Bleacher Report - Articles by Ben Soffer

East or West: Who Will Top the NBA and Who Won't Even Make The Playoffs

Ben Soffer — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:42:31 -0400

Eastern Conference

This offseason, many teams made crucial accusations to better themselves as a franchise, Many did the exact opposite, and some left their already-perfect teams as they were.

Just like the San Antonio Spurs, the Celtics are on their way to become a well oiled machine, and stay atop their conference for a long time. I predict they will get the first seed in the East, with a record of 68-14.

The Detroit Pistons will once again be one of the elite teams in the East, and in the NBA. Their combination of deadly shooting from Rip Hamilton and Billups, and the versatility of Prince and Wallace, will give them the second seed in the East, with a record of 56-26.

The Magic are one of the most exciting teams in the East. With the combination of deadly three-point shooting from Lewis and Turkaglu, and the the monster, tanklike attitude Dwight Howard possesses, the Magic will get the third seed in the playoffs, with a record of 55-27.

With the amazingness of LeBron James, and with the help of offseason accusation Mo Williams, the Cavs will get the fourth seed in the playoffs with a record of 50-32.

With the second-overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, the Miami Heat selected PF Michael Beasley. At the end of last season, they also acquired Shawn Marion. The combination of the two, in addition to MVP-candidate Dwayne Wade, will make this team a competitor again in the East.

They would be rated higher than the fifth seed but I don't know how the two big guys, Marion and Beasley, will play with each other. They will have a record of 47-35.

Last year, the Philadelphia 76ers surprised the NBA and slipped into the seventh spot in the east. With a solid 40-42 record, the only thing missing from the energized, confidant 76ers team was a power foreword better than Reggie Evans.

Their front office took care of that this offseason by making probably the biggest acquistion this year in Elton Brand. Brand it a talent hard to find, with an array of post moves, a deadly midrange "J", and a knack for collecting lots of rebounds. I predict the 76ers will get the sixth spot in the East with a record of 43-41.

The late run of the Atlanta Hawks gave them the eighth seed in the playoffs last year. The versatility of Josh Smith, the passing and leadership of Mike Bibby, and the sharp shooting of Joe Johnson make this a playoff team once again. They will grab the eighth seed in the East, and have a record of 40-42

Not the biggest pick up of the offseason, but a vital one±the New York Knicks signed defensive point guard Chris Duhon. Duhon will fill the void at point and provide much-needed defense for the Knicks team.

Along with the developing David Lee, Jamal Crawford, and the always solid Zach Randolph, the Knicks look to have a bright future ahead this season. I predict the Knicks grab the eighth seed in the East with a record of 39-43.

The Toronto Raptors acquired PF Jermaine O'Neil from the Pacers this offseason. I think this will be detrimental to the Raptors' run-and-gun style of play, and will ruin Chris Bosh's season. I think this team will just miss the playoffs.

Western Conference

With the return of Andrew Bynum, there isn't much to say about the Lakers besides the word "perfect." They have a great backcourt of Bryant and Fisher, a superstar SF in Lamar Odom, and a PF-C combination of Gasol and Bynum that cant be beat. They will get the first seed in the West with a stellar 70-12 record.

When you mention the name Chris Paul, the things that come to mind are MVP, distributor, and just plain amazing. Besides Paul, the Hornets have three-point specialist Peja Stojakovic and big man Tyson Chandler. This is the reason the Hornets will grab the second seed in the West with a 65-17 record.

The Utah Jazz have one of the best PG-PF combos in the NBA with Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. In addition they have sharp-shooting Kyle Korver, and big man Paul Millsap. They will get the third seed in the West, and have a record of 59-23.

With the stellar offseason accusation of defensive specialist and three-point star Ron Artest, the Rockets looks to get back to the years of Sam Cassell and Hakeem Olajuwon. If McGrady and Yao stay healthy, this team could do even better than I am predicting. They should grab the fourth seed in the West and have a record of 57-25.

Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker are a dynamic trio that can't be stopped, but with the uncertainty surrounding Ginobil's health, the Spurs will get the fifth seed in the West, and have a record of 55-27.

Former MVP Steve Nash, and potential MVP for this season Amare Stoudemire team up with up-tempo, great shooting role players to make the Suns hard to beat this season. They will rack up the sixth seed in the West, and have a record of 52-30.

With the stellar offseason accusations of Baron Davis and Marcus Camby, the Clippers look like a playoff team this year. With Camby and Kaman down low, who knows if anyone will be able to penetrate to the basket? They will grab the seventh seed in the West, and have a record of 49-33.

