Basketball
for Christmas
NBA
Preview
After the player’s revolt and off season chaos,
the NBA returns to on court action for the holiday season in a shortened 66
game season. Last season, I think I picked the Spurs to meet the Heat for the
title but it did not quite work out that way.
So here we go with my preview for the 2011-2012
NBA season.
Eastern
Conference
Atlantic
Division:
This division is still the domain of the Boston Celtics
although this season the New
York Knicks have bulked up their interior
defense with the addition of Tyson Chandler along with adding veterans Mike
Bibby and Baron Davis to shore up the backcourt. The Knicks could challenge
Boston if the Celtics run into injury problems or the consolidation of the
schedule takes its toll.
The Philadelphia
Seventy Sixers were a tough team to play against
last season and pretty much remained intact for this season’s run. They drafted
big men Lavoy Allen and Nikola Vucevic who may work their way into the rotation
but are mainly hoping a year of maturity in Doug Collins’ system will help them
advance in the post-season.
New Jersey
did not make any of the expected big off-season moves and with Brooke Lopez
injured had to pick up Mehmet Okur in hopes of filling the void in his absence.
It will be interesting to see if Deron Williams decides to stay with the Nets
or seek a change of scenery. Finally Toronto
did not do much to its roster in the off season so may not improve their record
much this season.
Central
Division:
The Chicago
Bulls are a head above the rest of the teams in this
division and will be looking to get further than the conference finals this
season. They will need inside duo Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah to co-exist in
the paint better this season to take a bit of the load off Derrick Rose and
Luol Deng. Veteran Richard Hamilton’s addition on the wing provides a solid
scoring option. Kyle Korver and Taj Gibson will again bring energy, long range
bombs and rebounds off the bench. The Bulls are a threat for the best record
for the regular season again this year.
Indiana
will not surprise people this season but will be a solid team and possible
playoff team again. The continued improvement of Roy Hibbert and the addition
of David West in tandem with Tyler Hansbrough give the Pacers some inside punch
to go with Danny Granger, Paul George and Darren Collison.
Milwaukee
went from being a team on the verge to mediocrity last season but have the
pieces in place to improve. Brandon Jennings has another year’s worth of
experience to call upon at the point and should pair well with veteran scorer
Stephen Jackson. Drew Gooden will be solid if not spectacular at the power
forward slot and Andrew Bogut is a double/double threat in the pivot when
healthy. The team is on the verge of being a playoff team again and if healthy
could sneak in to the post-season.
In Detroit
the Piston are looking to improve but are not quite there yet. Similar story in
Cleveland
where top pick Kyrie Irving will contend for Rookie of the Year honours and
Tristan Thompson provides another piece for the future. Not playoff ready for a
while yet but may be entertaining again.
Southeast
Division:
The Miami
Heat
should easily take this division again and are looking to finish the playoffs
slightly better than last season. The addition of Shane Battier on the wing
will help team chemistry and perimeter defense. A healthy Mike Miller this
season should provide punch from beyond the arc. An interesting signing this
season is Eddy Curry; will he be worth in excess of $11 million?? Will Chris
Bash be more consistent? The Heat will be tested again for the Eastern
Conference crown but if they use last season as a motivator, they could go all
the way.
Atlanta
returns essentially the same cast from last season with the addition of
veterans Jerry Stackhouse and Tracy McGrady. The Hawks fell by the wayside in
the post season and need to develop a tougher attitude to advance this season.
The may end up better than Orlando and get the home court advantage in the
first round of the playoffs.
In Orlando,
the Magic’s fortunes hinge on Dwight Howard and whether or not he is happy in
Orlando or wanting to be traded. This team could drop out of playoff contention
completely as the Howard saga continues.
The Washington Wizards
could be this year’s surprise playoff team as their roster matures. Jevale
McGee, Andray Blatche, John Wall and Nick Young combine with veteran Rashard
Lewis in a solid starting unit and have a second squad that is improving.
Charlotte
is re-tooling and may not make much of a splash this season.
Conference
Playoff Teams:
Boston
Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat,
Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards
Conference
Champs:
Chicago
Bulls
Western
Conference
Northwest
Division:
Oklahoma
City
has pretty much stood pat in this division and may be the top team in the
conference this season. The major task will be getting quality looks for Kevin
Durant and for Russell Westbrook to work out a distribution to shot ratio in
the point guard position. Inside they will be tough on the boards and
defensively with Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka protecting the lane. This
team could very easily represent the conference in the NBA Finals.
Portland
will be solid again even with the forced retirement of Brandon Roy. The
evolution of LaMarcus Aldridge and the hell for leather play of Gerald Wallace
will spear the Blazer attack. The team has adequate depth to get them through
the condensed season and hope to keep big men Marcus Camby and Greg Oden
healthy for the season. Portland should make it to the post season but will not
advance too far.
The Denver
Nuggets have added veteran point guard Andre Miller to
the mix with their young and talented line up. Improvement from Ty Lawson and
Danilo Gallinari this season should see the Nuggets back in post season play.
Overall they could be a tough ask on most nights for any team.
Utah
will be tough in the post with Paul Milsap and Al Jefferson down low but they
will need consistency from Devin Harris to complement them. Improvement from
Gordon Hayward and the adjustment to NBA play by Alec Burks will boost the
season prospects in Utah as will the development of big man Enes Kanter. The
Jazz may sneak into the playoffs as a 7-8 seed.
Minnesota
will go as far as they can on the backs of Kevin Love and Michael Beasley. The
arrival of distributor Ricky Rubio should see this team improve but how much
remains to be seen.
Pacific
Division:
The Los
Angeles Lakers are still the top team in this
division on paper but after being swept out of last season’s playoffs, have not
made many roster moves. The wrist injury to Kobe Bryant may have some effect on
the team early in the season as will the attitude of young center Andrew Bynum.
The depth chart at small forward shows a cast of thousands with newly named
Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes heading the quartet. Do not be surprised by a
roster move early in the season for Dwight Howard as they look for an anchor in
the post. The Lakers will of course make the playoffs but how far they go
depends on the roster changes they make.
The LA Clippers
have made themselves relevant in the Pacific division with the acquisitions of
Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler to go with young athletic big men
Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers should be ready for a run at the
division title and usurping some of the LA “glamour” from the Lakers.
Mark Jackson finally gets a chance on the
sidelines at Golden
State and inherits a squad capable of scoring with
anyone. He will be looking to Andris Biedrins, Ekpe Udoh and David Lee to play
a bit of “D” on the inside and grab some boards.
The addition of Jimmer Fredette at point guard
will allow the Sacramento
Kings to move Tyreke Evans to the shooting guard slot
and give the Kings another scoring option. The maturity of DeMarcus Cousins
will go a long way in solidifying Sacramento’s post play on offense and
defense. The Kings will be improved and could surprise.
Phoenix with the exception of Steve Nash and Grant
Hill is largely unproven and will be hard pressed to make the playoffs.
Southwest
Division:
Defending champions the Dallas Mavericks have
changed a few parts but should be solid in the post season. They have lost
Tyson Chandler and Caron Butler but welcome Vince Carter and Lamar Odom to
their veteran roster to go with Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Brendan Haywood.
The team seems to be weaker on paper this year but don’t count them out.
San Antonio
ran out of steam in the playoffs last season and will look to rest their older
players as much as possible during the regular season in hopes of staying
injury free and going further into the post season. Tim Duncan will be as
steady as ever though his numbers dipped slightly last season. More support
will be needed from Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
Memphis
will have Rudy Gay healthy to start the season and hopefully for the playoffs
this season as they look to improve on last season’s success. Marc Gasol and
Zach Randolph will give the Grizzlies a strong post tandem again as the team
looks to improve on last season.
In Houston, the Rockets are a
team in the midst of a changeover with the retirement of Yao Ming and several
new additions to their roster. They will be interesting to watch and may just
slip into a playoff spot.
New
Orleans has a few new faces but not a lot of depth on their roster as they
start the post Chris Paul era in the Crescent City. They are in pure
rebuild/restructure mode this season so do not expect any miracles.
Conference
Playoff Teams:
Oklahoma
City, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio
Spurs, Portland Trailblazers and Golden State Warriors
Conference
Champs:
Oklahoma
City Thunder
2012
NBA Champions:
Chicago
Bulls
