Post by Phoenix Suns on Apr 26, 2008 18:39:33 GMT -5
My predictions:
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons- How crazy is this? One of Joe Johnson or Vince Carter will be coming off the bench for the Pistons this season. Pistons have a great starting five but have a few players out of position. The new Pistons should look to trade West for a true center and package one of VC/JJ with Felton for a 90 + PG. Either way, I think this team will put up a lot of points this season and should lock up their division with ease.
2. Boston Celtics- Great inside, outside combo of Lewis and KG, deepest bench in the East bar none. Losing Kidd will hurt them though, he was putting up MVP numbers next to KG. Ford should fill some of the void but his presence will be missed.
3. Atlanta Hawks- I like what the new Hawks GM has done with this team, a Bosh-AK frontcourt is very good on both ends of the floor, Mo Williams should provide them with all round play at PG and Morrison has shown he can put up nice numbers if given the touches. Bench is solid but they're very weak from 11-15.
4. Charlotte Bobcats- Bobcats are oozing with young talents. Big 3 of Okafor, Paul and Gwall is beastly on defence, more than capable of creating havoc on offence.
5. Miami Heat- Amare and Melo should form one of the top duos in the league for years to come but supporting cast is thin, Marbury is past his prime but will contribute solid numbers nonetheless. They have some nice young players (Krstic, Garbajosa, Rush, Biedrins) that should help them next season when they plan to take over the East with 25 mil in cap space!
6. Chicago Bulls- Arguably the best offensive starting five in the East, on the other hand though, they have the thinest bench in the East, how long will the starting five be able to hold the fort?
7. Cleveland Cavaliers- Solid supporting cast for LeBron, addition of Battier should really help their team defence, froncourt of Big Z and Gooden is solid but won't win you any titles. LeBron is coming off a dissapointing season, he's gonna have to step up if Cleveland wants to make any noise in the playoffs.
8. Milwaukee Bucks- Milwaukee fans got a taste of how good this team can be when the Bucks made it to the Tourney B Finals in the Pre-Season Tourney. There's no denying how good the defence is (Harris, Artest, Hibbert, Chandler), but does the offence have enough firepower to be able to compete with the big dogs in East?
9. Indiana Pacers- Pacers got a huge facelift in the off-season, Pacers GM has built a core that should be able to stay compete for the next decade or so. Still an unexpericed and young team though
10. Orlando Magic- I think this team can surprise a lot of people, trading for TP and re-signing BG were big moves. The Magic's offence can compete with any team in the East but they lack a inside presence, Horford and Jordon should develop into those players in a few years but until then, the Magic will be on the outside looking in.
11. Toronto Raptors- I think we can all agree the championship won't be returning to Canada for quite awhile. After AI and Yao, this team doesn't have much besides a bunch of 3pt specialists.
12. Washington Wizards-This team is solid, nothing special, Hinrich-Maggette combo should give Wizards fans some hope, they lack a presence down low IMO. Arthur is more of a SF and Love is better suited at PF. If this team can add a center, I can see them making a push for the playoffs.
13. Philadelphia 76ers- Philly is loaded at G/F positions but are very thin up front. Igoudala looks to be back in top form after a dissapointing 07/08 campaign, Gordon looked great in the pre-season tourney and should get some consideration for ROY if continues putting up those type of numbers. Other than that, the Sixers won't scare anyone until they get a legit bigman.
14. New Jersey Nets- Still a work in progress but the future looks bright, the Nets are surprisingly deep with 11 players rated over 70. A top 5 pick and tons of cap space should propel this team into the playoffs next season.
15. New York Knicks- Knicks fans will have to suffer another season of losing, the future looks bright though, with over 40 mil in cap space and a top 2 pick, the Knicks could find themselves fighting for a playoffs spot next seaosn. This team also have a glut of young talented guards (Robinson, Cook, Brooks, Young, Augustin), don't be surprised if one of the aforementioned gets traded for a big man this season.
Western Conference
1. Phoenix Suns- Fresh off of a Pre-Season Championship, don't expect the Suns to slow down any time soon this season. Bulked up the defence this off-season acquiring Rasheed Wallace who will team up with Shawn Marion to cause some mismatches up front.
2. San Antonio Spurs- Kidd is a huge upgrade over Mo Williams, loved the addition of Mike Miller, he's capable of putting up 20+ PPG for any team. This team has a deadly offence led by Dirk who's coming off another great season. Granger and Lopez are the future of this team. This team is in great shape
3. Seattle Sonics- Most Improved Team hands down, Very explosive offence with Shaq dominating down low, Durant and Pierce fleecing opposing teams with a variety of moves and Calderon manning the point. Sonic's fan have a lot to look forward to this season.
