AnTiVoG--The E-Zine issue 1

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Bulls will Stomp Again

"Again? I’m sick of them winning! When will my team get a turn?" is probably what many of you are thinking right now. But the truth is none of the elite teams really improved themselves this year. All of them seem content to stand pat, adding minor players here and there. The Bulls, despite the injury to Pippen, are simply so far ahead of the rest of the pack that additions like Rick Fox, Chris Dudley, Dale Ellis, and Terry Mills just aren’t enough. The Bulls have the second best defense in the NBA, coupled with two of the NBA’s five best players, the best rebounder, and solid role players at the other guard position, in the pivot, and off the bench. No team has a one-two punch as lethal as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and few have a bench as deep. Of course, not much else matters when Jordan is at the top of his game. He is simply unstoppable on both ends of the floor. I think there have been very few people with the same determination to win that Michael has. He simply does what has to be done to win. Okay, here are my predictions:

Here’s a breakdown of each team:

Strengths- Michael, Scottie, Dennis Rodman’s rebounding, Toni Kukoc’s solid off the bench scoring, good defense from the role players.

Weaknesses-Injuries to Pippen and Kukoc, lack of harmony between the front office and the players and coach, lack of rebounding other than Rodman. Their weaknesses are much more apparent this year than they were last year or the year before. If Pippen and Kukoc can rebound from these injuries, they will win it all again. If the Bulls aren’t on a pace to win 65+ games, will Jerry Krause start trying to trade Pippen again? Longley and the big guys on the bench are only out there because the rules say you have to have five people on the court. Pippen and Jordan are both fine rebounders for their positions, but carrying that load all season is too much for their aging bodies. If Rodman is unable to perform for whatever reason, their chances go down.

Unknowns-Rodman. If he pulls of his magic, grabbing 15+ boards per game, and manages to stay healthy and behaves all season long, they will bring home another trophy. If he, for any reason, is out for more than 15 games, especially while Pippen is out, the toll this will take on Jordan will be too much to cope with.

Strengths-Their big four, Mookie Blaylock, Dikembe Mutombo, Christian Laettner, and Steve Smith. All four of these guys well rounded players. Blaylock led the league in steals and Mutombo was second in blocks. Smith and Laettner can play some defense too.

Weaknesses-No small forward, no bench. If they want to beat the Bulls, they need to find someone to step up and fill that hole at small forward. Alan Henderson, Tyrone Corbin, and Chucky Brown are the current contenders. That’s not going to get the job done. Their bench is very thin, especially behind Mutombo and Blaylock. They have four guys of nearly all-star status, then after that, the three pretenders at small forward, then we drop into CBA level players.. They need scoring off the bench.

Unknowns-Rookies Ed Gray and Chris Crawford. Their first round pick, Gray, was an explosive scorer in college, and has a nice stroke. Second round pick Chris Crawford has been extremely impressive in two exhibition games. If one of these two can provide consistent scoring off the bench, the Hawks are much better off.

Strengths-Grant Hill, Grant Hill, and Grant Hill. Hill is an incredibly versatile player, leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists for a couple of years there. Hopefully for the Pistons, free agent signee Brian Williams can take off some of that scoring and rebounding pressure.

Weaknesses-The rest of the team. Joe Dumars is still solid, but he is getting up there in years. You have to wonder if he can keep it up. Lindsey Hunter is okay, but he is no Allan Houston. Theo Ratliff, Grant Long, and Don Reid will all compete for the starting power forward position, with Ratliff probably winning. None of these guys should start on a playoff team. The rest of the bench needs work.

Unknowns-Brian Williams. Can he rebound from last year’s performance? The year before with the Clippers, he averaged 17+ points and 9+ rebounds a game. If he can return to those numbers, that would reduce the one-dimensional nature of the Pistons.

