I looked at the card and wrote down my thoughts. Haven't finalized anything yet...looking for opinions.
I got lucky with the Mavs last night. Peja was 0-7 on 3PGs. If he hits two, it's a totally different game. Don't like how Dallas was up big and nearly gave away the game. Dirk is the only reliable player. Finley seems old and they're missing the chemistry with Nash. Mavs have depth, but Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels are still young players and don't get much respect from the refs. Not to mention Devin Harris is a rookie! Mavs still need another big man in the worst way. Dirk will not last playing 43 minutes every game. They have nobody after Alan Henderson off the bench. I liked Dallas alot more last year when they had Nash, Antawn Jamison and Antoine Walker. I don't know what they were thinking trading two big scoring forwards for two points guards (Terry and draft right to Devon Harris).
Got lucky with Detroit too. They slept walked for the first half and finally turned up the defense in the fourth quarter. They finally hit their 3s in the fourth quarter. Yao Ming wasn't 100% and it definitely looked it. Detroit was able to throw big bodies like Ben Wallance, Rasheed Wallace, Elden campbell and Antonio McDyess against him and wear him down. Rockets are optimistic after adding Tracy McGrady but he needs to show that he can make the players around him better. That is the true sign of a superstar player. Rockets also need a brusing PF who can take the load off of Yao down low. Someone like Ben Wallace. LOL.
Denver was outcoached. No wonder Vandeweghe wanted to replace Bzdelik during the offseason after the Nuggets made the playoffs! Bzdelik couldn't get his team under control after falling behind and had no adjustments for Chris Mihm. The loss of Leonard was big. Rodney White is a black hole. He got two passes and put up shots as soon as he touched the ball.
7:05 ET
Indiana +2
Cleveland -2
The loss of Boozer was big...can Drew Gooden replace his energy? Dunno if Lebron can do it all. Indiana is missing Reggie Miller + Jermaine O'Neal + Jeff Foster. but they still have Artest and look for Stephen Jackson to do some damage with the time he is getting. Who is going to rebound? The Cavs has Z, Gooden, Lebron, Snow and McInniss. That is not that bad of a lineup. Z is a quality center, Gooden has talent and Snow and McInniss are steady. It all falls on Lebron.
7:05 ET
Milwaukee +4
Orlando -4
The Magic are a new team. They have a top backcourt with Francis and Mobley. Grant Hill looked good a SF in the preseason. Dwight Howard has a world of potential. Kelvin Cato is very solid as a center. This starting lineup isn't really that bad. The Bucks are pretty much an unknown team. They don't have a lot of big names. Top PG TJ Ford is still hurt. They have some depth and size (Gadzuric and Haslip), however these guys are unproven. They're only reliable player is Michael Redd. THey have Keith Van Horn and Toni Kukoc off the bench.
7:35 ET
Philadelphia +3.5
Boston -3.5
Philly has Iverson. Boston has Paul Pierce. Man these teams are hard to cap. There are alot of new players on both teams. Raef Lafrentz is on Boston and seems to be playing well. Gary Payton is on Boston. The 76ers demoted Glenn Robinson and are starting their top draft pick in his place. The celtics won last year's series, 3-1. And this year it seems like the Celtics have improved while the 76ers have taken some steps back.
8:05 ET
Miami -7
New Jersey +7
Jason Kidd isn't playing and Shaq might not play either. For the Nets they will have to rely on Richard Jefferson and a bunch of unknowns. Miami will rely on Dwayne Wade and Eddie Jones. They have decent size up front with Haslem and Malik Allen if Shaq can't go. Doleac is solid at center. This is another hard game to cap. Too many unknowns! The Nets has an European at PG and Ron Mercer at the 2G. Mercer can score given playing time. Jason Collins starts at Center and is another steady player. His backup is Alonzo Mourning. I don't expect much out of Zo. He is still recovering from the liver transplant and I would be shocked if he plays well. However, 7 points for a home dog is a lot, IMHO.
