HAWKS- Arrival of hometown boy Abdur-Rahim has Atlanta (well, the few dozen basketball fans there at least) buzzing. One of the few 20pt 10reb, high percentage shooting players in the league. He is a stud upfront, and with Terry at the two-guard, Atlanta has a terrific, young 1-2 punch. Injuries to Ratliff and Kukoc might limit their success, as both are important parts to the overall team. Ratliff is still having lingering problems and will be hard-pressed to play 82 games. Kukoc, when healthy, should fare well as the third option..passing the ball, setting-up teammates. Big question is at point..Emmanuel Davis and Jacque Vaughn are not the answers. The achilles heel to an up and coming team. Glover and DeMarr Johnson offer glimpses of hope off the bench, but are still very inconsistent. Mohmamed shined in a starting role last season..could get that same oppurtunity if Ratliff misses time. Hawks will certainly be a competetive team when their roster is healthy, but I don't think quite good enough to crack the postseason.
HORNETS- After dismantling Miami and taking Milwaukee to the limit, Charlotte didn't make any significant changes to bolster their roster. Augmon, Matt Bullard, and Bryce Drew don't fit the 'significant' bill and don't fill the void left by Eddie Robinson leaving for Chicago. Starting five is still one of the better lineups in the league..but still devoid of high percentage shooters. Extremely athletic and when focused, an excellent defensive club. Davis is on the verge of busting into the upper echelon of point guards. Still not sold on Wesley as a two guard, but he does a good job despite his size. Mashburn reverted to his old Mavs form and had a great all-around season. Brown is solid, and Campbell gives them one of the few offensive threats at center in the league. Bench is thin, the aforementioned acquisitions, along with Mr. Malcontent (Derrick Coleman) aren't an impressive bunch. Magliore has matured nicely though, and look for bigger things out of him this season. After their playoff success last season, hard to discount Charlotte as a contender, but I still think they are a mid-tier playoff team.
BULLS- Chicago, where the old and new come together. Elder statesmen Anthony and Oakley join the young bunch and try to squeeze out more than 15 wins. Interesting that in signing Oakley, Krause thought he would tutor his younger guys...not so..Oak wants to play and have no part in teaching the younger guys anything. The two lottery boys, Curry and Chandler will see some minutes but neither can be expected to contribute much. Loss of Brand obviously hurts, but this seasons starting five isn't all THAT bad. Oak, Anthony, Brad Miller, Mercer, and Eddie Robinson give Chicago a workable bunch. Naturally, the bench is laden with youngsters, plus Hoiberg, who in a stroke of appreciation, re-signed with Chicago rather than sign with the Lakers or another contender. With the old guys and a decent combo of Mercer and Robinson on the wings, Bulls should certainly be more competetive than that past couple of seasons. But certainly no drastic turnaround.
CAVS- Lucas comes into town as the new coach and is looking to install a more uptempo apporach. It would be nice if chronically injured Ilgauskas were healthy (which is never), and Tyrone Hill will start this season on IR as well. So for now, Doleac and Mihm get the call upfront. Bleh. Murray and Person should continue to be themselves..extremely inconsistent. Thirty point game one night, followed by five or eight point games the next few games. Jumaine Jones, after a decent showing in Philly last season, might be a guy to keep an eye on as he showed promise with the Sixers. No surprise if he takes over for Murray at some point. Miller is the main man here, and should post much better numbers, especially scoring-wise. If Ilgauskas could somehow play 50-60 games, this is a decent team, as he is one of the top five centers when healthy. Otherwise, another 30 wins or so look to be in order.
PISTONS- Was the Stackhouse show in Detroit last season...and it should be more of the same this season. Addition of Cliff Robinson wasn't much of an improvement, especially when they are counting on him to play center. Dana Barros is slated to start at point, and share minutes with Atkins. Two guys who look to shoot first, shoot second, maybe pass third. Williamson is now out of the rotation, Curry at small forward. They are hoping to get contributions from first round pick Rodney White, but he has struggled in preseason and doesn't look ready to make an impact yet. Jon Barry was a nice addition though..excellent backup at either guard position. Ben Wallace emerged as a first-rate rebounder and defender...too bad he isn't back in Orlando. Hard to see Detroit improving from last seasons record..should be right around the 30 win area with Cleveland.
