NBA Season Preview and Predictions for 2011-2012

NBA did follow the suite of NFL but the way it came back might be different than what happened in football. I guess they lost the route following back to start a season after lock out. With a variety of things happening all around the normal NBA fan's mind is a ____________ please fill in your own word but my word is "Freaked". Yes freaked, the reason I say that is because, common the players are deciding where they want to go way before their Free Agency begins and dictating smaller market teams to release isnt there are a philosophy called honoring your contract. I mean when players talk about being committed blah blah blah shouldnt that apply to fans, team and the owners who have given them the oppurtunity. Shouldn't they be committed to themselves of winning a championship build team around themselves rather than jumping onto other teams in bigger markets, colluding to make super teams. The fact that these
superstars are forgetting is they are kicking out the team that made them a super star over the years, which believed in you when you are a nobody. My point is not being emotional and things like that but when a superstar says I love the city of _____ and the fans ___ etc etc that means it is all a big BS. They are more focused to collude to win rather than fight to win. And to support it NBA and NBAPA has done nothing different in the new labor that would stop players from doing what they want. I was deeply expecting a franchise tag rule much like the NFL but for Christmas we got the new Amnesty Rule. But you know what we are talking about,we are talking about David Stern, who is so much into globalization of the league where he is forgetting all this garbage publicity he is trying to get to the league will hurt them in the long run and consistently will loose ground to the NFL and even to MLB where Angels dropped a hammer on St.Louis called Albert Pujols. Well contrasting to my word at the start I think NBA is following the suite of MLB and not NFL. Because just as in MLB small market teams are like farm teams for Big city Light teams.

After so much of my rant about what we have and what it should be rather what it is right now,I come back to the point we have shortened season to play with just 66 games and a full playoffs. I think this will be my most depressing articles about the game because we can no longer can watch teams on national televisions or write about Cleveland, New Orleans,Philadelphia, Memphis, Sacramento, Houston(No Yao Ming), I hope people still remember there is a team for
NBA in Canada called Toronto Raptors and many more teams that people might forget mentioning .

The playoff picture is pretty much set in the east no matter what happens the rankings will be

1. Miami Heat

2. Chicago Bulls

3. Orlando Magic (Assuming Howard will be there atleast this season because he is off the market for now, which is a James Harrison type LOL..!!)

4. Boston Celtics

5. Atlanta Hawks

By the way add in New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets to make it to the playoffs because Knicks also has 2 super stars. New Jersey has Deron Williams.

That makes 8th spot is up for grabs who ever wins 25 -33 games can be in when considering for playoffs in the East

Alter the rankings in TOP 6 as you want but these are the teams for sure going to be in the playoffs from the East

When we talk about the west, well the super stars moved east so the power has shifted to the East as well but not to count out the west

1. Los Angeles Lakers

2. Dallas Mavericks

3. Okhlahoma Thunder (Year of the youth KD35)

4. San Antonio Spurs

5. Los Angeles Clippers (Well some one is saying they will contend for championship greater than the Lakers....I say what the freaking fish) let them play few games together before slapping the contender banner

6. Memphis Grizzlies (I did not forget that they pushed Spurs out last year in playoffs)

7th ,8th Spots may be the Suns will make a final push with Nash or Hornets might emerge and say oh we got better with Chris Paul deal, it can be Tyreke Evans and Demarcus Cousins duo in Sacramento that can make a surprise splash, Portland will fight for a lottery pick hope they dont pick another Greg Oden if they get the number 1 pick.

But teams that are contending for championship will be only few very few. From the East it is unanimous for the Heat to come back to the NBA finals. So people can buy tickets to Miami now if they want to watch the NBA finals. In the west it will be a fight and I am sure Thunder and Russell Westbrook have matured enough to get to the finals this season. Hope I see Oklahoma Thunder vs Miami Heat as a finals match up. Kobe can rest his knees and tend to end his career with 5 rings.

Just like others I have left out the teams from the smaller markets in this discussion and what they are going to do. I feel there will be few pretenders early in the season from the East like Milwaukee Bucks with Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut healthy they will be in the hunt to make it to the playoffs. Indiana Pacers with new Coach and new philosophy will not make huge splash but for sure will have Larry Bird's Support. What are the Jordan Bobcats I mean Charlotte Bobcats going to do, well not sure but not great things though. My eyes will be on Kyrie Irving and what Dan Gilbert will do to help support the top pick and soothe loyal Cleveland Fans. I know I missed few more teams but will put a detailed one in East Contenders vs Pretenders article later this week.

From the west we have teams from Denver(Not the Broncos, it is no more Tebow Time here), Sacramento, Houston, Golden State Warriors, Oh boy I did not even mention Utah Jazz not even once? I am sorry oh yeah I don't need to be because there is no Jerry Sloan any more there and the guys called Williams plays in Brooklyn and the Boozer boy plays on the Bulls Squad. Minnesota Timberwolves will be all about Ricky Rubio and his PG skills which people have completely shut out of their minds. If the Timberwolves make something out of this Spaniard then oh boy we are talking about one more Free Agency Frenzy in future. Heck ya all these small market teams are breeding grounds for players to become super stars and kick the teams in their gut to leap to Big Apple or Hollywood Life or lay down in Miami Beaches...

Please throw your bricks or baits on this article... Thanks for reading...!!!