NBA is Back

I wanted to do something really cool for the start of the NBA season. I thought about doing a Power Rankings Poll, I will next week, but not this week. I am doing something very special for the start of the NBA season. I am teaming up with my good friend and my NBA go to guy, Dan for an NBA preview blog. Dan and I have had hour long conversations over the NBA. We both love the league. He is a big Laker fan and I am a Spurs fan. We hate each others team but respect them. For this blog, I will be more on the Eastern Conference teams and Dan is going in depth on the Western Conference teams. The NBA is full of questions and we have the answers and none of them will be Allen Iverson. We will alternate conference teams. We will start with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Indiana Pacers.

The only way the Memphis Grizzlies stay in the news is because Allen Iverson is going to bitch about his 6th man role throughout the entire year. Zach Randolph is a 16 million dollar piece of crap. The two highlights of the year will be Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo. Iverson might as well give up and retire. He was a nice player and had a good career. The Memphis Grizzlies will be fighting for the most ping pong balls in the 2010 draft.

Indiana Pacers are bringing back the all white squad this year. If you turn on the lights in the entire arena you may miss Troy Murphy. One reason so many teams suck is because they invest money into guys like Randolph, Lafrentz and Troy Murphy. Mike Dunleavy is owned 10 million for this year. The Pacers are an absolute mess. I do like Danny Granger and I am interested in how Tyler Hansbrough develops.

You got to love a team that has Kurt Rambis as their coach. The Minnesota Timberwolves are doing correctly by making sure their big man Al Jefferson sticks around. They are building a nice young nucleus around him as well. A few bad contracts such as Brian Cardinal and Mark Blount could be trade bait later in the year. Kevin Love is averaging a double double. Jonny Flynn could be an exciting young poing guard. The T'Wolves are a build now win later type of team. The only problem was the Ricky Rubio fiasco. You wasted a top 5 pick on a guy who may never play for your franchise.

Through the first four games the Charlotte Bobcats are averaging a 79.8 points a game. Would you want to watch this team? I didn't think so. Larry Brown and Michael Jordan are the main executives for this team that says it all already. Gerald Wallace is the only guy the Bobcat scoring. Raymond Felton is in bad terms with the head coach so he isn't playing much. He is the best trade bait. He should be playing for someone else by midseason. I can say this team is a giant mess.

I believe I can sum up the entire Sacramento Kings season in two words: Kevin Martin. He is going to be their leading scoring and their best player. The Kings have some of the worst contracts in Kenny Thomas and Beno Udrith. They have nice young potential in Jason Thompson, Spencer Hawes and Tyreke Evans. Another team building and not winning anything for a few more years.

One of the most historic NBA franchises is also one of the worst. For the record, this was all done by the leadership skills of Isiah Thomas. The biggest problems facing the Knicks are the financial burden on worthless players. Eddy Curry is no where near 10.5mil he is getting for sitting on the bench. At least Starbury is gone. If you combine Eddy Curry, Cutino Mobley, Al Harrington and Larry Hughes's contracts you get about 45 million dollars. Curry and Mobley are not even playing. If you add up the averages all of these guys ppg and rpg you get 8.7 ppg and 2.0rpg. 45 million for those kinds of averages! I didn't even add Jared Jeffries. I'm speechless. Lets move to a decent team quickly.

The New Orleans Hornets maybe down early in the season but should be in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. Chris Paul is flat out one of the best guards in the league. The Hornets traded away Tyson Chandler twice and ended up with Emeka Okafor. I have no idea how this team lost to New York. Their contracts are not horrible because they have invested wisely in their starting 5. If Posey would show up and start to care like he did in Boston, this team will be a 7 or 8 seed by playoff time.

I have to admit Dan and I are having fun with the Eastern Conference. As we break this down, we are finding out how bad some of these teams are in this Conference are. Case in point, the Milwaukee Bucks. What good can I say about the Bucks? Seriously they have Michael Redd and he can't stay healthy. Andrew Bogut is a nice center, averaging near a double double. The Bucks are just a really boring bland team.

