The season is a bust if... vol find your team

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East

The Atlanta Hawks season would be a bust if… The Hawks fail to advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. Atlanta shocked the basketball world when itpushed the Boston Celtics to seven games in the first round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs. Last season, the Hawks outlasted the Miami HEAT to advance to the secondround of the playoffs for the first time since 1999. With six of the team's top eight scorers returning from last season and the additions of JamalCrawford (19.7 ppg last season with Golden State), veteran forward Joe Smith and rookie Jeff Teague make the Hawks a formidable group heading into 2010.

The Boston Celtics season would be a bust if… The Celtics fail to secure home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. I'm sure Celtics fansthink I'm selling this team short but the Eastern Conference is becoming increasingly more competitive and the Celtics are progressively more fragile withage. Boston is capable of winning a second NBA title in three years but durability is a concern for a team whose "Big Three" of Kevin Garnett, RayAllen and Paul Pierce have played a combined 3037 games in their careers. If the Celtics hope to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown again in 2010, itwill require the health of Allen, Garnett and Pierce.

The Charlotte Bobcats season would be a bust if… The Bobcats are not in contention for a playoff spot. Last season, legendary coach Larry Brown's first inCharlotte, the Bobcats won a franchise-record 35 games and finished just four games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Lastmonth, Charlotte traded Emeka Okafor to New Orleans for center Tyson Chandler in order to get out from under the 2005 Rookie of the Year's $72M contract,possibly to further enable owner Robert Johnson to sell the franchise he brought into the NBA back in 2004. The Bobcats have one of the youngest teams in theNBA with just two players (Raja Bell and Nazr Mohammed) over the age of 29 and anything less than a push for a playoff berth in 2010 will be a disappointmentin Charlotte.

The Chicago Bulls season would be a bust if… This young team doesn't get out of the first round of the playoffs. Chicago, with a rookie head coach (VinnyDel Negro) and a rookie point guard (Derrick Rose), pushed the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics to game seven in the team's first round series withthe Celtics last season. Although Boston was without Kevin Garnett, the memorable series served as a coming out party for a Bulls team that few expected tochallenge the Celtics, even without KG in the lineup. With another year of seasoning for Del Negro and Rose and the continued maturation of the Bulls otheryoung players like Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah, anything less than a first round victory for the Bulls will be a huge disappointment in Chicago.

The Cleveland Cavaliers season would be a bust if… The Cavs don't represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. The Cavs 2008-09 season certainlysent the team back to Cleveland with a sour taste in their collective mouth when the third-seeded Orlando Magic ousted the top-seeded Cavaliers in the EasternConference Finals. The Cavs have re-tooled their roster, bringing in three-time Finals MVP Shaquille O'Neal , defensive specialist Anthony Parker, JamarioMoon and rookie Danny Green to help push LeBron James over the hump and bring an NBA title to Cleveland for the first time in franchise history. With Jameslikely becoming a free agent at the end of the season, the Cavs must provide the league's reigning MVP and hometown boy a reason to stay in Cleveland and atrip to the Finals may be enough to do just that.

The Detroit Pistons season would be a bust if… The Pistons miss the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2001. In need of a shake-up after six straight tripsto the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons traded point guard Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets after just two games last season and fell from titlecontention, eventually being swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs. With a new head coach (John Kuester) and a re-shapedroster including Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, the Pistons have ample fire-power but several question marks surrounding the team entering this season.Without a return to the post-season, the changes within the Pistons organization may extend into the front office.

The Indiana Pacers season would be a bust if… The Pacers fail to return to the playoffs after a three year absence from post-season play. Indiana finished 2009just three games out of the eighth and final playoff spot last year despite losing Mike Dunleavy, Jr. and Danny Granger, the team's two best players, forsignificant stretches last season. With Granger blossoming into a star, Dunleavy back and healthy and the continued growth of center Roy Hibbert and swingmanBrandon Rush, the Pacers must take a step forward and find a way to earn a playoff berth for the 2009-10 season to be considered a success.

The Miami HEAT season would be a bust if… The HEAT don't compete for the Eastern Conference crown. 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade will almost certainlytest the free agent waters following this season and five-time All-Star has said publicly that, while he would like to finish his career in Miami, if the HEATaren't contenders he will go where he has a chance to win another NBA title. Wade and the HEAT pushed Atlanta to seven games in the first round of theplayoffs last season but another early exit from the post-season could facilitate Wade's departure a spurn a re-building period on South Beach.

