NBA 2009-2010 Season Preview Part II

This is Part II: The East:

EAST

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

Depth Chart:

PG: Maurice Williams / Daniel Gibson
SG: Delonte West / Anthony Carter / Coby Karl
SF: LeBron James / Jamario Moon /
PF: Andersen Varejao / JJ Hickson / Leon Powe / Darnell Jackson
C: Shaquille O'Neal / Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Preview:

I like the addition of Anthony Carter and Jamario Moon. A lot. These two players are extremely useful yet extremely underrated, back to their days in Toronto. We all know the problem of adding Shaq, but as long as his minutes are limited to 25-30, it should be fine. Mike Brown should play Leon Powe more. This is the hungriest team in the league, but that doesn't mean that they would succeed. The Celtics and Magic are real threats.

Player to watch:

LeBron James – how would he respond to the embarrassing loss in the playoffs will define what kind of player he is. If he comes back stronger and better and lead the team to the promised land, he will earn the rep to be compared with MJ and Kobe. Otherwise, he would be just another over-hyped self-centered superstar who has all the talent but not the determination to win it all.


2. Orlando Magic

Depth Chart:

PG: Jameer Nelson / Jason Williams / Anthony Johnson
SG: Vince Carter / Mickael Pietrus / JJ Redick
SF: Rashard Lewis / Matt Barnes
PF: Ryan Anderson / Brandon Bass
C: Dwight Howard / Marcin Gortat / Adonal Foyle

Preview:

I hate them letting Turkoglu go, and I hate the addition of Vince Carter, cuz he is overpaid and overrated. Vince will flop in the playoffs and they will be beaten by the Celtics or the Cavs. But the addition of Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass is flat out brilliant. Only is that without Turk they could not cause mismatch to opponents, which was their most powerful weapon last year. But they are still one of the best three teams in the East.

Player to watch:

Ryan Anderson – he played well in New Jersey. With a starting role in a quality team, I can see him getting a breakout season this year.


3. Boston Celtics

Depth Chart:

PG: Rajon Rondo / Eddie House
SG: Ray Allen / Marquis Daniels / Tony Allen / J. R. Giddens
SF: Paul Pierce / Bill Walker
PF: Kevin Garnett / Glen Davis / Brian Scalabrine
C: Kendrick Perkins / Rasheed Wallace / Sheldon Williams

Preview:

People say they are old, Ray Ray will deteriorate, KG is not healthy, Rasheed is chemistry killer blah blah blah. I'd say they are more determined than ever. The Big Three knew their dates are numbered and this year might very well be their last chance to win it all. I'm skeptical about adding Rasheed Wallace but nonetheless a calculated gamble for them. If I have to pick, I will pick them to win the East, because they have the best chemistry.

Player to watch:

Kevin Garnett – just one question: is he 100%?


4. Atlanta Hawks

Depth Chart:

PG: Mike Bibby / Jeff Teague (r)
SG: Joe Johnson / Jamal Crawford
SF: Marvin Williams / Maurice Evans
PF: Josh Smith / Joe Smith / Othello Hunter
C: Al Horford / Zaza Pachulia / Jason Collins / Randolph Morris

Preview:

The East is boring, as the top four teams are exactly the same as last season. The addition of Jamal Crawford is nice, but I don't think it makes any real difference. They will remain the 4th best team in the East and will exit in 2nd round. This team has peaked IMHO.

Player to watch:

Joe Johnson – if you follow the news closely, you should know that JJ will also become a free agent in 2010. Yes, contract year. What would he do in order to earn a big contract amongst a pool of talent that includes LBJ, Wade and Bosh?


5. Chicago Bulls

Depth Chart:

PG: Derrick Rose / Kirk Hinrich
SG: John Salmons / Jannero Pargo
SF: Luol Deng / Derrick Byars
PF: Tyrus Thomas / Taj Gibson (r) / James Johnson (r)
C: Joakim Noah / Brad Miller / Aaron Gray / Jerome James

Preview:

Everybody loves the Bulls, just like the Blazers in the West. I love the Baby Bulls too. I think John Paxson did a good job in getting John Salmons last year, and sensibly let go Ben Gordon. No, they are still undersized in the frontcourt. But their main problem? The clueless Vinny Del Negro. There's no way they can be good with Coach Vinny. Fire Vinny!

Player to watch:

Derrick Rose – the reigning ROY. Can he make the leap to stardom this season? I'd say yes.


