2008-2009 Boston Celtics season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest.

- John Karalis

Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The Celtics came out hot to start the 2007-2008 season and never looked back. They lost only three games in the first two months of the year, and built a lead that sent notice that the new Big Three was here to accomplish one goal: win a championship. The biggest question for the Celtics became their biggest strength -- team defense. A team comprised of virtually no "lockdown" individual defenders meshed into the best defensive group in the NBA. But a smooth regular season turned into a rough postseason. Questions facing the Celtics going into the season (Who will the go-to guy be? Who will back up Rajon Rondo? Can Doc Rivers lead this team to a title?) surfaced in the playoffs. They weren't answered until the second round, when Paul Pierce went mano-a-mano with LeBron James and prevailed. Suddenly, Pierce was the No. 1 option... Ray Allen rediscovered his scoring touch... Kevin Garnett focused on his defense... and Doc Rivers adjusted to re-insert Eddie House as the backup point guard. The struggles disappeared, the Celtics closed out the Pistons on the road, and they dispatched the Lakers to win the title.

James Posey was the key free-agent signing for the Celtics last year. He proved to be a glue guy for a bench that was initially seen as a weakness. Nevertheless, that bench proved to be a strength. The addition of star players took scoring pressure off of Paul Pierce. In turn, that let him concentrate more on defense, which was a very big plus for Boston. Rajon Rondo emerged as a team leader with no fear of the star power that surrounded him.

How much can go wrong for a 66 win NBA Champion? Not much, really. However, Kendrick Perkins re-injured his shoulder in the NBA Finals, something that has been a constant issue for him. Now, it can be seen as a chronic injury. Perk can be a solid tough-guy on the post, but fear of injury could be a problem down the line. Also going wrong for the Celtics: time. It keeps marching on. Boston does not have much time left with these stars. You're going to hear a lot of "these guys are a combined 90-something-years-old" talk this year.

2008 Draft Impact (Medium)

JR Giddens and Bill Walker each could have been lottery picks. Yet, Giddens' off-the-court issues and Walker's knee issues caused both to drop considerably. Both have been saying and doing all the right things over the summer, leading to some good feelings about what they could contribute. If both guys live up to their potential, Danny Ainge will look like a genius.

Off-Season Impact Moves

Garnett, Allen and Pierce eat up a ton of cap space. So, the Celtics are looking at reclamation projects as ways to fill out their roster. Losing Posey hurt, but Ainge didn't want to lock up a bench player into his mid-30's. Instead, the Celtics brought in Patrick O'Bryant and Darius Miles. Ainge hopes O'Bryant was miscast in Golden State, and some work with big-man coach Clifford Ray could turn this draft bust into a surprise contributor. The Miles signing is a no-risk, non-guaranteed deal. If he is healthy, then he has the potential to be a huge steal. And anyone with character issues is coming into a strong veteran team, where those issues will not be tolerated. Ultimately, that is not really a concern with Miles (or Giddens, for that matter). Eddie House and Tony Allen have both been re-signed, and the hope is that Allen can return to being a lockdown defender. He has the potential to be one of the best individual defenders in the league, but he's mentally soft and dwells on his errors for way too long.

Preview for the 2008-2009 Season

Team MVP: Kevin Garnett, PF - Pierce has emerged as option No. 1, but KG is the heart and soul of this squad. The big, unanswered question going into this season is: "How will these guys react to winning their first title?" No one knows how the super-intense Garnett will react to finally reaching the pinnacle. Same for Ray or Paul. Will there be a letdown?

Breakout Player: Rajon Rondo, PG - Rajon Rondo took a huge step last year, so it's hard to call him a breakout player. His improvement from Year 1 to Year 2 was amazing. This year, he will take the leap into a point guard triumvirate along with Chris Paul and Derron Williams. He's not the scorer those guys are, but Rondo is an equal passer and much better defender. And he might be the best rebounding point guard in the NBA.

Bust Player: Ray Allen, SG - After a lot of internal debate, Ray Allen gets the nod here because his game seemed to suffer the most last year. Neither of the drafts picks is expected to do much this year, so it's hard to call either of them a bust. O'Bryant is already considered a bust and Miles is trying to come off a medical retirement. In the end, that leaves us with, realistically, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins. Pierce is a bull who will get to the rim when he wants, so he will be able to rely on that. Perkins might be a bust if he doesn't improve. But Allen has the farthest to fall. His normally reliable jumper showed signs of abandoning him. He played a ton of minutes last year and is not getting any younger. If anyone is going to show a noticeable decline, the money has to be on Allen.

Playoff Contender or Pretender?

The nucleus is still there. Boston will probably step back from the 66-win juggernaut to a more Pistons-like "cruise to a mid-to-high 50-win season." But while their competition in the Atlantic is better overall, the Celtics are still the best team in the division. Unless something catastrophic happens, this is still easily one of the top teams in the NBA. Repeating is not easy, but the Celtics still have a very good chance to make that happen.

- Zach Harper

Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The Lakers returned to prominence last year for the first time since Shaquille O'Neal and Karl Malone were the big men on the court. They benefited from two in-season trades that added an All-Star caliber player and gave stability to their bench rotation. The Lakers were a great team on the road by running up a record of 27-14 when they weren't the home team. Kobe Bryant ignited his team with a preseason temper tantrum that inspired them to overachieve. This made Andrew Bynum everybody's sleeper for becoming a star player and made the Lakers a legitimate force in the Western Conference. The Lakers benefited from acquiring Pau Gasol after Andrew Bynum went down with a kneecap injury and rolled on to secure the best record in the West. They swept the Nuggets, out ran the Utah Jazz, and bullied the Spurs to make it to the NBA Finals. They were completely embarrassed on a national stage in the Finals by the Boston Celtics, and the Lakers' return to championship status was thwarted once again.

