It has been a long time coming, but the NBA is back!
This short preseason has brought forth a lot of changes,
such as Tyson Chandler leaving the world champion Dallas Mavericks for the New
York Knicks.
However, some changes were controversial, as former New
Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul winds up being traded to Los Angeles’ “second”
NBA team—the Clippers—after commissioner David Stern blocked a trade sending
him to the Lakers.
With a 66-game schedule and every team playing a
back-to-back-to-back at a point during the season, teams will have to survive
and limit the injuries if they any hope of hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy
this June.
In this preview, my friend and fellow aspiring journalist
Robert Brown (you can follow him on Twitter @UptownBobby and
he writes for KevinNottingham.com) sized up the Eastern
Conference while I focused on the West. We both gave our predictions of the
awards too.
Eastern Conference
 |
| A somber LeBron James (left) and Dwyane Wade did not win the Finals in their first year together, but could happier times be ahead for the Heat? (Photo by CBS Sports) |
Since the new decade, the Eastern
conference stands a bittersweet 0-2(or 0-1 depending on how you start counting
your decades) in the NBA Finals. With much of the league’s top talent in the
Eastern Conference, the scales of winning titles will have to sway in the favor
of the East. The Big 3 in Miami looks faster, the big 4 in Boston look older,
and the Big 1 in Orlando looks confused. Thanks to a shorter schedule and free
agency, the East is the most competitive it’s been in years.
Here’s the breakdown:
Atlantic
Division
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| Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire (1) and Celtics forward Kevin Garnett will battle for Atlantic supremacy. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images) |
Boston
Celtics (56-26 in 2010-2011)
The Celtics are depleted bench wise.
With little action done during this offseason, the Celtics are going to need a
lot of minutes from ‘’The Big 4’’, and a lot of growing up from rookies JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore. The
unfortunate loss of Jeff Green is
going to be felt this season and Boston also needs some size up front. Brandon Bass should be a solid
upgrade from Glen ‘’Big Baby’’
Davis at the Power Forward position, but that still isn’t enough
size up front to compete with Chicago’s Noah and Boozer,
New York’s Chandler and Stoudemire and Miami’s faster ,
younger front court of Bosh and Joel Anthony.
Overall The Celtics still have a talented group of veterans that
have enough to get them into the playoffs. Once the Celtics make the playoffs,
they have the moxy to make it past the first round and possibly contend for the
Eastern conference title if certain teams knock each other out first.
New York
Knicks (42-40)
The Knicks made the biggest free agent acquisition this
season in the Eastern Conference by signing Tyson Chandler. Chandler’s presence takes pressure off Amare Stoudemire and allows him
to be a pure Power Forward and give him someone that can carry some of the load
of rebounding and interior defense. With a depleted back court, more of the
offensive load is going to be on Carmelo Anthony this year and a possible
scoring title could be in the future for Melo if free acquisitions Mike Bibby and Baron Davis can get him the ball.
Overall The Knicks are going to be much better than last year. If
Baron Davis recovers from his back injury successfully and plays to his
potential, the Knicks could arguably be the best team in the East. The biggest
question is can Mike D’antoni get the Knicks to play defense? On paper, the
Knicks will make the playoffs, but we shouldn’t expect another first round exit
this year.
Philadelphia
76ers (41-41)
The Sixers did a great job of
re-signing free agent Thaddeus
Young. Paired with Jrue
Holiday, Thaddeus will have another solid season and could possibly be
an All-Star reserve if he plays to expectations. Two guard Evan Turner will come back with a
bigger role in the offense and swing man Andre Iguodala will give them a reliable 15-20 ppg if he
isn’t traded before midseason.
Overall Many people didn’t expect the Sixers to make the playoffs
last year, and no one expected them to steal a couple of games from Miami
during the playoffs. Also, Philly can get better before the trade deadline by
trading Iguodala and/or Elton
Brand for another piece that could push them into contenders. Doug
Collins is a great coach that will mold this young team into something special.
Expect another playoff appearance from the 76’ers this year.
New Jersey
Nets (24-58)
Losing Brook Lopez to injury for the beginning of the season is
going to hinder any chance the Nets have of wanting to improve from last year’s
record. Deron Williams is
the key centerpiece of the team, but with a roster that’s still rebuilding
after they traded most of it for Williams, the Nets have too many holes and not
enough cap space to do too much of anything. Re-signing free agent Kris Humphries was a solid move,
and Anthony Morrow is
still a great 3 point shooter that can spread the floor.
Overall With most of the Nets season surrounding around Deron
Williams contract extension and Dwight
Howard trade speculation, there isn’t much to expect from New
Jersey than another subpar season and maybe an All-Star appearance from Deron
Williams.
