WE ARE ON A ROLL!

Monday's game (Magic vs Spurs) would not have been written by marvel comics because Superman lost. But this was no ordinary loss. The Magic need not walk away with heads held low; for Monday, we saw one of the best games of the season. Two heavyweights going at it for four quarters. It was the type of game that kept you on the edge of your seat. If you got up to get a drink, by the time you got back, you missed two lead changes, a three pointer and one turnover. No folks, you sat down and watched because you had no choice. Manu was Manu. Eventually wrecking havoc on both sides of the court. SA's favorite Argentinian got off to a slow start offensively but was an irritating force on the other side of the ball. The Magic had no answer for Manu and once he found his shot, the Magic would be fighting a losing battle. No matter how Manu starts, in the end, you want him to have the ball; and he came through in true Ginobili fashion. Three for seven from the ark, but those three were big. Two helped seal the deal including one for a four point play. Now, tell me what train can you take to a Spurs game? I know, kinda lame, The Red Rocket!!! But seriously, when will the NBA notice this guy? Hopefully never. They leave him open, game after game. He is a force to be reckoned with at the ark. I have said it before and I will say it again; I think he is the most versitle player the Spurs have. Now, I love Blair as well as THE BIG THREE but Blair can't do what Bonner can. Bonner can guard the big in the paint, GET THE REBOUND and shoot, short as well as the long ball. The only guy I can think of, that is as versatile, is Dirk Nowitski. But last Monday night was trey time. Bonner wasn't the spark this time. Mr. Parker, who knew? Now we have seen him shoot for an occasional three but if he makes this a habit, he will be unguardable. Once the Spurs calmed down it was game time. McDyess, showed off just how strong he is. He allowed Tim to sit without Pop sacrificing points or Defense. RJ, Hill, Neal, these guys are clicking. Usually it isn't until after the All-Star break that we see play like this, especially off of the bench. Guys are walking on cold and making huge contributions. Everyone knows their roll. The Black and Silver showed up unlike the experts said they would. After the best start in franchise history, Spurs fans can't help but be excited.

WEDNESDAY WIRE

Western Conference Preview

Once again there is a clear front runner in the race for the Western Conference Championship, the L.A. Lakers. Unlike the Eastern Conference, once we get past the top team there is no clear runner up. Portland, Oklahoma, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio all improved greatly over the summer, one lucky break could propel any of these teams to the top, and one wrong move could send another collapsing out of the playoffs. Yao, Griffin, and Bynum all return from injuries, while Oden continues to writhe in his afflictions. Hold on to your seats, the Western Conference will, once again, prove to be a wild ride.

1. LAKERS: Not that Kobe needed any more help, but the rich continue to get richer. The addition of Matt Barnes and Steve Blake provide the Lakers with some much needed depth, and gives them one of the most formidable defenses in the league. There is no question the entire league will be chasing the Lakers in 2011.

2. DALLAS: The Mavs continue to be one of the most talented teams in the league. The late additions of Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler in 2010 bolstered a relatively weak roster. The offseason acquisition of Tyson Chandler and, former Spur, Ian Mahinmi give the Mavs some real depth in the post. The Mavericks will continue to live up to their M.O., great regular season, early playoff exit.

3. THUNDER: The fairy tale team from OOOOOOklahoma is still rising in the West. They are a determined squad, whose high level of talent will be overridden only by their youth. The most important offseason development has nothing to do with trades or free agent signings, but some of this team’s best talent got to spend the entire summer with NCAA future hall of famer Coach K. As they say, “knowledge is power”, and the lessons learned this summer created more confidence and turned Kevin Durant into a bona fide super star.

4. HOUSTON: Yet another season for a team that has always been 10 years older than they really are. I don’t know what the Rocket’s did to loose their B-ball Mojo, but I’ve never seen a team with such terrible luck with injuries. Yao finally returned, but will play limited minutes in an effort to spare his fragile foot from a possible career ending injury. This will be one of the first times in quite a while that the Rockets are beginning the season with a healthy roster. Houston has great depth and has assembled a quality team, but the absence of a clear floor leader will once again be their downfall when the playoffs begin.

5. SPURS: Sign Tiago Splitter, CHECK! Re-sign Tony Parker, CHECK! Get younger and more athletic, CHECK! The Spurs had another great offseason, and continue to defy all odds and hang around with younger, more elite teams. With that said, some greater questions still remain: Can the Spurs stay healthy? Will Richard Jefferson finally get his shot going? And, can the Spurs new players assimilate quickly and provide a punch to the Spurs’ mediocre offense? If the Spurs fail in any of those areas, they will no longer be competitive in a stacked Western Conference.

6. TRAILBLAZERS: Much like Houston, the Blazers have had little luck staying healthy, at one point last season they had only one player on the roster that could play the post. The Blazers rearranged their chess pieces and acquired Marcus Camby from the Clippers, but lost some real talent in the process. The Blazers, when healthy, have one of the deepest frontcourts in the league, and if they can learn to control the tempo, much like former championship Spurs teams, they will once again be a top-notch team in the West.

