NBA Midwest Division

(Note - to see the official InsideHoops predictions, check the site.)

Let's Play (Crystal) Ball!

When the following three things happen, you know for sure that Fall is upon us:

1. Leaves begin to fall from the trees (hence the name "Fall" for those that are slow learners)

2. NBA training camps open with each of the 29 teams promising their fans either victory (if they are playoff contenders) or "an exciting, uptempo game" (if they're not).

3. So-called NBA "experts" come out of the woodwork and start to make their predictions on who's hot and who will be tussling with the Clippers for the right to bulk-order ping pong balls in June.

Who am I to fight nature?

So as Shawn Kemp hastily stuffs down one more Twinkie bar before heading off to his first practice in a Blazers' uniform, I present for your amusement my fearless team-by-team predictions for the 2000-2001 NBA season.  Any resemblance to what
actually happens during the season is purely coincidental, but I reserve the right to say "I told ya so".

NBA Midwest Division

Dallas Mavericks
Big D will be exciting once more and Michael Finley will cement his place as an All-Star, but no Playoffs for Nellie.  The
Mavericks as the hot property in the league!  Who would've thunk it?  It just goes to show what a millionaire owner with deep
pockets and enthusiasm can do for you.  Dallas have gone from the laughing stock of the NBA to a team with Playoff
aspirations, thanks largely to owner Mark Cuban's willingness to shell out the folding stuff to acquire talent.  The Mavs now
have some legitimate players to compliment All-Star Michael Finley.  New faces include power forward Christian Laettner,
point guard Howard Eisley and rookies Etan Thomas and Courtney Alexander.  With Finley now surrounded with a decent
supporting cast, expect him to put in an All-NBA calibre season and Big D to be a happening place.  The bad news is that
Dallas remains in the oh-so-tough Western Conference and will struggle (probably in vain) for the seventh or eighth playoff
spot. Now if coach Don Nelson can convince Cuban to buy his way into the Eastern Conference...
Projected finish: Fourth in the Mid-West

Denver Nuggets
Dan Issell needs to find gold on the Nuggets' bench or he will be elsewhere by season's end.  Isselis on thin ice with the
Nuggets' new owners and needs to significantly improve on Denver's 35-47 1999-2000 finish to ensure that he will still be
coach next season.  Issel has a solid cornerstone upon which to build, in Dream Teamer Antonio McDyess, but failure to
acquire any talented free agents means that Denver's talent pool is pretty shallow.  Nick Van Exel is set at the point, Raef
La Frentz is developing into a solid power forward and Tracy Murray was a nice ddition, but otherwise the Nuggets are relying
upon untried rookies or journeymen.  If Issell can't coax a little extra out of his role players, he could find himself
booted upstairs by season's end.  Happy prospecting amongst this bunch, Dan!
Projected finish: Sixth in the Mid-West

Houston Rockets
The Rockets have bulked up inside but it won't be quite enough to crack the Playoffs in the West.  Last season saw Houston
struggle as centre Hakeem Olajuwon played barely half the Rockets' 82 games and Charles Barkley suffered career-ending leg
injury early on.  The Rockets, who had long relied on a post-up game around Olajuwon, were suddenly exposed as brittle on the
interior.  Houston addressed this problem by picking up three players 6-11 or better in the draft, including the promising
7-0 Jason Collier, and then signing disgruntled Clipper forward Maurice Taylor.  The upside to Olajuwon's injury was that it
firmly established that Houston is on the verge of becoming point guard Steve Francis'team. Francis was electric, as he
single-handedly brought excitement back to Clutch City.  Houston can now legitimately contend for a Playoff berth out West,
but until Francis overcomes his tendency to make costly errors (he averaged 4.0 turnovers a game), Houston will be on the
outside looking in.  Funny, that pretty much describes their offence.
Projected finish: Fifth in the Mid-West

Minnesota Timberwolves
The 'Wolves will howl if the NBA void Joe Smith's deal, but KG will power Minnesota back to the Playoffs.  With the
Timberwolves facing disciplinary action from the league which could include fines, loss of draft picks or even the voiding
Joe Smith's under-the-table contract (or all of the above), Minnesota's season suddenly has a decidedly bleak outlook.
However, with the signing of LaPhonso Ellis as a potential Smith replacement and Kevin Garnett back from national team
duties, the Twin Cities should once again book themselves a Playoff berth.  Garnett became a superstar last season and, after
spending two months on Team USA under the tutelage of one of the best teachers in the game in Larry Brown, should be even
better.
Projected finish: Third in theMid-West

San Antonio Spurs
The Twin Towers will be back and could crash the Blazers-Lakers party in the West.  Let's get one thing straight.  The team
which lost 3-1 to the Phoenix Suns in the Playoffs last season was not the San Antonio Spurs.  Sure, they wore Spurs'
jerseys, but the real Spurs' team was sitting on the bench in street clothes watching, in the form of the injured Tim Duncan.
Now don't get me wrong.  I believe that every team is bigger than just one player, but put Duncan back on the court, as San
Antonio will gladly be able to do this season, and you get a whole different ball game.  You also get the only team in the
Western Conference that have the size and skill to potentially upset the Blazers and the Lakers.  Whilst the loss of Mario
Ellie will certainly hurt the Spurs on the defensive end, the addition of Derek Anderson will provide them with even more
offensive firepower.  Look for the Spurs to take either the Blazers or the Lakers to the limit in the Western Conference
semifinals and don't be suprised if T-Dunc and co make a return to the Finals.
Projected finish: First in the Mid-West

Utah Jazz
Stockton and Malone suit up for one more shot at the title but will come up short...again.  OK, so that's not so much a
prediction as a summary of the last half a dozen years of Jazz history.  Utah always seem to be in the hunt but never have
quite enough gas in the tank to go all the way.  Sorry Jazz fans (both of you) but this year will be no different.  I'm not
going to make the mistake of telling you that Stockton and Malone are past their prime, nor will you read the oft-used words
"window of opportunity closing" here. What I will say is that while the Jazz did a great job of reloading after gunner
extraordinaire Jeff Hornacek retired, they reloaded with roundshot whilst the class of the West are packing Patriot missiles.
Donyell Marshall is an upgrade for their frontline and the addition of classy Danny Manning and super-sub John Starks should
help fill the void left by "Horny" (except at clutch time when John Starks tends to look like he wishes he was still bagging
groceries).  However the Lakers, Spurs and Blazers simply have too much for Utah so expect to see them knocked out in the
second round.  The good news is you can save this prediction and recycle it for use next season.
Projected finish: Second in the Mid-West

Vancouver Grizzlies
The Grizzlies will improve, but there's nowhere left to go but up anyhow.  Vancouver will continue to be the cellar-dwellers
of the Midwest Division this year but should still improve.  When winning 25 of 82 games represents an improvement, however,
it spells a long season for Grizzlies fans.  Rookie Stromile Swift should team well with returned Dream-Teamer Shareef
Abdur-Rahim to make the Grizzlies a tougher proposition this season.  Newly-acquired Isaac Austin should also help shore up
the Grizzlies' centre position.  It's not that the Grizzlies' incumbent starter at centre, Bryant Reeves, is a lousy player.
Reeves has a nice touch around the basket and a big NBA-style body.  However his tendency to show up to training camp, shall
we say, out of condition has contributed to his being somewhat injury-prone (he's never completed a full 82-game season in
his five seasons in the league).  Scorer Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf is looking to jump start his career after two years out of the
league and could also prove a useful addition to the Griz, just don't ask him to stand for the national anthem.
Projected finish: Last in the Mid-West
 
 
 

Oct, 2000
InsideHoops.com

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