1. Dallas Mavericks -- Defending Western champs have their star, Dirk Nowitzki, re-signed, and they are primed for a return trip to the finals.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers -- We couldn’t possibly place our pick to win it all any lower than two in our early NBA Power Rankings. LeBron James and a healthy Larry Hughes are ready to step into the big-time.
3. Phoenix Suns -- We are blown away by the offensive capabilities of this group of thoroughbreds. Last year, they could drop 140 points on a team at any time. This year, their best player, Amare Stoudamire, is back, and Steve Nash could win the NBA MVP again.
4. San Antonio Spurs -- Balanced veteran squad with a winning coach and a winning attitude. Could win 60 games. Having a sure Hall of Famer, like Tim Duncan, doesn’t hurt.
5. New Jersey Nets -- Great athleticism and the best point guard in basketball, along with good depth, make the Nets a possible Eastern Conference finalist.
6. Chicago Bulls -- Some of the league’s best young players just got a whole lot better with the addition of Super Stopper Ben Wallace. Detroit’s loss gives the Bulls a shot at going the distance.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves -- Take one superstar, Kevin Garnett, two great scorers, Mike James and Ricky Davis, and mix in the top rookie in the draft, Randy Foye, and the recipe might just be a lengthy playoff run.
8. Washington Wizards -- Not to get too personal, but we just love Gilbert Arenas. Caron Butler is a star on the rise. Two stars on one team equals lots of wins.
9. Detroit -- Lots of All-Star firepower, but one giant hole left behind when Ben Wallace left for Chicago. Many believe this move won’t hurt Detroit; we disagree.
10. Los Angeles Clippers -- Elton Brand has emerged as the player most felt he would be when he starred at Duke. Now playoff-tested and veteran-savvy, the Clippers might do even more damage this season.
11. Sacramento Kings – The Kings are talented, deep and they’ll have Ron Artest for a full season. With only 44 wins last season, and Artest being an unpredictable force, we feared ranking the Kings higher. If not for these circumstances, we would have.
12. Miami – Wonder why the defending NBA champs are this low? One word, age. Last year they had enough steam to reach the top of the hill and roll down over everyone. The engine will sputter, though, this year, as these geezers finally realize they’re too old to play a young man’s game. Dwayne Wade can only carry them so far.
13. Indiana Pacers – If Stephen Jackson stays out of jail and holsters his sidearm, the Pacers can go very far. Even without Jackson, Indiana is still pretty good.
14. Denver Nuggets – We like the core of Carmelo Anthony, Nene and Kenyon Martin, but we fear the surrounding group isn’t good enough to get Denver into the playoffs. Anthony, however, may say otherwise.
15. Milwaukee Bucks – Solid shooting club with Michael Redd and Bobby Simmons. Blossoming center, Andrew Bogut, is a nice option in the middle. Depth is a question mark, though.
16. Memphis Grizzlies – Won’t miss Battier as much as most pundits believe. Rookie, Rudy Gay, will contribute immediately. Solid team that can get hot at playoff time.
17. Orlando Magic – Point guard, Jameer Nelson keeps getting better and Dwight Howard is arguably the best rebounder in the NBA. Great guard play and rebounding are the keys to winning championships. Of course, so is depth, which the Magic lacks.
18. Los Angeles Lakers – A team of Kobe Bryant and four guys who are the equivalent of the talent you might see in your local recreation league, just won’t get it done in the NBA, no matter who is coaching. Still, Kobe can shoot the Lakers to 45 wins.
19. Utah Jazz – Nice, balanced squad with no stars, unless you count Mehmet Okur. Utah will have to battle every night to get into the playoffs.
20. Houston Rockets – While some prognosticators are enamored of the Yao Ming-led Rockets, we are not. They still have Battier and Juwan Howard scheduled to start and Tracy McGrady hasn’t played a full season since the Clinton administration. Yao is scary good; the rest of this cast is just scary.
21. Boston Celtics – Paul Pierce can fill up the basket, but the rest of the starters are suspect. Boston will be able to score, but they won’t be able to stop anyone.
22. New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets – Who wouldn’t love Chris Paul at point and David West at power forward? Throw in newcomer, Peja Stojakovic, a deadly shooter, and the Hornets seem primed for a dramatic improvement. They won’t make the playoffs, but they’ll be fun to watch.
23. Philadelphia 76ers – Different year, same story. Lots of Allen Iverson and very little from anyone else.
24. Golden State Warriors – A very solid backcourt with Baron Davis and Jason Richardson. A weak frontline, however, will make for many nights of being out muscled and, ultimately, outplayed.
25. Seattle Supersonics – Can outshoot most teams. Defense and rebounding will be a problem, though.
26. Toronto Raptors – A very nice, young starting five will put Toronto in position to win many games. A poor bench will turn most of them into losses.
27. Atlanta Hawks – Outside of the addition of Speedy Claxton, who is already hurt, this team looks frighteningly similar to the one that won just 13 games two season ago.
28. Charlotte Bobcats – We think Adam Morrison will be a huge contributor immediately, but it won’t translate to many more wins.
29. New York Knicks – They looked better, when Jared Jeffries came to town. With him out for two months, New York suddenly looks awful again.
30. Portland Trail Blazers – The Trail Blazers have just 48 wins in the last two seasons. Their best player is rookie, Brandon Roy. Their best reserve is Juan Dixon. Enough said.
