4/29/2022 1983: “Hot Picks with Hot Rod”1983: Hot Picks with Hot Rod
Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics-
The Celtics are still a little salty about coming up short again last season in the playoffs. They went out and traded for big man Jeff Ruland and he’s another tough guy type of big man who should fit in great with Laimbeer. Nicknamed McFilthy, Ruland is more of a dump truck type big man, they will be TOUGH inside in Boston!
New York Knicks-
New York has 3 of the best players in the game in Gilmore, MJ and The Iceman. Beyond the big 3 is the question on everyone’s mind. I think if it’s 3 on 5 they still may win 50 games. Count on the Knicks to be right there in the playoffs again.
Washington Bullets-
I’m always tough on the Bullets and maybe it’s because they aren’t flashy. They don’t have the big names, the superstars, they haven’t made the big splash trades. What they have done is make the playoffs 4 of the last 5 years and I’ll go on the record and say that their defense takes them right back there again in ‘83. Greg Ballard and Jay Vincent carry the scoring load but this is a team here and it’s all about that Defense!
Philadelphia 76ers-
Lester Connor comes in to lead a team that’s in need of a good leader at the point. Woolridge, Toney and Bernard King are solid wing players but Philly will welcome a guy that can pass and pressure the ball the way that “The Molester” can. Philly allowed 107 ppg last year. Connor has to help get that number down. Caldwell Jones and Rich Kelley are anchors in the post and they should continue to do what they do.
New Jersey Nets-
With the trade of Dr J a couple years back, Jersey set out to rebuild. Let’s call it a success so far. The lottery Gods sent down a gift in the form of the #2 pick this year and with that they landed big man Terry Cummings. Cummings is a double double guy but he has to make a commitment on the defensive end. I mentioned that the 76ers allowed 107 per game, the Nets allowed almost 108. That has to improve if they want to win more games.
Central Division
Indiana Pacers-
Yes, you’re reading that right, I’m picking Indiana to finally get past those Pistons. In ‘80 Indy was knocked off in the Eastern Conference final by Detroit, in ‘81 it was a 2nd round knockout by the eventual champions that sent Indy home. Last year, yep, the Pistons beat Indy again but it took them 7 tough games to get by them. In those 7 games I think the Pacers proved themselves worthy of being mentioned as a true contender, now if they can just keep that momentum going….
Atlanta Hawks-
Welcome to Atlanta big fella!! Kareem Abdul-Jabbar comes to Atlanta and the the city is on fire!! Jabbar is a 9-time All-Star, 6-time All-NBA, 3-time All-Star Game MVP and 3-time Defensive POY. Adding him to the young mix of talent they have with Isiah Thomas and Kevin McHale and we may be looking at a contender here. The question is….are they ready??
Detroit Pistons-
Father Time is undefeated and the Detroit Pistons aren’t immune to aging. George McGinnis played a big role off the bench last year and he’s now retired. Paul Westphal is 32 and Downtown Freddie Brown is 34, as is Bob Lanier. Sugar Ray has had his troubles in the past and it looks like they may be creeping up on him again. Moses will not let the squad down, he may be the best big man in the league and he also has “The Microwave” by his side. Wyoming big man Bill Garnett was picked up in the draft. They are hoping he can help in the paint.
Milwaukee Bucks-
Tough they are rebuilding, no one can go to sleep on the Bucks. Larry Nance is a super athletic big man and they have Mike Woodson and Walter Davis at guards. I’d call this a mild rebuild and they landed 3 really good players for the future in the draft in Pierce, Thompson and Cliff Levingston. They won’t be down long and they may be on the playoff bubble??
Chicago Bulls-
Mission Control….Ready for Launch!!
The Human Highlight Film has found his way to Chitown. After years of letdowns in the draft lottery, the Bulls land the #1 pick and very few players bring the kind of excitement that Dominique does. The problem for Chicago, it’s a tough division right now. They still have to be patient but don’t think that big Dawkins and Mahorn won’t knock some guys around. Danny Ainge, DJ and Norm Nixon are tough on the outside. If they aren’t ready to win yet, it won’t be long!
Cleveland Cavaliers-
The Cavs picked up Fat Lever in the draft and he’s going to be a good one. This will be a great squad in the future. Tom Chambers can play and Joe Barry Carroll shot 52% last year. The problem here is on the offensive end for now. You’re not going to win many games if you’re only scoring 95 ppg. Lever will help but it’s another down year for now.
Midwest Division
Kansas City Kings-
KC won 60 games last year but the season still seemed like a disappointment. A lot of “experts” picked KC to hoist the trophy and I think no one was more disappointed than the man with all the pressure and that’s Julius Erving. KC has to do some soul searching to do to find the problem. Some critics blame Kiki Vandeweghe because of his Ho hum style of defense but you just can’t deny the fact that his offense is top shelf. What do ya do with a guy like that? They landed another good scorer in the draft in Quintin Dailey. “Q” averaged 25 ppg last year at San Francisco. If he can stay out of trouble he could have a great career but trouble just seems to find him.
