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5th August, 2005 - 2:07 pm
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| Current Features |
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SCOOP DU JOUR: Iverson With The Knicks, Joe Alexander, Lincecum's Cy Young & More
Allen Iverson and the Knicks is a marriage out of necessity, forecasting Joe Alexander's future, why there hasn't been any players compared to Magic or Bird, plus Tim Lincecum's Cy Young and the possibility of Pacquiao/Mayweather at Cowboys Stadium.
STANDING 10: Retire Me Not
Even though LeBron James is well-intentioned in his hope of the NBA retiring #23, there are so many problems with this notion that it is difficult to find a place to begin.
MOCK DRAFT: 2009 NBA Mock Draft, Version 11.0 (Draft Day Edition)
How will the 2009 NBA Draft shake out? We're only hours away from finding out.
LOCKER TALK: Nash, Cleveland, & Orlando
Steve Nash could draw trade interest this summer and Cleveland isn’t overlooking Orlando…
PLAYER RANKINGS: The Final NBA Player Rankings For The 2008-09 Season
The 2008-09 season is in the books and how did players rank individually?
CLASSICS: Hakeem Vs. Ewing: Who Was The Better Center?
Born within six months of each other in opposite corners of the world, two seven footers who are finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame this fall are two of the best ever to play the center position.
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By Patrick J. Austin
1.) Miami Heat
Miami is officially re-loaded. Trading Eddie Jones and spare parts for Jason Williams, James Posey, and Antoine Walker is a real steal for Pat Riley. Some say the chemistry will be hurt and Williams/Walker won’t fit into the team concept. Those are valid concerns, but you can’t question the return of value. Dealing one starter and getting back three is amazing.
2.) San Antonio Spurs
They haven’t done much of anything this summer, but they don’t really have to. They’re still a near-lock to make it to the finals in ’06.
3.) Houston Rockets
Signing Stromile Swift catapults the Rockets to the top of the West. His athleticism and shot blocking abilities were exactly what they needed at the power forward position.
4.) Indiana Pacers
Sarunas Jasikevicius is going to help Indiana in the shooting department, but will his big ego accept a smaller role with an NBA team?
5.) Detroit Pistons
This is another team that hasn’t made many changes in player personnel. But losing Larry Brown will hurt. He turned a group of good, but not great players into a great team. Flip Saunders will have a real challenge duplicating that.
6.) New Jersey Nets
If they wind up acquiring Shareef Abdur-Rahim, then the Nets are going to be a serious threat in 05-06. Though, Kidd and RJ have to stay healthy.
7.) Cleveland Cavaliers
Kudos to Danny Ferry for making such an immediate impact. He certainly didn’t drag his feet when it came to free agent signings. Landing both Larry Hughes and Donyell Marshall will give LeBron the offensive help he so desperately needed. Re-signing Ilgauskas was smart, since he’s one of the few true centers left in the game. Of course, they still need a consistent 3-point shooter (possibly Damon Jones?).
8.) New York Knicks
You have to give credit to Zeke for landing Larry Brown. That move alone will put NY back into serious playoff contention.
9.) Dallas Mavericks
Cuban doesn’t have to do much this offseason. His roster is stacked with talent and is a lock to win fifty or more games.
10.) L.A. Lakers
Re-hiring Phil Jackson will definitely get them back to respectability. The Kwame trade was surprising and very risky. He could bust out and become a new Jermaine O’Neal. Or, he could continue to wallow in mediocrity.
11.) Philadelphia 76ers
Billy King was true to his word. He re-signed all of his key free agents—Dalembert, Green, and Korver. If Chris Webber can stay healthy, then Philly should be a top team in the East.
12.) Denver Nuggets
They’ve stayed relatively quiet this offseason. Drafting Julius Hodge will help them immensely in the backcourt. If they can sign Michael Finley (if he’s waived) then Denver will be very competitive.
13.) Chicago Bulls
It looks like they’ll wind up keeping both Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler (at least through next season). Paxson has been playing hardball with both and it seems to be working. This team should be even better next year as their young talent continues to mature.
14.) Washington Wizards
Losing Larry Hughes was a major blow, but they rebounded by trading the disgruntled Kwame Brown for Chucky Atkins and Caron Butler. In addition, they signed Antonio Daniels. Those moves will ensure they stay in the playoff hunt.
15.) Phoenix Suns
Losing Joe Johnson is going to hurt. Dealing away Quentin Richardson and the rights to Nate Robinson for Kurt Thomas could backfire big time. The Suns will still be competitive, but don’t expect anything near this past season.
16.) Sacramento Kings
They lost Cuttino Mobley but traded for a decent replacement in Bonzi Wells. Though, it cost them super sixth man, Bobby Jackson. This team is slowly but surely falling further back in the West.
17.) Seattle Supersonics
Re-signing Ray was good, but losing Nate McMillan, Antonio Daniels, and Jerome James will send this team back into lotto-land.
18.) Boston Celtics
Drafting Gerald Green at 18 was an absolute steal, but he’s definitely two years away from consistent production.
19.) Golden State Warriors
This team is going to surprise many next season. Everyone just needs to stay healthy.
20.) Portland Trailblazers
Hiring Nate McMillan was a fantastic move, but this team is very young and it will take time for all the pieces to fit together.
21.) Utah Jazz
Drafting Deron Williams will help them get back to respectability sooner rather than later. Trading Raul Lopez, Kirk Snyder, and Curtis Borchardt for Greg Ostertag was just plain dumb. Of course, they still have Sloan at the helm and if AK47 can stay healthy, they should be competitive.
22.) Milwaukee Bucks
Re-signing Michael Redd was great, but is he really worth 90 million dollars? Drafting Andrew Bogut will help them immediately in the frontcourt. Signing Bobby Simmons to a massive contract was surprising. They needed a productive power forward more than another small forward.
23.) Memphis Grizzlies
They’ve replaced Jason Williams, James Posey, and Bonzi Wells with Damon Stoudamire, Eddie Jones, and Bobby Jackson. That’s not really improvement.
24.) Minnesota Timerwolves
They’re going to lose a headcase in Latrell Sprewell, but drafted another in Rashad McAnts. I don’t see this team returning to serious contention anytime soon.
25.) Charlotte Bobcats
Drafting Ray Felton and Sean May will provide immediate results. They still aren’t a playoff team, but they’re getting close. Just give it time.
26.) L.A. Clippers
They lost Bobby Simmons, which will hurt them defensively. To counteract the loss, they signed Cuttino Mobley. He’s a good scorer and decent defender. But c’mon this is still the Clippers.
27.) Toronto Raptors
They had a puzzling draft and haven’t done much in free agency. I expect more of the same out of this team (i.e. mediocrity).
28.) Orlando Magic
Taking Fran Vasquez over the likes of Sean May, Danny Granger, and Gerald Green will haunt this franchise for years—bank on that.
29.) New Orleans Hornets
They haven’t done much with their cap space. Though, drafting Chris Paul with the fourth pick was a great move. But expect another lottery season from this rebuilding team.
30.) Atlanta Hawks
What a mess. A roster filled with shooting guard and small forwards; no real center or point guard; and an ownership group that resembles the three stooges. |
