2005 - 2006 NBA Preview
The NBA (thankfully/finally) tips off tonight with four games on the slate. Everyone else hits the hardwood tomorrow night and we're off to the races. Once again yours truly is here to bring you each team's season outlook in 51 words or less. Let's do this.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlanta Hawks
Roster has some talent, but it's a mess. With the death of Jason Collier, PT will be split between 6 SF's, 1 SG, 1 PG and 1 C. Al Harrington is in a contract year, but how much will Marvin Williams play? He's looked lost in camp and pre-season.
Blog: Hawks Basketblog
Boston Celtics
Mark Blount looked revitalized in pre-season. Team has talent but PG will be a real weakness. Rookie Orien Greene may be teams best bet there. PP looks ready for a huge year, but trade rumours will continue to swirl. Keep an eye on rook Ryan Gomes.
Blogs: Delonte's Diary, Scal's Blog, Rookie Diary: Ryan Gomes
Charlotte Bobcats
When Gerald Wallace and Kareem Rush are your perimeter offense, you're in trouble. Draft picks Felton and May will put butts in seats but don't help team talent level very much. Felton was TO machine in college, so watch out. Okafor proved all doubters wrong last year.
Blog: Bobcats Blog Squad Brad Thomas (fan), Chris Weiler (Marketing Officer), Matt Devlin(TV Announcer), John Blair Bickerstaff(Assistant Coach/nepotism recipient), Matt Carroll(Scrub)
Chicago Bulls
Playoff team last year could finish last in the division this year. Losing Curry hurts, but not as much as losing Antonio Davis. Keep an eye on team chemistry. It was all good last year, but how long will Ben Gordon play nice about Chris Duhon starting ahead of him?
Blog: None
Cleveland Cavaliers
Despite offseason improvements, Cavs still only third best team in their division. Signing Larry Hughes lets LeBron move to SF full time. Loaded down low but still thin on perimeter. Luke Jackson has yet to show me anything. Donyell Marshall will get a lot of open 3’s in this offense.
Blog: None
Detroit Pistons
Team is intact but will there be a drop off without Larry Brown? Will Darko finally get some PT under Flip? He's almost a complete afterthought at this point. Perimeter offense from the bench in short supply. SF Maurice Evans should fit right in. Another great move by Dumars.
Blog: Jason Maxiell's Rookie Diary
Indiana Pacers
Best team in the East for my money(as much as I loathe to admit it). Jasikevicius has looked good in pre-season, might be starting before the year is out. Will Jonathan Bender finally see the court this year? Rookie Granger will open alot of eyes. I still hate J. Oneal. Eff him.
Blog: Fan Blog
Miami Heat
Should have upgraded from Eddie Jones to James Posey and stopped there. Instead, Shaq & Wade have a whole new supporting cast and question marks abound. 'Toine still shooting at his usual clip. Will GP accept being J WIll's back up? Regular season won't matter, only playoffs. Bench is old.
Blog: None
Milwaukee Bucks
Magloire trade really strengthens front line and will help Bogut immensely. TJ Ford returning will help just as much. If he goes down again, Mo Williams can play. Bench is thin so pray they stay healthy. Last chance for Jiri Welsch to prove he belongs.
Blog: Bucks Fan Blog
New Jersey Nets
Best team in Atlantic. On paper. Kidd-Jefferson-Carter is the best perimeter in the L. But frontline is full of potential(Kristic) and also rans/never weres(M.Jackson, Uncle Cliffy, J. Collins). Kidd had most rebounds on team last year. Rod Thorn FINALLY got Kidd a backup in Jeff McInnis.
Blog: None
New York Knickerbockers
Who's health will be watched more, Curry's or Larry Brown's? Brown gets paid as much as Phil Jackson but has eight less titles. Roster at the end of the season figures to be much different than it is now. Still too many PF's and not enough PG's.
