# Sham's second annual really long predictions post



## Sham (Dec 2, 2002)

It's the third week of September and most of the offseason craziness has been done. It ain't all done obviously - the Rodney White epic saga is only just beginning, and there'll be quite a fight for the services of Randy Livingston I'm sure. Personally I think he should go back to the Clippers so they can have the Livingston double headed monster. But the hefty chunk of the off season dealing has been done, including the blockbuster Danny Fortson trade, and the Spurs swooping in for Sean Marks (dammit Pax! :banghead: ), and as such, pretty much all rotations and coaching positions are set, bar the odd hole. So on the back of that, here's my predictions of which teams will finish where, why, and how. If last year's thread is anything to go on, I will humiliate myself badly with this topic, but that's to be expected. Hey, at least I'm trying.

_

Note: I can't guarantee the numbers will add up, but I'm pretty sure they do. If they don't, oh well, you'll live.
_







*EASTERN CONFERENCE*


*The good teams:*




*1st: DETROIT PISTONS - 

Sham's depth chart:
*
PG - Chauncey Billups, Lindsay Hunter
SG - Richard Hamilton, Ronald Dupree
SF - Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Delfino, Darvin Ham
PF - Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess
C - Ben Wallace, Derrick Coleman, Elden Campbell



*Blurb:*

How imaginative of me to choose the defending champions as the number 1 seed, but why the hell not? They've kept their same core from the team that won the championship, changing Okur, Williamson, Fowlkes and James for McDyess, Coleman, Delfino, Dupree and McCaskill. I see that as improvement. Especially when you consider Prince will improve, Rip will improve, Billups should improve, and Milicic can't NOT improve (you hope :| ). NBA Championship + Improved roster + Improvement from within = Number 1 seed, and if they don't at least I can say I had solid logic. :whoknows:




*2nd: MIAMI HEAT* – 

*Sham’s Depth Chart:*

PG – Dwyane Wade, Damon Jones, Keyon Dooling
SG – Eddie Jones, Dwayne Wade, Dorrel Wright
SF – Rasual Butler, Wesley Person
PF – Udonis Haslem, Christian Laettner, Malik Allen, Matt Fridge, Jerome Beasley
C – Michael Doleac, Shaquille O’Neal, Wang ZhiZhi


*Blurb:*

Miami takes second on the basis that they win the South East division, therefore claiming a top 3 seed. I only mention this because I don't think they're the second best team in the conference although, granted, they are up there. They made a huge upgrade to their center position this offseason with the acquisition of that big guy....um, what's his name.....erm.....Michael, Michael Doleac. That's her. They also traded Odom, Grant and Butlah for Shaq O'Neal to back up Doleac, and managed to hold onto Wade. Combine those two with Eddie Jones and you have a pretty nice 3 man game. It's unfortunate for Miami that their starting small forward is Rasual Butler and that the rest of their roster is made up of not-very-good power forwards, but when you can get Doleac (ok, Shaq) then you gut your team willingly and worry about it later. And in defense of their bench, it's a very Pat Riley type of bench (just needs LaPhonso Ellis), and even though he’s gone upstairs and Ron Jeremy is now coach, it’s not like he doesn’t still have an influence. So these can be good.




*3rd: BOSTON CELTICS – 

Sham’s Depth Chart:*

PG – Gary Payton, Mahcus Banks, Delonte West
SG – Paul Pierce, Ricky Davis, Tony Allen
SF – Jiri Welsch, Ricky Davis, Waltah McCahty
PF – Raef LaFrentz, Al Jefferson, Tom Gugliotta
C – Mark Blount, Raef LaFrentz, Kendrick Perkins


*Blurby bit:*

I dunno, this team baffles me. Obviously what they go on to do depends on however the Payton situation gets resolved, I’ll assume for the sake of my depth chart that he stays and plays. Either way, this team has some nice depth and a lot of young talent. But I really don’t think they’ll be all that good. However, I look at the rest of their division (Philly, NYK, Toronto, NJ), and I think……well if Boston doesn’t win this division, then who the hell does? :whoknows: I put those 5 teams pretty much on a level with not an awful lot separating them, but since they’re all in the same division, one of them is going to get a 3 seed. And for me, it came down to Boston or New York, and I’m choosing Boston. They aren’t a bad team, and they’re only tied into a couple of slightly plebian contracts. But as of right now, they ain’t great, yet they’ll obtain a high seed on the basis of their division. I dunno. I’m worried this might become like my Orlando prediction of last year, which you either saw or you didn’t. And if you didn’t see it, I ain’t showing you it. :naughty:




*4th: INDIANA PACERS – 

Sham’s Depth Chart thingy:*

PG – Jamaal Tinsley, Anthony Johnson, Eddie Gill, Rashard Wright
SG – Reggie Miller, Stephen Jackson, Fred Jones
SF – Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, James Jones
PF – Jermaine O’Neal, Jonathan Bender, Austin Croshere
C – Jeff Foster, Scot Pollard, David Harrison


*Blurbage:*

Kinda up and down on this team too. The Harrington for Jackson trade was a nice bit of business, assuming they have the balls to bench Reggie, and I don’t think they will. They had way too many forwards, and weaknesses at three positions, so that was amended, but they still have weakness at two positions in point guard and centre. They have a fair bit of cheese tied up in barely adequate rotations at these positions, if adequate at all. Nevertheless, since essentially this is the exact same team which led the league in wins last year, they’re still gonna be a fine team, in my estimations the second best in the East. Unfortunately for them they’re in Detroit’s division so a 4th seed is likely, but they’re still capable of good things.




