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1.
Phoenix Suns |
|
Projected finish: 53-29 |
 2006-07
theme: Capitalize. The Suns are leading a
revolution of speed, and seem best equipped
to reign as king. Can they get major piece
Amare Stoudemire healthy and on board to aid
the charge? |
| Early forecast:
The Suns will see the Clippers twice in the
first three games and also play Dallas and
San Antonio on back-to-back nights in the
second week. Don't look for perfect results
because Stoudemire's availability and his
projected impact are unpredictable. |
| Haunting reality:
That microfracture surgery is a nasty
procedure to come back from, and this might
be the season where the painful truth that
Stoudemire will never be the same becomes
undeniable. |
| Saving grace:
Steve Nash has demonstrated that he can make
the game easier for anybody, so maybe his
presence allows Stoudemire to compensate for
any explosiveness he might have lost. |
| X-factor: Boris
Diaw needs to prove that last season wasn't
a fluke. He thrived in his role with
Stoudemire gone but now must adjust, likely
becoming more of a distributor. It really
doesn't matter what role Diaw is playing on
the court as long as the valuable young
forward is contributing. |
 |
|
Steve Nash |
Likely rotation:
Behind Maestro Nash is newcomer Marcus
Banks, who would do himself a great service
picking up a thing or two from the MVP. Raja
Bell returns at the two, backed up by
Leandro Barbosa. Shawn Marion will finally
be able to return to his natural small
forward position if Stoudemire can stay
healthy. Diaw, Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas
will run the floor as the team's big men.
Jumaine Jones, James Jones and Eric
Piatkowski are shooters who can play
multiple positions and will be used
situationally. |
| Four-casting: The
Suns will struggle as they blend Stoudemire
back into their attack. Amare will play at
least 60 games with varying degrees of
success. Nash will win another assists title
and be mentioned in MVP talk. Bell will
continue improving, but won't escape the
shadow of being primarily identified as Kobe
Bryant's nemesis. |
| Coach-speak: "Amare
is a big piece, and it's something where you
can't just fit him in. He dominates. It's a
little bit different than trying to fit in a
Tim Thomas. This is a guy the ball goes
through a lot. We'll have to work with it.
It's not going to be easy early, but in the
end, we think it can pay huge dividends." --
Mike D'Antoni |
|
2. Los
Angeles Clippers |
|
Projected finish: 51-31 |
 2006-07
theme: Nothing is impossible. The novelty of
the Clippers actually being good will wear
off quickly as the victories pile up. |
| Early forecast:
The Clips have the two games against the
Suns in the first four days as well as home
games with Dallas and Denver. L.A. is at the
Staples Center for eight of their first 10. |
| Haunting reality:
No matter how good they get, L.A. will
always be the Lakers town. If that's this
year's scariest prospect, you know the Clips
are going to be choice. |
| Saving grace:
Because the Clips take the character of
their dependable, likeable superstar, Elton
Brand, they'll be able to capitalize on his
temperament and avoid slumps. |
| X-factor: Corey
Maggette missed most of last season with
injuries, but he's healthy and ready to
contribute. If he commits himself to playing
the type of defense that will get him big
minutes, he's a proven scorer. |
 |
|
Corey Maggette |
Likely rotation: Sam
Cassell and Shaun Livingston will share the
point guard position. Insert your
passing-of-the-baton cliche here. Cuttino
Mobley, Maggette and Quinton Ross will man
the wing, running the floor, pushing tempo
and defending. The addition of Tim Thomas
offers up another variable. Inside, there
aren't many better combinations than Brand
and Chris Kaman. Depth is unproven, provided
by James Singleton, Aaron Williams and
rookie Paul Davis. |
| Four-casting:
Livingston will stay healthy and finally
show what all the hype has been about,
becoming a great difference-maker. If
healthy, he'll run away with Sixth Man of
the Year. Kaman will join Brand in averaging
a double-double. This will be the most
successful season in Clippers history. |
| Coach-speak:
"There are times along the way where
everybody has got to check their ego at the
door, and understand that it's nothing
personal, but we're going to do whatever it
takes to win and nothing can get in the way
of us winning." -- Mike Dunleavy |
|
3. Los
Angeles Lakers |
|
Projected finish: 46-36 |
 2006-07
theme: 24. Kobe Bryant's new number
symbolizes a new start for both him and the
Lakers, which look to benefit from his
playmaking skills. |
| Early forecast:
The Lakers will face the beginning of the
season without centers Kwame Brown
(shoulder) and Chris Mihm (ankle), making
matters tricky. Fortunately, they're at the
Staples Center for 16 of the first 20, which
includes a "road" game with the Clippers. |
| Haunting reality:
There still don't seem to be enough pieces
in place for Kobe to take this team deep
into the playoffs, and the absence of Mihm
and Brown early is a dubious start. |
| Saving grace:
Versatile newcomers like Vladimir Radmanovic
and Maurice Evans offer the team versatility
that was missing from last season's
supporting cast. |
| X-factor: Brown,
when he's healthy, could provide the inside
threat this team needs. He's built like a
house and has great explosion, so it's all a
matter of him finding a comfort zone and
asserting himself. |
 |
|
Lamar Odom |
Likely rotation: Smush
Parker returns at the point, backed by
offseason acquisitions Shammond Williams and
Jordan Farmar. Behind Bryant, Evans offers
athleticism and defense that allows him to
swing at both wing spots. Luke Walton and
Radmanovic will give Jackson options up
front alongside Lamar Odom, who could see
sometime at center in small lineups. Brown,
Mihm, Brian Cook and Andrew Bynum can play
the five. |
| Four-casting:
Bryant and Odom will each average over six
assists per game. Bynum will make great
strides as he's forced into action. Brown's
injury will leave him playing catch-up all
season. Farmar will work his way into the
rotation, an impressive feat for a rookie
playing under Phil Jackson. |
| Coach-speak: "The
primary concern is Kobe Bryant has been out
for all of training camp, so that has kind
of held us back a little but, but it has
also given our team the opportunity to try
and learn as much about the triangle offense
as possible, without spending so much time
deferring to him, which is what we seemingly
did a lot last year." -- Kurt Rambis
(assistant) |
|
4.
