Los Angeles Lakers – A major addition in Ron Artest makes the defending champions considerably deeper. One of the league’s best defensive players and an all-around hustler, Ron Artest will significantly alter the makeup of the Lakers. What he can do for the team is uncertain at this point.
His ego is big, and he’s used to being the center of attention. He’ll likely be third or fourth fiddle in LA, and we’ll have to see how well he’ll adapt to the shift. With this in mind, the Lakers should have another winning season that leaves them at or near the to of the conference.
San Antonio Spurs: This will be a hit or miss team. They have added some good pieces to an injury, aging team. The additions of Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess will carry this team at least to the 2nd or 3rd spot in the West if the Lakers take care of business as they should. They have Duncan, Mason, Parker, and Ginobili who all know how to run the offense. Jefferson will take a lot of pressure off Parker by adding key offensive above the rim plays and McDyess will help Duncan grab a rebound and fight down the middle for an easy score against the weak front lines of the Western Conference. The liability with this team will be INJURIES. Ginobili, Parker, and Jefferson are all injury prone, whether being an ankle, wrist, or just sore torso to play in all 82 games. If the backups of can really step up and reduce the starters minutes by 3-6 minutes per game then the Spurs have a good chance of coming out of the west. Someone should really focus on becoming a lock down defender because the premiere SGs of the league will put this team in serious foul trouble. Sorry Mason, you andJefferson will not be the answer to this problem.
Dallas Mavericks – I could have gone with a number of different teams here. From Denver to Portland to Utah to Houston to Dallas, there were quite a few options, but I chose Dallas because I do believe that Shawn Marion will be a difference maker. Dirk, Kidd, and Marion is an experienced and effective trio. I like it a lot, and with some contributions from Terry, Howard, and crew, this could be a very dangerous team in 09-10.
Boston Celtics. A top-tier team that got a boost with the addition of veteran Rasheed Wallace. No matter how good and dangerous they are, the Celtics are one year older and we saw last year what can happen to this team without its start, Kevin Garnett. Garnett’s injury was a crippling blow to Boston and while they’re somewhat effective without him, they’re not championship caliber. Not even Sheed can fill KG’s shoes.
Cleveland Cavs. Cleveland sees another year of LeBron, and at 25, he should still be on the way up. The addition of Shaq will have more of an impact than many anticipate and his veteran presence should go a really long way in bringing this team to another level and firming things up.
There’s not much of a bench in Cleveland at all, but I’m not so sure as to how much they really need one. Bench players may see 15 minutes or less per game, and the starters should jump this team out to some big leads that the bench really only needs to worry about preserving. Cleveland could definitely go all the way in 2010.
Orlando Magic: You are the defending Eastern Champions and you are setting a new NBA trend. A shooting team that proved it is possible to make it to the Finals and almost win. You most certainly could have if Lee had made that lay-up (game 2)and Dwight had nailed 1 out of 2 free throws (game 4). No need to dwell on the past because your future is just as bright. Jameer (Mighty Mouse) needs to come back with a vengeance. Shooting over 50% from the field and 45% from 3pt will make you an all-star this year again. Rashard, keep doing what you did last year and Orlando will be a threat again as well as you an all-star despite the 10 game suspension. It wouldn’t hurt to finish strong at the basket sometimes like dunking on smaller players to draw the and 1. Dwight “Superman” will be Dwight and Gortat “Polish Hammer” will be Gortat. Carter needs to come in a merely duplicate Turkoglu’s numberswhich should be a marginal task at large and Orlando will reap the benefits of letting Turk walk and trading Lee. Carter needs to understand one on one is not necessary until the final 3 minutes of the game.Brandon Bass and the bench including Jason Williams, Anderson, Reddick,Pietrus, Barnes, Anderson and Grandpa Johnson need to realize the starters cannotput up 80+ PPG and expect to win +55 games this year. 35+ PPG for the bench is not asking for much. This team has one of the deepest benches and 4 all-stars (3 from last year alone which would’ve been the only team if Jameer had stayed healthy). APesky top 5defenseandsharpshooters from beyond the arc still make this team just a deadly as Boston and Cleveland in the East if not better. Just remember that Dwight is usually open in the middle and he could get at least 5 more dunks per game if you throw it to him. By no means is this team not capable of returning to the NBA Finals.
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