Post by gp on Jun 26, 2010 4:19:05 GMT -5
2002 BBS Pre-Season Power Rankings
1- Orlando Magic -- (Off-season recap: Resigned Shaquille O'Neal, Avery Johnson, Scot Pollard)
The Champs enter the season as favorites to repeat simply because anytime you get Shaquille O'Neal back, you have to be favored to repeat. The Magic managed to win the chip despite not having Glenn Robinson during the playoffs and still captured a championship during Outlawz' 2nd tour in this version of BBS even after being the sixth seed in the East. Orlando essentially brings back the same roster but his team is full of veterans and should be overcome some cheap free agents being added to the squad.
Projected 02' record: 56-26
2- Golden State Warriors (Off-season recap: Traded for David Robinson, John Starks, Doug Christie, Bobby Hurley, Rashard Lewis; Drafted Luis Scola)
There's no doubt in Oakland that the Warriors are going for it all this year. GM CC has made it clear that winning is a priority after stocking up his young studs last year (Zach Randolph, Jason Terry, Samuel Dalembert, Brian Cardinal), bringing in proven veterans this year (David Robinson, Doug Christie, Bobby Hurley) and acquiring two wild cards (Rashard Lewis and Luis Scola). What many Gms are wondering is how all the pieces will come together? Hurley at PG, Terry at SG, Lewis at SF, Randolph at PF and Robinson at C seems to be the logical lineup but this team is blessed with so much depth that a number of different lineups could work.
Projected 02' record: 55-27
3- Miami Heat (Off-season recap: Traded for Richard Hamilton, Vlade Divac; Drafted Chris Wilcox, Frank Williams)
After a very sluggish start to the season last year, the Heat rebounded nicely in the 2nd half of the season and surged to a tie at the top of the Eastern Conference. Miami is absolutely loaded at the wings, so much so that they could badly use some help down low. For now, the Heat will rely on seasoned veterans like Vlade Divac, Keon Clark, Juwan Howard, Nazr Mohammed and Stanley Roberts. Nash and Hamilton should form a formidable duo in the backcourt while Tracy McGrady and Shawn Marion will bring the scoring artillery this year.
Projected 02' record: 54-28
4- Chicago Bulls (Off-season recap: Traded for Kevin Garnett, Brian Grant; Drafted Nikoloz Tskikitschvili, Rod Grizzard, Jiri Welsch)
Chicago seems poised to take the next big step into domination of the East following their off-season moves. They started by making a blockbuster deal with Miami in bringing in Kevin Garnett back home and later got Brian Grant for a reasonable price from Memphis. Now, the Bulls have a core of Gasol, Quentin Richardson, Garnett, Ben Wallace and Mike Bibby to work with for the next four to five seasons.
Projected 02' record: 53-29
5- Charlotte Bobcats (Off-season recap: Traded for Penny Hardaway, Aaron McKie; Drafted Lonny Baxter, Chris Jeffries, Corsley Edwards, Signed Kenny Anderson; Lost Eric Snow)
The Bobcats have been steadily rising to supremacy in the East ever since trading for Marcus Camby two seasons ago. Now with Penny Hardaway at the helm, the Bobcats' might have the most talented backcourt in the East with Jerry Stackhouse at shooting guard. With Theo Ratliff and Camby manning the big spots for the Bobcats along with defensive stopper Ron Artest and gifted inside scorer Shareef Abdur-Rahim at the small forward spots, the Bobcats have to be dark horse favorites to compete for the East crow with the Magic.
Projected 02' record: 53-29
6- Portland Trail Blazers (Off-season recap: Traded for Gary Payton, Glen Rice, Dikembe Mutumbo; Drafted Jamal Sampson)
GM Dan Basone has a constructed a team that by default takes the title as the best team in the West since so many playoff teams from last season are entering into rebuilding mode. The Blazers are expected to surpass the Jazz, Grizzlies and Hornets (who they acquired Payton and Rice from) to take the top spot in the West. Payton and Rice are All-BBS performers while Rasheed Wallace and Michsel Redd are expected to compete at their level as well. Surely, the Blazers seem to have no other competition at the top of the West at this point in the pre-season aside from the Warriors and Nuggets.
Projected 02' record: 53-29
7- Philadelphia 76ers (Off-season recap: Traded for Jamaal Magloire, Tayshaun Prince, Tony Battie, Vladimir Radmanovic; Drafted Sam Clancy)
Pushed against the wall because of the hard cap, the Sixers were forced to trade Zydraunas Illgauskas for two younger players in Magloire and Prince, but still Philadelphia looks competitive this season. The Sixers have more depth and younger pieces now to work with which should help them win more ball games this season and in the future as they do not have their picks for some time. Vitaly Potapenko looked like a great pick-up two seasons ago and Moochie Norris looks even better this season which means Philly could be a sleeper in the East once again.
