2010-2011 Season Preview: Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

1. Boston Celtics

The Celtics are not a team that's going to dominate in the regular season. In fact, if it was up to them the regular season would be abolished all together and we would just skip right to the playoffs. Bringing in Shaq and Jermaine O'neal gives them much more big man depth which they desperately needed in last year's finals. Even without Perkins the Celtics came within 6 minutes of a championship. Although I strongly feel that they're not the most talented team in the east, they're still not the team that I would want to go up against in the playoffs. The bottom line is they know how to get it done when it counts. Their win total will be in the low to mid 50s, and they're not really going to turn it on until the playoffs roll around like last year.

2. New York Knicks

The Knicks brought in all star power forward Amar'e Stoudemire this summer in hopes that he's going to push them to a greater height. They were wrong. The only reason they're number two in the Atlantic division is because it's the worst division in the NBA. They will be in the mix for the 8th spot towards the end of the season but they're not going to make any noise if they get into the playoffs.

3. Philadelphia 76ers

I was tempted to put the Sixers ahead of the Knicks here but I feel like New York has a better overall team. Like the Knicks, the Sixers are going to be in the mix for one of the final playoff spots and it's really a toss up on who gets in. One thing is for certain. Once they get in they're going to be obliterated upon arrival so it almost serves them better not to get in and hope for a miracle in the lottery.

4. New Jersey Nets

The Nets aren't going to be anywhere near the crappy team they were last year. They certainly won't be a good team by any stretch of the imagination but it would be nearly impossible for them to play that badly again. With Derrick Favors now in the fold and Brook Lopez a year better I think the Nets will be in the 25-35 win range.

5. Toronto Raptors

Losing Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu while getting practically nothing back kills the Raptors. I think they're going to struggle immensely this year and the hate for Bosh in Toronto is going to get a lot more severe.

Central Division

1. Chicago Bulls

The addition of Carlos Boozer, Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver, CJ Watson and Kenny Thomas is going to catapult the Bulls right into contention for the Eastern Conference crown. This team lost all of its big contributors to major injuries at one point last season and they still ended up with a .500 record. Derrick Rose being a year better and Joakim Noah starting to come around on offense, I see the Bulls making some big time noise in the playoffs this year. I love the swagger this team is carrying themselves with right now. The Miami Heat don't scare this team for one second, in Noah's own words, "We're going to come up and take what they want." Carlos Boozer give them an inside scoring presence and Kyle Korver will help stretch the floor for Rose to operate. It's a great time to be a Bulls fan.

2. Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are going to be one of two extremes this season. Either they're going to continue to progress and challenge the Bulls or they're going to be a huge disappointment. They ended last season smoking hot and came within one game of knocking off the Atlanta Hawks. All signs point them in the right direction but I'm still skeptical. When I look at their roster I'm not convinced they can go toe to toe with the Bulls, Celtics, Heat, or Magic. John Salmons played much better than he is and he was a huge reason why they were so successful. Locking up Drew Gooden to a big contract was one of the most idiotic front office moves I've ever seen. The Bucks will come second in the central and make the playoffs but I don't see them going far.

3. Indiana Pacers

The trade to land Darren Collison from the New Orleans Hornets was an absolute masterpiece. He's not going to be a superstar but he's a legitimately good point guard to have on almost any team. He could start on every team other than the Bulls, Celtics, Hornets, Jazz, or Suns. The Pacers will be a middle of the pack team and they'll contend for a playoff spot and I just have a hunch that they're going to get it. And if Roy Hibbert starts to come around the odds will get a lot better.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

Losing LeBron James puts the Cavs far away from where they were last year. Even without that spoiled brat the Cavs are still going to contend for a playoff spot in the east. To me it's a toss up right now between the Cavs and Pacers. I gave the Pacers the edge because they haven't had anywhere near the distractions the Cavs have had. Regardless of who will be higher in the standings, their records will be pretty similar.

5. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are the most dysfunctional team in the NBA right now. They have about a billion guards and no inside presence to speak up. Frankly, I will be stunned if they're anywhere near the playoff race this year. Signing Tracy McGrady? I think the front office is just screwing around at this point.

Southeast Division

1. Miami Heat

No shocker here. Even if the Heat are not as successful as many believe, they will still beat out the Magic for the division. Let's throw away our jealousy and be honest, if this team plays unselfishly there is no way anyone is going to stop them. Yes, they have depth problems. But they also have two of the best four players in the game right now. When that's the case there is no excuse not to hold the championship trophy come June.

