Preview: Orlando Magic

After a disappointing finish in the playoffs last year, the Orlando Magic are looking to re-establish themselves as a dominant force in the Eastern Conference.  The Magic are currently seeking to sign Dwight Howard to an extension before the season starts to keep the big man in Orlando for a while to come.  The Magic did not lose much in the offseason while adding a few pieces to their team.  Their key additions include rookies Daniel Orton (Kentucky), Stanley Robinson (UConn), as well as free agent signings of Malik Allen (Nuggets), Chris Duhon (Knicks), and Quentin Richardson (Heat).  Their only loses where Matt Barnes (Lakers) and Adonal Foyle (Retirement). 

The Duhon signing is very interesting to me because the Magic already have point guards Jameer Nelson and Jason Williams who they resigned in the offseason.  While Duhon is an upgrade over Williams the amount of money they paid to him (Over 3 million for 4 seasons) is extremely high in my opinion.  The Magic have a solid lineup from the top to the bottom.  Howard anchors the defense with rebound and blocked shots while Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis tend to do much of the scoring for the Magic.  They look to get solid performances off the bench from Mickael Pietrus, Duhon, and Richardson.  Marcin Gortat will also be a solid big man off the bench and will get lots of minutes if Howard doesn’t stay out of foul trouble.

A few things to watch for this year is the continued progression of Howard’s post moves and offensive game.  He continues to work to get better but needs to be more dominant for the Magic to succeed especially with the increase in talented teams in the East.  Don’t be surprised if you see the Magic move Vince Carter by the end of the year as the team had talks during the summer about the possibility of trading him.  I like the Magic this year and think they will be 2^nd best team in the East finishing behind the Heat. 

Here is how I see the depth chart for the Heat.

PG- Nelson, Duhon, Williams

SG- Carter, JJ Reddick, Richardson

SF- Lewis, Pietrus, Robinson

PF- Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, Malik Allen, Orton

C- Howard, Gortat

** The Magic may start Lewis at the PF and move either Pietrus or Reddick into the starting lineup.

Preview: Dallas Mavericks

 

The Dallas Mavericks this season come in looking to take 1^st place in the Western Conference after a few trades mid-season that have boasted them into one of the most talented teams in the NBA.  The Mavericks only major loss this off-season was Erick Dampier who was traded for Tyson Chandler from the Bobcats.  The Mavericks are extremely talented and very deep off the bench.  The Mavs were able to resign all-star forward Dirk Nowitzki this off season.  The big thing with the Mavs over the past few years has been their ability to play defense.  However, under coach Rick Carlisle the Mavs have become a much improved and now lay somewhere in the middle of the pack in defense categories rather than at the bottom. 

The keys for the Mavs this year to win the Western Conference is defense, Jason Kidd being able to play at a high level, Nowitzki, and scoring off the bench.  The Mavs are big upfront with Nowitzki, Chandler, Brendan Haywood.  They are also forward heavy with DeShawn Stevenson, Shawn Marion, and Caron Butler. 

I like the Mavs to compete for the Western Conference and they may give the Lakers a run for their money this year if they can manage to stay healthy.  I like them to finish second behind the Lakers but don’t be surprised if they win the West with their large amount of talent.  This is how I see the Mavs depth chart.

PG- Kidd, Jose Barea, Rodrique Beaubois, Dee Brown

SG- Jason Terry (PG also), DeShawn Stevenson, Dominique Jones

SF- Caron Butler, Shawn Marion

PF- Nowitzki, Brian Cardinal, Steve Novak

C- Chandler, Haywood, Alexis Ajinca,

Where will Melo go?

The trade rumors for Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony continue to flow as the preseason continues to get closer.  Lately it has looked like there was a 4-team deal in the works that would send Carmelo to the Nets that also would include the Jazz and the Bobcats.   This is how the trade would of have went down.

