08/09 NBA Predictions

The NBA season kicks off tomorrow, so I gotta come through with the Official 08/09 NBA Predictions today. My man GT flew in from Cali to help me out on this. Let's get right to it:

Eastern Playoff Teams (in order of victories)



A-Wood:
Boston Celtics
Detroit Pistons
Cleveland Cavaliers
Atlanta Hawks
Chicago Bulls
Philadelphia 76ers
Washington Wizards
Toronto Raptors

GT:
Boston Celtics
Detroit Pistons
Cleveland Cavaliers
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Atlanta Hawks
Toronto Raptors
Miami Heat

Western Playoff Teams (in order of victories)



A-Wood:
Los Angeles Lakers
New Orleans Hornets
Utah Jazz
Houston Rockets
San Antonio Spurs
Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trailblazers

GT:
Los Angeles Lakers
New Orleans Hornets
Utah Jazz
San Antonio Spurs
Houston Rockets
Phoenix Suns
Dallas Mavericks
Portland Trailblazers

Final Four (we both agree on this)

Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers

Los Angeles Lakers
New Orleans Hornets

Finals

A-Wood:
Hornets over Celtics

GT:
Cavaliers over Lakers

Regular Season Awards

Sixth Man of the Year

A-Wood:
Andrei Kirilenko, Jazz



I'm gonna assume Jerry Sloan knows what he's doing starting C.J. Miles over Kirilenko and just throw this award over his way. Ginobili would be a lock if he weren't out for 20 games and he'll probably still get some votes.

GT:
Lamar Odom, Lakers



Lamar Odom and the magic of Zen. Phil Jackson pulled him aside and said, "Sixth Man of the Year." And the Lakers doing well means Lamar Odom gets paid. However, if he ends up starting too many games, my back-up is Shane Battier. The man is a true team player and will fill this role nicely.

Most Improved Player

A-Wood:
Tyrus Thomas, Bulls



Tyrus is gonna come on strong this year under Vinny Del Negro. He does some things out there that nobody's ever really seen before.

GT:
Andrew Bynum, Lakers



Andrew Bynum is set up to win this award if he comes on strong, defensivley. With the defense worrying about Kobe, Gasol, and Odom, he'll be getting a lot of dunks and putbacks for easy points, which means he could be a double-double guy.

Defensive Player of the Year

A-Wood:
Tayshaun Prince, Pistons



Detroit is gonna challenge Boston for the top spot all year in the East and Tayshaun will finally get the recognition that he deserves as one of the game's top lockdown defenders. If Artet stays out of trouble, he could challenge for this as well. But I don't think Stern would let it go down like that.

GT:
Dwight Howard, Magic



The force to be reckoned with this year is Dwight Howard. I know this because he has his own video game and is now representing McDonalds. I envision 21 ppg, 13.8 rebounds, 3.3 blocks, and a maturity that will command the defensive paint.

Rookie of the Year

A-Wood:
Derrick Rose, Bulls



O.J. Mayo will have a solid year, but Derrick Rose will be the unanimous pick.

GT:
Greg Oden/Derrick Rose, Blazers/Bulls (co-ROY)



Greg Oden will be the overall package with great defense and solid rookie numbers. Derrick Rose will excite crowds and be a big playmaker for the Bulls, but two things might keep him off the floor: a deep Bulls backcourt and rookie mistakes.

MVP

A-Wood:
Chris Paul, Hornets



CP3 (there's gotta be a better nickname for him) will continue to cement his place among the game's greatest. Kobe and LeBron will also make strong cases, but Kobe got it last year and the Hornets will have a better record than the Cavs. It's all mathematics.

GT:
LeBron James, Cavaliers



LeBron James will show everyone why he is the King. This man truly has the ability to be the next Oscar Roberston and put up 30, 10, 10 for a season. I'm sorry A-Wood, but I don't care if CP3 or Kobe's teams have better records-- LeBron will own the league.