well put tarkan and tidus.

Tarkan, i agree with just about everything u said. But the thing that i disagree with u is when the cav's will make the playoffs. I think the cav's can infact make the playoffs next year. In the 2004-05 season Lebron James will have matured a bit and will know what it takes to be an NBA star considering how he is learning right now. This year, the cavs's will be a low seed again meaning that they will have a good spot in the nba draft. That will lead to getting one more good player that will possibly be the missing piece of the puzzle. And keep in mind the Cav's have a new coach: Paul Silis. Next year, the cav's will understand Paul Silis' plays and all that stuff coaches teach their players. And the Cav's ballhog player: Ricky Davis will know next year, that he will have to stop being a ball hog and pass the ball more. I think he just might be learning that now.

And also, if you look at the eastern conference, the playoffs are pretty much open to any. Their really isnt any team in the east where you can say their definitly going to make the playoffs besides the Nets,Pistons, and my team the Celtics. The sixers will probably make it. So will the Pacers,Magic, and hornets. now the 8th seed can be anybody's. the rest of the teams in the east pretty much suck so its open to any team including the cav's. the knicks might take that 8th spot. the raptors may take the 8th spot. maybe the bucks will somehow take it even though they have no superstar player. its open to the cav's this year but they will not take it.But like i said, next year the Cav's just might get their.

And Tidus, i agree with you aceept for the part about alvin williams. I think he sucks but then again i havent seen to many raptor games.

Hornets are going to move to the Western Conference next year, which I believe puts them at the 8th seed or below next year, and the Charlotte Bobcats are coming to the East this year, so CHarlotte will get the number one pick, even if Cleveland finishes last, every new franchise team always gets the number one pick.

Here is how I see the playoff seeding (not who will win the West/East or NBA finals, just where teams will be stacked at the end of the regular season):

West
---------
1. Lakers
2. Spurs
3. Kings
4. Wolves
5. Mavs
6. Houston
7. Phoenix
8. Portland

*Seatle and Portland are going to fight for the 8th seed.

East
------------
1. Nets
2. Pistons
3. Pacers
4. 76ers
5. Hornets
6. Boston
7. Orlando
8. Toronto(If Carter doesn't get injured, replace them with Washington if he does)


You know, I thought that the Knicks and Bulls would make it this year, the Bulls are going to get real close, at the second half of the season, they are going to put on a good record, I think it's the coaches that plague the team, no disrespect to Bill Cartwright (former Bull) and Don Cheany (former Knick). I am confident in what Gilbert Arenas said, that they will go to the playoffs this year, but it's going to be hard on them, it's easy in the east, but the east is stacked with so many potential 8th seeds, that it's hard to come up with who will finish last in the eastern playoff spot. Other than that, this list (of the east) is similar to the eastern conference playoffs of last season.



Edited By TarkanX on Nov. 08 2003 at 02:58

here's mine:

WEST
------
1.Lakers
2.Mavericks
3.T'Wolves
4. Kings
5.Rockets (they look much better this year)
6. Spurs( so many changes have happened, they look weak)
7. Suns
8. Blazers
*if the blazers dont make it, the spot is open to either the sonics or jazz

EAST
-------

1. Nets
2. Pistons
3. Celtics(much improved,even without walker)
4. Pacers
5. 76ers
6.Hornets
7. Magic(they may be in jeopardy of not even makin it)
8. Knicks ( once mcdyess is back, they'll be on track)

*Raptors,Magic, and Knicks will be fighting for that 7th and 8th spot.

Damn if Vince stays healthy their is no telling how far the raptors can go. I mean vince has been at the top of his game lately, he's taking good shots passing the ball around and is playing consistently all around. I think the raptors were at their best in 2001-2002 season. They made it to the playoffs without Carter which said something about what kind of a team they are. I mean the weren't even in the playoffs they had 20 games left and people had already counted them out, but out of nowhere you see them winning 13 games in a row without a loss then 1 loss and back on the winning streak. If only they hadn't let Keon Clark go they would play just as great. And if Wilkens had stayed as the head coach.

even if they had keon clark still and lenny wilkens as coach they still would have the odds against them because ther teams in the east have improved.

what about them cavs? they still have a losing record :(

The Cavs are going to be like that for a few years. I'm smelling lottery. I will say it, the Heat and the Cavs will tie for the worst records in the league this season.

Lottery:

1. Bobcats
2. Cavs
3. Heat

Cavs line up
---------------
PG: James
SG: Bremer
SF: Davis
PF: Miles/Boozer/Diop
C: Ilgaskus/Mihm

The majority of those players are already proven players. They can't play D, and they don't have a set chemistry.

Heat line up
-------------
PG: Wade/Butler/Alston
SG: Jones
SF: Odom
PF: Haslem
C: Brain Grant

Braint Grant is out positioned, most of the point guards are street ballers, and they don't have much chemistry.


LeBron in 3 years will make the playoffs.

[quote:post_uid0="TarkanX"]PF: Miles[/quote]
=/ Miles at PF? theyd never put him at pf. he wouldnt even be good at pf in my opinion. sf is the best spot for him.

machine1... I have to disagree with your lineup for the west...
Although the T'wolves have become a better basketball team.. (after getting Sam Cassel :biggrin: ) I doubt if they'll have a better regular season record than the Kings... :biggrin:
I might even go as far as saying that those Kings might have a better record than the Lakers.. That's not saying they'll win the championship.. It's just that...well.. those guys have a nag for beating up lesster teams with huge points! :biggrin:

I really don't pay attention to the NBA. Rather watch college basketball. Its a lot more exiting. With NBA, it's less defense oriented and you just see point after point after point. The real exiting match-ups are the college ones.

[quote:post_uid0="blanka09"]machine1... I have to disagree with your lineup for the west...
Although the T'wolves have become a better basketball team.. (after getting Sam Cassel :biggrin: ) I doubt if they'll have a better regular season record than the Kings... :biggrin:[/quote]
keep in mind, the t'wolves didnt just get sam cassell....they also got latrell sprewell and michael olowalakandi. plus chris webber isnt going to return any time soon. just by lookin at that, i think i made a fair guess by putting t'wolves ahead of the kings.