Nets- Carmelo (Nuggets)            Jazz- Boris Diaw(Bobcats)             Bobcats - Devin Harris(Nets)

Nuggets- Derrick Favors (Nets), Andrei Kirilenko (Jazz), 2 first round picks (Nets)

However, it has remained unclear whether or not Carmelo would be interested in signing an extension which every team wants to complete any trade for Carmelo.  It has appeared now that the trade talks are slowing down and doesn’t appear that the proposed 4 team trade will take place now after the other teams involved have become impatient with Nuggets.  As training camp begins this week, many players have been left in limbo with their teams.  Carmelo’s prefer choice of teams is the New York Knicks but they don’t have the talent to send to the Nuggets like other teams do.  The Bulls have all but appeared to pull out of the contest to get Carmelo after refusing to deal Joakim Noah. 

There were talks about the 76ers of possibility getting in the contest by offering super Andre Iguodala for Anthony.  However, Anthony does not want to play in Philly and would be very unlikely to sign an extension with the team. 

It seems unlikely that Carmelo will stay with the Nuggets once free agency hits so I expect the Nuggets to move him at some point this year.  Whether it is before the season starts or later on during the season before the trading deadline, the Nuggets want to get something of value for him to build for the future.

Preview: Miami Heat

No team has had more attention this off-season than the Miami Heat. By adding Lebron James and Chris Bosh while resigning Dwayne Wade the Heat may have assembled the greatest 3-headed monster in terms of talent. The only members of the Heat that are on the team this year from last year’s roster is point guards Mario Chalmers, Carlos Arroyo, and Joel Anthony. Besides Bosh and Lebron other notable free agents that Heat have been able to sign with a limited payroll include Udonis Haslem, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Mike Miller, and Eddie House.

While many people want to hate on this team and say that the 3-headed monster won’t work I do believe that the Heat will win the Eastern Conference by a few games. This doesn’t mean that I feel that they are collectively a better team than teams such as the Magic and the Bulls but I do feel they will overpower the other teams they will play in comparison to when the Bulls and Magic play them. It will be interesting to see how the supporting cast will play for Heat but I do think they did a solid job getting guys that are role players who know their roles off the bench.

Another thing to look for with the Heat is that it’s Wade’s team but at the end of the game who is getting the looks when its clutch time. Lebron, Bosh, and Wade were the go-to guys on their teams which should be an interesting thing to watch. Also, how will still young head coach Erik Spoelstra handle the superstars or if things go bad with the team does President Pat Riley take over the team as many thought would happen when Bosh and Lebron signed?

Here is how I see the Heat’s depth chart.
PG- Mario Chalmers, Eddie House, Carlos Arroyo
SG- Wade, Mike Miller
SF- Lebron, James Jones, Da’Sean Butler
PF- Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony, Juwan Howard
C- Bosh, Ilgauskas, Jamaal Magloire
------ Preview for the Dallas Mavericks coming up next.

Preview: Eastern Conference Champs Boston Celtics

The next team that I will preview is the Eastern Conference Champs Boston Celtics. The Celtics lost in game 7 of the Finals last year to the Lakers. The Celtics have made their fair share of news with their off-season pickups along with many other Eastern Conference teams. Gone is Michael Finley (FA) and Brian Scalabrine (Fa) and Rasheed Wallace (Retired) and Tony Allen (Grizzlies). Newcomers include Shaq O’Neal (Cavaliers), Jermaine O’Neal (Heat), Delonte West (Cavaliers) as well as drafted players Avery Bradley (Texas), Semih Erden (Turkey), Tony Gaffney (UMASS), Luke Harangody (Notre Dame), Oliver Lafayette (Houston). The Celtics currently have 19 players on their roster which will need to be cut down to 15 before the season starts.

The biggest new this offseason for the Celtics was Doc Rivers coming back to coach 1 more year and the addition of Shaq. The big thing with the Celtics this year will be their health. They are an older team but when healthy can be dominate with Rondo, Pierce, and Garnett leading the way. If those guys can stay healthy they will be able to compete in the East and can effectively match up with the Miami Heat. They will be deep as both O’Neals and West will be coming off the bench along with Glen Davis, Nate Robinson, and Marquis Daniels. Don’t be surprised if you see Bradley compete with Nate Robinson and West for more playing time in the backcourt. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Wallace makes a comeback later in the year if the Celtics are hit with injuries.

This is how I see the Celtics depth chart rounding out before the season starts.
PG- Rondo, Robinson, Bradley
SG- Allen, West (PG Also), Wafer
SF- Pierce, Daniels
PF- Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal, Glen Davis, Harangody
C- Perkins, Shaq, Erden
---- Miami Heat Preview will be next.

