Matthew Hudnall | Contributing Writer
Moving through the month of October with the NFL season about halfway over and the NCAA football regular season drawing to a close, the NBA is knocking on our door by starting off last Tuesday. When heading into the season, there are several headlines and scenarios to watch for during the season. From trade and free agency signing debuts to rule changes, and of course injuries affecting teams, this NBA season shapes up to be a good one.
In the East, we have the reigning champion Miami Heat looking to defend their title against a depleted Eastern Conference after the Dwight Howard trade sent him to LA. The only challenges to the Heat coming back this year look to be the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, and the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers, of course, received Andrew Bynum as part of the four-way deal which included Dwight Howard. Add Bynum to the mix of talent in Evan Turner, Jrue Holiday, and Spencer Hawes, and he looks to help push Philly to the next level. Boston of course, was ONE game away from knocking off the Heat last season and going to the NBA Finals. With a completely reshaped roster infused with youth (Courtney Lee, Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger) and the addition of Jason “the JET” Terry, the Celtics look to push their major rival, Miami, yet again. Expect the rivalry to be even more intense with Ray Allen’s departure from Boston to join the Miami Heat this year.
The Pacers, on the other hand, return most of their young core that made a nice run in the Playoffs last year and look for both Roy Hibbert and Paul George to take leaps of improvement this year to help them go even further. As for other Eastern Conference teams looking to make a push, the Chicago Bulls hope to keep their season alive after losing Derek Rose for at least half of this season. They’ll be leaning on Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah to help ease that pain and make a push to get into the playoffs.
We also sort of have a new team in the East: a move from New Jersey to Brooklyn for the Nets and a restocking of talent to open the Barclays Center. The Nets added Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace this past year and hope that adding them to Deron Williams and Brook Lopez will make them a competitor in the East. And let’s not forget about the cross-town rival: the New York Knicks. The Knicks return with most of their core: Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. They lost Jeremy Lin but hope Jason Kidd can produce some “Kidd-sanity” hype in the Big Apple.
Out in the West, the Los Angeles Lakers made a few nice moves, picking up Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. This provides hope for Laker fans to help ensure a Championship appearance at least, but issues with chemistry will be around all season. A few days before the season opener, the Oklahoma City Thunder made a very “loud” move and traded away the “Bearded Wonder” James Harden to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb and a handful of future draft picks. Harden’s arrival fuels a “sleeper” possibility for Houston who also added Jeremy Lin this off season. Can Harden prove he’s an elite player? He’ll get a HUGE chance to prove it in Houston. That deflates the Thunder’s core, but don’t expect them to lose a beat this year.
The Denver Nuggets were also a part of the Dwight Howard trade and in turn, received Andre Iguodala from the Philadelphia 76ers. “Iggy” will help push the young Nuggets and add to a nice core of Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, and JaVale McGee, and if the run the Nuggets made last year means anything, expect the Nuggets to challenge in the West. The Portland Trailblazers are another young team to watch. They didn’t make many off season moves besides retaining Nicolas Batum and drafting Damian Lillard, but those two moves added up to having big man LaMarcus Aldridge, which will help create a nice core in Portland and give them a very solid team.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will look to compete and push for a playoff spot when Kevin Love returns from a broken hand injury and Ricky Rubio returns from his torn ACL injury later this year. The San Antonio Spurs are hoping that Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker can keep them in the hunt for another Championship. The West will also be littered with rookies trying to make an immediate impact including the already mentioned Damian Lillard. The others to watch: Anthony “The Uni-Brow” Davis and his running mate, Austin Rivers, down in the Big Easy (New Orleans). The Hornets hope the two rookies can spark a MUCH improved season this year, and out on the cost, Harrison Barnes won the starting small forward position for the Golden State Warriors. Add him to Stephan Curry and the Warriors could have a star backcourt tandem in the making.
We can’t forget that both of these NBA Conferences will have to deal with a controversial rule change: flopping. The NBA decided this past year that they will now review all “flops” and fine the players who are flopping. Flopping basically is “faking” contact to create the impression of a foul. These fines will definitely affect the pockets of Manu Ginobli, Anderson Varejo, Pau Gasol, and many more NBA players; it will create some minor issues throughout the year. Jumping forward to playoff predictions:
In the EAST
1. Miami Heat
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. Boston Celtics
4. Indiana Pacers
5. New York Knicks
6. Chicago Bulls
7. Brooklyn Nets
8. Atlanta Hawks/Milwaukee Bucks
In the WEST
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Memphis Grizzlies
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Los Angeles Clippers
6. Denver Nuggets
7. Portland Trail Blazers
8. Houston Rockets/Dallas Mavericks
Finals Prediction:
EAST: Boston vs. WEST: Oklahoma City
OR
EAST: Miami vs. WEST: Oklahoma City
Graphic by Keyla Sosa
