Final Thoughts on the Finals

I will give the Heat credit eventually, but first off holy crap did OKC blow this or what? Yes the Heat played good defense and all, but holy crap did Harden and Westbrook ruin this series or am I just totally off?  Harden regressed after blossoming into a great player through the rest of this season, shooting 20% in back-to-back games at one point, and Westbrook absolutely shit the bed in Game 5 with a mind-boggling 4-20 shooting performance. Fitting he was 4-20 since he certainly seemed stoned out there, at one point bricking a dunk for no reason.

And Westbrook made some bonehead plays at the end of Game 4 like his turnover and his intentional foul on Mario Chalmers. Yeah, Westbrook had 43 in that game, but bungling the game for your team in the clutch still ruins things. He was not the man. And I demand a tally on how many jump shots Serge Ibaka took this series, and how few he hit. Ibaka wasn't taking many shots per game, but he was taking an awful lot of jumpers from like 16-20 feet when he did get to shoot. Dude you were in the dunk contest and Miami is always criticized as being weak inside just go to the hole!

And how slow and bad is Kendrick Perkins? He is a great defender...if the person guarding him doesn't move. For a 28-year-old he looked like he was about 60 sometimes. He's there to lock down the paint.  Uhh yeah, he didn't.  OKC played like crap way too often this series, and Miami is a team you can't get sloppy against. The Thunder bungled big leads a few times and did not deserve to win the series.  The Heat out-worked them and out-hustled them.  Even in this Game 5 that just ended, OKC looked lifeless and weak.  Nobody was boxing out LeBron James on the offensive glass, when LBJ went to the hole nobody gave him a hard foul to let him know the paint is sacred, and when the Heat started rolling nobody other than Durant rose up for the challenge.

Durantula's theme. Was it too much to ask for Harden and Westbrook to not play so dumb so often?

I really promise I will praise the Heat, but seriously the Thunder screwed the pooch big time. Durant wasn't able to destroy everything in the 4th quarters of every game like people were thinking, but he was shooting over 50% for the series so it isn't like he was ruining it all. Westbrook shot 43%, down from 45.7 during the regular season and padded because of his 43 point game, and Harden shot 38, down from 49 during the season.  Along with the tally on Ibaka's bricked jumpers, I'd like one of how any times Harden and Westbrook waved off Durant as if to say "Nah man I got this," then either missed a jumper or had the ball stolen. It certainly seemed like it happened a lot when I wasn't falling asleep during these games. Durant's the best scorer in the game and was shooting well, those guys needed to help him out a little bit.

And for everybody complaining that the NBA is so rigged and the league got what they wanted, just shut up. I'm all about NBA conspiracies and whatnot, but really don't you think they would have wanted this series to go longer than 5 games? Come on, man. The Thunder had taken way more free throws than Miami early on until they just had no fight left in them. And that's all it was. Harden said last night they learned every possession counts. Duh.  They made stupid plays time and time again and let Miami take this series.  For lack of a better phrase, they fucked up.  OKC wasn't playing perfectly and just got screwed because of the league being corrupt.  They played like crap and they got broken apart by a better, more focused team.

Yes there were times when Miami got some bogus calls, or didn't get called for anything like when LeBron clearly threw the ball off of the back of the backboard and no whistle was blown for out of bounds, but the Thunder didn't play well.  OKC came out in Game 1 ready to destroy, then they got run ragged in the next four. Miami took a lot of free throws. They have three superstars and three of the games were at home so it makes sense and nobody should be surprised. Just because they're getting to the line it doesn't make them unbeatable. The Thunder had to kick some ass last night and Miami wanted it more and played way harder. It is that simple. OKC did not try hard enough to win. They let themselves get down big, they let the big three have a dance party all the way to the hoop, and the season is over because of it.

The NBA may rig a game now and again or favor superstars, but the league can't rig heart and determination. The Thunder showed none when everything was on the line, as shown by that lack of defense that allowed Miami to shoot 52% for the game.  Games 2-4 were still close.  OKC could have won them, but their youth and inexperience came blasting through and did more damage than any foul calls or non-calls could have.

