2003 NBA season preview

By Timothy Hammill Sports Central Columnist

I tried my best to get a hold of Manute Bol to write this column for me. I could be sitting back enjoying my free time, while Manute gets himself into the Guiness Book of World Records, again, this time as the world's tallest sports columnist.

Why not do it, Manute? You have already whored yourself out to minor league hockey, FOX Celebrity Boxing, and now you are going to ride a horse and become the world's tallest jockey.

Since Bol is unavailable, it looks like I will break away from the pandemonium and excitement of baseball's postseason, and football's midseason to spend the next few moments compiling my preview of the 2003-04 NBA season.

Before you read on, I must warn you I tried everything in my power to put together a team of experts, some mediocre former players, and other basketball beat writers to give their opinions on each of the teams. However, my phone calls and e-mails to try to get somebody were either left unreturned or returned by people who share a name with former NBA players. I had no idea there was more than one World B. Free!

So I am left to ponder the fate of the 2003-04 NBA season alone, with no panel of experts. Tough task, indeed, for one man with three NBA columns under his belt and zero minutes of playing experience in the NBA, NCAA, NAIA, and any other governing body that sanctions basketball at levels above high-school, intramural, industrial/corporate league, and driveway level.

Or is it? I think I can handle this. Without further ado, here are my predictions for the 2003-04 NBA season. Enjoy!

World Champions: Los Angles Lakers

I am going out on a limb on this one. I am predicting in October that the purple and gold will reign as the NBA champions. I know it may sound crazy, but this mix of guys really looks like they can squeak past the competition and add another championship banner to the rafters of the Staples Center. Gary Payton is a bit of an upgrade from Derek Fisher at the point and Karl Malone will fill the void left by the absence of Mark Madson.

Let's get serious. If the Lakers don't win 70 games, it will be a disappointment. Yes, there is the distraction provided by the Kobe Bryant situation, but Payton, Malone, and Shaquille O'Neal are headed to the Hall of Fame and will need much more than a distraction to hurt their chances.

Where most teams settle on journeymen to provide a small inkling of a post-presence, the Lakers have two of the best ever, although I am not really sure you can call what Shaq does posting up. He simply stands on the box, fights off jokes about Kazaam, and drop-steps past a cowering opposing center the moment he touches the ball. Malone, on the other hand, will not have to worry about the constant double-teams he saw throughout his career in Utah and will benefit from the double-downs on 34.

Malone will have to get use to catching passes from one of the game's best in Payton, considering he spent his entire career on the receiving end of John Stockton passes. Payton isn't Stockton, but he also isn't Fisher. Fisher is still on the team, but will have less time to throw the ball to a wide-open Jack Nicholas in the first-row three times a game.

Despite all of the talk of too many egos, or they have the makings of a volcano just waiting to erupt, or the uncertainty of the Kobe situation, they will still get through some tough competition in the West and sweep whoever comes out of the East.

Eastern Conference Champions: New Jersey Nets

Their road to the finals won't be an easy one with Detroit and Indiana's new coaches and new faces will certainly give them all they can handle. However, they still look like the team to beat in the East.

They were able to keep their franchise player, and a back-to-back MVP award snub, in Jason Kidd, by signing him to a long-term deal. They added Alonzo Mourning, who missed the entire season last year, to help defend the league's centers and give them a post-presence. This brings them one step closer to winning two games in the NBA finals.

Western Conference Runner-Up: Dallas Mavericks

This is actually going to be the most interesting race of the season. While the Eastern Conference looks more like the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference fighting for their one automatic bid, the Western Conference consists of easily the top four teams in the league. While we all know the fate of the Lakers, the battle to see who they will beat in the Conference Finals is the one that will keep me watching all season long.

Not too many teams would go out and make big moves in the offseason after finishing with the second-best record in the entire league, but Dallas was not pleased with its exit in the conference semifinals for the second-straight year. So GM/Head Coach Don Nelson went out and added some size and physical presence from the Golden State Warriors, acquiring Antawn Jamison and Danny Fortson in a deal for Nick Van Exel.