The Milwaukee Bucks season would be a bust if… The Bucks don't see growth and promise out of the team's young players. With the departure of CharlieVillanueva to the Pistons via free agency and Richard Jefferson to the Spurs in a financially driven trade, Milwaukee has little hope of qualifying for theplayoffs in 2010. The Bucks, however, have some talented young players on the roster around which the team can build moving forward. Center Andrew Bogut, 24,averaged a double-double for the first time in his career last season despite playing just 36 games last season and is blossoming into a solid starting centerin the NBA. With point guard Ramon Sessions' future with the team in doubt, the Buck drafted Brandon Jennings with the team's first pick in the 2009NBA Draft and the combination of Jennings and Bogut give the Bucks some hope for a bright future, and lets not forget Michael Redd will be returning from aseason ending knee injury as well.

The New Jersey Nets season would be a bust if… The Nets aren't in contention for a playoff spot in 2010. In the last year and a half, New Jersey has tradedoff the massive contracts of Richard Jefferson, Jason Kidd and Vince Carter and are set to have over $23M in cap space heading into next offseason. Despitebeing without the aforementioned trio of stars that were expected to be the core of this team for the foreseeable future, the Nets should remain competitive in2010 with All-Star point guard Devin Harris, burgeoning center Brook Lopez, Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams on the roster this season. While the Nets arelikely a year or two away from competing for an Eastern Conference crown, a berth in the 2010 NBA Playoffs isn't out of the question.

The New York Knicks season would be a bust if… The Knicks squander the cap space the team has created for the summer of 2010. New York has several talented,young players on this squad as the organization looks to the future, including first round draft pick Jordan Hill, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, David Leeand Nate Robinson. A playoff appearance this season is almost entirely out of the question but the future is bright in the Big Apple with a young core and aproven commodity in Mike D'Antoni coaching the squad. While 2009 is likely a wash, patience in the key for Knicks fans with cap space a plenty and atremendous free agent class coming available next summer.

The Orlando Magic season would be a bust if… The Magic aren't back in the NBA Finals come June. Head Coach Stan Van Gundy's team surprised just abouteveryone outside of the Orlando locker-room when the squad upset the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals and the Magic became alegitimate threat to win it all for the next few seasons with Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard leading the team. Ownership saw an opportunity toclaim the first NBA Championship in franchise history and opened the checkbook once again, bringing in Vince Carter, Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes and re-signingMarcin Gortat this offseason. Anything short of another run to the NBA Finals would be a disappointment for the Magic in 2010.

The Philadelphia 76ers season would be a bust if… The team misses the playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Sixers have a nice mix of young talent andproven veterans on the roster but have a glaring hole at the point guard position that could very well keep the team from reaching the post-season in 2010.Power forward Elton Brand, swingman Andre Igoudala and up-and-comer Thaddeus Young give the Sixers a chance to win on a night in and night out basis but withpoint guard Andre Miller now running the show for the Portland Trailblazers, consistency on the offensive end will be a huge concern for new Head Coach EddieJordan, one of the best offensive coaches in the NBA. Without a floor general, the playoffs are far from a guarantee in the City of Brotherly Love but anythingshort of a post-season berth will be a letdown in Philly.

The Toronto Raptors season would be a bust if… Toronto misses the playoffs. General Manager Bryan Colangelo's squad misses the playoffs for the secondconsecutive season. Raptors fans are excited about a transformed roster that saw the additions Jarrett Jack, DeMar DeRozan and Hedo Turkoglu to the fold withOlympic gold medalist Chris Bosh and point guard Jose Calderon but expectations may be too high for a team that won just 33 games a year ago. With so many newfaces, the departure of defensive stopper Antony Parker and a new coach in Jay Triano, the Raptors must find a way to come together quickly if the team expectsto make much noise in the playoffs this season. While a deep run in the playoffs isn't likely, anything less than the playoffs would be disastrous forToronto.

The Washington Wizards season would be a bust if… The Wizards don't return to the playoffs after a one year hiatus. The Wizards made four consecutive tripsto the post-season prior to a dismal 2008-09 season in which Eddie Jordan was fired after a 1-11 start and the Wiz posted a 19-win season, the second fewestwins in franchise history. Injury problems have kept this Wizards club from reaching its full potential over the course of the last few seasons but chemistrycould be just as big a factor in 2010. New Head Coach Flip Saunders will have to bring together a group of players that haven't logged many minutestogether and also includes newcomers Randy Foye and Mike Miller. If the Wizards can't stay healthy and find a way to gel, 2010 will be a bust.


