Post by poetic on Aug 20, 2010 15:24:38 GMT -5
Pacific Division
7.
First team of my West breakdown. The Blazers have made the playoffs both years to start the TMBSL, but 7/8 seeds and 1st round exits weren't enough for management. Despite a decent 5-4 start to the 2003 season, the Blazers have decided to blow it up shipping Eddy Curry, Michael Finley, Andre Miller, and Joe Smith to the Phoenix Suns in return for young guys Gilbert Arenas, Nene, and Jared Jeffries plus a few throw ins. Then turned around and sent Nene plus their 05 1st to the Bulls for Victor Wachter, Boris Diaw, Jamario Moon, Jenn McInnis, and the Piston's 04 1st.
Not sure what the thought process is here as the Blazers appear to be going young, but don't own their own 1st rounders for the next two seasons. This roster is no longer playoff caliber and I feel the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls may be benefiting big time the next two seasons.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Primoz Brezec
PF - Boris Diaw
SF - Jared Jeffries
SG - Richard Hamilton
PG - Gilbert Arenas
Projected Record: 27-55
6.
What could have been is the theme for the Golden State Warriors. This team has taken some drastic twists and turns in the last two seasons as contraversial GM Melo continues to build the team in his own vision. He managed to acquire a management favorite in Pau Gasol from the Boston Celtics at the cost of two top 5 lottery picks. Dwayne Wade and Darko Milicic were the two players selected in those spots. Warriors weren't done there though sending young point guard Mike Bibby to the Kings in return for Kareem Rush and a couple 1st rounders. Then took one of those 1sts plus Ime Udoka and shipped them to the Celtics for 2 time All-Star Damon Stoudamire.
Warriors are off to a poor start @ 2-5 in 7 games played. Pau Gasol seems to be thriving in his new role as starter and #1 scoring option putting in almost 26 points per game to go along with 12 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. What could have been though, when you consider the Warriors starting lineup could be: Troy Murphy, Carlos Boozer, Bryan Bracey, Dwayne Wade, Mike Bibby. We'll have to wait and see if these moves have a payoff for the Warriors or if they find themselves right back in the lottery.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Troy Murphy
PF - Pau Gasol
SF - Bryan Bracey
SG - Kareem Rush
PG - Damon Stoudamire
Projected Record: 32-50
5.
This team is a surprise so far this year, and not in a good way. The Phoenix Suns started off the season 1-6, ouch. GM Matt wasn't having it though and made the trade I mentioned previously above. This is probably one of the most talented rosters in the league top to bottom, but they can't seem to play well together. The Suns sacrificed a bunch of youth in favor of solid veterans. Taking over the team at point guard is Andre Miller. Miller is a true point guard averaging over 9 assists the past 2 seasons while putting in 20.1 and 15.8 points a season respectively. As he goes, the Suns will probably go.
Sophmore Amare Stoudamire hopes to improve on his rookie campaign that had him the top scorer amongst rookies. Word around the franchise is that he's starting to play some defense which the Suns could really use. They lack a true down low defender and could find themselves in trouble facing the elite bigs of the West. Look for the incoming veterans to take over this team and provide some much needed leadership. Locker room cancer Gilbert Arenas is gone, no more excuses for the Suns.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Eddy Curry
PF - Amare Stoudamire
SF - Antoine Walker
SG - Joe Johnson
PG - Andre Miller
Projected Record: 41-41
4.
One of the worst teams in the league the past two season finally caught a break this off-season when they received the #2 pick in the lottery. Sacramento knew immediately who the man for the job was, and his name is Chris Bosh. The young power forward was a lock for the top 3 and is considered to be a future star. GM Heel made some huge moves since the draft though acquiring Jermaine O'Neal and Mike Bibby to join the young rookie of the year hopeful. O'Neal is coming off a terrible ACL injury last year that had him out the entire season. He's picking up right where he left off though and then some. Averaging 13 rebounds and 5 blocks a game! Not to mention 23 points...