Strengths-Lots of talent and a big bench. The Vin Baker trade helped this team immensely. Baker was a great power forward, but it was clear he was going to leave at the end of his contract, and it was clear the Bucks were not going to win the championship in the next two seasons. Terrell Brandon is a true all-star point guard. Tyrone Hill, a former all-star, is a solid rebounder, and probably a better defender than Baker. Ray Allen will improve quite a bit with the perimeter threat Brandon taking some of the outside pressure off him. I expect his numbers to go up to over 17 points per game, perhaps even twenty. Glenn Robinson is a good scorer, he averaged around 23 points per game last year, a small improvement is likely. Having Andrew Lang and Armon Gilliam off the bench is a help.

Weaknesses-Chris Ford, Robinson’s defense, and lack of inside scoring. Ford is one of the worst coaches in the league. All he does is yell. Robinson has no idea what the word defense means. Inside, starters Ervin Johnson and Tyrone Hill are good defenders, but poor scorers. This is where the Baker trade hurts them. Robinson may have to post up more, and they may look to Gilliam for points in the paint off the bench.

Unknowns-Will this club mesh? The combination of Brandon, Allen, and Robinson outside is scary, but is there enough shots to go around?

Strengths-Outside shooting, bench, veteran leadership. Between Reggie Miller and Chris Mullin, this team will really be able to light it up from outside. Off the bench comes former starting small forward Derrick McKey, former starting point guard Travis Best, and one of the Davis brothers. That is a pretty solid bench, although not as deep as they might like. Miller, Mullin, and Mark Jackson are smart players tempered by experience. If Miller goes down, or Derrick McKey is hampered by injury, the trade could look like a brilliant move.

Weaknesses-Age, injury status, depth at center, and an inexperienced coach. This team is one of the oldest in the league. Last year they failed to make the playoffs after center Rik Smits and Miller sustained injuries. If Smits goes down again, the loss of Eric Dampier to Golden State for Mullin could backfire. Only time will tell whether this was the best move for Indiana. Larry Bird has never coached at any level, and although he was a great player, I have serious doubts about his coaching ability.

Unknown-Can Larry Bird coach? Is he the best person for this job? Hopefully, Chris Mullin and the solid assistant coaches Larry picked up can pick up some of the slack while Larry adjusts to this new position.

Strengths-Damon Stoudamire, Isiah Thomas, Doug Christie, bench at 2, 3, and 4. Damon Stoudamire is an excellent point guard. He may be a little bit too self-centered to take his team to the next level, but he is a good hybrid of Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury. Thomas has made some great moves in the front office. Doug Christie is an excellent all-around guard, and he led the league in steals last season. Off the bench they bring John Wallace, Tracy McGrady, and Popeye Jones.

Weaknesses-Center, backup point, inexperience. They have absolutely no real player to play the pivot. Their projected starter, Sharone Wright, is out for a while with injuries. They will struggle to fill that hole. After Stoudamire there is a big gap. They may be hoping that Christie or McGrady can play some minutes there.

Unknowns-Can Marcus Camby come out with a breakout year? Is he too injury prone to help Stoudamire elevate this team? This year is important for Marcus. He has to prove that he deserved to be taken ahead of Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Antoine Walker. He has to play well to take some pressure off whoever is filling that center spot.

Strengths-Shawn Kemp, Mike Fratello, rookies. The Kemp trade helps this team out. Brandon wanted out, and they in general needed to make some changes to reenergize their fan base. Shawn is a guaranteed all-star and can now be happy. Fratello is a good coach who should be able to change his style to fit Kemp’s game. Derek Anderson and Brevin Knight look to be great picks.

Weaknesses-Sherm Douglas, Bobby Sura, center, frontcourt depth, small forward. Hopefully, Knight and Anderson can both step in and play big minutes from the start, because Douglas and Sura just don’t cut it in my book. At center, their two foreign big men, Vitaly Potapenko and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, are big question marks. Behind Kemp they have very little. At small forward, I think Wesley Person will end up starting, but if he can’t play small forward they are in trouble. Danny Ferry was good last year, but I don’t think he can do it again.

