Atlantic Division
Toronto Raptors – The arrival of Jermaine O’Neil gives the Raptors something they were missing: Depth with “bigs”. The departure of Ford guarantees Calderon the point guard position. The problem in this team is the backcourt and small forward rotation. Kapono, Graham, Ukic, and Salomon are not enough. The latter two are not even close to be ready to back Jose for 10 minutes. So one starts thinking if letting Delfino go was the best decision possible. And the answer is a clear No. Carlos would have covered a hole the team has right now and, even if others disagree, he could have stayed had Bryan Colangelo tried to keep him. But he did not and now the Raps are praying for Jose not to get injured and Kapono to be the Playoff Kapono. Some are even praying for a “good Joey and a good Humphries.” The truth of the matter is that the Raptors can be more than people think, or they can be worse. Everything depends on Jose.
Philadelphia – This team made great acquisitions during the off-season. Elton Brand and Sam Dalembert are a great duo up front and no one can take Iguodala for granted. He is not mature enough to be the undeniable leader of this team, that’s for sure. But with Brand and Sam, this is not a big issue right now. This is a nice team and looks to be the Atlanta Hawks of the 2008-09 season. I guess we will see.
Boston – The defending champs still have the Garnet-Pierce-Allen trio. They are all a year older… so what? The Celtics are the team to beat not only in the East, but in the entire league. Raja Rondo is a great player and this team is pretty much the same as last season. The repeat is up to Boston and only Boston!
New York – Mike D’Antoni is the best thing that could have happened to the Knicks. Nate Robinson and David Lee are the best this team has and the coach will most likely make them play better. It’s interesting to see how the individualities work together this year. Isaiah is not there anymore, which means we cannot make fun of them as much. Regardless, this city focuses more on wages than on performance. This is a shame considering the people of New York deserve a competitive team.
New Jersey – Richard Jefferson left; Jason Kidd had already left; and Vince Carter stayed. The Nets couldn’t have done worse. Carter will be a disappointment this year, only comparable to the last year in Toronto, when all he wanted was pack and leave. A terrible player and with a personality typical of someone without any morals or ethics and that does not deserve the salary he has. The good thing: he will be here in Toronto so we can boo him all we want. He deserves it anyway.
Central Division
Detroit – The Pistons have the most balanced starting line-up of the NBA. Billups, Hamilton, Prince and Wallace are lethal and have a great chemistry. This is a team that at times seems to not care. Maybe it’s time for a change. There is still plenty of time for the trade deadline, so we will see what happens. The bench is better than most think; they don’t play much, and that’s why people don’t know them well. Herrmann deserves a chance in this team. He showed he can bring important things in the court, but we must not forget that in Detroit, if you are not American it is very tough…
Chicago – The Bulls have a rookie coach: Vinny del Negro. There are many great things in this team: the rookie Rose and Hinrich at the point, Gordon, Nocioni, Hughes, Deng, Tyrus Thomas, and Noah. Lots of great players. The problem is the same as always, who will score from inside? The answer is nobody. We expect a trade before the deadline. Someone at the 1,2 or 3 positions will leave, and someone on the 4 or 5 will arrive. That’s what this team needs anyway.
Indiana – TJ Ford and Nesterovic are great acquisitions. Dunleavy and Murphy are nice propositions too. This team has enough to compete for the last spot in the playoffs. It will depend on how the new faces react and if injures stop them down. I do not expect much of the Pacers though…
Cleveland – Any team the King James goes from mediocre to great. The rule applies in Cleveland too. Varejao is tough; Ilgauskas is a tower up front; will Ben Wallace be the old Ben Wallace or just an old Ben Wallace? Delonte West and Daniel Gibson are key for this team. If one of them is even a little bit effective, the Cavaliers will be protagonists again. Regardless, beating Boston seems far away. But you never know... in the NBA everything is possible…
Milwaukee – If this was soccer, this team’s destiny would be relegation. And it’s sad. Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva are an interesting trio. But in recent years this team suffered lots of injuries and Redd never seemed motivated enough. Will Jefferson change this around? The Bucks believe so. Hopefully that will happen, but I doubt it.