4. Houston Rockets- The Rockets are either gonna live or die by the jumpshot. There's no denying how dominant this team could be, but the defence is weak. Okur and Harrington won't stop anybody, Bibby and Butler aren't anything special either. Shouldn't be too big of a problem in the regualar season though since this team could outscore most teams anyway.
5. Denver Nuggets- Tim Duncan and Steve Nash, enough said. Wait theres more, Andrew Bogut, Leandro Barbosa and Jeff Green form a great young supporting cast. Bench is pretty thin though, could be a problem down the stretch if one of the starters go down.
6. Dallas Mavericks- The defending Western Conference champions are back and they're better than ever. The Howards (Dwight and Josh) will supply the Mavs with great offence and defence. The only hole in this team is 3pt shooting. If they can acquire a 3 point shooter to spread the floor for Howard, this team could be deadly.
7. Memphis Grizzlies- Memphis' frontcourt of Camby and JO is undoubtly the league's top defensively, their stud duo of Gay and Conley Jr should give Grizzlie fans something to cheer for for the next decade or so. Solid starting five and bench, could make some noise in the playoffs if everything is rolling on all cylinders
8. Minnesota Timberwolves- Very young team but no doubting their talent. With Deron running the show, Big Al doing his thing down low and Deng on the wing, this team is headed in the right direction. Yi and Bargnani should cause lots of matchup problem this season. Twolves could be a powerhouse in a few years and should be interesting to see their young players develop this season
9. New Orleans Hornets- Hornets have some very good vets but their bench is very thin, Maxiell isn't ready to be a starter yet IMO. Solid team but have some holes to fill in order to make the playoffs in the stacked West.
10. Utah Jazz- Heading into the off-season, the Jazz were a sure playoff team. Now, I'm not so sure. Traded away star wingman Caron Butler, sharpshooters Mike Miller, Mehmet Okur and stud PG Deron Williams away and have Michael Beasley to show for it. Big Ben and Larry Hughes are declining overpaid players that will destoy their cap for the next 3 seasons. As for this season, a Boozer-Beasley combo should help them win 30+ games.
11. Portland Trail Blazers- Very intriguing team, this team has a crap load of potential and could very well be a dynasty in a few years. Keeping the Big 3 of Oden, Aldridge and Roy intact, the new Blazers GM managed to to add stud PG prospect Jarryd Bayless, lighting quick Rajon Rondo, explosive forward Al Thornton and shot blocking machine Andray Blatche to a team that already had a lot of great young players.
12. Golden State Warriors - Only reason they aren't lower is because of Kobe Bryant. Supporting cast is very old, Webber and Miller are nearing the end of their careers.
13. Los Angeles Lakers- TMac, Bynum and ZBo are a great frontcourt but the backcourt needs some help.
14. Los Angeles Clippers- Loads of depth at SG but thin everywhere else. It'll be a few more years before this team becomes competitive. However Young, Koufos and Nene are nice building blocks
15. Sacramento Kings- Kings have lots of talented young guards (Rose, Martin, Stuckey, Bukie) but desperately need help up front.
