As the camps start to fill up and training sessions begin I feel its time to do a little bit of a preview for the season we have coming upon us.
With the season less than a month away me, and the rest of the nation of basketball fanatics, cant wait to see how this new season will unfold. The NBA offseason was full of excitement with the Dwightmare leaving Laker Land for a more Southern Hospitality feel in Houston, Jordan still stating he is the best the game has ever seen and the rest of the players in history Dont Want It! We also have Kobe coming off a serious achilles injury that he suffered in April, who knows if he will be ready for the beginning of the season, but I know I'm hoping to see him out there. Lebron had a quiet offseason and has shut down all questions coming his way about his 2014 Free Agency and where he plans on playing. Derrick Rose will finally be returning this season after missing the last year and a half with a torn ACL.
The season begins on Tuesday Oct. 29 with 3 games. The first is a game between the Orlando Magic who will be traveling up to Indianapolis to play the Pacers. Orlando is coming into this season with a title already (Orlando Summer League Tourney) and hoping to start the NBA season off with a major upset over the Indiana Pacers. The Indiana Pacers come into this season with a chip on their shoulders. They have been ousted by the Miami Heat the last 2 post-seasons and are looking to make a big splash to start the season with All Star's Paul George, Roy Hibbert, as well as former All Star Danny Granger. Paul George signed his lucrative contract just a couple weeks ago and from what I have heard Hibbert has put on a few pounds and worked on some more of his post game this offseason. Danny Granger who was injured most of last season after a knee surgery last October, expects to come back better than ever this season and has a lot to prove if he wants to stay on this team, especially with George signing his new deal.
The second game of the day is going to be a backyard blacktop game. We have the newly returned Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls facing off against the defending champion Miami Heat. This game hopefully plays out like the rest of the battles these 2 teams have had with one another the last few years. Derrick Rose has not played in an NBA game since April 2012 but his return is one of the most anticipated storylines of the season. Will he return to his former MVP self or will he start with some rust, only time will tell. This match up could be a preview of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals and should be able to fill all the hype that the game is already bringing.
The last game of NBA opening day will be a Los Angeles showdown between the Clippers and the Lakers. The Clippers are coming into this game with a few new faces including new head coach Doc Rivers, who has already begun his transformation for the clippers from "Lob City" to a more defense oriented system. The Clippers have improved on their outside shooting this offseason with the pick-up of knock-out shooters JJ Redick and Jared Dudley, bringing in an All Star back-up PG in Darren Collison, and also retaining key pieces of their team including All NBA first team Chris Paul and former sixth man of the year Jamal Crawford. The Lakers on the other hand have had more of a quiet offseason. They were able to bring in depth to their center position with the pick up of Chris Kaman, they were also able to bring in Jordan Farmar for his second stint with the team after spending the last few seasons in with the New Jersey Nets and overseas, and of course the most intriguing free agent they brought in, to me at least, is the signing of guard Nick Young. Young is coming from in from a bad Philly team where he was shooting 41.3% but his free throw percentage is a very satisfying 82%. This game will be a major test for the Lakers, who will most likely be without their best player in Kobe Bryant, who is still working on his rehab from his Achilles injury he suffered in early April. The Clippers will be looking to prove themselves to LA once again who the new kid on the block is and with coach Rivers at the helm they very well could be the team to beat in the Western Conference this year.
All I know about this season is that we should be in for quite the show. Will Lebron 3peat? Will Rose and Kobe return to themselves or will their injuries be too much of a hurdle? How will the Thunder fare without Westbrook for the beginning of the season? How are those Brooklyn Nets going to get along this year with First Year Coach Jason Kidd and their new additions of the stars of Yester-Year? I know I'm ready for the season to begin and once it does I'll be sure to keep you updated.
Return regularly for all of your Sports News and Analysis.
No comments:
Post a Comment