NBA Season 2012/13: In the midst of another golden era
Columnist By Ryan O'Connell, 17 Oct 2012 Ryan O'Connell is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- Basketball, LeBron James, NBA
The NBA is in the middle of another golden era, punctuated by the abundance of sub-plots that run underneath the obvious question of ‘who will win the championship?’
Not since the halcyon days of the 1980’s and early 90’s, when Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics and Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers battled for NBA supremacy, before passing the torch to Isiah Thomas’ Detroit Pistons and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, has the NBA been so popular.
A lot of the credit must go to the NBA’s best player, LeBron James.
A polarising figure, to say the least, James is the ultimate hero/villain. Whichever side of the fence you sit on in regards to your feelings towards James, there can be no doubting that he is both compulsive viewing and the best player in the world. With those qualities come a lot of eyeballs.
James’ influence on the league is profound, and I’m not just talking about his athletic prowess, but his ability to garner attention for the NBA.
The process is simple. Basketball fans will always have an interest in the NBA, but it’s the addition of casual fans that always lifts a sport to new heights. To add those news fans, you need a hook. Enter LeBron James.
A one man headline, and arguably the most impressive athlete on the planet, James is hard to ignore. And once James grabs the attention of the casual fan, they can’t avoid being pulled into the vortex of other NBA sub-plots, topics and questions that surround the league. And in the blink of an eye, the NBA has added another fan.
It’s the exact same phenomenon that saw Michael Jordan take basketball to dizzying heights in the early 90’s.
So, apart from the annual debate of who will actually win the NBA championship, along with the LeBron watching, what are the other juicy sub-plots for the 2012-13 NBA season?
Mum always taught me not to answer a question with a question, but she never said I couldn’t answer a question with questions.
And the 2012/13 NBA season is full of them.
• Do the ageing San Antonio Spurs have one last run in them?
• The Orlando Magic are finally free of the Dwightmare, but did they get enough back for him?
• Now that they finally have a bench, can the Boston Celtics compete for the title again?
• Will the Charlotte Bobcats set the all-time NBA record for losses in one season?
• Is New Orleans Hornet Anthony Davis an absolute lock for the Rookie of the Year trophy?
• Can the Indiana Pacers compete with the top teams without a true superstar?
• Where did the roster from the Dallas Mavericks championship team go?
• What does life after Joe Johnson look like for the Atlanta Hawks?
• When will the Chicago Bulls’, and league MVP, Derrick Rose return from his horrific ACL injury?
• Will the New Yorks Knicks pairing of Amare Stoudamire and Carmelo Anthony ever work?
• Will the revamped Lakers squad, with the addition of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, gel enough to challenge the Miami Heat for the championship?
• Are the Toronto Raptors still in the league?
• Can Andrew Bogut stay healthy and contribute for his new team, the Golden State Warriors?
• How will the young and talented Oklahoma City Thunder respond to their NBA Finals meltdown last year?
• Was the Houston Rocket’s massive contract to Jeremy Lin a shrewd move, or was Linsanity a fluke?
• When will the Minnesota Timberwolves Ricky Rubio be back from injury? And does Brandon Roy have any knee cartilage left?
• Can Andre Iguodala elevate the Denver Nuggets to legitimate contenders?
• Is John Wall ready to have a break-out year for the Washington Wizards?
• Can the relocated Brooklyn Nets rid themselves of the foul stench of New Jersey?
• Does anyone know what the Detroit Pistons plan is?
• Is Andrew Bynum ready to be the number one option for the Philadelphia 76ers?
• Do the Phoenix Suns have the most intriguing roster in the league?
• What are the Sacramento Kings going to do with their 16 guards?
• Will the Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis backcourt work for the Milwaukee Bucks?
• Can the Memphis Grizzlies win back their ‘championship sleeper’ tag?
• Are the Los Angele Clippers for real, or just fun to watch?
• Is the Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving one of the top 15 players in the league?
• Are the Portland Trailblazers stuck in no-mans land? Not good enough to win the title, not bad enough to win the Draft Lottery?
And those questions and sub-plots are just the tip of the iceberg.
