Slam Dunk Central Reporter Stephen Rhodes’ Predictions For The 2009-10 NBA Season

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Preview

Not unlike Major League Baseball’s spring training, the NBA’s preseason offers hope for players who are established, free agents and rookies alike. Also, every team is on equal footing, effective October 26 – the first day of the NBA regular season.

Having said that, like the vast majority of those of you who read SDC regularly, you have probably watched some games on television and probably formed some opinions about the teams and players; I know I certainly have. Come to think of it, I have some predictions to make – so continue reading.

This should be a promising season as the rookie crop – in my opinion – is one of the deeper ones in recent memory, which should make prognosticating difficult. Below I will predict the following, along with explanations after each category:

The Ten Best Teams In The NBA
The Ten Worst Teams In The NBA
Top Five Surprise Teams
Top Five Disappointing Teams
Top Five Rookies
Top Five MVP Candidates

Without further adieu, here I go:

The Ten Best Teams In The NBA (#1 being the best)

Los Angeles Lakers
Orlando Magic
Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
San Antonio Spurs
Portland Trail Blazers
Denver Nuggets
Utah Jazz
New Orleans Hornets
Philadelphia 76ers

In my estimation, the Western Conference is a deeper conference than the Eastern, and as such, you have to give the nod to the Lakers. Kobe, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest form a dangerous trio that will be difciult to beat on most nights – assuming Artest doesn’t implode. But that doesn’t mean that the Orlando Magic are pushovers – far from it. They have the best center in the game not to mention they have Vince Carter at the 2 guard. I like Cleveland, but I am not sure how the Shaq deal will pan out, at least short-term. If Greg Oden can remain relatively healthy, then Portland can surprise a few folks and perhaps make the Lakers take notice. I think that Philadelphia, with their dearth of talent, can make some noise in the Eastern Conference.

The Ten Worst Teams In The NBA (#1 being the worst)

Golden State Warriors
Sacramento Kings
Minnesota Timberwolves
Detroit Pistons
Charlotte Bobcats
Washington Wizards
New York Knicks
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies

Golden State. Easily the most dysfunctional team in the NBA despite the obvious talent. Chaos + talent = no playoff appearance. Sacramento has a new coach in Paul Westphal and a draft pick in Tyreke Evans who may surprise some folks in the league as I think he can excel at both the 1 and 2 guard positions. Washington? Not ready for the playoffs yet despite the return of Gilbert Arenas. His performance and health will determine Washington’s fate. Detroit. Ahhh, Detroit. It wasn’t that long ago when they were regular playoff participants. All of a sudden, the wheels have fallen off. Can Ben Gordon and Rip Hamilton coexist? Mixed results there, but when your “captain” is Ben Wallace – and that’s not a knock on him – things don’t look good in Motown. The Clippers are an interesting proposition. They have Baron Davis who, if healthy, is one of the better PG’s in the league. Blake Griffin, I think, is as good as advertised (gotta love his dunk on the Lakers’ D.J. Mbanga). Yet there’s more questions than answers, so look for them to not be in the playoffs. I like the Grizzlies roster, except they have a problem – Allen Iverson. Seems that wherever he plays, the team falls apart inevitably. that usually means the team he plays for wins anywhere between 35-41 games – good numbers for Memphis, but I don’t see them winning even that many.

Top Five Surprise Teams

Philadelphia 76ers
New Orleans Hornets
Toronto Raptors
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trail Blazers

Yup, you saw it here first. The Sixers, except for the center position, have the talent to go fairly deep in the playoffs. Brand, Iguodala and Williams are a decent trio to work with; I like their chances. If Emeka Okafor brings to the Hornets what he did in Charlotte, then rest assured New Orleans will not miss Tyson Chandler. And I think CP-3 will play 80 games this season. Toronto has a decent trio in Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu and Jose Calderon – not too shabby. Will Bosh play like he knows there’s a bigger payday for him after this season? I expect good things from the OKC. You have Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook – a pretty darn good trio. I think rookie James Harden will be a big key to this team and their future success. Meanwhile, Portland can make good journey through the first round of the playoffs should Greg Oden stay healthy. You also have Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge which makes this Portland squad one not be messed with.

Top Five Disappointing Teams

Detroit Pistons
Charlotte Bobcats
Miami Heat
New York Knicks
Phoenix Suns

I think it is obvious why Detroit is disappointing. Stuckey/Hamilton/Prince/Gordon/Villanueva/Kwame Brown. ‘Nuff said. Poor Joe Dumars. The Bobcats had promise. But then Raja Bell hurt his wrist which will shelve him 4 months or so. Not a good sign for the Charlotte populace. Miami has a decent starting five – but their bench leaves lots to be desired. no wonder Pat Riley quit coaching. New York, on the other hand, is always underachieving. They have a coach who has a good plan in place but unfrotunately, the personnel don’t seem to fit in to that scheme of things. 35 wins sounds like what New York should reap this season. Here’s the thing about Phoenix. They have Steve Nash, Jason Richardson and Amare Stoudemire – although I expect Amare to be dealt during the season sometime. That’s where the problem lies. Minus Amare, they’re not going to the playoffs.

Top Five Rookies

Blake Griffin
Tyreke Evans
Tyler Hansbrough
James Harden
Hasheem Thabeet

Blake Griffin automatically makes the Clippers better. Evans has been handed the keys by Sacramento, so the pressure’s on. He is capable of playing both the 1 and 2 so that’s to his advantage as the Kings haven’t had a true point guard in some time. Indiana got a steal in Hansbrough. He reminds me of Austin Croshere except he has upside. His intangibles are understated; he will be more valuable to the Pacers than they even realize. Meanwhile, will Thabeet be a clone of Emeka Okafor or a young Lamar Odom. I think closer to Okafor as defense is his strong suit.

Top Five MVP Candidates

Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Dwyane Wade
Danny Granger
Kevin Garnett

As much as I despise Kobe Bryant, it cannot be disputed that he has the rings and the stats that have given him MVPs in the past. If LeBron can take Cleveland to the championship round then all bets are off. Wade is the wi9ld card here because of the cor ehe has to work with. But there’s the chance he may depart Miami after this year, so the incentive is there. Those of you who know me know that I am a Pacers fan going back to the ABA days, so there is a touch of bias here when I put Granger’s name in the elite five. Just know – Granger is capable of carrying Indiana to a place they havent been in some time – the playoffs. And let’s not forget Kevin Garnett. If he can stay healthy, he can wreak havoc this season much like he did while with Minnesota. But that’s a big if.

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