Post by Haberino on May 17, 2012 16:17:06 GMT -5
1. Orlando Magic
Never a doubt. The Magic return all the key cogs from a 70 win championship team, and they're the favorite in their threepeat campaign. They'll dominate most statistical categories, and if you were hoping TC would take a toll on their talent, think again; none of their guys are outside of their primes. If Barry Clemens wasn't giving Orlando a hometown discount in re-signing, shame on rival GMs for not nabbing him to sabotage Orlando. 2. Denver Nuggets
Greeme acquired probably the best two inside-scoring wings at last season's trade deadline, and re-signed the better player, Jon McGlocklin to a great contract. I would have liked to see them grab a shotblocking big with the MLE, and for now their bench is a weak spot. But Artis Gilmore has quietly become a near-star upfront, and their rebounding and interior defense are perfect complements to their dominant backcourt scoring. Back to Gilmore for a second: the turnovers diminish don't quite reduce the percentages, blocks, and steals to eye candy, but they're ugly at such low volume. ACs to midrange and handling could be major boosts to his value and production.3. Charlotte Bobcats
Most will disagree with the Bobcats outside of the top two, and they may well outclass the Nuggets as a regular season team. But they get - and maybe it's by design - so, so little from their backcourt, and with Nate a risk to decline in TC, I don't think there's enough punch for the kind of playoff run I think Denver's prime for, irrespective of conference. Their bench isn't doing their rebounding any favors, and between Thurmond and Hayes, foul trouble is always going to be a factor. Force Keye to play major minutes and this is an average team. None of this is to suggest they won't win over 60 games in the regular season.4. Toronto Raptoprs
How impressive were the Raptors last year? Key players missed 13, 12, 9, 7, 6, and 5 games, and they pulled off 62 wins. Oh, and their (arguably) best player averaged just 28 minutes a game. This team is about perfectly constructed for the system it runs, but barring an injury to Bingo Smith, is its ceiling the conference finals? Keep in mind that Zelmo's 37, and if he declines significantly, that's tough frontcourt to win with.5. New Jersey Nets
Firmly in the second tier, but still very good, the Nets seem to perennially be a trade away. Right now, point guard's the glaring weakness; you can't start Arvesta Kelly and hope to contend. PF isn't a strength, either. But the Nets could make some serious noise with good TCs for Kermit Washington and ML Carr. Kermit seems to have a good chance of filling out to 24-12-4 in his prime, and Carr has an outside shot at a Perry Jones-esque prime. Have to imagine Nanz could have his pick of superstars if he chose to trade Carr, but PG is his biggest area of need, and probably nobody at the position merits that kind of value. It's tough to pull the trigger on dealing such good youth for vets, and I don't think Rudy or Barnett will net Nanz the piece that puts him over the top. Maybe the deal just isn't out there. Right now, 55+ wins isn't shabby, and hey, maybe Repole rebuilds at some point lolz.6. Utah Jazz
A nice team that benefits from playing in a weak conference. Utah does a few things - shotblocking, inside scoring - really well. They stink at PG, and I'd like to see Hawkins get starter's minutes to add some balance to their offense, but that doesn't seem viable, even if he's a better player than George Carter. Anyway, they'll have a nice regular season, and I don't think anyone else in the West is in the mix for the conference finals spot opposite Denver. 7. Miami Heat
Strictly for lack of a better option. Miami has two great scoring options, elite shotblocking, another great scorer off the bench, and little else to praise. No PG, and their backcourt rebounding is as bad as their frontcourt's is good, so it's hard to assess how they'll fare on the glass. HF could also be looking to rebuild, and while this team could win over 50 games, they look to be a first round and out type.8. Golden State Warriors
Gross team with an annoying GM who sends horrible offers. Buntin was a good signing, though he needs to be a PF to be seriously effective. And CC managed to dump Eakins on a washed up GM shots fired. Marin should improve their offense, and their shotblocking should be better. But Hazzard might decline, the bench sucks, and nothing they do is all that impressive anyway.9. Oklahoma City Thunder
How good can a team be without a starting center? Probably not that good. 1-3 the Thunder are probably as good as it gets, including Denver, though a bad TC for Larry Jones' could prove disastrous for OKC. Mengelt, the beneficiary of this article, is one of the best point guards around, and Jones & Barry should remain dominant. Tack on a great-scoring wing off the bench and above-average shotblocking and all's well, right? Nope! Patterson and Washington will both be playing out of position. Counting Mengelt, that'll be three rebounding liabilities in OKC's starting lineup. There's no backup big to speak of, either. That's trouble.10. Houston Rockets
That 1-3 in an outside offense could be ridiculous. Dr. J and Maravich were really nice value steals, and I think they'll thrive in Houston. But Jordan's in HC hell and has no true power forward. Jones is also a very weak rebounder at the 5. So, they mirror the Thunder, but are a spot beneath them because a) I'm the Thunder GM and b) Barry is so much better than Maravich, and there's little separation elsewhere.THE NEXT FIVE:
Dallas Mavericks- They lost Havlicek, and who is their PG?
Los Angeles Lakers- Money is so, so horrible, and Goo's not much better. But they have awesome pieces and can probably net a stud if they deal Kenon
Los Angeles Clippers-Neal and Moore block shots and combine for alright offense and rebounding. Clark's very good. The rest is shit.
Detroit Pistons- That weird FBB thing where Andy's team can never be better than fourteenth best doesn't figure to change this year.
Chicago Bulls- Roster blows, and I can't rank them based on a prediction about what deals Play will do with the Lakers or Heat. But he's in his CY so including them seemed right.