PACERS- Miller, Rose, and Best offer a solid perimeter based offense, but the lack of consistent interior scoring and depth will keep Indiana from challenging the top teams in the East. No major additions or subtractions...this is a young team that Thomas is going to have to continue to have to go through growing pains with. O'Neal is slowly becoming a force, but his slight build still hurts him in some instances. He should be a 16pt, 10 reb guy this season. You know what you get with the three veterans..Miller, Rose, and Best..Foster is at center just because they need five players on the court..so whether or not this team improves is dependent on Harrington and Croshere. Both have show signs over the past two seasons of becoming solid contributors, but neither has done it consistently over a period of time. Another 40 win season is likely but not much more.
BUCKS- With Mason added to the mix, probably the favorite to win the East. Ray Allen has become one of the top offensive players in the game, and the trio of him, Robinson, and Cassell is almost unparalled as an offensive triumvirate. Now with Mason, who brings interior defense and toughness to the team..the one factor they have been lacking. His passing ability will also be a major plus, as any double-teams on him will result in wide-open looks for all of the Bucks. Thomas is one of the better sixth men in the league and is improving each year. He was going to possibly start but with the acquisition of Mason, he is back on the bench. Still will get quality minutes and give them 15ppg. Aside from Thomas, bench is thin..Caffey, Ham, Pope, Alston..they are expecting some help from Redd, but not sure how he will get minutes behind Allen. Starting five and Thomas off the bench is awfully good..could translate to Milwaukee taking the next step to the Finals.
RAPTORS- Took Philly to the limit in the playoffs, now much like Milwaukee, made a few roster moves and are looking to overtake the Sixers as the team to beat in the East. Carter is a given...will be one of the top scorers in the league and provide plenty of highlight material. Alvin Williams came on strong after getting the nod at starting PG, now has an entire season to lead the team. A good backup for him with Childs on the bench. Peterson should show improvement over his rookie season. Davis moves to his natural power forward spot, as Olajuwon is now at center. Hakeem has looked good in the preseason, and if he stays healthy, Toronto could be in-line for the top record in the conference. Bench has a nice mixture of 'energy' guys, experience, and variety..Curry, Childs, Keon Clark, Jerome Williams..that's a solid nine deep Toronto has. Should be Toronto's best season yet, low to mid 50 win range is expected.
PROJECTED STANDINGS AND RECORD:
1. Milwaukee 55-27
2. Toronto 54-28
3. Charlotte 46-36
4. Indiana 39-43
5. Atlanta 33-49
6. Detroit 29-53
7. Cleveland 26-56
8. Chicago 18-64
[This message has been edited by Hoops (edited 10-25-2001).]
HORNETS- After dismantling Miami and taking Milwaukee to the limit, Charlotte didn't make any significant changes to bolster their roster. Augmon, Matt Bullard, and Bryce Drew don't fit the 'significant' bill and don't fill the void left by Eddie Robinson leaving for Chicago. Starting five is still one of the better lineups in the league..but still devoid of high percentage shooters. Extremely athletic and when focused, an excellent defensive club. Davis is on the verge of busting into the upper echelon of point guards. Still not sold on Wesley as a two guard, but he does a good job despite his size. Mashburn reverted to his old Mavs form and had a great all-around season. Brown is solid, and Campbell gives them one of the few offensive threats at center in the league. Bench is thin, the aforementioned acquisitions, along with Mr. Malcontent (Derrick Coleman) aren't an impressive bunch. Magliore has matured nicely though, and look for bigger things out of him this season. After their playoff success last season, hard to discount Charlotte as a contender, but I still think they are a mid-tier playoff team.
BULLS- Chicago, where the old and new come together. Elder statesmen Anthony and Oakley join the young bunch and try to squeeze out more than 15 wins. Interesting that in signing Oakley, Krause thought he would tutor his younger guys...not so..Oak wants to play and have no part in teaching the younger guys anything. The two lottery boys, Curry and Chandler will see some minutes but neither can be expected to contribute much. Loss of Brand obviously hurts, but this seasons starting five isn't all THAT bad. Oak, Anthony, Brad Miller, Mercer, and Eddie Robinson give Chicago a workable bunch. Naturally, the bench is laden with youngsters, plus Hoiberg, who in a stroke of appreciation, re-signed with Chicago rather than sign with the Lakers or another contender. With the old guys and a decent combo of Mercer and Robinson on the wings, Bulls should certainly be more competetive than that past couple of seasons. But certainly no drastic turnaround.
