The NBA is pretty crazy this year. My predictions are a reflection of the craziness seen in the NBA so far.
1. L.A. Lakers
2. Houston Rockets
3. San Antonio Spurs
4. Utah Jazz
5. New Orleans Hornets
6. Phoenix Suns
7. Golden State Warriors
8. Dallas Mavericks
Before the season began, I thought the Lakers would be competing for the 7th or 8th seed. But then they got Pau Gasol, and look very dangerous. It also helps they have the game's best offensive player, Kobe.
I think Houston is figuring it out, playing good defense and I think their offense will run smoothly for the rest of the season as long as McGrady remains healthy. Adding Bobby Jackson will give them a ball-hog off the bench that can put up points. I think every team should have one ball-hog that plays limited minutes, because when the offense is failing, you need someone who won't get down on himself if he misses a shot and continues to jack shots up.
The Spurs and Jazz I don't need to say much on. The Spurs are always a powerhouse, but I put Houston ahead because they currently have more momentum than the Spurs do. The Jazz are the best in their division, and thus have to have one of the top 4 spots.
Hornets are playing great, I think Chris Paul should be MVP. I don't think their team will cool down that much, but I think other teams will elevate their play as the season winds down, pushing the Hornets to #5.
Phoenix is now a team with its sight on the playoffs, so they will work in Shaq and thus will face some bumps as the season goes on. This won't be a big deal though, as they have extra mojo with Shaq around and will take a swing at the championship come post-season.
Warriors are a dynamic team, but they better be streaking by season's end and continue that to the post-season, because they will need to if they are to repeat a first round upset of one of the West's top seeds. It would also help if Chris Webber could regain his athleticism somehow.
I'm not a fan of the Jason Kidd trade. Kidd is too turnover prone, and when Kidd went up against the Hornets, his opponent Chris Paul got 9 steals in the game! That is not a good sign. Even if it does work out, I saw Dirk suck it up at the All-Star game. Plus the Warriors beat them in last season's playoffs, so I'm putting the Warriors ahead.
Nuggets won't make it. I saw them play in person against the Kings, and I wasn't impressed with what I saw. Remember my Bobby Jackson ball-hog comment earlier? Well Nuggets have a ball-hog too: Allen Iverson. Except their ball-hog plays 40 minutes a game. I think the Nuggets should have traded for Ron Artest. With the exception of Marcus Camby, I just feel like opponents can get their points against the Nuggets. That wouldn't be happening if Artest was on the Nuggets. If the Nuggets had made the trade for Artest, I think they could have been a 5 or 6 seed, or even possibly contend for the Jazz' #4 spot.
The Kings will surpass the Blazers as #10 in the conference, thus further hindering their chances of getting a better draft pick. This is beginning to remind me of the Mitch Richmond years, where the Kings were good enough to compete daily with the top dogs and lose, yet beat up on the weak teams.
This was a good break from studying, now back to work.
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