1. Where do you project the 76ers among the Eastern Conference this coming season, now that they’ve signed Elton Brand?

BigMo763: The Sixers’ biggest need coming into the offseason was a big man who could bang and score in the low post. Brand will more than fill that void, and he alone will surpass the production of both Reggie Evans and Jason Smith combined. The addition of Elton Brand automatically propels the 76ers into the second-tier of the Eastern Conference with teams like Cleveland, Toronto, and Washington.

Brand is surrounded with a talented players who complement him perfectly. Andre Miller showed last season why he was one of the top point guards in the league. He can control the tempo, get everybody involved, and hit clutch jumpers. He manages the game to perfection. Every team in the league wants either a big man of Brand’s caliber or a point guard who can run a team – the Sixers now have both.

Andre Iguodala is a very versatile player who will thrive as the second option playing alongside Brand. Brand’s presence should open the floor up for Iguodala, allowing him to showcase the other facets of his game that many casual fans overlook. Plus, it takes the pressure off of Iguodala to go out and be the offensive cornerstone each and every night, and also allows him to utilize more energy defensively. Iguodala was one of only four players to put up 19, 5, and 5 last season, and his numbers should increase alongside Brand.

Add Thaddeus Young’s energy, athleticism, and versatility as well as Dalembert’s length and defense, and you have one potentially scary starting five. Don’t forget Louis Williams and Willie Green’s offense off the bench and Reggie Evans’ toughness… the Sixers have a lot of pieces and could scare some teams come playoff time, but their downfall will be their lack of a consistent deep threat.

The Sixers won’t beat out Boston or Detroit, but barring major injuries, I see them finishing with 45-50 wins in the East and no lower than the fifth seed.

Dustin Chapman: I look for Philadelphia to be in the third-to-fifth range, as far as the Eastern Conference standings are concerned. In the playoffs, anything is possible (just ask Kevin Garnett), although it’s hard to imagine them taking out a powerhouse without a consistent perimeter shooting threat. The 76ers now have the tools and balance to do some real damage in the East. They may not make their “big run” as early as 2009, but if healthy, they certainly will not go out quietly.

Mike: The Philadelphia 76ers should be one of the toughest teams to beat in the East this upcoming season. I predict that they’ll give the Boston Celtics a scare at the end of the year for the Atlantic division, but will come up short. The 76ers should easily be a top 6 seed, but they are still a few veteran role players away from seriously contending. I give them a 2nd round exit, with high hopes for the future.

Nitro1118: I project the Sixers to be right in the middle of the pack of the Eastern Conference playoff teams this season. Elton Brand was a huge step in the right direction; he makes them much better defensively, gives them someone to go to when they aren’t running teams out of the gym, and he gives them a veteran leader who will give the team the kind of hope and confidence to make a big splash. With all of that said, they still lack two things: 3pt shooting and depth. Three-point shooting is apparent when you look at their horrible shooting display last season… they only hit 302 3’s on sub-32% shooting for the season, both good for last in the league. They have not yet done anything to remedy that problem this offseason. As for depth, I am simply not sold on guys like Thaddeus Young, Reggie Evans and Louis Williams being the primary weapons off the bench. Therefore, I do not see them being better than the 3rd or 4th seed in the East, and nothing more than a 2nd round appearance.

2. With the Clippers and Warriors being the two most active teams this offseason, which of the two do you envision making more noise in 2008-2009?

BigMo763: The Clippers are better on paper, and on the court I feel that they have pieces that fit better together than the Warriors. Baron Davis may become complacent after getting a new contract, but they still have Cuttino Mobley, Al Thornton, Marcus Camby, and Chris Kaman. They have a very scary frontcourt that should dominate the boards, and a decent bench.

