Miami Heat

What can anyone say about a team with Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade? Of course the Heat will be the favorites to go to the NBA finals.

As great as the Heat were last season, look at what they have done in the off season. They acquired Jason Williams and James Posey from the Grizzlies, signed free agent Antoine Walker and now solidified their bench with the *gulp* veteran Gary Payton. That's right, if you read the Atlantic division preview, the HEX is still on. Actually the HEX is on for two reasons, the "glove" just adds to the old HEX i put on Alonzo Mourning for being sick, too sick to play in Toronto, but not sick enough to hang from Shaq's nuts like Payton is. Good thing Shaq's got two, right?

Is there another guard capable of taking the spotlight off of Lebron James? Dwayne Wade may be the only one right now, in the way that he cuts to the basket and plays defense with no fear and no regard for his own body.

Shaquille O'Neal must look at this year as the year to take it all again. O'Neal is definitely on his way down, his skills are going to erode rather quickly as they usually do with big men. Too many years of pounding on those knees and ankles and too much abuse from the double and triple teams and hack-a-shack's. How many more Shaq "quality" years are left?

This is another lineup that looks as deep as can be. Williams starting at the point backed up by a future Hall of Famer in Gary Payton, Walker starting at power forward backed up by Udonis Haslem, who had a break out year last year (we'll just pretend it had nothing to do with playing next to Shaq), and of course, Shaq backed up by, *uh-hem*, Alonzo Mourning.

I will understand if they Heat win a championship. Wade deserves that kind of success, i just don't like those "cleaner fish" who travel from team to team, only looking for a way to win a championship. Learn from Reggie Miller people...

My Picks:

Best Player: Shaquille O'Neal
Best Rookie: Wayne Simien
Prediction: 1st (Central), 1st (East)

Washington Wizards

I'm the wiz. I'm the wiz. The Wizards laid down the law last season. It was impressive to see a team heading into the playoffs not taking any crap from a player. In 2001, Kwame Brown was the first high school player ever taken with the first pick of the draft. Attitude and injuries always seemed in the forefront with Brown and only one of those can be tolerated, not both.

Brown was traded to the LA Lakers in return for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins. A good move in my opinion, trading a guy that no longer fits into the work ethic of the team for two talented far from superstar players.

The big loss for Washington was having Larry Hughes leave for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It will be difficult to replace that kind of scoring and defensive presence. The Wizards were able to land Antonio Daniels as a free agent, but that's far from replacing anything Hughes gave the team.

The team's strength this year will come from point guard Gilbert Arenas who can score from anywhere and has ice in his veins and the collection of talented big men, led by Antawn Jamison who found new life after coming to Washington from Dallas last season. Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas are two nasty post players to be pitted against, those guys fight for every point and fight hard.

If the Wiz can get over the loss of Hughes and plug the hole with a combination of Daniels and Butler, there is no reason they can't compete in the SouthEast, although taking on the Miami Heat will be tough.

My Picks:

Best Player: Gilbert Arenas
Best Rookie: *
Prediction: 2nd (Central), 4th (East)

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic are a little bit of an enigma to me. With last season's personnel shuffle following the Tracy McGrady trade, sometimes it looked like the players weren't all on the same page. Doesn't a team led at the point by Steve Francis always seem that way? I thought the same of the Houston Rockets when he was there.

What a great sight to see last year, Grant Hill returning to the court and playing effectively was definitely a sweet story and although his season was cut short towards the end, there is hope that he is fully recovered from his series of ankle surgeries and will return to the court again this season, hopefully more confident and more like his old self than last year.

Dwight Howard, "man child" proved that he can play in this league and will someday be a dominant post player, after all, he was just drafted out of high school and he still averaged a double-double through his rookie season. When is the last time that feat was accomplished? I don't hear enough hype about that. Emeka Okafor averaged a double-double as well, but he was drafted out of the college ranks.

I have to say, it would be nice to see Jameer Nelson get some more starters minutes. It seemed the Magic played a more fluid game when Nelson started at the point and Francis was shifted to shooting guard.

