AC TITTICOCK'S WEEKLY FREE NBA BASKETBALL PICKS AND WINNERS

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AC's outlook on the NBA is an entertaining original column featured here at Wagercom. If you are prone to NBA betting or even just an NBA fan, make sure you come back often to read his articles and free NBA Basketball picks against the spread. AC will be providing us with a weekly outlook during the basketball season including free NBA Basketball picks on some of the weekend games each Friday and Saturday.

Our NBA expert AC has had 4 consecutive winning seasons picking NBA games against the spread with a winning percentage which would have won you money including the VIG. AC does this out of the kindness of his heart and for the naked pictures of your girlfriends you send him as a token of your appreciation. So enjoy the columns and the picks..

AC'S NBA 2007-2008 SEASON PREVIEW:

The 2007-2008 season is about to begin and this promises to be one of the best seasons ever. There is the good (the revamped Celtics and a potential superstar rookie class), the bad (the Minnesota Timberwolves and the front court deprived Charlotte Bobcats), and the ugly (the Zach Randolph-Nate Robinson-Stephon Marbury-Eddy Curry-Isiah Thomas New York Knicks and the Tim Donaghy point fixing scandal which looms over the entire NBA season like a child molester on the set of Sesame Street). Either way, I am as excited for the NBA as Senator Larry Craig at the ManHole or Greg Oden at a Chuck-E-Cheese.

The reason I am so excited for this season is that there are so many questions to answer. Is Kevin Durant that good? Can the Celtics really compete for a title? Which Knick will get arrested first and for what (I am going with Eddy Curry, in the billiard room, with the revolver, but that’s just me)? Can the Suns finally make it to a Championship (though they would have last year if not for the suspensions and Donaghy)? Are the Rockets ready to make the leap? Is there a fork in Dirk’s back or is he just happy to see Cuban? If the Sixers play in Philly and no one shows up, do they still count the loss? Will anyone break Sedale Threatt’s record of 14 kids? Can Kobe last in LA? Can Michael Jordan screw up the Bobcats anymore? How long until Al Jefferson sprains his ankle? And are the Hawks going to show some life?

As you can see there are a plethora of stories and plotlines and we will be lucky enough to know the answers in only seven short months. In addition to the games, I will be giving you winning picks against the spread for free all year on the way to my fifth consecutive season above .500. So sit back, fire up your NBA League Pass, lace up your Starburys, and enjoy the season.

Below are my predictions for how each team will fare in the regular season ranked from best record to worst in each Conference. There is no slotting effect for winning the division, just based simply on what I expect a team’s regular season record to be and how much their owners paid me to generate a buzz for them to sell more tickets (and yes I do accept paypal).

Eastern Conference

1. Chicago Bulls: After teasing us for the last two to three years like a Mormon on prom night, the Bulls are ready to win the Eastern Conference. In addition to having the deepest team in the East, they now have the potential go-to-guy they have sorely been lacking. Luol Deng stepped up in the playoffs and took over this young team like Carmen Kinsley did in the immortal Corn Fed Booty. Deng showed that he is ready to be a crunch time scorer so add him to Kirk Hinrich, the explosive Ben Gordon, Ben Wallace, Andres “classic glue guy” Nocioni, the emerging Ty Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha, and rookie Joakim Noah, and you have the best team in the East. Sixty wins are a possibility if Noah plays as well as I think he can. Many people think Noah will be a bust but the kid is seven feet tall, can run, jump, block shots, and rebound. Plus he is a winner and he plays with more energy than Lindsay Lohan in the midst of an all night coke party. What more could you want? Put him down for a top five rookie of the year finish and a long career as a Robert Horry type player, and no, I am not making any of that up, and no I am not licking smiley faces.

2. Detroit Pistons: The Pistons are just solid all around, like a Sam Adams Cream Stout or Jessica Biel in a bikini. Their biggest problem is that they lack a spark plug and their bench is still a year or two away. I am intrigued by the Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiel era and should those two blossom this year, the Pistons could slide into first place in the East. The two big issues are they are still just one RaWeed crazy away from being a 7th seed and they still have Flip Saunders as their coach who apparently is allergic to winning in the playoffs.

