By Sam Amico

Teams listed in predicted finish
(r - denotes rookie)
 

NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE

MIDWEST DIVISION

San Antonio Spurs
   Last year: 53-29, second
   Coach: Gregg Popovich (fifth year)
   Top veterans: Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Sean Elliott, Avery Johnson
   New faces: Derek Anderson, Danny Ferry, Chris Carrawell-r, Raja Bell-r
   Comment: The Spurs landed the best free agent in the market -- and all 
they did was re-sign their own guy. That would be Duncan. He's not only a 
legitimate league MVP candidate, but one of the few examples that, yes, good 
guys still exist in the NBA.
   Anderson was rescued after a year of suffering from Clipperitus, and his 
athleticism is exactly what the team needs. Robinson should be even more 
effective now that he has a functional backup in Danny Ferry, and Avery 
Johnson and Terry Porter are still capable point men.
   All the Spurs need to do now is play with the same agressiveness they 
used to win the 1999 championship.

Utah Jazz
   Last year: 55-27, first
   Coach: Jerry Sloan (13th year with Jazz, 15th overall)
   Top veterans: Karl Malone, John Stockton, Bryon Russell, Olden Polynice, 
     Greg Ostertag
   New faces: John Starks, Danny Manning, DeShawn Stevenson-r, Donyell 
Marshall, David Benoit, John Crotty
   Comment: Of the expected starters, only Russell is younger than 35 -- and 
he'll be 30 in December.
   Malone (37), Stockton (38), Starks (35) and Polynice (35) seem better fit 
to push each other around in wheelchairs than push the ball up the court.
   But the Jazz believes age is just a number and that experience -- and 
lots of it -- means success. Not only that, but what choice does the team 
really have? Anyway, the truth is these old goats can still get the job 
done. It won't be the quickest team in the league but it will pick and roll 
its way to another 50-plus win season.
   Starks will help ease the loss of Jeff Hornacek (retirement), and Manning 
will be valuable off the bench -- assuming he can stay healthy.   It will 
all make for a nice run at the division title and ... well,
another second-round playoff departure.

Minnesota Timberwolves
   Last year: 50-32, third
   Coach: Flip Saunders (sixth year)
   Top veterans: Kevin Garnett, Joe Smith, Terrell Brandon, Wally 
Szczerbiak, Joe Smith
   New faces: Chauncey Billups, Igor Rakocevic-r
   Comment: Last year's most glaring weakness was at shooting guard. The 
Timberwolves appear to have addressed that by acquiring Billups -- assuming 
he can avoid injuries.
   If not, the Wolves still have Garnett, Smith and Brandon, who should be 
enough for another 50-win season. Then again, those three alone won't be 
sufficient to advance further than the first round of the
playoffs. That is why players like Szczerbiak, Anthony Peeler, and William 
Avery must show marked improvement. Last year, none of those three seemed to 
have a grasp of the offense.
   Basically, Minnesota fans just need to be patient.

Dallas Mavericks
   Last year: 40-42, fourth
   Coach: Don Nelson (fourth year with Mavericks, 23rd overall)
   Top veterans: Michael Finley, Gary Trent, Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Bradley, 
Steve Nash
   New faces: Christian Laettner, Terry Mills, Etan Thomas-r, Bill Curley, 
Courtney Alexander-r, Howard Eisley, Eduardo Najera-r
   Comment: One of the league's most improved teams. Finley is on his way to 
becoming true star, and the Mavericks made some great off-season changes. 
Throw in an experienced, knowledge coach in Don Nelson ... and a playoff 
berth isn't an unreasonable expectation.
   The only problem will be trying to find minutes for the power forwards. 
Trent, Laettner and Mills all play the position well, and Thomas is expected 
to add to that overload. But balancing egos hasn't been difficult for Nelson 
in the past (at least, not in Dallas).
   If Nash displays the leadership abilities the team hoped for when it 
signed him to a $33-million contract two years ago ... then the Mavs could 
pass the Timberwolves. If not, they'll still be good enough
to be a scary opponent by season's end.

Houston Rockets
   Last year: 34-48, sixth
   Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich (10th year)
   Top veterans: Steve Francis, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kelvin Cato, Shandon 
Anderson
   New faces: Maurice Taylor, Jason Collier-r, Dan Langhi-r
   Comment: Clyde Drexler has already resigned as University of Houston 
coach, and the Rockets still haven't been able to replace him at shooting 
guard. But they do have a keeper in Francis, and Olajuwon is
still explosive, even at 37.
   Taylor was an outstanding off-season acquisition who might just be the 
team's second-best player.
   Then again, that's not necessarily good news. The bottom line is the 
Rockets are lacking depth -- especially in the backcourt.
   Cato will continue to write children's books ... but those will be the 
only fairy tales to come out of Houston for quite some time.

