Joe Netsfan.com -

Another day in the life of the NBA

The 2007 - 2008 NBA Preview - October 30, 2007
NBF’in A
Or, The Squeal, The Steal and The Stall

Omigod, it’s another NBA season upon us. In fact, it starts tomorrow night, with Portland at the world champion San Antonio Spurs at 8PM on TNT. How in the world did that happen? Wasn't it just June, and we were celebrating the Spurs ubiquitous championship?

But I digress.

What in the name of Larry Brown is going on in David Stern’s universe? A rogue referee by the name of Tim Donaghy made scandalous off-season headlines, and put the entire league and its governance into question. One of the biggest names in the NBA, Kevin Garnett, not only gets traded, but he lands in the lap of the most storied franchise in the league (no, not the Knicks) along with Ray Allen because of the friendship of two GM’s going back to their days with the storied franchise (look, I don’t care how lopsided the deal was in terms of players going to Minnesota, or how poor the Celtics bench may be – this is a damned theft). And the world’s biggest ego, Kobe Bryant, puts the franchise-killing vibe out on the Lakers because they haven’t done enough to surround him with championship players, then stalls for time while trying to force his way out of town.

Nice way to start, huh?

Plus, we add in the injury list that seems to have accumulated over the preseason (some of the more glamorous names: Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, Mike Bibby, and rookie first overall pick Greg Odom, who’s already lost for the year).

Is this any way to run a successful sports league?

In a more positive light, there were lots of bodies changing places in the NBA, which is always a good thing, and the lightweight Atlantic Division may be one of the more challenging divisions after being a near embarrassment last season. Not only did the Nets reload (more on that tomorrow), but the Celtics, Knicks and Raptors all got stronger (while the Sixers just added more youth). Rashad Lewis was (over)paid to go to Orlando to team with Dwight Howard. The Pistons added some new young blood, and so did the Bulls. The Heat, struggling with Dwyane Wade trying to come back off surgery, traded fatty Antoine Walker for Ricky Davis (among others). The Wizards, Cavs and Raptors largely stayed pat, but who knows if this is good or bad? The East looks to be competitive as hell, and ready to do battle to tip the scales back from West to East.

Of course, the West still has the Spurs, the boring team that can’t seem to do anything but be successful, Mavs, Suns, and the reloaded Rockets (adding rugged Luis Scola to the McGrady/Yao Ming combo) all vying for supremacy. Watch out for the Jazz (Sloan=genius), the Hornets (despite Bye-ron), the Nuggets (Kmart returns!) and the Warriors (Nelson=supergenius), for they too have pieces that can take them places. While the weak West sisters got weaker (T-Wolves, Sonics and Blazers), the rest of the West certainly will give maximum effort night in and night out.

Or, as Jason Kidd says, there are no easy games.

The 2007 – 2008 NBA season promises the usual chills and spills, complaints and mistakes, and all the requisite catcalls that the season is too long, the games are too long and the costs are too high. But the basketball promises to be first rate.

At least that’s what we think, anyway.

We have no pithy commentary from any luminaries this year (we’re all too busy, frankly), but here’s the way we see the NBA come June:

East Is (Not Nearly) Least

The eight teams that will be more than good enough to make the playoffs in the East:

1) Chicago – The best combination of young and old, talented starters and role players, in the East. Look for a monster year from Luol Deng.
2) Detroit – Nipping at the heels of the Bulls, if the young fellas deliver, watch out. Chauncey’s still a potent force, and a winner to boot.
3) Boston – The Celtics Big Three, IF they stay healthy, will be formidable. Pierce on the wing, KG inside, and Ray Ray dialing long distance. Only if the bench hold their own, though, do the Celts roll through the East. A big IF.
4) Washington – Our man Eddie Jordan turns the Wiz into killers, led by Ghostface Agent Zero. Losing Etan Thomas hurts more than most realize, though. The JNF hunch play in the East.
5) New Jersey - Excellent additions to the roster in Magloire and Sean Williams, if the team gels faster than we anticipate that it’s likely they pass the Wiz for fourth. If Kidd, Carter and Jefferson stay healthy, and there are enough minutes to go round without complaint for the bigs, this team could be scary come April and May.
6) Toronto – Likely right on par with the Nets and the Wiz as the second tier of the East. Bargnani should be a monster in year 2, and if Bosh is healthy they should content in the Atlantic.
7) Cleveland – Not liking the fact that LeBron doesn’t like the fact that they haven’t really improved. Unless Varejo and Pavlovic return, this will be a team in decline. Nothing LeBron could do about that, unless they make him GM too.
8) Miami – Only because of the recuperative powers of Dwyane Wade, plus the manic coaching of Pat Riley, do the Heat get the number eight spot. Expect them to struggle early, then come on late. If the Big Fella’s motivated, though, the whole picture changes.

Not As Beastly

9) Indiana – Just a hunch that Jim O’Brien can get them back towards respectability. Is Jermaine O’Neal in decline, or do people just like to wish it so?
10) Orlando – Rashard Lewis is good, no question. With Dwight Howard, he’s even better. But, what else is there for Stan the Man Van Gundy to work with? Not too terribly much, unless you’re a Hedo Turkoglu fan.
11) Atlanta – Going on the hunch that there is too much young talent to ride the absolute depths, but not enough to make a playoff run. Mike Woodson is probably the coach furthest on the hot seat.
12) Milwaukee – Someone liberate Michael Redd from Wisconsin! Some good offensive talent, but tell me who’s playing defense? See, you can’t.
13) New York – Last year Joe was horribly burned by the shame of picking the Knicks to make the playoffs. This year, Joe is decidedly not impressed by the two headed big-man giant that is Curry and Randolph. They don’t play much defense, and Stephon is still here, for crying out loud. Dolans go home and bring basketball back to New York!
14) Charlotte – Would have been higher if not for a) a rookie head coach (Sam Vincent) who will have MJ up his ass 24/7, and b) the season-ending injuries to Morrison and May. I could totally see the Hawks and the Bobcats trading places, if things fall differently.
15) Philadelphia – At some point this season the Sixers will make teams pay for underestimating them. Unfortunately, that will likely come in March, as Andre Iguodala is the best they have to offer the league.

