Based on the current rosters (and you can change your lists as the off-season wears on and more changes are made), what do you think the playoff seedings will be for next year? This is based on simply opinion and from the improvements we have seen in each team so far. Feel free to justify your picks if you want. Eastern Conference 1. Miami Heat 2. Chicago Bulls 3. New Jersey Nets 4. Detriot Pistons/Cavs 5. Cavs/Pistons 6. Orlando Magic 7. Washington Wizards 8. Indiana Pacers/Toronto Raptors (have to include the homer pick somewhere) Wow...the East is actually pretty packed next year. And yes, I do believe the Bulls will end up with a better record then the Pistons. Western Conference 1. Dallas Mavericks 2. Pheonix Suns 3. Denver Nuggets 4. San Antonio Spurs 5. Houston Rockets (provided the duo can stay healthy...otherwise I'd slide Memphis at 8 and bump LAC, LAL and Sacramento up) 6. L.A Lakers 7. L.A Clippers 8. Sacramento Kings (provided Ron Artest doesn't get himself into some wierd mess)
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting spawn:</div><div class="quote_post"> Eastern Conference 1. Miami Heat 2. Chicago Bulls 3. New Jersey Nets 4. Detriot Pistons/Cavs 5. Cavs/Pistons 6. Orlando Magic 7. Washington Wizards 8. Indiana Pacers/Toronto Raptors (have to include the homer pick somewhere) Wow...the East is actually pretty packed next year. And yes, I do believe the Bulls will end up with a better record then the Pistons. Western Conference 1. Dallas Mavericks 2. Pheonix Suns 3. Denver Nuggets 4. San Antonio Spurs 5. Houston Rockets (provided the duo can stay healthy...otherwise I'd slide Memphis at 8 and bump LAC, LAL and Sacramento up) 6. L.A Lakers 7. L.A Clippers 8. Sacramento Kings (provided Ron Artest doesn't get himself into some wierd mess)</div> Didn't David Stern say he was doing away with the rule that each division winner is guaranteed a top three seed? If so, would you still put Dever #3? I think you've also got the Kings too low, especially if they resign Bonzi Wells. I really feel like the way they played at the end of the season in '06 is indicitave to how they'll perform next season, especially with Artest's attitude taking a 180-degree turn. Anyway, here are my early predictions - <u>Eastern Conference</u> 1) Cleveland Cavaliers - Yes, I think LeBron James will be the best player in the game next season, but that's not the sole reason I made this pick. I'm also a firm believer in Shannon Brown (obviously, see: usertitle/sig/etc), and I think he's just what the Cavaliers have been looking for to run the point. His style compliments James' much more than Damon Jones and Eric Snow's. A healthy Larry Hughes also adds another dimension to this roster. 2) New Jersey Nets - Make no mistake, Jason Kidd is still the best point guard in the game, and he makes his teammates better. Granted he's getting older, but they drafted the #1 point guard in the draft in Marcus Williams to log time when he's resting on the bench, although I think the whole age issue is overrated personally. They also made a great pick with Josh Boone and could likely be getting Chris Wilcox, so their frontcourt is starting to look more and more legit. 3) Chicago Bulls - I'm not as high on this team as most posters on this site seem to be, mostly because I don't think that Tyrus Thomas will be much of a contributer and also because I think the J.R. Smith acquisition actually hurts them more than it helps them, but it's hard to count this team out just based on the core they return with Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Andres Noccioni. Oh yeah, Ben Wallace doesn't hurt either. 4) Miami Heat - They're just not a 'regular season' team. They'll turn on the jets again and make a run in the playoffs, maybe even win a second title, but with Shaq's age and the liklihood that he gets injured, they don't look as promising as the Cavs or Nets in terms of the regular season. 5) Detroit Pistons - I'm not saying that this team will completely fall apart without Wallace, but it's an obvious hit to their roster, and the rest of the league is rapidly gaining on them. It's easy to see them still finishing #1 though, but this is a team that's been so successful in their past largely in part because of their team chemistry, and there's no telling at this point how losing Wallace will effect that. 6) Milwaukee Bucks - I'm actually glad that they got rid of T.J. Ford, because Charlie Bell is one of the most underused and underappreciated players in the league and will thrive in the extra playing time this opportunity will give him. I'm not completely sold on Charlie Villanueva, because he's a player who has a past of letting his emotions get the better of his game, and I have no idea how this trade will effect his mindset, but if he brings his 'A' game, he'll make a hell of an intruiging combination with Andrew Bogut. 