Denver Nuggets
   Last year: 35-47, fifth
   Coach: Dan Issel (fifth year)
   Top veterans: Nick Van Exel, Antonio McDyess, Tariq Abdul-Wahad, James 
     Posey
   New faces: Mark Strickland, Tracy Murray, Mamadou N'diaye-r, Dan 
    McClintock-r
   Comment: As usual, it's mass chaos in Denver. The Nuggets won't be worse, 
they just won't be much better. McDyess and Van Exel are two of the league's 
most exciting players, but fancy passes and high-flying dunks don't carry a 
team very far.
   The team didn't actually help itself in the draft or free-agent market, 
and when you win 35 games ... well, standing pat isn't exactly a good idea. 
Other than Van Exel, there are no real shooters on this team. And no matter 
where you look it's hard to find a center.
   Dan Issel has proven himself as a motivator, but only when there's been 
something to work with.
   Posey and Abdul-Wahad are two guys in need of more training if they want 
to become viable starters.
   Look for the Nuggets to win 35 games again -- then do some serious 
house-cleaning when the season ends.

Vancouver Grizzlies
   Last year: 22-60, seventh
   Coach: Sidney Lowe (first year with Grizzlies, third overall)
   Top veterans: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Mike Bibby, Bryant Reeves, Othella 
Harrington
   New faces: Stromile Swift-r, Isaac Austin, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Tony 
Massenburg
   Comment: Trading for last year's biggest disappointment (Austin) isn't 
all that impressive. Drafting Smith was, but will it be enough to get out 
the Grizzlies of the Midwest cellar?
   Probably not, as they have but one guy who plays well with any sort of 
consistency -- Abdur-Rahim.
   Reeves, Harrington, and Michael Dickerson haven't shown an ability to 
produce more than one night a week, and Bibby is still a project at the 
point.
   Abdul-Rauf is attempting a comeback after years of success in Denver in 
the early 1990s. Grizzlies fans will be following his progress more closely 
than that of the team -- and with good reason. Until Vancouver gets a bench 
it'll be more of the same. That's bad news for Sidney Lowe, who is the 
team's third coach in less than two seasons.

PACIFIC DIVISION

Los Angeles Lakers
   Last year: 67-15, first (won NBA title)
   Coach: Phil Jackson (second year with Lakers, 11th overall)
   Top veterans: Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Robert Horry, Ron Harper
   New faces: Isaiah Rider, Horace Grant, Greg Foster, Mark Madsen-r, Corey 
Hightower-r, Chuck Person
   Comment: On paper, this isn't a team that looks primed for a run at the 
title. Of course, that's what everyone said before last season.
   Phil Jackson proved he knows how to put a talented team over the top -- 
but nobody would be saying how great Jackson was if he coached, say, 
Atlanta. But he's in Los Angeles and the components are there for a 
championship. That means you have to like the Lakers' chances.
   Still, repeating will a bigger challenge than Jackson has ever faced, 
especially since this may be the NBA's toughest division in 20 years. One 
thing the Lakers do have: experience. In other words, O'Neal
and Bryant aren't just kids anymore -- they're proven winners.
    Rider is this team's Dennis Rodman, a head case who needs to get in 
touch with his higher self. He's exactly the kind of player Jackson loves to 
shape into a decent citizen and then take credit for.
   But winning a title isn't nearly as difficult as defending one. That's 
why the Lakers are more likely to fall apart in the playoffs than repeat.

Portland Trail Blazers
   Last year: 59-23, second
   Coach: Mike Dunleavy (fourth year with Blazers, 10th overall)
   Top veterans: Scottie Pippen, Steve Smith, Rasheed Wallace, Damon 
Stoudamire, Arvydas Sabonis
   New faces: Shawn Kemp, Dale Davis, Erick Barkley-r
   Comment: Mike Dunleavy has a huge task. He has to keep so many players 
happy with only 48 minutes in a game.
   But that's a better outlook than what would've happened had pouter Brian 
Grant returned. Instead, the Trail Blazers unloaded Grant and replaced him 
with Kemp and Davis. Sounds like a pretty good
arrangement. Not only that, but Pippen is 35 and he wants to prove two 
things: A) that he can reach the Finals without Michael Jordan; and B) that 
he can beat old pals Phil Jackson, Horace Grant and Ron Harper along the 
way.
   And let there be no doubt, Pippen performs best when he has a 
me-against-the-world mentality.
   Thrown in the fact that Portland got him plenty of help ... and a title 
could be in the forecast.