West Is Best (Or At Least Better)

The eight teams that will be more than good enough to make the playoffs in the West:

1) Dallas – Like a regular season machine, maybe they’ll hold something back for the playoffs. In any case, Nowitzki is a force, but we love Josh Howard for everything he does, and Eddie Jones and Trenton Hassell are the kinds of vets that do what needs to be done.
2) San Antonio – Smart. Too smart. New England Patriots-like smart, they may not dominate the regular season, but once those playoffs start, watch out. Duncan is the best, Parker’s gotten better (and smarter) and Manu Ginobelli does things that no one else can. Plus, they play wicked defense led by Bowen and now Ime Udoka, a hugely underrated pickup.
3) Phoenix – They do so much for the excitement of the game, but does that leave Nash & Co. wiped out for the playoffs? If Amare is healthy, Shawn Marion doesn’t pout and new acquisition Grant Hill clicks with the rest of the squad, well, the sky could be the limit. In the regular season, anyway.
4) Houston – Just changing coaches (Rick Adelman in, Jeff Van Gundy out) could add 15 wins to this team. If T-Mac is healthy (always a big if), and Yao gets help from Luis Scola down low, well, this team could be downright scary. Sadly, no one expects Stevie Francis to do much in his return to Houston.
5) Denver – Carmelo rules the universe right now, fresh off big success in the Olympic qualifiers. If Kmart can help him and stay injury free, and Allen Iverson can dial it down a tad, this could be a team to reckon with come playoff time.
6) New Orleans – The Chris Paul show just keeps on getting better, and he’s got a few more weapons (like Morris Peterson) to help him out. Another one of those teams better than the sum of its parts.
7) Utah – Like New Orleans, a super point guard drives the show. Deron Williams will one day be the best point guard in the NBA, and if Jerry Sloan has his way, they’ll continue to ride a bunch of role players deep into the playoffs. Carlos Boozer proved he’s the real deal, and word is Ronnie Brewer will light things up.
8) Golden State – Run and Stun, Run and Fun, Run and Gun, it’s all the same thing. Despite hardly playing a lick of defense, this Warrior squad (which added rookie Marco Bellinelli and Austin Croshere to shoot, shoot, shoot) led by Baron Davis will blow teams out of the water. Talk about the right personnel for coach Don Nelson.

Not So Much Better

9) Los Angeles Lakers – Betting against Kobe is never smart, unless of course Kobe is very unhappy. Which he is. So, until the Ego of the NBA is moved or calmed down, expect turmoil out in Laker land. They can’t possibly get back full value for Kobe, so coach Phil Jackson must find a way for Andrew Bynum, Luke Walton and Lamar Odom to carry the day.
10) Sacramento – With Mike Bibby out for 6 – 8 weeks to start the season, this is a very risky pick. But we like Kevin Martin and Mikki Moore, and somehow we hope Ron Artest can keep it together. Still not a playoff team, no matter what, especially with rookie coach Reggie Theus at the helm.
11) Los Angeles Clippers – Would have been a playoff team if Elton Brand wasn’t expected to miss much if not all of the season following the Achillies injury. Without him, Sam Cassell is just old, Corey Maggette too selfish and Cuttino Mobley too shot happy. Al Thornton looks like a solid rookie, though.
12) Memphis – Lots of young talent surrounding Pau Gasol, but no one expects miracles. Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry, and rookie Mike Conley Jr make things interesting, while any team that starts Stromile Swift is just asking for trouble.
13) Portland – Oh, what could have been. With Greg Oden sidelined for the year, it’s up to young second year stud LaMarcus Aldridge to do much of the heavy lifting. Brandon Roy is going to be a good one, and Jarrett Jack a solid point guard, but they’re playing for tomorrow, not today.
14) Seattle – Rookie Kevin Durant was the prize of the draft according to many, and he’ll get plenty of opportunities to grow on the job. Jeff Green is another rook who will do well in the NBA, but there’s a lot of NBA flotsam (Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, Kurt Thomas, Nick Collison, Chris Wilcox) floating on this team.
15) Minnesota – So, you lose Kevin Garnett and get back Al Jefferson, who will be good for you down low combined with Randy Foye outside, but you also get back the likes of Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and Gerald Green and then you add Juwan Howard, Antoine Walker and Michael Doleac? Wow, that’s the most bizarre rebuilding roster you could put your hands on. A total disaster in the making in Minnesota.

Wrap It Up, I'll Take It

Despite everything, we're still bullish on the NBA. It's not wackier than football, or baseball, or even tennis, really, and we always enjoy a good Kobe sulk or a David Stern proclamation. Things promise to be a bit more equal this year as well, as no team should race off with a division title before Christmas.

So with everything going on in and around the league, let's just play ball.

What do you think? Email Joe and we'll get your thoughts on the season in the next Backlash...
-Joe