08-09 Davkar Predictions Topic

zizzo24
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Houston Rockets – The Champs Kryptonite

SeasonW-LPlaceFinishSalary
2007-0842-402nd MidwestLost 1st Round$41.8 mil
2008-0927-555th MidwestNo Playoffs$33.4 mil
For the 1st time under their coach the Rockets made the playoffs and posted a winning season.This was their best season since 03-04.It was a short lived playoff stay though as they were bounced in the 1st round.Had they gotten a shot at San Antonio it might have been a different story since they were the only team in the regular season that seemed to have the champs number.Houston will not have familiar face PG Sam Cassell on the roster for the first time since the 95-96 season as he retired after a stellar 15 year career.The Rockets come into this season with one of the best players in the entire league – SG Brandon Roy.Since coming into the league via the ’06 draft he’s been the best player for the Rockets.This season he will be even better.The only other legit scoring option on the roster is PF Zach Randolph.Last season’s ’07 1st round pick C Joakim Noah will start and will be the best rebounder for the Rockets.The Rockets acquired PG Beno Udrih from the Clippers in the offseason.He will step into the starting role.SG Charlie Bell will be the final starter for the Rockets.This is mainly due to a injury plagued season from ’05 1st rounder SG Monta Ellis.The past two seasons he’s been a solid performer for the Rockets and will be sorely missed.SF Marvin Williams should have his best season in his 4th year.PG George Hill comes to Houston via the 1st round in the ’08 draft.He’ll see some time off the bench.4 year veteran SG Maurice Evans will play the role of 6th man.Veteran PG Anthony Johnson & C DeSagana Diop will grab the remaining minutes off the bench.If the Rockets had a healthy Ellis it might be a different story for them this season.Unfortunately there’s not much talent on the roster after the budding star Roy and big man Zach Randolph.It looks like the lottery is a certainty for the Rockets and that might be exactly what they need to make a strong run at a playoff spot next season.



New Orleans Jazz – Singing a Different Tune?

SeasonW-LPlaceFinishSalary
2007-0812-706th MidwestMissed Playoffs$31.6 mil
2008-0923-596th MidwestNo Playoffs$40.3 mil
The Jazz are currently in the worst stretch in their franchise history.They have missed the playoffs for the past 7 seasons.They haven’t had a winning record since 02-03.They have finished in the 5th or 6th place in each of the last 5 seasons.The one thing the Jazz excelled at was not sending the opposition to the line as they averaged a mere 15.3 fouls per game.Another thing that was a great help to the Jazz came via the lottery as they landed the #1 overall pick and took Stanford C Brook Lopez.He will start immediately and combine with ’06 lottery pick PF Andrea Bargnani giving the Jazz one of the better young frontcourts in the league – although Bargnani will play the role of 6th man.Their best player is SG Andre Iguodala who does just about everything well.There’s no reason to think that this won’t be his best season.’07 lottery pick SF Wilson Chandler will start for the first time in his young career.Rebounding specialist PF Udonis Haslem will also start in his 3rd season with the Rockets.The PG will be Rafer “Skip 2 My Lou” Alston.PF Travis Outlaw moves from a starting role to an important bench role that will take advantage of his offensive game.2nd year PG Jose Juan Barea & SF Joey Graham will fill out the remainder of the minutes.The Jazz brought in a trio of rookies this season as well in PG Jerryd Bayless, SF Donte Greene, & SG Marco Belinelli.None of them will see much time this season but the front office hopes that one or all of them will found a role down the road.The Jazz are going to be outmanned against the majority of the league.They should be able to pick up a few more wins this season with Lopez, Bargnani, & Iguodala but it’s very doubtful they’ll be able to keep pace with the playoff teams even in a weaker division.Another lottery pick is on the way and if they can land the right guy they’re going to be very difficult to deal with in the future.
4/8/2010 11:50 AM
zizzo24
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PACIFIC DIVISION

Los Angeles Lakers – The Great Western Dynasty

SeasonW-LPlaceFinishSalary
2007-0855-271st PacificLost Conf. Final$41.4 mil
2008-0961-211st Pacific2nd Round$42.1 mil
The Lakers are one of the greatest teams, if not the greatest team, in Davkar league history.Most recently they have won back-to-back Pacific division titles giving them 11 overall in their franchise history (the most in league history).Last season they made it to their 10th conference final (tied for most in league history) however; they lost to eventual champ San Antonio, after winning it all the previous season.They were the first franchise to reach 1,000 overall wins in the same location.They also added another member to the hall of fame as former Lakers C Alonzo Mourning was inducted this past offseason.Now another future hall of famer PG Jason Kidd who led the league in assists (12.9 APG) last season will look to continue the dominance for LA.He’s been named 1st team all-defense for 9 of the past 10 seasons, in addition, no active player has logged more minutes on the floor in his career, dished out more assists, or produced more steals than the 9 time All-Star.His backcourt mate SG Rip Hamilton led the league in 3 point shooting percentage hitting an astounding 53.5% of his attempts.C Al Jefferson was named to the 2nd team All-NBA team and was named to his 1st all-star team.He’ll continue to develop his game and should be even better this season.PF Chris Bosh creates a formidable duo with Jefferson in the frontcourt giving the Lake show a pair of All-Star bigs that can compete with anyone in the league.Rounding out the starting five is former 6 time all-star SF Grant Hill.While he’s never been the same since an injury after the 99-00 season he’s still a solid starter.PF Ronny Turiaf will be the first guy off the bench and should rack up a bunch of blocked shots.Little used 2nd year man G C.J. Watson will see an expanded bench role this season.SF Luke Walton & F Chuck Hayes will also see time off the bench. The Lakers traded up to select C Marcin Gortat who will provide depth and should shoot a very high percentage in limited minutes.The Lakers have an excellent opportunity to continue to expand on their legacy this season.While they might not have the most talent in the conference they have a great coach that has always gotten the most out of the talent on the floor.Another long playoff run might be coming to LA.