The season tips-off on October 31st, and over the coming weeks, Roar Experts will analyse some of the most interesting teams in the league.
In a preview for the 2012/13 season, we’ll pose, and answer, the three key questions facing each club as they compete for the NBA Championship.
Ryan is an ex-representative basketballer who shot too much, and a (very) medium pace bowler. He's been with The Roar as an expert since February 2011, has written for the Seven Network and NBA Down Under, and been a regular on ABC radio. Ryan tweets from @RyanOak.
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- Explore:
- Basketball, LeBron James, NBA
October 17th 2012 @ 4:37am
Johnno said | October 17th 2012 @ 4:37am | Report comment
One good thing that is coming out of this season and a lot has to do with Le Bron. Is the hate or the personall egos and rivalries are reaching boiling point again like the NBA halcyon days in the 1980′s and 90′s.
Great for drumming up marketing and interest when the rivalries and egos are very personal and there is genuine dislike, or genuine heartbreak if the ego is dented and you lose at the clutch and the fight to be the top goat if players ar ehugnry and want it badly, like the good old halcyon days.
The hate and rivalries of guys like Micheal Jordan VS Isiah Thomas and the whole detroit pistons bad boys side was great.
Or LA Lakers showtime man, Majic Johnson himself said he was good friend with MJ and off the court always friends and warmth and good time , but when he got out on the court vs Jordan he never looked at him as a friend but a total enemy, and would not exchange any warmth other than an initial handshake before game time. Bird VS Jordan and Johnson was good too. Both said Bird was the most competitive player they encountered.
Plus all the other talented players in the NBA then and all the internal rivalries too , with in the clubs back then were good too ad players would fight over who was the star player eg KobE VS Shaq at LA Lakers.
And Le Bron is fuelling this hate on the court and rivalries . Getting under Kobe’s skin as the heir apparent. And kevin Durant and dirk Nowitski defiantly get under Le Bron’s skin on the court.
And the Lakers loved in LA building a good roster again are getting a lot of enemies around the league again. like Man united in soccer, or Manly everyone hates them except there fans.
So if the personal rivalries get back to the 80′s or 90′s and the motivation stays strong and will to win, the NBA is set for some good times ahead. And when the NBA is healthy it seems to trickle down to the NBL too. I hope the NBL allow some salary cap exceptions and we can get imports in the NBL like we had in the 80′s and 90′s players with NBA experience eg Dwayne Mclain, Rickey Grace,Darryl Mcdonald and many many more leroy Loggins too and Robert rose.
Going to be good NBA season LA Lakers VS Miami would be a dream grand final. I tip Lakers with Dwight Howard there now.
October 17th 2012 @ 9:51am
Ryan O'Connell said | October 17th 2012 @ 9:51am | Report comment
I don’t think salary exemptions are necessarily the issue in getting marquee imports to the NBL, I think it’s having the money in the first place. Europe remains a lot more attractive, from a financial point of view, for most basketball players.
October 17th 2012 @ 7:24pm
RebelRanger said | October 17th 2012 @ 7:24pm | Report comment
Just watched ‘More than a game’, I reckon that St Marys team would win NBL.
October 17th 2012 @ 8:23am
mushi said | October 17th 2012 @ 8:23am | Report comment
The Orlando Magic are finally free of the Dwightmare, but did they get enough back for him?
I can answer this now. No. Post that trade I’ll take the Greek parliament over the Magic front office for effective management.
October 17th 2012 @ 9:50am
Ryan O'Connell said | October 17th 2012 @ 9:50am | Report comment
Can’t disagree. Some of the other offers in the table were much better than the one they eventually agreed to.
October 17th 2012 @ 9:33am
ohtani's jacket, Wallabies supporter said | October 17th 2012 @ 9:33am | Report comment
I actually only found out last week that Howard is a Laker as I’d been ignoring the NBA in the off-season. That’s disgusting. God I hate the Lakers.
October 17th 2012 @ 9:49am
Ryan O'Connell said | October 17th 2012 @ 9:49am | Report comment
It always comes up Milhouse for the Lakers!
October 17th 2012 @ 10:21am
basketballguru said | October 17th 2012 @ 10:21am | Report comment
Ok here we go .