7) Orlando Magic - If they don't pull the trigger on the Joey Graham deal, then this is a very deserving ranking, and they could easily be higher given Dwight Howard and Darko Milicic's upside. The J.J. Redick could either wind up being the steal of the draft or a horrible pick due to Redick's defensive deficiencies. We'll just have to wait and see on that one. 8) Charlotte Bobcats - This hinges on the assumption that Okafor, May, and Felton all stay healthy, but if they do, I don't see any reason why the Bobcats can't slip into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, especially with the acquisition of a reliable go-to-guy on offense in Adam Morrison. <u>Western Conference</u> (explanations later) 1) Phoenix Suns 2) San Antonio Spurs 3) Dallas Mavericks 4) Houston Rockets 5) Sacramento Kings 6) Utah Jazz 7) Los Angeles Clippers 8) Los Angeles Lakers
East: 1. Miami 2. Chicago 3. Detroit 4. New Jersey 5. Cleveland 6. Washington 7. Philadelphia (depend if AI is back) 8. Milwaukee West: 1. San Antonio 2. Phoenix 3. Dallas 4. Denver 5. LA Lakers 6. Houston (depend on Tmac's back) 7. Clippers 8. Sacramento all teams rank including the new NBA playoff seed rule which the top 4 teams' record will be rank from 1 to 4.
East: Cleveland Miami New Jersey Detroit Washington Chicago Orlando Charlotte West: San Antonio Phoenix Clippers Sacramento Dallas Houston Denver Memphis
Eastern Conference 1) Miami Heat 2) Detroit Pistons 3) Chicago Bulls 4) Cleveland Cavaliers 5) Orlando Magic 6) New Jersey Nets 7) Washington Wizards 8) Milwaukee Bucks Western Conference 1) San Antonio Spurs 2) Dallas Mavericks 3) Phoenix Suns 4) Houston Rockets 5) Los Angeles Clippers 6) Oklahoma City Hornets 7) Denver Nuggets 8) Los Angeles Lakers
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Swish15:</div><div class="quote_post">Eastern Conference 1) Miami Heat 2) Detroit Pistons 3) Chicago Bulls 4) Cleveland Cavaliers 5) Orlando Magic 6) New Jersey Nets 7) Washington Wizards 8) Milwaukee Bucks Western Conference 1) San Antonio Spurs 2) Dallas Mavericks 3) Phoenix Suns 4) Houston Rockets 5) Los Angeles Clippers 6) Oklahoma City Hornets 7) Denver Nuggets 8) Los Angeles Lakers</div> Someone from the Atlantic division has to be top four. The rule change only means that the teams with the best record will be one and two, but division winners still have to be top four. Eastern Conference 1. Miami Heat 2. Chicago Bulls 3. Detroit Pistons 4. New Jersey Nets 5. Cleveland Cavaliers 6. Orlando Magic 7. Washington Wizards 8. Indiana Pacers Western Conference 1. Phoenix Suns 2. Dallas Mavericks 3. San Antonio Spurs 4. Denver Nuggets 5. Los Angeles Clippers 6. New Orleans Hornets 7. Houston Rockets 8. Los Angeles Lakers
<u>Eastern Conference</u> 1. Cleveland Cavaliers 2. Miami Heat 3. New Jersey Nets 4. Chicago Bulls 5. Detriot Pistons 6. Milwaukee Bucks 7. Washington Wizards 8. Orlando Magic <u>Western Conference</u> 1. Phoenix Suns 2. San Antonio Spurs 3. Dallas Mavericks 4. Sacramento Kings 5. Houston Rockets 6. Los Angeles Clippers 7. New Orleans Hornets 8. Denver Nuggets
Eastern Conference: 1. Miami Heat 2. Clevland Cavaliers 3. Chicago Bulls 4. New Jersey Nets 5. Detroit Pistons 6. Orlando Magic 7. Washington Wizards 8. Indiana Pacers Western Conference: 1. Dallas Mavericks 2. San Antonio Spurs 3. Phoenix Suns 4. Sacramento Kings 5. Houston Rockets 6. LA Clippers 7. New Orleans Hornets 8. Denver Nuggets
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">3) Chicago Bulls - I'm not as high on this team as most posters on this site seem to be, mostly because I don't think that Tyrus Thomas will be much of a contributer and also because I think the J.R. Smith acquisition actually hurts them more than it helps them, but it's hard to count this team out just based on the core they return with Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Andres Noccioni. Oh yeah, Ben Wallace doesn't hurt either.</div> interesting on JR Smith but Skiles won't let him be a problem for the team. East: 1. Bulls 2. Miami 3. Detroit 4. Nets 5. Wizards 6. Cavs 7. Orlando 8. Indiana West: 1. Dallas 2. Phoenix 3. Spurs 4. Denver 5. Clippers 6. Lakers 7. Memphis 8. Utah
