http://www.***************/Story.asp?story_id=5653 At the start of every NBA season, all the basketball fans in the world find their heads laced with tough questions. How well is my team going to play this year? Can my guys stay healthy? Will so-and-so be traded? Part of the excitement of the season is seeing how all of these questions play out. But waiting for answers requires patience, and that's never really been my strong point. To help satiate our hunger for the official start of the season I'm making 50 bold predictions about the 2007-2008 campaign. I'm no Nostradamus, but I'm looking forward to seeing which of these guesses receive the most praise, and which send the most angst my way. No matter what the real results of this season, a good debate never hurt anybody. And so, without further ado, Brigs's 50 Predictions for the 2007-2008 Season: Records The Boston Celtics will not win 50 games. Why not? Someone in that big three is getting hurt at some point. If I'm guessing, that someone is Kevin Garnett. He's had too clean a bill of health for too long, and with his luck he'd hurt himself during the season in which he's had arguably the best shot at winning a title. The Detroit Pistons will finish third in the Central Division, behind Chicago and Cleveland. The L.A. Clippers will be double-digit games below five-hundred by the time Elton Brand makes it back from his injury. The Philadelphia 76ers will have the worst record in the Eastern Conference. But their record won't be as bad as Portland's, who will own the fewest number of wins in the West, as well as the entire league. The Chicago Bulls will have more wins this season than anybody else in the East, including Boston. However, they still won't surpass the win totals of the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets. The state of Texas is going to own the league this season. Toronto will not repeat as champions of the Atlantic Division. The easy pick there is Boston, but I'm also expecting New Jersey to finish with a better record than the Canadian franchise as well. Figure in the Raptors for third there. Statistics The Chicago Bulls will lead the league in opponents' field goal percentage for the third time in four seasons. LeBron James will lead the league in scoring with over 33 points per game. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony will average at least 55 collective points per game this season. Tyson Chandler will lead the league in rebounding. Gilbert Arenas will score 60 points at least once this season. So will Kobe Bryant. LeBron James, on the other hand, will not have an individual game in which he cracks 50. Paul Pierce will be the leading scorer of the Boston Celtics' "Big Three." LaMarcus Aldridge will be a 20-point, 8-rebound guy this season for the Blazers. Utah will be an excellent team again this year, but it will be hard to build on last season's success in such a tough conference. Still, Deron Williams will be an All-Star guard this year, and he will average more points than Chris Paul. Chris Paul, meanwhile, will average more assists than Deron Williams. Trades Jermaine O'Neal will not, any point over the course of the season, be traded. As much as the Pacers need to ship him out, they can't afford to let him go. It's the nastiest of Catch 22's. Kobe Bryant will spend the next two seasons playing out his contract in L.A. That means he's not going to Chicago or Dallas this season. A trade for Mamba means giving up half of your team's quality guys, and no one's going to find that worth it, no matter how great Bryant may be. But that doesn't mean that Kobe's done complaining. There will be several more headlines between now and season's end that adamantly voice his displeasure with L.A.'s lack of success. If (or perhaps more likely—when) the Lakers miss the playoffs, he'll push harder than ever for a trade out of Tinseltown. Ricky Davis will demand a trade from Minnesota sometime before the deadline, and he'll probably get it. Put a stamp on that one. Juwan Howard, despite already having voiced displeasure with his position in Minnesota, will still spend the year with the Wolves because of the size of his contract. He's got a player option in his deal for 2008-2009 worth well over $7 million, and a guy of Howard's age and deteriorating skill set isn't giving that up, so he can't even be moved as an expiring salary. He's staying put whether he likes it or not. Shawn Marion won't be traded, but that won't stop the media from suggesting that he will be at least 700,000 times. Ron Artest is going to look mousy this season compared to the frustration that Mike Bibby is about to voice. Few players have more of a chance to be dealt by February than him. Rookies Kevin Durant won't win Rookie of the Year. Predictions about who actually will come later, but it won't be him. Yi Jianlian is not going to have a very fruitful season. The league is too strong physically, and he'll have a hard time keeping up until he bulks up. Al Horford will lead all rookies in rebounds. Luis Scola will be the resounding new international stud from the rookie class of 2007. More so than Yi Jianlian, Marco Belinelli, or Kyrylo Fesenko. Just taking a stab in the dark here—the Minnesota Timberwolves will win the next draft lottery. Individual Performances Jason Richardson will struggle in Charlotte. He's still upset about the trade from Golden State, and I can see him throwing an occasional tizzy about the relative inexperience of his new squad. Jamaal Tinsley will not be cited for any illegal activities over the course of the 2007-2008 season. He may have things to wrap up from past mistakes, but at least for this year, his nose stays clean. Darko Milicic will not average double figures for points or rebounds this season. By the end of the year Mike Conley will have