Nba Preview
WESTERN CONFERENCE
San Antonio Spurs
Record: 53-29, fourth in Western Conference.
Offense: 96.1 ppg, 26th in NBA.
Defense: 90.2 (1st).
New: Derek Anderson and Danny Ferry.
Gone: Mario Elie.
Outlook: As defending champions, the Spurs were duds, with Tim Duncan’s free agency hanging over them, and Sean Elliott gone. They rallied when Elliott returned, only to lose Duncan to injury and fall to Phoenix in the first round. Now, however, Elliott is OK, they’ve replaced Elie, an old warhorse, with Anderson, a young athlete, and Duncan is no longer a free agent.
Predicted conference finish: First.
Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 59-23, second.
Offense: 97.4 (16th).
Defense: 91.0 (3rd).
New: Shawn Kemp, Dale Davis, Will Perdue, No. 1 pick Erick Barkley.
Gone: Brian Grant, Jermaine O’Neal, Detlef Schrempf.
Outlook: Owner Paul Allen and trader Bob Whitsitt have stacked the roster and payroll to incredible levels - try $86 million worth - making the Blazers, once again, the talk of the NBA in the offseason. Once again, it’s Mike Dunleavy’s job to make sense of it all. If Kemp starts, Scottie Pippen might have to move to the backcourt and either Steve Smith or Damon Stoudamire would have to sit. Or they could sit Arvydas Sabonis.
Predicted conference finish: Second.
Bottom line: One way or another, they’ll be deep, they’ll defend and they’ll be OK, at least until late May.
Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 67-15, first.
Offense: 100.8 (6th).
Defense: 92.2 (6th).
New: Isaiah Rider, Horace Grant, Greg Foster, No. 1 pick Mark Madsen.
Gone: Glen Rice, A.C. Green, Travis Knight, John Salley.
Outlook: No one expected them to win last season and they did. Now that everyone’s on the bandwagon, they may be a longer shot than they were a year ago. They’re deeper, especially on the front line, but they’re still the thinnest of the elite teams, especially on the front line. Oh, and who is going to shoot the ball? Of last season’s 344 three-point baskets - which was low enough - Rice, who had a team-high 84, is gone and Derek Fisher, who was third with 52, is out. On the plus side, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant are by far the best 1-2 punch.
Predicted conference finish: Third.
Utah Jazz
Record: 55-27, third.
Offense: 96.5 (20th).
Defense: 92.0 (5th).
New: John Starks, Donyell Marshall, Danny Manning, John Crotty, No. 1 pick DeShawn Stevenson.
Gone: Jeff Hornacek, Howard Eisley.
Outlook: It was another tough season for the old Jazz, with Karl Malone turning 36, John Stockton turning 37 and Shandon Anderson leaving. Yeah, sure it was. They fell all the way to No. 3 in the West. New GM Kevin O’Connor did a good job, acquiring Starks, Marshall and Manning to give them them more firepower off the bench than they’ve had in years. Not that veteran-loving Jerry Sloan will forgive youthful mistakes but Stevenson was impressive in the exhibition season, right out of high school.
Predicted conference finish: Fourth.
Seattle SuperSonics
Record: 45-37, seventh.
Offense: 99.0 (10th).
Defense: 98.1 (14th).
New: Patrick Ewing, Ruben Wolkowyski, No. 1 pick Desmond Mason.
Gone: Horace Grant, Vern Maxwell, Greg Foster.
Outlook: This is a rub-your-eyes-to-make-sure-you-believe-what-you’re-seeing story. Last season, they started old Horace Grant at center and depended on the willowy power forward once known as Vin Baker. Now, with Ewing and a bunch of other big guys like the 6-10 rough-and-ready Argentine Wolkowyski, they’re as big as anyone else and more talented than most. Ewing at 37 is still one of the better centers. Rashard Lewis broke out last season at 20, averaging 15 points and six rebounds in the playoffs. Mason, a rookie out of Oklahoma State, just took Brent Barry’s starting guard spot, despite the fact Barry played well last season.
Predicted conference finish: Fifth.
Phoenix Suns
Record: 53-29, fifth.
Offense: 98.9 (8th).
Defense: 93.6 (12th).
New: Chris Dudley, Tony Delk, Elie, No. 1 pick Jake Tsakalidis.
