With the NHL in the midst of a lockout that threatens to cancel the entire season, basketball will likely be the only major professional sport played over the winter.
With that in mind, there are several subplots that should make the upcoming season an exciting one. After an off-season in which many players switched teams, there should be a number of clubs in contention for the playoffs and championship.
A significant change in the league is the return of a team to North Carolina, where the Charlotte Bobcats will become the NBA's 30th franchise. Charlotte hasn't had a team since the Hornets were relocated to New Orleans two years ago.
The Bobcats, led by rookie Emeka Okafor, should have some growing pains in their inaugural season and shouldn't be in the playoff hunt. However, expect them to improve as the season progresses.
Another development in the off-season was the movement of several big name players to new teams. The biggest stars traded were Shaquille O'Neal, who went to the Miami Heat from the L.A. Lakers, and Tracy McGrady, who was dealt to the Houston Rockets by the Orlando Magic.
In addition, Kenyon Martin was acquired by the Denver Nuggets, Jamal Crawford went to New York Knicks and Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley were moved to Orlando when the Rockets got McGrady.
The best free agent to change teams was Steve Nash, who signed with the Phoenix Suns. Quentin Richardson also went to Phoenix as a free agent, with Brent Barry heading to the San Antonio Spurs and Antonio McDyess going to the Detroit Pistons. These personnel changes are going to shift the balance of power between the conferences, as well as within them.
The Western Conference will be the stronger and more balanced of the conferences, but the order of that balance will be far from what it was last season. The Minnesota Timberwolves return all of their starters from last year and will be among the top of the conference from the start. The same goes for the Spurs, who lost Hedo Turkoglo and Kevin Willis but made a great move in signing Brent Barry.
Houston, with McGrady to accompany Yao Ming, will be a serious force in the conference and will battle with last year's heavyweights. The Sacramento Kings will be in the hunt as well, but will need a healthy Chris Webber to vie for the title. The Suns should step it up this year after signing Nash and Richardson to accompany Amare Stoudamire and Shawn Marion.
Expectations in Denver are higher than ever since Kenyon Martin was acquired over the winter. The Dallas Mavericks were involved in their usual high volume off-season activity. Despite losing Nash, they acquired Jason Terry from the Atlanta Hawks, who should be a suitable replacement. The Memphis Grizzlies will continue to improve under coach Hubie Brown and will be battling for one of the last playoff spots.
The Utah Jazz added Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur to shore up their frontcourt, and will be hungry for a postseason berth after falling just short last year. The defending conference champion Lakers will need a monstrous season from Kobe Bryant now that Shaq is gone, as well as solid contributions from Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant, who were sent from Miami in exchange for O'Neal. Bryant must have amazing individual numbers while his team fights with the Grizzlies, Jazz and Mavs for one of the last playoff spots.
The Eastern Conference will have a different landscape as well in 2004-05. The defending champion Pistons will be at the forefront, returning the core of last year's winning team while adding Antonio McDyess for support. The Indiana Pacers traded for Stephen Jackson in their bid to knock off the Pistons this year, and will challenge them for the crown again this time around.
Shaq immediately makes Miami a contender. He should have a standout season in a conference that has far fewer talented centers than the West. O'Neal is in outstanding physical shape, and with the help of Dwyane Wade and Eddie Jones, the Heat will be a serious threat to the Pistons.
The rest of the playoff picture is fairly wide open. The New Jersey Nets won't make another title run without Martin and Kerry Kittles but should be in the playoffs as long as Jason Kidd stays healthy. The Philadelphia Sixers have a deep bench and Allen Iverson still leads the way. Orlando will be a fun team to watch, with newcomers Francis and Mobley, and could make a run at the postseason despite losing McGrady.
The hometown Boston Celtics should be vying for a playoff spot with the addition of Gary Payton, a healthy Raef LaFrentz, and promising rookies Delonte West and Tony Allen. Jamal Crawford should make the Knicks a lock for a playoff spot again, and will likely form a great scoring duo with Stephan Marbury. The Milwaukee Bucks, coming off a surprise playoff run last year, and the Cleveland Caveliers, led by LeBron James, will be among those competing for playoff spots despite some frontcourt losses.
It should be an enjoyable and unpredictable 2004-05 NBA season. Expect the Pistons and Timberwolves to meet in the finals, with the Wolves taking home the hardware.
