 |
| Commissioner David Stern might finally get the Kobe vs. LeBron Finals Match-Up |
From tonight until April, it is starting to look more and more like this winter will be the "Season of Basketball," especially with the NHL on the verge of a full-on lockout. I'm not complaining, I cannot wait until the Knicks tip off Thursday night against the Brooklyn Nets, and the college basketball season is also not that far away.
 |
| Allen is Now a Traitor in Boston |
There have been many headlines this offseason surrounding the league. LeBron James finally got a ring, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash both joined Kobe in LA, Ray Allen jumped over to the "dark side" by going to the Heat, and most recently James Harden will join Linsanity in Houston. So many moves have many teams feeling very optimistic and I think this year will be much more competitive.
The Miami Heat should run away with the East. Let's face it, they're nasty, and now that LeBron has his ring. The weight of the world is off his back, and that's scary. Top contenders on the Eastern front behind the Heat are probably the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. The Pacers showed in the playoffs last year that their young group is a feisty one. Roy Hibbert emerged as a legitimate center and Danny Granger along with Paul George give them very skilled wings. Joining the Pacers and Heat up at the top of the conference should be the Boston Celtics. The C's did lose an aging Ray Allen, but the ageless Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are still there and point guard Rajon Rondo looks poised to take that next step this season.
Behind those top three the East is pretty much wide open. The jokes about the East being the softer conference will probably continue due to all of the question marks surrounding the next tier of talent. The Philadelphia 76ers are a new look bunch with key additions of Andrew Bynum, Jason Richardson, and Nick Young. Still, Bynum's health is a question mark and Richardson and Young might not be enough to replace what Andre Iguodala did for the team last season. The New York Knicks are old...very old. Now Amar'e Stoudemire is out six-eight weeks and Iman Shumpert is already out until at least January. The Brooklyn Nets spent a lot of money this offseason, but I'm not exactly sold that they spent it on the right players. Joe Johnson has been bashed his entire career for not being a superstar, yet he gets paid like one, and Brook Lopez rebounds like a 5 footer. Finally, the Chicago Bulls will be without former MVP Derrick Rose for the majority of the season, and who knows how they respond to that.
The Western Conference is strong once again, and is bound to be very competitive also. The Lakers got stronger, the Thunder traded Harden, and the Spurs are always solid, and then the teams behind them are all competitive. That being said, this is the Lakers conference to lose. They are stacked at every position and their bench is good enough. Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest (still won't call him anything else) looks like an all-star team. Antwn Jamison, Steve Blake, and Jodie Meeks will also provide depth.
The Thunder, who won the conference last year before falling to the Heat in the Finals, still will be very strong after the Harden trade. Kevin Durant is the best scorer in the league, and Russell Westbrook is emerging into a superstar. Both are also coming off a season where they went to the All-Star Game, NBA Finals, and the Olympics. They are poised to lead this team, and Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins will provide an interior presence as well.
This may be the last hurrah for the San Antonio Spurs, but people have been saying that for forever about them. Tony Parker is coming off his best season and if LeBron doesn't have the greatest statistical season of all time last year, you could have made a case for Parker for MVP. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili have been around for an eternity, yet, they are still playing at a very high level. Kawhi Leonard was one of the steals of the draft last season, and these four guys have a great supporting cast, which all but guarantees the Spurs will be atop the West.
Behind those three are many more contenders in the loaded conference. The Denver Nuggets are an interesting team this year with the addition of Iguodala, and aside from backup point guard Andre Miller (36), no one on the team is older than 30 years old. The Nuggets will be a very dangerous team this year, mark my words. Another interesting team is the Los Angeles Clippers, who may be the deepest team in the league. Point guard Chris Paul will lead the bunch, but Blake Griffin will have expectations this season that he must live up to besides just a high-flyer. The Memphis Grizzlies also have a solid young core, but if they don't advance this season, they may try to trade Rudy Gay, who is drawing comparisons to Joe Johnson in the sense people don't know if he is a superstar or not.
 |
| Rose's Injury Was Tough to Watch |
One big theme during this offseason that will have a big effect on the actual season are all of the injuries. As I said earlier the Knicks will be without Stoudemire for six-eight weeks and Shumpert until at least January and the Bulls will be without Rose for the majority of the season. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who were an interesting team at the beginning of last season, will be without star forward Kevin Love until December and point guard Ricky Rubio is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the middle of last season. The Dallas Mavericks will be without their franchise player Dirk Nowitzki who had arthroscopic knee surgery and will be out for the first few weeks. The Washington Wizards, who have a lot of young talent this season, will be without point guard John Wall for the first few weeks due to a knee injury as well. Finally, Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, has a foot injury that currently lists him as day-to-day, but who knows how that hampers him during the season.