3. Boston Celtics: If Pierce, KG, and Allen can stay healthy, the Celtics can beat any team on any night because KG wants to win, Pierce is still an offensive force, and Ray Allen can not only drop three pointers like Shawn Kemp drops his seed but he knows how to play this game. I know their bench is thinner than an alibi from OJ, and I know 80 year old Bob Cousy can run the point better than Rajon Wrongdo, but they have three legitimate all-stars, all in their prime. I can count the other teams in that situation on one three fingered hand. So as long as Kendrick Perkins doesn’t injure Garnett with an errant elbow in practice and as long as Paul Pierce doesn’t insult the Made Men again, this team could win 55 games. Wow, did I just say that? AC is amazed at how Danny Ainge was able to take a bunch of garbage and turn it into a contender in one year. All I can think is that Ainge saved Kevin McHale’s life at one point and this is how McHale is repaying him. As a Celtic fan, I am more excited for this team than I was to meet Ron Jeremy (and yes, this photo really is AC with the Hedgehog). If they can acquire a veteran point guard and a big man between now and the end of the season, they will be difficult to beat.

4. Cleveland Cavaqueers: LeDong wins them 20 games just by stepping on the court so they only need to go 30-32 to hit 50 wins. This fourth place finish is predicated on Varejao and Pavlovic signing their offers, but what else are they going to do, play in Europe for twice the money (umm, forget I mentioned that)? If Larry Hughes can stop turning the ball over and play defense, if Ilgauskus can stay healthy, and if Boobie Gibson can continue to improve and go from like a b-cup to a hefty c-cup, Cleveland should win between 45 and 50 games which is enough for a middle of the pack Eastern Conference finish. After all, this is LeDong’s world and we’re all just living in it.

5. Toronto Raptors: I love what Brian Colangelo has done with this team. He realized Bosh could be the centerpiece and surrounded him with role playing Euros who know how to make the right pass, set picks, and rebound. It’s like an old Match Game show where the producers surrounded Nipsey Russell with b-level talent who knew their roles and chimed in every once in awhile, but allowed Nipsey to carry the show. What is great is that Colangelo continued this strategy by singing Maceo Baston, trading for Carlos Delfino, and I hear he is even in negotiations to bring Dino Radja back to the States. This team is the most underrated in the East and I could easily see them finishing in the top three if Garbajosa can come back healthy and if Bosh continues to become a dominant force.

6. Orlando Magic: The Magic have one of the best starting five in the Conference, the problem is they are still young and their bench is only slightly better than Boston’s. While they overpaid for Rashard Lewis, he can fill it up, and we have just begun to scratch the surface on what the beast that is Dwight Howard can do. Add in most improved player of the year candidate JJ Redick (yes, you heard it here first), a solid pg tandem in Jameer Nelson and Carlos Arroyo, and the NBA’s ugliest player Hedo Turkoglu, and you have a team that is poised to make a run. I still think they will struggle a bit under new coach Stan Van Gundy, but sixth place in the East is their floor.

7. Washington Wizards: Arenas is good, really really good. The problem is, the rest of the team is bad, really really bad. Ok, maybe that’s not fair to Jamison and Butler, but after those two, the Wiz are rolling out Brendan Haywood Jablowme, Antonio Daniels, and DeShawn Stephenson. I haven’t seen a worse supporting cast since the show Manimal went off the air. That said, this is the East and a healthy Arenas should be enough for the 7th best record.

8. New Jersey Nets: Someone has to finish eighth right? Much like other Eastern Conference teams, the Nets are not only old, but they are bad. Any injury to Kidd, Jefferson, or Carter, and they are done. Of course, seeing as how those three are as injury prone as Robin Williams is unfunny, this could be a long season in New Jersey.

9. Miami Heat: They still have Dwyane Wyane Wade and that is enough to make the playoffs in the East, except for one important factor, Wade is not going to play until at least late November which means the Heat could legitimately start out 2-15. Seriously, they have nothing other than Wade unless you count Shaq who was over the hill about three years ago. Realizing that, Riley made a panic trade giving up the carcass of Antoine Walker for the Ricky Davis experience and Mark “Aligator Arms” Blount. Those two are to winning teams and team chemistry what Flavor Flav is to the civil rights movement. I am mildly intrigued by the Heat signing Anfernee Hardaway and teaming him up again with Shaq in much the same way I would be intrigued by reuniting Ben Vereen with Emmanuel Lewis. Hey, it was great about 20 years ago, but now is just kind of sad. This team has serious flaws, but Wade is really that good and Shaq is still large and can clog up the lane if need be. If Wade can come back healthy before December, they may slide in to the playoffs by a well oiled Pat Riley hair, but I wouldn’t count on it. Does anyone know what happened to Lil’ Penny?