The other team from Los Angeles, we both agree could be a playoff team. If Blake can come back and be as good as he was in the preseason, the Clippers have potential to sneak in. The Clippers have talent but not the right coach. Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby are a nice combo inside. Eric Gordon is heading towards a breakout season. Baron Davis needs to pass a little more and shoot less. We both agree the Clippers are a head scratcher. The talent is there, although the results haven't been.

The Comeback Player of the Year could be coming out of our next team. Gilbert Arenas is getting back to form and could have a nice year if he doesn't get injuried again. He isn't the most reliable guy on the roster. Caron Butler keeps plugging away and is having nice year so far. The X-factor for the Wizards are Antawn Jamison. If the big 3 of Washington can get on the court at the same time, they could be a playoff team. They get key wins against top opponents. The Wiz just need to put it all together.

The brand new superstar in the NBA is in Oklahoma City. Dan and I have a bromance for Kevin Durant. We are talking about going to see the Thunder in Minnesota just to see Durant. The youngest team in the league has some of the biggest potential. How could can Durant be? Westbrook is going to have a very nice season as well. The last game they competed with the Lakers. The biggest things the Thunder are lacking are experience and leadership. I said it last year during the offseason: had Jason Kidd signed with this team, OKC would make the playoffs. Instead they will contend for the 8th spot but just short. If they played in the East, the Thunder would be a 5th seed. One thing is for sure the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be exciting to watch.

I want to start talking about some good teams in the East, instead we dive into the New Jersey Nets. The great thing about the Nets is Brook Lopez. Brook is a young talented player on a very bad team. He is averaging 17 points 7 boards and 3 blocks a game. Brook along with Devin Harris are the only two players worth mentioning. The sad thing is Harris is hurt so more of the burden is on Lopez. Another long season is ahead of the Nets. New Jersey should get some attention for having a Russian owner and that is about it.

The West is filled with some promising young talent up and down the Conference. The Warriors are another raw talented team. Stephen Curry is going to be a fun player to keep your eyes on. They completely overpayed for Corey Maggette last year in the offseason. Where is the true point guard on this team? I guess when Don Nelson is running the show, you never need to pass. They do have one of Dan's favorite players Ronnie Turiaf. He hustles,an energy guy off the bench and looks like he gives a crap. Anthony Randolph and Curry are the reasons to watch this team.

The Detroit Pistons have made a few moves that are mind boggling. Kwame Brown is getting paid 4 million for being a giant turd. Ben Gordon is a great 6th man off the bench type of player. They already had Rip Hamilton. Why bring in 2 true shooting guards? The Pistons have to get something for Rip. Detroit is a team ready to make a run for Chris Bosh. They have a decent nucleus but they don't have a young true power forward. Charlie Villanueva is not an inside scorer. One big man threat in the paint could turn this team around.

Andrei Kirilenko gets paid 16.5 million dollars. Terrible! AK47 is the perfect player for the Cleveland Cavs. The Jazz do not have the right system for the Kirilenko. Utah has another trade bait in Carlos Boozer. They have Milsap which is all the reason to trade Boozer. You should be able to get something for both Andrei and Carlos. Deron Williams is the main attraction for this team. Jerry Sloan has been one of the most consistent coaches in the league. This year should be no different as Utah will be a playoff team again.

I don't have much to say when it comes to the Toronto Raptors. I do have some advice for Chris Bosh. LEAVE! Your contract ends this season and get the hell out of there. Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady figured it out and so will you. I like Jose Calderon, Bosh and Hedo. Jose is a solid point guard. Toronto did not overpay for Hedo. Most of these Eastern conference teams are average at best. That is how I see the Raptors.

