| 12 November 2009
You know, they say the best things happen when you least at expect them.
For some, it might be finding a winning lottery ticket on the side of the road. For others, meeting the love of your life in line at the grocery store (What, it happened in that Reese Witherspoon movie. Why can’t it happen to me?).
As for me? It was the opening night of the NBA season when I realized that I had free NBA League Pass for a whole week. It was like an early Christmas, except in this case, well I got something I actually wanted (No seriously grandma if you’re reading, I loved the wool socks, I really did).
Watching 12 games a day for seven days in a row is exhilarating, and a lot to take in. Luckily for you, my loyal readers, I took notes.
And here’s what I learned, in what I like to call my “NBA Potpourri”
Steve Nash and the Suns may be surprise of the early
NBA season.
There Are Four Teams That Have Exceeded My Expectations:
1. Phoenix Suns: It goes without saying that Steve Nash is otherworldly, even my uncle with an eye patch can see that. But for the first time since the pre-Shaq days, the Suns have the peripheral parts around him to make another run at an NBA championship.
Watching the Suns this week against both Philadelphia and New Orleans, they really are in perfect harmony. Amare is playing well. Jason Richardson is the perfect slashing/jump-shooting swing man this team hasn’t had since Shawn Marion left. Channing Frye is doing a little bit of everything. And Grant Hill is making me wonder how good he could have been if he’d be been healthy his whole career.
Add in a bunch of hustle guys off the bench (Louis Amundson, Jared Dudley and Leandro Barbosa), and I think this team is actually good enough to compete with anybody out West, and yes that includes L.A.
(Side note to Alvin Gentry: If you wouldn’t mind getting Earl Clark a few more minutes, I'd really appreciate it, and it’d really help my fantasy team. Even if it’s just like the last 10 minutes of the game when you’re up big, I don’t care, and I don’t think he would either. Thanks!!)
2. Denver Nuggets: So wait, I'm confused. Why were we all (myself included) doubting Denver coming into this season? Because I’m pretty sure they were in the Western Conference Finals last spring.
Either way, they might be even better this year. Carmelo is playing out of his mind, Ty Lawson is a huge spark off the bench (although he’s bringing down their 11.2 tattoos per player average. No need to worry though, it’s early and he’s still got plenty of time to get inked) and J.R. Smith is just getting into the mix after his early season suspension.
And even though the Nuggets have struggled the last few games, I’m not really worried, considering nobody has played more road games early on (Six in a row and seven of nine overall. To quote Dr. Evil, can “Somebody throw the Nuggets a frickin’ bone here?)
They get the Lakers Friday night in Denver, and like their fans, I’m curious to see what a little home cooking can do for the Nuggets. We shall see soon.
3. Memphis Grizzlies: Ok, so maybe they’re not better than I thought they’d be from a wins standpoint (1-8 really isn’t that bad is it?).
But from a “When they stop playing defense and turn games into the And-1 mix tape tour,” nobody is better, and more fun to watch.
Rudy Gay is a freak. O.J. Mayo is a loon. Zach Randolph is, well, Zach Randolph. And Marc Gasol is about 8000 times more likeable than his brother. Plus, their backup point guard is maybe my favorite college player of all-time, Marcus Williams (when he was in college I was convinced that he’d be an All-Star by now. Little did I know he’d spend more time his first three years in the league playing video games and eating cupcakes than practicing. Oh well, you live and you learn I guess.)
Are they good? Nope. Will I enjoy watching them every time they’re on TV? You better believe it.
4. Miami Heat: Think it’d be weird if I serenaded Dwyane Wade with “You’re Simply The Best,” before the Heat’s next home game? What? I was just asking.
Four Teams That Are Either Dead in the Water, Or In Serious Trouble:
1. Charlotte Bobcats: They scored 59 points in their season opener, and didn’t break 80 in a win earlier this year. They’ve only topped 100 points twice, and needed overtime in one of those games.
On top of that, not only is Larry Brown considering jumping shit to go coach in Uruguay, but I’ve actually seen a Bobcats final score on two separate occasions and thought to myself, “Hmm, I didn’t know the WNBA season was still going on.”
Yet somehow, inexplicably, this team is 3-5. So no need to worry just yet, good people of Charlotte. Plus, remember, no matter how bad things get, you’ll never be worse than the…
2. New Jersey Nets: New Jersey is so bad that one of my best friends, a lifelong Nets fan, has given up not only his team, but on the entire NBA for 2010 (Seriously, when your fans are looking forward to Mets spring training, that is never, ever, a good sign.)
Devin Harris is hurt. Courtney Lee isn’t comfortable as an expanded scorer. And Brook Lopez, well, by the looks of things, I’d guess he’s going to kill someone before the New Year.
And even worse, not only are they 0-8 but play three of their next four games on the road. Best of luck Nets fans. Well best of luck to those of you who haven’t already given up on the team.
3. Atlanta Hawks: Their record may not indicate it, but they’re in trouble.
Although honestly, I don’t know why we’re surprised, considering they don’t have a true point guard, have a bunch of guys who need to shoot to be happy, and then added two more shoot first guards in Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague (Seriously, that’d be like the Red Sox saying, well, we’ve already got David Ortiz, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek on the roster, and they’re all getting old and can’t really hit anymore. But you know what, rather than going after pitching and defense this offseason, let’s add another guy like them to spruce things up. Think Jason Giambi would accept a one-year deal?)
My guess on this team? Mike Woodson is gone by February, they sneak into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed and get swept in the first round. You heard it here first.
4. Washington Wizards: I haven’t watched them enough to have a great feel , and I know the injuries aren’t helping. But from what I can see, they’ve got too many guys who want to shoot (aren’t Randy Foye, Nick Young, Mike Miller and Gilbert Arenas more or less the same player?) and their big guys bring nothing to the table offensively. Plus, whenever you sign a 33-year-old guard who’s 5’5 (like the Wizards did with Earl Boykins Wednesday), that’s usually not a good thing. At least from my experience.
(By the way, on a side note, the most underrated and under reported story of this season is the fact that DeShawn Stevenson got a tattoo of Abe Lincoln on his neck. No seriously. I swear. Just click here.).
Four Players That Have Exceeded My Expectations:
1. Steve Nash: Alright, so maybe I already talked a little bit about Nash when discussing the Suns. But what can I say, the “Steve Nash for MVP,” bandwagon is picking up full steam, and I’m getting on before it’s too late.
The guy’s stat line is incredible. He already had a 20 point 18 assist game earlier this year, and had another 21 and 20 a few nights ago.
And watching him Wednesday night, I can honestly say I’ve never seen him look better. Going against one of the best defensive guards in the league (Chris Paul), he weaved in and out of traffic at breakneck speed (which reminded me of my mom driving on the highway by the way) getting the ball to his guys at angles that no one else on the court saw. If you just looked at the box score all you saw was that he finished with 12 points and 10 assists, but if you watched, you know that he had seven and seven at the end of the first quarter and really didn’t play much after that.
Nash is back. And so are the Suns.
(And if you’re wondering, yes I have constant nightmares about taking Jason Kidd over Nash in my fantasy draft. I’m going to lose the league over it. And, no I’m not bitter about it, I swear.)
2. Carmelo Anthony: Yep, you’re right. I’m literally a day late and a dollar short on this one, as Scoop Jackson wrote a great piece about Carmelo for ESPN.com on Wednesday.
With that said, I agree with Scoop, I’ve never seen ‘Melo play better. Not during the 2008 Olympics, not in the Western Conference Finals last year, not even in his one year at Syracuse when I anointed him the “Most Dominant College Basketball Player of My Lifetime” (I honestly did. I’ve never seen a guy take over games like he did that year, not even Kevin Durant in his one year at Texas. Carmelo was still the first and only college guy I’ve ever said to myself, “He needs to leave college now, if only to make it fair for everyone else”).
His jumper is working, and for some reason he seems more explosive around the basket than ever before.
Carmelo for MVP? He’s probably 1A to Nash right now.
3. Brandon Jennings: Alright, I’ve got to come clean, I totally whiffed on this one. To me, Jennings always came off as arrogant and selfish, and I even got a little enjoyment out of hearing his sob stories from Italy last year.
Well Jennings is currently making me eat my words, and I’ve got to be honest, they really don’t taste that good. He’s averaging 20 points and five assists per game, saving his best performance for Denver Wednesday, when his line looked like this: 32 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 8-8 from the foul line, 2-2 from three.
At this point, not only is Jennings exceeding expectations, but he’s the favorite for Rookie of the Year. And maybe more importantly, he’s making Milwaukee semi-watchable again. Which is no small feat in itself.
4. Anderson Varejao: So Varejao isn’t really doing anything different than he did last year, but has anyone in NBA history gotten more uncontested dunks and lay-ups than this guy. Seriously, I think he may be the first player in NBA history to get 20,000 points while being no better than his teams fourth option. If you think I’m joking watch the Cavs sometime.
Two Players That Make My Head Hurt When I Watch Them:
1. LaMarcus Aldridge: I know he’s been banged up a little this year, but can someone tell Aldridge that he’s 6 foot freakin’ 11, and is allowed to venture down near the basket, and throw an elbow once in awhile. Please?
In all my years watching basketball, I can't think of a better example of a guy who fulfills the old adage, “There are lies. There are damn lies. And there are statistics.” If you don't know what I'm talking about watch Aldridge "fight," for his 7.5 rebounds per game some time.
2. Kwame Brown: Remember in the preseason when every word floating out of Detroit Pistons camp was that this would be the year that Kwame Brown put it all together? I guess it makes sense, if by “put it together,” everyone meant average 3.3 points and four rebounds a game and lose your starting spot to Ben Wallace.
(By the way note to self: Guys just don’t “Put it Together,” when they’re 26 and in their 8th year in the league. That’ll be good to know in the future)
My Two Favorite Random Foreign Born Players:
1. Jonas Jerenkbo: Because he looks like a Backstreet Boy.
2. Thabo Sefolosha: Easily one of my top five favorite Swiss born players of all-time.
The I Hate To Say I Told You So, But Well I Told You So, Early Surprise of the Year, Stephen Curry: Wow, what a shock, he’s deferring shots to his teammates and leading all rookies in assists. Man, who saw this coming? Oh wait, I did.
Seriously, I’m not in this business to pat myself on the back, I make more dumb predictions than smart ones. But this one was a no-brainer.
Yet all summer all I heard was, “Why would the Warriors bring in another undersized shooting guard, when they already have one in Monta Ellis?” Well here’s an idea, how about the guys who cover this league do their homework once in awhile?
Because if they did, they’d know that he handled the ball all last year for Davidson and averaged 5.7 assists per game (And it probably should have been closer to eight a game, if his teammates knew how to make open jump shots). Bobby Knight even called Curry, “The best passer in college basketball…by far.” You might remember Knight as that guy who won over 900 games during his career.
So while I hate to say I told you so… I told you so. Curry is a talented passer, and a talented scorer, and is going to do great things in Golden State for a long time.
(Now, if nobody minds, I'd like to ignore all the “I told you so’s,” that didn’t come true if possible. Like the time I said “Rajon Rondo will be out of the NBA in three years.” Let's just pretend that never happened? Ok?
Biggest Storyline Going Forward, the Boston Celtics: Funny, how I have yet to mention arguably the NBA’s best team. At least so far.
All I can say about Boston is this:
Offensively they can score from all five spots on the floor, and are literally the most unselfish team in the league (26.6 team assists per game leads the NBA). Defensively they play every possession like it’s the last two minutes of a playoff game. And with so many games against the putrid Atlantic Division (Philadelphia? New Jersey? The Knicks? Someone get me a brown paper bag), if they can stay healthy I think 65-70 wins should be expected.
Now there’s a lot of basketball left to be played, so I’ll save you the hyperbole. But nine games in, if they can stay healthy, it looks like the Celtics championship to win.
It’s going to be a fun ride towards June.
Then again, its been fun already.
