Here are my thoughts on the East. I'll post the West later today.

Eastern Conference

1 Detroit Pistons

The loss of Wallace will be painful, but don’t underestimate the quiet acquisition of Nazr Mohammad. Detroit is still nasty, and despite a dropoff in overall talent, will likely be an improved offensive team this season. And if Antonio McDyess’ knees continue to hold up, he’ll also be able to provide more valuable minutes in Big Ben’s absence.

2 Miami Heat

I’m not into the whole “defending champs are automatically #1 entering the new season” nonsense, and I’m not gonna fall for the banana in the tailpipe, either. Shaq’s regular season minutes are on the decline, as are his overall numbers. Yes, Wade is a top-5 NBA talent. But as for the rest of that squad, you can keep ‘em.

3 Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are arguably the deepest team in the league this year. Unfortunately, they are not yet the best team in the league. I expect them to finally get out of the first round next May, but I still feel they are a year or so away from contending for an NBA title. Might be fate though. Sox title in ’05. Bears title in ’06. Bulls title in ’07? Now that’s a 3-peat.

4 Cleveland Cavaliers

If Cleveland has title aspirations, they’re going to have to jump on LeBron’s back, because the rest of that squad just isn’t good enough to make the difference. Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas? All solid players, but none of them special enough to push the envelope against the league’s best.

5 New Jersey Nets

The Nets are your classic “good but not great” team. Just good enough to take you 6 or 7 games, but not a chance in hell they win the East. We all know what Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson can do, but if Nenad Krstic breaks out this year, New Jersey may be more of a bitch than I’m giving them credit for.

6 Indiana Pacers

Why does Larry Bird continue to rely on and get burned by Jamaal Tinsley? The rest of this lineup is solid – Stephen Jackson, Danny Granger, Al Harrington, Jermaine O’Neal. If Tinsley misses half of the season, AGAIN, then Larry has no one to blame but himself for this roster putting up another 41-41 season.

7 Washington Wizards

The Wizards appeared to be on their way up 2 years ago. Now, they appear to be on their way to mediocrity. They have a shoot-first PG in Gilbert Arenas, along with a bunch of role players that really don’t get me very excited. Caron Butler has some talent, Antawn Jamison can play, the big men are average, and that’s about it. If they make it to the playoffs, it will be one & done in Washington.

8 Orlando Magic

Now this is a team on the rise. Once they get Grant Hill’s bloated contract off the books next offseason, they’ll be in great shape to position themselves for the future. Dwight Howard is quickly becoming a household name, and rightfully so. He’s not as nasty as Ben Wallace, but he’s quicker and has better hops. Jameer Nelson is one of the more underrated young guards in the league, and with Stevie Franchise getting traded last year, finally has the PG position all to himself. The jury is still out on Reddick & Milicic, but regardless of what happens, they’re both in good spots – on a young team with promise that for now, isn’t under a ton of pressure.

9 Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks, an ordinary team coming off of an extraordinary offseason. First, they fleece the Raptors and trade away an injury prone PG with no offensive game (TJ Ford) for an up and coming PF (Charlie Villanueva). Then inexplicably, they send an above average talent (Jamal Magloire) to Portland for a mediocre veteran (Brian Skinner) and a scrappy young guard (Steve Blake) with minimal ability. No idea what they're doing up there in Milwaukee, but they'll have plenty of time to sort it out at the end of April. The East is just too deep this year for the Bucks to handle.

10 Philadelphia 76ers

One word for this organization: mediocre. As long as they have AI and some decent role players, they'll never be bad. And as long as they have big bloated contracts like Weber's and Dalembert's, with no quality young talent besides Iguodala, they'll never be great either. With the current direction of this franchise, I don't expect Philly to be a contender for a long, long time.

11 Boston Celtics

Got enough combo guards over there, Danny Ainge? The presence of Paul Pierce prevents them from being total patsies, but with no respectable depth and the lack of a decent big man, Boston is going nowhere fast. They'll be lucky to win 35 games this year.

