NBA Preview Part 1

 

NBA Season is less than three weeks away; October 28^th is the date for the first games.  Three days before my favorite holiday, Halloween.  The two featured games on opening night are Cleveland @ Boston and Portland vs. the Lakers.  A rematch of the best series of the NBA playoffs and hopefully the regular season debate of Greg Oden, a solid start to the 82 game marathon. 

 

I will hit two divisions each week, one from the Eastern Conference and one out of the Western Conference, breaking down every team in the NBA.  I will also do a Suns preview after a couple of their pre season games.

 

After I break down all the teams…I will give my predictions for division winners, playoffs, and awards.

 

The first two divisions to dissect are the Atlantic and Northwest Divisions.

 

Atlantic Division

 

Boston Celtics

Last Season:  66-16

Won NBA Championship

 

The Celtics return the core of their team.  Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen are all back.  Paul Pierce turned out to be the perfect compliment to Kevin Garnett who enjoys deferring and taking a back seat.  In the clutch Paul Pierce wants the ball and knows what to do with it.  He has the best spin move in the game.

Kendrick Perkins is a solid role player and does the small things people do not talk about.  Rajon Rondo is still developing, but is one of the most underrated players in the league.  He is very active on defense, does a good job of using his long arms to get in passing lanes.  Rondo also rebounds very well.  Offensively he will not reach his full potential till he consistently knocks down the mid range jump shot a la Tony Parker.  One thing he does well, sometimes to a fault, on his drives Rajon finds the open shooters. Rondo has the talent to be a top five PG. 

 

The Celtics lost a key role player in James Posey.  This defection will hurt more than people think.  He spread the court with his ability to hit the three pointer and played excellent defense.  He was especially key in the Pistons series.  The group of Tony Allen, JR Giddens, Bill Walker, and Darius Miles will be asked to pick up the slack.  Another concern I have is Ray Allen.  On many nights he is the third option, will he continue to be happy in that role?

 

Toronto Raptors

Last Season: 41-41

Lost in the first round to the Orlando Magic

 

The Raptors changed the face of their team when they packaged TJ Ford for Jermaine O’Neal.  Jermaine when healthy is a very good NBA player, he is not a superstar.  O’Neal has not played in 70 games since 2003-04.  Over the last four years he has only played in 206 out of 328 contests (62%), including less than 50 games twice.  With the lack of depth on the Raptors roster he can not miss more than 15 games.  Will Chris Bosh and Jermaine O’Neal mesh together?  They both have similar games, but are versatile enough to compliment each other. 

 

With the loss of TJ Ford, Jose Calderon becomes the full time PG.  Calderon last year was one of the most efficient #1’s in the league.  He averaged 8.3 assists to 1.54 TO’s and put up even better numbers during the time that Ford was out with a spine injury.  Jose needs to prove he can hold up getting heavy minutes across a full 82 game season.  The Raptors do not have a back up PG under contract and the only one on their training camp roster is Will Solomon.   

 

Philadelphia 76ers

Last Season: 40-42

Lost in first round to the Detroit Pistons

 

The Philadelphia 76ers were the surprise of the NBA last season.  They were supposed to be rebuilding and they ended up making the playoffs, playing a very competitive series against the Detroit Pistons. 

 

They 76ers spent a ton of money in the off-season resigning Andre Igodoula and picking up free agent Elton Brand.  Philly hopes Brand can play like he did when the Clippers made the playoffs in 06-07 and he was one of the best power forward’s in the league.  If healthy, Brand gives them a low post threat that was blatantly missing last season.  He can get easy buckets in a half court set, last year the 76ers offense was only effective when running.

 

Off the bench Philadelphia needs Thaddeus Young and Louis Williams to be more consistent.  They showed flashes last year but the young guns need to bring it every night.  The addition of Kareem Rush gives them a shooter who can be a spark plug.  Philly is hoping he can play the role that Kyle Korver did.

 

Philadelphia has a good mix of veterans and young players.  Ed Stepnoski has done a good job of tweaking the team and Maurice Cheeks continues to be a fantastic coach.  The Sixers should continue to improve this season.

