Your crazy Chance Harper!
How can you possibly think that the Celtics will be the #3 seed in the East.
Sure they brought in some good players, I'll give you that. However there just don't have the roll players that can actually win that division at all. Not to mention the fact that Ray Allen is getting up there in years, and is very injury prone to boot.
How can you possibly think that the Celtics will be the #3 seed in the East.
Sure they brought in some good players, I'll give you that. However there just don't have the roll players that can actually win that division at all. Not to mention the fact that Ray Allen is getting up there in years, and is very injury prone to boot.
Celtics and Bulls out to dunk Pistons in East
By: Chance Harper
The NBA season is just 21 days away with Oct 30 opening the hardwood action when the San Antonio Spurs begin defense of their title. Can anyone from the Eastern Conference step up and mount a challenge or will the Western Conference build on their recent run with seven NBA Finals wins the past nine years?
Has the NBA’s balance of power finally shifted to the Eastern Conference? Not even close.
Celtics and Bulls out to dunk Pistons in East
We seem to ask this question every year. Offseason movement takes superstar players away from the West, yet the gap between the two conferences remains as wide as the Great Plains. The latest big-ticket item to change hands: The Big Ticket himself, Kevin Garnett. His arrival in Boston will almost certainly put the Celtics into the playoffs. But where will they finish in the East?
Here’s our projected playoff lineup.
1. Detroit Pistons (53-39 straight up, 43-37-2 against the spread in 2006-07)
We’re not ready yet to knock the Pistons from their perch. Detroit looks like it will have the same starting five -- Chris Webber says he wants to return -- and should have more bench strength this year with draft pick Rodney Stuckey joining free-agent Jarvis Hayes and an improving Amir Johnson.
2. Chicago Bulls (49-33 SU, 40-41-1 ATS)
The Bulls and Pistons will be going at it hammer-and-tong this season. Power forward remains a question mark, but the way Tyrus Thomas is developing, he and rookie Joakim Noah could push the Bulls into first place. More importantly, they’ll be primed for a deep playoff run.
3. Boston Celtics (24-58 SU, 42-39-1 ATS)
The C’s landed Ray Allen from Seattle before acquiring Garnett, giving them three high-profile players -- Paul Pierce being the third. The problem is whether Pierce will become more of a third wheel. He and Garnett will have to learn to share the ball. Rajon Rondo is undervalued at the point, but the C’s could still use better players at the 1 and the 5.
4. Toronto Raptors (47-35 SU, 48-33-1 ATS)
The Raps were the NBA’s most profitable team last year, adding talent and improving their level of play as the season wore on. Toronto can expect Andrea Bargnani to develop as a sophomore, and their depth, one of the team’s strong suits last year, is even stronger with Jason Kapono, Carlos Delfino and Maceo Baston.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32 SU, 43-37-2 ATS)
It wasn’t that the Cavs did nothing in the offseason. Devin Brown will flesh out the backcourt, and they might get something out of Cedric Simmons. But this is not the supporting cast LeBron James needs to get the Cavs back in the Finals, and we’ve already seen coach Mike Brown’s weaknesses exposed.
6. Orlando Magic (40-42 SU, 37-43-2 ATS)
There is a drop-off in the East after the Cavs, and Orlando appears to be in the best position to secure one of the remaining playoff spots. Drastically overpaying for Rashard Lewis doesn’t change the fact that he’s an impact scorer, topping 20 points per game in each of the last three seasons. He and Dwight Howard could win the Southeast by themselves. They might have to.
7. New Jersey Nets (41-41 SU, 41-39-2 ATS)
The Nets nearly missed the playoffs last season. It’ll be another tough slog this time around, with Jason Kidd and Vince Carter a year older. But relatively healthy seasons from Nenad Krstic and Richard Jefferson should get the Nets back in. Otherwise, their bench might even be worse this year with rapidly decaying Jamaal Magloire and Malik Allen.
8. Miami Heat (44-38 SU, 42-37-3 ATS)
Last year was supposed to be Miami’s 'fade' season, but the Dwyane Wade injury changed the team dynamic. One of the big reasons for the Heat’s resurgence, Eddie Jones, is now in Dallas. Kapono is also gone, but Smush Parker has arrived. Ugh. Time to put the fade back on.
The Decrepit Seven
Charlotte’s playoff hopes went down the tubes when Sean May was lost for the season. Washington has a pitiful bench behind Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, making the Wizards excellent fade candidates. Atlanta should be better with Al Horford and Acie Law joining the youth movement. The Hawks were also bedeviled by injury last year; so were the Bucks, who should see a positive ATS bounce-back regardless of whether Yi Jianlian proves to be a bust.
