Only The Strong Survive
So, K.G., Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are gracing both the cover of Sports Illustrated and the cover of ESPN The Mag this week. Kobe is all up in the new issue of Esquire. And, oh yeah, if you didn’t check out the November issue of VIBE yet (and if you didn’t, do it now), we’ve got our second annual NBA preview all up in the mix. Garnett, Amare, Tony Parker, Mike Conley Jr., Chris Paul and lots and lots of Stephen Jackson and the Golden State Warriors (VIBE's unofficial favorite team). We adopted the NBA-esque “Only The Strong Survive” theme this time around, because, well, it’s been a tough offseason for NBA types. The gambling stuff, all this talk of the Lakers trading away KB8 KB24 (I’ll still never understand, despite their reasons, why active players change digits mid-career) and, of course, my old friend J.R. Smith dousing chicks with champagne up in the club (allegedly!). Yeah, it’s been rough. But now it’s time to get back and focus on what matters: how the Chicago Bulls are gonna run through the NBA this season preseason NBA rankings. Through a careful system of crunching numbers, speaking with NBA team execs and looking at video from the ’06-’07 season, I was able to devise a pretty incredible ranked list of all 30 teams for VIBE. But, truth be told, that list was pretty lame so I came up with this one instead. Enjoy. (And check back weekly for updated rankings, player news and some dope new blogs and columns from some special guests.)
THE VIBE 15:
1. San Antonio Spurs — Is there any way Tim Duncan could have actually gotten better in the offseason?
2. Phoenix Suns — How long will Grant Hill be able to contribute to an aging Suns lineup?
3. Dallas Mavericks — Will Avery Johnson try to avoid the Golden State Warriors at all costs next postseason?
4. Chicago Bulls — Can you imagine Kobe Bryant in a Bulls uni?
5. Boston Celtics — When the Celts fail to win an NBA title, will K.G. regret making the move to Boston?
6. Utah Jazz — Why didn’t more people talk about Deron Williams before the playoffs started last spring?
7. Houston Rockets — Can the Rockets just win one playoff series before T-Mac hangs ‘em up?
8. Cleveland Cavaliers — Didn’t this team manage to get worse over the summer?
9. Memphis Grizzlies — Are you surprised?
10. Detroit Pistons — Don’t you already get the feeling Chauncey Billups & Co. will be further down this list at the end of the season?
11. Denver Nuggets — On a team featuring A.I. and Carmelo, why is all the news about J.R.?
12. New Orleans Hornets — Is this team going to be called the Hornets forever?
13. Golden State Warriors — Seriously, isn’t Stephen Jackson’s new tattoo ridiculous?
14. Orlando Magic — Is Dwight Howard ready to take this team to the Eastern Conference Finals yet?
15. Toronto Raptors — Can you name a player on the Raptors not named Chris Bosh?
THE OTHER HALF:
16. Washington Wizards — Isn’t DeShawn Stevenson slowly becoming the poor man’s version of Gilbert Arenas?
17. New Jersey Nets — Will this team ever have enough firepower to be a true contender?
18. Portland Trailblazers — Won’t Greg Oden’s injury actually help LaMarcus Aldridge?
19. Miami Heat — Did Pat Riley really just trade for Ricky Davis to help the team?
20. Los Angeles Lakers — Can you imagine Kobe Bryant in a Bulls uni?
21. Seattle SuperSonics — Will Kevin Durant be as good as advertised?
22. Los Angeles Clippers — Don’t you feel bad for Elton Brand?
23. New York Knicks — Is this Isiah’s last chance?
24. Milwaukee Bucks — Isn’t Michael Redd the most underrated player in the NBA?
25. Charlotte Bobcats — Are you buying into the Gerald Wallace hype machine?
26. Indiana Pacers — Shouldn’t Jermaine O’Neal be a Laker by now?
27. Minnesota Timberwolves — Will this team be any better than last year’s Celtics?
28. Atlanta Hawks — Am I being too hard on the Hawks?
29. Sacramento Kings — If this team ever did relocate, would the fans help them pack?
30. Philadelphia 76ers — How 'bout those Phillies?
de.licio.us
digg
Furl
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Comments
There are no comments on this entry. Be the first!