During one of those “18/58” updates on ESPN Sunday, I saw something that startled me: “Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade will attempt to practice Monday for the first time since his shoulder injury Feb. 21.”
Yes, the dislocation of Wade’s right (shooting) shoulder was serious. Yes, it put a snag in any back-to-back talk in South Beach. But it’s not like this is the first time this injury has hampered an NBA uber-star, even though you’d think it is with all the cov-erage Wade has garnered.
Kobe Bryant suffered a similar injury during the 2002-03 playoffs and re-injured the joint the following year, which caused Bryant to miss 17 games that season. Sure, there was coverage of the damage, but not to the level of attention Wade has received.
This injury has been mainstream news since it occurred in a Heat loss at Houston in February. Wade, who returned to practice Monday, added to the drama by draping a towel over his head and lap after the injury took place. Not to mention needing a wheelchair for an arm injury!
I’ve heard everything from, “he shouldn’t risk fur-ther injury by coming back,” to, “if Wade returns, it’s amazing.”
When Kobe re-injured his shooting shoulder against Cleveland in January 2004, there was no wheelchair, no crocodile tears, nothing — just Bryant vowing to return to aid his team. The love Wade, the 2006 Finals MVP, has been shown the last six weeks is unbelievable. But do you think people in the sports world would be fawning over the Heat guard if he was the polarizing, lone wolf Bryant is portrayed as being?
This has done nothing but reaffirm my belief that Kobe can do nothing to make people “love” him. He can’t become a better teammate, which he has; he can’t do things for children, which he has. Kobe’s stuck.
This is a country of people who give everyone a second chance. Where’s Kobe’s second chance with the media? The people have spoken. Bryant’s number 24 jersey is the No. 1 seller in the League. Fans at Staples Center and abroad chant “M-V-P” when they witness his scoring exploits. This even happened in Boston of all places! Kevin McHale must be spinning in his grave.
Ask anyone in the know and they’ll tell you Bryant is the League’s premier player. No mention of his 40 ppg March is needed, although that scoring barrage catapulted Bryant from fourth in scoring to the top of the heap (31 ppg). Bryant recently followed up a 53-point effort in an overtime loss to Houston with an all-around effort (19 points, 13 dimes) in a 126-103 rout of Sacramento.
Kobe won’t win the MVP award this year. Hell, I’m almost convinced he’ll never receive the honor after last season, where he took a team of career underachievers (Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom) and youngsters (Luke Walton and Andrew Bynum) to the playoffs, while posting the highest scoring average (35.4) in nearly two decades.
Kobe finished fourth in MVP voting last season. How is that possible? Bryant should have won the award hands down. But voters of the award don’t like Bryant.
Isn’t that title supposed to be bestowed upon the best on court performer? And, if the rape charge is a reason behind that dislike, people fail to remember no jury convicted Bryant of anything. Steve Nash is an amazing talent, but he wouldn’t have finished in the top 10 of the voting 15 years ago. Jason Kidd has no MVPs to Nash’s two, but Kidd has two Finals appearances to Nash’s zero. Does that mean Kidd should have beat out Tim Duncan for the award during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons? No, because Duncan was the best player those two years, as Kobe has been the last two.
What does Kobe have to do to get some love from the mainstream? Cure cancer? I don’t think we’ll ever know.
The only thing we’ll know is that Bryant is one of the greatest of all time. We don’t need anyone to tell us that.
It’s rare the fanbase of a team that had a high draft pick at the end of a season and won a title the following season would want to see a draft redone, but that’s exactly what Detroit Pistons fans have been clamoring for since David Stern walked up to the podium June 26, 2003, in the Theater at Madison Square Garden and uttered the now infamous words, “...the Detroit Pistons select...Darko Milicic....”
All I’ve heard from countless fans, who have seen the guys drafted around Darko become all stars, Olympians and contributors on playoff teams, is things like, “We coulda had (insert all-world player’s name here).”
Sure, Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars had plenty of options with the pick, which the team got by way of a trade involving Otis Thorpe (!). His team just finished up a campaign where it won 50 games and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Detroit had a solid backcourt (Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton), a blossoming swingman (Tayshaun Prince), a defensive beast in Ben Wallace and a bench that featured solid veterans (Corliss Williamson and Jon Barry).
