The Detroit Pistons have won five Championships, two being in the NBL and three since joining the NBA. They were founded in 1941 as the Fort Wayne (Zollner) Pistons and were then renamed in1957 as the Detroit Pistons. In the history of the franchise, some of the best players are Joe Dumars, Grant Hill, Dave Bing, Isiah Thomas, Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups. The best Detroit Pistons of all-time are Chauncey Billups, Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas.

No. 1 – Chauncey Billups (2002 – 2008)

The most recent Piston’s title was in 2004 and a large part of that title success was a direct result of the outstanding play of Billups. He was named the Finals MVP of the 2004 season against the LA Lakers. In the series he averaged 21 points per game and 5.2 assists per game. In his time spent with Detroit, he led his team to the Conference Championship Series each season, two NBA Finals and that 2004 NBA title. He became a respected leader for the Pistons and easily their best player when he was there.

No. 2 – Joe Dumars (1985 – 1999)

Over his career Dumars accumulated over 16,000 points and yet he was better on defense than he was on offense. He became the defensive star of the Piston’s during their successful championship runs of the late 80s and early 90s. When Michael Jordan claims you’re the best defensive player he went up against, it tells how defensively sound of a player Dumars was. He was a member of the Championship groups of 1989 and 1990 and was named the Finals MVP for 1989. He’s the franchise’s All-time leader in games played and free throws made and tried. Dumars was a humble player who appeared in six All-Star games, three All-NBA selections and five All-Defensive team selections.

No. 3 – Isiah Thomas (1981 – 1994)

Thomas accured two NBA titles with the Pistons in 1989 and 1990 and in 1990 was named the NBA Finals MVP. A big reason for the Championship success can be attributed to Thomas ‘ competitivenees and determination to win basketball games. He is the Pistons All time leader in points, assists, minutes, field goals made, field goals attempted, free throws made, free throws attempted and steals. In his time with the Pistons, he earned 12 All-Star appearances and was a five time All-NBA selection. The Hall of Famer will forever be one of the greatest players to have played in the NBA.

The Pistons often fly under the NBA radar and their achievement goes highly unnoticed as compared to the Bulls or Celtics. The franchise has put together many great teams, but consistency has been a problem of late. Isiah Thomas brought the greatest success to the franchise and is the best Detroit Piston of all time.

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After franchise cornerstone Dwight Howard requested for a trade, the Orlando Magic have since been the center of attention heading into the start of 2011-12 season. Trade talk has swirled around Dwight Howard as different trade scenarios seemed to change daily. But trade talk has since died down and we may see Howard in a Magic jersey until probably half the season, and then he would likely be traded to the Nets, Lakers or Mavericks. If the Magic come out of the gates and play strong to preserve their identity as contenders, then they may be able to convince Howard to stay. As it stands though, it’s hard to imagine them regaining their momentum after being upset by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs last year.

Stan Van Gundy has his work cut out for him this season, because the Magic do not have a lot of skill on their team to make a long run in the postseason again. But Orlando still has a chance if they keep Howard on the roster. During the 2009 season, no one thought they could reach the Championship series but Howard showed that he is the top tier player capable of making his team a legitimate threat. It’s going to be very difficult to repeat that level of success this season though, as the trade of Howard weighs on the team.

Howard put up 22.9 points and 15.1 boards per night last season, but the rest of the roster struggled and failed to reach their potential. The Magic dealt away Brandon Bass for Glen Davis and Von Wafer, they let go of Gilbert Arenas and his awful contract and were able to bring back Jason Richardson and Earl Clark. But the overall team level of talent may just not be enough to talk Howard into remaining after this year.

Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson is the force that can bring Orlando back to elite status. He has the ability to be an all-star but he needs to stay on the corut. He hasn’t stayed injury free for a full year in seven seasons that he wore a Magic uniform. Last season he put up just 13.1 points/game. For the Magic to be a serious threat he has to be putting up at least 16-18 points a night.

