10 Predictions for 2003/2004 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Hitman · 10-25-2003, 01:03 PM

I'll give mine and then you can give yours

1. LeBron James will win Rookie of the Year. Yeah...everyone is picking Carmelo right now, but he is just a scorer. Anthony is a mere 1 year older than James and not nearly as talented. LeBron will start turning heads with his un-real passing skills and all around game and will walk away with the hardware...in a landslide.

2. The Mavs will win 63 games. Yeah, I know. They need time to gel. They don't play defense. They don't have a center. It won't matter. No one but the top 5 or 6 teams in the league has a chance of beating these guys on any given night. Not when your 5th best player is Michael Finley. Or Antawn Jamison. Or Antoine Walker. Or anyone of those guys. And these guys play hard EVERY NIGHT. The second tier will get blown out by the Mavs, and the rest of the league does not stand much of a chance. If they stay healthy, they will steamroll through the league during the regular season.

3. Emmanuel Ginoboli will be an All Star. Sure, he averaged 8 points a game last year. Don't let that fool you. This guy is a stud. His +/- stats are off the charts, and he will probably be the second option behind TD this year. He is going to put up 18-19 ppg, and his scoring is the least of his contributions. The defending champs will need a second rep at the ASG, and EG will be too good to turn down.

4. The Knicks will suprise people with 46 wins. Sorry, but this is the East. If you can roll out a squad of Allan Houston, Keith Van Horn, Kurt Thomas and Antonio MyDyess, then you have a shot at not only the playoffs, but homecourt advantage in the first round. If this team could get a point guard, they could be really dangerous.

5. Tracy McGrady will win the MVP...by default. The new buzz word in the MVP race is "help." Shaq and Kobe can't win it because they have "help" from each other (and two other HOFers). Webber can't win it because he has "help" from Peja and co. Dirk can't win because he has "help" from Nash and co. KG won't win it this year because, despite all the "help" that he now has in Minny, his team won't win more than a couple of games more than they won last year. Duncan won't get the third nod in a row, and Kidd is never going to get it. That leaves McGrady, who should average 30+ per game and carry the Magic to 48 or so wins, without any "help."

6. Yao Ming will be a monster...and the Rockets will give the "Elite 5" a scare. Averages of 20+, 10+ and 5+ are not out of the question...for THIS year. He is the best player in the world waiting to happen. He is Tim Duncan + 5 inches. There will be no stopping him. If I were the Mavericks, I would be TERRIFIED of a first round mathcup with the Rockets. Who exactly is going to guard Mr. Yao? If you think it is Shawn, then I think you are in for a rude awakening. Forton can talk all the smack he wants about Shaq, but with Yao he is giving up a whopping 10 inches.

7. The Sixers will not make the playoffs. Larry Brown got every ounce out of that team. EVERY OUNCE. They now have a team of Allen Iverson...and...and...Glenn Robinson. Sorry, if it possible to be softer then Keith Van Horn, then Big Dog has accomplished it. He really is a big DOG. Without a coach that demands respect (and PRACTICE), the Sixers will take a big step backward this year. There will be no Todd Mac, and the roster is pathetic other than AI. This team will struggle, and will miss the playoffs despite a late season push.

8. The Pistons will win the East. Face it. The East sucks. Despite what David Aldridge and SI says about this being the year that the Nets finally close the gap with the West, it is all propaganda. The Nets have a team of brick throwers and their big offseason acquisition was a guy who may not make it to week 2. And I am not convinced that he will be any better than Dikembe would have been. The Pistons, meanwhile, have hired the best coach in the league. They have Tayshaun Prince, who started to come into his own during the playoffs. The have Darko, who I believe will start coming into his own by this years playoffs. They have Big Ben, Big Nasty and Richard Hamilton. They will beat the Nets to advance to the NBA finals.

9. The Mavs and the Lakers will square off in the Western Conference finals. In the NBA, talent wins. These two teams are dripping. They are as different as night and day. The Lakers have 4 hall of famers, the Mavs have 5 all stars. The Lakers are great in a traditional sense, the Mavs are great in a Mad Scientist's head. The Lakers have a 380 pound 7 footer patrolling the lane, the Mavs have a 240 pound 7 footer shooting from all over the floor. Night and day. It will be an epic battle and will garner a lot of interest in the national media. It will go 7...and...

10. Whoever wins will be the NBA champs.

MavsFanatik33 · 10-25-2003, 01:22 PM

1. Carmelo Anthony will win rookie of the year.

2. The Mavs will win 61 games. They have the chance to win up to 65, but they won't be amazing in the beginning of the season. What matter is how we play in the playoffs though.

