A Look into the 2009-2010 NBA Season

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The NBA season is officially under way and there are plenty of great stories to go along with it. Including Shaq joining the Cavs, Vince Carter teaming with Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic, Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza switching places and much more.

First maybe the most intriguing story is that of the trade that Cleveland and Phoenix made that brought Shaq to the Cavaliers. It will be interesting to see how he fits, if he fits at all. Will he clog the lane instead of being effective in the post? Has he past his prime? How will he mesh with LeBron James? A lot of people seem to like the idea of the two, however, to me it doesn't seem like a great idea. I do believe that Shaq will clog up the lane and he doesn't play towards the basket, I don't think he will be very effective. Plus it may slow down Cleveland's offense a bit, but it should be interesting to say the least.

What about Vince Carter heading to the Orlando Magic for Rafer Alston and Courtney Lee? Does this really make the Magic better? Is Vince the piece that gives them the title? I am a little skeptical whether this move actually makes them better. I was a huge fan of Courtney Lee and Alston was a big part of their team as well. In order for this to be a good move for the Magic, Vince has to be a bit more unselfish and more of a team player, because I think the piece that they will miss the most will be Hedo Turkaglo who could be that facilitator that every team needs. So Vince or Rashard Lewis will have to play the role of Hedo in order to make it back to the Finals. However, the good news is that Orlando is a very deep team that should help them tremendously for a run at the NBA title.

Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza switched places as well. Ron Artest should be a solid fit for the Lakers, he gives them another veteran with great defensive ability and a solid all around game. He is also very versatile and can play a couple of different positions and can guard most positions. However, the Lakers may miss the athleticism and the upside of Trevor Ariza who should be a great fit in Houston and give them another option or someone to pick up the slack for Yao Ming. He also isn't too shabby defensively either. Expect to see a lot more of Shannon Brown for the Lakers, who could step up in place of Trevor Ariza.

San Antonio made some huge moves this offseason as well. They added Richard Jefferson and were able to draft DeJuan Blair, which could be the biggest steal, not only of this draft, but drafts in the last couple of years. Jefferson gives them another offensive option, who is a versatile forward and should help in case Parker or Ginobili go down again. Then Blair gives them more size and should flourish under one of the greatest power forwards in the game in Tim Duncan. Watch out for the Spurs, they could be the team to represent the Western Conference and at the very least, give the Lakers a run for their money.

The Pistons also made a couple of interesting acquisitions as well. They picked up both Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Both of which are solid offense shooters, however the rest of their game is questionable at best. The Pistons have completely lost their identity as a defensive team and these additions do not help them one bit. In this league you have to be able to do both, you can't just simply be a good shooting team. In my humble opinion I think the Pistons are heading in the wrong direction and should be a poor rebounding and defensive team. Don't be surprised to see them finish towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Finally, both conferences seem to be getting a lot stronger and the parity in both leagues seems to growing. I think any team, aside from maybe the Milwaukee Bucks, could wind up making the playoffs. Watch out for teams like the Thunder, Raptors, Wizards, etc to potentially enter the playoffs. And look for teams like Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, and Portland Trailblazers to be serious conference title contenders. Here is a look at my prediction for this year.

Eastern Conference Prediction

1. Boston Celtics
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Orlando Magic
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Miami Heat
7. Toronto Raptors
8. Washington Wizards
9. Philadelphia 76ers
10. Indiana Pacers
11. Detroit Pistons
12. New York Knicks
13. Charlotte Bobcats
14. New Jersey Nets
15. Milwaukee Bucks

Western Conference Prediction

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Portland Trailblazers
4. Denver Nuggets
5. New Orleans Hornets
6. Houston Rockets
7. Utah Jazz
8. Dallas Mavericks
9. Oklahoma City Thunder
10. Phoenix Suns
11. Golden State Warriors
12. Memphis Grizzlies
13. Los Angeles Clippers
14. Minnesota Timberwolves
15. Sacramento Kings

Awards:

6^th Man: Kirk Hinrich PG Chicago Bulls

Defensive Player: Shane Battier SF Houston Rockets

Rookie of the Year: DeMar DeRozan SG Toronto Raptors

Coach of the Year: Greg Popovich San Antonio Spurs

MVP: LeBron James SF Cleveland Cavaliers

NBA Finals:

Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs

NBA Finals Winner:

San Antonio Spurs

This year could be a bit more unpredictable, which should make for a very fun and exciting NBA season.

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