Projeced 02' record: 50-32
8- Detroit Pistons (Off-season Recap: Re-signed Paul Pierce, Traded for Derek Fisher, Oliver Miller, Zydrunas Illgauskas, Hersey Hawkins, Adonal Foyle, Stacey Augmon; Signed Matt Geiger, Jimmy Jackson)
Pistons' GM Andy was busy on the trade front this off-season by trading for virtually 80% of his current roster. Seemingly the only intricate piece left from last year's team is Paul Pierce, who resigned with the team and looks to have a career season for the Pistons. Andy is counting on it as his Pistons will decide his contract year fate. But with this type of starting five, the Pistons are assured at the very worse a playoff spot but should be in contention for the top five in the East as well.
Projected 02' record: 49-33
9- Denver Nuggets (Off-season recap: Drafted Dwayne Wade, Jason Jennings; Signed Jermaine O'Neal; Traded for Michael Finley, Andrei Fetisov)
In his second season of full duty, GM Nanz is trying to bring Hollywood firepower to the rocky mountains in Denver. He started by lucking out in getting Gilbert Arenas at No. 2 pick to couple with the cornerstone guard Kobe Bryant. This season, the Nuggets landed the top pick and Dwayne Wade to complete their super star studded team. Now, the team seems ready to make noise in the West with the proper depth. With 40% of the last year's West teams taking a backseat, the Nuggets seem to be underrated favorites to win the West against the Blazers.
Projected 02' record: 52-28
10- Toronto Raptors (Off-season recap: Traded for Allen Iverson, Dale Davis, Chris Mihm; Signed Sean Rooks, Antonio Davis, Austin Croshere; Resigned Bison Dele)
The Raptors narrowly missed the playoffs and 42 wins last season as the Nets, Wizards and Toronto were all in the thick of things going into the final sim. With the Wizards' jah being the most recent CY victim, DJ and his Raptors enter their contract year with plenty of new faces including superstar Allen Iverson and bigs Dale Davis and Chris Mihm. Also, backcourt mates Jamal Crawford and Hubert Davis are will provide the scoring punch with Iverson which will easily combine to more than 60 points per game alone. The biggest question is whether Crawford can play small forward or if Lionel Simmons and/or Calbert Cheaney will be forced into spot duty.
Projected 02' record: 49-33
11- San Antonio Spurs (Off-season recap: Resigned Andrew DeClercq)
Among most inactive GMs, Matt has been blessed with two of the best young players under 28 and yet hasn't been able to put the personnel around them to make them a championship caliber club. Since acquiring Kendall Gill and Isaiah Rider, the Spurs have no good depth to surround their stars with and seemingly will be left with bottom of the barrel type free agents to choose from to fill out their roster. Still, the Spurs are a top 10 in the league with their talent level even if DeClerq is their best option at power forward and since the rest of the Western Conference is in rebuilding or sputtering mode.
Projected 02' record: 48-34
12- Atlanta Hawks (Off-season recap: Traded for Rod Strickland, Eddie Griffin, Brendan Haywood; Signed Mitch Richmond; Drafted Juan Carlos Navarro, Federico Kammerichs)
Perhaps more than any other team other the Pistons, the Hawks were active on the off-season market in efforts to improve their team. By upgrading at point guard, the Hawks can now start veteran Rod Strickland over Nick Van Exel and drafted heir apparent Juan Carlos Navarro as their third option at PG. Center Adonal Foyle was shipped to Detroit in favor of Brendan Haywood and Eddie Griffin, both who are expected to make up for Foyle's shotblocking and rebounding abilities. Franchise cogs Dirk Nowitzki and Cuttino Mobley have upped their games and are looking to lead the Hawks to the East Finals this season.
Projected 02' record: 48-34
13- Milwaukee Bucks (Off-season recap: Re-signed Bobby Jackson, Antonio Daniels; Signed Popeye Jones)
Milwaukee enjoyed a relatively quiet off-season after experiencing a roller coaster type regular season. The Bucks went through several winning streaks and then went in to hibernation mode before bouncing back. The key word for them this season might be consistency and it all starts with Mike Miller who may have actually degressed in training camp. The Bucks build their team on defense but may be forced to deal for superstar eventually in order to reach heights they haven't been to before.
Projected 02' record: 49-33
14- Los Angeles Lakers (Off-season recap: Traded for Grant Hill; Signed Loy Vaught; Drafted Marcus Haislip, Fred Jones; Re-signed Rafer Alston)
GM Stryo probably made a strategic error in trading Caron Butler before he exploded in training camp for the often-unrealiable Grant Hill but either way, the Lakers have to win this season with or without Butler. The most glaring need for the Lakers seems to be power forward since Kenyon Martin still looks like a bust and Marcus Haislip, Loy Vaught and DeSagna Diop not being much better options than that. Bobby Simmons may be called to emergency duties at power forward but don't count on it. The Lakers need a nice shotblocking addition to combine next to Eddy Curry down low to ensure their success this season.
