1. LEBRON JAMES will be the Rookie of the Year. There has been a lot of discussion about the weaknesses in King James’ game (namely, an iffy jumper) and speculation that Carmelo Anthony will be jumping into a better situation with the Nuggets than James has with the Cavs. Hogwash. While Melo may lead the Nugs in scoring and will certainly have an immediate impact on an anemic offensive team, LeBron has the size, speed and game to explode out of the gate in his first year in the NBA (NOTE: this prediction was made immediately after LeBron’s obscene debut in which he went for 25 points, six rebounds and nine assists).
2. RICK CARLISLE will lead the Pacers to the top of the East. Now that Indiana has dumped a few unnecessary holdings, particularly the coaching liability also known as Isiah Thomas, Jermaine O’Neal and company are ready to dominate the pathetic Eastern Conference competition. Carlisle may not get his revenge on thankless Joe Dumars and Pistons management, but Indiana should be one of the top teams in the East (and the most dangerous contender to knock off a Western Conference team should they make the Finals).
3. LARRY BROWN will return to the NBA Finals. The Pistons have all the pieces in place for a Finals run. A defensive superstar (Ben Wallace), guards capable of putting up 40 if necessary (Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton), promising youth (Mehmet Okur, Tayshaun Prince and Darko Milicic) and the best coach in the history of the league will be enough to get the Pistons in position to take a nasty beating from a superior Western Conference team in the Finals.
4. The DALLAS MAVERICKS will score 100 points in a half…and lose the game. Instead of adding bulk and defense, Mark Cuban and the Mavs stockpiled more of what they already had in the off-season with the acquisitions of Antawn Jamison and Antoine Walker. The opening night blowout loss to the Lakers exposed the Mavs’ myriad weaknesses, including an over-reliance on the jump shot, a lack of an inside presence (at one point Walker was attempting to cover Shaq) and no defense. Still, the Mavs have ridiculous offensive talent and will be able to easily outscore opponents in most of their games. Dallas should coast through the regular season before meeting sudden and certain doom in the playoffs.
5. The PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS will be forced to bring JOHN STOCKTON out of retirement after they run out of unincarcerated players. Stockton will re-retire a day later and the Blazers will resort to JOHN CROTTY.
6. The UTAH JAZZ will shock the world and compete for a playoff spot before running out of gas and falling just short. The Jazz may lack raw talent, but there is enough skill, shooting and Jerry Sloan to get this team near .500. Andrei Kirilenko is poised for an explosion and Matt Harpring will be among the league leaders in field goal percentage.
7. Behind an MVP season from KEVIN GARNETT and valuable contributions from a suddenly potent supporting cast, the MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES will finally get the monkey off their backs and win a playoff series. New acquisitions Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell and Michael Olowakandi will spur the Wolves to at least the second round of the playoffs. A deep playoff run is not out of the question, especially with MARK MADSEN greeting and high-fiving as players come off the court during timeouts.
8. YAO MING will continue his ascension towards MVP candidacy and lead the Rockets to the playoffs. With a year of NBA experience under his (massive) belt, Yao should have little trouble averaging a double-double. A monster preseason and the arrival of Jeff Van Gundy can only mean good things for Yao and the Rockets.
9. The LOS ANGELES LAKERS cannot possibly handle all the pressures and distractions associated with four big-mouthed future hall of famers, a public war of words between their two best players and all the chaos of the Kobe Bryant rape trial. While all looked well in the opening win over the Mavs, it will not be long before Malone starts clamoring for more shots, Shaq sits on Kobe in the locker room and the gloves come off the Glove. Even the Zen Master himself will not be able to safely handle the powder keg that is the Lakers.
10. The SACRAMENTO KINGS will win the NBA Championship after coming up just short the past two seasons. While the Kings appeared to grow weaker while the rest of the West loaded up, Sacramento still has the best core group of players in the league. If the Kings can avoid the playoff injuries that have doomed them the past two seasons, they will bring the first NBA championship to California’s capital city.