After a brief delay we will now look ahead with the Washington Wizards.
The Wizards will be a very young team coming into the season. Looking at what projects to be the top eight of their rotation, five of those players are 25 years old or younger. That youth is the center of the questions surrounding this season's Wizards club.
Coming into the season Washington has to wonder, who will lead this team? Andray Blatche and Gilbert Arenas are arguably the best players on the team; yet each has shown multiple instances of immaturity and bad decision making in the past. Will they take the reins of leadership or will it fall onto another player?
Another question in regards to that youth will be can Flip Saunders reach the team? Saunders years in NCAA and CBA hoops, along with his Timberwolves stint show he can connect with young players. That said, it has been a while since Saunders had those young Wolves teams and last season there were moments where the disconnect between the team and the coach was obvious.
The player that Saunders absolutely must connect with, not only for the sake of the team but Saunder's job security, is John Wall. As the first player taken in the draft this past June, Wall is clearly the team's centerpiece. So the question of how good is Wall will impact the team immediately and down the road.
The Wizards have decided to go with a youth movement in an attempt to rebuild. Answering the questions above will play a major part in figuring out how long the rebuild will take.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Looking ahead - Miami Heat
Now it is time to look ahead to the most talked about team of the offseason, the Miami Heat.
The Heat made a major splash this summer by signing LeBron James away from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chris Bosh from the Toronto Raptors while managing to retain their star in Dwyane Wade. It has been a very long time since three players of this level played together, let alone in the prime of their careers.
The obvious question when combining three offensive talents of this level, the trio all averaged over 24 points per game last season, is how will they share the ball? All three handled the ball quite a bit for their former teams. So seeing how they handle the shift from being the man to being one of the guys will be interesting.
Another question coming in will be how head coach Erik Spoelstra manages the pressure of coaching this group. Not only will there be pressure to be successful instantly but there will be the shadow of Pat Riley hanging over his shoulder. When Shaquille O'Neal came to Miami then head coach Stan Van Gundy resigned under what many viewed as pressure from an anxious to coach again Riley.When the signings of James and Bosh happened many people immediately thought "will Spoelstra get 'Van Gundied' out a job?"
Outside of the handling of "the Trio" the rest of the roster is a big question. The production you will get is a major unknown. There is literally no one outside the Trio that gives you any consistent production to count on. The Heat success could literally depend on it.
Tomorrow I'll actually go into the Washington Wizards since they will have a Midnight Madness open to the public.
The Heat made a major splash this summer by signing LeBron James away from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chris Bosh from the Toronto Raptors while managing to retain their star in Dwyane Wade. It has been a very long time since three players of this level played together, let alone in the prime of their careers.
The obvious question when combining three offensive talents of this level, the trio all averaged over 24 points per game last season, is how will they share the ball? All three handled the ball quite a bit for their former teams. So seeing how they handle the shift from being the man to being one of the guys will be interesting.
Another question coming in will be how head coach Erik Spoelstra manages the pressure of coaching this group. Not only will there be pressure to be successful instantly but there will be the shadow of Pat Riley hanging over his shoulder. When Shaquille O'Neal came to Miami then head coach Stan Van Gundy resigned under what many viewed as pressure from an anxious to coach again Riley.When the signings of James and Bosh happened many people immediately thought "will Spoelstra get 'Van Gundied' out a job?"
Outside of the handling of "the Trio" the rest of the roster is a big question. The production you will get is a major unknown. There is literally no one outside the Trio that gives you any consistent production to count on. The Heat success could literally depend on it.
Tomorrow I'll actually go into the Washington Wizards since they will have a Midnight Madness open to the public.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Looking ahead - Boston Celtics
Today we will look ahead with the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics took the Lakers to seven games in last season's NBA Finals. Most will say they lost due to Kendrick Perkins injury, personally I think it was inconsistent PG play that cost them a second half lead.
The consistency of the PG play will be a question as Rajon Rondo is the only "true" PG on the team.
The health of Perkins and C production will be a question also. Perkins is still hurt and the remaining C option are both past their prime years, Jermaine O'Neal and Shaquille O'Neal. With the minimal production each O'Neal has shown the last few years what the Celtics get from the C spot is a total unknown.
Will Shaq become a distraction is another question. Whether Shaq has any gas left in the tank is up to debate. What isn't is that his hunger for attention can destroy teams. Shaq and his "look at me" routine may be what slams the Celtic window of opportunity shut.
Up next will be the most talked about team this offseason, the Miami Heat.
The Celtics took the Lakers to seven games in last season's NBA Finals. Most will say they lost due to Kendrick Perkins injury, personally I think it was inconsistent PG play that cost them a second half lead.
