Hoopsworld Article. (Raptors will definitely make the playoffs) <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">DRIVING THROUGH TRAINING CAMP By Englishtaxidriver for HOOPSWORLD.com Sep 29, 2003, 07:04 Email this article Printer friendly page Hey folks. Believe it or not, it's almost time for training camp and pre-season. Each week until the end of pre-season I will have a review of each division (this week I will focus on the East's Central division). As always I will start with headlines: Hawks match Jazz's offer sh** to Terry The bleeped out headline is to make fun of my own goof from last week, where I said the Jazz had signed Jason Terry to an offer (same meaning as crap). Although in the end no matter where Terry plays, his team will be that word. My apologies for the type-o. Kobe Bryant accuser doesn't want medical records released The woman accusing Kobe Bryant of rape asked a judge to reject a defense request seeking records from a center for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. I actually think this is a legit thing to do. The case should focus on the evidence of whether or not the girl got raped. Let's just assume this woman was a psychopath, who was suicidal, took drugs, etc? That somehow proves she must have made up the rape? Let's turn this around a bit, and say Kobe's past of not being socially involved with people makes him more likely than others to be an angry guy who commits rape? Whoa, this column is taking a serious turn for a change, I feel like I'm doing analysis for CNN. That's probably because I stole this analysis from CNN. I also watched discussion for the case on the Fox News Channel. According to the Fox News Channel, if Kobe is Republican, then he didn't rape the girl, but if he's a Democrat, then he did rape her. ABC names Al Michaels new NBA announcer Speaking of analysis.... Great move by ABC by naming Michaels the new lead play-by-play announcer for their NBA coverage. Michaels has done it all, from the Super Bowl to the World Series to the Olympics. Now if only they could get rid of Bill Walton and Tom Tolbert. I was wondering what ABC was thinking last season, when they could have hired Marv Albert but instead chose Brad Nessler. To this day, I still have no idea who the hell he is. Let's all hope ABC will improve the quality of their coverage this season... Allen Iverson signs 4 year, 76.7 million dollar contract extension You have to wonder if the Sixers are absolutely certain Iverson's body will hold up for this long. They don't want to make the same mistake the New York Knicks made in giving their "Allan" a contract extension. Notice the irony the the contract is for "76" million? If we're going to start giving contracts based on symbolic numbers, then Kobe Bryant's next extension will be for 69 million. Predrag Drobnjak traded to Clippers The Clippers needed a Center once the 6th pick of the draft, Chris Kaman, got injured. Kaman lived up to his Bryant Reeves comparisons a little too well, at least Reeves waited a few years before getting injured. The Clippers are starting to remind me of a sitcom? "What will happen on this season? Will Corey Maggette score 50 points in a game only to be suspended for the rest of the season after he tests positive for Opium? Will Wang Zhi-Zhi be kidnapped by Chinese hitmen while Donald Sterling refuses to pay the ransom money? Find out this season on That's the Clippers!" Zach Randolph found guilty of underage drinking Usually I condemn a Trailblazer for his off the court behavior, but come on, the dude was only 20. He was going to be drinking age in a year anyway. Then again, I guess we don't want him turning out like Vin Baker. Am I the only person who finds it ironic Baker is an alcoholic who plays for the city with lots of Irish people in it? Critics blast Converse for "Loaded Weapon" Critics have blasted Converse for naming a shoe "Loaded Weapon" saying it promotes violence and referring to all the cases in the NBA in the past few seasons involving guns. The two most famous NBA cases when I think about that title is Jayson Williams and Kobe Bryant. Both had loaded weapons they didn't know how to use. NBA Division Preview: East- Central Division The following are in order who I think will finish from top to bottom for the Central: 1. Indiana Pacers Best case scenario: Jermaine O'Neal turns into one of the top Power Forward in the leagues and puts in an MVP-type season. Rick Carlisle makes the most out of this team which was much more talented than his Pistons squad. Worst case scenario: Jermaine O'Neal becomes a distraction due to his unhappiness from the Isiah Thomas trade. The Pacers miss the inside presence of Brad Miller, and Jamal Tinsley fails to improve as point guard. My take: I look at this squad and say to myself, if Carlisle can get the team he had last season to win 50 games, there's no reason he can't do it with this team. Jermaine O'Neal has a chance to have a real breakout year, plus Ron Artest is on his way to defensive player of the year if he settles down a bit. 2. Detroit Pistons Best case scenario: Darko Milicic turns out to contribute earlier than expected. TayShaun Prince shines in his first full season as a starter. Larry Brown is able to coach the team to play just as well defensively as it did under Carlisle. Woest case scenario: It turns out only Carlisle knew how to get wins out of this team and Larry Brown struggles while other teams in the East get better. It turns out the Pistons suffer from not having Jon Barry coming off the bench. My take: The Pistons should still make the playoffs, but I'm not sure if they've improved in any way. They need to prove they weren't overachievers the last seasons and really are a good team. 3. Toronto Raptors Best case scenario: Vince Carter comes back with a vengeance and puts in an MVP type