*Everybody else*

*
5th: NEW YORK KNICKS –

The depth of Sham’s heart:*

PG – Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Moochie Norris, Jamison Brewer
SG – Allan Houston, Jamal Crawford, Shandon Anderson
SF – Tim Thomas, Penny Hardaway, Trevor Arizona Diamondbacks
PF – Kurt Thomas, Michael Sweetney, Jerome Williams
C – Nazr Mohammed, Vin Baker, Bruno Sundov


*Blubber:*



I dunno. Really.

:whofarted

This prediction stuff is hard. I look at Philly, and I think they’re good enough to be here. They underachieved last year, and even though financially they are expletived, that doesn’t mean they can’t play. I see New Jersey, and I think, even though they’ve gone backwards, they still could be a playoff team, but then I remember Kidd’s out for a bit, and I rethink. I look at Toronto, but I don’t think they’ve got the goods. I look at Milwaukee, a playoff team last year, but then I see that they haven’t actually got better. At all. And so it comes down to New York or Washington.

And I’m choosing New York.




*6th: WASHINGTON WIZARDS*

*My depth chart:*

PG – Gilbert Arenas, Steve Blake
SG – Larry Hughes, Juan Dixon, Anthony Peeler
SF – Antwan Jamison, Jarvis Hayes, Jared Jeffries
PF – Kwame Brown, Jared Jeffries, Samaki Walker, Michael Ruffin
C – Etan Thomas, Brenda Haywood, Peter John Thingybob


*Bubble:*

That’s a good, if pricey, starting lineup. I don’t like the outside shooting or post offense all that much on this roster, but they will grab a good amount of boards, score pretty well, and on talent they’re one of the East’s best. Wouldn’t have done the Stackhouse trade like that, though. Are number 5 picks really that devalued? Especially when Deng goes 7th? I dunno. They must have really hated Stackhouse more than I thought.




*7th: PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

My chef’s a tart:*

PG – Allen Iverson, John Salmons, Kevin Ollie
SG – Aaron McKie, Andre Iguodala, Willie Green
SF – Glenn Robinson, Corliss Williamson, Kedrick Brown, Kyle Korver
PF – Kenny Thomas, Marc Jackson
C – Samuel Dalembert, Brian Skinner


*Hubble Bubble:*

There’s talent there. 1 through 13, they can play. Why they traded Coleman for Williamson though I don’t know. Last year, Korver and Kedrick both proved they can play some. Then you have Glenn Robinson, as well as McKie, Salmons and Iguodala who can play small forward…..and you think, why the hell did you think you needed another? Especially when a 5th big man helps you no end? Still, this team has talent, and if Iverson and Robinson can pass to the other 13 players at some point this team should make the playoffs. It is, however, always kind of funny to go to Hoopshype and look at their salary situation (not Hoopshype’s, but the Sixers’). Another good reason for not trading Coleman. Just bear in mind for a minute that they have two max contracts on the books, a second unit taking up 20 million, they have Greg Buckner and Kevin Ollie on the books for 8 more years combined, they’re paying obscene dollars to someone who won’t play again (MacCulloch) and the player who most deserves a pay day (Dalembert), is the only one without one. His time will come after this year, their payroll will take another big hike up. :| Oh well, that’s their problem.

And I readily admit that I’m kinda guessing when it comes to that depth chart. I mean, it is hard, since their entire roster is made up of 2’s, 3’s and 4’s. :whoknows:




*8th: ORLANDO MAGIC – 

Sham’s depth charge:*

PG – Steve Francis, Jameer Nelson, DeShawn Stevenson
SG – Cuttino Mobley, DeShawn Stevenson, Stacey Augmon
SF – Hedo Turkoglu, Keith Bogans
PF – Dwight Howard, Pat Garrity, Michael Bradley
C – Kelvin Cato, Tony Battie, Andrew DeClerq, Mario Kasun


*Toil and trouble:*

That team is very similar to the Houston team which won 45 games last year. That’s partly because it has 3 of the same starters obviously, but also Jim Jackson/Turkoglu is a wash, and the benches both have a similar make up. The only real differences are Tony Battie instead of Yao Ming, and Johnny Davis instead of Jeff van Gundy. They’re both pretty big drop-offs, but is it enough to keep the Magic a lottery team, especially now that the Houston players are playing in the easier conference? Well, I‘m not sure. I just can’t seem that team being too good somehow, but I’m nicking them the final playoff spot. Not sure I would have gone about things the way the Magic did, but still, a big turnaround from last year.




*9th: MILWAUKEE BUCKS –

Sham’s depth chart colon:
*
PG – Mike James, TJ Ford, Mo Williams
SG – Michael Redd, Desmond Mason, Erick Strickland
SF – Desmond Mason, Keith van Horn, Toni Coo Coach, 
PF – Joe Smith, Keith van Horn, Marcus Haislip
C – Dan Gadzuric, Zaza Pachulia, Daniel Santiago, Zendon Hamilton, Lonnie Jones


*Curb:*

What the hell is that centre rotation? How has this team got better? Really? They’ve changed Brian Skinner for 3 brand new crappy centres and Damon Jones/Brevin Knight for Mike James/Mo Williams. Neither of these moves is an improvement, in fact this team has gone backwards. Not impressed by their offseason, and as a result I’m taking them out the playoff standings. They might just make it though, if things go well. Just.