Gone: Luc Longley.
Outlook: Last season, the Suns won 53 games and finished fifth. This year, they could win 50 and finish sixth. They’re still the best little team in the West, the problem being there are so many good big teams. The Suns have all kinds of players. Cliff Robinson had a big season and ex-Clipper Rodney Rogers had his best one. By last spring, Penny Hardaway was back to his old self, but his backcourt partner, Jason Kidd, was hurt. Now Kidd’s back but Hardaway is recovering from knee surgery.
Predicted conference finish: Sixth.
Sacramento Kings
Record: 44-38, eighth.
Offense: 104.9 (1st).
Defense: 102.0 (27th).
New: Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson, No. 1 pick Hidayet Torkoglu.
Gone: Corliss Williamson, Tony Delk.
Outlook: Two seasons ago, the Kings’ high-wire act made them everybody’s favorites. Now Chris Webber’s free agency is looming, he won’t commit to coming back and, indeed, lights up whenever someone mentions playing in a glamour market. The Kings have more problems, namely a soft defense and Jason Williams, who still makes too-daring passes in the sure knowledge that if only one in 10 gets through, it’ll be on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
Predicted conference finish: Seventh.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 50-32, sixth.
Offense: 98.5 (11th).
Defense: 96.0 (13th).
New: Todd Day, LaPhonso Ellis.
Gone: Bobby Jackson, Joe Smith.
Outlook: Malik Sealy was killed in an auto accident in the offseason and David Stern came down hard on the Timberwolves for making a secret agreement with Joe Smith. Even before, the Timberwolves weren’t big or deep enough but, taking their lead from Kevin Garnett, they played hard enough and defended tenaciously enough to win a remarkable 50 games. At the end of last season, they were one big body away from becoming somebody.
Predicted conference finish: Eighth.
Dallas Mavericks
Record: 40-42, ninth.
Offense: 101.4 (3rd).
Defense: 101.9 (25th).
New: Christian Laettner, Eisley, first-round picks Etan Thomas and Courtney Alexander.
Gone: Cedric Ceballos, Robert Pack, Erick Strickland, Sean Rooks.
Outlook: Don Nelson, who was about to be kicked upstairs for good, pulled his career out of the fire when the Mavericks started to look like Nellie’s old high-scoring Golden State teams. Led by Michael Finley (free agent next summer) and Dirk Nowtizki, they have a lot of weapons. On the other hand, everyone else in the West has weapons and bigger players than the Mavs do.
Predicted conference finish: Ninth.
Houston Rockets
Record: 34-48, 11th.
Offense: 99.4 (8th).
Defense: 100.3 (21st).
New: Maurice Taylor, No. 1 pick Jason Collier.
Gone: No one.
Outlook: They’re in the awkward position of asking Steve Francis, a 6-1, second-year point guard, to carry them into the post-season, as if he were Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan. Of course, anyone who saw Francis last April, when he averaged 21 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, might think he’s got a chance. Hakeem Olajuwon, 37, is starting what he insists will be his final season. The backcourt is fine with Francis, Shandon Anderson and Cuttino Mobley. A lot rides on Olajuwon’s enthusiasm and Taylor, who can score but has never defended or rebounded.
Predicted conference finish: 10th.
Denver Nuggets
Record: 35-47, 10th.
Offense: 98.9 (11th).
Defense: 101.0 (23rd).
New: Tracy Murray, Terry Davis, Robert Pack, Calbert Cheaney, No. 1 pick Mamadou N’Diaye.
Gone: Chris Gatling, Bryant Stith, Chris Herren.
Outlook: With Antonio McDyess, Raef LaFrentz and Nick Van Exel, the Nuggets aren’t awful. They just aren’t big enough or good enough to make the playoffs in this conference. McDyess is an incredible athlete but a limited player. He and Lafrentz are both power forwards who’d be better off playing next to a real center.
Predicted conference finish: 11th.
Golden State Warriors
Record: 19-63, 13th.
Offense: 95.5 (22nd).
Defense: 103.8 (29th).
New: Coach Dave Cowens, Chris Mullin, Danny Fortson, Bobby Sura, Adam Keefe.
Gone: Coach P.J. Carlesimo, Donyell Marshall, Jason Caffey, Billy Owens, Terry Cummings.
