All the naysayers and forecasters of doom came out of the woodwork when it was announced that Greg Oden would undergo microfracture surgery. I think that even without Oden these Blazers have a bright future. They have righted the ship and erased the jailblazer image problems which haunted them this past decade. They have terrific young players who will grow together and promise to be formidable for years to come.
My favorite of their young players is Brandon Roy. What impresses me most about him is the intelligence with which he plays. He delivers in the clutch, gets to the rim, and makes the right play in almost every situation.
People are expecting LaMarcus Aldridge to have a big year, and he has lived up to his potential thus far in the preseason. The loss of Zach Randolph will hurt them this year with Oden out, but Blazers fans can take comfort in the knowledge that in the years to come they will be regularly fielding championship-caliber squads.
Get excited about: Brandon Roy becoming a star, Aldridge taking advantage of all the available frontcourt minutes, Steve Blake making his triumphant return.
Cover your eyes so you don't have to see: The future of the franchise inactive on the end of the bench.
Blazers fans, here is an Oden video to tide you over until the start of the 2008 season. This is his monster block to seal the game against
I was watching the Nuggets-Suns preseason game on TNT Thursday night, and I was surprised to see the
People think of the Nuggets and think Carmelo and AI, but this year we might start calling them the Big Three (although at this point, there are so many Big Threes that it’s getting out of hand…Garnett/Pierce/Allen, Duncan/Parker/Ginobili, Kidd/Carter/Jefferson, Bryant/Vujacic/Walton, etc.)
If Marcus Camby can stay healthy, I’m going on record to say that they will be right up there among the West’s elite teams. Camby is the anchor of their defense. If you look at this starting lineup, you will not be wowed by this team’s defensive prospects, but Camby is such a stout defender of the paint that he and Yakhouba Diawara more than make up for the defensive deficiencies of their offensive juggernauts.
Get excited about: Carmelo’s extended range, K-Mart returning to form, Iverson somehow maintaining his frenetic pace of play.
Cover your eyes so you don't have to see: Would-be Tar Heel J.R. Smith getting repeatedly fined and suspended by proud Tar Heel George Karl.
Here’s a clip of Carmelo destroying two unfortunate Argentinean defenders in
The Jazz are probably my favorite team not based out of
Boozer is repairing the tarnished image of Duke players in the NBA. After such colossal lottery busts as Trajan Langdon and Will Avery, Duke needed someone to dominate in the NBA and put all talk of a Duke curse to rest. Boozer delivered. He was nothing short of spectacular in last year’s playoffs, outplaying
This year the Jazz have the potential to improve on last year’s surprisingly deep playoff run. Though the defection of Derek Fisher will hurt, Deron Williams is coming into his own, and the buzz around
Get excited about: Williams and Boozer channeling Stockton and Malone, the icy veins of Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko breaking out of his funk and playing to his potential.
Cover your eyes so you don't have to see: Kirilenko hoisting three pointers in the event that Jerry Sloan eventually decides to duplicate last year’s system and play him at the small forward position.
I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to share this video with the world. This is one of my favorite videos on YouTube. It’s Boozer posterizing a helpless Gilbert Arenas.
Minnesota Timberwolves
I’m going to make a bold prediction: the 2007 Minnesota Timberwolves will not make the playoffs. They are short on proven star power and they will likely experience significant growing pains as their shockingly young roster hits more than a few bumps in the road.
But wait, don’t change the channel just because you see the Wolves are playing. Despite the fact that they will lose many games, the discerning NBA fan will be able to watch their games and see tremendous potential for future success.
I was talking earlier about the current Big Threes in the NBA. Here is another one to monitor in the future: Jefferson/Foye/Brewer. Jefferson is already a star, Foye is on his way, and Brewer is exhibiting all the early symptoms.
This team is currently being built in the mold of the Chicago Bulls, with several quality young players in their rookie contracts being given the opportunity to play heavy minutes and develop chemistry. Unlike the Bulls, however, they have a dominant low post scorer in Jefferson who will get 23/12 every night.
This is a team built for the future, and while Minnesota fans are probably understandably upset about Garnett’s departure, they honestly have a lot to look forward to.
Get excited about: Randy Foye getting the national attention he deserves, Jefferson dominating the opposition, Brewer setting the rookie record for most steals-into-dunks, the striking good looks of Michael Jacob Doleac, Gerald Green above the rim.
Cover your eyes so you don't have to see: Kevin McHale finding a way to screw it up, the newly acquired Antoine Walker, the newly acquired Antoine Walker with the ball in his hands.
For those of you basketball fans who admire the big men who do the dirty work down low, this is your mixtape. It showcases the talents of Al Jefferson.
Seattle SuperSonics
The Sonics, Blazers, and Wolves all made similar moves this summer. They cut ties with their marquee players in order to free up room for the development of their young guns. The Blazers dropped Randolph to usher in Oden, the Wolves shopped Garnett to build around Jefferson, Foye, and Brewer, and the Sonics let Rashard Lewis bolt to Orlando and traded Ray Allen to the Celtics for the draft rights to Georgetown ’s Jeff Green.
The Sonics are another team that, like the Wolves, is at least a year away from playoff contention. Sonics management has put together a nice young roster which should be able to showcase the talents of Kevin Durant.
The two-headed point guard combo of Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson will have a stabilizing effect on an offense that might otherwise get out of hand due to the relative inexperience of much of this roster. Both Ridnour and Watson are dependable floor generals.
I caught some of the Sonics preseason game against the Lakers, and I was impressed by Jeff Green’s NBA readiness. He impressed me while at Georgetown (I watched him carve up Duke with his passing), but I wasn’t sure his game would immediately translate well to the NBA. I was wrong. He looks great, and I no longer question the Sonics’ decision to take him at #5.
Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox continue to go underappreciated and should both turn in typically consistent years. The success of this team hinges on whether or not Durant can handle the rigors of the long NBA season in his first year. At this point, your guess is as good as mine. We already know from watching him at Texas that you want to keep your eyes glued to the screen whenever he is on TV.
Get excited about: The ups and downs of the first year of the Durant era, the overhyped showdowns (Durant vs. Kobe ! Durant vs. T-Mac! Durant vs. Lebron!), the quiet efficiency of Jeff Green, Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson both notching over ten assists in the same game.
Cover your eyes so you don't have to see: The Sonics packing up shop and moving to Oklahoma City . Cmon, Seattle, get your act together! This is going to be a great team in a few years and you don’t want to have to buy NBA League Pass to watch all the games!
This is a great example of court vision. Check out Luke Ridnour making the heads up play after evading his defender with some fancy dribbling.
3 comments:
although at this point, there are so many Big Threes that it’s getting out of hand…Garnett/Pierce/Allen, Duncan/Parker/Ginobili, Kidd/Carter/Jefferson, Bryant/Vujacic/Walton
Bryant/Vujacic/Walton?
Trying to pull a quick one Charlie?
Sharp eye, anonymous
i read that too, and i would have commented, but i decided there were more important things going on in the sports world than a debate of nba big 3s. like college football. like the nfl. like the WORLD SERIES.
this site is biased against real american sports, and emphasizes sports on the periphery, like tennis and the nba.
i encourage others in the scrapper nation to voice their disappointment, and as a proud member, i demand better coverage of sports people care about.
otherwise, start covering badminton, bocce, and curling, because that's the natural next step.
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