*10th: NEW JERSEY NETS - 

Sham’s “lack of depth” chart:*

PG – Jason Kidd, Jacque Vaughn, Travis Best (maybe), Zoran Plananananic, 
SG – Ron Mercer, Rodney Buford
SF – Richard Jefferson, Eric Williams, Christian Drejer
PF – Aaron Williams, Brian Scalabrine
C – Jason Collins, Alonzo Mourning, Nenad Kristic


*Shrubbery:*

Speaking of a big turnaround from last year (the Magic), meet the Nets. That’s not a very impressive roster. There’s not much in the way of young talent, or veteran talent. Their best player is out for a while and playing disgruntled, their second best player suddenly has to become a first option and carry a team, and their third best player is playing on someone else’s kidney, if he’s playing at all. Having Kidd keeps them solvent, but they ain’t getting back to the playoffs I don’t think.




*11th: TORONTO RAPTORS –

Sham’s sham of a depth chart:*

PG – Rafer Alston, Alvin Williams, Milt Palacio
SG – Vince Carter, Morris Peterson, Roger Mason
SF – Jalen Rose, Morris Peterson, Lamond Murray, 
PF – Chris Bosh, Donyell Marshall, Jerome Moiso
C – Rafael Araujo, Donyell Marshall, Loren Woods


*Comments:*

Good depth in the back court. 

Good. 

A lot of scoring ability in the back court. 

Good. 

A lot of playmaking ability in the back court. 

Good. 


Sod all up front. 

Bad. 

I do kinda like their roster, but for some reason I do kinda like the Raptors with no rational reason for it. At the same time, the more realistic side of me looks at that team and thinks……yyyyeeee………..nah. Sorry. :heart:




*12th: CHICAGO BULLS – 

Sham’s prospective depth chart of this brilliant, wonderful roster:*

PG – Jesus Christ, Frank Williams, Mike Wilks
SG – Ben Gordon, Eric Piatkowski, Eddie Robinson
SF – Andres Nocioni, Luol Deng, Chris Jefferies
PF – Tyson Chandler, Othella Harrington, Tommy Smiff
C – Eddy Curry, Antonio Davis, Chesney Trybanski


*Cements:*

Yeah, I’m biased. So what? I’m well aware of the fact that if this was any team other than the Bulls with this roster, I’d have docked 5 wins from their prospective win total (see below). But you know what? I don’t care. Things suddenly look quite good. In Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Chandler and Curry, you’re looking at a future starting 5 with an average age of about 15 and stacks and stacks of talent. In Frank Williams and Andres Nocioni, you’re looking at two more good prospects. In Piatkowski, Harrington and Davis, you have 3 hard working and effective veteran role players, which every team needs. In Mike Wilks, you have someone who shares a surname with someone I know. And in Eddie Robinson and Chris Jefferies, you have a potential wedding on your hands. What’s not to like? They ain’t gonna be very good this year. But, barring a big style ****-up, this roster could be going places fairly soon. Unfortunately, we’ve seen three of these big style ****-ups already….:uhoh:




*13th: CLEVELAND CAVALIERS –

Sham’s death heart:*

PG – Eric Snow, Jeff McInnis
SG – LeBron James, DaJuan Wagner
SF – Luke Jackson, Alexsander Pavlovic, Ira Newble
PF – Drew Gooden, Robert Traylor, Anderson Varejao, 
C – Zydrunas Ilgauskas, DeSagana Diop


*Laments:*

Now, if there was such a thing as an incredibly knowledgeable NBA fan with absolutely no bias whatsoever, they would have Cleveland rated above Chicago. But I’m biased, so tough . And in my defense, Cleveland did lose their second best player for absolutely sod all, and that would set anyone heavily back. And although Paxson had a go at making up for it, it will still be an achievement for them to match last year’s level. That starting lineup will do well to shoot 42% as a unit. That front line is made up of two similar players, with similar weakness, and there’s nothing at all behind them. They should have kept Steven Hunter I feel, but oh well, it’s not like he would have changed much. Their point guards do not shoot well, and their shooting guards shoot inconsistently. There is shooting to be found at small forward, but no experience or defense. The roster just seems very imbalanced. But they still got LeBron, so they’re still gonna be tricky to play.




