San Antonio Spurs
2011-2012 Record: 50-16
Place in Division: 1st
Head Coach: Gregg Popovich
Key Additions: Eddy Curry (invited to training camp)
Prediction: 55-27
Scoop: If you looked up the word consistent in the dictionary, you'd find the Spurs logo. What this team has been able to do year in and year out is remarkable. They are the New England Patriots of the NBA. People always under-rate this team and I have no clue why. Maybe its the age? The Spurs did not change their team at all this off-season, nor should they have. Their major move was inviting career underachiever Eddy Curry to training camp. The Spurs need to do a few things in order to maintain success: first, Popovich must continue to manage Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili's minutes. He also needs to get more out of Tiago Splitter, Kawhi Leonard, and DeJuan Blair who, after two solid seasons, seemed to fall out of the rotation in the playoffs. With all that being said, I do not see the Spurs falling out of place amongst the Western Conference's elite.
New Orleans Hornets
2011-2012 Record: 21-45
Place in Division: 5th (last)
Head Coach: Monty Williams
Key Additions: Ryan Anderson, Anthony Davis (rookie), Austin Rivers (rookie), Robin Lopez
Prediction: 42-40
Scoop: I really like this team. Not like as in championship caliber, but like as in a low-seed playoff team. And that would be a tremendous turnaround for this team. Monty Williams is the perfect leader for this team, a players' coach who handles young players well. Anthony Davis is the real deal, and he'll be a catalyst on the defensive end, something of a lost art in the NBA. Austin Rivers can score, and so can Eric Gordon. This is an young, exciting team that, if they gel together, will surprise a lot of people.
Houston Rockets
2011-2012 Record: 34-32
Place in Division: 4th
Head Coach: Kevin McHale
Key Additions: Jeremy Lin, Omer Asik, Toney Douglas
Prediction: 32-50
Scoop: The way I look at the Rockets is as so: they bet all their chips in a game of Texas Hold 'Em, and lost everything they had, leading to them being the first one kicked out of the game. By them clearing cap space and stockpiling draft picks, the Rockets put themselves in a great spot to acquire Dwight Howard. They bet everything they had, and lost. And now, they're in a mess. They have seven rookies and six guys with one or two years of experience. Jeremy Lin appears to be the center piece (I guess?) after signing a three-year, $25 million deal, but is he worthy of all this hype for a guy who started only twenty-five games? The jury is still out on Lin. Man, does Kevin McHale has his work cut out for him
Dallas Mavericks
Place in Division: 3rd
Head Coach: Rick Carlisle
Key Additions: Chris Kaman, Elton Brand, Darren Collison, O.J. Mayo
Prediction: 49-33
Scoop: Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson were blindsided when Texas native and free agent Deron Williams signed with Brooklyn. However, they did a great job of adding to their team with the additions of Mayo, Brand, Collison, and Kaman. Kaman left the Mavs' first practice on Friday with a back issue, so that's something to keep an eye on. But, Dirk Nowitzki's another year older, Jason Terry's gone, and so isn't Jason Kidd. They should be pretty good, but can Rick Carlisle, the signer of a new contract extension, get these guys on the same page and regain the formula that made them 2011 NBA Champions?
Memphis Grizzlies
2011-2012 Record: 41-25
Place in Division: 2nd
Head Coach: Lionel Hollins
Key Additions: Wayne Ellington, Jerryd Bayless
Prediction: 52-30
Scoop: After years of mediocrity, the Grizz have finally risen to become a perennial playoff team. This is a very balanced team, as they have their scorers in Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph, a solid point guard in Mike Conley, a defensive stopper in Tony Allen, and a big man in Marc Gasol. With sufficient bench play to top it off, the Grizzlies are now prominent again. I see them as a better version of the Atlanta Hawks of the Western Conference. It'll be interesting to see how Randolph and Gasol continue to figure it out, and the Grizz will go as far as them and Gay take them.
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