It's that time again. You know, that time of year when the balls are bouncing, the coaches are screaming, and the players
are pouting. It's that time of year when players on bad teams think they have what it takes to make the playoffs. It's that
time of year when team cancers vow to the media that things have changed.
It's time for the 2006-2007 NBA season. And we all know what that means. So grab your toilet paper and favorite Lysol
spray and head to the bathroom, because it's time for my yearly NBA preview.
But here's the thing. After two years, 60 pages, and over 30,000 words of content, I've decided that I won't waste
my time or yours by writing such a lengthy analysis. I think we're at the point in our relationship where you know I'm going
to write a lot, you're going to read a little, and at the end of the day, I'm going to be wrong anyway. So this year, I'm
cutting right to the chase. While I can't let you off the hook by not writing at least a short analysis on each team, I'll
make you a deal. I'll shorten my preview if you promise to read the entire thing. Between the East and West, I'll try not to
exceed 10 pages (by the way, this little rant in the introduction doesn't count). Sounds fair? Good. Glad we cleared that up.
Anyway, I'm sorta, kinda excited about the upcoming season. I don't know; maybe it was the lackluster regular season
last year or the anti-climatic finals that really brought me down. Of course, it could be the Magic's latest draft pick,
which has already been in a walking boot before the season even started, but more on that later. There's just something
about this season that seems a little...off. The buzz just isn't there. I mean there are more teams than ever who have a
chance to get to the finals, yet the top story for most of training camp has been how much the players hate the new game
ball. One things for sure, it's going to be a make it or break it season for a lot of teams, and if things don't go well for
them, we’ll be looking at major shakeups next off season. A lot of jobs are on the line and it's going to be very interesting
to see who gets the boot.
Until then, here are the predictions for the 2006-2007 NBA season. As always, we start with the West.
15. Portland Trailblazers The Blazers are a very young basketball team. I think Brandon Roy will be a stud. He’ll probably walk away with the
rookie of the year. LaMarcus Aldridge might look good in a Blazer uniform, if for no other reason than he's on one of the
worst team in the league. Otherwise, he'd be considered a huge bust. I have no reasoning behind my claim; let's just call
it a gut feeling. This team is too young to seriously do anything at this point, but they have the right coach and a fan
base that's just starting to forgive them for the "Jailblazer" era. The future is bright for the youngsters in Portland.
(I know I said that last year, but I really mean it this time.)
14. Seattle Sonics Just think, two seasons ago, this was a sleeper contender. Now, they stink. Poor Ray Allen. He played so well two
years ago during a contract year and instead of signing for less and playing for a contender, he's stuck in rainy city with
very little help (Rashard Lewis aside). They didn't improve their team from last season, and although Chris Wilcox will
have a solid season, Luke Ridnour just hasn't been the point guard they've needed to provide the perfect blend of scoring
and passing. Let's label this team number one on the long list of franchises in desperate need of a major overhaul.
13. Golden State Warriors Don't look now, but Don Nelson is back. Chris Mullin – whose one more horrible season away from doing in-studio
analysis for ESPN – brought back the old Warrior coach to hopefully add life to a very dead franchise. I can't even remember
the last time this team made the playoffs, or were at least remotely competitive when it counted (playing hard when the
season is over doesn't count!). Don has a lot of athletics on this team, so his run and gun style should actually pay off.
Unfortunately, no one on this team actually plays defense and they don't have the shooters that Donnie had in Dallas. So
while this team will run up the score, they still won't be able to stop anybody.
12. Minnesota Timberwolves You have to feel for Kevin Garnett. He does everything right. He plays hard; he's a great teammate both on and off
the floor; and he's a lovable guy to the media. Yet he's stuck in Minnesota where Kevin McHale quit on him about three
seasons ago. Randy Foye might end up being the rookie of the year, but then again, with Ricky Davis playing the same
position, he might not. In McHale’s defense, it's tough to improve a team when the franchise player takes up over half of
the teams salary cap. Then again, Kevin refused to move the other Kevin this summer, so I don't hold that much sympathy. The
Wolves roster brings nothing to the table. In the East, they're maybe an eighth seed. In the loaded, wide open West, they
sit here. Too bad...
(By the way, I wrote that last paragraph really fighting off the urge to mention Eddie Griffin and his, "ahem",
porno DVD inspired car accident earlier this summer. You should be proud of me...)
11. Utah Jazz Jerry Sloan is a master head coach, but the Jazz still lack a quality bench. That won't cut it in the West.
(Look, I'm conserving space here. What else can I say about the Jazz that we don't already know? Moving on...)
10. Memphis Grizzles I think Jerry West is probably the biggest NBA genius. He's able to pluck away quality players without ever
having to give up much (like the whole
Mike Miller - who won the sixth man award last season - for
Drew Gooden and
Gordan Giricek deal with Orlando). That said, there's something
about this Grizzles team that just seems off. I mean I know Pau played inspired ball last season, they lost Damon Stoudamire
after like 25 games, and but I just don't like this team. Not in the West anyway. Don't get me wrong; I love what West
has done. I love the roster (save for a few players like Jake Tskaafdlfdjaf or whatever his name is). My problem is that
aside from Rudy Gay (who will have a minimal impact this season), they didn't really do anything. To get Gay, they had to
bring back Stromile Swift, in a move that neither he, nor the Grizzles really wanted. I just think the Grizzles get lost in
the shuffle this season and unfortunately miss out on the playoffs.