Nelson certainly addressed the proper needs, with Shawn Bradley and Raef LaFrentz, Dallas has two very ineffective (the two combined averaged just over 15 points a game and less than 10 rebounds a game) and painful to watch seven-footers. I can deal with the ineffectiveness, but at least provide me with some entertainment. I know where you can find that kind of center. In the process, he can become the world's tallest basketball player to make a comeback...

The Kings and Spurs have made some key additions. With Sacramento adding Brad Miller to take the load off of Vlade Divac and the Spurs adding Rasho Nestrovic to fill-in for the retired David Robinson and the addition of Robert Horry, the best big shot-shooter not named Michael Jordan, takes over for the third-best big shot-shooter not named Jordan in the retired Steve Kerr (Reggie Miller is second, in case you were wondering). The Mavericks just have too many weapons and will march their way into the promise land, the Western Conference finals.

Biggest Turnaround: Miami Heat

Although he could write a book on succeeding at being unsuccessful, Lamar Odom will help get Pat Riley back into the playoffs. Odom will succeed in Miami, not because of the change of scenery or being able to play under a legendary coach, but simply because he has run out of ways to screw things up.

You name it, it's been done. There is nothing left for him to do but to do well. Brian Grant and Eddie Jones will finally do the things they were capable of before Riley brought them in and the young tandem of Caron Butler and Dwayne Wade should be exciting to watch.

Rookie of the Year: LeBron James

This one was tough. I tried my very best to not pick him here, but this pick is more credit to the maligned Eastern Conference than to James. With the bottom of the East wide-open, James could actually get this team into a playoff spot. If that is the case, it would be hard to pick anyone else considering the players he is surrounded by.

Ricky Davis was their top-scorer last year -- yes, Ricky Davis. This is surprising for several reasons. Most surprising because it seemed like he was one bad call from an official away from strapping a pound or two of dynamite to his uniform last season. Davis makes Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace look like Clay Aiken.

Speaking of Davis, this brings me to the funniest quote of the offseason. Davis said, "This is like Kobe [Bryant] and Shaq [O'Neal]. They may not like each other off the court, but they know the business at hand." Is it, Ricky? Kobe and Shaq, really?

He is not Kobe, he is not Shaq, but James wins Rookie of the Year. He will have a good season. Not an Allen Iverson rookie season, but not a Kwame Brown rookie season, either. He isn't ready to dominate this league the way some suspect he will. Few rookies have been able to dominate.

Carmello Anthony may show more signs of dominance this season than James, but the West is just too tough for his Nuggets to compete. It was hard to pick against a guy named Darko (Milicic), but I did. The Pistons have too much talent around him for him for Milicic to really be able to shine.

MVP: Tim Duncan

He probably won't deserve it, but he will win it. Three in a row and there will probably be about four other players more deserving of it. Kidd, Kevin Garnett (who should have won last year), Tracy McGrady, and Allen Iverson all carry their teams into the playoffs again with little help from their supporting casts.

Comeback Player of the Year: Vin Baker

Have you stopped laughing yet? I haven't yet, either. Let's take a moment...

Okay, I am back. Let's try this again.

Comeback Player of the Year II: Lamar Odom

For reasons already discussed. Back to Baker for a moment. In Boston, people made a killing off selling t-shirts that said "Yankees Suck." So that turned into "Jeter Sucks" and "Clemens Sucks" t-shirts. Then that turned into "Bin Laden Sucks" shirts. These are all people the city hates from the bottom of their hearts. Then last season marked the debut of the "Baker Sucks" shirt.

In the city where he plays, they sell these shirts. If he doesn't get back to even a shadow of what he once was, the Boston faithful might be sporting "Wallace Sucks" shirts, in reference to the notorious Chris Wallace, the team's general manager who brought Baker to Beantown.

I will conclude with the lightning-round of predictions:

Steal of the Draft: Marcus Banks, Celtics

Draft Bust: Chris Kaman, Clippers

Coach of the Year: Jeff Van Gundy, Rockets

First Coach Fired: Don Cheney, Knicks

Biggest Surprise: Bulls will actually compete for a playoff spot.

Teams Already Deciding Who They Will Send as Good Luck Charms to the Draft Lottery in June: Knicks, Grizzlies, Clippers, Bucks, and Jazz

Team I Can't Name Three of its Players: Jazz

World's Tallest Man to Be Mentioned in My Column: Manute Bol

Article courtesy of Sports Central.