10. Milwaukee Bucks: Milwaukee is my sleeper team in the East. Injuries derailed them last year but now they have a healthy Bobby Simmons, Charlie Villanueva, Michael Redd, Mo Williams, and Jack Sikma. Their biggest error was wasting a draft pick on Yi Dingaling who is going to be the worst Chinese import since Thomas and Friends lead encrusted toy trains. Despite that, Mo Williams is really good and Redd can shoot the ball like GW Bush can mismanage a war, so as long as they play defense once every three nights, the Bucks should be a borderline playoff team.

11. Indiana Pacers: I refuse to pick any team coached by Jim O’Brien to make the playoffs unless they have too much talent for a coach to screw up, and unfortunately for Indiana fans, this is not a talented team. Watching Jim O’Brien defile the game of basketball with his coaching is like watching a one-legged homeless midget urinate on a Picasso. Jim O’Brien is the urinary tract infection of basketball because he can ruin the flow of any game. His strategy with the Celtics was chuck up three pointers and clog the middle on defense. His teams are such an eyesore I feel like donating cases of Similasan to Pacers fans everywhere. Plus, apparently Larry Bird died a few years ago because I have no idea how he could put together such an untalented group of players (Larry, you’re killing me here, killing me). A healthy Jermaine O’Neal bails them out a little bit, but any injury to him and the Pacers are playing for the number one pick.

12. Philadelphia 76ers: Despite the fact that Steve Colter has not played for the 76ers since 1987, Philadelphia was recently named America’s ugliest city (And I kid you not, they released these photos to defend themselves which is as bad as if Michael Vick had tasered a dog in the courtroom to defend himself, but I digress). So who says Philly never wins anything? And hey, if awards for dirtiest city, city with the fewest young professionals living in it, and city you have most likely never been to and will never visit, existed, Philly would likely win all of those too. All of that said, the Sixers actually have a nice little team. While they are bereft of superstars in the same way that England is apparently bereft of competent dentists, the players they have play well together and Mo Cheeks has done a nice job with them. They’re not going to make the playoffs but they will play hard most nights and make games competitive and as long as you live in the ugliest city in America, can you ask for much more? And watch out for Louis Williams, AC’s sleeper of sleeper picks. Just remember you heard it here first.

13. New York Knicks: When AC was a college student at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, home of the Women Christian Temperance Union and bad chinese food, there was a restaurant called Yesterday’s. At Yesterday’s, for $8.95 you could order the all-you-can-eat salad bar while for an extra $2.00 you could add the salad bar to your regular meal. Now AC being the poor college student that he was, as well as an astute manager of money, realized that a grilled cheese sandwich was only $5.95 so adding the $2.00 salad bar to that was cheaper than just getting the salad bar. It really made no sense. For less money, you could get the salad bar and a grilled cheese sandwich rather than just the salad bar. And that is the problem with the Knicks, they just make no sense. Pairing up Zach Randolph with Eddy Curry, unless it is for a police line-up, makes no sense. Signing Quentin Richardson, Jamal Crawford, and Jared Jeffries makes no sense (even in a fantasy league). Drafting Wilson Chandler in the first round this year and Renaldo Balkman in the first round last year when they could have taken either of them up in the second round or after the draft, makes no sense. Letting Isiah Thomas coach and run your team when he was guilty of sexual harassment, was a horrible coach with the Pacers, caused the CBA to go bankrupt, and did a lousy job of GM of the Raptors, makes no sense. It’s like hiring Christopher Reeve as your horse back riding instructor. The Knicks do have a lot of talent but they are just put together all wrong. The real wager on this team is what happens first, Isiah gets fired, Zach Randolph get arrested, Stephon Marbury overdoses, or Eddy Curry gets double digit rebounds in one game. None of it makes sense.

14. Atlanta Hawks: A lot of people really like this team, but then again, a lot of people think Ray Romano is funny, so as always, people are stupid. The Hawks are an interesting team, and not just because they have cornered the market on young forwards (Josh Childress, Shelden Williams, Marvin Williams, Al Tito Horford, and Josh Smith), but because a good point guard could make a big difference and they drafted a player with that kind of potential in Acie Law. Is it possible the Hawks win more than 35 games? Maybe, but it’s also possible that I’m banging Taylor Rain as I write this.

15. Charlotte Bobcats: Their best offensive weapon is out for the year (Sean May), they wasted a lottery pick last year on a shooter who can’t shoot who is now out for the year as well (Adam Morrison), they traded a lottery pick this year for a player (Jason Richardson) who plays the same position as their best all around player (Gerald Wallace), and their starting center barely started in college (Ryan Hollins). This team is a mess, no wonder they already folded once. I mean Ryan Hollins????? Really?? Was Jerome Moiso not available? But hey, you can’t spell “Horrible” without “Charlotte” (and I am sure my southern readers are still trying to figure this out).

