Old-timers put on show in legends game | Townsville Bulletin Sport

Old-timers put on show in legends game | Townsville Bulletin Sport

NBA Preview

Basketball for Christmas

NBA Preview

After the player’s revolt and off season chaos, the NBA returns to on court action for the holiday season in a shortened 66 game season. Last season, I think I picked the Spurs to meet the Heat for the title but it did not quite work out that way.

So here we go with my preview for the 2011-2012 NBA season.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division:

This division is still the domain of the Boston Celtics although this season the New York Knicks have bulked up their interior defense with the addition of Tyson Chandler along with adding veterans Mike Bibby and Baron Davis to shore up the backcourt. The Knicks could challenge Boston if the Celtics run into injury problems or the consolidation of the schedule takes its toll.

The Philadelphia Seventy Sixers were a tough team to play against last season and pretty much remained intact for this season’s run. They drafted big men Lavoy Allen and Nikola Vucevic who may work their way into the rotation but are mainly hoping a year of maturity in Doug Collins’ system will help them advance in the post-season.

New Jersey did not make any of the expected big off-season moves and with Brooke Lopez injured had to pick up Mehmet Okur in hopes of filling the void in his absence. It will be interesting to see if Deron Williams decides to stay with the Nets or seek a change of scenery. Finally Toronto did not do much to its roster in the off season so may not improve their record much this season.

Central Division:

The Chicago Bulls are a head above the rest of the teams in this division and will be looking to get further than the conference finals this season. They will need inside duo Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah to co-exist in the paint better this season to take a bit of the load off Derrick Rose and Luol Deng. Veteran Richard Hamilton’s addition on the wing provides a solid scoring option. Kyle Korver and Taj Gibson will again bring energy, long range bombs and rebounds off the bench. The Bulls are a threat for the best record for the regular season again this year.

Indiana will not surprise people this season but will be a solid team and possible playoff team again. The continued improvement of Roy Hibbert and the addition of David West in tandem with Tyler Hansbrough give the Pacers some inside punch to go with Danny Granger, Paul George and Darren Collison.

Milwaukee went from being a team on the verge to mediocrity last season but have the pieces in place to improve. Brandon Jennings has another year’s worth of experience to call upon at the point and should pair well with veteran scorer Stephen Jackson. Drew Gooden will be solid if not spectacular at the power forward slot and Andrew Bogut is a double/double threat in the pivot when healthy. The team is on the verge of being a playoff team again and if healthy could sneak in to the post-season.

In Detroit the Piston are looking to improve but are not quite there yet. Similar story in Cleveland where top pick Kyrie Irving will contend for Rookie of the Year honours and Tristan Thompson provides another piece for the future. Not playoff ready for a while yet but may be entertaining again.

Southeast Division:

The Miami Heat should easily take this division again and are looking to finish the playoffs slightly better than last season. The addition of Shane Battier on the wing will help team chemistry and perimeter defense. A healthy Mike Miller this season should provide punch from beyond the arc. An interesting signing this season is Eddy Curry; will he be worth in excess of $11 million?? Will Chris Bash be more consistent? The Heat will be tested again for the Eastern Conference crown but if they use last season as a motivator, they could go all the way.

Atlanta returns essentially the same cast from last season with the addition of veterans Jerry Stackhouse and Tracy McGrady. The Hawks fell by the wayside in the post season and need to develop a tougher attitude to advance this season. The may end up better than Orlando and get the home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

In Orlando, the Magic’s fortunes hinge on Dwight Howard and whether or not he is happy in Orlando or wanting to be traded. This team could drop out of playoff contention completely as the Howard saga continues.

The Washington Wizards could be this year’s surprise playoff team as their roster matures. Jevale McGee, Andray Blatche, John Wall and Nick Young combine with veteran Rashard Lewis in a solid starting unit and have a second squad that is improving.

Charlotte is re-tooling and may not make much of a splash this season.

Conference Playoff Teams:

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards

Conference Champs:

Chicago Bulls

Western Conference

Northwest Division:

Oklahoma City has pretty much stood pat in this division and may be the top team in the conference this season. The major task will be getting quality looks for Kevin Durant and for Russell Westbrook to work out a distribution to shot ratio in the point guard position. Inside they will be tough on the boards and defensively with Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka protecting the lane. This team could very easily represent the conference in the NBA Finals.

