NBA Season 2007 Preview [Archive]

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FiDu

28-10-06, 17:25

Eastern Conference

** in brackets I put results from last season

Atlantic Division

Predicted standings:
New Jersey
Toronto
Philadelphia
Boston
Knicks

Overall - Atlantic Division was an embarassment last season. Every team was more than happy when teams from Atlantic Coast were coming to their home, as it was without a doubt worst Division in NBA with 67-138 overall road record.

NEW JERSEY NETS (49-33)
In: Mikki Moore (Seattle), Eddie House (Phoenix), Mile Ilic,
Out: Zoran Planicic, Scot Padgett, Lamond Murray, John Thomas, Jacque Vaughn
Draft: Marcus Williams (PG, 22), Josh Boone (C, 23), Hassan Adams (SG, 56)
Starting 5: Kidd ***8211; Jefferson ***8211; Carter ***8211; Krstic ***8211; Collins

King George the III kept a diary. On July 4th he made an entry in it: "Nothing important happened today". This could fit well to this offseason for Nets. Nets looked into the future with this offseason, realizing that Kidd wont be here forever. Smart move, even if House is totally different type of player and Marcus Williams is mystery to be honest. Nets gave chance to Jay Williams, former Bulls draft favourite, who after motorbike accident had long NBA pause, but Williams presented himself poor in preseason and Nets didn***8217;t sign contract up. It***8217;s the same situation as last year ***8211; starting five is strong and if only Nets would sign one more F/C, it could get even better. At the same time, bench is poor. Robinson is almost 40, we don***8217;t know what is real power of House and how will rookies present themselves. Nets will win Atlantic, but will fail in playoffs once again.

Verdict: Playoffs. Conference Semifinal.
Offseason grade: 5/10.

TORONTO RAPTORS (27-55)
In: T.J. Ford (Bucks), Anthony Parker (Maccabi TA), Fred Jones (Indiana), Jorge Garbajosa, Kris Humphries, Uros Slokar, Rasho Nesterovic (Spurs)
Out: Charlie Villanueve (Bucks), Mike James (Timberwolves), Andre Barrett, Loren Woods, Alvin Williams, Araujo (Jazz), Bonner (Spurs), Eric Williams (Spurs)
Draft: Andrea Bargnani (PF, 1), P.J. Tucker (SF, 35), Edin Bavcic (PF, 56)
Starting 5: Ford ***8211; Peterson ***8211; Jones ***8211; Bosh ***8211; Nestrovic

I think this is only team, whose bench is potentially better than starting five. Surely it is most European team. Colangelo did some smart moves, getting rid of former high draft picks ***8211; Araujo and Bonner, who were only taking spot in line-up. Losing Villanueva will hurt in long-term, but there are Bosh and Bargiani on this spot, so decision is understandable. And possibility of filling Mike James with healthy TJ Ford is juicy. Again I must point bench, which is vital factor of this team. Parker, being touted best player outside of NBA, Calderon, who played well last season, just like Graham, Garbajosa and Bargnani. Dominance on the paint might be a problem, as Raptors, with current roster, are bound to play fast basketball. They won***8217;t play major role this season, but they are here to learn now.

Verdict: They will chase playoffs, but in the end, opponents might out-experience them.
Offseason Grade: 9/10.

PHILADELPHIA 76ers (38-44)
In: Alan Henderson, Ivan McFarlin
Out: John Salmons, Michael Bradley, Matt Barnes
Draft: Edin Bavcic, Rodney Carney, Bobby Jones
Starting 5: Ollie ***8211; Iverson ***8211; Iguodala ***8211; Webber ***8211; Dalembert

Same old story here. Iverson will have to win a lot of games by hoself yet again if Phillies are dreaming about something. Major problem is ***8211; NBA is moving forward while 76ers stand in the same spot. And as chinese saying says: ***8216;if you don***8217;t move forward, you move backward***8217;. Remember that Phillies have virtaually no defence and there are not many teams, who will allow AI to score over 40 anymore. Sad, for the fans, is fact that this team is only one injury (AI or Webber) from turning this season from bad to disaster. 76ers have no power to compete with good teams and will struggle against bad teams. Sorry, but there is no postseason for them.

