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By: Keith Dobkowski, NBA News Writer
We are a mere week from the opening tip off and for the first
time in several years the NBA landscape is wide open. Shaquille
O’neal’s trade from the Los Angeles Lakers to Miami Heat has
opened the door to several teams on the cusp of the
championship.
Shaq is the most dominant force in basketball today and so long
as he can run the court his team will be in contention. While
Kobe Bryant did not like being a “sidekick” we will soon see how
much Kobe likes being a loser. A loser in the Lakers and
Yankees sense of the word and not a loser as used to describe L.
A.’s other team, the Clippers.
For the first time in five seasons, the Lakers will be on the
playoff bubble and not a favorite to win the Championship.
Most pre-season experts have selected the Detroit Pistons to
repeat as champions even though the Pistons lack a great
player. Not to take away from their accomplishments last year,
but the Pistons ran through a relatively weak East and met a
Lakers’ team that was torn apart by a pouting superstar.
Kobe’s inability to play a team game and Karl Malone’s knee
clearly assisted the Pistons in grabbing their first championship
since the bad boys days.
Now the Pistons are a marked target in the NBA. Every team is
gunning for them and the pressure has mounted. Immediate
focus must be placed on Rasheed Wallace who is no longer
playing as the new kid on a winning team during a contract
year. But rather, playing with the security of a new six-year
contract with the Pistons. A security that had ‘Sheed lead the
league in technical fouls while with the Portland Trailblazers.
THE EAST:
Shaq’s arrival immediately changes the dynamics of the Eastern
Conference. Miami has replaced the former Eastern power of
New Jersey to join the upper echelon of the East along with
Detroit and Indiana.
New Jersey’s demise started when Jason Kidd injured his knee
and continued with the exodus of Kenyon Martin. A healthy Kidd
may still be enough to get the Nets to the playoffs, but that will
be an achievement in and of its self.
The Orlando Magic could be the one surprise team in the East.
The Magic traded 25 point per game scorer and defensive liability
Tracy McGrady for Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley who are
both starters and averaged over 40 points combined for the
Houston Rockets in recent seasons. Add in number one pick
Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, a possibly healthy Grant Hill
(who dropped 20 the other night) and several free agent
signings, and the Magic have a formidable lineup.
However the power of the East remains in three teams.
The Indiana Pacers had the best record in the NBA last season
and are led by all-NBA forward Jermaine O’neal. O’neal’s
supporting cast though is anything but scary. Reggie Miller can
still hit a three but is a shadow of the player he once was. The
Pacers lack a real center and continue to use a point guard by
committee approach.
Shaq and rising star Dwyane Wade lead the Heat. In an
Olympics full of American disappointments, Wade was the one
bright spot. This duo will immediate jump to the front of the
pack as the best one-two punch in the league.
The Pistons play a great team game and even better defense.
Their ability to follow Coach Larry Brown’s plan and execute will
surely lead the Pistons far this season.
THE WEST
The East has crawled slowly up on the West to where the three
best teams in the East could all be contenders in the West.
However, the West is twelve-teams deep. Four of which have a
legitimate shot at reaching the finals.
On the bubble looking in sits the improved Golden State Warriors
and the Phoenix Suns. Both have added talent including new
point guards Derrick Fisher and Steve Nash, respectively.
However, both will be competing for that final spot in the West
against the likes of the Lakers and Trailblazers.
In the middle of the pack sits the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento
Kings, Memphis Grizzles, and Utah Jazz. The Mavs lost Nash but
added Eric Dampier, the best big man on the market this
summer. However, that says more about the summer market
than Dampier who has small hands and problems catching the
ball. Losing their starting point guard Nash and bench energizer
Eduardo Najera will hurt the Mavs as well.
The Kings have their two best players feuding, and as seen with
the Lakers last season, that can’t be a good sign. And neither
Chris Webber nor Peja Stojokavic has ever shined in the
postseason. Until Webber decides to go down and bang, the
Kings will remain fun to watch in the regular season and a
disappointment in the post-season.
The Grizzles are on the up but lack the star player to carry them
to the championship. Pau Gasol, their best player, is still a level
below the best power forwards in the West including Tim
Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Dirk Nowitzki.
The Jazz have improved more than any other team in the West
this year. They added Carlos Boozer who has mimicked his
game after long time Jazz star Karl Malone. Memet Okur also
joins the mix adding size and a jump shot to the front line. And
Carlos Arroyo is fresh off his dissection of the American Olympic
team in Athens. However, the Jazz are still a few years away
from competing for the championship.
The Lakers, who have dominated the West over the past five
seasons, return with an almost entirely new roster. Fisher
joined the Warriors, Shaq joined the Heat, Gary Payton is in
Boston and Malone isn’t sure if he will play. What is left is a fast
break team that should close in on 45 wins during the regular
season and a quick exit in the post season. This Lakers’ squad,
which currently starts Lamar Odem at the power forward, does
not have the half court game or size to survive against any of
the playoff teams.
The top four teams in the West are the Minnesota Timber-
Wolves, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and Denver
Nuggets.
The Nuggets and Houston are new to the top four spots in the
West. Both moved up with the best two summer acquisitions.
The Nuggets added all-star forward Kenyon Martin to their front
line, now one of the best in the league. Furthermore, the
Nuggets will improve as Carmelo Anthony improves. Going into
his second year, Anthony should look to step up and become
one of the top ten players in the league. If Anthony can put the
Marijuana arrest and Olympic pouting behind him, look for
Anthony to outshine Lebron this season.
Houston added Tracy McGrady to the mix and the improvement
should be felt immediately. While McGrady’s scoring average is
sure to dip, his assists should rise as he plays into Jeff Van
Gundy’s pass to Yao Ming offense. The shot differential between
McGrady and his counterparts in the trade, Mobley and Francis,
should lead to an extra five to ten touches per game for Yao.
Look for Houston to quickly grab the best one-two punch in the
West now that Shaq has moved East.
The T-Wolves return the same cast that had a successful playoff-
run last season. With MVP Kevin Garnett, the T-Wolves should
be a favorite to win it all. However, the key will be Sam Cassell’s
back. If he stays healthy through the regular season and is able
to put up similar numbers from last year, the T-Wolves are sure
to go far. If Cassell’s back fails, the T-Wolves will exit the
playoffs in the second round.
The Spurs are now the class of the West. The addition of three-
point sharpshooter Brent Barry, the maturation of Tony Parker
and Manu Ginobili, and the leadership of Tim Duncan, the Spurs
are looking for their third championship in the last seven years.
NBA CHAMPIONS
While it is hard to go against the defending champion Pistons,
our pick is that the Spurs will beat the Heat in six.
Published Sports
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