NBA Eastern and Western Division predictions

valrod33 · 2009-09-03T09:26:34-07:00

I didnt know where to post this, so yes i made a new thread http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=OffseasonPredictions09-WestStandings http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=OffseasonPredictions09-EastStandings CONF TEAM W L PCT 09 W 09 L 09 PCT 1 Los Angeles Lakers 62 20 .756 65 17 .793 Our forecasters say the champion Lakers will edge the Cavs for best record in the NBA and home court throughout the playoffs, which will come in handy if we get a Kobe-LeBron showdown. That's the only close race the Lakers will be in, according to our panel, which doesn't seem too worried about potential disruptions by Ron Artest. 2 San Antonio Spurs 54 28 .659 54 28 .659 The aging Spurs appear to be back in business, though in fact they somehow managed 54 wins and the No. 3 seed last season before being bounced in Round 1. This time around, their hopes rest on a return to health by Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili and the additions of Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess and DeJuan Blair. 3 Portland Trail Blazers 52 30 .634 54 28 .659 Can Portland become the proverbial "team nobody wants to face" in the Western Conference playoffs? Or are they ready for true contender status? Expectations are large, as are the variables: Can Greg Oden find himself? How will Andre Miller's go-go style mesh with the walk-it-up Blazers? And who's the starting point guard, anyway? 4 Denver Nuggets 51 31 .622 54 28 .659 The Nuggets won't sneak up on anyone this year, and perhaps they won't need to. With largely the same roster as they had in May, Denver is counting on good health and the further development of Carmelo Anthony to stay among the West's best. If these predictions hold, they might get a playoff rematch with the Lakers. 5 Dallas Mavericks 50 32 .610 50 32 .610 The Mavs had a topsy-turvy summer that, according to our panel, will leave them right where they were last season: 50-32, and in the middle of the pack. They brought back Jason Kidd and acquired Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden, but lost a battle of wits with Orlando for Brandon Bass and Marcin Gortat. Expect the moves to keep coming. 6 Utah Jazz* 47 35 .573 48 34 .585 Utah was a trendy name a year ago, but barely rates a mention now, for a couple of reasons: The team is coming off a disappointing season, and the Carlos Boozer situation is unresolved. But the Jazz still have a potent roster led by Deron Williams, and the dark-horse label seems to fit this team as well as any other in the West. 7 New Orleans Hornets* 47 35 .573 49 33 .598 It was a disappointing season in New Orleans, relative to the high expectations they started with, but they still won 49 games and they still have Chris Paul. The Hornets are another of the West's "if everything breaks right" contenders, as they need Julian Wright, Ike Diogu and Hilton Armstrong to do more to justify being lottery picks. 8 Phoenix Suns 42 40 .512 46 36 .561 The Suns were a lottery team last season, but a good one, winning 46 despite a coaching change and an eye injury to Amare Stoudemire. Now Shaq's gone, and the speed game is back, led by Steve Nash. If Amare returns to full health, the Suns will light it up again. But will that be enough for more than 8th best in the West? 9 Houston Rockets 37 45 .451 53 29 .646 The Rockets were a remarkable story last season, taking the Lakers to seven games without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Now Houston is in a transition year, as Yao appears out for the season and T-Mac's return is iffy. One thing does seem certain: The Rockets will scrap and claw and make every opponent's W well-earned. 10 Los Angeles Clippers 33 49 .402 19 63 .232 Giddy Clippers fans might not appreciate this forecast, but keep in mind: A 33-49 record would be a 14-game leap, and L.A. has been such a disheveled franchise it's going to have to prove itself to our panel. That said, some see the Clips winning as many as 50 games, thanks in large part to the arrival of Blake Griffin. 11 Oklahoma City Thunder 32 50 .390 23 59 .280 No West bandwagon is more crowded than OKC's, with our panel seeing the team that started 1-16 a year ago making the leap to mediocrity. Given the age of Kevin Durant (20), Russell Westbrook (20), Jeff Green (23) and newcomer James Harden (20), it's not hard to see what the excitement is about. But it will be hard to see them on TV. 12 Golden State Warriors 31 51 .378 29 53 .354 Golden State celebrated its crowning as Team Turmoil with another heaping helping of controversy, as putative team leader Stephen Jackson reportedly asked to be traded to a good team. The talent of such youngsters as Monta Ellis and Anthony Randolph is undeniable, but clearly our panelists just do not trust the Warriors to pull it together. 13 Minn. Timberwolves 26 56 .317 24 58 .293 Minnesota's noisy offseason of trades, controversial draft picks, the firing of Kevin McHale, the hiring of Kurt Rambis and a failed bid to sign Ricky Rubio is likely to be followed by a quiet season on the hardwood. The immediate future is about getting Al Jefferson healthy and seeing what youngsters Kevin Love and Jonny Flynn can do. 14 Memphis Grizzlies 25 57 .305 24 58 .293 The talent base is improving thanks to youngsters Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol, Hasheem Thabeet and Mike Conley. However, the arrival of Zach Randolph, our pick for Worst Newcomer, means that chemistry will continue to be an issue in Memphis, which also has its sights set on the 34-year-old Allen Iverson. Go figure. 