Preview: Back-to-Back NBA Champion L.A. Lakers

Now that the FIBA Championships are over I decided to start previewing some of the best teams in the league as the season gets closer. I’ll start off with the back-to-back NBA Champion L.A. Lakers. While most of the attention was focused on Eastern Conference with Lebron and all the teams interested, Lakers also had a very nice off-season by adding a few solid pieces. First off, the Lakers have lost a few players due to free agency with Jordan Farmar (Nets), Adam Morrison (FA), Josh Powell (Hawks), and DJ Mbenga (FA). Newcomers to the Lakers are Matt Barnes (Magic), Steve Blake (Clippers), Theo Ratliff (Spurs), and drafted players Derrick Caracter (UTEP) and Devin Ebanks (WV).

I think with the additions the Lakers have made they are now an extremely deep team and are solid all the way around. I like the Barnes pick up who can come in off the bench and provide solid and knock down the open 3. Blake is kind of a shoot happy player but can get on the roll from 3 and is a threat if left open. Ratliff is getting to the end of his career but provides insurance for Gasol and Bynum and can still rebound and block shots when called upon. Caracter and Ebanks will be battling for that 12th man position on the Lakers but both will probably end up on injured reserve. Something to watch for during the preseason.

This is how the Lakers depth chart currently looks according to me. I like the Lakers to win the West again, with their depth and talent I see them finishing with a better record than last year. The Lakers 12th man will probably be Luke Walton or Vujacic who are probably some of the better 12th men in the league.

PG- Fisher,Blake
SG- Kobe,Brown, Vujacic
SF-Artest,Barnes, Walton, Ebanks
PF- Gasol, Odom, Caracter
C- Bynum, Ratliff

----Preview of the Eastern Conference Champs Boston Celtics coming soon.

Ron Artest to Sell Championship Ring for Mental Health

A few days ago, Ron Artest of the L.A. Lakers announced that he will auction off his new championship ring in order to raise money for mental health. Now, anyone who has heard of Artest knows that he is not exactly all there and doesn’t have the best reputation in the league following the fight at Auburn Hills in Detroit a few years ago. However, since arriving in L.A. Ron has a done a great job and completed the season with hardly a misstep. When the Lakers won the title over the Celtics a few months ago Artest announced after the game that he would like to thank his doctor and psychiatrist for all the help they have given him. Since then, Artest has been very open about his mental health and this is just another step he has shown that he is becoming a better person.

Once again Phil Jackson has been able to get the most out of a troubled athlete again after doing it with Dennis Rodman on 2 different occasions with the Bulls and the Lakers. Maybe the Zen philosophies that Phil imposes on his players is helping Artest or maybe playing with superstar Kobe Bryant, a player who demands respect from his teammates is helping Artest. Either way, I was extremely happy for Artest when we won the championship especially because of the role he played in the series and the big moments he had in game 7. I am sure a lot of people felt the same way while some probably feel that he still shouldn’t be allowed to play after the Auburn Hills brawl.

P.S.- This is probably the funniest post game interview I have ever seen. Couldn't embed due to NBA copyright but here is the link to Artest's postgame interview.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgRdRwNgs9A

Do the Bulls Need Carmelo Anthony?

Lately there have been rumblings about the possibly of the Bulls being interested in Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony. While it doesn’t seem that any report can be confirmed its rumored that the Nuggets want Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, and Taj Gibson for Anthony and I would guess Kenyon Martin if they are getting 2 power forwards from the Bulls. Regardless of the rumors, I feel that the Bulls need a legit scorer if they want to win a title in the next few years whether it is Carmelo or whoever is available in the near future. A lot of people love Derrick Rose and want him to be the leader of the team but until Rose can consistently knock down jumpers he will only be able to take the Bulls so far. The Bulls need someone that can put up 30 a night to counter the nights when they play the Heat, Celtics, and the Magic. It seems that from the Bulls fans and basketball fans in general that there is a consensus that they want to keep Noah around along with Gibson while every fan wants Deng gone to get out of the horrendous contract he is in. Personally, no one on the Bulls minus Rose is untouchable but I’m not sure you want to get rid of both big men for a big star. It will be interesting to see what kind of money Noah wants for an extension because I think he will be asking for too much when the time comes. The Bulls have a great team and will probably take 3rd in the East behind the Heat and the Magic but it will be very tough for them to make the finals without a consistent scorer.

