Writing a column about who would win the NBA championship this coming year would be both boring and exciting.
I mean, is there any doubt the Lakers have the best shot to do it again?
Adding Ron Artest and re-signing Lamar Odom pretty much secured Los Angeles the best roster on paper, and while other teams like the Celtics and Cavs got some big names in Rasheed Wallace and Shaq, respectively, their teams aren’t nearly as deep as the Lakers are (again, on paper).
But while it might be fun to boast about one’s own team, it’s even more fun to think about what teams could challenge the league’s best.
In the West, almost every professional sports analyst (I still haven’t found one who didn’t) picked the Lakers to finish on top, but after that, every team goes into a big melting pot.
Are the Nuggets really as good as last year’s playoff run? Can Tim Duncan still be a dominant presence?
In the East, the favorites are obvious, making it easy to predict which teams will be playing for something come May and June. There is little doubt the Celtics, Cavaliers or Magic will represent the East in the Finals, and chances are they’ll be facing the Lakers.
Of course, unless something crazy occurs, and the NBA rookies — or maybe just one rookie — could be crazy enough to make that happen.
With a fairly weak draft class coming into the league this year, there are really only a few rookies who could make a big splash this season, and most of them lie in the West. Six of the first seven draft picks were taken by teams in the West, and the biggest one, No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin, just might be able to propel the Clippers to a strong season during his rookie year.
Last year, Bulls rookie Derrick Rose completely turned around a struggling franchise with his big time shots and overall strong play. On a team that had to trade for “talent” like John Salmons and Brad Miller, however, his offensive prowess was only enough to push a tough series with the Garnett-less Celtics to seven games, which is a feat in itself.
This year, that feat might occur in the West, and surprisingly, the Clippers could make it happen.
These might be bold predictions, but entering a season that doesn’t pose questions for the Lakers other than Artest’s behavior, why not have a little fun?
Griffin’s impact
The Clippers aren’t really that bad (insert laugh here), and the talent surrounding Griffin could make him an even better force down low for the other L.A. team.
I’m not saying the Clippers are going to challenge the Lakers for the top spot in the West — that just won’t happen. But coming off a terrible season and sneaking in to snag that first overall pick might be enough to give the Clippers enough talent to challenge the other teams in the West.
With a very dangerous backcourt of Baron Davis and Eric Gordon, along with a hopefully-healthy Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby, this sounds like a team that’s just filled with weapons across the board.
Add on the fact that Davis is upset about winning only 19 games last year, and you have a team that has the drive and will to move up in the West.
That is, of course, unless head coach Michael Dunleavy doesn’t let the boys run. With such a young team and Davis, this team must get out in transition, otherwise it will run into trouble with the more talented teams in the West.
Back for more?
Another team that looks very scary on paper is the Denver Nuggets.
A team that challenged the Lakers last season, and even had many believing it could beat the eventual NBA champion, bolstered its lineup with underrated rookie Ty Lawson, who is used to winning after playing at North Carolina.
The rookie point guard won’t start, but he will play an integral role in backing up Chauncey Billups and could get in at the two when J.R. Smith isn’t effective. While they don’t really play defense, the Nuggets have intangibles like Billups and Carmelo Anthony, who proved last year he can match up against the NBA’s superstars.
The Nuggets might not be as dominant as the Lakers, but they have superstar talent and energy (both good and bad) from Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen that could help them challenge the Lakers once again.
Can Thabeet perform?
Although Hasheem Thabeet was a fairly obvious pick at No. 2 overall, the Grizzlies shouldn’t expect the 7-foot-3 center to really make a difference on the offensive end, and they know it too.
O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol and Rudy Gay will score most of the points for Memphis, but for a team that had such immense defensive problems last year, if Thabeet can actually bring that defensive ability to the Grizzlies, they could see a huge improvement from last year’s 24-win team.
However, if he’s ineffective, and sometimes being a defensive specialist can lead to inconsistency on both ends of the court, the Grizzlies could once again be kicking themselves for not taking a more skilled athlete in the draft. Obviously Thabeet will be a big presence in the middle, but if he can’t do anything on the offensive end, he might be more harmful than helpful.
Jonah is a junior majoring in journalism and Hebrew and Semitic studies. Have your own predictions on the upcoming NBA season? Send your thoughts to [email protected].
