Chris Sheridan: Good afternoon from New York, where the Knicks are a .500 team _ at least for now. Been a busy preseason for me, but a boring one on the court. Can anyone remember such a lackluster set of exhibition games? The bosses brought all of the new ESPN.com NBA writers up to Bristol last week to meet the heavy hitters. Jim O'Brien and myself were a few minutes late after having problems getting past the Parking Lot Authorities. O'Brien turned out to be pretty laid back, which was a surprise. I always thought he looked so intense he made Scott Skiles seem like Jim Carrey. Let's get started, shall we?




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Kevin (wyandotte, mi): Why are the Pistons so underrated? Old news, I know. But, humor me. The Spurs are so respected--every single ESPN expert picks them to repeat. Yet the team who won the title the year before and who took the unbeatable Spurs to the limit last year with a 6 man rotation get NO RESPECT? 1 guy picks them to reach the Finals? Hardly anyone picks them to win the division? Will this team EVER get any respect from the national media?

Chris Sheridan: Kevin, I'll always try to humor you, especially in chats. The preseason is a time for being optimistic about all 30 teams and trying to spot the up-and-comers, and the Pistons are just too much of a known commodity to be a focus. If there's some skepticism about their chances to make it to the finals, it might be an outgrowth of Flip Saunders' career playoff coaching record of 17-30. For seven straight years, you'll remember, he went out in the first round. I like Pacers over Pistons in 7 in East finals because I think Indiana will want it just a little bit more.


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Goose (Chicago): I realize it is odd to ask a question regarding the 2006 NBS season on the opening day of 2005, but with the Bulls essentially throwing this season away, it is important. In the past the Bulls have not been able to attract any FAs and in fact are used as a negotiation point to sign with other teams. Are those days done? Is Chicago again a FA destination? Do you see the Bulls taking on a contract during the season?

Chris Sheridan: They're going to be $20 million under the cap after this season, and they'll be able to make a run at Ben Wallace. Don't let the past (such as the year Tracy McGrady spurned them and they ended up with Ron Mercer, one of Krause's last disaster moves) cloud your perception of how important it is to be that far below the cap. It gives them all sorts of flexibility in terms of making offers to restricted free agents and doing trades in which the salary figures do not have to match. Size will be an issue this season, but it's unfair to say they're throwing away the year.


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Mark (Tuscaloosa, Alabama): What do you see happening with the Joe Johnson at point experiment? Do you think it might work at least on a limited basis (i.e., as long as he's not matched up against some of the league's much quicker points) or do you think the Hawks are going to move him back to his natural position? Thanks.

Chris Sheridan: Joe was already a bit turnover prone when he played for the Suns and didn't have to handle the ball, so it doesn't make much sense to have him bring the ball upcourt and get the offense started. That's why you have Tyronn Lue. The Hawks do, however, want to run their offense through Joe, which will be a much different role for him than the one he had in Phoenix. It'll bear watching.


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matt (columbus, oh): What about the Cavs? Do you consider them overrated? It seems to me that the media and the NBA want LeBron to be successful. Does he really have enough around him to do so in the East?

Chris Sheridan: I liked what the Cavs did in the offseason, especially adding two shooters (Donyell and Damon) who will get open looks off LeBron's penetrations. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a nice preseason and still ranks as the No. 2 offensive center in the East, in my book, and Snow and Hughes make up a solid defensive backcourt. They should contend for the No. 4 spot.


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Ryan (Atl): Rookie of the year Chris... who will it be???

Chris Sheridan: My pick was Sarunas Jasekevicius of Indiana. I covered him at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and liked him a lot then, and I never could quite figure why he hadn't made it to the NBA. He couldn't quite figure it out either, and he feels he has something to prove. The Pacers' coaching staff alrady considers him the tam's best shooter. He was the MVP of the Euroleague Final Four the past two seasons, and fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv pleaded with him to stay. Don't be surprised if he starts taking more and more of Jamaal Tinsley's minutes.


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Tanner (laramie, wy): Do the Mavericks have a legitimate shot at being a top 4 seed in the West? Will Dirk have a strong year similar to last year or will he turn it up a notch and take the MVP?

Chris Sheridan: I think they've been a little overlooked this fall. Their bench is as strong as anyone's in the West, with the exception of San Antonio's, and Daniels will be able to fill a lot of the void that Finley left. As for Dirk, he's capable of an MVP season if he can find a balance between playin his outside game and doing enough stuff inside _ and on defense, where he's always been suspect _ to meet what coach Johnson expects of him. Will they match last season's 58 wins? Maybe not, but they'll be close.


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Sacramento, CA: Who's going to win tonight?

Chris Sheridan: I like the Bucks on the road against the Sixers. Dalembert is a key cog for Philly, and his absence will open up the inside for Milwaukee's bigs.


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Matt Arlington, TX: Who's your pick for MVP?