6. Washington Wizards

Depth Chart:

PG: Gilbert Arenas / Randy Foye / Mike James / Jarvis Crittenton
SG: DeShawn Stevenson / Nick Young
SF: Caron Butler / Mike Miller / Dominic McGuire
PF: Antawn Jamison (inj.) / Andray Blatche / Paul Davis
C: Brandan Haywood / JaVale McGee / Fabricio Oberto

Preview:

This is my dark horse in the East. I think they would be good. Flip Saunders is a better coach than you thought. And with Butler, Foye, Mike Miller, they have a solid rotation at SG/SF. Agent 0 is back, but too bad Jamison is injured (just a few weeks). Blatche is good enough to hold the fort. I've never liked Agent Zero but I like the chance of this team.

Player to watch:

Randy Foye – he has been overshadowed by Brandon Roy ever since he joined the league. That is not fair IMHO. Injuries plus lousy management made him look lousier than he actually is. He will be good under Flip Saunders. I guarantee it.


7. Philadelphia Sixers

Depth Chart:

PG: Lou Williams / Royal Ivey / Jrue Holiday (r)
SG: Andre Iguodala / Willie Green
SF: Thaddeus Young / Jason Kapono / Rodney Carney
PF: Elton Brand / Jason Smith
C: Samuel Dalembert / Marreese Speights / Primoz Brezec

Preview:

Elton Brand has a huge chip on his shoulder. But the loss of Andre Miller will be huge. They don't have a real PG and their SF is weak. I am not sure how they can advance past the 1st round amidst the improved Eastern Conference.

Player to watch:

Elton Brand – in my mind, he is always overrated. He played well for lousy teams and the only playoffs experience he had is the improbable playoffs runs of the Clippers in 2006. Personally I want him to fail, because I hate what he did to the Clippers (and Baron Davis) when he jumped ship to Philly. No land for opportunist.


8. Miami Heat

Depth Chart:

PG: Mario Chambers / Chris Quinn / Carlos Arroyo
SG: Dwyane Wade / Daequan Cook / Yakhouba Diawara
SF: Quentin Richardson / James Jones / Dorell Wright
PF: Michael Beasley / Udonis Haslem / Joel Anthony / Shavlik Randolph
C: Jermaine O'Neal / Jamaal Magloire

Preview:

They did absolutely nothing in the summer (except swapping the Matrix with Quentin Richardson). This is the same one-man show. The team will go as far as Wade's body goes. They are in the “waiting for the 2010 sweepstake” mode. Just like the Knicks and the Nets. But they have Wade, so they will still make the playoffs.

Player to watch:

Michael Beasley – fresh back from rehab, let's see whether this talented young man can play up to expectation. Shifting to his natural position at PF should help.


9. Toronto Raptors

Depth Chart:

PG: Jose Calderon / Jarrett Jack / Marcus Banks
SG: DeMar DeRazon (r) / Marco Belinelli / Quincy Douby
SF: Hedo Turkoglu / Antoine Wright
PF: Chris Bosh / / Amir Johnson / Reggie Evans
C: Andrea Bargnani / Rasho Nesterovic / Patrick O'Bryant

Preview:

You know what, I like this year's Raptors. Turkoglu will provide them versatility and improvise offense. Belinelli should play better now with countryman Bargnani. Rookie DeRazon looks promising. These, plus Calderon and Bosh, and the newly improved Bargnani, I think they have a good chance to make the playoffs.

Player to watch:

DeMar DeRazon – people says this rookie will win the starting job over Belinelli. I would like to see how good he is.


10. Detroit Pistons

Depth Chart:

PG: Rodney Stuckey / Will Bynum / Chucky Atkins
SG: Richard Hamilton / Ben Gordon
SF: Tayshuan Prince / Austin Daye (r)
PF: Charlie Villanueva / Jason Maxiell / Chris Wilcox
C: Kwame Brown / Ben Wallace

Preview:

After so many years, the Pistons finally has a new look. I am still skeptical about the $90 million committed to Ben Gordon and Villanueva, but at least Joe Dumars has the balls to make moves, instead staying pat with a worsening and ageing team. But Kwame Brown starting at C? You kiddin' me? In rebuilding mode meaning that they will likely miss the playoffs.

Player to watch:

Rodney Stuckey – without Allen Iverson, Stuckey finally has the full time starting job. While Billups' memory are still fresh, can he win the fans' heart?