It will be interesting to see if Kelvin Cato and Tony Battie can stay healthy this year. I remember thinking before last season that Tony Battie was a big gamble for the Magic, considering his bad knee history while with the Celtics and Cavaliers, but it didn't play as big a factor in Orlando as i thought. That's not to say the injury is completely over with, but if Battie and Cato can spell each others minutes, I'd be ready to let Howard have a bigger role in the post.

What the heck happened with the Fran Vasquez pick? Vasquez was rated one of the top big men available in this years draft and was taken with Orlando's first pick, 11th overall. Shortly after the draft, we started hearing about Vasquez not going to come to the Magic, rather he would stay in Spain and play for Real Madrid. This is a long standing issue with the NBA draft. Players can enter themselves for eligibility, but it doesn't mean that they actually have to commit to the NBA team that picks them. This was an 11th pick though, if an NBA team knows the player has no intention of coming to the league, then they could use that pick on someone that has shown that interest. Come to think of it, i guess the blame could be laid on the Magic organization as well for not doing their homework properly. They just went into the draft thinking, once picked, they could convince Vasquez to come to Orlando.

"I've said, 'No,' because I was afraid to adapt to the American way of life, and of not giving the level they have asked. I'm not a coward, but I prefer to stay in Spain, progress, and who knows? Maybe jump to the NBA in a few years."

Does that sound like a man ready to commit to the NBA? Could they not have known that before the draft? The lure of the NBA life isn't what we think it is, i guess.

My Picks:

Best Player: Steve Francis
Best Rookie: *
Prediction: 3rd (Central), 10th (East)

Charlotte Bobcats

Expansion what? I remember when the expansion Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies came into the league. The two teams didn't look like they had a hope in hell of improving in their first few seasons. It's a different story for the Bobcats through, you can look at that roster and the way Bernie Bickerstaff has drafted and signed talent and see the improvement coming rather quickly.

I had some questions about the drafting of Emeka Okafor. I had heard the stories of his back problems and how it would hinder his play in the extended NBA schedule. Well, i was wrong to doubt the pick, wasn't i? Okafor played above and beyond expectations and from all accounts is learning and developing this off season in hopes of being a bigger part of the team's offense.

There were too big surprises for me when watching the Bobcats last season. Primoz Brezec, who couldn't bribe his way unto the court in Indiana was picked by Charlotte in the expansion draft and proved to be a steal. The guy can play, he can score and rebound with the best of them, and he's young. Now, who the heck would have thought that Brevin Knight would have been among the league leaders in assist, almost averaging a double-double for the season with points and assists.

This season should be interesting for the Bobcats again and there's no reason to believe they won't improve. The Bobcats drafted a great college point guard in Raymond Felton and they are surely hoping the lack of size Sean May has won't be as big a hindrance as people think.

I just don't think the improvement will be significant enough to get them into the playoffs, but it will bring some more excitement to Charlotte.

My Picks:

Best Player: Emeka Okafor
Best Rookie: Raymond Felton
Prediction: 4th (Central), 11th (East)

Atlanta Hawks

Oh woe, the Hawks ended up having another disappointing season. I've been silently pulling for the Hawks for years. The lovable losers of my life.

Just look at their lineup this season and you can see the potential is incredible, but there is much seasoning to be done. Even the addition of Joe Johnson this off season won't bring the Hawks into the playoffs, the supporting staff in Atlanta is not what it needs to be this season, not that it won't be in the future, it's just not there right now.

Much like the Toronto Raptors, you have to question the choice of selecting a player that occupies the same position as your draft pick of the year prior. Marvin Williams is a great talent, but Josh Childress will have something to say about Williams' playing time.

The Hawks would have taken a huge step into respectability if they had signed Eddy Curry to an offer sheet this off season, but the issue of Curry's irregular heart beat and his unwillingness to be tested by Hawks' doctors just soured that deal to such an extent, there was no getting by it.

Because this team is still so young, there is no way to properly judge the future, other than to say it's going to be good, but whether or not the Hawks can hold on to their young guys beyond their rookie contracts is going to be the question.

