Fifty Peso Previews NBA 2011-12: Southeast Division

Atlanta Hawks

Major Additions: Tracy McGrady, Jerry Stackhouse
Major Subtractions: Jamal Crawford


     The Hawks decided to keep the nucleus of their team, gaining McGrady while losing 6th man Crawford, in the hopes that yet another year of playing together will finally be "it" for this team that has played together for years.  The Hawks, however, are still a team that struggles mightily against good defensive teams.  Unless Josh Smith decides to completely reach his potential and Joe Johnson defies father time, the Hawks may be doomed to yet another loss in the playoffs.


Fearless Forecast: Eliminated in the playoffs (2nd round)

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Fifty Peso Previews: 2011 NBA Playoffs East

     NBA fans' favorite time has come. It's the start of the NBA playoffs 1 night from tonight and let's weigh in on the first round results starting with the Eastern Conference.

Chicago Bulls (1) vs Indiana Pacers (8)

     Never mind the history of 8th seeds beating the 1st seeds. This series will be won by the Bulls. They are too talented defensively for the Pacers, who I consider one of the teams that defend better only when the shoot great.  The Bulls are playing at too high a level to let the Pacers get their offense going and Derrick Rose is just astounding with his stellar MVP-candidate play.  It will be a tough climb for the Pacers and I can only see them win a game if at all.


Fearless Forecast: Bulls take series (4 games to 1)

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Fifty Peso Previews: 2010-11 NBA Southeast Division

     First of all, many thanks to those who voted and supported me as I competed for Lifestyle Network's CLash of the Toque-en Ones.  I've made it to the top 2 finals and I have one more showdown to win before I realize my 25-year dream of having my own cooking show.


     Now, it's time to continue my long-delayed NBA 2010-11 Season Previews, this time featuring the NBA's Southeast Division. As usual, we're honored to have hitmaker Toto Sorioso providing our teams' theme songs for the year.


Atlanta Hawks 

Major Additions: Josh Powell, Etan Thomas
Major Subtractions: None

Improving every season for the past 5, it would seem the Hawks should go for a title run this season.  Their line up is young and talented and most of the core players have been signed up for the long haul.  Somehow, though, the Hawks won't make it any farther this year.  Their offense remains stagnant at times and one has to remember that both playoff appearances by the Hawks in the past two years ended in ugly, 4-game sweeps.  They need to show added maturity and unselfishness if they don't want to be known as just a good regular season team.  


Fearless Forecast: Eliminated in the playoffs (2nd round)
Toto's Theme Song: GIve Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman)


Charlotte Bobcats

Major Additions: None
Major Subtractions: Raymond Felton


Bobcats fans must be ready to be masochists.  Despite new owner Michael Jordan's proclamations about wanting to win, the Bobcats have not added to their roster which barely made the playoffs for the first time last year.  Then, they went ahead and let starter Raymond Felton go to the Knicks.  It looks to be a tough year for the Bobcats and it will be a struggle yet again to make the playoffs.


Fearless Forecast: Eliminated in the regular season
Toto's Theme Song: Love the Way You Lie (Eminem feat. Rihanna)


Miami Heat

Major Additions: Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Mike Miller
Major Subtractions: Michael Beasley


All talk has been on the Heat and their trio of superstars, with many predicting immediate multiple championships and challenging the Bulls' 72-10 win loss record.  It's been a rough start for Miami and it's not all about needing time to gel.  The Heat are very thin up front and in the playoffs that may be exposed, like the way the Celtics have done, twice already.  The Heat need tougher play underneath or they will come up short.  They will dominate the regular season but they need to handle their business down low if they want to challenge history.


Fearless Forecast: At least Conference semi-finals 
Toto's Theme Song: The Club Can't Handle Me Ryt Now (Flo Rida feat. David Guetta)


Orlando Magic

Major Additions: Chris Duhon
Major Subtractions: None


Orlando had a great record last year but disappointed many by losing to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.  Instead of blowing up the team, the Magic decided to give the team one more year together.  Will the added year make them play better?  What the Magic needs is stepped up play from both VInce Carter and Rashard Lewis as Dwight Howard cannot do it alone.  Once those two step up and not disappear like last year, the Magic can go all the way to the Finals once again.


