Oct
29
by Chris Maynard, chris@hoops4thesoul.com
1. Boston Celtics: Thank god that Danny Ainge is such a close friend to Minnesota Timberwolves General Manager Kevin McHale, who wasted one of the most unique players to ever grace the NBA in Kevin Garnett. McHale never surrounded Garnett with top-notch talent. Sure, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell were great players, but they were never superstars. And Garnett was still able to get to the Western Conference Finals with those two guys; making Celtics fans salivate at the possibilities in a relatively weaker Eastern Conference.
With Ainge’s trades for silky-smooth shooting guard Ray Allen on Draft Night and then Garnett later this summer, the Celtics officially became the chic team to pick in the Eastern Conference. While having the best trio in the league and looking great on paper, the Celtics still have a lot of concerns after gutting its entire roster. Are youngsters Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins capable of filling out the starting lineup with these three superstars? Sure they are. But are they ready to be more than just filler starters on a championship caliber team? Not yet.
The James Posey signing was huge and bolsters the bench, but besides that, Boston’s depth is nothing too special, especially if one of the Big Three goes down! Allen is 32 years old, Garnett 31 and Pierce 30! And which guy takes a back seat? Most likely, it will be Garnett, who can still sacrifice his scoring and dominate the game on the boards and with his amazing passing skills. And how many minutes can the Big Three play before breaking down? Eddie House is not a backup point guard but rather a gunner, Scot Pollard is too old, and Brian Scalabrine is nothing to write home about. Tony Allen is a talented young player who is coming off of surgery. With the exception of Posey, who is dirty but effective, Doc Rivers could have a hard time getting much from his bench!
Synopsis: With all this considered, don’t be surprised if it takes Boston a year to fully jell and makes the Finals in year two with Garnett, Pierce and Allen. The Celtics could very well get off to a slow start but hit its stride by playoff time. If that proves to be the case, Boston will be tough. Garnett has always been a nightmare matchup for the Bulls, and the thought of these two teams meeting in the Eastern Conference worries this Chicago fan.
With that said, it will be interesting to see Garnett rejuvenated and playing for something. The guy deserves to be on a contender. Boston obviously has the foundation to make the Finals, but does it have the complementary parts? And remember that regardless of how many superstars a team has, chemistry still needs to be there (just ask the New York Yankees the last couple of seasons)! Garnett will take a back seat and Allen would seem to be able to as well, but will Pierce be able to make such an adjustment?
2. Toronto Raptors: The Raptors are a very intriguing team that plays the game the right way. Along with Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, Toronto power forward Chris Bosh will dominant down low in the Eastern Conference for the next decade. Besides Bosh, Toronto has a point guard in T.J. Ford who always plays his game and knows how to get his teammates involved. Andrea Bargnani, the #1 overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, is ready for a bust-out year, at least on the offensive end, after an up-and-down rookie season. Like the Bulls, Toronto has a lot of players who are gritty, with veteran Anthony Parker and bench players Jose Calderon and Jorge Garbajosa taking the lead. Toronto’s signing of Jason Kapono for $24 million dollars was as bad as they come as Kapono offers nothing but three-point shooting. But with the Raptors ability to pass the ball, Kapono will have his nights, even though the guy can’t put the ball down on the floor or play a lick of defense. Carlos Delfino was a very erratic player in Detroit but could very well thrive with an up-and-down Raptors team that will give him more time off the bench.
Synopsis: The Raptors are going to be a big surprise during the regular season. Sam Mitchell may not be the best coach out there but he has gotten the Raptors to finally take some accountability. If Bosh stays healthy, the Raptors could make it to the second round of the playoffs as a four seed and really give a team like Chicago a run for its money.
