By Greg Dyck
OK here’s your 2010-11 NBA season preview, Eastern and Western Conferences are counted down in the order in which I believe the teams will finish. I`m open to discussions and heated debates, just please no blind arguments. Let’s begin.
West
LA Lakers:
It was a fairly quiet off season for the Lakers, Phil Jackson enters his final year as their head coach (allegedly), and Matt Barnes was added which will make the Lakers a very difficult team to play with him and Artest patrolling on defense. You just know Kobe spent the entire off season working harder than ever; if it`s possible, after so many people are already anointing this the season of the Heat. If Andrew Bynum can`t stay healthy all season, they still have the best power forward in the NBA in Pau Gasol, even though Gasol is not the best defender, especially with true centers, they do, however, have a deadly front court with he and Odom, who by the way spent the summer playing center for team USA, which is going to play dividends on defense for the Lakers without a doubt. Another thing to watch for is if Barnes can extract the crazy back out of Ron Ron, the two may feed off each other in a bad, yet extremely entertaining way. Expect another trip to the the finals unless….
Oklahoma City Thunder:
The Thunder may in fact blossom quicker then we expect them too. They`re probably two years away from being the best team in the west, but they`re also built to win now. Kevin Durant will win the scoring title for the second year in a row, and Russell Westbrook is an amazing complimentary player who is a definite top five point guard. This team has cogs moving in every which way feeding off each other, the best chemistry in the league, which can`t be undervalued. Each player on this team knows what role they`re in the game to do each night, which a surprisingly low amount of NBA GM`s can say about their roster. You won`t see this team take many nights off either, they`re young, hungry, and have a player who`s in the argument for best in the league right now in KD.
Utah Jazz:
Al Jefferson is going to come alive under Jerry Sloan and realise his beastly powers down low, I see a high ceiling for him and I`m not alone. I even think he`s going to be an upgrade over Carlos Boozer. Look for him and D-Will to carry this team to a big season. Their one downfall is their scoring depth, if those two fall into injury trouble and Kirilenko, and Raja Bell has to be relied on often, it will be a problem. Jerry Sloan`s teams always have a high compete level, and they have maybe the toughest home court to travel too.
Dallas Mavericks:
This team needs to win now and they know it. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd are another year older, and they haven`t really added anything since last year’s trade from the Wizards. I expect one more early playoff exit, and next off season is the one where Cuban decides it`s time to move in another direction. They had to have swung out and missed with moves in the off season, because I just don`t see how this team has improved since last year’s disappointment for a team that claims it wants to win now.
San Antonio Spurs:
Just like their fellow Texans above, urgency is the name of the game. Look for Tony Parker to improve this year as he needs to get one more fat contract before he gets too old. Tim Duncan has slipped out of the list of top three or four power forwards in the NBA and they’re going to need even more help from DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter-who needs to develop fast, down low, and head coach Greg Popovich is just the guy to make it happen.
Portland Trail Blazers:
Rudy Fernandez wants to get out of not just Portland, but the entire NBA. Apparently Rudy is soured with his experience in Portland, even though last season the Spanish sharp-shooter had the highest three point percentage of all time for a rookie and even after he was rewarded with limited minutes. Can`t say I entirely blame him. Portland didn’t use him to his abilities. I still like their roster despite Greg Oden and Brandon Roy`s health issues, they have the depth to pick up wins even though those two most likely won`t play a full season.
Houston Rockets:
If Brad Miller was the answer to Yao`s injury problems they could dip out of playoff position. Still, I like the construction of this team. Shane Battier makes up for a pretty week defensive back court in Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin, however, the two can put up numbers on the other end. Luis Scola is also a gifted scorer who has a hard time defending bigger guys down low. I see Scola as a late bloomer who improves his game much like his team does this year.
Denver Nuggets:
I still see them slipping into the playoffs despite all the Carmelo trade talk that`s going to be following the team until he inevitably gets traded. Look for Ty Lawson to take away some minutes from an ageing Chauncey Billups. Chauncey is also going to have to be a calming factor for this team in what`s surely going to be a bad vibes year. How can a team rally around a guy who doesn`t want to be there?
