2008-09 NBA Preview

Alas, the long-awaited NBA season tips off tonight. No better time to get out all of my I-told-you-so's than right now...

1. L.A. Lakers- Kobe and Pau Gasol played their hearts out over the summer, only to watch the champagne pop in the other locker room. With a healthy Andrew Bynum clogging up the middle, the Lake Show will experience its own shower of suds in June.

2. Boston- It’s not that the Celts didn’t like making it rain in the clubhouse, but by replacing the unheralded James Posey with Darius Miles, the team didn’t exactly spark that confidence Boston fans were hoping. But hey, if there’s anybody who can rally the troops, it’s Celts coach Doc Rivers.

3. New Orleans- The Big Easy only got a taste of what the Hornets were capable of. Chris Paul, the game’s best PG, is a year older. Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic are –hopefully!- a year stronger. David West is a year better. New defensive stopper Posey won the title last year.

4. Detroit- Okay. This is it. And we really mean it. The aging Pistons have to piss or get off the pot this season. The core (Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace) gets it done in the winter, but the moment it warms up, the team cools. Rodney Stuckey sure provided some heat in the playoffs though.

5. Utah- We like the sound of these Jazz. With Carlos Boozer drumming up offense in the paint, Andrei Kirilenko orchestrating things on the wing and Deron Williams conducting it all into a winning symphony, “Northwest Champs” should have a nice ring to it.

6. Houston- Adding the volatile (but valuable) Ron Artest to a lineup that includes stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming could prove the smartest thing any team did over the offseason. Then again, if either injury-plagued stud gets hurt again, it won’t much matter.

7. Philadelphia- We’d be silly if we didn’t say the signing of Elton Brand wasn’t money. But to discount the things the fast-maturing Thaddeus Young and Louis Williams bring to the Sixers would be wrong. Leaders Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller certainly know their worth.

8. Orlando- Our cute pick last year didn’t do terribly. Hell, most teams would kill for a slot in the Eastern semis. But when you have a rebounding beast (Dwight Howard), a shape-shifting monster (Hedo Turkoglu) and a scoring animal (Rashard Lewis), the semis ain’t enough.

9. Portland- Yeah, so it took a year longer than anyone expected for Greg Oden to become a force in the NBA. You can’t rush greatness—or a healing body. Now 100%, Oden, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and rook Jerry Bayless have some franchise re-shaping to do.

10. Phoenix- Players play the game. We know the adage. But taking coach Mike D’Antoni away isn’t going to do anything for Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire’s love of the break. They’re still playoff material with Terry Porter at the helm; we just can’t say that’s enough to get beyond the first round.

11. Cleveland- For the next ten years LeBron James will be a MVP candidate. However, until the Cavs front office gets him some scoring help (Mo Williams is a start) and under-the-basket bulk, he’ll never be a Finals MVP.

12. San Antonio- Until something dramatic happens, the Spurs will remain a playoff threat. But for every quick step to the left for Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan’s moves seem to be a second slower.

13. L.A. Clippers- In what may have been the most controversial offseason move, Baron Davis left Golden State for the warmer confines of So Cal. We like BD anywhere, but him playing alongside Marcus Camby and almost-famous Al Thornton is gonna be nicer than Monterrey in May.

14. Atlanta- The spirited seven-game series with Boston was nice. It’s a new year, one that will see Joe Johnson further evolving, Josh Smith maturing and Mo Evans filling in admirably for the Greece-defected Josh Childress.

15. Washington- DeShawn Stevenson is one of the team’s most outspoken members. Over the summer, he said Gilbert Arenas’ health inconsistencies kept the Wizards from reaching their potential. Arenas, D-Steve and Caron Butler will let their games speak from here on.

16. Golden State- A roster of Al Harrington, Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson and newly-acquired Corey Maggette calls for front-row seats and popcorn. That Ellis is suspended the first 30 games for hurting himself on an all-terrain vehicle is a milk dud.

17. Dallas- Oh, how the mighty have fallen. But enough about owner Mark Cuban’s stock portfolio… His Mavs are on the cusp of irrelevance if they don’t make some playoff noise. Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard have the most to say.

18. Denver- We’ll ride to the edge of nowhere next to Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. But if the Nuggets front-office is expecting us to believe that things are cool in the Rockies without Camby in the paint, they have us pegged for blind fools.

19. Toronto- Former Indiana all-star Jermaine O’Neal had to cross the border to get some love. We don’t knock him for it. Actually, the teaming of the ache-free O’Neal and Chris Bosh could have the makings of the league’s most dashing frontcourt. That Jose Calderon is gorgeous at the point.

20. Charlotte- How’s that old hood saying go? If an “If” was a fifth of alcohol, we’d all be drunk. If the ifs –If Sean May and Adam Morrison are healthy… If Jason Richardson is ready to lead… If coach Larry Brown has anything left…- work out, drinks on us!

21. Milwaukee- The days of the Bucks being an Eastern Conference joke are probably over. Getting the angular Richard Jefferson to help ease some of Michael Redd’s scoring load was serious business. To have the last laugh in the Central, Andrew Bogut has to do more.

22. Sacramento- Did you know Kings guard Kevin Martin finished in the top seven in scoring average last year? That one slipped past us, too. Sac-town ain’t slipping past anyone in the standings if Brad Miller can’t return to ’04-05 form.

23. Minnesota- In Al Jefferson, Randy Foye and Rashad McCants, the T-Wolves certainly have some talent. Seeing it come together for a GM (Kevin McHale) that comes off clueless most of the time –Don’t rookie Kevin Love and top scorer Jefferson play the same position?- will be a feat.

24. Miami- Between the Michael Phelps highlights, you saw the “Redeem Team” earn hardwood respect in Beijing, right? Dwyane Wade was one of the most impressive guys out there. We’ll be more impressed if he, Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley finish with their heads above water.

25. Chicago- The Bulls have more guards (Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and No. 1 pick Derrick Rose) than Beyonce. But unlike Jay-Z’s better half, they’ve yet to show they know what to do with all the talent. Under freshman coach Vinny Del Negro, we don’t see any destinies fulfilled.

26. New Jersey- Rookie Brook Lopez and ex-Buck Yi Jianlian are great if you need some help fixing the roof. But if you’re trying to get back on solid footing in the NBA, you gotta have more than an aging Vince Carter.

27. Indiana- The Pacers are down two with three ticks on the clock in the fourth quarter. Who does coach Jim O’Brien draw up the play for? Mike Dunleavy Jr.? Troy Murphy? Danny Granger? Umm, that’s about it in Indiana options. Yikes!

28. New York- A NBA.com poll of team GMs voted Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni as the game’s best offensive mind. If he somehow figures out a way to get Jamal Crawford, Chris Duhon and Zach Randolph playing anywhere near .500, he might go down as one of the best ever.

29. Memphis- You know what we’re about to say: If the Grizzlies were playing in the East, they’d be playoff contenders. Still, if OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay and Co. continue to develop as expected, they’ll contend in the West in a few years.

30. Oklahoma City- We hurt for Seattle as it watched its team move to the Midwest. But a new day has dawned, and it goes by the Thunder. Take solace, Sonics fans, in the fact that, even with the address change, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook still have a long ways to go before being relevant.

NBA Finals: L.A. Lakers over Boston, 4-2

Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant, LA

Regular Season MVP: LeBron James, Cleveland

Defensive Player of the Year: Josh Smith, Atlanta

Rookie of the Year: Greg Oden, Portland

Most Improved Player: Jermaine O'Neal, Toronto

Sixth Man of the Year: Andrei Kirilenko, Utah

Coach of the Year: Maurice Cheeks, Philadelphia

Never More

Jonathan Ogden, one of the best offensive linemen in NFL history, retired quietly from the Baltimore Ravens a few weeks ago. Canton will surely be reaching out to the 11-time Pro Bowler in the very near future. Speaking of which, if you were looking for the right time to visit the Football Hall of Fame, you may want to consider doing so in the fall of 2013 when Ogden, Brett Favre, Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan all get their deserving calls to the Hall.

Yesterday I witnessed greatness at the Ted. For the 210th time in his Cooperstown-bound career, the intimidating Randy Johnson struck out 10+ batters. Only the overpowering Nolan Ryan has had more double-digit strikeout games (215). But here's the thing about the 44-year-old Big Unit: He's doing it with location these days like he used to do with 98 mph fastballs a few years back. Don't get me wrong. He still can rev up the 6-10 frame and hurl the ball over 90. In fact, that's actually what's making the off-speed offerings so darn difficult to gauge. Keep baffling them, old fella. You're only 10 Ks from eclipsing Roger Clemens for second place on the career strikeout list.

These babies are kinda sick, right? Though the $36 price tag is steep for a tee, I'd be lying if I didn't say that this Philly-based shop wasn't on to something with its line of "five name" shirts.

Batman Returns

Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones had two hits and a walk in a 3-2 interleague victory over Oakland. The two hits, of course, make for a good night at the plate for anyone but when they come on May 16 in a season when a guy's playing the best ball of his career, it's a lil' more special. When Chipper woke up this morning, he was batting .423, leading the league's second-best hitter, Houston's Lance Berkman, by a comfortable .26 points.

Like a pitcher who's taking a no-no into the 9th inning, folks don't want to make too much of a fuss over what happening at the plate and risk jinxing Chipper's chances of becoming the first major leaguer to hit .400 in a season since Ted Williams in '41. But with each 2-for-3 night, it's getting harder and harder to overlook the fact that this career .309 hitter is on the verge of something special. Sports Illustrated's doing a feature on the near-certain Hall of Famer in the next issue or two. It'll be impossible for the country to ignore what the guy is doing by then.

Two Down, Two Blowouts To Go

As an Atlanta Hawks fan, I approached this opening-round series with feelings of relief (9 years is a looooong time) and realism (The Boston Celtics are a goooooood team). Still, nothing has prepared me for the epic embarrassment being displayed thus far. The stars haven't shown up. The coaching has been appalling. The whole thing has been pretty sickening, actually. In fact, here are the things that have kept me from having a good night's sleep lately... no, really. This blog was written at 6:45AM!

- What in the hell is wrong with Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson? In nearly every other playoff series, the team's big dog is doing what he does. Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan are ballin' outta control. Bibs and Joe? Well, they're just a combined 15 for 52 from the field! That's 28.8 f*ckin' percent!

-I know the Hawks are the underest underdogs ever, but can't the TNT announcers cut the guys some slack? It seems that every missed shot is a "terrible shot" and every turnover involves a player "who was completely out of control." Maybe I'm just being sensitive.

-The Celts come out and play like a team. The rotations are crisp. The set plays actually look like something they may have worked on in practice. (Wow, that's a thought- practice!) The Hawks look hella scattered, like they drove up to the arena from different parts of the country and just decided to play a game together.

-Mike Woodson, Mike Woodson, Mike Woodson. I've never been much of a fan and now the world is starting to see why. In Game 1, Atlanta was down by 9 at the half. Game 2, they were down by 10. A good (hell, even a decent) coach would get into his team's ass, make adjustments and assure they come out of the locker room with some intensity. What do the Hawks do on Wednesday? Score just 16 points in the third, of course. Pitiful.

-What in the hell is wrong with Josh Smith's hair?

-Boston backup guard Sam Cassell could probably start with 10 teams right now... including the Hawks.

So, we get KG, Ray-Ray and The Truth for our first playoff run since the late 90s?

Damn right I'm fired up!