11. Charlotte Bobcats

Depth Chart:

PG: Raymond Felton / D.J. Augustin
SG: Stephen Graham / Raja Bell (inj.) / Flip Murray / Gerald Henderson (r)
SF: Gerald Wallace / Vladimir Radmanovic
PF: Boris Diaw / Derrick Brown / Alexis Ajinca
C: Tysan Chandler / Nazr Mohammed / DeSagana Diop

Preview:

They were desperate for scoring but due to financial constraint they did not address such issue during offseason. Raja Bell's injuury just put things worse. Or the swap of Okafor for Tysan Chandler. Even the coach is Larry Brown, I just don't think they can make any progress this year. Question is, how many games will MJ attend?

Player to watch:

Tysan Chandler - I miss those Chris Paul-to-Tysan Chandler alley-oops. Can Raymond Felton throw those alley-oops passes like CP3? Guess not.


12. Indiana Pacers

Depth Chart:

PG: T.J. Ford / Earl Watson / Travis Diener
SG: Dahntay Jones / Brandon Rush / Luther Head
SF: Danny Granger / Mike Dunleavy Jr.
PF: Troy Murphy / Josh McRoberts / Tyler Hansbrough (r)
C: Jeff Foster / Roy Hibbert / Solomon Jones

Preview:

I have almost forgotten the Pacers in the past couple of years. They were so quiet in the past few years. They didn't do much in offseason and retain most of the players. What the heck Larry Bird is thinking? If you couldn't do it last season, why on earth do they think they can do it this season? This team certainly has no identity.

Player to watch:

Tyler Hansbrough – with Jeff Foster sidelined, Hansbrough should have more PT than expected. I always think he's a bust. We'll see.


13. Milwaukee Bucks

Depth Chart:

PG: Luke Ridnour / Brandan Jennings (r) / Roko Ukic
SG: Michael Redd / Charlie Bell / Jodie Meeks (r)
SF: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute / Carlos Delfino / Ersan Ilyasova
PF: Hakim Warrick / Kurt Thomas / Joe Alexander
C: Andrew Bogut / Dan Gadzuric / Francisco Elson

Preview:

Another team in cost-saving mode. They did not blink or shed a tear losing 60% of his starting lineup (Ramon Sessions, Villanueva and Richard Jefferson.) Good luck to all the Milwaukee fans. Redd is wasted in this cold state. Alas, he should have gone to Cleveland last year.

Player to watch:

Hakim Warrick – he played well with limited PT. Now that Villanueva is gone, will he make further improvement?


14. New York Knicks

PG: Chris Duhon / Nate Robinson
SG: Wilson Chandler / Larry Hughes / Toney Douglas (r) / Cuttino Mobley
SF: Jared Jeffries / Danilo Gallinari
PF: Al Harrington / Marcus Landry
C: David Lee / Darko Milicic / Jordan Hill (r) / Eddy Curry

Preview:

A complete chaos. No leadership, no offense, no defense, no size, no nothing. They are waiting for the coming of LBJ in 2010. Good luck. Just beware, if they could not move Eddy Curry this season, they will not have the salary cap space to sign two superstars (including LBJ). Without another superstar, why on earth would LBJ wanna go to Big Apple, playing along, err, Danilo Gallinari and Darko? Because of David Latterman? Or Derek Jeter? And who would want Eddy Curry at such a price? Please, get real, New Yorkers.

Player to watch:

David Lee – poor David Lee, he's such a good guy with terrific working ethics. A fan favorite, but only got a 1-year contract. He is perfect to excel under D'Antoni's system.


15. New Jersey Nets

Depth chart:

PG: Devin Harris / Rafer Alston / Keyon Dooling
SG: Courtney Lee / Jarvis Hayes / Chris Douglas-Roberts / Terence Williams (r)
SF: Bobby Simmons / Eduardo Najera / Trenton Hassell
PF: Yi Jianlian / Tony Battie / Sean Williams
C: Brook Lopez / Josh Boone

Preview:

Another “praying” team, as in “praying for LBJ to join us and we will be almighty and live forever and ever”. The Nets is even worse in terms of talent. But three good things about the Nets (over the Knicks): 1. they will have the full cap space to sign two superstars at max contract next season, and 2. they have Devin Harris. 3. they will have a deep pocket Russian owner. The last advantage is that they probably will win this year's lottery. Good luck, Brooklyn.

Player to watch:

Devin Harris - with Vince gone, he is not the official leader in this lousy team. Let's see how he would respond to that.