Oklahoma City Thunder – Ready to Rumble

SeasonW-LPlaceFinishSalary
2007-0852-303rd PacificLost 2nd Round$52.8 mil
2008-0956-262nd PacificConf. Finals$50.1 mil
Since moving to Oklahoma City in the 03-04 season they have made playoffs every season.The problem for this franchise is when they get to the playoffs where they’ve lost in 2nd round in each of the last 4 seasons – which is a league record.They have finished 2nd or 3rd in the pacific in every season during this span.Last season they had the highest payroll in the league and they will again have the highest payroll.The question is can they find the right mix of their loaded roster while keeping all their superstars happy.Their best player this season might be PF Antawn Jamison who was named 2nd team All-NBA making his 2nd all-star team.He’ll threaten 20 and 10 a night.SG Vince Carter has been their most consistent player for years now.He was named 3rd team All-NBA en route to his 8th all-star nod.Another dynamic scorer is SF Carmelo Anthony who made his 2nd all-star game last season.Andre Miller, who surprisingly has never been named an all-star despite being one of the more steady players in the league, will run the point again for the Thunder.The Vanilla Gorilla C Joel Przybilla will start this season bringing solid defense and rebounding.Swingman John Salmons will play the role of 6th man, a role the veteran should excel at.Young C Andrew Bynum will play a key role off the bench.The remainder of the bench could be starters on many teams with the likes of PG Sebastian Telfair, PF Drew Gooden, and PF Nick Collison.Could this team finally break through and win the title?It seems they have everything in place for a long playoff run and they could make it easier on themselves if they can win the Pacific division for the first time since the 95-96 season when they were in Seattle.Even if can’t they will be a handful come playoff time for any opponent.
4/8/2010 11:51 AM
zizzo24
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Denver Nuggets – Still Looking to Strike Gold

SeasonW-LPlaceFinishSalary
2007-0854-282nd PacificLost 2nd Round$39.1 mil
2008-0947-353rd Pacific2nd Round$39.0 mil
After having a down year in 06-07 where the Nuggets only won 29 games after making it the 7th game of the finals in the 05-06 season the Nugs were back to their winning ways in 07-08 posting 54 wins and making it back to the playoffs.Unfortunately they couldn’t strike gold and bowed out in the 2nd round.This season the Nuggets will make another run at what they’ve been seeking for 20 seasons.It all starts with the point guard and leader of this team Chauncey Billups.No player was more accurate from the charity stripe than two time all-star (94.8%).He was also deadly accurate from beyond the arc hitting 195 3’s at a 47% clip.4 time former all-star PF Lamar Odom was named 3rd team All-NBA last season.He’ll have to get used to a new role this season as he’ll play the role of 6th man.1st time All-Star SF Richard Jefferson gives the Nuggets a very formidable trio of players with Billups & Odom.Jefferson is the best offensive player of the three.The best defensive player on the roster is PF Troy Murphy who is more than capable of averaging a double-double.C Anderson Varejao is going to start this season – his 2nd in Denver after coming over from Boston.SG Kelenna Azubuike is another newcomer to the starting lineup rounding out the starting five.SG Kevin Martin will score in bunches in limited minutes off the bench.Three point specialist SG Eddie House will see some time off the bench as will ’08 1st round pick PF Marreese Speights who will help provide depth this season.The Nuggets have a very solid core of starters and some quality depth coming off the bench.They will be able to easily make a playoff spot.The bigger question becomes how far can get in the playoffs.It’s going to be tough considering they don’t have a true superstar on the roster but if they can get the talent they do have to play together anything is possible.