It's unknown how Bibby will do taking over the squad, he's a potential 12 point, 10 assist kinda guy that will get you a couple steals a game. Expectations are really high in Sactown... many are thinking they can compete for the West and a possible championship. But I'm not so sure they're ready yet. This team is built more so for the next 3-4 years than now. We'll have to wait and see if I'm correct, or will my writing give the Kings the extra motivation needed to do damage this season.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Jermaine O'Neal
PF - Chris Bosh
SF - Tayshaun Prince
SG - Joseph Forte
PG - Mike Bibby
Projected Record: 43-39
3.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Scot Pollard
PF - Ryan Humphrey
SF - Jamal Mashburn
SG - Wille Green
PG - Jason Kidd
Projected Record: 47-35
Here's a team I really like this season. They have one of the best point guards in the game today, J-Kidd is a triple double machine and can fill the stat sheet any night as he scores, rebounds, passes, steals, etc. The Big Dog is no longer in town, but the offense is in good hands with Jamal Mashburn who's averaging 26.5 points per game this season. I feel he finishes in the top 10 amongst scoring leaders by season's end. Ryan Humphrey is back from his rookie year doing what he did best last season, blocking shots! The 24 year old really worked on his game this past off-season though as scoring and rebounds are both up.
If there's one weakness I see what looking at this team, it's the SG position. There's no defender there to handle the West's elite... Vince Carter, Jerry Stackhouse, Jason Terry, and Eddie Jones. I'd almost like to see small guard Derek Fisher moved there as he's a much better defender despite his size. I feel the Lakers are a lock for the playoffs this season, now we wait and see if they make a splash or exit early...
2.
Baron Davis. That's all you need to know really. Probably the best point guard in TMBSL in this writer's humble opinion. The All-League First Teamer is offer to a quick start this year with with 25 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game. Those are amazing stats. But he's the biggest stat of them all, he's only averaging 1.7 turnovers per game as the Clippers have jumped out to a great 5-2 start. If B-Diddy can keep up this production and taking care of the ball, I don't see a reason why the Clippers can't contend for it all.
But with as much as we love Mr. Davis, this is a team game and the Clippers have a very solid one outscoring opponents by 9 points per game. From the defense of Marcus Camby and his 2.3 blocks per game to the scoring of Jason Terry, who's up 9 points this season. It's easy to see why this team is one of the favorites in the Pacific division, and would not surprise me to see them take down the #2 seed once again.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Marcus Camby
PF - Udonis Haslem
SF - Clifford Robinson
SG - Jason Terry
PG - Baron Davis
Projected Record: 50-32
1.
Not many seem to agree with me when I talk about the Seattle Supersonics, but I really like them to finish 1st in the Pacific this year. They've had lots of coaching issues the first 2 seasons, but brought in a secret basketball guru to help the staff with their gameplanning. Dirk Nowitzki had a tremendous off-season, as he's turned himself into probably one of the best pure scorers in the game. You'd probably like to see a little better rebounding from a 7-footer who gets the minutes he does and we're not too sure of him guarding the small forward around the league with his size/quickness.
Chauncey Billups joins Dirk to form one of the best 1-2 punches in the league. Billups is a great scorer (23.4), rebounder (4.9), and assist man (9.1)... but when you really look at his stats, his turnover stats has to jump out at you. 1.4 turnovers in 39 minutes of play? amazing. Rounding out Seattle's big 3 is 35 year old Elden Campbell who's a real defensive force down low and is averaging 3.4 blocks this season so far. While the Sonics aren't offer to the best start, look for them to really get it going and finish as a top 4-5 seed in the West.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Elden Campbell
PF - Jordan Roberson
SF - Dirk Nowitzki
SG - Stephen Jackson
PG - Chauncey Billups
Projected Record: 52-30
All Pacific Team
C - Jermaine O'Neal
PF - Pau Gasol
SF - Dirk Nowitzki
SG - Jason Terry
PG - Baron Davis
Midwest Division
7.
Talk about young. This is a team with six, count them six rookies this year. Unfortunately the Grizzlies didn't get a top 3 pick like they hoped, but they managed to pick up a lot of solid young kids that they will have for cheap over the next 4 seasons. Because of the age and inexperience though, I feel they'll end up with the worst record in the league this year which doesn't help them at all since their 1st rounder was shipped to the Nuggets in a previous trade. This is a team that will need lots of time to develop, but each position is up for grabs I would imagine. Let's see if someone is ready to take over and become the guy on this team.
I don't have too much to say about Memphis sadly. But keep a close eye on the point guard position where it looks like both TJ Ford and Kirk Hinrich will alternate starting as the GM looks to see who will be the future point for this squad.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Sofoklis Schortsanitis
PF - Kenyon Martin
SF - Josh Howard
SG - Dajuan Wagner
PG - TJ Ford
Projected Record: 19-63
6.
