This is a complete breakdown of all 30 NBA teams and where they rank from top to bottom as we approach the upcoming season. This list will be updated every month as teams make trades, get hot/cold, and we will see who will come out as the Champs! All opinions on this post are mine and open for discussion (please bring facts) so feel free to argue me down if your team is at the bottom. LoL!
Team Rank Record Synopsis
1. *57-25 The Champs are back with the Big 3 intact minus 1 big part James Posey,
who defected to the Hornets via Free Agency. Posey's nac to hit the big
shot will have to be filled by committee with the additions of Darius Miles
and rookie Bill Walker. The C's will be in the hunt in the end.
2. *61-21 Lakerland looks good for '08 with the return of a healthy Andrew Bynum.
With the front court solid, L.O should be able to roam and contribute
without much expectations. The Zen Master has hinted at Trevor Ariza
starting at the 3 spot, which puts Odom as 6th man. Could work.
3. *52-30 The Rockets made arguably the biggest splash of the off season with the
acquisition of Ron Artest. He will make up the new Big Three with Yao and
T-Mac. Look for the Rockets to make a strong run with such a deep roster.
4. *51-31 The new look Hornets are coming in with high expectations with James
Posey at the 2. Pargo is gone, so no safety net for CP3 but they will only go
as far as their point guard will take them. Lack of depth could hurt.
5. *55-25 The west may still go through San-Antonio, but they aren't getting any
younger. The injury to Ginobli in the Olympics didn't sit well with
management, but with Duncan, and Parker they will be a force come May.
6. *56-26 Joey D quietly picked up Kwame Brown(Booo!) and kept the team intact
admits speculation of an overhaul. Sheed is still Sheed and Rip will be Rip
but look for a potential Billups trade if that offense sputters and Stuckey
keeps producing.
7. *53-29 New coach Terry Porter will slow down the tempo and CORRECTLY use
Shaq on offense. Nash and Amare are still dominant and look for new-
comer Matt Barnes to sure up the Defense that they sorely miss on the wing.
8. *45-37 Bron needs help..but Mo Williams might not be enough to keep him in
Cleveland past 09. I want to rank them lower but "A LeBron led basketball
team is never desperate."
9. *49-33 J-Kidd is fresh off an Olympic gold medal, while Josh Howard is surrounded
by controversy. Interesting to see how the Mavs will respond to new coach
Rick Carlisle after he was ran out of Detroit. Dirk where are you??
10. *43-38 Brand is back in the East, a Josh Smith pickup in the off season would have
landed Philly higher. Young legs everywhere with veteran leadership.
Watch Out..Sleeper in the East!
11. *50-32 The Jazz are an interesting team, so many young players with so much potential.
They are built to win a load of games, but they lack an edge which killed them
against the Lakers. D-Will is their best player...Sorry Boozer.
12. *44-38 Portland is the youngest team in the league, and with a healthy Oden they can
be scary. The backcourt is crowded with Roy and newcomer Bayless. Steve
Blake could be an asset off the bench. But what about Outlaw?
13. *45-37 The front court could be solid after a quiet trade for former All-Star Jermaine
O'neal. With Bosh leading the way, they will be 9 over 500 or should break
even again this year.
14. *41-41 Yes this is a high ranking..but D-Wade is BACK! Just look at the Olympics
for proof. Beasley will score right away, and hopefully Marion will come to
play. Bad News is thats about it (lol), rookie point and no Ricky Davis or
J-Will.
15. *50-32 The Magic is back in Orlando! Hedo played like an All-Star last year, and
Howard should be hungry for more after striking gold in Beijing. It will be
raining 3's again this year. Wonder how long J.J Reddick will sit?
16. *48-34 No Camby could equal No Playoffs. They snuck in last year with No Defense
and then let their best defender walk. Go Figure. Coach Carl is on the Hot
Seat, and look for the A.I rumors to swirl if they start off slow.
17. *45-39 The Wiz kids are only as good as there $111 Million Dollar Man Agent Zero.
Jamison and Butler are still there to carry the load but gone is Mason who was
a spark late in the season. Look for more Nick Young and help from Juan
Dixon.
18. *30-52 The Bucks brought in Jefferson to help out Michael Redd, but did they give up
too much? Gone are Simmons and Yi, and in is Damon Jones..not adding up.