Projected 02' record: 47-35
15- Houston Rockets (Off-season recap: Lost Larry Hughes)
Swingman Larry Hughes' departure from the team maybe the Rockets' biggest off-season blow since the the league's inception. Hughes shunned the Rockets' max offer and instead took the Clippers' money and was later dealt to Phoenix. Now the Rockets are left with a core of Antawn Jamison and Jason Kidd along with an aging frontcourt with Andrew Lang and Derrick Coleman. Former USC swingman Rodrick Rhodes seems like the logical short term solution at small forward but is Rockets' brass willing to part with more assets to upgrade their 3-spot? Stay tuned.
Projected 02' record: 46-36
16- New Jersey Nets (Off-season recap: Signed Alston Lister; Drafted John Salmons, Lost Randy Livingston)
New Jersey does not look very good on paper but they are a team that should be very good defensively at the very least. Lister and Elisma is a nasty frontcourt to go against while Clifford Robinson will be valuable off the bench. Larry Johnson and Jimmy King are still top 25 players in the league while Brevin Knight will prove if he can carry this team to another playoff berth this season. The options aren't very diverse for the Nets but they can make this a winning club with the right depth.
Projected 02' record: 44-38
17- Washington Wizards (Off-season recap: Traded for Malik Sealy; Signed Dana Barros)
Under new management, GM ashes hopes to take the Wizards from the fiery ashes left from last year's disappointing season to a productive first season under his tenure. Big men Troy Murphy and Tyson Chandler both were recipients of strong training camps while the addition of Malik Sealy could make the Wizards awfuly hard to match up with at small forward. This team has decent depth and may surprise some people in the East with the right depth chart and start to the season.
Projected 02' record: 44-38
18- Dallas Mavericks (Off-season recap: Drafted Drew Gooden, Tito Maddux, Jared Jeffries, Rasual Butler; Signed Dan Dickau, Jacque Vaughn, Ruben Patterson; Resigned Keith Van Horn)
Greg and his Mavericks are a sort of a crossroads with their team. The team quietly had a good draft in taking Drew Gooden who may be this year's 1st round draft steal and Tito Maddux (2nd round draft steal and good depth pieces in Butler and Jeffries. While his team isn't desined for more than 1st round exit, he still has some good talent on the roster. Bonzi Wells and Keith Van Horn are both underrated scorers as both marked their best scoring seasons last year while Jason Williams is still a top 20 point guard in the league with the chance and Raef LaFrentz is a nice power foward option. Yet, as they take a backseat the Mavs may actually be hurting themselves unless they clean house and are able to tank better with a less equipped roster as compared to the rest of the West.
Projected 02' record: 44-38
19- Phoenix Suns (Off-season recap: Drafted Yao Ming, Melvin Ely; Signed Robert Horry, Latrell Sprewell, Vin Baker)
The Suns could have a playoff team in the making with some of their signings this off-season in Baker, Horry and Baker. Phoenix also got a great deal in getting Larry Hughes from the Clippers who should mesh well with whoever the Suns get to play point guard. For now, the Suns are still a work in progress but could be in contention if they decide to put all the chips and try to win now. They certainly seem to have the pieces but do they have desire at this point? Many are saying yes.
Projected 02' record: 43-39
20- Cleveland Cavaliers (Off-season recap: Drafted Nene, Roger Mason, Mladen Sekularac; Signed Eric Snow, Randy Livingston, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf)
Should the Cavs decide to compete this season, their team may be nicely put together with some nice young pieces to compliment Tim Duncan. Eric Snow and Randy Livingston are both nice young point guard prospects while Lamar Odom and Roger Mason both can be intregal rebuilding blocks along with Nene. Although rumors from England are that Tiger is looking for another lotto pick this season so look for an inventive DC in CLE.
Projected 02' record: 42-40
21- Indiana Pacers (Off-season recap: Drafted Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy, Milos Vujanic, Dan Gadzuric, Matt Barnes)
The Pacers took five players in the draft and three are expected to earn starters' minutes this season. With a core of Antoine Walker and Shane Battier in place, the Pacers may be another season away from fully competing in the Eastern Conference as most of the roster must improve in order to show the difference in wins and losses. Yet, with most rebuilding teams bare with talent, the Pacers may be shut out of a top 10 pick and could be forced to compete.