Do the ageing San Antonio Spurs have one last run in them?
Not with the Lakers loading up and the Thunder being a year wiser , no .
• The Orlando Magic are finally free of the Dwightmare, but did they get enough back for him?
No , the Nets offered the house and they didn’t take it . The Lakers got themselves a bargain .
• Now that they finally have a bench, can the Boston Celtics compete for the title again?
No . They will work out that Jason Terry is possibly less reliable than Ray Allen in the short term and the long term . They can’t beat the Heat with what they have .
• Will the Charlotte Bobcats set the all-time NBA record for losses in one season?
It’s in play . The coach is untested and the roster needed a good shake-up and didn’t get it .
• Is New Orleans Hornet Anthony Davis an absolute lock for the Rookie of the Year trophy?
You’d think so .
• Can the Indiana Pacers compete with the top teams without a true superstar?
No . The Celtics and the Heat are better and my feeling is that the Nets at least went past them in terms of their roster . But they are in the 5-8 Eastern Conference mix and they are a pest of a team to play .
• Where did the roster from the Dallas Mavericks championship team go?
Cuban loaded the dice for Williams and failed . They need to start again .
• What does life after Joe Johnson look like for the Atlanta Hawks?
They have half the Nets line up from the last 4 seasons , so from my perspective , it stinks .
• When will the Chicago Bulls’, and league MVP, Derrick Rose return from his horrific ACL injury?
They are talking March , but if the Bulls are worse than advertised , it would be wise to shut him down . Free agency killed their off season and the Celtics and the Nets and possibly the Sixers and the Pacers are ahead of them in the East .
• Will the New Yorks Knicks pairing of Amare Stoudamire and Carmelo Anthony ever work?
It’s running out of time . In short , no .
• Will the revamped Lakers squad, with the addition of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, gel enough to challenge the Miami Heat for the championship?
Yes . Age is their biggest issue , otherwise an emphatic yes from me .
• Are the Toronto Raptors still in the league?
Apparently .
• Can Andrew Bogut stay healthy and contribute for his new team, the Golden State Warriors?
He needs to . It would be a shame for him not to work out at Golden State . He’ll get every opportunity to do so .
• How will the young and talented Oklahoma City Thunder respond to their NBA Finals meltdown last year?
Positively , but they will need to handle the James Harden contract question with care or it could blow up in their faces . Just sign him and pay the luxury tax already !
• Was the Houston Rocket’s massive contract to Jeremy Lin a shrewd move, or was Linsanity a fluke?
I’m calling fluke . He’s a volume player , and I hate those .
• When will the Minnesota Timberwolves Ricky Rubio be back from injury? And does Brandon Roy have any knee cartilage left?
He needs to get back soon . Kevin Love is already grumbling about his team and he signed a shortened contract last year . As for Roy , let’s hope so , for his sake .
• Can Andre Iguodala elevate the Denver Nuggets to legitimate contenders?
He ticks a lot of boxes , but the Nuggets aren’t at the Lakers or Thunder’s level , so , no .
• Is John Wall ready to have a break-out year for the Washington Wizards?
I’m not sure . The Wizards will be free of McGee and Blatche at least but their line up truly stinks . And I think we have worked out that Wall ain’t no franchise player .
• Can the relocated Brooklyn Nets rid themselves of the foul stench of New Jersey?
They will . Nothing but positivity from B-Town so far .
• Does anyone know what the Detroit Pistons plan is?
Only Joe D does , and if you ask him , even he isn’t sure .
• Is Andrew Bynum ready to be the number one option for the Philadelphia 76ers?
As long as his head is in it , then it’s a lock .
• Do the Phoenix Suns have the most intriguing roster in the league?
No . I expect some drop off from the likes of Gortat and Dudley . They may well struggle this year .
• What are the Sacramento Kings going to do with their 16 guards?
Ask them . Expect a Tyreke Evans trade soon .
• Will the Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis backcourt work for the Milwaukee Bucks?
They will score a bunch of points and they will frustrate the hell out of their bigs . Don’t expect a ton of ball rotation on Bucks offense this season .