1. Detroit Pistons vs. 8. Milwaukee Bucks (Pistons in 5)
2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Cleveland Cavaliers (Celtics in 6)
3. Atlanta Hawks vs. 6. Chicago Bulls (Bulls in 7)
4. Charlotte Bobcats vs. 5. Miami Heat (Bobcats in 6)
1. Detroit Pistons vs. 6. Chicago Bulls (Pistons in 6)
2. Boston Celtics vs. 4. Charlotte Bobcats (Celtics in 6)
1. Detroit Pistons vs 2. Boston Celtics (Celtics in 7)
1. Phoenix Suns vs. 8. Minnesota Timberwolves (Suns in 5)
2. San Antonio Spurs- vs. 7. Memphis Grizzlies (Spurs in 6)
3. Seattle Sonics vs. 6. Dallas Mavericks (Mavs in 7)
4. Houston Rockets vs. 5. Denver Nuggets (Rockets in 7)
1. Phoenix Suns vs 6. Dallas Mavericks (Suns in 6)
2. San Antonio Spurs- vs. 4. Houston Rockets (Spurs in 6)
1. Phoenix Suns vs 2. San Antonio Spurs (Suns in 7)
Eastern Conference
1. Detroit Pistons- How crazy is this? One of Joe Johnson or Vince Carter will be coming off the bench for the Pistons this season. Pistons have a great starting five but have a few players out of position. The new Pistons should look to trade West for a true center and package one of VC/JJ with Felton for a 90 + PG. Either way, I think this team will put up a lot of points this season and should lock up their division with ease. 2. Boston Celtics- Great inside, outside combo of Lewis and KG, deepest bench in the East bar none. Losing Kidd will hurt them though, he was putting up MVP numbers next to KG. Ford should fill some of the void but his presence will be missed. 3. Atlanta Hawks- I like what the new Hawks GM has done with this team, a Bosh-AK frontcourt is very good on both ends of the floor, Mo Williams should provide them with all round play at PG and Morrison has shown he can put up nice numbers if given the touches. Bench is solid but they're very weak from 11-15. 4. Charlotte Bobcats- Bobcats are oozing with young talents. Big 3 of Okafor, Paul and Gwall is beastly on defence, more than capable of creating havoc on offence. 5. Miami Heat- Amare and Melo should form one of the top duos in the league for years to come but supporting cast is thin, Marbury is past his prime but will contribute solid numbers nonetheless. They have some nice young players (Krstic, Garbajosa, Rush, Biedrins) that should help them next season when they plan to take over the East with 25 mil in cap space! 6. Chicago Bulls- Arguably the best offensive starting five in the East, on the other hand though, they have the thinest bench in the East, how long will the starting five be able to hold the fort? 7. Cleveland Cavaliers- Solid supporting cast for LeBron, addition of Battier should really help their team defence, froncourt of Big Z and Gooden is solid but won't win you any titles. LeBron is coming off a dissapointing season, he's gonna have to step up if Cleveland wants to make any noise in the playoffs. 8. Milwaukee Bucks- Milwaukee fans got a taste of how good this team can be when the Bucks made it to the Tourney B Finals in the Pre-Season Tourney. There's no denying how good the defence is (Harris, Artest, Hibbert, Chandler), but does the offence have enough firepower to be able to compete with the big dogs in East? 9. Indiana Pacers- Pacers got a huge facelift in the off-season, Pacers GM has built a core that should be able to stay compete for the next decade or so. Still an unexpericed and young team though 10. Orlando Magic- I think this team can surprise a lot of people, trading for TP and re-signing BG were big moves. The Magic's offence can compete with any team in the East but they lack a inside presence, Horford and Jordon should develop into those players in a few years but until then, the Magic will be on the outside looking in. 11. Toronto Raptors- I think we can all agree the championship won't be returning to Canada for quite awhile. After AI and Yao, this team doesn't have much besides a bunch of 3pt specialists. 12. Washington Wizards-This team is solid, nothing special, Hinrich-Maggette combo should give Wizards fans some hope, they lack a presence down low IMO. Arthur is more of a SF and Love is better suited at PF. If this team can add a center, I can see them making a push for the playoffs. 13. Philadelphia 76ers- Philly is loaded at G/F positions but are very thin up front. Igoudala looks to be back in top form after a dissapointing 07/08 campaign, Gordon looked great in the pre-season tourney and should get some consideration for ROY if continues putting up those type of numbers. Other than that, the Sixers won't scare anyone until they get a legit bigman. 14. New Jersey Nets- Still a work in progress but the future looks bright, the Nets are surprisingly deep with 11 players rated over 70. A top 5 pick and tons of cap space should propel this team into the playoffs next season. 15. New York Knicks- Knicks fans will have to suffer another season of losing, the future looks bright though, with over 40 mil in cap space and a top 2 pick, the Knicks could find themselves fighting for a playoffs spot next seaosn. This team also have a glut of young talented guards (Robinson, Cook, Brooks, Young, Augustin), don't be surprised if one of the aforementioned gets traded for a big man this season.Western Conference