Verdict: 82 games and holiday.
Offseason Grade: 3/10

BOSTON CELTICS (33-49)
In: Brian Grant (retired), Kevin Pittsnogle, Theo Ratliff, Allan Ray, Sebastian Telfair
Out: Dan Dickau, Orien Greene, Raef LaFrentz, Michael Olowokandi
Draft: Leon Powe, Rajon Rondo
Starting 5: Telfair ***8211; Pierce ***8211; Szczerbiak ***8211; Gomes ***8211; Jefferson

Telfair might become star. He will most likely become another overrated player though. So what he is cousin or nephew of someone. This doesn***8217;t make him a good player. Ratliff***8230; Well, guy has a lot of blocks, mostly becouse he is realy bad defender. Advantage of Boston is quite equal line-up. Disadvantage is quite poor roster. They still learn basketball. They will have huge problems in the paint, as Jefferson, Ratliff and Gomes are nowwhere near league top PF/C. Celts are just a little worse version of 76ers.

Verdict: They will try again. They will fail again.
Offseason Grade: 5/10

NEW YORK KNICKS (23-59)
In: Jared Jeffries
Out: Qyntel Woods, Ime Udoka
Draft: Renaldo Balkman, Mardy Collins
Starting 5: Marbury ***8211; Crawford ***8211; Richardson ***8211; Frye ***8211; Curry

Hmm***8230;Do you want reminder that those are the same Knicks as last season, but with much worse coach? Yes, those guys are a year older, so what? Remember they have Steve Francis on the banch. That will couse trouble sooner or later. They have least passing team in whole league. Only positive thing is type of basketball those guys are playing. Isiah is bad coach, bah he isnt a coach, so he will allow those guys to lead themselves. This will be overish losing team. Good for us, cappers.

Verdict: Again good draft spot. And again for Bulls.
Offseason Grade: 3/10

28-10-06, 22:03

Verdict: They will chase playoffs, but in the end, opponents might out-experience them.
Offseason Grade: 9/10.

Raptors fan?

FiDu

30-10-06, 15:10

Central Division

Predicted standings:
Pistons
Cavs
Bulls
Pacers
Bucks

Strongest division on East and possibly in whole NBA. Its hard to play here and teams from Central are strong on the road. Well, get used to that Cental might dominate playoffs this year as well.

DETROIT PISTONS (64-18)
In: Ronald Dupree, Ronald Murray, Nazr Mohammed
Out: Ben Wallace, Maurice Evans
Draft: Will Blalock, Cheik Samb
Starting 5: Billups ***8211; Hamilton ***8211; Prince ***8211; Wallace ***8211; Mohammed

Exactly what was expected happened last season. Offence wins games, defence wins championship. Pistons were marvelous in regular season. Then Heat came. Without Big Ben, Pistons will gain possibility of playing even faster basketball, as Mohammed is a bit different layer than Wallace was. Prince matured and there is youngster Maxiell who had great preseason and can ste up from bench.

Verdict: Division title and conference final most likely.
Offseason Grade: 4/10

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (50-32)
In: Eddie Basden, Scot Pollard, David Wesley
Out: Ronald Murray, Alan Henderson, Martynas Andriuskevicius
Draft: Shannon Brown, Daniel Gibson, Ejike Ugboaja
Starting 5:Snow ***8211; Hughes ***8211; James ***8211; Gooden ***8211; Ilgauskas

LeBron alone will carry Cavs to postseason. Injury for King James means disaster for Cavs and most likely no more than 30 wins. In general, this team is very injury-prone with Varejao and Hughes. But it was great offseason for Cavs with signing of Wesley, they added so needed depth to roster. I bet everyone would love to have Marshall on bench with his 3 pointers and defensive abilities. There is one problem though ***8211; age of guards. Damon Jones is 30, while Snow is 33 and Wesley 35. They surely can do in regular season, but when it***8217;ll come to face young fast guards (TJ Ford for example) it won be easy.