12 New York Knicks

Isiah, captain of the ship of fools. Despite my desire to watch this team crash and burn, under no circumstances do I expect them to be as bad as last year. Though they have a roster full of selfish ballplayers, they have too much talent on that squad to put up a last place effort. I'm expecting bad, but not terrible. Look for the Bulls to get the 7th or 8th pick courtesy of the Knicks.

13 Toronto Raptors

Although I feel Brian Colangelo is the most overrated GM in all of professional sports, I do have to give him credit for stepping up and accepting a challenge. And thus far, he's definitely taken some chances. Trading Charlie Villanueva for TJ Ford was an awful move in my opinion, but time will tell on that one. I do think the Phoenix-style offense is a good fit for Ford, I just happen to think he got terrible value on the exchange. And since none of us has seen Andrea Bargnani in live competition yet, I'll give Colangelo the benefit of the doubt on that one.

14 Atlanta Hawks

Gotta love the Hawks. Chris Paul? Nah, we like Marvin Williams. I'm going to be laughing at that move for the next 15 years. Randy Foye? Nah, we like Sheldon Williams. What the hell are they doing down there in Atlanta? Signing Speedy Claxton will help, but sorry, this team still blows.

15 Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats apparently have a plan, but I'm not convinced it's a very good one. The starting 5 going forward: Felton, Wallace, Morrison, May, and Okafor. I love Gerald Wallace, and Okafor should become a nice player if he can stay healthy, but I'm not sold on the rest. Felton looks a lot like TJ Ford, a speedy PG with a poor jump shot. There are serious doubts that Morrison will be able to create his own shot at the NBA level. And Sean May? Anybody remember Tractor Traylor? Put the fork down, buddy, you're a professional athlete.

Uh oh. Somebody got da fever. I think they have meds for that.

Seriously, thanks for the great breakdown on the NBA. Now I know all I need to know about it until the playoffs begin.

Bears title would be in 07 so the Bulls may have to wait until 09 for the pattern to remain true.

Good job spin

Yeah, but I consider it the ’06 season. You know what I meant, Dolphin, back-to-back-to-back.

Nas,
Thanks for the preview. Two cents:
I think that Darko will be an all star within the next two years IF he stays inside. When he starts shooting threes is when he gets in trouble. He has a nice touch around the basket.
I think that Raymond Felton is the real deal and think the bobcats will challenge for a playoff spot, although they ultimately will fall short.

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"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

Interesting stuff, Bucket. I'm curious how strongly you feel about the Pistons as the top pick in the East. I think things are pretty even among the top 4 teams. Miami has the best inside-outside tandem; Cleveland has probably the best overall player and a solid group of role players; Detroit has very good offensive skill and depth, but declining defensive play; the Bulls have good depth and tenacity and are the best coached team in this group. I can see Miami slacking for much of the regular season, but turning up their play for the playoffs and winning the East again. But if the team has lost its killer instinct, it will fade into Bolivia, and that could really open things up for the Bulls. I don't see Detroit as a serious title contender anymore because Flip Saunders doesn't emphasize defense enough for sustained playoff success. Your thoughts?

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[quote]don't see Detroit as a serious title contender anymore because Flip Saunders doesn't emphasize defense enough for sustained playoff success.[quote]

I tend to agree with that point TM.
Detroit has way too many athletes to just go away, but the lack defensive intensity has them on a decline.

For discussion.
Where does Skiles rank among current coaches in the east?

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“Mmmm. Move over, eggs. Bacon just got a new best friend - fudge.”

I don't think Skiles gets nearly enough credit from the National analysts. ESPN had 16 analysts predict a coach of the year; not one voted for Skiles. He didn't get any love last year, either. Am I missing something? He has certainly found a way to maximize the talent he's had...