Sacramento Kings |
|
Projected finish: 45-37 |
 2006-07
theme: Make sure the new identity is a
winning one. With the Rick Adelman era over,
Eric Musselman must put his stamp on the
team that had a reputation of being soft
before Ron Artest's arrival. |
| Early forecast:
Artest will see Ben Wallace in Chicago and
then catch the rest of his Pistons buddies a
few days later at home. His first game
against the Pacers? Not until after the
All-Star break. The Kings will play six of
seven at home after they open with three
consecutive road games, and won't be helped
by the loss of Mike Bibby for the first two
weeks with a thumb injury. |
| Haunting reality:
Bonzi Wells, who was critical in helping
Artest transform the Kings into a more
physical team, is no longer around.
Considering Musselman wants the team to foul
more and scrap for every inch, the absence
of his influence could be significant. |
| Saving grace: The
fact Artest and Musselman seem to see
eye-to-eye on how the game should be played
bodes well for Sacramento's future. |
| X-factor: Bibby
seems especially committed for this season,
losing almost 20 pounds to gain quickness
and stamina before his injury setback. There
have been many who have felt he's needed to
push himself an extra inch to reach an
All-Star level. |
 |
|
Brad Miller |
Likely rotation: Bibby
will be backed up by Jason Hart, who was a
disappointment in his first season as a
King. Emerging scorer Kevin Martin lines up
at the two, backed up by Francisco Garcia.
Artest and free-agent acquisition John
Salmons can swing behind both wing spots and
can guard just about anyone. Shareef
Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas are again
battling to start at power forward, while
Brad Miller is back at center. Loren Woods
backs him up. |
| Four-casting:
Artest fails to lead all small forwards in
rebounds, not meeting the challenge of his
new coaches. Artest breaks out the 3-pointer
as a weapon but is still at his best when
attacking the basket. Musselman will deal
with his recent DUI charges, and other than
a poor first impression, not let it hinder
his first season. Bibby establishes a
career-high in assists. |
| Coach-speak: "I
think the guys have done a very good job of
picking up some of our defensive schemes.
The biggest thing for us right now in
preseason is it's a new system and we want
to continue to add to the defensive and
offensive schemes that we are trying to get
in place and remain injury free going in to
the regular season opener." -- Eric
Musselman |
|
5. Golden
State Warriors |
|
Projected finish: 18-64 |
 2006-07
theme: Quicken the tempo, quicken the pulse.
Warriors fans are pumped that the Don Nelson
Show is back in town. If he can provide
entertainment and the security that the team
is improving, they'll be happy. |
| Early forecast:
The fans will have plenty of opportunities
to warm up to Nellie's brand of ball in the
season's first month. A whopping 12 of the
Warriors' 16 November games are in Oakland. |
| Haunting reality:
Mike Dunleavy starting at power forward and
Troy Murphy at center? That's beyond small.
Nellie is definitely banking on finesse and
skill. |
| Saving grace:
Nelson is a winner and is genuinely excited
about turning around the Warriors. He came
back because Chris Mullin asked him to, but
this isn't a publicity stunt or a one-year
experiment. With his commitment in place,
Golden State will ultimately succeed. |
| X-factor: Baron
Davis has a smile on his face over getting a
chance to star in a run-and-gun system. Will
that positive attitude keep him healthy, or
at the very least, coax him to play through
pain? |
 |
|
Mike Dunleavy |
Likely rotation:
There's a significant dropoff after Davis,
which is why it's imperative for him to be
out there. Monta Ellis is talented but still
very young. Dajuan Wagner will also have an
opportunity to handle the ball and be a
dynamic contributor but most of his time
will come as a third guard in small lineups.
Mickael Pietrus and Jason Richardson will
start on the wings, with Dunleavy and Murphy
rounding out the starting five. Andris
Biedrins, Ike Diogu and Adonal Foyle are
available if Nelson ever sees the need for
beef. |
| Four-casting:
Davis will put up eye-popping offensive
numbers and play in more than 70 games. One
of the league's best stories will be
Wagner's comeback. Diogu will find a way
into Nelson's plans and be a quality option
in the post. Murphy will average a
double-double. |
| Coach-speak:
"Although I'm very pleased with what we're
doing and how we're playing, I'm still not
impressed with our team. I think we have a
long way to go. We have a lot of potential
here. I'm excited about the team, but we're
certainly not a good team yet." -- Don
Nelson |