3. Emmanuel Ginoboli will be an All Star. I agree with you on this Hitman.

4. The Knicks will not be as good as you think, I say about 38 wins.

5. Agree with you on this too, he will also be the leading scorer.

6. Yao Ming will be over-rated again this year. Rockets will be improved though and make it into the 8th spot in the West playoffs.

7. There's no way Philly doesn't make the playoffs. They will be better than last year, but only by a couple wins. They will get to teh second round and then lose.

8. The Pistons will win the East, yes. They will get past The Nets in 6 or most likely, 7.

9. The Mavs WILL be in the WCF, against either LA or SA. This all depends on how close the game is. In a close game, LA can pass Spurs because of all the shooters on the floor.

10. Whoever wins will be the NBA champs, and it will only take at most 5 games to do it in.

ames7 · 10-25-2003, 03:27 PM

1. LeBron James will win Rookie of the Year.
He may just. But the bar is like 45 times higher for LeBron. Yao was good last year but his hype didn't win it for him.

2. The Mavs will win 63 games.
Nope. But I will say they will come close to 60. (I am also quietly predicting that this is the year we win the division. Barely.)

3. Emmanuel Ginoboli will be an All Star.
Please yes. Please. (He's on my fantasy team. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img])

4. The Knicks will suprise people with 46 wins.
True about the East, but it does look a little better this year. (I like Orlando.) But the Knicks will underachieve.

5. Tracy McGrady will win the MVP...by default.
Very possible. TD will definitely not get it. Dirk is an extreme long shot b/c he's here. The only other guy I think will be a frontrunner is KG if the Wolves live up to the hype--which they will not.

6. Yao Ming will be a monster...and the Rockets will give the "Elite 5" a scare.
I don't think the Mavs will be "terrified" of the Rockets, although I'm doubting a season sweep this time. I think Yao is probably massively improved & the Rockets will creep into the playoffs, but they cannot seriously contend right now. Give them a little time.

7. The Sixers will not make the playoffs.
Yes they will--b/c they are in the East.

8. The Pistons will win the East. Face it.
Maybe. The Nets cannot live up to the hype, the media buzz is like it was after they won the East last year & was waiting to battle the winner of Dallas/SA. Remember that? "Do the Nets actually have a shot?" "They will be rested & seriously give the West a run!" The East is still the East, probably even more so this year. The Pistons will be up there, especially if Darko pans out.

9. The Mavs and the Lakers will square off in the Western Conference finals. In the NBA, talent wins.
You know what's funny? I kind of give the Mavs a better chance of getting there than the Lakers. I mean, even beyond homeristic instincts. Barring injuries & assuming things gel the way I think they will, the Mavs have a great chance. But if they get there, I think they're seeing the Spurs again.

10. Whoever wins will be the NBA champs.
Whoever wins the West will win the whole thing. The East still doesn't count. Not yet.

jayC · 10-25-2003, 06:42 PM

1) The east will be better, and continue to improve. Darko and James in the east may one day shift the balance of power in the nba. They still have some great young bigs Eddy Curry who could be a beast in this league. Zyrdunas Illgauskas while not great could hold his own out west.
2) I think it will be KG. The TWolves were so close to knocking off LA last year. This year I think is the year they get the monkey off their back!
3)Nets pushed the spurs to the brink which people conviently forget blanketing the statement with the East sucks. They will push someone else to the brink.
4)The sixers will make it to the playoffs and will be a player in the east. Robinson isn't great but just three years ago he was a part of another big three with ray allen and sam cassel.
5)Eddy Curry will be an all-star out East the guy was a monster down the stretch last year I expect him to continue to be a monster.
6) The Mavs aren't done dealing.
7)Brian Grant, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio Davis will all switch teams this season.
8)Mavs will average 110 ppg.
9) The kings will get upset in the first round. Their window is about to shatter this season.
10)Shaq is named MVP of the league.

steponhens · 10-25-2003, 09:28 PM

Ginobili will not be an all star. I repeat, Ginobili will not be an all star. He plays guard and I don't know who he will pass to get into the game. Even though Kobe is on trial I have a feeling fans will still vote him in. Don't get me wrong, I love the way he plays, but I don't think he will be at the all star level this year.