2. Orlando Magic

The Magic have lost their stranglehold on the southeast and they are now the second best team in Florida for the first time since 2005. They will have a chance to come out of the east but I don't think they have enough scoring. Dwight Howard has no offensive game and that's going to be their downfall once again this year.

3. Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks haven't done anything to get better and as a result I think they're going to end up taking a step backwards. The Bulls have leapfrogged them and now the Hawks find themselves out of the top four. They will make the playoffs comfortably but I don't think they're going to escape the first round.

4. Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats are another team that will be in the playoff hunt and I like their chances. However, if they do get in they're going to be knocked out in four games so I wouldn't be too excited if I was a Bobcats fan.

5. Washington Wizards

I'm very excited to see how John Wall plays in his rookie season. Whether he plays well or not, the Wizards are still going nowhere. The addition of Kirk Hinrich gives them some more defensive prowess but they just don't have anywhere near enough offensive firepower to contend for anything.

2011 playoff seedings:

1. Miami Heat

2. Orlando Magic

3. Chicago Bulls

4. Boston Celtics

5. Atlanta Hawks

6. Milwaukee Bucks

7. Charlotte Bobcats

8. Indiana Pacers

1st Round: Heat vs Pacers (Heat win in 4), Magic vs Bobcats (Magic win in 4), Bulls vs Bucks (Bulls win in 6), Celtics vs Hawks (Celtics win in 5)

The Bucks will give the Bulls some trouble but for the most part no first round series is going to be close.

2nd Round: Heat vs Celtics (Heat win in 6), Magic vs Bulls (Bulls win in 7)

The series between the Heat and Celtics is extremely hard to predict. I think the Heat would come out on top but I also thought the Cavs were going to knock off the Celtics in last year's playoffs. They can really get it done when it counts but in this case I need to go with the more talented team, which is also very debatable. Dwight Howard will give the Bulls problems but I love the way the Bulls match up with the Magic and I think this is the Bulls' year to finally make some noise in the playoffs.

Eastern Conference Finals: Heat vs Bulls (Heat win in 6)

Expect this to be a heated rivalry in the next 5 years. The Heat have so much talent and athleticism that I'm not quite sure how other teams are going to deal with it. Again, their success all depends on their style of play. If they play selfishly they won't get by the Celtics, but if they play like a team there is no way they will be beaten in a 7 game series.

NBA Finals: Heat vs Lakers (Heat win in 7)

The Lakers will come within one game of a 3peat but they will be denied on the Heat's home floor. The best record in the league will get the Heat home court advantage which will be the deciding factor of this series.

Nuggets give up on Melo; Nets and Clippers possibilities

According to several reports, after a Sunday meeting the Denver Nuggets have given up on trying to retain Carmelo Anthony. The Nuggets are now looking to deal Melo and they're looking for very young talent and draft picks. That being the case, the Nets and Clippers have emerged as frontrunners to land the prolific scorer.

Anthony would be on board with a deal to the Clippers because his wife, Lala Vazquez, is in the entertainment industry and it would be an easy transition for his family. On the negative side, it is the Clippers. There is literally nothing good in the entire history of LA's JV team. If I was Carmelo I think I would rather go play for a crazy Russian guy who could buy a small country. I'm guessing he would be on board going to New Jersey because he would be a short car ride away from his hometown. I'm just not sure that Melo would want to be a part of a rebuilding process at this point in career.

Either way, it's looking like Melo could be taking a little hiatus from the playoffs. That's sometimes a side effect of demanding a trade.

Rondo withdraws from team USA

After getting no playing time in Sunday's scrimmage against Spain, Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo has withdrawn from team USA. I think what really happened is he was cut and the coaching staff agreed to let him withdraw on his own.

Rondo is a great point guard but the international game doesn't favor him at all. Rondo can't shoot and he doesn't play well when there's a lot of contact allowed. That's exactly what international basketball is and that's why he was going to be cut. He started the two scrimmages before the last one against Spain but I think that was just because Coach K was giving him a chance to prove he deserved a roster spot.

There are no excuses

A lot has been said about the lack of size on the US front line. Many reports make it seem as though that's a viable excuse in the event they lose. There is absolutely no excuse for this team to not win it all. One thing I want to make clear. It's the media that keeps making excuses for team USA, not the team itself. The coaching staff and all of the players have maintained the mindset that this is their tournament and that if they lose it's on them.

Ok, so the US media is saying, "Well they have no size, how are they supposed to rebound?"

Do you know what every other team is saying?

"Derrick Rose AND Kevin Durant, how the hell are we supposed to stop that?!"

Other countries have TVs, they know what they're about to go up against.