8:05 ET
New York +10
Minnesota -10
The Knicks are going to be a better team than last year. They have Marbury from the start and Jamal Crawford. Look for Mike Sweetney to step up his game this year. There is some decent depth with Penny Hardaway coming off the bench. The Wolves are trying to make a run of a championship with one great player, Garnett, and two old good players, Sprewell and Cassell. I don't know how much longer they can go like this before they have to break down their team and start over. Wally should be recovered from his broken foot last year. But Minnesota is lacking depth. They have guys that are good role players. 10 points is a lot. The Knicks starting lineup of F Kurt Thomas, F Tim Thomas, C Nazr Mohammed is solid. These guys are steady, not flashy. They'll primary be there for rebounding as Marbury and Crawford will be hoisting up alot of shots.
8:05 ET
Washington +11
Memphis -11
Washington has some suspended players. With Areanas out. However 11 points is alot to lay. Memphis has Pau Gasol and a bunch of role players who are young and talented. Lorenzen Wright can rebound and block shots. Stromile Swift is still trying to live up to expectations. The back court is solid with flashy Jason Williams and his backup, steady Earl Watson. SF Mike Miller is the marksman and SG James Posey is a top defensive stopper.
The Wizards are projected to start F Jarvis Hayes, F Jared Jeffries, C Jamison, G Juan Dixon, G Anthony Peeler. This is not a bad lineup. Hayes and Jeffries are young talented players with a lot to prove. They should get plenty of time to show their stuff with 40 minutes in this game. Jamison is a proven scorer who has scored 51 points in a game twice in his career. Juan Dixon will not be intimidated and Peeler can get hot from 3 point land.
9:05 ET
Atlanta +13
Phoenix -13
Atlanta is rebuilding. They have Antoine Walker and Al Harrington as the forwards. They should be a big time scoring combination. However, they won't play any defense. I have no idea who else is on this team. Now, Phoenix on the other hand is a GOOD team. Jerry Conlangeo has made a strong effort to build a good basketball team and now he has one. Amare Stoudimare, Shawn Marion, Steve Nash, Quentin Richardson and Joe Johnson are excellent players. They have Casey Jacobson off the bench provide 3 point shooting. Also have Marcel Lampe to provide size. He is only 19 years and once projected to be a lottery pick. However 13 points is lot to give up early in the season with unproven rotations and plays.
10:35 ET
Portland +1.5
Golden State -1.5
Portland has Zach Randolph, Shareef Abdul Raheem and Derek Anderson. Damon Stoudimare is still a decent PG and Theo Ratliff at the center spot is a good rebounder and shot blocker. Golden State has lots of young, talented players and a new coach. They have Jason Richardson, Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy who are solid players. Foyle provides additional size and Derek Fisher is the new steady PG. I like Eduardo Najera and Dale Davis coming off the bench to provide rebounding and Calbery Cheaney and Cliff Robinson to provide more outside shooting. However, this is new coach Mike Montgomery's first game and he porbably will have jitters and is still getting his rotations and plays down.
10:35 ET
Lakers +4.5
Utah -4.5
Utah has a lot of injuires but the Lakers played last night. They looked ok against an unprepared Denver Nuggets team. Can Kobe + team go on the road and dominate as they did
10:35
Seattle +3
Clippers -3
Seattle has Ray Allen. Vladimir Radmanovic will start if Rashard Lewis can't go. Clippers have tons of young players and are missing their starting center Chris Kaman. Elton Brand is steady at the forward spot. Look for Chris Wilcox to possibly break out this season. Guard Marko Jaric has been praised this season. Corey Maggette is finally get some minutes and might live up to the hype.
8:05
Dallas -3
New Orleans +3
Dallas played last night, with Dirk playing 43 minutes. He is going to be tired. Baron Davis is going to test the Mavs backcourt, but like I said last night they go six deep at the PG, SG and SF spots. Hornets forwards PJ Brown and George Lynch will still have their hands full, but PJ Brown is a well known defensive player. He can make Dirk work for his points.
7:05
Houston -2
Toronto +2
Yao is still hurt. McGrady had a poor game last night, but they will not be facing the Detroit defense tonight. Does Toronto even play defense? Chris Bosh, Jalen Rose and Vince Carter are good players.
