Here you go. Again, only playoffs bound teams are included.
WEST
1. LA Lakers
Depth Chart:
PG: Derek Fisher / Jordon Farmar
SG: Kobe Bryant / Sasha Vujacic / Sun Yue
SF: Lamar Odom / Luke Walton / Trevor Ariza
PF: Pau Gasol / Vladimir Radmanovic / Brian Cook
C: Andrew Bynum / Chris Mihm
Comments:
Last year, they stormed through the highly competitive Western Conference to advance to the Finals. Pinned by many (including yours truly) as the heavy favorite to win it all, they eventually were badly defeated. Mental breakdown, defense failure, they were out-hustled and out-played by the Celtics in the Finals. Now, no matter what happened last year, with Andrew Bynum back, they remain the clear favorite to win it all this season. They have arguably the most talented roster in the league, and they are deep. I don’t see much problem playing Gasol and Bynum together as Gasol has the range to play outside the paint or in the high post while Bynum will spend most of the time in the low post. After getting much acclaims with his service for the national team in Beijing, Kobe should have satisfied his own ego, keep his mouth shut and be a good teammate. That is, until things turn bad. Odom disappeared in the Finals and despite his talent, remains their weakest link. I genuinely believe that they should move Odom while his value is still high. Phil Jackson is thinking about starting the athletic Arizato and playing Odom off the bench as 6th man, to create a big mismatch for the other team’s bench players. I think that’s a brilliant idea, only if Odom can forget his ego and fully submerge into Zen Master’s game plan.
Players to watch:
Andrew Bynum.
Too many questions: is he 100% recovered? How durable is he? Can he play defense? Most importantly, is he as good as everyone thinks? After all, he’s just played 35 games last season, his so-called “break out” season. Sure he got talent, but can he be productive on a long term basis? He’s the difference between a champion and a contender.
2. New Orleans Hornets
Depth Chart:
PG: Chris Paul / Mike James
SG: Morris Peterson / Rasual Butler / Devin Brown
SF: Peja Stojakovic / James Posey / Julian Wright
PF: David West / Melvin Ely / Ryan Bowen
C: Tyson Chandler / Hilton Armstrong
Comments:
Other than the Lakers, there is not a clear frontrunner in the West. You can put the Spurs here, or the Rockets, or the Jazz. The Hornets has arguably one of the most complete (starting) lineups in the West. Their three stars, CP3, D-West and Chandler, are one year older and should be one year wiser and better. The health of Peja again will be the critical factor for their success, simply because they have no other reliable shooters. Their weakness is at SG, since neither MoPete or Butler can scare anyone. But their main problem is bench. They will definitely miss backup G Pargo, who had some heroic moments in the playoffs. Mike James is not exactly as reliable or as unselfish as Pargo. As for the depth at swingmen, they tried to address such issue by signing G/F James Posey using the entire mid-cap exception. For sure Posey is an excellent role player who played a significant role in the Heat’s and Celtics’ championship runs. He will provide veteran leadership to the team. But at the age of 31, I’m just not sure that the price is right (4-year $24 million). Overall not much improvement from last season but the maturity of the players is already good enough. We need to see if Byron Scott is the coach that can bring them to another level.
Players to watch:
Chris Paul.
C’mon, man! Who else? Can he challenge LBJ to be the MVP?
3. San Antonio Spurs
Depth Chart:
PG: Tony Parker / Jacque Vaughn
SG: Manu Ginobili / Michael Finley / Roger Mason
SF: Bruce Bowen / Ime Udoka
PF: Tim Duncan / Matt Bonner
C: Fabricio Oberto / Kurt Thomas / Ian Mahinmi
Comments:
You guys must be complaining that I have put them too high here. Maybe, but I’m a Spurs fan! Ha ha. The Spurs went to the Conference Finals last season which should warrant me to put them at #2. Only is that the injury of Ginobili made me put them one spot lower. But frankly, do you really think that the Rockets, the Jazz or the Suns could beat this team? Seriously? What do you got here? Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili. Yawn. Yes, it’s the same old team that won the championship in 2007. Or 2005. Or 2003. But they are still at their prime, and to me, there’s simply no better trio in the league. Their problem is outside these three. Bowen, Oberto, Finley, Vaughn, Kurt Thomas and even Udoka are all in their 30s. What makes me uncomfortable, is that it’s a very disappointing off-season as they failed to make any significant improvement or getting any young talents. It’s a not-so-small drawback that 2007 draftee F/C Brazilian Tiago Splitter elected not to join the team and preferred to stay in Spain. Now Manu re-injured his left ankle. Newly signed Roger Mason is not exactly a savior. We saw the Spurs’ defense slipped a bit last season, and given the ageing concern, especially their defense ace Bowen, it’s unlikely that their defense could get any better. All things point to a start of a decline of the Spurs dynasty. Sad but true.
Players to watch:
Manu Ginobili.
Manu became the team’s best player last season, and his ankle injury is the major reason they lost to the Lakers in the WCF. Now he re-injured it in the Olympics and will be out until December. They need him to be 100% in order to remain competitive. Popovich always put Ginobili off the bench to create a mismatch, a tactic which has been very successful in the past. But with Finley now 36, I don’t think they could afford not to start Manu (Roger Mason? Please). This means they will simply lose one of their most lethal weapons.
4. Houston Rockets
Depth Chart:
PG: Rafer Alston / Aaron Brooks / Steve Francis
SG: Tracy McGrady / Luther Head / DJ Strawberry
SF: Ron Artest / Shane Battier / Brent Barry / Mike Harris / Patrick Ewing Jr.
PF: Luis Scola / Chuck Hayes / Carl Landry
C: Yao Ming
Comments:
Once again, the Rockets are the wild card in the West. On paper, the trio of T-Mac, Yao and Artest could compete with any team’s 3 best players. And they have the glue guy in Battier, a high scoring PF in Luis Scola, and some excellent role players in Alston, Luther Head, Brent Barry, Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry. But somewhere somehow, the Rockets have always disappointed us. That’s because T-Mac and Yao have never been completely healthy. The Artest gamble is worth it, because T-Mac is not likely to be effective for long due to the chronic back injury. Yao is certainly not Bill Russell-like durable and given his frequent national duty, it’s not likely Yao could stay healthy for long. The window will be soon closing and they need to act now. Artest is not the perfect guy but he can play at SG, SF or even PF, allowing them to play big and small. The ability to play small is very important to the Rockets, considering Yao will likely be out 10-20 games a season. They don’t need Artest to score, something he’s been obsessed with. They got enough scorers in T-Mac, Yao and Scola. They need Artest to play earnest defense and make passes. They have been too soft in the past and Artest can put some toughness to the team. In terms of talent, they can for sure challenge the Lakers. The question is, can Rick Adelman tame Artest?
Players to watch:
Ron Artest.
Enough said. Fingers crossed.
