So I start...
O wait, now I'm going to post a picture of myself like I post pictures of everyone else -
Moving on...
-There is clearly a division between the major league teams and the AAA teams (with a couple of AA teams - Washington and Charlotte) in the Eastern Conference this year. The Celtics (duh) and Cavs are clearly the elite, but Orlando and Detroit are in the majors. Everyone else is just not very good.
-What is interesting about this group is that they each play the game differently. The Celtics play with 3 big guys and a bunch of role players. The Cavs play with the stud perimeter player (although LeBron is all over the place), the Magic play with a beast with 2 first names (Dwight Howard has 2 first names like Bill Russell has 2 first names) in the middle. Lastly, Detroit plays the all-around team game (well, they used to until AI showed up. Now they just kinda play that game and they are therefore not as good. The lack of a pure PG is clearly affecting Rip Hamilton who is having his worst shooting season in years. The team is only 7-6 since the trade for Iverson!)
-The Blazers are not ready for the next step, but they are one scary team! They have only 1 guy with a date of birth in the 70s. That is frightening for any other team in the league. Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu don't get much playing time as recent #1 picks. I don't know why those 2 don't play in the D-league, but the young talent on this roster in immense. Only 1 guy on the active roster was not a first round pick (Steve Blake) and there are so many guys with complementary talents on this roster. Brandon Roy can do anything on the court, the 2 Spaniards will start in the near future (for Blake and Batum - a sick defensive player who is not a good offensive player yet) and there are the twin towers in the middle (although Oden does not consistently play like an NBA player yet; however, that trade for Aldridge from the Bulls for Tyrus Thomas looks like a gem!)
In fact, the Blazers have the 2 best players from that (2006) NBA draft - Aldridge and Roy were picked 2nd and 6th. The Blazers traded Randy Foye for Roy - not much of a contest on who is better!
Ok, enough of the Blazers!
-The Pacific division is just odd. The Lakers are obviously on top and the Suns are a clear second, but no one else is within 10 games of the Lakers - just strangely pathetic!
-I'm really impressed with the way Kobe Bryant is playing. He is shooting his highest percentage every (although not from 3), and is taking the least number of shots he has taken since the Shaq days. He is also playing less minutes (by a wide margin) then he has played in a decade. All this equals a great start by the entire Lakers crew. The team game is the way for them to play considering the mammoth amount of talent on the squad. I think the Lakers will win the NBA championship this year. The west is not as strong this year (so the team won't get as beat up during the playoffs) and Andrew Bynum is playing well (both offensively - expected, and defensively - exceptional for such a young center). Bynum is 4th in the NBA in blocks!
How the hell did Bynum fall to the #10 pick is beyond me. The Lakers are very lucky they decided not trade Bynum for Kidd as they almost did last year. That would have been worse than the idiotic move the Mavs pulled (Harris)! The Bucks picked Andrew Bogut over Bynum! If the Bucks didn't want Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Danny Granger (one of the NBA's most underrated players!) or Monte Ellis and insisted on picking a center - at least they should have chosen the guy with the most potential - ANDREW BYNUM!
That is not a knock on Bogut, he just is not as young or as physically gifted as Bynum!
-It is tough for Oklahoma City to gather around their new team when the Thunder is 2-17!
-Derrick Rose is really freaken good!
Take a look at this video of him making Andre Miller look silly. I know the whole thing is not him, but look for the rediculous block and the 'take a seat' cross-over (the shot is a goaltending)!
Anyway, that is enough! I'll have more in the next edition!
Enjoy staring at the picture of me!
One more note about me, my roommates and are in the middle of a Madden '08 season on PS2 (because we got the game for 5 bucks and didn't feel like spending $50 on the new game! - because it is not much better and we are not a bunch of video game obsessed geeks!). Anyway, so I played 3 games today (no, I'm still not a geek, just really competitive!) and I am currently 9-1. Wahoo! Just wanted to talk about how I am going to win the 'ship!
Yaros
2005 was the last year high schoolers went in the draft, because for the 4 years before that they were all busts. Bynum was heavily criticized out of high school of potentially being a bust. Bogut was the clear favorite to go number 1 overall. Everyone wanted Bogut. Bynum was lucky enough to go at 10. Its easy to say that now but at the time thigns are different whether in the nfl or the nba.
ReplyDeleteto call a guy out of high school a bust you really got to give them a few years. Prime example Tracy McGrady...
ReplyDeletewho r u talking about? darko? oden?
ReplyDeletei never called oden a bust! I said he better not become one.
Darko is only 23, but considering the players drafted after him, I would call him a bust at this point!
Yaros
I don't understand why everyone's looking down on the knicks. I distinctly remember watching a commercial this past summer where multiple knicks players said that they would do WHATEVER IT TAKES to win and so people should by tickets for games. That sends me a message of dedication and a will to win which may result with them winning no less than 45 games this year.
ReplyDeleteYaros, I was referring to comment above and how Bynum was deemed by public opinion a bust early on in his career/development(thanks partially to Kobe).
ReplyDeleteIn general I feel like most people pull the trigger early on calling someone a bust- in any sport. Not saying you did, just thought id bring it up.