RealGM

Before a game is played by any of the Eastern Conference Teams lets make a prediction about which team will be where. Then when the season finishes we can think about if everyone was right or not.

This is what I think.

1) Boston
The return of KG, improvement of Rajon Rondo during the playoffs, acquiring Rasheed Wallace to come off of the bench. Really puts them here.

2) Cleveland
Lebron James is good enough to take on teams by himself I must say. With a scoring big man like Shaq they can do some damage. Along with Mo Williams to provide some scoring. They won 66 games last season and it only looks like they got better.

3) Orlando
Getting rid of Hedo Turkoglu and Courtney Lee was a pretty big loss. But the acquisition of Vince Carter will be interesting. Who knows how good he is when he plays on a team like Orlando.

4) Toronto
In my opinion, adding 9 new players to their roster was a great move. Hedo Turkoglu is one of the best forwards at the pick and roll and now he will be using it with one of the best forwards Chris Bosh who did not seem to have a play maker last season with him but still ended up being a 22/10 player.Andrea Bargnani should continue to develop and become a good scoring center. Last season he had a breakout career averaging over 20 points near the end of the season.

5) Washington
Gilbert Arenas has not played basketball in a while, I know. Hopefully he show the NBA that Agent Zero is back in action. Caron Butler is getting ready as he said at the end of the season that the next season will be his best. Then there is Jamison who is the third player on the Wizards that can put up over 30 in a game. Selling their draft pick also brought in some nice talent. Randy Foye who is a good player as well. But again the reason I don't think their 4th is because I am not convinced Agent Zero is back. Just Gilbert.

6) Atlanta
Atlanta made one big move this offseason which was acquiring Jamal Crawford which should provide some extra needed scoring. But their a poorly coached team and need to work on their chemistry.

7)Detroit
Ben Gordon and Charlie V are good young players for the pistons. Stucky, Hamilton, Prince, Charlie is a good lineup with Gordon off the bench to provide scoring.

8)Miami
Dwayne Wade is one of the best players in the NBA. Probably the second best. The point is he is good enough to lead his team to the playoffs. Even if it means he is the only one. This team needs to find players to score some points besides Dwayne Wade. They are like the Lakers a few seasons ago when Kobe had to do EVERYTHING.

I wanted to add Chicago but the problem is they lost their best player and I'm not sure if they can go on to the playoffs without him.

The Bobcats don't have a good team leader also. Maybe if they get Iverson they can make some noise.

So, am I wrong about something? What do you think?

Are you really Michael Jordan!?!?!

IBTIBTL. But I digress ...

1. Cleveland
2. Orlando
3. Boston
4. Washington
5. Atlanta
6. Miami
7. Chicago
8. Toronto
-
9. Detroit
10. Philadelphia
11. Indiana
12. Charlotte
13. New York
14. Milwaukee
15. New Jersey

Cleveland and Orlando compete for first, Boston locks in third, we and Atlanta compete for fourth, Miami locks in sixth, Chicago and Toronto and Detroit compete for the last two spots, Philadelphia and Indiana and Charlotte are respectable but not serious playoff contenders, New York and Milwaukee and New Jersey are bottom six teams.

Hmmm...

1. Boston
2. Cleveland
3. Orlando
4. Washington
5. Toronto
6. Atlanta
7. Miami
8. Chicago/Detroit/Indiana

I really think Indiana will make the playoffs this year...

I also think the top 3 teams aren't that good as people claim to be... I know they all improved and are still pretty much locks for 1-3, but something just doesn't feel right... They all will get less wins than last year, chemistry issues may occur... Cleveland and Boston have brought in/back old players on their last legs... I dunno man...

1.boston- still the champs imo because last year was injuries
2.cavs- got shaq lets see how he fits?
3.magic-did they lose more (hedo and lee) than they gained?(vc,barnes j-will)
4.wizards-if agent 0 is back this team can be lethal but still lacks depth in their big man rotation
5.hawks-another year together they are a good team but not great and have chemistry issues
6.raptors- this team can surprise people this year but they need time to gel
7.pistons-alot of solid players no superstars just like the 03-04 team but there is no chauncey billups on this team
8.heat- for crying out loud get dwade some help in miami!

there is my predictions and i think the celtics are going to go all the way!

kgnwally wrote:1.boston- still the champs imo because last year was injuries
2.cavs- got shaq lets see how he fits?
3.magic-did they lose more (hedo and lee) than they gained?(vc,barnes j-will)
4.wizards-if agent 0 is back this team can be lethal but still lacks depth in their big man rotation
5.hawks-another year together they are a good team but not great and have chemistry issues
6.raptors- this team can surprise people this year but they need time to gel
7.pistons-alot of solid players no superstars just like the 03-04 team but there is no chauncey billups on this team
8.heat- for crying out loud get dwade some help in miami!

there is my predictions and i think the celtics are going to go all the way!

