Chicago Bulls

The Bulls did what many have speculated they would. They successfully wooed Big Ben Wallace away from the Pistons to the Bulls. With that in just a few days of work, the Bulls have completely changed their teams chances. The biggest knock on the Bulls was that they didn't have any post presence, outside of Tyson Chandler. Now they've completely overhauled their front court.

They have Tyrus Thomas who, we heard multiple times, Jay Bilas feels could be the best player in this draft. With his shot blocking presence (which remains to be seen in the NBA) and Ben Wallace the Bulls may well be the hardest team to score on in the paint.

Besides that they will have better perimeter defense with Thabo Sefolosha. These moves will make them better regardless but I think they were geared for two players in particular

LeBron James

James is one of the most versatile players in the game. While he can't play all five positions he can make a strong showing at four. He is notrious for streaking to the basket and throwing it down over awed opponents. When teams clog the middle he's developed his outside jumper. Besides that he's been given Flip Murray to toss it too once he's pulled the defense in.
While James still had his way with Pistons D, Big Ben will cause some concern. With he and Thomas patroling the key James will be a little more likely to settle for outside shots. To help defend against that the Bulls will place Sefolosha on him. Either that or Sefolosha will be on Murray to prevent those outside looks.

Dwayne Wade

Wade is another player who cuts to the middle and scores between the big men. He's the best at it right now. It helps to have Shaq clearing out the middle but even without the Diesel this is Wade's primary scoring method. He too has developed an outside game. And while he didn't light the Mavericks up beyond the arc he did drop an unusually high number of trey's on them.
Now the Bulls will have Sefolosha harass him in the perimeter and have Thomas and Wallace collapse on him when he cuts. Depending on the final lineup, Wade won't have the same luxury of dumping the ball to an open three-shooter but may instead drop it Shaq or 'Zo.

The Heat, however, did retain a three shooter when Posey opted to stay in South Beach for another season. Posey has a great situation. He'll stay in Miami for one more year (which will probably be Miami's best chance for another title for a few seasons) and choose his own fate there after.

Allen Iverson

Then there's still the question of where Allen Iverson will be playing next season. Boston? Maybe. Utah? Probably not. Cleveland? Possibly. Denver? I wouldn't bet on it. LA? Not for the Clips.

Allen Iverson is the wild card this off season. I really don't think he's going to stay in Philadelphia. Where he'll go though is anyone's guess. Here are some trade options that may be being considered right now. I don't think the Celtics are going to be able to land him. But I'm not sure who has the will and the firepower to do it.

The Los Angeles Lakers just signed Vlade Rad so I don't think they're in the market (though they still need a point). The Clippers resigned Sam Cassell and have a good young guard in Livingston. They don't want to harm his development by giving his minutes to an aging Answer.

I think the Rockets could use another point guard. They also need another scoring threat besides McGrady and Ming. They don't have the talent to do it though. Maybe if they'd managed to keep Swift they could ship he and Battier to Philly for Iverson.

The Indiana Pacers are supposedly looking to move O'Neal (though I haven't heard much noise lately) so why not get the point guard they need so badly? I'm sure the Sixers would take O'Neal and maybe switch picks with the Pacers or something. However, the Pacers seem like they're preparing to become a team that's "a few years away" so I don't think Iverson is really in their plans.

The Nuggest have a few problems with big man Kenyon Martin. They just locked up 'Melo and Nene and could use a point guard and another scoring threat. I don't think they could handle th contract but I think it would be great trade for the Nuggets. They'd have to give up more for Iverson but I think it would be a great trade for Denver.

Finally, I think the Cavaliers are the darkhorse for this thing. They could sign-and-trade Drew Gooden and Flip Murray or even Larry Hughes. I know Hughes and Murray were really helpful to LeBron down the stretch but Iverson is still dominating. I would pull the trigger on this if I could and lock Iverson up for the rest of his career.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks were quick to sign draft pick Maurice Ager. They're also trying to sign Mike James. If they managed to do that then they would have guards: Jason Terry, Devin Harris, Maurice Ager, Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse, Rawle Marshall, Mike James, and Marquis Daniels.

