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Happy 09/10 NBA Season!
With only five days until the 2009/2010 NBA season officially begins, as a fan of the game one gets more and more excited by the minute. It was not long ago that the Eastern Conference was referred to as the JV league of the NBA, where for a stretch of 10 years a western team was crowned 7 times with the championship rings. Or as Charles Barkley once phrased it so eloquently, “The Eastern Conference sucks!”. Thankfully, this is no longer the case. One can finally talk about the upcoming season without having to ignore or even dismiss the Eastern teams.
Not many expected the Orlando Magic to reach the Finals last season. Most believed it would be a battle between Boston and Cleveland for the Eastern Conference crown, with few doubting that Kobe Bryant and the Lakers would face much resistance in their quest for revenge of the previous year, when they were manhandled by the C’s. Those who hoped to see a rematch between the Celtics and Lakers were forced to watch a rather boring and one-sided series as the Lakers without much difficulty won their 15th championship beating the Magic 4 games to 1.
This is the time of year when people start making their predictions about the upcoming season. Who is it going to be in the 2010 finals? Who is going to win it all?? These are questions that are not as easily answered as in previous years, which can only mean good things and an exciting 2009/2010 NBA season. The Eastern Conference has three equally legitimate contenders with Boston, Cleveland and Orlando, and the west at least four with Dallas, San Antonio, Denver, and the defending champs from LA.
With acquisitions of Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels, the Celtics have certainly improved their roster, and especially their bench. While Wallace didn’t have his best season in Detroit last year, averaging only 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds, look for him to make a great impact on his new team, and most likely as a bench player, a role that will be new to Wallace. Marquis Daniels, a player with great versatility and whom many don’t know, averaged 13.6 points and 4.6 rebounds as a Pacer last year.
The Orlando Magic have lost a great player in Hedo Turkoglu, but Vince Carter is a pretty good consolation. Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes, Ryan Anderson and Jason “White Chocolate” Williams are also expected to contribute and play big minutes for Stan Van Gundy.
Shaq O’Neal, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon give the Cavs the arguably most dominant post presence in the history of the game, a great shooter in Parker and a versatile and athletic wing in Moon. If Shaq can have a season anywhere close to the one he had last year, than King James and the Cavs will have a legitimate shot at the title.
The Western Conference has also gotten much stronger and much more balanced. We know who the Lakers are, and with the addition of Ron Artest they have only gotten better. Expect Adam Morrison, the former lottery pick of the Bobcats, chosen by His Airness personally, to have a good season for LA.
Carmello Anthony and the Nuggets are a team that is also expected to be among the elite of the west. Denver’s roster has not changed much. George Karl and his team firmly believe that their spot in the Finals slipped out of their hands last year as they lost to the Lakers, and that they were the better team, though simply not as experienced.
The Big Fundamental, Tim Duncan, who is finally healthy again, and the Spurs are expected to once again be in the mix for the title. Richard Jefferson, who has joined the Spurs from Milwaukee via trade and Antonio McDyess, who signed as a free agent were great pick-ups and will play big roles for the Spurs. Not to mention the biggest steal of the 2009 draft, DeJuan Blair. He too is expected to play big minutes.
And finally, Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. They too have made big moves, that will allow them to compete this year. Mister versatility himself, Shawn Marion, reunited with his old teammate Jason Kidd, should have a solid year for the Mavs. Tim Thomas is another great shooter with great length, and Drew Gooden gives the team a good rebounder and defender in the post, who can also score. Certainly an upgrade from Erick Dampier.
There are undoubtedly more good teams than the ones mentioned here, but these are the ones most expect to “go fishing” a little later than the rest. Just as every year, one wants to say “let’s hope for a great season!”, but it would be unnecessary here as it seems like a certainty this time around.
–AM