My Picks:

Best Player: Joe Johnson
Best Rookie: Marvin Williams
Prediction: 5th (Central), 15th (East)

There are doubts about his work ethic, but will a change of scenery and a new coach change that? Last season Brown shot 64% inside but just 32.8% from outside jumpers, but according to those that have watched him, many of those were fade aways that started on the block (this is not from Pincus, but from a couple of people who know the Wizards well). He has a nice jump hook, but because his first step is great but his jumper iffy, defenders play off him. If the jumper becomes consistent is scoring threat goes up.

His rebounding has never been good for a power forward (a career 13.8% rebound rate [percent of available rebounds grabbed]), can Phil get him to focus on that? The scouting report on him is that when he wants to be, he is a good rebounder.

That scouting report I got also said he is a good man defender but not a great help defender. For his career, he averages just 1.4 blocks per 48 minutes (for comparison, Chris Mihm is 2.5), can Phil get him to improve this part of his game?

The Kwame who defied expectations:

Fantasy Impact (Lakers)

Obviously, the Lakers needed a stronger prescence in the middle. Not sure that I would have gone after Kwame myself… but they did, so what can I do? Nothing. Besides, if he continues to struggle, so will the Lakers. And I don’t have a problem with that. That’s right, I’m as biased as you can get.

Chris Mihm got 25 minutes last year. His numbers per 48 are a lot better than Kwame’s. The Lakers also picked up Andrew Bynum and Ronny Turiaf. I think Turiaf is probably ready to play PF in the NBA (from the, like, 2 games I saw Gonzaga play last season). Bynum will obviously be backing up Brown and Mihm (and Medvedenko for that matter). Brown is probably good enough to work within the Triangle Offense, especially with Lamar and Kobe around him.

Personally, I think the Lakers should have traded down from #10 and taken Jarrett Jack or Luther Head to help them out at the PG position. Or they could have stayed small with Sean May and Mihm at PF and C, Odom at SF, and Kobe and Chucky in the backcourt. But, I digress. I guess it’s because I still have yet to fully digest the draft that I had to indulge myself in that tangent.

The Kwame who looks like he’s defying expectations in this picture:

So, if Kwame picks up the other 24 minutes not filled by Mihm (who’s minutes would not decrease if I were Phil Jackson), he’s going to give you every bit of that 7 and 5 he had last season, and maybe a little more. What about the 0.4 blocks? Don’t fret, those’ll be there. If I was 6′11″ I do believe I could get 0.4 block in my sleep. And I’m white. Kwame was taken 101st last year in ESPN drafts and owned in 6.1% of leagues (which I guess isn’t that bad since Lamar was only owned in 70% of all leagues). The only people who’s numbers are going to go down on the Lakers are the ones you don’t want anyway.

Fantasy Impact (Wizards)

The Wizards aren’t doing so bad considering they lost out on Larry Hughes (but at least they didn’t overpay for him, like I would argue that other team probably did… but then, I can’t even imagine being paid $13 million a year, so I guess my perspective might be skewed). The additions of Caron Butler, Chucky Atkins, and The Next Kevin Garnett. Atkins will be a good backup for Gilbert Arenas, and they’ll probably end up sharing some time together in the backcourt. That said, Dude ain’t gone play no 35 minutes next year. (Speaking of which, who the hell are the Lakers going to play for 35 minutes at the PG position?? Comments please!) Atkins is this: 10 points, 3 assists (maybe more if Arenas and the other Wizards are hitting shots), and 1 three-pointer a game.

Butler will be starting over Jeffries unless he gets moved to SG (not alltogether unlikely). No matter what, though, he’s going to get at least as much time as he had last year since he played 35 minutes and Hughes was putting in 38. I can see Caron going to 38 and giving 17/18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists (4 if he plays more at shooting guard), and 1.5 steals.

I believe that Etan Thomas and Jared Jeffries will step up to fill in the couple extra points the Wizards lost with the departure of Hughes. I know Thomas is capable of it because he was backing up Emeka Okeafor on my EA Live team and when Chuke went down with an ankle sprain for 4 weeks, Etan stepped it up and was putting up double-doubles. He’s the real deal. I think he’s definitely a GiveMeTheRockian Candidate.