Outlook: After three seasons of sullen play under Carlesimo, two under Rick Adelman and one under Don Nelson since the rebellion of 1994 when Nelson traded Chris Webber, something is stirring in the Bay Area. Cowens gets players to try and management has finally put a viable team on the floor, with tough guys such as Chris Mills, Fortson and Mullin providing clues for promising young guys Larry Hughes and Antawn Jamison.
Predicted conference finish: 12th.
Los Angeles Clippers
Record: 15-67, last.
Offense: 92.0 (28th).
Defense: 103.5 (28th).
New: Coach Alvin Gentry, Corey Maggette, Derek Strong, Sean Rooks, and first-round picks Darius Miles, Keyon Dooling and Quentin Richardson.
Gone: Coaches Chris Ford and Jim Todd, Maurice Taylor, Derek Anderson.
Outlook: For sheer exciting young talent, there are now few teams to rival the Clippers. Lamar Odom proved himself to be an eye-opening talent and now he’s joined by Miles, a junior version of Odom, the gifted Maggette, the tough guy Richardson, et al. Unfortunately, this isn’t the McDonald’s Classic for the top prep players, but the NBA, so things like experience and outside shooting, which are missing, mean a lot. Predicted conference finish: 13th.
Vancouver Grizzlies
Record: 22-60, 12th.
Offense: 93.9 (26th).
Defense: 99.5 (17th).
New: General manager Dick Versace, coach Sidney Lowe, No. 1 pick Stromile Swift, Ike Austin, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Kevin Edwards.
Gone: General manager Stu Jackson, coaches Brian Hill and Lionel Hollins, Felipe Lopez, Cherokee Parks.
Outlook: It’s difficult to see how a team with Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Mike Bibby and Michael Dickerson can’t win more, even playing with Bryant Reeves who is 7 feet tall, makes $10.1 million and has averaged 5.9 rebounds the last two seasons. Swift, a talented young forward, could help but the operative word with him looks as if it’s “young” more than “talented.”
Predicted conference finish: 14th.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Philadelphia 76ers Record: 49-33, fifth in Eastern Conference.
Offense: 94.7 points a game (23rd in NBA).
Defense: 93.4 (7th).
New: None with No. 1 pick Speedy Claxton out for the season with a knee injury.
Gone: We’ll see.
Outlook: It didn’t look like much of an offseason, not after they brought in no one and Larry Brown spent the summer ripping on Allen Iverson. Brown, has surrounded Iverson with tough competitors like Eric Snow, Aaron McKie, George Lynch and Theo Ratliff. They could use a better second option than Toni Kukoc but they have size and they defend.
Predicted conference finish: First.
Orlando Magic
Record: 41-41, ninth.
Offense: 100.0 (7th).
Defense: 99.3 (16th).
New: Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill, Andrew DeClercq, Don Reid, Troy Hudson, Dee Brown, No. 1 pick Mike Miller.
Gone: Corey Maggette, Chucky Atkins, Ben Wallace.
Outlook: How’s this for rebuilding? You dump four starters, almost make the playoffs, your rookie coach is coach of the year, your general manager is executive of the year and you sign Hill and McGrady. Now Orlando may be the most athletic team in the East - or anywhere. It was already deep and Miller, their rookie, was impressive in exhibitions.
Predicted conference finish: Second.
Toronto Raptors
Record: 45-37, sixth.
Offense: 97.1, (17th).
Defense: 97.3, (13th).
New: Coach Lenny Wilkens, Mark Jackson, Corliss Williamson, No. 1 pick Morris Peterson.
Gone: Coach Butch Carter, Tracy McGrady, Doug Christie.
Outlook: Wilkens, 63, is the anti-Carter. He’s so calm, people in Atlanta suspected he retired years ago and forgot to tell anyone. But he can organize a defense. In Toronto, any organization will be a welcome change. The Raptors are big and physical with Antonio Davis, Charles Oakley and Williamson up front. Oh yes, they have Vince Carter too.
Predicted conference finish: Third.
Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 42-40, eighth.
Offense: 101.2 (4th).
Defense: 101.2 (24th).
New: Lindsey Hunter, Jason Caffey, Mark Pope, No. 1 pick Joel Pryzbilla.
