If you hear my wife, Melanie, groaning, it's because the NBA season is starting, and I am preping for long hours in front of my TV set watching the new season unfold. It's going to be a good one. The league as a whole will be more competitive. Okay, I said that last year, but I mean it this year. Teams like Orlando and the TWolves will join the ranks of possible playoff teams. A healthy brow automatically makes the Lakers better. Chi town is a question mark but will have enough to keep games close. The Cavs with the addition of Donovan Mitchell will give teams fits. The Pelican's with Z back. (I'm not talking about the great Hawk's HoF center Zelmo Beatty) will be much stronger. The Rockets' offense will make outscoring them difficult. Playing consitent D will be their problem. And, happily, the Sacramento Kings (HooWhah!) will be much improved. I will get to the Kings later.
There will be bottom feeders: Th Jazz, (dumping) Hornets, Knicks, Pistons, Trailblazers, and Pacers, sux teams that have a good statistical chance of drafting French phenom Victor Wembayma. If you missed seeing him play recently on TV against the NBA G League Ignite, you misseda real treat A generational player, no doubt. Reminds me a lot of Jabbar in Milwaukee, only this kid can shoot threes.
For the time being, consider that the Clippers will have a healthy Paul George and Kawhi Leonard this season and the Denver Nuggets will return Jamal Murry and Michael Porter J. back. My Dubs look strong again. Our young Big, James Wiseman, is healthy and playing well. I'm particularly excited by the addition of JaMychal Green (another of my favorite underappreciated players) and Donte DiVincenzo. I will leave a more detailed analysis of the Dubs for another Blog. The Phoenix Suns are a veteran winning team and well coached. If Ayton proves he deserves his max contract, the suns will be difficult to beat. The Bucks will be healthy. If they'd been healthy last season, they would have beaten the Celtics. The 76ers will be extremely strong again. Second best center in the league behind The Joker. I've never been a Hardin fan, so I don't think the 76ers, despite being a very dangerous, will get by the second round of the playoffs. Miami Heat will always be tough with Spoelstra coaching, Will Lowry be healthy? I think Jimmy Butler is overrated. (I'll take a few zinners for that.) Will there be help for BAM on the boards? That's going to be important for the Heat to compete. About the Mavs: Tim Hardaway Jr. will has returned from injury, and Javale Mcgee will help Doncic in ways that Jalen Brunson couldn't. I don't buy that Celtic Coach Idoka's suspension is going to drive the Cetlics into the tank. They are stonger at the point guard postion. I think getting Blake Griffin was a solid plus low post bench improvement. I'm going out on a limb to say I think the Rudy Gobbert experiment is going to work for the TWolves. And how about the Nets? Kyrie and Durant are a nightmare offense, but consider the return of 3 pt stretch D Joe Harris, and the addition of some D chops in O'Neale, Markieff Morris and a healthy Simmons. If Steve Kerr was coaching the Nets, they could win the NBA championship. Sorry Coach Nash. They could still win the East as long as they stay MENTALLY healthy. I'm not sure that's going to happen. Moving on, let's not forget the Hawks added Dejounte Murray, one of my favorite young players. That's going to be a very troublesome backcourt to defend.
Back to the Sacramento Kings: Huge kudos for GM Monte McNair for assembling a roster that for the first time in a LONG time will be able to compete in a strong Western Conference. Starting with the Ox and the Fox; Demontus Sabonis and DeAaron Fox a pick and roll nightmare. And if they can play in a more free style Mike Brown offense, a double nightmare. McNair made three fantastic moves in the off season. He traded for Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk. Both players will be able to spread the court. Monk is an excellent defender. Heurter is above average on D and willing. When it came to the draft, McNair wisely chose for position and took 6'8" Keegan Murry who can play both the 3 and the 4, making Harrison Barnes a difficult match up problem for opposing coaches. Davion Mttchell will be improved (Got to love his toughness). With these additions, and otherrs, suddenly the King's bench looks better. The team as a whole will have to improve on D. Keeping Matthew Dellavadova on their roster will help in that area, if only to provide veteran modeling in practics. Bazemore will help there too. Rashaun Holmes may wind up being one of the top two best back up centers in the NBA. The top back up center in the league is going to be James Wiseman of the Golden State Warriors, that is unitl perhaps, Kevon Looney becosme the best back up center in the league, if you get my meaning.
I want to digress some and talk about the Pistons that don't appear to me to have much of a chance, but might surprise: With the rookie phenom, Jaden Ivey matching up with and Cade Cunningham at 1 & 2, that's a stong backcourt duo. The rest of the starters are solid: Saddiq Bey, whom I like a lot, Bojan Bogdonovich with Jalen Duren and Isaih Stewart, who knows, they might be the kind of team that will grow as the season progressive. Concerns about their bench curb my enthusiasm. We'll see where they're at after All Star break.
Anyone who's ever played on outdoor courts in a big city knows about chain link nets. Here's poem of mine on the subject.
CHAIN by Tom Meschery
dead cener. Someone yelled, "Chain!"
We called him, Chain. He never missed.
Chain , someone yelled. His ball was in midflight.
Chain link nets, two links missing.
Charlie was a poet.
He said she had a hole in her skirt.
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