season. The Raptors avoid injuries and make a serious run at the top of the East while rookie coach Kevin O'Neill shows why he was on Carlisle's staff. Worst case scenario: The Raptors are once again plagued by injures, and also have problems in the frontcourt as Antonio Davis becomes even more of a nuisance. My take: I say the Raptors will definitely make the playoffs this season. With everybody healthy, they are without a doubt a playoff team, the only question is how high a seed would they be. 4. New Orleans Hornets Best case scenario: The Hornets, much like the Raptors' best case scenario, get all their guys healthy. Darrell Armstrong turns out to be a key free agent addition. Worst case scenario: The team still isn't healthy and doesn't seem to be any better than last year. Tim Floyd turns out to be a terrible coach and we find out it had nothing to do with the Bulls My take: I think the Hornets best years are behind them, they seem to be getting a bit older, and even if they're healthy, I don't see how much better they are than their Eastern counterparts. 5. Chicago Bulls Best case scenario: Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler finally become the stars everybody said they would be. Scottie Pippen provides the leadership quality the Bulls need. Worst case scenario: Curry and Chandler prove they still need another year. My take: How well the Bulls do this season depends on Curry and Chandler. I think they do have a legit shot at the playoffs if these two take off. 6. Cleveland Cavaliers Best case scenario: LeBron James proves he's worth the hype and puts up rookie of the year numbers. Darius Miles makes up for his lackluster year last year. The team, with James, Miles, DaJuan Wagner, and Ricky Davis, becomes one of the highest scoring teams in the east. Worst case scenario: Too many players who want to shoot and LeBron James doesn't live up to expectations. The team proves they're still too young to be good anytime soon. My take: While it's not a playoff team, I think this will be a fun team to watch. LeBron will prove he's the real deal (although I still have Carmelo Anthony as my rookie of the year) 7. Atlanta Hawks Best case scenario: the team plays better now that Glenn Robinson is no longer there to cause any headachers. Jason Terry becomes one of the top point guards in the East, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim finally makes the playoffs as the Hawks shock the world. Worst case scenario: The team is affected by their thin bench and by distractions of new management. It turns out they actually miss Robinson's scoring. My take: The best case scenario can only be an 8th seed scenario and even that's stretching it. The Hawks already got rid of Glenn Robinson and signing Stephen Jackson wouldn't be a good move, seeing how he would get benched in the playoffs and gripe about it last year. I'm not saying the Hawks might not have a bright future under new management, but don't expect anything THIS season. If you're a Hawks fan (edit: the one Hawks fan), it's best to think about the future and not now. 8. Milwaukee Bucks Best case scenario: The team's young talent plays extremely well. After years of the big three, the fact that there's no big names on the team helps. Michael Redd becomes a 20 ppg scorer. Worst case scenario: The Bucks don't have enough players that have proven anything and suffer. T.J. Ford struggles due to his size in the NBA. The young players aren't able to step up. My take: This is a team that was a .500 team with Sam Cassell and Gary Payton and they lost both of them. From the coach to the gm to lots of players, so many people are now gone. The team is for the most part young and young teams don't make the playoffs. I think like the Hawks, this team has great potential for the future. I just think they're a few well known players and not just young players away before being able to attempt to make the playoffs in the Eastern conference. Goodbye Thanks for driving with me. See you next week.</div>Finally someone thinks they will make the playoffs.
i havent been an active poster...ive always thought they could......that believv just went down abit during the off season
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting B-Ball215:</div><div class="quote_post">holy ****... this better not curse us.</div> No worries there, EA already did, it cursed all of its other cover athletes
i dont see it happening this year, that IMO, i think the bulls or wizards will get it, i see the raptors being injury plagued again, i guess its just cuz they have been the last couple of years
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting B-Ball215:</div><div class="quote_post">^that curse crap is bs.</div> Well it is kinda true, for Madden 2001 Eddie George was injured that year, for 2002 Cullpepper had a disapointing year, 2003 Marshall Faulk was injured, and 2004 where is Mike Vick? Injured, lol, kinda funny. The basketball covers are a different story though.
Basketball covers make it so you have a good year. I would go through the history right now, but I don't have the time. Anyway, I think the Raptors could make the playoffs this year, they have some fire power in the tank.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting thefranchise3:</div><div class="quote_post">Well it is kinda true, for Madden 2001 Eddie George was injured that year, for 2002 Cullpepper had a disapointing year, 2003 Marshall Faulk was injured, and 2004 where is Mike Vick? Injured, lol, kinda funny. The basketball covers are a different story though.</div> Dont forget the other sports too, hockey- Dany Heatly in major car crash, probably out for the year or a big portion, Vick, already mentioned, Randy Johnson injured for a big part of the year and Miguel Tejada didnt play as well as his MVP year. Thatleaves Vince and Carmello.