What the Pistons needed was a four man to complete their starting lineup. They would acquire that power forward, but not through the draft. Detroit picked up Rasheed Wallace after the 2004 all-star break and rode its starters to the 2004 NBA title.
Two-and-a-half seasons later, Ben Wallace is in Chicago, Billups may opt out of his contract, Rasheed Wallace isn’t getting any younger and the bench is thin. This is where the Darko pick would come in handy, right? You’d think, in his fourth season, Milicic would have turned into a solid, nightly contributor in Motown, right? Well, Darko was traded, along with expendable point guard Carlos Arroyo, to the Orlando Magic for Kelvin Cato (no longer with the Pistons), and a top-five protected 2007 draft pick or a top-two protected ’08 pick.
So let’s play a game of “what if.” The ’03 draft turned out to be one of the deepest in history, being mentioned in the same breath as the ’84 draft (Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, John Stockton) and the ’96 draft (Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury, Jermaine O’Neal). Darko was the second pick on the ’03 edition of the draft. The second pick in the other star-studded drafts hasn’t panned out how GMs and owners hoped. Sam Bowie’s 10-year career was injury filled and Marcus Camby (selected number two by the Toronto Raptors in 1996) has turned into a serviceable big man, but not what Isiah Thomas hoped when he drafted him.
Waiting a few years to re-do or grade a previous draft is always a good idea, IMO. Who would have thought Josh Howard and Leandro Barbosa would have turned into stars after their rookie campaigns?
Number one in 2003 was a no-brainer. Cleveland was set to take LeBron James with the first selection. It gets interesting past that point, though, so we’ll start with the second pick. The draftees’ original spot is in parentheses.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers — LeBron James (1), St. Vincent/St. Mary’s High School. Original pick: James
2. Detroit Pistons — Chris Bosh (4), Georgia Tech. A number of people have said Detroit should have taken Carmelo Anthony here, but the Pistons already had a small forward in Prince. Dwyane Wade may have fit here, too, but his minutes may have been minimal behind Hamilton and Billups. Many people have said Milicic didn’t display any passion or work ethic, which led to him not getting any burn. I think Bosh, Anthony and Wade would have earned some PT. Original pick: Darko Milicic
3. Denver Nuggets — Dwyane Wade (5), Marquette. We all know Denver took Anthony in the spot four years ago. The 2006 Finals MVP could have worked out for the Nuggets, though. With the 46th pick, Denver could have chosen the undrafted Udonis Haslem, Wade’s teammate in Miami or the undrafted Marquise Daniels. Haslem has stayed healthy throughout his career, which is more than I can say for Nene. Haslem may have not commanded a $60 million deal the way Hilario did, either. Original pick: Carmelo Anthony
4. Toronto Raptors — Carmelo Anthony (3), Syracuse. Could drafting Anthony have kept Vince Carter in Canada? We’ll never know, but this pick could have given the Raptors a wing tandem for the ages. Haslem was also still on the board when Toronto picked again at 52. Original pick: Bosh
5. Miami Heat — Josh Howard (29), Wake Forest. The best defensive player on the list takes a huge jump from his original position. I don’t know if Howard would have led the Heat to the second round of the playoffs the way Wade did his rookie season, but Howard’s all-around, unselfish game would have meshed well with Shaq, assuming O’Neal would have still signed with the Heat. Milwaukee point guard Mo Williams was available at 33, as well. Original pick: Wade
6. Los Angeles Clippers — Chris Kaman (6), Central Michigan. Kaman was selected here by the Clippers in the ’03 draft. He fit a need with the departure of former number one pick Michael Olowokandi. Kaman parlayed a couple solid seasons into a $50 million re-up before injuries put him on the shelf for much of the current season. Original pick: Kaman
7. Chicago Bulls — Kirk Hinrich (7), Kansas. Hinrich was originally selected here by the Bulls in 2003. The Jayhawk fit a need after ’02 pick Jay Williams pulled a Rothlesberger before you could call it that. Hinrich has been a key cog in the Bulls’ resurgence, helping lead the team to back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Original pick: Hinrich
