The NBA is finally back and there have been some absolutely fantastic games this week. Opening week posed questions for every team, already a few have been answered.
Derrick Rose is back, but not back to his best
The hype surrounding D-Rose’s return was huge. People were expecting him to come back and have the impact he had in his MVP season straightaway.
Not surprisingly, he hasn’t returned to those blistering heights just yet, which really shouldn’t be too concerning for Bulls fans.
Rose hit the game winner against the Knicks in his first home game since his ACL injury, but for the night he shot a woeful 30.4% from the field.
Rose is still finding his way after a season out, but all teams should be scared of what he could produce later in the season with a great Chicago team around him.
Michael Carter-Williams, remember the name!
Michael Carter-Williams had one of the best debut games in NBA history.
Many thought the Philadelphia 76ers were going to tank their way to Andrew Wiggins; but Carter-Williams had other ideas.
Against Chicago, Carter-Williams didn’t take a backwards step against Rose. He was able to lead his Sixers to the win and, in the process, outplay Rose.
Philly may still have an awful season and they will most likely have a good chance at getting the #1 pick, but for their fans, at least they know there is hope for the future.
The Celtics are a lottery team
Writing this isn’t easy, as I’m a huge Boston Celtics fan, but the truth hurts. The Celtics aren’t looking good and the return of Rajon Rondo can’t come soon enough.
I had some hope the Celtics would be able to win games without Rondo but thus far they are 1-4.
Jeff Green had a good start to the season, scoring 25 points against the Raptors. Green has definitely improved, but he still needs to be more aggressive at times.
First season Coach Brad Stevens has one hell of a job ahead of him to get this team anywhere near a force again. The Celtics have built a treasure chest of first-round draft picks; with a whopping nine over the next five years coming their way.
Anthony Davis definitely on his way to superstar status
In only his second season in the league, Anthony Davis is proving his worth as the #1 pick in the 2012 Draft. His numbers have been huge through four games; averaging 22 points, 12 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game.
It may only be four games into the season, but Davis is already looking like a possible All-Star reserve for the Western Conference.
Now Davis needs the rest of his New Orleans Pelican teammates to follow his lead and they could find themselves fighting it out for a Playoff spot in the very crowded Western Conference.
Dwight Howard made the right decision leaving LA
Let’s get straight to the point; LA’s experiment with Howard didn’t go to plan at all. The Lakers just scraped into the Playoffs and then got swept by the Spurs in the first round.
D12 had seen enough in LA and packed his bags and headed to Houston during July’s free agency period.
Howard, along with James Harden form a formidable duo for the Rockets and both of them look extremely comfortable playing together.
There certainly is a lot of competition in the Western Conference but if the Rockets continue to gel, the sky could be the limit for this team.
Clark
Guest
I would be throwing harden in there aswell looking at the numbers he is producing, Love has been very impressive so far and Indiana are probably the best defensive teams in the league. Celtics shouldn't rush Rondo back, it will give them a better chance to land Wiggins in the next draft to help their rebuilding phase.
Red Kev
Guest
I saw that the Celtics couldn't outlast the Jazz for a zero win start, 1-4. I think the Celtics desperately need Wiggins or Parker as they are short a lot of offensive punch, especially on the wings (I don't really rate Green or Crawford). Good situation for Stevens though, he knows he has no pressure this year and can try a lot of things and learn what does and doesn't work to be ready next year.
Ben
Guest
MVP talk after only 5 games, ridiculous.
Brent Ford
Roar Guru
Agree with everything in this article. What about the fact that big teams could forget to show up to games against bottom sides? Orlando beat both the Clippers and Brooklyn in the week. Philly beat both Miami and Chicago. These early weeks are a lottery and I think bigger teams are under rating other teams. For example Minnesota starts games like a house on fire and beat the Knicks the game before they just lost to the Warriors. Phoenix in their last two starts has really taken it to both OKC and Spurs in two close losses. MVP is currently a 4 horse race between: James, George, Love, and Paul. Dwight Howard is verging on this top 4 especially after his first game where he had a monster performance.