What can we say about the Mavs? their GM made one of the worst trades in league history sending away Tim Duncan, a top 5 player league wide for basically nothing in return. He did manage to flip those bad pieces and acquire some young talent, guys like Eddie House, Tim Thomas, and Mike Miller. Problem is, these guys are free agents after the season. What will GM Dumptime do to convince these guys they should stay in Dallas? Will the allure of possible #1 pick in the lottery who many believe will be Dwight Howard be enough to bring in some talent after the season? Owner Mark Cuban hasn't been too happy with his GM's decisions, and you can almost visibly see the leash in which he's tied to continue to shrink.
The Mavericks look better and better each day for a high lottery pick, but their GM seems confused as he wants to win as well. Sadly it doesn't work that way.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Samuel Dalembert
PF - Drew Gooden
SF - Mike Miller
SG - Ronald Murray
PG - Eddie House
Projected Record: 25-57
5.
If the Mavericks' trade of Tim Duncan was one of the worst trades in the league history, the Nuggets' trade of Alonzo Mourning might have been the worst. Just depends on who you ask. The Key piece acquired in that trade from the Pistons, Jason Richardson hasn't quite lived up to GM Skrouse's expectations as he's averaging under 10 points a game in 35 minutes of play when the team really has no offensive firepower. 33 year old Shawn Kemp leads the team with 21 points and 10 rebounds. But there's a lot of season left, anything can happen.
Ron Artest appears to be growing into that elite defender most had him pegged to be as he's stealing the ball with decent frequency. Zach Randolph's scoring totals are down from 2 seasons ago, but rebounding is slightly up. You have to wonder if he ever fully recovered from that broken skull injjry he suffered last season. Team insiders have told me he's suffering from headache issues, and hasn't been able to work on his game like he would have liked this past off-season. Team doctors continue to monitor him. If there's one bright spot for the Nuggets, it's something that has nothing to do with the team's play, but of the Memphis Grizzlies play who Denver holds the 1st round draft pick of. Could Dwight Howard end up in Denver?
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Shawn Kemp
PF - Zachary Randolph
SF - Ron Artest
SG - Jason Richardson
PG - Rafer Alston
Projected Record: 31-51
4.
This is a tough team to write about. It's a team in a pretty bad position as they never seem good enough to make the playoffs, or bad enough to get the rookie elite. While it's a small sample size, sophmore Manu Ginobili's overall numbers appear to be down across the board. That can't sit well with GM Herky. Rookie Mike Dunleavy is off to a slow start, but you can really see the potential in this kid. This team has a nice 3 player young core of Kwame Brown, Mike Dunleavy, and Manu Ginobili. I feel the Spurs will benefit greatly from free agency the next 2 seasons where I hope they have better luck than they do in the lottery. As a couple quality signings could make this team an instant contender.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Kwame Brown
PF - Corliss Williamson
SF - Mike Dunleavy
SG - Manu Ginobili
PG - Jalen Rose
Projected Record: 33-49
3.
Here's a team that experienced some high highs and some major lows. They coasted to the best record in the West last season, and 3rd best overall. Made it to the finals like most predicted before getting absolutely embarrassed in the finals by the Orlando Magic. The team still appears to be suffering from that let down as they're off to a slow start with a 3-4 record and are giving up 107.7 points per game which is almost dead last. We're not sure what's to blame so far this year, is it the opposition or just poor play?
One guy not giving up is team MVP Vince Carter, he's averaging a league best 37 points per game to go along with 9 rebounds and 5 assists, oh and there's 2 steals a game as well... freak! Point Guard John Stockton, who at the young age of 41 decided to return for another season. You can tell he really wants to win a ring, and he's doing his part averaging a double double in points/assists. I would really like to see the Rockets make some moves this season, maybe packaging Latrell Sprewell only gets 8 minutes a game behind Carter and a power forward for maybe an upgrade down there. Rasheed Wallace went to work on that weak interior and I feel history will repeat itself should the Rockets find themselves in the finals again against the Magic, Celtics, or Hawks.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Zydrunas Ilgauskas
PF - Kurt Thomas
SF - Shane Battier
SG - Vince Carter
PG - John Stockton
Projected Record: 54-28
2.![]()
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How good are the T-Wolves this year? just ask their GM, the cocky Kahn is never one to shy away from telling you how good his team is. And you know what? he might actually be right this year. In probably the biggest move of the off-season, Kahn worked his magic and brought over Tracy McGrady from the Chicago Bulls. The guy many thought was on the decline seems almost rejuvinated by his new surroundings. He's finally on a winning team, and wants to let the Minnesota fans know how appreciative he is.
