With the NBA All-Star game rapidly approaching, I will forecast the likely selections. This part focuses on the Eastern Conference.
Point Guard: John Wall (Washington Wizards)
In a league that is top-heavy with elite point guards, it’s a travesty injuries have afflicted some of the stars of this position.
Pre-season, I would have automatically locked in Derrick Rose.
I was expecting an Eff-You type season, while seeing him propel the Bulls to the East’s best regular season record.
I knew he was going to start scratchily but I was certain he would get back to his MVP form by playoffs. Alas!
Watching Rose cruelled again by injury, and perhaps likely to never reach his 2011 superlative level again, still pains me.
Rajon Rondo’s eclectic talents haven’t been seen as he recovers from knee surgery, sustained in January.
In their desire to tank, the Celtics are probably hoping his recovery takes even longer otherwise they may ship him off.
A combination of Brad Stevens + Rondo + gritty role players probably equates to the Cs claiming the third or fourth seed in this horrific conference.
Being blown away by the Heat or Pacers in the second round is pretty futile. Danny Ainge has a major dilemma on his hands. He’s like Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver – itching to pull the trigger, his fuse has been lit.
Deron Williams too has missed an abundance of matches due to his cumbersome ankles.
With a bevy of experienced players brought into the team, highlighted by the strong leadership of Garnett and Pierce, I was confident Williams would morph back into the beast of a player he was during his halcyon days in Utah. That was a time when D-Will v CP3 was a legitimate debate.
It’s just too bad that D-Will has been most likely blotted from existence.
Despite the good form of Jeff Teague, whose consistency (16pt-8ast) has helped Atlanta become one of the few competitive teams in the conference, the point guard battle in the East is between John Wall and Kyrie Irving.
Their careers have paralleled and so too their shtick – both rely on their amazing athleticism to compensate for their sub-par shooting.
Both aren’t traditional point guards, as their innateness compels them to score first. Both can be liabilities on the defensive end, although Wall is clearly superior at this stage despite his propensity to descend into freneticism.
And both players are trying to etch credibility into morbid franchises.
The former number one draft picks find themselves at interesting predicaments.
Can they make the leap? There’s no doubting the pair are elite players, all-star calibre, but can they develop into top 10 players? Can they start challenging CP3 for ‘best point guard alive’ status?
Both have had their dazzling moments.
Wall had a run in late November of three straight 30+ games, while Kyrie scored 41 against Wall (who only scored 9) and was recently engaged in an enthralling recent Mano-a-mano with fellow young stud Damian Lillard.
It’s hard to separate the two.
Their respective teams have been disappointing, with Cleveland and Washington both entering the season with ambitions of making a playoff splash – and might still do so, albeit primarily by default because of the atrocity of the Eastern Conference.
I’m giving the edge to Wall due to his better all-round game. He clearly has an advantage in assists (9 to 6) and steals (2 to 1) per game. Plus, I just can’t give the nod to Kyrie, whose leadership had been rudderless amid the Cavs’ petty infighting and overall chaos.
Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat)
I so wanted to go with Afflalo, who is having an outstanding season averaging 22-5-4 on 42-47-87 shooting.
But I’m a stickler for rewarding players on successful teams. It’s not a knock on Afflalo, who has helped ensure Orlando has escaped being the laughingstock anticipated at season’s start.
Afflalo has shown that he can absolutely be a successful second or third banana on a contender.
But I’m selecting Wade as my starter. I was dubious about whether he could still be an elite player. He struggled mightily last season, as a decade of physical punishment seemed to have eroded his body.
He’s back doing D-Wade things. He’s slithering to the basket and attacking the rim with flair that was reminiscent of the pre-LeBron days when D-Wade was a top-five player in the league. He’s averaging 20-5-5 and playing the most efficient ball of his life.
Healthier and well-rested, with Miami opting not to play him in back-to-backs, Wade appears rejuvenated and his ability to attack the rim has helped him achieve his best field goal mark of his illustrious career – 54%.
Unlike recent years when he had a misguided penchant for the three, Wade is not settling for the jumper, but instead terrifying the opposition with his trademark acrobatic driving.