15 Sacramento Kings 21 61 .256 17 65 .207 The Kings take the honors as the NBA's worst team, both in last season's standings and this season's projections. Reasons for optimism include a return to health for Kevin Martin and the arrival of Tyreke Evans, but even that is a bit troubling, as they might end up playing the same position. Expect another long year in Sac-Town. CONF TEAM W L PCT 09 W 09 L 09 PCT 1 Cleveland Cavaliers 61 21 .744 66 16 .805 Let's talk Shaq, the Big Caveat Emptor: He has won four titles, is on his fifth franchise and has been swept from the playoffs six times. Reborn in Phoenix, he led the Suns to exactly one playoff win in two seasons. So will he break up the Cavs with laughter or just break them up? Can't wait to find out. (Why only 61 wins? See note above.) 2 Boston Celtics 57 25 .695 62 20 .756 Many think a healthy Kevin Garnett and a revitalized Rasheed Wallace will get the Celts back to the top. (See our East title picks on Thursday.) But KG's balky knee is unproven, and Sheed is a known coach killer who is coming off a lousy season and turns 35 this month. So some voters are still in wait-and-C mode. 3 Orlando Magic 56 26 .683 59 23 .720 Orlando's magical run to the NBA Finals didn't make a believer out of everyone, and the sorta-swap of Hedo Turkoglu for Vince Carter got mixed reviews (here and here). But some like what they see, including a starting lineup that features four recent All-Stars, and expect big things again in O-Town. 4 Atlanta Hawks 45 37 .549 47 35 .573 ESPN's panelists like the Hawks as the Beasts of the Rest in the East once again, expecting the additions of Jamal Crawford and Joe Smith to keep them in the No. 4 slot. If our Eastern Conference prognostications are accurate, the Hawks will again host the Miami Heat in Game 1 of Round 1 when the playoffs begin next April. 5 Miami Heat 44 38 .537 43 39 .524 A year ago, our forecasters were all over the place in trying to guess where the 15-67 Heat would finish in '09. Now that they have seen a healthy Dwyane Wade take his team to a 43-39 finish and the No. 5 seed, our panelists expect more of the same as Miami bides its time until the summer of 2010. 6 Chicago Bulls 43 39 .524 41 41 .500 Our voters have the Bulls winning as few as 30 games and as many as 55, and perhaps it comes down to what they think of reigning rookie of the year Derrick Rose, whose scintillating playoff performance was followed by a tumultuous summer. In any case, most of our panel is bullish on Chicago overall. 7 Philadelphia 76ers 39 43 .476 41 41 .500 Our panel is hardly in love with Philly, but it still sees the 76ers squeaking into the playoffs (with an average prediction of 39.4 wins). File under "Best Guess," though, because no one knows exactly what the arrival of new coach Eddie Jordan, the return of post man Elton Brand and the departure of point guard Andre Miller really mean. 8 Washington Wizards 39 43 .476 19 63 .232 To hopeful Wiz fans, the arrival of Flip Saunders, Randy Foye and Mike Miller along with an apparent return to health for Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood will make all the difference. But while our panel sees the Wiz as probable to make the playoffs (with an average prediction of 39.1 wins), it still doesn't see them as true contenders. 9 Toronto Raptors 39 43 .476 33 49 .402 If you have to be cruel to be kind, then our panel is killing Toronto with kindness. After Monday's prediction that Chris Bosh would depart in 2010, now our forecasters have the Raptors missing the playoffs by 0.1 wins (with an average prediction of 39.0 wins). We'll see if the addition of Hedo Turkoglu is the tonic in Toronto. 10 Detroit Pistons 38 44 .463 39 43 .476 Detroit fans are already defining success downward, and our panel says they have the right idea. If our forecast plays out, the Pistons will miss the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons, and will have a lottery pick to show for their hotly debated trade of Chauncey Billups and acquisitions of Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. 11 Charlotte Bobcats 35 47 .427 35 47 .427 Michael Jordan's Bobcats are stuck in purgatory, according to our panel: too talented and well-coached to be terrible and get a high lottery pick, but not talented enough to make their first-ever playoff run. So what does all that mediocrity and a swap of Emeka Okafor for Tyson Chandler get you? Another 35-47 season. 12 Indiana Pacers 33 49 .402 36 46 .439 For three straight seasons, the Pacers have been the East's best lottery team. Alas, our panel doesn't see their inglorious run of ninth-place finishes continuing, as Indiana looks like No. 12 material to ESPN's experts. The biggest issue seems to be a depleted talent base unreplenished since the Pacers' recent glory years. 13 New York Knicks 32 50 .390 32 50 .390 It has been a strange offseason in New York, with doomed bids to sign 1995 co-rookies of the year Jason Kidd and Grant Hill, a field trip to witness Eddy Curry's waistline and endless negotiations with free agents David Lee, Nate Robinson and Ramon Sessions. The reason, of course, is the summer of 2010. In the meantime … 14 Milwaukee Bucks 30 52 .366 34 48 .415 With questions about Michael Redd's knee, Andrew Bogut's back, Charlie Villanueva's replacement and the PG position, Milwaukee is one of the NBA's true mystery teams. Could coach Scott Skiles lead the Bucks to a surprise playoff run? Could they fall apart and lose 60 games? As the saying goes, that's why they play the games. 15 New Jersey Nets 29 53 .354 34 48 .415 No franchise has more uncertainty about its future than the one that has traded away Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter in the past two years and made many false starts in its bid to get to Brooklyn. But the silver lining is the Nets have some good young talent and should have a high lottery pick and lots of 2010 cap space [ Edited by valrod33 on Sep 3, 2009 at 11:05:01 ]

