Motor City Basketball: Restoring the Pistons' Glory

[Myles Nelson]

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2011-2012 NBA Season Preview

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Last season we saw Carmelo's Nuggets stun the powerhouse Nets, led by LeBron James and Chris Bosh, in a 5 game series. Both teams went through their ups and downs, and fought their share of demons (the NJ/NY series was overhyped but still a battle, and Denver had to fight back the Hornets, Mavericks, and Spurs the whole way). In the offseason, the Kings and the Pistons improved themselves the most, and some big names switched teams. Let's take a look at the upcoming season.

[SIZE="3"]Western Conference[/SIZE]
1. Sacramento Kings (30-52, Paul Westphal)
Key Players: Tyreke Evans, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol
Newcomers: Randolph, Gasol, Jared Sullinger
Keys to Success: Figuring out their frontcourt, which includes Randolph, Gasol, Sullinger, Carl Landry, and Jason Thompson, will be the big challenge for the Kings. If they can somehow harness all this talent, they will go far.

2. Los Angeles Lakers (50-32, Phil Jackson)
Key Players: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum
Newcomers: Tayshaun Prince
Keys to Success: This veteran heavy team has to find a way to score more efficiently. The scoring was spread around between Bryant, Gasol, Bynum, Odom and Artest, but sometimes they seemed too unsure as to who should take the shot. Prince brings some defense to the team, but beyond that their depth is weak.

3. New Orleans Hornets (60-22, Monty Williams)
Key Players: Chris Paul, Darren Collison, Carlos Boozer
Newcomers: Sam Young
Keys to Success: The most electric team in the league, who also have Emeka Okafor and the athletic Josh Childress, will depend on their young but godly backcourt for victories this year. They also have good depth, with possible starters in Spencer Hawes and Terrence Williams coming off the bench.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves (31-51, Kurt Rambis)
Key Players: Ricky Rubio, Al Jefferson, Rudy Gay
Newcomers: Kyrie Irving
Keys to Success: This team has the opposite problem that the Kings have. They have a loaded backcourt (and by loaded I mean deep, their 5th point guard is DJ Augustin, a possible starter), and their frontcourt of Gay, Cousins, Jefferson and Love isn't shabby either. Perhaps trading a PG for some wing talent would be smart.

5. Denver Nuggets (62-20, George Karl)
Key Players: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Nene
Newcomers: Mike Conley, Anthony Parker
Keys to Success: They just need to do the same thing they did last year: Run the offense through Carmelo, and have Billups and Nene get open looks. Parker will spread the court with his shooting and Conley is a lightning quick 6th man. This deep squad will challenge.

6. Golden State Warriors (42-40, Keith Smart)
Key Players: Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, Derrick Favors
Newcomers: Enes Kanter
Keys to Success: The most offensive team in the league got better by getting post presence Kanter and resigning Williams and Morrow. Curry and Ellis are still the best backcourt in the league (yes, better than the Hornets) and with Anthony Randolph and Andris Biedrins coming off the bench with Morrow, the Warriors are now one of the deepest teams. Watch them run teams out of the building this year.

7. Houston Rockets (43-39, Rick Adelman)
Key Players: Yao Ming, Kevin Martin, Aaron Brooks
Newcomers: Mason Plumlee, Al Thornton
Keys to Success: This team will score a ton of points. With Ariza and Antawn Jamison also in the starting five, and with Brandon Rush, Thornton, Plumlee, and Frye on the bench, this team will score plenty and plenty of points. The question is, can they defend, and more importantly, can star player Yao Ming stay healthy?

8. Portland Trailblazers (46-36, Nate McMillan)
Key Players: Brandon Roy, Corey Maggette, LaMarcus Aldridge
Newcomers: T.J. Ford
Keys to Success: Andre Miller needs to make sure he spreads the wealth around offensively, and Camby needs to defend and protect the paint. The bench is really weak, so this starting 5 will have to carry the team.

9. Los Angeles Clippers (45-37, Vinny Del Negro)
Key Players: Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, Baron Davis
Newcomers: Kirk Hinrich, Grant Hill, Marcus Morris
Keys to Success: The Clippers have a very solid squad with no real scoring leader. As long as this team can stay consistent, they can win games. They will probably make the playoffs at the end of the day, because this team has very few weaknesses from 1-12.