Fearless Forecast: At least Conference Semi Finals
Toto's Theme Song: Magic (B.O.B.)


Washington Wizards

Major Additions: John Wall, Yi Jian Lian, Kirk Hinrich
Major Subtractions: None


What a mess the Wizards were last year.  This year, with a new face to the franchise, the Wizards can probably look forward to a less chaotic year.  Winning, however, will not be as automatic.  Wizards need their mercurial but talented players Gilbert Arenas and Andray Blatche to buy into Coach Flip Saunders' system if they want bring the Wizards to playoff contention, which is definitely easier said than done with these two guys.


Fearless Forecast: Eliminated in the regular season
Toto's Theme Song: Reset (Charice)

Fifty Peso Previews: NBA's Southeast Division

Rounding out the NBA's Eastern Conference is the Southeast Division, home of the defending Eastern Conference Champs, the Orlando Magic.  Are the Magic the only good team in this conference?

Atlanta Hawks

Last Season: Eliminated in the playoffs (2nd round) by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Key New Additions: Jamal Crawford, Joe Smith
Projected Starters: Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, Al Horford

     The Hawks got a huge monkey off their backs when they got to the playoffs since the Mutombo era two seasons ago.  Since then, the Hawks, despite their ownership woes, seem to want to do better.  Re-signing their vital cogs Smith and Bibby was definitely a sign that the Hawks want to compete this year, and compete they certainly will.  With the addition of the streak shooting Crawford to an already respectable bench, look for the Hawks to be an even better scoring team.  Their biggest chance for success though will depend on their defense and Mike Woodson is all over that.  The question mark will be Josh Smith, since his dynamic defensive abilities to block, steal and rebound (when he wants to) will be the key to making the Hawks a credible defensive team.  If Smith somehow works well with Woodson (with no drama this time), then the Hawks will have a chance to actually be threats in the playoffs, rather than get swept again in the second round.

Fearless Forecast: Eliminated in the playoffs (2nd round)

Charlotte Bobcats

Last Year: Failed to make playoffs
Key New Additions: Tyson Chandler, Flip Murray
Projected Starters: Raymond Felton, Raja Bell, Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw, Tyson Chandler

Part owner Michael Jordan is as good a basketball executive as he was a baseball player.  His moves have left the Bobcats with an uneven line up over the years, and the trades pulled off last season and over the summer not only failed to correct that, but they also left the Bobcats older and more injury-prone.  Trading the oft-injured Emeka Okafor for an even more oft-injured Tyson Chandler is the final nail on the coffin of the Bobcats' playoff chances. This mish mash of a team may play some good games throughout the season by virtue of versatile stars Wallace and Diaw, but it really doesn't look good for the Bobcats and its coach Larry Brown.  If they do any significant strides towards the playoffs, then Brown deserves a Nobel prize because they are a lost cause.

Fearless Forecast: Eliminated in the regular season.

Miami Heat

Last Season: Eliminated in playoffs (1st round) by the Atlanta Hawks
Key New Additions: Quentin Richardson
Projected Starters: Daequan Cook, Dwayne Wade, Michael Beasley, Udonis Haslem, Jermaine O"Neal

For a team trying to convince Dwayne Wade to stay with them next year, the Miami Heat sure didn't do much.  Acquiring Quentin Richardson doesn't do much to augment the Heat, as their bench continues to be very weak.  Moving Beasley to small forward will help  their starters' offensive sets, but don't be surprised if Wade contends for another scoring title, and the Heat get eliminated from the playoffs.  Filipino American coach Erik Spoelstra must find help for Wade if he wants the Heat anywhere near playoff contention.

