It’s time for the race (well, marathon) to see who will keep the Spurs from repeating THIS time! Which is to say, “The new NBA season is upon us!”
Sure, the league’s been pummeled lately, what with the referee-gambling scandal, the Knicks’ ugly sexual harassment suit, and the uncompetitive finals.
Sure, the top draft pick, super-heralded Greg Oden, will miss the season because of a knee injury, while the #2 pick, Kevin Durant, will toil away in a city that the team’s ownership is trying to ditch.
And, sure, the TNT broadcasts won’t be the same now that Steve Kerr is the GM of the Suns.
But it’s time for basketball! And that means it’s time for the annual Virtual Memories NBA Preview!
We’ve assembled a crack team to break down the league! And since the two main contributors — Tom Spurgeon and I — also spend a bunch of time following the comics and pharma industries respectively, we’ve added gratuitous comics and pharma facts for each team! Enjoy!
ATLANTIC DIVISION
Boston Celtics
New Jersey Nets
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Bobcats
Miami Heat
Orlando Magic
Washington Wizards
CENTRAL DIVISION
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
SOUTHWEST DIVISION
Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
Memphis Grizzlies
New Orleans Hornets
San Antonio Spurs
NORTHWEST DIVISION
Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Portland Trail Blazers
Seattle SuperSonics
Utah Jazz
PACIFIC DIVISION
Golden State Warriors
LA Clippers
LA Lakers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
PLUS: Season Honors!
BONUS: A transcript of the NBA Tip-Off radio interview I did on The Adam Taxin Show (WNWR 1540 AM in Philadelphia)
Thanks to all of our contributors for this year’s edition: Eric Grunfeld, Darren Heitner, Morris Levin, Justin Ozuna, Mitch Prothero, Sam Ricchezza, Craig Sirkin, and Harrison Turkheimer. Thanks also to Adam Taxin, who helped coordinate.
There are so many of these guys, there’s a page just for their bios!
–Gil Roth