East: 1.Miami 2.Cleaveland 3.Nets 4.Bulls 5.Wizards 6.Detroit 7.Pacers 8.Bucks West 1.Suns 2.Spurs 3.Mavericks 4.Clippers 5.Rockets 6.Denver 7.Lakers 8.Hornets
[/B]Eastern Conference: 1. Miami Heat: I'm giving this them now but there are a lot of determining factors in it. First and foremost is Shaq. If he can stay healthy and give them 20/10, they should get this. They return the same core they had last year, and with a year and title under their belt, the confidence that they can do well should be sky high. The other factor is the coach. Will Riley return or won't he? This could be the biggest factor in the end, cause you never know how well a team will respond to a new coach/philosophy. 2. Chicago Bulls: This team should have the best defense in the league next year. With the addition of Wallace and PJ Brown in the frontcourt, that should be more than enough to vault them back to the top on defense. They also return the same core of players from last year in Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, and Noc. Beyond that, the team is unbelievably deep again this year, with no glaring weakness at any spot on the team. This team, come playoff time, is going to be the team to watch in my opinion. 3. New Jersey Nets: They should take the Atlantic again this year, and with the three headed monster of JKidd, RJ, and VC, they should near 50 wins again. Throw in an improved Nenad Krstic and the steal of the draft in Marcus Williams, this team should cruise to the Atlantic title and come close to 50 wins again. 4. Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs will be back and better next year. If Hughes stays healthy, that'll be a good 1-2-3 punch with him, LeBron, and Ilgauskus. They also got a great draft pick in Shannon Brown. He's going to be able to stretch the defense with his shooting, something they didn't do last year, and should give them a nice backup for Hughes. Toss Drew Gooden into the mix and that's a good looking team as of now. 5. Detroit Pistons The loss of Ben Wallace will end their dominance of the Central, so they slide down to #5 this year. The defense won't be nearly as intimidating without him sitting in the paint, and it could hurt the chemistry of the team. However, they return the rest of their core and bring in Nazr Mohammed, so they still make the playoffs easily, and who knows, they could still easily finish higher than this. 6. Orlando Magic: Magic Fans have a lot to be excited for. They have a great, young frontcourt duo of Darko and Dwight, each of whom should prosper this year. They got that dependable three point shooter they needed in JJ Redick, a person who could emerge as the best shooter in the entire league. Jameer Nelson is only going to get better, now that he's essentially guaranteed to be the full time starter. Turkoglu is a great guy coming off the bench, and might start this year over Grant Hill. Speaking of Hill, while he's well past his prime and probably won't give 20ppg anymore, he's still got enough in him to provide a nice spark and produce around 12-14ppg. All in all, there's a lot of reasons to like the Magic next year, and the playoffs shouldn't be much of a reach, especially looking at how they closed out last season, and have now improved the team since then. 7. Milwaukee Bucks: I think the TJ Ford trade is a blessing in disguise. This allows Maurice Williams to become the starter and gives the underrated Charlie Bell more minutes. Beyond that, they have their superstar Michael Redd who can explode at any moment, and a great young frontcourt of Charlie Villanueva and Andrew Bogut. 8. Washington Wizards: They return their core of Butler, Jamison, and Gilbert Arenas. That's more than enough to carry this team throughout the regular season. The only question mark on this team is will they have enough defense to make it to the playoffs. This is under the assumption that the Celts don't land AI. If they do, that could potentially vault them up the rankings. Also, if the core of Felton, Wallace, Okafor, Morrison, and May can stay healthy, the Bobcats could also sneak in. Western Conference: 1. San Antonio: They didn't really lose anything this offseason outside of Mohammed. They return their main three guys. They still have Pop. They're still gonna be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. They