• Can the Memphis Grizzlies win back their ‘championship sleeper’ tag?
They have one year . I’m no longer convinced .
• Are the Los Angele Clippers for real, or just fun to watch?
They are fraudulent . Griffin doesn’t have a post game and they are still coached by Del Negro . CP3 can’t do everything .
• Is the Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving one of the top 15 players in the league?
Not this year . But he’s there by 2015 . Too bad he isn’t an Aussie .
• Are the Portland Trailblazers stuck in no-mans land? Not good enough to win the title, not bad enough to win the Draft Lottery?
Not this year . I’m expecting them in the lottery at the end of this season .
October 17th 2012 @ 10:46am
Ryan O'Connell said | October 17th 2012 @ 10:46am | Report comment
Thanks Guru.
As mentioned, we’ll be previewing a lot of the top teams, so you’ll have to wait and see my Q&A’s for each of those.
October 17th 2012 @ 3:20pm
astro said | October 17th 2012 @ 3:20pm | Report comment
Nice answers! Agree with everything, except…
Disgaree on the Hawks. A Horford/Smith frontcourt could be one of the best in the East, especially with small ball being one of the league trends, and Williams adds instant offence. Not saying they’ll be great, but they’ll score points and not having Johnson around could be a blessing in disguise…I won’t say they’ll stink.
Disagree about the Celts. Their roster flexibility gives them the best chance to beat Miami of any team in the East, although I still don’t think it will be enough. Assuming Bradley is healthy,and Pierce/Garnett still have something left in the tank, Lee, Jet, Green, Sullinger and Bass are all handy players who will allow Doc to put different line ups on the floor to try to top Miami…and Rondo will only get better.
October 17th 2012 @ 4:24pm
mushi said | October 17th 2012 @ 4:24pm | Report comment
It is possible that George is that superstar for Indy he’s only 22 and has all the technical tools to be a truly elite player at both ends. If he’s developed an in between move to convert a contest mid range attempt into a drive (which he’s done a bit of in pre season) then you’re looking at probably a .025 to 0.50 bump in his TS% which (assuming an increased useage) would launch him into elite offensive player territory and if he increases his defensive focus he’ll be receiving some all NBA defence nominations through his career.
On Tyreke – if you think of them as wings (thornton/evans/fredette) and ball handlers (Brooks/Thomas) rather than guards I think they’ll be fine. Tyreke is effectively a 6’8” player built like a footballer – he should be playing as the big penetrating wing and paired with a shooter and a ball handler. That gives them plenty of space in the rotation.
October 17th 2012 @ 6:27pm
Ryan O'Connell said | October 17th 2012 @ 6:27pm | Report comment
Hey Mushi, I agree on George, he could be that star that Indy needs. Though we’ve seen plenty of athletic wing players who don’t improve much past the age of 22. I hope he’s different – I like him.
As for the Kings, sure you can play those guys together, and potentially make it work on offense, but you’re small and lousy down the other end. I don’t think that roster is well balanced at all, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Kings make a trade.
October 18th 2012 @ 8:27am
mushi said | October 18th 2012 @ 8:27am | Report comment
for some reason the reply option went away. I think you’ll have seen more players improve from age 22 than decline, especially players a club is investing minutes in. I struggle to think of a similar player in a similar situation (athletic wing, improved to be an above average player at 21, team is committed to him) then fell away in his early 20s (without injury)
On the kings being too small Tyreke Evans has a higher standing reach than Danny Granger and just 1.5 inches less than Anthony.
October 18th 2012 @ 8:56am
Ryan O'Connell said | October 18th 2012 @ 8:56am | Report comment
I’m not saying they decline, rather that they don’t make the leap from from good player to great. What you see at age 22 can sometimes be what that player will be at 30 from a star level point of view.They might improve their numbers and increase their skill set – but that necessarily mean they’ve become a superstar.
As for the Kings, they could definitely move Evans to small forward. In fact, he’s started there in the pre-season, so it looks like we’ll find out if they’re too small pretty soon. I still believe they have a surplus of guards and a trade isn’t out of the questions.
