Instead of breaking down roster changes and win/loss projections, I’m going to propose reasons why you as an NBA fan should be excited about each team in the league. We’ll go day by day with each division leading up to opening night on Tuesday.
The Atlantic Division
New Jersey Nets
Nets fans have a lot to be excited about this season. While the rest of the East has been improving through trades and free agent signings, the Nets hope to improve on last year’s performance simply by staying healthy. With Nenad Krstic and Richard Jefferson ready to go, the Nets will take advantage of a very dynamic offense and should be very interesting to watch.
If Jason Kidd and Vince Carter running the break isn’t enough to keep your attention, the addition of Jefferson on the wing and Krstic on the block should make this team very fun to watch (and very competitive).
Get excited about: Jason Kidd running the break with a healthy Vince and RJ on either side, Krstic stroking midrange jumpers and creating match up problems down low.Cover your eyes so you don't have to see: Marcus Williams stealing another laptop and disappearing into a cloud of Sean Williams' marijuana smoke!
(In all seriousness, if Kidd and Frank can keep these guys in order, they will be very valuable contributors both now and in the future.)
New York Knicks
Here at Scrapper Nation we like to look at the positives. Yes, Isiah Thomas lost his sexual harassment case. Yes, this Knicks roster is laden with question marks and career underachievers. Yes….Eddy Curry. Despite all this, the Knicks have a chance to compete and look good while doing it. Renaldo Balkman, last year’s first round pick (remember the chorus of boos in MSG?), looked very good last season and should continue to improve.
The 300 pound gorilla is the combination of Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph in the paint. Can they coexist? If they somehow work it out, and I have my doubts, this team will be able to compete.
Get excited about: Balkman throwing down ridiculous dunks (see YouTube) and the steady low-post contributions of Zach Randolph.
Cover your eyes so you don't have to see: Eddy Curry. Doing anything.
Toronto Raptors
Bosh. Bargnani. Ford. Calderon. Garbajosa. That’s not enough?!?! How about this: Kapono!!
The Raptors added the reigning NBA 3-point king, and while he probably won't be as good this season as he was last season as a member of your heroes, the Miami Heat, he should have another solid campaign, though he will have stiff competition for minutes with Carlos Delfino and Anthony Parker.
Raptors fans, rejoice! You will enjoy watching Kapono’s quick release and sweet stroke. His emergence as a serious perimeter threat was one of the few highlights of last season for my Heat.
Get excited about: Bargnani taking the next step, Kapono shooting textbook threes, the healthy point guard competition between Ford and Calderon.
Cover your eyes so you don't have to see: Chris Bosh gingerly walking off the court with some sort of injury. Let's hope he can stay healthy and cement his status as one of the NBA's elite forwards.
Raptors fans, enjoy this clip of Kapono winning the 3-point shootout.
Boston Celtics
If the Celtics’ offseason moves didn’t pump you up as a basketball
fan, it might be time to consider another sport. The Big Three by themselves provide reason enough to get excited, but it’s worth looking at how Danny Ainge filled out the roster after depleting it to get Garnett.
Everyone knows that the addition of Garnett and Allen makes them immediate contenders in the East, but Ainge’s shrewd and cost-efficient additions of Scot Pollard, James Posey, and Eddie House turned this team from a three-trick pony into what seems, on paper, to be a well-balanced and reasonably deep squad with a chance to make the Finals and hang with the West. Posey was a very underrated member of the Heat’s 2006 championship team, and he has the grit and the stones to be a major factor in the postseason. If you need some Big Three refreshment, check out the Scrapper’s post with their mixtapes.
Get excited about: Seeing the Celtics on TV in May and June, watching Garnett operate in the post, Scot Pollard's ever-evolving hairdo.
Cover your eyes so you don't have to see: Doc Rivers mismanaging games down the stretch.
Philadelphia 76ers
Andre Iguodala ('AI2', 'Iggy') took his game to the next level after the mid-season Iverson trade. Unfortunately for the rest of the league, it appears that he's only going to get better. While he has been excellent thus far, I really believe this is the year he breaks out and becomes a star. He will be the go-to guy, and with the underrated distributor Andre Miller having a Sixers training camp under his belt, this team should be able to outperform expectations.
Don't sleep on Shavlik Randolph returning from his freak ankle injury and making some noise. Ok... maybe sleep a little. I couldn't find the clip of his injury on YouTube, but if you have the occasion to view it, go ahead. Its not quite Shaun Livingston, but it's quite unpleasant. Hopefully he'll be able to come back and contribute again.
Get excited about: Miller lobbing to Iguodala, newcomer Thaddeus Young potentially mixing it up, Korver doing his best Jason Kapono impression.
Cover your eyes so you don't have to see: Larry Brown looming.
Tomorrow: The Central Division (Indiana, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland)
6 comments:
"Cover your eyes so you don't have to see: Marcus Williams stealing another laptop and disappearing into a cloud of Sean Williams' marijuana smoke!"
That's great.
No mention of Jamaal Magloire? He is a huge addition.
I think Magloire will help them compete, but I don't think he's going to factor too heavily into their offensive gameplan.
I also think he's an overrated underachiever, but it may be that he just needed the change of scenery and that the winning culture and the Nets leadership will be enough to elicit a solid contribution from him.
What do you think about this trade:
Kobe/Derek Fisher
For
Vince Carter/Jason Kidd
Whoever just posted that trade is a complete idiot. The Nets would only have Kobe and Jefferson left and they wouldn't be able to contend for a title. Kobe wouldn't sign off on that. What he would sign off on is a trade for Carter and Jefferson. The Lakers should do that, they'd have Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum: a solid nucleus. Kobe could get his wish to play with Kidd on the east coast and everyone would be happy (except Kobe probably still won't be able to win a championship unless Sean Williams becomes a monster).
"Korver doing his best Jason Kapono impression."
What?
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