As for Miami, they stepped their game up. The role players finally came to life and gave the superstars the help they desperately needed. Shane Battier was dropping threes, Mario Chalmers played big, and even Mike Miller showed he is in fact still a living human being with that nasty three point clinic last night. The role players finally played like they wanted to win and didn't seem like a bunch of veteran frontrunners who wanted to ride the coattails of LeBron's talent.  They all stepped up and gave a team effort and executed the way you need to when you're in the Finals.

Chris Bosh played big. That's two years in a row he's come through in a big game for Miami. Last year when the Mavs were readying their championship parade, Bosh played the best of the big three. Last night he proved that he may be every bit as important, if not more so, than Dwyane Wade.  As the most ridiculed member of the big three it is nice to see him prove his worth in a few big moments these playoffs.  As a whole Miami played great team defense and they went out and played hard. OKC seemed lost and totally over-matched.

LeBron James finally has his ring. I have never taken away from the talents he took to South Beach two years ago, I just think he's a bastard. I will give him some respect for admitting he acted like a punk when he went to Miami.  He shut up and he went back to playing like he was on the Cavs. He was like the guy who scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points and made this writer go out and get a Witness shirt and a jersey and hang a poster of him dunking all over the Heat above his bed. Hating LeBron comes out of frustration that he has all of the tools to be the best but he says and does dumb things rather than just shutting up and doing what he does best. Every year we hear that LeBron is a new man and focused and ready to win. I was sick of hearing that and refused to believe it until we actually saw him do it, and these playoffs he did it.

I don't like how on NBA TV and ESPN they were saying since LeBron has his ring now you can't hate on him anymore. Well no, I'm not just going to become a fan of his again because he won a ring. I'm not a frontrunner.  I still think he's a dick and I don't like that he quit on Cleveland two years ago and faked that elbow injury because he wanted to play with his friends in Miami. I don't like his flopping and pretending like he got seriously hurt. I don't like his hairline. Depending on how he acts now I'll take my stand on his ego.

It was cool that LeBron said the right things last night about how he realized he had to change as a person after the Finals defeat last year. You'd never hear Kobe Bryant own up to acting like a dick or making a mistake. LeBron was a man and admitted he did the wrong things and he had to change. You learn a lot about people with how they celebrate winning a title. We saw how bad Michael Jordan had wanted to win and how much it meant to him, we saw that Kevin Garnett is really that intense all the time, and last night we saw LeBron be very humble.

When asked what went through his mind, LeBron laughed and said, "It's about damn time." He was very gracious and said he was humbled after the embarrassment of last season.  I'll hold off on my judgement of him until we see how he acts next year since he was arrogant as hell without a ring, so who knows how he'll be with one.  But he very well could be redeeming himself from being that punk kid who ruined Cleveland's front office and as Adrian Wojnaroski pointed out, wasn't wanted on the '08 Olympic team. Will we see a mature, respectful LeBron James who just shuts up and plays, or are we back to dancing and flexing and acting like the world belongs to him?

Don't forget this gem from last year.  The Heat won their second round playoff series against Boston and they celebrated like they won the title. Now with an actual title, are we back to this kind of ego and madness or will they just be a hard working, dedicated team?

Idiots.

So now the Heat are champions. At the moment it seems like LeBron has finally become the player everybody hoped he would be, but a lot can change in a little time. As for the actual series, it was pretty simple. Miami played harder and they won. As much as I may want to say the NBA helped them out, when it comes down to it OKC played way too sloppy to ever deserve to win. The Heat were the focused and composed team, and they are the NBA Champions because of it.

Scattered Thoughts on the NBA Finals

We have arrived at the NBA Finals! The fake analyst in me wants to say this is a great match-up between two hard-working teams and it will be a great series. The biased hack fan in me says this is just like last year’s Finals, in which a team that is all about the true team concept of putting five guys on the floor who can play well together plays against the Heat, a team of three superstars and a whole lotta front runners and ego. Either way you look at it, this will be a terrific series and it is going to define careers.

For Erik Spoelstra, this series means everything for his job. Pat Riley fired Stan Van Gundy when he failed to win a championship with Dwyane Wade and Shaq in their first year together, so why would Spoelsta be expected to keep his job if he fails two years in a row with the “Three Kings”? If Miami wins, Coach Spo suddenly becomes a master motivator on the level of Doc Rivers. People will forget they talked such trash about how inept and simplistic his style is and will instead say he was the right guy for this team all along. There will be no middle ground here. A tremendous amount of blame will be heaped upon Spoelstra is the Heatles fall short a second straight year, but a championship suddenly means he had control of this team all along and even through the struggles he had them right where he wanted them. That’s just how sports work. Look at how different the tune about LeBron James has become in just a few days.

