Super Early 08-09 Predictions

[sixersfan7676]

Predictions for 08-09

West:

1. Lakers - Kobe/Gasol/Odom/Healthy Bynum is scary
2. Hornets - Chris Paul MVP
3. Jazz - Consistent the whole year
4. Rockets - McGrady and Yao are both healthy for at least 70 games
5. Spurs - Duncan won't be Duncan, Parker and Ginobili play well
6. Suns - Had they kept Marion, they'd be the 3 seed, Shaq doesn't fit their game at all
7. Mavs - Dirk puts up great numbers, but with Jason Kidd older, he needs more help
8. Kings - Surprise! I think Kevin Martin will be an all-star, and something will just click


9. Nuggets - Melo/Iverson is great, but K-Mart/Nene is awful
10. Blazers - Still 1 year away
11. Clippers - They'll be a big mess
12. Timberwolves - Love/Jefferson/Foye is pretty good for the future
13. Grizzlies - Too young
14. Warriors - Too young, Monta isn't a PG
15. Thunder - Too young

East

1. Celtics - Won't repeat as champs, but will still be great
2. Magic - Dwight Howard: 25 ppg/14rpg; that says it all
3. Sixers - Elton Brand!! They rarely have injuries, and have great chemistry and teamwork
4. Cavaliers - Lebron won't get any help as usual
5. Pistons - Billups and Wallace will start to play like they're older
6. Raptors - O'Neal will repeat last season's disaster, but Bosh and the rest of the team will be good
7. Wizards - Arenas/Jamison/Butler
8. Heat - Wade stays healthy, Beasly is great, Marion is Marion, but Blount and the other C's suck


9. Hawks - Probably no more Childress and possibly Smith. Horford will be a beast though
10. Bucks - Joe Alexander = bust. They have the talent but not the defense/chemistry
11. Bulls - Rose will play like a rookie, but their team is weird
12. Bobcats - 09-10: playoffs finally! Augustin will surprise people, Felton will suck
13. Pacers - I like what they're doing with their team, but not talented enough to compete
14. Knicks - D'Antoni is the reason they're not the 15th seed
15. Nets - Carter will demand a trade

MVP: Chris Paul
Defensive Player of the Year: Kevin Garnett
Most Improved Player: Horford
6th Man: Louis Williams
Rookie of the Year: Beasly/Love

[Ckidd--]

Top 8 teams in west (In order):

1.Lakers (kobe,gasol and co)
2.Hornets (cp3 with another stellar year)
3.Jazz (still improving)
4.Rockets (I believe they will advance to second round ONLY if yao is healthy)
5.Spurs (Still has another 2-3 years until decline)
6.Suns (In decline)
7.Mavericks (see above)
8.Trail Blazers (Loaded with young guns but will be easliy knocked out in first round)

Top 8 teams in east (In order):

1.Celtics (Still first but not for longer than 2 more years)
2.Magic (Improving every year)
3.Pistons (A good team still but a little slower too)
4.Raptors (JO brings the phys. presence and rebounding the raptors lacked)
5.Caveliers (Wow they need more talent around LBJ, but lebron will win scoring title again)
6.Sixers (Brand will make the team better and more complete in the long run)
7.Heat (With wade healthy, they will make it back to playoffs)
8.Wizards (Arenas is not the same any more)

[MaRcu5]

rit. Here we go.

The West

1) New Orleans - Chris Paul MVP Season.
2) Los Angeles Lakers
3) Utah
4) San Antonio - Couple more years left in Duncan, eh?
5) Dallas
6) Phoenix - Last chance for Phoenix, imo.
7) Houston
8) Portland - Hard to pick the 8th seed.

9) Golden State
10) Los Angeles Clippers
11) Denver Nuggets
12) Sacramento
13) Memphis
14) Minnesota
15) Oklahoma City

The East

1) Boston - Repeat Champions. Bank on it.
2) Miami
3) Detroit
4) Orlando
5) Philadelphia
6) Cleveland
7) Atlanta
8) Toronto - Again, 8th seed is hard. I can see anyone from 9-11 getting this spot.