Portland will be solid again even with the forced retirement of Brandon Roy. The evolution of LaMarcus Aldridge and the hell for leather play of Gerald Wallace will spear the Blazer attack. The team has adequate depth to get them through the condensed season and hope to keep big men Marcus Camby and Greg Oden healthy for the season. Portland should make it to the post season but will not advance too far.

The Denver Nuggets have added veteran point guard Andre Miller to the mix with their young and talented line up. Improvement from Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari this season should see the Nuggets back in post season play. Overall they could be a tough ask on most nights for any team.

Utah will be tough in the post with Paul Milsap and Al Jefferson down low but they will need consistency from Devin Harris to complement them. Improvement from Gordon Hayward and the adjustment to NBA play by Alec Burks will boost the season prospects in Utah as will the development of big man Enes Kanter. The Jazz may sneak into the playoffs as a 7-8 seed.

Minnesota will go as far as they can on the backs of Kevin Love and Michael Beasley. The arrival of distributor Ricky Rubio should see this team improve but how much remains to be seen.

Pacific Division:

The Los Angeles Lakers are still the top team in this division on paper but after being swept out of last season’s playoffs, have not made many roster moves. The wrist injury to Kobe Bryant may have some effect on the team early in the season as will the attitude of young center Andrew Bynum. The depth chart at small forward shows a cast of thousands with newly named Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes heading the quartet. Do not be surprised by a roster move early in the season for Dwight Howard as they look for an anchor in the post. The Lakers will of course make the playoffs but how far they go depends on the roster changes they make.

The LA Clippers have made themselves relevant in the Pacific division with the acquisitions of Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler to go with young athletic big men Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers should be ready for a run at the division title and usurping some of the LA “glamour” from the Lakers.

Mark Jackson finally gets a chance on the sidelines at Golden State and inherits a squad capable of scoring with anyone. He will be looking to Andris Biedrins, Ekpe Udoh and David Lee to play a bit of “D” on the inside and grab some boards.

The addition of Jimmer Fredette at point guard will allow the Sacramento Kings to move Tyreke Evans to the shooting guard slot and give the Kings another scoring option. The maturity of DeMarcus Cousins will go a long way in solidifying Sacramento’s post play on offense and defense. The Kings will be improved and could surprise.

Phoenix  with the exception of Steve Nash and Grant Hill is largely unproven and will be hard pressed to make the playoffs.

Southwest Division:

Defending champions the Dallas Mavericks have changed a few parts but should be solid in the post season. They have lost Tyson Chandler and Caron Butler but welcome Vince Carter and Lamar Odom to their veteran roster to go with Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Brendan Haywood. The team seems to be weaker on paper this year but don’t count them out.

San Antonio ran out of steam in the playoffs last season and will look to rest their older players as much as possible during the regular season in hopes of staying injury free and going further into the post season. Tim Duncan will be as steady as ever though his numbers dipped slightly last season. More support will be needed from Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

Memphis will have Rudy Gay healthy to start the season and hopefully for the playoffs this season as they look to improve on last season’s success. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph will give the Grizzlies a strong post tandem again as the team looks to improve on last season.

In Houston, the Rockets are a team in the midst of a changeover with the retirement of Yao Ming and several new additions to their roster. They will be interesting to watch and may just slip into a playoff spot.

New Orleans has a few new faces but not a lot of depth on their roster as they start the post Chris Paul era in the Crescent City. They are in pure rebuild/restructure mode this season so do not expect any miracles.

Conference Playoff Teams:

Oklahoma City, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trailblazers and Golden State Warriors

Conference Champs:

Oklahoma City Thunder

2012 NBA Champions:

Chicago Bulls

Women's Action near Tip-Off!!

WNBL Quick Look

Unfortunately due to time restraints and work commitments I will not be able to do a full WNBL preview before the games tip off. So I will be posting some links to interesting stories on the WNBL website. Enjoy the games over the weekend.

Here are a couple:

WNBL Season Launch (click here)

Round One Preview (click here)

I will be back to review and update with more info next week….enjoy the weekend action and coverage on the Australian ABC network.

NBL season is here!!!

There will be Basketball played

(In Australia)

Amid the uncertainty of the NBA season being played, the 2011-2012 Australian NBL season is nearing its start.

