Tommy TwoStep - My NBA Preview

November 16, 2007:

Note: I didn't finish the whole thing because, well, I thought my head was going to explode.

Boston Celtics: Best Player – Paul Pierce – Give a slight nod to Pierce over Kevin Garnett with regards to seniority on the Celtics. Pierce has been with the franchise his entire career, even endured a near-fatal stabbing, and has put up numbers in every campaign. He has the capability to put up 30 points a night and demand double teams in the post, but now with Garnett and Ray Allen on board, will round into a more all-around player and should produce across the board.

Stat line to Watch – Kevin Garnett – KG is a career 20-10-4 player and bring his size and athleticism to the weaker Eastern Conference should only improve his rebounding and shot blocking numbers. He should lead the league in rebounds and see an improvement in blocked shots. Can easily put up over 25 ppg and shoot over 55% from the field. Will probably focus more on the team oriented, defense minded game to help the Celtics parade into the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. Picture him as the big brother who comes to his younger brother’s pick up game. Big brother has played in the bigger league, is a better athlete and demands respect from his younger brother and his pussy friends.

My Starting Five – Kendrick Perkins, Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Rajon Rondo

Toronto Raptors: Best Player – Chris Bosh – The forgotten 4^th overall pick in the 2003 Draft class has improved every season in the NBA. I repeat forgotten, because we all know the 2003 class included valedictorian LeBron James. But they draft also included hyped stars Carmelo Anthony (a thug, and soon to be corrupted by Iverson in Denver), Dwayne Wade (who has probably has peaked after carrying the Heat to a championship and is now very, very injury prone), and Darko Milicic (quick, can you name what team he plays for or who draft him #2 overall?) Anyways, Bosh puts up good percentages and is capable of averaging a double-double as he did for the first time last season. His blocks aren’t what you want from a 6’11” stud, at fewer than 2 a game, but there is room for improvement for the young superstar who led the surprising Raptors to a playoff berth last year.

Stat line to Watch – T.J. Ford – The 8^th overall pick in the same 2003 Draft who now pairs up with the aforementioned Bosh for a young 1-2 nucleus, Ford posts a terrible FG percentage and rarely attempts three pointers (he attempted all of 69 last year), something to keep an eye on as far as improvements go, but does fill it up when it comes to assists and steals. Ford can easily see games of 10+ assists with a Raptors team that is full of streaky jump shooters. If the Raptors score over 100 points, you can bet Ford played good minutes and is pushing 10+ assists for that contest. Should round into a 15-8 player. Also of note, Ford looks eerily similar to Tiger Woods.

My Starting Five – Rasho Nesterovic, Bosh, Andrai Barganani, Anthony Parker,

New York Knicks: Best Player – Zach Randolph – Had to pick one from the group that includes a terribly overweight Eddy Curry and terribly inconsistent Jamal Crawford, Randolph at least had proven himself in a tougher Western Conference with the Trailblazers, averaging a double-double last year. He shoots good percentages, grabs rebounds, but doesn’t post good blocks (15 all of last year!!!) for a guy his height.

Stat line to Watch – Stephon Marbury –

Starting Five – Curry, Randolph, Quentin Richardson, Crawford, Marbury

New Jersey Nets: Best Player – Vince Carter – Although recently injured and out for an extended amount of time (insert punch line here), Carter has always been the best player for the team he represents. If Carter stays healthy and is determined to attack the basket he can average over 25ppg, which he did with his former team, the Raptors. Writers get on him for settling for jump shots too much, but he still shots a good percentage and is capable of getting 5 assists or rebounds in a contest. Unlikely to get those numbers dressed in a suit sitting the bench though.

Stat line to Watch – Jason Kidd – Amazing to watch a Nets games and see the impact Kidd has on the game, commanding the ball and setting up teammates. He can easily affect the outcome of a contest scoring less than 10 points. Its easy to find a box score with Kidd garnering a triple-double, and even more exciting to see his triple-double line fall short because Kidd will go 2-13 for 8 points, but the Nets will still win. He shots a terrible percentage, but still will get over 8 assists and rebounds to go along with good steal numbers.