Gone: Danny Manning, Robert Traylor, J.R. Reid.
Outlook: Frustrated at getting anyone to defend, coach George Karl flipped out last spring. Voila! A late move got the Bucks into the playoffs in which they scared Indiana in a thrilling five-game series. They helped themselves in the draft, trading for the 7-foot Pryzbilla, a shot-blocker to help deal with the cast of thousands they let drive to the hoop.
Predicted conference finish: Fourth.
Miami Heat
Record: 52-30, second.
Offense: 94.3 (25th).
Defense: 91.2 (4th).
New: Eddie Jones, Brian Grant, Anthony Mason, Dale Ellis, Don MacLean, Ricky Davis.
Gone: P.J. Brown, Jamal Mashburn, Otis Thorpe, Rodney Buford.
Outlook:In exhibitions, the Heat still looked old, feeble and shell-shocked from Alonzo Mourning’s departure. There’s enough left to compete with. Jones, Grant and Mason are all good players and if Tim Hardaway can stage a comeback - he has had a full season to get past knee surgery - the Heat could still be OK.
Predicted conference finish: Fifth.
New York Knicks
Record: 50-32, third.
Offense: 92.1 (27th).
Defense: 90.6 (2nd).
New: Glen Rice, Luc Longley, Travis Knight, Felton Spencer, No. 1 pick Donnell Harvey.
Gone: Patrick Ewing, Chris Dudley.
Outlook: Selling an ever-declining product at ever-increasing prices demands scapegoats for disappointments but this time, they really messed up, dumping Ewing, the warrior who held them up so long, for Rice, who won’t fit any better than he did with the Lakers. The Knicks, once big and physical, are short and reedy, with the 6-11, 220-pound Marcus Camby in the middle. Jeff Van Gundy, one of the most underrated coaches in the business, has already given up trying to get Rice into the same lineup with Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston.
Predicted conference finish: Sixth.
Charlotte Hornets
Record: 49-33, fourth.
Offense: 98.4 (14th).
Defense: 95.7 (10th).
New: Jamal Mashburn, P.J. Brown, Otis Thorpe, Hersey Hawkins, No. 1 pick Jamaal Magloire.
Gone: Eddie Jones, Anthony Mason, Ricky Davis.
Outlook: To make things difficult, the Hornets still have Derrick Coleman and Elden Campbell. The amazing thing is, they’re still competing. They remain one of the East’s biggest and most physical teams.
Predicted conference finish: Seventh.
Indiana Pacers
Record: 56-26, first.
Offense: 101.2 (5th).
Defense: 96.6, (12th).
New: Coach Isiah Thomas, Jermaine O’Neal, No. 1 pick Primoz Brezec.
Gone: Coach Larry Bird, Mark Jackson, Dale Davis, Rik Smits.
Outlook: They reached the NBA Finals in what was supposed to be a transition season, encouraging them to hope they could keep rebuilding and winning but Smits’ retirement and Davis’ demand to be traded, which they accommodated, ended that. With Jalen Rose injured, Reggie Miller will be the only Finals starter to open the season under Thomas. The organization is committed to playing the youngsters, Austin Croshere, Al Harrington, Jeff Foster and Jonathon Bender.
Predicted conference finish: Eighth.
Boston Celtics
Record: 35-47, 10th.
Offense: 99.3 (9th).
Defense: 100.0 (20th).
New: Randy Brown, Chris Carr, Bryant Stith, Chris Herren, No. 1 pick Jerome Moiso.
Gone: Danny Fortson, Dana Barros, Calbert Cheaney.
Outlook: After all his rebuilding, coach Rick Pitino has a small team that can’t press, which is what made him different from other coaches in the first place. Antoine Walker is wild, Kenny Anderson can’t guard and as good as Paul Pierce is, he’s not ready to put them on his shoulders and take them anywhere.
Predicted conference finish: Ninth.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 32-50, 11th.
Offense: 96.9 (18th).
Defense: 100.4 (22nd).
New: Chris Gatling, Matt Harpring, Robert Traylor, J.R. Reid, Clarence Weatherspoon, No. 1 pick Chris Mihm.
Gone: Shawn Kemp, Bobby Sura.