Fearless Forecast: Eliminated in the regular season

Orlando Magic

Last Year: Lost in the Finals to the L.A. Lakers
Key New Additions: Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, Jason Williams, Brandon Bass
Projected Starters: Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Mikael Pietrus, Brandon Bass (for the 1st 10 games), Dwight Howard

     In what could only be described as an arms race, the Magic responded to the Cavs' and Celtics' improvements by acquiring talent.  Lots of it.  With ownership willing to shed dough, the Magic's revamped line up features a team two deep at every position and trouble for all opponents.  The Magic now possesses more three point shooters, a legitimate power forward (with power), and an end game scorer in Carter.  While the Cavs feel entitled enough to print their finals tickets already, the Magic seem to be the ones destined for another crack at the title.

Fearless Forecast: At least Eastern Conference Finals

Washington Wizards

Last Year: Failed to make playoffs
Key New Additions: Randy Foye, Mike Miller
Projected Starters: Gilbert Arenas, Mike Miller, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood

     The Wizards, marred by a myriad of injuries, especially on superstar Arenas, have had a miserable last season.  This year, things are looking up for Washington as Arenas is supposedly fully healthy.  To further add flame to their already potentially red-hot offensive trio of Arenas, Butler and Jamison, they have traded for sharp shooter Miller and combo guard Randy Foye.  What makes all this explosive is the hiring of new coach Flip Saunders, one of the league's most innovative offensive coaches.  That's why Wizards fans are optimistic, as this year promises a high scoring playoff year for the Wizards.  Look for the Wizards to reclaim their 5th spot in the playoff race.

Fearless Forecast: Eliminated in Playoffs (2nd round)

Grading the First Wave of NBA Trades

     Before I could even finish my series of NBA year ender stories, the first wave of off season moves began, and what wave it has been.  I thought it would be nice to grade these trades, to see how the teams involved will fare in the future.

Major Trade Number 1: The Shaq Trade

Cleveland gets: Shaquille O'Neal

Phoenix gets: Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic

     This trade had been in the works last season and after the Magic's domination of the Cavs, I'm sure the Cavs wished this trade happened last year.  In any case, the Cavs finally get a big and tough center to match up with Dwight Howard and a shot blocking defensive presence.  On first look, this looks great for the Cavs, but I have my doubts about this.  Shaq demands a lot of attention and ball possessions, most of which were given to reigning MVP Lebron James.  Unless Shaq finally learns to match his demand for attention with his diminishing skills, there might be a little iffyness in the team chemistry department.  Another issue would be Shaq's health.  Will he be healthy enough to actually make a difference for the Cavs?  In any case, what the Cavs have going for them is that Shaq will most likely be motivated and they can rest assured Shaq will give his best effort, if only so that Shaq can beat Kobe's team and Shaq can have more titles than Kobe again.  By giving up very little (Wallace and Pavlovic were useless in the playoffs anyway), the Cavs deserve an A for this.

     For the Suns, this isn't GM Steve Kerr's way of helping his friend, Cleveland GM Danny Ferry.  It was mostly a cost-cutting move to help the Suns avoid paying huge luxury taxes.  The move saved them a total of about 10 million dollars now, and if Wallace retires and agrees to a buyout, they save even more.  I think Kerr has recognized the need for the Suns to finally rebuild (about two years to late I think), and if they also successfully trade away Amare Stoudamire to Golden State for Setphen Curry and Andris Biedrins, the Suns would be able to rebuild, save money and still entertain fans.  They get a C from me, a B+ if they complete the Amare deal.

Major Trade 2: The VC Homecoming

New Jersey Nets get: Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie

Orlando Magic get Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson

     I find this trade as actually the most significant trade of the Eastern Conference.  Once again, the Magic are looking to outdo the Cavaliers, this time in the trade arena.  While many question VC's heart and health, he has been pretty solid for the Nets for the past two seasons, missing fewer games and playing better team ball all around.  He will give the Magic a scoring threat that can create his own shot while still giving Magic the three point threat they always have on court.  While much has been said of Carter's inability to win, he has never been on a contending team as well built as the Magic.  This, along with the fact that Carter is an Orlando native, could spur him to actually bring a lot more effort to his game.  Meanwhile, Ryan Anderson will get his chance to develop behind the Magic's athletic forwards, and he may turn out to be more than a trade throw-in.  Lastly, having VC around gives the Magic a little leverage to negotiate with free agent Hedo Turkoglo.  Now that the Magic have a new forward, they won't be tempted to over pay the Turkish native, but still have a chance to resign him, since GM Otis SMith said they are willing to pay luxury taxes.  Overall, this trade is good one for the Magic, a strong commitment to winning for the next two to three years.  A solid B+ (A if Turkoglo re signs with the Magic).