Phoenix Suns:
The NBA should take a book out of the Oscars for guys who never won the big one, but everybody really wants them too, now it`s the end of their career and no more greatness is going to come. The NBA Lifetime Championship award- Steve Nash and Allen Iverson would be at the top of the list, Latrell Sprewell would be at the bottom. This team just isn`t built to win with too many small forwards on their roster providing the same role. Where`s the sandpaper?
LA Clippers:
I`m excited to see Blake Griffin turn into one of the game’s best power forwards. If he can keep the team competing in games, it might *gasp, make Baron Davis try, and not just hurl up bad three balls. Getting rid of Dunleavy as coach last year can`t hurt going into the new season as well. Eric Gordon is a guy who`s going to improve big time this year, and I`ve always enjoyed Chris Kaman`s work ethic down low. The future looks slightly better for the Clippers, I just don`t see them quite there yet.
New Orleans Hornets:
Same as above with the Denver Nuggets, with CP3 just playing out his time with the club before he leaves on his own, or they smartly decide to trade him for assets, it will be hard for the team to get up every night without a guy who really wants to be there and lead the team. Even with Paul playing at a high level, they don`t have enough going on with David West as their number two guy. I do, however, like the Ariza pick up this off season.
Golden State:
All we`ve been hearing this off season is the new attitude around the franchise, new owner, new coach, but I can`t help but see all their games being 140-135 (maybe not that high….but you get the point). Adding David Lee at center giving up Anthony Randolph makes them very easy to score on down low, and their back court defense isn`t very slightly either, Curry and Monte Ellis are both undersized and don`t play particularly punishing D. The team will be able to match scoring though, that`s for sure. Also, anytime you get rid of Corey Maggette from your team it`s a good thing, and look for Andris Biedrins to have a bounce back year.
Sacramento Kings:
Probably the team with the most potential to shoot up this list. Last year’s Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans is turning into one of the most exciting players to watch in the game, and number one draft pick DeMarcus Cousins had a huge preseason. The problem is, those two are extremely difficult to coach, and have their share of issues. The roster still seems a little dishevelled and needs a few trades, and drafts before they become legit.
Memphis Grizzlies:
Rewarding Rudy Gay with a max contract was a bad idea. It screams: we`re desperate and want to avoid being the worst, so mediocre is ok, at least some fans will show up, and we`re going to pull the trigger on this because he wants to play here. We see new Rudy Gay`s often in the NBA, mid-sized guards who are excellent scorers but don`t defend and can`t carry a team. Not an irreplaceable max dollar guy. I`d rather award a max contract to Kevin Love. Hey, speaking of…
Minnesota Timberwolves:
Kevin Love! The lone bright spot on the worst roster in the NBA. At least Love rebounds and plays hard every night! Where to start with this team? The Darko Milicic contract is the funniest thing that happened all summer. That Michael Beasley is going to be relied upon as a leader; it`s almost too easy. I see this team quitting on Kurt Rambis sometime in January.
East
Miami Heat:
This is probably the most top heavy I`ve ever seen an NBA conference, there`s four teams that can legitimately compete, who will eat wins from bottom feeders (there`s going to be a battle for the bottom of the East this year) with D-League depth. Many better scribes have spent thousands of words talking about the Heat all off season, so I`ll spare it, we all know it`s going to be the most anticipated team ever watched since Jordan`s return. The one thing that may bring this team down is injuries, Wade didn`t drive the lane once last year to save himself for this one, but he`s already missed some pre-season games, so has LeBron. When the two and a half headed monster is on the court (I still think Bosh hasn`t proved himself as a top tiered talent) my eyes, and everyone else’s will be glued to the TV.
Orlando Magic:
Miami`s one weak spot is center, and the Magic have just the guy to exploit it. Dwight Howard needs to be fed the ball more this year, they have a lot of different scorers on their team, but they have to wake up and realise they got to get the ball to their best player more on offense, especially if giving the ball more to Howard means getting the other team in foul trouble. I`m convinced this team would be better off without Vince Carter, he takes bad shots, and too many of them, Jameer Nelson would be better suited taking more of his offensive piece of the pie. The blue print is in place with this team, they can frustrate Miami by punishing them with what they don`t have. They just have to execute.