I mostly agree with this. Here's my breakdown:

1. Boston - a healthy KG and a deeper bench could mean another title
2. Orlando - more experienced and good depth
3. Cleveland - I think they will struggle to integrate Shaq
4. Washington - slight homer pick but geez that's a ton of firepower
5. Atlanta - solid team but not great
6. Chicago - lost Gordon but they get Deng back, Rose will be better
7. Toronto - back in the playoffs but still very soft up front
8. Philly - EJ finishes around .500 yet again

9. Indiana - close but no cigar
10. Detroit - will regret their offseason signings, Rip probably traded at the deadline
11. Miami - Wade is due for another injury and they have nothing else
12. Charlotte - still can't get over the hump
13. New York - tanking for LeBron
14. New Jersey - has some good pieces but still rebuilding
15. Milwaukee - trying to save money, Redd is likely gone soon

I think Courtney Lee is vastly underrated, and Orlando will be very sorry they lost him. Vince Carter is fools gold. My prediction is he plays matador defense all year, has a spectacular offensive game three or four times a year and ends up averaging about 18 ppg (same as Hedo will in Toronto). If the zards are healthy they could beat out Orlando.

Wasn't it Etan who always saved his best game of the season to play against Dwight Howard? How does Brendan do against him?

ZonkertheBrainless wrote:I think Courtney Lee is vastly underrated, and Orlando will be very sorry they lost him. Vince Carter is fools gold. My prediction is he plays matador defense all year, has a spectacular offensive game three or four times a year and ends up averaging about 18 ppg (same as Hedo will in Toronto). If the zards are healthy they could beat out Orlando.

Wasn't it Etan who always saved his best game of the season to play against Dwight Howard? How does Brendan do against him?

I remember Haywood having a game against him where he held him to like 3 points or so... Lemme check...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/ ... =howardw01

Mehh.. He does an average job... Lookin at the other games we played against them... Howard averages his usual numbers...

I think Orlando/Washington is going to be a reeeeeeeaaallly interesting story this year. Barring health issues for either team *knocks wood*

*kills a chicken*

*makes a pentagram*

*swings a doodlebug on a golden string around his head three times at midnight*

MJ, I'm lost as you were in DC.

Your trying to come off like you know what your talking about, but you leave out the main piece.

Haywood is the key to more wins. It all starts with the big man. How can you be so blind.

Yeah, I also think Orlando will have problems. I just didn't want to put Cleveland any higher than third.

Man, a coworker challenged me to name a starter on the nets this year and I was like ... Vince Car... no wait... Richard Jeff... wait, no... Jason Ki... uh, no... gosh. I looked at their roster and the only two names that jumped out were Courtney Lee and Devin Harris. I mean, that's a pretty decent backcourt, but... damn...

ZonkertheBrainless wrote:Man, a coworker challenged me to name a starter on the nets this year and I was like ... Vince Car... no wait... Richard Jeff... wait, no... Jason Ki... uh, no... gosh. I looked at their roster and the only two names that jumped out were Courtney Lee and Devin Harris. I mean, that's a pretty decent backcourt, but... damn...

I don't buy it, but here's the case for the young Nets making some noise this year.

One young core that is not getting any love is the New Jersey Nets. Scanning the roster up and down, I can not only see then being relevant in the East a few years down the line, but I can also see them being relevant this year.

http://dimemag.com/2009/09/the-nbas-best-kept-secret/

1. Orlando - they made the finals last year. Now they've added Nelson, Carter (way better than Turkoglu - let's be real here), and a deeper bench by adding Barnes and Bass.

2. Cleveland - as much as it pains me to say it, Lebron is the best player in the league. However, I just don't see Shaq integrating with the team well. Lebron will still take them to 2nd place though.

3. Boston - a very talented team. However, they are old and I see the injury bug biting them again this year due to age.

4. Wizards - last time the Wizards were healthy they were the best team in the conference. Even though the conference was much weaker, they still were above that talented Pistons team that made the Conference Finals a million times in a row. For the first time in Gilbert's Wizards experience, he has a good SG in Mike Miller (I now believe Hughes was a product of Gilbert - look at how he's played after Gilbert). The Wizards also have a much deeper bench, with the addition of Foye and the maturation of the younglings.