8. Milwaukee Bucks — T.J. Ford (8), Texas. Ford was selected here by Milwaukee and fit a need following the departure of Sam Cassell to Minnesota and Gary Payton to the Lakers. Ford was having a solid rookie campaign (7.1 ppg, 6.5 apg) before he suffered a neck injury. Ford was traded to Toronto for Raptors 2006 lottery pick Charlie Villanueva. Ford has piloted Toronto to the top of the Atlantic division and the three-seed in the Eastern Conference. Original pick: Ford
9. New York Knicks — David West (18), Xavier. The 6’9,” 240-pound West had a quiet first two years with the Hornets, but West had a breakout season last year, averaging 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 51 percent from the field. Yes, I’m sure having Chris Paul helped, but West seems like a hard worker who’ll do anything to make it in the League. Original pick: Michael Sweetney
10. Washington Wizards
11. Golden State Warriors
Either of these spots could have gone to two players: Boris Diaw (21) and Luke Walton (32). Diaw couldn’t get off the bench in Atlanta, yet he has been a major part of a Phoenix team that has re-introduced “Showtime” to the masses, even garnering Most Improved Player honors at the end of the 2005-06 season. Starting at center for Phoenix that season in the playoffs, Diaw averaged 18.7 points, 6.7 boards and 5.2 assists. Walton has blossomed into one of the better all-around young players in the league. His adept passing skills have been put on display in Phil Jackson’s triangle offense. In 48 games this season, Walton has more than doubled his career scoring (5.1 to 11.4 ppg), and assists per game averages (2.3 to 4.5). The original picks in these slots, Jarvis Hayes and Michael Pietrus, have shown flashes at time, but haven’t played at the level of Diaw and Walton. Original picks: Jarvis Hayes (Wash.) and Michael Pietrus (GSW)
12. Seattle Supersonics — Udonis Haslem, Florida. I considered slotting Darko here, but Seattle has had a pension to take ####ers the last few years (Reggie Evans, trading for Chris Wilcox). Haslem went undrafted in 2003, after playing overseas in 2002, but has worked his way into the starting PF spot in South Beach for the foreseeable future. Haslem isn’t flashy, but he’s a big body who isn’t afraid to mix it up in the post. It also helps that he can hit an 18-foot jumper consistently. Original pick: Nick Collison
13. Memphis Grizzlies — Leandro Barbosa, Brazil. As of March 27), Barbosa is averaging 17.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 32.4 minutes per game. Barbosa is widely considered at the favorite to wint he Sixth Man of the Year award. The speedy Barbosa could start on a number of teams, but he’s happy with his role in Phoenix. Ironically, one of his teammates, Marcus Banks, was selected in this spot originally. Banks rarely sniffs the court in Phoenix. Original pick: Marcus Banks
Yes, the fortunes of a number of teams could have been changed had the draft when as I see it. But, hey, hindsight is 20/20. Can you imagine a lineup of Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Bosh? The Chris Webber deal would have been uncalled for, or Webber would have been relegated to a sixth man role. Now, Detroit has to worry about losing its starting power forward and center in a year or two. I can see Piston fans using old battery acid for eyedrops.
But they’re not the only people I’m worried about. With the number of second overall picks that have done squat in the League (Bowie, Steve Stipanovich and Milicic come to mind), I’m going to say a prayer for both Greg Oden and Kevin Durant on draft night.
I know the title of this is corny, but corny works sometimes, so kiss my $ss.
Tonight's the night.
Two playoff rematches kick off the new NBA season as the Heat host the Bulls and the Suns travel to L.A. to take on the Lakers.
Although only four teams are in action tonight, a number of players on each sqaud could win several league awards this season. And three of them have a realistic chance to win the '07 title.
What follows is a list of 2006-07 award winners. I'm not the guy from Crossing Over, but I could see a number of these hunches turning into reality.
I considered a number of candidates for this award-J.R. Smith, Smush Parker and Desagana Diop to name a few. But the three I chose are all being asked to bust out this season. Livingston has replaced vet Sam Cassell in the Clippers starting line-up after Cassell captained a team that was a game away from the West Finals. Darko, thought to be the biggest bust since Sam Bowie, couldn't get off the oak in Motown, but will be asked to form a solid young post combo with manchild Dwight Howard. Chandler was expendible and not dependable in Chicago, now he's expected to keep up with Chris Paul for 82 games. Three guys selected in the top five of their respective draft classes. Three guys who've shown flashes at times are now being asked to show some consistency.