West

The Dallas Mavericks season would be a bust if... they don't advance to at least the Western Conference Finals. "Winning now" became thepriority when the Mavericks traded Devin Harris for Jason Kidd. Last season Dallas advanced to the second round before losing to Denver. Over the summer theyre-signed Kidd and traded for his old-time Phoenix running buddy, Shawn Marion. The Mavericks drafted a bright, young prospect in Rodrique Beaubois. They alsosigned three capable veterans in Drew Gooden, Tim Thomas and Quinton Ross. With luxury taxes, Dallas will pay over $110 million in salary. That's not thekind of money a team should be spending on a second-round team. With the massive payroll, Kidd well over 30 and Dirk Nowitzki armed with an early terminationoption - the Mavericks better win now.

The Denver Nuggets season would be a bust if... they don't make it to the NBA Finals. That's a pretty tall order for a team that hadn't advancedpast the first round throughout all of Carmelo Anthony's tenure. The addition of Chauncey Billups turned Denver into a true contender. After winning 54games, the Nuggets gave the Lakers a challenge in the Western Conference Finals before eventually falling in six. Now with loftier expectations, equaling thatwould be a disappointment. Arguably losing in the NBA Finals would be just as painful (if not more) but it certainly wouldn't be considered a bust.

The Golden State Warriors season would be a bust if... both Anthony Randolph and Stephen Curry don't pan out (especially if Amar'e Stoudemire has astrong return for the Phoenix Suns). Around the time of the draft, Golden State was close to trading for Stoudemire. When they landed Curry with the seventhpick in the draft, negotiations crumbled. The Warriors simply weren't open to moving him. Meanwhile Randolph tore up Las Vegas Summer League. While thefuture isn't clear in Golden State, there is a lot of hope that Curry and Randolph will help lead the Warriors back to the playoffs. If Curry struggles inhis transition to the pros and Randolph proves to be a summer star/regular season dud . . . passing on Amar'e would really sting.

The Houston Rockets season would be a bust if... they're any good! With Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady on the shelf with foot and knee injuries, respectively -the Rockets are hard to figure. After Yao went down against the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston (with Ron Artest) gave the Lakers all they could handle. Now Artestis in LA with Trevor Ariza signing long-term with the Rockets. Considering expectations are low, Houston may be better served playing the lottery in what willlikely be an off year. Of course if they're competitive and hover around or above .500, they'll be picking lower in next year's draft. If there wasever a time to tank - now would be it. John Wall anyone?

The Los Angeles Clippers season would be a bust if... Baron Davis has another bad year. The Clippers shelled out $65 million last summer for their franchisepoint guard - only he struggled with injury and shot just 37.0% from the field. The word is Baron is in great shape and ready to take the LA, now armed withtop draft pick Blake Griffin, to the playoffs. The franchise would consider anything but playoffs a bust but after a 19-win season, hitting .500 would be asolid jump. They'll need Davis at the top of his game to even get close to the 48 wins it took for the Jazz to finish eighth.

The Los Angeles Lakers season would be a bust if... they don't repeat. As impressive as the Laker run was in 2007/8, it's remembered for the NBA Finalsflame-out against the Boston Celtics. L.A. is returning essentially the same team that won the title in June, with Ron Artest swapped in for Trevor Ariza.Artest is somewhat unpredictable and chemistry is always an issue when a team switches out a starter. The Lakers expect to finish the season in June with thebest record in the league, home court advantage and another ring. Even if they achieve the first two, without the third no one in the organization will claimthe season was a success.

The Memphis Grizzlies season would be a bust if... Hasheem Thabeet isn't close to NBA ready. After a 24-58 season, it's hard to imagine the Grizzliesdoing any worse than they did a year ago. A friendly lottery ball bounced landed Memphis the second pick in the 2009 Draft. Thabeet is very raw offensively andwhile he has the potential to be a Dikembe Mutombo/Tyson Chandler type defender . . . if that doesn't materialize it was a wasted pick.

