Tonight, the new NBA season begins. I know a lot of
folks are excited given the past off-season we've all
witnessed.(no shots intended Bron Bron.) We've seen the
free agency market pretty much explode and dissipate like
a shaken bottle of soda, thanks in part to the trio I'm calling
Three The Hard Way: LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne
Wade. What started in 2008 in Beijing is now making its grand
opening tonight versus the Boston Celtics, a couple of years
older and now sitting with two O'Neals on the bench(Shaquille
and Jermaine, respectively.) So in honor of tonight, I thought
I'd hit you with four quick preseason observations. And I now
reserve the right to be wrong when June comes. Why four? In
honor of my man Larry Johnson and a select piece of New York
Knicks history.
1)Miami will make it to the Finals. But they won't win.
I'm getting this one out of the way because it is the most
obvious question. You can't deny the talent of Wade, James
and Bosh. But the main reason I call them Three The Hard
Way is this: their supporting cast. Pat Riley has stacked his
team with solid players, but those players are either at the
end of their career(Juwan Howard and Jerry Stackhouse)
or injury prone(Mike Miller and Zydrunas Ilgauskas). And
let's not forget that each member of the main trio has their
own fair share of injury issues. I think that given the fact
that the only team to make major additions close to what
they've done is the Boston Celtics, the East is tighter for
Miami to navigate than people would think but not that much.
2)This year may be the last year you see the Lakers as
they are. That said, they narrowly get back to the Finals
as well.
Kobe must've sat back in his jacuzzi filled with fresh Alaskan
spring water sipping champagne for all of five minutes once
he heard 'The Decision'. Then it was back to the gym. For all
of this is bound to drive him that much more. And the Lakers
will need it. Andrew Bynum is more than likely going to have
the situation with his knees go into December. And it means
that Kobe is going to have to go the extra mile because I'm
not sure Ron Artest will duplicate the success he had last
year. If Pau Gasol elevates his game to Dirk Nowitzki levels
like he did that last year in Memphis, it should be smooth
sailing for the Purple and Gold. But it won't be that easy of
a road, not with Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City as well as
Portland just waiting to cause an upset.
3)The New York Knicks will make the playoffs. By luck.
C'mon, this is not as big of a stretch as you would think.
Only because somehow, despite the bumbling of the owner
and his fixation on Isiah Thomas, they've assembled an okay
team. Which in New York City, is about as much hope as we
can ask for. Amar'e Stoudamire is a good addition even if
you choose(like me)not to put stock in the fact that his mere
presence is a lure for Carmelo Anthony and/or Chris Paul to
come to Madison Square Garden and join forces. They've
gotten younger, and have enough legs to win games they let
slip away a season ago. Given the state of other Eastern
Conference bottom dwellers, the Knicks could have a shot to
somehow grab that bottom spot in the playoffs behind the
Milwaukee Bucks.
4)There will be TWO major trades by the All Star Break.
The past free agency season has given us two major stories
in Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony. But there are lesser ones
to consider that could change everything. Consider Tony Parker's
future in San Antonio. Atlanta is a bit nervous given the fact that
their Sixth Man of the Year, Jamal Crawford was shafted out of
a contract hike. And Josh Smith could bolt on top of that. Plus
Gilbert 'Pop Shot' Arenas' tenure in DC isn't that solid. There's
still enough intrigue in the league for people to wonder just how
other teams could attempt to rise to the top.
And with that, let's get this season started!!!