NBA Offseason Changes

As baseball playoffs roll on and the football season kicks into high gear, it is easy to forget that basketball is about to begin. However, with the emergence of the Heat as everyone’s favorite villains, the NBA is sure to be noticed this year even in markets without a team. In order to compete with Miami, several other teams have made big moves this offseason, many of them bringing in multiple stars instead of just one. The uneven distribution of talent this season is unlike anything we’ve seen in recent years, but it could make for an especially interesting season.

The most notable offseason moves were, of course, made by the Heat. By bringing in superstars SF/PF LeBron James and PF Chris Bosh to compliment SG Dwayne Wade, Miami can make a case for having assembled the most talented team in the modern era of the NBA. With the signings of clutch three point shooters SF Mike Miller and G Eddie House, it looks like everyone is bringing their talents to South Beach.  While Miami will be weak at center, likely starting Chris Bosh out of his natural position, it seems inevitable their incredible talent level will ultimately overcome their other weaknesses and the team could well make a run at the record for wins in a single season (72, set by Michael Jordan’s Bulls in 1995-96).

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The team with the second biggest improvement in the offseason was surely the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls already had rising young stars PG Derrick Rose and C/PF Joakim Noah. After having signed PF Carlos Boozer (though he will miss significant time at the start of the season because of a hand injury) and SF Kyle Korver, the Bulls look to be even better than last year and are likely one of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference.

Other potential contenders that made important moves include Phoenix, Utah, New York, and Boston. After making it to the conference finals last year, Phoenix took a step back by losing PF Amare Stoudemire, one of the best scoring big men in the game. However, they still have perennial all star PG Steve Nash, and they acquired PF Hedo Turkoglu in a trade with Toronto, so they should continue to contend in the West. Utah lost Carlos Boozer to free agency, but traded with Minnesota for PF/C Al Jefferson, a premier low post player who will surely work well with PG Deron Williams. The New York Knicks, perennial bottom-feeders, acquired Amare Stoudemire in free agency, and are likely to jump from irrelevancy to contention in the relatively weak Eastern Conference. The Celtics brought in two competent centers to shore up the position after finding out that C Kendrick Perkins would miss much of the beginning of the season. They signed both C Shaquille O’Neal and C Jermaine O’Neal, raising questions not only about playing time but also about how two keep straight two players at the same position with the same last name.

While many big name players have changed teams this offseason, most of the powerhouse franchises of the past few years will still have the star power and chemistry to contend for the title. While everyone’s attention is focused on the Heat, the proven teams will at least challenge this superteam for supremacy, and we will undoubtedly have another entertaining season in the NBA.

written by BirdOfPrey18

edited by Fantasy Guru 37

Image of the Week

Sports Illustrated

Admittedly, there is not much to discuss in the world of sports, at least not important sports. Call my decision to discuss magazine covers from 2009 desperation. I prefer the term creativity. This week's pair of images were printed by Sports Illustrated in June of 2009 after the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Lakers were both declared champions. Subscribers received an issue with one of these two images on the cover, depending on where they lived geographically.

I am going to examine the difference in reaction of Sidney Crosby and Kobe Bryant. As you can clearly see, Crosby displayed a much higher level of emotion. It's fair to say that hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup was the happiest moment of his life. Bryant, on the other hand, was much calmer. The NBA star simply squatted on the court and flashed a smile of content.

Why was Crosby so much more ecstatic than Bryant? Each man had claimed the most elusive title in their respective sports, leading their team through months of hard-fought battles to reach the pinnacle of their careers. Of course, Bryant has won the NBA Title before, while Crosby was lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time. That may have contributed slightly to the difference of expression. But this was "Kobe's Moment." He had finally proven that he could win without Shaq. Shouldn't he have been more enthusiastic?

The answer is yes. Bryant should have been bouncing off the walls, running around like a maniac, acting like a kid, "The Kid and the Cup." Crosby spent his entire childhood dreaming of the day when he would hoist the Cup, not because he wanted to validate his career or win the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to hockey's playoff MVP, but because he wanted to win the team title. Bryant's motives for winning were much more self-centered. He wanted to prove he could win on his own, lead a team to a championship without any help. He wanted to assert himself as the best basketball player in the world.

Sid the Kid, in contrast, was much more animated. His life-long dream of hoisting hockey's Holy Grail had been realized. His expression, untainted by his prepubescent playoff beard, was one of pure joy. The Stanley Cup is the world's greatest trophy, one that bears the names of past champions, one that is passed on from year to year, not replicated for each season. It is the most storied and hallowed trophy in all of sports, a tangible object that symbolizes an intangible feeling. The Stanley Cup is the world's greatest trophy, and the NHL is better for it.


Special thanks to the Caboose for his help with the brainstorming of this story.