Utah Jazz-
The Magic Man almost pulled one off last year. They upset the Suns and then the Kings to put themselves in the Finals as the 3 seed against the Pistons where they were swept but they put everyone on notice. The Jazz are for real!! When Magic came to town it changed the culture. If he could have came to New Orleans, the move to Utah may have never happened. Magic nearly averaged a triple double last season and had 19 assists in Game 1 to tie the single game finals record. They were whipped in the post last year so they picked up Ed Nealy to help inside. Cornbread Maxwell is Magics running mate here and Utah can beat anyone.
Denver Nuggets-
Denver gets the nod for the 3rd spot in the Midwest and the drafting of Clark Kellogg is a big reason why. I feel like he’s exactly what Denver had to have. He’s a rebounder and a great scorer. They need Darnell Valentine to be able to stay healthy and run the point and Denver will be in the playoffs again.
Houston Rockets-
The Blade shot almost 57% from the field last year and that pushed his average up to 23 ppg. The Rockets have to play better defense if they want to be a real contender. You can’t give up over 100 ppg and expect to win it all. An injury to James Edwards is going to hurt their cause this year. He’s their lone true center.
Dallas Mavericks-
Dallas got a lot better in the off-season this year. A big trade brought in “Mr. Mean” Larry Smith and Brad Davis from the Celtics. They lost big man Jeff Ruland and he’s a big loss but they desperately needed more help and they got two solid guys for 1 in the deal. The biggest get for the year was the former Tar Heel James Worthy. Worthy can run and he shot 57% from the field last year at Carolina. Worthy also brings excitement to Reunion Arena and now with this squad, Mavs fans feel like they can win some games.
San Antonio Spurs-
The Spurs are rebuilding after winning 3 consecutive division crowns from ‘77-‘79. George Gervin has moved on to New York and “Special K” hasn’t been very “Special” as of late. Rolando Blackman averaged about 16 ppg last year and Pressey and Hodges should turn out to be solid players in the future. This team isn’t a single digit win type of team but again, we’re looking at a solid division here so it’s going to be tough sledding this year for the Spurs.
Pacific Division
Golden State Warriors-
The Warriors won 57 games last year in the regular season and lost to the 1 seed Kings in the 2nd round. Larry averaged 19 & 11 last year to carry the Warriors and Kyle Macy made a big jump to 14 ppg. Johnny Davis also scored almost 19 ppg but he’s going to be down with an injury this year. Derek Smith should be a great scorer soon but he’s not ready this year. The rebounding numbers have to improve for Golden State to reach these lofty expectations.
Phoenix Suns-
An injury to the wrist of 4-time All-Nba’er Adrian Dantley is going to hurt the Suns pretty bad this year. He’s averaged 35 minutes and 24 points per game over the last 6 years and the Suns are reeling in his absence. Eddie Johnson will have to step it up to get them through it and of course no one is feeling sorry for a squad that starts Sidney Moncrief, Alvan Adams and bigTree Rollins. Terry Teague was a nice pick up in the draft but he’s a long term investment.
Seattle SuperSonics-
This guard heavy group was over 500 last season but came up short in round 1 against the Jazz. Rebounding just killed Seattle a year ago. 43 rpg was the 2nd worst rebounding rate in the league. If they could find a way to add some rebounding they could make some noise this year. The guard play is awesome as usual. World B Free and Birdsong are always going to get their points and Johnny Moore averaged 11 assists per game last year.
Portland Trail Blazers-
Depth is going to be an issue for the Blazers this year, especially on the outside as Phil Ford is basically all alone at the point like he was last year. The inside is solid with Thompson and Sikma. Sikma was awesome last year at times averaging a double-double and throwing in 3 assists and a block and a steal every game. Mike Sanders is a nice role player on the wing out of UCLA when he’s ready he will be solid. Mike Mitchell has scored over 21 per game over the last 3 seasons and there’s no reason to think that changes this year. A 6-seed is within reach, who plays better down the stretch between the Sonics, Blazers and Rockets?
San Diego Clippers-
How about last years Rookie of the Year? Buck Williams was amazing on both sides of the ball for the Clips scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds per game all while getting 3 stops per game on D. The lane is solid with Buck and Donaldson. The perimeter needs help and they drafted a nice guard to do just that. Sleepy Floyd from Georgetown may make Clipper fans forget about Ernie DiGregorio. He’s a longterm answer at least guard and after this season maybe they can pick up another piece to the puzzle. Randy Smith is finishing up a Hall of Fame career. Smith has 2 Finals MVPs, ‘76 league MVP, and he was selected to the All-NBA team on 2 occasions. He’s also third in the league in total points scored and 1st in steals to this point.
Los Angeles Lakers-
LA was shocked and disappointed at their draft position in the lottery but they aren’t disappointed in the big man they landed with the 7th pick. Big Mark Eaton will block a ton of shots and we will not be pushed around. What the 2-time World Champs don’t have is guard play. Wilkes will have to do it all but they will struggle to win. Hey, let’s look at he the bright side, at least the Lakers will host All-Star game at the Forum this year…
East
I think Boston takes on the Pacers and Boston gets by Indy in 6 games.
West
KC gets their revenge against the Jazz and Dr J makes his first trip to the finals.
Finals
Kansas City vs Boston
The Kings get the job done this time around. The Dr wins game 5 in the Garden to bring the hardware home to Kansas City!! |
