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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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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This was a strong team that made the playoffs in 2007, but one that faltered a bit in 2008, slipping in terms of both offense and defense.

Former head coach Jon Gruden is now broadcasting for Monday Night Football – he doesn’t have to deal with the Bucs team anymore. He’s probably pretty happy about this though.

Not scoring any points in an NFL game just shows you how offensively challenged the Bucs are – that is what happened to the Bucs in week 3 against the New York Giants. The Giants did what they wanted and the Bucs had no answers the entire game. The defense is just as bad as the offense giving up more then 30 points a game.

RB Cadillac Williams was a rising star in the NFL a few seasons ago. In 05′ Williams ran for over 1,100 yards in– games but injuries have put his progression as a RB on hold. 07′ – 08′ Williams only played in 10 games, scored 7 touchdowns and rushed for 441 yards.

The main WR on the Bucs is Kellen Winslow – who in his best year in 07′ caught for over 1,000 yards with 5 touchdowns for the Cleveland Browns.

The Bucs play in the NFC South, which has a different winner every year. The Bucs won’t be contending for a division title in 09′ but hopefully they can find some sort of offense as the years progresses.

The Bucs defense is one of the worst in the league – if not THE worst – the Bucs have given up more the 30 points more times then many teams give up the entire season. It will be a long season for the Bucs in 09′.

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The Chargers have found some success over the course of the last few seasons and their offense is one of the most potent in the NFL. They’ve been strong defensively in the past, but it doesn’t seem like they’re going to be one of the top defensive units in the league this year.

Philip Rivers – a contender for the MVP award this season in the minds of many – Darren Sproles a stud in the making, and more should propel a highly effective offensive team to a great place this season. Although LT is on the wrong side of 30 now, if he can stay healthy, he’s still got potential for a dangerous year.

The defense hasn’t lived up to their potential just yet though. Things could turn around and in order for the Chargers to have a big year, it must happen soon.

Whatever the reasons are that the Chargers haven’t won the Super Bowl, they could be the classic underachievers. But 09′ should prove to be a make or break year for head coach Norv Turner.

So maybe the Ravens are one of the better teams in the NFL. After all, they made the playoffs last year and their youth has improved this year.

Still, the obvious flaw in this Chargers team seems to be its defense. Can the team clean up its defensive unit from here? It may need to.

I do believe their offense is powerful, but not enough to make up for the weak defense. For this team to compete and live up to their expectations, the defense needs to improve immediately.

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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 09′ season for the Seahawks should be well improved — the Seahawks might not be Super Bowl contenders but should compete in every game they are in.

Matt Hasselback has played ok but suffered a rib injury. It is yet to be determined if this will be a lingering injury that will hurt his entire 09′ season. If the team expects to improve on their 4-12 season, Hasselback must start more then 7 games, as he did in 08′.

The NFC West isn’t the strongest division the NFL has ever seen. The Arizona Cardinals haven’t yet found themselves yet, the St. Louis Rams are one of the bottom feeders in the league, the San Francisco 49ers are a young team on the rise though.

Since their Super Bowl appearance in 05′ – between 06′-08′ – the Seattle Seahawks have a record of 23-25 in the regular season and 2-2 in the playoffs. The Seahawks need to improve a great deal on offense if they hope to contend for the NFC West title – the Seahawks are in the bottom third in offense in the NFL.

QB Seneca Wallace has stepped in for Hasselback and has done fairly well — completing around 61% of his pass attempts. The acquisition of T.J. Houshmandzadeh gives the QB’s of the Seahawks a number one option. WR Nate Burleson has had a good season averaging over 10 yards per catch. Burleson only played one game in the 08′ season.

Week 2 wasn’t as kind to them, as the team lost in San Francisco to the 49ers, a fellow NFC West team. Not only did they lose the game, but Hasselbeck took a serious shot.

With a 1-1 record, the Seahawks’ next few games will largely determine the course of their season. The race is wide open in the NFC West, and a healthy Hasselbeck is critical to giving the team what it needs.

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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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They lost to the Detroit Lions in week 3. Either the Detroit Lions were finally do for a win and it just happened to be against the Redskins – or the loss against the Lions showed the lack of focus and determination the Redskins have.

The Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles play competitive football nearly every year, and attempting to win that division is an extremely tall order for a team like Washington. For this reason, every game and every week matters to the fullest.

The Washington Redskins have a very tough schedule when you consider they must play the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles twice a season.

If the Redskins can’t beat the Detroit Lions, what chance do they have against the better teams of the league. The Redskins need wins against the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Bucs and Oakland Raiders if they hope to even taste the top of the NFC East division.

The Redskins have to create offense and do it quickly before they fall too far back in the NFC East division race. The Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Philadelphia eagles are all better teams at the moment.

Their running game hasn’t been looking like it has in the past. Clinton Portis is no doubt one of the best running backs of the decade; he’s aging a bit, and seems to have lost a step.

Head Coach Jim Zorn is on the hot seat if he can’t create some spark with his offense. The Redskins are a proud franchise with a rich history, if Zorn can’t produce for the Redskins fans and ownership by motivating his players he won’t last the season. The players must come ready to play and not play the blame game either as well. .

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The Vikings opted to sign Brett Favre for the fact that they felt the team was ready to contend for a championship, and a quarterback was one of the only missing pieces. Despite Brett’s age, they knew he still had another year or two left, especially since Adrian Peterson will take a ton of pressure off of him.

Favre had a good season with the New York Jets in 08′ – but because of shoulder injury the New York Jets weren’t contenders at the end. Favre also fits the Vikings offensive formation much better than the Jets. The formation the Jets were using was actually new for Favre.

In week one, the Vikings defeated the Browns in Cleveland by a score of 34-20, and in week two, the team bested the Detroit Lions in Detroit by a 27-13 score.

The Vikings franchise hasn’t had this good of a team since the 98′ Vikings went 15-1 with WR Randy Moss, QB Randall Cunningham, RB Robert Smith, WR Chris Carter, and DT John Randle. The team was upset in the NFC Championship game to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime. Hopefully, the 09′ Vikings can avoid such a fate.

Adrian Peterson looks like the best running back in the NFL, and more importantly, Brett Favre is playing efficient football at the quarterback position. Jared Allen’s also stepping it up and looks like the best defensive end in the league.

Besides Favre and Adrian Peterson, another notable player is Jared Allen. If you’re a QB, you don’t want to play against this man!

Easy opponent or not, Vikings fans have to be pleased with the results thus far. He’s not throwing as many passes as someone like a Drew Brees, but that’s not what this team needs. They just need a steady presence at the QB position, there to come through when the team needs him to. And Favre has been just that so far.

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