With the NBA season soon upon us, the league’s general managers were recently polled about who they thought would win the championship in June 2014. The other important question: Who would be the league’s Most Valuable Player?
The answer to both, in short, was LeBron James. Yes, King James picked up his third straight MVP award and lead the Miami Heat to its third straight championship.
When you look at what’s happening elsewhere around the league, it becomes awfully difficult to bet against that scenario.
Take one look at the Los Angeles Lakers roster and it becomes clear that team will continue its downward spiral into irrelevance. Metta World Peace, the only player last season who showed the organization had a pulse, is in New York scaring opposing players already and it’s only the preseason. Dwight Howard, who was faulted for his immature antics last year but who undoubtedly has premier basketball talent, bolted ship for the Houston Rockets.
The icing on the cake for the Lakers and their plunge into darkness is that for the first time in 11 years, Kobe Bryant was not voted the top shooting guard in the NBA. That honor went to Howard’s new teammate, James Harden.
It could be argued that without World Peace and Howard on the team, there will be fewer egos to deal with; however, that usually means less talent, and succeeding in the league is all about balancing talent with submissiveness. Phil Jackson was the best at that, but current Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni just isn’t up to the task.
As for the Boston Celtics, well, they just traded away the lifeblood of their organization, Paul Pierce, as well as Kevin Garnett, to the Brooklyn Nets. That means first-year head coach Brad Stevens only has Rajon Rondo and a motley crew of young players and displaced veterans to try to muster a winning season. Stevens is as optimistic as anyone, but GM Danny Ainge doesn’t appear to be as hopeful.
Two other contenders to knock King James off his throne, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls, have point guards coming off ACL injuries. The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook injured his in the first round of last year’s playoffs, while Chicago’s Derrick Rose tore his ligaments a year and a half ago. Westbrook isn’t going to play right away, but fans will expect immediate success from Rose after he flirted with playing all last season but never delivered.
Even if Rose is back at full strength, his supporting cast might not be. Overworked last season in Rose’s absence, the remaining Bulls have been dropping like flies in the preseason. Joakim Noah has been bothered by a nagging groin injury, while sharpshooter Kirk Hinrich struggles with a concussion.
The two best bets to knock off the Heat are the San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers. The problem with the Spurs, and I know it’s low-hanging fruit, is their age. Tim Duncan is obviously in the last gasps of an incredible NBA career, and Manu Ginobili showed his age (he’s just one year younger than Duncan) late in 2013.
The Pacers have a fighting chance with the emergence of George Hill and the return of Danny Granger at forward. The departure of Tyler Hansbrough is a significant blow, and it will be interesting to see the Pacers try to match that physical presence this season.