My Starting Five – Jamal Maglore, Nenad Kristic, Richard Jefferson, Carter, Kidd

Philadelphia 76ers: Best Player – Andre Iguodala – With Iverson dealt last season the weight of the 76ers franchise was put solely on the shoulders of the new AI. A lottery pick with ridiculous hops (see: 2005 Dunk Contest), AI pushes an all around game and can score upwards of 20+ a night. The Sixers made a surprising run at the end of the season last year, but shouldn’t surprise anyone this year… they are not very good. Statline to Watch – Samuel Dalembert – The lanky center has always been an off and on type of player, getting minutes and riding the pine, back and forth constantly, especially with past head coaches. He has the defensive prowlness to grab over 10 boards and block 2+ shots every night. He shots a high percentage for the limited shots he takes. Surprising lines will have Dalembert post 13 points, 18 rebounds, 3 blocks.

My Starting Five – Dalembert, Reggie Evans, Kyle Korver, Iguodala, Andre Miller

Detroit Pistons: Best Player – n/a -

Statline to Watch – Rasheed Wallace – Member of the 1x3 club for six of the past seven season (1+ 3pointers, steals, blocks), Wallace has the inside outside game that will fill up a stat sheet on any given night. He will post up smaller players, but isn’t afraid of stepping back and launching some threes. He never grabs high numbers of boards and probably wont get back to the 1x3 status this year because he is aging, but Wallace can still beat you in more than one way and writers claim he is one of the smartest players in the league. Scary considering he is one psycho player. I’m Rasheed mother f’n Wallace.

My Starting Five – Wallace, Antonio McDyess, Tashawn Prince, Richard Hamilton, Chauncy Billups

Cleveland Caviliers: Best Player – LeBron James – Of course it’s going to be James, his game is off the charts. Experts pick the Cavs to make the playoffs simply because of James, he has no supporting cast in Cleveland and the team will only go as far as Lebron can shoulder them. Last year: NBA Finals (still scratching my head), this year, probably not. Last year against the Pistons, James showed he is ready to take over and become the most dominate player in the league, he scored like 25 straight points in the playoff game against the Pistons and many saw that no one could guard him. The scary part, he is only 23, that’s younger than me god damn it.

Stat line to Watch – James – James already has two mammoth triple-doubles in this young season, recording his second Wednesday night (in a loss) against the surprising Magic. James line was 39-13-14, Elias reported that was the most combined points, rebounds, and assists in a single game since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968. Amazing. LeBron has the ball in his hands on almost every possession and I wouldn’t be surprised if he puts up a triple-double scoring over 40 points in a game.

My Starting Five – (fill in blank), (fill in blank), LeBron James, (fill in blank), Bobbie Gibson

Chicago Bulls: Best Player Luol Deng –

Stat line to Watch – Tyrus Thomas

My Starting Five - Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Deng, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrick

Milwaukee Bucks:

Indiana Pacers: Best Player – Jermaine O’Neal – Again will give this to a player with seniority on their particular team. O’Neal is aging, injury prone, and his numbers will decline on a terrible Pacers team. Surprising to say considering O’Neal is only 29 years old. He did come straight out of high school so he does have close to 12 NBA seasons under his belt. Who needs to go to college when you can ride the pine in Portland for four years, averaging 12 minutes per game and 5 points per game.

Stat line to Watch – Danny Granger

My Starting Five -

Orlando Magic: Best Player – Dwight Howard – Waiting to see a box score where Howard goes for a 30-30 performance, something including 13-16 from the field and 12 offensive rebounds. It will happen.

Stat line to Watch – J.J. Redick – Just kidding. J.J., you were the NCAA player of the year, doesn’t some of that game translate over the NBA? I guess not. Redick has been getting plenty of DNP – Coaches Decision simply because he is undersized, doesn’t have a position on the floor, and is a terrible defender.

My Starting Five – Howard, Rashard Lewis, Hedu Turkoulu, Keith Bogans, Jameer Nelson

Miami Heat: Best Player – Dwayne Wade – I keep thinking he is 35 years old.

