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- Apr 16, 2010
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-Toronto Raptors: I feel very strongly that the Raptors are going to be a very solid team next year. Dwane Casey emphasizes defense and has helped turn Andrea Bargnani from a liability on defense into a great pick-and-roll defender (though he is still a terrible rebounder for a 7-footer). The Raptors have a double-headed PG machine with Kyle Lowry (border-line top 10 PG) and Jose Calderon. They now added Landry Fields who can guard either wing position and rebound very well. They also might be the deepest team in the league next year:
C- Jonas Valančiūnas (Euro rookie stand-out).
----Ed Davis.
----Aaron Gray.
PF- Andrea Bargnani (finally in his natural position).
----Amir Johnson.
SF- Landry Fields.
-----James Johnson (much less raw from his Bulls' days).
-----Kleiza.
SG- DeRozan (another 15+ points per-gm).
-----Terrence Ross.
PG- Lowry.
-----Jose Calderon.
-Milwaukee Bucks: They gained Dalembert and re-signed Ersan Ilyasova this off-season. And it will be the first full season that Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings will play a full season together. Scott Skiles does like to run a disciplined half-court offense so it'll be interesting to see if he can tame or even adapt to this two young guards who like to push in transition.
-Cleveland Cavaliers: Tristan Thompson (PF with all-star potential), Tyler Zeller (C), and Anderson Varejao (C/PF) will be a nice three-man rotation to have on their front-line. I know Omri Casspi is a half-way decent all-around player and this Waiters guy is someone they say might be able to help the Cavs' lowly offense.
-Washington Wizards: Andray Blatche is the only knucklehead left in that locker room for the most part. They now have a mean C duo of Nene and Okafor (Nene can play a little PF as well). Trevor Ariza provides some stability in the middle of their line-up and Bradley Beal looks like a guy who can provide floor spacing and play some defense.
-Golden State Warriors: Andrew Bogut staying healthy is key but he and David Lee are a very capable starting front-court duo. Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes are a couple of wings with a lot of potential (with Richard Jefferson as some insurance), and Stephen Curry is their PG (and a border-line top 10 one).
-Minnesota Timberwolves: They are trying to get Batum right now. But, even if they don't, they still have Derrick Williams who hasn't really gotten his chance yet to shine (and added Chase Budinger for depth). Nikola Pekovic is a very underrated starting center in the league and (even with Rubio out to start the season) they still have J.J. Barea (who was injured most of last season) and Luke Ridnour. Brandon Roy is an addition I am not too crazy about but it is low-risk/high-reward because the T-Wolves have been notoriously bad at the shooting guard position for a long time now.
-New Orleans Hornets: (Not really a surprise in the sense that they are talked about a lot. I just feel that Monty Williams is bound to make this a competitive team after seeing what he did with that group of scrubs last year.)
C- Jonas Valančiūnas (Euro rookie stand-out).
----Ed Davis.
----Aaron Gray.
PF- Andrea Bargnani (finally in his natural position).
----Amir Johnson.
SF- Landry Fields.
-----James Johnson (much less raw from his Bulls' days).
-----Kleiza.
SG- DeRozan (another 15+ points per-gm).
-----Terrence Ross.
PG- Lowry.
-----Jose Calderon.
-Milwaukee Bucks: They gained Dalembert and re-signed Ersan Ilyasova this off-season. And it will be the first full season that Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings will play a full season together. Scott Skiles does like to run a disciplined half-court offense so it'll be interesting to see if he can tame or even adapt to this two young guards who like to push in transition.
-Cleveland Cavaliers: Tristan Thompson (PF with all-star potential), Tyler Zeller (C), and Anderson Varejao (C/PF) will be a nice three-man rotation to have on their front-line. I know Omri Casspi is a half-way decent all-around player and this Waiters guy is someone they say might be able to help the Cavs' lowly offense.
-Washington Wizards: Andray Blatche is the only knucklehead left in that locker room for the most part. They now have a mean C duo of Nene and Okafor (Nene can play a little PF as well). Trevor Ariza provides some stability in the middle of their line-up and Bradley Beal looks like a guy who can provide floor spacing and play some defense.
-Golden State Warriors: Andrew Bogut staying healthy is key but he and David Lee are a very capable starting front-court duo. Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes are a couple of wings with a lot of potential (with Richard Jefferson as some insurance), and Stephen Curry is their PG (and a border-line top 10 one).
-Minnesota Timberwolves: They are trying to get Batum right now. But, even if they don't, they still have Derrick Williams who hasn't really gotten his chance yet to shine (and added Chase Budinger for depth). Nikola Pekovic is a very underrated starting center in the league and (even with Rubio out to start the season) they still have J.J. Barea (who was injured most of last season) and Luke Ridnour. Brandon Roy is an addition I am not too crazy about but it is low-risk/high-reward because the T-Wolves have been notoriously bad at the shooting guard position for a long time now.
-New Orleans Hornets: (Not really a surprise in the sense that they are talked about a lot. I just feel that Monty Williams is bound to make this a competitive team after seeing what he did with that group of scrubs last year.)