Team USA Defeats Turkey and Wins Gold Medal

After defeating Lithuania 89-74 on Saturday, Team USA beat Turkey 81-64 to win the gold medal at the FIBA World Championship Tournament. USA was led by Kevin Durant as usual as he continued to quiet the wild and loud Turkey fans throughout the game scoring 28 points which included seven 3-pointers. Turkey was playing in front of their home fans which caused an intense atmosphere but the young Team USA showed great poise throughout the game with only 11 turnovers. It would be USA’s defense that helped win the game for them as they forced Turkey to shoot 36% from the field compared to USA’s 44%. Durant showed a lot of emotion during this game and has done so throughout the tournament. I don’t think I can remember seeing him show this kind of motion before in the NBA or even in the playoffs when they squared off with the Lakers. However, if Durant plays with this much intensity during the regular season other NBA teams are going to have some problems handling him. It’s not out of the question to think that Durant won’t win the MVP this season especially since Lebron now has 2 other guys to help share the load.

By winning the championship USA automatically qualifies for the 2012 London Olympics allowing them to sit out of the qualifying tournament. This is the first time they have won the FIBA title since 1994. It will be interesting to see who plays in that tournament and whether or not guys like Lebron, Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade or Kobe Bryant will play alongside of Durant if he decides to play. After this tournament I have no doubt that he will be at London games.

Does any team want Allen Iverson?

Does anyone want Allen Iverson on their team? With a little more than month until the start of the NBA season Iverson is still unsigned. Iverson has had a rough few seasons since being traded from the Nuggets to the Pistons. After signing with the Grizzlies last year he only played 3 games before asking for a trade or to be released and was then signed by the 76ers in which he only appeared in 25 games. Iverson has refused to take a role as player coming off the bench and has insisted that he is a better player as a starter than coming off the bench. Iverson has always been known as a bit of a trouble maker and an outspoken player and these incidents have only further proved that view. Teams just don’t want to risk the money on a guy who may or may not have anything left and someone with a track record. He is essentially following the Stephon Marbury route at the end of his career and may be following it real close as nbcsports.com is reporting that Iverson may be heading to China to play this year. It’s a shame to see one of the best players to play the game career fall apart like this but the reasons for his downfall has me not giving him much sympathy anymore. The only teams that I think would be interested in having Iverson would be a team that has a veteran coach and is willing to deal with Iverson such as the Spurs or the Knicks or he may just sign with the Heat. However, until he gets off his high horse and be willing to play for the veteran minimum and willing to come off the bench playing overseas might be his only option.

Team USA Defeats Russia 89-79

It wasn’t easy but Team USA was able to hold off a tough Russian team this morning 89-79 in Turkey. USA really put a hold on the game in 3rd quarter lead by Russell Westbrook who finished with 12 points and 3 steals and gave USA some momentum with some big dunks towards the end of the 3rd.It was only a 5 point lead for USA at half but Russia never was able to climb back and was down the entire 2nd half. Kevin Durant did his thing like always finishing with 33 points while Chauncey Billups added 12. Defensively Team USA gambled a lot in the 1st half that lead to a lot of jumpers and 5 on 4 situations that kept Russia in the game. However, in the 2nd half Team USA did a much better job of staying solid and in front and made Russia work for their shots. USA did show their deficiency with their size as Russia had numerous 2nd chance points with their great height. I thought Russia should have stayed in their matchup zone more as it was causing some problems and seemed to have USA taking quick shots. USA had problems with the high pick and roll due to their lack of size. Future New York Knick Timofey Mozgov showed some talent finishing with 13 points. He is a legit 7 footer and won’t be any kind of star in the league but is fairly athletic and can move and should be a solid 10th or 11th player. He wasn’t able to showcase his post-game much which isn’t a big part of the international play so we will have to wait till the NBA to see his game more. Team USA will play Lithuania in the semifinals on Saturday, September 11 at 11 central time on ESPN2. Lithuania features NBA player Linas Kleiza who can fill out a stat sheet and a number of other players who can score as they had 7 players with 12 or more points in their last game vs. Argentina. This should be another test for Team USA but I feel they will handle Lithuania with their athleticism.

