It's been quite a long wait for NBA fans but with opening games in the books, this season looks to be a promising one. This is your guide to what you can expect.
10. Inside the NBA antics
Is there any other sports analysis show that we actually get excited for? Better question: Has there ever been any actual analysis on this show? We don’t care. We watch for Chuck attempting to tackle Shaq and explain his views on the women of San Antonio, Kenny sprinting (if you can call it that) for his halftime report, Ernie instigating conflict and most of all, Shaq falling endlessly.
9. The Timberwolves making Flip proud
It was a somber day for Minnesota Timberwolves fans and sports fans alike when Flip Saunders, the general manager and coach that made the Wolves relevant, lost his long battle with Hodkin’s Lymphoma. We saw touching tributes from every team in the league on opening day and the Timberwolves made him proud with a dramatic 112-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on opening day. With last year’s rookie of the year Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, Kevin Garnett and the number one pick in the draft, Karl Anthony Town already looking like a game-changer, they could keep up their winning ways for some time.
8. The draft class
2015 saw a draft class of unlimited potential. How their respective teams decide to utilize them will be key but there is something for every fan. There’s no shortage of big men who will do work in the paint such as Karl Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, Willie Cauley-Stein and Frank Kaminsky. If post-game is not for you, sit back and enjoy watching the perimeter shooting of D’Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay and Justise Winslow.
7. The rivalries
Drama was the theme of this offseason. DeAndre Jordan commits to the Dallas Mavericks and then backs out of the contract? Ratings will be quite high for a nationally-televised game where Jordan steps into Dallas and opens himself to the relentless boo’s of the Mavericks faithful. Not to mention this bizarre story of Knicks coach Derek Fisher being assaulted by Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes for spending time with Barnes’ ex-wife. How will this play out on court when the Knicks play the Grizzlies?
Yes. Blake Griffin literally barricaded Jordan in a room until he declined to play for the Mavericks and re-signed with Clippers. That happened.
6. New faces in new places
Free agency wasn’t as prosperous for teams as it may have been last year. Unless you are the San Antonio Spurs. David West and LaMarcus Aldridge join a front court that already features a sure hall of famer in Tim Duncan. Other interesting signings include Paul Pierce to the Los Angeles Clippers where he rejoins his championship winning head coach Doc Rivers and seeks to continue his career resurgence and the promising Sacramento Kings signing troubled but ultra-talented point guard Rajon Rondo.
5. Same faces in the same places
We can’t neglect to mention the teams that did something even harder than luring in free agents: Negotiating salaries and working the salary cap to keep the great talent they already have. The two teams in last year’s finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, kept the pieces in place to return to a championship level without losing much of anything. The Warriors continue to build around Stephen Curry and the Cavaliers continue to build around Lebron James. As they should.
4. The Black Mamba
Let’s state the obvious: The Los Angeles Lakers are bad. Really bad. The reason we watch them is because one of the absolute greatest of all time happens to play shooting guard for them. Kobe Bryant, finally at least somewhat healthy, leads a young Lakers team trying to make noise in the West once more. It will be an honor just to watch the 19th season of the five-time NBA champion, 17-time NBA all-star and the two-time Olympic gold medalist.
3. The resurgence of the Bulls and the Thunder
Derrick Rose stayed as healthy as he could and there was tension amongst the roster but the Chicago Bulls still gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a challenge in the playoffs. It didn’t stop the Bulls, however, from firing head coach Tom Thibodeau. The Oklahoma City Thunder realized the superstar work horse that Russell Westbrook can be when he averaged 33 points a game making him an MVP candidate in the absence of arguably the leagues very best player, Kevin Durant. Similarly, it didn’t save the job of Scott Brooks. Fred Hoiberg of Iowa State University fame takes the reigns for the Bulls and Billy Donovan, a two time champion with his Florida Gators, goes pro to helm the Thunder. Both teams are off to a hot start with new leadership.
2. The King
He just has to have his own category. You can argue that a player like Stephen Curry is a better shooter and Kevin Durant is more aggressive. Or, that James Harden handles the ball better. However, they haven’t been to five straight finals. James is the most complete team player in the world in any sport. He is the franchise and is a feature of the league every year he plays. Especially this year when his Cleveland Cavaliers, the favorites by both Vegas and most analysts to win it all, can break the great Bill Russell’s record for consecutive finals appearances.
1. The MVP race
As fans what we love more than anything is good competition. Some sports awards are controversial and are not great indicators of talent. The MVP of the NBA, at least in recent memory, has consistently shown us who our next great stars are. The winners have been consistently great. Stephen Curry badly wants a second consecutive MVP award and may very well get it. His challengers are more numerous than ever starting with Houston Rockets guard James Harden, who publicly stated recently that he felt he was robbed last season and was better than Curry. LeBron James, of course is always in the discussion and behind him we could see Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the young phenom Anthony Davis all look to push those names aside. What a season to look forward to!
