Early Christmas Present

Just this morning, Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports wrote in his daily, ongoing blog "Ball Don't Lie" about the upcoming return of Lakers center Andrew Bynum and what this will mean to a Lakers club that started out as hot as ever, but a weak front line that features PAU GASOL, LAMAR ODOM, and Derek Caracter brings them to the fourth-seeded team in the West. Dwyer notes the improvement of defense. Agreed. Though Pau Gasol's finesse and court awareness ranks him as one of the best big men today, his defense does not shine as bright, especially if he's ask asked to anchor the Lakers defense as the starting center. And with Bynum back as a weak-side shot blocker, Lakers' defensive efficiency will rise to the top five it should be at. Dwyer notes the consistency of Pau Gasol will come back. After an MVP-caliber first eight games that helped boast a team record of 8-0, Gasol has come back to Earth - maybe even a bit fatigued. And who can blame him? He's asked to play almost 40 minutes a game, since the Lakers bench includes many guards and small forwards, but absolutely no big men. Well, except rookie Derek Caracter who is receiving big-time minutes (with the absence of both Bynum and center Theo Ratliff) but not producing as well as a professional should (even though he's a rookie). With Bynum back, Gasol will go back to playing 30 minutes and producing the efficiency he should be.

And then Dwyer includes in his post that with Bynum back, this 2010-2011 Lakers team will be the best since the 1980s Showtime Lakers. This bold statement challenges the authority that the 2000 Lakers commanded, headlined with a dominant Shaquille O'Neal and rising star Kobe Bryant. To me, the argument comes down like this:

Superstars: 2000 edges 2010. Whenever you have the best player in the league (O'Neal) and another top 5 player in the league (Bryant), you're going to have a high chance of being great. Unless, of course, you're the Miami Heat.

Supporting Cast: Aside from O'Neal and Bryant, the 2000 Lakers did not have much else. Though forward Robert Horry provided some heroic moments in the playoffs and forward Rick Fox did all that he could on the defensive end, 2010's supporting cast is headlined with a dominant Andrew Bynum, a versatile Lamar Odom, and a rugged Ron Artest.

The two teams are probably similar in everything else, when it comes to offense, defense, rebounding, etc. It's a toss up, so I'm not going to pick one or the other. I need to see if 2010 has what it takes to three-peat; if they do, let the talks begin.


- Leather Head

Boozer's Back, Who Cares?

 

When the Chicago Bulls announced that they would sign All-Star forward Carlos Boozer this past summer, everyone assumed Chicago would be the dark-horse team in the top-heavy Eastern Conference, which includes a championship-tested Boston Celtics, star-studded Miami Heat, and defensive-minded Orlando Magic. However, just before the start of preseason, Boozer announced that he would miss the first two months of the regular season with a hand injury. With Boozer out, Chicago would return to the mediocre lineup that only brought them the last playoff seed in the East before being knocked out of the first round of the playoffs.

Before the start of the regular season, before the start of the preseason, before even the Boozer trade, guard Derrick Rose was mentally focused to becoming the best player in the NBA. He even went on ESPN to challenge the idea that there should be no reason he shouldn't be named the 2010-2011 Most Valuable Player Award. No one considered it cocky, but no one considered it true either. For me, I took it as a very talented player who will improve but will still show the NBA that he is still only 22-years old.

Rose has taken stock of his bold commitment and is seeing it through to its fullest. Not only is he averaging a career-best 26 points and 8 assists, but he's also conducting himself as the best player on the floor every night, even against the dominant teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. A quarter into the season, he's led this same Boozer-less Chicago roster that he's had for his two years in the league to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. And that's after a treacherous 7-game road trip, where they came atop over 500. And with Boozer back in the lineup, there's no question that he'll make an impact. But let's make one thing clear: Boozer is not going to take this team to the next level, like we all were quick to assume before the season began. Derrick Rose will be, and quite frankly, he already has.


- Leather Head

Louisiana Purchase

The New Orleans Hornets long-time owner George Shinn has owned the franchise since its move from Charlotte in 2002. Shinn, at age 69, is diagnosed with cancer and reports claim that he is looking to move on from NBA ownership and focus on his faith, health, and the fight against cancer. No one can really get angry with him after those three reasons.

Since last spring, Shinn has been in talks with minority owner Gary Chouset, who owns 35% of the team already. However, the talks have since stalled, as Chouset is questioning his ability to manage an NBA franchise, while maintaining his oil business near the Gulf.

To make matters worse for the Hornets franchise, attendance for Hornets games at the New Orleans Arena has dipped to an all-time low with an average of 13,865 out of a possible 19,000. Although their contract lease extends until 2014, the Hornets and the Arena have the right to break the lease if attendance doesn't pick up.

Will the Hornets be relocating due to poor attendance? Will the Hornets have an owner at the end of the season or will they be owned by the NBA (for the first time in league history)? It is all very vague and uncertain, but one thing is clear: though guard Chris Paul is playing at an MVP-caliber level this year, catapulting his team as an elite team in the West, he certainly is not happy. Is his future in New Orleans still uncertain? Like every other question that surrounds the Hornets franchise, the answer is uncertain but situation is extremely frustrating.


- Leather Head