Bringin' down the House

Bringin’ down the HOUSE
By: Stephen Jared House




WESTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW



LOS ANGELES LAKERS - The Lakers are hands down the best team in the Western Conference and the best team in the NBA. The rich only got richer by adding Ron Artest. The move seems to be getting mixed results. Some are in the opinion that Artest will make this team worse because he has been extremely selfish in the past. They also say he has lost the ability to guard the smaller players on the wing. They contend that it would have been a better, and cheaper, option to resign a younger Trevor Ariza. They other side says, RON ARTEST LOOK AT HIS SKILLS!!! I’m sitting on the fence. Ron Artest is such a talent, and I think he still has the ability to be the lock down defender that he has been his entire career. I do agree that Ariza is am improving talent and for the long run his talent and price would have been better for the Lakers. The defending champs are so deep, could be the deepest team I can remember. Lamar Odom is their 6th man! He could be the best player on some teams! This team will be in the Finals come June, take that to the bank. This is how good the Lakers are, I haven’t even mentioned the best player in the league yet.
DENVER NUGGETS- The Nuggets look to build on their run to the Western Conference Finals last season. This team is very dangerous and I think they are being grossly over looked. The Spurs seem to be everyone’s #2 in the West. Why, because they got Richard Jefferson? I don’t see it. With the duo of Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups the Nuggets are going to be able to beat any team any night. The change of pace they are going to be able to play is going to be like day light and dark. When Chauncey Billups is in the game they are going to play smart and under control on the offensive end. But when rookie Tywon Lawson comes in they are going to push the ball hard up the court. This will help guys like Kenyon Martin who runs the floor better then most power forwards. The trade for Chauncey Billups last year was the best move made in the past three seasons in the NBA. Billups calmed down Anthony and J.R. Smith, and totally transformed this team. Look out for Carmelo Anthony, I think this is the year he is the league MVP.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS- The Spurs are a model franchise. The do all the right things it takes to win. They scout well, draft great players that fit in their system and have three star players. They are the Patriots of the NBA. In June if they are hoisting the NBA championship it would not surprise me one bit. But I’m not going to bet on it. Everyone seems to think that because they got Richard Jefferson they are going to be able to challenge the Lakers. Let me ask you this, if Jefferson was so good why wouldn’t Milwaukee pay the price to keep him? Another addition that the “experts” are loving is the addition of Antonio McDyess. They are acting like McDyess is the second coming of David Robinson. I just don’t see it. Yeah McDyess will get you 10 and 10 but he’s not going to dominate a game, and he’s not going to be able to shut down an elite low post player. Plus he has a lot of miles on those knees that have given him problems his entire career.
PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS- I really like what they are doing in the Rose City. This is a good young team, and Brandon Roy is a guy any team would love to build around. I don’t understand why they aren’t giving control of the point to Andre Miller. For some reason they think Steve Blake is the answer and a relegating Miller to the second unit. Miller is such a better player than Blake, but I’m not Nate McMillan. Greg Oden is just not that good of a player, but if he plays with the mind set defense first he will be alright. LaMarcus Aldridge is a stud, if he was on the East coast he would be a house hold name. The Blazers have one glaring problem though. They are a jump shooting team. They have nobody who can get points in the paint. They have to rely on jump shots to score. This will win you games but in a series you will lose everytime.
UTAH JAZZ- the Jazz are a very good team. They have a great point guard in Deron Williams. Williams is in the mold of Jason Kidd, a big strong physical point guard. He needs to take over the team and make it his team. Paul Millsap is the best player in the league you have never heard of. If I’m the GM I trade Carlos Boozer get a pick in return, free up cap room and clear the floor so Millsap can play. The problem with the Jazz is they can’t win on the road. If they can correct this problem they will be able to make some noise in the post season.
DALLAS MAVERICKS- the Mavs made some headlines in the offseason signing free agent Shawn Marion. This could turn out to be a pretty good move if the Mavs play the up tempo style of basketball that made Shawn Marion a star in Phoenix. If not, well you will get the Shawn Marion that played in Miami and Toronto last year. He is an average player in a slow half court offense. Jason Kidd has done what any great player does when they are in the sunset of their career. He has reinvented some aspects of his game. His three-point shooting has dramatically gotten better.