The rest of the starting five leaves a lot to be desired as they contain high-priced, over the hill guy in Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu. Although Turkoglu has done well in Van Gundy’s offense, an upgrade would only have helped at the three spot. Glen Davis is not a better player than Bass but looks to be a better compliment next to Howard, overall the team should have tried to find a better starting lineup if they really wished Howard to stay.

Orlando does have some nice guys off the pine. They have J.J. Redick and Ryan Anderson who are able on offense. Backup point guard Chris Duhon is a nice player that can start if Nelson gets hurt, and they also have Quentin Richardson who can still shoot the rock despite not doing so well last season.

Pick: 2nd in the East’s Southeast Division – Our top NBA handicapper says this pick is based off the notion that Howard stays in Orlando this year. Although he could very likely be dealt by the deadline, it’s not a foregone conclusion. With Howard, this team can still win a lot of contests and battle for the fourth seed versus the Knicks in the East. If they do trade Howard, they will clearly be worse off, but they can still creep in to the postseason depending on what they get back.

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The Atlanta Hawks earned the fifth seed in the East after ending the season with a 44-38 mark last year. The Hawks took down an unimpressive Orlando Magic in the opening round but were beaten by Chicago in the next. While they managed an upset over Orlando, it has been obvious that Atlanta is trying to make the jump to becoming a top tier squad. After winning 53 times in 2009-10, Atlanta struggled and ended up with nine less wins in 2010-11.

The Atlanta Hawks will feature a few tweaks to their lineup. After losing Jamal Crawford to free agency, they signed veterans Tracy Mcgrady and Vladimir Radmanovic. Although Mcgrady is clearly not the player he was back in his prime, he can still be effective in limited minutes. Radmanovic is a 6’10 small forward with great range and his production will depend on how much playing time he earns.

Atlanta will have one of the top starting lineups in the NBA. Third year point guard Jeff Teague came on in the postseason last season and will be given the keys as the starter this 2012 year. He will be surrounded with a team that includes Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and Al Horford. Johnson, Smith and Horford are all able scorers that can without a doubt put up over 20 points, but more times than not, they settle for difficult jump shots instead of driving to the basket. If head coach Larry Drew can get Horford and Smith to play more near the basket, the Hawks have the ability to be one of the top offensive squads in the entire league.

Losing super sixth man Jamal Crawford will clearly hamper the Hawks’ depth this year. Mcgrady and Radmanovic will accompany Kirk Hinrich, Zaza Pachulia, Jason Collins among others as key backup players, but none of these guys have Crawford’s offensive ability. It is probable that this squad will go with a much more even approach instead of depending on Crawford’s offensive talent off the bench. The reserves’ play this season will decide where Atlanta will end up by the finish of the season.

Pick: 3rd East’s Southeast Division – Our NBA handicappers think the Hawks have the skill and the pieces to compete for a top 4 seed but they can’t seem to put it all together. It seems as though the guys do not have the motivation or drive to be champions and are just happy in reaching the postseason every year. Many times in the course of the long NBA year, Atlanta does not seem to have the mental toughness and motivation to do anything more than what they’ve done in previous seasons. Jeff Teague’s play will determine where this team is going, but the Hawks also need a dynamic scorer of the bench if they want to contend in the east. This team will be very up and down and will make the playoffs as no higher than a 5th seed. They may win the opening round again, but it will be very unlikely for them to move past the second round.

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In 2011, the Dallas Mavericks won their very first NBA championship. Before winning the championship, they’d won 3 divisional titles and 2 conference titles. This thirty-year old team has had quite a good number of household names on their roster. Players like Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Brad Davis, Mark Aguirre, Jason Kidd and Rolando Blackman are some of the best to ever play for Dallas. In the opinons of our NBA handicappers, the greatest Dallas Mavericks of all-time are Jason Kidd, Mark Aguirre, and Dirk Nowitzki.