9. New Orleans Hornets Talk about a busy summer. The Hornets added Peja, Bobby Jackson, Tyson Chandler (good pickup), and a couple of solid
rookie bigs. Add them to rookie of the year Chris Paul, the athletic, yet underrated Desmond Mason, and big man stud David
West, and this is really shaping up into a future contender. From everything I've read, Peja is healthy again and could be
back to his old form. Paul was able to take a completely inferior roster and make them playoff contenders, and he should
be commended for that. The problem, however, ultimately lies with the head coach. I'm not a true believer of Byron Scott.
I just don't know if he's the guy to get the best out of Peja and Chandler. I could be wrong. Either way, I still think
they just miss the playoffs, losing out to the Clippers and Nuggets by a game or two.
8. Denver Nuggets I'm going to make a not so bold statement: Carmelo Anthony was the best player on this past summer's USA basketball
team. Not LeBron. Not D-Wade. Not Chris Bosh. No. It was Melo Anthony who took his game to the next level, and if not for
his performance in the World Championships, USA probably would have finished sixth again. Now Melo takes the confidence of
knowing that if he truly tries, he can be just as good, if not better on some levels, as his other 2003 draft counterparts.
With George Karl and Melo on the same page, the Nuggets are poised for another strong season. Kenyon Martin should be about
80% of what he used to be in New Jersey, and having Nene back should really boast their frontcourt. J.R. Smith will surprise
a lot of people, as the running game in Denver will only help his development. I really like this team, and although they
are still short of being one of the best teams in the West, they are certainly having a lot of fun in the meantime.
7. Los Angeles Clippers t was a great run while it lasted. The Clippers were the storybook team last season. With Sam Cassell controlling
the offense, the Clippers got all the way to the second round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, this season, they won't make
the post season. To me, there are just too many talented teams in the West, the Clippers (namely Cassell) are a year older
(but not necessarily a year better), and they won't be playing with that chip on their shoulder this season. They have a
lot of talent, probably enough to make the playoffs, but they’re looking at an early exit. After all, these are still the
Clippers.
6. Houston Rockets You know, it's funny, the Rockets lose
Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming for most of the season and win 34
games, and everyone says they stink and writes them off, yet everyone forgets that they were 21-11 when they were
completely healthy. The Rockets have truly been misfortunate the past couple of seasons as nagging injuries have turned
them from title contender to title pretender in such a short amount of time. But I see it differently. I see this Rockets
team being completely healthy this season and with the addition of Shane Battier and the completely underrated (and
completely insane) Bonzi Wells, the Rockets should make their way back amongst the Western elite.
5. Los Angeles Lakers No, that is not a typo. You read that right. The Lakers are going to the fifth seed and a possible upset in the
first round. Coach Phil and Kobe saw something special in that Phoenix series. They discovered that there is an offense out
there where Kobe doesn't have to shoot 30 times a game (not that he doesn't mind), and everyone can get involved if they
keep their heads in the game. Lamar Odom should have something special to play for, and Kwame should be solid in his second
season with the team. If all of the role players can help keep the game close, there's no one more capable in this league
right now of getting a win for his team than Kobe Bryant. There's really nothing else to say.
4. Sacramento Kings For a great offensive team, the next phase of turning the corner is becoming a great defensive team. For the Kings,
acquiring Ron Artest was a huge step in that direction. Their next step was bringing in head coach Eric Mussleman. Now the
Kings are a pretty dangerous team. For 10 years, they've had all of the offensive tools. Now they have a solid defensive
foundation. Coach Mussleman won't tolerate defensive lapses and brings a great work ethnic to a very loose basketball team.
Mike Bibby could be the odd man out at point if he can't commit more to the defensive side of the ball, and the Kings may
strike a deal before the end of the season for a more steady point guard. Losing Bonzi hurts, but Kevin Martin is more than
ready to step into his role. Having Ron Ron as one of your leaders is a very scary thought, but there's no doubt about it,
the Kings are back.
3. Phoenix Suns I'll make this short and sweet. The Suns are a good team. In fact, the Suns are a very good team. But (and this is
a Star Jones sized "but"), they are not better than the Mavs or Spurs. Nash is a wizard with the ball and Amare is the
second coming (if he's healthy), but even at the top of their game, this team couldn't guard the cast of Lost. And that's
why they won't win a championship.
2. San Antonio Spurs I can't begin to explain how disappointed I was that the Spurs didn't win the championship last season. More and
more each day I'm becoming a true fan of this team. I just love the way they conduct business and continue to be the most
winning team in all of sports. Anyway, with Timmy healthy, Tony a year older, Manu a year wiser, and a stronger bench (Eric
Williams will surprise people), the Spurs are poised to get back to the finals. I'm still a little leery about their age as
a whole and the depth up front, but make no bone about it; the Spurs are still one of the top teams in the league. With Tim
Duncan on a mission to get back to the finals, I see no reason, other than possibly Dirk Nowitizki, why they can’t get
back there.
1. Dallas Mavericks No other team in the league improved their team by giving up so little. For a team already stacked with talent and
depth, the Mavs added Devean George,
Anthony Johnson (probably the best second string point in the
league), and Austin Croshere (to replace Van Horn as the token white guy who has to hang out with Dirk and listen to David
Hasselhoff). The re-signing of Jason Terry was also huge. Coach Avery has a lot of weapons at his disposal, and with so
much talent, the Mavs should easily run away with the regular season crown. Can they make it back to the finals? Only time
will tell.