I got lucky with the Mavs last night. Peja was 0-7 on 3PGs. If he hits two, it's a totally different game. Don't like how Dallas was up big and nearly gave away the game. Dirk is the only reliable player. Finley seems old and they're missing the chemistry with Nash. Mavs have depth, but Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels are still young players and don't get much respect from the refs. Not to mention Devin Harris is a rookie! Mavs still need another big man in the worst way. Dirk will not last playing 43 minutes every game. They have nobody after Alan Henderson off the bench. I liked Dallas alot more last year when they had Nash, Antawn Jamison and Antoine Walker. I don't know what they were thinking trading two big scoring forwards for two points guards (Terry and draft right to Devon Harris).
Got lucky with Detroit too. They slept walked for the first half and finally turned up the defense in the fourth quarter. They finally hit their 3s in the fourth quarter. Yao Ming wasn't 100% and it definitely looked it. Detroit was able to throw big bodies like Ben Wallance, Rasheed Wallace, Elden campbell and Antonio McDyess against him and wear him down. Rockets are optimistic after adding Tracy McGrady but he needs to show that he can make the players around him better. That is the true sign of a superstar player. Rockets also need a brusing PF who can take the load off of Yao down low. Someone like Ben Wallace. LOL.
Denver was outcoached. No wonder Vandeweghe wanted to replace Bzdelik during the offseason after the Nuggets made the playoffs! Bzdelik couldn't get his team under control after falling behind and had no adjustments for Chris Mihm. The loss of Leonard was big. Rodney White is a black hole. He got two passes and put up shots as soon as he touched the ball.
7:05 ET
Indiana +2
Cleveland -2
The loss of Boozer was big...can Drew Gooden replace his energy? Dunno if Lebron can do it all. Indiana is missing Reggie Miller + Jermaine O'Neal + Jeff Foster. but they still have Artest and look for Stephen Jackson to do some damage with the time he is getting. Who is going to rebound? The Cavs has Z, Gooden, Lebron, Snow and McInniss. That is not that bad of a lineup. Z is a quality center, Gooden has talent and Snow and McInniss are steady. It all falls on Lebron.
7:05 ET
Milwaukee +4
Orlando -4
The Magic are a new team. They have a top backcourt with Francis and Mobley. Grant Hill looked good a SF in the preseason. Dwight Howard has a world of potential. Kelvin Cato is very solid as a center. This starting lineup isn't really that bad. The Bucks are pretty much an unknown team. They don't have a lot of big names. Top PG TJ Ford is still hurt. They have some depth and size (Gadzuric and Haslip), however these guys are unproven. They're only reliable player is Michael Redd. THey have Keith Van Horn and Toni Kukoc off the bench.
7:35 ET
Philadelphia +3.5
Boston -3.5
Philly has Iverson. Boston has Paul Pierce. Man these teams are hard to cap. There are alot of new players on both teams. Raef Lafrentz is on Boston and seems to be playing well. Gary Payton is on Boston. The 76ers demoted Glenn Robinson and are starting their top draft pick in his place. The celtics won last year's series, 3-1. And this year it seems like the Celtics have improved while the 76ers have taken some steps back.
8:05 ET
Miami -7
New Jersey +7
Jason Kidd isn't playing and Shaq might not play either. For the Nets they will have to rely on Richard Jefferson and a bunch of unknowns. Miami will rely on Dwayne Wade and Eddie Jones. They have decent size up front with Haslem and Malik Allen if Shaq can't go. Doleac is solid at center. This is another hard game to cap. Too many unknowns! The Nets has an European at PG and Ron Mercer at the 2G. Mercer can score given playing time. Jason Collins starts at Center and is another steady player. His backup is Alonzo Mourning. I don't expect much out of Zo. He is still recovering from the liver transplant and I would be shocked if he plays well. However, 7 points for a home dog is a lot, IMHO.
