Who makes the playoffs next year?

[Czar Pazzo]

I usually hang out in the MLS Expansion neighborhood, but I'm nuts about basketball too. So with most of the big deals seemingly done, let's see everyone's predictions for the playoffs next year. Here's mine:

West

1. Spurs
2. Wolves
3. Nuggets
4. Kings
5. Suns
6. Jazz
7. Rockets
8. Mavericks


East

1. Pacers
2. Pistons
3. Heat
4. Grizzlies
5. Hornets
6. Bucks
7. Cavs
8. Nets

A few bold predictions, but pretty reasonable I think. Who ya got?

[yellowbismark]

Hornets are in the west this year, and the Grizz have always been in the west.

in no particular order:

West: Lakers, Kings, Suns, Wolves, Jazz, Nuggets, Spurs, Rockets

East: Pistons, Pacers, Heat, Bucks, Knicks, Celtics, Cavs, Hawks

man the east keeps getting worse (except for the rise of Miami).

[Czar Pazzo]

Hornets are in the west this year, and the Grizz have always been in the west.


Oh yeah! For some reason I had in my head that Memphis was moving to the east rather than the Hornets moving to the west. Now I realize that makes absolutely no sense. I'm gonna hafta re-think my inks.

[NonStop4]

WEST:
Spurs-Wolves-Lakers-Grizzlies-Rockets-Nuggets-Kings-Maverick

EAST:
Nets(My team!! Don't care if K-Mart left, we will still be in playoff ^^)
Pistons, Pacers, Heat, Celtics, Bobcats :cool: , Knicks, Bucks, Cavs

East really does suck...

[Detlef]

not my Chicago Bulls :(

their marketing slogan for 2004-05 is "through thick and thin."

I am not kidding. :(

[skipshady]

not my Chicago Bulls :(

their marketing slogan for 2004-05 is "through thick and thin."

I am not kidding. :(
Get out! Seriously?
I hope they trot out Jay Williams in a half time ceremony when he accepts his severance payment every month.

Love the screenname, btw.

[Detlef]

Get out! Seriously?
I hope they trot out Jay Williams in a half time ceremony when he accepts his severance payment every month.

Love the screenname, btw.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Jay Williams has enrolled in business school at Duke.

yes my screen name is in homage to Detlef Schrempf, my all-time favorite basketball player. Remember when he was one-half of the "Teutonic Towers" at the University of Washington???

i am a bigger college hoops fan than NBA.

[Metros Striker10]

East:
Pistons
Indiana
Miami
New York
Philly
New Orleans
Bucks
Cavs/Boston

West:
Minnesota
Sacramento
Spurs
Nuggets
Grizzles
Rockets
Jazz
Los Angeles Lakers

I know more about the East, so I'll focus more on them. Mo-town and Indy will probably be locks at 1-2 in no order. Miami will be up there, but not the best. Shaq is great and all, but can Jones and Wade so all of the extra work? Knicks will be better if Dampier sticks to the Knicks. If Vince Carter joins the NYK, I think the Knicks will be up there with Indy and Detroit as long as he stays healthy for most of the season. Nets are done. Jefferson is the only guy who will be receiving Kidd's lobs. It's over. Cavs, I doubt they will get better because Boozer left, but they would be much better had he stayed. Boston pushed last year, and I think they might do something this year. Philly, if they're healthy, will be a great team.

West: Lakers are done. They might get a low seed, but not at the top. Kobe and his 50 shots won't win them another ring unless they learn to pass like the Kings.

[skipshady]

I'm not even going to try to post my prediction. There are way too many playoff calibre teams in the West, and the East just has a bunch of bad to mediocre to okay teams once you get past the Top 3.

The Lakers are going to be half decent if they get Vlade. They'll have two good passers in Vlade and Odom, and Brian Grant and/or Caron Butler are going to work, so the pieces surrounding Kobe aren't so bad. The problem is, there isn't a reliable scorer after Kobe and the bench is still thin except at the small forward spot. Half decent will only get you so far in the West.

[Don Boppero 3000]

not my Chicago Bulls :(

their marketing slogan for 2004-05 is "through thick and thin."

I am not kidding. :(


I was about to post the same thing! Sucks to be a Bulls fan right now.

[Ted Cikowski]

you want to know something - Detroit will be in the NBA finals again next year. Miami will be thier main threat, I think Indiana really took a hit when they lost Al Harrington and Reggie Miller is another year older.

