NBA season opening night, what can we expect?

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Opening night in the NBA is finally here. It's been a very interesting offseason with a lot of changes across the NBA, from Lebron James returning to Cleveland, to the return of Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant, there will be a lot of excitement over the next few days. Tonight's three games will feature a lot of story lines to keep an eye on.
The San Antonio Spurs open up their tittle defense against the only team to really give them a scare in last year's playoffs in the Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs will once again lead the league in wins while holding their core players to less than 35 minutes a game. Not much to be said about the defending champions, they will steamroll through the regular season with little excitement for anybody but the most passionate pure basketball fan.
 The Mavericks took the Spurs to 7 games in last year's first round but return a very different team. On paper, this seems like a much better team from a year ago, they upgraded at the Center and Small Forward position in Parsons and Chandlers as well as bring in Jameer Nelson from Orlando. However, we are skeptical on if its really going to make a difference in the ultra competitive Western Conference. The Mavericks are hoping Chandler can return to his Defensive Player of the year playing after a subpar 2013-2014 injury plagued season. After playing only 31 games and averaging 8.7 PPG and 9.6 RPG he looks to bounce back in a major way. The Mavericks only need him to be that shot blocking presence that anchors the defense, anything he does on the offensive end is a bonus but we don't believe it will happen.
Chandler has never played a full season and the highlight of his career so far has been his contributions in that 2011 title team, and his defensive player of the award that was overshadowed by a horrendous performance in the second round agains the Pacer's Roy Hibbert a year ago. We are skeptical as if his addition to the team will really translate into meaningful jump in the standings.
At point Guard, the Mavericks certainly upgraded over Calderon, while Calderon is a steady floor general that will make good decisions and take good shots, he is not the offensive threat that Nelson is. In addition to that, the ball will spend most of the time in Ellis' and Nowitzki's hands, so Nelson will be the beneficiary of a lot open jump shots something he was good at in Orlando in the Howard Turkoglu days. Finally, the most intriguing story about the Mavericks is all about Parsons, he spent all summer talking about how he felt he was ready to be that third star in Houston, and now he will get the chance to back that talk up.
On the other hand, the game we are most intrigued about is the one with the least TV advertisement, the Orlando Magic vs the New Orleans Pelicans. Why? one name: Anthony Davis, after a wonderful summer with team USA it is clear that Davis is truly the NBA's next superstar, he is a stat stuffer who doesn't need touches (although he should be getting plenty of touches). His continued development makes the most sense, and he should benefit from a full season with Jrue Holiday running the point. Should they put it all together, we see the Pelicans as the dark house to maybe sneak in as the #8 seed in the Western Conference, Davis will be an All-Star and a first team All NBA player by season's end.
The final game of the night will be all about the return of Kobe Bryant, and what a better way to start the season than to go against what many consider the best shooting guard in the league right now in James Harden? Houston should easily win this game, but a lot of people will keep their eyes out on them after they missed out on Chris Bosh and let Parsons walk.

Top Power Forwards entering 2014-2015: #5 Dirk Nowitzki

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We start off our top 5 Power Forwards entering this upcoming NBA season with Dirk Nowitzki at number 5. Nowitzki had a subpar 2012-2013 NBA season due to injuries, he only played in 53 games and averaged 17.3 PPG(The lowest since his second season in the NBA). He bounced back this last season however, playing 80 games and getting his production back up to what we've come to expect. While it was hard to place him at #5 over the immortal Tim Duncan, it is unquestionable that at this point in their respective careers, Nowitzki produces more, and is required to do more than Tim Duncan. That of course, has a lot to do with Popovich's management of Duncan's playing time.
      Nowitzki averaged 21.7 points on 49% FG and 39% from the behind the arc. He remains one of the most unstoppable offensive forces in the game. His one leg step back off the high post remains one of the most unstoppable moves in the game today. Nowitzki likes to set up shop in the mid to high post area, from there he does a great job of using his length and size to get off his jumpshot, he shot a blistering 74% on two pointers this season. Nowitzki also runs the floor better than most bigs in the league, he does a great job of running at the rim in fast break situations to get easy dunks, but also is the team's most lethal trailer option to shoot the three. In addition, Dirk is lethal in the Pick and Pop option, something Ellis and Calderon quickly learned. He fades out quickly to the three point line, making his defenders uncomfortable with having to defend out so far and opens up driving lanes for his guards.
     Nowitzki's use of the pump fake is also very effective, look at the next 3 plays here. Nowitzki loves to use the pump fake to get his defender in the air, and get off a clean looking shot, he is lethal at this for a couple of reasons, the first is how often he gets people to bite on it, the second, is he uses the pump fake to bump his defender and get his shot off (should they not bite on it), and if the defender still manages to contest, more often than not he hits the shot anyway.
     His ability to hit tough shots is unmatched and Nowitzki is still one of the clutch shotmakers of today's game. One of the things that keeps him still on this list is how reliable he is down the stretch, he shot 89% from the free throw line this year and isn't prone to miss big free throw shots down the stretch, as lets say, Blake Griffin or Kevin Love(Here's Love infamously missing three crucial free throws to win a game this year).
     While Nowitzki has never been known for his defense, he is not a complete liability on the defensive side of the ball, and his rebounding has always left something to be desired (even though he averages 10 RPG for his career in the playoffs). However, his offensive prowess more than makes up for it, and which is why Dirk is still in our top 5 for his position for another year.
Here is Nowitzki's top 10 plays from before the All Star break.