They also resigned DJ Mbenga and may have to make room on their roster for forwards Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Reggie Evans, and possibly even Kevin Pittsnogle. I think this may be the end for Marquis Daniels in Dallas. I don't think they'll just let him go but I don't know what they'll get for him. I'd advise them to contact the Knicks or Blazers.

The Mavericks need a tough Power Forward to backup Dirk, both to give him rest and to give teams a different look. If they get Evans then they'll have that and maybe have the final piece to the Championship puzzle. Remember teams start with superstars, it's usually the role players that put them over the top (case in point: Miami).

In the spirit of labeling teams I've decided to hand out some awards/titles for the teams in the early part of the NBA season. While we've got plenty more basketball before all the good teams reveal themselves and the flops rear their ugly heads, I think the beginning of the season has been fairly interesting.

Surprise Team of the Year:
Los Angeles Clippers
If you thought the Clippers would lead the Pacific Division please raise your hand. If you're raising your hand use it to slap yourself now because you're a liar! Granted a few die-hard Clips fans really thought "this is the year" but haven't they been thinking that ever year for the last, well forever! Everyone thought Sam Cassell was being traded to the Clippers to continue to smoulder in defeat and then quietly move from team to team until retirement. Suddenly, the Clippers are the elite team in LA and the Clippers are looking, if not good, at least not so bad.
In the running: New Jersy Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves

Biggest Bust Team of the Year:
New York Knicks
I had trouble with this one. The Kings were supposed to be at least as good as they were last year and still one of the best teams in the West (they're not). Then I almost selected Indiana because they finally get themselves into some real championship talk and then one player goes and ruins their chances (apparently). This seems to be a pattern and I think they'll be better without Artest. But I think the Knicks take the cake. The Knicks, while not supposed to be the second coming of the Bulls or anything, were supposed to be one of the better teams of the season. Maybe, we were giving Larry Brown too much credit (the Pistons are doing better without him) or maybe the Knicks just aren't as talented as they appear on paper. At any rate I expected a lot more from the new New York Knicks.
In the running: Sacremento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets

In Your Face Experts! Team of the Year:
Pheonix Suns
When Amare Stoudemire went down the league's leading mouths preached doom and gloom for the Suns. Even those that felt the Suns had a chance said they would struggle to stay at .500. They said the Suns would have to hope they could remain either at .500 or just below it when Amare got back. Well, I belive the Suns are above .500 now. I also believe they're playing some pretty good ball with out they're most dynamic player. The Suns have proven while they're not terribly deep they're certainly deeper than one player.
In the running: Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers

We're Gonna Crash! Team of the Year:
Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers
They do every year. They start strong with AI leading the charge. Then he gets hurt and the team plummets. Why? Because they're so used to Iverson controling the ball when he's not there their chemistry is so off they can't rebound (figuratively speaking). They struggle scoring and somehow there's a mental block whenever Iverson isn't in the game. This isn't a knock on Iverson, he actually has quite a few assists in addition to his points (though I still think he tries to create too much for himself). Just like always this team will wear out and may slip out of the playoff hunt.
In the running: Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Seattle Sonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, NOklahoma City Hornets

Championship Team of the Year:
Dallas Mavericks
Mainly because I'm a Mavs fan. But beyond that the Mavericks have actually developed a fairly stingy defense. They've beaten the best of the East (Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers) and have the second best record in the league. They were winning convincingly without Jerry Stackhouse. While he's not neccessarily a differnece maker he adds even more depth to the Mavs bench which is oh so important come playoff time. The Mavs finally look like they may have the right combination of Offense and Defense. It would be a great all around series between the Pistons and Mavs as both teams have improved on their "weaknesses" and appear as solid all around teams.
In the running: San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat

So there you have it! My fake, completely biased yet strangely supported awards/titles what have you. Agree, disagree? Have a category I should have had or want to know why some of the "In the running" teams are there? Well, just leave a comment and I'll get back to ya.