The Minnesota Timberwolves season would be a bust if... Al Jefferson can't stay healthy. The Timberwolves have a new coach (Kurt Rambis), a new point guard(Jonny Flynn) and minimal expectations. Before tearing his ACL, Jefferson was one of the league's best back-to-the-basket big men in the league. It'shard to say where the Wolves are going but after a 24-win season, whether they go up or down they need Big Al to provide the inside presence for what is a veryyoung team.

The New Orleans Hornets season would be a bust if... Chris Paul and David West don't get enough support (again). The Hornets weren't much more than atwo-man team a couple of seasons ago - at least offensively when they finished second in the West with 56 wins and advanced to the second round. The 2008/9season was a step backwards for New Orleans with 49 wins, a seventh seed and first-round exit to the Nuggets. Now with a solid Emeka Okafor in the middle(replacing the oft-injured Tyson Chandler), anything less than a first-round series victory would be a major disappointment. It's going to take more thanPaul and West to get it done.

The Oklahoma City Thunder season would be a bust if... they don't chase a playoff seed. That's not to say the season is a bust if they don't makethe postseason. The Thunder may have the best group of young players in the league. For their season to be a success, they need to up their win total from 23to about 41. They may fade down the stretch - at some point they'll probably fall out of the race - but OK City should be ready to take a step forward.

The Phoenix Suns season would be a bust if... Amar'e isn't Amar'e. Stoudemire, when healthy, is one of the most explosive big men in the league. Hewas shut down in late February with a detached retina and has just finally gotten back in the basketball court in summer scrimmages. Although the Suns arerebuilding, they gave Steve Nash a contract extension and re-signed veteran Grant Hill. If Amar'e returns to form, the Suns have a potent starting fivewith Nash, Jason Richardson, Hill, Stoudemire and Channing Frye (?). Trade rumors have dogged Amar'e for the past season or two. Poor production/healthmeans the Suns have practically no scoring from the power positions - and a barren trade market for Stoudemire.

The Portland Trail Blazers season would be a bust if... they don't get out of the first round. The Blazers were the Thunder a couple of years ago. Nowthey're a team that is expected to finish in the top four. They were beaten by the Rockets this past year despite having home court advantage. Next seasonPortland should be flirting with a Western Conference Finals berth . . . not going out in Round 1.

The Sacramento Kings season would be a bust if... Tyreke Evans and Kevin Martin don't mesh together. The Kings have four more seasons and $44 millioninvested in shooting guard Martin. After winning just 17 games last season and dropping from first to fourth in the draft, Sacramento selected a talented,young prospect in Evans who is more of a combo guard than a true point. With intriguing options like Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn and even Brandon Jennings - theKings went with a player who may fit alongside their star. If they mesh, that's a high-scoring duo with great size (in Martin it's height, night bulkas he's quite thin). The Kings may have their starting backcourt under contract for years to come. If Evans can't handle the point and needs to playthe two - what then?

The San Antonio Spurs season would be a bust if... the big three aren't healthy for the playoffs. The Spurs haven't had a truly healthy Manu Ginobilifor two straight postseasons. There's no question San Antonio upgraded with the acquisitions of Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess - but the heart ofthe Spurs is still the trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Ginobili. If San Antonio can stay sound, they may be the biggest threat to the Lakers. PerhapsJefferson can step into Manu's role but if he isn't 100% but if the Spurs don't have their stars ready when it really matters, another earlyplayoff exit may be inevitable.

The Utah Jazz season would be a bust if... chemistry issues surrounding power forward Carlos Boozer (and his desire to be traded) get in the way of winning.The Jazz had health issues last year, barely edging out the Suns for the last playoff spot by just a couple of games. Going back three years to their WesternConference Finals appearance, the Jazz have been knocked out successively one round earlier. If that trend continues, they'll end up in the lottery. Theworst case scenario would have Utah trying to trade Boozer all year, failing to do so, missing the playoffs - and Carlos walks next summer. It probablywon't come to that, but there's bust potential in Salt Lake.

Success is relative to expectations. The Rockets, who will start the year with about $40 million in injured players, will get more slack than a team like thetitle-defending Lakers. The common concern for all 30 teams is health. Unfortunately injuries are a factor each and every year, a constant threat to turn awinning formula on its end. Here's to a year with good health (sorry Houston) - where teams can boom and bust by their own merits.

Agree or Disagree? What are you expectations for your team?

