Wunderdog Sports Picks Blog

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH

1. NEW ORLEANS
2. SAN ANTONIO
3. HOUSTON
4. DALLAS
5. MEMPHIS
 
NEW ORLEANS
COACH: BYRON SCOTT
LAST YEAR:  56-26
TOP DRAFT PICK:  None
 
OUTLOOK:
The Hornets seemed to be a veteran player away from being right there last year, so they sold their first-round pick in the draft and used it to sign James Posey from the Celtics. With their top four players under contract for at least the next two years, this team should only get better. They have perhaps the best PG in the NBA in Chris Paul. His 11.6 apg. and 2.7 spg. both led the NBA - something no player has ever done before. They have the NBA’s toughest matchup in Peja Stajokovic, who is now the three-point leader in made threes amongst the trees (6′10″ or over) and scorer/banger inside in David West. This team could challenge for the NBA title this season.
 
SAN ANTONIO
COACH: GREGG POPOVICH
LAST YEAR:  56-26
TOP DRAFT PICK:  GEORGE HILL
 
OUTLOOK: 
The Spurs are getting older, but the team is not showing it, at least not yet. Anytime a team in the NBA buys into the defensive end of the floor, they will be in the thick of things. The Spurs have allowed an average of under 90 ppg over a 10 year period! Tops in the NBA. Parker, Ginobli, and Duncan give them three money players and if they stay healthy the Spurs will be in the mix at the end. This team has won between 56-63 games for the last five years, don’t expect that to change much this season.
 
HOUSTON
COACH: RICK ADELMAN
LAST YEAR:  55-27
TOP DRAFT PICK: JOEY DORSEY
 
OUTLOOK:
With Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming (17 years of time between them), and not even a sniff of the second round playoffs, the Rockets added a third bigtime player by signing Ron Artest. Artest will toughen-up a soft team, be a shutdown defender and also a third scoring option. If the trio can all manage to stay healthy for a change, the Rockets could finally make some noise come playoff time.
 
DALLAS
COACH: RICK CARLISLE
LAST YEAR:  51-31
TOP DRAFT PICK: SHAN FOSTER
 
OUTLOOK:
The Mavs slid last season. After a pair of 60+ win seasons they barely topped 50 last year. They sold-out their first round pick to New Jersey for Jason Kidd, which turned out to be a horrible move, and now this team is suddenly having an old look to it. The Mavs have won during the regular season with some lofty win totals, but they are just 3-12 in their last 15 playoff games, and may have trouble even getting there this season.
 
MEMPHIS
COACH: MARC IOVARONI
LAST YEAR:  22-60
TOP DRAFT PICK: O.J. MAYO
 
OUTLOOK:
The Grizzles may be better but the division is loaded, so it won’t show. The Grizzlies finished with a .268 winning percentage last year in the Southwest while the other four teams combined winning percentage was .665. The gap is just too wide. Rudy Gay was by far the most improved player in the NBA upping his average by over nine points a contest (NBA best), but the supporting cast needs time to develop. Although Memphis may win more games, the playoffs aren’t in sight.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH:
 
1. UTAH
2. DENVER
3. PORTLAND
4. MINNESOTA
5. OKLAHOMA CITY
 
UTAH
COACH: Jerry Sloan
LAST YEAR: 54-28
TOP DRAFT PICK: KOSTA KOUFOS
 
OUTLOOK:
The Jazz have improved their win total in each of the past three seasons and should be at least close to doing it again this year. Deron Williams may be the most underrated PG in the NBA. He fed Carlos Boozer 270 times - second highest in the NBA to a single player. He also scored 1,500+, had 800+ assists and shot over 50%. Just two players in NBA history have accomplished that - and one is Magic Johnson, enough said. They have all the parts and understand homecourt advantage. The achillies heel for this team has been defense  as they allowed almost 100 ppg last season. If Sloan can get this team to get more focused on the defensive end they will have a chance to win a Championship.
 
