duncan228
12-12-2009, 09:27 PM
NBA Beat: Quarter pole season checkpoint (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/NBA_Beat_Quarter_pole_season_checkpoint.html)
Mike Monroe - Express-News
Can the NBA really be one-quarter of the way through its regular season?
Because every team but the Spurs has played at least 21 games, this weekend is as close as the 82-game grind gets to the 25 percent mark.
Time flies, whether you’re having as much fun as the Lakers and Celtics, or heading to games with paper bags over your heads, like Nets fans.
What have we learned at this arbitrary checkpoint?
Take a look:
Carmelo’s the MVP, but Kobe’s still the king
Denver’s Carmelo Anthony finally is having a true breakout season and is the early leader among legitimate MVP candidates. Until Thursday, he had scored 20 or more in every game, the reason the Nuggets are back atop the Northwest Division. The other legitimate MVP candidates are Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Steve Nash. The guess here: one of them will win, not Anthony. No matter who gets the MVP hardware in May, there’s no question who remains the league’s best player. He wears purple and gold.
Hawks are for real and so is Woodson
What do the Hawks have to do to be considered legitimate title contenders, and what does Mike Woodson have to do to get some respect as a head coach? Woodson has found a way to make the Hawks a defensive menace while still giving Mike Bibby plenty of court time and has helped turn Josh Smith into the league’s most improved player. If voters were asked to choose Coach of the Year today, Woodson would get at least one vote — mine — and probably quite a few more.
This rookie class is special
The No. 1 overall pick has yet to play a game, but this draft class already has proven it will be one to remember. Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings leaped out as the early leader for Rookie of the Year, but if the vote were based on the first quarter of the season, Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans (right) would get the hardware. No fewer than a dozen rookies are making major impact, some for elite teams. Our new favorite: Sacramento’s Omri Casspi. Combined with Evans, that makes the Kings a team with a bright future.
Bad luck comes in torrents
It’s hard to know what to make of the misfortune that has beset the Trail Blazers. The shattered kneecap that has cost center Greg Oden yet another season looks like a threat to his career. Three more key Blazers are battling serous injury. Even head coach Nate McMillan fell victim, rupturing an Achilles tendon while filling in on the court during a practice because his roster was so short of healthy players. Owner Paul Allen is battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma, his second battle with cancer.
That seat can get hot
When teams disappoint, there’s never a question where the fingers point. Hornets management dismantled a roster that had taken the team to the brink of the conference finals, then fired Byron Scott for a halting start. Injuries decimated the Nets roster, but something had to give when they lost their first 16 games: Lawrence Frank. Now, it seems that unless the Bulls pull out of a 2-8 tailspin, former Spur Vinny Del Negro could be in trouble.
Mike Monroe - Express-News
Can the NBA really be one-quarter of the way through its regular season?
Because every team but the Spurs has played at least 21 games, this weekend is as close as the 82-game grind gets to the 25 percent mark.
Time flies, whether you’re having as much fun as the Lakers and Celtics, or heading to games with paper bags over your heads, like Nets fans.
What have we learned at this arbitrary checkpoint?
Take a look:
Carmelo’s the MVP, but Kobe’s still the king
Denver’s Carmelo Anthony finally is having a true breakout season and is the early leader among legitimate MVP candidates. Until Thursday, he had scored 20 or more in every game, the reason the Nuggets are back atop the Northwest Division. The other legitimate MVP candidates are Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Steve Nash. The guess here: one of them will win, not Anthony. No matter who gets the MVP hardware in May, there’s no question who remains the league’s best player. He wears purple and gold.
Hawks are for real and so is Woodson
What do the Hawks have to do to be considered legitimate title contenders, and what does Mike Woodson have to do to get some respect as a head coach? Woodson has found a way to make the Hawks a defensive menace while still giving Mike Bibby plenty of court time and has helped turn Josh Smith into the league’s most improved player. If voters were asked to choose Coach of the Year today, Woodson would get at least one vote — mine — and probably quite a few more.
This rookie class is special
The No. 1 overall pick has yet to play a game, but this draft class already has proven it will be one to remember. Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings leaped out as the early leader for Rookie of the Year, but if the vote were based on the first quarter of the season, Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans (right) would get the hardware. No fewer than a dozen rookies are making major impact, some for elite teams. Our new favorite: Sacramento’s Omri Casspi. Combined with Evans, that makes the Kings a team with a bright future.
Bad luck comes in torrents
It’s hard to know what to make of the misfortune that has beset the Trail Blazers. The shattered kneecap that has cost center Greg Oden yet another season looks like a threat to his career. Three more key Blazers are battling serous injury. Even head coach Nate McMillan fell victim, rupturing an Achilles tendon while filling in on the court during a practice because his roster was so short of healthy players. Owner Paul Allen is battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma, his second battle with cancer.
That seat can get hot
When teams disappoint, there’s never a question where the fingers point. Hornets management dismantled a roster that had taken the team to the brink of the conference finals, then fired Byron Scott for a halting start. Injuries decimated the Nets roster, but something had to give when they lost their first 16 games: Lawrence Frank. Now, it seems that unless the Bulls pull out of a 2-8 tailspin, former Spur Vinny Del Negro could be in trouble.