San Diego Clippers – It’s the Kobe Show

SeasonW-LPlaceFinishSalary
2007-0834-484th PacificMissed Playoffs$38.9 mil
2008-0936-464th PacificNo Playoffs$38.0 mil
The Clippers are coming off a season where they made a slight improvement finishing 4th in the Pacific division after having finished in last place the previous 3 seasons.They now have missed the playoffs for past 4 seasons tying their longest drought in franchise history.Now can the Clippers take another step back towards the playoffs?No one scored more points in the league than SG Kobe Bryant (29.2 PPG) and he has led the league in scoring the past 2 seasons.He was also named 1st team All-Defense and was selected to his 9th All-Star game.He has young gun PG Deron Williams helping to get him the ball.Williams has continued to blossom into one of the best backcourt players in the league and was named to his 1st all-star game last season.The Clips added F Jeff Green with their ’07 lottery pick who is coming off a decent rookie season.This season he’ll be counted on to be much more productive.Veteran SF Bobby Simmons will start this season after spending last season regaining his playing form.The Clippers added a true big man in this past draft C Greg Oden who comes in as one of the most highly rated prospects in some time.His defensive game is NBA ready but he’ll need to develop on the offensive end to become something special.PG Luke Ridnour, a guy that would start for many teams, will come in off the bench this season.F Andray Blatche who came over in an offseason trade, 2nd round ’08 selection SG Nicolas Batum, 3rd round ’08 selection C Joel Anthony, free agent pickup PF Sean Marks, and veterans SF Jared Jeffries & C Brian Skinner will represent the Clippers bench.The good news for the Clippers is they have an established superstar in Kobe and Deron Williams is on the verge of stardom.The problem from them this season is it’s probably going to take Oden and Green at least another year to really develop into solid NBA players.The bad news is they don’t have much after those four guys and they play in the extremely difficult Pacific division.They might be able to challenge for the final playoff spot this season but it’s more likely they’ll end up in the lottery again.
4/8/2010 11:51 AM
zizzo24
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Portland Trail Blazers – Blazin’ Back to the Playoffs?

SeasonW-LPlaceFinishSalary
2007-0834-485th PacificMissed Playoffs$35.6 mil
2008-0930-525th PacificNo Playoffs$42.7 mil
The Blazers are coming off a rough season.They missed the playoffs for first time since 01-02 season finishing 5th place in pacific – their worst since finishing last in 01-02.Their 34 wins last season was the fewest since 98-99 season.The good news is they drafted C Al Horford who the Blazers traded up to get last season and he paid immediate dividends becoming the first Blazer to be named rookie of the year while averaging a double-double.This season the Blazers hope SG Eric Gordon, their 1st round lottery pick this season, will produce similar results down the road.’07 1st round pick C Spencer Hawes will step into the starting lineup this season.Former all-star, 10 year veteran SF Ron Artest will again start for the Blazers and he’ll bring some solid defense and a good bit of scoring night in and night out.SG Louis Williams will start again this season and he’ll look to build upon a nice sophomore campaign.Steve Blake will start for the 4th consecutive season at the point.Fellow PG Jarrett Jack will back him up as the first guy off the bench.2nd year player SF Dominic McGuire will play a vital role off the bench logging plenty of minutes because of his solid defense.12 year veteran C Erick Dampier will now come in off the bench.PF Reggie Evans & G Flip Murray will also play off the bench as they have for the past handful of seasons.PF Glen “Big Baby” Davis rounds out the 12 man roster.The Blazers don’t have much of a shot at improving their record this season as they don’t really have a go-to-guy and their younger players aren’t quite developed.The lottery is likely calling for Portland but they’ll be able to add another talented young player and that might be enough to get them back into the playoff hunt.



Phoenix Suns – New Ownership…New Location

SeasonW-LPlaceFinishSalary
2007-0832-506th PacificMissed Playoffs$37.3 mil
2008-0925-576th PacificNo Playoffs$39.6 mil
There’s not much to say about the Warriors other than they are no more.They missed playoffs for 5th consecutive season, finished in last place for the first time since 00-01, and were the only franchise to never win a division title.To reference how difficult the pacific division has been throughout the years the Warriors have not finished in the top half of the division in 15 seasons 92-93 despite winning 40 or more games on 5 separate occasions.The best thing that happened to this franchise was that they moved to become the new Phoenix Suns.They do have some nice pieces to build around.Last season’s lottery pick SF Jamario Moon had a nice rookie campaign being named to the All-Rookie team.The Suns used their ’08 lottery pick on PF Jason Thompson who will step into the starting lineup.They also have holdovers 3 time all-star C Pau Gasol who should be able to approach 20 and 10 a game; former all-star PG Mike Bibby who is a capable leader; and 3 time former all-star PF Rasheed Wallace who plays with a passion that is seldom seen on the court.SG Jason Kapono is a pure 3 point shooter that will start this season.’05 1st rounder PF Ryan Gomes will start for the 1st time in his career.’06 1st rounder G Randy Foye, ’06 pick 2nd rounder PG Daniel Gibson, veteran C Mikki Moore, and former 2 time all-star & 14 year vet PF Juwan Howard will make up the bench for the Suns this season.Changes have certainly been made with Gasol & Moon coming off the bench and Kapono, Thompson, & Gomes stepping into the starting lineup.The question is will the changes make a difference in the win/loss column.If all goes right the Suns could compete for that elusive playoff spot, if not, they’ll be in the lottery where they have been so many times before.Regardless you have to respect the new ownership for trying something new with much of the same talent that hasn’t gotten it done in the past.
4/8/2010 11:51 AM
cjok1051
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very nice
4/9/2010 8:37 AM
katernberg
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WOW!!!
4/9/2010 3:08 PM
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08-09 Davkar Predictions Topic
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