1. The Kobe Bryant situation needs to be resolved. Since the Lakers traded Shaq three summers ago they have been a one man team, but rarely have I seen one player blantantly attempt to steal the spotlight like Kobe did last night. For about 45 of the 48 minutes of last night's game, it was the Kobe show. He took 32 shots and 27 free throws while the rest of the team stood helplessly and watched. This will not change for a variety of reasons including Kobe being Kobe and his feeling that his teammates are worthless, which is why the team needs to trade him and move on. The fans will get over it, it's LA for cryin' out loud. It's time both sides come to the realization that Kobe will take this franchise no where without Shaq or a complimentary superstar and his daily drama will do nothing but suck the life out of the team. Count your losses, ship him off, and look to the future with a young star like Luol Deng.
2. The Rockets are a work in progress. This is a scary thought for the NBA because for the 2.5 quarters where they were in rhythm, they looked as good as anybody. The Jeff Van Gundy defense is still there, holding Kobe to 45 points on 150 shots, and the offense looked like it will really benefit McGrady and Yao in the long run because it is an offense that involves everyone, thus they will have the energy when they need it in the late stages of ball games. However, it took them five minutes to score a point in the game last night and they had just two field goals in the game's final five minutes when they nearly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Turnovers were a big problem down the stretch and they showed a serious lack of composure in the final 90 seconds, something that has sadly become a staple of the franchise the past few years. With that said, it was the first game of the season and these struggles can be attributed to a new coach, a new offense, and a load of new faces. Once these Rockets hit their stride, the city of Houston may once again be referred to as Clutch City.
3. Pardon me for stating the obvious here, but the Spurs are going to be one tough load to bring down this season. As you may have noticed in my NBA preview, I have the Suns winning the NBA championship. That pick was based more on my wishful thinking that the Rockets will beat the Spurs in the West-Semis meaning the Suns would completely avoid playing them. The reality is, the Spurs will be there all season long and it is going to be very difficult to keep them from repeating. Tony Parker is a darkhorse for MVP, Tim Duncan so "boringly" went off for 24 and 13 last night, and they had five guys off their bench play 12 minutes or more. That is what we call a deep squad. As hard as it is for me to admit, if the Spurs stay healthy, this will finally be the year we see them repeat.
4. Andrei Kirilenko holds the key to Utah's success. I know they have soon-to-be-perennial All-Stars Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, but Kirilenko's play will ultimatly determine how far the Jazz advance this year. Last night the fragile foreigner, who recently begged to be released from his contract with the team, had 9 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 blocks in the Jazz 117-96 bashing of Golden State. If that isn't a complete stat-line then I don't know what is. Kirilenko, with his long arms and versatility, can bring so much to the Jazz, especially defensively, if he can keep his face dry and his head on straight. The Jazz have a nice deep team of nobody's that play very well together and are coached by one of the games legends in Jerry Sloan. However, the success or failure of the Jazz in 2007-08 rests on the shoulders of Kirilenko.
5. It's great to be back. The start of November is such a great time of year in that the NFL is at its mid-season point, but more importantly, basketball season is getting underway. The NBA season started with a bang last night with a very competitive game between a Portland team on the rise and a team they aspire to be one day, the World hampion Spurs, and ended with a crazy finish between the Kobe's and the Rockets. If opening night was a sign of things to come then this NBA season is going to be one of the best in recent years. As Charles Barkley said last night, the league is deeper then it has been since his playing days. There are no more easy games. Thats right people, parity in the NBA has returned. It's going to be a great season, and I expect to see many surprises come April and May. However it plays out, I'm sure of one thing: It's great to have the NBA back.
Until next time,
DTM
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