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=13700

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=13738
 
I'd have to agree with Jerseys part. With so many young players who are the future of the team, its all about developing them. While deveolping, they stillhave a shot to win a decent number of games (even this season)... athough not playoffs, they can compete against teams. Give them time, let them learn to playtheir style of game (especially together), than we have a lot to look forward to... including playoffs hopefully in 2010.
 
The Philadelphia 76ers season would be a bust if… The team misses the playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Sixers have a nice mix of young talent andproven veterans on the roster but have a glaring hole at the point guard position that could very well keep the team from reaching the post-season in 2010.Power forward Elton Brand, swingman Andre Igoudala and up-and-comer Thaddeus Young give the Sixers a chance to win on a night in and night out basis but withpoint guard Andre Miller now running the show for the Portland Trailblazers, consistency on the offensive end will be a huge concern for new Head Coach EddieJordan, one of the best offensive coaches in the NBA. Without a floor general, the playoffs are far from a guarantee in the City of Brotherly Love but anythingshort of a post-season berth will be a letdown in Philly.

I pretty much agree with that.


The Denver Nuggets season would be a bust if... they don't make it to the NBA Finals. That's a pretty tall order for a team that hadn't advancedpast the first round throughout all of Carmelo Anthony's tenure. The addition of Chauncey Billups turned Denver into a true contender. After winning 54games, the Nuggets gave the Lakers a challenge in the Western Conference Finals before eventually falling in six. Now with loftier expectations, equaling thatwould be a disappointment. Arguably losing in the NBA Finals would be just as painful (if not more) but it certainly wouldn't be considered a bust.

We'll need another legit big man for that to happen.
 
Originally Posted by Cedric Ceballos 1995 Lakers

the season is already a bust if your not a fan of the lakers, cavs, magic, celtics, spurs, nuggets, mavs, or blazers
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being a Knick fan has been strange the past 5 years, we are almost to the promised land my brothers
 
some of these dont make sense.
i stopped reading after i finished the east.
for example: the bulls. they lost their best pure shooter in bg. in order to win the first round, they're going to need a HUGE leap for D.R. which i dontdoubt, but also solid contributions from the rest of the team. with a healthy deng though, i may retract my statement.
pacers: they just dont wont make the playoffs imo. outside of granger, i dont see anyone being able to lead them. maybe a change in coach would help.
nyk: call me a homer, but i dont think playoff contention is a reach like they make it seem. we were indeed contending, before we fell off in april.
76ers: they just lost their PG. whose going to run the show now? EB can make an impact, but theres still no PG leading them...
 
Originally Posted by marionthebarberian

Originally Posted by NoneOfYours25

Do Mav fans really expect them to make it to the West Finals?


theres not another team that is clearly better then the Mavs. except for the lakers.


I'd take the spurs over the mavs anyday.
 
Originally Posted by thachosen123

Originally Posted by marionthebarberian

Originally Posted by NoneOfYours25

Do Mav fans really expect them to make it to the West Finals?


theres not another team that is clearly better then the Mavs. except for the lakers.


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That's bold bruh

not really, the way things are looking now the west looks like this barring injuries or anything crazy

1. Lakers




2-8 the other guys in any possible particular order.

theres no other team besides the lakers that i can say without a doubt is clearly better then the mavs except maybe denver and thats strictly off of matchups
 
Originally Posted by thachosen123

So on paper you don think this years SA(or POR) team looks better than the mavs?


Mavs swept the season series against portland last year...

sa is a better matchup roster wise..spurs added r.jefferson but the mavs also added S.Marion and D.Gooden, and there is also a trade pending on g.buckner. weshould get a quality player out of buckner, the latest rumor was buckner for capt.jack although that has died down some.
 
Depending on how the final playoff seeding ends up, I could see the Mavs getting to the conference finals.

It really depends on which two teams they have to go through.
 
Originally Posted by xblker47

The Knicks season will be a bust if we dont get rid of Curry and Jeffries
QFMFT

also add to the list that Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari need to take HUGE steps forward and emerge as 2 of the best players on our team and part of theemerging young talent in the NBA, and show that they can be all-star caliber kind of players in the near future. Other than that i can give a %#$$ just tradeCurry and Jeffries and work on our young talent. Although id love to win our record is a non issue this season...

Saying that just dont end the season with a top 5 pick this season would be a bust if that happened considering the Jazz get our pick unprotected next summer
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