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Re: D'Alessandro: Celtics 8th In The East
I actually agree with this, with the exception of the Cs in 7th with the
Bulls dropping down to eighth. I think the Cs could finish as high as third but
everything would have to work out perfectly....
DJessen33
> Seems reasonable....
>
> NBA Eastern Conference Preview
>
> Sunday, October 26, 2003
>
>
> BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO
> New Jersey Star-Ledger Staff
>
> 1.
>
> NETS (Victory range: 53-58)
>
> ROTATION: C Alonzo Mourning, PF Kenyon Martin, SF Richard Jefferson, SG
> Kerry Kittles, PG Jason Kidd, C Jason Collins, SG Lucious Harris, PG Zoran
> Planinic, SF Rodney Rogers, C Aaron Williams.
>
> ANALYSIS: What's not to like? They have taken a two-time conference champ
> and added one of the great centers of this or any other generation, plugged in
> a promising big guard who has shown an eagerness to learn from the best in
> the business, and one of the league's most formidable forward tandems hasn't
> even entered its prime yet. The only question is how the coach will handle a
> very competitive minutes crunch up front, but that will be a great problem to
> have if Zo enjoys good health and can play with his usual zeal. If that is the
> case, they'll be playing in June again.
>
> 2.
>
> DETROIT PISTONS (Victory range: 53-58)
>
> ROTATION: C Mehmet Okur, PF Ben Wallace, SF Tayshaun Prince, SG Richard
> Hamilton, PG Chauncey Billups, SF Corliss Williamson, PF Darko Milicic, SG Bob
> Sura, PG Chucky Atkins, C Elden Campbell, SF Darvin Ham.
>
> ANALYSIS: Larry Brown arrives to provide some vitality, personality and
> re-direction to what had been a colorless team, and some offense wouldn't hurt,
> either. There is a great core here, with a superb balance of youth and
> experience, but they won't be ready to fulfill their title aspirations until the
> young bigs -- Milicic and Okur -- are allowed to grow up a bit. Until that time,
> Brown will honor Rick Carlisle's blueprint and win with defense, while
> trying to get along with Billups, a gifted point guard who may have to adjust to
> his new coach's pass-first vision of that position. Hamilton is poised to have
> an All-Star season.
>
> 3.
>
> INDIANA PACERS (Victory range: 49-54)
>
> ROTATION: C Scot Pollard, PF Jermaine O'Neal, SF Ron Artest, SG Reggie
> Miller, PG Kenny Anderson, SF Al Harrington, PF Austin Croshere, PG Jamaal
> Tinsley, C Jeff Foster, SF Jonathan Bender.
>
> ANALYSIS: The Isiah Thomas era came and went, and now the Pacers will hope
> that it was just a bad dream, but there was much to learn from it. Nobody ever
> doubted their talent, except perhaps at the point guard position, but
> Anderson has arrived to lend that position some stability. That term is rarely
> applied to defender supreme Ron Artest, who just ain't hooked up right, leading
> some in the organization to endorse a trade. It's up to Rick Carlisle now to
> navigate the treacherous waves Artest will undoubtedly stir, while keeping
> O'Neal (a Thomas devotee) happy and Harrington healthy.
>
> 4.
>
> CHICAGO BULLS (Victory range: 44-49)
>
> ROTATION: C Eddy Curry, PF Tyson Chandler, SF Donyell Marshall, SG Jalen
> Rose, PG Jamal Crawford, SF Scottie Pippen, PF Marcus Fizer, PG Kirk Hinrich, SG
> Kendall Gill, SF Eddie Robinson.
>
> ANALYSIS: Building blocks under the age of 23 better than Curry, Chandler
> and Crawford don't come together very often. And if there are two veterans
> better equipped than Pippen and Gill to teach them how to be professionals, we've
> yet to see it. The quick, explosive Curry is a handful, and if he maintains
> the progress he showed over the last 20 games last year (19.5 ppg, 61-percent
> shooting), the Bulls will have the best center in the East. Bottom line:
> It's a young team with a bright future and a coach (Bill Cartwright) with the
> right temperament to manage it. His biggest tasks will be getting Rose to see
> that he isn't the only option anymore, and getting them to compete when they
> leave the United Center, as they were nothing but road kill (3-38) last
> season.
>
> 5.
>
> NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (Victory range: 43-48)
>
> ROTATION: C Jamaal Magloire, PF P.J. Brown, SF Jamal Mashburn, SG David
> Wesley, PG Baron Davis, PG Darrell Armstrong, PF Robert Traylor, SF George Lynch,
> C Sean Rooks, SF Stacey Augmon.
>
> ANALYSIS: They've taken a perennial second-round team and handed it over to
> a guy who had a 49-190 record in his last gig, but any failure on the
> Hornets' part probably won't be Tim Floyd's fault. It just seems they're always
> breaking down physically at the wrong time -- witness the recent medical
> histories of their two stars, Davis and Mashburn -- and three of their top six guys
> (Wesley, Brown, Armstrong) are all on the wrong side of 33. They're already
> off to a rough start: Courtney Alexander is out for the season, and Mashburn
> hasn't played in three weeks because of a knee problem.
