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So, in the offseason, the big news was the Celtics' acquisition of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Little by little, the balance of power slowly moves back to the east, but the dynasty that is San Anonio, with Phoenix and Dallas never too far behind means it'll be a while before the Eastern Conference returns to being the powerhouse it was in the 90's.

So now, the burning questions:

Will the Iverson/Anthony combination finally mean success for the Nuggets?
Will Phoenix or Dallas finally dethrone the Spurs as the kings of the west?
When will the Cavs finally realize that Lebron can't carry the whole team on his shoulders and finally get him a wingman?
Are the Trailblazers cursed when it comes to lottery draft picks?
Will the Knicks play defense as vigorously Isiah Thomas' legal team?

Where do you think your team will finish this season?

im a spurs fan through and through.

though i would like to say that the spurs will win, i personally didnt think that they were the number one side in the west lat year. more like the third best side, but at the end of the day, a championship ring is a championship ring. it doesnt really matter if in the regular season you came first or 4th in your division.

history will remember them as '07 world champs and the others as chokers.

Based on the Lakers-Rockets game, it looks like this year's Lakers are going to be much like last year's... Kobe taking all the shots and doing all the scoring, but the Lakers lose nonetheless.

Will the Iverson/Anthony combination finally mean success for the Nuggets?

If winning a playoff series equals success, then I would say yes. In my opinion, they have the potential to, but won't reach the Western Conference finals.

Will Phoenix or Dallas finally dethrone the Spurs as the kings of the west?

The Mavs made the NBA Finals two years ago, proving they can beat the Spurs in the playoffs. However, I don't see either PHX or DAL beating the Spurs this year.

When will the Cavs finally realize that Lebron can't carry the whole team on his shoulders and finally get him a wingman?

They have spent a lot of money on their roster, and are right up to the luxury tax. You can't blame the Cavs for Larry Hughe's inadequacies and injuries. Don't forget, they offered max contracts to both Ray Allen and Michael Redd a couple years ago, but were turned down by both. They resigned Big Z, being that he was the best free agent center available. They resigned Gooden at a bargain of only 24 million over 3 years. They brought in Damon Jones and Marshall to spread defenses with their long range shooting. I realize we want Lebron to win titles and be great, but reaching the NBA Finals was quite an accomplishment for the franchise.

Are the Trailblazers cursed when it comes to lottery draft picks?

I like Aldridge, he is a quality big man. Webster is young, and he looked good last night. Roy showed his star power last year. I like the direction they are heading, and over a 10 year projection, I would probably take their roster over any other.

Will the Knicks play defense as vigorously Isiah Thomas' legal team?

Ha, definitely not. Randolph and Crawford can't and won't guard anyone. Marbury and Curry aren't good defenders either. That's 80% of their starters, case closed.

Where do you think your team will finish this season?[/QUOTE]

My hometown Wizards should finish around 5th or 6th. Lack of defense is still an issue, as is interior toughness with the losses of Etan Thomas and Michael Ruffin. I really like Blatche though, that kids the truth. My former hometown Hawks are aiming to squeak into the playoffs. Very young, but very athletic. There are some skilled rotation guys as well.

I will mist likely not watch a game this year. I find the NBA to be uninteresting when compared to college ball.

Will the Iverson/Anthony combination finally mean success for the Nuggets?
I think Denver's success is more dependent upon the health of the rest of their lineup. If somehow, the roster can stay healthy for a majority of the season, I think they have a chance to compete with anyone in the west. But, that's asking a lot. K-mart is coming off microfracture surgery, Atkins is out for the first six weeks, AI is getting old, Nene is well... Nene, Camby... they have a lot of fragile players.

Will Phoenix or Dallas finally dethrone the Spurs as the kings of the west?
I like Phoenix's chances if they can keep Hill healthy and Marion plays with his heart in it. Dallas is going to have to show me something, but you can't count them out. A team not mentioned in these questions is Houston. Again, pending health issues, this could be the year they contend for a title. The west is more open then it's ever been, as I could see either the Spurs, Mavs, Suns or Rockets coming out of it, with the Nuggets and Jazz as the darkhorses.

When will the Cavs finally realize that Lebron can't carry the whole team on his shoulders and finally get him a wingman?
The Cavs have been horribly managed, and are basically screwed cap-wise until right around James can bail, which I expect to happen. They got lucky they beat Detroit last year, and I wouldn't be surprised if they don't even make the playoffs this year.

Are the Trailblazers cursed when it comes to lottery draft picks?
No. They still made the right pick. Besides, this just means that next year they get another high draft pick. Sure, it sucks that we're missing a year of Oden, but in three years, this team will be competing for a title.

Will the Knicks play defense as vigorously Isiah Thomas' legal team?
Isiah will be gone by Christmas. The Knicks, if they even make the playoffs, will get bounced in the first round handily.

Where do you think your team will finish this season?
The window is closing from the Pistons, but it's still there. Sheed has lost weight and is ready to go, which is a great sign. Stuckey breaking his damn hand was a huge bummer, but he'll be back and become a regular part of the rotation before the playoffs. I really, REALLY like Maxiell. The guy is just a beast. If we can get contributions from Amir Johnson and Stuckey, I like us over anyone in the East, and believe we can compete with anyone in the West as well.

And btw, this year is 07-08, not 08-09 =)

Nimbletoe, I disagree about the Blazers. Oden may be young, but he looks old and his body is broken down. I think that team made the absolute wrong decision and they'll be paying for it for years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halx

Nimbletoe, I disagree about the Blazers. Oden may be young, but he looks old and his body is broken down. I think that team made the absolute wrong decision and they'll be paying for it for years.

Eh, he didn't look old playing in college last year. Yes, he's been prone to injury so far, but I still think he'll be a superstar in the league in a few years. I'm not saying that him going the path of Bowie is impossible, but we'll see.

45 points by LeBron...and the Knicks lose.

When do we start the Isiah countdown?

All this time, we expected all of the off-court drama to be coming from the land of the Purple-and-Gold, but surprise surprise, the circus has once again come to Madison Square Garden (and I'm not talking about Ringling Bros.)

Marbury Fined by Knicks For Skipping Game click to show

Lotta he said/he said here. Did Marbury recieve permission to leave the team? If he did, why wouldn't the Knicks confirm this? How much [stuff] does Marbury have on Isiah that won't sully his already sullied reputation, or is this just an idle threat?

I've never seen an organization in so muc dysfunction. It's easy to pin all of this on Thomas, but this team was falling apart back when Scott Leyden was their GM. I put all of this on James Dolan, and I wish somebody would take the team away from him, even if this means a hostile takeover of Cablevision, the Knicks' parent company.