7. JAZZ: The best thing that happened to the Utah Jazz this offseason was getting rid of their logo. Unfortunately, that’s where the music ends. The Jazz find themselves in an uncomfortable position near the bottom of the playoff hunt in the West. We could see a big shake up for these mid-level teams. A little luck and a resurgence of Al Jefferson would help this depleted team fight off the onslaught and sneak into the playoffs.

8. NUGGETS: Carmelo Anthony has already packed his bags and checked out of the hotel, but he’s still waiting in the lobby for his ride to show up. The Nuggets will only get worse when the Carmelo trade is finalized. He has stated, several times, that he wants out of the Mile High City, and is looking for greener pastures in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference. Crafty dealing could give the Nuggets nice talent for the future, but their season is all but over.

9. HORNETS: I’m not sold on the quick start, but they have a chance.
10. SUNS: As long as Nash is playing they will win games, still no defense.
11. CLIPPERS: L.A.’s red-headed step child made great leaps this off-season, when their big leaper Blake Griffin returned to the line-up. All L.A. first round match up, anyone? It’s not as unlikely as some may think.
12. KINGS: Their biggest problem is defense. Nice offseason for this young team.
13. GRIZZLIES: The Griz can’t win.
14. WARRIORS: Loads of talent, no discipline.
15. TIMBERWOLVES: Made no improvements this summer, expect more of the same.

Reasons to be excited.

Spurs fans unite. We are on a roll. De ja vu: Look at what we have to work with this year. We have the good ole boys, the big three but now, that is not all. How many people, me included, thought we were a loaded team last year? RJ started flat and didn't get much better. Roger Mason Jr. wasn't consistent offensively and didn't cut it defensively. That, compounded with lack luster performances and injuries made the Good Guys fall well short of expectations. With the deepest Spurs team I have seen in a very long time there are reasons to be excited.

This year we have started stronger, although this is going to be a very important time for the Spurs. Last year the Spurs got behind and had a hard time catching back up. Now, in years past, a team could do that and get away with it, but the sport has changed. If you don't have fifty plus wins at the end of the year, you are all but done. If you can't score one hundred plus points each game, you will have a hard time keeping up.

The Spurs have always been a "defend first; score second" team. That is beginning to change. I hate the change in philosophy, although it is necessary. Pop is still a defense minded coach but more stress is getting put on the scoring. In years past, we always heard "do defense and the offense will come". Now the Spurs are loading up to make sure that happens. The good thing is the rest of the team is making sure the newbies know if they want playing time, they must defend. The black and silver have been able to keep up (and most often) dominate this year, but up until Sunday they had not played with the big dogs. Sunday was a good test for TD and company. Finishing 50-32 last year the OK City Thunder lead by Kevin Durant can score. Being a young team, they can move. They can run up a score and get hot quick. This was good exercise for team defense. Scoring is important but we can't abandon the defense. Also, we need to keep turnovers to a minimum. They will always hurt you, but against a young talented team like OK, turnovers will bite you in the a**. Although, young is the key word. The Spurs have seen and done it all. They took care of the little things and put yet another mark in the "W" column. We have some truly heavy hitters coming up on the schedule. The Spurs will, and need, to only get stronger.

Without guys like Anderson (stress fracture out for about one month) the rest of the team has to do their job. Now this is the cool part. How often does a rookie go out this early in the season, and truly make an impact? Now if you are talking about a Lebron, Duncan or some other franchise name then yes, it hurts. But Anderson, Neal, Splitter; in a months, time have integrated into a valued part of the team. It is awesome to have a fresh face, much less three, that makes that much of a difference. The fact that he is out of service for a little while just makes you appreciate him all the more. Now I threw RJ under the bus earlier for a less than adequate performance last year; but the hard work of Pop and many others, much smarter than I, have made lemonade out of lemons. Richard Jefferson just did not understand the offense. Now he knows, understands and even makes the offense better. He is taking shots that last year he easily would have passed up. Now he goes straight to the paint when previously he would have had to stop and read the defense. He defends and can take off for the fast break. Now we have the BIG FOUR!

WEDNESDAY WIRE

Eastern Conference Preview


Overshadowed by an NFL season loaded with parody and conspiracy, the NBA, one week from now, will quietly begin the most intriguing season of the last twenty years. The obvious story line surrounds LeBron James and the Miami Heat’s offseason overhaul, firmly entrenching them as the championship front runner for the next 6 years. Less heralded stories involving the return of Blake Griffin and Yao Ming, an immanent eastward migration of another Western Conference superstar, Chicago rebuilds, New York attempts to rebuild, lover’s scorned, and a handful of veteran teams desperately making their final charge for the Larry O’Brien trophy before the sun sets on some of the greatest franchises in NBA history.

The Eastern Conference is no longer the whipping post of the NBA. Miami, Boston, and Orlando, are the clear front runners, but up and coming teams like Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and New Jersey are developing into solid franchises with great opportunities for future success. Meanwhile, Philly, Washington, and Toronto earn the “Fool’s Gold” award for the last decade, after spending millions of dollars on big name acquisitions and acquiring countless draft busts, they have made little progress to escape mediocrity.