5. Utah Jazz
Depth Chart:
PG: Deron Williams / Brevin Knight / Ronnie Price
SG: Ronnie Brewer / Kyle Korver / Morris Almond
SF: Andrei Kirilenko / Matt Harpring / CJ Miles
PF: Carlos Boozer / Paul Millsap
C: Mehmet Okur / Jarron Collins / Kosta Koufos (r) / Kyrylo Fesenko
Comments:
I have said it in last year’s preview that the Jazz is the team for the future. They finished 5th in this competitive West last year and I expect them to do no worse this season. However, they are far from the best team. Look, D-Will is superb, Boozer is a monster in the paint (offense only), but after that, who else? While you can say the Williams-Boozer tandem is the 21st century’s version of Stockton-to-Malone, they don’t have a Jeff Hornacek, or Bryon Russell, or Mark Eaton. Like the Hornets, their weakest link is at the SG position. Brewer is athletic, defends well, but can’t shoot. Korver shoots well but can’t do anything else. So it is just like pick your poison to start either. If AK47 plays up to his potential, for sure they could be a title contender. But I have had enough about AK47’s inconsistency, after having him in my fantasy team 2 seasons ago. Okur is a serviceable center who can shoot 3s. Alas, he’s at least better than Ostertag for crying out loud! As for their bench, Knight, Korver Harpring and Millsap are solid, but hardly threatening. But as long as Sloan remains as the coach, they will remain competitive and be able to get to at least the second round and be a dark horse to advance to the Conference Finals season after season.
Players to watch:
Andrei Kirilenko.
Frankly, after all these years, I should have no more hope about AK47. Yet his sheer talent always intrigues us. He is so versatile, and has such a long frame, quickness and sharpness that he could stop anyone at SG, SF and PF, so long as he does not fall in love with shooting 3s and whining about not getting enough touch.
6. Phoenix Suns
Depth Chart:
PG: Steve Nash / Goran Dragic (r) / Sean Singletary
SG: Raja Bell / Leandro Barbosa
SF: Grant Hill / Matt Barnes / Alando Tucker
PF: Amare Stoudemire / Boris Diaw
C: Shaquille O’Neal / Robin Lopez (r)
Comments:
Gone are D’Antoni and his running game. New coach Terry Porter is figured to be a more conventional coach, and the team is figured to be more conventional too. Expect Terry Porter to emphasize defense and slow things down. It’s a complete change of identity. In the past, the Suns’ run-n-gun had created a lot of fun and excitement. Despite all the hype, however, such game type, however, has not won them anything. Not even a conference title. While I think Steve Kerr is right to bite the bullet and make change, I’m not quite sure about all his moves. Most controversial, of course is the Shaq acquisition. But don’t blame Steve Kerr on that. First, the Matrix had been causing some unrest in the locker in the past two years as he asked for more touches, and eventually became a locker room poison after New Year when he learnt that the Suns wouldn’t sign any extension. The chemistry was in jeopardy, so he HAD to go. Second, the management’s reluctance to pay was the real cause of the fall of the Suns. They gave up many quality first round picks, and let talents FAs like Joe Johnson go. Now they are getting old and depth has become an issue. Who to blame? They have really wasted the talent of Nash, Marion and Amare. OK, back to Shaq. He changed his focus to rebounding and setting up teammates after coming to Phoenix, and he did that admirably (although T/O-prone). The record actually was not much worse than before the trade. But the question is, are all these “role player” job descriptions worth $20 million a year? Now, if you check, Nash is not at his best with slow-down, half court set; they don’t have enough outside shooters; they don’t have depth at the wing; and without Marion and Kurt Thomas, they have limited post defense. All these things don’t look good to me. I may be wrong. And I hope so.
Players to watch:
Goran Dragic.
Drafted by the Suns in the second round of this year’s draft, the team paid his Spanish club Tau Ceramica some decent money to buy him out, so he must be special. According to scout report, he has good defense and quick hand, more a drive-n-dish PG who likes transition games. His court vision is not outstanding and his jump shots are questionable. Can he be THE apprentice to our Nash?
7. Dallas Mavericks
Depth Chart:
PG: Jason Kidd / Keith McLeod / Jose Juan Barea
SG: Jason Terry / Jerry Stackhouse / Antoine Wright
SF: Josh Howard / Devean George / Gerald Green / James Singleton
PF: Dirk Nowitzki / Brandon Bass
C: Erick Dampier / DaSagana Diop
Comments:
Another team in the decline. Like the Shaq trade, I will give the benefit of the doubt for the Kidd trade for now. I’d like to see how a full season (plus preseason) of Kidd + Dirk would turn out. But the trade has really hurt their depth. They need a solid PG to play 10-12 minutes to back up Kidd but I don’t know whether McLeod or Barea is up to the challenge. They can’t rely on Stackhouse, 33, anymore. His stats have been dropping since he joined the Mavs in 2004, so they need contribution from Antoine Wright and Gerald Green. I like Brandon Bass and Diop, but they have limited offense skills. But most concerning is Josh Howard. He didn’t escalate his game much last season and literally disappeared in the playoffs. Off the court, he admitted the usage of marijuana and then the recent national anthem debacle. He needs to get his mind straight, and has the conscious of being the second best player. I like the hiring of Rick Carlisle because he is a very experienced and resourceful coach who focuses on defense. He is a hard core coach and doesn’t communicate well with his players, but hopefully he could win the players’ respect due to his knowledge and record. There are some speculations that the no-nonsense Carlisle might not get along with the strong willed Kidd. I think it’s ok, at least for the first season. Kidd seldom feuds with the coaches during the first two seasons. I wish the Mavericks could rebound and compete again in the West.
Players to watch:
Jason Kidd.
Yes, Kidd is old, even showed considerable slowness in the Olympics, but he also proved to be a true good floor general that could really calm down the team when things are tight. Now the burden is on him to prove that the Mavs made the right decision to give up Devin Harris for him. How will he react?
8. Portland Trail Blazers
Depth Chart:
PG: Steve Blake / Jerryd Bayless / Sergio Rodriguez
SG: Brandon Roy / Rudy Fernandez
SF: Martell Webster / Travis Outlaw
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge / Channing Frye
C: Greg Oden / Joel Przybilla / Ike Diogu
Comments:
Welcome to the “Oden Watch” season. This season, everyone will follow closely the development of Greg Oden and make his own view whether he’s better than Durant. But people should not forget about the other Blzers. Roy is an all-star already, and Aldridge has put up decent stats last season. These two, together with Oden, form a solid core. Blake and Webster are more than your normal supporting cast. They are disciplined and play hard. Then you have summer league phenom Bayless and Rudy “in your face D12” Fernandez. This team is deep, as in 2-player deep in each position. Fernandez, Outlaw, Frye and Przybilla can easily start for any team. Plus they are young. Another good thing about them is Coach Macmillan. He is a good teacher for young kids. He teaches them teamwork, discipline and defense. Maybe they are too young to reach the top echelon in the West this year, but give them one or two years, they will soar. Their weakness is low post scoring, as Aldridge likes to shoot the mid-range rather than scoring down low and Przybilla is not exactly a scorer. Oden could fill their need somehow. Expectation is now high and the once quiet Portland is gradually getting national attention. After all these publicity and expectation, can we really name them “dark horse”? I like this team, and I like their chance to reach the playoffs too.
Players to watch:
Greg Oden.
Enough said.
Rudy Fernandez.
The media call him the Spanish Ginobili. And I feel offended. Ginobili is way more versatile, especially on defense, and talented than him … anyway, McMillan should play him and develop him to be a super sub, just like Ginobili.
9. LA Clippers
Depth Chart:
PG: Baron Davis / Jason Hart / Mike Taylor (r)
SG: Cuttino Mobley / Eric Gordon (r)
SF: Al Thornton / Ricky Davis
PF: Marcus Camby / Tim Thomas / Steve Novak
C: Chris Kaman / Brian Skinner / DeAndre Jordan (r) / Paul Davis
Comments:
There will be three teams challenging the Blazers for the last playoffs spots: Clippers, Warriors and Nuggets. I put the Clippers at the top among the three because they have the deepest roster. They have all-star Baron Davis, and an envious 7-footer tandem in Camby and Kaman. Young gun Al Thornton showed huge potential last season and this should be his breakout season. They also have rookie Eric Gordon and Ricky Davis to provide bench scoring. Plus, they are flexible too. They can go small by playing BD, Gordon and Ricky Davis at 1,2,3 and Thornton at PF; alternatively they can go big by playing Thornton at SF and Camby at PF. The problem is, if BD is hurt, they don’t have Jason “No More White Chocolate” Williams (retired) to run the show and Jason Hart is not exactly a starting material. While we are here, let’s see, they have a whopping 11 new comers. Except for Mobley, Thornton and Kaman, all are new to the team. How long will they need to generate chemistry? And many of them have been labeled as troublemakers. Can Dunleavy handle all of the “character” guys like BD, RD and even Kaman? For sure it would be chaotic, but the talent is there. And the show is in LA.
Players to watch:
Al Thornton.
Thornton should build on his solid rookie season to make himself a legitimate starter.
10. Denver Nuggets
Depth Chart:
PG: Allen Iverson / Chucky Atkins
SG: J.R. Smith / Linas Kleiza
SF: Carmelo Anthony / Renaldo Blackman
PF: Kenyon Martin / Chris Anderson
C: Nene / Steven Hunter
Comments:
They gave away Camby for free, meaning that they have decided to give up and are officially in the rebuilding stage. This year’s Nuggets would be a lame duck one as AI will be playing out his contract without any extension offer. I won’t expect AI to give up but nonetheless will hurt the chemistry because everyone KNEW that he would be gone. Anyway, with AI, ‘Melo and the recently re-signed JR Smith, they will score a lot. But without Camby, they don’t have anyone to protect the paint. In the past, AI, JR Smith and ‘Melo gambled a lot on defense and it was Camby who had been covering their mistakes. Now? K-Mart? Nene? Please. And if they only managed to reach the first round with Camby, they are very likely to fall out of the playoffs without him. And is the $60 million Nene ready to start? It always seems like he will never be ready.
Players to watch:
Renaldo Blackman.
An athletic forward who runs hard and plays hard, which fit the style of George Karl. An energy guy who is a fans’ favorite in New York. Limited upside in offense but can potentially boost up the defense of the Nuggets at the forward positions.
11. Golden States Warriors
Depth Chart:
PG: Monta Ellis (inj) / Marcus Williams / CJ Watson
SG: Corey Maggette / Kelenna Azubuike / Marco Belinelli
SF: Stephen Jackson / Anthony Randolph (r)
PF: Al Harrington / Brandan Wright
C: Andris Biedrins / Ronny Turiaf
Comments:
Same old Nellie ball, expect them to continue playing their “all-out offense, no defense” show. Expect them to play small balls for 70% of the time. As discussed, they signed Corey Maggette who is a gifted and athletic player, which somehow mitigate the damage caused by the departure of Baron Davis. Expect Maggette to post up some strong scoring numbers which should exceeds that of BD’s. Maggette is ok on defense but BD simply didn’t play any defense. BD’s ball handling job will be shared by Ellis (when he returns) and Marcus Williams. Talent-wise, it’s not that a big drop. What they miss is BD’s craziness. Yes, the same craziness that propelled them to beat the Mavs in 2007 playoffs (with the help of the now departed J-Rich). Alright, they still have Steph Jax, the other crazy guy, but the team is just not the same. In the past, they were named as “the team that nobody wants to face at #8”. Nowadays, teams are not scared by them anymore. They have lost the fear factor. Granted, give them credits to play hard until the very last game to fight for the playoffs spot last season. This year? Monta Ellis will be out at least until December due to the moped accident, it would be a more tough time for them to hang on before Christmas. And did I tell you that rosters in Portland and LA Clippers have been vastly improved? But they still have Don Nelson, who can always surprise you by in unorthodox coaching method. So I have to put them down on here as a potential dark horse.
Players to watch:
Marcus Williams.
Originally I put Ellis here. Now that he’s gone, it’s up to Marcus Williams to run the offense. I’ve watched Williams played while he was with the Nets. He has good court vision and passing skills, and he has a reliable outside jump shots. But he is inconsistent as a floor general and is helpless in defense. That’s fine, the Warriors don’t need a pure PG and they don’t play D at all.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
NBA season 2008-2009 Part I
(this was written before the season started.)
Here you go. Only playoffs bound teams are included.
EAST
1. Boston Celtics
Depth Chart:
PG: Rajon Rondo / Eddie House / Sam Cassell / Gabe Pruitt
SG: Ray Allen / Tony Allen / J. R. Giddens (r)
SF: Paul Pierce / Bill Walker (r) / Darius Miles
PF: Kevin Garnett / Leon Powe / Brian Scalabrine
C: Kendrick Perkins / Glen Davis / Patrick O’Bryant
Comments:
Defending champion is the #1 by default. Like other defending champions, they did not do much in the off-season. They replaced James Posey by Darius Miles, which is one of the oddest things. I mean, it’s fine to let Posey go if you think the price is not right, but Darius Miles? Anyway, the Big Three remains intact, albeit one year older. For sure they will lose some of the hunger after winning the championship, but pride and cockiness, and KG’s intensity should prevent them from being too complacent. Last year, they won by teamwork and super tough defense. (Defense wins championship, ay?) I don’t think they could be able to remain at such a high intensity in terms of defense for two seasons in a row. In addition, the interior scoring would remain their weakness, which they chose not to address at all during the off season. Yes, I don’t think they can repeat, although they should win the East. Their real enemies are in the West.
Players to watch:
Leon Powe.
Love his play and he had one monster game in the Finals. A true low post player with good working ethics. He’s their only low post scorer. Need to develop more consistency. Oh, this is his contract year too.