Top PF going into 2012-2013, #2 Dirk Nowitzki

We continue our countdown of the top power forwards heading into the 2012-2013 NBA season with Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks at #2. The big german could have easily been our #1, but after much debating within our committee we decided to place him at #2. Nowitzki is coming off a disappointing season for his great standards. He was ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual conference champions Thunder. Dirk's number for the regular season were 21.6 PPG, and 6.7 RPG. However, during the playoffs he was scoring a whooping 26.8 PPG.
Nowitzki, has held the "best power forward in the game" title for a few years now. His offensive power is matched by none. Dirk is one of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen amongst all positions. He is a 7 footer with quite a wide wingspan and a great high release on his shot. He plays with both his back to the basket but more importantly facing up. Now his numbers were down to begin the season because of an injury but once he picked it up, we seen him back to his old tricks. Look at this play, Dirk backs up his defender in the low post (something many think he does not have), and then catches him with the beautiful up an under. Nowitzki knows he can get his jump shot off against anybody, but that doesn't mean that shooting a perimeter shot is always the best option for him. His bread and butter is of course his jumpshot, which is better than half of the league's guards. He can score off the catch and shoot, coming off screens, or off the dribble. When defenders try to play up on him, he goes right by them. In addition, Dirk can shoot the three with consistency, and is a career 88% free throw shooter. Basically, he's unstoppable on the offensive end. His patented one foot fade away jumpshot is unguardable, and even when you play perfect defense, he will score easily.
Now Dirk's unmatched offensive ability masks a lot of his deficiencies. For somebody who is 7 feet tall, he isn't a great rebounder. His career average in that department is 8.3, and last season it was an abysmal 6.7 RPG. Now, generally Dirk steps it up in the playoffs in regards to rebounding, his career rebounding average is 10.3 for the playoffs. Yet, in four games games against Oklahoma City, he averaged a mere 6.3 RPG. He definitely needs to step it back up this season if he wishes to continue to be considered the top 2 or 3 power forwards in the league. In addition, Nowitzki is an average defender, he averaged a very disappointing 0.5 BPG this season, and against Oklahoma city, failed to register a single block.
Nowitzki will continue to dominate the game with his scoring and elite shooting. However, for him to maintain his high standing on this list, he must rebound much better than he did this season and must bring his shooting percentage a little bit up back to its normal 47% percent clip. We don't expect Dirk's offense to drop off too much over the next few years (considering that he doesn't depend one bit on his Athleticism), and thus he will high on this list a year from now.
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Deron Williams resigns with Nets, how good can Brooklyn be this year?