Chris Sheridan: LeBron James. His team should make a big leap this year, and his game is simply phenomenal. It's his third year, and he's due to take things to a new level in Cleveland. Will he surpass his 27.2 scoring average from last season? Probably not. But if Cavs go from 42 wins to 52, that'll weigh heavily in his favor.


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Kidman (Greeley, CO): Hi Chris, I noticed you picked the Clippers to win the Pacific. Is that because you think they will be that good or because the division will be that bad?

Chris Sheridan: A combo of both. I think the Clips and Kings will contend for the division, and there are a lot of players on the Clips that I've liked for a long time _ Brand, Cassell, Maggette. Kaman's health will be a key, and Corey, Sammy and Cuttino have to remember to pass it inside to Elton every once in a while.


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Joe (Mahwah,NJ): Why are the nets being so overlooked, I believe they have the best bench in the east to go along with there 3 stars and kristc. How far do you think they could go?

Chris Sheridan: Their bench is much better than it was a year ago now with McInnis and Jackson, and they might even have the league's best third-string point guard in Zoran Plananic. I saw him have a great fourth quarter against Boston last week, and it probably factored into Jersey's decision to pick up his option. Cliff Robinson has looked unusually spry in the exhibition season, and I agree that the Nets are bein somewhat overlooked. Now, do I think they can sell out five regular season game? No, I don't.


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Tyrone (Toronto): Would it be possible for Greg Oden to take the league to court, based on him being a victim to age discrimination? Oden would be the first pick in 2006 draft, now he has to risk the chance of getting hurt or lowering his stock in college. Is this even a possibility or has Oden simply excepted the fact that one year of college is his only option? Thanks a lot guys keep it up. P.S. BOSH/ODEN frontcourt= SCARY!

Chris Sheridan: Oden would have no shot in court. The NBA did not arbitrarily impose an age limit, they agreed to it with the union in collective bargaining. I'm hoping Oden chooses Marquette for his one college season.


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James, BOSTON: Where's Latrell Sprewell going to land

Chris Sheridan: That's a question a lot of people have been asking, and Spree's agent has not been returning calls. Maybe he's busy feeding mac and cheese to Spree's family.


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Jordan (Boston, MA): Which of the 3 rookies for Boston (Orien Greene, Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes) will make the biggest impact this year, and will is Gerald Green going to be a future Tracy McGrady??

Chris Sheridan: Jordan, next time you post a question more than once I will refuse to answer it. And that goes for everybody else, too. I've got 626 questions queued up. Think that's easy to get through? Anyway, I took your repeatedly submitted question because it gives me a chance to tout Orien Greene, who looked fabulous when I saw him against the Nets. If Delonte West doesn't have a strong start to the season, Orien might take over before the end of this month.


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Joe (Huntsville,AL): Will Yao Ming continue to be an Asian Rik Smits?

Chris Sheridan: Now that's funny. When Yao gets a little meaner, the Rockets will be a lot better.


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Mathieu (san francisco): Soooo, what is Kiki thinking? The price tag for Nene isn't going to get any cheaper over the year, so the luxury tax impact will remain the same. If he trades him in-season it seems doubtfult that they will get equal value. Is this all an elaborate ruse to get a sign and trade?

Chris Sheridan: I don't blieve the Nuggets are sold on Nene as a player worthy of a $50 million investment. Big guys are hard to find, and the market sets the price, but that doesn't mean you have to automatically commit to a player such as Nene whose toughness has been questioned.


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Matt (SoCal): Who do you think is a good candidate to be traded at or before the deadline?

Chris Sheridan: I don't think Stephon Marbury and Larry brown will last long together in New York, but I also don't know if there will be any teams interested in taking on Marbury's contract. His $91.4 million contract runs through '08-09.


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B (Toronto): What impact will Hakim Warrick or Lawrence Roberts have for Memphis

Chris Sheridan: Jerry West really liked Roberts and gave up a pair of second-rounders and cash for him, and my man Ron Tillery at the C-A in Memphis reports Michael Cage is a Roberts believer. I was once a big Cage guy.


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Rasheed Wallace (Detroit): Fact or Fiction: If I guard Bob Horry on his last second shot in Game 5, the Pistons, not the Spurs, would be the (2-time) defending champs, and everyone's choice to 3-peat.

Chris Sheridan: And you'd be on the hook for a dozen more belts, Sheed.


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Mike (Reno, NV): Is there anything for us Blazer fans to look forward to this year?

Chris Sheridan: Start keeping a tally of the number of times Zach Randolph shows up late for something. Zach and coach Nate are already at odds over Randolph's tardiness, and McMillan is probably scoring points with some of the other players by holding the tam's highest-paid player to the same standard as everyone else.


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Bill (Orlando): Surprise teams of 05-06?

Chris Sheridan: Clips, Grizz, and Marquette in the Big East. That's all the time I have today, folks. Good luck with O'Brien later this afternoon. Should have seen his face when they told him he'd have to use chat software. It was like they were asking him to play Willie Green.