2. Detroit Pistons
Depth Chart:
PG: Chauncey Billups / Rodney Stuckey / Will Bynum
SG: Richard Hamilton / Arron Afflalo
SF: Tayshuan Prince / Amir Johnson / Walter Sharpe (r)
PF: Antonio McDyess / Jason Maxiell / Walter Herrmann
C: Rasheed Wallace / Kwame Brown / Cheick Samb
Comments:
Just like the Spurs, this is another team that bores you to death. The Pistons did not do much to improve the roster, unless you count the signing of Kwame Brown. This very same team has been together since 2003 (‘Sheed since 2004) and gone to 6 consecutive conference finals. Great job. But they were beaten by the Heat, Cavs and Celtics respectively in the last three years. And Joe Dumars still insisting on sticking with the same group? For sure they are deep and talented. My bet is that they would post decent regular season record this year, but then they will lose out in the playoffs. They somehow lack the sense of emergency. At times they looked laid back and relaxed, even in the playoffs. And did I mention that this squad is actually quite old? The worst is, their best player, Rasheed Wallace, had repeatedly failed to step up his game in clutch games. Yes, they have some terrific young bench players like Stuckey, Amir Johnson and Maxiell, but none of them has shown star potential. I think this team as a whole have peaked. Joe D. should bring some new sparks and re-energize the team. Well, maybe he thinks Coach Michael Curry is THE spark. But I seriously doubt it.
Players to watch:
Amir Johnson.
This is the second consecutive season I put him here. (Yes, I’m that stubborn.) Drafted in 2005 straight out of high school, the Pistons re-signed Amir Johnson last summer for 3 years. At 6’11”, he has good size and athleticism, and people say he has huge upside potential. Expect the Pistons to play more of Amir instead of the ageing ‘Sheed and ‘Dice during the regular season.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
Depth Chart:
PG: Maurice Williams / Eric Snow / Delonte West
SG: Sasha Pavlovic / Daniel Gibson
SF: LeBron James / Wally Szczerbiak
PF: Ben Wallace / JJ Hickson / Darnell Jackson (r)
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas / Anderson Varejao / Lorenzen Wright
Comments:
For years, Danny Ferry has been trying to find a legit second banana for LBJ. Ricky Davis, Jeff McInnis, Larry Hughes, Damon Jones, Drew Gooden, Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak, you name it. Latest is Maurice Williams. Last year he averaged 17.2 PPG and 6.3 APG, which are certainly nice numbers, only is that you should remember Larry Hughes once averaged 22.2 PPG and 4.7 APG in Washington before joining the Cavs. And see what happened to him after that! Don’t rely on stats too much. Truth is, as long as Mike Brown sticks with the game plan of initiating every offense by LBJ dribbling at the top of key, the Cavs offense will remain pathetically predictable, and it really doesn’t matter who the second banana is. You have seen how LBJ played in the Olympics, you knew that he doesn’t need to dominate the ball to be effective. However, Mo Williams is not exactly J-Kidd or CP3. Can he be a good playmaker? In fact, can LBJ trust Mo Williams? Or any teammates? It took 5 years for MJ to trust his teammate, who happened to be Pippen. Maybe it’s time for LBJ to let go and trust his teammates. Is Mo Williams his Pippen? They also need Big Ben to play the Horace Grant / Dennis Rodman role. Is he healthy enough to do that? BTW, the bench is just too painfully weak.
Players to watch:
Maurice Williams.
Mo Williams is ultra quick and can flat out score. He can run the team too although he’s a shoot-first PG.. Billed as a selfish player, Mo Williams likes to shoot the 3s but he’s not that sharp (38.5%). Will he be LBJ’s long sought sidekick? Or is he just another Larry Hughes?
4. Orlando Magic
Depth Chart:
PG: Jameer Nelson / Anthony Johnson
SG: Mickael Pietrus / Keith Bogans / JJ Redick / Courtney Lee (r)
SF: Rashard Lewis / Brian Cook
PF: Hedo Turkoglu / Tony Battie
C: Dwight Howard / Adonal Foyle / Marcin Gortat
Comments:
Everybody loves Dwight Howard. Maybe that’s why he’s a bit overrated. He’s strong and athletic, has a huge frame, rebounds hard and blocks shots. On the other side, he has no post move. His defense is questionable and he has horrible FT%. The Olympics completely exposed his weaknesses. As a team, PF Tony Battie sat out almost the entire season last year. So Stan Van Gundy put 4 shooters around D12, using Rashard Lewis at PF and gave them the green light to fire 3s. It was sort of successful and the Magic finished 4th in the East. However that is not enough for them to win the Conference. Nelson has yet to prove to be a starter in the league. Lewis scores aplenty but remains to be a passive player. Last season, it was Turkoglu who stepped up to be the leader and delivered during clutch time. But either Lewis at PF or Turk being the go-to guy is not the answer. Even if they are willing to commit 100% to the Suns’ run-n-gun style. But even that is not a good option because they do not have a brilliant PG like Nash to run the offense. Adding Pietrus sort of addressed their needs at SG but I don’t think they have done enough over the summer to take them to another level. Their bench is weak too.
Players to watch:
Mickael Pietrus.
After spending 5 years in Golden State as backups, it’s now his opportunity to prove that he’s a starter material. Pietrus is more a slasher than a shooter, but he plays ok defense. For sure an upgrade over Keith Bogans.
5. Toronto Raptors
Depth Chart:
PG: Jose Calderon / Roko Ukic (r) / Willie Solomon
SG: Anthony Parker / Hassam Adams
SF: Jamario Moon / Jason Kapono / Joey Graham
PF: Chris Bosh / Andrea Bargnani / Kris Humphries
C: Jermaine O’Neal / Nathan Jawai
Comments:
It’s a tough decision at #5. The Raptors used to belong here, however, the Sixers added Brand and has hugely boosted up its stocks. I’ll put the Raptors here based on its past record (and my personal feeling towards them). The biggest news of course is the addition of JO and the departure of TJ Ford. JO is certainly an upgrade over Nesterovic. However, it could be a huge improvement to the team only if (1) JO would be healthy for a long stretch; and (2) he could accept to be a supporting role to Bosh. They now handle the full time PG job to Jose Calderon, who had a slight tear of the adductor muscle in his right thigh in the Olympics but is considered to be minor and he should be healthy by the time the season begins. They need more scorers and I think the loss of Delfino is larger than expected. Joey Graham and Hassam Adams are not exactly the all-round scorer Delfino is. Maybe after this season, we could officially name Bargnani a bust. Still can’t see them going past 2nd round yet.
Players to watch:
Jermaine O’Neal.
If he can accept a demoted role of not being the franchise player and be healthy, the Raptors should be able to go past first round. But that’s a huge “if”. Also, Bosh is too soft and they need JO to play down low. This is not exactly what JO wants, and this will further increase the chance of JO getting injured.
6. Philadelphia 76ers
Depth Chart:
PG: Andre Miller / Lou Williams / Royal Ivey
SG: Andre Iguodala / Willie Green
SF: Thaddeus Young / Kareem Rush
PF: Elton Brand / Reggie Evans / Donyell Marshall
C: Samuel Dalembert / Marreese Speights (r)
Comments:
Many people say they should be in top 4 but I beg to differ. Sure, the addition of Brand immediately put the Sixers into playoffs bound, but don’t get too carried away by such hype. Yes, Brand is a legit 20-10 guy (assuming he’s completely healed), Iguodala is a versatile player, Andre Miller remains one of the most underrated pure PG and Thaddeus Young has huge potential. The thing is, they do not have enough scoring, especially outside shooters. Iguodala is not exactly a big scorer, while Willie Green is a streaky shooter at best. Also, is Thaddeus Young ready to start? The bench is pretty weak and the lack of depth might be disastrous for a 82-game season. You just don’t rely on Will Green and Kareem Rush to run your second unit. This is a young and promising team, but I don’t think this is the year for them to go deep into the playoffs.
