The New NBA Heirarchy
You know, it was only three years ago that the Lakers dynasty reigned supreme in the NBA. The Nets were the only true Eastern Conference power that could even attempt to stand up to them. The Kings and Spurs were toted as viable candidates to dethrone the three-time defending champs.
Fast-forward to the year 2005.
The glitz and glamour of the Los Angeles Lakers has faded considerably, with Phil Jackson back on his second tour of duty in La-La Land, attempting to pick up the pieces left in the wake of the meltdown that was the Lakers' 2004-2005 season. With long-term project, 17-year-old Andrew Bynum picked up in this year's draft, and a second year of Kobe Bryant at the helm, Jackson will try to lift the Lakers back up to respectability. Meanwhile, the prime players of the NBA have changed considerably.
The San Antonio Spurs have formed the Association's latest dynasty (or closest thing to it, depending on who you ask), winning 3 titles in 7 years. The scary thing is, they've only gotten stronger - Nick Van Exel from Portland is a lethal ball-handler and 3-shooter. Just ask the Kings, who got handled by Van Exel two years ago in the playoffs. On top of that, they have Fabricio Oberto, the next great international player you haven't heard of. With the expected signing of free agent Michael Finley from Dallas, San Antonio has retooled an already potent squad, with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, that will threaten the league for the title for years to come.
The Miami Heat have changed dramatically since the Lakers' last title in 2002. For one, in what is still considered one of the most lopsided trades in sports history, the acquisition of perennial all-star center Shaquille O'Neal turned Dwyane Wade and the Heat into instant title contenders. Now, unless you've been in a coma for the past 18 months, you should know that he practically single-handedly took Miami to a 60-win season, and to the doorstep of the NBA Finals. So far this offseason, they only got stronger. The acquisitions of all-stars Antoine Walker and Jason Williams have the league talking championship - they strengthen at points that prevented them from advancing last season. Williams and Walker give the Heat high-octane, long-range scoring threats, and a lethal transition game.
With the absence of Larry Brown on the Detroit Pistons, the former World Champs are without a leader - and seemingly out of contention for the title. It would only make sense for the consensus pick to take the East to come out of South Beach. But, that doesn't mean they won't see any real competition en route to the Finals. But, who? Most experts think that the next Eastern contender to the throne comes out of Indianapolis, even without legendary sharpshooter Reggie Miller. The Indiana Pacers were without two of their best players - All-Star Jermaine O'Neal and premier defender-slash-inside threat Ron Artest - for most of the year. The offseason acquisition of Sarunas Jasikevicius, considered the best point guard in Europe, along with the full return of Artest and O'Neal, bolsters their roster enough to challenge in the Eastern Conference.
Finally, the greatest threat to the Spurs to repeat as champions - the Sacramento Kings. A core of Mike Bibby, Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic was helped all through the season with frontcourt depth, thanks to the at-the-time questionable Chris Webber trade, of Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson and Brian Skinner; and the offseason acquisitons of backup point guard Jason Hart, Shooting Guard Bonzi Wells, and Power Forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Experts compare the Kings' current roster to the one that challenged the Lakers back in 2002 for their third title.
And, so it goes. It has come full circle for the NBA, in the wake of the latest Los Angeles Lakers era. The NBA arms race has only begun, for both conferences, and as this new season begins, new horizons will be reached by new teams. We'll just wait and see.
Fast-forward to the year 2005.
The glitz and glamour of the Los Angeles Lakers has faded considerably, with Phil Jackson back on his second tour of duty in La-La Land, attempting to pick up the pieces left in the wake of the meltdown that was the Lakers' 2004-2005 season. With long-term project, 17-year-old Andrew Bynum picked up in this year's draft, and a second year of Kobe Bryant at the helm, Jackson will try to lift the Lakers back up to respectability. Meanwhile, the prime players of the NBA have changed considerably.
The San Antonio Spurs have formed the Association's latest dynasty (or closest thing to it, depending on who you ask), winning 3 titles in 7 years. The scary thing is, they've only gotten stronger - Nick Van Exel from Portland is a lethal ball-handler and 3-shooter. Just ask the Kings, who got handled by Van Exel two years ago in the playoffs. On top of that, they have Fabricio Oberto, the next great international player you haven't heard of. With the expected signing of free agent Michael Finley from Dallas, San Antonio has retooled an already potent squad, with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, that will threaten the league for the title for years to come.
The Miami Heat have changed dramatically since the Lakers' last title in 2002. For one, in what is still considered one of the most lopsided trades in sports history, the acquisition of perennial all-star center Shaquille O'Neal turned Dwyane Wade and the Heat into instant title contenders. Now, unless you've been in a coma for the past 18 months, you should know that he practically single-handedly took Miami to a 60-win season, and to the doorstep of the NBA Finals. So far this offseason, they only got stronger. The acquisitions of all-stars Antoine Walker and Jason Williams have the league talking championship - they strengthen at points that prevented them from advancing last season. Williams and Walker give the Heat high-octane, long-range scoring threats, and a lethal transition game.
With the absence of Larry Brown on the Detroit Pistons, the former World Champs are without a leader - and seemingly out of contention for the title. It would only make sense for the consensus pick to take the East to come out of South Beach. But, that doesn't mean they won't see any real competition en route to the Finals. But, who? Most experts think that the next Eastern contender to the throne comes out of Indianapolis, even without legendary sharpshooter Reggie Miller. The Indiana Pacers were without two of their best players - All-Star Jermaine O'Neal and premier defender-slash-inside threat Ron Artest - for most of the year. The offseason acquisition of Sarunas Jasikevicius, considered the best point guard in Europe, along with the full return of Artest and O'Neal, bolsters their roster enough to challenge in the Eastern Conference.
Finally, the greatest threat to the Spurs to repeat as champions - the Sacramento Kings. A core of Mike Bibby, Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic was helped all through the season with frontcourt depth, thanks to the at-the-time questionable Chris Webber trade, of Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson and Brian Skinner; and the offseason acquisitons of backup point guard Jason Hart, Shooting Guard Bonzi Wells, and Power Forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Experts compare the Kings' current roster to the one that challenged the Lakers back in 2002 for their third title.And, so it goes. It has come full circle for the NBA, in the wake of the latest Los Angeles Lakers era. The NBA arms race has only begun, for both conferences, and as this new season begins, new horizons will be reached by new teams. We'll just wait and see.
posted by Paulo @ 12:01 AM
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