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The NBA unveiled its lockout shortened, 66 game regular season schedule. The NBA’s season will open Christmas Day and will conclude April 26, with the post-season set to begin two days later. Miami and LA Lakers are favourite; Thunders, Clippers, Bulls and the defending champions Dallas are the possible surprises. Here's a complete division-by-division preview, betting tips and free predictions.
NBA 2011/2012 SOUTHWEST DIVISION PREVIEW
Teams: San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston RocketsMavericks are the defending champions, but they lost a major piece of that puzzle in Tyson Chandler to free agency. They replaced him with Lamar Odom, who they had to give up nothing to get, and added Delonte West and Vince Carter to make up for Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson and J.J. Barea.
The Grizzlies have a plethora of assets: Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and Mike Conley, to name the starting lineup. Things are looking up for Memphis, and we would not be surprised if they have an even better season/post-season than Dallas.
The Spurs desperately need an infusion of youth. The drafting of Leonard is a start, as he can provide defense and energy off the bench. However, the aging Spurs roster lacks many tradeable assets. The Spurs will not be a relevant title contender.
The Rockets are clearly rebuilding. Yao Ming was a transcendent talent who, tragically for basketball fans everywhere, just could not stay on the court. Kyle Lowry is a nice player, and Kevin Martin is a consistent scorer- but that is just not nearly enough on which to build a foundation for the future.
The worst team is New Orleans Hornets and that's maybe even before they get Chris Paul and David West traded.
Predictions: 1° Memphis, 2° Dallas, 3° San Antonio, 4° Houston, 5° New Orleans
NBA 2011/2012 NORTHWEST DIVISION PREVIEW
Teams: Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Portland TrailblazersThe Thunder are a young team with just enough veteran leadership to do some damage in the playoffs. In fact, they have to be considered among the favourites to win the title.Kevin Durant is on his way to becoming the best player in the league, Russell Westbrook is one of the top 5 point guards in a league loaded with point guard talent, and the rest of the roster is deep.
The Nuggets are once again looking poised to make a charming playoff run, have youth and depth but, unlike the Thunder, they lack any semblance of star power. Rudy Fernandez, Corey Brewer and rookie Kenneth Faried could help but unfortunately NBA teams do not win titles without stars, except in very unique cases.
Portland had a tumultuous offseason and preseason. They still don't have a full-time general manager, star guard Brandon Roy decided to hang up his sneakers after it was determined his knees would not hold up much longer and former No. 1 overall draft pick Greg Oden took the team's one-year offer and was promptly ruled out for the season.Wesley Matthews is a great guard, Aldridge is an elite forward, Gerald Wallace is still an incredibly effective player and the Blazers still have an above-average nucleus that should return to the postseason.
Utah is a bad team. In the space of less than 18 months, the Jazz roster is becoming unrecognizable: they sent boozer to Chicago, Deron Williams to the Nets and lost Kirilenkoas free agent. It’s going to be a long short season in Utah.
The Timberwolves are an up and coming young team. They will play hard, surprise some teams will but likely finish at the bottom of the conference again.
Predictions: 1° Oklahoma City, 2° Denver, 3° Portland, 4° Utah, 5° Minnesota
NBA 2011/2012 PACIFIC DIVISION PREVIEW
Teams: Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Golden State WarriorsWith Chris Paul joining the Los Angeles Clippers of Blake Griffin, even without Eric Gordon, the additions of Caron Butler, Chauncey Billups and re-signing DeAndre Jordan make as tough of a team to face as any. Griffin's impact next to Chris Paul is nearly incalculable. The Clippers will make the playoffs and be the proverbial “team no one wants to play,” capable of advancing to the next rounds.
Even with the Lakers unable to obtain Paul, the combination of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum is probably enough to take the honors here. The Lakers are hungry to avenge their playoff flame-out against the Mavericks, but their age will be tested by the compressed schedule. Andrew Bynum wants more responsibility and he will have to assume it without injury (unless, of course, Dwight Howard takes his place).
As long as the Suns employ Steve Nash, they will score more than 100 points per game, but unless they drastically improve their defense, they will give up just as many. They
will likely be in the running for the bottom spots in the Western Conference playoff picture, and their three-point shooting could give someone a scare. But in the end, they’re not equipped to make any sort of postseason run.
Golden State is a rebuilding franchise with young talent that hasn’t figured out how to win consistently. They have to commit to defensive principles. David Lee, Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, these players are not known for this, at all. After showing some promise last year, the Warriors seem more than likely to slide back in 2011-12.
After surviving a relocation threat, the Kings are looking at another rebuilding year in the state capital. DeMarcus Cousins has to build on his rookie year, and Tyreke Evans has to recapture it, for the Kings to take another stride. Anyway, they have young talented bigs and Hayes who provides savvy and veteran knowledge.
Predictions: 1° LA Lakers, 2° LA Clippers, 3° Sacramento, 4° Phoenix, 5° Golden State
NBA 2011/2012 SOUTHEAST DIVISION PREVIEW
Teams: Miami Heats, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Washington WizardsThe Miami Heat proved they were the best team in the Eastern Conference by a significant margin when they dismantled the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs last year. The 2011-2012 version brings all the key pieces back and features one major upgrade: free agent wing Shane Battier. As long as Miami is healthy, it will be an upset if this team fails to return to the NBA Finals. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh return with a renewed purpose plus redemption as motivation, and all three spent the lockout getting themselves in top shape to accomplish their goal of winning a title.
