With the NBA season just weeks away, it's time we took a look at the major stories as they seem to be shaping up for the upcoming year. Thrones will topple, new stars will emerge and Andrei Kirilenko will continue complaining in this, the first edition of Stories to Watch.
They Call Him AK-47 Because He Pops Off at the Mouth
Andrei Kirilenko's salary ranks him among the highest paid players in the NBA, so it was reasonable for the Utah Jazz to be concerned when he turned in what must be considered the worst season of his career. Of course, for the Jazz, the biggest worry probably didn't come so much from Kirilenko's play as he struggled to find a suitable role in lieu of the presence of Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, but from the rumored origin of his troubles. That, of course, is the rumor that Kirilenko's sudden decline in play was the result of a harrowing addiction. An addiction to the World of Warcraft.
Let's get back to that in just a moment. Kirilenko finished the season by playing well during the Jazz's run to the Western Conference finals, then proceeded to cap off the summer by leading Russia to a surprise victory in the FIBA European championships. Of course, looking a restored reputation in the face, Kirilenko couldn't leave a good situation alone. He had to publicly complain about the way he was treated by coach Jerry Sloan, demand a trade, even suggest to void his contract so that he could return to Russia to play against inferior competition for a team that "appreciates him." Appreciates you, Andrei? Appreciates you enough to pay you an average of over fifteen million dollars a season over the next four seasons, or appreciates you enough to feature you despite the apparent fact that you're addicted to a video game? What kind of appreciation are we talking about here?
Now, it seems that Sloan and Kirilenko have reconciled with comments from owner Larry Miller that AK is one of the top ten players in the league, but I remain skeptical... both of the mended fences, and especially of Kirilenko's elite status. He may be talented, but do you think Michael Jordan was wasting any of his time on video games during his reign as the league's greatest player? Of course not. He was far too busy gambling. Seriously, though, Kirilenko is a time bomb. Watch out, Utah.
The New York Knicks Are Silly
The trade to acquire Zach Randolph has left the Knicks more talented than last year, but perhaps even more crazily balanced. The Knicks now have a low post scorer in Eddy Curry and a high post scorer in Randolph. They also should have adequate rebounding between Randolph and David Lee, who is rumored to earn significant minutes playing alongside Curry and Randolph at the small forward position. So what's the problem? Well, I'm going to go out on a fairly sturdy limb and assert that a frontcourt of Curry, Randolph and Lee might be the worst defensive frontcourt in the history of the NBA. David Lee's spastic style often leaves him out of position even when trying to defend the power positions. Asking him to mark someone on the perimeter will be an unmitigated disaster. Randolph and Curry have both been atrocious over the course of their respective careers at every aspect of defense. They can not stay in front of their own men, they do not rotate well to help, and they will not contest shots vertically. If the Knicks mesh well offensively, which is a huge "if" given the high amount of scorers and low amount of competent passers, they could have an extremely efficient offense. The problem is that the team they're playing will be even better, perhaps even cartoonishly so. The Knicks defense will make every team who plays them look like the Harlem Globetrotters.
Of course, given Isiah Thomas's track record, is it even reasonable to expect him to know what he's doing when it comes to team building? He has never once shown the ability to do it. But he keeps getting jobs...
The Fall of Miami
As the season progresses, this is probably going to be the league's biggest story. But maybe it shouldn't be. Though a number of preseason prognosticators are still picking the Heat to finish near the top of the Eastern Conference, is that really a reasonable expectation? The Heat pull into this season just one year removed from an NBA title but boasting only a late 1st round draft choice as their most major roster addition. In the meantime, Dwyane Wade looks as if he won't be healthy enough to start the season, and the word is that Shaq, who only managed to play forty games last season, now weighs in the neighborhood of 370 lbs. As bad as his joints are, and as quickly as he's seen the quality of his play drop the past few years, that's a terrible sign for both Shaq and the Heat. I expect the Heat to be in the top half of lottery teams this year as Shaq will struggle to play 35 games, Wade will put up huge numbers but struggle to get wins without any semblance of a supporting cast, and Pat Riley will leave the bench before the all-star break. This is a team on the decline and on the verge of an implosion. Fortunately, there's plenty to do in Miami even without the Heat. You can watch the boats. You like boats, right?
The Next International Star
A German won the MVP last year, and a Canadian won it both of the previous two years. So, the question on everyone's lips is: A Canadian? Really? No, the real question is: who's the next foreign born player to take his team on his back and lead them to almost-glory? The obvious choice is the Raptors' Andrea Bargnani, one year removed from being the number one overall pick. And indeed, Bargnani has thus far looked like a player who is ready to take his game to the next level. Time will tell if his game is too similar to Chris Bosh's for the two to coexist long term, but I'd bet that it works out fine. Both can run the floor and finish at the hoop, and both extend the defense with the ability to shoot, which should open space around the basket for cutters or for each other to post.