Here are my preseason rankings for the Eastern Conference:

1. Miami Heat: Miami is the shiny new toy of the NBA. Whether you love or hate what happened this summer, everyone will be watching as the Heat try to become champions once again. After spending all of their cap space on the “Biggest Three Ever”, the Heat had to settle for C list players to fill out the remaining 12 spots on the roster, in doing so they have surpassed the Spurs and Celtics as the oldest team in the NBA. Big questions surround the bench rotation once the big three leave the game, but if LeBron, Wade, and Bosh can stay healthy they will have the best record in the East when the playoffs begin. Make no mistake that is no guarantee of a championship. In the last decade, only three of the Eastern Conference leading teams have made it to the finals, and only one team managed to win the championship (2007-2008 Celtics).

If you want to hear my thoughts on LeBron take a look at my last article, “The Aftershocks of Lebron’s Decision Hit Home”.

2. Orlando Magic: In the offseason Orlando added veterans and shooting to their team. The addition of Chris Duhon will bolster the point guard position, and add a viable replacement if Jameer Nelson has another injury. The loss of Matt Barnes will hamper their man to man defense, but the Magic are a physical and athletic team that is deep at every position. Look for them to finally overtake an older Boston squad in the East. The Magic have a great shot at reaching the Eastern Conference finals and possibly bring a championship to Orlando.

3. Boston Celtics: The re-signing of Nate Robinson is the best move this team made in the offseason. Unfortunately, the rest of the acquisitions the Celts made will only add to their demise. Shaq and Jermaine O’Neal are aging veterans that have little overall impact on the game in their current state. Big, lumbering post players have little value in what is now a guard driven league. Adding these two dinosaurs only takes away from a young, talented front court with Davis and Perkins. Perkins found himself in Doc’s doghouse last year with the O’Neals now on the roster don’t expect him to be a Celtic for much longer if he can’t repair his status with the franchise.

4. Chicago Bulls: I did not like the John Salmons trade last year, but I understand the long term result. Chicago spent their open cap space acquiring Carlos Boozer, a shrewd move after missing out on LeBron. Boozer adds some much needed physicality to this young team. Combining him with Noah, Rose, Deng, and a slew of role players added this summer, makes this team extremely competitive. A pre-season injury to Boozer hampers their initial viability, if Boozer recovers quickly and if the team can stay healthy they will be a solid franchise for years to come. Even without Boozer, Taj Gibson is a talented forward who should fill in nicely in Boozer’s absence and provide a solid reserve upon his return.

5. Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks have underperformed the past couple seasons, they are loaded with offensive firepower, but lack real grit on the defensive end. Al Horford is developing into a well rounded big man, but they have no depth in the post. Josh Smith is a great defender, but lacks an outside shot making him narrowly one dimensional on the offensive end. Keeping Joe Johnson was the key to saving any championship hopes, and if the team can get past the Crawford drama, they will once again be a top team.

6. Milwakee Bucks: The East is pretty evenly matched at this level, a favorable schedule or an injury could catapult one team to the top and another to the drudges. The Bucks have a decent team. John Salmons, Drew Gooden, and a more experienced Brandon Jennings make for some good leadership. Bogut’s injury issues continue to hamper this potential All-Star from being a real threat. A healthy Bucks team and a little luck could give them the boost they need to overtake the slightly disfunctional Hawks.

7. Charlotte Bobcats: This is another team that has under achieved the past few years. Jordan, now the majority owner of the Bobcats has rekindled his love affair with Big Bust Kwame Brown. Charlotte has some nice pieces but had little success turning those pieces into wins (sounds like the Cowboys). Gerald Wallace, Captain Jack, and Boris Diaw are all quality players. If the Bobcats can avoid injuries, and mature under Larry Brown, they could be this year’s most improved team.

8. New Jersey Nets: There is always one team in the East that manages to sneak its way into the playoffs with a losing record, this year it will be the Nets; new coach, many new players, new owner, and new possibilities. The Nets made some great moves this offseason. Favors, Morrow, Murphy, and Outlaw, are all great building blocks for this young team. Favors will be a project, but could develop into a solid back up by year’s end. Murphy and Outlaw provide some veteran leadership and much needed defense. The piece this team lacks is a true point guard. Harris is good, but he’s more of a Monte Ellis, good scorer, bad ball handler. The Carmelo trade, if completed, would not help this team a great deal, but a little patience might. Chris Paul will be a free agent next year, if the Nets make it into the playoffs over the Knicks, they could leap frog the Knicks and become pack leaders to land Chris Paul’s services next summer.

9. New York Knicks: Good, but not good enough. No defense, no depth.
10. Indiana Pacers: Made some great moves in the summer, but not enough talent.
11. Washington Wizards: They need to get rid of Arenas.
12. Detroit Pistons: Ben Gordon has to get going, too old, not enough talent.
13. Philadelphia 76ers: Their compass is spinning, they need some direction.
14. Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron was the only thing keeping them afloat.
15. Toronto Raptors: Need I say more.