IMO, I hope NEVER!!! Rox will win it this year and never let it go! Bwahahahaha!!! All insanity aside, I really think Detroit can do it. Larry Brown is "worth his weight in gold" and the combo of Darko + Ben Wallace is the best core for the future I can think of. Key phrase 'for the future'. If Larry Brown has his way with personnel management and his scouts are good enough, Detroit could easily be the next dynasty.
I think the best big man tandem in the east would be Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler, they have all the right pieces ,they have Eddy Curry,Tyson Chandler,Jamal Crawford,Kirk Heinrich IMO all they need is 3 or 4 more years and they will be seroiuse title contenders.
When the league switches their playoff setup and picks the 16 best teams and splits them up in 2 conferences for the playoffs. The Western team to win it all closest to Florida will be considered the Eastern Champions!
I agree, and they also have Fizer and two second round picks that have shown they can contribute in Trenton Hassell and Lonny Baxter. They can rotate Curry, Chandler, and Fizer at C/PF with Baxter also available in case of injury/fouls. Crawford, Hinrich, and Hassell can play most of the PG/SG minutes They still need another younger swingman to fill in once Jalen Rose, Kendall Gill, and Pippen are no longer there. But Curry and Chandler will give them superior post scoring and shotblocking to most teams they play. And Crawford looked at the end of last season to be an all-star level talent.
So most of you guys would rather have Curry and Chandler. Then Darko and Wallace. Its kind of hard to say because really we dont know much about Darko at all.
One significant difference between Chicago and Detroit is that Chandler/Curry will be able to grow together and are the same age, while Wallace will be declining while Darko is coming into his prime because of their age differences.
I say Detroit. The pieces are in place and I think they will get to the finals in about 2 years. By that time some of the powerhouses in the west will deteriorate. Detroit has the defense. Now they just need the offense. 2 years!! Houston vs Detroit!! . The next new era begins!!
I think Wallace will be like Rodman. Even in his later years you won't see that much of a decline because he focuses solel on 1 part of his game unlike a lot of stars who have offensive and defensive skills. I should know. You save a lot of energy on the court only playing offense and no defense
Gawd, somebody just mentioned Chicago as possible title contenders... ...and your weather report for Hades this week, temperatures in the low 20's to high teens with evening snow flurries and possible sleet by the weekend...
Why don't you see Chicago winning another championship? Curry, Chandler, and Crawford are a great young base that will grow together. This thread is about who will eventually win a championship from the east, not who will win the championship this year.
Ben Wallace is in incredible shape and I don't see him declining any time soon. In the past 4 years, he has hardly been injured and if he was out, it was minor. Darko has been playing professional ball for some time already, and it won't take Larry Brown very long to develop him into a good player.
That's an excellent point I didn't consider. However, I'm not willing to write Chicago off either. Curry led the entire NBA in FG% as a 20 year old. And Crawford and Chandler both put up close to all-star numbers after the all-star break. Long term, they will be able to challenge Detroit.
Unless the East get a legit big man, who can score and defend against the likes of Shaq, Duncan, and Yao......I dont see an East champion until they ALL retire.
I doubt he's thinking it will be this year but in the future. I'd say 2-3 years from now the pistons will have their frontcourt solidified after some time together with wallace and darko. L.A. should be on the decline in that time with payton, malone, and possibly shaq gone. Definitely not this year though.
I think the Cavs will also be in the mix in maybe about 4 years. They will stink it up this year and the next so that will add 2 good players with Lebron James. I think maybe those 4 teams will be the future. Detroit Houtson Chicago Clevland.
When is Grant Hill coming back? Hee hee. Anyway, What about the Cavs. I doubt the Lebron hype was for nothing. You don't get drafted number one in this league unless you've got some big time game. I look for the Cavs to muddle around for about three years and then attract a final piece to the puzzle. They probably have the most potential of any team right now given that they will have high picks for a few more years. Lebron could live up to the hype. If he does, what is going to stop them. I just noticed I agree with with pele', so, ditto.
I'm not sure I can agree that the Pistons have a shot at it. They've got a pretty solid team but I'm not a believer that guys like Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton are the kind of guys you build a team around. The jury is out on Darko. We haven't even seen him yet. All I know so far is he showed up to camp out of shape and said they don't run so much in Europe. Also, were in the states he'd be getting ready to start his senior year in highschool. He may very well be worth the hype, but I have a very hard time believing that if he is, it isn't going to take him a MINIMUM of three years, if not five or so, to be a star in the league. There have just been so few players who've developed into stars before the age of 22. Now, if my hunch is correct, what do we know will be in place for sure in Detroit by the time Darko is a star? Will Larry Brown even be around? I doubt it. Ben Wallace will be 33 then. Not really an ideal time to start making a push towards the championship. Chicago may be a good choice if Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry keep improving. Especially if Kirk Heinrich is as good as expected. That's a very talented young core to build around. But I don't know, I can't really shake the feeling that neither Tyson or Curry will ever be dominant. I would have thought Indiana was in a good position with so much young talent, but I think they sort of screwed the pooch on giving Jermaine O'Neal 126 million. The only guys in the league I'd currently give that money to is Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and maybe Shaq if he weren't getting old. I think they're going to find themselves in a position not too different from the Timberwolves where they have a very difficult time putting enough talent around him to be competive in the playoffs and then he's not as talented as KG in the first place. I think they're screwed. Cleveland has lots of young talent but all their talent is in the backcourt. They have no quality big men outside of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and he's one serious injury away from retirement. I have a hard time believing Diop isn't going to be a bust. I'm not sure Ricky Davis is ever going to get his head straight either. None the less I think they're one of the best options as it stands to win a championship in the future. They've undoubtedly got a few more lottery picks coming their way before they're worth a damn too. If Lebron can lead them to 30 wins this season I'll say he's worth every bit of the hype.
I bet if Kobe doesn't make it back for the season and the Lakers DON'T win the title, Karl Malone will kick Kobe's ass for indirectly screwing him over. And Payton too b/c they both took a pay cut to get a quick championship. Would be fun to watch.