Golden State has an abundance of talent, but they have a big question mark at the point. Monta Ellis is a two-guard, and they won’t go anywhere if he’s stuck playing the point for 30+ minutes a night, even with their high-octane offense. Marcus Williams was a solid pickup from the Nets, but he hasn’t shown enough in his NBA career to be trusted with heavy minutes at the point. Also, how will Golden State respond after losing their leader? Although Stephen Jackson is an integral voice in the locker room and on the floor, it’s hard for me to envision the Warriors overcoming the loss of Baron’s leadership and fearless play in the clutch.

Dustin Chapman: I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if neither of these two clubs made the playoffs. The Clippers look like a playoff-caliber team, but nothing is guaranteed in the Western Conference, especially with rising teams [such as Portland] who are looking to steal top eight seeds. Between the two, however, I take the Clippers without any real hesitation. They’ve got more experience, far superior balance, and a much deeper bench than Golden State.

Golden State’s run-and-gun system is fun to watch, but it will only take them so far; especially without a true point guard running the show. Monta Ellis is an ignition key, but is he a floor manager? It’s only fair to give him a chance, but I’m highly skeptical.

Mike: In 2008-2009, I expect the LA Clippers to make more noise than the Warriors simply because they filled holes at the two toughest positions to fill [center and point guard] with all-star caliber players. Marcus Camby and Baron Davis were those players. The Warriors are a young team that is going to need time to find themselves. They could be a Western Conference power in the future, but they don’t quite have “it” yet. I don’t expect either of these teams to make the playoffs, though.

Nitro1118: I think the Clippers will make more noise next season. While the Warriors have been together longer, have the better coach, and have a definitive style that they will implement next season, I believe that the Clippers could end up slipping into the 8th seed in the West next season. They have made some awesome additions this offseason; signing Baron Davis, getting Marcus Camby for absolutely nothing, signing Ricky Davis, and drafting Eric Gordon. That is a massive talent infusion that will not only add skill, but also great balance to a young team built around talented and promising guys like Chris Kaman and Al Thornton. With Davis running the show, a deadly frontcourt in Kaman/Camby, and a nice, balanced all-around cast of role players, this team has a very good chance of making some noise out West. The Warriors simply have too many questions to answer; along with the problems they already had last year, they now have to find out if Monta Ellis/Marcus Williams can truly fill in the PG duties left vacant by Davis signing with the Clippers.

3. Now that Toronto has acquired Jermaine O’Neal, do you see the Raptors taking the next step to becoming serious Eastern Conference contenders?

BigMo763: The biggest question mark I have about Toronto is Jermaine O’Neal’s health. He’s had trouble staying healthy over the past few seasons, but considering the Pacers were out of playoff contention, who knows whether Jermaine was sitting out because he truly needed the recovery time or because he didn’t want to risk anything playing for a perennial lottery team.

If JO is healthy, the Raptors will have the best post duo in the league. But how will they play together? In Indiana, JO repeatedly voiced his preference to play facing the basket instead of posting up with his back to the basket. Bosh prefers to play the same way, and both have a consistent mid-range jumper. One of them will have to sacrifice and play in the post, because they will go nowhere if both Bosh and JO are playing at the elbow together.

Regardless, if JO can play 60+ games for Toronto this season, and be healthy come April, the Raptors will be the team nobody wants to face in the playoffs. A serious Eastern Conference contender? Eh… I’ll wait till February to give them that title, especially with JO’s health a 50/50 gamble.

Dustin Chapman: The word “contender” is a bit premature from my view, but I will go ahead and mark the Toronto Raptors as a legitimate threat, if healthy. O’Neal, when healthy, is the defensive presence that Sam Mitchell has been needing next to Chris Bosh. Mix that frontcourt duo with a terrific point guard in Jose Calderon, a “glue guy” like Anthony Parker, an stud intangibles guy in Jamario Moon, and that freakish cast of knock-down shooters, you’ve at least got a chance to make a deep playoff run.

But if O’Neal is not healthy when it’s time to dance, I have a hard time believing that Andrea Bargnani can develop into a defensive enforcer overnight… if ever.