CAVS- Lucas comes into town as the new coach and is looking to install a more uptempo apporach. It would be nice if chronically injured Ilgauskas were healthy (which is never), and Tyrone Hill will start this season on IR as well. So for now, Doleac and Mihm get the call upfront. Bleh. Murray and Person should continue to be themselves..extremely inconsistent. Thirty point game one night, followed by five or eight point games the next few games. Jumaine Jones, after a decent showing in Philly last season, might be a guy to keep an eye on as he showed promise with the Sixers. No surprise if he takes over for Murray at some point. Miller is the main man here, and should post much better numbers, especially scoring-wise. If Ilgauskas could somehow play 50-60 games, this is a decent team, as he is one of the top five centers when healthy. Otherwise, another 30 wins or so look to be in order.
PISTONS- Was the Stackhouse show in Detroit last season...and it should be more of the same this season. Addition of Cliff Robinson wasn't much of an improvement, especially when they are counting on him to play center. Dana Barros is slated to start at point, and share minutes with Atkins. Two guys who look to shoot first, shoot second, maybe pass third. Williamson is now out of the rotation, Curry at small forward. They are hoping to get contributions from first round pick Rodney White, but he has struggled in preseason and doesn't look ready to make an impact yet. Jon Barry was a nice addition though..excellent backup at either guard position. Ben Wallace emerged as a first-rate rebounder and defender...too bad he isn't back in Orlando. Hard to see Detroit improving from last seasons record..should be right around the 30 win area with Cleveland.
PACERS- Miller, Rose, and Best offer a solid perimeter based offense, but the lack of consistent interior scoring and depth will keep Indiana from challenging the top teams in the East. No major additions or subtractions...this is a young team that Thomas is going to have to continue to have to go through growing pains with. O'Neal is slowly becoming a force, but his slight build still hurts him in some instances. He should be a 16pt, 10 reb guy this season. You know what you get with the three veterans..Miller, Rose, and Best..Foster is at center just because they need five players on the court..so whether or not this team improves is dependent on Harrington and Croshere. Both have show signs over the past two seasons of becoming solid contributors, but neither has done it consistently over a period of time. Another 40 win season is likely but not much more.
BUCKS- With Mason added to the mix, probably the favorite to win the East. Ray Allen has become one of the top offensive players in the game, and the trio of him, Robinson, and Cassell is almost unparalled as an offensive triumvirate. Now with Mason, who brings interior defense and toughness to the team..the one factor they have been lacking. His passing ability will also be a major plus, as any double-teams on him will result in wide-open looks for all of the Bucks. Thomas is one of the better sixth men in the league and is improving each year. He was going to possibly start but with the acquisition of Mason, he is back on the bench. Still will get quality minutes and give them 15ppg. Aside from Thomas, bench is thin..Caffey, Ham, Pope, Alston..they are expecting some help from Redd, but not sure how he will get minutes behind Allen. Starting five and Thomas off the bench is awfully good..could translate to Milwaukee taking the next step to the Finals.
RAPTORS- Took Philly to the limit in the playoffs, now much like Milwaukee, made a few roster moves and are looking to overtake the Sixers as the team to beat in the East. Carter is a given...will be one of the top scorers in the league and provide plenty of highlight material. Alvin Williams came on strong after getting the nod at starting PG, now has an entire season to lead the team. A good backup for him with Childs on the bench. Peterson should show improvement over his rookie season. Davis moves to his natural power forward spot, as Olajuwon is now at center. Hakeem has looked good in the preseason, and if he stays healthy, Toronto could be in-line for the top record in the conference. Bench has a nice mixture of 'energy' guys, experience, and variety..Curry, Childs, Keon Clark, Jerome Williams..that's a solid nine deep Toronto has. Should be Toronto's best season yet, low to mid 50 win range is expected.
PROJECTED STANDINGS AND RECORD:
1. Milwaukee 55-27
2. Toronto 54-28
3. Charlotte 46-36
4. Indiana 39-43
5. Atlanta 33-49
6. Detroit 29-53
7. Cleveland 26-56
8. Chicago 18-64
[This message has been edited by Hoops (edited 10-25-2001).]