Bay Area Blitz NBA Preview

Western Conference

Pacific Division

Phoenix: One of the favorites to win the NBA title. Steve Nash should once again be involved in the MVP discussion. With Amare Stoudamire, Shawn Marion and a great supporting cast that includes Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw and Grant Hill, they will fight with San Antonio and Dallas for home-court throughout the playoffs. Prediction: 63-19

Golden State: (See article on the Warriors). Prediction: 40-42

LA Clippers: Their best player, Elton Brand, is out for a big part of the season. Most people think the Clips will be terrible because of that, but they have some very good young players. I think Corey Maggette is primed for a career year. Chris Kaman is one of the better centers in the league, Al Thornton is a nice-looking rookie, and swingmen Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas provide a scoring punch that will keep this team in the playoff hunt until Brand comes back. Prediction: 41-41

LA Lakers: Right now all the talk surrounds the Kobe trade rumors. Assuming he doesn’t get traded, the Lakers should finish right around where they did last season, around .500. Kobe is the best player in basketball, but his supporting cast is average at best. Andrew Bynum is a developing center but he’s still only 20 years old. Lamar Odom must stay healthy for this team to return to the playoffs. Prediction: 40-42

Sacramento: Could be a long season for the Kings. With Mike Bibby out for several weeks, John Salmons takes over as the primary ball handler. Kevin Martin is their best player and Ron Artest gives them toughness and attitude, but the Kings are the worst team in the division. Prediction: 28-56

Northwest Division

Denver: The Nuggets have Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson together for a full season. I think Melo can become one of the best fourth quarter players and could make the leap and get some MVP consideration. They have excellent inside presence with Marcus Camby, Nene and Kenyon Martin. Led by coach George Karl, I expect this team to win the division and get a high seed in the West. Prediction: 54-28

Utah: Everything came together for the Jazz last season when they made it to the Western Conference Finals. They have a stud point guard in Deron Williams, a stud power forward in Carlos Boozer, and good players to round out the roster, including Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur and rebounding machine Paul Millsap. You know coach Jerry Sloan will have this team playing hard every night. Prediction: 50-32

Seattle: Kevin Durant will probably win rookie of the year, but that’s all Sonics fans have to look forward to this season. There is outstanding young talent on this team with Durant, Chris Wilcox, Jeff Green and Nick Collison. But youth does not win games in the NBA. Prediction: 26-56

Portland: Losing Greg Oden for the season killed this team after they already traded Zach Randolph. Look for Lamarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy to put up good numbers for this young team. Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster are also young players with upside. But like Seattle, young teams struggle to win. Prediction: 24-58

Minnesota: With KG gone, the Wolves are in rebuilding mode. Like Seattle and Portland, they have some good young players. And like those teams, they will be in the lottery. Expect Al Jefferson to put up 18 points and 12 rebounds a game. Randy Foye is a good young point guard to watch, and forwards Corey Brewer and Craig Smith could surprise people. Prediction: 18-64

Southwest Division:

San Antonio: The defending champs didn’t win this division last year, finishing second to Dallas. But with the big three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, they are too good not to win 60 games. Prediction: 60-22

Dallas: Won 67 games last year before their season came to a crash to the Warriors in round one of the playoffs. They still have the league’s reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Jason Terry, Devin Harris and Jerry Stackhouse. They added Eddie Jones to the mix. They could easily win this division again. We know this team can be real good in the regular season. The question is, will they implode in the playoffs again? Prediction: 59-23

Houston: Their new-look up-tempo style of play makes this team more dangerous. Tracy McGrady’s health me is the key, and Yao Ming is the best center in the league and should put up close to 25 points and 10 rebounds a game. Shane Battier is the perfect glue player while Luis Scola, Mike James and Rafer Alston are solid role players for the Rockets. Prediction: 51-31
New Orleans: The Hornets should break through and make the playoffs. They have a good nucleus that starts with point guard Chris Paul. Forwards Davis West and Peja Stojakovic, center Tyson Chandler and guard Morris Peterson give this team a good mix of talent and experience. Prediction: 45-37

Memphis: Pau Gasol is healthy and primed for a big year. Sharp shooter Mike Miller, Rudy Gay and Darko Milicic make this an intriguing team to watch this season. I can see them winning anywhere from 25 to 45 games. Prediction: 32-50

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division:

