2008-2009 NBA Season Preview

competition in the Eastern Conference, for instance, just look at the point guards in the East. I don't think anyone will disagree with me that Gilbert Arenas is the best, but what about the next tier of point guards... Dwayne Wade? he can't be called a true point guard, at this point the 2nd best point guard in the East is Mike Bibby although a case can be made for Chauncey Billups. But if you look at the West... The top guards in the league are all from the West, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Jason Kidd, Baron Davis, and Allen Iverson. Some people may say that Michael Beasley has more talent, and would have been a better pick, and I agree about the talent... But from a needs standpoint, Derick Rose becomes the 4th best point guard in his conference without even playing a game, and he also inherits one of the most talented teams in the East. Tyrus Thomas, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Larry Hughes, and Andres Nocioni. Although the Bulls do not have a dominant big man, Joakim Noah should be able to keep most of the top centers in the East. I like the Bulls to finish 2nd in the East this year, and at this point possibly being a favorite for the Eastern Conference Title.

 

As we stand now here are my predictions by conference.

 

West

1. New Orleans Hornets

2. San Antonio Spurs

3. Utah Jazz

4. Los Angeles Clippers

5. Los Angeles Lakers

6. Portland Trailblazers

7. Phoenix Suns

8. Dallas Mavericks

East

1. Boston Celtics

2. Chicago Bulls

3. Orlando Magic 

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

5. Atlanta Hawks

6. Washington Wizards

7. Detroit Pistons

8. Toronto Raptors

 

 

1. New Orleans- Chris Paul is the best point guard in the NBA, hands down. Peja is still one of the best shooters in the league and David West is emerging as one of the top scorers in the Western Conference. New Orleans will only continue to get better as long as they have CP3.

2. San Antonio- They've still got Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, Michael Finley, and Greg Popovich. Guaranteed 50 wins every season they have a healthy big 3.

3. Utah- 2nd best guard in the West Deron Williams has a better supporting cast than Chris Paul, with Carlos Boozer, and AK-47, the only thing holding back the Jazz is their depth, but they made some moves in the right direction by acquiring Kyle Korver last season.

4. LAC- The Clipps just signed Baron Davis, they still have Elton Brand and when he's healthy, is the best big man in the West. If they re-sign Corey Maggette, and Shaun Livingston can stay healthy they have one of the most talented teams in the West. Not to mention Al Thornton and German citizen Chris Kaman make the Clippers frontline the best in the West.

5. LAL- Coming off of a trip to the finals without Andrew Bynum, the Lakers could be in for a re-peat. The only problem I see is the role players surrounding Kobe... Farmaar, Radmonivic, and Vujacic aren't the type of players that I believe can get Kobe to an NBA title. The Lakers will still be good, and I believe all 6 teams will be within 6 or 7 games of each other.

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