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"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

I would probably put the Raptors a little higher, definately over Boston, maybe Philly

Midge,

I completely agree and made a similar post in another Bulls thread. There is very little separation between the top 4 in the East. In fact, there isn’t a great deal of separation in the league as a whole. The NBA is drifting towards the NFL, where the worst teams aren’t nearly so weak and the best teams aren’t nearly so strong. So to answer your question, no, I do not feel that Detroit has the East on lock down. They just happen to be my pick on October 31st. I don’t like Miami’s roster from top to bottom. I don’t think Cleveland has the right mix. And I don’t think the Bulls are mature enough to bring it home just yet.

My picks for the West are somewhat against the grain, will have those up shortly…

I think you are underrating the Cavs and overrating the Pistons. Here's my seeding.

1. Cavs

2. Bulls

3. Heat

4. Pistons

5. Magic

6. Nets

7. Pacers

8. Wizzards

Good stuff Bucket, thanks for the breakdown.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Only if they can figure out a way to play with multiple basketballs for all of the shooting guards they have.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

What if Ditka coached the Bulls ?

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Why?

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It's going to be fun to wath Isiah struggle. But he'll get the last laugh. That guy has made a shit load of money in his post playing days. But he's been a massive failure at every stop. Why the Knicks gave him the keys in the first place is beyond everybody? He failed as GM in Toronto, bankrupted the CBA in a week, failed as Indiana coach (Bird and Carlile succeded their before and after him), wrecked the Knicks while having the highest pay roll in the League. But he's probrally cleared 50 million while failing at all of these stops. America is great for some people. He's the Pappy of the NBA.

Or the George W. Bush of the NBA.

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Western Conference

1 San Antonio Spurs

I have no idea why everyone is so quick to pencil in Dallas as the favorite in the West. San Antonio has owned this conference for the last few years, and if not for some craziness in the latter games of the Western Conference Finals last year, would have probably won the title. They have the best big man in the game, Duncan, and with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, one of the toughest back courts as well. I expect the Spurs to reclaim the West in '06.

2 Dallas Mavericks

A very strong team, but not as strong as San Antonio. As for all the talk about Dallas' depth, I don't see it. I like Devin Harris, and DeSagana Diop is a nice role player, but the rest of them do nothing for me. Austin Croshere? Devean George? I don't think so. And when the inevitable Jerry Stackhouse knee injury occurs, this team will be even thinner. Love the Mavericks to contend, but those suggesting they will dominate the West need to put the pipe down.

3 Phoenix Suns

Phoenix put up an impressive fight last season without the services of Amare Stoudamire. And unfortunately, there's a decent chance they may have to do it again. The new season is barely underway, and already Amare is having problems with the knee flaring up. If he can stay healthy and return to form, then Phoenix can hang with anybody in the league. But if it's Nash, Marion, and the traveling 3-point circus again in '06, that won't be enough to compete for a title. Also, their ownership should be put in front of a firing squad for the way they behaved on draft night. You're a professional basketball organization, not a single A baseball club.

4 Los Angeles Clippers

Everybody feels funny saying it, but the Clippers are a damn strong team. Cassell, Mobley, Maggette, Brand, and that ugly white mutant, Kaman, these guys can play. Maggette & Livingston need to show they can stay healthy, but other than that, there really aren't any soft spots on this squad. I expect the Clip to make a valiant run, but getting past the Spurs or the Mavs would be a hell of an upset.

5 Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers have really done a poor job of rebuilding around Kobe. Outside of Lamar Odom, they're just a bunch of overpaid backup singers. You couldn't find a better point guard than Smush Parker? Can't do any better at center than Chris Mihm? I like the Radmanovic acquisition, but unless Odom can start playing the post effectively, I'm not so sure how much it helps them. The Lakers already have a team full of guys looking to take outside shots. They'll be above .500, but don't expect postseason glory from this bunch.

6 Sacramento Kings

I have the Kings rated higher than most people do, with a lot of built-in "ifs". If, the trio of young wingmen (Garcia, Martin, Salmons) perform up to snuff. If, Ron Artest can keep it together. If, Shareef Adbur-Rahim can stay on the court and off the crutches. I don't worry about Mike Bibby and Brad Miller (though Bibby is out a few weeks with a sprained thumb), but the volatility of the rest of this roster will make or break the team.