Wade in this vintage ensures Miami are the favourites for the title and claim a historic three-peat.
Small Forward: Paul George (Indiana Pacers)
I know, I know, technically LeBron is a three but in Spoelstra’s position-less system he’s always playing a myriad of roles.
I just had to select Paul George, who has delighted hoop junkies by making ‘the jump’ this season. We saw glimpses last playoffs, particularly during his entertaining duels with LeBron in the conference finals, but George has now materialised into a top-five player.
He’s looking at Melo in his rear-view mirror. George has become the third best forward in the league and only LeBron is more impactful on both ends of the floor.
They’ve cooled off slightly but the Pacers absolutely are legitimate championship contenders, primarily due to George’s ascension to carrying the scoring burden.
Power Forward: LeBron James (Miami Heat)
Yeah, LeBron’s not technically a power forward but as mentioned earlier, he plays everywhere, including at four during stretches when the Heat play small ball and insert Bosh at center.
It’s a killer line-up and has been a major factor in Miami’s success over the last couple of years. I’m not going to wax lyrical too much on LeBron. Plenty has been written by better basketball writers than me.
But LeBron keeps improving. He’s freaking shooting nearly 60% from the field this year!
I just can’t believe I wrote that. He’s on track for a 40-60-80 shooting season! That’s incomprehensible, particularly from a player who was never considered a great shooter during his Cleveland years.
I believe LeBron is obsessed with honing his craft in a bid to realise perfection. He only shoots when he believes he has a realistic chance of scoring, or absolutely has to at the crunch – when he puts his head down and barrels to the rim.
I know the Jordan comparison clichés are hackneyed. But he’s the only player in my lifetime that has matched MJ’s undisputed status as the game’s best. Kobe – an absolutely great player – never quite reached that echelon.
In the early/mid 2000s Duncan was probably the league’s best player, while by the time Kobe was winning rings as ‘The Man’ later in the decade, LeBron was already hoarding MVPs. Shaq probably held that status during the Lakers’ three-peat but he was too lazy and/or didn’t care for long-term domination.
He never wanted to have a crack at being the greatest.
LeBron will never have the worldwide gravitas of MJ, who was (and still is) a sporting icon globally.
In the 1990s, Jordan was the most famous and beloved sportsman in the world, due to an assortment of factors including basketball’s boon, marketing, his on-court domination and his sheer force of personality.
In my opinion, Jordan will always be revered and exalted with a select royal few – Pele, Ali, Babe Ruth, Bradman for an Australian example. Can LeBron reach that status? I’m not so sure.
But what’s indisputable is the reverence LeBron now commands with his peers and basketball fans. It’s reminiscence of MJ’s aura in the 1990s. He is the King of Kings. He should win another MVP.
And until he gets knocked off his throne, I’m backing him to win another ring.
Center: Roy Hibbert (Indiana Pacers)
Before injury struck, Brook Lopez was in the conversation for being arguably the best offensive big man in the league, with his beguiling post moves.
I really like Andre Drummond, who is set to become one of the best big men in the game.
As previously stated, I like rewarding successful teams, meaning Miami and India boasting four of the starters is justified recognition for their utter dominance of the conference.
So, I’m going to have to give this spot to Indiana’s enforcer Roy Hibbert. With the decline of Dwight Howard as a physical specimen, and Marc Gasol being another star succumbing to the injury scourge, Hibbert’s now the best defensive big man in the league, with his rim-protecting brute the catalyst for Indiana’s league best defensive.
Hibbert is Miami’s biggest threat in their bid for immortality. Unless Greg Oden makes a miraculous recovery, the Heat are helpless in limiting the girth and sheer presence of Hibbert, who can only be curbed by the whistle. His foul troubles were a major reason for Indiana’s recent loss in Miami.
Roy Hibbert is no MVP candidate but he has become one of the most valuable players in the league.
Bench: Kyrie Irving, Arron Afflalo, Carmelo Anthony, Luol Deng, Andre Drummond, Paul Millsap, Lance Stephenson.
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