The biggest things that went right for the Lakers were two in-season trades. The first was the deal that sent Maurice Evans and Brian Cook to the Orlando Magic for Trevor Ariza. The two-for-one deal allowed the Lakers to figure out the problem of having too many players in their rotation and gave some much-needed steadiness to the Lakers bench. The second deal was Pau Gasol and a 2010 second round pick for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Marc Gasol, and two first-round picks. This gave the Lakers an All-Star at the PF/C position when Andrew Bynum went down with his knee injury. The Lakers finished the year 27-9 after the Gasol trade. It helped catapult them into the #1 seed in the West and eventually into the NBA Finals.

What went wrong were the Andrew Bynum injury and the team's defense. Andrew Bynum was on a big run that few 20-year-olds have ever approached. But when he went down with a severe kneecap injury that took him out for the rest of the season, the Lakers' depth came into question and they were lost without a real shot-blocking and defensive figure in the paint. Adding Pau Gasol was a good band-aid but it didn't heal the defensive gaping wound that was left. Throughout the playoffs, the Lakers were out-rebounded by an average of 3.9 boards per game, which was ultimately what killed them in the NBA Finals against the Celtics.

2008 Draft Impact (Extremely Low)

The Lakers were stuck with just the No. 58 pick in the draft after dealing their first round selection in the Pau Gasol trade. With the 58th pick, the Lakers took Joe Crawford from the University of Kentucky. Crawford is a decent guard who can shoot a very limited amount and has a decent all-around game. He won't have much of an impact at all this year for the Lakers unless several players go down with injuries, and more likely than not, he will end up in the D-League for the majority of this season. But hey, they still have Pau Gasol and that's better than anybody they could've taken during the 2008 NBA Draft.

Off-Season Impact Moves

Not only was there a very quiet draft for the Lakers of Los Angeles, but there was also a very quiet offseason this summer. The Lakers went into the summer with their roster pretty much set thanks to the two in-season trades that gave them their championship depth. The Lakers did decide to let Ronny Turiaf go to the Warriors after he signed an offer sheet and replaced him with Josh Powell, an athletic forward who most recently played for the Los Angeles Clippers. Powell will provide a little depth to the power forward position, but shouldn't figure in to being a big part of the rotation.

The Lakers also added Sun Yue, their 2007 second round draft pick from China. Sun Yue is a guy who can play multiple positions (point guard, shooting guard, and small forward) and has a nice ability to handle the ball and make some plays. He's called the "Magic Johnson of China," which seems to have excited Lakers fans into thinking he's going to be a key contributor this year. I have to inform Lakers fans that Mickael Pietrus was called the " Michael Jordan of France" and Hedo Turkoglu was called the " Michael Jordan of Turkey." Just because a player is called the Magic Johnson of his native country doesn't mean he will in fact play like Magic Johnson. Sun Yue is going to be a decent role player someday in the NBA -- that day is not today and it certainly won't be any day this season.

Preview for the 2008-2009 Season

Team MVP: Kobe Bryant, SG - Despite what the "witnesses" in Cleveland might try to tell you or what Paul Pierce will proclaim in interviews, Kobe Bryant is still the best basketball player in this league. Call him selfish. Call him stubborn. Call him a bad teammate. But don't forget to call him the best player in basketball today. As Kobe goes, this team will go. He's the most important player to their success.

Breakout Player: Jordan Farmar, PG - Jordan Farmar has gone from the big-eared kid who was just trying to find his way in this league to the big-eared kid who is carving a nice niche for himself in the NBA. Farmar could end up taking over the reigns of the starting point guard position at some point this season. I think he'll begin to be a deadly threat from the outside, and he'll be a mature enough distributor to be the main guy in the backcourt next to Kobe Bryant by year's end.

Bust Player: Andrew Bynum, C - I expect to take a lot of flack for this selection here. Andrew Bynum is not necessarily as good as everyone expected him to be after a very nice 35 games last season. Bynum has the tools to be a good center in this league, but that doesn't negate the fact that he had a major knee injury that caused him to miss the rest of the season instead of the eight weeks he was supposed to miss. I think the knee injury will linger and that the Lakers will labor to bring him in effectively next to Pau Gasol. Bynum will be a good center in this league, but he will struggle this year to get his game and confidence back.

Playoff Contender or Pretender?

This team couldn't be a bigger contender. In fact, they've got to be the odds-on favorite to win the NBA championship this coming season. Their success is contingent on avoiding key injuries to Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Kobe Bryant, and on Phil Jackson's ability to seamlessly inject Andrew Bynum into a lineup featuring Pau Gasol. The Lakers were not a very good defensive team last year. They were also not a very headstrong team. Despite weathering Kobe Bryant's disparaging offseason comments, the Lakers seemed to fold when the pressure was at its most intense -- the NBA Finals. Championship teams don't give up 20+ point leads in the Finals, and they certainly don't get eliminated because of a 39-point blowout.

For the Lakers to erase this stigma, they will have to give Kobe Bryant more help during tough stretches, and Kobe will in turn have to be more willing to let players help. Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol have to be strong weapons when the season is on the line. They cannot wet themselves on national television if they expect to be called NBA Champions after June. Kobe Bryant doesn't need to be the MVP for this team to get back to the Finals and win. He just needs to be a leader, even at the worst times. That didn't happen against the Celtics last year. To be true title contenders, it cannot be an issue this season.