No. 3: Jason Kidd (1994 – 1996 & 2008 – Present)

Kidd’s brilliant career started with him being named Rookie of the Year for 1995. Many will be fast to claim that at his prime years weren’t spent in Dallas. Nevertheless the role he played in helping Dallas to win their only championship to date in 2011 casts shadows over this critique. He should still be considered one of the best Mavericks ever. Deep down in the center of Dallas fans, they believe Jason Kidd’s home was always in Dallas. In 2008, Kidd came back to the Mavericks as a much more experienced player and this helped in steering Dallas to the championship. He was voted to the All-Star team in 1996 and 2010 as a member of the Mavericks.

No.2: Mark Aguirre (1981 – 1989)

The first round overall pick of the 1981 draft made 3 All-Star appearances while at Dallas. During his reign, Mark Aguirre was regarded as the Mavericks main offensive force. His scoring ability ranks 2nd only to Dirk Nowitzki in franchise history. Aguirre averaged over 24 points per game in eight seasons for the Mavs, and while he never made it to the NBA Finals, he helped to shape what the franchise is today.

No. 1: Dirk Nowitzki (1998 – Present)

This could rank as one of the easiest decisions to make of a best player ever to play on a basketball team. Dirk Nowitzki has already achieved an NBA Title, MVP Finals Award, NBA MVP, 10 All-Star appearances and eleven All-NBA team selections. He has helped Dallas earn ten-straight playoff appearances from 2000 through to 2011. He made it to the Finals one other time, 2006, but was defeated. He returned to the Finals in 2011 to beat the Miami Heat to win the organization’s first Championship. The German is adored not only by his Dallas fans, but basketball fans all over the world. On the floor he’s one of the hardest players to defend with his size and shooting touch. The seven-footer has speed, range and one eye on the hoop. With all of that being said, his most outstanding attribute could be countering pressure and lifting his game whenever his team needs it.

Dirk Nowitzki is still “Mr. Reliable” for the Mavs, and no other player has come near in doing what he has done for his team. Jason Kidd and Mark Aguirre are among many others who might have made the top three, but nobody in the history of the franchise has achieved what Dirk Nowitzki has, and he isn’t done yet.

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Since 1998 basketball equipment manufacturers has produced approximately 207,000 basketballs each year. With 3.6 million sales of basketball these companies have earned as much as $60 million in the US alone. With all of these numbers it’s safe to say that basketball is one the well-loved, if the not the most, sports in the United States, and undoubtedly in the world. Basketball is such an easy sports to learn, anybody can play the game thus anybody can feel free to build a basketball goal in their own lots at home or in their villages or parks.

Basketball goal comes in two types. Based on your need for the game, you can choose between institutional type or the residential type. Institutional basketball equipment type are used by the professionals, such as NBA courts, public school courts and community courts. Institutional equipments are used by these organizations since they are comprised of durable basketball hoops, poles and basketball boards. Since this type of game is played by professionals and mostly strongly build they tend to play intensely, therefore strong basketball equipments are needed. As for school courts and community courts it is usually used multiple times in a day. A community or public school court is also comprised of supplementary basketball components such as gym floor covers, aluminum or plastic bleachers, wall pads and score boards, and of course the basketball hoop.

Nearly all institutional basketball hoops are inground. Meaning they are permanently paved unto the earth. Some residential houses also prefer inground basketball hoops if they have a certain blank place for the makings of an immovable basketball court. However, given that a basketball court is expansive enough, table tennis or more out-of-doors games can also be played in the court. If that is the case, even for community or public school courts, it is advisable to have a portable basketball hoop, which can be moved or transported to be set to one side.

There are four types of institutional basketball systems, that is the inground adjustable which can be adjusted by way of its pole depending on the height and age of the players; the inground fixed height which has a customary height synchronized for all professional basketball games; the portable basketball which can be moved to other areas; and lastly the wall mount basketball system which has no use of the pole and can be casted off to any plane pavement.

