InsideHoops NBA Commentary - NBA TEAMS

August 22, 2000

Alright, we haven't broken it down for a while. It's summer time, so we've been letting the fans do most of the work, writing in and seeing their articles featured. But now it's time to review the league, team by team. Well, the teams worth mentioning. Some squads are just too damn ugly to comment on right now.

Lets go:

The Hawks are looking at a lineup of Alan Henderson, Dikembe Mutumbo, Jimmy Jackson, and a bunch of kids. Major rebuilding stage. There's no reason to keep Mutumbo (other than for loyalty purposes) - trade him now, for youth and/or draft picks.

The Celtics have done little to help their cause. It's still Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, and a fairly unimpressive supporting cast (though Adrian Griffin has potential).

The Hornets are big, with Derrick Coleman, P.J. Brown, and Elden Campbell manning the power forward and center spots. Jamal Mashburn is at the 3, and perhaps he'll now be free to shoot and score like crazy. Miami's system didn't allow that. Unimpressive backcourt.

The Bulls added rookie point guard Jamal Crawford, and power forward (who will be forced to play small forward if he remains on the team) Marcus Fizer. Unless one of the rookies is an instant star, look for the Bulls to improve from last year by only a few games. Also look for Elton Brand to make the East All-Star team.

No comment on the Cavaliers. Well, Andre Miller is good. No further comment.

Dallas is on the rise. Howard Eisley should fight and win the starting point guard job from Steve Nash. Rookie Etan Thomas will help on the boards, and rookie Courtney Alexander will come off the bench to pour in points. Dirk Nowitzki will only get better. We like his work ethic. This is the year that even the casual NBA fan thinks about Michael Finley on a daily basis. Also, note that InsideHoops is probably the only major NBA site to not interview Mark Cuban. We will, eventually, but it's fun being different.

The Nuggets are happy that Raef LaFrenz is healthy again.

The Pistons? No comment.

Golden State? Watch Larry Hughes and Antawn Jamison put a hurting on defenses league-wide. Not sure their supporting cast can handle their job, however.

Rockets fans can get ready for Steve Franchise (Francis) to get even better. Great future (or present) backcourt with Shandon Anderson and Cuttino Mobley.

Jalen Rose, switching to play the point for Indiana? Probably, now that Jackson is gone. That would allow Austin Croshere to earn his fat new paycheck and play fulltime minutes at the small forward spot. Look for Jon Bender and Al Harrington to actually get on the floor once in a while. Assuming either one of those guys is the real deal, Indiana's done a fantastic job making sure they stay atop the East conference for years to come.

Romper Room, err, the Clippers, should

be lots of fun to watch. If InsideHoops was coaching this team, here's what our playbook would look like: (1) Get defensive rebound, immediately throw outlet pass for fast break. (2) When inbounding ball, immediately run fast break, even if inbounding from underneath the basket we're shooting at. If necessary, all five players on court must run to halfcourt, in best effort to create fast break. (3) When in doubt, run fast. (4) Full court press, all game long. (5) Run fast break even during halftime show, as well as during post game interviews. Etc.

The Lakers will be fine once they figure out their forwards.

No one will be scoring on the Miami Heat this year. "Blowout" Heat victories will feature scores like: 37 to 33.

Kevin Garnett.

Look for the Bucks to rebound the ball better this year, perhaps defend better, and therefore win more games.

This year's Nets can't be any more disappointing than last year's. Kittles is hurting, but Kenyon Martin will help forget Jayson Williams a little (Jayson's a lot funnier than Kenyon, however).

At the time of this writing, the Knicks are trying to deal Ewing and Dudley for Glen Rice and Vin Baker. Assuming Rice is still Rice (the one before he became a Laker), and Baker truly is in the best shape he's been in years (as all reports claim), this New York team would be loaded with talent. Mismatched talent, but now the Knicks would finally have some impressive trade ammo to straighten this mess out.

The Magic feature Darrell Armstrong, Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill, sure, but is the supporting cast (Bo Outlaw, John Amaechi, Dee Brown, Mike Doleac, Pat Garrity, and Andrew DeClercq) good enough to bring them into the 2nd, or even 3rd round of the playoffs? We're thinking they're out in round 2.

No real 76ers changes, other than the addition of Speedy Claxton at the point, and Iverson being even unhappier.

Kidd and Penny know each other's game now and with the help of Uncle Cliff, Tom Googliotta, and the emerging Shawn Marion, will lay a beating on the league.

Losing Brian Grant for a fat, unmotivated Shawn Kemp isn't good for the Blazers. But if being traded to a loaded team with a legitimate shot to win the NBA championship results in Kemp working out like crazy, slimming down, and focusing on winning, the league should absolutely tremble at the thought of dealing with this team.

The Kings made a few nice changes. We feel Bobby Jackson is a fantastic addition, and will challenge Jason Williams for minutes. Sound crazy? Watch. Corliss is gone, opening up the small forward spot for Predrag Stojakovic (even if you can't pronounce his name, he's still pretty good). Doug Christie should take most shooting guard minutes away from Nick Anderson.

The Spurs replace Mario Elie with Derek Anderson, a nice upgrade offensively. Hopefully Anderson's defense matches what Elie gave the team.  Very few other changes.

Will Desmond Mason immediately taking Brent Barry's starting shooting guard spot? It wouldn't surprise anyone. Look for Rashard Lewis to emerge. Shammond Williams is a fantastic point guard, lost on the bench behind the great Gary Payton. He's also got a cool afro. 

The Raptors lost Doug Christie (no one minds) and Tracy McGrady (everyone minds) and gained Corliss Williamson and Mark Jackson. This team should go out in round 1 of the playoffs. Things are looking down in Toronto, not up.

The Jazz lost Jeff Hornacek (to retirement) and backup point guard Howard Eisley. John Starks will replace Hornacek, Jacque Vaughn will be the main man behind John Stockton, and the team welcomes newcomers Danny Manning and Donyell Marshall to back up the forward positions. Utah should be slightly stronger this year than last.

Stromile Swift joins the Grizzlies, who should win a few more games this year.

The Wizards? No comment.

West Championship Contenders: Blazers, Lakers.
Long Shots: Spurs, Suns

East Championship Contenders: Heat, Pacers
Long Shots: Knicks

InsideHoops.com
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8/22/2000

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