DENVER
COACH:  GEORGE KARL
LAST YEAR:  50-32
TOP DRAFT PICK: NONE (SONNY WEEMS THROUGH TRADE)
 
OUTLOOK:
Iverson and Anthony scored 30+ in the same game seven times - no other tandem was even in the hunt. So we know the scoring is there for Denver. They averaged 118 ppg in March, so this team sn’t worried about offense. The Nuggets dealt Marcus Camby and his double-digit scoring and nine boards, and Eduardo Najera left through free-agency, so the Nuggets defense may be worse. The Nuggets will depend on Balkman (acquired from Knicks) for toughness and defense. There is no doubt this team will score, and it is likely they will trade for help inside before the season gets too long.
 
PORTLAND
COACH: NATE MCMILLAN
LAST YEAR:  41-41
TOP DRAFT PICK: JERRD BAYLESS
 
OUTLOOK:
The Blazers had two glaring weaknesses last season. They averaged less than eight fast-break points a game, worst in the league. Theygot nothing inside as their 31.2 points in the paint was also a league worst. Somehow they finished at .500, so a lot of good things are in place. Immediate help should come in the paint as Greg Oden steps on the court for the first time, so he will address that issue. LaMarcus Aldridge doubled his scoring last year and is heading for stardom. This is a young team and should be better, but just how much is anyone’s guess, but they will challenge for a playoff spot.
 
MINNESOTA
COACH: RANDY WITTMAN
LAST YEAR:  22-60
TOP DRAFT PICK: KEVIN LOVE
 
OUTLOOK:
The Wolves win total has declined in each of the past four seasons, but that may change this year. The Wolves have added Mike Miller and if Love lives up to his potential, along with the emergence of Al Jefferson as a potent big man the Wolves will get better, but still a long way from the top of this division. If they make the playoffs, they will be ecstatic!
 
OKLAHOMA CITY:
COACH: P.J. CARLISIMO
LAST YEAR: 20-62
TOP DRAFT PICK: RUSSELL WESTBROOK
 
OUTLOOK:
This franchise probably needed a new city. Formerly the Seattle Supersonics, have been anything but super. They are off a 20 win season, and just 1 playoff appearance in the last 6 years. The Sonics are beginning to build a nucleus that will pay dividends in the future. They have Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and now have added Westbrook, so they are beginning to get some players, but this year is going to be another loser for Oklahoma City.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH:

1. LOS ANGELES LAKERS
2. PHOENIX
3. GOLDEN STATE
4. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
5. SACRAMENTO

LA LAKERS
COACH: PHIL JACKSON
LAST YEAR: 57-25
TOP DRAFT PICK: JOE CRAWFORD

OUTLOOK:
The Lakers addition of Gasol late last season got them to the NBA Finals. They posted a 22-5 mark when he arrived. It would appear that with the return of Andrew Bynum, the Lakers could be poised to return again this season. The Lakers have won the West 15 times since conference play started 38 years ago and went to the finals 14 times. It is hard to imagine that they get derailed this season.

PHOENIX
COACH: TERRY PORTER
LAST YEAR: 55-27
TOP DRAFT PICK: ROBIN LOPEZ

OUTLOOK:
The departure of Mike D’Antoni to the Knicks probably means the Suns go to a more conventional game, better suited to get Amare Stoudemire more touches and allow Shaq to be more effective. The Suns time is running out with Shaq now 36, and Nash 34. This will be a make-or-break year for the Suns, the slide either begins, or they make their final run for a Championship.

GOLDEN STATE
COACH: DON NELSON
LAST YEAR: 48-34
TOP DRAFT PICK: ANTHONY RANDOLPH

OUTLOOK:
The Warriors faded down the stretch last season finishing April at 3-6 and despite 48 wins they did not make the playoffs. They will really miss Baron Davis who opted out of his contract and signed with the Clippers. He has been replaced by Corey Maggette. Maggette gets to the line as much as anyone besides Iverson and Bryant. The Warriors can score with anyone, as they had 37 games of 100+ points in a row last year, but they have to defend to move up, and the corps of  players here don’t seem to understand that.