19. *36-46 Baby Bulls will look to get back to form with the #1 pick Rose leading the way.
Deng has finally signed and it looks as if Gordon will too. With the backcourt
crowded look for someone to go, mainly Kirk Hinrich.
20. *41-41 I like what the Clippers are trying to do, but they are the CLIPPERS it just
wont work..right? Welcome home Baron Davis! Veterans Ricky Davis and
Marcus Camby will keep it interesting. There will be no easy W's for teams
visiting the other Staples Center Team.
21. *30-52 Golden State and L.A will forever be linked with the player swapping that they
did this summer. Maggette will score, but with Ellis out till December they will
struggle. Don Nelson still has plenty to work with in Brandon Wright, Marcus
Williams, and newcomer Ronnie Turiaf.
22. *41-41 ATL came out in full support of the hometeam as they pushed the C's to 7 games. With Childress gone, who will fill the void; enter "Flip" Murray.
Look for the Hawks to make another run, as long as Marvin Williams grows.
23. *42-40 Dem Bobcats, Dem Bobcats(Big up P.Q.). This is the year M.J's team makes
the playoffs. Everyone looks healthy(May, Okafur) and rookie Augistin will
push Felton for time. With all these young players why is Larry Brown the
coach?
24. *36-46 New York, New York! If they can buy into the 7 seconds or less of offense
the Knicks could be interesting. My guy Marbury should be back, just long
enough to prove he can still play; then look for him to be moved. As well as
Zach Randolph. Welcome back Allan Houston!
25. *23-59 Lets see no Ron Artest, and no Mike Bibby, but still around are Brad Miller
and Kevin Martin. Watch out for rookie Bobby Brown (he can play) and
Donte Green for a lift this year. Francisco Garcia should produce as well.
26. *40-42 The Nets moved Jefferson to Milwaukee and are slowly chipping the salary cap
away for a certain "King" in 2010. Depending on which Vince comes to play
will show how far the Nets will go. Devin Harris has to help lead the way.
27. *25-59 Indy doesn't scare anyone, but they will sneak in some wins. Rookies Hibbert
and Rush may provide a spark but it wont be enough. I have the Pacers on the
outside looking in come playoff time. Stay tuned.
28. *26-56 The Grizz have a nice young squad..on paper. Gay, Mayo, and Warrick will
be good and throw in Marc Gasol (Pau's Bro) they look like the Blazers. I have a problem with the bench, Josh Smith would have been a great pickup.
29. *26-56 Don't see much improvement in 08 record wise, but thats because they play in
in the West. A more mature Telfair, rookie Love and should be All-Star Al
Jefferson will provide match-up problems for opponents.
30. *30-62 Oklahoma City finally has their team, but they are very young. Don't expect the
same magic that the college fans brought to the displaced Hornets. R.O.Y
Durant, Wilcox, Greene and rookie Westbrook all should play heavy minutes.
*-Projected Record
Let the debate Begin! Please post your comments and let me know which teams you believe will do better than the predictions that I have calculated. Talk amongst yourselves.
'Peace
Agent 34
Clearly Fashion was all about color in the 80's and these former players differently lived up to the standard. Karl Malone wore 3 different shades of blue and a square tie (never do that) for his big day. Nothing I found topped Chuck Person and his pink and white prom tux that of course included a comber bun.
The 90's are well represented in these 2 pictures as you have LJ a.k.a Grand-Ma-Ma still holding on to the 80's with a vintage Miami Vice look. But..When you are the #1 overall pick in any draft you kind of get a pass for wearing white pants. The 1996 draft was the one that changed the NBA, it is arguably the best class ever (well maybe the 03 class). This group was headlined by Starbury, KB24, Ray Allen and Allen Iverson. The hood and overall street culture was represented with this class which helped re-launch the NBA into a new era.
Lebron clearly took his time picking his suit in anticipation of being the #1 overall pick. The 3 piece gray suit is a classic look no matter which hat you have to put on. Now to my right we have the definition of what NOT to wear in any setting. Joakim Noah chose to wear a Searsucker suit...what is that? Yeah had to ask my pops about that one since it its straight out of the 70's. LoL.