The US is so much more talented than every other team they play that there is no reason why they should not win. A lot of these guys they are going up against aren't in the NBA, want to know why? It's because they're simply not talented enough. Now why should they lose to a bunch of guys who aren't even good enough to play in the same league as them. The only way I see the US losing a game is if they don't bring enough intensity. Every other country has their game with the US circled on their calender, that's their big game. It's crucial that the US match that intensity every night.

I'm not sure what other teams will do to try and slow down team USA. My guess is that they're going to play some variation of a 2-3 zone. The reason I say variation is because if it was a regular 2-3, the US would just put Kevin Love in the middle and tear it to pieces with cutters and spot up shooters, or at the very least an open jumper for a solid mid range shooter. Don't forget, the international three point line is much closer than the NBA three, don't be surprised to see guys pulling up way behind the line.

Despite its weaknesses, 2-3 seems like the way to go because they will need to make it so Rose and Rajon Rondo can't easily penetrate. Both of those lightening quick point guards will blow by pretty much anyone if they try to play them man to man. And once one of those guys gets into the paint the other team just has to pray that someone misses an open jumper.

I'm fairly certain that most teams won't press either because that's exactly what the US wants. A fast paced game plays right into their hands and if that's the case then it should be a blowout with the athletes the US has.

I know the USA Basketball program puts a lot of emphasis on, "checking your ego at the door." Before training camp starts every summer Coach K gives a long speech about how in order to win on an international stage everyone needs to sacrifice a lot. I completely agree with that philosophy in most cases because most of the time the roster is full of superstars. This year is a little bit different. There are only two players whom I would consider to be superstars and they are Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose. I would tell Rose to play like he plays in Chicago and I'd tell Durant to play like he does for the Thunder. Rose's scoring on his penetration will open up the perimeter, as well as taking a ton of defensive pressure off of Durant. If you don't think so then look at the scrimmage against Spain. At the end of the game Rose started being aggressive going towards the basket and it won the game for them. That's what he's good at, in my opinion he's one of the best players in the league at going to the basket, why fight it?

I am a huge Bulls fan so yes I am 100% biased in this theory but that doesn't make me wrong.

The bottom line is this. No matter what route they take in doing it, there's no legitimate reason why the US shouldn't come out on top.

Lockout

Get used to hearing this word, lockout. A big reason why this summer's free agency frenzy happened is because after this upcoming season the collective bargaining agreement is going to run out. That means that the entire economic system of the NBA is most likely going to be changed. A lot of players wanted to get their new contracts before that happened because more likely than not player's salaries are going to be going down, a lot.

For two years the owners and the players association have been talking and for two years there has been no progress made. Apparently Dwyane Wade and LeBron James went to the meetings and basically threatened the owners. If the owners didn't give in to the player's demands, Wade said he would pursue a modeling career in Paris (I know, disturbing right?), and LeBron James said he would play in the NFL.

It's kind of disturbing to hear that these guys, who so many kids idolize, would be willing to disappoint so many people.

David Stern has been beating around the bush with this subject for awhile but that's no longer an option. Every time someone in the media would ask him about it, he would say something that had absolutely no relevance to the question whatsoever. What's really happening is, the NBA hierarchy is trying to save the owners from themselves and in the process they are slowing everything down. Contracts have gotten so big and outrageous that the league feels like they need to step in. If you disagree then this might change your mind. Last season Nate Robinson made more money than Larry Bird ever made in any season of his career. Robinson's salary was 4.2 million dollars.

What the league wants is for there to be a hard salary cap, which means that you can't spend over a certain amount no matter what. The NBAPA, as you might imagine, is 100% against this idea because it means nearly everyone is going to take a huge pay cut. Some of the owners are against it as well because then teams like the current Miami Heat would be impossible to build.

Because there is such a gap between all sides in the negotiations it's looking like we're heading towards a lockout. In most lockout situations they would take Developmental League players and just fill the roster with them but this lockout would be different. In those cases it's just the players that are on strike, but in this lockout the owners would be on strike too.

If there was a lockout I don't know what I would do. No NBA? Possibly for an entire year? You might as well take my bed, my dog, and my car while you're at it. Hopefully an agreement is reached before a lockout would be necessary but all inside sources (probably Mark Cuban), and even David Stern himself says that things aren't looking good.

But it's not all bad, at least we would still have the WNBA....Good God let's hope there's no lockout.

Reports: Anthony almost certain to leave Nuggets

Carmelo Anthony has had a 3 year, 65 million dollar extension with the Nuggets sitting on his desk for the last 5 months. Whether he signs it or not is still in question, but it has become pretty clear that Melo has no intention on spending the rest of his career in Denver.