*14th: ATLANTA HAWKS – 

Sham’s, heh, “depth” chart:*

PG – Tony Delk, Kenny Anderson, Royal Ivey
SG – Jon Barry, Josh Childress, Donta Smith
SF – Al Harrington, Boris Diaw, Josh Smith
PF – Antoine Walker, Chris Crawford
C – Predrag Drobnjak, Jason Collier


*Do I really need to comment? Oh well….*

LOVE THE POINT GUARD ROTATION! :djparty:




*15th: CHARLOTTE BOBCATS – 

Sham’s self-explanatory chart:*

PG – Jason Hart, Brevin Knight, Omar Cook
SG – Eddie House, Corey Benjamin, Steve Smith, Tamar Slay, Bernard Robinson Junior :headbang:
SF – Gerald Wallace, Jason Kapono, Theron Smith
PF – Emeka Okafor, Brandon Hunter, Primoz Brezec
C – Jahidi White, Melvin Ely, Jamal Sampson


*No comment.* Best of British luck to you. :|











*WESTERN CONFERENCE



1st: SAN ANTONIO SPURS – 

Sham’s deep arsed chart:*

PG – Tony Parker, Brent Barry, Beno Udrih
SG – Manu Ginobili, Brent Barry, Devin Brown
SF – Bruce Bowen, Devin Brown, Linton Johnson
PF – Tim Duncan, Malik Rose, Robert Horry
C – Rasho Nesterovic, Sean Marks, Tony Massenburg


*Notes:*

They’re deep, they’re talented, they’re balanced, they’re pretty young, they got Duncan, and more importantly they snapped up Tony Massenburg and Linton Johnson. I cited them for winning it all last year but they managed to bugger it up. But I’m going to risk it again, and why the hell not. They got coaching, they got experience, they got youth, they got it all. And I think they’ll win it all. 

:djparty:




*2nd: MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES – 

Sham’s depth chart:

*PG – Sam Cassell, Troy Hudson, Blake Stepp
SG – Trenton Hassell, Fred Hoiberg
SF – Latrell Sprewell, Wally Szczerbiak, Ndudi Ebi
PF – Kevin Garnett, Mark Madsen 
C – Ervin Johnson, Michael Olowokandi


*Boats:*

Last year they might have done it, had Cassell and Sprewell not given out due to injuries. They gave out partly cos they were old, but partly because they had to play so much as their backups, Hudson and Szczczczerbiak, were out all year. Well that’s apparently rectified now, and everyone’s healthy. That will help. But unfortunately for them, they’ve had to spend all their cheese this summer on resigning their own players, and not improving the rotation any. That’s why I feel they won’t have that extra push to get over the top. They could also without a doubt use another body or two up front, someone like Keon Clark. But oh well.




*3rd: SACRAMENTO KINGS – 

Projected rotation:*

PG – Mike Bibbly, Bobbly Jackson, Ricky Minard
SG – Doug Christie, Bobbly Jackson, Kevin Martin
SF – Peja Stojakovic, David Blunthenal
PF – Chris Webber, Darius Songaila
C – Brad Miller, Greg Ostertag


*Foxy stoats:*

This core has never been good enough to win. It only continues to get weaker in recent years. How is it suddenly going to become good enough?

Simple. It isn’t. I’m only giving them 3rd on the back of the new division alignments.




*4th: DALLAS MAVERICKS – 

Projected dissertation:*

PG – Jason Terry, Devin Harris, Avery Johnson, Dan Dickau
SG – Marquis Daniels, Jerry Stackhouse
SF – Michael Finley, Josh Howard
PF – Dirk Nowitzki, Alan Henderson	
C – Eric Dampier, Calvin Booth, Didier Ilunga-Mbenga, Shawn Bradley, Pavel Podkolzin


*Castle moats:*

I like their roster a lot more than last year. That’s not up for debate. I think they’re 3rd best in the West, claiming 4th seed on the back of the division winner’s thing. A lot of that is because they don’t have Antoine Walker any more, and I hate Antoine Walker more than I hate my own face. But it does still have a better balance. Nash to Terry ain’t that much of a drop off, and it’s a lot cheaper too. They’ve found room to get Daniels in, and the roster has great depth all around with only really backup power forward being a hole. They still don’t play very good defense with that lineup and it won’t be long until they realize that Dampier isn’t actually very good. But they’re still better than they were last year. Although they did wildly underachieve then.




*5th: L.A. LAKERS – 

Rejected citation:*

PG – Chucky Atkins, Sasha Vujajic, Nate Johnson
SG – Kobe Bryant, Kareem Rush
SF – Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Devean George, Luke Walton, Jumaine Jones
PF – Brian Grant, Chris Mihm, Brian Cook
C – Vladdy Deevarch. Slava Medvedenko


*Horny goats:*

Nice depth on the roster. They’re just a dominating big man away from the NBA title. 

Also, I don’t think they should ever have done the Payton trade. Looking at that point guard rotation should tell you why that is. Did they really need a 5th small forward in Jones? Nope…

Still, whereas most people have them scraping into the playoffs or just missing them, I still rate this team, because it does still contain a lot of talent. Obviously you can’t just do it on talent, no sheet, but it counts for something, and they do still got Kobe, and you’d better believe he’ll bust his nuts this season. That coach isn’t too shabby either. So 5th seems fair to me.




*6th: UTAH JAZZ – 

Liverpool Street station:*

PG – Carlos Arroyo, Raul Lopez
SG – Gordan Giricek, Raja Bell, Kirk Snyder
SF – Andrei Kirilenko, Matt Harpring, Kirk Snyder
PF – Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Kris Humphries
C – Mehmet Okur, Jarron Collins, Curtis Borchardt


*Herbie and the Love Boats:*

The only two teams I was more wildly wrong about last year were Orlando and Denver. Then again, there were worse predictions about last year’s Jazz. Such as that sportswriter who predicted them going 8-74. As for how things are gonna be different……well, they’re gonna be better. They still got Sloan, so instantly they’re good. And their roster’s just taken a big leap forward, with Carlos “*******” Boozer and Mehmet “Mehmet” Okur replacing Michael Ruffin, Tom Gugliotta and Greg Ostertag. Can’t argue with that. I’m probably being a little harsh in putting them only here. 4th or 5th is also equally likely. I can’t see them upstaging Minnesota for the division title but they’re bridging the gap between the best and the rest in the West. Oh yes. I’m fresh. The big S impressed with the zest. And stuff. 

