East:
These teams aren't really ever going to be in it, there just isn't enough talent on the Knicks, Pacers, Bucks, and Bobcats. These are definitely the cellar dwellers and I don't give any of them a chance to make the playoffs.
The Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets however, I think will be close, but ultimately come up short. I see the Sixers in it all the way until the last week, but at the end of the year I think losing Andre Miller is going to be to tough to overcome. He set everyone up and got open shots for his team and I don't think Lou Williams can do that. The Nets I just don't think have quite enough depth and no team starting Yi Jianlian can make the playoffs, I'm pretty sure that's an unwritten NBA Rule. I like Courtney Lee a lot, and I love Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, but until they get a bench and a quality starter at the four this team will be out of the playoffs.
West:
The west is pretty interesting, there are a couple of teams that I think are going to be just terrible and will give up by the end of November. The Kings, T-Wolves and Rockets just don't have enough horses to be competitive night in and night out. I think all three teams will struggle to win 25 games. After those three though, anything could really happen. I don't think what Memphis is doing will work (so they're out of the playoffs), but it could. And talent wise they are way up there if only everyone could check their ego at the door. The Warriors are already dealing with disfunction and Wacko Stephen Jackson, so I think they are out. But who knows, they could trade him and pull everything together. And maybe Don Nelson will decide to coach this year, but again, I doubt it. The OKC Thunder are on the verge of the playoffs, but I think they are still a year or two away and they still don't have any interior defense. So 2011 seems like a much more likely year for them to make the playoffs, unless Durant becomes the second coming, in which case all bets are off.
So that leaves us with the Suns and believe it or not, the Clippers. I think this race goes right down to the last day of the season and I think the Suns make it into the playoffs. The Clippers will fall just short, not because of anything they do wrong, but because they are a year away with young studs like Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin. I see the Clippers winning 45 games which would be a five seed in the east, but isn't good enough in the west.
Coming next, the Western Conference Playoff seedings
Okay, I'll go with all of this except I definately think that Pilly makes the playoffs. They are just a scrappy team that seems to get the job done. If Brand can contribute as an average starter instead of the rotation of nobodies at the 4 in recent years then they should nail the 7th or 8th seed.
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