Team USA Crushes Angola 121-66

Well Team USA first challenge in the elimination round of the FIBA Championships vs. Angola was not much of one as they routed Angola by 55 points. Angola played without leading scorer, Olimpio Cipirano due to an injury but he probably wouldn’t have been much help as Team USA shot lights out this morning. Chauncey Billups lead the team with 19 points while Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, and Eric Gordon all had 17 points. Every member of the USA team had at least 4 points. 18-7 on 3 point shots made was the major difference in the game today. USA got off to a quick start getting some early 3’s and getting in transition for easy layups and dunks to give them a comfortable lead early. Angola was a much a smaller team who relied on their athleticism to compete with Team USA. However, turnovers and poor shot selection lead to easy baskets and open looks for Team USA. Team USA did have some defensive breakdowns throughout the game which tends to happen when leading by so much but will need to be addressed as they continue through the tournament.
Team USA will now play Russia on 1 p.m. on this Thursday. Russia should be a tough challenge as they went 4-1 in pool play. Russia has 1 NBA player that is claimed by Knicks in Timofey Mozgoz however he has yet to log any NBA minutes. Russia also features former Kansas star Sasha Kaun. Mozgoz is Russia’s leading scorer at 12.5 points per game. Russia has a rich international basketball tradition and will not be another push over like Angola. It will be interesting to see if more teams try playing zone vs. Team USA and make them make jump shots.

Team USA Review

Well Team USA has survived the first round of the FIBA Championships in Istanbul, Turkey with a perfect 5-0 record and is now ranked #1 in the FIBA rankings. They posted wins against Slovenia, Brazil, Croatia, Iran, and Tunisia. Each game was won by more than 20 pts. except for the Brazil game which gave USA a run for its money as they only won by 2 points with Brazil having a shot at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime. Kevin Durant continues to show why he is a top 5 player in the league if not top 3 behind LeBron and Kobe. He is averaging 17 points a game and 6 rebounds. Eric Gordon is also having a solid tournament by averaging 10 points a game despite coming off the bench. Derrick Rose is also playing well averaging 8 points a game and 2 assists. The starting lineup for Coach K has been Rose, Chauncey Billups, Andre Igoudala, Durant, and Lamar Odom. One player who has not logged a lot of minutes but is starting to show he is perfect for the international play is Kevin Love. He is only averaging 10 minutes a game but is leading the team in rebounding so I think he may be involved more in the next round. He is an undersized big man but has tremendous hands, a great passer, and can certainly rebound and finish below the rim. The next round is a single elimination and USA plays Angola on Monday, September 6 at 10 a.m. central time on ESPN2 and will be re-aired at 10 p.m. Angola went 2-3 in pool play and feature no NBA players. They were able to beat Germany and Jordan and took loses from Argentina, Serbia, and Australia. I expect USA to win easily but they need to cut down on careless turnovers and continue to get out on the open court and use their athleticism.

Welcome to my Blog

Welcome to my blog, NBA Status.  In this blog I will be blogging about all the happenings going on in the NBA for the 2010-2011 season.  The season is about 2 months away but there is still a lot happening within in the league.  We have Team USA in the FIBA Championships and we still have news regarding trades and free agent signings.  My goal before the season starts is to follow Team USA, give some previews of some of the title contending teams, as well as talk about biggest off-season free agent signing period the NBA has ever seen.  Once the season starts I will continue my evaluation of teams play such as their reason for failing or the reasons for their success.  I will also try to stay update to any significant roster moves or any major injuries throughout the league.  I will also evaluate different games that will be featured on TV if I choose to tune in.  I will be fair throughout my writing and not show favoritism towards one team or another.  I have been following basketball and the NBA my whole life and feel that I have solid understanding of them both as well as the players in the league.  I feel that I can evaluate talent fairly well as well evaluate a team’s performance.  I hope to have a lot of fun writing this blog and hope to interact with my readers.  I encourage anyone to comment on my blog posts and provide any insight that they might have.  This will be one of the most interesting seasons I believe because of all the off season movement and the new rookie class.