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NBA 2009 Preview


A 2009-2010 preview from someone who hates the NBA.

Before you read this article, know this: I rarely watch games anymore. I read the occasional article, mostly about scouting and statistical projection because I find that analysis interesting. John Hollinger is my main source of NBA news.

I'm from Boston and grew up during the Bird/Magic/Jordan era. Therefore I'm clearly spoiled. I saw what basketball played at its highest level looks like. And, with extremely rare exception, you just don't see good basketball anymore. Great basketball is about passing and spacing. Today's NBA is about SportsCenter and isolation and flopping to draw fouls and chucking up bad 3s.

Having said that, I think this might be helpful to some. I'm just a sponge for sports knowledge. I can't help it. And I'm only previewing last year playoffs teams, and doing that under protest.

So now that you know what you are getting, feel free to read on or go play Hello Kitty Island Adventure.

Los Angeles Lakers

Out: Trevor Ariza

In: Ron Artest (Yes, that Ron Artest. Really.)

Questions:

Q: Is the 2009 Ron Artest better than the 2008 Trevor Ariza?

A: I don't think so. Artest is living on more reputation these days more than his defensive prowess. He's only 29 but he has very, very high mileage. Be honest, when is just said Artest was only 29, you said "Really?!?!?" Yes, really. Yet he's gotten in enough to trouble to span several average NBA careers.

Use the Phil/Kobe/Artest to Phil/MJ/Rodman analogy all you want, but I call b.s. Rodman was a better player then on a much better team. And Rodman never wrote a completely insane tribute song to Michael Jackson.

Q: Will Lamar Odom be negatively affected by his ridiculous reality show marriage to Khloe Kardashian?

A: Without question, yes! Odom has always been about lacking focus and desire. His talent is immense. During last year's playoffs, he finally played like the 6-10 freak who is a mismatch nightmare for anyone to guard, and can defend anyone not named Chris Paul. An elite Odom played a huge part in the Lakers championship run.

But in the offseason, he gets a huge contract and then promptly marries a girl he knew for an entire one month with the wedding televised on a reality show. I'd say the focus he found last year is gone forever. That's a problem.

Orlando Magic

Out: Hedo Turkoglu

In: Vince Carter

Questions:

Q: When the only big move you made was swapping Turkoglu for Vince Carter, did you really get any better?

A: Nope. Their strengths last year were interior defense and perimeter shooting. The Lakers beat them scoring outside and playing straight up man-defense, not leaving the perimeter shooters wide open and making Howard attempt post moves to score. The joke being of course that Howard does not have any post moves yet.

So if anything, replacing Turkoglu with Carter increasing your offensive slightly while making you much worse defensively. Vince does not play defense. And Hedo did a surprising good job against LeBron last year. Very surprising, actually.

Unless Howard absorbed 5% of Kevin McHale through osmosis this summer, I would expect the same fate this year. If you don't leave the perimeter scorers wide open, like the Cavs did, Orlando can't beat you. If KG and Leon Powe had been healthy, they wouldn't have gotten by the Celtics. They needed a Rasheed Wallace, not a Vince Carter.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Out: Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic

In: Shaquille O`Neil, Leon Powe

Questions:

Q: Is Shaq enough to make them champions?

A: Let's face it. That's the only thing that matters now to LeBron. And I say, no. They desperately needed a second legit scoring option and Shaq's not that guy at this stage of his career. I just don't think you can win the title when your second best scorer is Mo Williams.

Denver Nuggets

Out: A bunch of nobodies

In: Ty Lawson

Questions:

Q: Is there any reason to believe this team got better?

A: Nope. Ty Lawson is a backup point guard to Chauncey Billups who rallied them to greatly overachieve after ridding themselves of the chronically selfish A.I. Billups is real point guard. But they won't do that well again.

Atlanta Hawks

Out: No one of consequence.

In: No one of consequence.

Questions:s

Q: So they did nothing? Is there any reason to believe this team got better?

A: Well, unlike the aging Nuggets, the Hawks have young players like Marvin Williams that should get better. They'll likely make the playoffs again in a weak Eastern Conference and get knocked out early by CLE/BOS/ORL. Again.

Boston Celtics

Out: Leon Powe

In: Rasheed Wallace

Questions:

Q: Is KG healthy?

A: Everything begins and ends with KG. We don't know how his knee really feels and won't know until next June - when it really matters. While Garnett is only 32, he has played over 1,000 games and nearly 40K minutes. And since he is so high strung, a year of his life is like a dog year. His body might have just had a enough. But if he can play the entire year, the Celtics should win it all. Unfortunately, I don't think he will.

