Well, I seem to have done it. For better or for worse I've reached y 40 blog mark in about 25 hours, well short of my projected midnight cut. I will reward myself with a fun and easy blog: my predictions for next year.
MVP- Lebron James. It doesn't look like he will get it this year, but he's improved every year in the league and at some point point he's bound to get it. He'll have another ridiculous year, and his team should be better too, which helps his chances.
Rookie- Greg Oden. He will technically be a rookie, will have a great team around him, and will have a year of NBA learning under his belt. All of this will combine with his considerable talents and lead to a ROY award.
Defensive player- Shane Battier. Maybe? Finally? He's earned it already.
MIP- This is difficult to forcast, but I think Devin Harris is poised for a breakout year.
Coach- Jerry Sloan. The Jazz should be right at the top of the NBA, and I bet voters will give it to Sloan as a sort of a career achievement award.
Playoffs:
West
1. Lakers
2. Jazz
3. Spurs
4. Hornets
5. Blazers
6. Suns
7. Nuggets
8. Rockets
The Mavs have been worse every year since the Finals, and with Kidd aging I see this team dropping off significantly. The West will once again be formidable, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were 9 or even 10 50 win teams. The Lakers should be even better and win more than 60 games, and the addition of Oden will vault Portland into the middle of the playoff pack.
East
1. Celtics
2. Magic
3. Cavs
4. Pistons
5. Raptors
6. Hawks
7. Nets
8. Wizards
The East may finally have all it's participants at .500 or better, but the bottom three or four still won't be a factor. Boston will be great for another year or two, and the Magic will be a true contender, with the Pistons age finally starting to be a factor.
Kim Cloutier
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Comments (9) Add A Comment
Umm, regardless of what he "technically" is, Oden isn't even eligible to win rookie of the year
NYGiants: Patrick…
Rockville Centre , NY
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Good blog.
Dyhard
Germantown, WI
Total Comments (76388)
Yea, 40!!!!
MDPRIDE111 is ready
Sparks, MD
Total Comments (2613)
Yes Oden will be eligible. He will be a rookie, because he didn't play a single minute this year. Look it up, he is classified as a rookie for the 2008-2009 season.
Favrefan
Bellingham, WA
Total Comments (3640)
i agree with almost everything but i think if the rockets have a healthy yao back than they might be a little higher in the standings
dodgers101
Los Angeles , CA
Total Comments (9)
I'm with you on just about everything except where you have the Nuggets in the West. In spite of the downward trend of the Mavs, I think they're still stronger than the Nuggets. And with Oden back in the mix for Portland and a healthy Yao for Houston, the West will be even tougher - not good for either Denver or Dallas, who aren't showing any signs of going anywhere soon.
pennwjr
Columbia , SC
Total Comments (37)
no playoff predictions? haha, im playing...
xvargas
Total Comments (44)
The only problem with that is this and only this. If the Bulls draft Beasley and re-sign Gordon and Deng. They will be able to move Hinrich and Gooden for a true PG. And with a roster that consists of 1 Trade 2 Gordon 3 Deng 4 Beasley 5 Noah, and a bench that looks like Nocioni, Duhon, Thomas, Gray, Hughes, J. Curry, and inbound 2nd rounder. I really can't see the Bulls missing the Playoffs.
true-star
Panama City , FL
Total Comments (100)
Oh. Yeah, and as far as Portland goes.. that roster just looks sick to me. They should keep the spot at 13 and draft West Virginia's Joe Alexander. The kid was a leader on the team and has only been playing team ball for a few years. He is a scoring threat, with lots of defense and passing abilities, plus he can drive to the basket and makes good decisions with the ball. He can play either the SF or PF position, and adding that kind of player to the bench will do nothing but help Portland down the stretch.
true-star
Panama City , FL
Total Comments (100)
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