Rhett Anderson

What to expect from LeBron and the Heat?

By Oct 28, 2013, 2:00 PM EDT
32 Comments

You’re busy, so I’ll save you some time: a championship.  They’ve won two straight, basically their entire squad is coming back, and their best guy is the most dynamic and exciting player since Michael Jordan.  The Heat have all the tools they need to make a run at a three-peat – but even with them all in place, the bigger question is: who might stop them?

The way I see it, there are 6 teams that could have a chance: 4 longshots and 2 serious threats.  Let’s start with the East.

EASTERN 

The Bulls: Chicago is a good team without Derrick Rose, and a title contender with (the old) Derrick Rose.  But how deep can they go in the postseason? Thing is, Rose’s most recent relevant data points are from 18 months and a horrific knee injury ago.  He looked great in the preseason, but it’s far too early to see how his knee will hold up long-term: it’s just been too long since we’ve seen him play a full year.  Time will tell, but Rose’s return makes me hesitate – right now, the Bulls are a longshot to stop the Heat.

The Nets:  Again, too soon – but for a different reason.  The team hinges on Deron Williams and Brook Lopez: a great combo, but Lebron’s supporting cast (Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen, Udonis Haslem, Shane Battier – the list goes on) far outstrips its counterparts in Brooklyn.  Depth is key, and the Nets don’t have Miami’s lung capacity.  As for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, they’re not getting any younger, and I’ll be surprised if their presence tips the scales in the Nets’ favor.

The Pacers: Though summertime roster moves did bolster their bench, Indiana is the only team of these three that remains largely unchanged since nearly beating Miami in the East Finals last year.  A missed assignment here, a blown call there, and one or two plays could have made the difference for the Pacers going to the NBA Finals.  Paul George and Danny Granger should continue to emerge, Roy Hibbert should continue to dominate (just ask Tyson Chandler), and with C.J. Watson and Chris Copeland the bench is stronger.  We’ve actually seen this team play the Heat, and nearly beat them.  All in all, in the East the Pacers have the best preseason shot at upending the Heat.

WESTERN 

The Spurs: Another team we’ve seen play the Heat and nearly beat them, plus I’ve learned my lesson in the past: never count out Gregg Popovich, and never say Tim Duncan’s too old.  Obviously at some point Duncan will be too old, but the man just keeps putting up rock-solid numbers and defense year after year.  Besides, he’s not the brains of the operation anyways – Tony Parker’s running point, and Pop’s the reason for the dynasty.  History teaches me not to bet against those three pieces, so watch out for the Spurs.  (Playoff sweeps are telling – just ask the Grizzlies) Can San Antonio beat the Heat? Maybe – probably not, but they came very close last year and they could likely again be one of the last few standing.

The Rockets: Two words: Dwight Howard.  The D’Antoni/Kobe/Dwight circus show was wearing thin in L.A., and it’ll be interesting to see how Dwight fits into the Rocket’s culture. Last year was miserable, and now he’s got a fresh start, a new city, and a great young core with Chandler Parsons and James Harden.  But again, we run into a common theme this year: the unknown.  Howard alters teams and defenses with his presence, but he’s never played with these guys under this system in this city with this coach and this organization.  Signs are positive, but there’s just no way to tell this early – so far it’s all he-said she-said guesswork.  Can they beat Miami in seven games?  Not right now.  So much hype, and to even get there they’d have to move past…

The Thunder: Kevin Durant is a killer, simple as that.  He’s the deadliest player not named LeBron James.  He has zero conscience from three; he’s Magic Johnson’s awareness with Bob Cousy’s handles and Reggie Miller’s stroke.  Durant, Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Reggie Jackson – their guard play is phenomenal.  Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins round it out inside, but the key is the guard play.  If the Thunder have an advantage over the Heat, it’s depth on the wing.  If they can exploit that, throwing bodies at LeBron enough to tire him out and slow him down just enough, OKC could have the best chance to beat the Heat (unless the Pacers get them first, in which case whatever will Sportscenter talk about in June??).

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Honorable Mention: Clippers, Warriors.  Both electrifying teams, great fun to watch, but missing some pieces.  Clippers need a stronger paint presence (DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin are a high-flying trapeze act, not game-changing forwards); the Warriors need some time to gel, and for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to play off each other – watch out for Golden State in the next few years.