The Milwaukee Bucks have two candidates for this distinction in Australian center Andrew Bogut and Chinese power forward Yi Jianlian. Bogut is entering his third year in the league with a rebuilt lower body that should help him maintain his position near the basket, but even so, he doesn't profile as the type of player who can directly affect the outcome of a game in the way Nowitzki can. What he can likely be, however, is an outstanding role player and the ultimate glue on a very good team, something like a better conditioned and more athletic Vlade Divac. Yi, given his extreme length, quickness and advanced skill set, profiles as a more likely candidate for stardom. Though he's likely to face a very steep learning curve as he adjusts to the NBA from the weak Chinese league, Yi has the makeup of an impact player and will likely begin to realize his talent around the all-star break, much the same way that Bargnani did for the Raptors last season.
The final candidate is a bit of a dark horse, but Marco Belinelli has made quite a name for himself in Golden State with his shooting ability and versatile offensive displays. Coach Don Nelson has been quoted saying that Belinelli has star "written all over him," and when watching him play, it is clear that the other kid from Italy is as natural a basketball player as they come. Like all rookies, his biggest struggles will be with the speed of the game and keeping his man in front of him on defense, but with the departure of Jason Richardson to Charlotte, Belinelli figures into the Warriors' plans immediately and will have as much opportunity to make his mark as any rookie in the league.
The Rest of the Celtics
There's naturally been a lot of fanfare in Boston over the respective arrivals of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, but perhaps -- though it has come up -- not enough has been made of what the Celtics sacrificed to bring in those players: team depth. In fact, after the big 3, Boston has precious little to fall back in even in the starting lineup. Rajon Rondo is an intriguing second year defensive specialist/speed demon of a point guard with no jump shot and less discipline. Kendrick Perkins was supposed to be Dikembe Mutombo by now, but for some reason he's barely Brian Skinner. James Posey and Dahntay Jones would have been solid wing pickups for any team that didn't already have three of their four best players (throwing Tony Allen in the mix) playing the same positions. All the new NBA commercials are promising us that it takes five, and meanwhile Danny Ainge is swearing that three really good ones is plenty. Boston should be near the top of the Eastern Conference barring major injuries, but they'll have to see some major improvement from their young point guards and big men if they're going to get past Chicago and Detroit.
Marion on the Block
The Shawn Marion situation is kind of similar to the AK-47 situation in Utah in that both complain about their recognition. The difference is that whereas AK-47 is addicted to World of Warcraft, Marion plays basketball, and where AK-47 publicly demands a trade, Marion plays basketball. In both of these ways, Marion is much more valuable as a basketball player, and thus, you would think, teams would be clamoring to trade for him. Yet, it is apparently not so, as teams have balked at his huge demands for a contract extension. This has all the makings of an ongoing situation. It would be a disaster for the Suns near-term title hopes to lose Marion for nothing, and yet they will probably not be able to internally rationalize devoting a monstrous chunk of their total salaries to a malcontent. In the meantime, Shawn Marion will play basketball.
The Atlanta Hawks Ownership Fiasco
As the story currently holds, former governor of the Hawks' ownership group Steve Belkin is still mired in a bitter legal dispute over control of the team with the rest of its owners. Most recently, a court overturned Belkin's right to buy out these owners at cost, effectively holding the team's financial moves in limbo.
Now, I realize that this is all incredibly boring, but it does have an interesting implication in that two of the Hawks most prized young players, forwards and Joshes Smith and Childress, are due for contract extensions lest they become free agents next summer. Josh Smith in particular is showing signs of developing into a star player, and if these signs continue, it's possible that a league-wide bidding war will spring into effect to acquire Smith from the Hawks via trade. After all, a still-up-in-the-air decision making team may still be unable to pull the trigger on any long term financial risks next summer, and the Hawks will want to make the most of their assets before they walk for nothing. If you're an Atlanta fan: I'm sorry. I know it sucks. I root for the Brewers.
The Rookie of the Year Race
This is nothing new; the ROY race is always* interesting. This year, the prime contenders will be Kevin Durant, who will get plenty of minutes and shots for the young Sonics; Al Horford, the championship-seasoned rebounding machine who'll immediately be a double-digit glass cleaner for the Hawks; Luis Scola, the seasoned European veteran who should provide a hustling, cerebral frontcourt counterpart to the dangerous but plodding Yao. And, why not, I'm going to go ahead and predict that, while he'll ultimately fall short, Yi will provide voters with something to consider after a late push. My pick for the award? Horford. He's already a great rebounder, and he's got enough offense that he could average a double-double immediately, especially now that he's not playing next to everyone's favorite spaz-to-hate, Joakim Noah.
http://www.doubleviking.com/8-stories-to-watch-in-the-nba-6751-p.html
They Call Him AK-47 Because He Pops Off at the Mouth
Let's get back to that in just a moment. Kirilenko finished the season by playing well during the Jazz's run to the Western Conference finals, then proceeded to cap off the summer by leading Russia to a surprise victory in the FIBA European championships. Of course, looking a restored reputation in the face, Kirilenko couldn't leave a good situation alone. He had to publicly complain about the way he was treated by coach Jerry Sloan, demand a trade, even suggest to void his contract so that he could return to Russia to play against inferior competition for a team that "appreciates him." Appreciates you, Andrei? Appreciates you enough to pay you an average of over fifteen million dollars a season over the next four seasons, or appreciates you enough to feature you despite the apparent fact that you're addicted to a video game? What kind of appreciation are we talking about here?