Verdict: Postseason. Nothing more.
Offseason Grade: 7/10

CHICAGO BULLS (41-41)

In: Martynas Andriuskevicius, PJ Brown, Adrian Griffin, Viktor Khryapa, Ben Wallace
Out: Eddie Basden, Jannero Pargo, Tyson Chandler, Eric Piatkowski, Darius Songaila, Othella Harrington
Draft: Thabo Sefolosha, Tyrus Thomas
Starting 5: Hinrich ***8211; Gordon ***8211; Deng ***8211; Nocioni ***8211; Wallace

Hmm... I think Bulls are rebuilded. With addition of PJ Brown and Wallace, they have very strong frontcourt now with PJ Brown, Wallace, Nocioni and youngster Tyrus Thomas was magnificent in preseason. His athleticism will help Bulls a lot in coming years. How will those Bulls present themselves? Well, a lot will depend on Skiles and how he will set this team up. I***8217;d love to see Bulls playing strong defence with Gordon new Jordan, Deng new Pippen, Big Ben new Horace Grant and Hinrich John Paxson. Is this possible? Surely it is. All of those players have all the talent and quality to reign in NBA. Bench is strong as well with mixture of youth and routine.

Verdict: Playoffs. Then all will depend on Gordon***8217;s form. But finally Bulls can compete in every area.
Offseason Grade: 10/10

INDIANA PACERS (41-41)
In: Darrell Armstrong, Marquis Daniels, Al Harrington
Out: Peja Stojakovic, Anthony Johnson, Jonathan Bender, Austin Croshere, Fred Jones, Scot Pollard,
Draft: James White, Shawne Williams
Starting 5: Tinsley ***8211; Jackson ***8211; Harrington ***8211; O***8217;Neal - Foster

Indiana looks like bad boys now and this reputation will follow them around NBA. Question is ***8211; will they turn this energy into positive wthing or will they do some inside problems. There are some problems. A lot, bah, Id say whole season, depends on Tinsley***8217;s ankle. Getting rid of Peja was a good thing, as Harrington is more all-around player and works much better in defence. However, Indiana is very defensive team now. There is no natural born killer in this team. You can***8217;t expect O***8217;Neal to be round 30 PPG. There is Rick Carlise though, a man with the plan. Personally, Id put him among best coaches in league.

Verdict: They are too strong to miss playoffs. But internal conflict is a menace.
Offseason Grade: 6/10

MILWAUKEE BUCKS (40-42)
In: Lynn Greer, Brian Skinner, Charlie Villanueva, Ruben Patterson
Out: TJ Ford, Toni Kukoc, Jamaal Magloire, Joe Smith, Jiri Welsch, Ervin Johnson
Draft: Damir Markota, David Noel
Starting 5: Williams ***8211; Redd ***8211; Simmons ***8211; Villanueva ***8211; Bogut

After best season in quite some time, Bucks are still rebuilding. This year transfers clearly indicate that board and coach is hoping Villanueva with Bogut will develop into quality players in the paint and they will get major minutes this season. With backups like Gadzuric and Skinner it is not bad choice, but I hope Bucks are aware those guys still lack NBA experience and might face ***8216;sophomore syndrome***8217;. Important question is ***8211; who can cope to be point guard? Maurice Williams is still young and I wouldnt trust him completely. Greer is typical Sg rather than PG and he didn***8217;t impress in preseason. And I don***8217;t see Bell or Blake carrying this team. I think losing TJ Ford was a bit too farsighting move. Yes, in future it will pay off, but in short term, it might***8217;ve killed Bucks, who were on the rise.

Verdict: Sorry, but no postseason here. Maybe next year.
Offseason Grade: 3/10

FiDu

30-10-06, 15:12

Verdict: They will chase playoffs, but in the end, opponents might out-experience them.
Offseason Grade: 9/10.

