House of Hoops

Buse Blog followers, try not to feel bombarded by picks and predictions...but the NBA season gets under way tonight so I would be remiss to not communicate my preseason predictions for the year in hoops 2009/2010. (even if it does come on the heels of Beans world series)

Basically, this year the Gallacticos strategy reigns supreme. There are a lot of NBA teams that look to improve on seasons from last year, but as far as I'm concerned, only 6 teams are relevant in terms of taking the ship....and all but one of them are in that position solely because of their ability to sign the Galactic free agents.

So let's break em down.....
Spurs Cavs
Nuggets Magic
Lakers Celtics

The Spurs are back....
Plain and simple the big three are all healthy and when you combine that with the best X's and O's tactical head coach in the game, you get the team that has won 4 rings in the last 10 years. George Hill and Roger Mason jr are a year more experienced and will knock down more jumpers, and more importantly, Theo Ratliff and Antonio McDyess will allow the Spurs to actually rest Timmy in the 3rd quarter. This team will be in the Western Conf. finals. The NBA finals are a different story however. The Spurs are not deep enough to be the last ones standing in the West, simply not enough offense, and despite having great team defense, they lack a true lock down defender that would quell the efforts of an opposing superstar during a 7 game series.

Nuggets were on the cusp...
Denver showed how dynamic their team could be last year. All it took was Chauncey Billups to turn an athletic rec league team into the last one in the West standing in front of the Lakers. This year they will be even more established with Chauncey as their leader and Carmello believe it or not played D in the postseason last year, so I'm assuming it is his motive to bring more intensity to his everyday defensive efforts. Though they will be the third best team in the West, they will not contend for the title. The Nuggets have not changed much from last year, same players, same coach, same scheme. Conversely, the competition has gotten better.

Lakers and Phil Jackson don't have enough fingers...
This year, it's going to be a repeat for Los Angeles simply because they are just too good. They already had the deepest team in the league and when they are fully healthy this year, either Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, or Ron Artest will be coming off the BENCH....due to their ridiculous depth. Offensively, defensively they have no matchup problems and they just happen to have the best player on the planet suiting up every night. Many have questioned whether or not Artest will work chemistry wise in LA, but there is nothing to fear. Though his personality may seem quirky, obnoxious and narcissitic, on the court he is a team 1st player all the way. He doesn't care about stats, accolades, or recognition...he cares about winning, which is why outside the media, but in the halls of the NBA, GMs and players jump at the chance to get him on their team.

As for the East, I guess I'm just explaining why there are 3 contenders that still don't have what it takes to contend with the Lakers...so here goes

Cavs, Lebron rules with an Iron fist, not a Velvet glove...
They added Shaq, who sells tickets, tightens the floor defensively, and improves team morale because he's hilarious. They added JaMario Moon, Leon Powe, and Anthony Parker....so they have even more defense and more rebounding. Yea, it sounds promising. But they still have no coach, and that's the problem. Their offense will continue to be everyone stand around and watch Lebron...and that will be their downfall. Sure Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, and Ilgauskas can score...but they don't get the ball in the continuity of an offense, they get it when Lebron decides to pass. For the regular season, this brand of bball is good for the best record in the NBA. But in the playoffs, it simply doesn't work when the best players in the world actually play hard D for 48 minutes.

Magic addition by subtraction and subtraction by addition...
No more Turkoglu. So finally, Dwight Howard will get the ball and the offense will actually run through him. That's all well and good, but Turkoglu was a huge part of why the Magic were so great. More than anything, Hedo was a matchup problem. He did a little of everything, he handled the ball, ran the floor, played a lil D, and rebounded, plus he was 6"10". Though the majority of his game was wild shots, he was the xfactor that put the Magic over the edge. The addition of Vince Carter theoretically gives the magic a perfect inside, outside...Kobe and Shaq-esque offensive threat. But in actuality, it gives them a another gun who shoots too many 3s and doesn't play D or rebound...add him to Rashard Lewis and you now have two starters of that ilk. They will be good, perhaps dominant in the East, but for the Magic to win, Vince would have to be the all around superstar that he could be, not the highlight reel offensive superstar that he is.

Celtics, Boston 3 party is has become the new Fab 5...
Garnett's healthy, he's old, but not really only 33, and will take it easy on the knee in the regular season and peak when he should peak. (even though I hate him and his screams and mean-mugs). Paul Pierce is the king of the 15-20ft step back, couple that with hittin free throws and actually getting to the basket, he's good for a dub every night(even though i don't understand how a slow player beats ppl to the basket) Ray Allen hits every big shot, and open 3s are like layups to him(even though his head is enormous)....but wait...there's two more? Sheed...who will be hyped to be a role player instead of the key guy because he loves taking plays off, so he will be sick on O and D. And forget Chris Paul and Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo is the best point guard in this league. He literally does everything for your team and makes opposing guards want to stop playing. The Celtics will be annoying all year but they will be gritty and win games and will edge any team in the East just by being tougher.