Minnesota remains one the top defensive teams in the league, but the added offensive firepower may be what gets them to the finals this year. The Wolves are outscoring opponents by 12 points and hold opponents to 88 points a game which is the league best. Will Kahn's look at me personality end up being a distraction for his team? or will they run thru the West and into the finals? we shall see...
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Brendan Haywood
PF - Marc Jackson
SF - Tracy McGrady
SG - Eddie Jones
PG - Travis Best
Projected Record: 58-24
1.
The Glove is back, looking for the title he thought he could have helped the Jazz win 2 seasons ago if not from the Injury Reserve mistake by GM Ohhaithur. The 35 year old is off to a great start as he's become a scorer(20.2), which is a little over 5 points a game more than the previous season. Turnovers are down, assists are slightly up and he just looks like a man on a mission. Not be outdone in improvements though is Jerry Stackhouse who worked hard on the thing he does best, and that's score. Look for Jerry to stay amongst the league leaders all season long points wise.
Like most of the top teams in the league, the Jazz have a huge margin of victory average, just over 12 a game. They've become one of the top offensive teams in the league to go along with their usual top 5 defense. That's a scary combination going forward. Lorenzen Wright has taken over as the team's starting Center as Vlade Divac was shipped to the Hawks right before the season. This will be a long season, I wonder if that decision was the right one or not. Can't replace the experience and leadership Divac provided. But I do like the Jazz to finish 1st in the West this year and possibly contend for a title.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Lorenzen Wright
PF - Raef LaFrentz
SF - Corey Maggette
SG - Jerry Stackhouse
PG - Gary Payton
Projected Record: 59-23
All Midwest Team
C - Brendan Haywood
PF - Raef LaFrentz
SF - Tracy McGrady
SG - Vince Carter
PG - Gary Payton
7.
First team of my West breakdown. The Blazers have made the playoffs both years to start the TMBSL, but 7/8 seeds and 1st round exits weren't enough for management. Despite a decent 5-4 start to the 2003 season, the Blazers have decided to blow it up shipping Eddy Curry, Michael Finley, Andre Miller, and Joe Smith to the Phoenix Suns in return for young guys Gilbert Arenas, Nene, and Jared Jeffries plus a few throw ins. Then turned around and sent Nene plus their 05 1st to the Bulls for Victor Wachter, Boris Diaw, Jamario Moon, Jenn McInnis, and the Piston's 04 1st.
Not sure what the thought process is here as the Blazers appear to be going young, but don't own their own 1st rounders for the next two seasons. This roster is no longer playoff caliber and I feel the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls may be benefiting big time the next two seasons.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Primoz Brezec
PF - Boris Diaw
SF - Jared Jeffries
SG - Richard Hamilton
PG - Gilbert Arenas
Projected Record: 27-55
6.
What could have been is the theme for the Golden State Warriors. This team has taken some drastic twists and turns in the last two seasons as contraversial GM Melo continues to build the team in his own vision. He managed to acquire a management favorite in Pau Gasol from the Boston Celtics at the cost of two top 5 lottery picks. Dwayne Wade and Darko Milicic were the two players selected in those spots. Warriors weren't done there though sending young point guard Mike Bibby to the Kings in return for Kareem Rush and a couple 1st rounders. Then took one of those 1sts plus Ime Udoka and shipped them to the Celtics for 2 time All-Star Damon Stoudamire.
Warriors are off to a poor start @ 2-5 in 7 games played. Pau Gasol seems to be thriving in his new role as starter and #1 scoring option putting in almost 26 points per game to go along with 12 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. What could have been though, when you consider the Warriors starting lineup could be: Troy Murphy, Carlos Boozer, Bryan Bracey, Dwayne Wade, Mike Bibby. We'll have to wait and see if these moves have a payoff for the Warriors or if they find themselves right back in the lottery.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Troy Murphy
PF - Pau Gasol
SF - Bryan Bracey
SG - Kareem Rush
PG - Damon Stoudamire
Projected Record: 32-50
5.