The consistency of the PG play will be a question as Rajon Rondo is the only "true" PG on the team.
The health of Perkins and C production will be a question also. Perkins is still hurt and the remaining C option are both past their prime years, Jermaine O'Neal and Shaquille O'Neal. With the minimal production each O'Neal has shown the last few years what the Celtics get from the C spot is a total unknown.
Will Shaq become a distraction is another question. Whether Shaq has any gas left in the tank is up to debate. What isn't is that his hunger for attention can destroy teams. Shaq and his "look at me" routine may be what slams the Celtic window of opportunity shut.
Up next will be the most talked about team this offseason, the Miami Heat.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Looking ahead - Los Angeles Lakers
Its almost NBA time. Training camps open league wide on October 3rd.
No matter what past success a team has had each team will come to camp with questions that will need answering. In these "looking ahead" post I'll be listing some of the questions each team faces.
Let's start at the top with the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Going forward the Lakers have to wonder, how healthy they can keep starting C Andrew Bynum? Bynum has become a bit over-rated as an individual player by Laker fans. Still, as a piece of the puzzle Bynum is vital. Bynum brings a physical toughness that the team lacks without him.
Another question is, will Derek Fisher beat out Steve Blake for the starting PG spot? Fisher is a team leader and has come up big for the Lakers over the years. However, he is on his last legs and is not much better, if at all, than Steve Blake.
Just two things they will on the minds of the Lakers and their fans over the next few weeks and months.
Next up will be last season's runners-up, the Boston Celtics.
No matter what past success a team has had each team will come to camp with questions that will need answering. In these "looking ahead" post I'll be listing some of the questions each team faces.
Let's start at the top with the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Going forward the Lakers have to wonder, how healthy they can keep starting C Andrew Bynum? Bynum has become a bit over-rated as an individual player by Laker fans. Still, as a piece of the puzzle Bynum is vital. Bynum brings a physical toughness that the team lacks without him.
Another question is, will Derek Fisher beat out Steve Blake for the starting PG spot? Fisher is a team leader and has come up big for the Lakers over the years. However, he is on his last legs and is not much better, if at all, than Steve Blake.
Just two things they will on the minds of the Lakers and their fans over the next few weeks and months.
Next up will be last season's runners-up, the Boston Celtics.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Ricky Rubio
New blog and I'm just going to jump right into it. The name Ricky Rubio has come up a lot lately. Some of the discussion is about whether or not the Timberwolves will trade the draft rights of 2009's fifth player selected. Other talk is about the underwhelming performance of Rubio and Spain during the FIBA World Championships.
I was not very high on Ricky Rubio when he entered the 2009 NBA Draft. I understood why some people were. Rubio has lots of positives in his favor. He sees the floor very well, can make all the passes a PG must make, has an advanced understanding of the game for such a young age, and is a more than willing defender.
However, there are always two sides to a coin. In spite the positives I see Rubio’s negative keeping him from being the star that many expect. Rubio is my no means a slug but he is not impressive athletically. In a league where an East coast trip means facing guys like Rajon Rondo, Devin Harris, and John Wall athleticism is majorly important. That athleticism imbalance also makes another of Rubio’s negatives more glaring. Rubio can not score. Rubio does not finish well around the rim, lacks a mid-range game, and has a very slow shot from long range; which he doesn’t make with enough consistency.
Without the ability to “out-athlete” opponents and the inability to make them honor his scoring Rubio will not get consistent enough chances to utilize his talents. With limited advantageous opportunities the star PG projections won’t be reached. Still I think Rubio’s basketball IQ and willingness to defend will keep him from being a total flame out.
I was not very high on Ricky Rubio when he entered the 2009 NBA Draft. I understood why some people were. Rubio has lots of positives in his favor. He sees the floor very well, can make all the passes a PG must make, has an advanced understanding of the game for such a young age, and is a more than willing defender.
However, there are always two sides to a coin. In spite the positives I see Rubio’s negative keeping him from being the star that many expect. Rubio is my no means a slug but he is not impressive athletically. In a league where an East coast trip means facing guys like Rajon Rondo, Devin Harris, and John Wall athleticism is majorly important. That athleticism imbalance also makes another of Rubio’s negatives more glaring. Rubio can not score. Rubio does not finish well around the rim, lacks a mid-range game, and has a very slow shot from long range; which he doesn’t make with enough consistency.
Without the ability to “out-athlete” opponents and the inability to make them honor his scoring Rubio will not get consistent enough chances to utilize his talents. With limited advantageous opportunities the star PG projections won’t be reached. Still I think Rubio’s basketball IQ and willingness to defend will keep him from being a total flame out.
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