:shy:




*7th: HOUSTON ROCKETS – 

Eggs and bacon:*

PG – Bob Sura, Charlie Ward, Tyronn Lue, Reece Gaines
SG – Tracy McGrady, Bob Sura, Jim Jackson
SF – Jim Jackson, Tracy McGrady, Bostjan Nachbar, Scott Padgett
PF – Juwan Howard, Maurice Taylor, Clarence Weatherspoon, Scott Padgett
C – Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo, Clarence Weatherspoon


*Oats and beans and barley grow:*

I probably should mention I have Bob Sura at starting point guard, because that’s what I read would happen. Can’t remember where though. It seems more logical to have him back up shooting guard, but that’s what I heard, so I’ll run with it :whoknows: . The McGrady/Ming partnership is one pre’y good partnership, but you could pair anyone with Yao and I’d like it as a partnership. And the support players aren’t bad – plenty of rebounding to be found on this team, above average outside shooting, and good scoring all around. In theory, this lineup is built the right way to win a championship. You got your dominating big man and your dominating shooting guard, your point guards who can shoot the dayum thing (assume for a minute Ward and Lue do most of the point guard stuff), the small forward who can light it up sometimes and contributes offensively generally, and the power forward who also scores a bit and grabs enough boards to keep his job. See the 2000 Lakers, for example.

PG – Harper, Fisher and Shaw/Sura, Ward and Lue
SG – Kobe/McGrady
SF – Rice and Fox/Jackson and Nachbar
PF – Grant and Horry/Howard and Taylor
C – Shaq/Yao


Similar make ups, no? 

But until they can prove something to me, I’ll stick with them at 7th. But this team could go some if they decide to play it the Lakers way. So we’ll see.




*8th: MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES – 

Ell-err-vay-shaaaaan! Wooooo-oo…..woooo-oo-oooh…..:*

PG – Jason Williams, Earl Watson, Troy Bell, Antonio Burks
SG – Mike Miller, Bonzi Wells, Dahntay Jones, Andre Emmett 
SF – James Posey, Shane Battier :worship: , Brian Cardinal
PF – Pau Gasol, Stromile Swift, Brian Cardinal, Bo Outlaw, Ryan Humphrey
C – Lorenzen Wright, Stromile Swift, Jake Tsakalidis, Bo Outlaw


*Fishing floats:*

Deeper than a porn movie, I still like my dark horse from last season. I’m not entirely convinced of the way this offseason has gone – how Brian Cardinal and Shane Battier got the same amount of cheese is beyond me. They improved a tad, but so did almost everybody else, so I’m not confident enough to place them higher than this. But hey, 8th ain’t bad.




*9th: DENVER NUGGETS – 

The barest of rotations:

*PG – Andre Miller, Earl Boykins
SG – Voshon Lenard
SF – Carmelo Anthony, Nikoloz Tskitishvili
PF – Kenyon Martin, Nene
C – Marcus Camby, Francisco Elson 


*Lab coat:*

I got this team WAY wrong last season, and I’m in danger of doing it again. But I still don’t see anything I like there. This team will probably end up 5th or 6th and make me look like a dumb arse, but I have to make at least one bold prediction and this is it. Vanderweghe must have had his name involved with every free agent on the planet this offseason, from Emanuel Ginobili to Clyde Drexler :whofarted:, and yet they still have only 9 players. They did however get Kenyon Martin, so you have to like that. At the same time, they were a much better team with Nene on the floor last year…..and now he isn’t. Hmmmm……..oh well. In theory this team should be a lot better than last year, not worse, but because I’m a spastic I’ll risk predicting that.




*10th: PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS – 

Probation chart:*

PG – Damon Stoudamire, Nick van Exel, Sebastian Telfair
SG – Derek Anderson, Richie Frahm, Nick van Exel
SF – Darius Miles, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Ruben Patterson, Qyntel Woods, Travis Outlaw, Victor Crapper
PF – Zach Randolph, Shareef Abdur-Rahim
C – Theo Ratliff, Joel Pryzbilla, Vladimir Stepania


*She loves me, she loves me nots:*

They’ve hardly gone out and addressed the issue of roster balance there have they? Oh well…..still a good degree of talent there, and the future looks pretty bright when you consider the 40 million coming off of the books this offseason for the Blazers. I’m not as biased here as I am with the Bulls although you could argue maybe I’m being a bit generous, but on talent alone this team has an outside shot at the playoffs. Van Exel, for all his faults, is essentially the go to guy in the 4th quarter that has been missing for way too many years. I’m not really a huge fan of the roster, it’s about 3 trades shy of where it needs to be, and it still has Ruben Patterson and Qyntel Woods on it, contracts I personally think the Blazers should just eat. :whoknows: But oh well.