Player to watch:
Elton Brand.
Let’s assume he’s 100%. He will play hard as usual. With Andre Miller as PG, he should be able to get more easy buckets. I’ve never seen Brand played for a winning team. I’d love to see whether he’s a real winner, or just another Shareef Abdur-Rahim aka “Poor Team, Big Stat” guy.
7. Miami Heat
Depth Chart:
PG: Marcus Banks / Mario Chambers (r) / Chris Quinn / Jason Richards
SG: Dwyane Wade / Daequan Cook / Yakhouba Diawara
SF: Shawn Marion / James Jones / Dorell Wright
PF: Michael Beasley (r) / Stephane Lasme
C: Udonis Haslem / Mark Blount / Jamaal Magloire / Joel Anthony / David Padgett
Comments:
There’s no doubt that they intentionally tanked last season to grab Derrick Rose in the draft, only lost the lottery to the Bulls. Thanks goodness that there’s still justice in the world! However the Heat still managed to get #2 pick and draft the talented Michael Beasley. And they stole PG Mario Chambers in the second round. Sigh, maybe the world is not that fair after all. We have seen the Wade 4.0 in the Olympics, after he mailed in the entire 2007-2008 season. It will not be a surprise if the Heat have a dramatic turnaround this season. In fact, I think I might have put them too low at #7. With Wade and Matrix running the team, they have Beasley to score down low and James Jones to shoot the 3. They will be ideal to go small by playing Matrix at PF and Haslem/Beasley at C, while they can also go big by playing Matrix at SF, Haslem/Beasley at PF and Magloire/Blount at C. The PG job will be a joint effort of Banks, Chambers and Quinn. Anyway, what they lack is a legit center. Using Haslem at C is not a long term solution, but it doesn’t seem like Magloire has anything in the tank to be a full time starter anymore. And we all know how inconsistent Blount is. If they can make some deals to get a solid C, you know, someone like Chris Kaman or Samuel Dalembert, that would be awesome. Yes, the expiry contract of Marion is something to work on.
Players to watch:
Michael Beasley.
Though he’s officially listed as 6’10”, people say he’s more close to 6’8”. Viewed as the most talented rookie this year, he has a very versatile game and can score both inside and outside. Is he a legit 20-10 guy? Could he win the ROY?
8. Washington Wizards
Depth Chart:
PG: Gilbert Arenas (inj) / Antonio Daniels / Juan Dixon
SG: DeShawn Stevenson / Nick Young
SF: Caron Butler / Dominic McGuire
PF: Antawn Jamison / Darius Songaila / Oleksiy Pecherov / JaVale McGee (r)
C: Etan Thomas / Andray Blatche / Brandan Haywood (inj)
Comments:
On paper, Agent Zero + Caron Butler + Jamison is a talented trio. You can’t expect them to miss the playoffs. But you guys should know that guys like Arenas and Stevenson and teams like Wizards are not exactly my type. I repeat, last season’s Wizards, who finished #5 in the East, was a better team than the 06-07 one because of the absence of Arenas. Agent Zero dominates the ball too much and is too self-absorbed. He has really limited the production of his teammates, most notably Butler and Jamison, and hindered ball movement. This, however, doesn’t help the team to be better defensively. Anyway, Arenas had his 3rd knee surgery and will be out for at least a month. That might help the team during his absence because of the reasons mentioned above, however, it may cause serious chemistry problem when Arenas is back later in the season. The Wizards then will have to adjust in order to work him back to the rotation. Without a training camp to do so, it can be disastrous, even though Arenas is well loved by his teammate. And did I say that the team is a worse team with Arenas?
Players to watch:
Nick Young.
A promising and athletic rookie who may be better than Stevenson and one day take over the starting SG position.
9. Chicago Bulls
Depth Chart:
PG: Derrick Rose (r) / Kirk Hinrich
SG: Ben Gordon / Larry Hughes / Thabo Sefolosha / Demetris Nichols
SF: Luol Deng / Andres Nocioni
PF: Drew Gooden / Tyrus Thomas / Cedric Simmons
C: Joakim Noah / Aaron Gray
Comments:
Good news is, they re-signed their best player Luol Deng. Bad news is, it’s not cheap (6-year $71m). Good new is, they re-signed their leading scorer Ben Gordon. Bad news is, it’s a 1-year deal, which will make BG an unrestricted free agent next summer. That is one of the worst case scenario happened, as discussed in my previous mail. OK, they have some logjam at the backcourt following the drafting of Derrick Rose, and they should have got rid of some of the guards. Instead they chose to re-sign BG to a 1-year deal? Knowing that the Bulls don’t want to pay him, expect BG to focus on piling up stats and getting a fatty contract this summer. I can smell some serious chemistry issue in the team, especially between BG and players like Hinrich and Luol Deng who had signed lengthy contracts. Adding a rookie coach Vinny Del Negro, it’s entirely possible to have a chaotic locker room which would lead to yet another disappointing season for the somewhat talented team. They still have many issues, from scoring to defense to chemistry to intensity, which I do not expect rookie coach Vinny Del Negro to fix them all immediately.
Players to watch:
Derrick Rose.
Home town kid. Tons of expectation. John Chow’s favorite. His role somehow overlaps with that of Kirk Hinrich, but due to his status, expect the Bulls to start Rose at PG and shift Hinrich to SG or even the bench. It would be a feel good story to tell if the #1 pick Rose could lead the malfunctioned team to an improbable turnaround season. But I’m more on a pessimistic side.
10. Atlanta Hawks
Depth Chart:
PG: Mike Bibby / Speedy Claxton / Acie Law
SG: Joe Johnson / Flip Murray / Thomas Gardner
SF: Marvin Williams / Maurice Evans
PF: Josh Smith / Solomon Jones / Othello Hunter (r)
C: Al Horford / Zaza Pachulia / Randolph Morris
Comments:
Everybody loves underdogs and everybody loved the Hawks in the playoffs. Sure, against the Celtics, they played with hustle and heart, managed to extend the series to 7 games. I think it reflects the unreadiness of the Cs more than the strength of the Hawks. After all, they were a 37-win team. Granted, Bibby just joined in February 2008, but the record after the acquisition did not quite stand out. Again, I will give them the benefit of the doubt for now. Josh Childress will be deeply missed. Although the team has a decent starting lineup, but Childress was one of the major reasons why the Hawks managed to beat the Celtics 3 times in the series. With Bibby, JJ, Marvin, Josh and Horford, the starting roster has a good mix of experience, ball handling, scoring, athleticism, rebounding and defense. But the problem is, now that Childress is gone, they don’t have any depth at all. In addition, Horford is good but he’s undersized at C. He’s so young and promising, it’s not a good idea to exhaust him playing center. With the improved competitors, expect the Hawks to go back to the lottery again this year.