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Deron Williams resigns with the Nets for 100 Million and 5 years. He rejected the Mav's 4 years and 75 million, and will continue to be the face of the franchise. With Williams now resigned and Joe johnson on his way, how good can this team be in their first year in brooklyn? With D.Will at the point and Joe johnson at the 2, they now have one of the best (if not the best) backcourts in the NBA, along with Gerald Wallace you are looking at a dangerous team.
Before we can determine how good they really can be, we have to wait and see what happens with Dwight Howard. The Nets have offered the Magic, Brook Lopez, Kris Humphris, three first round picks (2013,2015,2017), and promising stud MarShon Brooks. Regardless of what happens with Howard though, expect the Nets (barring injury) to reach playoff. If they manage to get Howard, no doubt they could be as good as second in the east behind the Heat. If they don't trade for Howard then they wll resign back Lopez and have a formidable starting 5.
The reason we like this team so much is because they have addressed specific needs. While everybody is talking about D.Will and Joe Johnson, people forget about their first offseason signing of Gerald Wallace. Wallace will start in almost any team and is a proven defender. When the Nets play the Miami Heat or Oklahoma City, they will have a very good defender to guard Lebron or Durant.
Deron Williams will have a great year, last year his assist numbers went down a little bit (8.7) and his scoring went up because of a lack of weapons. Lopez missed most of the year and without him, the Net's offense depended solely on Williams scoring. This year, he will have Lopez back, and fans should not worry about injury concerns. Before this year, Lopez had not missed a SINGLE game in three years since he entered the league. Gerald Wallace can also score the ball, and then there's Joe Johnson.
Johnson is a polarizing player, many like him and many hate him. It is agreed that the Hawks made a mistake in giving Johnson a max contract. However, we cannot crucify him for taking the best available offer on the table and use it as an excuse to downgrade how good this guy is. A 6 time all-star, and a guy that can give you 20 points every night. Johnson was simply on a team where he had to be the #1 indisputable option and he's not that player. Now he goes to a team where he is the second or third option and with one of the best point guards in the league. Avery Johnson is a great coach and he will put him in situations to score, and not dribble out at the three point line for 20 seconds of the shot clock. The nets regardless of what happens with Howard, are in a great position going forward and will have home court advantage come april 2013.
-In other news, the Celtics are close to a deal with Jason Terry that will pay him 5 million for three years, which raises the question: what now for Ray Allen? The Celtics still are intent on signing him, but Allen does not like the idea of coming of the bench for Avery Bradley
-The Toronto Raptors have agreed with Landry Fields on a three year 20 million contract, he is a restricted free agent so the Knicks will have three days to match the offer
What do you think of the Net's offseason moves so far? All questions and comments are welcomed

Odom to the clippers, D-will to the Mavs?? Nash to Toronto? Free Agency about to heat up

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With free agency a day away, the headlines are heating up. The Clippers have traded for Lamar Odom and are positioning themselves to challenge for the Western Conference championship  now that their core is intact. Odom is a polarizing player to the average NBA fan, some like him and some dont. But the fact is that Odom was a huge piece of the Lakers title runs from 09 and 10 as their six man. No doubt this is once again the role that Odom will play coming off the bench for the youthful Clippers. Odom is a 6-11 forward who can basically play al 5 positions and start the offense, something he did constantly for the Lakers. His run in Dallas was not a good one but now that he's back in LA in a team that will be VERY competitive he should look to bounce back.
Odom will join a talented bench that will no doubt have the advantage on most nights when each team's benches come in the game. This is a great move, and gives the clippers a lot of versatility (could you imagine a lineup of Paul, Billups, Odom, Griffin, Jordan). With Oklahoma potentially losing Ibaka or Harden the Clips are positioning themselves to show the Thunder that they will not run through the Western Conference.
While all the attention of free agency has gone to star point guard and Deron Williams, people seem to forget that Steve Nash is also a free agent. The 2-time MVP spoke yesterday and for the first time sounded like he was expecting not to be a Phoenix Suns next Year. The Suns Drafted Kendall Marshall in this year's draft, the only true point guard in the draft and seem to be ready to call it quits on the Nash era. Nash has said that he will listen to every team that calls with an offer. But you have to think that at this point Nash wants to go to a team that can compete for a championship immediately. The four teams that seem to have the most interest at this point are: the Brooklyn Nets, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Toronto Raptors.
The Nets and Dallas are obviously looking at Nash only if they fail to get Deron Williams, so obviously one of these two teams will heavily recruit him once Williams makes his decision. The Toronto Raptors seem to think that they can lure Nash away with the prospect of having the greatest Canadian player ever play for Canada. But realistically speaking, why would Nash waste his last few years for a team that will OBVIOUSLY not win a championship? and will just struggle to make it to the playoffs.  So lets keep an eye on where Nash lands because it will be a huge swing in somebody's favor. Nash will no longer be averaging a double double in whichever championship team he signs for, but he will be a huge piece, somebody who you want to have out on the floor at the end of game, many teams will want that. If not... consider one team that will want his services,  the Miami Heat.