Blog: None
Orlando Magic
G Hill is already hurt, not a good sign. Dwight Howard poised to really break out. Steve Francis is the most over-rated player in the L. But he's the best PG on the team. Getting Garrity back will help, but Turkoglu still can't shoot straight. Battie and Cato are useless.
Blog:Dante's Speak (TV announcer)
Philadelphia 76ers
Iverson has his best year last season, but isn't getting any younger. Neither is C Webb's lone good leg. Iggy and Dalembert (now hurt) will have to step up for Philly to make the playoffs. Team will miss Willie Green(out for season). Bench(S. Hunter, Nailon, Ollie) doesn't scare anyone, except Mo Cheeks.
Blog: None, but they do have podcasts
Toronto Raptors
Fans off the ledge after Villanueva looked good in pre-season, but it's gonna be a long year up North. Bosh is rising superstar. Jalen Rose is the only other above average NBA talent on the roster. Araujo is new "El Busto". Trading Alston for Mike James was the right move.
Blog:Swirsk Blog (TV announcer)
Washington Wizards
Atkins, Butler and Daniels more than make up for the loss of Larry Hughes. Kwame Brown won't exactly be hard to replace. Can Hayes and Thomas finally stay healthy? Arenas will score, but he needs to share the ball with Butler and Jamison for Wiz to excel.
Blog: None
Playoff bound:
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Dallas Mavericks
Same problems as last year, PG and C are big question marks. DeSagana Diop is current back up C. Will there be lingering feelings about Dirk throwing everyone under the bus in the playoffs? Christie is done and won't be the difference maker everyone thinks. Josh Howard poised to explode.
Blog: None for the team, but there's always Mark Cuban's Blog
Denver Nuggets
Shooting guards on roster are V. Lenard, G. Buckner, and D. Johnson. C’mon Kiki. Loaded everywhere else though. 'Melo will look for redemption, he flourished under Karl last year. Three great PG's but none of them are great shooters. Nene playing for a big contract (from someone else) next year.
Blog: None
Golden State Warriors
The B Diddy trade had them looking good last year(when it didn't matter). Trendy playoff pick but I'm skeptical. Warriors will find a way to fail. Calbert Cheaney's still alive? Still waiting for Mike Dunleavy Jr. to breakout. Monta Ellis looked great in summer league.
Blog: None
Houston Rockets
Yao finally got a summer off, will he shine this year? TMac hurt to start the season. Ruh roh. Stro Swift will help but still no bruiser to protect Yao. Ryan Bowen doesn't scare anyone. I can jump higher than Juwan Howard. WIll Alston keep up his cuckoo act in Houston?
Blog: None
LA Clippers
Lost Jaric and B. Simmons, brought in C. Mobley and Sam Cassell. Shaun Livingston already hurt again. Is he too frail? Former Dookies Brand and Maggette will put up good numbers but it'll still be for naught. Maggette is on the block, someone will bite. New home for Waltah.
Blog: None
LA Lakers
Good thing Phil is back, otherwise we'd have to mention how the roster is Kobe, Odom and not much else. Kwame Brown couldn’t hack it in DC and he thinks he'll have it easier with Commader Kobe? Not likely. Best PG on roster is Smush Parker. Read that sentence again.
Blog: None
Memphis Grizzlies
Made wholesale changes but still haven't found what they need, a decent big man. Pau Gasol is the ideal second fiddle, but he's forced to be the man in Memphis. Hakim Warrick might surprise some people this year. Softest team in the L? Making playoffs will be tough.
Blog: None
Minnesota Timberwolves
Poor KG, future isn't exactly bright in Minny. GM McHale fired Flip last year but it's McHale's penchant for overpaying his own FA's (Hassell, Hudson, Szczerbiak) that is killing this team. Spree won't be missed, rookie McCants will fill right in. Olowokandi has been a total bust.
Blog: None
New Orleans slash Oklahoma City Hornets
Still scratching my head about the Magloire trade. PJ Brown and Chris Anderson are only other C's on roster. Chris Paul and JR Smith are gonna be trouble a few years from now, but right now roster is long on potential but short on impact. Worst team in the L?
