With the NBA season in full effect, I am one happy camper. As I have written before this will be one of the most anticipated seasons in recent years. With an intense NBA finals last year everybody will be anxious to see who will be holding the trophy at the end of the season. I will share my thoughts on some teams that have got a lot of attention from each conference. Mind you it is early so things will likely change as the season progresses.
Eastern Conference – The five teams that have been talked about the most are the Heat, Pacers, Bulls, Knicks, Nets
Heat – Defending champs and in glimpses have looked like the champs. They have the habit of playing to their competition and because of it lost to a rebuilding 76ers team. The Heat have the on button and when they hit the switch they turn up the defensive pressure and are at their best. You can tell it is early and they really don’t take these games seriously. LBJ looks as if he is only getting better and that thought alone is scary.
Bulls- The Bulls with Rose haven’t gotten it all together yet. The team is adjusting to having Rose back in the lineup and will take time to develop chemistry on the offensive end. They are still a very physical team and will be a handful come playoffs. Rose has flashed some quick and explosive moves but hasn’t been his MVP self yet.
Pacers – Undefeated – I think that says it all
Nets – The Nets have suffered losses from Orlando and Washington. With time the team will get better. I think people gave this team to much credit and too much high expectations after the rebuilding that took place this off summer. What you have to realize is that they won’t gel instantly, it takes time. But with the right players and veterans this team will get better.
Knicks – The Knicks have also had a slow start. To add insult they just lost Tyson Chandler for about 4-6 weeks. The team will get back JR Smith and they desperately need his offense. Bargs will play the 5 until Tyson returns. The Knicks will have work to do, and without their center it will be about effort on the defensive end.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Rockets – The Rockets landed the free agent of the year D12 and he looks healthy. The Rockets still have not found a way to utilize the big man yet from what I’ve seen so far. But they will make noise because they are young and big
Clippers – Doc Rivers has installed an offense that fits the Clippers perfectly. The biggest mission this year is to have DJ be an defensive force in the middle. And if that happens they can make a trip to the Western Conference Finals.
Thunder – With Westbrook back the Thunder pick up from where they left off. The key to the team this year will be the role players and if they can provide quality minutes. Adams, Jackson and Lamb have looked good so far this season.
Wolves – The wolves have a sneaky good team this year. LOVE is a guaranteed double-double every night and have added a great scorer in Kevin Martin to the mix.
There are a lot of interesting teams this year. It will literally take me pages to evaluate each one. But these were the teams I have been able to see so far. I will continue to write and share my thoughts as the season shapes.
The Sports Guru 