2008-2009 Detroit Pistons season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest.

- Dan Rossi

Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The Pistons were their usual dominant selves during the season in the Eastern Conference last year. Detroit made their sixth straight Eastern Conference Finals and was a No. 2 seed entering the playoffs. But as with most years, Detroit did not have enough push towards the end of the season to win the NBA title. Other than the teams title year in 2003-2004, the Pistons have struggled to get beyond that final round of the East playoffs in the last three years. After losing 4-2 to the eventual champion Boston Celtics, President Joe Dumars fired head coach Flip Saunders after winning 176 regular season games during his three years as coach. The move was expected, as Saunders could not get the team to the Finals, but it could be a sign of desperation. Of the talented group of four that has lead this Pistons run in the East over the last six years ( Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince), only Prince is under the age of 30. That group appeared to be losing a step as the 76ers, who entered the playoffs with a losing record (40-42), were able to steal two games from Detroit in the first round.

2008 Draft Impact (None)

The team selected D.J. White, but he is with the Thunder now, so no one from the 2008 Draft will be helping the Pistons this year. The team desperately needs size down front, as Rasheed Wallace is the only legitimate scoring threat. Wallace is beginning to slow down with age, and he is not a straight up back-to-the-basket player the team needs. The team recently signed Kwame Brown in hopes that the former No. 1 overall pick will turn things around in the Motor City (Hint: probably not if Phil Jackson could not make him good, what chance does Pistons coach Michael Curry have?).

Off-Season Impact Moves

The pick-up of Kwame Brown is strange and doesn't appear to be anything significant. The Pistons are hoping that new leadership under Curry will be a difference for the team this coming year. Flip Saunders has been known for being a regular season coach who flops in the playoffs ever since his days with Minnesota. Curry will have to find a way to get that extra push from his veterans if they make a seventh straight Conference Finals.

Preview for the 2008-2009 Season

Team MVP: Chauncy Billups, PG - Billups presence on the court has been huge for the Pistons since he joined the team in 2002 not coincidentally, that is when this string of Conference Finals appearances started. He hits big shots, runs the offense well, and was once called by Joe Dumars the greatest leader in Pistons history (now this should be a clear-cut sign to Billups that when his playing days are over, he should never coach the Knicks or this title will be taken away). The Pistons will go as far as Billups takes them.

Breakout Player: Rodney Stuckey, G - No one really saw Stuckey as a great talent during the 2007 Draft except for Detroit, and his impressive rookie season and playoff campaign have him ready to contribute more this coming year. Stuckey appears to be one of those quietly rising stars for the Pistons, much like Billups, and soon everyone will know who he is.

Bust Player: Kwame Brown, F/C - Yes, he hasn't played a game for Detroit yet, but hasn't Brown been a bust everywhere else? When a team is looking to Brown for help in the paint, then that team is going to have a long season. Every coach feels they can get the most out of formerly disregarded players, but no one should expect anything major out of Brown.

Playoff Contender or Pretender?

Though this team may be aging, they have still made the Conference Finals six years in a row, and other than Boston, which returns almost everyone from their title team, no team has the mix of leadership and experience like the Pistons do. Though it will be tough for them to make the Finals this year, as they have yet to address their issues in the paint (especially with Elton Brand heading over to the 76ers), it is hard to see Detroit not being a top seed in the East and a favorite to represent the conference in the Finals.

2008-2009 New Orleans Hornets season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest.

- Dan Rossi

Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

In the Hornets first season back in the Big Easy since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans fans had a lot to cheer about last year. With a 56-26 record, the team won the Southwest Division over three teams (San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas) that won over 50 games. The young Hornets also brought the defending champion Spurs to Game 7 in the Western Conference Semifinals in the playoffs before falling 91-82 at home. The playoffs turned into the Chris Paul show as he tore through stud point guards Tony Parker and Jason Kidd to average 24.1 points and 11.3 assists in the postseason. His over 2 steals and 5 rebounds per game in April and May also proved that he is one of the best all-around talents the league has to offer. CP3's play also made for breakout years from David West, who made his first All-Star team, and resurgence from Peja Stojakovic, who had his best season in a Hornets uniform.

2008 Draft Impact (None)

The team with the average age of 28.1 on its roster did not have a pick in this year's draft, as they sold the No. 27 pick to Portland for $3 million. More youth was not necessary and there was no glaring weakness on this roster that needed addressing via the draft. Not having a pick didn's hurt the team's chances this year or in the future.

Off-Season Impact Moves

The Hornets grabbed an important member of the Boston Celtics championship team this offseason when they signed James Posey. Posey is a defensive stopper who will be a good addition for the Hornets in the West when they take on the likes of Kobe Bryant, Josh Howard, and Tracy McGrady later on in the season. Posey also has the shooting touch that can help stretch defenses on the other end of the floor. He hit 106 threes last season, including another 35 in 26 playoff games. His playoff experience from last year's run will also come in handy on this young team.

Preview for the 2008-2009 Season

Team MVP: Chris Paul, PG - Not only is Paul the team's MVP, he will likely be the early favorite to be the league's MVP, as well. This team will be in the 60-win range because of Paul next season, who is only 23-years-old. No player is more important to this roster than Paul, as every member of the Hornets is better with him on the court.

