| Season Preview - The NBA is *back* Authored by Keith Berzanske - November 1, 2006 - 12:11 am
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Forget the naysayers - the NBA is *back*! If you have friends who have sworn off the league, this is the year to get them to watch a game here or there. Don't take no for an answer - no matter what game you happen to catch, there is likely to be greatness somewhere nearby. The NBA as a whole is the healthiest it has been in a long time. There are several excellent teams with a shot at a achampionship. Perennial also-rans are making moves towards respectability. And, very quietly and efficiently, David Stern deals with and solves problems, rendering them near moot before they escalate. Not that Stern has to keep improving his league - compared to other commissioners, Stern could do next to nothing and still be considered Socrates just for not screwing things up royally. But he doesn't rest on his laurels - instead he keeps tweaking things to ensure that the best product is out there for fans, and that each team has a chance to be competitive. And there are so many good young players, and diverse interesting talents - it's hard not to watch.
Let's start with the prognostications:
EAST
New Jersey (4)
Boston (9)
Toronto (12)
Philadelphia (14)
New York (15)
Cleveland (1)
Chicago (3)
Detroit (5)
Indiana (7)
Milwaukee (10)
Miami (2)
Orlando (6)
Washington (8)
Charlotte (11)
Atlanta (13)
WEST
Utah (5)
Denver (9)
Minnesota (11)
Seattle (13)
Portland (15)
Phoenix (1)
LA Clippers (4)
LA Lakers (8)
Golden State (10)
Sacramento (12)
San Antonio (2)
Dallas (3)
New Orleans (6)
Houston (7)
Memphis (14)
FINALS
Phoenix over Cleveland
MVP: LeBron James
Rookie of the Year: Brandon Roy
Most Improved Player: Darko Milicic
6th Man: Andres Nocioni
Defensive Player of the Year: Andrei Kirilenko
1st team All-NBA:
G Steve Nash
G Dwyane Wade
F LeBron James
F Tim Duncan
C Yao Ming
2nd team All-NBA
G Chris Paul
G Kobe Bryant
F Andrei Kirilenko
F Dirk Nowitzki
C Dwight Howard
Scoring: LeBron James
Rebounding: Dwight Howard
Assists: Steve Nash
Steals: Chris Paul
Blocks: Darko Milicic
THE TALENT
Has the league ever been stocked with so many young stars? The drafts of 1996, 1998, and 1999 stocked the league with the players who would now be considered veteran stars currently at their prime:
Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Elton Brand, Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Jermaine O'Neal, Shawn Marion, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury, Marcus Camby, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Antoine Walker, Larry Hughes, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antawn Jamison, Wally Szczerbiak, Richard Hamilton, Mike Bibby, Al Harrington, Rashard Lewis, Jason Terry, Corey Maggette, Manu Ginobili, Lamar Odom, Andre Miller, Baron Davis, Andrei Kirilenko, and Ron Artest. (WOW!)
The stellar 2003 draft and the underrated 2004 draft has given us young stars who are still a couple of years away from their prime, yet are dominating the league as young guys never before have:
LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kirk Hinrich, Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, Boris Diaw, Darko Milicic, David West, Josh Howard, Chris Kaman, Ben Gordon, Shaun Livingston, and Jameer Nelson, to name a few.
No matter what two teams are playing, there's usually some player with a unique flair, with talent that maybe hasn't been totally untapped but does show flashes of brilliance. That makes it worth watching - any game, any night.
THE CONTENDERS
There are more teams than ever with a realistic shot at a title, but it's still a very short list:
San Antonio
Dallas
Miami
Phoenix
Cleveland
Detroit
teams like New Jersey, Chicago, Houston, LA Lakers - they have a chance to get to the conference finals, but the NBA Finals, much less win it all? A lot would have to go right for these types of teams. Some are ineperienced, others just don't have the horses yet for such a run. And even with these - Cleveland's shot is highly dependent on LeBron (but since LeBron tends to exceed expectations and I think Miami will regress, I'm going with the Cavaliers in the East), and Detroit is only considered a threat due to their experience on such a stage.
The league is so deep right now, that not only are stellar playoff series guaranteed, but the last few weeks leading up to the playoffs will be rife with drama. Look at my predictions above. Notice how many star players, guys who can carry their teams on their back on any night, will probably be relegated to a trip to their couch in front of their big screen TV if they want to catch a playoff game; Gilbert Arenas, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett, etc. etc. - all staying home if my prognostications hold up. Of course, total accuracy is rare - something unpredictable always happens.
That's why you have to watch!
{This article was written by Keith Berzanske, who can be contacted at nothingbutnet44@hotmail.com) |