Projected 02' record: 40-42
22- Boston Celtics (Off-season recap: Drafted Amare Stoudamire; Re-signed Leon Smith, Malik Rose, Steve Smith)
Boston has a nice, young quartet of players in Amare Stodamire, Andre Miller, Leon Smith and Jason Richardson along with savvy veteran Steve Smith in place. Yet, the Celtics may be inclined to rebuild one more season before trying to compete again. Still, Miller and Rose are both in contract years and could be compelled to enter the East race for the playoffs with the right situation at the time.
Projected 02' record: 39-43
23- Oklahoma City Thunder (Off-season recap: Traded for Caron Butler, Gerald Wallace, Anthony Parker, Howard Eisley; Drafted Nenad Krstic; Re-signed Maurice Taylor)
Unfortunately, the Thunder again are without their pick this season as the right are currently owned by the Celtics. However, if Boston gets on a hot streak perhaps they could take Butler or Wallace in the right deal. For now, the Thunder will try to compete with their current pieces like Stephen Jackson, Butler, Wallace and power forwards Maurice Taylor and Chris Webber. It's not entirely out of the equation to see the Thunder in the playoff race seeing how the West is so bad but if Haberman can get his pick back, OKC could be back in rebuilding mode.
Projected 02' record: 42-40
24- New York Knicks (Off-season recap: Drafted Juan Dixon, Qyntel Woods, Ronald Murray, Darius Songaila; Signed Fred Hoiberg)
Skillz and the Knicks struck out when reaching for Juan Dixon with the sixth overall pick over names like Caron Butler and Drew Gooden. Yet, the Knicks were able to save face a bit when taking Qyntel Woods it seems like another 13 picks later. No one seems to doubt that the Knicks are still far away from competing. They are still contemplating moves for Chris Andersen and Baron Davis in order to try to get a Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James
Projected 02' record: 34-48
25- Los Angeles Clippers (Off-Season recap: Traded for Richard Jefferson, Earl Watson; Signed Larry Hughes, Billy Owens; Resigned Robert Traylor)
The Clippers are a team in transition once again but the good news is that they have their pick, some young players and cap room to work with this off-season. Unluckily, there's at least 3-4 teams that have less talent than them and should be in-line for a bottom five finish but just barely. LAC has a nice backcourt potentially in Watson and Jefferson and some good picks to build upon but it certainly has work to do in order for Marty to evade another Contract Year fiasco.
Projected 02' record: 32-50
26- Utah Jazz (Off-season recap: Traded for Manu Ginobilli, Mehmet Okur, Cadillac Anderson; Drafted Jay Williams, Kareem Rush; Signed Sam Cassell, Mark Bryant)
After one BBS championship and several banner years, the Jazz enter year one of the rebuilding stage with Manu Ginobilli and Mehmet Okur as the notables from the blockbuster AI deal. The Jazz also have nine picks in the next three years which should replenish their talent pool and get the help Manu and Okur will need to take this Mormon pinnacle city back to the top of the Western Conference. For now, the Jazz will be tanking their hearts out for a chance of the top 3 potentially this draft.
Projected 02' record: 30-52
27- Minnesota Timberwolves (Off-season recap: Drafted DaJuan Wagner; Traded for Toni Kukoc, Clarence Weatherspoon, Dan Majerle, Bruce Bowen)
The T-Wolves tanked hard last season only to fall from No. 1 projected all the way down to the No. 4 pick (Wagner) overall. This year, the Wolves really only have Kwame Brown, Wagner and a bunch of vets to play with, most who are expected to be off their roster by the trade deadline. Still, Minny should expect at least a dozen teams really trying to lose as much as possible in order to get a top three pick in this year's draft. So the faster they lose their talent, the better.
Projected 02' record: 28-54
28- Memphis Grizzlies (Off-Season recap: Traded for Charlie Ward, Michael Doleac, Michael Smith, Pervis Ellison, Hedo Turkoglu, Jeff Trepagnier; Signed Cal Bowdler, Donyell Marshall)
The Grizzlies tore it all down this off-season by dealing all their players back for their own respective draft picks. Memphis is looking to restart from scratch and build this team to a contender once again. They hope to be in the running for the LeBron-Melo-Bosh sweepstakes but may be hardpressed with opposition from Minnesota, New Orleans and Utah. The Grizzlies may have to move Ward, Smith or Ellison for lesser pieces, the Grizz may to insure a top-3 pick at the very least.
Projected 02' record: 26-56
29- New Orleans Hornets (Off-season recap: Traded for Stromile Swift, Mark Madsen, Khalid El-Amin; Signed Anthony Johnson, Jalen Rose, Terry Mills)
The Hornets will experience the biggest fall from the grace following their Finals appearance and duel with the Knicks and securing the No. 2 seed last year in the West. The Hornets completely unloaded their talent which included former Finals MVP Gary Payton and sharp shooting Glen Rice. Now, the Hornets are looking to add a premier franchise player to their equation and begin their rebuilding process with the best possible player in the lotto.