Southeast Division
Orlando – When a team has Superman, the only way to stop them is with kryptonite. Jokes aside, Howard is a tremendous player that can carry a team to victory. The experience with the US Olympic team probably gave him a sense of responsibility that everyone in Orlando hopes he will bring to the team in the court. The veterans in the Magic are key and Orlando can be a player again in the East. Still, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit and Toronto are right now a step ahead.
Atlanta – The surprise of the last playoffs. Many talk about luck and maybe they are right. I hardly see this team in the top 8 of the conference. It’s missing star power, but it does have quality. Bibby, Horford, Johnson, Pachulia and Smith are all players that put the team first. And that’s vital. So you cannot sleep on the Hawks, or you won’t get the victory...
Washington – The Wizards renewed Arenas contract for an amount close to $113 million... He is a mediocre player and all he wants is media exposure. What did he win in his career? Absolutely nothing. And he even has the courage to criticize winners like Jose Calderon. A tragic shame for a team great team like Washington is to have a leader like Arenas. Good thing is that he is injured… so he won’t play all the games at least. My advice, win as much as you can until he is back!
Miami – A team with Wade is a team with guts and quality. If you add that he is healthy this year, Shawn Marion, and a group of young players starving for glory then we are talking about a team destined for good things in the East. Miami is going to improve a lot from last year (not too big of an accomplishment here…) and will be in the Playoffs.
Charlotte – This is a team that does everything backwards. When Herrmann had an amazing end of season a couple of years ago, they let him go and kept a disappointing Morrison. But this is a nice group of people: Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace and Emeka Okafor are scary. The problem: nobody wants to play in Charlotte. Why? Because nobody knows how they are playing. The decision are very confusing, from the executives to the coach. Once this is solved, we can take this team seriously. For now, keep on trying.
This is all for now, Sunday the preview of the Western Conference is out, and Wednesday the predictions for the season!!
Toronto Raptors – The arrival of Jermaine O’Neil gives the Raptors something they were missing: Depth with “bigs”. The departure of Ford guarantees Calderon the point guard position. The problem in this team is the backcourt and small forward rotation. Kapono, Graham, Ukic, and Salomon are not enough. The latter two are not even close to be ready to back Jose for 10 minutes. So one starts thinking if letting Delfino go was the best decision possible. And the answer is a clear No. Carlos would have covered a hole the team has right now and, even if others disagree, he could have stayed had Bryan Colangelo tried to keep him. But he did not and now the Raps are praying for Jose not to get injured and Kapono to be the Playoff Kapono. Some are even praying for a “good Joey and a good Humphries.” The truth of the matter is that the Raptors can be more than people think, or they can be worse. Everything depends on Jose.
Philadelphia – This team made great acquisitions during the off-season. Elton Brand and Sam Dalembert are a great duo up front and no one can take Iguodala for granted. He is not mature enough to be the undeniable leader of this team, that’s for sure. But with Brand and Sam, this is not a big issue right now. This is a nice team and looks to be the Atlanta Hawks of the 2008-09 season. I guess we will see.
Boston – The defending champs still have the Garnet-Pierce-Allen trio. They are all a year older… so what? The Celtics are the team to beat not only in the East, but in the entire league. Raja Rondo is a great player and this team is pretty much the same as last season. The repeat is up to Boston and only Boston!
New York – Mike D’Antoni is the best thing that could have happened to the Knicks. Nate Robinson and David Lee are the best this team has and the coach will most likely make them play better. It’s interesting to see how the individualities work together this year. Isaiah is not there anymore, which means we cannot make fun of them as much. Regardless, this city focuses more on wages than on performance. This is a shame considering the people of New York deserve a competitive team.
New Jersey – Richard Jefferson left; Jason Kidd had already left; and Vince Carter stayed. The Nets couldn’t have done worse. Carter will be a disappointment this year, only comparable to the last year in Toronto, when all he wanted was pack and leave. A terrible player and with a personality typical of someone without any morals or ethics and that does not deserve the salary he has. The good thing: he will be here in Toronto so we can boo him all we want. He deserves it anyway.
