30. Boston –Can they keep up the horrid, Greg Oden-getting play in the worst division of the worst conference of all time now that Paul Pierce is back on the court?
29. Memphis –Will Jerry West try to make one last big move by pulling the trigger on a trade of Pau Gasol before Thursday’s deadline?
28. Philadelphia – What will they decide about keeping Andre Miller?
27. Milwaukee – Has Michael Redd’s injury a blessing in surprise if the Bucks land themselves Greg Oden or Kevin Durant?
26. Charlotte – Is Adam Morrison as bad as he’s looked thus far in his NBA career?
25. Seattle – Will Rashard Lewis opt out of his contract at the end of the season?
24. Atlanta – Is Mike Woodson the coach for the Hawks now that the ownership battles are finished and the new regime is fully in place?
23. Portland – Is Zach Randolph really the sane and productive player he appears to be?
22. Sacramento – Will Mike Bibby get traded?
21. Knicks – What constitutes significant progress and has Isiah Thomas led the Knicks there?
20. Golden State – Can Monta Ellis jump high enough to send Jason Richardson out of town?
19. New Jersey – Why haven’t they already pulled the trigger on a Jason Kidd trade?
18. New Orleans – Can they be the opposite of last year’s NOOCH and gel late with their returning starters instead of falling apart?
17. Clippers – What the hell is Corey Magette still doing in a Clipper uniform?
16. Minnesota – Are these the last 30 games for Kevin Garnett in a Timberwolves uniform?
15. Miami – Will Pat Riley opt for more surgery if they get off to bad start in the second half?
14. Orlando – Are they the team that started 13-4 or the one that finished the first half 14-22?
13. Denver – Can Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony really coexist and form the foundation of a formidable postseason team?
12. Chicago – Why are they so enamored with Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni?
11. Indiana – How many more fights will they get in before Larry Bird actually gets criticized for building a team of thugs?
10. Toronto – Is Chris Bosh actually the best player right now from the 2003 draft?
9. Lakers – They can’t do anything without him but are they a contender with Jason Kidd?
8. Washington – Is Zero also the number of playoff wins ahead for the unbalanced Wizards?
7. Cleveland – Is it LeBron, Mike Brown or everyone else that’s holding the Cavs in neutral?
6. Detroit – Was Chris Webber really the difference between the heights and the doldrums?
5. Houston – Will Yao’s return help them or will it hinder the production of Tracy McGrady?
4. San Antonio – Are they sandbagging or are they too old and tired to contend for the title?
3. Utah – Can a team without a go-to scorer make a run deep into the playoffs?
2. Phoenix – Does style equal substance?
1. Dallas – Can anybody beat them four out of seven times?
Man, that whole tank your season for a player thing has always seemed incredibly dubious to me. There is just no guarantee or even likelihood that the worst team is going to get the top pick in the NBA.
However, if you figured you'd land in the top two, you'd probably still get a good player, I suppose. Even if Durant and Oden don't come out (right)you'd still likely get a shot at someone like Yochim Noah, if you could stand his dashiki-wearing, wide-nostriled face.
Posted by: extrapolater | February 20, 2007 at 06:39 PM
Too true. Remember during the Tim Duncan sweepstakes Boston had the most ping pon g balls then as well, and ended up with the third pick. which got them Chauncey Billups who they did nothing with (51 games played).
Posted by: Travis Herrick | February 21, 2007 at 03:43 PM
Extra - I don't think anyone's tanking unless you think trading Iverson constitutes a tank by the Sixers. The Celtics without Pierce are an abomination and the Bucks without Redd, Villanueva, Mo Williams and so on for stretches aren't any better.
Travis - You're right about the Celtics in the Duncan year but several teams jumped the gun on Billups who took a while to turn into the player everyone thought he was. Perhaps if Rick Pitino hadn't been such a disaster as a personnel guy they would have waited a little longer before turning Chauncey into Kenny Anderson. *shudder*
Posted by: The Feed | February 21, 2007 at 04:24 PM