Unknowns-Can Knight and Anderson contribute? Can Knight overcome his lack of height? Can Anderson keep his knee healthy? The Cavs season will depend on the answers to those questions.

Strengths-Starting five, bench. Patrick Ewing is a great center, and he now has a supporting cast worthy of winning a championship. Charles Oakley is a great rebounder. Allan Houston can shoot. Chris Childs has some skills. Larry Johnson is a former all-star. Chris Dudley, John Starks, and Charlie Ward round out one of the best benches in the league.

Weaknesses-Pieces don’t necessarily fit together, Childs isn’t the point guard they need, age. This team has a lot of talent. But they didn’t seem to fit together last year. Chris Childs takes to many stupid shots to lead this offense where they want to go. Ewing, Oakley, and Johnson are all well past their prime. And they aren’t tough enough to overcome Michael. Nobody is.

Unknowns-Will Michael turn human, and allow himself to be dethroned by the Knicks? I just don’t see them taking out Michael in a direct confrontation. I think they rely too much on Ewing to defeat the Bulls two pronged attack.

Strengths-Defense, bench, Pat Riley. The two former items are direct result of the latter. Pat Riley has constructed a solid team down in Miami. I don’t think they will do as well as last year considering the injury to Alonzo Mourning. Tim Hardaway had a career year, and it’s doubtful he can follow that up with a similar performance. Ike Austin, Terry Mills, and Duane Causwell should do a decent job in Mourning’s absence, but they can not replace him. Dan Majerle is a solid veteran who gives them a boost off the bench.

Weaknesses-Zo’s injury, lack of complete games in Jamal Mashburn, PJ Brown, and Voshon Lenard. If Zo can bounce back strong from his missed games, they should be alright. If he can’t they are in trouble. During the games he misses, they may fall too far behind the Knicks for a comeback. Like the Bulls, the Heat have three starters who lack complete games, but the Bulls one-dimensional players are much better in their dimension.

Unknowns-Can Zo and Hardaway be as good as they were last year? Probably not, but if they come close, they could cause some trouble.

Strengths-Perimeter shooting, depth in the backcourt, Anthony Mason. This team can light it up from the the outside. Between Glenn Rice, David Wesley, Dell Curry, Bobby Phills, and Tony Delk this team will hit some threes. Curry, Delk, and Mugsy Bogues give Dave Cowens a good guard rotation. Anthony Mason puts up good, well-rounded numbers up front.

Weaknesses-This team has no glaring weaknesses, its solid top to bottom. But they aren’t quite as good as the top teams in the East.

Unknowns-Can Cowens get Rice and Mason to play as well as they did last year? This team overachieved last year, but they made some good pickups this year, in Phills and Wesley. Cowens got everything they could give last year, if he can do it again, they could beat out Miami, but I think New York is out of their range.

Strengths- Juwon Howard, Chris Webber. These are two of the most talented forwards in the NBA. On good days, they can dominate. When the Wizards play as a team they can beat almost anyone.

Weaknesses-Inconsistency, bench. Most of the time they don’t play as a team. They also have a pitifully weak bench.

Unknowns-Can they finally play as a team? By the end of last year, they were doing a lot better. If they can sustain that effort throughout the season, the Wizards could be among the top three teams in the east.

Strengths-Penny Hardaway, Chuck Daly, depth at point guard. Penny is one of the more talented and exciting young players in the league. New coach Chuck Daly should be able to get the most of him now that he has moved to shooting guard. Replacing Penny as the starter at the point is Darrell Armstrong, backed up by Derek Harper and Brian Shaw, should Armstrong have troubles.

Weaknesses-Depth up front. Behind Rony Seikaly and Horace Grant, both of whom are aging, there isn’t much. The Magic have a couple of young forwards who might be able to step it up in Grant’s absence, but Seikaly would be sorely missed.

