(Russell Conference) Thundercats

NJ All-Stars (8-4)
Whew, what a first season in SlamNation for Eddie! After fighting hard all season, they nudged into the playoffs and then proceeded to upset their way to the Finals -- including beating his cousin on the way there. All this after inheriting a team that went just 5-14 the year before. What will NJ All-Stars do for an encore? Who will hold it down for the Garden State with the Nets gone? Well, owning Lebron James probably will heal that gaping wound a little bit. Surrounding King James are two well balanced point guards in Kyle Lowry and Isaiah Thomas, efficiency swingmen Paul George and Luol Deng, plus smooth shooting Ryan Anderson. Taking a page from the real Miami Heat, the NJ All-Stars are probably strongest playing small ball. Their draft brought Jared Dudley and Jose Calderon on-board, along with the rejuvenated Andrei Kirilenko, who could add enough STL/BLK to help out quite a bit. James Johnson is an intriguing mini-AK47 if he can get the minutes. JJ Hickson or Gustavo Ayon could be this team's bigs but we think Eddie would be best served running and gunning with Lebron and his mighty mites.
Biggest Roadblock: Proving last year wasn't a fluke

Chunky Monkeys (8-4)
Relegated to famiy black sheep status, Evan must be fuming inside at having his little cousin upsurp his surprise Finals run from a few years ago. With Chris Paul back on the court, the Monkeys are moving off small ball with this year's draft. Well, maybe. We don't know what drafting Byron Mullens, David West, and Taj Gibson mean. Small forward Al-Farouq Aminu could bring some STL and Chase Budinger will shoot 3PT but those other three seem miscast. The good news is that James Harden will now become a franchise caliber player in Houston, while Goran Dragic also gets his own team to run in Phoenix. Actually, Jrue Holiday and Arron Afflalo will also see a lot more playing time, and that means the Monkeys are probably going to keep winning. With Andrea Bargnani in the middle, this team can only small ball. That being the case, most teams will have a hard time matching up with so many shooter and guards. If CP3 stays healthy, another playoff trip could be in order for the Monkeys.
Biggest Roadblock: Family holiday gatherings with Eddie

100 Acre Wood Heffalumps (8-4)
Last year, Jose didn't draft his last three rounds. This year he gathered so many extra picks he essentially won't draft his last three either. This must be the secret to continued success because the Heffalumps are consistently one of the best teams in the league. They were done filling out their starting lineup by the top of round two and grabbed Omer Asik, Kenneth Faried, and Jason Terry to go along with his six keepers. After trading Rajon Rondo for picks, Kobe Bryant is the sole superstar on board. J's team is constructed with lots of shooting guards in mind -- Bryant, Terry, Kevin Martin, -- and will be strong on the front lines with Al Horford, Kris Humphries, Asik, Faried, and Bismack Biyombo. Kawhi Leonard has three position eligibility and will be the Swiss knife on this team, with Shawn Marion or Al Harrington ready to spell him if necessary. George Hill and Jamal Crawford can also come off the bench to add additional shooting. Losing Rondo will hurt on the AST/STL standpoint but losing his high TO and low FT% will be a boon for this well constructed and deep team.
Biggest Roadblock: Having too many players, and getting them ready for a deep post-season run

Funk Coalition (3-9)
After a very busy off-season, the Funk is back, but looking entirely different. We've already chronicled how Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, and Marc Gasol have come on-board. With Russell Westbrook, Rondo, and Tony Parker, there's nary a 3PT to be found so this team will be an unconventional guard heavy team. Howard and Gasol should give this team some defensive oomph and control the boards while question mark Tyreke Evans will either be the glue that holds it all together or a piece waiting to be dumped. Having mortgaged most of his 2013 draft, Jon grabbed Nikola Vucevic, Samuel Dalembert, and Ed Davis to be complementary big men off the bench, and will be scrounging off the free agent scrap heap for a swingman. In a tough division where all three of the other teams made the post-season, Funk Coalition needed a major shake up and they got it. Now to see if that will result in more wins.
Biggest Roadblock: Bad karma from having a Laker on the team