7 Utah Jazz

The Jazz have a very solid frontcourt team. They just need to keep them healthy. Mehmet Okur played all 82 games last year, but Boozer missed a ton of time and Kirilenko has sat out for stretches in back to back seasons. I'm not exactly sold on the backcourt, though. Deron Williams is an improving combo guard and Derek Fisher is as good a backup as there is in the league, but Gordan Giricek and Matt Harpring don't do much for me. They'll make strides in '06 but don't have enough to be considered a threat.

8 Houston Rockets

This, in my opinion, is the most overrated team in the NBA. T-Mac has chronic back problems and Yao, despite being 8 feet tall, barely squeeks out 10 boards a game. The additions of Shane Battier and Bonzi Wells will help, but there isn't enough on that roster to make them any better than the eighth seed. The bags under Jeff Van Gundy's eyes continue to expand in '06.

9 New Orleans Hornets

The Hornets are an interesting bunch. They have one of the game's best point guards in Chris Paul, a slasher in Desmond Mason, a sharpshooter in Stojakovic, and a post player in David West that caught a lot of people by surprise last year. They just don't have the total package, though. Chandler will improve their post defense, but the two big men they drafted (Simmons & Armstrong) are 2-3 years away from major contributions.

10 Denver Nuggets

Outside of Carmelo Anthony & Andre Miller, there is not one reliable guy on this team. KDdidit Martin, Marcus Camby, and Nene Hilario are injuries waiting to happen. And JR Smith and Reggie Evans are total flakes. If the Nuggets didn't play in the Northwest Division, I'd probably rank them 12. But since they'll have a lot of games with cupcakes like Portland, Seattle, and Minnesota, I think their record will be a bit inflated.

11 Golden State Warriors

Much like the Knicks, this is another poorly assembled roster that has some talent but no concept of how to play together. Their PG, Baron Davis, takes way too many shots, and does so at a horrific shooting percentage. Jason Richardson has really improved his game in the past 2 seasons, but if you're going to be the primary scorer on your team, you have to shoot a better FT rate than 67%. Mike Dunleavy has been a bust, and Troy Murphy has been solid, but not spectacular. Just another NBA franchise drowning in mediocrity.

12 Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies need to find a way to survive until Christmas. Pau Gasol is out for the first 3 months of the season, and without him, they're a much weaker team. Stoudamire, Jones, and Miller are all above average on the perimeter. But if the big Spaniard suffers a setback and misses any more time than scheduled, you can pencil Memphis in for a high lottery pick.

13 Seattle Sonics

As a team, the Sonics aren't very good. But as long as they have the tandem of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, they'll stay afloat. Surround them with a few decent role players like Ridnour, Collison, & Wilcox, and they'll probably win 30 games. I'm not expecting much from Seattle this year. They just sold the team, and their big corn-fed honky center (Robert Swift) is out for the season.

14 Minnesota T'Wolves

Sorry, but this team just flat out sucks. And if Garnett decides to opt out of his contract next offseason, these guys have a chance to be worse than the post-Jordan Bulls. Randy Foye may end up winning rookie of the year, and that might be the only good news to come out of Minneapolis this year.

15 Portland Trailblazers

After the aggressive offseason Portland just had, I'd really like to rank them higher than last. Unfortunately, they're still too shitty to be ranked any higher. They're just too young and they still have some dead weight on that roster that needs to go. 2 or 3 more solid offseasons from the front office, though, and there may be life in Portland once again.

Really? Let's look at the record here. Since Isiah retired as a player...

He was part owner and Executive Vice President of the Toronto Raptors. Over his four years there, they were unable to make the playoffs.

After leaving the Raptors, Thomas became a television commentator. His clumsy, monotone vocal delivery eventually led NBC to add Bill Walton as a secondary analyst to help compensate for Isiah's deficiencies as a commentator during game broadcasts.

Thomas then became the owner of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1998 to 2000. After his purchase, the league was forced into bankruptcy and folded. Many CBA managers blamed Thomas' mismanagement and out-of-control spending.

