East
Atlantic Division: If any of these teams (Boston, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Toronto, New York) were in the Western Conference, they would be lucky to win 30 games. Instead, at least two will make the playoffs. I can't see Toronto being one of those playoffs teams. With Donyell Marshall and Milt Palacio as their first two guys off the bench and Vince Carter unhappy, the Raptors are in for a long, rough season.
So who could make the playoffs out of the Atlantic? New Jersey, with or without Jason Kidd, is not the same team anymore. That leaves Boston, Philadelphia and New York fighting for two spots. I honestly think the Celtics will be one of those teams. They have as much talent (Paul Pierce, Gary Payton, Ricky Davis) as anyone, but can they get consistent performances from their young players? Without Eric Snow, Philadelphia has no one to handle the ball besides Allen Iverson. Even AI can't win with the pathetic array of players on the 76ers roster. So I have to give the nod to the Knicks, who have a great one-two punch of Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford, a budding star, and enough frontcourt talent to be a mediocre playoff team.
Central Division: Indiana and Detroit will be the best two teams in the Eastern Conference. It's a given; I don't even need to explain.
Cleveland will not make the playoffs. I know LeBron is a superstar, and David Stern probably can't afford to let him miss the playoffs in his first two seasons, but I just don't think even Stern can create a fix big enough to get the Cavs into the top eight. I like the big Z; I like Eric Snow and even Drew Gooden, but I just don't think LeBron is ready to put this team on his back the way MJ could. Be patient, Cavs fans, give him another year or two.
I like the Bulls. I don't know what it is, but I think they can make the playoffs. Luol Deng could be this year's Carmelo Anthony and Kirk Hinrich is a budding all-star in the East. Everyone knew Hinrich was a leader and an excellent shooter in college, but people questioned how he would adapt to the NBA. Well, after two years, he looks ready to be Chicago's go-to guy this season.
Southeast: Miami is good, scary good. I think that's been figured out by now. For a number of reasons, Shaq and Dwayne Wade are the only "big man and superstar small guy" combination that will work this season. I also like Orlando in this division. Any team with a healthy Grant Hill is going to be a contender. I think he'll be able to help Steve Francis handle the ball and provide the chemistry Orlando has been lacking. And thankfully for the city of Orlando, Dwight Howard looks less and less like Kwame Brown every day.
The final team in the East could be anyone except the Bobcats.
West
Northwest: Utah, Denver and Minnesota will make the playoffs. Jerry Sloan could coach a group of elephants into the playoffs, and fortunately for him, he actually has a good team instead of elephants this year! Minnesota is everyone's pick to win the West, but I just don't think it'll happen. They have too many problems. Denver has all the talent and potential in the world. They have a good point guard, a great small forward and the best frontcourt talent and depth of any team in the NBA. Will it be enough though? Will guys be content playing 25 minutes a game instead of 35? Too many question marks.
Pacific: The Kings are off to a tough start, but they've lost to the Spurs, Mavericks and Suns, three playoff teams. Peja is unhappy, Webber isn't the same player he was two years ago and Vlade is gone, but the Kings might still sneak into the playoffs. The Lakers will also finish in the top eight, but I'm not sure how or why. LA has been very average without Shaq in the past, and I don't see that changing. Although I LOVE the way Lamar Odom plays the game, I just don't think he's ready to turn into the 20-10-6 guy that he should be. Odom could have been what Grant Hill was before his injuries, but playing with "me-first" Kobe Bryant will not bring out that potential.
Phoenix has the tools to make the playoffs. They have size (Amare), athleticism (Marion and Q), shooting (Joe Johnson) and leadership (Steve Nash). Is that enough though? I think it is. Nash is the first pure point guard to play with this young team, and it will show immediately in their play. Last year they had no point guard and no direction. In Nash, they have that and more.
Southwest: The Spurs are just as good, if not better than they've ever been, and that's a scary thought. I genuinely think that the addition of visionary Brent Barry will improve their already incredible ball movement and spacing. A three-guard backcourt of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Barry will create serious match-up problems for opponents.
Houston and Dallas will both make the playoffs, but only because they are supposed to. Houston really doesn't excite me, and I don't think they improved from last year by trading for T-Mac. If they can use Yao effectively, and not as a second option for T-Mac, they might be able to be successful. Dallas lost Nash, Walker and Jamison, but they still have Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley. They also added Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse, Erick Dampier and rookie point guard Devin Harris. That's a good eight-man rotation with Marquis Daniels and Josh Howard.
Well that's it folks. I think you probably just had as much NBA as you can handle for one week.