NBA 2009-2010 Season Preview Part I

Yo! Long time no see. It's a bit late, but nonetheless, my lengthy NBA 2009-2010 season preview.

I assume you should have read enough about all the teams so I won't be writing the obvious, like the risk of taking Ron Artest, the good and bad of getting Shaq etc. Instead, I will try to be concise and draw your attention to certain points that I consider worth mentioning, or points that others have overlooked. So here we go, Part I: The West:

WEST

1. LA Lakers

Depth Chart:

PG: Derek Fisher / Jordon Farmar
SG: Kobe Bryant / Sasha Vujacic / Shannon Brown
SF: Ron Artest / Luke Walton / Adam Morrison
PF: Pau Gasol / Lamar Odom / Josh Powell
C: Andrew Bynum / D.J. Mbenga

Preview:

Last year's champion is #1 by default in my preview. Ron Ron in La La Land seems a perfect storm coming. Please stop all the MJ-Rodman/Kobe-Artest comparison. Kobe ain't no MJ, and Artest ain't no Rodman. I don't think Kobe (or even Phil Jackson)can do any magic to turn Artest into a useful player like what MJ did to Rodman. Artest's problem is more on court than off court. He thinks he's a franchise player. Rodman never did. Rodman just thought he's best rebounder in the world. And he was. But Artest certainly is NOT a franchise player. Can't see them repeat this year.

Player to watch:

Ron Artest – He was the player to watch last season in Houston. And that include any mayhem to watch.


2. San Antonio Spurs

Depth Chart:

PG: Tony Parker / George Hill
SG: Manu Ginobili / Roger Mason
SF: Richard Jefferson / Michael Finley
PF: Tim Duncan / Antonio McDyess / DeJuan Blair (r)
C: Matt Bonner /Theo Ratliff / Ian Mahinmi

Preview:

One of the best off-seasons the Spurs ever had for years. They got better and younger. But don't get too carried away. Can McDyess and RJ make a smooth transition? Under the Spurs system, RJ will be more in the shooting and facilitating role than slashing, where he excels. Plus they need to mesh together. Regardless, all it matters in the end is the health of the Big Three.

Player to watch:

Manu Ginobili – just curious, how many times can he roll his ankles before they completely blow up?


3. Portland Trailblazers

Depth Chart:

PG: Steve Blake / Andre Miller / Jerryd Bayless
SG: Brandon Roy / Rudy Fernandez
SF: Martell Webster / Travis Outlaw / Nicolas Batum (inj.)
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge / Juwan Howard
C: Greg Oden / Joel Przybilla

Preview:

Everybody loves the Blazers. Like the Spurs, they had a great off-season. Better, Oden is back and looks healthy. Again, don't get too carried away. Remember, they looked terrific towards the end of last year's regular season, but then the playoffs? Such a nightmare. This is a red flag. However great he is, I just don't think Nate McMillan is the coach that can lead them to the next level.

Player to watch:

Greg Oden – Two years from drafting, so how? We have seen how great Kevin Durant is, show us your true self, Greg.


4. Denver Nuggets

Depth Chart:

PG: Chauncey Billups / Anthony Carter / Ty Lawson (r)
SG: J.R. Smith / Aaron Afflalo
SF: Carmelo Anthony / Renaldo Blackman
PF: Kenyon Martin / Chris Anderson
C: Nene / Malik Allen

Preview:

I think last year's Nuggets overachieved. I don't think they can repeat last year's success. George Karl will soon lose his player's respect. The positive impact of Billups will gradually wear out in the second season. Losing Dahntay Jones will hurt their defense, although Afflalo should compensate the scoring. This team does not have enough depth to compete with the Lakers, Spurs or even the Blazers.

Player to watch:

J. R. Smith – he is forever a mystery. During the last playoffs, he played like the best player in the team; on some nights, he may just kill the team's chance by shooting 30 3s a game. Will he ever be consistent?


5. Dallas Mavericks

Depth Chart:

PG: Jason Kidd / Jose Juan Barea / Rodrigue Beaubois (r)
SG: Quinton Ross / Jason Terry / Josh Howard (inj.) / Matt Carroll
SF: Shawn Marion / Shawne Williams
PF: Dirk Nowitzki / Tim Thomas / Kris Humphries
C: Erick Dampier / Drew Gooden

Preview:

Sure the Mavs have improved their roster. The pick-up of the Matrix and Drew Gooden is nice. But all rest on Josh Howard. JH is critical to the success of the team. Without him, it would be hard for them to become contender, no matter how great Kidd, Terry, Matrix and Dirk are. They are ranked #5 as long as Josh Howard would be back in a month's time.