Player to watch:
Marvin Williams.
With the departure of Childress, Marvin Williams will assume a full time role at SF. No more bail-out by Childress, Marv must prove that the Hawks made the right decision to pick him ahead of CP3 and D-Will. (But I seriously doubt it.) Words from the Atlanta side are that MW has shown substantial improvement this summer and this should be his break-out year. We will see.
11. Charlotte Bobcats
Depth Chart:
PG: Raymond Felton / DJ Augustin (r)
SG: Jason Richardson / Matt Carroll / Shannon Brown
SF: Gerald Wallace / Adam Morrison
PF: Emeka Okafor / Sean May / Jermareo Davidson
C: Nazr Mohammad / Ryan Hollins / Alexis Ajinca (r)
Comments:
Granted, there’s just a very slim chance that the Bobcats could make the playoffs. But since this is my work I have the liberty to include anything I want. Ha ha. I am not saying that the Bobcats are my dark horse pick. I just think that they are a talented team on paper. They have a bona fide star in Gerald Wallace, and they have J-Rich who can flat out score, and they have Okafor to do the dirty works. Felton, Matt Carroll and Sean May are all decent players. That’s “on paper”. They did not play well last season. They were not able to show their “on paper” talent last year as they were hit by injuries, in particular that of GW. So if they can somehow miraculously resolve the injury issue, the wildcard is the coach. We all know what Larry Brown can do. If Larry Brown is the same old LB who took his teams to make big turnaround, the Bobcats will go to the playoffs. Otherwise, if he is the same Larry Brown who coached the Knicks two years ago, then he may feud with GM Michael Jordan, trash his players in front of the media, create all the noises and drama and this season would be a long and disastrous one for the young team.
Players to watch:
Adam Morrison.
#3 pick of the 2006 Draft. Set back by injury last season. Time for redemption. Or bust.
Here you go. Only playoffs bound teams are included.
EAST
1. Boston Celtics
Depth Chart:
PG: Rajon Rondo / Eddie House / Sam Cassell / Gabe Pruitt
SG: Ray Allen / Tony Allen / J. R. Giddens (r)
SF: Paul Pierce / Bill Walker (r) / Darius Miles
PF: Kevin Garnett / Leon Powe / Brian Scalabrine
C: Kendrick Perkins / Glen Davis / Patrick O’Bryant
Comments:
Defending champion is the #1 by default. Like other defending champions, they did not do much in the off-season. They replaced James Posey by Darius Miles, which is one of the oddest things. I mean, it’s fine to let Posey go if you think the price is not right, but Darius Miles? Anyway, the Big Three remains intact, albeit one year older. For sure they will lose some of the hunger after winning the championship, but pride and cockiness, and KG’s intensity should prevent them from being too complacent. Last year, they won by teamwork and super tough defense. (Defense wins championship, ay?) I don’t think they could be able to remain at such a high intensity in terms of defense for two seasons in a row. In addition, the interior scoring would remain their weakness, which they chose not to address at all during the off season. Yes, I don’t think they can repeat, although they should win the East. Their real enemies are in the West.
Players to watch:
Leon Powe.
Love his play and he had one monster game in the Finals. A true low post player with good working ethics. He’s their only low post scorer. Need to develop more consistency. Oh, this is his contract year too.
2. Detroit Pistons
Depth Chart:
PG: Chauncey Billups / Rodney Stuckey / Will Bynum
SG: Richard Hamilton / Arron Afflalo
SF: Tayshuan Prince / Amir Johnson / Walter Sharpe (r)
PF: Antonio McDyess / Jason Maxiell / Walter Herrmann
C: Rasheed Wallace / Kwame Brown / Cheick Samb
Comments:
Just like the Spurs, this is another team that bores you to death. The Pistons did not do much to improve the roster, unless you count the signing of Kwame Brown. This very same team has been together since 2003 (‘Sheed since 2004) and gone to 6 consecutive conference finals. Great job. But they were beaten by the Heat, Cavs and Celtics respectively in the last three years. And Joe Dumars still insisting on sticking with the same group? For sure they are deep and talented. My bet is that they would post decent regular season record this year, but then they will lose out in the playoffs. They somehow lack the sense of emergency. At times they looked laid back and relaxed, even in the playoffs. And did I mention that this squad is actually quite old? The worst is, their best player, Rasheed Wallace, had repeatedly failed to step up his game in clutch games. Yes, they have some terrific young bench players like Stuckey, Amir Johnson and Maxiell, but none of them has shown star potential. I think this team as a whole have peaked. Joe D. should bring some new sparks and re-energize the team. Well, maybe he thinks Coach Michael Curry is THE spark. But I seriously doubt it.
Players to watch:
Amir Johnson.
This is the second consecutive season I put him here. (Yes, I’m that stubborn.) Drafted in 2005 straight out of high school, the Pistons re-signed Amir Johnson last summer for 3 years. At 6’11”, he has good size and athleticism, and people say he has huge upside potential. Expect the Pistons to play more of Amir instead of the ageing ‘Sheed and ‘Dice during the regular season.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
Depth Chart:
PG: Maurice Williams / Eric Snow / Delonte West
SG: Sasha Pavlovic / Daniel Gibson
SF: LeBron James / Wally Szczerbiak
PF: Ben Wallace / JJ Hickson / Darnell Jackson (r)
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas / Anderson Varejao / Lorenzen Wright
Comments:
For years, Danny Ferry has been trying to find a legit second banana for LBJ. Ricky Davis, Jeff McInnis, Larry Hughes, Damon Jones, Drew Gooden, Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak, you name it. Latest is Maurice Williams. Last year he averaged 17.2 PPG and 6.3 APG, which are certainly nice numbers, only is that you should remember Larry Hughes once averaged 22.2 PPG and 4.7 APG in Washington before joining the Cavs. And see what happened to him after that! Don’t rely on stats too much. Truth is, as long as Mike Brown sticks with the game plan of initiating every offense by LBJ dribbling at the top of key, the Cavs offense will remain pathetically predictable, and it really doesn’t matter who the second banana is. You have seen how LBJ played in the Olympics, you knew that he doesn’t need to dominate the ball to be effective. However, Mo Williams is not exactly J-Kidd or CP3. Can he be a good playmaker? In fact, can LBJ trust Mo Williams? Or any teammates? It took 5 years for MJ to trust his teammate, who happened to be Pippen. Maybe it’s time for LBJ to let go and trust his teammates. Is Mo Williams his Pippen? They also need Big Ben to play the Horace Grant / Dennis Rodman role. Is he healthy enough to do that? BTW, the bench is just too painfully weak.
Players to watch:
Maurice Williams.
Mo Williams is ultra quick and can flat out score. He can run the team too although he’s a shoot-first PG.. Billed as a selfish player, Mo Williams likes to shoot the 3s but he’s not that sharp (38.5%). Will he be LBJ’s long sought sidekick? Or is he just another Larry Hughes?