9) Washington
10) New Jersey
11) Indiana
12) Chicago
13) Charlotte
14) New York - LOL
15) Milwaukee - ROFL

Miami 2nd in the east? You are putting way too much stock in their big name players (Wade, Beasley, Marion, Haslem), and not nearly enough stock in their very large deficiencies. Their C rotation is currently Mark Blount/Joel Anthony, which is easily the worst C rotation in the entire league. Their PG rotation of Mario Chalmers/Marcus Banks is bottom 3 in the league. You don't come in 2nd in the east with absolute garbage at 2 positions.
I also can't see the Wiz missing the playoffs unless they suffer some very serious injuries. If Gil and Caron play 60ish games each, and the rest of their team is fairly healthy (which to me seems reasonable), there's no way teams like Atlanta or even Miami are better than them. Their roster is actually very solid all the way through. Their top 12 will look something like:
PG - Arenas/Daniels
SG - Stevenson/Young
SF - Butler/Songaila/McGuire
PF - Jamison/Blatche
C - Haywood/Thomas/McGee

I think Chalmers is going to do great at point. He's a monster defender and a great shooter. Looked good in Training camp too running the point.

They lack a big man, though, so yes I overrated them. They won't win division without a capable big man.

[thegreatblaze]

A lot of people have Denver making the playoffs. Do you really see them making it now that they lost Camby for nothing? A guy who was arguably their MVP.

Unless they make a trade I think they'll have a hard time getting in.

[Troubadour]

Atlantic Division:
Boston – 60-22 (1)
Toronto – 49-33 (5)
Philadelphia – 45-37 (6)
New York – 35-47
New Jersey – 28-54

Central Division:
Detroit – 55-27 (2)
Cleveland – 51-31 (3)
Milwaukee – 42-40 (8)
Chicago – 40-42
Indiana – 35-47

Southeast Division:
Orlando – 50-32 (4)
Washington – 44-38 (7)
Atlanta – 40-42
Miami – 38-44
Charlotte – 30-52

Pacific Division:
LA Lakers – 65-17 (1)
Phoenix – 49-33 (7)
LA Clippers – 45-37 (8)
Golden State – 40-42
Sacramento – 28-54

Northwest Division:
Utah – 50-32 (4)
Portland – 44-38
Denver – 38-44
OKC – 26-56
Minnesota – 20-62

Southwest Division:
New Orleans – 61-21 (2)
Houston – 58-24 (3)
San Antonio – 54-28 (5)
Dallas – 50-32 (6)
Memphis – 30-52





Eastern Conference Playoffs:
Boston v Milwaukee  Boston in 5
Detroit v Washington  Detroit in 6
Cleve v Philadelphia  Cleve in 7
Orlando v Toronto  Toronto in 7

Boston v Toronto  Boston in 6
Detroit v Cleveland  Cleve in 7

Boston v Cleve  Boston in 7

Boston = EC Champions

Western Conference Playoffs:
LA Lakers v LAC  LA Lakers in 6
New Orleans v Phoenix  NO in 6
Houston v Dallas  Houston in 7
Utah v SA (HCA)  SA in 7

LA Lakers v SA  LA Lakers in 6
NO v Houston  Houston in 7

LA Lakers v Houston  LA Lakers in 7

LA Lakers = WC Champions

NBA Finals:
LA Lakers v Boston  LA Lakers in 7

[MagiChamps]

West
1. Lakers
2. Hornets
3. Rockets
4. Jazz
5. Clippers- Camby/Kaman will dominate the boards
6. Spurs
7. Blazers
8. Suns

East
1. Celtics
2. Magic
3. Sixers
4. Cavaliers
5. Pistons
6. Wizards
7. Pacers
8. Raptors

[kevC]

A lot of these seedings do not take division winners into account at all.