For residential courts, one can choose between the inground adjustable or the fixed height, the portable basketball system and the roof or wall mounted basketball hoops. Backyard home courts are usually for recreational use, so there’s no need for a professional-standard for equipments. Nowadays some private courts are situated inside their mansions in which case portable hoops are more appropriate.

But, currently, you may also choose to construct a basketball goal along your pool area, so you can have a lot more pleasurable swimming. It is also ideal for get-together celebration and swimming events for your buddies. On the other hand, if you are organizing for a kid’s swimming pool party, don’t forget to post a padding to warranty safekeeping and well-being for your children.

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Although this San Antonio Spurs squad includes a core that continues growing old every season, they are displaying tremendous resiliency as they continue to get the job done year in and year out. They ended the year as the best team in the Western conference with a 61-21 mark last season.

However that No.1 seed would be for zilch, as they were upset by the 8th seeded Memphis Grizzlies on the way to a lowly first round exit. It has become a dreadful trend in recent seasons as their incredible regular season play would only result to displeasing playoff performances.

The Spurs management have been weary in destructing their current core and begin again. The Spurs front office cannot be blamed nevertheless since the franchise is throwing out winning years (at least in the regular season) year in and year out. However , they are endangering themselves of falling down hard if they don’t rebuild soon.

Their best player Tim Duncan is 35, all star Manu Ginobili is 34, Richard Jefferson is 31 and even former Finals MVP Tony Parker turns 30 in May. Duncan played second fiddle to Ginobili last season as he saw a major decrease in production, scoring only 13.4 points and grabbing just 8.9 boards a contest. Miles away from his career marks of 20.6 points and 11.4 boards.

Ginobili stepped up and played as their best player down the stretch last season. It is likely he’ll continue to be used as the go-to scorer for San Antonio as Duncan desires all of the rest he’ll get preparing for the postseason. Manu put up 17.4 points, 4.9 dimes and 1.5 steals last year. In the meantime Parker had a productive season scoring 17.5 points and dishing out 6.6 assists as well. Jefferson has been a disappointment though, putting up just 11 points and 3.8 boards for San Antonio.

The Spurs were extraordinarily active this offseason trading away gifted PG George Hill to the Indiana Pacers in return for the 15th selection in the draft Kawhi Leonard. They also used their own draft picks on Cory Joseph (no. 29), Davis Bertans (no. 49) and Adam Hanga (no. 59). San Antonio also signed PG TJ Ford regardless of his character issues. With the veteran presence and the professional atmosphere of this organization, it is more than likely that they can keep TJ Ford in line.

San Antonio has done some unusual things to close their offseason. They resigned Steve Novak but consequently let him go before the season even began. They also cut Antonio McDyess, which is strange considering he used to be a key contributor to the team’s success last year. At age 37 though, Mcdyess certainly don’t have too many seasons left in the tank.

Tiago Splitter and Dejuan Blair will be sharing time at the five as starter and backup respectively. The 6’11″ Brazilian put up just 4.6 points and 3.4 boards in his first season in the league. The 26 year old might be in for a breakout year though as he is going to be gave the reins as the starting center for the franchise. 6’7″ Blair has demonstrated to be a steal after being taken in the second round of the 2009 draft. He put up 8.3 points and 7 boards last season.

Western Conference Prediction: 2nd Southwest Division – After spending so much energy on getting the No. 1 seed in the playoffs last year only to see it backfire, the Spurs are going to take a different approach this season. While seeding will still matter, head coach Gregg Popovich won’t put seeding over the health of his players.

The focal point for the Spurs this year is to be get their players solidly healthy in time for the playoffs, while also keeping their veterans rested down the stretch. That is with our NBA predictions we think San Antonio is still one of the best teams in the West, and they are good enough to hold down the No. 2 spot in this division. Expect the Spurs to have a Top 4 seed entering the playoffs and being a troublesome out before losing in the second round.

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