It’s that special time when “candidates” have worked hard, and it’s time to produce.
Who will finish on top?
Who knows? It’ll be months before the results are found.
The National Basketball Association started play yesterday, and I’m pumped.
By the time anyone reads this, three games will have been played in this young NBA season.
There are a lot of new and fun aspects to the NBA this year, including division realignment.
For the league, this is a great idea. Divisional matchups will be more compelling and will make more sense geographically.
Portland Trail Blazer fans: Hold on, don’t get too excited.
Portland now plays in the Northwest Division, which has arguably two of the top three teams in the conference, Denver and Minnesota.
Minnesota is one of the “sexy” choices (i.e. the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL) to win the title this year.
Why, you ask?
K.G. Enough said.
Kevin Garnett is the best all-around basketball player on the planet right now. He led his team to the best record in the league last year and nearly beat the Lakers in last season’s Western Conference Finals.
But all you Portland fans thinking that the drama of the Lakers is finally out of your division, fear not; Minnesota has its own problems.
Both Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell are griping about contract extensions (Why? I don’t know, because both are 34-years-old and past their primes) with Sprewell demanding a trade.
But once again, the Timberwolves have K.G.
In Denver, the Nuggets picked up one of the most coveted free-agents of the off-season in Kenyon Martin. The Nuggets are young, exciting and made the playoffs last year with rookie Carmelo Anthony leading the team in scoring. A damn rookie!
With Martin and Marcus Camby on the inside, Andre Miller and Voshon Lenard on the outside and Anthony covering everything in between, Denver will be tough.
An improved Utah team is also in the Blazers’ division. One of the surprises of the league last season, Utah will now have added pressure to succeed. The Jazz picked up two big men during the off-season: Mehmet Okur and Carlos “Yeah I’ll stay in Cleveland — unless they give me more money somewhere else” Boozer.
Those two, teamed with Andrei Kirilenko, will give the Jazz a tough frontcourt to contend with. Their backcourt isn’t too shabby either, as long as Carlos Arroyo (fresh off shocking Team USA in Greece) isn’t out too long with his ankle injury.
Luckily for the Blazers, Seattle will join them in the division, and it looks like these two teams will be fighting to the death over last place.
The Sonics, as I’m sure every Oregon fan knows, have Luke Ridnour. This figures to be the year he gets more playing time, which could fit in well with Nate McMillan’s run-and-gun offense.
He will be flanked by All-Stars Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. These two combined for more than 40 points per game, and with these three on the floor, the basketball may never get inside the three-point line before it’s shot.
Other than Allen and Lewis, Seattle doesn’t have any proven scorers and figures to struggle against teams with strong low-post games all season.
Then there is Portland.
The Blazers missed the playoffs for the first time in 22 years last season, but fans have the addition of the good natured Theo Ratliff, which apparently means more to them than increasing their win total.
The Blazers signed Zach Randolph to a huge contract. I think he only deserved half of the nearly $84 million they gave him, seeing that he doesn’t show up half the time on defense.
Randolph and Ratliff, combined with the less-than-spectacular defense of Shareef Abdur-Rahim will have to block about 500 shots this season to keep Portland in games. Neither Randolph nor Abdur-Rahim play very much defense, which isn’t a good sign when the likes of Tim Duncan, Garnett, Martin and other great forwards are in the same conference.
But at least they will be nice to each other, right Portland fans?
This division realignment is a great thing for the NBA and the fans, who now have a better chance of their favorite team winning a division title.
Not so fast, Portland fans.
You’ll have to live with the memories of Bill Walton, Rip City and other fond moments because this year isn’t your time.
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