With all the tightness of the Western Conference, it looks like Brandon Roy and his Blazers wont be making the playoffs 'til next year. The Mavericks will have Kidd for the whole year. Dirk is amazing, and if Howard stays out of trouble this team will once again be a contender in the West.

They will make the playoffs, but not by much as they will edge the Blazers by two games, leaving them in the eighth seed, with a record of 44-38.

What to say about the Denver Nuggets? With the egotistical superstar in Carmelo Anthony, the aging all-star in Allen Iverson, and Camby nowhere to be seen in Denver, there is no shot for this team to contend. They will finish with a record of 41-41.

The Lakers will not meet the Celtics in the NBA finals this year, but they will meet the Detroit Pistons, and the Lakers will be victorious in five games.

David Lee Looks to Make Some Noise in New York

Ben Soffer — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:24:06 -0400

In three pre-season games this season, starting power forward David Lee looks to have a career year for the New York Knicks. He is averaging 20.5 points a game while pulling down 12 boards. Last year, Lee declined from his solid 2006 season in which he averaged a double-double to averaging 10 and eight.

This year Knicks' fans are expecting a lot out of this four year man from Florida. Much of the pressure put on Jamal Crawford last year to carry the team has moved onto Lee. Knicks' fans want Lee to be the center of the franchise and are hoping for a Boozer type player out of him. They want him to score, rebound, block, assist, and, along with Crawford, help the Knick win the title.

That is a lot of pressure to put on only a fourth year guy drafted 30th overall. It is hard enough to deal with the off the court drama between former coach Isiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury, along with the heat to succeed in New York. Even with the distractions, David Lee will be a great player and exactly what Knicks' fans are hoping for. I see him as a 20 and 12 guy and being an all-star in the 2010 season.

This offseason, Lee has been working hard to find a jump shot to fit into Dantoni's offense. He will play the role Stoudemire played in Phoenix. He will need to rebound, outlet, and shoot. He can already rebound and outlet, but shoot?

Yes, he can shoot too. As displayed in the summer league and pre-season, Lee now has a jumper and is shooting an astounding 74% from the field. I'm not making any promises for this season, but if Lee can post 17+ points and 10+ rebounds, along with Crawford, the Knicks should be able to slip into the eighth seed in the East with a 39-43 record.

Jamal Crawford: Superstar On and Off the Court

Ben Soffer — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:54:56 -0400

Jamal Crawford, New York Knicks superstar, is a giver and a receiver.

Crawford, unlike some other superstars, hasn’t forgotten the little people. To this day, Crawford continues to give back to the community by doing charity work in New York and in his home town of Seattle.

On Tuesday, October 14, 2008, Crawford was awarded the prestigious Thurman Munson Award for giving back to the community.

The humble Crawford said, "I'm honored to be here. I've gotten a lot of awards for a lot of different things, but this is right at the top. When I found out I'd be getting this award I was ecstatic and this day couldn't come fast enough."

Crawford, over his NBA career, has donated approximately $200,000 worth of donations, completely renovating the library in P.S. 58 in the Bronx, constructed a brand new basketball court in his former high school, Rainier High School, hosted the benefit "Give a Tree" during one of his many fundraisers, and founded the Jamal Crawford Foundation.

The Jamal Crawford Foundation's purpose "is to provide inner-city children with experiences and activities to strengthen both their minds and bodies leading to well-rounded adults," Crawford said.

In addition to the Thurmon Munson award, Crawford was awarded the NBA Community Assist Award for his Foundation.

Crawford is very proud of his foundation and said, “We really do a lot, we did a charity softball event in Seattle, we donated a library to PS 58 in New York, we got trainers all throughout Seattle to give back to public schools and gyms, we do the giving tree every year around the holidays for the kids. We really do a lot of different things and it is a lot of fun.”

Just because you are on top of the world, you can't forget you roots or where you come from, and as Jamal Crawford says his grandmother once told him, "about karma and giving my all in everything I do and never giving up. Don’t be satisfied,” and he wasn’t satisfied on or off the court.

Even though he won so many worthy awards for his foundation, and giving back to his community, he still wants to do all he can to help his community and the world around him.

In addition to his off-court success, Jamal Crawford is one of the most skillful guards in the NBA. Last season, Jamal Crawford, despite the off the court woes of Stephon Marbury and Isiah Thomas—still managed to put up 20-plus points and five assists per gane, which with a little improvement in the points category would make him an All-Star this year.

Hopefully, what Crawford's grandmother told him about karma will affect his play on the Knicks this year and make it a year to remember.