Western Conference

Before I get to the West, this is the most difficult preview I have ever written. There are six legitimate contenders and I could argue for any of them to win the West. Unfortunately, it is all going to come down to health, so wager wisely.

1. Phoenix Suns: We all know one of life’s biggest issues is the lack of a money shot in lesbian porn. At one moment we are enjoying the pure unadulterated bliss of two lovely young ladies gently exploring each other’s warm and supple crevasses, while at the next moment they are finished and we are left wondering if they really enjoyed it. We miss out on the finality of the beautiful act. I bring this up because it reminds me of the Phoenix Suns who play beautiful basketball, the kind of basketball that brings tears to coaches’ eyes, and yet they have failed to turn this execution into a Championship. It hurts me that something so great to watch has left everyone a bit empty up to now. Of course, if the Suns hadn’t had players suspended against the Spurs last year after unleashing their pent up rage at Tim Donaghy’s biased refereeing, they would have forced a Game 7 in Phoenix and likely would have moved on to the Finals where they would have demolished the Cavs. We’ll never know, but here’s hoping the addition of Grant Hill to the Suns roster provides the money shot we all want to see.

2. Dallas Mavericks: This team was built for the regular season. They have a rotation of eight to nine guys who all play hard (perhaps an unfortunate choice of words, but AC is not the most cunning linguist) and a superstar, Dirk Nowitzki, who loves to win when it doesn’t matter. Devin Harris should be much improved and Josh Howard brings the constant energy that teams need over an 82 game schedule.

3. Houston Rockets: Add Louis Scola, Mike James, and mighty mite Aaron Brooks to an already good Rockets team and you have a deep deep squad, almost as deep as Soon-Yi Previn’s emotional scars or Sartre’s Being and Nothingness. However, Houston’s success is always going to come down to Tracy McGrady’s back, Yao Ming’s foot, and Rick Adelman’s awful coaching. If healthy, they will be hard to beat, but the odds of McGrady staying healthy for a full year are about the same as Britney Spears marrying a back-up dancer, having two kids with him, divorcing him, shaving her head, becoming an addict, and losing her kids. Umm, what was I saying again?

4. San Antonio Spurs: Just like a Phillip Roth novel, a Chris Rock stand-up act, and a Janine Lindemulder movie, the Spurs are a reliable winner. There is nothing too fancy or high tech, just good dependable success. As long as Duncan is healthy, they will contend for the title.

5. Utah Jazz: This team is the most underlooked team of any team in the Western Conference. They lost convincingly to the Spurs in the Western Conference finals last year but should be better this season. Ronnie Brewer should break out, Deron Willaims is only getting better, and Jerry Sloan still hates gay people (which is wrong, but it’s gotten him this far). Mehmet Okur is proving that there is more to Turkey than just tryptophan and as long as Carlos Boozer can stay healthy and Andrei Kirilenko can mesh with the rest of the team, the Jazz could very well win it all, and I am not making that up. So if you booked a ticket to see the lovely Salt Lake City in June, you may get lucky and be able to catch a Finals game while going through your caffeine withdrawal.

6. Denver Nuggets: Melo + AI + Camby = fun for all. This is the most high beta team in the league. They could win 60 games or they could win 30 games, I could tell you which but my boy ‘Melo taught me not to snitch. Stay in school.

7. Golden Shower State Warriors: Coming off a huge playoff upset last year, the Warriors are now forced to show people it wasn’t a fluke, kind of like Frederick Exley after A Fan’s Notes, Wes Anderson after Rushmore, or David Copperfield after Claudia Schiffer (ummm, maybe those aren’t the best examples). As always, Baron Davis’s health is the key, but either way this team should be fun to watch with the addition of Marco Belinelli, the maturation of Monta Ellis, the unpredictability Matt Barnes and Kellena Azubuike, the unorthodox coaching of Don Nelson, and the proximity of Oakland to the World Famous Mitchell Brother’s O’Farrell Theatre where all you need to experience a little bit of heaven is $200 and your imagination.

8. New Orleans Hornets: It’s finally time for the Hornets to get some respect and this year I will try my best not to get them confused with the Bobcats or the team that plays in Charlotte (wait, don’t the Bobcats play in Charlotte? Damn it Stern, I can’t keep this straight, why couldn’t you have just kept Charlotte out of the NBA where it belongs). The Hornets have all-underrated team anchor David West plus the exciting Chris Paul, a bunch of solid role players, and soon to be rookie bust Julian “don’t call me Brandan” Wright. Someone has to finish 8th, right? Or is the West like one of those elevators that skips the 13th floor?