LA CLIPPERS
COACH: MIKE DUNLEAVY
LAST YEAR: 23-59
TOP DRAFT PICK: ERIC GORDON

OUTLOOK:
The Clippers were never in sync last year as they started 37 different lineups. The Clippers seemed to be on the right path when they signed Baron Davis, but then they lose Elton Brand, so not sure of the gain or loss, but it is certainly not going to vault them upward. The Clippers are a team that plays defense as they allowed the fewest fast-break points in the league last year. They also added Marcus Camby who has led the league in blocks the last three years. The Clippers should win more games, but in the West that simply isn’t good enough.

SACRAMENTO
COACH: REGGIE THEUS
LAST YEAR: 38-44
TOP DRAFT PICK: JASON THOMPSON

OUTLOOK:
The Kings dealt Ron Artest and it is apparent that this team is planning to take a young team and build around draft picks. So in a couple years they will hopefully have enough room when they are in salary cap position to lure some bigtime players to put them over the top. Until then this team will struggle. Anything above the basement this year would be a success.

by J. Mesa 

I gotta tell ya’ I like the idea of having instant replay for homeruns. Replay will help level the playing field and make the game more fair and legitimate. With MLB still feeling the fallout of the steroids scandal, what better way to help baseball and its fans heal than to do something to make the game more honest?

Fans already have the benefit of the jumbo-tron replay and we can all tell when the umps get the call wrong. Every fan in the yard sees it, every fan watching on TV sees in, but unfortunately, the three people on the field that NEED to see the play often get it wrong. It’s a lot of fun to second guess the umpire and with replay in the field we have a chance to call the ump wrong and we’d all be right.

Pushing for MLB replay

by J. Mesa 

In every offseason in virtually every sport, we hear over-paid and over-hyped athletes demanding to be traded. This past summer none whined louder and stomped his feet harder than Los Angeles Lakes’ superstar Kobe Bryant. From having to endure listening to him demand to be traded on every sports radio show to every ESPN offseason NBA report, the annual “Kobe is unhappy and wants to be traded” shtick had gotten to be old hat – the same song drilled in our heads over and over like a bad American Idol tune.

Bravo to the Lakers brass that denied Kobe the trade he so demanded (I have it on good authority that Bryant actually held his breath and turned purple when making his demand to be traded).  So then, what to make of this turnaround from “trade me now” to NBA MVP and now Finals participant? When did the Black Mamba decide he was going to rise above the pettiness and carry this Lakers team to one of the best regular season finishes and a NBA MVP award?

Kobe assumed – dare I say – a leadership role anchoring the Lake show as they plowed through the defenseless Nuggets, toppled the Jazz on their own floor to now accepting the changing of the old guard (San Antonio), to bring the Lakers back to ye olde days of Showtime basketball.

The theft of Pao Gasol and his suiting-up for LA certainly helped, but Kobe’s turnaround goes deeper than that. There comes a time in almost every elite athlete’s career where money, fame, cars, etc. ceases to matter, ceases to be a motivating factor. In place of all that fluff is the intense desire for one thing and one thing only – to be a champion. Bryant reached that point this season.

After being dogged for so many years for not being able to win a title without Shaq and seeing O’Neal win another championship in Miami without Bryant served as motivation, an almost direct challenge that put his career in perspective. If Kobe wanted to be considered among the greatest of all time he needed to find a way to win this year – and he did.

So as we are beginning to formulate our NBA picks for the Finals, what will happen this offseason if the Lakers fail to bring the championship trophy back La-La land? What if the Association gets its way and the Lakers and the Celtics meet in the Finals and Boston wins the series? Will Kobe up to his old Jordin Sparks song-and-dance routine and demand another trade this offseason? This may come as a shock to some, but I think the curtain has closed on such antics. If the Lakers don’t win the big one, I think Bryant accepts responsibility for the loss learns from it and uses it as motivation for next season.

We have just witnessed the changing of the guard as the Lakers supplanted the Spurs as the team to beat in the west, but the change that will have more of an impact is the change from ye olde Kobe to a more mature, on-the-court leader that will eventually be included as one of the all-time greats.