It is believed that he's going to refuse to sign it which will force the Nuggets into trading him. If he does end up signing it, it will only be because his future team wants him to.

Not much is known about possible future destinations other than New York but I'm sure other rumors will pop up as time goes by.

We don't know where he's going to go, but all signs indicate that his days in Denver are numbered. As of right now nothing is imminent, but really it's just a matter of time.

Four team, five man deal done

The New Orleans Hornets, the Houston Rockets, the Indiana Pacers, and the New Jersey Nets have agreed on a blockbuster trade including both Trevor Ariza and Darren Collison. This is how the deal breaks down.

Pacers get: Darren Collison and James Posey

Pacers lose: Troy Murphy

Great deal for the Pacers. They lose basically nothing and get a very promising young point guard and a defensive stopper.

Hornets get: Trevor Ariza

Hornets lose: Darren Collison and James Posey

Dealing Collison was done to show Chris Paul that he is indeed the future of the franchise. That was called into question earlier this summer but now we know for sure that the Hornets have absolutely no intention of losing their star point guard. Losing Posey was purely a salary dump and had nothing to do with talent. My guess is that another deal is coming from the Hornets because that's the only reason to dump that much salary at this point in time.

Rockets get: Courtney Lee

Rockets lose: Trevor Ariza

Are they out of their minds?! I have absolutely no idea why they would trade Ariza to help a conference rival. They get a massively overrated guard in return and in my opinion their playoff hopes just took a nose dive. Ariza had a big contract so that's obviously why they traded him but it still doesn't make much sense to me.

Nets get: Troy Murphy

Nets lose: Courtney Lee

Murphy will play limited minutes with the Nets and my guess is that they're going to try to trade him either now or in a few months at the trade deadline.

Rumor: Fernandez to Chicago looking likely

The Portland Trailblazers have been shopping swingman Rudy Fernandez all summer. After getting lowball offers from the Knicks, Lakers, and Celtics they are said to be favoring an offer from the Chicago Bulls. Cap space + a first round pick or James Johnson for Fernandez is the deal that's currently on the table.

Fernandez wants to be traded because he doesn't want to play behind Brandon Roy and play very little minutes. I don't really understand why Chicago would be a better fit for him because they already have a bit of a logjam at the shooting guard position.

The Blazers are reportedly waiting for a better offer to come along but as time keeps going by it looks like this is the best offer they're going to get.

Reports: Shaq Close To Signing With Celtics

After about a month of waiting around it seems like Shaq has made up his mind on where he wants to go. According to numerous sources Shaq is close to signing a two year deal with the Boston Celtics.

The addition of Shaq gives the Celtics more depth at Center, something they definitely could have used in last season's NBA Finals.

Take A Hint

Hey, guys, it's not the year 2003 anymore.

Tracy McGrady and Shaquille O'neal have been struggling to find a home in the hottest free agency summer in NBA history.

Shaq can't find a home because he still thinks he deserves a contract in the 5-7 million range. Clearly, he's delusional. Several teams are interested in him but two have emerged as the frontrunners. The Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks are both said to be seriously considering the once dominant diesel. If the asking price was a bit lower I think the Celtics would jump on it but it's just too much to justify.

Tracy McGrady is willing to accept 1.35 million and his dream destination is to go to Chicago. The Bulls front office said they would sign him on two conditions: 1. He needs to be healthy and 2. He needs to be willing to accept a bench role. According to numerous reports, his workout went fine, but it was his interview that was a disaster. Apparently T-Mac refused to acknowledge that he would be a limited minutes bench player. Just so you have an idea, these were McGrady's words following his day with the Bulls.

"I'd bring what I know about the game and my athleticism and versatility. Knowing my smarts for the game, leadership, anything I can add to help these guys over the edge. Without me, without Boozer, they were a .500 club. With the guys that they added, and if you add me, I think we'll be 30 points better."

When asked if he would be willing to accept a bench role, the former scoring champion had this to say.

"I won't have a problem, but that's not what I'm really shooting for. Yeah, if I was the player that I was in a Knicks uniform, I would have no problem coming off the bench. But I have worked extremely hard and I'm far from being that player. Trust me. It's up to me in training camp to prove I'm a starter."

Does that sound like someone who's ready to accept playing 7-12 minutes per game?

The Bulls already have the cornerstone's of the franchise in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. Adding post scoring threat Carlos Boozer, 3-point marksman Kyle Korver, and defensive specialist Ronnie Brewer puts the Bulls in contention for the Eastern Conference crown. Why would they want to jeopardize the team's success by bringing in someone who could and almost definitely would cause a distraction?

Both of these players need to understand that in order to continue their careers, they will need to sacrifice to do it.