Winner: Milicic
When he left purgatory for the Magic Kingdom, Milicic more than tripled his scoring and rebounding averages. Yea, that only translated to 7.6 and 4.1, respectively over 30 games, but it showed why Pistons exec Joe Dumars saw so much potential in the Serbian. If Darko can up his numbers to, say, 13 and 8 with 2 blocks, couple that with the development of point guard Jameer Nelson, Howard's ability and the (presumed) health of Grant Hill, Orlando could sneak into the eighth spot in the playoffs.
Sixth Man of the Year
Nominees: Sam Cassell, Clippers G; Anthony Johnson, Mavericks G; Matt Harpring, Jazz F
It's rare that three girzzled veterans get considered for this award, but with all the changes to these playoff-bound teams, each of these guys will play important minutes off the bench. This will mark the first time Cassell has come off the bench since his Houston days, which is when he won two rings. He knows he's on his last legs and that Livingston needs to be thrown into the fire to show what he's got, so he'll be a team player, accept his role and thrive in it. Johnson, on his sixth team in 10 seasons, will bring verteran savviness to a Mavericks team that had energetic but young Devin Harris backing up Jason Terry last season. He'll be a tough match-up for some of the smaller guards out West, as he outweighs Harris and Terry by an average of 17.5 pounds. If one of those two gets fatigued or in foul trouble, Johnson can play starter's minutes as he showed in the Pacers first round series against New Jersey. Johnson averaged 40.2 minutes and 20 ppg per game over that six-game series. Harpring has put in 13 points and six boards a night over his eight-year career. He can provide toughness and scoring from both forward positions and he shoots a high percentage (.478 for his career).
Winner: Cassell
I know he is essentially being demoted for a younger, more spry player, but Cassell will still get good minutes and he'll be on the floor, and have the ball, in clutch situations.
I also considered Rajon Rondo and Marcus Williams for this award. Con####uous by his absence is Randy Foye, who everybody was ready to hand the award to following Villanova's run in the NCAA Tournament. Foye played well in summer league games, but fell off once the preseason started. It's fairly simple why I chose two of the three guys I selected. Roye and #### are on bad teams. Portland is young and Pau Gasol's foot injury will hurt Memphis. Roy will be able to showcase his all-around skills (he was the only player in the NCAA to average 20 points, six boards and five assists a night last season). And #### will be able to put the "lazy, disinterested" tag he earned in two years at UCONN behind him. It's funny that people gave him that label simply because he didn't take over games. He didn't have to. That Huskies team was stacked and produced four first round draft picks. #### was the only player in the country to average 15 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and 1.5 blocks. You call that lazy? Thomas is an interesting choice because he goes into a situation where his team is ready to win now. He could have ended up on the Knicks, but was selected by Chicago due to the Eddy Curry deal. Thomas wasn't a starter for much of his one and only season at LSU. In 25 minutes a night, he put up 12.3 points, 9.2 boards and 3.1 blocks. Starter stats in bench minutes. Thomas has the ability to #### and displayed a decent mid-range J during the Tigers run to the '06 Final Four. His work ethic will help him crack Scott Skiles' rotation and I think he'll play several minutes alongside Wallace this season to add to the Bulls interior defense.
There's always a guy who comes into the League with something to prove. Memphis won't win much this season, but #### will have the chance to show he can dominate a given game. Plus, how can you not love a guy named Rudy?
Defensive Player of the Year
Nominees: Ben Wallace, Bulls F/C; Ron Artest, Kings F; Kobe Bryant, Lakers G
No Bruce Bowen because age and the new rules will catch up to him this year. No Andrei Kirilenko because, although he could swat a dunk from halfcourt, he's not mentioned in the list of "lockdown defenders." Wallace already has four DPOY trophies, but I think he'll show renewed intensity with his new team and push for a fifth. Artest won the award in 2004 and is consistently talked about as one of the best perimeter defenders in the League. Bryant is the only player on the list who hasn't won the award, but he has made a few all-defensive teams, and is the only player in the League who can dominate on both ends of the floor.
Winner: Bryant
There are some questions about his health following off-season knee surgery, but Kobe has played through injury before. Bryant can affford to sacrifice a few points agme (he averaged 35.4 last season) to put more of an emphasis on locking down the opponents best perimeter player.
Most Valuable Player
Nominees: Bryant; LeBron James, Cavaliers G/F; Dwyane Wade, Heat G
I'll admit: I love Kobe Bryant. He's not a role model or anything like that, even though I did get choked up during that Make-A-Wish segment on SportsCenter this past summer. I think he is the most talented, hardest working player in the game today. No, he's not Michael Jordan. If he'd realize that he could realize his true greatness. I think this will be the season that sinks into his head. James is the posterboy of the League. I love "The LeBron's." He has no ceiling, is a freak of nature and is a cross between Magic and Dominique Wilkins. Again, no Jordan comparison. Jordan was a killer. LeBron's too nice. When he develops a killer instinct, similar to what Kobe has, the League will be his. I never thought a team with Shaquille O'Neal would have someone else listed as an MVP candidate. Until last June. Wade dominated that Finals series. He singlehandedly got Shaq and Riles their fourth and fifth rings, respectively. If he puts more emphasis on defense this year and develops a decent long-range shot, it's O-V-E-R. This is tough, but I'm gonna go with...
Winner: Bryant. Question. It's late in the fourth quarter. Your team is down a point and you have the ball coming out of a TO. Who do you want with the ball? Here's another one. It's late in the game. Your team's up one and the opposition has the ball coming out of a break. Who do you want ON the ball? Same guy for both answers, huh?
This time tomorrow, Ben Wallace will be battling Shaq for post position for the first time since late May. Ben Gordon will have taken 20 shots and Dwyane Wade will have taken 648 free throws.
Yes, the new NBA season kicks off tomorrow night. Before the first tip, here are the ten teams I believe have the best shot to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy next June.
10. Houston Rockets: The Rockets could go from Lottery to late May if everything goes according to plan: Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming play more than 65 games apiece, Shane Battier gives his trademark hardnosed effort, Bonzi Wells takes his meds. You know Jeff Van Gundy will have these guys playing tough D every night. And, if healthy, Houston will almost certainly improve on its 90.1 ppg average from last season. T-Mac can get a third of that alone. Watch out for rookie Steve Novak, too. The 6'10" Marquette product displayed his range all preseason long. Look for him to hit a couple clutch threes for H-Town this season.
9. New Jersey Nets: For some reason, I still think this is too high for Jersey. I know they played Miami tough even though they lost the series in five games, but I'm just not sold on them. Jason Kidd is a year older. Vince Carter is, well, Vince Carter. And I don't believe in their front line past Nenad Krstic. Jersey's perimeter trio of Kidd, Carter and Richard Jefferson will make them one of the League's more exciting teams, of course. And rookie Marcus Williams has the potential to make 21 GMs wish they selected him...just as long as he stays out of any computer labs he comes across. Krstic is the key here. If he builds on his '06 numbers-13.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, potential double teams could free up Jefferson and Carter to run wild and Jersey could go deep into the '07 playoffs.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers: This is a lot of people's sexy pick to make it out of the East. I don't see it. Dan Gilbert (a Spartan!!!) paid $23 million for three years to forward Drew Gooden, who averaged 10.7 points and 8.4 boards in 05-06. That's $8 mil a year to a guy who played 27.5 minutes a night and had PT taken from him by a guy who looks like Sideshow Bob. Outside of a couple draft picks (Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson), and singing tge aging David Wesley, Cleveland's roster is the same as the group who played admirably before losing to Detroit in seven games in the east semis. Yes, Larry Hughes will be healthy, but I don't think he's the right guy to play Pippen to LeBron's MJ. If a young Washington team wouldn't re-sign him, what does that tell you? Speaking of LeBron, he can only get better. He has no ceiling. Everybody knows that. He also doesn't have much help at The Q. Brooklyn's calling his name.
7. Chicago Bulls: Former Bull John Paxson made the biggest signing of the summer when he stole Ben Wallace from the Pistons for $60 million over four years. That deal just adds another piece to an already stout defensive squad that held opponents to a league-low 42.5 percent shooting from the floor. Eddy Curry-remember him-has already been forgotten, and Wallace will help Bulls fans forget the underachieving Tyson Chandler, too. As long as they stay together, Chicago is set on the perimeter for at least the next decade. Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon anchor a group that includes Chris Duhon, Luol Deng and pitbull Andres Nocioni. That group combined for 70 percent of the Bulls 97.8 ppg last season. That's where the problem lies. Chicago has to get some scoring from the post positions. Yes, Wallace and cagey vet P.J. Brown are tough, but they only combined for 16.3 points per game last season. I know scoring isn't why those two were signed, but the wing quintet is sure to have some off nights. Does Scott Skiles roll with his veteran 4 and 5, or does he insert number two pick Tyrus Thomas and Mike Sweetney to provide some scoring punch? Oh, and what does Skiles do when Ben has a 3-25 stretch from the charity stripe?
6: Los Angeles Clippers: L.A.'s other team is STACKED. Never thought I'd ever say that. When two-time champion Sam Cassell is coming off the bench, you know you have a squad. Elton Brand and Chris Kaman anchor what I think is the best post combo in the League-36.6 ppg, 19.6 rpg combined in 05-06. Elgin Baylor drafted big man Paul Davis out of Michigan State, who I think could develop into a solid post player. Baylor also added some depth with the signing of Tim Thomas. Corey Maggette should see more than 32 games this season, and will regain his starting spot from Quinton Ross. The wildcard for the Clip Show is newly-dubbed starting point man Shaun Livingston. Livingston. The 6'7" third year guard recently had a lot of weight put on his shoulders, and hell need to quickly improve on his game management skills. If he can show why he was drafted fourth overall in 2004, he could lead the Clippers to places no one ever thought they'd go.
5. San Antonio Spurs: I could get a lot of flack for having the Spurs this low. They were a foul call and a heroic Dirk Nowitzki performance from the West finals, and who knows what could have happened had they gotten past Dallas? Yes, the core remains in Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, but the rest of the roster is unproven, suspect, and old. The meat of Gregg Popovich's bench-Mike Finley, Brent Barry and Robert Horry-averages 34 years of age. Beno Udrih regained his spot as back-up point guard after he couldn't get off the pine in the playoffs, and post monsters Fabricio Oberto. Francisco Elson and Jackie Butler will man the middle for San Antonio. Those three venerable big men have a combined career average of 3.6 ppg and 3 rpg a game. Parker is emerging as a elite point guard and Duncan is the best power forward of all time. I'm just not sure how much they can get out of the rest of the parts. The Spurs are still better than 90 percent of the League, though, so you know they'll be around come late spring.
4. Detroit Pistons: Plain got beat by Miami last spring. I know everyone in the organization harped on the starters playing a boatload of minutes throughout the playoffs, but Miami was just the better team. You could argue that the Heat could have been going for back to back titles had Wade and Shaq been healthy for the '05 conference finals. Still, Detroit still has arguably the best starting five in the League even without Ben Wallace. No, Nazr Mohammed won't sell afro wigs and jerseys; and he won't have a "GONG" noise played whenever he blocks a shot or catches an oop, but he will give the Pistons a viable fifth option on offense and Flip Saunders won't have to worry about "Hack a Nazr" at the end of games-.785 FT percentage in 05-06. Backcourt mates Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton will continue to carry the bulk of the offensive load-38.6 ppg in 05-06, but those two will need to defer to the wiry Tayshaun Prince at times. Prince (14.1 points, 4.2 boards last season) is a match-up nightmare at 6'9." He can take smaller guys down low and blow by bigger wing players. Flip Murray-10.3 ppg during the 05-06 season-will add scoring off the bench and give Billups and Hamilton a chance to take a breather at times. Detroit will miss Wallace on the defensive end, and I think they'll employ a lot of zone to make up for that loss. The Pistons won't win 64 games again this season, bu tthey'll be in the championship conversation all year long.
3. Miami Heat: If it ain't broke, you don't fix it. That's essentially what Pat Riley did as no additions or subtractions were made to the core of the Heat's title-winning rotation. Dwyane Wade will continue to be the focal point of the Heat offense and everyone else will continue to know their role. This could be the last go round for a number of players on the Miami roster-Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Antoine Walker....And Shaquille O'Neal. The most dominant center of our era is, sadly, on his last legs. O'Neal had the lowest scoring and rebounding averages of his career last season-20 ppg and 9.2 rpg, respectively. He's averaged just 68 games a season since he won his first title in 2000. It'll be tough, but it'd be nice to see one of the all-time greats go out on top.
2. Phoenix Suns: Let's get this out of the way right now: Steve Nash will not win a third straight MVP award. You could argue he shouldn't have any. Anyway...the Suns and Mike D'Antoni have changed the game. Teams are building their rosters like Phoenix, but not with the same results. The Suns have averaged 58 wins a year since they acquired Nash prior to the 04-05 season. Phoenix even won 54 games last season without Amare Stoudemire. Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa helped pick up the slack, 26.4 ppg combined. But scoring-108.4 ppg-hasn't been the Suns' problem. Stopping opponents from scoring-102.8 ppa-has. In last year's playoffs, where defense usually tightens up, Phoenix surrendered more than 105 points a night over its 20-game run. If they had a stopper, or a coach who put at least a little bit of emphasis on defense, I'd rank Phoenix as the League's best team. But since they don't...
1. Dallas Mavericks: In 2003-04, the Mavericks gave up 100.8 ppg. Two years later, Dallas allowed a shade more than 93 points a game, good for top seven in the League. The Mavs already could score at will. Head coach Avery Johnson stressed defense to his group, which I believe propelled Dallas to its first finals appearance in team history. With Nash, Finley and Nowitzki, Dallas was Phoenix before Phoenix was Phoenix, if that makes sense. Two-thirds of the group is gone and has been replaced with well-rounded players such as Josh Howard and Jason Terry. Nowitzki, however, is the engine that makes the Mavs run. Dirk posted career highs in points per game (26.6), field-goal percentage (.480) and three-point accuracy (.406). Dallas has youth (Maurice Ager, Devean George) and experience (Jerry Stackhouse, Austin Croshere) on its bench. Mark Cuban has three big bodies in Desagana Diop, Erick Dampier and DJ Mbenga that can #### and push with the best of them. If they don't have a hangover after a Finals loss where they were up 2-0, David Stern may have to present Mark Cuban with the Larry O'Brien trophy. Then Stern's head will explode.
Before I get to the final ten teams in my preview and my award, division and playoff winners, here's some quick hits, things I'm looking forward to and questions about the upcoming NBA season.
-The Bulls will be perimeter oriented, similar to how Jersey was when they got to the finals, minus K-Mart. I wanna see how far they can get with no post presence. -The slide of the Pacers. Best record in 03-04, 46 wins in 04-05, .500 last season, Yes, I know key guys were injured last year, but this team needs to be blown up because their door closed the night of the brawl. Don't forget, they beat the Pistons by 15 that night, were 7-2 and Artest was averaging something like 24, 8, 6, and 2 steals -How tough and exciting the Pacific division will be this season -Can T-Mac and Yao stay healthy and can Bonzi be content coming off the bench -When will the Isiah suicide watch start? -When will Doc Rivers be fired? -How will Miami's seed in the playoffs be affected with Shaq playing 50-55 games during the regular season? -Will Rasheed stop shooting eight threes a game? -How much zone will the Pistons play since they don't have a help defender anymore? -Can Dallas rebound after losing a 2-0 lead in the finals?-Will D-Wade be satisfied with one ring
-Will we see Kobe from games 1-5 of the Phoenix series, or Kobe from games six and seven?
-If Miami goes back to back, does Shaq call it a career?
-How the shift from Shaq/Kobe will switch to Wade/Kobe
-How quickly Chris Paul will ascend to best point guard in the L status
My name is Jason Carmel Davis, and I am a graduate of the Michigan State University School of Journalism. Yes, we do go to class in East Lansing, not just to bars and the liquor store.
I'm almost positive I had an SI with me in the womb, checking out Ralph Wiley. He's the main reason I ever decided to pursue a career in sportswriting .
I even remember the first highlight I ever saw on SportsCenter. I don't remember who was reading it, but it was Michael Jordan's 63-point game against the Celtics in the Garden in the 86 Playoffs. I've been hooked ever since.
