From time to time an entire post will be dedicated to one sport. This is the first of those. I hope it is informative and gets you ready for a great N.B.A season. Teams will be listed in order of predicted finish within the division with playoff teams in all caps.
Western conference
* Northwest Division--
1.DENVER - This is Carmelo's chance to prove something. Mr.Big Shot (C.Billups) and Kenyon Martin are solid. Look for great regular season. Lack of defense and bench hurt come playoff time(see Battier from Houston).
2.UTAH- Deron Williams may be my favorite player in the league Utah will continue to play great at home and make a playoff appearance. Boozer's and Okur's play in the paint will be key to how long the stay around.
3.Portland- Best young talent in the league. Roy will continue to be an all star. Aldridge needs to play consistently night in and night out. Oden's health will still be key to how much they can do. Love the Andre Miller pick up.
4.Okc- Sorry Kevin Durant Loved you on the sideline at the Still, but this team is too young Look for Durant to be among the league scoring leaders all year. Russell Westbrook will have a solid year.
5.Minnesota- Who??? Al Jefferson deserves better. Johnny Flynn could prove to be a solid point guard in the league.
*Pacific Division--
1.LA LAKERS- The Champs got better with Artest. Bynum and Gasol staying healthy is a must for a repeat. Kobe is still best all around player in the league with apologies to Mr.Duncan.
2.PHOENIX- Make the playoffs , but longer scare the top teams. Stoudamire is overrated and Nash is aging, look for him to tire as the season goes on.
3.Golden State- Loss of Baron Davis hurts this squad too much. Love Steph Curry to become a solid NBA player. Look for Stephen Jackson to be picked up by a contender.
4.LA Clippers- Baron Davis is a PLAYER and with Camby and Kayman as bigs they should be a better team. Look for bad chemistry and a tough Western Conference to keep them out of the playoffs.
5.Sacremento- Kevin Martin is a star on a bad team. He is out with a fractured wrist . Tyreke Evans is only reason to watch.
*Southwest Division--
1.SAN ANTONIO- Jefferson is a perfect fit for this team. Dejuan Blair will contribute as a rookie. Look for some surprise losses early as they gel as a team.Timmy D is on a mission. If Ginobili stays healthy, they will challenge the Lakers for the West.
2. DALLAS- Dirk is all NBA. If all season pick up Shawn Marion can return to All Star form, and the Jet (Jason Terry) continues to be the best 6th man around, look for them to challenge the Lakers and Spurs.
3.NEW ORLEANS- CP3 keeps his team just ahead of the Rockets. Not a top tier team. David West and Emeka Okafor both make my overrated team.
4.Houston- Lots of athleticism, but losing T-mac and Yao is devastating. Battier would be a great pick up for a contender.
5.Memphis- I love to watch A.I. play. He is not the guy to bring in on a team with this much youth. O.J. Mayo will have a great year.
Eastern Conference
*Southeast Division
1.ORLANDO- Vince Carter pick up was a nice move. Jameer Nelson staying healthy will be key with Courtney Lee gone. Dwight Howard is a beast top three, in MVP voting this year.
2.ATLANTA- I love the Hawks. Look for them to surprise and push Cleveland as third best team in the East. Joe Johnson is most under appreciated player in the league. Josh Smith and Marvin Williams are fun to watch.
3.MIAMI- Dwayne Wade is the man. Beasley needs to step up in order for them to make any noise in the play offs.
4.Washington- Agent Zero will score and will be fun to watch, but the bigs on this team will keep them just outside of the playoffs.
5.Charlotte- Two good young point guards, Felton and Augustine. Other than that, they are bad, bad, bad.
*Central Division
1.CLEVELAND- LeBron is LeBron and that puts them in the top three in the East. Shaq is not longer Shaq and this team needs more scoring to make a title run.
2.CHICAGO- The Baby Bulls will make the second round of the playoffs. D. Rose is a stud, look for him and Loul Deng to have big years.
3.DETROIT- Need for Kwame Brown and Ben Gordon to star. That is asking alot. Great organization but down this year. Dumars won't let them be bad for long. They make playoff but not a factor.
4.Indiana- Granger is a scorer. Murphy and Ford are solid, look for them to make a run at the eighth seed.
5.Milwaukee- Need Redd to get healthy soon just to stay out of Eastern cellar. Not enough fire power.
*Atlantic Divistion
1.BOSTON- Beast of the East. Rasheed as a role player will be big. Marquis Daniels pick up was great and will prove to be just as valuable. Big three are still solid.
2.TORONTO- Make playoffs, Hedo and Bosh carry the team. Bargnani's play at center will be key as to how long they stay.
3.Philadelphia- Look for Philly to slip out of playoffs. Elton Brand can change this with big play.
4.New Jersey- Young talented team. Look for them to pull off some upsets. Devin Harris is solid, look for playoff team to pick him off this roster.
5.New York- Sorry New York fans, David Lee is your best player. Start the bidding for Lebron. At least the Yankees have won.
Calling Lakers / Spurs in West with Mavs pushing them
Celtics/ Magic in the East with the Cavs and Bulls pushing them.
MVP top : Dirk, Kobe, LeBron, Duncan
Hope this helps you enjoy the season!!!
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