Breakout Player: Tyson Chandler, C - No one expected Chandler to amount to much after the disappointing start to his career while he was with the Chicago Bulls. But last season he averaged double-figures in scoring for the first time in his career and a career-high 35.3 minutes per game. He also hit an amazing 62% of his shots and handled the dirty work in the low post. Nearly every game featured a thunderous alley-oop dunk by Chandler from Paul last season, and expect more of the same next year as the 25-year-old improves.

Bust Player: Mike James, PG - Expected to come in and be a solid backup to Paul, Mike James did nothing for the Hornets last year after coming in from Houston mid-season. In 21 games in a Hornets uniform, James only played in eight minutes a night and scored around 3 points. James is a former 20 ppg scorer ('05-'06 for Toronto), so he should be a solid backup, but at $6 million a year (Paul makes $4.5 million), he is definitely a bust.

Playoff Contender or Pretender?

Few teams in the league can match up with the Hornets. Chris Paul has the offensive skills and defensive awareness to cancel out any other point guard in the league right now. The only team that can compare to the Hornets paint combination of West and Chandler is the Lakers, and that is assuming Andrew Bynum is back to 100%. Factor in the playoff experience gained from last year and the shutdown defender brought in by the Posey signing, and you have a real threat emerging in the West.

2008-2009 San Antonio Spurs season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest.

- Zach Harper

Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

It was another boring 50-win season for the San Antonio Spurs and another appearance in the Western Conference Finals. If you count the lockout season of 1999 when the Spurs were on pace to win over 50 games, they have won 50+ and made it to at least the Western Conference Finals in six of the last 10 seasons. Although the Spurs often struggle coming out of the gate, once the rodeo comes to town and they're sent out on the road, they manage to pick up the pace. However, last season, they started out hot by winning 17 of their first 20 games. And when the rodeo came to town (literally), the Spurs continued to win by taking victories in six of their nine straight road games. The Spurs were the third best defensive team (by opponents' points per game) in the NBA and the best in the West by far. The Spurs had another successful season by executing and acting like professionals. They won 56 games, finished tied for second in the West, and had an extremely tough march through the playoffs. Despite crushing the Suns in the first round and somehow out lasting the Hornets in the second round (they won Game 7 in New Orleans), San Antonio was not able to beat the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. They were annihilated in five games and failed to win their fifth championship in 10 years.

The Spurs put up one of the most overlooked defensive performances throughout the season. San Antonio gave up 100 points or more just 14 times and had the fifth best opponents' field goal percentage with 44.43%. They were one of only three teams to allow less than 35% of opponents' three-pointers to connect. The team was once again led by Tim Duncan, who, despite having a down year, still had a spectacular season. Duncan averaged 19.3 points and 11.3 rebounds while blocking 1.9 shots per game. Manu Ginobili showed why he was the second best shooting guard in the NBA behind Kobe Bryant (thanks to Dwyane Wade being injured too) by leading the team in scoring 19.5 points per game even though he started just 23 of his 71 games played. He also averaged 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists on his way to winning the Sixth Man of the Year award and making the All-NBA Third Team. Tony Parker had another fantastic season with 18.8 points and 6.0 assists per game. During mid-season, the Spurs traded Brent Barry, Francisco Elson, and their 2009 first round pick to the Sonics for Kurt Thomas to give them some added, veteran beef in the middle. This move proved to be another brilliant one by RC Buford, who has helped construct this team over the past six seasons. The Spurs were simply too strong mentally for the Suns in the first round of the playoffs and took advantage of the weak mentality that the Phoenix players possessed. They used their experience and resilience against the Hornets by taking a 3-2 deficit and winning Game 6 at home and Game 7 on the road.

Unfortunately, they weren't talented enough or deep enough to contend with the Lakers in the Conference Finals. The Lakers beat them in close games and blowouts. They made plays when they had to and avoided fouls (or did they?) when it would hurt them the most. The Spurs' magic and resilience simply could not match the overall skill and depth of the Lakers roster. San Antonio's offensive futility in that series (88.4 ppg) came from surprisingly great Lakers defense that allowed just 42% shooting from the field for the Spurs. The Spurs also shot themselves in the collective foot by shooting 75.5% from the free throw line. Other than this series, the Spurs really didn't do anything wrong this season. They were able to withstand key injuries (Parker missed 13 games and Ginobili missed 8). They were one of the best teams in the league for the tenth straight year. It was just another typical Gregg Popovich-coached team.

2008 Draft Impact (Very Low)

Ever since Tim Duncan joined the San Antonio Spurs, the organization has been drafting toward the bottom of the first round and trying to find hidden gems among a lot of players who will be valet parkers within five years. This summer, the Spurs drafted George Hill out of IUPUI with 26th pick to be a point guard option of the future. Hill was a surprise pick because many expected him to be a mid-to-late second round pick. He is a player who excels at getting into the lane and creating opportunities for himself and everyone around him. However, he's a very inconsistent shooter who forces the action at times. He'll have to be conditioned (probably in the D-League) by Gregg Popovich & Co. to remain fundamental in his approach to the NBA game.

In the second round, the Spurs acquired two players (one from a trade with Phoenix and then their own second round pick). The Spurs traded second round pick Goran Dragic to the Suns for Malik Hairston out of Oregon. Hairston was the 48th pick of the draft and is a pretty good scoring option at the shooting guard position. He's strictly a D-League player right now unless San Antonio suffers more injuries, but he could definitely be a solid third shooting guard on an NBA team someday. They also drafted James Gist out of Maryland with the 57th pick. Gist is a great athlete who is a marginal NBA prospect. He doesn't really have a position between the forward spots, but his athletic ability can make up for his shortcomings. He's also a D-League talent right now but may serve as a nice defensive option in the future.

Off-Season Impact Moves

It seems rare that the San Antonio Spurs go into an offseason in order to reshape the roster. They never overspend and always seem to just bring in whichever veteran role player is tired of losing and wants a shot to win the championship. They get players for great values and never spend money for more than one or two years at a time. They're basically the NBA's New England Patriots. This offseason wasn't any different. They re-signed the role players they had for under their market value and kept their core unit intact. Kurt Thomas and Michael Finley decided to stay with the Spurs by re-signing with the club for two years each. Finley gives them a competent shooting guard in the starting lineup who has the ability to knock down big shots and give the Spurs the flexibility to still bring Manu Ginobili off the bench. The Spurs will be able to have that same flexibility with Kurt Thomas. He will be interchangeable with Fabricio Oberto, and they can start either one depending on the match-up awaiting them on given night.

The Spurs also went out and signed two guards to add depth to a very thin backcourt. The Spurs signed Roger Mason away from the Washington Wizards to compete for the backup point guard position with Jacque Vaughn. Mason had a breakout year with the Wizards last season by filling in as the backup for Antonio Daniels after Gilbert Arenas went down. He hit 130 threes (97 more than his career-high) and averaged 9.1 points per game. The Spurs also signed Salim Stoudamire away from the Atlanta Hawks to give them an extra shooter off the bench (which they lost when Brent Barry signed with the Rockets). Stoudamire was a dynamic shooter in college and has struggled to find consistency in the NBA. His minutes, scoring, three-pointers made, and three-point percentage have declined every season in his three years with the league. But he has also been on bad teams with no post presence. He'll get plenty of open looks on the court with the Spurs.

Preview for the 2008-2009 Season

Team MVP: Tim Duncan, PF - You know what Tim Duncan is pretty good at doing? Playing basketball. Timmy is and has always been the driving force of this team since he was drafted in 1997 and put alongside David Robinson. Through those 11 seasons, the parts and role players have been changed and replaced on this team and Tim Duncan has been the centerpiece for every combination. He's the greatest power forward to ever play the game and is still one of the 10 best players in the NBA today. Duncan will get his 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks again this year while leading his team to 50 wins. He may not be exciting, but he's consistently deadly.

Breakout Player: Roger Mason, PG - In the final 66 games of the season, Roger Mason became a lethal shooter who was tough for opposing benches to contain. He averaged 10.4 points per game during this time and hit 123 three-pointers. He also shot 45.7% from the field during those final 66 games. Now that he's on the Spurs, Mason has much more legitimate weapons to draw the attention away from the three-point line. Mason isn't great at running an offense, but he will be utilized as someone who stretches the floor, and he flourishes in that role.

Bust Player: Bruce Bowen, SF - It's just a matter of time before this guy finally breaks down and stops being so useful on the court. His defense did slip a little bit last season, but he's still one of the top on-the-ball defenders in the NBA. He turned 37-years-old this offseason and will return to a team that won't have Manu Ginobili for possibly the first third of their games. Increased minutes and another season of physical pounding under his belt could spell the end of the " Bruce Bowen being effective" era in the NBA.

Playoff Contender or Pretender?

This team is definitely a contender in the NBA. They have a championship pedigree and arguably the best coach of the past 10 years (yeah, you heard me, Lakers fans). They have one of the best big men in the game in Tim Duncan and a dynamic backcourt with Ginobili and Parker. They have key role players in Kurt Thomas, Jacque Vaughn, Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen, and Fabricio Oberto, who will step in and make big plays no matter what the situation is. The Spurs are not only a great home team but they're also an exceptional road team. Over the past seven seasons, the Spurs are 235-52 (81.8%) at home and 176-111 (61%) on the road. 61%!!!! Ask every other franchise in the NBA if they would accept winning 61% of their games over the past seven seasons (average of 50 wins) and every single one of them would take it. Then ask them if they would take that percentage in just their road games and they would be figuring out their ring size for their championship jewelry.

Why is this team so good? Because they are a top-run organization from RC Buford (who's calling the shots), to Gregg Popovich (who's instilling the mental toughness), to Tim Duncan (who's leading by example), and down to guys like Robert Horry and Steve Kerr (who have been constantly prepared to prove they belong on title-winning teams). Tim Duncan is treated like any other player on the team and will have to run just as many wind sprints as Matt Bonner and Ime Udoka when the team has performed poorly. This team has accountability and incredible knowledge of their system. They execute better than anybody since John Stockton and Karl Malone were running the pick-and-roll. Yes, San Antonio is still a contender and they will be a team to be feared once again this season. How boring.

2008-2009 Orlando Magic season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest.

- Zach Harper

Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Two years ago, the Orlando Magic were the talk of November for being an overachieving team with a young budding superstar manning the middle of the paint. Unfortunately, they fell back to earth after November and eventually ended up being a 40-42 team. Last season, the Orlando Magic were 14-4 after November and looking like the same thing might befall them. Instead of falling back to earth, though, the Magic constantly proved they were a legit team in the Eastern Conference and one that would have to be feared instead of ignored. What was the difference between those two teams? The 2007-2008 Orlando Magic were a good road team -- a really good road team. The Magic, led by their own version of the "Big Three" ( Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, and Rashard Lewis), tied for the second best road record in the NBA with a 27-14 mark away from the land of Epcot and screaming, ungrateful kids. Dwight Howard finally began to realize his potential, Hedo Turkoglu was the Most Improved Player, and Rashard Lewis made enough threes to almost justify his enormous six-year, $118 million contract. The Magic won 52 games for the first time since Shaquille O'Neal patrolled the Magic Kingdom. They won a first round match-up in the playoffs with the Raptors before losing in the second round to Detroit.