8:05 ET
New York +10
Minnesota -10
The Knicks are going to be a better team than last year. They have Marbury from the start and Jamal Crawford. Look for Mike Sweetney to step up his game this year. There is some decent depth with Penny Hardaway coming off the bench. The Wolves are trying to make a run of a championship with one great player, Garnett, and two old good players, Sprewell and Cassell. I don't know how much longer they can go like this before they have to break down their team and start over. Wally should be recovered from his broken foot last year. But Minnesota is lacking depth. They have guys that are good role players. 10 points is a lot. The Knicks starting lineup of F Kurt Thomas, F Tim Thomas, C Nazr Mohammed is solid. These guys are steady, not flashy. They'll primary be there for rebounding as Marbury and Crawford will be hoisting up alot of shots.
8:05 ET
Washington +11
Memphis -11
Washington has some suspended players. With Areanas out. However 11 points is alot to lay. Memphis has Pau Gasol and a bunch of role players who are young and talented. Lorenzen Wright can rebound and block shots. Stromile Swift is still trying to live up to expectations. The back court is solid with flashy Jason Williams and his backup, steady Earl Watson. SF Mike Miller is the marksman and SG James Posey is a top defensive stopper.
The Wizards are projected to start F Jarvis Hayes, F Jared Jeffries, C Jamison, G Juan Dixon, G Anthony Peeler. This is not a bad lineup. Hayes and Jeffries are young talented players with a lot to prove. They should get plenty of time to show their stuff with 40 minutes in this game. Jamison is a proven scorer who has scored 51 points in a game twice in his career. Juan Dixon will not be intimidated and Peeler can get hot from 3 point land.
9:05 ET
Atlanta +13
Phoenix -13
Atlanta is rebuilding. They have Antoine Walker and Al Harrington as the forwards. They should be a big time scoring combination. However, they won't play any defense. I have no idea who else is on this team. Now, Phoenix on the other hand is a GOOD team. Jerry Conlangeo has made a strong effort to build a good basketball team and now he has one. Amare Stoudimare, Shawn Marion, Steve Nash, Quentin Richardson and Joe Johnson are excellent players. They have Casey Jacobson off the bench provide 3 point shooting. Also have Marcel Lampe to provide size. He is only 19 years and once projected to be a lottery pick. However 13 points is lot to give up early in the season with unproven rotations and plays.
10:35 ET
Portland +1.5
Golden State -1.5
Portland has Zach Randolph, Shareef Abdul Raheem and Derek Anderson. Damon Stoudimare is still a decent PG and Theo Ratliff at the center spot is a good rebounder and shot blocker. Golden State has lots of young, talented players and a new coach. They have Jason Richardson, Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy who are solid players. Foyle provides additional size and Derek Fisher is the new steady PG. I like Eduardo Najera and Dale Davis coming off the bench to provide rebounding and Calbery Cheaney and Cliff Robinson to provide more outside shooting. However, this is new coach Mike Montgomery's first game and he porbably will have jitters and is still getting his rotations and plays down.
10:35 ET
Lakers +4.5
Utah -4.5
Utah has a lot of injuires but the Lakers played last night. They looked ok against an unprepared Denver Nuggets team. Can Kobe + team go on the road and dominate as they did
10:35
Seattle +3
Clippers -3
Seattle has Ray Allen. Vladimir Radmanovic will start if Rashard Lewis can't go. Clippers have tons of young players and are missing their starting center Chris Kaman. Elton Brand is steady at the forward spot. Look for Chris Wilcox to possibly break out this season. Guard Marko Jaric has been praised this season. Corey Maggette is finally get some minutes and might live up to the hype.
8:05
Dallas -3
New Orleans +3
Dallas played last night, with Dirk playing 43 minutes. He is going to be tired. Baron Davis is going to test the Mavs backcourt, but like I said last night they go six deep at the PG, SG and SF spots. Hornets forwards PJ Brown and George Lynch will still have their hands full, but PJ Brown is a well known defensive player. He can make Dirk work for his points.
7:05
Houston -2
Toronto +2
Yao is still hurt. McGrady had a poor game last night, but they will not be facing the Detroit defense tonight. Does Toronto even play defense? Chris Bosh, Jalen Rose and Vince Carter are good players.