*11th: PHOENIX SUNS – 

Premature ejaculation:*

PG – Steve Nash, Leandro Barbosa, Howard Eisley, Yuta Tabuse
SG – Quentin Richardson, Joe Johnson, Casey Jacobsen
SF – Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson, Zarko Cabarakaparabacar
PF – Amare Stoudemire, Maciej Lampe, Jackson Vroman 
C – Jake Voskuhl, Steven Hunter, Amare Stoudemire


*Additional:*

They dumped the big arsed contract of Marbury to piece away just as much money on Steve Nash, a lesser player (arguably). They signed Q for a decent price, but he wasn’t exactly what they needed the most. I think there were much better ways to handle that offseason, but nevertheless, that’s still a young talented roster. Maybe too young – which one of those do you go to when you need a bucket most in the fourth? Amare, probably, but he has been known to yank up a silly shot or two when it matters most. I dunno, there’s scoring prowess on that roster, but not a lot of defense. The whole roster shoots pretty streaky too. I’m not THAT keen on their roster this year, but in their defense it has got the makings of something.




*12th: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS – 

Roster:*

PG – Speedy Claxton, Derek Fisher, Luis Flores
SG – Jason Richardson, Michael Pietrus, Calbert Cheaney
SF – Mike Dunleavy, Eduardo Najera, Calbert Cheaney
PF – Troy Murphy, Cliff Robinson, Andres Biedrins
C – Adonal Foyle, Dale Davis, Cliff Robinson


*Subtractional:*

12 combined years for Fisher and Foyle? In jail maybe, but don’t you think you’ve overpaid toooooo much there Chrissy boy? :laugh: Is it possible to start two perennial bench players and make the playoffs? Well, yes, if you have a superstar and play in the East, but the Warriors don’t and aren’t. They’re strong at the wing positions yes, and even power forward. But point guard and center are the two big holes here, and Mullin’s just gone out of his way to make sure they are gonna stay that way for a good while yet. It seems strange…….they’re not bad, and will probably nick some upset victories along the way, but you’ll do well to convince me they are going higher than 12th.




*13th: NEW ORLEANS HORNETS – 

Jeff Foster:*

PG – Baron Davis, Darrel Armstrong
SG – David Wesley, Baron Davis, J.R. Smith, Tim Pickett, Alex Garcia
SF – Jamal Mashburn (maybe), George Lynch
PF – P.J. Brown, Rodney Rogers, David West
C – Jamaal Magloire, Chris Andersen


*Dillusional:*

Welcome to the West. They retain the 7 core players that made the Eastern conference playoffs last year. Unfortunately……


a)	Jamal Mashburn is broke as fudge
b)	David Wesley’s size is finally gonna be a burden now that he’s stuck in the West
c)	Similar theories apply to Magloire (size) and P.J. (age), as their whole rotation continues to get older
d)	George Lynch isn’t very good
e)	Their best player doesn’t wanna be there
f)	It was the East, after all :krazy:



So forgive me for not being very confident. Their offseason consisted of drafting a project, losing a locker room mainstay, signing a fat backup power forward to replace a fat backup power forward, losing depth, getting older, and ensuring their only backup center is actually a power forward. I dunno, I don’t see 30 wins here. I’m probably even being harsh by putting the Sonics behind them.

Speaking of the Sonics……




*14th: SEATTLE SUPERSONICS – 

Oh crap, we’ve lost her…..:*

PG – Antonio Daniels, Luke Ridnour
SG – Ray Allen, Ronald Murray, David Young
SF – Rashard Lewis, Vladimir Radmanovic
PF – Nick Collison, Reggie Evans, THE Danny Fortson
C – Vitaly Potapenko, Jerome James, Robert Swift


*Contusional:*

Actually, you know what? Sod it, I’m putting them 13th. They ain’t THAT bad, they just haven’t gotten any better. What they do have, however, isn’t that bad. So 13th it is. They’ll be hefty players in next year’s free agent market, but unfortunately they’ll most likely wind up spending it on Allen, which doesn’t make them any better, really. But there is still some good young talent here, even if the hilarious Vlad Rad thinks he’s maxish worthy. They haven’t however improved, so playoffs seem out of the question. And finally…..




*15th: LOSE ANGELES CLIPPERS – 

Aso meyo, how mucha is that gonna costa:*

PG – Marko Jaric, Shawn Livingston, Lionel Chalmers
SG – Kerry Kittles, Quinton Ross
SF – Corey Maggot, Bobby Simmons
PF – Elton Brand, Chris Wilcox
C – Chris Kaman, Zeljko Rebraca, Mikki Moore, Josh Moore, Mamadou N’Diaye,


*Chanel number 5:*

You know the drill. Some talent, no depth. They’re quietly building, as always, but not this year. I am impressed however at the mini game they’re having with the Mavs for “which team can get the most piss poor centers on their roster” competition. Always commendable behaviour. :worship:






Now, record wise…….


*East:*

Detroit: 56-26
Miami: 50-32
Boston: 46-36
Indiana: 54-28
New York: 45-37
Washington: 42-40
Philadelphia: 41-41
Orlando: 39-43
Milwaukee: 37-45
New Jersey: 35-47
Toronto: 33-49
Chicago: 32-50
Cleveland: 31-51
Atlanta: 23-59
Charlotte: 16-66


*West:*

San Antonio: 59-23
Minnesota: 58 -24
Sacramento: 52-30
Dallas: 54-28
L.A. Lakers: 50-32
Utah: 49-33
Houston: 48-34
Memphis: 47-35
Denver: 44-38
Portland: 40-42
Phoenix: 36-46
Golden State: 34-48 
Seattle: 32-50
New Orleans: 26-56
L.A. Clippers: 24-58




And that, ladies and gentleman, is my post. If you dare question it or me, we will fight. :naughty: :yes: :grinning:


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## johnston797 (May 29, 2002)

Great post. 