Random thought: I was talking to a guy about the Greg Oden Kevin Durant debate. If you look at the Trail Blazers and take out Oden and insert Durant. How good is this team then? The question Dan and I are having is: Is this team almost to deep at the guard position? We are not saying they have bad guards. They almost have to many good guards and not enough depth in the front court. The great thing about the Blazers is the contracts they have are not huge for just one player. Brandon Roy, who is a stud, is getting almost 4 million and is locked up for the next 6 years. Dan and I both agree this team should make the 2nd round of the playoffs.

One of the worst contracts in all of the NBA is Elton Brand's. The 76ers blew the mother load when they signed Elton Off Brand last year. I thought this team was heading in the right direction. Build around a young fun and gun team. Then they add Elton Brand who can't run up and down the court to save his life. He can't stay healthy and does not fit the system. Samuel Dalembert fits the system because he doesn't want the ball. I really like Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young. The new "AI" in Philly is on the verge of being a superstar. If the 76ers stayed away from Brand, I would love this team a lot more.

The main question about the Suns has been have they fallen off? Dan is correct. The best thing the Suns did is trade Shaq. He didn't fit the system, just as we talked about Elton Brand. They need a better big man to complement Amare. He has to be able to get up and down the court. The one year experience of a slower methodical offense is over. Phoenix is back to the fun and gun. The way they should be. Steve Nash is still one of the best players in the entire league. I believe this team makes the playoffs still. Dan is hesitant to call them a lock for the post season.

The NBA is full of great young point guards and Derrick Rose is one of them. Rose is the main reason they pushed the Celtics to 7 games last year. Thank god Brad Miller is in his final year of his contract. Chicago has Luol Deng back from his injuries last season. My biggest gripe about Chicago is paying Kirk Hinrich 9 and a half million for this year and is on the books for another 2. Did they lose a lot when Gordon left? I think so because every team needs a spark off the bench. I guess Kirk could be that but I don't see it. The Bulls will be in the post season. Can Rose lead them past one of the 3 big teams in the Conference? Probably not.

The team with the most injuries to their stars is certainly Houston. What they lost in Artest did they gain in Ariza? Right now it looks like Houston has not lost much. Ariza is averaging 21 points per game because he is getting a lot more touches. Houston has very little offensive power. The contract of T-Mac is done after this season. Perfect time to spend it on someone who actually PLAYS! With Yao and McGrady hurt, Houston will struggle to keep up with the likes of the Lakers or Denver. Houston should make the playoffs but the match up in the first round has to be a team that does not score a ton of points in order to make any kind of run.

Is it time for D-Wade to shine again? Wade is healthy and seems to be performing at the level we are all use to seeing. Jermaine O'Neal is getting paid 8mil more than Wade. Are you kidding me? Was the GM that signed him to that deal blind or got confused and thought he signed Shaq? I can not figure out what some NBA teams are thinking when they sign players to such bad contracts. The bad thing about the Heat is their depth or lack of depth. Top to bottom, they have nothing for depth. The Miami Heat season relies on the Dwayne Wade because no one else is there.

I am giving up my rights to talk about our next team. Every year the Dallas Mavericks do the same thing. They make the playoffs and then they are out of the playoffs. They went out and traded half the team for Jason Kidd. The Mavs went to the playoffs but couldn't get over the hump. Now they have signed Marion and is a cool move. One thing about Dallas is they are consistent. Why do I love Mark Cuban? Because he will sign a guy like Diop last year and trade him away in 2 months. Dallas's contracts make no sense at all. Please let me hear someone defend the Erick Dampier and his 2 years 25 million left. This year will be no different. Dallas will make the playoffs but won't win anything.

Finally we get to the good teams in the East. Dan and I like a lot of the Atlanta Hawks. I love Horford, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. Dan likes Mike Bibby because he is a good point guard, does what he is suppose to do and makes the young talent around him better. Here is the big question: Can this team get by Orl, Bos or Cle? We believe no they can not get past the big 3 teams. They are good but not good enough. I will say if they match up with Cleveland, that is their best opportunity to make the huge step forward.