[TrueRain]

A lot of people have Denver making the playoffs. Do you really see them making it now that they lost Camby for nothing? A guy who was arguably their MVP.

Unless they make a trade I think they'll have a hard time getting in.

Um...what?

[SherronShabazz]

west
playoff teams
1. hornets
2 lakers
3. spurs
4. blazers
5. jazz
6. mavericks
7. suns
8. rockets

lottery teams
9. nuggets
10. warriors
11. kings
12. clippers
14. t-wolves
14. thunder
15. grizzlies

east
playoff teams
1. celtics
2. pistons
3. magic
4. 76ers
5. raptors
6. cavaliers
7. wizards
8. bulls

lottery teams
9. heat
10. bucks
11. bobcats
12. nets
13. hawks
14. knicks
15. pacers

[maxwellcu]

If Nene stays healthy and in shape, (a big if) he is capable of contributing more to the Nuggets than Camby, despite the latter's [inflated] rebound/block numbers. He is a superior, if not vastly superior, man defender and has shown that he is capable of being a legitimate low-post offensive threat.

Camby's shenanigans on offense (taking the ball up the court as if he were a PG, camping out at the top of the key because he is unwilling or unable to play in the post, chucking his atrocious set-shot, inefficiency, etc) won't be missed. The team has solid enough rebounding to make up for his prowess in that department, IMO, particularly when you consider that a significant number of Camby's boards were contested amongst his own teammates.

He is a solid player. Will he be missed? Of course. Will the team suffer greatly due to his departure? Not IMO... many analysts and fans overlook his flaws in favor of focusing on his gaudy rebounding/block stats. The loss of Najera, however, does sort of compound this issue and I expect to see the Nuggets try to pick up a serviceable backup big and give Steven Hunter an opportunity to play a bit more.

If the Nuggets keep JR, which has to be assumed at this point, and allow him to play at least 30 MPG +, which they should, and Nene contributes in any way at all, I could see them being about as good as they were last year. Probably not a contender, but those projecting them to not make the playoffs are allowing their judgment to be influenced by the general anti-Nugget sentiment that has been lingering since their loss to the Lakers in the first round this year, in my opinion.

The West was particularly spectacular last year, and while it is easy to point to the expected emergence of the Clippers and Blazers as much better teams, as well as the fact that none of the playoff teams are really expected to fall off that much from last year, it is improbable that the competition will be as stiff as it was last year simply because that season was virtually unprecedented with regards to the quality of competition seen in the conference.

[KarlMalone32]

West

1-Lakers
2-Jazz
3-Hornets
4-Spurs
5-Rockets
6-Suns
7-Mavs
8-Blazers


East

1-Boston
2-Detroit
3-Orlando
4-Cavs
5-Raptors
6-76ers
7-Wizards
8-Heat

[Hydroponic3385]

West
1. Lakers
2. Hornets
3. Rockets
4. Jazz
5. Clippers- Camby/Kaman will dominate the boards
6. Blazers
7. Suns
8. Mavs

East
1. Celtics
2. Magic
3. Sixers
4. Cavaliers
5. Pistons
6. Wizards
7. Pacers
8. Raptors

Spurs won't make the playoffs?

[MagiChamps]

My bad I'll fix it.

[The Boshpit!]

West
1. Lakers
2. Hornets
3. Rockets
4. Jazz
5. Clippers- Camby/Kaman will dominate the boards
6. Blazers
7. Suns
8. Mavs

East
1. Celtics
2. Magic
3. Sixers
4. Cavaliers
5. Pistons
6. Wizards
7. Pacers
8. Raptors

Spurs won't make the playoffs?

The guy has the Pacers and Clippers making the playoffs. Don't take naything he says too seriously...

[thamadkant]

Hornets: 55~60 wins
Lakers: 54~58 wins
Spurs: 52~56 wins
Jazz: 52~57 wins
Suns: 52~56 wins
Blazers: 45~51 wins
Rockets: 50~55 wins
Mavericks: 50~54 wins