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Teams are stacked all over the place...

Ready to compete
Boston Celtics: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen
Detroit Pistons: Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace
Houston Rockets: Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest
Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum
San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker
Utah Jazz: Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur
New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul, Peja Stojakovic, David West, Tyson Chandler
Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shaquille O'Neal
Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu
Dallas Mavericks: Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitzki
Philadelphia 76ers: Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, Samuel Dalembert
Washington Wizards: Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison
Toronto Raptors: Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon, Jermaine O'Neal
Miami Heat: Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion, Michael Beasley
Cleveland Cavaliers: Lebron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ben Wallace
Denver Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson

Could surprise people
Golden State Warriors: Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Al Harrington, Andris Biedrins
Los Angeles Clippers: Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon
Portland Trailblazers: Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, Jerryd Bayless, LaMarcus Aldridge
Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson, Josh Smith?, Mike Bibby, Marvin Williams, Al Horford
Milwaukee Bucks: Andrew Bogut, Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson
Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich?, Luol Deng, Ben Gordon?
Charlotte Bobcats: Raymond Felton, Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor

Teams likely to struggle
Indiana Pacers: Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy Jr., TJ Ford
New York Knicks: Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph, Eddy Curry
New Jersey Nets: Devin Harris, Vince Carter
Sacramento Kings: Kevin Martin, Brad Miller
Memphis Grizzlies: OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay
Minnesota Timberwolves: Mike Miller, Kevin Love, Al Jefferson
Oklahoma City?: Kevin Durant

As a Knicks fan, I wish I could list the Knicks under the "Could Surprise People" list, but I'll be realistic.

This is going to be one of the best NBA seasons ever.

not sure about your lists per say, but there will be lots of teams to watch for next season, that's for sure...interested in seeing the chemistry of a lot of these teams...

theTHIEF wrote:not sure about your lists per say, but there will be lots of teams to watch for next season, that's for sure...interested in seeing the chemistry of a lot of these teams...

Which teams would you list differently?

The players I listed for teams are players that are pretty established as the top guys on their team or their core. I tried listing role players at the bare minimum.

A couple of notes:

Cavaliers haven't brought in anyone new and the Nuggets lost Camby and didn't gain anything back. Therefore both of them are at the bottom.

It's hard to argue on the list of teams likely to struggle. They're either lacking an established star or two or they have a number of talented players who are not outstanding.

For the Timberwolves, both Rashad McCants and Randy Foye are talented players, but neither of them are stars (at least not yet). Mike Miller isn't a star, but I would actually rate him as one of the top 15 SG's in the league, which is why I have him listed over Foye or McCants. Jefferson is a 20 and 10 guy and I expect Kevin Love to be an NBA All Rookie First Team selection next season.

Bulls have questions marks because Ben Gordon hasn't been re-signed and it isn't clear as to whether Kirk Hinrich will be on the team next season or if he'll end up getting traded.

The only established star for Oklahoma City is Kevin Durant. I would be surprised if they actually ended up being any better than the worst team in the league next season.

well im not really going to go through them and just pick things apart...it's the NBA, there are always teams that come out of nowhere and do well...I think NJ will do much better than most are thinking, I think that the Bucks, Cats and Hawks will do no better next season, and I think that OKC and Indy might both turn some heads...there are others, but i didnt want to turn it into a compare and contrast type of thing and get all detailed...just answering the question simply, yes...

but omg, we're losing talent to Europe

I think Kings, Bobcats and Pacers could surprise many people. Kings didn't have a bad season in stacked West, and they've played a lot of games with injury problems. I think Thompson will show why he was drafted in the lottery.

Larry Brown will know how to utilize his players properly, and if Felton is their starting PG, he'll have a great season.

Pacers are rebuilding in the right way, yet they still have a strong team. Besides, Rasho has never missed the playoffs.

Question to all. Who will be better. The clippers, or the warriors.

Clipper: Biggest change : Lost Brand and Maggette, Added Camby and Bdiddy


Warriors: Biggest change: Lost Bdiddy, added Maggette.



Both teams added solid role players too.

But who will end with the better record?

one team added anthony "magic johnson" randolph, the other didn't.

dcash4 wrote:one team added anthony "magic johnson" randolph, the other didn't.

clipps are a bit better than warriors on the paper, but both will fight for the last spot of the playoffs.

i think the nba's going into another golden age and there's more talent now then just about ever, especially the top teams, it could look even better in 3 or 4 years

I'd have a little more exlusive teir for championship contenders rather then lump everyone in ready to compete but idk if this year the NBA is more stacked then last.

There certainly seems to be an abnormal drain from bottom teams of their stars to better teams.

Yeah, the NBA is really coming out of the '99-'05 era, which was a low point for the league in terms of the quality of its product team-wise. Now we're starting to see good/great teams being built around emerging and established stars, and the talent level all around is very high. The '08-'12 period should be a really good one.

studcrackers wrote:i think the nba's going into another golden age and there's more talent now then just about ever, especially the top teams, it could look even better in 3 or 4 years

Still, the most glaring weakness is that the referee reform has still not occurred yet. It is definite strong downside for the NBA

The Clippers are my sleeper team right now. They may have lost Brand, but they added quite a bit of talent, and just as importantly, veteran talent that knows how to win. The Camby/Kaman front court will almost certainly lead the league in blocks and rebounds, and they added an All-Star to the back-court in Baron Davis. not to mention how promising Al Thornton looks at SF. I think they could win 50 games.

Roscoe Sheed wrote:

studcrackers wrote:i think the nba's going into another golden age and there's more talent now then just about ever, especially the top teams, it could look even better in 3 or 4 years

Still, the most glaring weakness is that the referee reform has still not occurred yet. It is definite strong downside for the NBA

stern is to stubborn to ever do anything about this, and even w/the ref problems it's hard to deny the talent the top teams and up and coming teams have right now

I think it's really good that none of the top players are stuck on really bad teams, LeBron probably has it the worst though.

Its true. The true contenders (Rockets, Lakers, Celtics, Pistons, Hornets) all have 3 all star players on there team with great role players to surround them with. Then we have teams with young stars with a developing supporting cast (Nuggets, Magic, Sixers, Cavs, Blazers, Heat, Jazz, Raptors). Then there are still teams whose stars and role players are getting older but their experience and chemistry still makes them contenders (Suns, Mavericks, Spurs).

Alot of the teams that didnt really have a direction last season are finding their way with potential superstars and new directions (Grizzlies, Bulls, Timberwolves, OKC). There are just two or three teams that really dont have potential all stars or good role players and are sort of stuck in mediocrity and could suprise people and make a run at the playoffs but will not be bad enough to get a top 3 draft pick but not good enough to have championship aspirations.

studcrackers wrote:

Roscoe Sheed wrote:

studcrackers wrote:i think the nba's going into another golden age and there's more talent now then just about ever, especially the top teams, it could look even better in 3 or 4 years

Still, the most glaring weakness is that the referee reform has still not occurred yet. It is definite strong downside for the NBA

stern is to stubborn to ever do anything about this, and even w/the ref problems it's hard to deny the talent the top teams and up and coming teams have right now

Yes, but until the league does something about this ref debacle and reforms how blatantly bad they are, many people will refuse to tune in. When I ask people that don't what the NBA why they don't watch it, many site the refs. Some site the "selfish", "me-first", "gangsta" attitudes, but I think most people that say such things are close-minded, implicit racists.