The Denver Nuggets are the first of the big 3 in the West in our eyes. One they are one of the deeper teams in the West. The Nugs have a lot of speed. Carmelo has surpassed stardom and is now superstar. The veteran leadership with Chauncey Billups is the real reason this team is heading in the right direction. Before Billups, this team didn't play team defense. Now Kenyon Martin is even caring about defense. Both Dan and I like Ty Lawson already. Ty may not be "the man" on a team but he is going to be a great back up change of pace type point guard. The Nuggets have the same question as the Hawks: Can they get passed LA or SA? In a 7 game series I don't think they will get past either but Denver will not go easily.

Since Dan and I are big Laker and Spur fan respectably, we are going to breakdown the top 3 East teams and then our 2 favorite teams.

The top 3 in the East are Boston, Orlando and Cleveland. No chance any other team in the East are going to be in those spots. In Dan's eyes, he sees the Cavs have slipped. He isn't saying LBJ slipped but they added an old guy who doesn't fit into what worked for Cleveland. Cleveland had to try something to get over Boston and Orlando to get to the championship. We all know Shaq is still good. I will say LeBron is the best player in the league. However, Dan will not say that. I love the Cavs and feel they are going to be in the Conference Finals again this year. Everyone enjoys LeBron and this team is a must see for any NBA fan. My main concern is if Boston stays healthy can Lebron gut it out and lead them in a 7 game series?

Orlando added what they needed to in the offseason and thats Vince Carter. He is still good and since he is on a good team so he should try harder. We both love Dwight Howard a lot. He is fun, energetic and is a double double machine. He has to work on his post moves but is improving. Dan and I feel JJ Redick should be getting more playing time. Yes he is a token 3 point shooting white guy but he should be out on the court a little more. Orlando plays as a team which means they have a great chance of representing the East in the Finals.

Boston is the most complete team in the entire NBA. Dan believes if everyone on the Celtics stays healthy, they win the Championship again. Boston is as good if not better then 07 when they won the title. Boston added Rasheed Wallace and kept the main core of talent that was already there. KG is back and he is the glue that holds this team together. Boston is getting older no doubt about it, however they have young talent. How can you not mention Rajon Rondo? Rondo is another good young point guard. He is becoming a leader that Boston will need in the playoffs.

I get to talk about my favorite team, San Antonio Spurs. When the big 3 are together the Spurs always have a shot. Manu is back after going through several injuries last season. Tony is one of the leaders in the locker room. My favorite player of all time is and always will be Tim Duncan. I catch so much hell for saying Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward of all time. I don't care because I feel its the truth. They added Dejuan Blair, Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess in the offseason. Of course I feel the Spurs have a shot at the title. The Spurs have to stay healthy to win, Manu especially.

The biggest worry Dan has with his favorite team is they don't play team defense. Lamar Odom only seems to care a third of the year. Bynum is big but is missing something, like the edge to become a dominant big men. He needs to step up and be the man instead of showing up half the time. In Dan's eyes Kobe is still the best player in the league. At times, it is hard to argue. The depth on the team is good but not consistent. That and the defense is killing them. Ron brings the will to win to the team. Artest was brought in to help the team and be another guy to help capture another title. The biggest difference between Ariza and Artest is that Ariza was ok being a role guy and will Artest be ok with that?

Dan's Prediction
Eastern Conference Finals
Boston vs Orlando. Boston in 5

Western Conference Finals
LA Lakers vs Denver. Lakers in 6

NBA Finals
Lakers vs Celtics. Boston in 6

Regular Season MVP Kobe Bryant
Finals MVP Ray Allen

Joel's Prediction
Eastern Conference Finals
Orlando vs Cleveland. Orlando in 7

Western Conference Finals
Lakers vs Spurs. Spurs in 7

NBA Finals
Orlando vs Spurs. Spurs in 6. Yes I am a homer for the Spurs.

Regular Season MVP Lebron James
Finals MVP Manu Ginobli