This post comes a little bit late, but the holiday season has been wildly busy for me. I am also without my usual editor pushing me to write, so I’ll have to admit that some of this has been laziness. I hope you guys are enjoying what I’ve been putting out so far. A big thanks to everyone that’s been reading along.
Without further ado, I give you the second half of my Christmas Wish List column.
Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets:
What they want:
Kenyon Martin’s contract is one of the most ridiculous in the business but at least he’s putting up something close to his career numbers. Even though the Nuggets have been good since acquiring Billups (recent slide notwithstanding), Carmelo Anthony is a shell of his former self. How can he be putting up the worst numbers of his career with an unselfish distributor like Billups? It just doesn’t make any sense
What they will get:
The Nuggets got away with highway robbery in the Iverson deal. Billups was exactly what this team needed and with Nene healthier than ever, the Nuggets will cruise to 50 wins. Unfortunately, I can’t see a way in which they get past the Lakers in the West, but they’re a whole lot closer than they were at the start of the season.
Portland Trailblazers:
What they want:
For their inexperienced young core to gain the experience necessary to contend for a championship. All the pieces are there, it’s just a question of playing together, and in the playoffs for a year or two before they are ready to win it all. The only other real concern is the health of Greg Oden. If Oden stays healthy (and figures out a way to stop committing almost 4 fouls a game), the Trailblazers are a terrifying team
What they’ll get:
Probably the happiest first round exit in league history. Things are so bright for Portland with the Roy-Aldridge-Fernandez-Oden core that it’s just a matter of time. Everyone who follows the NBA knows it, it’s virtually inevitable. Especially if Oden stays healthy, pencil them in as early contenders for 2010 and 2011.
Utah Jazz:
What they want:
To continue to fly under the radar while their team gets healthy. The Jazz are absolutely loaded in their depth, with only the Lakers surpassing them. When Carlos Boozer is back and healthy, the Jazz are a very scary team. They are so good at home that they need a top four finish in order to take advantage of those crazy Mormon fans.
What they will get:
The quietest 55 win season in NBA history. Everyone is so focused on the Big Three, Portland, Orlando and the reborn Nuggets that Utah is getting almost no coverage. The Jazz will be around until the final 8 at very least, if not the final 4.
Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder:
These two teams depress me so much I made the executive decision to combine their sections into one. It’s my blog, so I’ll do what I want.
First off, the Thunder shouldn’t even be in Oklahoma City. Seattle got absolutely jobbed. Secondly, Kevin McHale must have incriminating pictures of someone high up in the Timberwolves organization to still have his job. If it wasn’t for Kevin Durant and, to a lesser extent, Al Jefferson, there would be nothing positive to write about these two teams. May God have mercy on their fans.
Pacific Division:
L.A Lakers:
What they want:
The Lakers got exactly what they wanted with an impressive win over a Celtics team that was on an absolute rampage. Although they couldn’t stop KG or Pierce, they did a great job of keeping Allen and Rondo in check. Really, any Lakers fan is pretty happy already
What they will get:
I still wonder if the Lakers will be able to consistently play at the level that they demonstrated against Boston. This is a team that has been sleep-walking lately and lack of motivation is a scary thing. I still think they are so talented that they will cruise in the West but I don’t feel quite as good about them as I did at the outset of the season.
Phoenix Suns:
What they want:
A little more cohesion on a team with a lot of talent would be nice. If Shaquille O’Neal morphed into himself from 20 years ago, that would help too. Their management want them to slow the game down and play a half-court game. I don’t think the same can be said for a large part of their roster.
What they will get:
Rolling to dice to get the Diesel was a risky move and right now it seems to blowing up in the Suns’ face. Their offense is still plenty deadly, they are 4th in the league in offensive efficiency, but their defense is not a whole lot better despite Terry Porter’s claims to the contrary. I hate to say it, but the Suns are losing ground in the West fast. They will finish 7th or 8th and bow out in the first round
L.A Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings:
Once again, my blog, so I’ll do what I want. These three teams are all going pretty much nowheresville this season. For everyone’s talk about how strong the West is, the top teams’ records benefit greatly from having some really terrible teams to pick on.
The Clippers’ roster is a dysfunctional mess. Zach Randolph and Baron Davis, their two marquee players, are completely incompatible. Asking Randolph to run the court is futile. The Clippers want to stay relevant in L.A. I think they need to engineer a major rebuild for that to happen
Golden State is a team that plays the run and gun, but is actually a pretty terrible shooting team. Their three leading scorers, Jackson, Maggette and Crawford are all shooting less than 42 percent. Wow. They want to outscore every team they play. They won’t do that until they unload at least a couple of their gunners. At least they still have Andris Biedrins.
The Sacramento Kings’ page on ESPN.com still features Ron Artest. Here, see for yourself: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=sac (He’s pictured dribbling the ball in the top left corner). I think that says just about everything about the kind of season the Kings are having.
Southwest Division:
San Antonio Spurs:
What they want:
Get everyone healthy for the playoffs. With Tim Duncan, Greg Popovich, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, the Spurs always have a shot to win it all. The Spurs are kind of boring to write about, but you have to respect their skill. As a basketball fan, I don’t really like them, but I do admire them.
What they will get:
I think the Spurs make it to the quarterfinals, but this is the year that their bench depth fails them. After the amazing Roger Mason, there isn’t a whole lot going for them. All that being said, never, ever, bet against Tim Duncan.
New Orleans Hornets:
What they want:
They don’t just want, they desperately need Peja Stojakovic to make their team work. For all of Chris Paul’s brilliance and David West’s skill as a scorer, the Hornets require Peja’s outside shooting to make their offense work.
What they will get:
A healthy Peja makes New Orleans a definite threat to the Lakers. Chris Paul is such a dominating guard that I can envision them taking down the Lakers and they are the only team in the West I can say that about.
Houston Rockets:
What they want:
Tracy McGrady needs to remember that he’s a good basketball player. He is ruining the Rockets, and that’s not an exaggeration in any way. They still play good defense but they need T-Mac to win in the playoffs.
What they will get:
They’re stuck in this glut of teams right below the Lakers. Like the Hornets, Jazz, Spurs and Nuggets, they have a chance to win the West, but only an outside shot. If T-Mac is over the hill, they are out in the first round. If he can find the fountain of youth, they could go to the Conference Finals or maybe even the finals.
Dallas Mavericks:
What they want:
Jason Kidd needs to revive his career just long enough to get the Mavericks through the playoffs. Dirk Nowitzki is still one of the league’s absolute best players, Jason Terry has been fantastic off the bench and Josh Howard has been solid but they need Kidd to run the point and distribute the ball.
What they will get:
The Kidd trade may have seemed like a good idea at the time but now he looks like he has to take Advil to get out of bed every morning. If Kidd doesn’t get rejuvenated in a real hurry, the Mavericks are doomed to a first round exit.
Memphis Grizzlies:
At least they have the Gay-Mayo combo. That’s about it.
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