Dallas Mavericks

Out: Devean George, Jerry Stackhouse

In: Shawn Marion

Questions:

Q: Can the Mavs ever win a title with Mark Cuban playing GM?

A: No. Please see Jerry Jones, Al Davis, and Dan Snyder for reference. Signing aging veterans like Kidd and Marion to huge long terms deals is straight out of the Snyder handbook, actually. The Mavs are a joke. Dirk deserves better.

Houston Rockets

Out: Yao Ming (injured), Ron Artest

In: Trevor Ariza

Questions:

Q: Any shot without Yao Ming?

A: Sorry Rockets fans, but no. I like swapping Ariza for Artest but without Yao, who's career is likely over, all bets are off. Tracy McGrady is one of the worst playoffs performers in recent memory. He can't carry a team. They probably aren't even making the playoffs in the wild and tough Western Conference.

Philadelphia 76ers

Out: Andre Miller.

In: No one of consequence.

Questions:

Q: What should we make of this team?

A: Big mystery. If Brand is healthy and plays well (perhaps the biggest IF since if Amy Winehouse can stop drinking.) in the weak East, they could do some damage.

Detroit Pistons

Out: Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess.

In: Ben Gordon.

Questions:

Q: Um, where are the big guys?

A: Yeah, when you're best players are all guards plus one lanky small forward, you are going to have problems. And no, a 50 year-old Ben Wallace does not count. He was finished three teams ago. How they plan to stop anyone in the paint is beyond me.

Chicago Bulls

Out: Ben Gordon.

In: No one you care about.

Questions:

Q: Is Derrick Rose ready to be the man?

A: Hell yeah! Rose is the best young player in the game, and he is only getting better. Bulls fans have a lot to feel good about with him, Deng, Noah, Ty Thomas, etc. All those guys are young and could keep improving. The Bulls have a solid core and are one move away from being a force.

Miami Heat

Out: Mark Blount (I'm just as shocked as you that he is still playing.)

In: No one that can help D-Wade.

Questions:

Q: Seriously, no help for D-Wade?

A: Nope. Nothing. Nada. And as awesome as Dwyane Wade, and he is full of shock and awe, you can't win alone. He tried his damnest last year and that was before recent top pick Michael Beasley went to rehab. Wade is not getting any help.

Utah Jazz

Out: No one, really.

In: Really, no one. Honest.

Questions:

Q: Any reason to think these guys aren't golfing in late May?

A: If I'm Carlos Boozer, I'd feel pretty good about booking a tee time around the start of the secound round. They have the best young point guard not named Chris Paul, but I've always thought Boozer was incredibly overrated. They just don't have enough depth to be a difference maker.

Portland Trailblazers

Out: Channing Frye.

In: Andre Miller.

Questions:

Q: Who is older, Greg Oden or Jose Contreras?

A: Even the craftiest Vegas oddsmaker would sweat over this one. Oden just can't move his feet. He is a human fouling machine that only played 21.5 minutes per game last year. That's insanely low. Two years in, you really have to wonder if this is going to be another Sam Bowie incident. Kevin Durant is killing it on an awful team. (Whoops, Greg just called for another foul.)

New Orleans Hornets

Out: Tyson Chandler.

In: Emeka Okafor.

Questions:

Q: They seem to have all the pieces, can it work?

A: I say yes. Chris Paul is the most exciting player in the game today. There is nothing he can't do. David West is a great inside scorer. Peja is a deadly sharpshooter (assuming Peja is not too distracted banging hookers. For serious.) Posey is an excellent perimeter defender and 3pt shooter and proven playoff winner in both Boston and Miami. And getting Okafor gives them a great rebounder and shot blocker and decent scoring option.

San Antonio Spurs

Out: Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto, Drew Gooden and Kurt Thomas.

In: Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, and Theo Ratliff.

Questions:

Q: The 800 pound gorilla no one wants to talk about. Yes yes?

A: Yes yes. I'll always believe the Spurs could have taken the Lakers down with a healthy Manu. But he was never 100% healthy the whole season and then missed the entire playoffs. While The Big Fundamental is slowing down, they got some big bodies to platoon for him in Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff as well as a fantastic perimeter player in Richard Jefferson to play off the slashing Ginobili. I like the Spurs to win it all.



hashtags: #2009  #nba  #preview 

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