Upcoming Season...

Really looking forward to it -

To get the ball rolling -

Who do you think will be the surprise team this year?
Will Miami repeat?
Will Dallas get back to the finals?
Who will be rookie of the year?
Will the Bulls be legitamate contenders this year?
Will the Pistons suffer?
Where will the Lakers end up?
Can the Spurs get back to the finals.....?

- I think it will be Toronto. They've made some smart moves and have a pretty good GM at the helm right now. Playoffs? Maybe as a low seed. But I think they'll improve.
- I don't think Miami will repeat - unless they make some transactions to compensate for the aging players on the team...
- I think Dallas will get back to the finals. They're a very strong team - and have room for improvement.
- I'm going to go out on a limb and say Rudy Gay - I think he underachieved in college but will work out in the pros..
- I think they will be a contender this year but are a scoring big man away from getting to the finals
- I think the Pistons will suffer. Had they upgraded in other areas, I thought they could still contend - but it doesn't seem that they upgraded at all...
- I think the Lakers may get slightly better - but I still don't see them being a championship contender at all
- The Spurs can get back. With the type of team they have, a less mistake-prone Spurs can get back there - but they'll have to be at the top of their game in the playoffs with that Dallas team

What do you guys think...?

Some very good questions here Baines.

Surprise - I think the Hornets have really improved their team quite a bit. Adding Paul last year really helped and this year adding Chandler and Stojakovic, who both probably had years and hopefully something to prove, should really help usher the team into the playoffs. I agree with you Baines on Toronto too. Hiring Colangelo was a great move and he's already remaking the roster. They should really be improved though I don't know if they'll make the playoffs this year.

Dallas - I think they have a good chance of getting back to the finals though they'll have to go through a tougher conference than Miami to do it. This is a very young team and is capable of getting better and I think they will play better after the education they received in the finals. They'll also be serious and determined I believe. But both the Spurs and Suns should be really tough this year without any major injuries.

Rookie of the year - Haven't followed this year's rookies too close so I couldn't answer this one.

Bulls - Adding Wallace was huge for two reason. It weakened Detroit and it improved their defense which was already quite good. Though they'll be a better team, perhaps the second best team in the east, they just don't have much offensive firepower to know out Miami or win the finals if they did against the teams of the west.

Pistons - After having such a great regular season I don't know what happened to the Pistons in the playoffs. They just fell apart in the Cleveland series and never quite recovered. Looks like they lost their fire or their confidence and just couldn't make shots. I think the Pistons are still a very good team but Wallace was the guy holding down their defense. If Rasheed lights some fire under his bottom and plays with some passion all season and in the playoffs without coasting thorugh games and if they speed up the tempo a little they could be just as good a team. I know Ben gets a lot of credit for the Pistons D but Rasheed, Billups, and Prince are really great defenders in their own right.

Lakers - I was surprised they even made the playoffs with their roster. Kobe played well as did Lamar and the other guys just played their roles well, sort of how Jackson coached his Chicago teams where role players played their parts so effectively. When Odom was first traded to the Lakers I didn't think it was going to work out as both him and Kobe are used to the ball in their hands. And that first year it looked like I was right. But last year they played well together especially in the playoffs. If they can continue to gel together as effective teammates perhaps they'll make the playoffs again. I don't see them doing much better though as they really didn't make any big improvements to their lineup other than the Rad-man.

Spurs - I certainly believe they'll be a better team. Though they'd never make excuses, both Duncan and Ginobili were banged up all year and really didn't play that great all year. Parker did a great job of picking up his game though. When this team is healthy their one of the top teams in the NBA and with a little more incentive (loosing to Dallas and not making it to the finals) they should be ready come playoff time.

Jason

Good point on the Hornets - they could definitely be a quality team this year...

Well....

- I nailed it about Toronto being the surprise team this year
- I nailed it about the Heat..
- I was way off on Dallas - although I know I'm not alone on that one...
- Rudy Gay came in 4th..
- I would say the Bulls turned into contenders - they won't be contending for the big prize, though.....
- The Pistons did end up upgrading (Webber) and it certainly seemed to help -
- I was pretty much right about the Lakers -
- The Spurs may become the champs...!