Boston: Newly acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen team up with Paul Pierce to make the Celtics one of the contenders to win the East. KG will have an MVP-type season as Boston should hold off New Jersey in the Atlantic. Don’t be surprised if the “big three” make the All-Star team. Prediction: 56-26

New Jersey: The trio of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson will be good enough to get the Nets into the playoffs in a weak Eastern conference. Center Nenad Krstic is a solid player and Bostjan Nachbar stretches out the defense with his ability to nail the 3-pointer. Prediction: 46-36

Toronto: Last year they won this division with a 47-35 record. Despite their good young nucleus, they may take a step back mainly because of Boston’s improvement. Chris Bosh is a star, Andrea Bargnani is a big man who can shoot and will improve this season, and T.J. Ford runs the show for the Raptors. They will fight for a playoff spot all season. Prediction: 41-41

Philadelphia: Andre Iguodala is Mr. Everything for the 76ers. He should average close to 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals a game. Andre Miller runs the point, Samuel Dalembert is a shot-blocking center and Kyle Korver is the 3-point specialist. Given all that, they are one 20-point scorer away from competing for a playoff spot. Prediction: 36-46

New York: The Knicks have a lot of beef in the frontcourt with Eddie Curry and Zach Randolph, and on paper they have a decent roster – not nearly as good as their payroll but that’s a different story. Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford are scoring guards, and David Lee is a monster on the boards. They should compete for that final playoff spot. Prediction: 38-44

Central Division:

Detroit: The Pistons will again be one of the top teams in the East. Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Teyshaun Prince have been together for a long time. Jason Maxiell could have a breakout season off the bench as a scoring and shot-blocking power forward. Prediction: 54-28

Chicago: The Bulls have tons of young talent, starting with Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich. I think second-year forward Tyrus Thomas will have a breakout season. Let’s not forget they still have Ben Wallace, Andres Nocioni and first-round pick Joakim Noah. They are probably the best defensive team in the league. The question is, can they score enough points to contend? Prediction: 52-30

Indiana: Jermaine O’Neal’s health is the key for the Pacers. If he can stay healthy, they can do some good things with former Warriors Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Ike Diogu. Danny Granger is a versatile player who can do a little of everything, especially defend. Jamal Tinsley is a passing point guard and Jeff Foster is a rebounder and hustle player. If everything falls right, Indy can win 50 games. Prediction: 45-37

Cleveland: The reigning Eastern Conference champs should fall back a little. Lebron James is still the King and he should continue to put up huge numbers, but after Daniel “boobie” Gibson, the supporting cast is pretty suspect. Zadrunas Ilgauskas is a good center and Drew Gooden is a decent power forward, but Gooden is a poor defender. Larry Hughes has underachieved and been hurt ever since he signed the big contract with the Cavs. Anderson Varejao is still holding out for a new contract. Prediction: 44-38

Milwaukee: The Bucks are led by the backcourt of Michael Redd and Mo Williams. Andrew Bogut should average around 10 rebounds a game inside while Charlie Villanueva’s health will factor in to how well they do. Rookie Yi Jianlian figures to get significant playing time. They are not a bad team but they don’t scare anybody. Prediction: 39-43

Southeast Division:

Miami: The Heat are favored to win the weakest division in the East. Shaquille O’Neal is getting older and Dwayne Wade is hurt to begin the season, but once Wade gets back, they should have enough to hold off Orlando and Atlanta. Prediction: 42-40

Orlando: The signing of Rashard Lewis should put the Magic in the playoffs. Dwight Howard is a beast down low, and Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu are solid team players. The lack of bench will hurt this team. Prediction: 38-44

Atlanta: The Hawks have a ton of talented swingmen that include Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Josh Childress to go along with first-round picks Al Horford (PF) and Acie Law (PG) and center Zaza Pachulia. They will have some really good nights and some bad nights. Prediction: 37-45

Washington: The Wizards, who finished 41-41 last season, will have a tough time duplicating that feat this season. They are led by Gilbert Arenas, who is one of the top players in the league. But don’t expect Caron Butler to have another career year. Antawn Jamison puts up good numbers, but his defense is terrible. Brendan Haywood is a decent center. They will be at the bottom of the playoff picture all season. Prediction: 36-44

Charlotte: On paper, the Bobcats are pretty talented with center Emeka Okafor, guards Raymond Felton and Jason Richardson, and forward Gerald Wallace. They also have solid role players in sharp shooters Matt Carroll and Walter Hermann. Adam Morrison, last year’s first-round pick, is also in the mix. Sean May is out for the season. Prediction: 32-50