From 2000 to 2003, Thomas inherited an Eastern Conference championship team as coach of the Indiana Pacers. In his first two seasons with the Pacers, the team was eliminated in the first round. The next year, as the third seed, the Pacers were eliminated in the first round.

In December, 2003, he was given the job of president of basketball operations by the New York Knicks. He immediately changed the face of the franchise by trading for a number of high-priced stars. However, despite a very high payroll, the team performed poorly, including finishing last in the Atlantic Division in 2005. At the end of the 2005-2006 season, the Knicks had the highest payroll in the NBA, yet earned the second-worst record in the NBA, and traded away several future draft picks, including the number 2 overall pick in 2006.

On January 24, 2006, Thomas and Madison Square Garden were sued for sexual harassment and retaliation by Anucha Browne Sanders. Thomas is alleged to have made numerous sexist and demeaning statements to Sanders as well as making sexual advances and repeatedly telling her that he was in love with her. The lawsuit also alleges that Thomas told Sanders he was pushing for more home games at noon on Sundays. His plan, according to Sanders, was to have opposing players go to New York clubs the night before to get them drunk so they would be sluggish for the next day's game.

Since the lawsuit became public, several other employees and former employees have come forward with similar lawsuits, and some in the public are questioning the Knicks organization's stand on sexual harassment and discrimination. On September 19, 2006, the federal agency Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found probable cause to believe a hostile work environment existed at Madison Square Garden, and found that the treatment of Sanders was not an isolated incident. The agency reported that her treatment included "severe and pervasive verbal sexual harassment."

This is what the world sees of Isiah. Nas, What exactly is it that you see that you would deem him as being "smart"???

I am in partial agreement with Nas on this one. While I think Isiah is an absolute boob, I am not counting on the Knicks turning in another last place finish this year. He has them sneaking into the playoffs. I don’t think they’ll get that far, but I’m not expecting another top-3 draft pick either.

It's all in how the ping pong ball bounces, but all in all I like the Bulls position.
Depending on who will be available in the draft (Oden???), which picks they hold, and the development of the young players, they could swing some trades.

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“Mmmm. Move over, eggs. Bacon just got a new best friend - fudge.”

Their chances of landing Oden are very slim. Of course I’m rooting for it, but for all practical purposes, I’m keeping an eye on guys projected to go between 5 & 15.

One thing's for sure: the Bulls will again get a good pick they in no way deserve thanks to the ineptness of Isiah.

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You can't see me because of internet.

The landowner effectively owns part shares in millions of part-time slaves called, "taxpayers." -Roy L
A Personal Relationship with Jesus?

Seems I can't quote either, but in regard to the power rankings, and the 1st night of full action....

1- Minnesota is not going to be that bad. I'm a KG guy for life, even though he frustrates me beyond belief (yes, even the Kings announcers last night were completely perplexed as to why someone who was 7-7 from the field only had 7 shot attempts in the middle of the 4th quarter). I think Foye is going to be a solid contributor as will Mike James. The only weakness (which a huge, glaring weakness) is the middle, Mark Blount is pretty awful. If he can do anything at all, they will make the playoffs.

2-Nice start by the Warriors...losing to the Lakers without Kobe. I still think they will finally break their playoff drought, but of course I'm going to be the fool who stands beside them for too long. I know Nellie likes to run, but with Murphy at 5 and Dunleavy at 4, they better score 120+ a night because they're likely going to be giving up that much. I also wonder what they're going to do with Ike Diagu, he really impressed me last year.

3- I thought the Hawks would be better, not necessarily make the playoffs better, but better. I completely retract that feeling. I'm licking my chops for when Josh Smith comes on the market though, hoping and praying he goes to a team I like. The guy is a monster.

4- Still can't believe the Bulls not only lost, but gave up that much. When I saw Orlando's starting 5 (why isn't Hill starting?) I thought they'd struggle to match Miami's numbers from the previous night. Shocked they gave up 100. Maybe because it was a back to back. I mean seriously, Howard is the only person they start that scares me.

