Eastern Conference:
Atlantic Division:
Boston: This team continues to get older but is clearly built for the Playoffs. They may have the best PG in the league Rajon Rondo. The big three Garnett, Pierce and Allen will continue to lead this team in the right direction and to an Atlantic division title.
NY Knicks: Well the summer of 2010 has come and gone and the best the Knicks could do in free agency was Amare Stoudemire. I am sure Amare will love the New York attention for a while, but a more subtle acquasition was Raymond Felton. He could be a perfect fit to run Coach Mike D'Antoni's up tempo style.
Philadelphia: I am not convinced yet that Evan Turner is going to be a great pro, but this team is surrounded by great slasher forwards. Thaddeus Young, Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday and Turner. The loss of Samuel Dalembert will hurt them inside by then again NBA is not dominated by big men anymore. Hopefully new coach Doug Collins can get some type of consistent effort by Elton Brand.
New Jersey: The Nets bring in new coach Avery Johnson to the mix. The Nets will rely heavily on Devon Harris to be a consistent scorer. Inside Brook Lopez continues to develop in to a solid big man.
Toronto: This team was always a mystery to the common fan and no more so than ever. Their double-double machine Chris Bosh is in Miami and the Raptors will be stuck in the basement of the Eastern Conference all season.
Central Division:
Chicago: The Bulls will be the beneficiaries of LeBron being out of Cleveland as they look to win the Central. The Bulls have the best and most explosive PG Derrick Rose. The Bulls added Carlos Boozer whose a walking double-double. Not to mention Deng, Noah, Brewer and Korver. Now if they can just get some production off their bench.
Detroit: The Pistons still have the hold overs from the good Detroit teams with Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton and Ben Wallace. Not sure what they will get out of T-Mac this season. Expect Ben Gordon to continue to deliver good and bad nights.
Cleveland: What can I say? We all know the talent went south maybe he will actually show up in the playoffs this time around. This team will rely heavily on the veteran leadership of Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams. I think this could be a breakout year for J.J. Hickson.
Indiana: I could not be paid to watch this team every night. They do have an elite scorer in Danny Granger. They brought in an effective PG Darren Collison and for the Pacers sake they get a massive improvement from C Roy Hibbert.
Southeast Division:
Miami: So the talent went south in Lebron James to be the Robin to Dwayne Wade. They also add a constant double-double player in Chris Bosh. The interior play is what I question with the Miami Heat. Do they have the bigs to win a title? Obviously they have enough talent to run through the regular season.
Orlando: The Magic return all their key players from a season ago, Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson among others. This team will cost through the regular season. As always this team is dependent on the 3 point shot and hopefully it comes through this season.
Atlanta: The Hawks are deep and talented but the defense is what continues to hold them back. Joe Johnson gets his max deal and they have plenty of scorers with Bibby, Jamal Crawford, Josh Smith and Al Horford. Expect Xavier rookie Jordan Crawford to contribute big points off the bench.
Charlotte: This team finally makes the playoffs and then unloads Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton. They have enough scoring pieces with Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace to be competitive. Will the young players get tired of what Larry Brown is preaching?
Washington: The Wizards will probably go one of to ways, 1. John Wall becomes the Rookie of the Year and this team is a sleeper or 2. John Wall does not fit well with the playrs around him and the teams struggles. Wall is the center piece to this dinner table.
Western Conference:
Oklahoma City: The Thunder experienced the playoffs for the first time and return this years MVP Kevin Durant. I expect this team to be hungry to get back to the playoffs and will do so by winning their division. Russell Westbrook is an outstanding athlete that will only get better at PG.
Portland: This team was devastated by injuries a year ago but still have the talent to compete with the best in the West. Brandon Roy will have to bounce back from knee surgery. They also need continued production from LaMarcus Aldridge. Will the Blazers finally get something out of Greg Oden?
Denver: The Nuggets are an interesting team obviously their season hinges on Carmelo staying or going. If Melo stays this teams has the pieces to make it back to the playoffs without him they are just an average team without an elite scorer.
Minnesota: The TWolves are young and they are going to struggle. They have an excellent low post player Kevin Love and a rookie that is ready to play in Wesley Johnson other than that your guess is as good as mine.
Pacific:
LA Lakers: The Lakers seems to get stronger every season. They add Steve Blake to help spell minutes for Derrick Fisher. Obviously they still have the best player in the game in Kobe Bryant. This team will coast through the season lose some games they should not! But they want titles and with Odom, Artest, Bynum and Gasol they should be in line for another ring.
LA Clippers: Could this be the year the Clippers make it back to the playoffs? I feel like we say that every season! The Clippers welcome back Blake Griffin after surgery and will expect big minutes and even bigger numbers. The health and attitude of Baron Davis could be the difference for this young team.
Sacremento: The Kings will be powered by Tyreke Evans who will only continue to get better and better. They will have imposing front line with DeMarcus Cousins and Samuel Dalembert. The Kings need to find scoring to help Evans.
Golden State: The Warriors removed Don Nelson which was probably in the best interest of the team. On the court the reigns will go to Steph Curry which should get more air time for his talents. The team brought in David Lee and will need more production out of Montae Ellis to be competitive.
Southwest:
Dallas: I fully expect the Mavs to do what they do best and that is win in the regular season. Dirk comes back to lead the Mavs and hopefully avoid an early exit in the playoffs.
San Antonio: The Spurs window for titles continues to shrink as their own big 3 are not getting any younger. They will need to keep Duncan, Ginobli and Parker healthy for a playoff run. I expect for Richard Jefferson to have a better second season for the Spurs off the bench.
Memphis: If nothing else this will be an entertaining team to watch throughout the season. They have the scoring to play with anyone but can they play defense? Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, O.J. Mayo among others can score the rock at any time.
New Orleans: The Hornets window has passed them by as Chris Paul is disgruntled and Stojackovic continues to be injured. They still have a solid inside player in David West.
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