Mike: I expect the Toronto Raptors to take the next step and become serious Eastern Conference contenders, after the addition of Jermaine O’Neal. There were two areas that they were truly weak in coming off of the 07/08 season: toughness and slashing. Although they weren’t able to find a big name slasher, they added toughness inside with O’Neal and Nathan Jawai. I look at O’Neal (if healthy) and Bosh to be one of the most dynamic frontcourts duos in the NBA for the next five years. If this team gets hot at the right time and the shooters knock down their shots consistently, this could be a team we talk about competing for the NBA championship.

Nitro1118: Yes, I really do. People are quick to jump on this acquisition solely because of O’Neal’s injury problems and how he is perceived as too similar to Chris Bosh, but fail to realize he fills up their two most glaring holes: interior defense and rebounding. Last year, the Raptors were in the bottom five of the league in both rebounds and blocks, and those stats translated to Dwight Howard absolutely destroying the Raptors in the first round, averaging 22.6PPG/18.2RPG/3.8BPG/64% shooting. It was crystal clear that Andrea Bargnani simply can’t start at center alongside a guy like Bosh, and give the Raptors a chance to make any playoff noise. O’Neal will not let that happen; he is a tough, physical presence defensively who is a big time shot-blocker. Offensively, he will fit nicely in their fast-paced offense, and I believe he will definitely flourish in a secondary role. Not only will the Raptors’ have one of the toughest, most versatile frontcourts in the league, but they have one of the smartest and most efficient PG’s in Jose Calderon, two very solid role players in Anthony Parker/Jamario Moon to round out the starting lineup, and then a big scoring punch off the bench with Jason Kapono, Bargnani, and others. If O’Neal is able to stay healthy (which I think he will be, being in a new city with a very promising team, along with being in a contract year, motivation will be at a premium for him), which is certainly a big if, I feel that this team can make it very far, as in Eastern Conference Finals far.

4. Following Josh Childress’ bold move to Greece, do you see American-born players taking their talent overseas becoming a trend?

BigMo763: I don’t think we’ll see an abundance of players making the trip overseas, but we have already seen that Childress’ decision will have a big impact on free agent negotiations. Players now have the additional leverage of threatening to leave the NBA and play in Europe, leaving their team with no way of preventing the move. Restricted free agents simply don’t have to sign the qualifying offer or an offer sheet from another team, and their team cannot do anything to retain them.

Golden State already acted quickly to sign Monta Ellis and Andres Biedrins shortly after Childress announced that he was going to take a European contract. I think agents will use this to get their clients slightly more money, but I don’t see many players actually following Childress’ path to Europe.

Dustin Chapman: At this point in time, no, I’m not going to call this a “trend.” A trend is something that many individuals, or group(s) of individuals, pick up on and run with. Watching one semi-notable American-born NBA player make the cross to the dark side doesn’t necessarily have me shaking in my boots. I envision player agents using European dollar signs as more of a scare tactic than anything, because they now know that tasteful financial options across the waters are a threat to NBA teams. But I’m not ready to send out an S.O.S or cry “the sky is falling!” just yet.

Mike: American-born players will most likely follow Josh Childress’ steps to Europe, but I don’t think you’re going to see stars or big-name players make the jump. This new fad is probably going to involve young players on poor teams that can become go-to guys or stars in Europe. I would call the Brandon Jennings move to Europe more of a precedent than the Josh Childress move. It’s going to be the high school kids that aren’t intelligent enough, or don’t have the credentials to get into college, that go to Europe.

Nitro1118: While I feel players like Childress and Jennings may open the floodgates for American-born players bolting to Europe to pursue their basketball careers, I do not feel it will ever become a popular trend. Basketball players are humans like the rest of us; most will take a small pay cut in order to stay where they are comfortable, which is in the United States. Europe is uncharted territory for most of these players, both on and off the court. They are not prepared for life in a foreign country with a totally different brand of basketball being performed, and that will scare most from going overseas. Also, many of these kids grew up watching the NCAA and NBA, and have always aspired to be stars in those respective leagues. While they may find fame overseas, it just isn’t the same. And all of these reasons are why I feel that European players heading back overseas will be the main concern for the NBA, and will likely become a popular trend. We have seen solid players like Nenad Krstic and Bostjan Nachbar already make the jump, and other players like Andris Biedrins and Sasha Vujacic have threated to head back to Europe. In my opinion, the European invasion that began in the 1990’s is about to be reversed in the upcoming years.

