While it’s true that nothing right now is set in stone, I do believe that the early season results have happened for a reason and I think it all comes down to the presence of certain players on these teams.

As much as I believe that Shaquille O’Neal, Vince Carter, and Ron Artest are some incredibly talented players, I simply don’t think they’re the right fits for their teams. I think that each team is struggling to find its way with their new player, and hopefully they can adapt as the season progresses.

Ron Artest has gone to the Lakers. Sure, he’s a great defensive player and he’s incredibly talented, but I just don’t think he’s a team player.

He’s gone from team to team in the NBA and never seems to find a home where he’s loved. LA took a chance with him and I’m not sure that I agree with the move.

Then there are the Cavs. Shaq is a different story than Artest, as he has a great attitude and wants to win. Unfortunately, I think he just throws off the team’s rhythm and his presence in the middle might not be so good for the team. Their record so far would indicate this too.

With the Magic, I’m just not a fan of Vince Carter. I loved him during the earlier part of the decade, but I think that his best days were behind him and I do think that Hedo Turkoglu was a better fit for the team.

The only team that I think got it right with its major acquisition was Boston. Rasheed Wallace plays his heart out, and was a huge contributor to the Pistons. It’s no wonder the Celtics are still undefeated.

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It’s obvious that the younger basketball fans idolize James, and consider him the best that there has ever been. A few good seasons do not a fabulous career make, so it’s far too early to say that he’s the best ever.

Okay, we all know that in the time he has played in the NBA he has been brilliant, but he still had a long way to go. For one thing, he still doesn’t have a championship ring. That is something that every past master of the NBA possesses, so not having one is a blot against LeBron.

So what does a potential superstar do when he needs help to reach the ultimate prize? Play with Shaq, that’s what! If anyone can help LeBron get that ring, he can.

Teaming these two together has to be looked at as a stroke of genius. The Dominant force of Shaq will complement the skills of LeBron, and vice versa.

We may be getting carried away a bit here in the excitement of seeing them playing together. You can put your money on reaching the play offs without too much trouble, but the Cavs got there last season and got their asses kicked by the Orlando Magic. They must be praying that having Shaq onside will stop any such embarrassment occurring a second time.

LeBron James still has a lot of years ahead of him in the game, so even if he wins the championship this year, it is still too soon to pronounce him the best ever.

The thing LeBron lacks is a maturity in his game due to his age, watching this develop over the next few seasons is going to be fun to watch.

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NBA pointspread players who took Denver as +8 road underdogs enjoyed their outright victory and the ensuing payday. The Nuggets have covered the number in both of their victories this season, while Portland evened their ATS mark at 1-1. The’1 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 200.

After the game, Anthony was happier about the victory than his personal offensive outburst:

“We came out here and stole the win. It wasn’t just an important win. It was a battle.”

Anthony made 7 of 9 shots from the floor and 9 of 10 free throws in the decisive fourth quarter run:

“My shots were going in. I was trying to attack. I got to the rim and the foul line.”

Portland’s Greg Oden was taking the loss hard, as he missed a couple of late game free throws that could have given the Blazers a lead:

“This is a tough one. I definitely stepped up there with confidence thinking I was going to hit both and it didn’t go that way. I put this loss on me. I need to step up and make those.”

Team leader Brandon Roy said that he’d give the Blazers’ big man a pep talk, stressing the fact that missed shots are just part of the game:

“The biggest thing is to let go. We all miss shots, you’ve got to forget about it.”

Roy also added that the choppy pace of the game with a lot of fouls called benefitted Denver playing in back-to-back games:

“I think it benefited them a bit more coming off a back-to-back. They were tired but anytime you slow the game down that much, it gives them a chance to recover.”

The Blazers will head to Texas for a rematch against the Houston Rockets, whom they beat to open the NBA season. They’ll play at Oklahoma City on Sunday before returning home for a game at The Rose Garden against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. Denver will head back to ‘The Mile High City’ for a game against Memphis on Sunday before an east coast road trip with stops in Indiana and New Jersey early next week.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Being 39-43, most people agree doesn’t deserve a playoff birth but since they haven’t changed the rules the Pistons had to face the number one team in the East at the time.

The Pistons were 28th in scoring out of 30 NBA teams. This is why the Pistons went after Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.

Ben Gordon should help their scoring issues. He put up some very respectable numbers in the past for the Bulls and even came up big in several playoff games.

Villanueva comes in with some size. He can score points as well and with his presence on defense, he should help improve both sides of the ball.

This is the year nobody really knows what they will see from the Detroit Pistons. When teams get new faces people automatically assume the team will improve, that doesn’t always happen. Yes, the Detroit Pistons are a playoff team but can they compete with Boston? Cleveland? Orlando? The Pistons hope Rodney Stuckey is their franchise point guard for years to come. The Pistons still have Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince who have many playoff game experience.

There’s some talented youth in Rodney Stuckey, and he’ll finally have the opportunity to shine at the point guard position. Additionally, Jason Maxiell will continue to develop, and Chris Wilcox will provide the team with some solid minutes at the forward and center positions.

This season for the Detroit Pistons will be very interesting because when people speak about the front runners in the East the pistons aren’t mentioned. We will see how the new acquisitions work out.