10. Oklahoma City Thunder (44-38, Scott Brooks)
Key Players: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jamal Crawford
Newcomers: Crawford, Allen Iverson
Keys to Success: Durant can't score all the points himself, which is why getting Crawford was huge. Hopefully, Westbrook and Jeff Green continue to develop, but having Ibaka at center with no real post backups is a problem. They will need to run and run and run if they want to win games.

11. Dallas Mavericks (55-27, Rick Carlisle)
Key Players: Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry
Newcomers: Ben Wallace, Trey Tompkins
Keys to Success: The window is closing for this team, who sport many players on the wrong side of 30. The starters are offensive but have little defense, and the bench players are mostly defensive. This team may contend, but it's hard to tell.

12. Utah Jazz (33-49, Jerry Sloan)
Key Players: Deron Williams, Paul Millsap, Andrei Kirilenko
Newcomers: JJ Redick, Jeremy Tyler, Chris Duhon
Keys to Success: D-Will will do his best to carry this team, but with very little support he'll have a hard time doing that. He has Redick to stretch the D, and Millsap to get boards, but other than those two guys, his help is very limited.

13. San Antonio Spurs (59-23, Gregg Popovich)
Key Players: Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, JR Smith
Newcomers: Jordan Hamilton, Nazr Mohammed
Keys to Success: The problem with this team is that everyone is too old (Duncan, Mohammed), or not effective (everyone else except Manu). Manu is their team these days, as Smith and Hamilton are capable of scoring but will be inconsistent.

14. Phoenix Suns (21-61, Alvin Gentry)
Key Players: Steve Nash, Jason Richardson, Luis Scola
Newcomers: Terrence Jones
Keys to Success: Terrence Jones is this team's savior, or is supposed to be in any case. Nash is too old to be carrying a team anymore, but Phoenix doesn't have any suitable replacements at PG. Richardson and Scola will score, but no one else will.

15. Memphis Grizzlies
Key Players: OJ Mayo, Tyson Chandler
Newcomers: Chandler, Delonte West, Brandon Knight
Keys to Success: This team will not have any success. Mayo is the only player who can score on this squad, and Knight isn't polished enough to take West's spot as the starting PG. The Grizzlies are back to being completely mediocre again, and they might finish with the worst record overall.

Playoff Predictions
1. Kings over 8. Blazers
2. Lakers over 7. Rockets
6. Warriors over 3. Hornets
5. Nuggets over 4. Timberwolves

5. Nuggets over 1. Kings
2. Lakers over 6. Warriors

2. Lakers over 5. Nuggets

Western Conference MVP: Kevin Durant
Sixth Man: Kevin Love
Defensive Player: Marc Gasol
Rookie of the Year: Terrence Jones
Most Improved Team: Sacramento Kings
Coach of the Year: Keith Smart

[K.J.]

Detroit Pistons trade
Rodney Stuckey
Tyler Honeycutt
Jordan Crawford
2014 1st Rd Draft Pick

Philadelphia 76ers trade
Derrick Williams
Evan Turner
Andres Nocioni
2013 2nd Rd Draft Pick
2012 2nd Rd Draft Pick

Congratulations on trading for SF/PF Derrick Williams and SG/SF Evan Turner. With luck, you have the centerpieces of your franchise for the next 10 years.

I have just completed my second season. Turner is already as good as Carmelo Anthony. If he continues to develop, a big IF as many players fall far short of their potential despite ample playing time, good coaching, high work ethic and staying free from injuries, Derrick Williams may turn out to be even better than Turner.

[Myles Nelson]

Congratulations on trading for SF/PF Derrick Williams and SG/SF Evan Turner. With luck, you have the centerpieces of your franchise for the next 10 years.

I have just completed my second season. Turner is already as good as Carmelo Anthony. If he continues to develop, a big IF as many players fall far short of their potential despite ample playing time, good coaching, high work ethic and staying free from injuries, Derrick Williams may turn out to be even better than Turner.

As you'll see in my team preview which will come later today, my team is essentially centered around Turner and Oden, with Williams, Splitter, Gibson, Jerebko and Walker hopefully becoming good enough role players that I have a deep squad. Evan Turner averaged nearly 20 points per game on 49% shooting in his rookie season, I think I'm good haha

[K.J.]

As you'll see in my team preview which will come later today, my team is essentially centered around Turner and Oden, with Williams, Splitter, Gibson, Jerebko and Walker hopefully becoming good enough role players that I have a deep squad. Evan Turner averaged nearly 20 points per game on 49% shooting in his rookie season, I think I'm good haha

Williams has become a solid starting caliber player in my game, as I often force my most promising youngsters into the rotation during the regular season. Meanwhile, in his second season, Turner averaged 17.9 points per game on 50.8 per cent shooting and 41.1 per cent for three pointers.

