Atlantic Division
- Boston Celtics X
- Philadelphia 76ers X
- Toronto Raptors
- New York Knicks
- New jersey Nets
Central Division
- Cleveland Cavaliers X
- Chicago Bulls X
- Detroit Pistons
- Indiana Pacers
- Milwaukie Bucks
Southeast Division
- Orlando Magic X
- Atlanta Hawks X
- Washington Wizards X
- Miami Heat X
- Charlotte Bobcats
(X = playoff team)
Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics:
Regardless on if Kevin Garnett is healthy or not the Celtics should win this division fairly easily. The thing that hinges on his health is how far they can go in the playoffs. If he’s healthy they are title contenders, if he’s not they won’t make it out of the second round. Rajon Rondo is an enigma personality wise but he continues to develop in to one of the league’s top point guards. He always has an awkward look on his face and there have been non-stop rumors of him being a weirdo in the locker room and Doc Rivers wanting to trade him. My guess is that he ends up staying on the team and playing like an All-Star. Ray Allen is in a contract year and would like to put up some big numbers for one more big pay day. If he can stay on the court he’ll keep shooting the lights out and get his money. Paul Pearce continues to be one of the hardest working players in the league on both ends of the floor. His years of being elite are dwindling, but he’ll still be up there this season. What I am most curious about with this Celtics team is how good Rasheed Wallace will be for them. You have to figure that he’ll be motivated to impress his new teammates and that he’ll be a huge help off the bench and starting when KG can’t go. Read the rest of this entry »
Pacific Division
- L.A. Lakers X
- Phoenix Suns X
- L.A. Clippers
- Golden State Warriors
- Sacramento Kings
Southwest Division
- San Antonio Spurs X
- New Orleans Hornets X
- Dallas Mavericks X
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Houston Rockets
Northwest Division
- Portland Trailblazers X
- Denver Nuggets X
- Oklahoma City Thunder X
- Utah Jazz
- Minnesota Timberwolves
(X = playoff team)
Pacific Division
L.A. Lakers:
Unfortunately the Lakers appear to be the class if the West again this. Some of the other teams made some moves which I think will make the conference more competitive at the top this year, but the Lakers still look like the best. They essentially traded Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest which didn’t make a ton of sense to me. At this point in their careers Ariza is the better defender, understands his role better and doesn’t fire up a ton of stupid shots. With that said, Artest is more capable of taking over a game on offense in stretches if Kobe gets hurt or is in foul trouble. I guess overall, I don’t see the change affecting their win/loss totals. What Artest does give them is entertainment. You add the leagues craziest player to a team that already has the league’s biggest douche bag (need I mention who that is?), it will be interesting how it all plays out. Also in the picture is Lamar Odom’s new wife, the Kardashian sister who got the short end of the stick in the family genes department and we have the makings for one hell of a circus. At the heart of this though, Kobe is still great and Pau Gasol is still one of the best big men in the game. It will be interesting to see if Andrew Bynum can stay healthy for a full season and become the guy he has shown he can be at times. This is one of the weaker divisions in the league; expect the Lakers to run away with it. Hopefully when I write this preview in a couple of years I’ll be able skip putting an X next to the Lakers. I really am tired of seeing their fans so damn happy. Read the rest of this entry »
Hello there. I have been a little distracted as of late, so it’s been a while. I hope everyone is well. I have had a few things on my mind as of late, so I’ll just get right down to business…
Someone here in my office has implemented a “Green Team”. I think the title of the group makes it pretty obvious what they’re all about. Overall, this is a positive thing with the state of our environment. The group plans weekend events to clean up litter in parks and hiking areas and promotes recycling within the office. These are all good things. In fact, I wouldn’t mind joining if it weren’t for the fact that the people running it are exactly the types I never want to spend my free time with. You would think it would be the more down to earth types in the office, but that is very much not the case. I think the leader (it’s a guy) probably spends more money on his hair in one trip to the stylist than I spend on a month’s worth of groceries. He also wears tighter jeans (and no, I don’t mean skinny hipster jeans, I mean tight like he can’t fit a wallet in his pocket jeans) than most girls. Nice enough people, just not my crowd. Anyway, I have totally digressed here. I do have an issue with one of the tactics that this group has implemented, and of course it goes back to the familiar topic of the office bathroom. This isn’t the usual gross people don’t flush and leave pubes all over the place stuff that I usually mention, this is just annoying and kind of stupid. They put up signs above the paper towel dispensers that say, “Use Only 1 Towel to Stay Clean, Yet Green”. Ok. I get the point. But aside from how lame their little phrase is, it’s not like we have thick Bounty towels in there. These are the same type of thin crappy towels they have in a Burger King bathroom. One towel is not going to dry your hands. And really, don’t tell me how many towels to use. I am a grown man (sort of), if I want to use two or three towels to dry my hands, than dammit that’s what I am going to do. I am pretty sure using three towels instead of one is not going to kill any polar bears. They just put up a new sign that reads, “Paper Hand Towels Only”. This one doesn’t really bother me as much as it confuses me since there is nothing but paper towels in the bathroom. They don’t have any other options like blowers, towels made of cloth, ShamWows, rubber, latex, steel wool or anything else. Just paper. So tell me Green Team, what the hell do you mean? If you were really that green, wouldn’t you have the office invest in some blowers? Trust me. I understand this is a pointless rant and I should just ignore these things, but I just can’t. Go clean up a park people and stop trying to control my paper towel usage with a catchy phrase and guilt. Read the rest of this entry »