5. With Ron Artest joining the club, are the Rockets finally ready to advance in the playoffs?

BigMo763: Once again, this team’s biggest question mark is health. Yao went down last season with a broken foot, but the Rockets also went on a historic winning streak. If Yao is healthy, they should have enough firepower to advance past the first round… but something always seems to go wrong for this team.

The Rockets wanted to bring in mental toughness, and they immediately went to work by signing Brent Barry away from the Spurs. Barry brings championship experience and veteran leadership to a roster that desperately needs experience and leadership in the postseason.

Acquiring Artest could also possibly address that need… if he can keep his head on straight. Or it may blow up in their faces and destroy the team. It’s a low risk, high reward move. If Artest does his job, the Rockets have enough to advance past the first round, and there will be no excuse if they fail to do so once again. If the team blows up because of Artest, they can let him walk at the end of the season.

There is one slight problem even if the acquisition works out… Artest is still looking for his first big payday in the NBA, and the Rockets will have to deal with the threat of multiple teams with cap space trying to sign him away next summer.

Dustin Chapman: Barring injury, this Houston Rockets club doesn’t have any more room for excuses. They’ve got all the firepower necessary to advance in the playoffs, and Ron Artest’s tenacity is exactly what the Rockets have lacked over the past few years. Adding him to the fold can turn Houston’s defense into one of the best in the Western Conference, if not the absolute best. Mix that in with a Rick Adelman-based offense, added shooting, and a legitimate “big three,” you’ve got something to write home about. If healthy, anything less than a 2009 Conference Semifinals appearance is an utter disappointment.

It’s put up or shut up time, Houston.

Mike: I don’t think I’m ready to say that the Rockets are finally ready to advance in the playoffs. That’s what I’ve told myself for the past three years, but they have failed time and time again. There isn’t any one player to blame, because they’ve collectively choked under pressure situations as a team. But really, what more does Ron Artest bring to the table than Shane Battier does? They are both all-defense players that can shut down an opponent’s star perimeter player. Artest will just be cutting into Battier’s minutes. You’re going to get the same production from that spot on the floor and you essentially still have the same roster that you did in 2007/2008. This sounds a bit crazy but maybe they need to trade Tracy McGrady and try to mold themselves into a team like the Detroit Pistons. No elite scorers, just a solid core of consistent, unselfish players that are also committed on the defensive end.

Nitro1118: Yes, I do feel that the Rockets are finally ready to take the next step and advance in the playoffs. Last year, with countless injuries to the team and chemistry problems plaguing them early in the season due to a new coach, the team won 55 games and pushed the Utah Jazz to 6 games despite being without Yao Ming for the series and Rafer Alston a few games. Last year, they filled a huge void in the PF spot with the emergence of Luis Scola and Carl Landry, and despite the offense getting a bit better with Rick Adelman leading the way, the same defensive intensity remained from the Jeff Van Gundy days.

However, the two things the team severely lacked was a third option offensively and depth at the wing spots. They filled both of those vacancies in a big way this offseason. First, they acquired Brent Barry, who is a major upgrade over Luther Head at backup SG and will fit the system beautifully. Now, they have acquired former Defensive Player of the Year Ron Artest, who will finally give the Rockets a third guy that can create his own offense, while also offering the amazing defense and toughness that they somewhat lacked in previous years. The best part of these two offseason upgrades is that they gave up virtually nothing to acquire these players, and still have the MLE to resign Landry or do whatever else they feel like doing with it. With the West getting older and in many ways weaker, due to various player transactions the last two seasons, the Rockets have a great opportunity to do some serious damage in both the regular season and postseason.