Blog: None
Phoenix Suns
Team isn't elite without Amare. If/when he comes back, they can make noise in the playoffs, but will it be too late by then? Won't score as much as last year with Thomas, Bell and Grant replacing Johnson and Richardson. Defense will be better, but will it be good enough?
Blog: None
Portland Trailblazers
Team in turmoil before season even starts. Pre-season was a disaster. Signings of Blake and Dizon are head scratchers, especially after drafting Jarrett Jack. Joel Przybilla was a surprise last year, but team will have to show him the money next year. Telfair will get to prove he is for real.
Blog: Barrett's Blog (TV announcer)
Sacramento Kings
Team reloaded with Wells and Abdur-Rahim, but can they fit in to the offense? Will F. Garcia make an impact this year? Jason Hart is underrated, but perimeter depth is sorely lacking. Can Peja regain his stroke and become a force again? He wanted Webber gone and got his wish.
Blog: None
San Antonio Spurs
Champs just got better with additions of Finley, Van Exel and F. Oberto. Will they still have their usual slow start this year? Loaded at every position, and then some. Duncan can move past Shaq in total titles with his next championship. GM Buford is underrated but put together a great team.
Blog: None
Seattle SuperSonics
Storybook season last year but don't count on a repeat. Losing back up PG Daniels will hurt more than most think. Back up PG's are now Mateen Cleaves and Herman Brunson. Collison showed promise lastyear, look for more this year. Does moving Robert Swift for Marcus Banks make sense?
Blog: None
Utah Jazz
Jerry Sloan still the best coach in the L (for my money). Rookie PG D. Williams just what team needed, but he'll take a while to settle in. Can healthy Boozer and Kirilenko get it done this year? Still expecting big things from Kris Humphries. Harping's hurt, so bench is thin.
Blog: None
Very, very solid. Good show, Rage Kage.
So, the Mavericks are roughly the same as last year, but they don't even make the playoffs despite the fact that they were 11 seconds away from making it to the conference finals last season? I'm not sure that makes any sense...
Not that it matters, because it's gonna take an unseasonably mid-winter (and strangely inland) hurricane wiping out the city of San Antonio to keep the Spurs from the finals.
Oops. Nice catch Dylan. When I did the cut and paste this morning, I only had seven playoff teams in the West and didn't take enough time to figure out who I left off. I overlooked Dallas, they'll be there. Obvs. I'll make the change now.
I'm a bit skittish about the Kings' prospects. Too many question marks. The starters will be fine, and as long as the passing can lead to a lot of assists and somebody actually plays some defense they could have a great season. I'm glad Mobley is gone, the guy didn't fit well in their offense. No passing. Three point shooting needs to improve. The bench is great.
I feel like it's going to be either a great year or a terrible year. Nothing between for this team. It'll work or it won't work. Petrie knows how to put together a team so I'll take some comfort in that fact.
If they lose tonight to the Oklahoma Hornets...well, I can't even think about that. Too depressing.
Whew! Ok... I'll put my Texas-style righteous indignation away... for the time being.
I love your blog, by the way.
Kyle -- i thikn i had the exact same 16 teams, save having left WAS for CHI, but it hink its a pretty close toss up between them.
as a fellow Celtics fan, i'm dismayed but not surprised by the TOTAL lack of faith the national media has that the C's will make the playoffs this season. I have not seen one site/publication/etc. that has my boys making the playoffs for the 3rd straight season.
As i wrote to the IGTC list -- our 2n rounders alone (Gomes, Greene) should make up 80% of what we lost in Payton & Walker; a rejuvenated Pierce should make up the rest. Then add in Scalabrine, Dickau, and Bloutn (can't get any worse) and I don't see how we got worse instead of better -- or at least stay in the same place... And that's all assuming GGreen provides nothing -- what if he has a decent rookie season?
Fools.
Also celticsblog.com is a great site for C's fans and has links to other fan blogs.
I left the comment above -- don't know why it logged me as Kyle. sorry