established himself as the clear starter at point guard for Memphis. Despite the optimism surrounding Kyle Lowry and Juan Carlos Navarro—who both should prove outstanding talents—Conley will beat them out and earn the spot clearly and competitively. Despite the hype, Penny Hardaway will be a non-factor in Miami this season. Same goes for Allan Houston in New York. Shaq will have a Brett Favre-esque season this year, rejuvenating himself and making a lot of people believe he's about ten years younger than he actually is. Consider this the year of "Comebaq Shaq." By late March, there will be rumblings of Darrell Armstrong coaching the New Jersey Nets next season. Despite whatever jeers he might get at Madison Square Garden this year, Isiah Thomas won't be fired by the New York Knicks, as coach or as general manager. Rashard Lewis, through massive criticism over the size of his contract, will be an All-Star for the Orlando Magic. Chicago's Luol Deng also will be in New Orleans for this year's big midseason weekend as well, making him the first Bulls All-Star since Michael Jordan. Robert Swift is going to surprise some people up there in Washington. He'll be the winner of the unofficial "Where'd This Guy Come From?" award. The All-Star weekend in New Orleans this season will not result in the law-breaking nightmares that were associated with the Las Vegas excursion last season. Louisiana will prove an affable host for this event. Playoffs Atlanta's new uniforms (and new rookies) will help fuel them to their first playoff berth since 1999. The Cleveland Cavaliers will not be the Eastern Conference representative in the Finals this season. In fact, they won't even make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. In much the same way that people get sleepy after a huge rush of adrenaline, the Golden State Warriors will take a step backwards this year instead of building on last year's progress. They will not make the playoffs. If Peja Stojakovic is healthy for at least 70 games, the Hornets are a playoff team in the Western Conference. Phoenix will have a down year and therefore won't have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs this year. The other non-Texan Western Conference team rounding out the top four? The Denver Nuggets. So which of these predictions are spot-on and which are utter malarkey? We'll all find out soon enough, as we certainly will revisit these at season's end. Here's one last bold prediction before I open the floodgates on my email account for massive debates with passionate NBA fans: I'll get at least 35 of these right. That means I'd be shooting 70% from the field, batting .700, completing 70% of my passes for touchdowns. Not bad, eh?
After so many years of being unnoticed and criticized, it is really good to actually have expectations of being a top team! WE STILL BELIEVE!
Very good read. I agree with most of the points. Everybody thinks Boston will be fantastic but hell, I don't think so. It's probable that Ray or Kevin will get hurt and Boston won't be that great. I don't agree that LeBron will led the NBA in scorin', I do not think so. Rockets will at least enter WCF, AT LEAST Atlanta will enter the playoffs, but they won't get past the 1st round Aldridge is gonna be a really good player. Man, he can shot, he's strong, pretty athletic. I like this guy. Yao and T-Mac will be really effective together, with NO injuries
I DON'T RECALL ANYBODY SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT US WHEN WE GOT STRO. I KNOW EVERBODY THOUGHT WE WOULD BE GREAT AND WE WERE ANYTHING BUT THAT. FOR THE LAST FEW SEASONS I'VE ALWAYS HADHOPE IN OUR TEAM AND SO DID MOST OTHER FANS. I THINK THAT THIS YEAR WE WILL DEFINATELY BE A VERY STRONG CONTENDER. AND FOR ONCE THIS IS NOT JUST HOPE TALKING
I dont think this is a ludicrous statement. They have a good young core that added Acie Law & Al Horford (who is my pick for Rookie of the Year). Josh Smith is in a contract year, so I expect him to act like he cares. Also, theyre in the east and 40 wins could probaly get them into the playoffs. Sure, theyll be first round fodder to the Bulls or Pistons, but it is a step forward for a long struggling franchise. No homer love for Acie Law here? Oh, wait....he didnt go to UT.
About the only thing I see as legit in there is the statement about the State of Texas. We own the NBA. I tend to agree about the Celtics, too. Something is going to happen there. They'll have some home court advantage in the playoffs and probably win their division. I don't see them as a championship contender, though. The Pistons will find a way to beat them.
I agree. I thinks its odd that no one is talking about Detroit over there. If LeBron didnt play out of his mind in that series, Detroit is contending for another title last year. I believe theyve brought back the same team, correct me If I am wrong. Im hearing Bulls, Cavs, and Celtics. Im sticking with the Pistons. The fact that all media is jumping on the Celtics sack makes me want them to fail. Im silly like that.
I actually do think the Celtics will be a great team, or win alot of games. I think Garnett is too much of war horse to miss alot of games and the East is really weak. But, I still think the class of East is in the Motor City....I can't believe people still think the Cavs are going to go far in the playoffs. If Washington, Miami, and New Jersey had their best players healthy, Cavs do not make it to ECFs. I even believe that the EC representative will come from Central Division....Bulls or Pistons. I don't think the Celtics are well-rounded enough to beat a well-established or western conference built type of team, where most have one or two superstars and deep collection of all-stars and great role-players. Bulls should say no to Kobe....they don't need him for the asking price.