Now, it seems that Sloan and Kirilenko have reconciled with comments from owner Larry Miller that AK is one of the top ten players in the league, but I remain skeptical... both of the mended fences, and especially of Kirilenko's elite status. He may be talented, but do you think Michael Jordan was wasting any of his time on video games during his reign as the league's greatest player? Of course not. He was far too busy gambling. Seriously, though, Kirilenko is a time bomb. Watch out, Utah.
The New York Knicks Are Silly
Of course, given Isiah Thomas's track record, is it even reasonable to expect him to know what he's doing when it comes to team building? He has never once shown the ability to do it. But he keeps getting jobs...
The Fall of Miami
The Next International Star
The Milwaukee Bucks have two candidates for this distinction in Australian center Andrew Bogut and Chinese power forward Yi Jianlian. Bogut is entering his third year in the league with a rebuilt lower body that should help him maintain his position near the basket, but even so, he doesn't profile as the type of player who can directly affect the outcome of a game in the way Nowitzki can. What he can likely be, however, is an outstanding role player and the ultimate glue on a very good team, something like a better conditioned and more athletic Vlade Divac. Yi, given his extreme length, quickness and advanced skill set, profiles as a more likely candidate for stardom. Though he's likely to face a very steep learning curve as he adjusts to the NBA from the weak Chinese league, Yi has the makeup of an impact player and will likely begin to realize his talent around the all-star break, much the same way that Bargnani did for the Raptors last season.
The final candidate is a bit of a dark horse, but Marco Belinelli has made quite a name for himself in Golden State with his shooting ability and versatile offensive displays. Coach Don Nelson has been quoted saying that Belinelli has star "written all over him," and when watching him play, it is clear that the other kid from Italy is as natural a basketball player as they come. Like all rookies, his biggest struggles will be with the speed of the game and keeping his man in front of him on defense, but with the departure of Jason Richardson to Charlotte, Belinelli figures into the Warriors' plans immediately and will have as much opportunity to make his mark as any rookie in the league.
The Rest of the Celtics
Marion on the Block
The Shawn Marion situation is kind of similar to the AK-47 situation in Utah in that both complain about their recognition. The difference is that whereas AK-47 is addicted to World of Warcraft, Marion plays basketball, and where AK-47 publicly demands a trade, Marion plays basketball. In both of these ways, Marion is much more valuable as a basketball player, and thus, you would think, teams would be clamoring to trade for him. Yet, it is apparently not so, as teams have balked at his huge demands for a contract extension. This has all the makings of an ongoing situation. It would be a disaster for the Suns near-term title hopes to lose Marion for nothing, and yet they will probably not be able to internally rationalize devoting a monstrous chunk of their total salaries to a malcontent. In the meantime, Shawn Marion will play basketball.
The Atlanta Hawks Ownership Fiasco
Now, I realize that this is all incredibly boring, but it does have an interesting implication in that two of the Hawks most prized young players, forwards and Joshes Smith and Childress, are due for contract extensions lest they become free agents next summer. Josh Smith in particular is showing signs of developing into a star player, and if these signs continue, it's possible that a league-wide bidding war will spring into effect to acquire Smith from the Hawks via trade. After all, a still-up-in-the-air decision making team may still be unable to pull the trigger on any long term financial risks next summer, and the Hawks will want to make the most of their assets before they walk for nothing. If you're an Atlanta fan: I'm sorry. I know it sucks. I root for the Brewers.
The Rookie of the Year Race
This is nothing new; the ROY race is always* interesting. This year, the prime contenders will be Kevin Durant, who will get plenty of minutes and shots for the young Sonics; Al Horford, the championship-seasoned rebounding machine who'll immediately be a double-digit glass cleaner for the Hawks; Luis Scola, the seasoned European veteran who should provide a hustling, cerebral frontcourt counterpart to the dangerous but plodding Yao. And, why not, I'm going to go ahead and predict that, while he'll ultimately fall short, Yi will provide voters with something to consider after a late push. My pick for the award? Horford. He's already a great rebounder, and he's got enough offense that he could average a double-double immediately, especially now that he's not playing next to everyone's favorite spaz-to-hate, Joakim Noah.
http://www.doubleviking.com/8-stories-to-watch-in-the-nba-6751-p.html
Funny shit man