In the West, I think you are sleeping on the Nuggets and have Lakers and Jazz too high.

Pacers are definetely better than the Celtics. Bulls and the rest of the East outside Det, Miami and Pacers are a total wildcard.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Wow, a very well rounded out preview into the NBA season. Nice.


I agree on the topic of the East being extremely hard to figure out, because there are so many teams that appear to be on the same level as each other:

(In no particular order)

Boston
New York
Philadelphia
New Jersey
Cleveland
Toronto
Washington
Milwaukee
Orlando



Personally, I think any of those teams could make the playoffs, and Chicago could have easily been added to this if not for their step backwards this past season. Out of those teams, New York appears to be the most talented, but they are looking like a Eastern-Conference version of the Mavericks. With a healthy TJ Ford, I'd have the Bucks over all of these teams, but if he's going to miss a large chunk of the season, I'm not going to claim that they will still be a solid team. In conclusion, a lot of mediocre teams in the East will make the playoffs, a lot of mediocre teams in the East won't make the playoffs. Detroit, Miami, and Indiana are the top dogs, and the team that's able to go through the other two will win it all.



As for the West, the Spurs and T-Wolves have been ranked as the two best teams in basically every NBA preview I've read. Sacramento might have gotten a mention as a top two team in the West in one preview I read, but I'm not convinced that their group of players can pull a championship off. Dallas should be pretty darn good, but Dirk is going to have to step it up to another level if they want to be mentioned with three powerhouses mentioned above. Now, going on down to the 5-6-7-8-9-10 seeds of the Western Conference is a hell of a task as well. Is Houston a top-tier team, or are they in the middle of the pack in the West? How will the new look Lakers fare? Will they be a top-tier team or in the middle of the pack? Is the addition of Kenyon Martin singlehandedly enough to make them a lock for the playoffs? Does Memphis win 50 games again with the same roster? How legit are the Suns? How much will the Jazz improve? ...... Too many questions to answer, but that's exactly why I'm looking forward to the season. I think the top-tier teams are pretty easy to identify as well as the bottom-tier teams, but everything in between is downright wacky.




Should be a great season.


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Not in agreement with some of your predictions, but a great read nonetheless. 5 stars from me


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

Oh this will be bumped for sure. You put Phoenix below PORTLAND. omg


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## Sham (Dec 2, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>johnston797</b>!
> Great post.
> 
> In the West, I think you are sleeping on the Nuggets and have Lakers and Jazz too high.
> ...





I've got Pacers as second best in the east, but purely as divisional winers Miami and Boston go higher. I know I'm undervaluing the Nuggets, but I can't help it. :whoknows:


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

You inspired me to make my own prediction, very very slwoly. I already started it in the Mavs forum


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## Sham (Dec 2, 2002)

Mine took 3 days. I didn't have the patience to write it all in one sitting, as I bet you didn't have the patience to READ it all in one sitting. :greatjob:


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

Got a question for you, so far what do you think of mine:


Link


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## Sham (Dec 2, 2002)

The best case/worst case thing was a nice touch.


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>ShamBulls</b>!
> The best case/worst case thing was a nice touch.


Thanks, Im trying to add a joke in here or there but when I think of a good joke I realise you used it and I dont want to rip yours off

BTW I loved the other names for depth chart especially probation chart


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## Sham (Dec 2, 2002)

I kinda milked those drier than dry. :shy:


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## bullet (Jul 1, 2003)

Excellanto Sham!


great post and quite a good analysis for a season nobody knows what can happen with all those big names (MDE included) moving teams.

I know I'm as biased as U but I think 31 wins is a real possible mark for us , we can even hope for more if Ben and Deng turnout good players (hope won't kill us I hope )


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

Great post!

I agree with the 8 teams you have making the playoffs in the East, but I don't think Washington will finish 6th. I expect Orlando and Philly to have a better record than them. This is a team that only won 25 games last year, and alot of people are banking on Brown and Hayes to come up with big seasons this year. Arenas, Hayes and Hughes all shot under 40% last year, which is pretty pathetic. This team isn't better than the 02-03 GS Warriors, who had Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy, Dampier, Foyle and Dunleavy along with Arenas and Jamison.

The Wizards did have alot of injury problems last year but I don't think the arrival of Jamison is going to give this team a + .500 record.

As for the Magic, Francis and Mobley led the Rockets to 45 wins in 2000 without having to share the ball much, and they will be reintroduced to this situation in Orlando. With a much improved Cato, Turkoglu and promising rookie Dwight Howard they should be able to make some noise in the East.

In the West, I think New Orleans is going to be the team that surprises everyone. People have written them off ever since they moved to the Western Conference, forgetting that two years ago with a healthy Jamal Mashburn they won 47 games. Expect the Hornets to throw the ball down to Magloire more because he has refined his jump hook and post moves, and can always hit the open jumper along with PJ Brown. If Scott can help Baron with his shot selection and utilize his perimeter threats (Wesley, Mashburn) then I think the Hornets have a realistic shot at the playoffs.