The key to the Orlando Magic breaking out of the gates and ahead of most of the Eastern Conference teams was their not falling apart in December after having a strong November. And nothing helped the Magic more during those two months than the absurdly great play of Dwight Howard. Howard had his two highest scoring (24.3, 21.7) and rebounding (15.2, 16.1) averages during November and December. He also shot (read: dunked) over 60% from the field during this time. Hedo Turkoglu emerged as the second best player on this team by averaging 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists for the season and often was the catalyst for the Orlando success. The newest and biggest free agent acquisition for the Magic was Rashard Lewis, and he played extremely well during his first year in Disneyworld. Lewis gave the Magic 18.2 points per game and finished third in the NBA in three-pointers made (226). Orlando was sixth in the league in scoring thanks to connecting on a league-high 801 three-pointers as a team. When the Magic made it to the playoffs, they handled a battered Toronto Raptors team in five games thanks to three "Hugh Downs" games by Dwight Howard in which he had 20-20 efforts (points, rebounds). The team wasn't so lucky in the second round as it was handled by the Detroit Pistons but still had its most successful season in over 10 years.

What went wrong for the Magic was the fact that it wasn't a very deep team. The early trade of Trevor Ariza to the Lakers for Brian Cook and Maurice Evans was key in adding a little depth to the team, but they were still left with sub-par role players. The point guard trio of Jameer Nelson, Keyon Dooling, and Carlos Arroyo didn't kill the Magic, but also was never an advantage against opponents. The Magic had zero depth in the paint with Tony Battie out for the year and Adonal Foyle being Adonal Foyle on far too many occasions. Keith Bogans and Maurice Evans tried to fill the reliable shooting guard void, but could rarely put together a consistent stretch of games. Despite having the league's leading rebounder, the Magic were just 12th in rebounding (tied with Boston) and 16th in rebounding differential. In the playoffs, Orlando was stymied by Detroit's suffocating defense and averaged just 90.2 points per game. They could rarely come up with key stops or key buckets for most of the series and were eliminated in five games.

2008 Draft Impact (Average)

The Orlando Magic drafted one of my favorite sleepers from the 2008 NBA Draft in Courtney Lee from Western Kentucky. Lee reminds me a lot of Kevin Martin's skill set, but with Kirk Snyder's frame. Lee can score from anywhere on the court and has a great stroke from three-point range. He has a very strong upper body and is able to absorb contact around the basket before finishing the play. The issues with Courtney Lee are that he's a little short at 6'5" to be an NBA shooting guard and he hasn't proven himself against the top college competition. Western Kentucky didn't exactly play in the ACC this season, and even though he helped lead them deep into the NCAA Tournament, a lot of teams still had their doubts about him. I think he will take time to adjust to the NBA and may not get regular playing time with the Magic in a playoff hunt. But he should be the third shooting guard on the depth chart, behind Mickael Pietrus and Keith Bogans and ahead of JJ Redick.

Off-Season Impact Moves

Since the Orlando Magic are over the salary cap and unable to make major moves for the next couple of offseasons, all they can really do is switch out their role player free agents with comparable guys from around the league. The Magic didn't tinker with their core group and decided that changing out some minor parts would be enough to keep the franchise moving forward towards title contention. The Magic re-signed Adonal Foyle to a multi-year contract and brought in Dwayne Jones from Cleveland. Jones fills their need for another big body, and Foyle is sticking around to provide the "I can't believe he just dunked on three guys" face to Dwight Howard's latest highlights. With Tony Battie back from a serious shoulder injury, the Magic needed some insurance big men in case of a major setback for their returning center.

The Magic also allowed some backcourt players from their bench to move on to new venues and replaced them with similar role players. The Magic said goodbye to Keyon Dooling (who was signed and traded to the Nets), Maurice Evans (signed with Atlanta), and Carlos Arroyo (who signed to play in Israel), and welcomed in Anthony Johnson (from Sacramento) and Mickael Pietrus (from Golden State). Johnson will serve as a reliable backup point guard to Jameer Nelson and provide a steady hand with respect to running the offense. He's a solid defender and a decent scoring option when called upon. Pietrus will be the new "freak" athlete on the team who vies for a starting spot and is asked to knock down open jumpers. Pietrus has never been a reliable shooter, but has the ability to attack the basket and play stellar defense when focused.

Preview for the 2008-2009 Season

Team MVP: Dwight Howard, C - Even though Hedo Turkoglu appeared to be the spark for this team during crucial wins, you almost have to pick Dwight Howard here to be the most valuable player that Orlando has. He has the potential to dominate games in the paint like Shaquille O'Neal used to do. Howard led the NBA in rebounding last year and apparently dunks (why is this a stat?). If he can figure out a go-to move that makes him a reliable scorer, then Howard can carry this team to 55 wins and a Conference Finals appearance this summer.

Breakout Player: Mickael Pietrus, SG - It's hard to say that I truly believe in this pick because I have very little faith in Pietrus to become a fully competent basketball player who consistently starts in this league. But with so few players on this team actually breaking out this year (I wanted to pick Courtney Lee, but I don't think he'll get consistent minutes), Pietrus seems like the only possible choice here. The key to Pietrus' success will be his ability to knock down three-pointers. Orlando took the second-most attempts in the NBA last season and will take even more this year. Pietrus could become a very underrated weapon if he hits his shots and plays stellar defense.