This team is a surprise so far this year, and not in a good way. The Phoenix Suns started off the season 1-6, ouch. GM Matt wasn't having it though and made the trade I mentioned previously above. This is probably one of the most talented rosters in the league top to bottom, but they can't seem to play well together. The Suns sacrificed a bunch of youth in favor of solid veterans. Taking over the team at point guard is Andre Miller. Miller is a true point guard averaging over 9 assists the past 2 seasons while putting in 20.1 and 15.8 points a season respectively. As he goes, the Suns will probably go.
Sophmore Amare Stoudamire hopes to improve on his rookie campaign that had him the top scorer amongst rookies. Word around the franchise is that he's starting to play some defense which the Suns could really use. They lack a true down low defender and could find themselves in trouble facing the elite bigs of the West. Look for the incoming veterans to take over this team and provide some much needed leadership. Locker room cancer Gilbert Arenas is gone, no more excuses for the Suns.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Eddy Curry
PF - Amare Stoudamire
SF - Antoine Walker
SG - Joe Johnson
PG - Andre Miller
Projected Record: 41-41
4.
One of the worst teams in the league the past two season finally caught a break this off-season when they received the #2 pick in the lottery. Sacramento knew immediately who the man for the job was, and his name is Chris Bosh. The young power forward was a lock for the top 3 and is considered to be a future star. GM Heel made some huge moves since the draft though acquiring Jermaine O'Neal and Mike Bibby to join the young rookie of the year hopeful. O'Neal is coming off a terrible ACL injury last year that had him out the entire season. He's picking up right where he left off though and then some. Averaging 13 rebounds and 5 blocks a game! Not to mention 23 points...
It's unknown how Bibby will do taking over the squad, he's a potential 12 point, 10 assist kinda guy that will get you a couple steals a game. Expectations are really high in Sactown... many are thinking they can compete for the West and a possible championship. But I'm not so sure they're ready yet. This team is built more so for the next 3-4 years than now. We'll have to wait and see if I'm correct, or will my writing give the Kings the extra motivation needed to do damage this season.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Jermaine O'Neal
PF - Chris Bosh
SF - Tayshaun Prince
SG - Joseph Forte
PG - Mike Bibby
Projected Record: 43-39
3.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Scot Pollard
PF - Ryan Humphrey
SF - Jamal Mashburn
SG - Wille Green
PG - Jason Kidd
Projected Record: 47-35
Here's a team I really like this season. They have one of the best point guards in the game today, J-Kidd is a triple double machine and can fill the stat sheet any night as he scores, rebounds, passes, steals, etc. The Big Dog is no longer in town, but the offense is in good hands with Jamal Mashburn who's averaging 26.5 points per game this season. I feel he finishes in the top 10 amongst scoring leaders by season's end. Ryan Humphrey is back from his rookie year doing what he did best last season, blocking shots! The 24 year old really worked on his game this past off-season though as scoring and rebounds are both up.
If there's one weakness I see what looking at this team, it's the SG position. There's no defender there to handle the West's elite... Vince Carter, Jerry Stackhouse, Jason Terry, and Eddie Jones. I'd almost like to see small guard Derek Fisher moved there as he's a much better defender despite his size. I feel the Lakers are a lock for the playoffs this season, now we wait and see if they make a splash or exit early...
2.
Baron Davis. That's all you need to know really. Probably the best point guard in TMBSL in this writer's humble opinion. The All-League First Teamer is offer to a quick start this year with with 25 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game. Those are amazing stats. But he's the biggest stat of them all, he's only averaging 1.7 turnovers per game as the Clippers have jumped out to a great 5-2 start. If B-Diddy can keep up this production and taking care of the ball, I don't see a reason why the Clippers can't contend for it all.
But with as much as we love Mr. Davis, this is a team game and the Clippers have a very solid one outscoring opponents by 9 points per game. From the defense of Marcus Camby and his 2.3 blocks per game to the scoring of Jason Terry, who's up 9 points this season. It's easy to see why this team is one of the favorites in the Pacific division, and would not surprise me to see them take down the #2 seed once again.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Marcus Camby
PF - Udonis Haslem
SF - Clifford Robinson
SG - Jason Terry
PG - Baron Davis
Projected Record: 50-32
1.