Boston Celtics:
Getting Shaq was a good off season move. I hated him in Cleveland, sucked that offense dry, I hated him in Phoenix, once again did bad things to the offence, but they need him to compete with Dwight Howard, and exploit the Heat`s big weakness. The only problem is the over under on how many games he can play is probably around 42, and the over under on how many games it takes for him to get bored on the bench and eat Nate Robinson as a snack is about the same. The big difference this year from last is I think they believe they`re a better team. They listened too much all last year about how they`re too old all regular season, and then proved in the playoffs they still have it, this year they`re coming into the season knowing they still have it. I think Rasheed was a big part of their regular season futility last year, getting rid of the shadow of ‘Sheed mailing it in every night for his final year in the NBA is a huge positive for this team. Was Delonte West just picked up to torture LeBron when they play Miami? I don’t know, but I love the move. Look for Garnett to regress even more this season, knee surgery this late in a career is often the kiss of death. Between KG, Shaq, Jermaine O`neill, Big Baby and Kendrick Perckins (who has knee problems of his own) it`s at least one of the deepest front courts in the NBA. Oh yeah, and there best player, Rajon Rondo, is going to get even better this year; however, I do predict John Wall to take the steals title away from him.
Chicago Bulls:
The last of legit teams in the east, we may see a 30-some odd win team sneak into the playoffs this year because of it. Much like the Thunder, this team is built with pieces in place to complement each other, Derrick Rose is your go-to guy and leader, Joakim Noah battles hard, does the dirty work, sets screens, makes it hard for opponents and all the other selfless stuff, Luol Deng… I`m not sure his role actually but he has to earn that fat contract somehow, Carlos Boozer, who`s going to eat up rebounds and provide offense inside, and Brian Scalabrine, who was clearly added because of how well he cheers at the end of the bench. The Bulls are probably a year or two away from being really legit, but I like the roster, and they`re going to be fun to watch, especially if Rose develops a jumper.
* Quick side note- why do the three most exciting guards in the East -Rose, Wall and Rondo, all have bad jump shots? It`s like they went to the Isaiah Thomas School Of Point Guards, not that it`s completely a bad thing! I`m just saying.
New York Knicks:
New York Knicks number five you say!? How? Look at the rest of the Conference, this team isn`t half bad comparatively, Anthony Randolph is going to develop into a solid NBA player, same for Danilo Gallinari. Free agent signee Amar’e Stoudemire is ready to play hard every night in a city that`s dying for a legit star. You can bet that Amar’e wants to be that guy, especially in the bright lights of New York City. Oh and don’t forget Eddy Curry will bounce back with a 20-10 season. Ok, the last ones a joke, but I hear the T-Wolves are interested in overpaying Curry when his contract runs out and he no longer should be in the league! (See Darko). Raymond Felton may not have been the other big name Knicks fans were hoping for, but he`s a good upgrade at point guard.
Milwaukee Bucks:
It`s nice to see Andrew Bogut finally paying off for the Bucks, now if only he can stay healthy for a long period of time. The combo of him and Brandon Jennings when they`re playing well is fun to watch. Let`s just hope Cory Maggette doesn`t teach them a lesson on how to be a lazy NBA player, but still remain relevant in the league. Hopefully last season was a stepping stone of many more competitive ones in the future.
Atlanta Hawks:
One of my least favourite teams in the NBA, Joe Johnson pretty much quit trying in the playoffs last year, and how did he get rewarded? A max contract! (Re-read my Memphis Grizzlies preview for how much I hate it, although he`s better than Rudy Gay) The talent is there with the Hawks, they just have to execute better, Al Horford`s a great player, and Josh Smith brings a lot of talent to the team as well. I just don`t see them getting over the hump of the other teams in the East. Bringing in a new coach in Larry Drew was must for this team, hopefully for Hawks fans; he can bring the talent level to its fruition.
Charlotte Bobcats:
I don`t know how I see them slipping into the playoffs, I just couldn`t pull myself to put any of the other teams above them. Steven Jackson is a really good player, not a number one guy, but not that far off. Bobcat fans need to hope DJ Augustin finally has a break out year and see some of that potential. When it comes down to it they just don`t quite have enough good NBA players on their roster, and sadly won`t finish low enough for a top 5 lottery pick; which I`m sure Charlotte fans would rather have over a first round playoff exit.