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The general assumption for most NBA fans was the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – the Lakers fulfilled their end of the bargain, Cavs did not. Instead, the Magic took their place.

The Cavs were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Orlando Magic, and relatively easy to. If it wasn’t for Lebron James miracle shot at the buzzer, the Cavs would have been embarrassed at their performance.

The last few seasons the Cavs have been a great regular season team – 08-09′ 66-16 – winning the Central division by more the 25 games. The regular season gives teams the chance to build chemistry and acquire home court advantage – the Cavs seemed to have excellent chemistry during the regular season (taking fake photos during the pre-game introduction).

Unfortunately, the team’s run was spoiled by the Orlando Magic. This left Cleveland fans wondering if Dwight Howard and the Magic had the Cavs’ number, and what could be done about this.

Surely, the team was lacking in the big man department. Enter Shaquille O’Neal. The Cavs now enjoy the presence of the big man on their roster, and will look to use his physical prowess and playoff experience to bring home an NBA title.

In basketball, more then in any other professional team sport – one player can take a team to the Finals but typically those “one man band” teams don’t win the championship. Jordan didn’t win a title until he got Scottie Pippen.

If the Cavs expect to win the title in 10′ they must get more from Mo, Delonte West, and Daniel Gibson. The Cavs added Leon Powe and Jamario Moon – hopefully they can contribute to a championship winning team.

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Larry Brown is an excellent basketball teacher and should keep the young Bobcats hungry for the playoffs. He’s the perfect coach for a team this young.

While there’s a decent amount of talent on the team, much of the credit has to go to Larry Brown, who joined the team as its head coach last season. Brown has a storied resume that includes stints in Detroit (where he won a championship), Indiana, Philadelphia (where he made the NBA finals), and other teams around the league.

What gives the Bobcats some advantage is that they play in the Eastern Conference. The lower quality teams in the East are not as good as the lower quality teams in the West – therefore, the Bobcats are fortunate they play in the East.

With newly acquired center Tyson Chandler, the Charlotte Bobcats have a big presence in the middle, capable of pulling down boards. Hopefully for the Bobcats sake, Chandler can get over the fact he didn’t want to be in Charlotte. One bad attitude never helps!

Gone is Emeka Okafor and his loss will be noticed when it comes to rebounds. The presence of Boris Diaw should give the Bobcats a nice one-two punch.

F Gerald Wallace averaged nearly 17 points per game last season and will need to continue to do so this season.

The Bobcats have improved every season since they have been in the league, 2004. Their lowest win total was 15 games but those days should be well past the franchise. It is very possible the Bobcats can make the 8th seed in the East and give Cleveland, Orlando, or Boston fits in the first round match up. Charlotte is a good sports town and they want a winning basketball team to cheer for.

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The team established itself as an elite force in the Western Conference and a heavy slew of talent has always been present in Dallas.

The last two seasons have been somewhat disappointing for the Dallas Mavericks compared to seasons past. Mark Cuban has realized this, and has elected to do something about it.

The Mavericks have had an extremely eventful off season, highlighted by some big name signings that may have a profound impact on the team.

Mark Cuban is a very unique owner in that he is seen just as much as his players are. Whether this hurts or helps his team win basketball games is uncertain – what is does show is that he cares a great deal about his team and tries to do what’s best for them.

Drew Gooden will be a big presence in the paint for Dallas. One of the Dallas Mavericks’ weakest points in recent years has been rebounding. Gooden should help in this area with his size, 6’10 and 250lbs.

Dirk Nowitzki is often forced to focus on rebounds, which takes away from his ability to do what he does best – score the basketball. He’s still put up big numbers over the years, but it’s been tough come playoff time. He’s been called out on his presence when it comes to playing under pressure.

As a result, this is a Mavericks team that the Lakers and Spurs have both publicly spoken praises for. Many pre-season power rankings have the Mavericks at #2 or 3 in the Western Conference, and with good reason. This is a talented team of experienced basketball players.

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Not because I would like to, but since the major acquisition in the existence of the Memphis Grizzlies’ franchise took place on Wednesday. AI finally answered the question that a variety of residents of Memphis have been asking.

Will he go there or not?

Through Twitter, Iverson, who will now be getting $3.5 million this season for the Grizzlies, ended all of the rumors and agreed provisionally to join the Grizzlies, his 3rd franchise in the most recent four seasons.

The agreement furthermore includes incentives for reaching the post-season, one thing that hasn’t happened dating back to ’06 (when they lost to the Mavs in the 1st round), and if they make the league finals.

Over the seasons, Iverson has had challenges grasping leadership and taking any responsibility that comes to him (example: the Pistons) and clashing with coaches (i.e.: the Sixers), which is why hardly any franchises had been interested in Iverson following his failure in Detroit.

Now he has shot to accomplish something similar to what he did in Philadelphia (when he entered the league) and guide the fortunes of this franchise around and make it happen with a trio of young stars in O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, and Hasheem Thabeet.

While we should not pencil the Grizzlies in for the playoffs by any account, it’s not difficult to say that they will be improved from last season.

If Iverson stays more than one season, maybe there might be an opportunity, however I do not suppose people should get their hopes up on the fact that the Grizzlies will make the playoffs.

It is too early.

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