Projected 02' record: 24-58
1- Orlando Magic -- (Off-season recap: Resigned Shaquille O'Neal, Avery Johnson, Scot Pollard)
The Champs enter the season as favorites to repeat simply because anytime you get Shaquille O'Neal back, you have to be favored to repeat. The Magic managed to win the chip despite not having Glenn Robinson during the playoffs and still captured a championship during Outlawz' 2nd tour in this version of BBS even after being the sixth seed in the East. Orlando essentially brings back the same roster but his team is full of veterans and should be overcome some cheap free agents being added to the squad.
Projected 02' record: 56-26
2- Golden State Warriors (Off-season recap: Traded for David Robinson, John Starks, Doug Christie, Bobby Hurley, Rashard Lewis; Drafted Luis Scola)
There's no doubt in Oakland that the Warriors are going for it all this year. GM CC has made it clear that winning is a priority after stocking up his young studs last year (Zach Randolph, Jason Terry, Samuel Dalembert, Brian Cardinal), bringing in proven veterans this year (David Robinson, Doug Christie, Bobby Hurley) and acquiring two wild cards (Rashard Lewis and Luis Scola). What many Gms are wondering is how all the pieces will come together? Hurley at PG, Terry at SG, Lewis at SF, Randolph at PF and Robinson at C seems to be the logical lineup but this team is blessed with so much depth that a number of different lineups could work.
Projected 02' record: 55-27
3- Miami Heat (Off-season recap: Traded for Richard Hamilton, Vlade Divac; Drafted Chris Wilcox, Frank Williams)
After a very sluggish start to the season last year, the Heat rebounded nicely in the 2nd half of the season and surged to a tie at the top of the Eastern Conference. Miami is absolutely loaded at the wings, so much so that they could badly use some help down low. For now, the Heat will rely on seasoned veterans like Vlade Divac, Keon Clark, Juwan Howard, Nazr Mohammed and Stanley Roberts. Nash and Hamilton should form a formidable duo in the backcourt while Tracy McGrady and Shawn Marion will bring the scoring artillery this year.
Projected 02' record: 54-28
4- Chicago Bulls (Off-season recap: Traded for Kevin Garnett, Brian Grant; Drafted Nikoloz Tskikitschvili, Rod Grizzard, Jiri Welsch)
Chicago seems poised to take the next big step into domination of the East following their off-season moves. They started by making a blockbuster deal with Miami in bringing in Kevin Garnett back home and later got Brian Grant for a reasonable price from Memphis. Now, the Bulls have a core of Gasol, Quentin Richardson, Garnett, Ben Wallace and Mike Bibby to work with for the next four to five seasons.
Projected 02' record: 53-29
5- Charlotte Bobcats (Off-season recap: Traded for Penny Hardaway, Aaron McKie; Drafted Lonny Baxter, Chris Jeffries, Corsley Edwards, Signed Kenny Anderson; Lost Eric Snow)
The Bobcats have been steadily rising to supremacy in the East ever since trading for Marcus Camby two seasons ago. Now with Penny Hardaway at the helm, the Bobcats' might have the most talented backcourt in the East with Jerry Stackhouse at shooting guard. With Theo Ratliff and Camby manning the big spots for the Bobcats along with defensive stopper Ron Artest and gifted inside scorer Shareef Abdur-Rahim at the small forward spots, the Bobcats have to be dark horse favorites to compete for the East crow with the Magic.
Projected 02' record: 53-29
6- Portland Trail Blazers (Off-season recap: Traded for Gary Payton, Glen Rice, Dikembe Mutumbo; Drafted Jamal Sampson)
GM Dan Basone has a constructed a team that by default takes the title as the best team in the West since so many playoff teams from last season are entering into rebuilding mode. The Blazers are expected to surpass the Jazz, Grizzlies and Hornets (who they acquired Payton and Rice from) to take the top spot in the West. Payton and Rice are All-BBS performers while Rasheed Wallace and Michsel Redd are expected to compete at their level as well. Surely, the Blazers seem to have no other competition at the top of the West at this point in the pre-season aside from the Warriors and Nuggets.
Projected 02' record: 53-29
7- Philadelphia 76ers (Off-season recap: Traded for Jamaal Magloire, Tayshaun Prince, Tony Battie, Vladimir Radmanovic; Drafted Sam Clancy)
Pushed against the wall because of the hard cap, the Sixers were forced to trade Zydraunas Illgauskas for two younger players in Magloire and Prince, but still Philadelphia looks competitive this season. The Sixers have more depth and younger pieces now to work with which should help them win more ball games this season and in the future as they do not have their picks for some time. Vitaly Potapenko looked like a great pick-up two seasons ago and Moochie Norris looks even better this season which means Philly could be a sleeper in the East once again.