Not many seem to agree with me when I talk about the Seattle Supersonics, but I really like them to finish 1st in the Pacific this year. They've had lots of coaching issues the first 2 seasons, but brought in a secret basketball guru to help the staff with their gameplanning. Dirk Nowitzki had a tremendous off-season, as he's turned himself into probably one of the best pure scorers in the game. You'd probably like to see a little better rebounding from a 7-footer who gets the minutes he does and we're not too sure of him guarding the small forward around the league with his size/quickness.
Chauncey Billups joins Dirk to form one of the best 1-2 punches in the league. Billups is a great scorer (23.4), rebounder (4.9), and assist man (9.1)... but when you really look at his stats, his turnover stats has to jump out at you. 1.4 turnovers in 39 minutes of play? amazing. Rounding out Seattle's big 3 is 35 year old Elden Campbell who's a real defensive force down low and is averaging 3.4 blocks this season so far. While the Sonics aren't offer to the best start, look for them to really get it going and finish as a top 4-5 seed in the West.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Elden Campbell
PF - Jordan Roberson
SF - Dirk Nowitzki
SG - Stephen Jackson
PG - Chauncey Billups
Projected Record: 52-30
All Pacific Team
C - Jermaine O'Neal
PF - Pau Gasol
SF - Dirk Nowitzki
SG - Jason Terry
PG - Baron Davis
Midwest Division
7.
Talk about young. This is a team with six, count them six rookies this year. Unfortunately the Grizzlies didn't get a top 3 pick like they hoped, but they managed to pick up a lot of solid young kids that they will have for cheap over the next 4 seasons. Because of the age and inexperience though, I feel they'll end up with the worst record in the league this year which doesn't help them at all since their 1st rounder was shipped to the Nuggets in a previous trade. This is a team that will need lots of time to develop, but each position is up for grabs I would imagine. Let's see if someone is ready to take over and become the guy on this team.
I don't have too much to say about Memphis sadly. But keep a close eye on the point guard position where it looks like both TJ Ford and Kirk Hinrich will alternate starting as the GM looks to see who will be the future point for this squad.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Sofoklis Schortsanitis
PF - Kenyon Martin
SF - Josh Howard
SG - Dajuan Wagner
PG - TJ Ford
Projected Record: 19-63
6.
What can we say about the Mavs? their GM made one of the worst trades in league history sending away Tim Duncan, a top 5 player league wide for basically nothing in return. He did manage to flip those bad pieces and acquire some young talent, guys like Eddie House, Tim Thomas, and Mike Miller. Problem is, these guys are free agents after the season. What will GM Dumptime do to convince these guys they should stay in Dallas? Will the allure of possible #1 pick in the lottery who many believe will be Dwight Howard be enough to bring in some talent after the season? Owner Mark Cuban hasn't been too happy with his GM's decisions, and you can almost visibly see the leash in which he's tied to continue to shrink.
The Mavericks look better and better each day for a high lottery pick, but their GM seems confused as he wants to win as well. Sadly it doesn't work that way.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Samuel Dalembert
PF - Drew Gooden
SF - Mike Miller
SG - Ronald Murray
PG - Eddie House
Projected Record: 25-57
5.
If the Mavericks' trade of Tim Duncan was one of the worst trades in the league history, the Nuggets' trade of Alonzo Mourning might have been the worst. Just depends on who you ask. The Key piece acquired in that trade from the Pistons, Jason Richardson hasn't quite lived up to GM Skrouse's expectations as he's averaging under 10 points a game in 35 minutes of play when the team really has no offensive firepower. 33 year old Shawn Kemp leads the team with 21 points and 10 rebounds. But there's a lot of season left, anything can happen.
Ron Artest appears to be growing into that elite defender most had him pegged to be as he's stealing the ball with decent frequency. Zach Randolph's scoring totals are down from 2 seasons ago, but rebounding is slightly up. You have to wonder if he ever fully recovered from that broken skull injjry he suffered last season. Team insiders have told me he's suffering from headache issues, and hasn't been able to work on his game like he would have liked this past off-season. Team doctors continue to monitor him. If there's one bright spot for the Nuggets, it's something that has nothing to do with the team's play, but of the Memphis Grizzlies play who Denver holds the 1st round draft pick of. Could Dwight Howard end up in Denver?
