ESPN

John Hollinger

  (3:00 PM)

Greetings everyone. As I'm sure most of you have seen my previews are up for the East and West; based on my emails some of them appear to have touched a nerve. Let's discuss.

J.P. Roberts (Los Angeles)

Being a Jazz fan you have made my day. Finally someone at ESPN knows what they are talking about. You have the Jazz 1st in the West while your comrade has them going at 9th in the entire league. How do two ESPN analysts have such different takes on the upcoming season?

John Hollinger

  (3:01 PM)

I love that I'm automatically the smart one because I told you what you wanted to hear. I think Utah's still under the radar because people see the West's sixth-best record and the second-round exit ... but they were the second-best team in the conference at the end of last year.

Nico (Chicago)

Hi John, your team by team analysis was great. Interesting about the Pistons: great depth and talent, but lack superstar to win it all. Was 2004 the last year of the non-superstar NBA championship? But look at all the superstars who never win: Charles, Ewing, Nash and Amare, Dirk, Bosh, etc. So what gives? Multiple superstars (Celtics, Spurs, Lakers) to win?

John Hollinger

  (3:04 PM)

It's not about stars or not stars as much as it is that if you're doing it without a superstar you better be hellaciously deep and have five really good starters. Detroit was close the last four times but only got over that hurdle once.

The Dude (California)

With Kobe's MVP last year, will the voters finally give LeBron his due this season?

John Hollinger

  (3:04 PM)

I think LeBron or Chris Paul wil win it this year, yes, with Amare looming as a dark horse.

hassan (Baltimore)

Drew Gooden - MIP?

John Hollinger

  (3:05 PM)

Most Inconsistent Player? They give an award for that?

damer, oakland

Nellie says CJ Watson is his starting PG right now - what do you see happening there?

John Hollinger

  (3:05 PM)

It really all depends on Williams -- I think this might just be a ploy to make Wililams earn it. He has way more upside than Watson, but he was also a worse player last season.

William (Peoria, IL)

Prediction on the Bulls' starting five on opening night?

John Hollinger

  (3:06 PM)

Gordon will be sixth man, I bet, so that leaves Rose, Hinrich, Deng, Thomas, and Noah.

Chris (Texas)

Are you high hollinger? The Spurs to finish 5th and the Jazz to win the west?

John Hollinger

  (3:07 PM)

The Spurs are going to be very tough in the postseason, but they won't have Manu for much of the first half and they're getting seriously old. Until Ginobili comes back and plays like the old Manu, they're going to have a hard time scoring.

Nate (Vancouver, WA)

What team in the league has the best chance of out-performing your season ranking for them?

John Hollinger

  (3:08 PM)

Miami. They're basically a pick-a-number-out-of-a-hat team; you can make a compelling case for them to win the division, and an equally strong one that they'll win 25 games.

Mike (College Park, MD)

How good is Portland going to be? With all that young talent, could they pass teams like Denver, Golden State, and Phoenix?

John Hollinger

  (3:09 PM)

Could they? Absolutely. It all depends on how fast the young guys come aroudn and how good Oden is. I mean, we know he'll be good, but is it going to be a "pretty good" in a rookie of the year kind of way, or is it going to be domination right from the get-go? I erred on the side of caution in my projection and had them winning 42.

Dror (Israel)

Never mind the regular season, do you see Utah coming out of the west in the playoffs? Which Boozer will we see this year?

John Hollinger

  (3:10 PM)

I think the West is a three-way toss-up at the top between LA, Utah and Houston; I gave a slight edge to the Jazz but it's basically those three at the top, with New Orleans lurking and San Antonio potentially making noise from a low seed.

Big E (Houston, TX)

So wouldn't Lebron or CP3 most likely have to win their conferences in order to be MVP? And yet you have CP3's team finishing 4th in the West.

John Hollinger

  (3:12 PM)

Nash won it with 52 wins, so not necessarily ... but you''re right, it helps. But the top teams right now are more ensemble casts than one-man shows, except L.A., and even there its turning that direction.

NB (Houston)

What do you think would be a better fit for the Rockets: Artest starting? or 6th man (starter off the bench a la Manu)?

John Hollinger

  (3:13 PM)

The plan in Houston as I understand it is that Artest will start at the 4 and Battier at the 3, although with Battier a little gimpy right now he may begin the year as a reserve.

Mike (Darnestown, MD)

Do you see Chris Paul as that much better than Deron Williams that his team could finish 4th and he'd still win MVP over D-Will

John Hollinger

  (3:13 PM)

I had Chris Paul leading the league in PER and New Orleans still finishing 4th, so basically, yes.