Magic's identity is in doubt amid speculation of Dwight Howard's departure. Howard hadn't ruled out a return to the Magic during camp, giving hope that their defense and a full season with Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu on the wings can restore them to contention.If Howard is dealt, it’s a huge blow, regardless of the compensation they get. But in all likelihood, they’d be battling just to get back into the playoffs.
There’s plenty to like about the Hawks, who could leapfrog Orlando even if the Magic retain Dwight Howard. They added Tracy McGrady to the bench, likely replacing free agent Jamal Crawford. Atlanta would have all the makings of an excellent second-tier contender with All-Star talent at several positions and we expect another respectable regular season from this team nonetheless.
The Wizards are rebuilding in a promising way around second-year point guard John Wall and rookie big man Vesely, who will need time to adjust. They could be a dangerous team later in the year, but they’re an outside threat for a playoff spot at best.
There are some intriguing young pieces at Charlotte (particularly rookies Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo, assuming the latter is finally available) and one proven veteran in Corey Maggette but this season will be a tossaway for owner Michael Jordan, who will continue to look to cut costs and position the team for a high draft pick in a loaded 2012 lottery.
Predictions: 1° Miami, 2° Atlanta, 3° Orlando, 4° Washington, 5° Charlotte
NBA 2011/2012 CENTRAL DIVISION PREVIEW
Teams: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee BucksThe Bulls’ roster remains very much the same going into this season. They let Keith Bogans go and signed Richard Hamilton. Probably the most complete team in the league, but lacking that secondary superstar power. The key is the health of the Bulls big men. Both Boozer and Noah missed a lot of games last season and Boozer played hurt down the stretch and into the playoffs. The biggest challenger to the Heat in the East. It would be surprising to us if the Eastern Finals were anything but Bulls/Heat.
The Pacers could have one of the NBA's most intriguing starting fives. They added David West and George Hill to the squad. The trio of those 2 and Danny Granger has the potential to be very effective. Indiana will be in the mix for that 4th seed in the East after Miami, Chicago and Boston.
The Bucks have made a lot of little changes since last season, but none look to be big game changers except for the adding of Stephen Jackson who should provide some nice firepower and a solid running mate for Jennings. The real question mark for this team is the health of Andrew Bogut. If Jennings improves and Bogut stays healthy, they will probably fight for a playoff spot.
Detroit has really no chance at doing a whole lot this seasons. They bought out Hamilton’s contract and now Prince and Wallace are all that’s left of the championship team. Ben Wallace should retire and Prince is not near the player he once was.
Cavaliers have nice mix of young talent and older veterans but we are not sure just how long it will take for Irving and Thompson to make their mark. This not going to be a pretty season for the Cavs but if the young guys can get acclimated to the NBA quickly, then this team could win some games.
Predictions: 1° Chicago, 2° Indiana, 3° Milwaukee, 4° Detroit, 5° Cleveland
NBA 2011/2012 ATLANTIC DIVISION PREVIEW
Teams: New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto RaptorsCeltics' three superstars (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen) are all in their mid 30’s and this season might be the last real shot this group has at a title. So they are probably happy that the lockout shortened this season. Boston’s weakness will most likely be rebounding and inside defense. They gave away a lot when they traded Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green and thank to Rajon Rondo theyshould win their fifth straight Atlantic title.
This is the year to see what the Knicks are going to do with Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. They have also added Tyson Chandler. That should help with their defense. The roster needs to be filled in, especially at point guard, but this season could launch a run at the NBA Finals in years to come. Look for them to improve on last year, but we are not sure if they are ready to make that move to playing with the elite in the East.
After surprisingly making the playoffs last year, Philadelphia looked like it was on the right track. They have a solid starting five led by Iguodala but they didn’t do anything really in the offseason to improve. The successful comeback of Elton Brand, the arrival of new ownership and the improvement of second-year guard Evan Turner could put Philadelphia back into the playoffs.
There is not much positive to say about the Raptors last season. They are still hurting from losing Chris Bosh and not sure about their prospects for this year. This team needs to get tougher up front. Bargnani is too soft and Amir Johnson did not evolve into the great shot blocker that was once thought of. They don’t defend well, they don’t rebound well, and their shooting is mediocre at best. Many more moves must come before the Raptors can hope to return to the playoffs.
This will be the last year for the Nets in New Jersey. They will be moving to Brooklyn next season. Looks like this will be another rebuilding year for New Jersey. There was talk about getting Dwight Howard from the Magic, but it didn’t happen. Other than Deron Williams and Brook Lopez, every other guy on this team would be the 9th to 12th guy on a team with even subpar talent. This team needs help in every way possible just to get out of the bottom five into the next worse five.
Predictions: 1° Boston, 2° New York, 3° Philadelphia, 4° Toronto, 5° New Jersey
NBA SEASON 2011/2012 PREDICTIONSNBA Championship Winner:
LA Lakers @ 8.00
LA Clippers @ 26.00
NBA Eastern Conference Winner:
Miami Heat @ 2.10
Chicago @ 4.00
NBA Western Conference Winner:
Oklahoma City @ 4.80
LA Clippers @ 13.00
NBA Regular Season MVP:
Derrick Rose @ 5.00
Kevin Durant @ 5.00
  
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