Count it.

There are doubts about his work ethic, but will a change of scenery and a new coach change that? Last season Brown shot 64% inside but just 32.8% from outside jumpers, but according to those that have watched him, many of those were fade aways that started on the block (this is not from Pincus, but from a couple of people who know the Wizards well). He has a nice jump hook, but because his first step is great but his jumper iffy, defenders play off him. If the jumper becomes consistent is scoring threat goes up.

His rebounding has never been good for a power forward (a career 13.8% rebound rate [percent of available rebounds grabbed]), can Phil get him to focus on that? The scouting report on him is that when he wants to be, he is a good rebounder.

That scouting report I got also said he is a good man defender but not a great help defender. For his career, he averages just 1.4 blocks per 48 minutes (for comparison, Chris Mihm is 2.5), can Phil get him to improve this part of his game?

The Kwame who defied expectations:

Fantasy Impact (Lakers)

Obviously, the Lakers needed a stronger prescence in the middle. Not sure that I would have gone after Kwame myself… but they did, so what can I do? Nothing. Besides, if he continues to struggle, so will the Lakers. And I don’t have a problem with that. That’s right, I’m as biased as you can get.

Chris Mihm got 25 minutes last year. His numbers per 48 are a lot better than Kwame’s. The Lakers also picked up Andrew Bynum and Ronny Turiaf. I think Turiaf is probably ready to play PF in the NBA (from the, like, 2 games I saw Gonzaga play last season). Bynum will obviously be backing up Brown and Mihm (and Medvedenko for that matter). Brown is probably good enough to work within the Triangle Offense, especially with Lamar and Kobe around him.

Personally, I think the Lakers should have traded down from #10 and taken Jarrett Jack or Luther Head to help them out at the PG position. Or they could have stayed small with Sean May and Mihm at PF and C, Odom at SF, and Kobe and Chucky in the backcourt. But, I digress. I guess it’s because I still have yet to fully digest the draft that I had to indulge myself in that tangent.

The Kwame who looks like he’s defying expectations in this picture:

So, if Kwame picks up the other 24 minutes not filled by Mihm (who’s minutes would not decrease if I were Phil Jackson), he’s going to give you every bit of that 7 and 5 he had last season, and maybe a little more. What about the 0.4 blocks? Don’t fret, those’ll be there. If I was 6′11″ I do believe I could get 0.4 block in my sleep. And I’m white. Kwame was taken 101st last year in ESPN drafts and owned in 6.1% of leagues (which I guess isn’t that bad since Lamar was only owned in 70% of all leagues). The only people who’s numbers are going to go down on the Lakers are the ones you don’t want anyway.

Fantasy Impact (Wizards)

The Wizards aren’t doing so bad considering they lost out on Larry Hughes (but at least they didn’t overpay for him, like I would argue that other team probably did… but then, I can’t even imagine being paid $13 million a year, so I guess my perspective might be skewed). The additions of Caron Butler, Chucky Atkins, and The Next Kevin Garnett. Atkins will be a good backup for Gilbert Arenas, and they’ll probably end up sharing some time together in the backcourt. That said, Dude ain’t gone play no 35 minutes next year. (Speaking of which, who the hell are the Lakers going to play for 35 minutes at the PG position?? Comments please!) Atkins is this: 10 points, 3 assists (maybe more if Arenas and the other Wizards are hitting shots), and 1 three-pointer a game.

Butler will be starting over Jeffries unless he gets moved to SG (not alltogether unlikely). No matter what, though, he’s going to get at least as much time as he had last year since he played 35 minutes and Hughes was putting in 38. I can see Caron going to 38 and giving 17/18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists (4 if he plays more at shooting guard), and 1.5 steals.

I believe that Etan Thomas and Jared Jeffries will step up to fill in the couple extra points the Wizards lost with the departure of Hughes. I know Thomas is capable of it because he was backing up Emeka Okeafor on my EA Live team and when Chuke went down with an ankle sprain for 4 weeks, Etan stepped it up and was putting up double-doubles. He’s the real deal. I think he’s definitely a GiveMeTheRockian Candidate.

Count it.