Washington Wizards:
John Wall could be good enough to propel them into the playoffs. Wall may be the fastest player in the NBA (I`ve just decided he needs to race Jennings and Rondo to truly prove it though) and is going to turn into maybe the best defender out of any point guard in the league. The question is how soon can this develop? The Wizards can`t rely on him as their number one scorer just yet, although he`s going to amass a lot of his points in the paint as he has a knack for getting to the rim. They need to get rid of Gilbert Arenas, which is easier said than done as he has that massive contract, but he`s cancerous. First he wants to stay and help. Now he looks like he`s planning an escape. It`s not his team anymore, and if he doesn`t want to be a compliment player, let him go. This is going to be a scoring by committee team for now, and they`re probably better off without Arenas’ questionable shot selection. Up front they have Andray Blatche, who`s a good center to have start, and this is where it get`s confusing, the team website has Yi Jian Lian as the starting power forward, which I hope is a mistake to throw other teams off, because there`s not much good he can do, unless your team`s in a pickup league where nobody plays defence.
Philidelphia 76rs:
Uh-Oh, Evan Turner is having a bad pre-season, and was supposed to be your new bright spot this year. Hopefully it`s just him adjusting to the new level of play. At least Andre Igoudala proved he might be able to take it to the next level this summer at the Fiba tournament. He and Jrue Holliday should provide much of your scoring. With Thaddeus Young slotted to play the four, when he`s really a number three, and Elton Brand your undersized five, your already handicapping yourself. This team needs more punch up front before I can take them seriously.
Indiana Pacers:
Darren Collison is a good upgrade at point, and that should ignite Danny Granger at least a little. Do we even know how good of a player Granger is? Is he a legit number one on a potentially winning team, or should he be a compliment guy? We probably won`t find out this year, but he`ll be relied upon to be Indiana`s best player night in night out. Getting benched by coach K at the worlds probably didn`t do much for his ego. I looked up and down the roster and my eyes popped, how is Jeff Foster still in the NBA?
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Your consolation prize Cleveland: All of North America will be chearing for you. How could you not?
New Jersey Nets:
The best things about the Nets are happening off the court, not on the court, which doesn`t bode well for winning now. However, there is optimism in the air. Some very interesting questions remain to be answered. Like, can their new Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov turn this team into a worthy contender? Can the Nets swing a deal to land megastare Carmelo Anthony back to city he was born in? With the possibilities of a new day on the horizon for the Nets, things are finally worth getting excited for if you’re a fan of the franchise. They also have some decent roster players too. Brook Lopez is for real and can only get better as he matures. First round pick Derrick Favors was a smart draft pick and should turn into a legit power forward. Devin Harris is a former all star who has to do better than he did last year, where I think he felt a little too much pressure. Look for him to loosen up this year and be more of a creator.
Toronto Raptors:
DeMar DeRozan will be fun to watch improve, he`s got a lot of talent, but still needs to be a better ball handler, and shooter. Bargnani is going to be who the team is centered around, but I just don`t him being able to fill the void that Chris Bosh provided. Toronto was a mediocre team with him, and now the Raptors are just going to be plain bad without him. This team just needs more talent. I like Amir Johnson, but that contract is horrible, I`m not sure if I can really tell you what this teams direction is anymore. Sign as many foreign players as possible and hope an up tempo game works? At least they got something for Hedo, which I still can`t believe the Suns took that contract, because like they desperately needed another small forward.
Detroit Pistons:
The biggest question going into the Pistons season is if they’re going to hold on to their two best players, Rip Hamilton, and Tayshaun Prince. Hamilton will be hard to move because he has three years and 38 million left on his contract, too much for most teams to swallow given his age, 32, and the fact he’s only really effective coming off screens. Prince on the other hand will be an easier asset to move. Yes, he’s coming off of a down year, but he’s a great defender, and this is the final year of his contract. I think Joe Dumars time is up in Detroit, the team has no chemistry. Ben Wallace can defend a little, but his career is pretty much over, and who knows what to expect out of Ben Gordon, or Charlie Villaneuva, another terrible contract.
Vancouver Basketball.ca is proud to announce that Greg Dyck has been added to our team as a contributing staff writer. Greg will be focusing on the NBA and NCAA throughout the year. Look out for his first piece “NBA Rankings” up now in the NBA Talk section.