Toronto
Raptors (22-60)
With new coach Dwane
Casey coming in, expect the Raptors to be a better defensive team
than years before. DeMar DeRozan is
going to have be their primary offensive option alongside 7 foot Andrea Bargnani. Could Dwane mold
sharpshooter Bargnani into the next Dirk Nowitzki?
Overall The Raptors will be fun to watch, and with Casey at coach
they’ll show improvement, but make no mistake, this team is rebuilding. Maybe a
year or two from now we’ll be able to talk about the Raptors being more
competitive.
Divison
Winner: New York Knicks
Central
division
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| Bulls guard Derrick Rose (right) won the MVP last year, but he has his sights on an NBA title. |
Chicago
Bulls (62-20)
With Derrick
Rose being this team’s rock the sky is the limit. Last year, Rose
carried the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals with little to no help. The
key to the Bulls jumping over South Beach into the Finals is Carlos Boozer. If Boozer can play
to his All-Star potential, the Bulls may be the team to beat in the East.
Signing Rip Hamilton will
get more points on the board and insert a veteran into the Bulls lineup that
can bring a sense of leadership to a young team.
Overall Last year was a surprise year for the Bulls. No one expected
Rose nor that team to be so good that fast. Now, it’s NBA Finals appearance or
bust. This team has enough talent to bring Chicago its first title since 1998.
Indiana
Pacers (37-45)
Much like the 76’ers, the Pacers are
a great young team with a 2nd year coach (Frank Vogel) that has improved in the
offseason from last year. With Darren
Collision being the starting PG, expect the offense to grow even
more now that he’s the primary facilitator. Free agent signing David West is going to add much
needed locker room leadership to a young team that needs it.
Overall The Pacers are a dangerous team if things translate on paper
onto the floor. Roy Hibbert will develop and acquisitions George Hill and young players
like A.J. Price, Paul George , and Tyler Hansbrough will get plenty
of playing time. The Pacers are looking to be at least a 5 or 6 seed come
playoff time.
Milwaukee
Bucks (35-47)
Brandon
Jennings had a lukewarm season last
year that was plagued with injuries and a team that was last in scoring last
year (91.9 points per game). With the signing of Mike Dunleavy and new comer Stephen Jackson, there are bright spots on the team that can mold
into playoff hopes.
Overall Milwaukee can do some great things this year if they can
remain healthy. A 66 game season should favor a young group with veteran
pieces. Jennings is the key, though. If he can take the leap that many experts
imagined him taking last year, than Milwaukee is a playoff team. A first round
series would be enough to keep Scott Skiles a job.
Detroit
Pistons (30-52)
Lawerence Frank is a good coach, but rebuilding is never fun.
The Pistons have great young pieces in Greg Monroe and Rodney
Stuckey veteran leadership from Tayshun Prince. And with Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon being overpaid, they
still can contribute offensively.
Overall Lawerence Frank will have a job in trying to please
everyone in his rotation. Expect Brandon Knight and Kyle Singler to contribute
immediately. If things work for the better, Detroit could sneak into the
playoffs.
Cleveland
Cavaliers (19-63)
The ghost of LeBron James isn’t lingering as
much now that new #1 draft pick Kyrie
Irving is in town. This team is far from being complete, but they
do have great young players that will develop and possibly become household
names. Expect a huge season for rookie Tristan Thompson.
Overall The Cavaliers won’t be very good, but they are going in the
right direction as far as rebuilding goes. They’ll be in the draft lottery
again building around Irving.
Division
winner: Chicago Bulls
Southeast
Division
 |
| Could Magic center Dwight Howard go "up, up, and away" from Orlando or does he stay? |
Miami Heat (58-24)
Chirs
Bosh is the man that will push
Miami through the season. Bosh spent this off season bulking up and from this
Preseason has played with an edge.
LeBron James and Dwyane
Wade will do what they do best and create offense and everything
else for the Miami Heat. Veteran Udonis
Haslem returns to start the season healthy this year and will give
Miami toughness up front. Shane Battier will give Miami a much needed boost off
the bench and can knock down the occasional clutch 3 pointer.
Overall The Miami Heat are good enough to start the season off 20-0.
The back-to-backs during this shortened season will benefit Miami more than any
other team in the Eastern conference. I honestly can’t see Miami losing more
than 10-15 games all season. This is definitely the season that will put the
Heat in the record books, title or not.
Orlando
Magic (52-30)
The season all depends on Dwight Howard being traded or not. If he stays, the Magic are
pretty much bringing the same team back from last year that got put out the
first round of the playoffs. If he goes, maybe the Magic can start the rebuilding
period early and build around the draft. It all depends on how the Magic start
off the season before Magic G.M. Otis Smith pulls the trigger on a deal for
Dwight.
Overall Orlando overpaid for Turkoglu and Jason Richardson, but
they’re back on the team and if they contribute accordingly, Orlando could make
some noise during the postseason.