Splitter often played better than players with similar attributes, probably due to his combination of high game intelligence and discipline.

Meanwhile, while a great offensive rebounder and defensive player, Oden is way too injury, and foul, prone for my liking. I never get a player who rates less than 6 regarding injuries.

I shall be following your dynasty with great interest.

[LightningStrike5]

I'm pretty sure it's yours.

Wow, messed up then... Irving falls to #3? Gezze...

[K.J.]

Wow, messed up then... Irving falls to #3? Gezze...

You may be interested to know that in my game using your draft file, even though Irving was the clearcut number one, Jones, Williams and Sudinger have joined him as potential franchise players due to the adjustment in attributes on 20 March 2012. Luckily, I had traded for Williams and Sudinger, besides drafting Irving and Jones.

[Myles Nelson]

Yeah, Lightning, your draft file isn't as weak (well, your original draft file that included people like Sullinger and Barnes) as the real life 2011 draft, so Irving isn't a clearcut #1

[LightningStrike5]

I know Jones/Sullinger/Williams all ended up franchise guys in the original file, but my game always picked either DM or Irving number one. Surprised to see him fall to #3.

[K.J.]

I know Jones/Sullinger/Williams all ended up franchise guys in the original file, but my game always picked either DM or Irving number one. Surprised to see him fall to #3.

I have just conducted several experiments. In my game, on two occasions, PF Herman was drafted ahead of PG Irving.

[Myles Nelson]

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2011-2012 NBA Season Preview, Pt. 2

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Now we'll be looking at the strong East, led by last year's Conference Champion New Jersey Nets. The East has some good teams, some young up and comers, and of course, a few abysmally bad teams.

[SIZE="3"]Eastern Conference[/SIZE]
1. New Jersey Nets (67-15, Avery Johnson)
Key Players: Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Brook Lopez
Newcomers: N/A
Keys to Success: The starting 5 is as beastly as it gets, but the bench leaves a lot to be desired. When Dalembert, CJ Watson, and Yi Jianlian are your main bench players, you are in trouble. Devin Harris is an okay floor general and Courtney Lee gets the job done, but this team will need some more outside shooting and some more help for the big two.

2. New York Knicks (50-32, Mike D'Antoni)
Key Players: Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, David Lee
Newcomers: Josh Howard, Mario Chalmers, Tristian Thompson
Keys to Success: The Lite Big Two have a better third option in David Lee, but with Danilo Gallinari and Xavier Henry as the two wingmen, they have very little in the way of defense overall, which suits D'Antoni just fine. Howard, Chalmers and Thompson will provide some more support off the bench, but it won't be enough to supplant New Jersey at the top.

3. Indiana Pacers (40-42, Jim O'Brien)
Key Players: Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert, Troy Murphy
Newcomers: David West, Jimmer Fredette
Keys to Success: They'll have to defend or outscore every team if they want to win a lot of games. Avery Bradley plays good defense, but his offense is lacking and he is a worse guard shooter than Rajon Rondo. When your starting SG is Jared Dudley, your team is in trouble.

4. Miami Heat (40-42, Erik Spoelstra)
Key Players: Dwyane Wade, Mike Miller, Michael Beasley
Newcomers: Shane Battier, Jan Vesley
Keys to Success: This is pushing it since D-Wade is out for the first two months of the season, but with Miller joined on the wing by defensive Battier, and with O'Neal inside followed by Haslem and the hyper-athletic Vesley, Wade has a good support cast that can win a few games in his absence.

5. Chicago Bulls (46-36, Tom Thibodeau)
Key Players: Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng
Newcomers: Lucas Noguiera, Marcus Thornton
Keys to Success: Rose is a one man show in Chicago, and although he will get scoring help from Deng, Thornton and Drew Gooden, he is the only player on this team that can make something happen. Their strong defense is anchored by stalwart Noah, but they'll have to upgrade pretty much everywhere except PG if they want to contend.

6. Milwaukee Bucks (38-44, Scott Skiles)
Key Players: Andrew Bogut, Brandon Jennings, John Salmons
Newcomers: Chris Singleton
Keys to Success: Bogut will have to step up as the true #1 for this team. Salmons and Jennings are capable at their positions, but this team lacks a #2 and the rest of the supporting cast is simply mediocre. If Jennings meets his potential as a scorer, this team has a chance, but until then they will languish.