Central Division
Detroit – The Pistons have the most balanced starting line-up of the NBA. Billups, Hamilton, Prince and Wallace are lethal and have a great chemistry. This is a team that at times seems to not care. Maybe it’s time for a change. There is still plenty of time for the trade deadline, so we will see what happens. The bench is better than most think; they don’t play much, and that’s why people don’t know them well. Herrmann deserves a chance in this team. He showed he can bring important things in the court, but we must not forget that in Detroit, if you are not American it is very tough…
Chicago – The Bulls have a rookie coach: Vinny del Negro. There are many great things in this team: the rookie Rose and Hinrich at the point, Gordon, Nocioni, Hughes, Deng, Tyrus Thomas, and Noah. Lots of great players. The problem is the same as always, who will score from inside? The answer is nobody. We expect a trade before the deadline. Someone at the 1,2 or 3 positions will leave, and someone on the 4 or 5 will arrive. That’s what this team needs anyway.
Indiana – TJ Ford and Nesterovic are great acquisitions. Dunleavy and Murphy are nice propositions too. This team has enough to compete for the last spot in the playoffs. It will depend on how the new faces react and if injures stop them down. I do not expect much of the Pacers though…
Cleveland – Any team the King James goes from mediocre to great. The rule applies in Cleveland too. Varejao is tough; Ilgauskas is a tower up front; will Ben Wallace be the old Ben Wallace or just an old Ben Wallace? Delonte West and Daniel Gibson are key for this team. If one of them is even a little bit effective, the Cavaliers will be protagonists again. Regardless, beating Boston seems far away. But you never know... in the NBA everything is possible…
Milwaukee – If this was soccer, this team’s destiny would be relegation. And it’s sad. Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva are an interesting trio. But in recent years this team suffered lots of injuries and Redd never seemed motivated enough. Will Jefferson change this around? The Bucks believe so. Hopefully that will happen, but I doubt it.
Southeast Division
Orlando – When a team has Superman, the only way to stop them is with kryptonite. Jokes aside, Howard is a tremendous player that can carry a team to victory. The experience with the US Olympic team probably gave him a sense of responsibility that everyone in Orlando hopes he will bring to the team in the court. The veterans in the Magic are key and Orlando can be a player again in the East. Still, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit and Toronto are right now a step ahead.
Atlanta – The surprise of the last playoffs. Many talk about luck and maybe they are right. I hardly see this team in the top 8 of the conference. It’s missing star power, but it does have quality. Bibby, Horford, Johnson, Pachulia and Smith are all players that put the team first. And that’s vital. So you cannot sleep on the Hawks, or you won’t get the victory...
Washington – The Wizards renewed Arenas contract for an amount close to $113 million... He is a mediocre player and all he wants is media exposure. What did he win in his career? Absolutely nothing. And he even has the courage to criticize winners like Jose Calderon. A tragic shame for a team great team like Washington is to have a leader like Arenas. Good thing is that he is injured… so he won’t play all the games at least. My advice, win as much as you can until he is back!
Miami – A team with Wade is a team with guts and quality. If you add that he is healthy this year, Shawn Marion, and a group of young players starving for glory then we are talking about a team destined for good things in the East. Miami is going to improve a lot from last year (not too big of an accomplishment here…) and will be in the Playoffs.
Charlotte – This is a team that does everything backwards. When Herrmann had an amazing end of season a couple of years ago, they let him go and kept a disappointing Morrison. But this is a nice group of people: Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace and Emeka Okafor are scary. The problem: nobody wants to play in Charlotte. Why? Because nobody knows how they are playing. The decision are very confusing, from the executives to the coach. Once this is solved, we can take this team seriously. For now, keep on trying.
This is all for now, Sunday the preview of the Western Conference is out, and Wednesday the predictions for the season!!
4 comments:
I dont care what you say mr. blog man, Raptors is going to kick ass.. just like they do every season... oh wait they dont :/ but anyhow, GO RAPTORS GO!
i meant raptors are going to kick ass.. me no speaky english.
we can only hope so...
I agree with ur points though mr. blog man is it?
lol
Very well written Tobias! !!
I just wanted to ask if you could in future blogs comment on the MLB world series , or maybe the NHL :):)
TipMan
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