3. New Jersey Nets: People like to talk about the New Jersey Nets as being a contender but this team is hardly so. The Nets are as talented on the perimeter as any team in the East, but are like the Pistons (with the exception of Jason Kidd) in that they turn it on when they feel like it, beginning with Vince Carter, one of the most overrated players in the NBA. Nedad Krstic was really coming on last year before suffering a season-ending injury, and the Nets signed the moody Jamaal Magloire to bolster the front line. Off the bench, Bostjan Nachbar is instant offense and could be a darkhorse for sixth man of the year.
Synopsis: With all that considered, the Nets are the Nets…talented but erratic. The Nets always find a way to underachieve but still get an ideal lower seed in the Eastern Conference and move their way into the second round of the playoffs. This will not happen this year as the spectacular Kidd is a year older and Carter is too selfish and in love with shooting three pointers than being a dominant slasher. The Nets will make the playoffs but falter in the first round.
4. New York Knicks: Under Isiah Thomas, the Knicks have always had a lot of talent. However, chemistry and discipline have always been missing. So while everyone has the Knicks being a darkhorse in the East with the arrival of Zach Randolph, the Knicks will underachieve and miss the playoffs once again. This team plays absolutely no defense, and all the scoring down low from Randolph and Eddy Curry can’t make up for this fact. And remember that Stephon Marbury still runs this team and that Thomas is amazingly still the coach after his sexual harassment case/circus this summer. Whenever you want your team to get better, trade Marbury. Just ask the Nets and Phoenix Suns. Whenever you want your team to stink it up and fail to live up to expectations, make sure that Marbury and Thomas remain around.
Synopsis: No doubt about it, the Knicks are talented. However, this team does not have a leader. Sadly, the most mature player on this team is probably David Lee. The Knicks have five starters who like to get their points and could care less about the defensive end. Jamal Crawford is a perpetual shooter while Quentin Richardson offers nothing anymore. Curry is efficient down low, but does nothing else on the court. Randolph is a talented scorer, but he’s the type of moody and temperamental player that Thomas can turn into an absolute monster (Exhibit A: Ron Artest). Marbury’s a bum and probably one of the worst people in the league. Does this team have what it takes to make the playoffs? Absolutely not!
5. Philadelphia 76ers: How does Billy King still have a job as General Manager? Here’s another guy who failed to surround Allen Iverson with the right talent to succeed in the long term. While Iverson certainly gets much blame for this, King has been abysmal as GM since helping take the team to the 2001 NBA Finals. This Philadelphia team is built around small forward Andre Iguodala, a nice player who would be the third guy on a good team. Andre Miller has always been a talented point guard capable of busting a triple double. However, he often seems to be going through the motions out there. The rest of the starting lineup includes Willie Green, Reggie Evans and Samuel Dalembert. That’s pretty bad, even though Green and backup guard Louis Williams, who had a nice start to the preseason, could have relatively decent seasons. In fact, they’re going to have to, to be quite honest.
Synopsis: Philadelphia is the worst team in not only the Eastern Conference but also the NBA (at least the Timberwolves have some young talent to get excited about). Head Coach Maurice Cheeks is a class act who unfortunately doesn’t have much to work with or seem to command the full respect of his players. Philadelphia’s first-round draft pick, Thaddeus Young of Georgia Tech, is not ready to contribute, and rookie big man Jason Smith hardly gets one excited. Kyle Korver can shoot it from the outside and will be instant offense off the bench. With that said, the 76ers bench includes guys like Kevin Ollie and Rodney Carney, a leaper who doesn’t do much of anything else well on the court. Yikes. Maybe It Isn’t Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But don’t worry. Mac, Charlie, Dennis, Sweet Dee and Frank will still find something about the Sixers to drink to.
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1. Boston Celtics: Thank god that Danny Ainge is such a close friend to Minnesota Timberwolves General Manager Kevin McHale, who wasted one of the most unique players to ever grace the NBA in Kevin Garnett. McHale never surrounded Garnett with top-notch talent. Sure, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell were great players, but they were never superstars. And Garnett was still able to get to the Western Conference Finals with those two guys; making Celtics fans salivate at the possibilities in a relatively weaker Eastern Conference.
