Two for four wont cut it hence no playoffs for the 76ers

Theres a chance KG returns with no ill effects, but I sincerely doubt thats the case Im not done throwing red flags. Rajon Rondo and management obviously arent on the same page, and thats a huge problem. Its vital to have a dependable point guard for any team that plans on making noise deep into the playoffs, and while Rondo is capable of doing that with his talent, his maturity level could drag Boston back to earth. Adding Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels certainly adds depth to an aging team that could use minutes dispersed more evenly. Doc Rivers is one of the best coaches in the association, and a team with so much Finals experience will have no trouble competing for a title again. Whether they can beat out the Magic or Cavs, however, is a different story Predicted Record: 56-26.

His Toronto Raptors may have been the most disappointing team in the NBA last season, so moves were made all summer long to avoid such a meltdown again. Shawn Marion is out, but dynamic point-forward Hedo Turkoglu is in. Hedos value became overblown after a strong playoff showing, so refer to his 2009 regular seasons stats (16 ppg, five rpg, five apg) as a sign of whats to come. Those contributions will help Jose Calderon dish it off easier, and take a scoring load off Chris Bosh along with Andrea Bargnani, but lets not get carried away here. Toronto will return to the playoffs, but a first round exit is likely.Predicted Record: 43-39. Technically this is year one of the Elton Brand experiment, assuming he doesnt get hurt again.

Philadelphia played better when they didnt have a slow, methodical offense that revolved around Brand, but now hes back along with a structured Princeton offense. Any followers of Eddie Jordan know he has no problem letting his offenses play run-n-gun offense from time to time, but he had a small forward in a power forwards body in Washington (Antawn Jamison). If Philly is going to contend for a playoff spot, a ton of things have to go right. Louis Williams will need to fill in admirably for the departed Andre Miller (he will), Andre Iguodala will have to increase his scoring (he wont), Samuel Dalembert will need to play much better (he will), and Elton Brand needs to let Iggy become the top offensive threat (he wont). Two for four wont cut it, hence, no playoffs for the 76ers.Predicted Record: 40-42. The Knicks organization could care less what happens this season, so Ill take that approach too.

New York doesnt have any solid pieces in place except for Wilson Chandler, who should emerge as a consistent stud. David Lee is a great talent, but he probably wont be back after the highly anticipated 2010 off-season. Nate Robinson is a good scorer for the Knicks, but wouldnt be as effective in a different offensive system And Id be surprised if Al Harrington puts up 20 ppg again. The Knicks will groom Jordan Hill and Wilson Chandler, while the rest of the team trudges through a season of irrelevance On the bright side, at least Stephon Marbury is gone Predicted Record: 35-47.