Very nice analysis by LeJuiceman on the East vs West breakdown. I agree - Dallas, San Antonio, and New Orleans are off to weak (by recent standards) starts. Utah, Houston, Phoenix and Portland are all very beatable. Denver is the only Western team exceeding expectations.
On the flip side, Cleveland, Boston, Detroit and Orlando have all come out of the gate strong. All four of these ballclubs reached the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. New Jersey, Miami, Chicago and Atlanta haven't been too shabby, either. I expect Toronto, Philly and Washington to improve vastly as the year goes on.
All in all, I have to agree - it's fairly safe to say that the balance of power has shifted back to the East. But don't get me wrong...I'm thankful we don't have to see the likes of the Western elite more than a couple times a year.
Here's a look at the distribution of young talent (less than 5 years in NBA)
Young guns in East:
Bron, Wade, D. Howard, Bosh, J. Smith, D. Harris, Granger, Mo, Beasley, Rose, Iguodala, Bargnani, Augustin, Rondo, Stuckey
Young guns in West:
Paul, D. Williams, A. Jefferson, Roy, Melo, Durant, Mayo, Gay, West, Oden, Aldridge, Westbrook, Kevin M., E. Gordon, Bynum
Scanning through the daily box scores while wet snow smacks against my office window, I realize can't recall a season where so many rookies made such powerful immediate impacts on the Association. I had a feeling Michael Beasley would be a special player the instant he hit the NBA hardwood but I thought it might take others from this year's draft class a few years to develop. Boy was I wrong.
- Derrick Rose has already taken over the leadership role in CHI.
- OJ Mayo has been lighting up opposing defenses on a nightly basis so far in MEM.
- Russell Westbrook is already emerging as a dynamic force in the OKC backcourt.
- DJ Augustin has nearly supplanted Larry Brown's fellow Tar Heel alumnus Ray Felton as the starting PG in CHA.
- Eric Gordon has been a key contributor in crunch time for LAC.
- JaVale McGee has made his presence felt amidst a weak frontcourt in WAS.
And we're just talking November! Who knows what JJ Hickson, Kevin Love and Danilo Gallinari have in store for us. Time will tell how great the class of '08 will be. The sky's the limit.
You're probably thinking...hold on a sec Beanfu...most of these guys play for dreadful teams, devoid of competition at their positions. Who knows if any of them will move beyond "flash-in-the-pan" status and blossom into durable, reliable NBA stars - let alone proven winners?
This got me thinking...what's the most productive draft class in NBA history? Here's my top 5 (with an apparent bias to my generation of players). Please share any I might be missing. The class of '08 has A LOT to live up to.
Monster trade in the NBA announced today - Nuggets ship Iverson to the Pistons in exchange for Billups, McDyess and some scub. What does this mean for both teams?
The Nuggets added some much needed frontcourt depth after losing Camby to free agency this past summer. When healthy, the combination of 'Dyess, Nene, and K-Mart could prove to be a tough group of bigs. I expect Melo to pick up the majority of shots left behind by Iverson. Don't forget Melo averaged close to 30 ppg the year before A.I. arrived in Denver. He could vie for the scoring title this year now that he has a pass-first PG (Billups) in his rotation.
The Pistons got a lot quicker today after shipping aging vets Chauncey and 'Dyess back to Denver - the team that drafted both of them. Even though Iverson doesn't have the range of Chauncey, he's still one of the quickest players IN THE HISTORY of the league. Dyess was Detroit's emotional leader and the key to the Pistons 2nd unit. I expect Rip to come off the bench and pick up the scoring role in the 2nd Q while the starters rest. That means A.I. will start opposite 2nd year pro Stuckey and revitalize one of the league's most dynamic backcourts. This trade also paves the way for Amir J to find more minutes at PF. All in all, a nice job by Mr. Dumars.
Most importantly, what does this mean for the Cavs? Coach Brown has always had a tough time slowing down the Pistons backcourt. Mo and Delonte will have to limit Iverson's production and still conserve energy to burn at the offensive end. That won't be easy considering Iverson averaged 34.5 ppg vs. the Cavs during his last year with Philly. The loss of 'Dyess should create opportunities for the Cavs' long and deep frontcourt on the block. The Cavs will need to control the pace of the game and keep the Pistons from getting easy hoops in transition. And hopefully we can force a few more turnovers given that the Pistons team chemistry just took a hit!!!
