Back to Business AKA Deadlines

The Free Forest City Redemption Project is over, my Puddlers, and now you’re back to following my sensitive, nostalgic and ignorant musings while also enjoying the brief respite of thoughtful commentary from guest columnists.  We will have another Mark Jack column on Friday as well as a new guest columnist’s debut tomorrow. I’ll introduce that columnist tomorrow and hopefully he will be contributing another weekly column that will add its own dynamic to the narrative of this site. Later this week I’ll post another one of my long, epic columns where I discuss the greatness of the new Strokes album Angles and the Woody Allen movie, Manhattan.

However, today I have to catch all of you sports fans up on the current events in the NBA (I’ve also been watching A LOT of college basketball, but I’ll spare you those thoughts this year since I don’t want to anger any basketball gods due to the fact that my Tar Heels are a fragile but very talented young bunch who have a chance to do something in the NCAA tournament). Over the course of the past three weeks, the NBA has gone through such a huge mid-season upheaval on multiple levels. I want to break down those changes and stories by talking about a few of the teams that went through the most major changes and that will lead us into the league-wide stories at large.

- We start of course with the Miami Heat. Obviously there has never been a more scrutinized team in NBA history or perhaps sports history than the 2010-2011 Miami Heat. Much of the scrutiny is due to the fact that Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade made such a spectacle of their union. However, what truly separates this team and their attention from any other team in history is the fact that their union as a team coincides with media (especially sports media) reaching its most fervent and crazed pitch. Take for instance this past period of insanity where sports news was focused squarely on the fact that the Heat took an important, playoff-caliber game against the Chicago Bulls so seriously that some of the players might have cried after they lost. There argument can certainly be made that a team that expects to win the title should not be crying after an NBA regular season game in March. I understand that argument, but the media had been so consumed with the following narrative: The Heat act as if they are entitled to a championship and expect the league to just hand it over to them so they don’t care about the games, they don’t put in their full effort. Here you had superstars who didn’t fully understand the pressure and the antagonism they would face in this new world where any event that goes wrong (see 2011 Oscars) is dissected in minutia by pundits on Twitter or Facebook in moment by moment increments. The 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls were the last professional team in any sport to garner this much attention. However, 1995-1996 is a completely different landscape technologically than 2010-2011. Our culture is drastically different as well. In that time, we still wanted our heroes to fail just as much as we wanted them to succeed, but we didn’t have the means to totally reflect or exploit this desire in ourselves as much as we do now.  How often do people use Twitter or Facebook or their favorite blog to complain, insult or poke fun at someone or something? I know that I do it. I use these mediums to poke fun at my friends, sports figures and celebrities almost as much as I use them to poke fun at myself and the actual digital or online presence I am engaging in and creating. We do not exist in the world of Michael Jordan. The world of Michael Jordan was a world where we could plausibly believe that there was a person that could be universally adored or admired for sheer will and success.  Now, we live in the time of the Miami Heat. That is to say, we live in a time perhaps of a true reality—a time where there is no one person, one thing or entity that is sacred. We adore nothing and only wish for things to fail so that we can anoint a new successor.  Perhaps through some level of success, the Miami Heat will be able to generate a bit of adoration, some modicum of appreciation for effort and the public admission to experiment with the game of basketball that will unite people.  After the Heat hit rock bottom with a five game losing streak, they have won consecutive games against the Lakers, Grizzlies and Spurs who are all playoff bound teams. There is an aspect of hope for them as they make a run to the playoffs. Yet, the problem with the Miami Heat is that they were never meant to play a game of basketball, they were only meant to make us wonder. So, in that sense, we actually live in a time that values less than reality, not hyper-reality or actual reality.

- The team that made the most controversial trade in the NBA was the Boston Celtics. The Celtics traded their defensive enforcer and one of their fan-favorite players in Kendrick Perkins (along with disappointing Nate Robinson) to the Oklahoma City Thunder for underachieving Jeff Green and solid offensively but not great defensively Nenad Kristic. This trade came as a shock to even league insiders.  The main reason being that the Celtics claimed they lost the 2010 Finals to the Lakers because Perkins was injured in Game 6 and they couldn’t get a rebound down the stretch in Game 7 when they truly needed it. The Celtics based the 2010-2011 season on the fact that they were getting Perkins back, they were deeper on the front line, they all liked each other and they were going to march their way to the Finals to avenge their heartbreaking loss. The Perkins Trade basically annihilated the company line. It also marked the end of one of my favorite teams to watch over the past four years. The Celtics with Perkins had everything: the mercurial point guard in Rondo; the gutty defensive leader and veteran in Garnett; the lights out classy shooter in Ray Allen; the dangerous, savvy, tough, clutch swingman in Pierce; and the rebounding enforcer in Perkins. After they figured out their new dynamic last year, when Rondo became the orchestrator on offense, they became extremely fun to watch. Everyone knew his role. They all knew where the other would be on the floor on both offense and defense. The crowd loved them and they learned to love each other. It was a great win for the NBA to have a Celtics team that mattered and who the Boston fans genuinely loved. However, Danny Ainge had to be a businessman and realized that Perkins was 26, had one bad knee and a second one that might be damaged. He saw a guy that could put up 10 and 10 for a season but never did and probably never would. He saw a window closing that he could help prop open in hopes of repairing for some day in the future.  Bill Simmons best explained the reaction of the Celtics to the trade in his column from a few weeks ago. The Celtics were devastated. They loved each other. Perkins cried his eyes out and Rondo was catatonic because his best friend had been traded. Its stories and reactions like the Celtics’ reaction to the Perkins Trade that make us love sports—it shows us a few guys genuinely caring about each other because of the time they spend with each other, the trials and tribulations that they go through, those are actions that require you to give up a bit of your soul, that is why retired players cry when they think about old teams that they enjoyed playing on: they gave something of themselves away and it belongs to that time and team.  Are the Celtics better because of this trade? I have been talked into believing that they are. Jeff Green is a good player who needed a fresh start and I think he will adapt to the team and gain a level of toughness that Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Rondo can teach him. He’ll change and expand on the looks that the Celtics can throw at other teams in the Playoffs. Kristic will have to adapt defensively or face Garnett. He gives them size and more offense than Perkins. Doc Rivers can get a rotation of Shaq, Jermaine O’Neal and Kristic to provide fouls and size inside to work. However, you still do wonder if they will miss Perkins’ gargoyle scowl and sharp elbows when push comes to shove—literally.

- The Lakers made no trades but they have received perhaps the second-greatest level of scrutiny this season. There have been times during this season where people have written them off as being too old, of not caring enough and as simply lost. Yet, here we are in the April and the Lakers have won ten of their last eleven games and are starting to round into postseason shape once again. This is nothing new. The same thing happened to the Lakers last year and it usually happens to most good championship teams. They go through the season and figure out the best ways to use their energy, they find out what dynamic will work for them this year, what balance of old tricks and fundamentals mixed with new wrinkles.  What’s fascinating about this Lakers team is really how much the Kobe Bryant narrative has changed. I’ve been thinking more and more about this lately due to the Young Michael Jordan Essay in Free Darko’s Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History. That essay focuses on how the legend of Michael Jordan was re-written while it was in progress. When Michael entered the league, he was seen as an extremely talented, selfish and dangerous object of change. It was only later through his failures and his lessons about teamwork that he became the greatest player of all time and perhaps the greatest athlete of all-time. Kobe was once seen as the villain of the NBA. He was a cocky upstart, an alleged rapist, a selfish player who ran two legends out of Los Angeles.  However, Kobe then went through his phase of loss. He had to admit he needed Phil Jackson. He had to admit that he couldn’t win the title without at least a little bit of help (Pau Gasol). He had to go through a non-playoff season and a loss in the Finals to the Celtics before he was able to re-write his narrative by winning two more championships and perhaps on the verge of winning his sixth total.  Instead of being The Guy Who Wants to Imitate Michael Jordan So Badly Its Painful, he has entered the discussion as being the best player since Michael Jordan. A guy who might not be as transcendental or great as Jordan, but who could conceivably win as many championships and have perhaps a more productive career (though he never willingly walked away from the game in his prime like Michael did—arguably twice). It is this kind of story-telling, this kind of history manifesting itself that makes this NBA season so terrific. We have a slate of great games each week filled with talented and focused players as well as certain players writing themselves into history and myth with each passing weak. It’s a shame if the league loses its momentum by going into a lockout during the summer.

- What has also made this season compelling was the insanity that was the Trade Deadline. Never before has the league had such activity when at the Trade Deadline. If you don’t believe me, just look at all the trades that were made.  The two or three days prior to Thursday, February 24, 2011 were extraordinarily fascinating to a basketball fan. You had all these teams posturing and positioning themselves in case there is a lockout. Players were traded without any rumors being spread. Players you thought were untouchable or untradeable were all of a sudden gone. Even the smallest cash-saving trade became fascinating. Each trade reflected the mindset of that team and its ownership in relation to the lockout. Some (Nets) were confident that the lockout would not be a huge ordeal and that any new CBA would allow them to keep a high-profile star and build around. Other teams (Celtics) were nervous and wanted to make their changes and save their money NOW.  Usually, the Trade Deadline passes, teams don’t make a move and NBA fans groan and wonder at “what if.” 2011 was a completely different story.

- The most notable trade was the Denver Nuggets trading Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks for Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danillo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov. This trade was six months in the making and after months of posturing and countless news stories and rumors, Carmelo wound up in New York, which is where he wanted to play all along.  Now, Carmelo Anthony is a great player. He is one of the best scorers in the league and one of the most reliable players in crunch-time. However, he is not a great defender and he has not exactly shown great flashes of leadership. Despite that, he is productive and the Knicks had to make the move. I don’t know how his partnership with Amare will pan out for the Knicks. Together they provide a great core of leadership, but they are going to have to become more accountable on defense in order to make a huge impact on this team.  I think it is fascinating, though, that Amare shouldered the load of New York for the first half of the season. Amare made the city excited about basketball again. He talked big and the Knicks backed it up for much of the early part of the season playing energetic, up-tempo basketball and showing a scrappiness (see Fields and Felton) that made the team endearing to the crowd.  It seemed that Amare’s confidence and success spread and rubbed off on St. John’s as well which has made the Garden the center of the basketball universe once again. Then, Carmelo pushed everything over the top. I have heard that the Garden is back to its early 90’s level again and then some. Even the Big East Tournament was phenomenal with Kemba Walker, a New York City kid, stealing the spotlight with buzzer beaters and gutsy play. Every New Yorker wanted the trade to happen so badly that they are now throwing all of their energy into the team. And why not? The Knicks have two of the ten starting All-Stars from the 2011 NBA All-Star Game—that’s pretty impressive when you break it down. However, I’m not sure where it will all lead. I have no doubts about Carmelo and Amare playing well together—their games compliment each other well. I am just curious about what they will accomplish. Perhaps it doesn’t actually matter what they accomplish. Maybe all that matters is that New York remembered that it is a basketball town over any other sport. Yet, knowing New York, even remembering that elemental fact is going to get old at some point.

- I just want to give a shout-out to Kevin Love and his double-double streak.  Seriously, if you do not know who Kevin Love is or how good of a player he is, you really need to look him up.

- The other major trade was the Utah Jazz sending Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets. This trade was an absolute shocker, even Deron didn’t know about it. However, the Jazz saw the writing on the wall: Deron had run the out-dated but successful Jerry Sloan out of Salt Lake City; he was going to be a free agent in 2012 and would have held them hostage next year just like Carmelo did to Denver this year; they were not going to lose him for nothing like the Cavaliers and Raptors did with LeBron and Bosh. So, Utah beat Deron to the punch and traded him without warning.  Now the speculation begins as to whether or not Deron stays in New Jersey. The most recent rumor is that Williams has bought into Prokorhov’s plan and wants to be the centerpiece of the team going forward. I went to a Nets game last Friday when they played Blake Griffin and the Clippers (yes, Blake had a dunk that was the ESPN Top Play). The Nets and that arena and Newark are in a sad state. It seems like the set from a movie about a fictional professional sports team. It is truly a bizarro world. I think if they move to Brooklyn it will change the dynamic of the crowd.  Most New Yorkers are obviously Knicks fans and that dynamic won’t change. However, I imagine that most Nets fans are either from New York City or Long Island and those people will come to the games. Also, with the arena so prominently located in Brooklyn with access to the LIRR and most subways (better subway access than MSG actually) when a player like Blake Griffin comes to town, the arena will generate a greater crowd than what I saw in Newark on Friday. Above all, New Yorkers love basketball and even if the Nets aren’t great for the next year or two, each home game they will get to see Deron Williams (a better overall player than Carmelo Anthony and a Top Three point guard) play against some of the greatest superstars in the league. The fact that they won’t have to take the Path Train or NJ Transit after work to do so only makes the deal sweeter. I, unlike a lot of people, think that the Nets in Brooklyn is a no-brainer. It certainly hinges on Deron staying on the team (and from his recent performances while injured and his belief they can steal the eighth seed in the East, I think he is staying), but either way I think it works and that Brooklyn natives and New Yorkers in general will come.

- Finally, a shout-out to my man Tyler Hansbrough from the University of North Carolina. They said you wouldn't do anything in the pros. Hey, you’re not a superstar, but you’re better than people thought—and in a league full of superstars in an era that is perhaps the best ever, that’s saying something. God must have been a Tar Heel fan because he made the sky Carolina Blue.

Jingle Ball

Being a sports fan is a funny thing.  Your life is dictated by the schedules of games on certain nights of the week.  You get frustrated if a great game is going to be on a Friday or Saturday night when you have some kind of social obligation to partake in. This is mostly because you feel like you’ll be missing out on a legendary game and, in order to prevent that from completely happening, you’ll be checking your phone every five minutes.  Also, if the game doesn’t go your way you know that you ultimately end up turning drunk and surly.  Then there are those Sundays when you swear you are going to do productive reading and writing or that you are going to enjoy a leisurely walk around the city or organize the paperwork accumulating in your life.  The only problem is that there are two to three must see football games on and you can’t pull yourself away from the TV no matter how much you want to.  “I’ll be able to get everything done once football season is over,” you say.  But once that happens the playoff races for basketball and hockey are heating up and baseball season is just beginning.

When you are a sports fan, you keep track of time by the events that happen during certain sports seasons and you distinguish different eras of your life by the prominent players or teams from those particular years.  In general, you rely on the success of strangers as well as their ability to be great in order to bring a certain modicum of happiness and fulfillment to your life.  In short, it is a bizarre phenomenon.

Recently, I have been thinking about my own sports fandom.  The reason I have been thinking about it is because I have been enjoying this NBA season so much.  I’ve enjoyed it so much, but it is odd because I don’t have any true vested interest in any one NBA team over another – I simply love the league as a whole.  And yesterday, while I was watching the Eagles play the Giants in the NFL, I thought about how that might reveal some sort of weakness in my sports fan character. You see, guys that cover the NBA for a living have to be impartial.  They have to enjoy the league as a whole, report on a variety of teams and stories and deliver the news as quickly and without bias as humanly possible.  However, many times these analysts of the game can ruin the passion and absurdity of loving a particular team or player by overanalyzing elements of the game or looking at stories too objectively. No matter how much they love a team or player, their job requires them to be unbiased.  Perhaps this is just the division of one’s job versus one’s personal opinions and enthusiasm, but to me and the joy that sports can bring it is an important distinction. 

On Sunday as I was watching a classic Eagles vs. Giants game and screaming at every Eagles miscalculation, I cursed myself because this season I had vowed not to raise my voice at all.  When I could no longer control myself, I decided to turn the game off, retreat to my room and try to read to calm down. “I’m getting too old for this shit,” I muttered to myself.  While reading, I kept the online game tracker up on my computer, which is set up on my desk at the foot of my bed.  I noticed that the Eagles were creeping back into the game.  So I put down my book (Nicole Krauss’ excellent new novel Great House), and returned to the TV.  I watched the game a little further before another Eagles miscue.  After a small scream, I returned to my room, deciding that the Eagles would do better off without me watching.  My superstition seemed to be accurate, as the Eagles got closer. So, once more, I returned to the TV only to be disappointed by an Eagles drive that stalled out.  It seemed like the game was over, so I went back to my room to read. “If they win, they win.” I said to myself.  Well, as I was reading, I noticed that the Eagles had come back from twenty-one points down and tied the game at 31 in the fourth quarter. “Fuck it,” I said. “Even if me not watching has been helping them win, I have to see how this ends.”  So, I went back to the couch and turned on the TV.  What unfolded was one of the most amazing comebacks and ends to the game in perhaps NFL history, as Desean Jackson returned a punt 65-yards (after fumbling the catch) for a touchdown as time expired.  I got up and screamed, “FUCK YEAH! FUCK YOU, FUCKING GIANTS! FUCK YOU!”  Then, I settled down, turned off the TV, checked on the chicken I was cooking and returned to reading.

Obviously, I love the NBA way more than I love the NFL.  However, my devotion to the Philadelphia Eagles as a franchise is what differentiates the love I have for the NFL and the love I have for the NBA.  My love for the Eagles is blind passion.  I don’t care who they are playing because no matter who it is, I will automatically hate that team.  Their quarterback could be fantastic, but to me he sucks no matter what.  Their players could be stand-up guys, guys that play the game it was meant to be played, who don’t show boat and who do community service, but to me they are smug assholes who deserve their comeuppance because they suck. In basketball, I have no team that makes me feel that way.  When I was younger, I felt that way about the Chicago Bulls because Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen represented something good, something about excellence and achievement and never wanting to lose.  However, I had no personal ties to Chicago or the Bulls franchise and as the Jordan era came to an end, I found myself attempting to latch on to some kind of team connection.  I loved Allen Iverson, but the Sixers had always been so terrible that it was still hard to blindly root for them as he revived the franchise into relevancy.  So, I started paying attention to all the players as I had more or less done when I was a little kid and the Bulls were ruling the NBA.  I learned how to appreciate Jason Kidd and what he did with his Nets teams in the early 2000’s; I loved Iverson’s toughness and electricity; Chris Weber’s passing ability. I saw the weakness in Vince Carter’s defense despite his incendiary offense; I marveled at how complete of a player Rasheed Wallace was even though most of the time he was flustered by the referees; I even tried to see the beauty in Shaq’s game even though I hated him so much.  However, my full devotion to the NBA didn’t arrive until Dwyane Wade entered the league.  He was the first player that reminded me of what Michael Jordan stood for. I didn’t look to him as the “next Jordan,” but something about him made me think of goodness, effort and striving for excellence.  There was a toughness and grace about Dwyane Wade that I appreciated and it signaled a new era in the NBA. 

Flash-forward about six or seven years and a new era of the NBA has certainly dawned.  There is now more talent in the NBA than possibly at any time ever.  The only region where there may have been as much talent was in the 1986-1988 range.  However, I am beginning to think that even then there may not have been as many great players as there are now.  You have the prolonged careers of 13+ year veterans like Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash.  You also have the peak years of veterans such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Pau Gasol, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony.  There is even a subset of players from that generation who are good but not as great as those guys (Rudy Gay, Raymond Felton, Big Baby Davis, Danny Granger, Tayshaun Prince, Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson).  Then, you have the young generation with players like Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, John Wall, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, Brook Lopez, Al Horford and Joakim Noah.  The league is literally stacked with talent no matter which way you look.  And that has been the story of this season so far.  The great teams are actually becoming deeper and more talented than they were last year, such as the Celtics and the Lakers.  There is an uber-team that everyone talks about in the Miami Heat. Orlando just made some huge trades over the weekend to get even deeper and perhaps better and the Knicks are looking to land Carmelo Anthony in order to become another powerhouse in the East.  And I didn’t even mention the Bulls or the Thunder, which are two of the more exciting young teams in the league.  So for me, when I feel as though I have been lackluster as a true blindly passionate sports fan when it comes to the NBA, I take a look around and remember how I take each team into consideration.  How I appreciate the players league wide; how I pay close attention to what each team is trying to do, which teams are trying to make a run, which teams play hard, which players are head cases and who doesn’t deserve the honor of being in the NBA. I take all of that into account and realize I am one damn great fan of the NBA and perhaps that is the mature way to appreciate a sport, maybe all that screaming is something I have to grow out of – perhaps its just something I should keep relegated to one team. Well, maybe two if you count the Phillies once the baseball season gets a little bit more serious in late August and September, or college basketball when UNC throws players out on the court that actually have a pulse.

In any event, here are year-end NBA thoughts has we have finished over one quarter of the season.  These thoughts may all be shaken up after the huge slate of Christmas Day games that we are about to see, namely Heat vs. Lakers.

1. The main thing that everyone probably wants to hear me weigh in on is the Miami Heat. I was as disappointed and confused by the Heat’s slow start as anyone.  I was blinded by the talent of Bosh, Wade and James and figured they had played enough with each other in Beijing and in the offseason when they were hanging out that they would become acclimated very quickly.  I didn’t realize how severe the drop-off in talent between them and the role players would be early on and I really didn’t think that Wade and LeBron would have an issue integrating the rhythms of their games.  However, what we have learned very quickly is what it takes to make an actual team in the NBA.  The early season games between the Heat and the Celtics made that perfectly clear.  The Celtics play as a cohesive unit and have exhibited some extremely graceful and fluid team passing early on in the season.  Rondo orchestrates that team like a maestro and their pieces fall into place perfectly.  They have a deep bench with high energy guys and Doc Rivers understands the psyches of his players, their ups and downs – he knows how to push their buttons at the right times.  The Heat were a totally different beast. Spoelestra had no player rotations down; he thought James should handle the ball and initiate the offense (I thought this too because I, like most people wanted LeBron to be like Magic, when even though he may resemble Magic in body size and stature, he plays basketball like LeBron James and no one else); the team played a lot of half court offense even though their best two players are arguably the two best players of all time in the open court; Wade and LeBron didn’t really move without the ball because they were used to handling the ball so much when they were carrying their own teams; Bosh just seemed lost trying to figure out when to initiate the offense and attack and when to just let LeBron and Wade take control.  The team also had to deal with Mike Miller’s injury and then Udonis Haslem’s.  They had no true rebounder.  However, over the past near month that they have been on their twelve game win streak all of that has changed.  Haslem’s injury actually opened the door for Wade to expand his game and add another purpose, which was to account for the rebounds the team would miss without Haslem. Wade is averaging the highest rebound rate of his career.  The team also added Erick Dampier who has fit in a nice role as a big, tough, body rebounder in the middle to go along with Zydrunas Ilgauskus’ ability to shoot the open jumper and Joel Anthony’s uncoordinated but appreciated effort.  With those three different looks in the middle the Heat have been able to improve their rebound rate drastically. Juan Howard has also found a niche and been able to provide a few points as well as rebound help and toughness off the bench.  With each week Bosh is learning his role.  He was especially terrific in attacking the basket against the Knicks as well as helping to defend Amare.  His rebound rate has improved as well.  The big difference has been the fact that the Heat are now looking to push the ball at every instance, which makes sense because when you have LeBron James or Dwyane Wade getting a good portion of your rebounds, you should always be looking to run and move the ball ahead because chances are one or the other will be streaking upcourt.  Also, Spoelestra has Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers handling the ball as true point guards and letting LeBron operate from the wing.  He and Wade are now moving much better off the ball with Wade finding his go to movement on the baseline where LeBron can find him for quick layups or short jump shots.  I also believe they should run Wade in modified screen sets like the Celtics do with Ray Allen. Instead of Wade’s routes taking him to the outside where Allen splashes all those dagger threes, Wade should curl in the 16-18 foot range where he can catch the ball and either continue his drive into the lane for a layup, dunk, foul or kick out, or stop and hit a jump shot in his range. In either way, it keeps the defense off guard and gives the Heat another look. What has also been big is the solidification of the rotations. Now, Spoelestra lets James lead his own unit at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter and also for the beginnings of many of the second quarters.   That allows Bosh and Wade to rest and for LeBron to keep his confidence and pride up by carrying the second unit.  What is so fascinating about this team is that they are still learning what actually works for them and it is already becoming a little scary. On any given night you know that either LeBron or Wade is going to go off and on some nights both of them do.  What is becoming apparent and what may actually be the key for this team is that Bosh is becoming reliable every night for about 16 to 20 points and about eight to ten rebounds. If he does that almost every night then he will very much be the glue that keeps the team together.  For me, that is one of the many fascinating stories to keep track of with this team. There has literally never been something like this team before. Every game has its own new point of interest and every game is just another experiment in the lab of basketball where each tweak is magnified and you find yourself paying attention to and noticing things you never did before. This is all good stuff right? These guys are selling out arenas, driving up national TV ratings and blowing out teams almost regularly now that they have established an initial chemistry with each other.  All of this has happened in just fewer than thirty games and Wade only played three minutes in the preseason. I and everyone else in America completely overreacted – another unfortunate side effect of being a modern sports fan.

2. The Knicks.  Being a Bulls fan in the 90’s meant I hated the Knicks.  I never liked Patrick Ewing. John Starks and Derek Harper annoyed the hell out of me. Anthony Mason, Charles Oakley and Xavier Daniels were all dirty players who couldn’t keep up with Jordan and Pippen so they had to try and slow them down with hard fouls.  The only times the Knicks were able to do anything was when Jordan was out of the league.  However, now that that era of the game is over, I realize how much I appreciated those players. But what I really appreciated was basketball being relevant in New York and Madison Square Garden being the most electric sports venue in the world.  There really is nothing like it.  Last Wednesday, when the Knicks and the Celtics played perhaps one of the best regular season games in the last decade, the Garden was absolutely on fire. Amare and KG were going head to head. Spike Lee was in the front row waving his arms and being completely obnoxious. Ray Allen hit a dagger three and Spike Lee had to shake his head at his own creation, Jesus Shuttlesworth, silencing the New York crowd.  You had Danilo Gallinari showing why he is a coveted wing player.  Landry Fields showcasing the fact that he was one of the most slept on rookies in a long time.  Raymond Felton was taking the ball at a hobbled Rondo but despite his big numbers was still not able to out play him.  And of course you had Paul Pierce hitting his patented herky-jerky step back jumper from about sixteen feet to win the game.  Then there was the added bonus of Amare draining the game winning three as time expired only to have the shot called off, which prompted Paul Pierce to come to center court and bow to the crowd.  All of this happened at a Knicks game? On a Wednesday night? In the middle of December?  You better believe that basketball is back at the Mecca.  Now, the Knicks are not an elite team and they are on a three game slide as I write this, but they are a team that plays hard and will be in the playoffs.  To me, it’s debatable that they add Carmelo Anthony.  He is a unique superstar who is nearly unstoppable on the wing.  However, he doesn’t play defense and Amare is already a nearly unstoppable offensive force that doesn’t play defense.  In my opinion, they just need to solidify the backup point guard spot so they can spell Felton (like D’Antoni never could in Phoenix for Nash).  They need an athletic shutdown wing defender (like Iguodala from Philly who won’t need to score as much with Amare in the middle) and they need a tough inside presence who can play the true five spot and move Amare to the four spot he prefers to play (not sure how they land that piece).  I think Carmelo upsets the dynamic of this team, which is that Amare is the man and COMPLETELY believes that he is the best player on the court on any night and the rest of the team feeds off that energy.  If you add Carmelo to that mix, I’m not sure what the identity of the team is.  Amare and Carmelo are not Wade and LeBron. Sure, their positions are much different, but they are not as flexible in being able to adapt, as I believe Wade and LeBron are.  It’s all up in the air and I could be completely wrong about Carmelo and Amare playing together. If they did, that team would be some offensive powerhouse running in the D’Antoni system.  However, right now they have a lot of nice pieces, they are a fun, hard working team to watch and they have people in New York thrilled and excited about basketball.  The thrill may wear off when the natural cynicism of New Yorkers slowly seeps back into this initial euphoria, but right now we are witnessing a pure joy that is not often seen in New York sports.  You should all enjoy it because this town is buzzing again about the Knicks and that buzz will always be better and more electric than any buzz about the Yankees, Giants, Jets, Rangers or Mets.  There’s just something different about New York and basketball, I don’t care how many championships the Yankees have one – all 27 of those are stored up in the Bronx.  The Knicks’ championships and banners are in the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden and those halls run right in Midtown Manhattan. That’s a big difference.

3. The Boston Celtics are an absolutely fantastic basketball team to watch.  They are on a revenge tour through the NBA this year after their heartbreaking loss to Los Angeles in Los Angeles in Game 7 of the Finals.  They want that championship badly and you can actually feel it.  Rajon Rondo has a legitimate shot to break John Stockton’s average assist record. Kevin Garnett seems to be back from the dead and is playing with an intensity that has been missing (mainly due to his injured knee) since the 2007-2008 championship season.  There is a great chance that Garnett could win the Defensive Player of the Year Award and he can also finish dunks again.  Ray Allen never seems to age and seems to make three pointers whenever it counts (I think he is on a mission after his disappearance in the second half of the Finals series).  Pierce is just simply being Paul Pierce as usual and giving this team a championship swagger that was missing the past two years. Shaq has been solid and is doing everything they need him to do (when he’s on the court). Big Baby has improved his game and has become nearly automatic on his 16-18 foot jumpers and is one of the best around the rim finishers in the league right now (playing below the rim).  Nate Robinson has gained a modicum of maturity and has settled into a nice role on the team.  They are even deeper now with Delonte West (when he comes back from injury), Jermaine O’Neal (if he ever plays) and Semih Erden (who has been a pleasant surprise).  Plus they have a fantastic team chemistry that is probably only rivaled by the Thunder and Bulls (though the Heat are making a strong run now).  All of this has happened without Perkins joining the lineup.  I watched the Celtics handle the Hawks on Thursday night without Rondo. Now, this was the night after their emotional win in a packed out and pumped up Madison Square Garden.  As I was watching the game, I was thinking about how good the Celtics were and how their one weakness was rebounding even though their interior defense has been terrific.  Then I realized that Perkins hasn’t even played a minute this whole year.  This team is going to be a beast when the playoffs roll around and I just hope all you casual followers of the NBA realize that this Celtics teams is very similar to all of those vintage NBA teams that we have nostalgia for. This team is deep, it has memorable players, they all play well together and you should appreciate what they do on almost a nightly basis.  Plus I’m pretty sure that Rondo is some kind of alien who was ordered to exhibit the future of basketball at least twice every game.

4. The Los Angeles Lakers are not going to roll over and let anyone take the championship from them. They started off hot, cooled off and are now on a five game winning streak.  They are going to walk away with their division, but the West overall is much more competitive at the top with the Spurs and Mavericks looking pretty tough to beat.  Kobe seems to have lost another step, but still has the best footwork in the NBA and is the number one killer. You know he wants to tie Jordan’s championship tally and this just may be his last chance to do it.  Pau Gasol has actually gotten better and is without a doubt the best post player in the NBA this year (one more year of progress and Dwight may be knocking on that door).  Lamar Odom gained a new level of poise and confidence after being the elder statesman on the FIBA Gold Medal team this summer and is playing with motivation and leadership.  Shannon Brown has made a leap as a player. Steve Blake is an upgrade at backup point guard over Jordan Farmar and Matt Barnes gives them depth, toughness and scoring off the bench.  Oh, and Artest is on this team and is a wild card to go off for points or shut down defense on any given night.  Also that and making the funniest statements known to man.  He actually reminds me of the real life Pedro Cerrano in Major League II this year.  Artest won the championship and is all about charity much like Cerrano was all about Buddhism and peace.  Maybe the Lakers need to get a Japanese player to infuriate Artest into inspired play just like the Indians did.  And, the Lakers, like the Celtics, have been playing much of this season without a key player – Andrew Bynum.  Once they ease Bynum back to his regular minutes and spot in the starting lineup, then the Lakers can bring Odom off the bench and their team takes on a totally different look and returns to their dynamic of the previous two championships.  They are going to be scary and have a legitimate shot at a three peat.  Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen.

5.  Blake Griffin.  If you haven’t watched any of his highlights or if you don’t know what kind of experience it has been to watch this kid play basketball this year, you have some serious catching up to do. Absolutely unreal. He’s like Shawn Kemp and Dominique Wilkens.  Maybe that’s hyperbole but who knows how long this freak is going to be around.  YouTube him NOW!

6.  The intriguing Orlando Magic team.  Look, I have not been a fan of Dwight Howard at all.  I thought he was a “non-killer” in the same vein as LeBron for most of his career. However, this summer he spent time with Hakeem Olajuwon and he has come back with some legitimate post moves that are looking better and better as the year goes on.  He put in his time like the old school NBA players and came back with a new wrinkle and I respect that.  The only thing is that his team has gotten stale. Vince Carter is pretty much washed up and Rashard Lewis is actually dead in some states I believe (those reports aren’t completely accurate).  So, this weekend the Magic made two ballsy moves and shipped Vince to Phoenix with Marcin Gortat and Mikael Pietrus (playing terribly) in exchange for Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson and sent Lewis to the Wizards for the troubled Gilbert Arenas.  I actually like these moves. Hedo only played well on the Magic and created matchup problems when they went to the Finals so he may play inspired ball alongside Dwight. Richardson is a very good three-point shooter and is definitely an upgrade over Vince at the shooting guard spot. And Arenas can lead the second unit for the Magic and be a top sixth man in order to gain some respect and good graces throughout the league to try and get one more contract. I think the Magic needed to shake up their team and this was a good way to do it.  If they can add another, cheap, low post player that can spell Dwight when he gets into foul trouble that would certainly help, but it isn’t a perfect world. We’ll see how the experiment goes because this team can’t afford to waste too many more of Dwight’s prime dominant years, though with these new post moves that period may be longer than we originally thought.  In any case, I always appreciate ballsy trades and the Magic did that this weekend.  Certainly makes their team much more interesting to watch.

7. Kevin Love becoming the best player you never really knew about. He put up a 30 and 30.  That is literally insane.  He and Beasley make the Timberwolves interesting.  They lose a lot of games, but they always play to win, which is definitely an upgrade.

8.  The Bulls and Thunder and their budding rivalry. Rose, Westbrook and Durant were the young leaders of the FIBA Gold Medal team and now they play on two teams filled with young talent who could both go deep into the playoffs. Their teams have already played twice this year and both games have been supremely entertaining.  Both the Bulls and the Thunder have fantastic chemistry throughout their roster and whenever they are on TV you should always make sure to check out their games. You literally can’t wrong watching a basketball game that features Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green.  Hell, I’ll throw Serge Ibaka of Oklahoma City in there too just because he is such a hard working and great player to watch.  These two teams could very well be the two that stand in the way of Miami dominating the league for the next six or seven years. So, get on board now and say that you saw greatness coming years before it came – courtesy of Matt Domino and Puddles of Myself of course.

9.  Chris Paul and Brandon Roy and their injuries.  Paul’s may just be a case of him coping with a knee injury and that can take time for a dominant player like him to get back to the level he was used to playing at. And I believe Paul will get back to his transcendent Isiah Thomas level of basketball soon.  However, Brandon Roy’s knees are basically non-existent and he was one of the best and most likable young players in the league.  Poor Portland.

10.  I’ve already written five thousand words and I could possibly go for another five thousand to expound on how great this NBA season has been so far and how great it could potentially be.  We are only in December and most teams haven’t even played thirty games yet and there are endless fascinating points and storylines to follow.  I may be a huge NBA fan and perhaps some of this stuff is over the heads of a lot of casual fans, but I think 70% of what I have covered is interesting to even the casual NBA fan.  And if you are not interested now, we’ll get you there. I’ll allow you just tuning in next June when the Celtics and Lakers are engaging in the rubber match of their most recent Finals battles.  Then, I’ll get your ear and make you really listen and understand.

The bottom line is that the NBA is well into a new golden age and you should start learning the teams and names now so that you can get on board and then get nostalgic years later while I am trying to pump you up about the next generation.  What can I say? I’m a visionary.  I’m a visionary even if I don’t have an irrational passion for one NBA team. Perhaps I can just leave the irrational passion for a far lest interesting and worthy sport – the NFL. I’ll just leave my irrational, tunnel vision passion for the Philadelphia Eagles. Well, that team and basically everything else in my personal life.  However, those misguided passions will be the topic of a best-selling memoir to come much, much later.

2010 - 2011 NBA Preview

It seems like only a year ago that I was lazily floating along, debating whether or not to devote myself to making this blog an actual entity with different kinds of content; that was actually updated frequently.  It seems like only a year ago that I was writing a belated preview of the 2009-2010 NBA season about a month after the season had already started.  Oh, wait, all of that really was a year ago. Look how far we’ve come: tons of different content, a variety of stupid and interesting podcasts and posts that are on time and actually before the events that they are written about.  If that isn’t progress, I don’t know what is.  You should be thrilled you follow this blog.

All of this is just a long preamble to stating how much this blog has changed as well as how much the NBA has changed.  You would be extremely hard pressed to find a time when the NBA changed this dramatically from one season to the next.  Perhaps you could make the argument for the 1993-1994 season, which was the season immediately following Michael Jordan’s first retirement.  You could also make an argument for the 1998-1999 season, which followed M.J’s second retirement and was also the strike-shortened season that saw the birth of the Spurs dynasty.  And I would also possibly listen to an argument for the 1979-1980 season when Bird and Magic came into the league, though there was still a slow climb to make out of the cocaine/tape-delayed Finals games-era.  However, none of those years can come even close to the shift over this past summer.  Just a few highlights:

-       The Miami Heat becoming the nWo of basketball.

-       Amare coming to the Knicks.

-       The Bulls becoming the “Team that makes sense.”

-       Kevin Durant playing like the best player in the world at the FIBA World Games.

-       The Lakers becoming deeper.

-       The Celtics becoming deeper and bigger.

-       Ticket prices being raised all around the league because of the Heat factor.

-       Carmelo Anthony basically saying that he will only come to the New York Knicks.

-       Dwight Howards’ training sessions with Hakeem Olajuwon.

-       The Miami Heat.

There have been a ton of roster changes league-wide and there is definitely a shift in balance of power to the Eastern Conference.  We are entering a league where there are once again a handful of elite, dominant, deep teams, rather than many watered down teams.  This isn’t the NFL.  The NBA prospers on the strength of memorable teams that go extraordinarily deep.  Now, we have a chance to remember the following teams: ’10-’11 Heat (for obvious reasons), ’10-’11 Lakers (three-peat and Kobe matching Jordan),  ’10-’11 Celtics (vindication for KG, cementing legacies of Big Three, Shaq pulling even with Kobe), ’10-’11 Magic (Dwight’s first (only?) title), ’10-’11 Thunder (far-fetched, but Kevin Durant’s first title and coup for smart management).  That’s five potential memorable/historic teams.  That kind of potential is never there at the beginning of a season – not at least in recent memory.

So, as you can see, there is a lot to look forward to this season.  Now, I am going to take you team by team, through the entire league in order to tell you why you should care about each team in the NBA and what will happen to them.

Atlantic Division:

Boston Celtics

Why You Should Care:  There are plenty of reasons why you should care.  They are poised to be the main competition to the Heat in the East. Garnett looks healthy and has a spring in his step that he seemed to have lost the last two years.  Shaq is in shape.  They picked up Delonte West to pair with Nate Robinson has part of their second team, which will be explosive.  Big Baby and Shaq on the court at the same time.  Rondo pulling off two to three moves a game that make you question everything you knew about basketball.  Pierce looking to cement his legacy as one of the best lifetime Celtics.  Allen looking for redemption from the 2010 Finals.  And finally Rondo playing with a huge chip on his shoulder because he was kicked of the 2010 FIBA gold medal team and looking to destroy every point guard (read Derrick Rose) he faces.  This is going to be a fun team to watch.

What Will Happen To Them: They have a chance to win over 60 games and will most likely play the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.  That series will most likely go six or seven games.  However, I think the Heat take them.

New Jersey Nets

Why You Should Care: They have perhaps the best owner in the league in Mikhail Prokhorov bringing mysterious Russian vibes. Brooke Lopez is the second best center in the league and is poised to make a leap.  Derrick Favors as tremendous upside as a rookie. Avery Johnson is a passionate coach and this team was terrible last year so that all want to win.  They have young intriguing talent in Travis Outlaw, Anthony Morrow and Terrence Williams. They might be Carmelo’s backup plan.

What Will Happen To Them:  The Nets were terrible last year, so they can only go up.  They will get out to a slow start, then get frisky right before and after the All-Star Game, leading to some “eighth seed” attention that will die out as the team loses steam at the tail end of the season. Avery Johnson comes in second place in the Coach of the Year voting.

New York Knicks

Why You Should Care:  Amare Stoudemire is one of those rare athletes who relish playing in New York.  He is dying to prove he is the man and that his success wasn’t only because of Steve Nash. He is going to be playing with a lot to prove, which will motivate him – big year.  The New York crowd will be revitalized. The Garden will be relevant again.  Ronny Turiaf and Anthony Randolph will be huge fan favorites that we remember fondly years from now as slightly watered down Anthony Mason and Charles Oakley type figures.  Danilo will have a big year and they will get Carmelo Anthony right before the trade deadline in February.

What Will Happen To Them:  The frenzied crowd at the Garden, Amare’s big year and the late addition of Carmelo will ride them to a strong seventh seed in the East where the Celtics will prove too much for them in the first round of the playoffs. Mike D’Antoni gets Coach of the Year honors and the Knicks fans can look forward to a big step forward in 2011-2012 with a full year of Carmelo and Amare.  Unless there is a lockout.

Philadelphia 76ers

Why You Should Care:  Elton Brand is supposed to be healthy so he may make them friskier than expected.  Maybe Andre Iguodala will recognize his true strengths as a basketball player after the great role he played on the 2010 FIBA team.  Maybe Evan Turner won’t be pouty and will live up to expectations as a rookie.

What Will Happen To Them: Realistically, this team will not be very good.  They will be at the bottom of the conference and are definitely looking lottery.  Their best option is to figure out some kind of trade scenario and blow this team up.  It’ll be hard with Brand’s contract, but they can’t build around Iguodala – he needs to go to a good team and be their defensive stopper on the wing and third or fourth scoring option. They will have some painful, painful games to watch.

Toronto Raptors

Why You Should Care: Because they might literally become the worst team of all time.  There is no one on this team – absolutely no one.  I can’t believe that more people aren’t pointing this out.  They do have Reggie Evans and his Twitter Feed for humor, but that’s it.  They need to move a lot of pieces around and try to become a mediocre team built around Demar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani – maybe Ed Davis if he pans out as a rookie and puts on more weight. 

What Will Happen To Them:  They will be the worst team in the league. This will not be pretty. I’m very serious about this team.  They are going to stink.

Central Division

Chicago Bulls

Why You Should Care:  Derrick Rose is going to make a big leap this year as a point guard and as possibly a Top Ten/Top Fifteen player in the league. Joakim Noah is going to be a revelation down in the post on offense and especially on defense and open a lot of eyes.  Once they get Carlos Boozer back you are going to see a new dimension to their offense that they have not had – possibly ever.  Rose and Boozer will run some great pick and rolls.  Deng will have a good year and remind people why he was overvalued back in the 2005-2007 days.  They will play great team defense and will fit together as a team.  This team just makes a lot of sense. You will learn about basketball watching them.

What Will Happen To Them: They will finish as the fifth seed in the East.  Since Boozer will be out the first month or so of the season, they will be playing catch up to the Bucks and I think it will be close but the Bucks will take the division.  That means that they’ll play each other in the first round of the playoffs, which will be a classic series that the Bulls will take in seven.  Then, they will fall to the Heat in a “hard fought, but the Heat are just too good” five game series. You can mark my words on that one. 

Cleveland Cavaliers

Why You Should Care: Have you ever been in a long-term relationship that seemed to be going so well; the girl was your high school sweetheart and it seemed like the two of you were going to get married and live happily ever after but then all of a sudden you were getting ready to propose and she told you she was in love with someone else?  Well, that is what happened to the Cleveland Cavaliers and we are going to watch an entire team and city sort through that sort of depression and mess for much of the season.  It’s completely unprecedented.  And the reaction to LeBron returning to Cleveland? I don’t know if we can even begin to fathom what that moment will actually be like.  Plus they have Jamison, Mo Williams, Varajao, JJ Hickson and some other role players that made get traded to interesting places and might make good teams even better.

What Will Happen To Them:  Many of the pieces of this team will be traded away during this season as they try to rebuild the team.  Hopefully Cleveland fans will have patience and not try multiple suicide attempts or homicide attempts on LeBron when he visits.  This team will be bad, but they won’t play horrendous basketball.

Detroit Pistons

Why You Should Care: If you don’t like basketball, there is really no reason why you should care about this team.  They are going to be bad.  The only reason to be interested in them is that they have so many weird parts that there is a way they might be so whacky that they actually confuse teams and beat them. 

What Will Happen To Them: If Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva try hard there is a chance they can make a run at the eight seed.  However, that scenario is pretty much unlikely and they will be showcasing some brutal basketball.

Indiana Pacers

Why You Should Care:  The Pacers always trot out a lot of white guys for the race purists out there (is that offensive? And to who?).  Danny Granger is a terrific scorer and always entertaining to watch. They made a big trade to get Darren Collison as their point guard and that could pay off.  They have Tyler Hansbrough who could put in a productive sophomore season and become one of the more likeable hardworking guys in the league.  Uh, well, I’m really stretching here, but there is something about this Pacers team that I kind of like.  I want them to do well.

What Will Happen To Them: The best case scenario is that Collison plays like he did last year and his ability teamed up with Granger’s scoring and Roy Hibbert’s jump from an average center to a good center could provide them with some options on offense that might lead to a run at the eighth seed.  Their fate is similar to the Nets: some possible eighth seed gossip, but most likely a fadeout.  They will not play completely awful basketball.

Milwaukee Bucks

Why You Should Care: One of the best stories of last season was the Bucks’ surprising run into the playoffs as well as their fan’s adopting the “Fear the Deer” slogan invented by Andrew Bogut. Unfortunately, the Bucks were too inexperienced and Bogut was injured and they weren’t able to beat the Hawks in their first round series.  The Bucks with Bogut would have put up more of an effort against the Magic than the Hawks did.  Well, the band is back for this team (what?) and Bogut will look to build on his season last year so that more people notice that he is actually a very solid center.  Jennings will look to raise more eyebrows after his impressive rookie season and contend with Rondo, Rose and Wall as the most exciting young point guard in the league.  They have some wild card additions in Drew Gooden and Corey Maggette that could very well pan out.

What Will Happen To Them: I’m thinking nothing but best-case scenario for this likable team and their great fan base.  I think the Bucks will actually surprise a lot of people and get to the four seed in the East.  The fans will feel a bit of a setback when they lose to the Bulls in seven games in the first round, but the Bulls are going to be hot going into the playoffs. The wild card is that Scott Skiles is a hard ass coach that can grate on players. Hopefully that doesn’t happen this year or next year so we can see a little Bulls/Bucks rivalry develop. 

Southeast Division:

Atlanta Hawks

Why You Should Care: For the past three years the Hawks have boasted a young, dynamic, exciting and talented (?) roster.  You never know when Josh Smith is going to throw down a ridiculous dunk or make a fantastic block.  Al Horford is one of the best young big men in the league.  Jamal Crawford is an erratic Sixth Man who is capable of putting up big points.  Joe Johnson is a boring, solid and unremarkable star.  Oh, that last one’s not drawing you in? Well, its not like the Hawks spent 127 million dollars signing him to a new contract in the offseason.  Oh, wait, they did.

What Will Happen To Them:  The Hawks are such an erratic team there is no true way to tell what will happen to them.  They are dangerous one moment and then lackadaisical the next.  That’s what you get with a team of borderline head cases (well Josh Smith is a head case).  They are going to take a step back this year as the Bucks and the Bulls are much more cohesive teams and have better coaches.  The Hawks will fall to the sixth seed where the Magic will dispatch of them in the first round as easily as they did last year (although that may not be possible as the way the Magic whipped the Hawks last year was ridiculous).  Then, the Hawks try to retool the roster but realize they paid Joe Johnson 127 million dollars. Oopey.

Charlotte Bobcats

Why You Should Care: Any team with Stephen “Captain Jack” Jackson on it will be worth watching.  Captain Jack has developed into one of the better league personalities we have had in the last few years. Jackson may be dynamic or he may be a head case and demand a trade.  There are some interesting prospects with Jackson, Gerald Wallace and Ty Thomas (poised to make a big leap from what I hear) all playing together.  There’s also the fact that Michael Jordan is the owner and he might make bold statements during the year and also that they are paying Boris Diaw and Dasagna Diop a combined 15 million dollars.  Trust me, that is absurd.

What Will Happen To Them: The Bobcats lost a lot of small pieces from their playoff team and they don’t seem to resemble a team that will play very good basketball.  All this being said, that may just be enough for them to sneak into the eight seed in the East.  The Heat will sweep them in the first round.

Miami Heat

Why You Should Care: They are drawing hate only matched by the nWo in the heyday of the WCW.  The two best players in the league are playing together for the first time ever and the two best perimeter players are playing together for the first time since Baylor and West.  You will get to know Chris Bosh as a player. This is an experiment in unselfishness and suppression of ego that is unprecedented in sports history.  Their team coming to any U.S. city will be an event. They may save the economies of some failing cities and the raised ticket sales for ALL OF THEIR AWAY GAMES may help prevent the lockout (although this is not really plausible, it is still very fun to think about).  LeBron is playing with a huge chip on his shoulder after all the insults he took in the offseason. We will finally get to see Dwyane Wade play with a team that resembles an actual pro basketball team.  I could make up a million more reasons why you should care, but really, this is historic stuff.

What Will Happen To Them: I am on the side of optimism for this team.  I think they constructed the bench and supporting players very conservatively and practically. Everyone on this team will have their role and will not be asked to stretch more than they can do.  Dwyane and LeBron will anchor and guide everything and each one of those guys is capable of pulling a team through an off night.  They will get everyone’s best shot, but I am predicting 66 wins and they win the title over the Lakers.  Next year (if not lockout) is the year they go for the Bull’s wins record.

Orlando Magic

Why You Should Care: They are a perennial contender in the East.  They have Dwight Howard.  Dwight Howard spent the offseason in private training sessions with Hakeem Olajuwon that you can view on YouTube, so you can expect his post game to show visible signs of improvement. Vince Carter may play like a man who has balls at one point in the season. Stan Van Gundy has lashed out at Pat Riley and LeBron for all the offseason moves.  The Magic genuinely seem to have a chip on their shoulder for being overlooked and could surprise the Heat or Celtics in the playoffs, although that scenario is not very likely.

What Will Happen To Them:  They will finish as the three seed and meet the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.  Unless Dwight has really improved his post moves, they will face the same fate that met them in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.  I’m thinking history will repeat itself.

Washington Wizards

Why You Should Care:  They drafted John Wall who will eventually become one of the best point guards in the league, who will perform freakish feats on a Rondo-scale, except that he is more athletic and perhaps more of a freak than Rondo is.  Gilbert Arenas has possibly lost his mind.  If Gilbert Arenas actually buys into playing the two-guard position and focuses simply on making shots, he and Wall could form a potent backcourt. JaVale McGee will be receiving tons of alley-oops from John Wall. They are slowly putting pieces into place to have a good team.

What Will Happen To Them: John Wall will carry them to a few surprise wins and will deliver some fantastic highlight reel plays. I have heard his on-court aura is already being compared to Iverson’s rookie year, which is a big compliment.  However, it seems like Gilbert has really lost his mind and may end up undermining this team.  If not, there is a chance they could make some kind of weak run at the number eight seed, but that is unlikely.  They will have some moments of good basketball.

Northwest Division

Denver Nuggets

Why You Should Care: They have Carmelo Anthony – for now.  Carmelo Anthony might get traded.  They have a roster full of head cases who do and say crazy things (i.e. JR Smith popcorn trick on Kenyon Martin’s car).  They are talented.  They could make a run at the West if they keep their dysfunction in line.

What Will Happen To Them: They won’t keep their dysfunction in line and will most likely self-destruct right around the All-Star Break. Carmelo trade rumors will weigh the team down until Carmelo is actually traded to the Knicks, which will keep the Nuggets out of the playoffs.  If Carmelo stays, they are a dysfunctional team that lands the seven seed and matches up with the Mavericks in the first round – that could be an interesting upset special.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Why You Should Care: Because their owner, David Kahn, is an idiot who lacks any form of self-awareness. Because David Kahn has made a million head scratching signings and trades. Because David Kahn had one of the most awkward interactions ever with Chris Weber during the offseason.  They have a lot of young talent that could work if they were assembled on a team with an actual plan.  Mike Love is one of the most underrated players in the league.  Michael Beasley may or may not be stoned for all of their deep winter games when he can’t leave his home in Minneapolis.  They might actually surprise some people and win a few games.

What Will Happen To Them: They will most likely not surprise and will be one of the worst teams in the league.  They have a lot of nice pieces, but until they figure out how they actually want to build this team - form an identity on offense or defense, the roles of the players they have, the roles of players they need to get – they will not be playing enjoyable basketball to watch.  I’ll watch it, though, because they do have some good young players.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Why You Should Care: Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant. Russell Westbrook is one of the most exciting young guards in the game and throws down some of the most ridiculous dunks as well.  He took a big leap at the FIBA Games and his poised to do the same this season. Jeff Green needs to prove his worth after disappearing against the Lakers.  James Harden will improve in his second year.  KU alumni Nick Collison and Cole Aldridge will form a hilarious white boy mentor-pupil duo on the front line.  Serge Ibaka will open your eyes at least once a game.  They are a well-built, hard playing, very likable young team.

What Will Happen To Them:  They surprised some teams last year, but they were really that good.  Durant has taken it to another level, as has Westbrook so they will keep up with the good teams and the teams that aren’t surprised any more.  Their role players all look to improve as well.  I see them as the number three seed (long season still catches up to them), but they will get past the Mavericks in the second round and make it to the Western Conference Finals.

Portland Trailblazers

Why You Should Care: Greg Oden might play a full season.  Brandon Roy is a good player.  Brandon Roy and Andre Miller might fight each other.  They are always competitive and have a lot of nice role players.  They have great fans and a great jersey.  I can’t think of anything else to really get you excited about the Trailblazers.  I like them as a team and they will not play bad basketball.  They will actually play some very good basketball at times.  There, that’s my endorsement.

What Will Happen To Them: This is a tough one to pick.  If Denver bottoms out, then either they or the Suns will finish as the seventh seed in the West.  If Denver doesn’t bottom out, then it is very likely that they will not make the playoffs.  It sounds strange to me as I’m writing it because I think they are a good team, but seeds two through seven in the West will be tight.  To be fair, if they make the playoffs, they can definitely pull up an upset. Also, they can’t have any more injuries than they did last year.

Utah Jazz

Why You Should Care: Jerry Sloan always coaches his team well. Deron Williams is one of the top three point guards in the league.  The Jazz got an absolute steal when they took Al Jefferson from the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Jefferson is a quality big man with legitimate low-post moves who has never played on a good team or a competent coach (one year with Doc Rivers doesn't count because Doc didn't gain competence until the 2008 Finals when he somehow turned on a coaching switch).  Jefferson is actually an upgrade over Boozer. They usually trot out a dynamic team with the likes of Okur, Kirilenko and Fesenko.  They always seem to play people tough.  They have switched back to their old jersey's with the music symbols - definite plus.

What Will Happen To Them: They will finish as the six seed in the West and face Oklahoma City in the first round. They will play Oklahoma City tough and this is a series that should potentially go seven games.  You have to like the Westbrook vs. Williams matchup as well as the Oklahoma City big men trying to match up with Jefferson, Okur and Fesenko.  However, the Jazz really have no match for Kevin Durant and that will prove to be the difference.  A very enjoyable series, though, with two well coached and good chemistry teams.

Pacific Division

Golden State Warriors

Why You Should Care: Stephen Curry is a really good and exciting basketball player who will be even more comfortable in his second NBA season.  David Lee will enjoy playing with another player who can pass and play good basketball.  They changed their uniforms and they look cool – I think. Don Nelson is not the coach anymore and they actually have a coach who cares about what happens to the team.  They have a versatile roster that could surprise a few teams (hint: this is my code for there are a lot of random players that I know about and that most people the don’t really follow the NBA know about.  These players are not really worth following or knowing about, but I do: Louis Amundsen, Ekpe Udoh, Andris Biedrins.). And, finally, they have a fantastic home crowd.

What Will Happen To Them:  They will most likely not surprise many teams and will finish at the lower portion of the standings.  However, it will be entertaining to watch Curry and Lee play together.  With some lucky, they may end up getting a top spot in the lottery.

 Los Angeles Clippers

Why You Should Care: Blake Griffin may actually get to play his rookie season.  This is important because he has looked insane in the preseason.  He could be one of the most exciting players this year.  His play could inspire Baron Davis and you always want to watch a team with an inspired Baron Davis.  Griffin and Kaman in the post could be extremely formidable.  Eric Gordon took a huge leap forward during the FIBA Games and could be your Most Improved Player.  You will become more familiar with his name.

What Will Happen To Them: If Blake Griffin does not get injured, I see the Clippers landing the eight seed in the West and facing the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs in the Staples Center Showdown (better name?) This will be a series with some serious Golden State/Dallas 2007 potential.  All of L.A. is watching. Lakers are going for a three-peat.  Baron in front of plenty of Hollywood stars.  Blake Griffin’s playoff debut.  This could be huge. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Los Angeles Lakers

Why You Should Care:  Kobe Bryant.  Pau Gasol (one of the most amazing players in the game to watch). Ron Artest. Andrew Bynum (and his knee). Lamar Odom. Derek Fischer. Phil Jackson.  The two-time defending champs are looking for a three peat. This would give Phil twelve rings (four three-peats). This would give Kobe six rings (two three-peats) and would draw more Jordan comparisons.  Artest is on the team for the love of god.  Odom loves candy.  They are deeper this year than they were last year.  This team will play very good basketball and it may be the last time to see some of these players playing at this level.

What Will Happen To Them: They will cruise through the West much like the 1992-1993 Bulls cruised through the East. They will try to keep their energy and strength for the playoffs. It will be a tougher road through this year because of the matchup problems, but they will get to the Finals.  I believe they will take Miami to seven games in “The Series That Saves the NBA,” but will lose.  Cue the downward slope of Kobe’s career.

Phoenix Suns

Why You Should Care:  Steve Nash is a freak of nature and he eats a very healthy diet that promotes energy and strength – you should follow it.  They have some great chemistry role players like Jared Dudley.  You should always enjoy watching Grant Hill play and appreciate how he has made a career even after his body was ravaged by injuries (one of the greatest in the game pre-injury). They always score a lot.  They are never not entertaining to watch.

What Will Happen To Them: They lost Amare to free agency, which is a big blow. They also lost a few good role players and may have too many small forwards.  They may not be able to get their same chemistry back from last year where it seemed like everyone cared and understood what to do.  If the Nuggets don’t self-destruct, I see them sneaking into the seventh seed (Why not the Clippers? I don’t know, my logic is flawed.) as the best possible scenario.  Otherwise, there is a good chance this likable team misses the playoffs.

Sacramento Kings

Why You Should Care: Tyreke Evans was the Rookie of the Year last year.  He is poised to improve this year.  He drove his purple car 120 miles per hour over the offseason.  They drafted DeMarcus Cousins who is potentially the biggest head case with the most potential since Rasheed Wallace (that is a huge compliment as ‘Sheed was one of the most talented players to come out of college in the past twenty years.  He had every tool and every move and he just chose to waste so much of it because he was a head case.). They have a good young turk in Omri Casspi (actually Turkish). Ah, that’s about it. The rest of the team is kind of garbage.

What Will Happen To Them: They will be an exciting team and hopefully the duo of Evans and Cousins works out because they are both freaks and could anchor that team for the next decade if all goes right.  Unfortunately, they will play some terrible basketball when they are not making you stand out of your seat.  If they draft well next year (if there is a draft) they could possibly sneak into the eight seed in 2011-2012.

Southwest Division

Dallas Mavericks

Why You Should Care: Dirk Nowitzki is one of the most underrated NBA players of all time.  He is on his way to a Hall of Fame career and is reaching some big statistical milestones.  They are always competitive. They are big enough with the addition of Tyson Chandler to provide a legitimate challenge to the Lakers.  Roddy Beaubois is one of the fastest players in the league.  They are one of the deepest teams in the league and could make a surprise trade near the trade deadline in February to make a legitimate run at the Finals.

What Will Happen To Them: They will be the number two seed in the West.  I don’t see them actually making a trade at the deadline, because for all of his talk, Cuban is usually conservative when it comes to making trades.  They will make it all the way to the Western Conference Finals.  After winning the first game of the series and putting a scare in the Lakers, Kobe will win Game 2 at the buzzer and shift the dynamic of the series.  The Lakers will win in six games.

Houston Rockets

Why You Should Care: Yao Ming is a good player. They have a deep and well-rounded team that fits together well.  Kevin Martin is an overlooked player because he played on so many bad Sacramento teams.  Shane Battier is always one of the top defenders in the league. Luis Scola showed the world what he is capable in the FIBA World Games this summer.  They are a big, physical and dynamic team that can surprise people.

What Will Happen To Them: They will have a solid regular season and finish as the fourth seed in the West.  They will meet the Spurs in the first round, which will be a bruising series that will definitely call to mind some early-90’s Eastern Conference battles.  The Rockets will unfortunately lose that series in seven games.

Memphis Grizzlies

Why You Should Care: They have a young core of good players like O.J. Mayo and Xavier Henry.  They showed signs of progress last year. Marc Gasol is becoming one of the best low post players in the league.  If Zach Randolph tries, they can be seriously dangerous down low. Zach Randolph is a head case.  Hasheem Thabeet apparently improved from “awful” to “not so terrible” over the summer, which could help them.  Rudy Gay just got overpaid during the summer and has to try and live up to his contract.  They have some random pieces that could make them competitive. They have an unpredictable, wild card feel.

What Will Happen To Them: The West is full of so many good teams that are hard to get a definitive read on.  I think that the Grizzlies will challenge for the eight seed, but with teams like the Suns, Nuggets and Clipper lurking around, it may be tough for them to break back through into the postseason.  I don’t see it happening.

New Orleans Hornets

Why You Should Care: Chris Paul.  They have a “not terrible” starting lineup now that they’ve added Trevor Ariza who will hopefully add a little toughness to the team.  Emeka Okafor might not be a total stiff as their center.  Jerryd Bayless can help spell Chris Paul when they need him to.  Quincy Pondexter might be a surprising rookie.  Let’s face it, Chris Paul is the only reason to care about this team and there is still a chance he could get traded this season.

What Will Happen To Them:  Although Chris Paul is a good guy and will try to put this team on his back, I don’t really see them going anywhere.  They won’t play terrible basketball mostly because of Paul, but also because Ariza will be a nice running mate and David West is always solid.  Okafor only needs to finish alley-oops and stay healthy like Tyson Chandler did in the 2007-2008 season, when the team made it to the second round of the playoffs.  I think they will miss the cut of the playoffs, though I believe Paul will finish the season with the team.

San Antonio Spurs

Why You Should Care: Tim Duncan will not be in the league for many more years and I’ve come around on him as a player.  The Spurs are always dangerous with Parker and Ginobli.  Dejuan Blair is a tough player and rebounder inside and an excellent chemistry/glue-guy.  People are very high on Tiago Splitter’s capabilities as a rookie.  Richard Jefferson has been with the team for a year and will hopefully have better chemistry.  George Hill is a nice player. Antonio McDyess is always reliable and can knock down clutch jumpers. They are the Spurs and they never really die.

What Will Happen To Them: The Spurs always hang around.  Even last year when everyone thought they were dead in the water, they were able to upset the Mavericks in the first round.  This year, they finish as the five seed in the West thanks to one last solid Duncan season.  They take the Rockets in an epic seven game first round series and then push the Lakers to six games in the second round.  They are just too old in general and not quite big enough to handle the Lakers and their depth.  You can put that one in the books.

So, there you have it.  An exhaustive wrap-up of every team in the league.  I may be an NBA freak, but this season, there are legitimate reasons to care about every team and that is a good thing.  This will be one of the best NBA seasons in history, so please sit back and enjoy it.