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.