October 17th 2012 @ 1:26pm
Skinnada said | October 17th 2012 @ 1:26pm | Report comment
Great read Ryan!
The only thing standing in the way of the Heat winning the Eastern conference again is injury! Just when we thought we could see a few further years of OKC v Miami, the Lakers go and nab Nash & Howard. Lakers v OKC would be awesome to watch with the winner taking on Miami! I think the Heat will be mighty hard to stop if Injury free and now LBJ has monkey off his back he will only get better. Bring on the season.
October 17th 2012 @ 1:53pm
Big V said | October 17th 2012 @ 1:53pm | Report comment
Awesome read!
If DH12 is fit and healthy, the Lakers will of course win the championship defeating LeBron James and the Miami Heat 4 games to 3. San Antonio are the Geelong of the NBA with ageing stars and in the need of a rebuild.
Bring on the season.
October 17th 2012 @ 3:05pm
Worlds Biggest said | October 17th 2012 @ 3:05pm | Report comment
OJ, I’m with you, as a Celtics fan I can’t stand the Lakers. The Heat aren’t far behind. Ryan another sub plot is the Celtics snubbing of Ray Allen. Rondo and Garnett have not spoken to him since he left. This rivalry just got better.
October 17th 2012 @ 3:17pm
Ryan O'Connell said | October 17th 2012 @ 3:17pm | Report comment
Yep, that will be addressed in the team previews, WB. It certainly adds more drama to that rivalry.
And I believe Rondo and Allen didn’t speak when they were teammates, let alone now.
October 17th 2012 @ 4:38pm
AB said | October 17th 2012 @ 4:38pm | Report comment
Actually, it was Allen who snubbed the Celtics deal. They offered him $12m over 2 years but he went south for $9.5m over 3 years.
As a Celtic fan, good riddance. He was great for a while but those legs aren’t going to be worth a thing come the end of his latest deal. He can hardly stand now as it is.
October 17th 2012 @ 8:40pm
Ryan O'Connell said | October 17th 2012 @ 8:40pm | Report comment
I was thinking the same thing, AB, but I think he means the snubbing of Garnett and Rondo not talking to Allen, rather than the organisation’s contract offer being rejected by Allen.
October 17th 2012 @ 4:43pm
Johnno said | October 17th 2012 @ 4:43pm | Report comment
I’d love it if they bought back checking to the NBA would be good.
October 17th 2012 @ 6:28pm
Ryan O'Connell said | October 17th 2012 @ 6:28pm | Report comment
Hand checking? No way, scoring would plummet.
October 17th 2012 @ 9:09pm
Swampy said | October 17th 2012 @ 9:09pm | Report comment
Yeah johnno, what about posts for the roof to use as screens like the good old days!
Lakers are like a supergroup. You know like mashing rage against the machine with soundgarden. I’d expect a similar result too – the end product not being equal to the sum of its parts but still quite good.
My sleeper this season will be Denver. I think the iguodola trade was perfect for them. He is arguably the best man on man defender in the NBA. When was the last time anyone associated defence with the nuggets?
Can’t wait anyway – genuinely excited about the NBA again.
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October 17th 2012 @ 9:34pm
Johnno said | October 17th 2012 @ 9:34pm | Report comment
Mutumbo Swampy.
October 18th 2012 @ 3:48am
Ryan said | October 18th 2012 @ 3:48am | Report comment
This also might be the year of the immature centers: Howard, Bynum and Cusins. Will Howard bounce back from his injury? Will Bynum break out as the premier center now that he’s not playing with Kobe? And what can we say about Cousins? He’s a beast but plays for the worst owners in sports. The crashing kingdom known as the Maloofs is a never ending PR nightmare. I’d say we should start a drinking game for every time the Maloofs get booed at Arco Arena (oops, I mean Power Balance Pavilion..what’s that? It’s now “Sleep Train Arena?” Your ticket to a two hour nap) but we’d be drunk after 5 minutes.
October 18th 2012 @ 9:00am
Ryan O'Connell said | October 18th 2012 @ 9:00am | Report comment
It’s a close one, but I have the Knicks James Dolan just pipping the Maloof brothers as the worst owner.