Rather than write about the teams that are obviously going to be at the top of the crop, let’s talk about teams that are making the push to contend, the ones that as fans of the game, we need to keep our eyes on. Some of them may seem obvious, but let’s break them down with the others for a minute…

Western Conference:

San Antonio– The Spurs have been busy little beavers during the off season, mending the weak spots in their armor by adding depth and scoring. The biggest addition being Richard Jefferson, how he plays along side other stars like Ginobili and Parker will be the key to their success. Minor additions include Theo Ratliff to back up Tim Duncan, and their draft picks Dejuan Blair, and Nando De Colo* (still unsigned*).

Portland- Andre Miller was where the Blazers spent their money after missing their attempt at a “smash and grab” with Paul Millsap. While I’m not so sure that Andre will fit into their style of offense, however, being a savvy veteran of the league, he is a marked improvement over Steve Blake at the point.

Dallas– No doubt that the Shawn Marion/ Dirk Nowitzki/ Jason Kidd show will be an interesting one to watch. Add in Josh Howard, Jason Terry and some help down low via Drew Gooden and they have the labeling of a surprise contender. It is my opinion that Shawn Marion will enjoy a slight rebirth on this team; look for a few scoring records to fall, and alley-oops to fly.

Eastern Conference:

Toronto– Hedo, or he don’t; that is the question. Chris Bosh and Turkglo create an interesting tandem, perhaps they belong more in a category titled “comeback team of the year”, I just feel the Raptors pushing some of the “East Elite” with the team ball concepts that Colangelo has been trying to instill in Team USA. Key additions to this team include: drafting DeMar DeRozan, Hedo Turkglo, while adding depth with Amir Johnson on the block, and Marco Belinelli in the back court.

Milwaukee– Hakim Warrick and Andrew Bogut – sure neither name has instilled fear into the hearts of opponents but this is a team that started to really bark at the end of the 2008-09 season; sounds to me like that bark is about to turn into a roar. Why is that? Well, the addition of Brandon Jennings, whom I pick to be an outstanding Rookie, is a piece of the puzzle that they have been needing for some time. Toss in another rookie, Jodie Meeks (another favorite of mine…), and you now have depth behind Michael Redd. My biggest disappointment with this team however is that they let Ramon Sessions, and Charlie Villenueva walk (I understand the whole money thing, it’s just a shame that’s all)…

Detroit – Oh Motown, how you got that groove back this off season. The real caveat will be the melding of Rip Hamilton and Ben Gordon, can it be done? Well it must be done for them to survive the rough and tumble that is also known as the NBA season. I like Charlie Villenueva as an upgrade over Rasheed Wallace and Amir Johnson, while at first I thought Ben Gordon seems likely to start, while old-man-Rip Hamilton comes off of the bench to keep their second unit together; it now appears that Gordon will come off the bench adding potency to the second unit.

In the end it becomes all about adding depth, and gelling as a cohesive unit, which is what each of these teams have seemingly done this offseason. Some other teams that I gotta give a nod to would be the Minnesota Timberwolves, OKC Thunder, and Utah Jazz – some of it was keeping it together, some of it is starting with a young nucleus and building from there. Let’s see where they end up.

Thoughts?
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