San Antonio should get there in the west, Brent Barry is actually one of the best all around players in the league and he's the best kept secret in the NBA the past 7 seasons.

San Antonio will win in 6. But you heard it here first.

p.s. with the east as weak as it is going to be, Detroit should win at least 60 games with Rasheed playing a full season, especially if Mcdyess can give them anything.

[Czar Pazzo]

Ok completely rethought and revamped prediction:

WEST

1. Spurs
2. Wolves
3. Jazz
4. Grizzlies
5. Suns
6. Rockets
7. Kings
8. Mavs

EAST

1. Pistons
2. Pacers
3. Heat
4. Bucks
5. 76ers
6. Cavs
7. Kincks
8. Hawks

am I being a homer by picking the Jazz that high? I'm really optimistic about this season though. Arroyo - Giricek - Kirilenko - Boozer - Okur, with Harpring and Bell coming off the bench.. you gotta admit that's a good team lineup. Plus the trump card.. we've got Jerry Sloan and you don't.

[Ian McCracken]

am I being a homer by picking the Jazz that high? I'm really optimistic about this season though. Arroyo - Giricek - Kirilenko - Boozer - Okur, with Harpring and Bell coming off the bench.. you gotta admit that's a good team lineup. Plus the trump card.. we've got Jerry Sloan and you don't.

Utah will be in the 6-7-8 category. They've got good young talent, but it's young and still a year or two away from contending. Boozer doesn't have LeBron around anymore and Okur doesn't have the Pistons supporting cast in front of him so we'll see how they handle the focus on them.

[alexia_donovan]

East:
Pistons
Indiana
Miami
New York
Philly
New Orleans
Bucks
Cavs/Boston

West:
Minnesota
Sacramento
Spurs
Nuggets
Grizzles
Rockets
Jazz
Los Angeles Lakers

West: Lakers are done. They might get a low seed, but not at the top. Kobe and his 50 shots won't win them another ring unless they learn to pass like the Kings.

West:
1. My BELOVED KINGS!!! :p
2. As if I Care
3. "
4. "
5. ETC.

East:
1. DONT CARE!


GO KINGS!!!!!


http://memorylanesports.com/gw-FBK.jpg

[Megatron]

West
1.Wolves
2.Spurs
3.Kings
4.Mavs
5.Rockets
6.Nuggets
7.Lakers
8.Grizzlies
East
1.Pistons
2.Pacers
3.Heat
4.Knicks
5.Philly
6.Hornets
7.Bucks
8.Cavs

My Bulls are way off the radar so I'm expecting another year of excuses and inconsitency anything above 30 wins is a success,I guess but I'm not even counting on that!The East is a dumpster except for the top 3 teams.Spurs vs. Pistons in Finals and the Pistons take it in 6.

[JinJin]

Ok completely rethought and revamped prediction:

WEST

1. Spurs
2. Wolves
3. Jazz
4. Grizzlies
5. Suns
6. Rockets
7. Kings
8. Mavs

EAST

1. Pistons
2. Pacers
3. Heat
4. Bucks
5. 76ers
6. Cavs
7. Kincks
8. Hawks

am I being a homer by picking the Jazz that high? I'm really optimistic about this season though. Arroyo - Giricek - Kirilenko - Boozer - Okur, with Harpring and Bell coming off the bench.. you gotta admit that's a good team lineup. Plus the trump card.. we've got Jerry Sloan and you don't.


Jazz, Grizzlies, Suns all ahead of Houston???? you got to be joking right? The combination of of Yao Ming and Tracy MacGrady is the best inside outside combo in the NBA. And noway would those teams be ahead of Kings or Mavs. Mavs recently got Eric Dampier and it puts them back in the elite teams of the West. The Kings are always dangerous as well as long as Webber can stay healthy and Stoijackovic remains in SacTown.

Hawks 8th in the East......right. They have Al Harrington and Antoine Walker, that is not even going to get them the 8th spot. A legit team you forgot to put in was the Raptors who will contend for the 5-8th spot in the east.