Unknowns-Can Penny play shooting guard? That change is something the Magic are staking this season on, and it is a big gamble. Hardaway is a great point, but he is a great scorer too. He wants to lead the league in scoring, while it is unlikely while Jordan is in the league, it is possible.

Strengths-Depth, speed, Antoine Walker, Rick Pitino, youth. Pitino came in this summer and changed everything around. He brought in his players, has installed his system, and has the Celtics ready to play. They will play a swarming, pressing defense with Pitino rapidly rotating players in and out. This should cause major disruptions in the opponents offense. It should also wear down teams to the point where their starters are practically useless. Antoine is thought to be the savior of this franchise. His quickness in the post is unbelievable. He rebounds well, and can play the 3 or 4.

Weaknesses-Lack of inside strength, lack of continuity on offense. While Pitino brought in his players, he failed to bring in something the Celts sorely needed, a stopper in the middle. The players he got are very athletic, but they will be dominated by teams that can slow the game down and post them up. Also, Pitino’s rapid rotation of players prevents a player from getting into a rhythm, leading to many missed shots, which they can’t rebound due to their lack of bulk inside.

Unknowns-Can Antoine Walker play all-star basketball this year? Rick Pitino thinks so, and said so last week. He has great moves and is playing better defense. He should flourish in Pitino’s system, but if he has problems, the Celtics are doormats again.

Strengths-Youth. Keith Van-Horn and Kerry Kittles are fine young players. The Nets fortunes this year depend on how quickly these two develop. If they struggle, the Nets are done.

Weaknesses-Everything else. Kendall Gill can score, Jayson Williams can rebound, but what else can this team do. Luckily, they have John Calipari who should at least lead them over the 76ers.

Unknowns-Is Van-Horn the real deal? Apparently, Calipari fell in love with him at workouts. Calipari is used to working out high-schoolers for UMASS, so his ability to judge talent on the professional level is unknown.

Strengths-Talent. This team, with Allen Iverson, Jerry Stackhouse, Jim Jackson, Derrick Coleman, Clarence Weatherspoon, and Tim Thomas is loaded with talent. They were all reasonably high picks, and all except Thomas have proved they can play with a decent amount of proficiency in the NBA.

Weaknesses-Attitude. All of the above players have an attitude problem. They all love to shoot. Weatherspoon wants to be traded, Iverson has been arrested, Stackhouse probably will leave after the season, and Thomas, Coleman, and Jackson have never shown their potential.

Unknowns-Can new coach Larry Brown get them to play together? It’s doubtful considering that Iverson’s nature prevents him from being the true point guard it would take to keep all these talents happy.

Strengths-Baker, Payton, defense. Trading away Kemp lends stability to this team. It makes it much less likely that they will lose in the first round again. Baker is a solid player, and having a decent point guard, Gary Payton, to throw to him should improve his numbers. His vulnerabilities on the defensive end may also be covered up by coach George Karl’s excellent defensive scheme, which can make people like Hersey Hawkins seem like good defenders.

Strengths-Starting five, bench. Like the Knicks, the Lakers are a solid organization. The have excellent starters and a deep bench. In fact, the Lakers remind me of the Knicks, only younger. They made a very good, cheap addition in Rick Fox.

Weaknesses-O’Neal’s one dimensional offensive game, attitudes. Shaq, while he has made improvements since he came into the league, is still basically a power dunker. His lack of free-throw shooting ability doesn’t hurt the Lakers much during the regular season, but in the postseason it can be deadly. Shaq’s dedication to the game and leadership abilities have also been questioned. Nick Van Exel is also a time bomb waiting for the most inopportune time to blow up.

Unknowns-Can Shaq concentrate on basketball long enough to lead this team all the way? Can Harris find playing time for Rick Fox and Kobe Bryant? Shaq’s moviemaking and rap-album attempts can do nothing but take away practice time when he should be trying to develop a fall away jumper or improve his free-throw shooting skills. Kobe Bryant, content last year to play a minor role, may be looking to play a bigger role. Unfortunately for him, Rick Fox will also be trying to get some minutes. A second season of few minutes may cause him to be unhappy and a further disruptive influence.