The New Zealand Breakers will be out to defend their crown after a remarkable run in the 2010-2011 campaign. Last season, the Breakers finished the season with a 23-6 record, five games in front of the nearest contender. The club will once again be loaded for bear in the front court with Mika Vukona, Dillion Boucher, Alex Pledger and steady import Gary Wilkinson (Utah State). Swingman Tom Abercrombie will bring his usual effort and athleticism to the fray while the backcourt will be steadied again by Captain CJ “Smooth” Bruton who has announced that this will be his farewell season. Sharpshooter Daryl Corletto travels across the Tasman to join the Breakers backcourt after spending his entire NBL career with the Melbourne Tigers.

The Breakers will once again figure into the championship equation and may well repeat. The team opens the season on the road with a double, visiting the Gold Coast Blaze to start the season on October 7 and drop into the ‘Gong to face the Wollongong Hawks on October 9. The club will not play at home until the last weekend of October when they host the Sydney Kings October 28.

In North Queensland, the Townsville Crocodiles are serious about going to the next level after last season’s 17-11 second place regular season effort. The Croc’s will be missing big man Luke Schenscher who is out with an injury to start the season and have signed journeyman Greg Vanderjagt to fill in. The team also welcomes imports Eddie Gill (Weber State) who has considerable NBA experience and will bring that to the point guard position. He will be joined by swingman Elvin Mims (Southern Miss) who will bring versatility and explosiveness to the team.

Until Schenscher’s return, the Croc’s will look to Russell Hinder, Michael Cedar and Ben Allen among others to hold the fort.

On paper the Croc’s will be strong again and should make the playoffs. How far they go into the post-season will depend on keeping front court players healthy and the teams’ chemistry as the season progresses.

The Croc’s travel to North Queensland neighbours Cairns to start the season on 8 October 2011.

The Cairns Taipans (16-12) will look to go a step further this year and have added new imports Jamar Wilson (Albany) and Andrew Warren (Bradley) to anchor the back court. They will join Ian Crosswhite, Brad Hill, Alex Loughton and the reliable Dusty Rychart to form the nucleus of another solid team. They will also have pesky defender and original Taipan Aaron Grabau coming in off the bench to turn up the heat.

Cairns could well be there in the Championship series again this season. They host Townsville on the weekend to kick off the 2011-2012 campaign.

Among the remaining teams the Perth Wildcats (16-12) led by Kevin Lisch (St. Louis) and Shawn Redhage (Arizona State) will again be in title contention. The Melbourne Tigers (10-19) have added NBA player Patty Mills (St Mary’s) along with Ayinde Ubaka (California) to go with Ronald Dorsey (Benedict College) and  big man Cameron Tragardh in hopes of a major improvement over last season’s effort.

The Wollongong Hawks (15-13) as always it seems will be in the playoff picture at seasons end. The Gold Coast Blaze, though in the playoffs last season would love to improve on their 13-15 record for 2010-2011.

In Sydney the Kings (8-20) have improved their roster…now to translate that into a finals appearance will be the trick. Adelaide’s 36ers (9-19) hope to get just a little good luck this season with the injury bug and on court in an attempt to improve and contend.

OneHD will again be covering NBL games for fans who wish to tune in over the weekend and during the season.

For my personal prediction, see the playoff teams at the end of the season being the Perth Wildcats, New Zealand Breakers, Cairns Taipans, Wollongong Hawks, Melbourne Tigers and the Townsville Crocs to vie for the title.

I reserve the right to change/adapt the above if on Andrew Bogut decides to enter the fray…rumours say he will land in Sydney or Perth??

To my friends overseas…you can see complete NBL coverage on the NBL Website.

Back with updates and a WNBL preview soon.

You can follow my various sports rants on Twitter @ChuckDownUnder

Also on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/CDStarrzBlogs

WNBA Finals pick...

Hoops Report…WNBA Finals

Yeah it has been a while again since I did any basketball writing but I am checking back in, first with a look at the 2011 WNBA Finals and then a look at the upcoming Australian NBL season in a few days.

The WNBA Finals will feature a clash between the “never say die” Atlanta Dream and the Minnesota Lynx.

Atlanta (20-14) charged from a third place regular season finish to win the Eastern Conference title while Minnesota (27-7) finished comfortably ahead of the pack in the Western Conference and proceeded on to the conference title.