 

New Jersey Nets

Last Season: 34-48

 

New Jersey Nets President Rod Thorn blew up the Nets roster.  They needed a dramatic change and dramatic change we saw.  Two of the three cornerstones, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, are both gone, leaving Vince Carter as the face of the franchise.  Thorn did the right thing; NJ was going no where with that trio.  The Nets have their eye on the future with the hope of moving to Brooklyn and using Jay Z relationship with LeBron to draw him to this moribund franchise.  James is still at least two seasons away, possibly three from being a free agent.

The main piece of the Richard Jefferson trade was Yi Jianlian.  He was not overly impressive in the Olympics, but the Nets hope he will improve with time.  New Jersey has never drawn well at the Meadowlands and I hope this was not a business move to increase revenue.  The Jason Kidd move last year was solid, it brought in a young and improving PG in Devin Harris who can grow while the Nets are rebuilding.  Kidd is still a good player, but he is not the same as he was when NJ made two NBA Finals appearances.    

 

The Nets used their three draft picks on Brook Lopez, Chris Douglas Roberts, and Ryan Anderson.  New Jersey is very thin at the 3 position and CDR could be asked to contribute right away.  Brook Lopez should also be apart of the rotation as a rookie.  The three other big men on the NJ roster, Sean Williams, Aaron Boone, and Stromile Swift are all very similar, they block shots, rebound, and dunk.  At Stanford, Brook Lopez showed an offensive skill set, while awkward, was still more diverse than the three players I mentioned above.

 

New York Knicks:

Last Season: 23-59

 

The Isiah Thomas era is finally over.  The Knickerbockers made major changes to their front office by bringing in Donnie Walsh and the coaching staff with former Phoenix Suns Head Coach Mike DAntonti.  Surprisingly the roster did not change much.  Stephon Marbury and Zach Randolph are still with the team, when it was assumed the duo would be moved.  Walsh is being patient and staying true to his word that he will get the team under the salary cap, even though it will take time. 

 

The only two additions were PG Chris Duhon and first round draft pick Danillo Gallinari.  It looks like Duhon could start at the 1 next to Jamal Crawford, Stephon Marbury would come off the bench.  Gallinari played briefly in the NBA Summer League before injuring his back.  He is very skilled, but I would be surprised if he was a major contributor this season.

 

For the Knicks to improve upon their 23 win season Jamal Crawford, David Lee, and Quentin Richardson need to be the leaders of the team.  Malik Rose, who will eventually make a great NBA coach, does not play enough to be an influence on this group of players.  They need to make sure that Stephon Marbury, Zach Randolph, and Nate Robinson all stay under control.  So far the three have been good soldiers, but nothing has gone wrong yet.  Mike DAntoni was not known as a big disciplinarian in Phoenix, if that continues the players need to police themselves.

 

It will be interesting to see how the Knicks adjust to DAntoni’s system.  I would not be surprised to see three guard lineups with a combination of Chris Duhon, Jamal Crawford, Stephon Marbury, and Nate Robinson on the floor, which would allow NY to get up and down the floor.

 

Northwest Division

Utah Jazz

Last Season: 54-28

Lost in the 2^nd round to the Los Angeles Lakers

 

The Utah Jazz need to learn how to win on the road if they want to get back to the Western Conference Championship or farther.  Last season the Jazz went 37-4 in Salt Lake City and 17-24 away from home.  If they were .500 on the road that would have put them at over 60 wins.

 

Deron Williams has become a top flight Point Guard.  He and Chris Paul are 1 and 1A in the NBA.  Jerry Sloan is an underrated coach, who does a great job of developing players and having his guys play solid, unselfish team basketball.  A couple of young players on this year’s squad that I expect to get better are Paul Milsap and Ronnie Brewer.  I would love to see Paul Milsap take minutes away from Mehmet Okur who is the stereotypical European center.

 

Utah really came together last year when they picked up Kyle Korver.  He was the shooting threat the Jazz needed to spread the court.  Korver developed into more than just a spot up shooter, he became very good at running off screens and knocking down J’s. 

 

One player who is always an issue is Andrei Kirilenko.  He is very good at doing the little things; rebounding, blocking shots, and steals.  The problem is AK47 thinks he can do more, which is why he and Jerry Sloan butt heads.  If Andrei accepts and understands his role he is a key ingredient to Utah’s roster.

