Christmas is here! My life has been empty since the finals concluded over the summer. Finally, the gaping hole will be filled tonight with the start of the NBA season! It starts off with a bang, too. Lakers play the Trailblazers. Greg Oden vs. Andrew Bynum, an early test for both coming off injuries last season. If Oden dominates the middle this year, I expect Portland to contend for a top 3 spot in the tough Western Conference. If he gets injured or doesn't play up to par then I don't see the Trailblazers having a better year than they did last year.
The Bulls also play tonight. Rose makes his debut for Chicago. He needs a good big man with him. He would make a mediocre big man look like an all-star. Too bad Chicago doesn't even have a mediocre big man. Thomas, Noah, Gray are not going to cut it. Gooden is decent, but more of mid-range guy than back to the basket. I expect Rose to struggle as teams cut off his pentration and force him to prove that he can hit the three (ala what teams did vs. Rondo last year).
Many teams are looking for big impacts from rookies. It could make for a lot of interesting stories. You never know what rookies decide just getting drafted is enough for them and start living the celebrity lifestyle instead of working on being a basketball player. Many are content and how can you blame them when you get so much money right out of the gate. We'll just have to wait and see.
Happy Holidays to all! :)
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