This is my third year writing as a Spectator sports columnist. It has become somewhat of a tradition for me to write an NBA preview column. With Columbia football faltering and Columbia basketball still a couple of weeks away, the start of the NBA season couldn’t have come at a better time.
Although the NBA has already kicked off the 2009-2010 campaign, the season is still in its early stages. Consider this column a mixture of my thoughts thus far and my expectations for the season.
I knew that Carmelo Anthony was going to have a big year, but judging by his torrid start I might have even underestimated him. At 3-0 this season, Denver is undefeated and Anthony is averaging 37.7 points per game. I think that Carmelo is the best pure scorer in the NBA. Three-point range? Check. Midrange game? Check. Ability to post up and body defenders on the block? Check. Denver is out to prove that last year’s trip to the Western Conference Finals was no fluke, and if Anthony keeps playing like this he just might finally insert himself into the upper echelon of NBA players (LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Duncan, CP3).
I’m a Knicks fan. A proud Knicks fan, might I add. This season is gonna be tough. However, the play of “The Rooster,” Danilo Gallinari, has brought a smile to my face. One thing that always trips me out these days is the fact that a lot of current NBA players are younger than me. Watching Russell Westbrook dunk on the Lakers in transition kind of hurts my pride, given that he’s six months my junior. Like me, Gallinari is only 21 years old. So far during this young season he is averaging 19.3 ppg and he leads the NBA three-pointers made. The skinny Italian kid is knocking down nearly five three-pointers per game! Maybe the future of the New York LeBrons is bright after all.
The Celtics definitely made the right move by extending Rajon Rondo’s contract. Anyone who watched Rondo outplay Derrick Rose in last year’s playoffs knows that he is definitely one of the best young guards in the NBA. With Boston getting older and older, Rondo is really the only young bright spot the team has. If they didn’t sign Rondo to the extension they would be left looking stupid two or three years from now when Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Wallace are either retired or playing like Karl Malone circa 2004 (his Laker days).
The three sleeper teams I like this season are Miami, Houston, and Phoenix. Okay, none of these teams were bad last year, but I think that right now they are all generally underrated. Miami has Dwyane Wade, and that alone is worth 40 wins. But Jermaine O’Neal has posted 20 points and 10 rebounds in two of the team’s three games. In the offseason O’Neal said that he felt healthier than he had in recent memory and he predicted personal success this season. So far, he’s delivering. We all remember what happened the last time Wade played with a healthy O’Neal on the block. I’m just sayin’.
As for Houston, I really like their general manager, Daryl Morey, and I think that he has assembled a roster that can endure the loss of Yao Ming and still retain respectability. I’m not saying that I think Houston is going to go deep in the playoffs, but I do actually envision them making the postseason in a competitive Western Conference. That would definitely be a surprise to most basketball fans. Through four games, Houston is 3-1 and Trevor Ariza has already posted performances of 33 and 25 points. When you consider the dynamic young point guard Aaron Brooks and solid players like Luis Scola, Carl Landry, and Shane Battier, Houston has a solid core of players who know how to win. I don’t think they’ll struggle that much despite the absence of Tracy McGrady and Ming.
Lastly, Phoenix is definitely going to make the playoffs. After naming Alvin Gentry the head coach halfway through last season, the Suns were a markedly different team. Not only did they finish the season 18-13, but they scored over 140 points in each of his first three games as head coach. Shaq is gone so now they are even better equipped to play transition basketball. The roster is pretty much still the same as it was two years ago when they played under Mike D’Antoni and ran opponents out of the gym. I love Steve Nash and think that since the Suns have gotten back to playing fast-break basketball, the victories are definitely going to follow.
I may not have mentioned this, but anyone who knows me knows that I am a basketball fanatic. In the words of that old NBA slogan, “I Love This Game.” This season looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun. There are a bunch of strong teams (Lakers, Spurs, Magic, Celtics, Cavaliers, Blazers, etc.) and I definitely don’t expect to see any one team run off and distance themselves from the pack. Given that I’ve spent hours sitting back and talking basketball with friends over the last three weeks, I could easily write another 1000 words on this year’s season. However, I’ll leave you with one word: enjoy.
Jelani Johnson is a Columbia College senior majoring in history and anthropology.
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