4. Orlando Magic
Depth Chart:
PG: Jameer Nelson / Anthony Johnson
SG: Mickael Pietrus / Keith Bogans / JJ Redick / Courtney Lee (r)
SF: Rashard Lewis / Brian Cook
PF: Hedo Turkoglu / Tony Battie
C: Dwight Howard / Adonal Foyle / Marcin Gortat
Comments:
Everybody loves Dwight Howard. Maybe that’s why he’s a bit overrated. He’s strong and athletic, has a huge frame, rebounds hard and blocks shots. On the other side, he has no post move. His defense is questionable and he has horrible FT%. The Olympics completely exposed his weaknesses. As a team, PF Tony Battie sat out almost the entire season last year. So Stan Van Gundy put 4 shooters around D12, using Rashard Lewis at PF and gave them the green light to fire 3s. It was sort of successful and the Magic finished 4th in the East. However that is not enough for them to win the Conference. Nelson has yet to prove to be a starter in the league. Lewis scores aplenty but remains to be a passive player. Last season, it was Turkoglu who stepped up to be the leader and delivered during clutch time. But either Lewis at PF or Turk being the go-to guy is not the answer. Even if they are willing to commit 100% to the Suns’ run-n-gun style. But even that is not a good option because they do not have a brilliant PG like Nash to run the offense. Adding Pietrus sort of addressed their needs at SG but I don’t think they have done enough over the summer to take them to another level. Their bench is weak too.
Players to watch:
Mickael Pietrus.
After spending 5 years in Golden State as backups, it’s now his opportunity to prove that he’s a starter material. Pietrus is more a slasher than a shooter, but he plays ok defense. For sure an upgrade over Keith Bogans.
5. Toronto Raptors
Depth Chart:
PG: Jose Calderon / Roko Ukic (r) / Willie Solomon
SG: Anthony Parker / Hassam Adams
SF: Jamario Moon / Jason Kapono / Joey Graham
PF: Chris Bosh / Andrea Bargnani / Kris Humphries
C: Jermaine O’Neal / Nathan Jawai
Comments:
It’s a tough decision at #5. The Raptors used to belong here, however, the Sixers added Brand and has hugely boosted up its stocks. I’ll put the Raptors here based on its past record (and my personal feeling towards them). The biggest news of course is the addition of JO and the departure of TJ Ford. JO is certainly an upgrade over Nesterovic. However, it could be a huge improvement to the team only if (1) JO would be healthy for a long stretch; and (2) he could accept to be a supporting role to Bosh. They now handle the full time PG job to Jose Calderon, who had a slight tear of the adductor muscle in his right thigh in the Olympics but is considered to be minor and he should be healthy by the time the season begins. They need more scorers and I think the loss of Delfino is larger than expected. Joey Graham and Hassam Adams are not exactly the all-round scorer Delfino is. Maybe after this season, we could officially name Bargnani a bust. Still can’t see them going past 2nd round yet.
Players to watch:
Jermaine O’Neal.
If he can accept a demoted role of not being the franchise player and be healthy, the Raptors should be able to go past first round. But that’s a huge “if”. Also, Bosh is too soft and they need JO to play down low. This is not exactly what JO wants, and this will further increase the chance of JO getting injured.
6. Philadelphia 76ers
Depth Chart:
PG: Andre Miller / Lou Williams / Royal Ivey
SG: Andre Iguodala / Willie Green
SF: Thaddeus Young / Kareem Rush
PF: Elton Brand / Reggie Evans / Donyell Marshall
C: Samuel Dalembert / Marreese Speights (r)
Comments:
Many people say they should be in top 4 but I beg to differ. Sure, the addition of Brand immediately put the Sixers into playoffs bound, but don’t get too carried away by such hype. Yes, Brand is a legit 20-10 guy (assuming he’s completely healed), Iguodala is a versatile player, Andre Miller remains one of the most underrated pure PG and Thaddeus Young has huge potential. The thing is, they do not have enough scoring, especially outside shooters. Iguodala is not exactly a big scorer, while Willie Green is a streaky shooter at best. Also, is Thaddeus Young ready to start? The bench is pretty weak and the lack of depth might be disastrous for a 82-game season. You just don’t rely on Will Green and Kareem Rush to run your second unit. This is a young and promising team, but I don’t think this is the year for them to go deep into the playoffs.
Player to watch:
Elton Brand.
Let’s assume he’s 100%. He will play hard as usual. With Andre Miller as PG, he should be able to get more easy buckets. I’ve never seen Brand played for a winning team. I’d love to see whether he’s a real winner, or just another Shareef Abdur-Rahim aka “Poor Team, Big Stat” guy.
7. Miami Heat
Depth Chart:
PG: Marcus Banks / Mario Chambers (r) / Chris Quinn / Jason Richards
SG: Dwyane Wade / Daequan Cook / Yakhouba Diawara
SF: Shawn Marion / James Jones / Dorell Wright
PF: Michael Beasley (r) / Stephane Lasme
C: Udonis Haslem / Mark Blount / Jamaal Magloire / Joel Anthony / David Padgett
Comments:
There’s no doubt that they intentionally tanked last season to grab Derrick Rose in the draft, only lost the lottery to the Bulls. Thanks goodness that there’s still justice in the world! However the Heat still managed to get #2 pick and draft the talented Michael Beasley. And they stole PG Mario Chambers in the second round. Sigh, maybe the world is not that fair after all. We have seen the Wade 4.0 in the Olympics, after he mailed in the entire 2007-2008 season. It will not be a surprise if the Heat have a dramatic turnaround this season. In fact, I think I might have put them too low at #7. With Wade and Matrix running the team, they have Beasley to score down low and James Jones to shoot the 3. They will be ideal to go small by playing Matrix at PF and Haslem/Beasley at C, while they can also go big by playing Matrix at SF, Haslem/Beasley at PF and Magloire/Blount at C. The PG job will be a joint effort of Banks, Chambers and Quinn. Anyway, what they lack is a legit center. Using Haslem at C is not a long term solution, but it doesn’t seem like Magloire has anything in the tank to be a full time starter anymore. And we all know how inconsistent Blount is. If they can make some deals to get a solid C, you know, someone like Chris Kaman or Samuel Dalembert, that would be awesome. Yes, the expiry contract of Marion is something to work on.
Players to watch:
Michael Beasley.
Though he’s officially listed as 6’10”, people say he’s more close to 6’8”. Viewed as the most talented rookie this year, he has a very versatile game and can score both inside and outside. Is he a legit 20-10 guy? Could he win the ROY?