7. Boston Celtics (39-43, Doc Rivers)
Key Players: Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett
Newcomers: Arron Afflalo
Keys to Success: If Boston wants to win more games, then a) they'll need Rondo to stay healthy and b) the Old 3 need to continue playing well. If they want to win for the future, they need to blow up the Old 3, fast. They are deteriorating and not getting any younger. Boston took a step in the right direction by getting Afflalo to play SG, as he is every bit as good as Allen is now, but plays better defense.

8. Detroit Pistons (21-61, Eddie Jordan)
Key Players: Evan Turner, Greg Oden, Kemba Walker
Newcomers: Turner, Walker, Derrick Williams, Tiago Splitter
Keys to Success: See our extensive look at the young and upstart Pistons on the next page.

9. Charlotte Bobcats (29-53, Larry Brown)
Key Players: Stephen Jackson, Raymond Felton, Gerald Wallace
Newcomers: Perry Jones
Keys to Success: Drafting Jones out of Baylor was an important step for this team as their frontcourt of Diaw and Tolliver is just abysmal. Jackson is still a good scorer, and Wallace and Felton always come to play, but is it really enough? Charlotte doesn't look any better than last year.

10. Orlando Magic (47-35, Stan Van Gundy)
Key Players: Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson
Newcomers: Thaddeus Young
Keys to Success: This is a misprint. Orlando should be up there at #3 but apparently they are all the way down here at 10. With reigning MVP Dwight Howard anchoring the paint, and Nelson, Carter, and Rashard Lewis around him ready to fire away, Orlando will be as good as ever. If they can just get a little more help for Dwight, such as a true #2, they'll be the most dominant team in the league.

11. Washington Wizards (33-49, Flip Saunders)
Key Players: John Wall, Gilbert Arenas, Andray Blatche
Newcomers: Amir Johnson, Dorell Wright, Darko Milicic, John Henson
Keys to Success: This is a team that essentially recreated itself over summer, and it still isn't very good. Henson was drafted to bolster the frontcourt, alongside Johnson, but the real danger here is in the explosive backcourt of Wall and Arenas. These two make up a backcourt that rivals Curry/Ellis or Paul/Collison. What a combination.

12. Philadelphia 76ers (23-59, Doug Collins)
Key Players: Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday, Elton Brand
Newcomers: Rodney Stuckey, Jordan Crawford
Keys to Success: If they want to win, then Brand has to get back to his Clipper ways of dominance. Iguodala is a good #2 but will never be a #1. With Stuckey and Crawford coming off the bench, the Sixers have some firepower in the backcourt, but in all honesty, this is a lottery bound team again.

13. Cleveland Cavaliers (39-43, Byron Scott)
Key Players: Al Horford, Mo Williams, Wilson Chandler
Newcomers: Horford, Chandler, Larry Hughes
Keys to Success: Aside from Horford and Williams, this team has no offensive weapons and no defense to speak of at all. Varejao tries hard every night but that's about it. Shaq signs with the only team that will have him and attempts to have another decent season. This team just isn't built to win at all.

14. Toronto Raptors (31-51, Jay Triano)
Key Players: Andrea Bargnani, Jarrett Jack, Ekpe Udoh
Newcomers: Jonas Valanciunas, Tobias Harris
Keys to Success: Unlike most of the other teams down at this end of the scale, Toronto has a somewhat bright future. With Udoh, Jonas, and Tobias they have a good strong core frontcourt, and Bargnani just adds to that. If they can get a better PG and some more talent, they'll have a chance. Just not this year, since Turkoglu is their center.

15. Atlanta Hawks (34-48, Larry Drew)
Key Players: Josh Smith, Tracy McGrady, Marvin Williams
Newcomers: McGrady, Harrison Barnes, Tyrus Thomas
Keys to Success: There aren't any. This team has no chance for success. Their best scorer is an athletic wing with no offensive skills, and their point guard, Mike Bibby, is old and declining. Their only hope of a future is Barnes and Josh Selby, but there is no one else in ATL who can provide any help. It's going to be a bleak year for the Hawks.

Playoff Predictions
1. Nets over 8. Celtics
2. Knicks over 7. Bucks
3. Magic over 6. Heat
5. Bulls over 4. Pacers

1. Nets over 5. Bulls
3. Magic over 2. Knicks

1. Nets over 3. Magic

Eastern Conference MVP: Dwight Howard
Sixth Man: David West
Defensive Player: Josh Smith
Rookie of the Year: Kemba Walker
Most Improved Team: Detroit Pistons
Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau