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NBA West Wagering PreviewApparently, winning the NBA championship just isn't enough. The San Antonio Spurs want to take the entire league and make it their personal plaything. It's not going to be much fun for the other teams in the Western Conference - but it'll be a blast for the rest of us to watch. The reigning champions must have felt their playoff series against the Seattle SuperSonics and the Detroit Pistons were a little too close for comfort. They added to their talent pool by signing Michael Finley, Argentinean big-man Fabricio Oberto and pesky Nick Van Exel. Now the Spurs have depth at every position to go along with a bevy of All-Star starters. Can the rest of the West hope to compete? The Phoenix Suns had the best regular season in the league last year, then decided a defensive upgrade (Kurt Thomas, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw and Brian Grant) would be the best way to win a title. But with Amare Stoudamire out for around four months after microfracture surgery on his left knee, Phoenix will probably have to tread water until his return. That leaves the Dallas Mavericks as the only other established challenger to the conference title. They won 58 games last year and have only one major change: Doug Christie is replacing Finley at shooting guard. That may turn out to be a wash. Both players are in decline and were victims of the amnesty clause in the new collective bargaining agreement. Three promising teams are on the verge of joining the Western elite; or, in the case of the Sacramento Kings, rejoining. The Kings finally bit the bullet and divested themselves of Chris Webber, and in the process have been reborn. They also did what the New Jersey Nets failed to do and acquired Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who finally gets to play power forward again in Webber's old spot. The Houston Rockets are also refitted, adding point guard Rafer Alston and big man Stromile Swift. Their presence suggests the Rockets have truly become Tracy McGrady's team - how they'll fit around Yao Ming, on the other hand, remains to be seen. And the Denver Nuggets are ready to rock and run in their first full year under coach George Karl. All they have to do is figure out a system that will allow them to play all three of their point guards at once, after obtaining Earl Watson to go with Andre Miller and Earl Boykins. Can the SuperSonics duplicate last year's surprising season? They've already pulled off the improbable by signing most of their free agents, although the loss of Antonio Daniels could hurt. The Minnesota Timberwolves are also difficult to pin down. They've jettisoned malcontents Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell. Will it be a case of addition by subtraction? Kevin Garnett won the MVP award two years ago with Cassell and Sprewell by his side. Doing the same with Marko Jaric and Rashad McCants would be truly valuable. The West being as deep as ever, there are several teams who could be poised to sneak into the playoffs. The Golden State Warriors were a changed team after the arrival of Baron Davis, and more of the same is in store if (and this is a big if) Davis can stay healthy. The Utah Jazz are looking forward to an injury-free season from Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring. The Portland Trail Blazers have "weeded" out many of their police-blotter regulars, the Memphis Grizzlies have the tools to post their third winning season in a row, and even the Los Angeles Clippers have to be pleased with their collection of talent. Then there's the other team in L.A. The first year of the post-Shaquille O'Neal Era didn't go too well for the Lakers, thanks to injuries, infighting and coaching changes. Phil Jackson is back to take care of the last two issues. Whether he can squeeze a trip to the postseason out of Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and a thin supporting cast remains to be seen. But at least they're not the New Orleans Hornets. They're facing a season full of "home" games in Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina left them without a viable venue in the Big Easy. Not even promising rookie guards Chris Paul and Arvydas Macijauskas can save this team from the Western basement. If only they had stayed in Charlotte, and in the Eastern Conference. Look for our preview of the NBA East next Tuesday, November 1st, opening day of the 2005-06 regular season.
http://www.sport-betting-links.com
NBA West Wagering PreviewApparently, winning the NBA championship just isn't enough. The San Antonio Spurs want to take the entire league and make it their personal plaything. It's not going to be much fun for the other teams in the Western Conference - but it'll be a blast for the rest of us to watch. The reigning champions must have felt their playoff series against the Seattle SuperSonics and the Detroit Pistons were a little too close for comfort. They added to their talent pool by signing Michael Finley, Argentinean big-man Fabricio Oberto and pesky Nick Van Exel. Now the Spurs have depth at every position to go along with a bevy of All-Star starters. Can the rest of the West hope to compete? The Phoenix Suns had the best regular season in the league last year, then decided a defensive upgrade (Kurt Thomas, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw and Brian Grant) would be the best way to win a title. But with Amare Stoudamire out for around four months after microfracture surgery on his left knee, Phoenix will probably have to tread water until his return. That leaves the Dallas Mavericks as the only other established challenger to the conference title. They won 58 games last year and have only one major change: Doug Christie is replacing Finley at shooting guard. That may turn out to be a wash. Both players are in decline and were victims of the amnesty clause in the new collective bargaining agreement. Three promising teams are on the verge of joining the Western elite; or, in the case of the Sacramento Kings, rejoining. The Kings finally bit the bullet and divested themselves of Chris Webber, and in the process have been reborn. They also did what the New Jersey Nets failed to do and acquired Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who finally gets to play power forward again in Webber's old spot. The Houston Rockets are also refitted, adding point guard Rafer Alston and big man Stromile Swift. Their presence suggests the Rockets have truly become Tracy McGrady's team - how they'll fit around Yao Ming, on the other hand, remains to be seen. And the Denver Nuggets are ready to rock and run in their first full year under coach George Karl. All they have to do is figure out a system that will allow them to play all three of their point guards at once, after obtaining Earl Watson to go with Andre Miller and Earl Boykins. Can the SuperSonics duplicate last year's surprising season? They've already pulled off the improbable by signing most of their free agents, although the loss of Antonio Daniels could hurt. The Minnesota Timberwolves are also difficult to pin down. They've jettisoned malcontents Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell. Will it be a case of addition by subtraction? Kevin Garnett won the MVP award two years ago with Cassell and Sprewell by his side. Doing the same with Marko Jaric and Rashad McCants would be truly valuable. The West being as deep as ever, there are several teams who could be poised to sneak into the playoffs. The Golden State Warriors were a changed team after the arrival of Baron Davis, and more of the same is in store if (and this is a big if) Davis can stay healthy. The Utah Jazz are looking forward to an injury-free season from Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring. The Portland Trail Blazers have "weeded" out many of their police-blotter regulars, the Memphis Grizzlies have the tools to post their third winning season in a row, and even the Los Angeles Clippers have to be pleased with their collection of talent. Then there's the other team in L.A. The first year of the post-Shaquille O'Neal Era didn't go too well for the Lakers, thanks to injuries, infighting and coaching changes. Phil Jackson is back to take care of the last two issues. Whether he can squeeze a trip to the postseason out of Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and a thin supporting cast remains to be seen. But at least they're not the New Orleans Hornets. They're facing a season full of "home" games in Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina left them without a viable venue in the Big Easy. Not even promising rookie guards Chris Paul and Arvydas Macijauskas can save this team from the Western basement. If only they had stayed in Charlotte, and in the Eastern Conference. Look for our preview of the NBA East next Tuesday, November 1st, opening day of the 2005-06 regular season.
http://www.sport-betting-links.com
posted by adairk at
6:22 p.m.
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