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Basketball Handicapping
NBA EAST: LATENT HEATLast season, the Miami Heat were one game away from beating the Detroit Pistons for the Eastern Conference title. Not bad for a team that was just two years removed from a horrible 25-win campaign. So what does Miami do? Completely overhaul the team, surrounding Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade with Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, Gary Payton and James Posey. The talent level is unquestionable, but whether the pieces will fit promises to be the main storyline in the East this year. Detroit has a new coach in Flip Saunders, but returns the same starting five that went to the NBA finals in each of the past two seasons. Mix in a deep bench and a chance for Darko Milicic to step out of the doghouse Brown put him in, and the Pistons have to be considered the early favorite to win the conference. Indiana fans would take umbrage with that sentiment. The Pacers had to claw their way into the playoffs after losing several players to extended suspensions following the infamous brawl with the Pistons at the Palace. Ron Artest is back for (perhaps) a full year, joining Jermaine O'Neal, European star guard Sarunas Jasikevicius and the potential steal of the 2005 draft in 17th-overall pick Danny Granger. The Pacers are once again right up there among the Eastern elite. LeBron James will eventually be on an elite team. It probably won't be this year's Cleveland Cavaliers, although they've taken another step in the right direction by adding Larry Hughes, Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall. That upgrade puts the Cavs well ahead of the pack in the East. After Cleveland, it's a crapshoot who will claim the remaining four playoff spots. Cases can be made for Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia and New Jersey making it back to the postseason, but there are question marks with each team. Can the Bulls overcome trading away big men Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis? Are the Wizards better off with Caron Butler and Antonio Daniels instead of Hughes? Will Chris Webber give Allen Iverson the support he needs to lead the 76ers back to glory? And will the Nets regret nixing the Shareef Abdur-Rahim deal? If any of these clubs don't like the answers they find, they could easily end up in the lottery. There are two teams with realistic hopes of returning to the playoffs. Larry Brown has inherited a New York Knicks squad that looks like the polar opposite of his former employer. The Knicks are bursting at the seams with talent, but chemistry issues and salary-cap suffocation threaten to sink the team yet again. Their fate may rest in the hands (and the heart, both literally and figuratively) of Curry. Meanwhile, nobody can question the heart of T.J. Ford. He returns from a year lost to back surgery, hoping to duplicate his rookie performance and get the Bucks back in the win column. First-overall draft pick Andrew Bogut will have every chance to make an immediate contribution for Milwaukee. There are good stories and bad in the remainder of the East. Organizational malaise continues to dog the Toronto Raptors, the rebuilding Boston Celtics are fighting off Paul Pierce trade rumors on a daily basis, the Orlando Magic can't seem to decide whether Steve Francis is a point guard or a shooting guard, and the Atlanta Hawks are still the Atlanta Hawks. At least the Charlotte Bobcats appear to be on the right track. Draft picks Raymond Felton and Sean May give the 'Cats some Tar Heel flavor in the franchise's sophomore season. Charlotte has the rare opportunity to be the feel-good story of the league two years running. Just don't expect their fans to be happy with 20 wins in Year Three
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NBA EAST: LATENT HEATLast season, the Miami Heat were one game away from beating the Detroit Pistons for the Eastern Conference title. Not bad for a team that was just two years removed from a horrible 25-win campaign. So what does Miami do? Completely overhaul the team, surrounding Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade with Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, Gary Payton and James Posey. The talent level is unquestionable, but whether the pieces will fit promises to be the main storyline in the East this year. Detroit has a new coach in Flip Saunders, but returns the same starting five that went to the NBA finals in each of the past two seasons. Mix in a deep bench and a chance for Darko Milicic to step out of the doghouse Brown put him in, and the Pistons have to be considered the early favorite to win the conference. Indiana fans would take umbrage with that sentiment. The Pacers had to claw their way into the playoffs after losing several players to extended suspensions following the infamous brawl with the Pistons at the Palace. Ron Artest is back for (perhaps) a full year, joining Jermaine O'Neal, European star guard Sarunas Jasikevicius and the potential steal of the 2005 draft in 17th-overall pick Danny Granger. The Pacers are once again right up there among the Eastern elite. LeBron James will eventually be on an elite team. It probably won't be this year's Cleveland Cavaliers, although they've taken another step in the right direction by adding Larry Hughes, Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall. That upgrade puts the Cavs well ahead of the pack in the East. After Cleveland, it's a crapshoot who will claim the remaining four playoff spots. Cases can be made for Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia and New Jersey making it back to the postseason, but there are question marks with each team. Can the Bulls overcome trading away big men Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis? Are the Wizards better off with Caron Butler and Antonio Daniels instead of Hughes? Will Chris Webber give Allen Iverson the support he needs to lead the 76ers back to glory? And will the Nets regret nixing the Shareef Abdur-Rahim deal? If any of these clubs don't like the answers they find, they could easily end up in the lottery. There are two teams with realistic hopes of returning to the playoffs. Larry Brown has inherited a New York Knicks squad that looks like the polar opposite of his former employer. The Knicks are bursting at the seams with talent, but chemistry issues and salary-cap suffocation threaten to sink the team yet again. Their fate may rest in the hands (and the heart, both literally and figuratively) of Curry. Meanwhile, nobody can question the heart of T.J. Ford. He returns from a year lost to back surgery, hoping to duplicate his rookie performance and get the Bucks back in the win column. First-overall draft pick Andrew Bogut will have every chance to make an immediate contribution for Milwaukee. There are good stories and bad in the remainder of the East. Organizational malaise continues to dog the Toronto Raptors, the rebuilding Boston Celtics are fighting off Paul Pierce trade rumors on a daily basis, the Orlando Magic can't seem to decide whether Steve Francis is a point guard or a shooting guard, and the Atlanta Hawks are still the Atlanta Hawks. At least the Charlotte Bobcats appear to be on the right track. Draft picks Raymond Felton and Sean May give the 'Cats some Tar Heel flavor in the franchise's sophomore season. Charlotte has the rare opportunity to be the feel-good story of the league two years running. Just don't expect their fans to be happy with 20 wins in Year Three
http://www.sport-betting-links.com
posted by adairk at
5:26 p.m.
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