured Mashburn combined with move to Western Conference. Is Byron Scott a better coach than Tim Floyd? Not so sure but we'll soon find out.

Phoenix Suns: Rebuilding club on the fly by adding Nash. Stoudamire primed for good campaign. Joe Johnson finally stepped up when Marbury left town, will he keep it up? Cabarkapa and Lampe are good; too bad they are the same player. Q Rich will help greatly on the boards. Big hole in middle.

Portland Trailblazers: Hard to tell team's future until they trade Shareef. Roster figures to be much different at the end of the season. Extended Randolph with big bucks, can he stay out of the pokey? Blazers fans looking forward to last year of Stoudamire. Ratliff continues to patrol the paint with ferocity. Why add Van Exel?

Sacramento Kings: Starters are another year older and team lost more depth during off season. Kings becoming broken record. Which regular will get injured in stretch run this year? Peja wants out. Webber calling out teammates but still playing on one leg. Last chance in cow town. Rookie Martin looks good.

San Antonio Spurs: Will Brent Barry bring the title back to San Antone? Play of PG Parker more likely to determine course. Team needs an enforcer to play along with Duncan. Manu is the man, you can only contain him. Bowen is league's dirtiest player; wear a cup when he's near.

Seattle Supersonics: No joy in Seattle, team is in shambles. Needs to trade Vlad Rad for a big, but Allen changing addresses is more likely. Looking forward to seeing what Collison can do. Team should blow everything up and start over. Best players all play the same position.

Utah Jazz: Made huge splash this off season with Boozer and Okur. Frontline now one of the league's best. Backcourt not too shabby either with Arroyo and Lopez. Harpring is a warrior. Rookies Snyder and Humphries will have hard time seeing the court. This team is loaded and I haven't even mentioned AK-47 yet. Yikes!

Let the games begin!!