Atlanta
Hawks (44-38)
Swingman Jamal Crawford is now in Portland
and that means that the Hawks offense is less explosive than previous seasons. Al Horford came into his
own last year under center with career highs in scoring (15.3) and field goal
percentage (55.7%) . If Joe
Johnson can play at an All Star level and Josh Smith show gradual
improvement the Hawks can be a threat first round and send another favorite
home.
Overall Joe Johnson has to play like he’s getting paid; elite.
Atlanta needs to make it to the Eastern conference Finals or else
G.M. Rick Sund may
have no other choice but to blow the team up and rebuild.
Charlotte
Bobcats (34-48)
Kemba
Walker will be the draw and face of
the franchise. Pairing him with a shooter and scorer like Gerald Henderson will make for a
good backcourt, but no big men will be the Achilles heel of the Bobcats.
Overall The Bobcats are post season material, but they have
players that are fun to watch. Kemba Walker will probably be a runaway
candidate for Rookie of the year.
Washington
Wizards (23-59)
John Wall is expected by experts to make the ‘’leap’’ this year
that will make him a superstar caliber point guard. Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee give him a big, talented front court that could
be the East’s version of The Clippers ‘’Lob City’’. Nick Young is also the
team’s best overall scorer.
Overall The Wizards will improve their record from last year,
but there’s still a sense of rebuilding in D.C. John Wall will definitely be a
player to watch this year.
Southeast
Division winner: Miami Heat
Eastern
Conference Playoff prediction:
1. Miami
2. Chicago
3. New York Knicks
4. Indiana Pacers
5. Orlando Magic
6. Boston Celtics
7. Philadelphia 76’ers
8. Milwaukee Bucks
Eastern Conference Finals : Miami vs. Chicago
Winner: Heat.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
SOUTHWEST DIVISION
SOUTHWEST DIVISION
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| The Dallas Mavericks retooled a bit this offseason but (from L to R) Vince, JET, Matrix, Dirk, Kidd and LO hope to make another title run. (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE/Getty Images) |
Dallas
Mavericks (57-25)
As you can tell by this brilliant
rendition of “We Are The Champions” by 2011 NBA Finals MVP Dirk
Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks are the defending NBA champions. They also had
their share of roster turnover after losing Tyson Chandler, JJ Barea and Caron
Butler while making Brendan Haywood a starter and adding Vince Carter and Lamar
Odom a roster already with Jason Terry, Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd. Dallas is
primed at another championship run with Nowitzki being the star and many good
pieces around him.
Memphis Grizzlies (46-36)
The young and energetic Memphis
Grizzlies and the ever-reliable San Antonio Spurs look to challenge the Mavs
for the Southwest Division crown as both teams head in different directions.
The Grizzlies had an improbable run to Game 7 of the Western Conference
Semifinals behind the powerful frontcourt of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol while
Rudy Gay was sidelined with a shoulder injury last February. With Randolph and
Gasol secured to newer contract and Gay healthy, could Memphis take another
leap forward?
San Antonio Spurs (61-21)
The team Memphis upset in the first
round—San Antonio—had the No. 1 seed in the West last season, but could not
keep up with the Grizzlies power inside. The Spurs’ core of Tim Duncan, Manu
Ginobili and Tony Parker are getting up there in age but they may still have
enough for another go at the title. Look for Gregg Popovich to monitor their
minutes closely, but their role players must step up.
Houston Rockets (43-39)
The Houston Rockets have had winning
records the last two years, but wound up No. 9 in the West each time. What is
even more impressive is that they have played tough with non-household names
like Luis Scola and Kevin Martin as Yao Ming battled injuries. Yao retired in
the offseason and Kevin McHale takes over for Rick Adelman as head coach.
New Orleans Hornets (46-36)
The New Orleans Hornets will not be
an immediate force in the West, thanks to David Stern nixing the Chris Paul
trade that involved the Rockets and Lakers, but they can be young and
entertaining. Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman are good pickups
that can help the team in the long run, but for now they must jell together and
hope for the best. At least New Orleans is likely to have two lottery picks,
thanks to the Clippers trading Minnesota’s pick to the Hornets.
PREDICTED
CHAMPION: Dallas Mavericks
NORTHWEST DIVISION
 |
| Russell Westbrook (left) and Kevin Durant hope to make the next step this season and make the NBA Finals. (Photo from XXLMag.com) |
Oklahoma
City Thunder (55-27)
The Oklahoma City Thunder has gone
from a lottery team to a serious title contender in a short span of three years
thanks to its two budding stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Oklahoma
City made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals despite at times it
seemed that the two stars were not on the same page during the playoffs. If
those two, along with Serge Ibaka and James Harden, can tune out the
distractions, we could have ourselves the makings of a multiple champion
someday.