Barry (Sacramento, CA)

Can Houston really be a contender with fragile: (1) entire lower body (Yao); (2) everything (T-Mac); and (3) mind (Ron-Ron). Oh and that group has never won anything, I can see the argument on paper ... but it's a pipe dream - right?

John Hollinger

  (3:15 PM)

I'd say more than a pipe dream -- they were pretty darn good at the end of last year without two of the three players you mentioned above. But the health concerns are the reason nobody's on their bandwagon yet.

LeBron

Will anyone remember how well I played in the Olympics this year or is the revisionist history going to read: "Kobe saves Gold for team USA" thanks to him finally connecting on a few bad shots late in the gold-medal game?

John Hollinger

  (3:16 PM)

I'd already forgotten either of them were on the team. Sorry, the breakout players in that Olympics were Dwyane Wade and, to a lesser extent, Chris Bosh.

Cavalier Nation

Since our football is in shambles, what do you hear about our guy Sean Singletary?

John Hollinger

  (3:16 PM)

31-3 to freaking Duke?!?!?!? Can you believe that??? At least the Redskins smacked Dallas around while Troy Aikman was forced to comment on it, otherwise the weekend would have been a waste.

John Hollinger

  (3:17 PM)

sorry, where were we again? Ah yes, Singletary. Decent chance for minutes since Phoenix doesn't have a lot of bodies and Dragic is likely to struggle. I can't find anyone that really thinks highly of him, but he could stick for a few years as a backup point.

evans (Sipsbluff, NE)

will Bobby Jackson steal a bunch of Beno's minutes this year or is Beno the 'real deal'?

John Hollinger

  (3:19 PM)

Beno is not the real deal, that was a horrible contract. Jackson could steal some minutes, yes, especially since they can have Garcia initiate offense so Bobby doesn't have to do his dribble-for-23-seconds-and-then-force-a-J routine.

Abe (minneapois)

Not a single mention of Darius Miles in the entire Celtics forecast. Do you think he'll be a non-factor?

John Hollinger

  (3:20 PM)

Basically, yes. He's on a non-guaranteed deal and the team has a pretty established rotation already; you were hoping I'd call him a difference-maker?

Twelve (Shrewsbury, UK)

How much of a difference will gaining James Posey make for NOH and how will it affect the Celtics?

John Hollinger

  (3:21 PM)

Bad contract for two reasons -- 1) too much money and too long, and 2) they didn't address the frontcourt or backup PG. Losing Posey hurts Boston but let's not overstate things -- he hasn't averaged double figures in half a decade.

Brian (Boston, MA)

A 1 game improvement for the Blazers? If Oden didn't play a single game they would win 42 games. I don't get it. Are you assuming that players like Roy, Aldridge, and Webster won't continue to improve? Bizarre.

John Hollinger

  (3:24 PM)

Two reasons -- first, everything went right for Portland last year. Everything. Virtually no injuries, everybody played better than they'd ever done before, etc. Can't bet on all that happening again. Second, they're working in two rookies besides Oden (Bayless and Rudy) and they may struggle out of the gate.

Ricks (New Orleans)

Will I see you on Bourbon Street this weekend?

John Hollinger

  (3:25 PM)

Only if its early and I'm walking to Johnny's for a Po' Boy. But I will be checking in on the Hornets when they play Golden State on Sunday.

Rob (Sacramento, CA)

How are the Kings going to lose 15 more games than last year, when they lost Artest and Martin for 20+ games, Udrih for 17 and and Bibby for 35. Somehow, a team decimated with landed 3 games under .500 when they were predicted for 30, if healthy.

John Hollinger

  (3:26 PM)

Well, this year they're losing Artest and Bibby for all 82. That's a problem. Basically they have one better-than-average player and a bunch of bad defenders.

Big E (Houston, TX)

How didn't the Hornets address the frontcourt? Isn't Posey a SF which is a frontcourt position? They also improved the bench with this acquisition. You're acting as if the Hornets gave Posey a $10mil a season contract or something. And Posey doesn't have to avg double figures. He still makes a big impact in games.

John Hollinger

  (3:27 PM)

Last I checked, the backup center was still Hilton Armstrong, and the other frontcourt aces are Melvin Ely and Sean Marks. They can go small and play Posey at the 4 at times, but frontcourt depth is a major weakness.

Joe (NY)

Spurs tough in the playoffs? They are living off reputation now. Did you see the WCF? Their froncourt got dominated by the Bynum-less and soft Lakers.