Bust Player: Rashard Lewis, SF - Rashard Lewis has long been a player who has underperformed (compared to his perceived potential) and is now a player who is slightly underperforming while having one of the highest-paying contracts in the NBA. Lewis does two things really well -- knock down three-pointers and score from mid-range. What the Magic really need him to do this year is crash the boards and grab at least 8 rebounds per game. Lewis has never been a very tough player and never will be, but if he cannot give the Magic more than a $20 million per year perimeter shooter, then he won't be giving the team what it needs to be a contender.

Playoff Contender or Pretender?

Because the Magic are going to win around 50 games and should win their division this season, the team is technically a contending team. They do have a potent offense that can overwhelm opponents with three-point barrages and monstrous dunks from Dwight Howard. Hedo Turkoglu seems capable of carrying the team for key games, but if he's double-teamed or smothered by the defense, then Orlando doesn't have a playmaker who can take over ball games. Jameer Nelson and Anthony Johnson are decent table-setters but don't have the ability or the mentality to take over key games and open up the floor for everybody else.

The only way to counter this is to get some consistent low post scoring from either Dwight Howard or Rashard Lewis. Lewis really only goes to the post when a smaller defender is switched to guard him. He has the skill and the fade-away jump shot to be a good scorer down low, but has an affinity for sticking around the three-point line. The other option would be Dwight Howard. Despite his impressive numbers, Howard is pretty ineffective in the post because when he is double-teamed, he isn't very good at reading the defense and moving the ball without turning it over. Howard doesn't have a go-to move in the post and hasn't learned how to dominate with a drop-step and/or counter- move. If he can develop that for the postseason and become a player who can take over in the fourth quarter, then the Magic can play with anybody. Until he actually becomes the second coming of Shaquille O'Neal, Magic fans are going to have to be happy with the Hall of Presidents and the Indiana Jones ride to entertain them in the summer.

2008-2009 Utah Jazz season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest.

- Zach Harper

Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

During the 2007-2008 season, the Utah Jazz not only destroyed any idea that they were a flash in the pan success, they also cemented their spot as one of the top six teams in the league. The Jazz won 54 games for the first time since the 1999-2000 season and scored just over 106 points per game, which was good for fourth in the league. They secured the Northwest Division title for the second straight year and made it into the second round of the playoffs. It took them six games to dispatch the Houston Rockets after taking seven games the previous year as they formed a mini-rivalry. But in the second round, they fell to a more talented team in the Los Angeles Lakers. They simply couldn't play defense as they allowed 110 points per game and went fishing earlier than they had planned.

Deron Williams legitimized his place as a Top 3 point guard in this league. He had career-highs in field goal shooting, free throw shooting, assists, steals, blocks, and scoring. As good as Chris Paul was, Deron Williams was almost equally as good for his own team. He made the perfect complement to Carlos Boozer, who may have had his best season as a pro. He was able to score more effectively on the block and played stellar defense. He was a viable MVP candidate for most of the season. Ronnie Brewer provided the perfect complement in the frontcourt for Carlos Boozer. He provided a great outside presence to help stretch the defense as he hit 114 three-pointers, a team-high. But the key to the season was a mid-season trade for Kyle Korver. They traded away an upset Gordan Giricek for one of the best outside shooters in the game. He gave Utah the perfect weapon for their team off the bench and they went 38-12 after the deal.

What went wrong for this team was that they were bad defensively all season long. Even as athletic as Andrei Kirilenko and Ronnie Brewer were on defense, they couldn't stop anybody in the paint. They actually weren't terrible for most of the regular season, but as the year progressed and we got closer to the playoffs, Deron Williams' defense really began to slip. The Jazz never found a great backup for Williams, and the Jason Hart/ Ronnie Price combo was never good enough to spell him. They also suffered at the backup center position as they transitioned from the debacle of Jarron Collins toward the long-term project for Kyrylo Fesenko. In the end, they couldn't stop the Lakers because of that lack of team defense and depth at key positions. The Jazz were vying for a second straight trip to the Western Conference Finals, but instead went home early.

2008 Draft Impact (Very Low)

The Utah Jazz needed to shore-up their frontcourt, especially at the center position, and decided to take a project player in Kosta Koufos from Ohio State. Koufos has a lot of scoring ability and some decent talent. However, he came out after his freshman year and still is extremely raw on all ends of the floor. He's also a safety precaution in case Mehmet Okur leaves in free agency in two years. Koufos is definitely their plan for the center of the future but is completely incapable of contributing now. He'll probably spend quite a bit of time in the D-League as he battles Kyrylo Fesenko for minutes and scoring opportunities.

The Jazz also drafted two foreign players in the second round who will take a few years to join the NBA. Ante Tomic is a center from Croatia who played very well in multiple European leagues throughout his formative years. He's a solid offensive threat and a decent rebounder. Tadija Dragicevic, a power forward from Serbia, joined him in the second round. He's a good offensive player who will be a complete liability on the defensive end. He doesn't rebound well and may be better used as a small forward in the NBA. But neither player will be a factor for the next half-decade.