Portland Trail Blazers (48-34)
Another year, another battle with
injuries. With LaMarcus Aldridge missing the preseason with a heart ailment,
Greg Oden out for an indefinite amount of time and Brandon Roy being forced to
retire, you would think that Portland can catch a break. With that said, the
Blazers are still a tough and dangerous team with Aldridge now leading the
team. If he, Gerald Wallace and Nicolas Batum can weather the storm, Portland
will once again be a team no one wants to play in the playoffs.
Denver Nuggets (50-32)
Last season, the Denver Nuggets
dealt Carmelo Anthony and played so much better after the “Melo-drama”. This
season, the Nuggets have been hit hard due to three key players—Wilson
Chandler, Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith—having to stay overseas until March. Denver
did resign Nene after he flirted with leaving the team and all five of their
projected starters averaged double-digits. The addition of those three playing
elsewhere can only help down the stretch right?
Utah Jazz (39-43)
From out of nowhere, the Utah Jazz
traded away Deron Williams to the Nets at the trading deadline while Jerry
Sloan stepped down as coach. Yes, change does happen in Utah. But for Williams,
the Jazz got Devin Harris and Derrick Favors in the deal and they have a chance
to perform well in the first full year with the team. Utah will compete for the
No. 8 seed but they still need someone to step up at small forward.
Minnesota Timberwolves (17-65)
Minnesota will not sniff the
playoffs this year, but they will be fun to watch with an abundance of youth and
a good coach in Rick Adelman. Kevin Love is a rebounding machine but all eyes
with be on Ricky Rubio—who will finally play for the Wolves. Rubio had seven
assists in 24 minutes in the preseason against the Bucks on Dec. 17 and it
could be a sign of things to come. The No. 2 overall pick in this year’s
draft—Derrick Williams—will be a good addition to the team, expect him to push
Michael Beasley for playing time.
PREDICTED
CHAMPION: Oklahoma City Thunder
PACIFIC DIVISION
 |
| Kobe Bryant (24) and the Lakers run L.A. but their little brother hit a huge growth spurt when Chris Paul got traded to the Clippers. (Photo by AP) |
Los
Angeles Clippers (32-50)
For the first time in…well ever, the
Los Angeles are being talked about as a division champion and the possibility
to make a playoff run to possibly the conference finals. This is what acquiring
one of the best point guards in the NBA can do for a team. Chris Paul will have
a field day lobbing up alley-oops to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan as this
team will be very athletic. The only thing that concerns me is with Chauncey
Billups moving to the two guard, how will he defend the bigger shooting guards?
Los Angeles Lakers (57-25)
Across the hallway of the Staples
Center, the Lakers lost out on Paul, Kobe Bryant lost his best friend on the
court (Lamar Odom) and off (his former wife Vanessa), and Mike Brown is the new
head coach. The Lakers were embarrassed by the Clippers in the preseason, but
they should be ready once the season begins. If they can successfully pry
Dwight Howard from Orlando, the Lakers will give Kobe some extra help he needs.
If not, they are still a playoff team, but with a closing window.
Phoenix Suns (40-42)
The sun may be setting on some of
the Phoenix players, but they sure are not playing like it. Steve Nash is still
playing great at the point, while Grant Hill is still producing whenever
needed. They must improve defensively as they surrendered 105.9 points per
game—second-worst in the NBA. The Suns must also find a backup for Nash until
Aaron Brooks is eligible to come back from China in March. Either Ronnie Price
or Sebastian Telfair must step up.
Golden State Warriors (36-46)
Mark Jackson will make his coaching debut
with the Warriors this season and he inherits one of the more exciting guard
duos in the league. Both Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis can score plenty of
points, but Ellis has been the subject of trade talk while Curry rolled his
ankle during the preseason and might be hampered by it. On the frontcourt David
Lee returns with hopes that he is healthy but can Andris Biedrins play well and
hold off Kwame Brown?
Sacramento Kings (24-58)
It is Jimmer time in Sacramento! The
Kings have a good collection of young talent that needs to mature but can be
special if they do. Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton and Jimmer Fredette are three
players who score well, while DeMarcus Cousins might be immature at times but
he can be a force when things are good. One question remains—Will the team stay
in Sacramento for good or will they move to Anaheim?
PREDICTED
CHAMPION: Los Angeles Clippers
Western Conference Playoff Prediction
1. Oklahoma City
2. Dallas
3. L.A. Clippers
4. L.A. Lakers
5. Memphis
6. Portland
7. San Antonio
8. Houston
Western Conference Finals: Oklahoma City vs.
Dallas
West
Champion: Oklahoma City
AWARD PREDICTIONS
MVP: Chris Paul, Clippers (Rob); Kevin Durant, Thunder (LaMar)
Rookie of the Year: Kemba Walker, Bobcats (Rob); Ricky Rubio, Timberwolves (LaMar)
Scoring Title: Carmelo Anthony, Knicks (Rob & Lamar)