John Hollinger

  (3:29 PM)

Ginobili was hurt, too. And they did beat Phoenix and New Orleans before that. I'm not saying they make it out to the WCF again; they might not even get out of the first round. But if they're the 6 seed, I'm trying really hard to avoid getting No. 3.

JIM, Birmingham

PREDICTION: The Hawks will NOT finish ahead of Orlando, but WILL finish ahead of the Bobcats and Heat! TRUE/FALSE?

John Hollinger

  (3:30 PM)

I'll go false. They're talking like losing Childress was no big deal, but he was the team's third-best player last season. And those other teams didn't stand still.

Richard (Irvine, CA)

John:When does your individual player analysis come out?

John Hollinger

  (3:31 PM)

Should be in another week or so.

Rick (Encino)

Senor Hollinger, how on earth are the Jazz going to handle the Lakers size, when they struggled against Gasol alone? I don't think any team can handle the Lakers two 7-1 long armed towers up front, nevermind the lousy defenders the Jazz have at both big man spots.

John Hollinger

  (3:32 PM)

Utah didn't lose that series because of post D, they lost it because they fouled Kobe on every play. The Jazz can win a title if they stop fouling so darn much, but I'm not sure Jerry can change his stripes.

Micah (Akron, OH)

If Wally gets back to his former self, do you see Cleveland still trying to ship him? If so what does Cleveland need to bring in in order to get them over the hump?

John Hollinger

  (3:34 PM)

Yes, because the goal is to bring somebody back who is way better than Wally but has a longer-term contract that another team wants to shed. Those types of deals often are available at the trade deadline.

El Sol (LA)

The Odom/Kobe pairing never really worked right. Do you think Odom's trade value is enough to bring in a more traditional 3 like Peja?

John Hollinger

  (3:35 PM)

No way the Hornets make a deal to help L.a. -- but somebody similar to Peja, absolutely that's a better fit. L.A. needs a 3 who can hit the longball and doesn't like snowboarding.

Greg (VA)

Re: Posey. I think people over-estimate his importance to the Celtic D, and i think your team analysis backs this up. Garnett, Rondo, and piece were their three most important defenders last season. I'm not saying Posey didn't help team D, but come on...

John Hollinger

  (3:36 PM)

Right. People are just assigning him magical powers because he's played on two champions.

Steve (Baltimore)

I have Kobe doing a Shaq from the '99-'00 season: all three mvp's what are the odds?

John Hollinger

  (3:37 PM)

Better shot at Finals MVP than the other two; L.A. is talking about cutting his minutes, which will hurt his stats, and besides there's going to be some voter fatigue.

Matt (Oakland)

Hinrich-Nocioni for Odom?

John Hollinger

  (3:38 PM)

I think that makes some sense, but L.A. would probably want to dump Radmanovic or Walton in that deal too to cut the tax impact.

kdf (Bozeman, MT)

so you say for Jazz to win it they have to stop fouling, then for them to stop fouling Sloan has to change...do you really think that's possible after all these years?

John Hollinger

  (3:40 PM)

I honestly don't know. They've played this hyper-aggressive style for a decade now, and it's pretty much impossible to be a top 10 defense while fouling so often.

Larry (MI)

Hey John, Do you see the Pistons taking a step back this year?

John Hollinger

  (3:41 PM)

Not back so much as sideways ... I think they'll do about what they did a year ago, but with fewer regular-season wins. But that's only with the current roster -- Dumars is still hunting around for that game-changing trade.

Wilton (Crestview)

You didn't mention this in the Orlando synopsis, but don't you think Pietrus's defensive presence will play a large role for the magic, something they didn't have last year for the lebron's, kobe's and ray allen's of the NBA?

John Hollinger

  (3:42 PM)

Possibly, but Pietrus had one of the highest foul rates in basketball last year -- he might not stay on the court for long against those guys. Also, Evans and Bogans weren't chopped liver on D. Pietrus is potentially very, very good, but he's got some things to work out.

Jared Hamby (Las Vegas)

Does Cuban implode if Dallas takes their usual dive in the playoffs this year?

John Hollinger

  (3:43 PM)

The more interesting scenario is if the Mavs don't make the playoffs at all. Among the three traditional powers -- Dallas, San Antonio, and Phoenix -- I have a feeling one of them is going to surprise us in a very unpleasant way this year. I just don't know which one.

MarkButter in SoCal

What is Joe D. hunting? Any idea?