Projeced 02' record: 50-32
8- Detroit Pistons (Off-season Recap: Re-signed Paul Pierce, Traded for Derek Fisher, Oliver Miller, Zydrunas Illgauskas, Hersey Hawkins, Adonal Foyle, Stacey Augmon; Signed Matt Geiger, Jimmy Jackson)
Pistons' GM Andy was busy on the trade front this off-season by trading for virtually 80% of his current roster. Seemingly the only intricate piece left from last year's team is Paul Pierce, who resigned with the team and looks to have a career season for the Pistons. Andy is counting on it as his Pistons will decide his contract year fate. But with this type of starting five, the Pistons are assured at the very worse a playoff spot but should be in contention for the top five in the East as well.
Projected 02' record: 49-33
9- Denver Nuggets (Off-season recap: Drafted Dwayne Wade, Jason Jennings; Signed Jermaine O'Neal; Traded for Michael Finley, Andrei Fetisov)
In his second season of full duty, GM Nanz is trying to bring Hollywood firepower to the rocky mountains in Denver. He started by lucking out in getting Gilbert Arenas at No. 2 pick to couple with the cornerstone guard Kobe Bryant. This season, the Nuggets landed the top pick and Dwayne Wade to complete their super star studded team. Now, the team seems ready to make noise in the West with the proper depth. With 40% of the last year's West teams taking a backseat, the Nuggets seem to be underrated favorites to win the West against the Blazers.
Projected 02' record: 52-28
10- Toronto Raptors (Off-season recap: Traded for Allen Iverson, Dale Davis, Chris Mihm; Signed Sean Rooks, Antonio Davis, Austin Croshere; Resigned Bison Dele)
The Raptors narrowly missed the playoffs and 42 wins last season as the Nets, Wizards and Toronto were all in the thick of things going into the final sim. With the Wizards' jah being the most recent CY victim, DJ and his Raptors enter their contract year with plenty of new faces including superstar Allen Iverson and bigs Dale Davis and Chris Mihm. Also, backcourt mates Jamal Crawford and Hubert Davis are will provide the scoring punch with Iverson which will easily combine to more than 60 points per game alone. The biggest question is whether Crawford can play small forward or if Lionel Simmons and/or Calbert Cheaney will be forced into spot duty.
Projected 02' record: 49-33
11- San Antonio Spurs (Off-season recap: Resigned Andrew DeClercq)
Among most inactive GMs, Matt has been blessed with two of the best young players under 28 and yet hasn't been able to put the personnel around them to make them a championship caliber club. Since acquiring Kendall Gill and Isaiah Rider, the Spurs have no good depth to surround their stars with and seemingly will be left with bottom of the barrel type free agents to choose from to fill out their roster. Still, the Spurs are a top 10 in the league with their talent level even if DeClerq is their best option at power forward and since the rest of the Western Conference is in rebuilding or sputtering mode.
Projected 02' record: 48-34
12- Atlanta Hawks (Off-season recap: Traded for Rod Strickland, Eddie Griffin, Brendan Haywood; Signed Mitch Richmond; Drafted Juan Carlos Navarro, Federico Kammerichs)
Perhaps more than any other team other the Pistons, the Hawks were active on the off-season market in efforts to improve their team. By upgrading at point guard, the Hawks can now start veteran Rod Strickland over Nick Van Exel and drafted heir apparent Juan Carlos Navarro as their third option at PG. Center Adonal Foyle was shipped to Detroit in favor of Brendan Haywood and Eddie Griffin, both who are expected to make up for Foyle's shotblocking and rebounding abilities. Franchise cogs Dirk Nowitzki and Cuttino Mobley have upped their games and are looking to lead the Hawks to the East Finals this season.
Projected 02' record: 48-34
13- Milwaukee Bucks (Off-season recap: Re-signed Bobby Jackson, Antonio Daniels; Signed Popeye Jones)
Milwaukee enjoyed a relatively quiet off-season after experiencing a roller coaster type regular season. The Bucks went through several winning streaks and then went in to hibernation mode before bouncing back. The key word for them this season might be consistency and it all starts with Mike Miller who may have actually degressed in training camp. The Bucks build their team on defense but may be forced to deal for superstar eventually in order to reach heights they haven't been to before.
Projected 02' record: 49-33
14- Los Angeles Lakers (Off-season recap: Traded for Grant Hill; Signed Loy Vaught; Drafted Marcus Haislip, Fred Jones; Re-signed Rafer Alston)
GM Stryo probably made a strategic error in trading Caron Butler before he exploded in training camp for the often-unrealiable Grant Hill but either way, the Lakers have to win this season with or without Butler. The most glaring need for the Lakers seems to be power forward since Kenyon Martin still looks like a bust and Marcus Haislip, Loy Vaught and DeSagna Diop not being much better options than that. Bobby Simmons may be called to emergency duties at power forward but don't count on it. The Lakers need a nice shotblocking addition to combine next to Eddy Curry down low to ensure their success this season.