5. Atlanta - they have a solid team that hasn't changed much (I do not consider Crawford a "strong addition") since they were the 4th seed last year. I don't see reason for them to slip in the standings.

6. Toronto - their roster has been revamped since last year (9 new additions), Barganni has improved, and I foresee a motivated Bosh after the way he ended last season in a very lackadaisical way.

7. Heat - Wade is too good, to not make the playoffs. However, the supporting cast is pretty poor and their are too many questions. Will Beasley get his act together? When will JO get injured?

8. Pistons - Lost Rasheed and McDyess and replaced them with CV. Their rebounding, defense, toughness, and chemistry will all take a hit. The huge upgrade of Gordon over AI just barely squeaks them into the playoffs.

Just missed it:

9. Bulls - they were 8th last year, they lost their best player, and the conference has gotten better. Although Rose will improve, I don't see him single-handedly caring his team to the playoffs.

FreeBalling wrote:MJ, I'm lost as you were in DC.

Your trying to come off like you know what your talking about, but you leave out the main piece.

Haywood is the key to more wins. It all starts with the big man. How can you be so blind.

Jamison is your big man. Bosh is better than Jamison and Haywood so I don't know why you want me to add Haywood into the story. Its all about Butler Arenas and Jamison.
How can you be so blind?

Michael Jordan wrote:

FreeBalling wrote:MJ, I'm lost as you were in DC.

Your trying to come off like you know what your talking about, but you leave out the main piece.

Haywood is the key to more wins. It all starts with the big man. How can you be so blind.

Jamison is your big man. Bosh is better than Jamison and Haywood so I don't know why you want me to add Haywood into the story. Its all about Butler Arenas and Jamison.
How can you be so blind?

Yet another person who only looks at stats but doesn't understand Haywood's actual impact on games. Didn't we used to have a thread for this so we don't have to keep typing the same thing over and over agan for all the non-believers?

closg00 wrote:

ZonkertheBrainless wrote:Man, a coworker challenged me to name a starter on the nets this year and I was like ... Vince Car... no wait... Richard Jeff... wait, no... Jason Ki... uh, no... gosh. I looked at their roster and the only two names that jumped out were Courtney Lee and Devin Harris. I mean, that's a pretty decent backcourt, but... damn...

I don't buy it, but here's the case for the young Nets making some noise this year.

One young core that is not getting any love is the New Jersey Nets. Scanning the roster up and down, I can not only see then being relevant in the East a few years down the line, but I can also see them being relevant this year.

http://dimemag.com/2009/09/the-nbas-best-kept-secret/

The Nets are off to a good start in their rebuilding, but IMO they are still the beginning stages of the process. Harris and Lee are a solid backcourt of the future, and Lopez can be their man in the middle. But they still don't have anything at either forward spot. I'm sure they expected more from Yi but he's not the answer. They've got to solve those problems before they can think about playoffs IMO.

The real question is what do they do if they are contending for a playoff spot at the deadline? Do they sacrifice some of their expirings and make a move to get to the postseason? Or do they maintain their apparent plan to have space in 2010?

LyricalRico wrote:

Michael Jordan wrote:

FreeBalling wrote:MJ, I'm lost as you were in DC.

Your trying to come off like you know what your talking about, but you leave out the main piece.

Haywood is the key to more wins. It all starts with the big man. How can you be so blind.

Jamison is your big man. Bosh is better than Jamison and Haywood so I don't know why you want me to add Haywood into the story. Its all about Butler Arenas and Jamison.
How can you be so blind?

Yet another person who only looks at stats but doesn't understand Haywood's actual impact on games. Didn't we used to have a thread for this so we don't have to keep typing the same thing over and over agan for all the non-believers?

Draft nate to pull up his usual Brendan schpiel then drop it into the HOF thread/front page so we don't have to search for it.

"Michael Jordan"

Jamison is your big man. Bosh is better than Jamison and Haywood so I don't know why you want me to add Haywood into the story. Its all about Butler Arenas and Jamison.
How can you be so blind?

You think Jamison is our best big? WOW, you don't watch the Wizards.

As much as I love AJ, on the D end of the court he offers rebounds that's about it.

Take some time this year to watch Haywood, last year and the year before tells a clear story. 19 wins w/o Haywood vs. 43 wins with the BeastWood. Unless you think Roger Mason was the Diff.

I've been saying this year Haywood will make the All Star team, JMO.

FreeBalling wrote:I've been saying this year Haywood will make the All Star team, JMO.

Nah. With Shaq back in the East, there's no way Haywood makes it. But I do think Team USA could use him. He's just not a big enough name to get their attention.