Volume 67, Issue 4  

Eastern Conference
 

1. New Orleans – Change of location will do wonders for this team.  Playing 41 home games will be a new experience, and the Hornets will thrive.
2. New Jersey – Adding Dikembe Mutombo will help, but last season was a lot of luck.  Expecting Mutombo, Keith Van Horn, Kerry Kittles, and Kenyon Martin to all stay healthy is like expecting Bud Selig to be named Twins fan-of-the-year (for more analysis, see article).
3. Indiana – This team is gushing talent and Isaiah Thomas should be fired if he doesn’t use it.  The Pacers have 11 guys who could average double figures.  Expect six of them to do it.
4. Milwaukee – If they can forget last year ever happened, they’re still more talented than the rest of the conference.  Tim Thomas finally gets a chance to start.
5. Orlando – If Grant Hill is finally healthy, the Magic will be a dark-horse.  Now they can worry about Tracy McGrady’s back.
6. Toronto – Vince Carter will storm back and remind everyone he’s still Air Canada.  But losing Clark and Hakeem Olajuwon at the same time puts Antonio Davis back in the middle.
7. Philadelphia – Loss of Mutombo will hurt because this team can’t play defense.  But you can never count out the heart of Allen Iverson.
8. Atlanta – Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff, and Glenn Robinson form the East’s best front line.  With Jason Terry on the perimeter, it is difficult to see this team missing the playoffs, unless one of the big three guys get injured.

9-15. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  Boston’s best point guard was Kenny Anderson.  That’s bad.  They traded him for Vin Baker.  That’s stupid.  Who is going to get the ball to Paul Pierce and Antione Walker?  And Baker is just a more expensive version of Rodney Rogers, whom they lost.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  Detroit wasn’t broken either.  They traded away their best player, Jerry Stackhouse.  That’s stupid, too.  The Pistons and Celts were at the top of the conference last year.  They’ll be at the top of the lottery this year.  With MJ, Washington is in the hunt.  But when he goes down, Jerry Stackhouse shoots 25 times a game.  New York had a chance before Antonio McDyess was injured and Latrell Sprewell went whack (see article).  Miami is still rebuilding.  Cleveland is getting ready for Opening Night 2003 featuring hometown hero LeBron James.  It’s a miracle Chicago won 21 games last year.  They are still a high school team.

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