8. Washington Wizards
Depth Chart:
PG: Gilbert Arenas (inj) / Antonio Daniels / Juan Dixon
SG: DeShawn Stevenson / Nick Young
SF: Caron Butler / Dominic McGuire
PF: Antawn Jamison / Darius Songaila / Oleksiy Pecherov / JaVale McGee (r)
C: Etan Thomas / Andray Blatche / Brandan Haywood (inj)
Comments:
On paper, Agent Zero + Caron Butler + Jamison is a talented trio. You can’t expect them to miss the playoffs. But you guys should know that guys like Arenas and Stevenson and teams like Wizards are not exactly my type. I repeat, last season’s Wizards, who finished #5 in the East, was a better team than the 06-07 one because of the absence of Arenas. Agent Zero dominates the ball too much and is too self-absorbed. He has really limited the production of his teammates, most notably Butler and Jamison, and hindered ball movement. This, however, doesn’t help the team to be better defensively. Anyway, Arenas had his 3rd knee surgery and will be out for at least a month. That might help the team during his absence because of the reasons mentioned above, however, it may cause serious chemistry problem when Arenas is back later in the season. The Wizards then will have to adjust in order to work him back to the rotation. Without a training camp to do so, it can be disastrous, even though Arenas is well loved by his teammate. And did I say that the team is a worse team with Arenas?
Players to watch:
Nick Young.
A promising and athletic rookie who may be better than Stevenson and one day take over the starting SG position.
9. Chicago Bulls
Depth Chart:
PG: Derrick Rose (r) / Kirk Hinrich
SG: Ben Gordon / Larry Hughes / Thabo Sefolosha / Demetris Nichols
SF: Luol Deng / Andres Nocioni
PF: Drew Gooden / Tyrus Thomas / Cedric Simmons
C: Joakim Noah / Aaron Gray
Comments:
Good news is, they re-signed their best player Luol Deng. Bad news is, it’s not cheap (6-year $71m). Good new is, they re-signed their leading scorer Ben Gordon. Bad news is, it’s a 1-year deal, which will make BG an unrestricted free agent next summer. That is one of the worst case scenario happened, as discussed in my previous mail. OK, they have some logjam at the backcourt following the drafting of Derrick Rose, and they should have got rid of some of the guards. Instead they chose to re-sign BG to a 1-year deal? Knowing that the Bulls don’t want to pay him, expect BG to focus on piling up stats and getting a fatty contract this summer. I can smell some serious chemistry issue in the team, especially between BG and players like Hinrich and Luol Deng who had signed lengthy contracts. Adding a rookie coach Vinny Del Negro, it’s entirely possible to have a chaotic locker room which would lead to yet another disappointing season for the somewhat talented team. They still have many issues, from scoring to defense to chemistry to intensity, which I do not expect rookie coach Vinny Del Negro to fix them all immediately.
Players to watch:
Derrick Rose.
Home town kid. Tons of expectation. John Chow’s favorite. His role somehow overlaps with that of Kirk Hinrich, but due to his status, expect the Bulls to start Rose at PG and shift Hinrich to SG or even the bench. It would be a feel good story to tell if the #1 pick Rose could lead the malfunctioned team to an improbable turnaround season. But I’m more on a pessimistic side.
10. Atlanta Hawks
Depth Chart:
PG: Mike Bibby / Speedy Claxton / Acie Law
SG: Joe Johnson / Flip Murray / Thomas Gardner
SF: Marvin Williams / Maurice Evans
PF: Josh Smith / Solomon Jones / Othello Hunter (r)
C: Al Horford / Zaza Pachulia / Randolph Morris
Comments:
Everybody loves underdogs and everybody loved the Hawks in the playoffs. Sure, against the Celtics, they played with hustle and heart, managed to extend the series to 7 games. I think it reflects the unreadiness of the Cs more than the strength of the Hawks. After all, they were a 37-win team. Granted, Bibby just joined in February 2008, but the record after the acquisition did not quite stand out. Again, I will give them the benefit of the doubt for now. Josh Childress will be deeply missed. Although the team has a decent starting lineup, but Childress was one of the major reasons why the Hawks managed to beat the Celtics 3 times in the series. With Bibby, JJ, Marvin, Josh and Horford, the starting roster has a good mix of experience, ball handling, scoring, athleticism, rebounding and defense. But the problem is, now that Childress is gone, they don’t have any depth at all. In addition, Horford is good but he’s undersized at C. He’s so young and promising, it’s not a good idea to exhaust him playing center. With the improved competitors, expect the Hawks to go back to the lottery again this year.
Player to watch:
Marvin Williams.
With the departure of Childress, Marvin Williams will assume a full time role at SF. No more bail-out by Childress, Marv must prove that the Hawks made the right decision to pick him ahead of CP3 and D-Will. (But I seriously doubt it.) Words from the Atlanta side are that MW has shown substantial improvement this summer and this should be his break-out year. We will see.
11. Charlotte Bobcats
Depth Chart:
PG: Raymond Felton / DJ Augustin (r)
SG: Jason Richardson / Matt Carroll / Shannon Brown
SF: Gerald Wallace / Adam Morrison
PF: Emeka Okafor / Sean May / Jermareo Davidson
C: Nazr Mohammad / Ryan Hollins / Alexis Ajinca (r)
Comments:
Granted, there’s just a very slim chance that the Bobcats could make the playoffs. But since this is my work I have the liberty to include anything I want. Ha ha. I am not saying that the Bobcats are my dark horse pick. I just think that they are a talented team on paper. They have a bona fide star in Gerald Wallace, and they have J-Rich who can flat out score, and they have Okafor to do the dirty works. Felton, Matt Carroll and Sean May are all decent players. That’s “on paper”. They did not play well last season. They were not able to show their “on paper” talent last year as they were hit by injuries, in particular that of GW. So if they can somehow miraculously resolve the injury issue, the wildcard is the coach. We all know what Larry Brown can do. If Larry Brown is the same old LB who took his teams to make big turnaround, the Bobcats will go to the playoffs. Otherwise, if he is the same Larry Brown who coached the Knicks two years ago, then he may feud with GM Michael Jordan, trash his players in front of the media, create all the noises and drama and this season would be a long and disastrous one for the young team.
Players to watch:
Adam Morrison.
#3 pick of the 2006 Draft. Set back by injury last season. Time for redemption. Or bust.
Basketball, NBA and myself
I love basketball. I love playing, watching, writing or even thinking about basketball.
I used to be an avid baller, albeit not a very good one. Have been playing hoop since 13. Suffered an ACL injury on my left knee a few years back, had an ACL reconstruction and I was never the same. So right now I'm semi-retired as a baller (but almost full time fantasy baller though).
Anyway, I have been writing about basketball (mainly NBA) for years, circulating emails among a few friends. It was fun, but then, somehow it doesn't feel good to use just emails.
So that's why I have started this basketball blog.
I will try to make the blog look good but I must be frank to you that I'm not at all good at all these touch-ups, picture things.
Enjoy
I used to be an avid baller, albeit not a very good one. Have been playing hoop since 13. Suffered an ACL injury on my left knee a few years back, had an ACL reconstruction and I was never the same. So right now I'm semi-retired as a baller (but almost full time fantasy baller though).
Anyway, I have been writing about basketball (mainly NBA) for years, circulating emails among a few friends. It was fun, but then, somehow it doesn't feel good to use just emails.
So that's why I have started this basketball blog.
I will try to make the blog look good but I must be frank to you that I'm not at all good at all these touch-ups, picture things.
Enjoy
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