Projected 02' record: 47-35
15- Houston Rockets (Off-season recap: Lost Larry Hughes)
Swingman Larry Hughes' departure from the team maybe the Rockets' biggest off-season blow since the the league's inception. Hughes shunned the Rockets' max offer and instead took the Clippers' money and was later dealt to Phoenix. Now the Rockets are left with a core of Antawn Jamison and Jason Kidd along with an aging frontcourt with Andrew Lang and Derrick Coleman. Former USC swingman Rodrick Rhodes seems like the logical short term solution at small forward but is Rockets' brass willing to part with more assets to upgrade their 3-spot? Stay tuned.
Projected 02' record: 46-36
16- New Jersey Nets (Off-season recap: Signed Alston Lister; Drafted John Salmons, Lost Randy Livingston)
New Jersey does not look very good on paper but they are a team that should be very good defensively at the very least. Lister and Elisma is a nasty frontcourt to go against while Clifford Robinson will be valuable off the bench. Larry Johnson and Jimmy King are still top 25 players in the league while Brevin Knight will prove if he can carry this team to another playoff berth this season. The options aren't very diverse for the Nets but they can make this a winning club with the right depth.
Projected 02' record: 44-38
17- Washington Wizards (Off-season recap: Traded for Malik Sealy; Signed Dana Barros)
Under new management, GM ashes hopes to take the Wizards from the fiery ashes left from last year's disappointing season to a productive first season under his tenure. Big men Troy Murphy and Tyson Chandler both were recipients of strong training camps while the addition of Malik Sealy could make the Wizards awfuly hard to match up with at small forward. This team has decent depth and may surprise some people in the East with the right depth chart and start to the season.
Projected 02' record: 44-38
18- Dallas Mavericks (Off-season recap: Drafted Drew Gooden, Tito Maddux, Jared Jeffries, Rasual Butler; Signed Dan Dickau, Jacque Vaughn, Ruben Patterson; Resigned Keith Van Horn)
Greg and his Mavericks are a sort of a crossroads with their team. The team quietly had a good draft in taking Drew Gooden who may be this year's 1st round draft steal and Tito Maddux (2nd round draft steal and good depth pieces in Butler and Jeffries. While his team isn't desined for more than 1st round exit, he still has some good talent on the roster. Bonzi Wells and Keith Van Horn are both underrated scorers as both marked their best scoring seasons last year while Jason Williams is still a top 20 point guard in the league with the chance and Raef LaFrentz is a nice power foward option. Yet, as they take a backseat the Mavs may actually be hurting themselves unless they clean house and are able to tank better with a less equipped roster as compared to the rest of the West.
Projected 02' record: 44-38
19- Phoenix Suns (Off-season recap: Drafted Yao Ming, Melvin Ely; Signed Robert Horry, Latrell Sprewell, Vin Baker)
The Suns could have a playoff team in the making with some of their signings this off-season in Baker, Horry and Baker. Phoenix also got a great deal in getting Larry Hughes from the Clippers who should mesh well with whoever the Suns get to play point guard. For now, the Suns are still a work in progress but could be in contention if they decide to put all the chips and try to win now. They certainly seem to have the pieces but do they have desire at this point? Many are saying yes.
Projected 02' record: 43-39
20- Cleveland Cavaliers (Off-season recap: Drafted Nene, Roger Mason, Mladen Sekularac; Signed Eric Snow, Randy Livingston, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf)
Should the Cavs decide to compete this season, their team may be nicely put together with some nice young pieces to compliment Tim Duncan. Eric Snow and Randy Livingston are both nice young point guard prospects while Lamar Odom and Roger Mason both can be intregal rebuilding blocks along with Nene. Although rumors from England are that Tiger is looking for another lotto pick this season so look for an inventive DC in CLE.
Projected 02' record: 42-40
21- Indiana Pacers (Off-season recap: Drafted Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy, Milos Vujanic, Dan Gadzuric, Matt Barnes)
The Pacers took five players in the draft and three are expected to earn starters' minutes this season. With a core of Antoine Walker and Shane Battier in place, the Pacers may be another season away from fully competing in the Eastern Conference as most of the roster must improve in order to show the difference in wins and losses. Yet, with most rebuilding teams bare with talent, the Pacers may be shut out of a top 10 pick and could be forced to compete.
Projected 02' record: 40-42
22- Boston Celtics (Off-season recap: Drafted Amare Stoudamire; Re-signed Leon Smith, Malik Rose, Steve Smith)
Boston has a nice, young quartet of players in Amare Stodamire, Andre Miller, Leon Smith and Jason Richardson along with savvy veteran Steve Smith in place. Yet, the Celtics may be inclined to rebuild one more season before trying to compete again. Still, Miller and Rose are both in contract years and could be compelled to enter the East race for the playoffs with the right situation at the time.