Raptors fan?
Nah, Im Bulls/Wolves man. But I see Raptors as most european team and I really wish them well and with proper coaching, they can surprise many teams.

FiDu

30-10-06, 21:09

Southeast Division

Predicted standings:
Miami
Washington
Orlando
Charlotte
Atlanta

MIAMI HEAT (52-30)
In: -
Out: Derek Anderson
Draft: -
Starting 5: Williams ***8211; Wade ***8211; Walker ***8211; Haslem ***8211; O***8217;Neal

What to say him. One sentence would be enough ***8211; Heat are one year older. Even if that sounds ridicoulously trivial, its true. Asmuch as staring five is great, they still depend a lot on Shaq, who will turn 35 this season and bench, consisting fully from veterans is year-by-year less of threat. How much can 37 years old Mourning play? Or 38 y.o. Payton? Heat are no mystery to anyone. Every team and every coach know everything about them and there isnt much to know really. 2-5 preseason only shows Miami***8217;s strength without all players. And as we all know, they will start season without White Chocolate. I***8217;m afraid that Heat with Glove on may not be very sweet.

Verdict: Getting rings again would be almost miracle. After all, Shaq is 35. But lack of Conference final will be shocking.
Offseason Grade: 4/10

WASHINGTON WIZARDS (42-40)
In: Darius Songaila, DeShawn Stevenson
Out: Jared Jeffries
Draft: Oleksiy Pecherov, Vladimir Veremeenko
Starting 5: Arenas ***8211; Butler ***8211; Jamison ***8211; Hayes ***8211; Haywood

How important was Jeffries? Stats indicate that not much. Reasoning says something else. Adding Stevenson is good, as bench gets little deeper and there***8217;s someone to rely on in case of injuries/foul troubles. Songaila played well in Bulls last season and he developed into quite nice bench player. Wizards traingle is still one of deadliest offences in league (over 60 PPG) and Arenas is a guy who can***8217;t be contained easily. However, Wizards depend on Gilbert as much as 76ers on Iverson or Cavs on LBJ. He gets injury and season is lost for Washington.

Verdict: Last year was great, I wish them the same this season, but I doubt it***8217;s within their reach.
Offseason Grade: 6/10

ORLANDO MAGIC (36-46)
In: Keith Bogans
Out: DeShawn Stevenson
Draft: J.J. Redick, James Augustine
Starting 5: Nelson ***8211; Redick ***8211; Hill ***8211; Howard ***8211; Milicic

Intersting. We will see whether last year run was luck or quality. Potential is there. Howard will record 70+ double-doubles. Bogans will not replace Stevenson, neither will JJ Redick (yet) and Magic will ploay good as underdogs. Without pressure and at home, with fans behind them. Magic are very injury prone and presence of Howard can not be overrated. He is best young player out there and in top of PF in game, yet he can***8217;t win games alone.

Verdict: Not yet. Not enough experience.
Offseason Grade: 5/10

ATLANTA HAWKS (26-56)
In: Speedy Claxton, Lorenzen Wright
Out: Al Harrington, John Edwards
Draft: Solomon Jones, Shelden Williams
Starting 5: Claxton ***8211; Johnson ***8211; Williams ***8211; Smith ***8211; Pachulia

Now they do look like a joke, with total lack of inside presence (6-11 Pachulia as center!), but somehow they won 26 games with almost same squad last season. Will it be easier this year? Hardly. Shelden Willimas is supposed to be best fitted rookie for NBA and he will get his minutes, but he is not a guy of Harrington***8217;s quality. Replacing Lue with Claxton is good choice but we can see where Atlanta is heading and it***8217;s not correct direction. A team in NBA can***8217;t be build without inside presence. They are destined to fail sooner or later.