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Shawn Kemp
PF - Zachary Randolph
SF - Ron Artest
SG - Jason Richardson
PG - Rafer Alston
Projected Record: 31-51
4.
This is a tough team to write about. It's a team in a pretty bad position as they never seem good enough to make the playoffs, or bad enough to get the rookie elite. While it's a small sample size, sophmore Manu Ginobili's overall numbers appear to be down across the board. That can't sit well with GM Herky. Rookie Mike Dunleavy is off to a slow start, but you can really see the potential in this kid. This team has a nice 3 player young core of Kwame Brown, Mike Dunleavy, and Manu Ginobili. I feel the Spurs will benefit greatly from free agency the next 2 seasons where I hope they have better luck than they do in the lottery. As a couple quality signings could make this team an instant contender.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Kwame Brown
PF - Corliss Williamson
SF - Mike Dunleavy
SG - Manu Ginobili
PG - Jalen Rose
Projected Record: 33-49
3.
Here's a team that experienced some high highs and some major lows. They coasted to the best record in the West last season, and 3rd best overall. Made it to the finals like most predicted before getting absolutely embarrassed in the finals by the Orlando Magic. The team still appears to be suffering from that let down as they're off to a slow start with a 3-4 record and are giving up 107.7 points per game which is almost dead last. We're not sure what's to blame so far this year, is it the opposition or just poor play?
One guy not giving up is team MVP Vince Carter, he's averaging a league best 37 points per game to go along with 9 rebounds and 5 assists, oh and there's 2 steals a game as well... freak! Point Guard John Stockton, who at the young age of 41 decided to return for another season. You can tell he really wants to win a ring, and he's doing his part averaging a double double in points/assists. I would really like to see the Rockets make some moves this season, maybe packaging Latrell Sprewell only gets 8 minutes a game behind Carter and a power forward for maybe an upgrade down there. Rasheed Wallace went to work on that weak interior and I feel history will repeat itself should the Rockets find themselves in the finals again against the Magic, Celtics, or Hawks.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Zydrunas Ilgauskas
PF - Kurt Thomas
SF - Shane Battier
SG - Vince Carter
PG - John Stockton
Projected Record: 54-28
2.
How good are the T-Wolves this year? just ask their GM, the cocky Kahn is never one to shy away from telling you how good his team is. And you know what? he might actually be right this year. In probably the biggest move of the off-season, Kahn worked his magic and brought over Tracy McGrady from the Chicago Bulls. The guy many thought was on the decline seems almost rejuvinated by his new surroundings. He's finally on a winning team, and wants to let the Minnesota fans know how appreciative he is.
Minnesota remains one the top defensive teams in the league, but the added offensive firepower may be what gets them to the finals this year. The Wolves are outscoring opponents by 12 points and hold opponents to 88 points a game which is the league best. Will Kahn's look at me personality end up being a distraction for his team? or will they run thru the West and into the finals? we shall see...
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Brendan Haywood
PF - Marc Jackson
SF - Tracy McGrady
SG - Eddie Jones
PG - Travis Best
Projected Record: 58-24
1.
The Glove is back, looking for the title he thought he could have helped the Jazz win 2 seasons ago if not from the Injury Reserve mistake by GM Ohhaithur. The 35 year old is off to a great start as he's become a scorer(20.2), which is a little over 5 points a game more than the previous season. Turnovers are down, assists are slightly up and he just looks like a man on a mission. Not be outdone in improvements though is Jerry Stackhouse who worked hard on the thing he does best, and that's score. Look for Jerry to stay amongst the league leaders all season long points wise.
Like most of the top teams in the league, the Jazz have a huge margin of victory average, just over 12 a game. They've become one of the top offensive teams in the league to go along with their usual top 5 defense. That's a scary combination going forward. Lorenzen Wright has taken over as the team's starting Center as Vlade Divac was shipped to the Hawks right before the season. This will be a long season, I wonder if that decision was the right one or not. Can't replace the experience and leadership Divac provided. But I do like the Jazz to finish 1st in the West this year and possibly contend for a title.
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Lorenzen Wright
PF - Raef LaFrentz
SF - Corey Maggette
SG - Jerry Stackhouse
PG - Gary Payton
Projected Record: 59-23
All Midwest Team
C - Brendan Haywood
PF - Raef LaFrentz
SF - Tracy McGrady
SG - Vince Carter
PG - Gary Payton
at the Sonics being #1 in the Pacific