1. Phoenix Suns- Fresh off of a Pre-Season Championship, don't expect the Suns to slow down any time soon this season. Bulked up the defence this off-season acquiring Rasheed Wallace who will team up with Shawn Marion to cause some mismatches up front. 2. San Antonio Spurs- Kidd is a huge upgrade over Mo Williams, loved the addition of Mike Miller, he's capable of putting up 20+ PPG for any team. This team has a deadly offence led by Dirk who's coming off another great season. Granger and Lopez are the future of this team. This team is in great shape 3. Seattle Sonics- Most Improved Team hands down, Very explosive offence with Shaq dominating down low, Durant and Pierce fleecing opposing teams with a variety of moves and Calderon manning the point. Sonic's fan have a lot to look forward to this season. 4. Houston Rockets- The Rockets are either gonna live or die by the jumpshot. There's no denying how dominant this team could be, but the defence is weak. Okur and Harrington won't stop anybody, Bibby and Butler aren't anything special either. Shouldn't be too big of a problem in the regualar season though since this team could outscore most teams anyway. 5. Denver Nuggets- Tim Duncan and Steve Nash, enough said. Wait theres more, Andrew Bogut, Leandro Barbosa and Jeff Green form a great young supporting cast. Bench is pretty thin though, could be a problem down the stretch if one of the starters go down. 6. Dallas Mavericks- The defending Western Conference champions are back and they're better than ever. The Howards (Dwight and Josh) will supply the Mavs with great offence and defence. The only hole in this team is 3pt shooting. If they can acquire a 3 point shooter to spread the floor for Howard, this team could be deadly. 7. Memphis Grizzlies- Memphis' frontcourt of Camby and JO is undoubtly the league's top defensively, their stud duo of Gay and Conley Jr should give Grizzlie fans something to cheer for for the next decade or so. Solid starting five and bench, could make some noise in the playoffs if everything is rolling on all cylinders 8. Minnesota Timberwolves- Very young team but no doubting their talent. With Deron running the show, Big Al doing his thing down low and Deng on the wing, this team is headed in the right direction. Yi and Bargnani should cause lots of matchup problem this season. Twolves could be a powerhouse in a few years and should be interesting to see their young players develop this season 9. New Orleans Hornets- Hornets have some very good vets but their bench is very thin, Maxiell isn't ready to be a starter yet IMO. Solid team but have some holes to fill in order to make the playoffs in the stacked West. 10. Utah Jazz- Heading into the off-season, the Jazz were a sure playoff team. Now, I'm not so sure. Traded away star wingman Caron Butler, sharpshooters Mike Miller, Mehmet Okur and stud PG Deron Williams away and have Michael Beasley to show for it. Big Ben and Larry Hughes are declining overpaid players that will destoy their cap for the next 3 seasons. As for this season, a Boozer-Beasley combo should help them win 30+ games. 11. Portland Trail Blazers- Very intriguing team, this team has a crap load of potential and could very well be a dynasty in a few years. Keeping the Big 3 of Oden, Aldridge and Roy intact, the new Blazers GM managed to to add stud PG prospect Jarryd Bayless, lighting quick Rajon Rondo, explosive forward Al Thornton and shot blocking machine Andray Blatche to a team that already had a lot of great young players. 12. Golden State Warriors - Only reason they aren't lower is because of Kobe Bryant. Supporting cast is very old, Webber and Miller are nearing the end of their careers. 13. Los Angeles Lakers- TMac, Bynum and ZBo are a great frontcourt but the backcourt needs some help. 14. Los Angeles Clippers- Loads of depth at SG but thin everywhere else. It'll be a few more years before this team becomes competitive. However Young, Koufos and Nene are nice building blocks 15. Sacramento Kings- Kings have lots of talented young guards (Rose, Martin, Stuckey, Bukie) but desperately need help up front.Eastern Conference First Round Matchups
1. Detroit Pistons vs. 8. Milwaukee Bucks (Pistons in 5) 2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Cleveland Cavaliers (Celtics in 6) 3. Atlanta Hawks vs. 6. Chicago Bulls (Bulls in 7) 4. Charlotte Bobcats vs. 5. Miami Heat (Bobcats in 6)Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
1. Detroit Pistons vs. 6. Chicago Bulls (Pistons in 6) 2. Boston Celtics vs. 4. Charlotte Bobcats (Celtics in 6)Eastern Conference Finals
1. Detroit Pistons vs 2. Boston Celtics (Celtics in 7)Western Conference First Round Matchups
1. Phoenix Suns vs. 8. Minnesota Timberwolves (Suns in 5) 2. San Antonio Spurs- vs. 7. Memphis Grizzlies (Spurs in 6) 3. Seattle Sonics vs. 6. Dallas Mavericks (Mavs in 7) 4. Houston Rockets vs. 5. Denver Nuggets (Rockets in 7)Western Conference Semi-Finals
1. Phoenix Suns vs 6. Dallas Mavericks (Suns in 6) 2. San Antonio Spurs- vs. 4. Houston Rockets (Spurs in 6)Western Conference Finals
1. Phoenix Suns vs 2. San Antonio Spurs (Suns in 7)