Strengths-Youth, explosiveness, size. The young TrailBlazers, led by Kenny Anderson, Rasheed Wallace and free agent Brian Grant are one of the quickest teams in the league. They also have size and depth up front. They start both Grant and Wallace along with Arvydas Sabonis. Off the bench they bring Jermaine O’Neal, Gary Trent, and rookie Kelvin Cato among others.

Weaknesses-Attitude, backcourt depth, no true small forward. The young Blazers are also a troubled bunch. Shooting guard Isiah Rider has been suspended for the first two games of the season. O’Neal was also arrested in the off-season. Behind Rider and Anderson, they don’t have much. Small forward Cliff Robinson left in the off-season. Now they start both Grant and Wallace, leaving them with a diminished perimeter game.

Unknowns-Can their talent be harnessed? This group is very talented, but the lack of true small forwards could slow down their running game, and could cause a logjam in the paint, where Grant, Wallace, and Sabonis all try to make room for themselves.

Strengths-Mitch Richmond. Mitch, although he is unhappy, is still one of the best players in the league. The Kings would have liked to make him happy by improving his contract, but were unable to do so due to salary cap reasons.

Weaknesses-The rest of this team. These people are awful. They allowed starting power forward Brian Grant and backup point guard Tyus Edney to leave via free agency. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf could possibly be a decent shooting guard on a team with a large point guard, but he is forced to play the point in Sacramento.

Unknowns-Will Mitch be willing to carry this team when he doesn’t want to be here? I’m guessing no. Look for a big drop in production from Mitch as he simply gives up, or tries to force a trade.

Strengths-Loy Vaught. Loy has been one of the most consistent players in the league the last few years. He is a very strong power forward who would be a great complimentary player to one the league’s stars.

Weaknesses-The rest of the team. Unfortunately, there is no one else here for Loy to compliment. Point guard Darrick Martin had a breakout year, but further improvement from him is unlikely.

Unknowns-Can Brent Barry elevate his game? If this former Slam-Dunk Contest Champion can round off his game, and he has the talent to do so, the Clippers may match their total of 35 wins from last year.

Strengths-Latrell Sprewell, Joe Smith. These two players represent all the hopes of Golden State. Unfortunately, Smith seems to be on his way out, and Sprewell is unable to run this team by himself.

Weaknesses-Inexperience, lack of talent. The Warriors, realizing they have no chance this year, traded away their only player with lots of experience, Chris Mullin, for third year center Erik Dampier. After Smith and Sprewell, this team is weak. They have many young forwards and centers, the problem is none of them are effective. Their backcourt is full of veterans who use to start for other teams, but can’t do so anymore.

Strengths-Youth. The Grizzlies have a talented young nucleus in Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Bryant Reeves, and rookie point guard Antonio Daniels.

Weaknesses-Youth. It’s going to take a little while for the Grizzlies to compete on the NBA level. Daniels and Rahim would both be going into their junior years in college. Reeves is still a raw project.

Unknowns-Can coach Brian Hill get them to win? He took a young Penny and Shaq deep into the playoffs, but couldn’t take them all the way. The Grizzlies talent isn’t quite on that level, so one wonders how Hill will do with them.

Strengths-Veteran leadership, John Stockton and Karl Malone, deep bench, continuity. The Jazz, led by Stockton and Malone, kept their team together from last year. In addition to Stockton and Malone, they also start veteran Jeff Hornacek and Byron Russell and Greg Ostertag, both of whom are rapidly improving. Off the bench they bring Shandon Anderson, Chris Morris, Howard Eisley, and rookie Jacque Vaughn. Vaughn is the only significant change from last year.

