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Killa4luv
Posts: 27769
Alba Posts: 51
Joined: 6/23/2002
Member: #261
USA
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1.)San Antonio Spurs
They re-signed Robert "big shot" Horry and brought over a promising foreign center in Fabricio Oberto. No key pieces have been lost, so expect them to make another run for the championship next season.
2.)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 damaged and Williams/Walker won’t fit into the team concept. Those are valid concerns, but you can’t question the return on value. Dealing one starter and getting back three is amazing. In addition, they locked up Shaq for the next five years at a hefty cost of one hundred million dollars. Though, it could have cost them a lot more. Unless the injury bug bites, this team should be the best in the East.
3.) Detroit Pistons
This is another team that hasn’t made many changes in player personnel. They lost Larry Brown but hired a great replacement in Flip Saunders. What Larry did with this team was amazing and Flip certainly has some big shoes to fill.
4.) Dallas Mavericks
They signed Doug Christie, who should help them on the defensive end. The roster is stacked with talent and is a lock to win fifty or more games
5.) Houston Rockets
Signing Stromile Swift was a fantastic move by the Rockets.His athleticism and shot blocking abilities are exactly what they needed at the power forward position. They’ve re-signed Jon Barry and are close to re-upping Dikembe Mutombo. Both are key components to their second unit. Though, they still need a steady, pass-first point guard.
6.) 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. Though, Thomas will provide some much needed lowpost defense and signing Raja Bell will help their perimeter D. The Suns will still be competitive, but don’t expect 62-20 again.
7.) 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? Now that Reggie Miller is gone, the franchise really needs Jermaine O’Neal to step up and become the locker room leader.
8.) Sacramento Kings
They lost Cuttino Mobley but traded for a quality replacement in Bonzi Wells. They recently went out and signed the consistent Shareef Abdur-Rahim to a bargain basement contract. Injuries could once again prove to be an issue, but on paper, Sacto is looking pretty good.
9.) 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
10.).New Jersey Nets
The Nets passed on Shareef, but acquired a solid big man in Marc Jackson via trade. In order for Jersey to be a serious threat in the East, Kidd and RJ have to stay healthy.
11.) 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.
12.) Philadelphia 76ers
Billy King was true to his word. He re-signed all of his key free agents—Dalembert, Green, and Korver. They dealt away Marc Jackson but replaced him with the younger Steven Hunter. If Chris Webber can stay healthy, then Philly should be back in the playoff picture.
13.) Los Angeles Lakers
Re-hiring Phil Jackson will definitely get them back into playoff contention. 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.
14.) Washington Wizards
Losing Larry Hughes will hurt, but they signed a decent replacement in Antonio Daniels. In addition, they received optimal value for Kwame Brown in Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins. I expect this team to remain a playoff threat in the East.
15.) 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.
16.) Minnesota Timerwolves
They dealt away Sam Cassell and a first round pick in exchange for Marko Jaric and Lionel Chalmers. Jaric is an intriguing player, but each season he’s played in less and less games. They’re a threat to make the playoffs, but I don’t see this team returning to serious title contention anytime soon.
17.)New York Knicks
You have to give credit to Zeke for landing Larry Brown. That move alone will put NY back into the playoff picture, especially in the weak Atlantic.
18.) 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.
19.) Seattle Supersonics
Re-signing Ray was good, but losing Nate McMillan, Antonio Daniels, and Jerome James will hurt big time.
20.)Boston Celtics
Drafting Gerald Green at 18 was an absolute steal, though he’s still two years away from consistent production. They dealt Antoine Walker and got back some value, but not much. This team is loaded with youth and could struggle.
21.) Golden State Warriors
This team is going to surprise many next season. Everyone just needs to stay healthy.
22.) 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.
23.) 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.
24.) Orlando Magic
Dwight Howard continues to impress me. I expect a breakout season from him. Though, taking Fran Vasquez over the likes of Sean May, Danny Granger, and Gerald Green will haunt this franchise for years—bank on that
25.) 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.
26.) Los Angeles 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. They received great value for Marko Jaric in the form of Sam Cassell and a future first round pick. But you have to wonder if Cassell will accept playing for a team like 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.) Charlotte Bobcats
Drafting Ray Felton and Sean May will provide immediate results. This team won’t make the playoffs, but they’ll certainly play hard each and every night.
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
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. Cleveland will have a better starting 5, but a weaker bench, so we can contend with them. Same goes for Chicago, Milwaukee, and maybe Boston. 
-- sly...