Player to watch:

Shawn Marion – didn't see him play for awhile, ever since he left the Suns. How good is he right now?


6. New Orleans Hornet

Depth Chart:

PG: Chris Paul / Bobby Brown / Darrell Collison (r)
SG: Morris Peterson / Devin Brown
SF: Julian Wright / Peja Stojakovic / James Posey
PF: David West / Darius Songaila / Ike Diogu
C: Emeka Okafor / Hilton Armstrong

Preview:

This team is in cost-saving mode. So do not expect the owner to address the depth issue on the wing positions. They not only lost Chandler and Rasual Butler, but also considerable of athleticism along with them. It is sad watching such a promising team self-destruct like that. Yeah, blame the owner.

Player to watch:

Emeka Okafor – not as athletic as Chandler, so don't expect rains of alley-oops from him. On the other side, how can CP3 help him to improve?


7. Phoenix Suns

Depth Chart:

PG: Steve Nash / Goran Dragic
SG: Jason Richardson / Leandro Barbosa
SF: Grant Hill / Jared Dudley / Alando Tucker
PF: Amare Stoudemire / Louis Amundson / Earl Clark (r)
C: Channing Frye / Robin Lopez

Preview:

I don't like this year's Suns. I think the team had a serious identity crisis after D'Antoni left. Steve Kerr wanted a traditional, defense oriented team but the players think otherwise. Shaq experiment failed completely and now they were trying to restore run-n-gun offense. But where are the sharp shooters and athletic slashers which are instrumental to the SSOL offense? I guess Grant Hill couldn't even get past the mid-court in seven seconds!

Player to watch:

Channing Frye – Frye has never been a full-time starter in his entire career. Now he has the chance, and he is in a good system that he fits in well. If he can't perform in Phoenix, he will never have another chance.


8. Utah Jazz

Depth Chart:

PG: Deron Williams / Ronnie Price / Eric Maynor (r)
SG: Ronnie Brewer / Kyle Korver (inj.)
SF: Andrei Kirilenko/ CJ Miles / Matt Harpring
PF: Carlos Boozer / Paul Millsap
C: Mehmet Okur / Kosta Koufos / Kyrylo Fesenko

Preview:

This squad had peaked in the 2007 Playoffs (Western Conference Finals). Now, for Boozer, given his impending free agency this coming summer, he will likely try hard to perform, but do so at the expense of the entire team's chemistry and success. Yes I hate Boozer. And I have not mentioned their lack of shooters.

Player to watch:

Deron Williams - too many people saying that Deron Williams is underrated and now he is getting a bit overrated. Make no mistake, I like him. But he is wasted in this Jazz team. His All-Star selection is long due.



9. LA Clippers

Depth Chart:

PG: Baron Davis / Sebastian Telfair
SG: Eric Gordon / Rasual Butler / Mardy Collins
SF: Al Thornton / Ricky Davis / Steve Novak
PF: Blake Griffin (r) (inj.) / Craig Smith / Brian Skinner
C: Chris Kaman / Marcus Camby / DeAndre Jordan

Preview:

Bold pick: the Clippers is my dark horse in the West. I know, Blake Griffin is hit by the Clippers curse and will be out for at least 6-8 weeks. And I know their coach is the notorious Mike Dunleavy Sr. But even without Griffin, BD + Eric Gordon + Al Thornton + Cmaby + Kaman is solid enough. Rasual Butler is underrated, so is Craig Smith. Of course, at the end of the day, whether the Clips would succeed entirely depend on whether Baron Davis want to play hard or not.

Player to watch:

Blake Griffin – Andrew Bynum broke his knee cap and sat out nearly 50 games in 2007. So 6-8 weeks is an optimistic estimate for Griffin. Nonetheless, he remains the rookie to watch. Fingers crossed.


10. Oklahoma Thunder

Depth Chart:

PG: Russell Westbrook / Shaun Livingston
SG: Thabo Sefolosha / James Harden (r) / Kyle Weaver
SF: Kevin Durant /Ryan Bowen
PF: Jeff Green / Nick Collison
C: Nenad Krstic / Etan Thomas / B.J. Mullens (r)

Preview:

This should be one of the most entertaining teams in the league. They will not win many games, but will be as fun to watch as hell. It should be some “zero-defense, shoot-it-and-no-question-ask” type of games. They are young and fearless. Expect Westbrook, Durant and Green to pile up big stats, and the team ends up with 30-35 wins. This, however, is good to be 10th in the weakened West.