Stat line to Watch – Wade – Amazing for such a scorer as Wade is, he doesn’t attempt too many three pointers, he shoots a terrible percentage of the ones he attempts right now and is content on attacking the basket and getting the free throw line when he isn’t settling for midrange jumpers. I think he widely attacks the baskets and gets a lot of calls from his superstar status he garnered during the Heats championship run two years ago. Wade also has the tendency to block 2+ shots in a game, but since he is coming off an injury don’t expect the across the board numbers from Wade

Starting Five – Shaquille O’Neal, Udonis Haslem, Ricky Davis, Wade, Jason Williams

Washington Wizards: Best Player – Gilbert Arenas – I wish there wasn’t some kind of social penalty for wearing outdated sports jerseys because I have about three in my closet that I would love to continue to wear just to let the public know I was down with these players before the broke big. I had myself a Golden State Warriors Arenas jersey five years ago when he was just breaking into the league. Had to ditch that though once Agent Zero broke it rich with the Wizards.

Stat line to Watch – Caron Butler -

Atlanta Hawks: Best Player – Joe Johnson –

Stat line to Watch – Josh Smith – I have wrote about him before and will say it again, Smith pushes the envelope of a 5x5 game on given nights and I expect him to push a 6x5 line one of these wild nights. Something like 18 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals, 6 blocks, 6 turnovers. That is filling the statsheet up people. Just imagine what he will be capable of doing once he startings making three pointers. And he is only 22.

Starting Five: Al Horford, Smith, Marvin Williams, Johnson, Acie Law IV

Charlotte Bobcats:

San Antonio Spurs:

Dallas Mavericks:

Houston Rockets:

New Orleans Hornets:

Memphis Grizzlies:

Utah Jazz:

Denver Nuggets:

Minnesota Timberwolves: Best Player – Al Jefferson – Big Al came over the KG sweepstakes and immediately becomes the new franchise player for the Timberwolves. He is young, strong, and improving in only his second year in the league. He is a double-double machine, getting rebounds numbers that may have him leading the league one of these days. His points are limited now, 16-20 points, but he could be putting up KG numbers 25-12 very soon. The team built around him will ultimately effect how good the Timberwolves become in the future.

Stat line to Watch – Rashaad McCants – Has the capability to put up over 20 points a night as witnessed Wednesday night (33 points). He is entrenched as the starting guard position while there is a rotating door at the PG and SF spots for the Wolves. Keep an eye on his numbers along with Jefferson to see if these two players can become an exciting 1-2 punch for the Wolves in the future.

My Starting 5 – Theo Ratliff, Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, McCants, Randy Foye-Sebastian Telfair

Portland Trailblazers:

Seattle Supersonics: Best Player – Kevin Durant – The rookie has been thrust into the spotlight as the franchise saving player and with the cupboards bare in Seattle will have to do a lot of the work on his own. Already given the green light to toss up 20+ shots a night, Durant will easity gain rookie of the year baring injury. He is shooting a horrible percentage from the field, but hopefully that number will rise once he gets more game under his belt. The lanky swingman average over 10 rebounds in college, but is only grabbing 5 or 6 for the Sonics.

Stat line to Watch – Chris Wilcox – Ever since he got traded from the Clippers, Wilcox has been getting minutes in Seattle and producing, he was block in the Clipper rotation by Elton Brand, but now is starting for a Sonics team that desperately needs his rebound skills. Wilcox will bring that to the table along with 15+ ppg. He may be a surprise candidate to average a double-double, especially in the Western Conference. Don’t be surprised by a statline that has Wilcox at 22 points and 14 rebounds. He is their garbage man, pounding his body down low and rebounding most of Durants missed shots.

My Starting Five – Nick Collison, Chris Wilcox, Durant, Jeff Green, Delonte West

Phoenix Suns: Best Player – Steve Nash –

Stat line to Watch – Shawn Marion – Rated as a #1 fantasy star, Marion fills up the stat sheet, and along with Rasheed Wallace can give you 1+ threes, steals, and blocks. He is the only player on the Suns who wants to rebound the ball and can get double digits in rebounds on a nightly basis. His points come as the Suns run and can surprise many with 30 point games. Will probably settle in the range of 18-20 points, 10+ boards, a three, a block and a steal a game. That is what put him at fantasy #1 and Nash is what will keep him there.

Los Angeles Clippers:

Los Angeles Lakers: Best Player – Vladmanavir Radmonovic – Just Kidding. Its Kobe Bryant.

Golden State Warriors:

Sacramento Kings: