Hi! Its been a while since I have blogged, and theres many things that I want to blog about (impending child No.3, NBA2k14/NHL14/Madden 25 reviews, and why I left shift work), but the issue at hand is the thing that I am most excited about. The upcoming 2014/15 NBA Season.
Many people have been posting reviews, as I think interest in basketball, be it NBA or NBL is starting to peak again. This can be evidenced everywhere on Twitter and Facebook. The NBL players themselves have been coming out defending their sport and league, and I for one think this is a great thing and can only benefit the sport we all love.
But the NBL chat is for a different post.
Lets talk NBA. I’m not going to give a team by tem, division by division run down. I’ll stick to conferences and what I think will be the major talking points or storylines for the year. And some things to look out for, for the casual fan. There have been some offseason moves that potentially could be masterstokes. So lets get into it.
Western Conference.
I’m starting here cos its not my favourite conference. I’ve been an East fan ever since I started following the NBA in 91/92 (C’mon. They had Jordan!). Anyway, I think that the West is on a decline. For years they have been the DOMINANT conference, providing 10 of the last 15 NBA Champions. But I honestly think that trend is going to change now. Why? Many reasons. The first one being age. The two dominant West teams over the last 15 years, Lakers and Spurs have hit a wall (Yes, I know the Spurs almost won the title last year). But age doesn’t stop. No matter how hard you train, rehab, rest or want to ‘think young’, you can’t stop old Father Time from doing his thing. Kobe and Tim Duncan are closer to 40 than to 30. Pau has started to regress. Manu and TP are well into their 30’s. And not to mention that Dirk and the Mavericks, one of the other two West finalists, are now relying on Monta Ellis to provide the Yin to Dirk’s Yang.
OKC and Kevin Durant are really only going to be troubled by the Clippers this year. But this will be determined by whether or not Westbrook comes back, and if he is the same player. I think yes and yes. And they head back to the finals are last years miss. The Clippers have added scoring to their bench, and picked up some solid role players in Redick and Dudley. Their depth was their biggest issue last year. Yes, they lost Bledsoe. It’ll hurt a little. But they got Darren Collison, still have Jamal Crawford and added Doc Rivers to the bench. I think this could well be the WCF series, and I think OKC take it in 7. No one can guard Durant.
As much as I’d love another run by the Warriors (who will be better with Iguodala in their squad) I don’t see it happening. They’re also trying to offload David Lee to anyone that will take their call. Could provide some chemistry issues. Not to mention Bogut in a contract year, and he’s already sat out preseason games with seemingly never ending back spasm issues. Steph is great, and if Klay and Barnes can produce again, they will be thereabouts. But they don’t have the mettle to outgun Durant, or a rampaging CP3 and Griffin combo. Especially if they trade D.Lee.
Memphis have lost too much scoring. They’ve added Magic Mike Miller, but as we saw with Miami the last few years, he’s severely hampered by back issues. And he’s no Rudy Gay. But if Mike Connelly can continue to show what he did throughout the playoffs, they’ll be a reasonable team.
Houston are scary. They’ve added Dwight Howard, and if he shows more of the Orlando version of himself than the Laker version, they’ll be a Top 2 or 3 team in the West. D12 with Harden, Parsons and Lin could make some moves. Depth may be an issue though, especially if they move Asik as predicted.
Minnesota are in for a make or break year as far as I can tell. If they can’t utilise the double double machine that is Kevin Love, and actually make the playoffs, I say its blow up the roster time, and start again.
The other issues out West:
Kobe. When will he be back? Will he be any good?
Pelicans. Can Anthony Davis attach this team to his monobrow and get them back to the playoffs? Do they trade Eric Gordon?
Aldridge. Does he finish the season as a Trailblazer?
Eastern Conference.
The era of dominance is here. Much like the Bulls era of the 90’s, the Heat and Bulls have the potential to dominate again this year. The Knicks SHOULD be good again. The Nets have loaded up for a one year run at the title. The Cavs are coming! The Pacers showed last year that they can hang with the big boys. Detroit made some questionable trades. Atlanta is still solid. The Bucks COULD be something. The Wizards may turn the corner. The Sixers are into a new period. I dunno guys, I just think the East has a lot more positives than the West at the moment.