 

Denver Nuggets

Last Season: 50-32

Lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1^st Round

 

The Denver Nuggets will never advance past the first round of the playoffs with Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson on the roster.  While they have different body types their offensive games are identical and neither plays any defense.  Denver gave up 106 ppg last season and they traded their best defensive player in Marcus Camby.  Something had to be up, all they got in return was a 2^nd round pick.

 

I expect the Blazers to move past the Nuggets in the Northwest division and I see Denver not making the playoffs.  The Nugs need to take the same approach as the Nets and blow it all up.  There is no chance this team will go deep into the playoffs and they might as well start rebuilding now.  Get something for Allen Iverson while you still can.

 

Portland Trailblazers

Last Season: 41-41

 

In the Eastern Conference the Blazers would have been a playoff team.  In the very deep Western Conference the young Portland team showed flashes of its potential.  For the Blazers to make the jump to the next level they need Greg Oden to be the real deal.  He has the ability to change the game without putting the ball in the basket.  He blocks shots in a Bill Russell esque manner, deflecting the ball to teammates to ignite a fast break instead of slamming the ball out of bounds and yelling like an idiot.  I’m not saying he is going to be Russell, who is the greatest winner in NBA history, but he has the potential to impact the game defensively in a way that very few players can.

 

I loved the Trailblazers trading for Jerryd Bayless.  Bayless is a very talented player who reminds of Monta Ellis.  Brandon Roy and Jerryd can compliment each other perfectly in the backcourt.  Bayless is more comfortable playing off the ball on offense, which he could do with Roy handling the rock, on defense Brandon can guard the bigger guard and the University of Arizona product can defend the 1.  With the loss of Jarret Jack…Steve Blake, Rudy Fernandez, and Sergio Rodriguez will all be asked to play a bigger role. 

 

Last year I was very disappointed with the play of LaMarcus Aldridge.  He showed flashes as a rookie of becoming a great player.  He is still young, but he needs to become more aggressive in all aspects of his game. 

 

Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw will be battling it out for minutes.  Travis Outlaw has expressed a want to start and have a bigger role on the offense.  Webster is a pure shooter and has the ability to spread a defense.  While Outlaw might want to start, his best opportunity to have the ball in his hands is with the second unit.

 

Minnesota Timberwolves

Last Season: 22-60

 

Now that Matt Millen and Isiah Thomas have been fired, Kevin McHale has over taken the distinction as being the luckiest person in professional sports with a job.  On draft day he selected OJ Mayo and had the opportunity to build his team around Mayo who will end up becoming a lead guard and Al Jefferson who showed he was a force in the middle last year.  Instead, McHale traded OJ Mayo in a deal that brought them Kevin Love and Mike Miller.  Miller is a very good player, but I will be shocked if he is still with the team when this debacle is turned around.

 

The Twolves have too many players that play the same position.  Kevin Love and Al Jefferson are both PF’s, Randy Foye and Mike Miller are both SG’s, Ryan Gomez and Craig Smith are both tweeners.  They still do not have a competent NBA point guard, and I do not want to hear Sebastian Telfair, I will believe it when I see it for 82 games. 

 

Corey Brewer needs to get better.  For his sake, I hope he worked hard on his jump shot, out of the three first round draft picks the Gators had last year he showed the least potential.

 

Oklahoma City Thunder

Last Season: 20-62

 

Outside of their awful name and logo I think the Sonics, I mean Thunder are going in the right direction.  PJ Carlisimo has to be given more time to shape this roster into his type of team.  I was disappointed with Kevin Durant last season, who had no business winning the Rookie of the Year Award, that was disgracefully taken away from Al Horford.  Kevin Durant was the most dominant freshman I have seen in College Basketball and maybe I expected too much from him.  I watched the Sonics play a lot last year and I thought he was very one dimensional, all that he did was score, no rebounding, defense or assists.  He did hit some big shots at the end of games.  I think that Jeff Green will be a better all around NBA player than Durant.  He is not spectacular at anything, but if he can find a way to guard the SF on defense, he can be a serious match up problem for opposing teams.  If he has to guard the four he becomes a huge liability on that end of the court. 

 

Russell Westbrook was a good draft pick.  He will put great ball pressure on the opposing team’s ball handler, but I would expect it to take time for him to adjust to the NBA game offensively.  His contributions on defense will be enough to keep him in the rotation.

 

The Sonics need Robert Swift to stay healthy; he can be the center to play alongside Chris Wilcox who has developed into a nice player.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

written by bryan