Verdict: Guess...
Offseason Grade: 7/10

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (26-56)
In: Othella Harrington
Out: Melvin Ely, Jumaine Jones
Draft: Ryan Hollins, Adam Morrison
Starting 5: Felton ***8211; Morrison ***8211; Wallace ***8211; Okafor ***8211; Brezec

I***8217;m really anxious te see Morrison in play. And even more to see point specials of players who are against him. Morrison will be great player. He works hard, hr trains after hours and basketball is his life. But he isnt NBA material yet. Don***8217;t believe he is next Dirk now. He isn***8217;t and he never be. Larry Bird***8230; Come on! He played over 25 MPG in preseason and had just 11.6 PPG with 36% FG. And it***8217;s preseason! Okafor is fit, which is crucial for Bobcats, just like Sean May. Big advatage of Bobcast will be that opponent will underestimate them. And in fact, it will be only advantage.

Verdict: Sorry, try in two-three years.
Offseason Grade: 8/10

RnB-ROSS

30-10-06, 21:43

Great Work FiDu, lookin forward to WC Previews 8)

FiDu

31-10-06, 10:42

2007 payrolls from CBS (http://www.sportsline.com/nba/home-features/nbapayrolls0607)

2006-07 Team Payrolls
Team Payroll
1. New York Knicks $140,595,134
2. Philadelphia 76ers $94,160,749
3. Dallas Mavericks $92,828,927
4. Los Angeles Lakers $77,419,550
5. Portland Trail Blazers $72,182,174
6. New Jersey Nets $66,658,866
7. San Antonio Spurs $66,236,696
8. Phoenix Suns $65,273,478
9. Miami Heat $64,917,444
11. Minnesota Timberwolves $63,857,169
12. Golden State Warriors $63,652,264
10. Cleveland Cavaliers $63,053,435
13. Sacramento Kings $62,607,965
14. Denver Nuggets $61,642,375
15. Washington Wizards $61,050,086
16. Milwaukee Bucks $61,032,596
17. Boston Celtics $60,742,386
18. Memphis Grizzlies $60,440,020
19. Utah Jazz $59,619,800
20. Orlando Magic $59,424,539
21. Houston Rockets $58,761,316
22. Indiana Pacers $58,730,939
23. Los Angeles Clippers $57,332,255
24. Detroit Pistons $57,197,792
25. Chicago Bulls $52,861,780
26. Seattle SuperSonics $49,241,197
27. New Orleans Hornets $48,591,054
28. Toronto Raptors $45,555,424
29. Atlanta Hawks $44,363,696
30. Charlotte Bobcats $33,418,833

FiDu

31-10-06, 22:45

Western Conference

Southwest Division

Predicted standings:
Spurs
Maverics
Rockets
Grizzlies
Hornets

SAN ANTONIO SPURS (63-19)
In: Jacque Vaughn, Jackie Butler, Francisco Elson, Matt Bonner, Eric Williams
Out: Sean Marks, Nazr Mohammed, Rasho Nestrovic
Draft: -
Starting 5: Parker ***8211; Ginobili ***8211; Bowen ***8211; Duncan ***8211; Butler

Spurs lost two average centers, who got replaced by two even worse ones. And got bunch of other useless guys by the way. Bonner, Willams, Vaughn? Come on. This is not NBA material. This is not Championship material. Is Popovich expecting to compete with Suns or Heat with Jackie Butler covering Stoudemire/Shaq? You kidding me? Also, don***8217;t forget that Parker is very injury prone (sprained ankle last training, likely to miss season opener) and don***8217;t get me started on Duncan. Spurs ain***8217;t getting younger either. Bowen 35, Finley 34, Barry 36, Horry 36***8230; All can be called grandpas. As usually, Spurs will be force at home and with full team, can compete with anyone. However, I don***8217;t see them winning easily (if all) postseason series against team with strong backcourt.

Verdict: Tough nut to crack, but I think only conference semi-final.
Offseason grade: 2/10

DALLAS MAVERICS (60 ***8211; 22)
In: Greg Buckner, Devean George, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Jose Barea, Ndudi Ebi, Austin Croshere, Anthony Johnson, Darius Washington, Pat Carroll
Out: Adrian Griffin, Marquis Daniels, Darrell Armstrong, Rawle Marshall, Josh Powell, Pavel Podkolzin
Draft: Maurice Ager
Starting 5: Terry ***8211; Buckner ***8211; Howard ***8211; Nowitzki ***8211; Diop

Another team, who instead of quality, decided to go for quantity. We see Mavs want title now. Daniels was far better long-term deal than Johnson, but Mavs traded them. Nevertheless, Mavs looks as strong as last season, perhaps even better with George on bench. They have really quality bench with good replacemets on every position and guys who could be starters in other teams (Harris, Dampier, Stackhouse). With Little General at helm, Dallas look like strongest title challenger out there and only major injury for Dirk can rule them out of race.

Verdict: Conference Final. NBA Finals as well I guess.
Offseason grade: 8/10.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (49-33)
In: Stromile Swift, Junior Harrington, Tarence Kinsey
Out: Bobby Jackson, Shane Battier, Lorenzen Wright
Draft: Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry, Alexander Johnson
Starting 5: Stoudamire ***8211; Jones ***8211; Gay ***8211; Gasol ***8211; Swift

I think journalists are a bit harsh, writing off Grizzlies***8217; chances (Mejia gave them 22-60 !). Yes, lacking Gasol in start will be huge, as he led team in every possible stat. However, individual efforts were never strengh of Grizzlies. Rudy Gay can win ROTY and owry adopted himself well to preseason as well. If Mike Fratello can get anything from Swift, if Warrick proves he is worth contract extension he just signed, we may see Grizzlies winning. Winning enough to still have playoffs in reach for Gasol***8217;s return and that***8217;s all they want. They were written off too soon, like I said, even if containing them seems easy (no power in the paint and poor outside shoting), they may prove many people wrong.

Verdict: The more time without Gasol, the lesser chances for playoffs.
Offseason grade: 8/10 (for draft mostly).

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (38-44)
In: Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic, Jannero Pargo, Bobby Jackson
Out: Speedy Claxton, Aaron Williams, Kirk Snyder, P.J. Brown, J.R. Smith, Arvydas Macijauskas, Moochie Norris
Draft: Cedric Simmons, Marcus Vinicius, Hilton Armstrong
Starting 5: Paul ***8211; Mason ***8211; Stojakovic ***8211; West ***8211; Chandler

One crucial factor ***8211; will Chris Paul hit sophomore slump? He has proven last season he already is among best league PGs (Id put him in a row with Nash and Kidd) and he was key to Hornets***8217; good runs. However, Hornets lack defence. Mason is fast, great for counters and his dunks are entertaining, but he will not contain league top SGs. And don***8217;t even get me started on Peja***8217;s defensive abilities. Tyson Chandler lacks weight and Mark Jackson will have to step up to contain legue best centers.

Verdict: Look good, if they only had easier division.
Offseason grade: 6/10.

HOUSTON ROCKETS (34-48)
In: Vassilis Spanoulis, Casey Jacobsen, John Lucas, Kelenna Azubuike, Shane Battier, Kirk Snyder , Bozni Wells
Out: Keith Bogans, David Wesley, Stromile Swift
Draft: Steve Novak, Lior Eliyahu
Starting 5: Alston ***8211; McGrady ***8211; Battier ***8211; Howard ***8211; Ming

Interesting additions in persons of Wells and Battier. Problem is ***8211; Wells is a guy qwho doesn***8217;t care about his team, he cares about his money. Battier will pupm-up Rockets defensively, but we might see too much rotation on the court. I mean ***8211; veterans surely want to play (Wells, Sura, Howard), but so will youngsters (Head, Snyder, Novak). And too much squad rotation, too much first team struggle can make some internal conflicts in team. Alston is moody (see Toronto last 2 years), we know about Wells and McGrady isnt much of a teamplayer either. If chemistry will sprk, Houston can even see conference finals, but Id rather tend to see another disastrous season here.

Verdict: Healthy = postseason. Not healthy = good draft.
Offseason grade: 7/10.