Chiwas · 10-25-2003, 09:56 PM

Quote:

10. Whoever wins will be the NBA champs.

I could have made this one myself. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Agree on Lebron.
Don't agree on the 63 of the Mavs. Just too many.
Yes, it seems it's T-Mac time.
I'd prefer Finley than Manu, and even when Ginobili is increasing his presence, I think he would need one more year. But Finley won't make it, either.
I don't think Yao will be a monster, just a very good contributor.
The East is unpredictable -for me-; maybe I only could bet for NJ.

Nash13 · 10-25-2003, 11:16 PM

1. Dwayne Wade will be the rookie of the Year. He will receive the most minutes of any rookie.

2. The Mavs may win 63 games. I don't think they will take more than 6 or 7 games, but that's just me. They have 7 games and a lot of practices in between. It may not take 7 games, but it won't be as long as most people think.

3. That would mean he would have to out perform Kobe, Maubury, Nash, Payton, and Steve Francis. HIGHLY doubt Ginobli makes the all star team.

4. Chicago Bulls will surprise a lot of people. I'm think 2nd round or maybe a little higher for them. Orlando may be a 50win team since they're in the east.

5. T-Mac just very well win the MVP. Since all the top west teams are deep, it'll be hard to vote for one person.

6. Yao Ming will not average 20pts or 10rebs. Even though Gundy's there, i still don't see him being significantly better. Before his career is over, he'll be getting comparisons to Rick Smits.

7. I don't think Philly will make the playoffs either. It'll come down to the last night, and they'll lose.

8. Detroit will dominate the eastern playoffs. Will play Chicago or Orlando.

9. Everyone wants to see the Mavs/Lakers WCF, i don't think it matters. Without being a homer, i think Dallas will win in 5 or 6.

10. Mavs to win it all.

11. The Nets will fold. People will realize that they're not all that good.(sorry i had to get that out)

sike · 10-26-2003, 09:25 AM

#1: ROY: I'll throw my guess by saying it won't be either James or Anthany.
#2: 56-59 wins for the Mavs..gotta have time to gel.
#3: GINOBOLI....no way that he'll be an All-Star over Finley, Kobe, Mobley, Wally Szurbiac(spelling), etc...
#4: Knicks: Don't give a frozen crap about the knicks.
#5: MVP: ladies and gentlemen hand it to Paul Pierce
#6: YAO: Will break through...but not as big as some think...give him another year
#7: Sixers: will not win the East....so don't even want to waste time thinking about it....crap...that was at least 20 seconds of my life wasted!
#8: ????who can tell in the mishmash that is the East???
#9: WCF: Dallas and Sac...(why has every one been hatin on 'em, their are still the best "team" in the West??? oh well, I go with them) Dallas in 6.
#10: Dallas in five. Yes, I have been wearing my mavericks fan glasses this morning...

Avrillicker · 10-26-2003, 01:38 PM

Quote:

3. Emmanuel Ginoboli will be an All Star. Sure, he averaged 8 points a game last year. Don't let that fool you. This guy is a stud. His +/- stats are off the charts, and he will probably be the second option behind TD this year. He is going to put up 18-19 ppg, and his scoring is the least of his contributions. The defending champs will need a second rep at the ASG, and EG will be too good to turn down.

he'd need a much better 3-point shot to HOPE to achieve those scoring averages; in a team like the Spurs,it's out of the question. The value of Manu is not in scoring in bunches anyway

Nash13 · 10-26-2003, 02:14 PM

Just to let ya'll know, they don't go by the Point Guard or Shooting Guard positions for the all star game, it's just guards. Like last year, there were 4 point guards and Kobe.

So not only does Ginobli have to out perform 2 guards, but he'll have to out perform point guards. I don't think he can/will.

superheadcat · 10-27-2003, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Hitman

3. Emmanuel Ginoboli will be an All Star. Sure, he averaged 8 points a game last year. Don't let that fool you. This guy is a stud. His +/- stats are off the charts, and he will probably be the second option behind TD this year. He is going to put up 18-19 ppg, and his scoring is the least of his contributions. The defending champs will need a second rep at the ASG, and EG will be too good to turn down.

i've been waiting for someone else to point this out, but i'm sorry, there is no way ginobili could be an all star this year, maybe ever.

spur is playing such a substance-over-style ball that no fans will notice ginobili, thus no all star voting. maybe some coaches take notes of him, but his number just cannot justify all star consideration.

there is always possibility that this year or some time in the future he blossoms and become all-star calibre, but i seriously doubt it. imho, he is a rich man's eddie najera, and a huge part of his performance is due to the fact that he played alongside td.