Sep 3, 2009 at 9:44 AM

crzy
Hall of Fame
Posts: 40,285

Sacramento will not be the worst team in the West two years in a row. Westphal will have them surprising people.

[ Edited by crzy on Sep 3, 2009 at 09:45:03 ]

Sep 3, 2009 at 9:48 AM

Hollywood49er
Veteran
Posts: 5,287

Really? NBA isn't relevant until May/June.

I am waiting for this football season to start.

Sep 3, 2009 at 9:48 AM

crzy
Hall of Fame
Posts: 40,285

Originally posted by Hollywood49er:
Really? NBA isn't relevant until May/June.

I am waiting for this football season to start.

The NBA is always relevant.

And besides, the Rockets won't be playing in May or June.

[ Edited by crzy on Sep 3, 2009 at 09:49:01 ]

Sep 3, 2009 at 9:51 AM

Hollywood49er
Veteran
Posts: 5,287

Originally posted by crzy:
Originally posted by Hollywood49er:
Really? NBA isn't relevant until May/June.

I am waiting for this football season to start.

The NBA is always relevant.

And besides, the Rockets won't be playing in May or June.

I know you love the NBA but.

1. NFL

2. NBA

And its not even that close.

Doesn't matter if the Rox are contenders or not the NBA is not relevant for me until may/june.

Sep 3, 2009 at 9:54 AM

Method
Veteran
Posts: 9,753

Originally posted by Hollywood49er:
Originally posted by crzy:
Originally posted by Hollywood49er:
Really? NBA isn't relevant until May/June.

I am waiting for this football season to start.

The NBA is always relevant.

And besides, the Rockets won't be playing in May or June.

I know you love the NBA but.

1. NFL

2. NBA

3. MLB

And its not even that close.

Doesn't matter if the Rox are contenders or not the NBA is not relevant for me until may/june.

Agreed about the distance between the NFL and NBA (MLB is a close third to NBA - fixed in diagram). Disagreed about NBA not being relevant. Love this s**t from day 1.

Sep 3, 2009 at 10:05 AM

LA9erFan
Veteran
Posts: 66,021

Originally posted by Hollywood49er:
Originally posted by crzy:
Originally posted by Hollywood49er:
Really? NBA isn't relevant until May/June.

I am waiting for this football season to start.

The NBA is always relevant.

And besides, the Rockets won't be playing in May or June.

I know you love the NBA but.

1. NFL

2. NBA

And its not even that close.

Doesn't matter if the Rox are contenders or not the NBA is not relevant for me until may/june.

I'm completely the opposite. I think the NFL's a good sport, but it's nowhere near the NBA. And as a fan, there are at best 20 days a year where something actually....I dunno...HAPPENS!

-16 games

-A couple playoff games if you're lucky

-The draft

-And the day your team signs a decent free agent.

20 days out of 365 per year isn't enough to keep my interest.

Plus, I think the actual sport isn't as interesting as b-ball.

[ Edited by LA9erFan on Sep 3, 2009 at 10:05:41 ]

Sep 3, 2009 at 10:15 AM

Hollywood49er
Veteran
Posts: 5,287

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
Originally posted by Hollywood49er:
Originally posted by crzy:
Originally posted by Hollywood49er:
Really? NBA isn't relevant until May/June.