Weaknesses-Age of core. Stockton, Malone, and Hornacek have all been in the league forever, and one has to wonder when one of them will come down with an injury.

Unknowns-Can Karl Malone follow up last year’s MVP season with another one? He’s always be a consistent performer, but there is a point where the body breaks down. Sometime the Jazz will reach that point.

Strengths-Veteran leadership, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, continuity. Very similar to the Jazz, except they rely on three stars rather than two, and their bench is much thinner. Hakeem, Clyde, and Charles are all still capable of playing at the all-star level.

Weaknesses-Age, lack of bench. This is the oldest team in the league, and over the last few years their aging stars have proven vulnerable to injuries. Unlike Utah, they don’t have a bench with players capable of stepping in and replacing their stars.

Strengths-Athleticism, depth at small forward. Danny Ainge has put together a team very capable of running most other teams out of the stadium. They start both Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson, point guards capable of running the break like no other tandem in the league. Recent addition Antonio McDyess gives them an inside dimension they didn’t have before, while not hurting their running game. At the small forward position, they feature Cedric Ceballos, Danny Manning, and free agent Cliff Robinson. This gives them three different looks at the 3 that should confuse opponents.

Weaknesses-Lack of muscle. Center Hot Rod Williams is incapable of stopping most of the league’s centers. Behind him, Horacio Llamas and Mark Bryant are even worse.

Unknown-Can the trio of Kidd, Johnson, and McDyess overcome their interior deficiencies? If they can, they can compete in the west. If not, they will still be fun to watch.

Strengths-Dominant frontcourt. David Robinson, Sean Elliot, and Tim Duncan form a frontcourt unequaled in the whole NBA. They are all very quick, are good passers, and have a decent range on their shots.

Weaknesses-Mediocre backcourt. Aging Avery Johnson and Vinny Del Negro are not the backcourt you’d want with their frontcourt. Hopefully, with the mobility of their frontcourt, some of their deficiencies can be covered up.

Unknowns-Can Robinson return from his injury as the player he was? Is Duncan all he was made out to be? If the answer to these questions is yes, the Spurs will be in the middle of thins during the playoffs. If no, then they will be going back to the lottery.

Strengths-Tom Gugliotta, Kevin Garnett, and Stephon Marbury. This nucleus gives the Wolves something to build from in their pursuit of a title. They are all well-rounded players improving daily.

Weaknesses-No center, no bench. The Wolves have no center. The only people on the roster who might even try are Stanley Roberts and rookie Paul Grant, neither of whom is an answer. Their bench is also non-existent. The Wolves need to look for bargains in the coming free agent markets.

Unknowns-Can they find the people they need? The Wolves aren’t really concerned about winning this year, although they should make the playoffs. They are more concerned with adding the role players it will take to win a championship.

Strengths-Michael Finley. Finley is a fine young player who would be better off being the second best player on the team. He is a well balanced player, but does not have the skills to be a true floor leader on a good team.

Weaknesses-Point guard. At the point, Robert Pack will struggle to equal his numbers of last year.

Unknowns-Can Shawn Bradley be the player they think he is? The Mavs future looks much brighter if Bradley can do more than block shots. If he doesn’t they will go back to the lottery, because of their abysmal trading record of recent years.

Strengths-Youth. The Nuggets are loaded with rookies, all of whom figure to get lots of playing time this year following the departure of Antonio McDyess. From that trade, they also got quite a few draft picks, at least some of whom can be counted on to be productive.

Weaknesses-Inexperience. Bryant Stith and LaPhonso Ellis appear to be the only major players on this team with experience. Everyone else appears to need a year or two to get used to the NBA.

Unknowns-Will those picks do any good? The Nuggets appear to be banking on the picks they got for McDyess to help them out in the future. They appear to have abandoned all hope of winning this year in order to get the best draft pick possible. Add that to their three rookies this year, and the picks they got for McDyess, its obvious Nugget management felt the need to start over.

TheCeltic