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.

NBA season 2008-2009 Part II

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.

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.