>
> 6.
>
> ORLANDO MAGIC (Victory range: 40-45)
>
> ROTATION: C Juwan Howard, PF Drew Gooden, SF Gordan Giricek, SG Tracy
> McGrady, PG Tyronn Lue, PF Pat Garrity, C Andrew DeClercq, SF Donnell Harvey, PG
> Reece Gaines, C Steven Hunter.
>
> ANALYSIS: Once again, they've made all the right moves, plugging in two very
> useful components (Howard, Harvey), and little of it will matter, because it
> was a team that was supposed to be built around Grant Hill. He'll probably
> miss the entire season again, which means McGrady will be overtaxed, putting
> further pressure on his aching body (lately it's been his knee, and, no
> kidding, pleurisy). But he is among the game's most spectacular showmen, and he can
> make the playoffs with a cast of walk-ons. This cast has improved -- Gooden
> might even be an All-Star someday -- but it's still one of the smallest teams
> in the league.
>
> 7.
>
> PHILADELPHIA 76ers (Victory range: 39-44)
>
> ROTATION: C Derrick Coleman, PF Kenny Thomas, SF Glenn Robinson, SG Allen
> Iverson, PG Eric Snow, SG Aaron McKie, SF Greg Buckner, SF Monty Williams, PF
> Marc Jackson, C Samuel Dalembert, PG John Salmons.
>
> ANALYSIS: The biggest change is on the sideline, where Randy Ayers replaces
> Larry Brown, on the assumption that he'll be able to keep Iverson comfortable
> on the job as the game's most mercurial superstar. Robinson is the new
> audition for second-fiddle, and while he'll have his share of 30-point nights,
> playing with Iverson basically means you're a bit player. The biggest problem,
> as always, is their lack of a stud up front. This has always been a
> well-coached team with smart role players surrounding a single star, but some of the
> pieces are yellowing around the edges, and their replacements don't exactly
> stir any passions.
>
> 8.
>
> BOSTON CELTICS (Victory range: 39-44)
>
> ROTATION: C Raef LaFrentz, PF Vin Baker, SF Eric Williams, SG Paul Pierce,
> PG Marcus Banks, SF Jiri Welsch, SF Walter McCarty, C Tony Battie, SF Kedrick
> Brown, PG Mike James.
>
> ANALYSIS: The divorce from Antoine Walker will probably be beneficial in the
> long run, because they weren't getting past the Nets anytime soon with him
> around. But it also means they'll have to take a step back this season,
> because this team was all about T'wan -- it was his ball, his offense, and his
> willingness to share it with Pierce that turned the Celtics into a potent team in
> the post-Pitino era. Now they'll have to run a point guard offense (with a
> rookie, no less) and hope their defense gets back to its 01-02 level, when it
> was arguably the league's best. LaFrentz isn't perfect, but he can help in
> that regard by blocking shots, and he'll hit a higher percentage of 3-pointers
> than Antoine ever did.
>
> 9.
>
> KNICKS (Victory range: 39-44)
>
> ROTATION: C Dikembe Mutombo, PF Antonio McDyess, SF Keith Van Horn, SG Allan
> Houston, PG Charlie Ward, PF Kurt Thomas, C Michael Doleac, SG Shandon
> Anderson, PG Howard Eisley, PF Clarence Weatherspoon.
>
> ANALYSIS: All eyes on No. 34, again. If McDyess returns at a reasonable date
> -- say, Thanksgiving -- their frontcourt will be as powerful as any in the
> East. If his return is delayed, or if another part breaks down, they're going
> to have to scramble to get near .500 despite the additional size. There are
> other question marks, chiefly Van Horn's ability to deal with a new position
> and a hostile fan base. And any injury to Houston would be devastating. But by
> the same token, any injury to a star in their neighborhood -- namely,
> McGrady, Pierce, or Iverson -- and they can easily crash the postseason party.
>
> 10.
>
> TORONTO RAPTORS (Victory range: 38-43)
>
> ROTATION: C Antonio Davis, PF Chris Bosh, SF Morris Peterson, SG Vince
> Carter, PG Alvin Williams, PF Jerome Williams, SG Michael Curry, PF Jerome Moiso,
> SF Lamond Murray, PG Milt Palacio.
>
> ANALYSIS: Start with this: Davis and J. Williams don't even want to be
> there. And if Carter breaks down again and starts hearing cracks about his
> character again, he'll probably re-examine his own allegiance. Two years ago, they
> had one of the most promising young teams in the league. Then Lenny Wilkens
> arrived, they threw money around with Knicks-like dereliction (remember the $17
> million to Hakeem?) and Carter's body fell apart. The future now depends on
> coach Kevin O'Neill's demand that Carter be accountable, and he certainly
> looked more like the old Vince in Puerto Rico.
