Teams I want to watch part 2!

Last week (during my english class) I managed to bang off 6 teams that I'm really excited to watch this year.

Let me follow that phenomenal list up with the latter half of the list, after this quick recap of the teams:

1. Toronto Raptors
2. Miami Heat
3. Golden State Warriors
4. New Orleans Hornets
5. Portland Trailblazers
6. Detroit Pistons

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN!

Now....part 2.

7. Houston Rockets!

There are mixed emotions with this team. The first time I really got into basketball was in grade 9 watching the And 1 mixtapes and doing those moves to kids in the gym at lunchtime. One of the players on the And 1 team at the time was "Skip to my Lou" a.k.a Rafer Alston. There was always skepticism of Alston's success in the NBA, as no street-baller has ever made the transition.

I love underdogs, and no matter how many flaws he may have in his game, I'm absolutely ecstatic that he made it in the NBA. Big ups, Skip.

So, as the starting point guard of the Rockets, there's some love already.

Then there's T-MAC. Sleazy eyes, nonchalant demeanor, former Raptor. What's not to love?! He's arguably past his prime in his career, but he's still a leader. And he still scored 13 points in 0:31 seconds. Come on.

I don't really like Yao Ming, but I think he's good when he's also not injured. Dunk, no jump.

This summer, Houston made probably the best move in the offseason, bringing in RON ARTEST. That's right. He raps, he fights fans, he's a powerful scorer and one of the best defenders in the entire NBA. Injuries aside, Ron Ron could be the key factor that pushes Houston past the first round of the playoffs. I can't wait to watch these guys. One of my picks to make the Western Conference finals. Hornets/Rockets conference finals?! Fuck yeah.

Notable shout-outs to Louis Scola (crazy energy and talent) and Shane Battier for being a really skilled guy coming off the bench.

8. Phoenix Suns

Over the hill?
Maybe.
Run and gun?
Not so much anymore
Amare Stoudemire?
Yes, yes, yes.

I'm bummed that they canned Mike D'Antoni. However, he cared about defense in the same way homeless people care about hygiene.

So now there's Terry Porter, who is a fan of half-court offense. Running plays, not run and gun. However in the many interviews I've seen of Terry, he's very vocal that he's not cutting the running game completely out. Something like:

"we're going to set up our offense and run sets. We're also going to focus on defense, and getting rebounds. However, that doesn't mean once we get the rebound we're not going to quickly outlet it and get it up the floor fast."

Hearing that made me happy. Steve Nash is still Steve Nash. I don't care he's turning 35 in Feb. Shaq is still Shaq, even if he has to play every other game, or limited minutes. They have guys who can take on larger roles.

Amare can put up 30 a game, easy.
Steve can take more shots.
Barnes (former Warrior! what what) will put up 12 or so a game
Diaw, Barbosa, Bell can all do it when they want.
Robin Lopez will see alot of minutes being the backup guard, and after the burns wear off, he'll be happy he was thrown into the fire.

Let me reiterate that Amare is going to have a career year.

Can't wait for these guys, I hope they still run a bit.


MY LIST OF TEAMS THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE EXCITING BUT I'M NOT TOO SURE YET.

1. L.A. Clippers

Love Baron Davis, Eric Gordon and Ricky Davis. Don't really like anyone else.

2. L.A Lakers

We all know they can do it, but I've never been a Laker fan (except for when my hatred for the Celtics won over my dislike for the Lakers in the '08 finals)

Bynum will be a beast.

3. Milwaukee Bucks

Redd, Jefferson, Bogut, Villanueva.....That's a hot line-up. However I'm not sure if there's exciting chemistry. Good Luck Scott Skiles.

4. Denver Nuggets

A.I is getting old, but I still have mad love for him.
J.R will have a beastly season, he's hugely underrated.
'Melo will be a confident leader coming off of the Gold medal.
Kenyon Martin has reportedly been injury free and been really energetic.

They have everything to be a great team, just no D.

These guys are on the waiver wire.

Anyways, that is all for now. NBA season starts tomorrow, and I'm obviously stoked. I'm cutting into my studying to watch Portland play the Lakers. You know who I'm rooting for.

Peace.

2008 NBA PREVIEW - exciting teams to watch

Over the summer many moves were made in terms of trades, free-agent signings and rookie signings. Some teams that have been perched on the top of the West and East now are sliding into mediocrity, while others are on the come-up.

Here are some of the teams I'm looking forward to watching this year.

1. Toronto Raptors

NO...not just because I'm Canadian. I'm looking forward to watching how the Raptors will mesh with Jermaine O'neal. Traditionally, the Raps have never really been that great with big men, and whenever they came across a true center (see 2008 playoffs vs. Orlando) they got crushed. Jermaine should fill that gap.

However 2 things come to mind

• will he stay healthy?
• is his head in the right place?