Outlook: Having dumped Kemp, the Cavaliers started to rebuild again. Point guard Andre Miller had a good rookie season, Lamond Murray was their No. 2 scorer and 7-3 Zydrunas Ilaguaskas returns after missing two seasons with a foot injury. But Traylor is still wallowing at power forward and Matt Harpring is a forward who happens to start at guard. Then there’s the question of how good coach Randy Wittman is.
Predicted conference finish: 10th.
Washington Wizards
Record: 29-53, 13th.
Offense: 96.5 (19th).
Defense: 99.3 (19th).
New: Coach Leonard Hamilton, Popeye Jones, Cherokee Parks, Felipe Lopez.
Gone: Coach Darrell Walker, Ike Austin, Tracy Murray.
Outlook: Michael Jordan wants to be judged by his first full season and here (shudder) it comes. Having been given up on after the last two seasons, Rod Strickland may even try. Mitch Richmond could have something left, but, as with Strickland, the question is how much? Juwan Howard isn’t a $100million player but he should be able to do something, shouldn’t he?
Predicted conference finish: 11th.
Detroit Pistons
Record: 42-40, seventh.
Offense: 103.4 (2nd).
Defense: 102.0 (26th).
New: Cedric Ceballos, Ben Wallace, Chucky Atkins, Dana Barros, Billy Owens, No. 1 pick Mateen Cleaves.
Gone: Grant Hill, Lindsey Hunter, Christian Laettner.
Outlook: Everyone likes Joe Dumars, who runs the basketball operation so if he says Hill betrayed him, everyone in Detroit says, “Oh yeah, what did we ever win with Grant, no one here ever liked him, he wasn’t blue collar,” and so on. Actually, Hill would have needed his head examined if he had come back to keep propping up this going-nowhere outfit. The Pistons are still puny - remember when they started Terry Mills against Shaquille O’Neal? - and at least half the roster will be new. However, it includes Wallace, who’s better than anyone on last season’s front line; Atkins, a little point who had a surprising rookie season, and Ceballos, who can, as he will tell you, score on anybody.
Predicted conference finish: 12th.
Atlanta Hawks
Record: 28-54, 14th.
Offense: 94.3 (24th).
Defense: 99.7 (18th).
New: Coach Lon Kruger, No. 1 pick Dermarr Johnson.
Gone: Coach Lenny Wilkens, Isaiah Rider.
Outlook: Dikembe Mutombo is approaching free agency and coyly refusing to say anything about his plans. Jim Jackson is OK but Jason Terry struggled as a rookie. This season’s top rookie, Johnson, just turned 20 and arrives after one season of college ball.
Predicted conference finish: 13th.
New Jersey Nets
Record: 31-51, 12th.
Offense: 98.0 (15th).
Defense: 99.0 (15th).
New: Coach Byron Scott, No. 1 pick Kenyon Martin, Aaron Williams.
Gone: Coach Don Casey.
Outlook: Kerry Kittles, Jamie Feick and Lucius Harris had surgery in the offseason and are out. Keith Van Horn broke a bone in his left leg and is gone until mid-November. Martin, supposedly the one sure thing in the draft even though his senior season at Cincinnati ended with a broken leg, avoided further injury but started slowly. Stephon Marbury, who once demanded to be traded to New Jersey, was encouraged to stay by agent David Falk whom he susequently fired. Marbury may have to rehire Falk to get him out of New Jersey.
Predicted conference finish: 14th.
Chicago Bulls
Record: 17-65, 15th.
Offense: 84.7 (29th).
Defense: 94.1 (9th). New: Ron Mercer, Brad Miller, Toby Bailey, Bryce Drew, No. 1 picks Marcus Fizer, Jamal Crawford and Dalibor Bagaric.
Gone: Hersey Hawkins, Chris Antsey, Dicky Simpkins.
Outlook:In the two seasons since they blew up their own dynasty, the Bulls finished last twice, opened up cap space for two maximum free agents but were rejected by the big guys last summer, which, at least, confirmed exactly what kind of pariah they are in this league. Elton Brand is solid and should improve and Mercer will help but Fizer is being brought along slowly. Not that Crawford is a head case but he got into an argument with coach Tim Floyd in the summer league, after he was told to get the ball to Fizer inside.
Predicted conference finish: 15th.