>
> 11.
>
> WASHINGTON WIZARDS (Victory range: 37-42)
>
> ROTATION: C Brendan Haywood, PF Kwame Brown, SG Jared Jeffries, SG Jerry
> Stackhouse, PG Gilbert Arenas, SG Larry Hughes, PF Christian Laettner, PG Chris
> Whitney, PF Etan Thomas, SF Jarvis Hayes, SG Juan Dixon, C Jahidi White.
>
> ANALYSIS: If it's a change of direction they wanted, they'll have it. The
> point guard is new, and Arenas is probably the best they've had since Rod
> Strickland. The coaching staff is new, as is the motion system Eddie Jordan has
> implemented. The GM is new, and Ernie Grunfeld one of the best in the business.
> About the only thing that remains the same is the army of young strong
> bodies up front, but they hope that Kwame Brown's attitude is different, as his
> confidence was shattered by the old regime. He and Arenas will have to carry
> the team in the foreseeable future, as the Wiz aren't letting on how much time
> Stackhouse will miss after knee surgery.
>
> 12.
>
> MIAMI HEAT (Victory range: 29-34)
>
> ROTATION: C Brian Grant, PF Lamar Odom, SF Caron Butler, SG Eddie Jones, PG
> Dwyane Wade, PF Malik Allen, PG Rafer Alston, PF Samaki Walker, SF Rasual
> Butler, C Cherokee Parks.
>
> ANALYSIS: This is Miami's most athletic team in recent memory -- the
> drafting of Wade made that a fact -- but the flip side is that this Heat team makes
> last season's Knicks look behemoth. For the foreseeable future, it'll play a
> power forward at center, a swingman at power forward, and its most dynamic
> player (Caron Butler) has missed the entire preseason. Then, when Butler
> returns, there's the small matter of deciding how it's going to play, which is
> still a mystery. The Heat still defends as well as anybody, but whether anyone is
> going to get excited by it remains to be seen: Free admission for the final
> preseason game drew 2,500 fans.
>
> 13.
>
> CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (Victory range: 29-34)
>
> ROTATION: C Zydrunas Ilgauskas, PF Carlos Boozer, SF LeBron James, SG Ricky
> Davis, PG Kevin Ollie, SF Darius Miles, PG Dajuan Wagner, SF Ira Newble, C
> Chris Mihm.
>
> ANALYSIS: James will start at small forward, but the long-range plan is to
> let him run the team. It's up to Paul Silas to determine when that time is
> right, but ultimately, LBJ will be a human triple-double. The rest of them are
> engaged in a year-long audition to join his supporting cast. There are some
> good parts to start with: Ilgauskas, when healthy, is a handful on the box, and
> Davis and Miles are adequate running mates for LeBron's flying circus. Like
> last season, Wagner will start from behind again, because he needs knee
> surgery. Unlike last season, the Cavs are going to sting a lot of good teams.
>
> 14.
>
> ATLANTA HAWKS (Victory range: 20-25)
>
> ROTATION: C Theo Ratliff, PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim, SF Stephen Jackson, SG
> Jason Terry, PG Jacque Vaughn, PF Alan Henderson, SG Dion Glover, C Nazr
> Mohammed, SF Chris Crawford, PG Dan Dickau.
>
> ANALYSIS: They finally got their ownership deal squared away, which was
> enough to keep Jason Terry signed, or he'd be in Utah by now. But the new owners
> didn't show up in time to prevent the trade of their leading scorer, Glenn
> Robinson, or do something to replace the draft pick they didn't have last
> summer. The point guard situation is a mess. In other words, unless Ratliff and
> Abdur-Rahim don't play out of their minds -- and that hasn't happened lately --
> this is destined to be the weakest, least-interesting, and lowest-drawing
> team in the league.
>
> 15.
>
> MILWAUKEE BUCKS (Victory range: 18-23)
>
> ROTATION: C Joel Przybilla, PF Joe Smith, SF Tim Thomas, SG Desmond Mason,
> PG T.J. Ford, SG Michael Redd, SG Erick Strickland, SF Toni Kukoc, PF Marcus
> Haislip, PF Brian Skinner, C Dan Gadzuric.
>
> ANALYSIS: This is a plan? Trade away your remaining stars, fire the coach
> and eat his $7 million salary, turn down a $170 million offer from Michael
> Jordan to buy the team, let your GM skip town, buy off spare parts like Anthony
> Mason and Jason Caffey, and then trot out a team that a disinterested market
> will barely recognize? The one thing that Herb Kohl did right was giving Terry
> Porter his first coaching job. He is a charismatic, optimistic kind of guy,
> and boy, will he have to be. The light had better go on for Jersey guy Tim
> Thomas: After six mostly disappointing seasons, he'll get 20 shots per game
> with this group.