NEW ORLEANS HORNETS- the Big Easy two seasons ago was a basketball hot bed. The Hornets barely lost out to the Lakers for the best record in the West, got a number two seed, and then lost in the second round to the play off tested Spurs. Things were looking good for the future though. Last year everyone on the team other than CP3 rested on their laurels and the team suffered. 2009-2010 rolls around and the Hornets are looking new. Gone is Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor. I like this upgrade the Hornets have made. Chandler is out of his prime and while Okafor has never really lived up to the hype he has more of an offensive game than Chandler. The Hornets really need Peja Stojakovic’s back to get healthy and stay healthy. With him they can spread the floor; he still is one of the best three-point shooters in the league. Chris Paul is the third best player in the Association. What’s scary is he is still getting better.
PHOENIX SUNS- if this team has an injury to Steve Nash or Amar’e Stoudemire this season we will be seeing them in the lottery. The Suns are a team that can’t decide if they want to go young like Portland or old like Dallas. Steve Kerr’s job as GM could end after this season. If the Suns aren’t in the mix for a high play-off seed I look for Stoudemire to traded at the deadline.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER- this team is going to surprise a lot people who don’t follow the NBA on a regular basis. I love what the front office of the OKC Thunder are doing. They have their super star, Kevin Durant, and they are adding good young talent that compliments his skills around him.( i.e., what Cleveland has not done.) Jeff Green is a hard nosed player, he is the enforcer on the team for sure. I am a little iffy in Russel Westbrook as a point guard. I don’t see yet the decision making, but he is only in his second year. I have beena big fan of James Harden. He’s a poor man’s Brandon Roy. He plays so calm and under control. The game is never too fast for him. In three years this team will be the one challenging the Lakers for the West.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS- the Clipper curse has already hit Blake Griffin, but it shouldn’t devastate him. He’s going to be a beast in this league. He’ll get a double-double in his sleep. He need to develop a jumper, he has none, and work on his ball handling though. This team is on the rise. Eric Gordon can play, and I like Al Thorton.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS- this is not a good team. Steven “Big Shot Jack” Jackson doesn’t want to be on the team. Monta Ellis doesn’t want to play with rookie Stephen Curry, Corey Maggette is one of the most selfish players in the Association, and coach Don Nelson still refuses to emphasize defense. So what’s really new in the City by the Bay?
HOUSTON ROCKETS- wow what a difference a year can make. Last year the Rockets were a dark horse for the Finals. A healthy Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady along with Ron Artest looked like a team that could win a ring. Now Artest is off in LA, Yao is injured, again. T-Mac is injured again. This was a good team, with great role players and a deep bench. Now the role players are thrust into the leading role. They won’t fall to the bottom of the West, but they aren’t going to challenge for a play off spot.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES- they could win the title of the most selfish team in the NBA. They put and All-Star team of selfish, me first, got to get my shots, no defense players out there. Allen Iverson, he’s a Hall of Famer but he is also in the HOF of being a player to care more about stats than winning. Zach Randolph. Do I really need to explain that one? O.J. Mayo, never saw a shot he would pass up. Hopefully AI and the Z-man won’t rub off on Rudy Gay and Mayo too much. The front office should be fired for bringing in those two.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES- not too much to write about. Al Jefferson is an All-Star but other than that they are young and not too good. It’s going to be another long cold winter in the Land of a Thousand Lakes.
SACRAMENTO KINGS- for the second year in a row the Kings will take the title of the worst team in the NBA. Kevin Martin is their best player. On a team contending he’s the third best. Tyreke Evans is going to be a star one day. I love his size and skills. Jason Thompson plays hard on every possession, but he gets in foul trouble too much. The Kings have more problems than their product on the floor. The Kings are in serious financial trouble and the owners, the casino owning brothers, the Maloof’s may sale the team or look to move it.
Thanks for reading, more to come soon!
SJH