2010-2011 Season Predictions

Rob O'Malley of Roblog decided that the writers of the Wages of Wins network should all participate in a contest to see who is the best at predicting the outcome of the 2010-2011 NBA season. Andres took the ball and created a web page that will keep everyone's predictions in a public place. Here are my picks (unless rosters change significantly in the next couple of days):


Eastern Conference:

1. Miami Heat (68-14)
2. Chicago Bulls (56-26)
3. Orlando Magic (54-28)
4. Boston Celtics (53-29)
5. Atlanta Hawks (46-36) 
6. Milwaukee Bucks (44-30)
7. New Jersey Nets (43-39)
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (39-43)
9. New York Knicks (38-44)
10. Charlotte Bobcats (33-49)
11. Detroit Pistons (29-53)
12. Toronto Raptors (27-55)
13. Indiana Pacers (27-55)
14. Philadelphia 76ers (19-63)
15. Washington Wizards (10-72)
 

Surprise teams? In the East, there was only one team that really surprised me: Philadelphia. Unfortunately for Philly fans, the 76ers are a one-man team with no supporting cast. Andre Iguodala (13), Louis Williams (4), and Evan Turner (4) are probably going to produce around 21 wins by themselves. Everyone else? About -2 wins.

Many of the other Wages of Wins Network writers have already mentioned how good the Bulls, the Nets, and the Cavs are likely to be, so these teams didn't surprise me (but might surprise casual fans).

If the seeding ends up like this, we'll get to see a Heat-Cavs matchup in the first round (fun!), as the Cavs would make the 8th seed despite being under .500.


Western Conference:

1. Portland Trailblazers (62-20)
2. San Antonio Spurs (59-23)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (56-26)
4. Golden State Warriors (48-34)
5. Dallas Mavericks (47-35)
6. Denver Nuggets (45-37)
7. Oklahoma City Thunder (44-38)
8. Phoenix Suns (44-38)
9. Sacramento Kings (43-39)
10. New Orleans Hornets (43-39)
11. Houston Rockets (42-40)
12. Utah Jazz (42-40)
13. Memphis Grizzlies (29-53)
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (26-56)
15. Los Angeles Clippers (22-60)

Surprise teams? Portland, Golden State, and the Kings are going to be good, but a lot of other WoWN writers have already pointed them out. To me, the Spurs remaining so good was news, as was the crapitude of the Grizzlies. With Krstic and Green hurting their team, I don't see the Thunder doing as well as last year.

Some fun playoff matchups in the West would be: a Portland-Suns rematch, a "youth" vs "experience" matchup in Spurs-Thunder, and a hopefully interesting renewal of the Mavs-Warriors rivalry. Interesting that of the 15 Western Conference teams, I have 12 finishing above .500. This year (barring injuries and trades...which, come on, almost never happen) there will be a logjam in the West.


NBA Playoffs:

• Eastern Conference Finalists: Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls
• Western Conference Finalists: Portland Trailblazers, Los Angeles Lakers
• NBA Champions: Miami Heat

Media Awards:

MVP:

1. Kevin Durant
2. Dwight Howard
3. Lebron James

Rookie of the Year:

1. Blake Griffin
2. DeMarcus Cousins
3. John Wall

Defensive Player of the Year:

1. Dwight Howard
2. Rajon Rondo
3. Thabo Sefolosha

6th Man Award:

1. Udonis Haslem
2. Reggie Williams
3. Matt Barnes

Most Improved Player:

1. Kevin Love
2. DeJuan Blair
3. Stephen Curry

Coach of the Year:

1. Tom Thibideau (Bulls)
2. Keith Smart (Warriors)
3. Paul Westphal (Kings)

Executive of the Year:

1. Pat Riley (Miami)
2. Larry Riley (Golden State)
3. Billy King (New Jersey)

Wins Produced Awards:

MVP:

1. Lebron James
2. Dwight Howard
3. Kevin Durant

Rookie of the Year:

1. Blake Griffin
2. DeMarcus Cousins
3. Ed Davis

Sixth Man Award:

1. Lamar Odom
2. Chris Andersen
3. DeJuan Blair

Most Improved Player:

1. Kevin Love
2. DeJuan Blair
3. Chris Paul

At the end of the regular season, I'll be able to look back and see what I missed (which I'm sure will be plenty). Regardless of how I fare, one thing's for sure: my predictions are going to be a lot better than my ESPN fantasy team (never miss the start of a draft, because the computer will pick for you; I'm stuck with Kobe, Carmelo, Aaron Brooks, Joe Johnson, and Danny Granger in a Win Score league).

 - Devin.