Player to watch:

Kevin Durant - #5 rank in fantasy draft? Is he up to that? Can he make the All-Star Game? We'll see.


11. Houston Rockets

Depth Chart:

PG: Aaron Brooks / Kyle Lowry
SG: Trevor Ariza / Tracy McGrady (inj.) / Jermaine Taylor
SF: Shane Battier / Chase Budinger
PF: Luis Scola / Carl Landry / Brian Cook
C: Chuck Hayes / Yao Ming (inj.)

Preview:

I am not sure whether I have put the Rockets too high or too low here. Yao will miss the entire season. And no matter what y'all say, I am certain that T-Mac will play not more than 50 games this season. He will take his time to heal in order to preserve his free agent value. And how can they survive in the West with a frontcourt (Battier, Scola, Hayes, Landry) that average 6'8”?

Player to watch:

Trevor Ariza – he's the single Laker that I liked last year. No, I don't think he is a franchise player, but probably one of the best complementary 2nd/3rd banana in a championship team. Can he take up the load and be the leader? Although I want to say yes but my conscious says otherwise.


12. Golden State Warriors

Depth Chart:

PG: Stephen Curry(r) / C.J. Watson / Acie Law / Speedy Claxton
SG: Monta Ellis (inj) / Anthony Morrow / Kelenna Azubuike
SF: Stephen Jackson / Devean George
PF: Corey Maggette / Anthony Randolph / Brandan Wright
C: Andris Biedrins / Ronny Turiaf / Mikke Moore

Preview:

With Nellie, expect at least 20 different starting lineups and once again rank bottom in assist and miss the playoffs. Same old Warriors.

Player to watch:

Stephen Curry – he won the starting job for now. I liked him during the NCAA Tourney run in 2008. He is fearless and has the ability to play PG in the pro level. Let's hope Nellie would not kill his confidence after 100 times of roster reshuffle.


13. Memphis Grizzlies

Depth Chart:

PG: Mike Conley Jr. / Allen Iverson / Marcus Williams
SG: O.J. Mayo / Marko Jaric
SF: Rudy Gay / DeMarre Carroll (r) / Sam Young (r)
PF: Zach Randolph / Darrell Arthur
C: Marc Gasol / Hasheem Thabeet (r) / Steven Hunter

Preview:

This is a promising team that lacks leadership. No discipline at all. Now with Iverson and Z-Bo, this team is going to be more selfish. With such a poor management, it is hard to imagine them to get to the playoffs any time soon. It will be forever a mystery why Iverson joined such a lousy team. I know they offered him the best money, but he is not exactly short of cash, is he? So why? WHY?

Player to watch:

Marc Gasol – he might not be as talented as his big brother, but I am betting on him having a breakout season in his sophomore year.


14. Minnesota Timberwolves

Depth Chart:
PG: Ramon Sessions / Jonny Flynn (r)
SG: Damien Wilkins / Wayne Ellington / Sasha Pavlovic
SF: Corey Brewer / Oleksiy Pecherov
PF: Ryan Gomes / Brian Cardinal / Kevin Love (inj.)
C: Al Jefferson / Nathan Jawai / Ryan Hollins / Mark Blount

Preview:

They should have gone higher had Kevin Love not been injured. The addition of Sessions and Flynn is good, but they sorely need outside scoring. Wayne Ellington won't contribute right away. More people will be interested in how they are going to deal with the Ricky Rubio situation.

Player to watch:

Jonny Flynn – everyone is high on him. But exactly how good is he?


15. Sacramento Kings

Depth Chart:
PG: Tyreke Evans (r) / Beno Udrih
SG: Kevin Martin / Desmond Mason / Francisco Garcia (inj.)
SF: Andres Nocioni / Omri Casspi (r)
PF: Jason Thompson / Donte Greene / Sean May
C: Spencer Hawes /Kenny Thomas

Preview:

A consensus worst team in the league. Nothing to expect from them. None. Nada. People is focusing on whether the Maloof Brothers will be moving this team to cities like Kansas City or even Las Vegas.

Player to watch:

Tyreke Evans – It's a tradition to focus on rookie watch for lousy teams. Another rookie starting at PG. Though not a traditional playmaker, he has the license to do whatever he wants. So let's see what kind of stats he can pile up.