[skipshady]

Jazz, Grizzlies, Suns all ahead of Houston???? you got to be joking right? The combination of of Yao Ming and Tracy MacGrady is the best inside outside combo in the NBA. And noway would those teams be ahead of Kings or Mavs. Mavs recently got Eric Dampier and it puts them back in the elite teams of the West. The Kings are always dangerous as well as long as Webber can stay healthy and Stoijackovic remains in SacTown.I'd say Jazz, Grizz and possibly the Suns are all ahead of Houston.
Rockets did a nice job of getting Mutombo to back up Yao, but we won't know how well Yao's game will mesh with McGrady's. They don't have a starting point guard - Jackson, Ward, Sura and Lue are all half decent backups, not a starter.

The Jazz made significant improvements while keeping their core intact. The Grizz will always be a factor. The Suns have everything but the starting center, but I'm sure they'll be shopping Shawn Marion around. Houston certainly has the more glamorous players and they may have the better team, but not by much.
Hawks 8th in the East......right. They have Al Harrington and Antoine Walker, that is not even going to get them the 8th spot. A legit team you forgot to put in was the Raptors who will contend for the 5-8th spot in the east.I realize the East is shallower than a Saharan reservoir, but Toronto is simply not that good.

Vince, for all his talent, refuses to become a great player or a team leader. They have no serviceable veteran big man protecting Chris Bosh. Rafer Alston is a HUGE improvement over Alvin Williams, but by how much? We'll just have to wait and see. Jalen Rose is another guy who would rather blend in than hoist a team on his shoulders.

They have too many Injuns and not a single chief, and they're still a big man away from being taken seriously, imho.

[JinJin]

I'd say Jazz, Grizz and possibly the Suns are all ahead of Houston.
Rockets did a nice job of getting Mutombo to back up Yao, but we won't know how well Yao's game will mesh with McGrady's. They don't have a starting point guard - Jackson, Ward, Sura and Lue are all half decent backups, not a starter.

The Jazz made significant improvements while keeping their core intact. The Grizz will always be a factor. The Suns have everything but the starting center, but I'm sure they'll be shopping Shawn Marion around. Houston certainly has the more glamorous players and they may have the better team, but not by much.
I realize the East is shallower than a Saharan reservoir, but Toronto is simply not that good.

Vince, for all his talent, refuses to become a great player or a team leader. They have no serviceable veteran big man protecting Chris Bosh. Rafer Alston is a HUGE improvement over Alvin Williams, but by how much? We'll just have to wait and see. Jalen Rose is another guy who would rather blend in than hoist a team on his shoulders.

They have too many Injuns and not a single chief, and they're still a big man away from being taken seriously, imho.

And your still saying Hawks are better then Raps???......ask any BBall expert and they will say Raps are better then Hawks. Lets compare the Raps Vs Hawks matchup

Toronto Raptors

PG - Rafer Alston
SG- Vince Carter
SF- Jalen Rose
PF- Chris Bosh
C- Rafael Araujo

Atlanta Hawks

PG- Tony Delk
SG- Josh Childress? quite possibly
SF- Al Harrington
PF-Antoine Walker
C- Predrag Drobnjak

PG - advantage Raptors. Rafer Alston will run the lights out of Tony Delk
SG- advantage Raptors. Vince Carter, obviously advantage goes to him
SF- advantage raptors when not injure Jalen Rose can provide lot's of points, remember it was only like 2 years ago where he averaged 23.3 ppg
PF - Gonna have to go with Bosh here even though Walker will probably average more points because he will jack up 25 shots per game. Where Bosh will probablly provide something like 18/8/2 and Bosh is a great defender.
C- advantage Hawks. Drobnjak is a proven center where Araujo is a big body but yet to prove if he can play in the NBA.

Bench Raptors

key players - Morris Petterson, Donyell Marshall.

Hawks bench key players - Josh Smith, Jason Collier, Boris Diaw.

So overall the Raptors are clearly better then the Hawks.

[skipshady]

And your still saying Hawks are better then Raps???No, I said no such thing. I wish you wouldn't put words in my mouth.

Though I will say that, after the first 3 or 4 teams, the rest of Eastern Conference pretty much blends in together in the ocean of mediocrity/craptitude. Does it really matter whether crap sandwich tastes better than crap salad? They're both made from crap.

[Narmec]

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Jay Williams has enrolled in business school at Duke.

yes my screen name is in homage to Detlef Schrempf, my all-time favorite basketball player. Remember when he was one-half of the "Teutonic Towers" at the University of Washington???

i am a bigger college hoops fan than NBA.

Hey Detlef, whatever happened to Christian Welp?