Watching a few of the preseason games leaves me skeptical. He seems to get into foul trouble frequently and doesn't have that positive rapport that he now has off the court.

If things work out, the Raptors for the first time in awhile can play big. With Bargnani at the 3, Bosh playing the 4 and O'neal playing the 5 the Raptors have a front court with 3 players over 6"10. Three legitimate big guys.

Not to take away from J.O but Jose Calderon will put up more impressive numbers. Many NBA analysts thought Jose was dogged from the 2008 All-Star team. Being part of the 50-40-90 club (field goal %, 3 point %, free throw %) is nothing easy to do. Look for him to have a real breakout year.

I can't wait to see this team come mid-November once they've had some time to play together as a team.


2. Miami Heat

Yeah, we all know how awful the Heat were last year. Pretty much any team in the NBA could come into their house and beat them with their second line. With Dwayne Wade out, no true point guard and bench depth of a high school team the Miami heat had one hell of a rough year.

This year, I think they'll be definitely fighting for playoff contention.

What has changed? Dwayne Wade is back. Remember Dwayne wade in the 2006 playoffs? The guy was an unstoppable beast. I don't know if you were watching the Olympics but he's back, and it looks like he has something to prove. Except serious numbers from him, averaging 20/7 (points, assists).

Now add that to Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley and you've got a crazy fast talented trio of scoring.

If they secure a true point guard, and a center they'll be good.

3. Golden State Warriors.

I fell in love with Golden State during the 2007 Playoffs when they gave Dallas the BIZNESS in their own house.

Their style of 1-on-1-if-it-doesn't-work-then-pass-it-and-repeat style of play is very fun to watch. They run fast, dunk plenty and keep the fans on their toes. Truly entertaining basketball.

Baron Davis is gone. Monta Ellis is injured/suspended. They don't have a point guard. Andris Biedrins has one of the ugliest free-throws in the league. Even with all of this added up, I could not care less.

Corey Maggette - albeit isn't Baron or Monta - can STILL score and can still get to the line (which is good to rest the team). As the primary scorer, he'll be fun to watch. Put him on the court with Stephen "shoot off my gun outside the club" Jackson and you'll see these guys light it up. Expect to see Jackson in the MVP race.

One of my favourite bench players, Ronny Turiaf is also now a Warrior. His energetic style will let his numbers blossom in Oakland.

They may not win titles, but they're exciting to watch. 'Nuff said.

4. New Orleans Hornets.

I fell in love with the Hornets after watching them for 30 seconds. Who couldn't?! Pair up arguably the best point guard in the league, a strong front court, and a team of 3 point snipers and you have a solid basketball team.

Chris Paul is a beast.
Tyson Chandler is a beast.
David West eats your favourite team's practice squad for breakfast.
James Posey....

YEAH! James Posey. This guy has rings with both Boston (2008) and Miami (2004). Coincidence? We'll see. This guy can shoot the lights out, so look for him to make it rain with some dime passes from CP3.

5. Portland Trailblazers

Remember their 17 win streak last year? If you don't, you missed a young team with a talented nucleus play with a winning confidence in one of the toughest conferences to date.

This year with the arrival of Greg Oden (finally) and Rudy Fernandez, this team will play some serious ball. Dead serious.

Brandon Roy is a filthy combo guard. Last year he showed us strong AND consistent performances leaving everyone who voted him ROY happy. Put him on the floor with Fernandez, Outlaw, Aldrige and Oden and you have THE MOST talented young team in the NBA. Hands down.

Will they win a ring? Unlikely. Will they play electrifying basketball? No doubt. Do they have 2 players that are in ROY contention?! Yes.


6. Detroit Pistons

This team is on a slight decline. For most teams that'd be a bad thing that could potentially dampen their chances on making the playoffs. On the other hand, most teams don't have a core like Detroit.

Very few teams have cores that rival the Pistons.

Chauncey is money. They don't call him "Mr. Big Shot" for nothing. Both Tayshaun and Rip are killers on the wing that can slash and play off the ball phenomenally. Then you have 'Sheed. Everyone loves Sheed. The guy doesn't seem to give a fuck. He plays mercurially on a regular basis, and has ridiculous number of technical fouls totaled up over his career.

Even with a bad attitude, though, Sheed is a HUGE threat. He's 7"0 and can pop the trey. He can post up, he can drive, and can play either the 4 or 5.

Let's not forget their bench that can play interchangably with their starters. It's great to let your stars rest, but most teams usually do that while sacrificing their offense and defense. The amazing thing about the Pistons is that they could leave on Tayshaun, or Chauncey, take off Sheed and Rip, throw in Stuckey and Maxiel and you wouldn't even be able to notice. Detroit's bench can play with some of the starting lineups in the NBA.

It'd be hilarious to watch these guys knock Boston in the Eastern Conference finals.


That is the first round of my "Exciting teams to watch this year". Look soon for the follow-up.

Peace.