The NBA season is upon us, sprung suddenly from a preseason obscured by the unlikely and heroic escape of the Boston Red Sox from its cursed history, and from the all-encompassing grip of the NFL season -- and its manifold fantasy implications.
Suddenly basketball is back, with so many teams changed in so many integral ways that it is hard to even identify the favorites. But a few changes will lift a handful of teams from mediocrity to contender status, and will likely shift the geographic power centers of the league even further west -- with one notable exception:
Shaq in South Beach
If Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal could win three titles with a cast of no-names, it's no stretch to suggest Shaq and Dwayne Wade could do the same, especially in an Eastern Conference that lacks the powerhouse contenders of the West. Shaq should be able to plough his way through or past Brendan Haywood, Jason Collier, and Jahidi White. Even that other great O'Neil, Jermaine, won't be able to deny the post to the Daddy.
The only teams that should stand in their path through the Eastern Conference are Detroit, who added Antonio McDyess to an already awesome front line, and Indiana, who have another year of seasoning under their belt, and should push for the conference title. But if Shaq and Wade produce anything like what the Diesel and Kobe did, Miami could snag its first title before O'Neil wraps up his Hall of Fame career.
Kenyon in the Rockies
Denver jumped on the radar screen last year with colorful new uniforms, a quick, freelancing style, and the sensational play of rookie Carmello Anthony. They added Kenyon Martin this offseason, one of the league's stud defensive forwards and a talented scorer and rebounder. Add Nene, the Brazilian strongman, and shot-blocker Marcus Camby, and Denver has one of the league's most intimidating frontlines.
Yet the Nugs are off to a 1-3 start. Missing Voshon Lenard, out for six months with a torn Achilles, doesn't help, but I'd chalk up the slow start to a lack of chemistry. In a month or two, the Nuggets should be steaming along, led by Andre Miller, an excellent ball distributor and a calming influence at the point.
Booze to No-Booze Land
Carlos Boozer's abrupt departure from Cleveland ended the Cavs' dreams of a sudden championship, won by the dynamic duo of Boozer and LeBron James. Now James will have to go it alone, while Boozer sets up camp in the unlikeliest of places -- Utah. Boozer gives the Jazz the thuggish inside presence they were missing last year. Add Andrei Kirilenko, a healthy Matt Harpring, and Carlos Arroyo to the mix and the Jazz, in my opinion, could win the newly-minted Northwest Division.
Most important in the Utah mix is Jerry Sloan, the aging, but intense coach whose hard-nosed teaching methods result in teams as relentless as any in the league. The Jazz are closer to a title than they've been since Stockton and Malone took at 2-1 lead on the Bulls five years back.
T-Mac to the Texas Tarmac
Houston used to be a great place for hoops, was more than just the hub of Continental Airlines. Then the Rockets took a turn for the surreal, cobbling together a circus of ex-stars (Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, etc.) that promised to lead the city back to the Promised Land. Once that experiment failed, the Rockets seemed to repeat their eccentric mistake by signing Yao Ming, the Chinese superstar who, at first glanced, looked like a gangly seventh-grader desperately trying to keep his bench position. But Yao developed, and now he's gained a running mate.
The pairing of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming promises to be one of the best tandems in the league. If anyone can help Ming reach Shaq-like status, it's McGrady, who possesses a degree of selflessness that Kobe Bryant has only reluctantly delivered. McGrady is willing to give up the ball -- a must-have quality that Steve Francis crucially lacked. But McGrady is also the league's best scorer. Like Miami, the Rockets should be able to graft some reliable journeymen onto the belly of their dynamic duo and go deep into the playoffs.
Steve Nash to the Desert
Nash is perfect for this young, athletic team. Amare Stoudamire, Joe Johnson, and Shawn Marion will flourish with Nash running the point. They'll thrive on his demented drives and rudderless forays into the lane. Chaos suits the Suns. They are a little like Dallas in their heyday, a high-scoring bunch without a shred of conscience. But they are better on the boards than Dallas was, and that might make them a more formidable opponent come crunch time.
These should be some of the more significant changes in the league. Other changes should have almost no impact.
Mike Montgomery at Golden State
This move will prove once again that NBA coaches do nothing but manage egos. And what college coach has ever won the respect of the spoiled millionaires who grace the NBA? That aside, maybe Montgomery should've taken just a cursory glance at the Warrior roster before signing onto this sinking ship. Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy, Speedy Claxton, Calbert Cheaney, Adonyl Foyle. And so on. This team could probably win the Pac-10, but the Pacific Division?
The Umpteenth Return of Alonzo Mourning
It's good that 'Zo is healthy again, but he won't replace what was lost when Kenyon Martin went West. Besides, Jason Kidd is out indefinitely, and wants out of New Jersey to boot. He'll probably get his wish later this season. New Jersey might be liquidating in advance of their move to Brooklyn. Better to have deep pockets down the road. The Nets will also soon find out that Richard Jefferson is not the impact player that Kenyon Martin is. But what does GM Rod Thorn care? Even the Knicks get sellouts in NYC.
Hiring of Billy Knight and Mike Woodson in Atlanta
Neither will turn the Atlanta Hawks around, and it remains to be seen if Knight will prove an upgrade on the interminably mediocre Stan Kastan. Knight successfully gutted the Hawk roster and brought in Antoine Walker, the freewheeling gunner who even found Dallas too confining. That was a questionable move. But so was Knight's other key change.
Hiring your boyhood buddy as your coach is no way to instill confidence in your abilities as a general manager, but that's just what Knight did when he chose Woodson for the Hawks job, claiming that Woodson would bring Larry Brown's brand of championship basketball to the south, since Woodson had apparently prospered under the tutelage of Brown in Detroit.
But Woodson assumes a thankless task. The Hawks will continue to flounder, now amid the ruins of the new Southeast Division, along with expansion Charlotte and aimless Washington. Walker will lead them nowhere, nor will any of the teenagers they picked up in the draft. As always, the Hawks' best years are in front of them -- way, way in front of them.
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