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WRAPPING UP 

The Pacers and the Thunder have the best shot at beating the Heat.  Indiana nearly beat them last time, and come back this year with more experience and a deeper bench.  The Thunder have the guard depth to counter LeBron, but that may not make a difference anyways with the Heat’s top-to-bottom array of weapons.

Bottom line?  The Pacers can beat the Heat, as can the Thunder, but it will take each team’s perfect stretch of seven games (because there’s no way the Heat lose in less than seven) to do it.  Miami, on the other hand, has the athleticism, depth, leadership, and firepower to win again.  That is what to expect from LeBron and the Heat – another championship.  They are not a perfect team, and they can be beaten – but in the end, the most likely scenario I see is LeBron & Co. with Miami’s first franchise three-peat.

JaVale McGee has a new website

By Sep 20, 2013, 1:47 PM EDT
6 Comments

So what, you ask?  Most celebrities do, anyways.  Well, this one is notable for who it represents.  It (re)launched today, and does not disappoint.  Worth a solid ten-minute break from your workday, no question.

Do you know JaVale’s height and weight at birth? Do you know his high school GPA?  Did you know he feeds over 1,000 families at his annual Thanksgiving Day JaVale McGee Turkey Giveaway? No? Well, now you do!

Conspicuously absent from the site, however, are the reasons for which JaVale is perhaps most well-known. The man is a human highlight reel with a (seemingly) ten-foot wingspan who plays as a conscience-void reincarnation of NBA Jam.  If your name is George Karl or Brian Shaw, he’s frustratingly inconsistent – but if your name is Joe Fan, JaVale McGee is the most entertaining sideshow in the league:

Exhibit A:  “JaVale McGee“, as narrated by the NBA’s most entertaining commentary.

Exhibit B:  “JaVale McGee Takes No Days Off”

I could go on… but I’ll let you do some digging of your own.  I wish I could say that JaVale put some of those infamous YouTube blooper reels on his website – alas, no such luck.

What if Dennis Rodman isn’t all that wrong?

By Sep 17, 2013, 4:03 PM EDT
10 Comments

This Dennis Rodman saga just keeps getting more and more unbelievable. Unless you live under a rock and/or are otherwise disconnected from modern technology, you’ve heard at least something about the former Bulls forward’s North Korean activities backed by Irish oddsmakers Paddy Power, PLC.

Not only has the guy visited North Korea twice, referring to dictator Kim Jong-un as “a very good guy“, he is now saying he plans to return in January to host two exhibition games with former NBA players. He calls it “basketball diplomacy”, indicating at least some knowledge of Nixon’s 1971 ping-pong diplomacy campaigns between the U.S. and China in the midst of the Cold War.

The media is having a field day: here is one of the most colorful (literally, too) players in NBA history, financed by Irish bookies, cozying up to the world’s most brutal dictatorship, then showing up to the press conference in classic Rodman fashion complete with cigar, booze*, chains, oversized shades, and more piercings than I can count. Ridiculous, wouldn’t you say?

But here’s the thing – what if Rodman isn’t so wrong? Beyond all the media hoopla, what if somehow, someway, this ridiculous drama thaws the ice-cold tension with the North Korean regime? Personally, I think it’s a slim chance at best. BUT, consider this: Dennis Rodman isn’t flying solo. He and Paddy Power have the support of the independent non-profit NGO International Crisis Group, whose stated objective is to prevent and resolve deadly conflict. Dr. Daniel Pinkston directs the North East Asia arm of the ICG, and spoke at Rodman’s press conference. Earlier that day, Pinkston published his reasoning for why “basketball diplomacy” could work.  An excerpt:

“The Rodman visit was very important to [North Korean] leadership. Kim Jong-un snubbed former US presidents and other heads of state, as well as a former high-level US government official and the executive chairman of Google, but Kim turned out for Rodman and appeared giddy as they sat next to each other and watched the game.  …

The Rodman visit is subversive because the image of Kim embracing Rodman can be perceived as the leadership tolerating or accepting someone who is different. South Korea’s Daily NK reported that North Koreans in the provinces were stunned to see Kim embracing an American with numerous tattoos and body piercings and likened it to Kim embracing a ‘goblin or gangster’.  …

North Korea’s leaders want their system to survive, and any changes they make are intended to strengthen the system, not to reform it. They have learned from Gorbachev’s ‘mistakes’ of seeking political reforms and restructuring to improve the Soviet system. The North Korean leadership apparently views sport exchanges as furthering its own agenda.  …