As for the Rockets, they are not going to be worse than the Jazz. You mentioned the Rockets haven't proved anything to you, what have the Lakers done to help you pencil them in at the fifth spot? Depth... very shaky post with Divac and Grant, Mihm should be a solid backup but none of them hold a candle to Yao Ming. Other than that they have the overrated Caron Butler and sharpshooter Kareem Rush. The Rockets have Bob Sura, Mo Taylor, Tyronn Lue and Dikembe Mutombo, giving them a pretty well rounded bench. And if Nachbar proves himself in training camp and the preseason then we will be able to start Sura. 

The Jazz have added more solid role players to their repertoire, and are going to compete every night. But they still have no one who can take over down the stretch and can't defend in the post. People are finally overrating the Utah Jazz and are going to be pretty surprised when they struggle to break .500.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

First off, that was probably the funniest damn post I've ever seen in my life. That deserves publication in SI.

Second, I agree with MOST of your predications... but I still think 35 wins is too generous for the Nets. Their team is nothing short of horrendous, and people keep rating them as mid-level team just because they have Kidd. Well, Kidd is out of commission until we hear anything else...and even when he is healthy, he's getting past his prime and he severely lacks weapons to work with (Jefferson is the only exception). I think New Jersey will get 25 wins tops...

As for the Bulls, they should hit 35 wins easily if they stay healthy. But then again, injuries can plague any team in a heartbeat.


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## JazzMan (Feb 26, 2003)

Five of these for you:

*

A season preview should be entertaining first and foremost, and accurate a distant second. If I were to say you got that perfectly, that sounds a bit harsh, because what I mean is: That was a GOOD read. 

It doesn't bother me if I disagree with some of your predictions. No-one knows what is going to happen so I'm not going to pick you up on where you may or may not have gone wrong.

THankyou for your efforts - they were worth it.

By the way, I suspect from certain phrases/spellings (eg "arse", "piss poor", "centRE") that you may be a fellow Brit. Correct?


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## Premier (Oct 30, 2003)

Very suprised that someone actually didn't underrate the Celtics, but I think you are getting a little carried away. 46 wins is a lot. No team from the Atlantic will come acheive that. The Knicks and the Celtics will fight for the 3 with the loser get the six, in my opinion. Both teams will win about 40-44 games.

The 76ers are a dark horse. It depends on if Iverson can regain his form. At times, he looked bad. Skinner will be good and Dalembert should average a double-double. Willie Green should produce and Krover should develop. I don't know how the loss of Snow will affect them. Figuring the Atlantic should be reserved for Hawkins.

One things for sure, Chicago will be better than New Jersey.


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## liteface (Jun 25, 2004)

*season preview*

Great n complete job on de preview. Great sense of humor. 

I disagree on the Suns though. With leadership at PG, depth n unreal athleticism, they are a playoff team if they get any coaching at all from what's-his-name.


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## Sham (Dec 2, 2002)

This might be a coincedence, but according to your profile, you support the Suns.

:uhoh: 

Fancy that, of all the teams you thought I'd underrated...... 

Oh well, at least you didn't say Denver.


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## Shanghai Kid (Mar 7, 2003)

Loved your prediction on the Wizards man.


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## Sham (Dec 2, 2002)

It's bloody hard writing one of these things, you know. The fans of about 6 teams think you've got them "spot on". But fans of the other 24 think you're retarded and sold them at least 10-15 games short. And strangely, no one thinks you've overestimated your team. It's incredibly hard to come out of these without enemies. Luckily, not many Denver fans post here. :uhoh:


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## scooter (Oct 22, 2003)

Here's the obligatory "you've listed the Nuggets too low" reply from a Nuggets fan. The single most important factor in NBA success is how well you defend the paint. The Nuggets are very strong in that area with a quick, athletic 3-man rotation of Camby, Nene, and Martin. Many of the teams you have ranked higher are going to be lousy by comparison. For example, Houston has declined in that area because its a big defensive falloff from Cato to Juwan Howard. Sacramento's starting interior defense of Miller and Webber is slow and aging. Divac and Grant are even slower and older for the Lakers (I think Odom will actually start at PF). Okur and Boozer are also fairly slow -- the Jazz will miss Ostertag defensively more than you think.

You haven't placed enough importance on inside defense in your analysis.


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## Premier (Oct 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>ShamBulls</b>!
> 
> It's bloody hard writing one of these things, you know. The fans of about 6 teams think you've got them "spot on". But fans of the other 24 think you're retarded and sold them at least 10-15 games short. *And strangely, no one thinks you've overestimated your team.* It's incredibly hard to come out of these without enemies. Luckily, not many Denver fans post here. :uhoh:


Ahem.



> Originally posted by <b>Celts11</b>!
> Very suprised that someone actually didn't underrate the Celtics, but *I think you are getting a little carried away.* 46 wins is a lot. No team from the Atlantic will come acheive that.


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## Sham (Dec 2, 2002)

Well there's allllllllllllllways one, sin't there.......

:banghead:

:|


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

Sham, mines finished. Everyone leave this excuse for a prediction and go to mine

Link 


Just Joking, yours rules and I got inspired :angel:


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