John Hollinger

  (3:44 PM)

I don't think hunting season starts until the trade deadline. When we see who's surprising and who's disappointing some deals will become available that aren't right now.

koojew13 (calabasas, CA)

don't you think that trading lamar odom for vince carter would be a good trade for both teams?i think that both teams would take that deal and it can move kobe to the 3 and carter would play 2

John Hollinger

  (3:46 PM)

That's a good one, actually. Be interesting to see if that gets any traction come February.

Ted, The SLC

John, the Jazz return their top 11 players from last year. Is that more of a plus (know each other, more cohesion) or a minus (no injection of new blood/better players)?

John Hollinger

  (3:46 PM)

It's a plus if they're in their 20s and a minus if they're in their 30s. Jazz are still young enough that most of their guys should be better than a year ago.

Jonathan (Raleigh, NC)

I am a Laker fan, but I gotta say you nailed the concerns about my team. Any chance Ariza has developed a consistent 3 point shot? I mean, if he had that wouldn't he have to start?

John Hollinger

  (3:47 PM)

That's an interesting question because he hit a couple of corner 3s in the Finals, but his history as a shooter says he has a long way to go. If he can hit 3s that's *huge* for the Lakers.

Kyle (minneapolis)

How is Timberwolves the worst name in the NBA previous to the Thunder. Raptors, Heat, Utah Jazz? Seriously Hollinger.

John Hollinger

  (3:48 PM)

Minnesota Timberwolves -- it's just too long. Sorry. But the Heat is a bad one too, I'll grant you that.

Mike (Pordland)

Where does Raef LaFrentz end up at the deadline?

John Hollinger

  (3:49 PM)

The Bridgeport on 14th and Marshall? I think Blazers would rather have the cap space than trade Raef for somebody else's trash, unless a really juicy deal comes along.

John Hollinger

  (3:52 PM)

sorry, had a call...

Ted, The SLC

Can we give the Worst Uniforms in the Association Award to OKC already?

John Hollinger

  (3:53 PM)

We might have to yes. BTW, Hornets new togs look pretty good.

Dario, CA

Stats aside, which player do you most enjoy watching?

John Hollinger

  (3:54 PM)

Manu has to be right near the top. The daring passes, the high-difficulty shots ... it's pretty cool. Josh Smith on his good days is up there too.

Jim (LA)

If the Nuggets are struggling and the Pistons are in their usual spot near the deadline can you see the Pistons going after Allen Iverson??

John Hollinger

  (3:54 PM)

I could, but I think the guy they really want is Melo.

Slew (Seattle)

Forget regular season standings, who wins the east, west, and championship?

John Hollinger

  (3:55 PM)

I'm picking Boston-Utah, but I could see Cleveland making a run from a low seed given the LeBron factor (they can just play him all game in the postseason). And obviously the West is wide open, with three teams pretty much even at the top.

Rob (Boulder)

So if Nene proves to be healthy and JR Smith can keep his head straight for the season, and Iverson isn't dealt before the deadline, what do you see as the ceiling for the Nuggets?

John Hollinger

  (3:57 PM)

I think Smith could potentially have a HUGE year -- look at his second-half numbers from last year. Nuggets need to stay healthy because they have no bench, but if they do I think they'll surprise people.

Darko Milicic (Memphis?)

If they wanted Melo they should have picked him 4 years ago. HAHAHAHAHA

John Hollinger

  (3:57 PM)

Ouch. That hurt.

Ben (DC)

I don't understand the Rockets being better than the Hornets. The Rockets are definitely more injury prone, and before Yao went out last year they weren't that great, even with McGrady. Their offense is stagnant. Artest plays offense like Anthony Mason, and backs it in from the opposite free throw line before he jacks up a shot. It's not like defense was ever their problem, so his good defense doesn't change much over Landry or Battier.

John Hollinger

  (3:58 PM)

Extreme shorthand version: They didn't have Artest last year and the Hornets only beat them by a game.

gregg cleveland, oh

John, do you think the Cavs would be effective running a small lineup? Something like Lebron at the 4, Wally at the 3 and some combo of Mo/Delonte/Boobie in the backcourt?

John Hollinger

  (3:58 PM)

Yes I do, and I expect to see a lot more of it this year given how guard-heavy Cleveland's roster is looking.

Dan (Baltimore, MD)

What 2nd year player do you see making a jump in production this year?

John Hollinger

  (4:00 PM)

Durant, obviously, but I'd also take a hard look at Mike Conley. He never really got settled last year with all the injuries but I think he could break out.

John Hollinger

  (4:01 PM)

Folks, that's all the time I have, but I'll be doing my regular chat gig at 3 every Tuesday this season, so be sure to check back then. And thanks for all the questions.