Atlanta features a balanced attack led by the scoring of Angel McCoughtry, Lindsey Harding and Iziane Castro Marques with rebounding and shot blocking support from Erika de Souza and Sancho Lyttle.

Seimone Augustus and “Ms Do It All”, Maya Moore lead the potent Lynx offense while Rebekkah Brunson and “Uber Veteran” Taj McWilliams-Franklin handle the inside on both ends of the floor.

The team have not met since June when Minnesota took two wins for the season series. Though much time has passed since these meetings, look for the overall attack of Minnesota to be too strong for Atlanta in the finals.

Prediction: Minnesota to win title with 3-1.

Catch up time!!!

Well about six weeks and a sports hernia later…I’m finally back with a bit of a catch up on all things hoops…firstly my NBA Finals prediction of Miami taking the title in six games disappeared quicker than LeBron James at crunch time!! Congrats to the crew from Big D and their long suffering fans. Job well done guys.

We’ve also had the 2011 NBA Draft. The verdict will be out as to the strength of the draft overall. Nine international players were selected in the first round and some will not appear in the NBA until a few years down the track. Among the notables internationally, Enes Kanter (Utah Jazz), Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto Raptors) and Jan Vesely (Washington Wizards) seem to be the most anticipated. Bismark Biyombo (Sacramento Kings, traded to Charlotte Bobcats) may be the most intriguing player drafted with his huge wing span and athleticism.

The Cleveland Cavaliers picked Kyrie Irving at number one and Tristan Thompson at number four in hopes of improving their roster after last season’s misery. There will be the question of whether Irving will be an understudy to Baron Davis or if Davis will eventually be traded? Other notables drafted in the first round included: Derrick Williams (Minnesota Timberwolves), Keemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats), Jimmer Fredette (Milwaukee Bucks, traded to the Sacramento Kings), Nolan Smith (Portland Trailblazers) and defensive ace Chris Singleton (Washington Wizards).

Some top college talent taken in round two included: Kyle Singler (Detroit Pistons), Shelvin Mack (Washington Wizards), Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets), Jon Leuer (Milwaukee Bucks), Josh Selby (Memphis Grizzlies) and E’Twaun Moore (Boston Celtics).

Hopefully the Collective Bargaining Agreement will not affect the 2011-2012 season and the dispute will be settled before the preseason starts.

Ok, I’ll be back over the next few weeks with a few titbits and a look at the international scene, the WNBA and all of the associations around Australia.

NBA Game 3 up...

NBA Game Three on tap

The NBA Finals series has moved to Dallas tied at 1-1 after the Mavericks pulled off yet another improbable victory to tie the series in Miami.

Miami will be looking to finish strong if in position to do so as opposed to blowing a late lead. Dallas in turn will be looking to get ahead and hold on for once in this series. The Heat will hope to get better production from Chris Bosh who has been woeful from the field. Additionally to jump back ahead, they will need a solid contribution from the bench as a whole and possibly a big contribution from one bench player, i.e., Mike Miller.

Dallas on the other hand will rely on the veterans, Nowitzki, Terry, Marion, Kidd and Terry. Any positive contributions from J.J. Barea and the rest of the Dallas bench could see them gain the ascendency in this series.

I’ll throw my hat in the Heat’s ring. I think Bosh may turn his game around enough to be effective and the Miami crew will win another close one. I will stick to my Heat in six prediction from the start of the finals.

Elsewhere in the Hoop World

I will join the chorus in wishing the Big “Whatever he wants to be” Shaquille O’Neal all the best in his retirement. Thanks for all the memories, sound bites and antics. There are even rumours out of a city called Townsville here in Australia have their sights set on the big man with the local NBL team the Townsville Crocodiles offering this invitation on their website: Former NBA player in the Crocs’ sights . Hmm…The Big Crocodile or The Big Croc Hunter!!

 

Also the WNBA season has kicked off with a smattering of Aussie talent on show. Of course there is Lauren (MS. Jackson) Jackson in Seattle, new sensation Elizabeth Cambage in Tulsa, Jenna O’Hea in Los Angeles, Sandy Brondello (assistant coach) Los Angeles, Penny Taylor in Phoenix, Erin Phillips in Indiana, Tully Bevilaqua in San Antonio and Belinda Snell who is also playing in Seattle. Good luck on the season ladies.

 

Ok, back in a couple of days to check in…..