12 Days of NBA Knowledge

It’s no secret to those who know me that I’m a basketball junkie, always trying to watch or read about as much as I can, usually forming half decent opinions on them. And as a second semester senior, I’ve got a lot of free time on my hands, so I figured why not put those thoughts to paper. For my first entry, I will stick to the theme of the twelve days of Christmas, and offer up 12 thoughts and observations on the NBA that I have noticed up to this point…enjoy.

Note: Though I am posting this on Christmas night, I actually wrote it before, and after watching the Christmas day games, will have a few addendums to address.

1) I agree with Bill Simmons that the talent level in the league right now is as high as it has been since MJ, Magic, and Bird. Almost every team has a legit player or two, and while there remains a few elite teams the lower levels teams are becoming more and more competitive. This has been why there have been more "upsets" than usual these first two months, and I think that benefits the league, and the viewership options…because last year I definitely would not have wasted my time trying to find and watch Cleveland vs. Memphis.

2) After seeing both, Brandon Jennings can NOT hold a candle to Tyreke Evans, and Evans will win the ROY by a landslide. Seriously, it’s not even close. Evans is a physical specimen, who like Derek Rose last year, is blowing by defenders that are playing five feet off of him. Give him two years to develop a consistent outside jumper and he will be a perennial All-Star. Although I have to say that his jumper is a bit better than I remembered it being at Memphis. He and his Kings are one of the pleasant surprises this year at 13-15, and they just pushed the Cavs to the brink in their last game. They won’t make the playoffs or anything in the West, but no longer are they simply a door mat. And once Kevin Martin returns from injury, that backcourt of he and Evans will be something to be reckoned with.

3) Looking to the future, mainly next year’s draft, John Wall is THAT good, that the Nets will continue to be THAT bad. He’s a franchise player right now, and I have no doubt that he will be a star in the league. So to have a shot at turning it around in the future with Wall, it’s in the Net’s best interest to be as Kanye would say, bad, real bad...Michael Jackson. Also I wouldn’t be surprised to see some other teams start to throw it in a little bit to enhance their shot at Wall.

4) On the theme of good pg's, Rondo is one of the top 3 in the league when he shows up (still too inconsistent though, but getting much better). He is the closest thing to a possible triple double every night at the point guard position since Jason Kidd in his prime. And while the Big Three get a lot of warranted attention, I think Rondo is the MVP of the Celtics. It is noticeable how they are a worse team when he plays bad, and come June, without a solid Rondo, that team won’t win a championship.

5) In talking about consistency, Michael Beasley has finally stated to show some. He is finally playing defense, and showing the offensive talent that got him drafted number 2. He took it very personally when Charles Barkley called Wade’s supporting cast a bunch of “Tito Jacksons,” and since has been averaging almost 20 and 8. His upside is off the charts, and I have no doubt that he goes to at least five All- Star games in his career.

6) Kobe is just on a different level right now. He can sense his legacy growing, and he is in full assassin mode. Since his finger injury, which I can’t even imagine trying to shoot a basketball without my right index finger, he is averaging 36 a game. He is doing things with 9 fingers that no one else in the league not named LeBron could do with 12.

7) Another superstar who is killing it right now is Dirk Nowitski. Despite the small set back of having another man's teeth lodged into his elbow, he had been a top 5 player in the NBA, and almost single handedly led the Mavs to a 20-9 record, and atops the Southwest Division. That being said, they can’t win a title with the current team, but it won’t be because of Dirk. But never put anything past Mark Cuban to make a big deal to bring this team closer to contention.

8) People are surprised by the Thunder this year, but not me. I said at the beginning of the season they would have a solid year because the nucleus of Durant, Westbrook, Green, and Harden are very good, and Scott Brooks can flat out coach. They might sneak in with the 8 seed but I think they just barely miss the playoffs this year. But they are a legit big man (which Sam Presti will go get) and two more years away from competing seriously in the West. Also Durant can flat out score, and he will win the scoring title by 2013, mark it down.

9) Looking out East, there are actually 4 contenders vying for the top spot. Some people are hesitant to accept it, but the Hawks are scary. Believe me, no one, not even the Celts want to see them in the playoffs. They are the most athletic team in the league, and they have a crazy home court advantage down in Atlanta. They recently had a tough loss to the Knicks, but they bounced back with two thirty point trouncings of the Bulls and Jazz. At 20-8 they have the fourth best record in the East, but I think they will continue to stay on the heels of the Magic in that division for a while.

10) This is tough for me to admit, but just like in Phoenix, the Shaq experiment in Cleveland has been not been a great success. I wanted to believe it would work, but the numbers and watching them don’t lie. As of a few games ago, when it was LeBron and Shaq together, the Cavs were +5 in points. When LeBron was paired with Z, the were +220 in about 40 fewer minutes. He's too slow and big to defend the pick and roll effectively, and this has actually already lost them two games (Toronto and Memphis). For the Cavs to win the title, Danny Ferry has to suck up his pride, admit he was wrong, and deal Shaq and his 20 million dollar expiring contract for Jamison of a player like that, otherwise it will be a another disappointment.

11) Despite pretty good young talent (Rose, Thomas, Noah), the Bulls are terrible. I mean how do you blow a 33 point lead at home with 18 minutes left to the Kings? They have quit on their coach, and VDN (Vinny Del Negro) has replaced H1N1 as the most feared and dreaded disease to catch this winter in Chicago. He needs to be fired, and just start over. 10-17 was definitely not where they wanted to be this stage in the season, but the benefit is they are in the East, and with a small 4 or 5 game winning streak, they can get right back in the playoff hunt.

12) From what I have seen so far, when healthy, the Lakers and Celtics are the two best teams in the league, but the Lakers are just too deep and big, plus there’s no way Kobe loses to them twice with the chance to cement himself as one of the games all time greats. That's why it will Lakers over Celts in 6...(or did I just secretly pull a REVERSE JINXXXXXX)