     The Nets have been letting go of expensive parts for years, first with Kenyon Martin, then Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and now Vince Carter.  Instead of a straight salary dump a la Phoenix, the Nets actually get some quality players.  Courtney Lee gives them a starting quality shooting guard at a much cheaper price while officially turning the team over to All Star guard Devin Harris.  Meanwhile, the veterans Rafer Alston and Tony Battie both give them not only vetera minutes of the bench, but also expiring contracts, which is still in line with their plans to bring in owner Jay-Z's best buddy Lebron James in 2010.  Overall, a great move by GM Rod Thorn, and also a solid B+.

Major Trade 3: The San Antonio Resurrection

San Antonio Spurs get: Richard Jefferson

Milwaukee Bucks get: Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto (later traded for Amir Johnson)

     The Spurs' Tim Duncan era is about to come to a close, so Gregg Popovich and co. figure to give it one more go.  Adding Richard Jefferson to one of the NBA's oldest superstar trios is a much needed shot in the arm.  Jefferson gives them a cushion against injuries that will likely hit one or all of their big three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker-Longoria, while sacrificing very little.  Bowen has long been past useful, while Thomas and Oberto might actually be bought out and come back to them.  Overall, this was quite a steal for the Spurs and there is (literally) a spring in the step of the Spurs.  They deserve an A.

     The Bucks have long been known as a small market team and so paying the luxury tax is not really ideal for them.  The move saves them a ton of money, but they received practically nothing in return.  While saving money will enable them to re sign their "important" free agents, you have to wonder if signing Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva was actually so important they gave away a former All Star for well, two grandfathers and one who plays like one.  Last year, they couldn't make the playoffs and Jefferson was their only stud, so Coach Scott Skiles has his work cut out for him next season.  This move was a total head scratcher, a D.

Major Trade 4:  Atlanta Loads Up

Atlanta Hawks get: Jamal Crawford

Golden State Warriors get: Speedy Claxton and Acie Law IV

     The Hawks had a second straight successful season but they need to add more to their roster.  While re signing Mike Bibby is one of their priorities this summer, they went ahead and got more help at guard.  Crawford will provide solid play for both guard positions.  This ensures that if Bibby leaves, it won't be a total disaster for them.  Meanwhile, Crawford gives them a player who has an unmitigated desire to shoot, which will help them avoid those weird offensive plays that went nowhere because no one would shoot.  It also gives them more leverage to try to sign Bibby to a more reasonable price.  What's best is that they gave away practically nothing.  A solid B+ for the Hawks.

     Golden State has had a lot of turmoil in the front office as well as with the players and coaches, so weird trades is not a surprise.  Barely a few months after aggressively acquiring Jamal Crawford in a trade, Coach Don Nelson couldn't wait to throw him away.  Throw is the right word as they basically got an aging, barely-used point guard (Claxton) and an official draft bust (Law).  What makes the move an even bigger head scratcher is that they just committed to signing Monta Ellis to a long term contract and they also picked up Stephen Curry (another point guard) in the draft.  Add to this the signing of mercurial guard Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggete to long term deals last year, and you can see the Warriors' front office has been slugging back too much alcohol.  They should have let former GM do his job, instead of bypassing him last year.  Obviously, either the Warriors know something we don't or they don't know anything.  In any case, they deserve a "D."

     Watch out for more NBA trades and their grades in the coming weeks.

