With the NBA season just weeks away, it's time we took a look at the major stories as they seem to be shaping up for the upcoming year. Thrones will topple, new stars will emerge and Andrei Kirilenko will continue complaining in this, the first edition of Stories to Watch.
They Call Him AK-47 Because He Pops Off at the Mouth
Let's get back to that in just a moment. Kirilenko finished the season by playing well during the Jazz's run to the Western Conference finals, then proceeded to cap off the summer by leading Russia to a surprise victory in the FIBA European championships. Of course, looking a restored reputation in the face, Kirilenko couldn't leave a good situation alone. He had to publicly complain about the way he was treated by coach Jerry Sloan, demand a trade, even suggest to void his contract so that he could return to Russia to play against inferior competition for a team that "appreciates him." Appreciates you, Andrei? Appreciates you enough to pay you an average of over fifteen million dollars a season over the next four seasons, or appreciates you enough to feature you despite the apparent fact that you're addicted to a video game? What kind of appreciation are we talking about here?
Now, it seems that Sloan and Kirilenko have reconciled with comments from owner Larry Miller that AK is one of the top ten players in the league, but I remain skeptical... both of the mended fences, and especially of Kirilenko's elite status. He may be talented, but do you think Michael Jordan was wasting any of his time on video games during his reign as the league's greatest player? Of course not. He was far too busy gambling. Seriously, though, Kirilenko is a time bomb. Watch out, Utah.
Andrei Kirilenko's salary ranks him among the highest paid players in the NBA, so it was reasonable for the Utah Jazz to be concerned when he turned in what must be considered the worst season of his career. Of course, for the Jazz, the biggest worry probably didn't come so much from Kirilenko's play as he struggled to find a suitable role in lieu of the presence of Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, but from the rumored origin of his troubles. That, of course, is the rumor that Kirilenko's sudden decline in play was the result of a harrowing addiction. An addiction to the World of Warcraft.
As the season progresses, this is probably going to be the league's biggest story. But maybe it shouldn't be. Though a number of preseason prognosticators are still picking the Heat to finish near the top of the Eastern Conference, is that really a reasonable expectation? The Heat pull into this season just one year removed from an NBA title but boasting only a late 1st round draft choice as their most major roster addition. In the meantime, Dwyane Wade looks as if he won't be healthy enough to start the season, and the word is that Shaq, who only managed to play forty games last season, now weighs in the neighborhood of 370 lbs. As bad as his joints are, and as quickly as he's seen the quality of his play drop the past few years, that's a terrible sign for both Shaq and the Heat. I expect the Heat to be in the top half of lottery teams this year as Shaq will struggle to play 35 games, Wade will put up huge numbers but struggle to get wins without any semblance of a supporting cast, and Pat Riley will leave the bench before the all-star break. This is a team on the decline and on the verge of an implosion. Fortunately, there's plenty to do in Miami even without the Heat. You can watch the boats. You like boats, right?
There's naturally been a lot of fanfare in Boston over the respective arrivals of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, but perhaps -- though it has come up -- not enough has been made of what the Celtics sacrificed to bring in those players: team depth. In fact, after the big 3, Boston has precious little to fall back in even in the starting lineup. Rajon Rondo is an intriguing second year defensive specialist/speed demon of a point guard with no jump shot and less discipline. Kendrick Perkins was supposed to be Dikembe Mutombo by now, but for some reason he's barely Brian Skinner. James Posey and Dahntay Jones would have been solid wing pickups for any team that didn't already have three of their four best players (throwing Tony Allen in the mix) playing the same positions. All the new NBA commercials are promising us that it takes five, and meanwhile Danny Ainge is swearing that three really good ones is plenty. Boston should be near the top of the Eastern Conference barring major injuries, but they'll have to see some major improvement from their young point guards and big men if they're going to get past Chicago and Detroit.
As the story currently holds, former governor of the Hawks' ownership group Steve Belkin is still mired in a bitter legal dispute over control of the team with the rest of its owners. Most recently, a court overturned Belkin's right to buy out these owners at cost, effectively holding the team's financial moves in limbo.
Now, I realize that this is all incredibly boring, but it does have an interesting implication in that two of the Hawks most prized young players, forwards and Joshes Smith and Childress, are due for contract extensions lest they become free agents next summer. Josh Smith in particular is showing signs of developing into a star player, and if these signs continue, it's possible that a league-wide bidding war will spring into effect to acquire Smith from the Hawks via trade. After all, a still-up-in-the-air decision making team may still be unable to pull the trigger on any long term financial risks next summer, and the Hawks will want to make the most of their assets before they walk for nothing. If you're an Atlanta fan: I'm sorry. I know it sucks. I root for the Brewers.
The Rookie of the Year Race
This is nothing new; the ROY race is always* interesting. This year, the prime contenders will be Kevin Durant, who will get plenty of minutes and shots for the young Sonics; Al Horford, the championship-seasoned rebounding machine who'll immediately be a double-digit glass cleaner for the Hawks; Luis Scola, the seasoned European veteran who should provide a hustling, cerebral frontcourt counterpart to the dangerous but plodding Yao. And, why not, I'm going to go ahead and predict that, while he'll ultimately fall short, Yi will provide voters with something to consider after a late push. My pick for the award? Horford. He's already a great rebounder, and he's got enough offense that he could average a double-double immediately, especially now that he's not playing next to everyone's favorite spaz-to-hate, Joakim Noah.