may not have made it to the Finals last year, but I still think their the best team in the West. 2. Phoenix Suns: They return everybody and get Amare back. This team has a ton of offense, more than enough to make it through the season easily. The only question mark is can they keep the pace up for a 3rd straight season. Beyond that, can Steve Nash stay healthy, after back to back years of running this team at a hellacious pace, throw in the fact that he's 32, you have to wonder if healthy will catch up with him. 3. Utah Jazz: Since I'm not sure if the rule has changed, I'm giving the 3 seed to the Jazz. Yes, the Jazz. After back to back years of Denver winning the division, I think the Jazz take it this year. With a year under his belt, Deron Williams should be great this year. IF he stays healthy, AK47 can be one of the best all around players in the game and might even have his name tossed around as an MVP candidate come years end. Memo Okur improved his game last year and I expect at least the same output this year. Hell, who knows, maybe Jerry Sloan can get something out of Araujo this season. 4. Dallas Mavericks: If the rule has changed, they'll be higher than this. As it is, I'm not sure about it, so here they are, at #4. This team will likely come close to 60-wins again this year. They brought back Jason Terry, which was huge for them. Because of that, they'll bring back the same starting 5, and with the improvement of Devin Harris, they could play small next year. If they don't, they'll have one of the best 1-2 punches off the bench in Stack and Harris. Also, this team'll be hungry after coming within 2 wins of an NBA title (maybe even as close as 7 minutes), so I expect a lot from them next year. 5. Los Angeles Lakers: There may be some bias behind this pick, but not a lot. The Lakers have so much potential to be great next season. If Lamar Odom can do what he did in the playoffs and Kwame can come close to what he did, the Lakeres have a great chance. Throw in the fact that they're bringing in a much needed shooter in Vlad Radmanovic, someone who can not only knock down the three ball, but will also lure attention away from Kobe and Lamar if he gets hot, and if all else, should thrive with the open looks he'll get. The only thing that worries me is the PG spot, but who knows, by drafting Farmar, maybe that'll give Smush some inspiration and make him put a little more emphasis on defense and not making mistakes on offense. Plus, I love the depth of the team. With Walton, Farmar, Cook, Turiaf, and Mihm, this team is as deep as it's ever been. 6. Houston Rockets: TMac and Yao, granted they stay healthy, will lead this team back to the playoffs. I also love the Battier addition. He gives this team a great defender and someone who will play defense for them and someone who can shutdown the Kobe Bryant's, LeBron's, and Wade's of the league, along with a reliable outside shooter. 7. Los Angeles Clippers: They return the same core of players they had last year now that they have come to terms with Cassell. However, the depth of this team worries me (the bench doesn't consist of much more than Shaun Livingston), and injury problems, specifically Maggette, could hurt this team. But, they fought through their lack of depth last year and played well without Maggette, so it shouldn't prove too much of a problem again this year. 8. Sacramento Kings: They can move up if they manage to resign Bonzi. Without him though, I can't see them getting much higher than the 8 seed with teams like the Jazz, Lakers, and Phoenix all likely to be even better next season. However, Ron Artest, Brad Miller, and Mike Bibby will be more than enough to leads this team to the playoffs again. Along with a new coach, one who might actually be able to teach defense, the Kings should be seeing their way back to the playoffs. As with the East, things can change. If the Kings return Bonzi, I can see them climbing higher. The Nuggets might also surprise me. However, I'm not sure if they have enough to make it again this year with the Jazz likely to be better. But at this moment, their frontcourt is crowded with players that have bad medical records (Nene, Camby, and KMart), and they don't have a lot of cap right now. Throw in the fact that the only reliable source of offense is going to be Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets might struggle to make it in the playoffs next year.