Lebron Simply Blew It

     Many people thought I was daft when I predicted an Orlando Magic victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games, but I held firm to my beliefs because in the end, I knew the Magic was simply a bad match up to the Cavs.  I knew how the Magic's lithe and quick frontline would pose problems for the Cavs' big but lumbering big men and I expected Lebron James' teammates would not provide enough support to lift the Cavaliers.  What I didn't expect though, was how bad Lebron James would blow it.  

     Forget about Lebron losing a chance to play in the NBA Finals on his Most Valuable Player season.  Forget about him losing to the less favored Orlando Magic despite finishing with the league-best 66 to 16 win loss record.  What Lebron blew was the opportunity to look like a classy guy.  

     After losing game 6 and the series to the Magic, James quickly retreated to the locker room, avoided the media and went straight to the team bus.  Most disappointingly, he never offered any congratulatory hugs or handshakes to the Magic players, even to his team USA teammate Dwight Howard.  Asked about his abrupt exit from the arena, the "King" explained, "It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them,” he said. “I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. That doesn’t make sense to me. I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.”

     Come on Lebron.  Being a "winner" doesn't mean you don't congratulate the winner.  Recognizing and congratulating someone who has beaten you fair and square doesn't make you a loser; in fact, it makes you a bigger person worthy of adulation.  Even bitter rivals MAtt Hughes and Matt Serra congratulated each other after trying to kill each other in UFC 98.  Oscar de la Hoya found time and character to congratulate Manny Pacquiao after the Pacman beat him to a pulp.  

     There he was, Lebron James, a star athlete with transcendent popularity, a role model for kids all over the world with a chance to show them what true sportsmanship is all about.  He had a chance to show kids that sportsmanship is not just about playing fairly and cleanly and competing relentlessly.  It is, more importantly, accepting defeat and enjoying victory graciously Being the superstar James is, he simply can't do two out of three and expect the world to indulge him because of his youth and frustration.  Youth coaches in different sports from all around the world can try to teach kids about sportsmanship and graciousness, but in the end, kids' heroes like Kobe Bryant and James will impact the kids more with their behavior.  If he truly cared about helping kids and molding them into better people, he would have recognized his basketball camps with the youth in Akron, Ohio is not enough.  He should have seen this as a perfect opportunity to show kids how great and classy athletes take losing to worthy rivals.  He blew his chance to help educate kids about true and unadulterated sportsmanship.

     Lebron James is a tremendous athlete, one of those once-in-a-generation type athletes who will no doubt win many more accolades and championships, and I hate to think that this episode blemish a lasting legacy that he is destined to leave the world with.  I really hope he owns up to this boo boo of his.  He is once again presented with an opportunity to show kids proper behavior, to own up to one's mistakes and apologize properly.  Let's go Lebron.  Don't blow it this time.

Monkey Wrench into the NBA's Best Laid Plans

     It all started last summer, at the Beijing Olympics.  The U.S., hungry for redemption after their recent failure, brought along a team intent on winning.  It was the best team formed since the 1996 Olympics, and at the forefront were two huge, global stars, Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. Branded as leaders, the two elevated their games and brought home the gold medal.  Right then and there, the NBA sensed something great and licked their chops.  Kobe vs Lebron for the NBA Title.  Now that sounded like a blockbuster and the NBA started a novena, praying for  divine intervention to deliver them their dream finals match up.

     Lo and behold, as the season wore on, the NBA was beginning to smile.  Lebron and the Cavs razed through the Eastern Conference just as Kobe and the Lakers romped through out West.  With both teams entering their respective conference finals, the NBA's best laid plans for a blockbuster finals (with massive TV ratings) was so close David Stern could taste it.  Now, though, someone has thrown a monkey wrench or two into the well-oiled plan.  Enter the Orlando Magic and the Denver Nuggets.  

     As things stand now, the Magic and the Nuggets have taken away the two favorites' homecourt advantage, with the Magic leading the Cavs 1-0 and the Nuggets ties with the Lakers at 1 all.   Will these two teams, who are looking for redemption themselves, prove to be the proverbial monkey wrench or will they merely be cumbersome obstacles that will be hurdled?