Projected 02' record: 39-43
23- Oklahoma City Thunder (Off-season recap: Traded for Caron Butler, Gerald Wallace, Anthony Parker, Howard Eisley; Drafted Nenad Krstic; Re-signed Maurice Taylor)
Unfortunately, the Thunder again are without their pick this season as the right are currently owned by the Celtics. However, if Boston gets on a hot streak perhaps they could take Butler or Wallace in the right deal. For now, the Thunder will try to compete with their current pieces like Stephen Jackson, Butler, Wallace and power forwards Maurice Taylor and Chris Webber. It's not entirely out of the equation to see the Thunder in the playoff race seeing how the West is so bad but if Haberman can get his pick back, OKC could be back in rebuilding mode.
Projected 02' record: 42-40
24- New York Knicks (Off-season recap: Drafted Juan Dixon, Qyntel Woods, Ronald Murray, Darius Songaila; Signed Fred Hoiberg)
Skillz and the Knicks struck out when reaching for Juan Dixon with the sixth overall pick over names like Caron Butler and Drew Gooden. Yet, the Knicks were able to save face a bit when taking Qyntel Woods it seems like another 13 picks later. No one seems to doubt that the Knicks are still far away from competing. They are still contemplating moves for Chris Andersen and Baron Davis in order to try to get a Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James
Projected 02' record: 34-48
25- Los Angeles Clippers (Off-Season recap: Traded for Richard Jefferson, Earl Watson; Signed Larry Hughes, Billy Owens; Resigned Robert Traylor)
The Clippers are a team in transition once again but the good news is that they have their pick, some young players and cap room to work with this off-season. Unluckily, there's at least 3-4 teams that have less talent than them and should be in-line for a bottom five finish but just barely. LAC has a nice backcourt potentially in Watson and Jefferson and some good picks to build upon but it certainly has work to do in order for Marty to evade another Contract Year fiasco.
Projected 02' record: 32-50
26- Utah Jazz (Off-season recap: Traded for Manu Ginobilli, Mehmet Okur, Cadillac Anderson; Drafted Jay Williams, Kareem Rush; Signed Sam Cassell, Mark Bryant)
After one BBS championship and several banner years, the Jazz enter year one of the rebuilding stage with Manu Ginobilli and Mehmet Okur as the notables from the blockbuster AI deal. The Jazz also have nine picks in the next three years which should replenish their talent pool and get the help Manu and Okur will need to take this Mormon pinnacle city back to the top of the Western Conference. For now, the Jazz will be tanking their hearts out for a chance of the top 3 potentially this draft.
Projected 02' record: 30-52
27- Minnesota Timberwolves (Off-season recap: Drafted DaJuan Wagner; Traded for Toni Kukoc, Clarence Weatherspoon, Dan Majerle, Bruce Bowen)
The T-Wolves tanked hard last season only to fall from No. 1 projected all the way down to the No. 4 pick (Wagner) overall. This year, the Wolves really only have Kwame Brown, Wagner and a bunch of vets to play with, most who are expected to be off their roster by the trade deadline. Still, Minny should expect at least a dozen teams really trying to lose as much as possible in order to get a top three pick in this year's draft. So the faster they lose their talent, the better.
Projected 02' record: 28-54
28- Memphis Grizzlies (Off-Season recap: Traded for Charlie Ward, Michael Doleac, Michael Smith, Pervis Ellison, Hedo Turkoglu, Jeff Trepagnier; Signed Cal Bowdler, Donyell Marshall)
The Grizzlies tore it all down this off-season by dealing all their players back for their own respective draft picks. Memphis is looking to restart from scratch and build this team to a contender once again. They hope to be in the running for the LeBron-Melo-Bosh sweepstakes but may be hardpressed with opposition from Minnesota, New Orleans and Utah. The Grizzlies may have to move Ward, Smith or Ellison for lesser pieces, the Grizz may to insure a top-3 pick at the very least.
Projected 02' record: 26-56
29- New Orleans Hornets (Off-season recap: Traded for Stromile Swift, Mark Madsen, Khalid El-Amin; Signed Anthony Johnson, Jalen Rose, Terry Mills)
The Hornets will experience the biggest fall from the grace following their Finals appearance and duel with the Knicks and securing the No. 2 seed last year in the West. The Hornets completely unloaded their talent which included former Finals MVP Gary Payton and sharp shooting Glen Rice. Now, the Hornets are looking to add a premier franchise player to their equation and begin their rebuilding process with the best possible player in the lotto.
Projected 02' record: 24-58