9. Sacramento Kings: I know they are old, I know they are not deep, I know they have a rookie coach, and I know at any point in time Ron Artest could bite someone’s head off, but they are very close to a playoff team. Most NBA experts have the Kings finishing 12th-14th but you can’t underestimate the power of Mikki Moore. Ok, that was a joke. I have no idea what is going to happen to the Kings but the only thing keeping me from picking them to make the playoffs is that the Maloofs like to win so I can see them trading Artest to a contender at the trade deadline for draft picks to rebuild the Kings rather than letting them continue to be mediocre like a Vince Vaughn film or a garden salad.

10. LA Lakers: Will Kobe stay or will he go? Will Phil Jackson last the full season or will he get fed up and quit? Will Lamar Odom stay healthy or will he sprain his vagina again? Will Kwame Brown get arrested for sexual harassment or endangering a minor? Will Jordan Farmar become the greatest Jewish basketball player of the last 50 years or will he still be behind Danny and Dolph Schayes? Only time will tell (though if you’re scoring at home the answers are: stay, the full season, vagina sprain, both, and no).

11. Portland Trailblazers: The last five teams in the West are bad enough to be in the Eastern Conference or in a Rob Schneider movie. The best of the lot should be the Blazers who had a terrific offseason despite losing Greg Oden for the year. They have some nice young players in LaMarcus Aldridge (who is trying to prove to AC that he is not a bust), Channing Frye, the injury prone Brandon Roy, and that Jarret Jack guy. A nice young team who could be very good once Oden is healthy.

12. Memphis Grizzlies: The worst GM in history Chris Wallace (well ML Carr is really the worst, but I pretend that never happened) did a nice job of stocking his team with only point guards. The Grizz have Damon Stoudamire, Mike Conley Jr., Kyle Lowry, and Juan Carlos Navarro. Apparently Wallace thinks the NBA is a dribbling skills competition. In short, none of it matters since Wallace will screw it up anyway. I am a firm believer that past performance is an indicator of future performance and based on that, Grizzlies fans are screwed. Sorry guys, enjoy the King.

13. LA Clippers: No Brand, no Livingston, no hope. Maybe they can re-sign Danny Manning or Kerry Kittles. This team could be very bad, but hey, that’s why they call them the Clips.

14. Seattle Supersonics: Kevin Durant is very good. He can score from anywhere and on anyone like a young George Peppard at a swanky 1960s NY party. The Sonics are going to need his scoring because the rest of their roster couldn’t score in a whore house with $100 bills stapled to their johnsons (I think there is a YouTube video of Luke Ridnour doing exactly this, but I could be confused). Oh yeah, keep an eye on Robert Swift who may or may not be very good.

9,000. Minnesota Timberwolves: Take last year’s 24 win Celtic team and replace Paul Pierce with Corey Brewer, Delonte West with Randy Foye, and Gerald Green with, well with Gerald Green. You get the point, right? This team is not just bad, they are likely going to be historically bad. I get douche chills just thinking about having to watch these ex-Celtics again so I thank you Kevin McHale for bailing Boston out and taking it for the league.

Finals Prediction: I have waited almost 20 years for this and I am completely aware that I just drank about a truck full of kool aid, but I am going to go on the record saying that the Celtics will acquire a point guard at the trade deadline and upset Bulls and then the Pistons to win the Eastern Conference. In Garnett I trust. As for the West, it really is going to come down to health, but even though they lost their only defensive big man, I am going with Phoenix taking out the Spurs and the Mavericks to win the West. As for the Finals, Suns in 5.

Sleepers to watch: JJ Reddick, Louis Williams, Jason Maxiell, Marco Belinelli, Ty Thomas, Marvin Williams, Amir Johnson, and Rudy Gay.

Teams that will beat consensus expectations: Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Orlando, Utah

Teams that will underperform consensus: Atlanta, LA Lakers, Indiana, Miami

Teams that should not be in the NBA: Charlotte, Minnesota, LA Clippers

Editor's Note: Check out AC's "ASK AC" column during the off-season and please keep those questions (and naked girlfriend pictures) coming in.

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SEASON 2003-20004 ARCHIVED COLUMS

SEASON 2004-2005 ARCHIVED COLUMS

SEASON 2005-2006 ARCHIVED COLUMS

SEASON 2006-2007 ARCHIVED COLUMS

AC'S 2007 DRAFT RECAP & ANALYSIS