Seattle SuperSonics
   Last year: 45-37, fourth
   Coach: Paul Westphal (third year with Sonics, seventh overall)
   Top veterans: Gary Payton, Vin Baker, Brent Barry, Rashard Lewis
   New faces: Patrick Ewing, Desmond Mason-r
   Comment: After enduring the likes of Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston, 
Ewing will finally see the ball again. And Payton will finally have a target 
other than Baker.
   Ewing may not be as effective as he used to be, but he will take a lot of 
pressure off everyone else just by standing there. His mere presence will 
make everyone else play better and when that happens ...
watch out. All the Sonics need is some consistency from Barry and Lewis. A 
little more help off the bench wouldn't hurt either.
   Again, the Sonics will peak at the end of the year. Only this time, 
people will notice.

Phoenix Suns
   Last year: 53-29, third
   Coach: Scott Skiles (second year)
   Top veterans: Jason Kidd, Anfernee Hardaway, Clifford Robinson, Tom 
Gugliotta
   New faces: Chris Dudley, Justin Love-r, Iakovos Tsakaldis-r
Comment: The Suns could finish as high as second in most divisions, and 
probably win the Central.
   But there's just too much talent around them, and something has to give.
   If it weren't for Payton, Kidd would be the best point guard in the 
league. The lone problem remains the frontcourt, where everyone is either 
old (Robinson) or battered (Gugliotta). This is also a team that has a bunch 
of players who are equal in talent. That may sound like a plus, but it can 
create headaches for a young coach such as Scott Skiles. Especially if 
people like Shawn Marion and Rodney Rogers expect
more playing time.
   The best news for the Suns is that Hardaway likes the city and believes 
in the organization. Now, he'll need to be even better if the team hopes to 
accomplish more than last season.

Sacramento Kings
   Last year: 44-38, fifth
   Coach: Rick Adelman (third year with Kings, 10th overall)
   Top veterans: Chris Webber, Jason Williams, Vlade Divac, Nick Anderson, 
Predrag Stojakovic
   New faces: Bobby Jackson, Jabari Smith-r, Hidayet Turkoglu-r
   Comment: Ever get the feeling there are too many teams in the NBA? The 
Kings are yet another example of such, as this is a very good club that's 
going nowhere.
   That's not to say they won't win 44 games and make the playoffs. After 
all, Webber, Williams and Divac are back and have another year of experience 
together. Then again, how many playoff series has this
group actually won? The answer is none -- and Sacramento didn't do enough to 
keep up with the rest of the division in the off-season.
   The story won't change. The hard truth is the Kings are a good team in 
the wrong place at the wrong time. Basically, the best thing this franchise 
could do would be to plan a move to Pittsburgh and play in
the Central.

Los Angeles Clippers
   Last year: 15-67, seventh
   Coach: Alvin Gentry (first year with Clippers, fifth overall)
   Top veterans: Lamar Odom, Michael Olowokandi, Tyrone Nesby
   New faces: Darius Miles-r, Corey Maggette, Keyon Dooling-r, Quentin 
Richardson-r, Pete Chilcutt
   Comment: The Clippers won't be the worst team in the league any longer, 
as Alvin Gentry will have a calming effect on all the young faces.
   But you'll hardly notice that they've improved. That's because the 
Pacific is no place for an immature team to build confidence. Michael Jordan 
called Miles the best player in last year's draft, but MJ hasn't
shown much of an ability to judge talent.
   But even if Jordan is wrong, the Clippers should win 20 games. And hey, 
that's something.

Golden State Warriors
   Last year: 19-63, sixth
   Coach: Dave Cowens (first year with Warriors, fifth overall)
   Top veterans: Larry Hughes, Antawn Jamison, Mookie Blaylock, Chris Mills
   New faces: Bobby Sura, Danny Fortson, Vinny Del Negro, Adam Keefe, Chris 
Porter, Chris Mullin
   Comment: The Warriors were 2-22 against the rest of the division last 
season, and they'll be lucky to be that good this year.
   They did add a bunch of players in the off-season, but they're guys who 
nobody else really wanted.
   Besides Hughes and Jamison, there's no reason to watch this team. And 
ignoring them shouldn't be a problem, as the Warriors don't have one 
nationally-televised game. That could change if they make the
playoffs.
   Yeah, right.

Early October, 2000
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