These stars need to hope that their teams can tread water without them, in order for them to return with a chance to return and still make the playoffs. Here are some other headlines around the league:
MVP Hopefuls:
LeBron James, Miami Heat - James is the best player on the planet right now and the choke demons have been scared off, watch out.
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder - Top scorer in the league and now that Harden is gone, this is Durant's team. Expect lucrative scoring achievements this season and many game-winning shots.
Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers - If Paul gets the ball to the open guy like he normally does, on this team, he could average around 13 assists.
Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics - He looks ready to firmly be regarded as one of the top point guards in the league, if he can improve his shooting numbers, he may be one of the best players in the league.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers - Nash and Howard will take some points away from Kobe, but that only means he will shoot more.
Rookies to Watch:
 |
| Barnes Has Looked Impressive Early |
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets - Davis was the most dominant college player in the country last year without question, oh and by the way he spent this summer in London at the Olympics with four of the MVP hopefuls above.
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers - Lillard was the most impressive rookie in the preseason and the sixth overall pick should have a fun time with big man LaMarcus Aldridge this year.
Harrison Barnes, Golden State Warriors - Barnes slipped in the draft, but many saw what he was capable of this summer. Barnes, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson make a solid group of young talent in Golden State.
Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards - Wizards point guard John Wall is out for the first few weeks of the season, but when he returns, we may be looking at a backcourt that could dominate for years.
Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics - Sullinger fell off most GM's draft boards due to health issues, but he has been very impressive since coming in and will be a big part of the Celtics' rotation.
Same Face, New Place:
Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, Los Angeles Lakers - Any time a team can add one superstar it is a huge plus, but two in one offseason? It's unheard of. They also have a guy named Kobe Bryant already who is pretty good himself.
James Harden and Jeremy Lin, Houston Rockets - Harden is the latest headline after he was traded this past weekend, but Lin was the talk of the NBA for a long stretch last season, and many will be looking to see how he does with expectations.
Ray Allen, Miami Heat - Arguably the greatest three-point shooter of all time now joins the enemy of his former team. So obviously it wouldn't be right unless the Heat and Celtics opened the season tonight against each other.
Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets - With all of the excitement surrounding the Nets, Johnson is a part of that. Many will be looking to see if he can thrive with another all-star in Deron Williams.
Jason Terry, Boston Celtics - One of the best sixth men of the past decade, "The JET" switches conferences and joins the Celtics and may end up starting there.
It wouldn't be right if I didn't give some predictions, so here they are:
Eastern Conference Western Conference
1. Miami Heat 1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Indiana Pacers 2. Oklahoma City Thunder
3. Boston Celtics 3. San Antonio Spurs
4. New York Knicks 4. Denver Nuggets
5. Philadelphia 76ers 5. Los Angeles Clippers
6. Brooklyn Nets 6. Memphis Grizzlies
7. Chicago Bulls 7. Utah Jazz
8. Atlanta Hawks 8. Golden State Warriors
 |
| Durant is my Pick for MVP |
Conference Finals: East - Heat vs. Celtics, West - Lakers vs. Thunder
Finals: Heat vs. Lakers - Finally LeBron vs. Kobe
NBA Champions: Miami Heat - A Dynasty is Beginning
NBA MVP: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Coach of the Year: Frank Vogel, Indiana Pacers
Rookie of the Year: Harrison Barnes, Golden State Warriors
One Last Thing: The season tips off tonight with two marquee match-ups, the Celtics play the Heat and the Lakers play the Mavericks on TNT. It should be a very entertaining season, and we will get a full 82-game season this year, so everyone enjoy! LET'S GO KNICKS!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment