Previous NBA Previews:
1. Oklahoma City (1st in West, 2nd in NBA)
Who is new: Reggie Jackson
Why are they here: They lost to Dallas in the Western Conf. Championship last year and have their full team back, almost all of which is right in the front end of their primes.
Most important player: Kendrick Perkins. The Thunder nabbed Perkins last trade deadline and gave him a hefty extension, hoping he would be the last piece of the puzzle.
Outlook: Kevin Durant is entering his 5th season in the league, having lead the NBA in scoring his last 2. While people focus on the Heat, the Lakers, the defending champs and the Chris Paul/Dwight Howard situation, one of the biggest questions for me this season is whether or not Durant can establish himself as the dominant player in the league and lead his team to a title. He has the pieces, but he’s still only 23 years old.
2. Portland Trailblazers (7th in West, 10th in NBA)
Who is new: Jamal Crawford, Raymond Felton, Kurt Thomas, Nolan Smith, Jon Diebler
Why are they here: A deep and talented team, even without Brandon Roy and Greg Oden. LaMarcus Aldridge established himself as an all-star caliber talent, and they have Gerald Wallace for an entire season.
Most important player: Aldridge. Being an all-star one year doesn’t guarantee you the same in the future. He has to continue to carry this team.
Outlook: Lots of new pieces here. I’ve never been a Jamal Crawford fan, but he does fit well here given the Blazers need for a good scorer in the backcourt. This team reminds me of a slightly older version of the Sixers. No superstars, but a bunch of really good players, a team that no one particularly wants to play but not a threat for a deep playoff run.
3. Denver Nuggets (8th in West, 12th in NBA)
Who is new: Rudy Fernandez, Corey Brewer, Kenneth Faried, Andre Miller, Jordan Hamilton
Why are they here: Same type of team as the Blazers. One real good big man (Nene), a young UNC PG (Lawson), a lock down defender (Affalo), a gunner (Fernandez) and many other solid pieces.
Most important player: Danilo Gallinari. Danilo led the team in scoring after the Carmelo Anthony trade – this team has a lot of things but a go-to scorer isn’t really one of them. They might look to the 23 year old Italian to fill that void this year.
Outlook: The Nuggets did a good job replenishing their roster with 3 key RFA stuck in China (Wilson Chandler, JR Smith, Kenyon Martin). Ty Lawson should flourish in his first full season as the starter and it was somewhat of an upset they brought Nene back after intense competition from the Nets, Rockets and Pacers. The player I will be keeping a close eye on? Kenneth Faried, who I pleaded with the Sixers the draft but instead they drafted Spencer Hawes’ younger, less talented brother.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves (11th in West, 20th in NBA)
Who is new: Ricky Rubio, JJ Barea, Derrick Williams, Brad Miller, Malcolm Lee
Why are they here: At the very least, they should be exciting. With Rubio coming over, they are adding two top-5 picks, who already seem to be getting along with one another.
Most important player: Derrick Williams. Or Rubio. Take your pick. The Wolves know they have one building block in Kevin Love. They question that they need answered this year is do they have 2? Or even 3?
Outlook: It should be a fun year to be a Wolves’ fan. The year won’t be so much about wins and losses but about the development of their young guys, who should have enough highlight-reel plays to make the team hopeful for the future. I can’t imagine them competing for the playoffs, but if Rubio and Williams are game-ready, Beasley continues to be an effective scorer beside Love, JJ Barea provides the same spark he did for Dallas, and Rick Adelman (a great hire) proves a significant upgrade over Rambis, anything is possible.
5. Utah Jazz (12th in West, 21st in NBA)
Who is new: Josh Howard, Enes Kanter, Alec Burks
Why are they here: In rebuilding mode after the departures of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. Though I’m not sure they know that yet, given the signing of Josh Howard, who I wouldn’t want near any young players.
Most important player: Derrick Favors. It will say a lot about his future whether or not he can make a big jump in year 2, after a strange year 1 that saw him go from NJ to Utah.
Outlook: The Jazz have always been a team with a lot of stability. They went from Stockton and Malone right into Williams and Boozer. This will probably be a longer transition to their next core of players as they figure out which of their young and young-ish guys (Favors, Kanter, Burks, Hayward, Devin Harris, Milsap) they want to build around.
I think this might be the Thunder’s year. LA lost Odom, the Mavs lost Chandler. Everyone of consequence seems to be just a tad bit weaker from off-season change. OKC returns intact squad, barring injury to their big duo, they should make it to the Finals. Together with Memphis, Portland and Denver, the West is full of up and coming young teams that will supplant the old stalwarts soon. Should be fun in April.
Thunder definitely have the inside track in the West: young team, two stars (KD, Westbrook), a guy who can dominate the interior (Perk), Rich Harden who could really explode this year and that ever important rotation consistency. I’d say the West, today, a week before the season even starts, is a two team race between Mavs and OKC.
Really interested in seing how Portland performs this season. Roy is done for good, the same is possibly true for Oden yet they’ve still got good young talent in guys like Aldridge and Batum with a vet core of Ray Felton, Gerald Wallace, Marcus Camby and Jamal Crawford. Impressive for a team that barely has a GM.
Have any of you guys seen the recent photos of Kendrick Perkins? I would have expected him to be one of the guys to get fat and sloppy during the lockout, but that guy is trim and chiseled now. If this leads to more explosiveness and he is still able to bully guys in the post, the frontline of him Ibaka, and KD will be a nightmare.
I think the key will be how well Perk fits their offense. He carved a beautiful niche for himself in Boston. In OKC, the offense looks like a 2 man iso game, and while Ibaka can hold his own and Sefalosha can garbage it up, they need some low post presence to keep the defense honest or else they could just play off him and put the extra attention on Durant and Westbrook.
Scary thing is, even without interior play they’re still good enough to win it all.
Rubio will be rookie of the year, that T-Wolves team will be too fun to watch, plus you have Adelman’s coaching. Defense will be bad. It will take Derrick Williams a year to find his niche, and I don’t know if he does, he might be Marvin Williams redux.