Miami Heat. The ReHeatPeat is on! Aiming for their 4th Finals in 4 seasons and their 3rd Championship in a row. Some say they don’t still have the goods. Its too hard to repeat, let alone 3peat. As evidenced by the fact that no one has done it since the Lakers in 01/02. But I say HOGWASH! They signed Greg Oden, a high risk but a high reward signing if he gains confidence in his legs. And Michael Beasley. Both of these kids have talent. One needs to stay injury free and the other needs to keep his head in the game. If both deliver even half of their potential, this team is scary good! Miami can potentially play a lineup of Wade, Lebron, Beasley, Bosh and Oden. That’s 5 former top 5 draft picks on the floor together. That doesn’t happen very often except in AllStar games!
Chicago Bulls. My tip to be back in the Eastern Conference Finals. Derrick Rose. He’s a great player, and when healthy has been an MVP and the top PG in the league. If his legs are back, then theres no reason he can’t get back to that level. Jimmy Butler really stepped up last season, and could be the 1-2 punch, with Rose, to get them over Miami and into the NBA Finals. Look for them to offload Deng though. The rumours have been circulating for a while now. And with the emergence of Butler, he’s seen as disposable, especially in these Luxury Tax times.
Indiana Pacers. Danny Granger is back. Paul George is a superstar. And Hibbert is a defensive beast. They’ll be there abouts again. George Hill really stepped up, and if he can continue that level, this is a deep team. They brought just about everyone back, with the exception of Hansborough. They’ll be good.
Cleveland Cavaliers. Kyrie. Need I say more? He dominated at Team USA trails. Has been absolutely clowning people in the preseason. And is only going to get better. They have Anthony Bennett. Will he be good? I dunno. Worst case, a modern day Oliver Miller. But they have Bynum now. A solid low post presence. Waiters is rising, and Thompson is good. They signed Jarrett Jack. Look to have Dellavedova on the roster too. I like this team. Theres youth and depth on their side. If they learn how to win while they’re young then the only problem they’ll have is keeping this team together for the long haul.
The 76ers drafted well with Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter Williams. But they may not play Noel this season and look to enter the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes. But they’re now a good young team. Theres no overly selfish players left. Evan Turner could FINALLY deliver on his potential. I think they might find it harder to lose than they think!
Detroit Pistons. These guys have made either the two biggest bust signings since Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon in signing Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings. Or it will be a stroke of genius! With Drummond and Monroe down low they have a beast of a front line. And young! They picked up Chanucey for his swan song, and I think he can be the mentor that Jennings never had. I think they’ll surprise some people. I think Caldwell-Pope will start at two-guard. They’ll be quick, energetic and streaky. Could be fun to watch.
Brooklyn. I already disliked these guys. Then they got KG, Pierce and Terry. Now I hate them. I’m calling bust though. Too old. Not athletic enough to guard Miami, Chicago or Indiana. Deron is good, but not great. Lopez is an AllStar. But I think that they’ve mortgaged too much for the “win now”. And they have Kidd as coach. I don’t see it paying off. But they will bash some teams along the way. With Blatche, Evans and KG there are going to be some hard illegal/moving screens set.
Other things to watch in the East:
Boston. They’re gonna be bad. Real bad. They’ll be in the Wiggins race. No doubt.
Washington. They have a tonne of young talent. Can they win? Not sure.
Knicks. Last chance saloon on Broadway. If they don’t make the ECF, I can see Melo in LaLa Land (Pun intended).
Bucks. OJ and Sanders. Inside and Outside. They’ll also surprise some people.
Oladipo. My pick for RoY. He’ll be a star.
And there you have it folks. My brief overview of what I think will be a great NBA season and the lead up to the best draft since 2003.
Let me know your thoughts!
No comments:
Post a Comment