However, ‘basketball diplomacy’ could have unintended consequences for the regime, just as Gorbachev’s perestroika did for the USSR and the lifting of travel restrictions did for East Germany. Personal exchanges are probably the best way to expose North Koreans to different types of governance and social organisation, which is the first step in the thought process that results in questioning the regime.”  (see Pinkston)

Basically, Pinkston says that before North Korea can change, we must make inroads into the North Korean thought process. Dennis Rodman represents a new approach, an attempt to breach the norm and create a measure of goodwill. Who’s to say if it will go smoothly – the North Korean regime is erratic and unpredictable, and events could spiral wildly out of control.** Rodman & Co. might be right, might be wrong. But Paddy Power and the International Crisis Group have a very good point: in order to make positive change, the door must first open. It’s just curious this is who they chose to try it.

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* Visible as he makes his entrance at the 6:20 mark.

** Example: Dennis & Kim.  (Sounds like it could be the name of Comedy Central’s next big thing)

What do you do if the NBA doesn’t pan out and you have insane bounce?

By Sep 13, 2013, 3:03 PM EDT
9 Comments

Meet Michael “Air Dogg” Stewart and Hanif “Young Hollywood” Munir.  To say these guys have bunnies might be the understatement of the week.

Stewart and Munir joined forces a few years back as West Coast Dreamers, and have since travelled the world showing off their amazing hops.  They’ve appeared in commercials, ads, you name it.  Stewart once won a year’s worth of free Jack in the Box.* They’ve dunked over the likes of Blake Griffin and Shawn Kemp (in case you were wondering what Shawn Kemp’s been doing since retirement – getting dunked on by short guys). Granted, those aren’t game situations** or anything, but still. The dudes can seriously jump.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeFJ8dqq02U&w=420&h=315]

So, guys, listen up – if your NBA dreams don’t work out, but you have an unreal vert, you know what to do.

Follow West Coast Dreamers on Twitter here.

 

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* Why anyone would want a free year of Jack in the Box is beyond me.

**But, here’s some anyways.

Golden State’s arena sign of things to come

By Sep 12, 2013, 4:53 PM EDT
11 Comments

The suddenly-relevant Warriors have made big strides.  Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Bogut, & Co. have turned the Bay Area into a basketball hotbed – you could practically feel the crackle of energy in the air as they upset Denver in last year’s playoffs.

The sky’s the limit for this team, and local investors are taking notice.  The Oracle’s lease runs out after the 2017 season, and plans are in the works across the bay for a sumptuous brand-spankin’-new waterfront arena tagged at $1 billion – that’s billion with a B.

Beyond the arena itself, however, is what the whole project says about the team:

1) They’ve electrified the town.

Big-dollar investors don’t drop that kind of cash without good reason.  There is big money to be made through licensing, media rights, merchandising, advertising, concessions, and the list goes on.  This all happens when strong public support goes hand in hand with investors’ attention – both of which the Warriors suddenly have.

2) They’re here to stay.

After all, Oracle 2.0 won’t be ready for another 4 seasons.  As it stands now, every contract on the team will have expired by that time.  The only ones still on the books through the end of the 2016-17 season are Curry and offseason newcomer Andre Iguodala. Bay Area med-tech venture capitalist and Warriors owner Joe Lacob’s potential use for that cap space doesn’t bode well for the rest of the NBA.

  • First, keep the major players – Curry is key, and Thompson and Bogut are a close second.  Barnes is no slouch either.  Curry-Thompson is a potentially deadly 1-2 punch, if next year they can adjust to defenses who figure them out after last year’s lights-out playoff performance and if Thompson can avoid a sophomore slump.  Bogut is a reliable rebounder with good hands and instincts, and he can score when needed.  Curry is signed through 2016-17, but Bogut’s is up next summer and Thompson’s has a club option the summer after that.  Get them back.
  • Second, build around that core.  They’ve got a good thing going and just need to make a few well-timed tweaks.  Andre Iguodala might prove to be just that.  However, my first response is no, due to his age for two reasons.  First, he turns 30 in January, not old but also not young.  Second, in his 9 years he’s proved himself as a good player but not a franchise cornerstone.  Still, he could be a solid missing piece and a good small-forward addition to supplement Curry at point, Bogut inside, and Thompson/Barnes on the wing.

Keep an eye on the Warriors.  They’ve got a great chance to do some big things.  Not right now, not this season — they’ve got a ways to go before competing with the Heat and Thunder.  But keep an eye on them, come spring.  And definitely keep an eye on their new arena, come 2017.