<u>East</u> 1) Miami Heat 2) New Jersey Nets 3) Cleveland Cavaliers 4) Chicago Bulls 5) Detroit Pistons 6) Washington Wizards 7) Milwaukee Bucks 8) Indiana Pacers Bubble: Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors <u>West</u> 1) San Antonio Spurs 2) Dallas Mavericks 3) Phoenix Suns 4) Houston Rockets 5) LA Clippers 6) Sacramento Kings 7) LA Lakers 8) Denver Nuggets Bubble: Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Hornets
<u>East</u> 1.Miami Heats 2.Chicago Bulls 3.New Jersey Nets 4.Cleveland Cavaliers 5.Detroit Pistons 6.Washingston Wizards 7.Indiana Pacers 8.Orlando Magics/Toronto Raptors <u>West</u> 1.Houston Rockets 2.San Antonio Spurs 3.Phoenix Suns 4.Dallas Mavericks 5.Los Angeles Clippers 6.Denver Nuggets 7.N/O Hornets 8.Lakers/Minny/Kings
Call me crazy, I just don't think Chicago is going to take a top 3 seed. At best, a 4th. And I really do believe a 5th/6th seed is far more likely. Normally, I'd post reasons for it. However, I really don't want to provide reasoning to that side of the arguement...for when I come back to defend them in this post.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Just wondering, why are Charlotte and Toronto thought of as a possible 8th seed for the playoffs? </div> Wel Charlotte because they have an excellent core in Okafor, Morrison and Raymond Felton, not to mention Sean May (if he can stay healthy and contribute) and on top of that have players such as Brevin Knight (provided he doesn't get dealt before the season starts). Personally, I still think they're a year or two away from making the playoffs but they will push towards it. Toronto is mentioned simply because of the upgrades and balance that BC has instilled within the Raptors roster. Not only did we add a probable solid rookie (who will understandably struggle on the defensive end) in Andrea, we also added what many consider to be the best player in Europe in Anthony Parker, as well as a pass first poing guard (thank you God for getting rid of Mike James) in TJ Ford and a decent center in Nesterovic. Top that off with Mo Pete who just had a consistently resounding season under his belt, as well as the improvement of Chris Bosh (which is 90% likely given that he has improved every year since he has been in this league) and you have a team on the rise. I still do not get why Raptors fans doubt BC's moves when he has done nothing but add balance on to our team. Either you guys judge too harshly or you're so not used to change (or positive change) due to the Babcock era that you disregard every good move and just take what the media gives you or form your own conception on things without thier being a dignified reason in doing so. Please don't label Andrea a bust without him having completed AT LEAST 2 seasons in the league. Please don't consider BC a bad GM (especially given his track record) when he has completely revamped a LOSING RAPTORS ROSTER in order to suit the vision that he sees from this team. My only wish is that Sam Mitchell be replaced with another coach. I simply can't stand the way he coaches and it often seems like he has no clue what he is doing out there.
East: 1. Miami 2. New Jersey 3. Chicago 4. Detroit 5. Cleveland 6. Washington 7. Milwaukee 8. Indiana West: 1. Phoenix 2. San Antonio 3. Dallas 4. Denver 5. Houston 6. Memphis 7. Los Angeles Lakers 8. New Orleans
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> 5. Houston 6. Memphis 7. Los Angeles Lakers 8. New Orleans </div> What about the Clippers and the Kings? I think any teams that are not in the consensus top 3 (Phoenix, Spurs, Dallas) is a throw up as nothing is guaranteed. I can see the Clippers making yet another run at the playoffs and the Kings being a stronger team then perhaps the Lakers and the Grizzlies. I will not doubt the Hornets because I believe they will make the playoffs and rebound from thier freefall from last year.
<u>East</u> 1) Miami Heat 2) Cleveland Cavaliers 3) New Jersey Nets 4) Chicago Bulls 5) Detroit Pistons 6) Washington Wizards 7) Milwaukee Bucks 8) Orlando Magic On the Bubble: Pacers, Raptors <u>West</u> 1) Dallas Mavericks 2) San Antonio Spurs 3) Phoenix Suns 4) LA Clippers 5) Houston Rockets 6) Sacramento Kings 7) LA Lakers 8) NOK Hornets On the Bubble: Nuggets, Grizzlies, Jazz