     The Orlando Magic has not exactly been on everyone's radar when talking about who will win the Larry O'Brien trophy this year, and the boys from Orlando have taken the snub personally.  They now pose quite a threat to the Cavs and it's not just because they aren't the Pistons.  As shown in Game 1, Orlando had the Cavs beat on two ends.  

     First of all, Orlando's frontcourt is huge, but lithe and lightning-quick.  A front line featuring 7 foot Dwight Howard, 6-10 shooters Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu and 6-8 Michael Pietrus are simply too quick for the equally huge but lumbering front line of the Cavs.  While James can match up with any one of the Magic's forwards, he can't guard all of them at the same time.  In game one, while it was Howard's 30 points that lit up the scoreboard, the Cavs lost because of the other three forwards, with Hedo and Lewis combining for Orlando's final 17 points.  If the Cavs are to make it to the finals, like they told the world they would do, then their tall lumbering front line (Anderson "Sideshow Bob" Varejao guarding Rashard Lewis, are you serious?) must find a way to become light on their feet.

     Secondly, the Cavs played to Orlando's strength, which I believe is not their three point shooting but more so their defense.  Everyone reverted back to their "watch Lebron" playbooks, standing around hoping to get a pass for a spot-up three.  Although James had a monster game, going 20 of 30 from the field, it took too much out of James.  In fact, I think he passed up a shot on a late drive that could have won the game, simply because of fatigue.  All Star Mo Williams and Delonte West must regain their regular season shooting and aggressiveness and Zydrunas Ilgauskas must make Dwight Howard work on defense if they are to beat the Magic in this series.

     The Denver Nuggets almost became the poster child of how not to build an NBA roster as the past few years showed the Mile High team as a group of shoot first, players with immense talent but no will to win a championship.  What a difference an old and wise point guard makes.  Chauncey Billups has come into Denver and changed the team's outlook (and therefore) its chances this season.  The "new-look" Nuggets actually feature the same core of players, save for the enigmatic Chris "Birdman" Andersen, but they have shown a desire and will for teamwork and defense that was last seen on a Nuggets team when Dikembe Mutombo was wagging fingers at opponents.  They could pose problems for the Lake show because, as seen in Games 1 and 2, the Nuggets bring in a toughness and and offensive arsenal that have the Lakers on their heels.

     First of all, the Nuggets this year are tough, in a good basketball way.  They are showing a willingness and the health needed to bang bodies inside, once again threatening to expose Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom as softies playing in a tough guy's game.  Kenyon Martin, Nene and Birdman have relentlessly attacked the lanes for both offense and defense, taking the Houston Rockets model of bullying the Lakers inside.  If the Lakers want to make David Stern happy, they must dig deep, fight back especially inside the paint to grab rebounds and loose balls, shoot high percentage dunks and layups and block and change shots.

     Secondly, the Nuggets while successfully approximating the Rockets' toughness on defense, are infinitely more talented on offense.  Carmelo Anthony has shown, at least in these playoffs, that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as King James and he has a lot of help.  Linas Kleiza and J. R. Smith are bringing it from the bench, K-Mart and Nene have been active and useful on the offensive end (Heck, Nene even had 6 assists in game 2. 6!!! OMG! The Black Hole of basketball learned to pass!) and most importantly, Billups has a stability to keep the Nuggets calm through thick and thin.  The Nuggets are clicking on all cylinders offensively, and if Kobe wants to get a chance to win his first title without Shaq, he must lead his team not just in offense, but more so on the defensive end.  They must clog the lane and force the Nuggets into shooting from the outside.  

     So now David Stern is beginning to sweat.  His dream blockbuster finals scenario is being pushed onto the brink of oblivion.  Will the Cavs and the Lakers bounce back and give Stern a reason to smile or will Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony be the Team USA teammates playing in the finals?

     As for me, you all know I love ruining best laid plans, so I will be in my usual place, eagerly awaiting Cleveland's and L.A.'s impending disappointments.