I am waiting for this football season to start.

The NBA is always relevant.

And besides, the Rockets won't be playing in May or June.

I know you love the NBA but.

1. NFL

2. NBA

And its not even that close.

Doesn't matter if the Rox are contenders or not the NBA is not relevant for me until may/june.

I'm completely the opposite. I think the NFL's a good sport, but it's nowhere near the NBA. And as a fan, there are at best 20 days a year where something actually....I dunno...HAPPENS!

-16 games

-A couple playoff games if you're lucky

-The draft

-And the day your team signs a decent free agent.

20 days out of 365 per year isn't enough to keep my interest. Plus, I think the actual sport isn't as interesting as b-ball.

Dont get me wrong the NBA is fun and will still watch every year, but something happen after MJ left and the league is meh now.

The NFL is great fantasy football, football parlays & office pools.
It also helps that football is mostly played on Sundays mostly everybody has that day off and there is nothing like waking up hungover from Saturday and watching some NFL on Sunday from 10am-8pm.

Sep 3, 2009 at 10:24 AM

TX9R
Veteran
Posts: 8,352

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
Originally posted by Hollywood49er:
Originally posted by crzy:
Originally posted by Hollywood49er:
Really? NBA isn't relevant until May/June.

I am waiting for this football season to start.

The NBA is always relevant.

And besides, the Rockets won't be playing in May or June.

I know you love the NBA but.

1. NFL

2. NBA

And its not even that close.

Doesn't matter if the Rox are contenders or not the NBA is not relevant for me until may/june.

I'm completely the opposite. I think the NFL's a good sport, but it's nowhere near the NBA. And as a fan, there are at best 20 days a year where something actually....I dunno...HAPPENS!

-16 games

-A couple playoff games if you're lucky

-The draft

-And the day your team signs a decent free agent.

20 days out of 365 per year isn't enough to keep my interest. Plus, I think the actual sport isn't as interesting as b-ball.

I think you're in the minority here. All of the things you mentioned are why the NFL is so great, every event is monumental. All other sports, incvluding the NBA and esp MLB just play too many damn games. The NBA has too many teams in the playoffs. Now the postseason is exciting, but it renders the reg season next to meaningless.
Honestly, I like the NBA, but really it's just there to pass the time until football starts. In fact I would proabably watch the Lions play the Raiders before I would watch a regular season rematch of the previous 2 NBA finalists.

Sep 3, 2009 at 10:28 AM

bigfan
Veteran
Posts: 28

1. College Football
2. NFL
3. Baseball
4. Basketball

Sep 3, 2009 at 10:39 AM

#10

valrod33
Hall of Small
Posts: 138,120

1. NBA-NFL
2. MLB
3. College Basketball

1,999,000-College Football

[ Edited by valrod33 on Sep 3, 2009 at 10:39:47 ]

Sep 3, 2009 at 10:47 AM

#11

49erKing
Veteran
Posts: 18,794

You guys have it all wrong!

MMA is the best. If you love 1 on 1 competition and the intriguing matchup of styles...MMA is the best!

1. MMA
2. *tie* NFL/NBA
3. World cup soccer :)

La9er...too bad you aren't an MMA fan. Love to hear your analysis of fighters/matchups.

[ Edited by fortyninerglory on Sep 3, 2009 at 10:48:49 ]

Sep 3, 2009 at 10:50 AM

#12

bigfan
Veteran
Posts: 28

Originally posted by valrod33:
1. NBA-NFL
2. MLB
3. College Basketball
1,999,000-College Football

wow really?

even most casual sports fans can get into college football.

Sep 3, 2009 at 10:51 AM

#13

TX9R
Veteran
Posts: 8,352

Originally posted by fortyninerglory:
You guys have it all wrong!

MMA is the best. If you love 1 on 1 competition and the intriguing matchup of styles...MMA is the best!

1. MMA
2. *tie* NFL/NBA
3. World cup soccer :)

La9er...too bad you aren't an MMA fan. Love to hear your analysis of fighters/matchups.

Sure, if you like dudes over 40 rolling around on the ground hugging each other. Sorry, I like when the guys actually fight, but the ground game is more boring than golf.

Sep 3, 2009 at 10:57 AM

#14

valrod33
Hall of Small
Posts: 138,120

Originally posted by bigfan:
Originally posted by valrod33:
1. NBA-NFL
2. MLB
3. College Basketball
1,999,000-College Football

wow really?

even most casual sports fans can get into college football.

im a huge sports fan, its all i watch, but college football is too boring for me