The Knicks made a huge splash by landing Zach Randolph from Portland, but he and Eddy Curry can’t possibly co-exist in the frontcourt, and Curry has a torn shoulder. The Sixers didn’t collapse without Allen Iverson, but they will this year under the weight of aging veterans and underperforming youth. And the Pacers have proven they’re more interested in appeasing their conservative fan base than winning. Stick a fork in them.
By: Chance Harper
The NBA season is just 21 days away with Oct 30 opening the hardwood action when the San Antonio Spurs begin defense of their title. Can anyone from the Eastern Conference step up and mount a challenge or will the Western Conference build on their recent run with seven NBA Finals wins the past nine years?
Has the NBA’s balance of power finally shifted to the Eastern Conference? Not even close.
Celtics and Bulls out to dunk Pistons in East
We seem to ask this question every year. Offseason movement takes superstar players away from the West, yet the gap between the two conferences remains as wide as the Great Plains. The latest big-ticket item to change hands: The Big Ticket himself, Kevin Garnett. His arrival in Boston will almost certainly put the Celtics into the playoffs. But where will they finish in the East?
Here’s our projected playoff lineup.
1. Detroit Pistons (53-39 straight up, 43-37-2 against the spread in 2006-07)
We’re not ready yet to knock the Pistons from their perch. Detroit looks like it will have the same starting five -- Chris Webber says he wants to return -- and should have more bench strength this year with draft pick Rodney Stuckey joining free-agent Jarvis Hayes and an improving Amir Johnson.
2. Chicago Bulls (49-33 SU, 40-41-1 ATS)
The Bulls and Pistons will be going at it hammer-and-tong this season. Power forward remains a question mark, but the way Tyrus Thomas is developing, he and rookie Joakim Noah could push the Bulls into first place. More importantly, they’ll be primed for a deep playoff run.
3. Boston Celtics (24-58 SU, 42-39-1 ATS)
The C’s landed Ray Allen from Seattle before acquiring Garnett, giving them three high-profile players -- Paul Pierce being the third. The problem is whether Pierce will become more of a third wheel. He and Garnett will have to learn to share the ball. Rajon Rondo is undervalued at the point, but the C’s could still use better players at the 1 and the 5.
4. Toronto Raptors (47-35 SU, 48-33-1 ATS)
The Raps were the NBA’s most profitable team last year, adding talent and improving their level of play as the season wore on. Toronto can expect Andrea Bargnani to develop as a sophomore, and their depth, one of the team’s strong suits last year, is even stronger with Jason Kapono, Carlos Delfino and Maceo Baston.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32 SU, 43-37-2 ATS)
It wasn’t that the Cavs did nothing in the offseason. Devin Brown will flesh out the backcourt, and they might get something out of Cedric Simmons. But this is not the supporting cast LeBron James needs to get the Cavs back in the Finals, and we’ve already seen coach Mike Brown’s weaknesses exposed.
6. Orlando Magic (40-42 SU, 37-43-2 ATS)
There is a drop-off in the East after the Cavs, and Orlando appears to be in the best position to secure one of the remaining playoff spots. Drastically overpaying for Rashard Lewis doesn’t change the fact that he’s an impact scorer, topping 20 points per game in each of the last three seasons. He and Dwight Howard could win the Southeast by themselves. They might have to.
7. New Jersey Nets (41-41 SU, 41-39-2 ATS)
The Nets nearly missed the playoffs last season. It’ll be another tough slog this time around, with Jason Kidd and Vince Carter a year older. But relatively healthy seasons from Nenad Krstic and Richard Jefferson should get the Nets back in. Otherwise, their bench might even be worse this year with rapidly decaying Jamaal Magloire and Malik Allen.
8. Miami Heat (44-38 SU, 42-37-3 ATS)
Last year was supposed to be Miami’s 'fade' season, but the Dwyane Wade injury changed the team dynamic. One of the big reasons for the Heat’s resurgence, Eddie Jones, is now in Dallas. Kapono is also gone, but Smush Parker has arrived. Ugh. Time to put the fade back on.
The Decrepit Seven
Charlotte’s playoff hopes went down the tubes when Sean May was lost for the season. Washington has a pitiful bench behind Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, making the Wizards excellent fade candidates. Atlanta should be better with Al Horford and Acie Law joining the youth movement. The Hawks were also bedeviled by injury last year; so were the Bucks, who should see a positive ATS bounce-back regardless of whether Yi Jianlian proves to be a bust.
The Knicks made a huge splash by landing Zach Randolph from Portland, but he and Eddy Curry can’t possibly co-exist in the frontcourt, and Curry has a torn shoulder. The Sixers didn’t collapse without Allen Iverson, but they will this year under the weight of aging veterans and underperforming youth. And the Pacers have proven they’re more interested in appeasing their conservative fan base than winning. Stick a fork in them.
She tells me that I am not crazy, just obsessive compulsive.