The new NBA season has just started and already the same stories we were hearing last season have been regurgitated, recycled and re-debated by basketball pundits, so called experts, and stuffed neckties all across the print and electronic media.
Kobe Bryant wants out of LA, or to be more precise, he wants out of a Laker uniform. What else is new? The Bulls were interested, until Bryant put a stop to the deal when he found out Luol Deng would be offered as part of the deal, and not be there in Chicago to play along side Kobe. Please, Dr. Buss, trade Kobe, so this story will become old news and Rick Bucher and Stephen A. Smith can find something else to argue about, like who will be the champs this season. One thing is a bankable wager: it will not be the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs will not repeat for a number of reasons.
I could state the obvious and note that the Spurs have never won in even numbered years. They won in ‘99, ‘03, ‘05, and last year in ‘07, and since that means they can’t possibly win it again this year, right?
I could also sight the fact that the Spurs are a team comprised of mainly veterans and are among the oldest teams in the league, and are just too susceptible to fatigue to compete deep into the NBA postseason, which by the way, is way too long anyway.
I could even stretch things a little and mention the fact that the Spurs roster is loaded with international players from The Netherlands, France, Argentina, and The Virgin Islands, and if these players represent their home countries in world competition that would further compound the fatigue factor as those players would have essentially played non stop for a year and a half.
I have been a Spurs fan since they relocated to San Antonio from Dallas as the ABA’s Chaparrals in 1973. I’ve enjoyed all four championships and lamented through twenty win seasons, the offense only mindset of Doug Moe and the very forgettable but brief (thank all that is holy) Jerry Tarkanian era.
However, the reason the Spurs will not repeat as NBA champions this year is quite simple. The definitive, iron clad, lead pipe cinch, wager the farm reason that they won’t repeat? Because Bill Walton says they will.
Bill Walton had a playing career that commanded respect, including championships with Portland and Boston, but his analytical and prognosticating skills leave a lot to be desired. The analysis he provides during ESPN and TNT broadcasts is legendary for it’s inanity. While Hubie Brown, the former coach and NBA icon provides in-depth analysis illustrated by telestrations which actually explain the nuances of basketball at the pinnacle that is the NBA, Walton provides such startling wisdom in remarks such as “These guys are good” and “Cleveland needs to play better to beat San Antonio”. Where else could the average basketball fan find such sage commentary on a par with Walton’s? Who else could provide such astounding commentary and analysis? I could. You could. If my dog could speak English she could.
I have nothing against Bill Walton personally, I just am of the opinion that his ability as a commentator to provide true workable knowledge of the game is overrated. To me a team picked by Walton to win it all surely will not. His pick to win it all at this time last year? The Phoenix Suns, whose fans have long lamented the success of the Spurs and feel that it was at their expense. Maybe Walton’s picking of a team to win the David Stern trophy is actually a curse, that is, maybe it’s like being on the cover of the John Madden video football game. That’s it! Walton is the John Madden of the NBA.
So, there you have it, the main reason the San Antonio Spurs will not repeat, because Bill Walton has predicted they will. For the record, he predicted this on the set of the NBA Shoot Around on ESPN on Wednesday, and said they would beat the Celtics in the finals, but what does he know?