Off-Season Impact Moves

The Jazz only made two moves this offseason and both were somewhat significant. They matched the Oklahoma City Thunder's offer sheet to C.J. Miles, who is just dying to leave Salt Lake City. It's a significant move because the Jazz are stock-piling wing players to supplant the older players they've utilized over the past few years. They got rid of Gordan Giricek last season for Kyle Korver and will now see if Miles or second-year player Morris Almond will be the backup shooting guard.

The other move they made was to solve their issue with the backup point guard. They traded away Jason Hart to the Los Angeles Clippers for Brevin Knight. This was a brilliant move by the front office to give Deron Williams a legitimate backup. Knight is more than capable as he's one of the most underrated distributors and ballhawks in the league. He's joining his ninth team in 12 seasons, but his Per 36-Minute averages for his career are 9.0 assists and 2.4 steals. Williams should be much more rested going into the playoffs this year.

Preview for the 2008-2009 Season

Team MVP: Deron Williams, PG - This team will only go as far as Deron Williams goes. In their 54 wins last year, Williams averaged 11.4 assists per game, and shot 52% from the field and 42% from three-point range. In their 28 losses, Williams averaged just 8.8 assists, and shot 47% from the field and 35% from the three-point range. When Deron Williams is on his game, this team is nearly impossible to beat.

Breakout Player: Morris Almond, SG - Morris Almond is a legend in the Developmental League. He scored over 50 points in a game twice toward the end of the NBDL season and finished with a 25.6 points per game scoring average. This year, he's primed to take over as the backup shooting guard, and if he can play some defense, he might even find himself in the starting lineup soon enough. This should be a big season for Morris.

Bust Player: Matt Harpring, SF - Matt Harpring's knees have been about as reliable as NBA officiating. He has seen a steady decline in his minutes over the past five seasons as he's seen his time on the court go from 36.6 minutes down to 18.1 minutes per game. He's a gamer and still comes out to play (he's only missed 26 games over the past four seasons), but he's becoming more of a role player than a Sixth Man weapon for the Jazz. With young players like Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver, Morris Almond, and C.J. Miles pining for a bigger role, Harpring should see an even steeper decline in his every-game minutes.

Playoff Contender or Pretender?

This team is definitely a contender. They have as good a shot as any team in this league to win the NBA championship this year. It will be as dependent on their main role players (Knight, Korver, Brewer, Kirilenko) as it will be on Williams, Boozer, and Okur. Boston showed that it takes a complete team effort over individual effort to win the title, and the Jazz have a nearly complete team. Andrei Kirilenko and Ronnie Brewer will have to wreak havoc on the defensive end during the playoffs for the Jazz to move toward hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy.

2008-2009 Cleveland Cavaliers season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest.

- Zach Harper

Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Last season's theme for the Cleveland Cavaliers was "there's no place like home": they worked hard at distracting LeBron James from the big lights of Madison Square Garden and the 40/40 Club and showing him that all he could ever want was right in his home state of Ohio. Although the Cleveland Cavaliers failed to win 50 games for the third straight year, they did manage to make the playoffs for the third straight season. LeBron James had easily the best season of his career and one of the best statistical seasons that the NBA has seen since Michael Jordan put up ridiculous averages of 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game. The Cavaliers pulled off a three-team, 11-player deal that brought Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and a 2009 second round draft pick to the team and shipped out Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Shannon Brown, Cedric Simmons, Donyell Marshall, and Ira Newble. At the time, the move seemed like a way to show LeBron that the team was trying hard to put talent around him. While Ben Wallace proved to be worthless (much like when he was with the Bulls), Szczerbiak, West, and Smith were key components to the Cavaliers sustaining through injuries and making a run into the second round of the playoffs. They would eventually fall to the Celtics in a battle that featured an epic shootout between LeBron James and Paul Pierce in the seventh game of the second round of the playoffs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers still employ (at least for the next two seasons) one of the most impressive basketball forces that this league has ever seen. No, I'm not talking about a grown man ( Daniel Gibson) who goes by the name of "Boobie." LeBron James had an overly impressive season by averaging 30 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks, while shooting 48% from the field. He led this team through all of the turmoil, the team slumps, and everything Larry Hughes-related. Aside from the LeBron love, Zyndrunas Ilgauskas was the second-most consistent Cavalier. He was second on the team with 14.1 points per game and first on the team with 9.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. The Cavs were a good home team with a 27-14 record at Quicken Arena, and still one of the Top 10 defensive teams in the league (96.7 ppg), which has been a the case ever since Mike Brown took over as coach. In the playoffs, the Cavs went 5-1 at home and gave up just 87.7 points per contest.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, defense was not their shortcoming as an NBA playoff contender. The Cavs struggled to score points all season long and finished as the seventh-worst team with just 96.4 points per game. They were one of three teams in the Eastern Conference to give up more points than they scored during the season. Cleveland was the third worst team in the league in terms of shooting from the field with a pathetic 43.8%. They didn't make up for it either with a strong performance from the free throw line, thanks to their 71.6% from the charity stripe (also third worst in the league). The Cavs had a 30-24 record before the Ben Wallace deal and had just a 15-13 record afterward, as they tried to adjust to their new teammates. When the playoffs came around, their inconsistent play wasn't exposed against an injury-ridden and undermanned Washington Wizards team. However, they gave away two crucial games to the Boston Celtics (Game 1 and Game 5) before being bounced by Paul Pierce's 41 points in Game 7.

2008 Draft Impact (Below Average)

With the 19th pick in this year's draft, the Cavs selected J.J. Hickson from North Carolina State. Hickson is a very athletic power forward who shined during his one and only year playing for the Wolfpack. He is an extremely quick jumper around the basket and has a