In regards to your posts, I think Minnesota is a borderline playoff team. I love Garnett, and while they have improved the surrounding cast with James, Foye, and Ricky Davis for an entire year, they still, for whatever reason, refuse to get Garnett any help upfront. Outside of Foye, they have a veteran team so they will win some games they shouldn't, particularly on the road, and they won't be an easy team to beat when the backcourt is playing well, but I don't see much more than a possible playoff birth, and a one and out team.

GS will at least be fun to watch this season - if Baron Davis can stay healthy. I love the trend that league is falling back into - more upcourt, fast paced play...GS doesn't have the defense, as you mention, so they will basically have to outscore everyone, and say healthy.

If you're a Hawks fan, you have to stay patient, but I like the pieces they are adding, ever so slowly. Joe Johnson is a really good player, good for 20+ every night, and with the ability to play the point. Bad break with Marvin Williams going down, I think he's going to be good eventually, and Josh Smith was a freak last season in the 2nd half, just doing everything. If he can be consistent, him and Johnson will keep this team competitive.

The Bulls just didn't bring it defensively last night. Letting Orlando shoot 59% from the floor, and Ben Wallace got man-handled by Dwight Howard...Howard's going to do that to a lot of people this season as he's a beast, but Orlando, while actually having some good players (Howard, Nelson, Turkoglu if he's hitting his shots, Hill if healthy) shouldn't shoot that high a percentage.

- In other NBA thoughts, Portland, where wins will be scarce, wins at Seattle...Not that Seattle is very good, but still impressive. Portland does have Zach Randolph, and if he's focused, and wants to play down low, he'll be a double double, most nights.

- Milwaukee, with their new front line with Charlie Villaneavua and Bogut now the main man at C, win in Detroit.

- Are the Knicks still the Knicks ? I watched the game last night with the Bulls playing so bad, and NY actually looked good for about 3 quarters. Granted, they are playing Memphis, who without Gasol, are horrible, but then they reverted back to the Knicks, and blew a 19 point lead before eventually winining in 3 OT's (I had the Knicks ML last night, meaning I was up about $95.00 on that game).

Yeah, I'm not disallusioned enough to think the Wolves are going to make any noise in the playoffs, you're right, they're borderline at best. As far as help upfront for KG, may I remind you of Dean Garrett? That's about the best they had, unless you consider Gugliotta help upfront...and man do I miss Terell Brandon

Didn't watch any of that Knicks game although I saw it was in 3OT. Nice move to cut Jalen Rose.

As far as the Hawks, yeah I do like them despite their questionable draft picks. Losing Williams will hurt, no doubt.

OK, I'm retracting my retraction. Wow, what a game last night against the Cavs. Hawks are 3-1 now. Big choke job by LeBron missing a free throw that would have put them up 3, then Lue goes length of the floor to send it into OT. And Joe Johnson had about 3 3's he hoisted that went it, plus one they took away because the shot clock expired. Great game.

What a start - 3-1 for Atlanta...Puchulia is looking good at Center, Johnson's a stud, they just need to play some defense, and hope some of that young talent continues to mature.

I cringe everytime Pachulia touches it, yet he continues to be solid. There was one shot that he threw up that looked like it had absolutely 0 arc to it, like a line drive that clanked off the backboard and went in. I really do like this team, Lue is a nice player off the bench and Claxton will help them. I have to admit, I thought Johnson wasn't going to do shit after leaving Phoenix to take the cash, but he truly is a go to player. I'm not saying he's better than LeBron, but he really outlclassed him last night, at least for one night.

Yeah, I thought Johnson would be a 17 PPG player, a nice player, but not somebody you would mistake for your best player or anything like that. Instead, he's turned into a 25 PPG, and a go to player that nobody talks about because of the team he plays for. I guess it's hard to be a go-to player for a team that has win about 20-25 games a season in the past few seasons.

Puchulia does look awkward at times, but he's got some skills, and looking around the league, there just aren't many centers out there so he'll be fine.