When the Celtics took a 3-2 lead, LeBron wasn't doing enough and we were going to see LBJ fall flat yet again.  Then he went off for 45-15-5 in Game 6 and hit an unreal 30-foot three-pointer to seal up Game 7 and everybody is talking about how LeBron is in the best stretch of his career and he is finally ready to make the jump.  LeBron himself says he is a different man and is ready, but this is the same story every year and every year there is no ring for the king.  A loss in this series defines LeBron's legacy as the guy who fled his team to join up with the guy who had already carried Antoine Walker, old Gary Payton, and broken-down Shaq to a championship. LeBron was supposed to blow Jordan away, but yet Jordan never lost in the Finals and LeBron has already lost twice, and could lose a third.

If the Heat lose, the story of the East becomes that Derrick Rose got injured, Avery Bradley went down with shoulder injuries, Ray Allen may need surgery, Paul Pierce has a sprained knee, and Boston was old and used up.  LeBron joined Wade and Bosh tagged along because they thought it would be easy and they could run through the NBA, and a loss makes the Heat and LeBron look like a failure since even with an easier road to the title they couldn't get it done.  Losing this championship defines LeBron as a regular season wonder who could never get it done when it mattered most. It is all the difference between being Karl Malone or one of the true greats.

Of course a win changes everything. With one championship, all the criticism goes away.  Since Kobe Bryant won his MVP and then back-to-back championships, how many people talk about the dark days in Kobe's career? How often do you hear about the 2004 Lakers imploding because of the conflicts between Kobe and the rest of the team stemming from the rape accusations? What about Phil Jackson retiring and calling Kobe "uncoachable" in his book and LA trading Shaq away since they couldn't co-exist?  Not many. All you hear about is how Kobe is an amazing scorer and defender and the best player of the post-Jordan era. If the Heat win the championship then all the trash that has been spoken about LeBron for the last few years will vanish.  Winning that one title immediately makes LeBron the King and changes the narrative of his career from an amazing player that never reached his potential to a legend who vanquished all of his foes and became a champion.

For OKC, if Russell Westbrook has a bunch of games where he shoots poorly and the Thunder ultimately lose the championship, the talk of getting rid of him will once again pick up.  People have been praising Westbrook and Durant's ability to coexist, but all it takes is one loss in the Finals and it is right back to "Westbrook needs to go."  Of course Westbrook can be a problem and will take way too many shots when he should be deferring to Durantula.  Sometimes he needs to understand he is the Rosie to Durant's Sophia Grace and he just needs to stand there and give Durant confidence and do some cool moves.  If OKC drops games where Westbrook is shooting 30% then it will be seen as Westbrook's fault and people will want him traded.

It will also be interesting to see what happens with James Harden. He becomes a restricted free agent after next season, and with all the notoriety he is getting for his amazing play off the bench he could want a big pay day and sucker some team in to giving it to him.  If the Thunder don't win this year, maybe he starts thinking about leaving if they lose next year too.  Or maybe the Thunder win and Harden pulls a Trevor Ariza and goes and gets a big pay day after proving his worth on a championship team.  Scott Brooks had to give Harden the hard sell to make him buy into his sixth man role, and though Harden says he is fine with his role now money always changes things. Will he play his little heart out to try and get a fat contract with some other team in the future?

For Durant this is a chance to become the best in the world. He'll be going against a guy who is seen as one of the best, if not the best perimeter defender in the league.  He needs to be on his game for OKC to win.  He shot over 50% both times these two teams met during the regular season. Durant needs to do that a few more times and get to the line often.  He also needs to play good defense on LeBron and use his length to keep James from unleashing punishing drive after punishing drive and going off for monster games.  Durant has been the challenger to LeBron's throne since LBJ's second MVP season and if he can outplay LeBron on the biggest stage in all of basketball and lead the Thunder to a title then he becomes the king of the league, the MVP favorite for next season, and the Thunder are title favorites for years to come.

The perimeter defense of the Heat could give OKC some fits, but the post defense of OKC can also give Miami fits. The Thunder have better rebounders and shot blockers than Boston did so LeBron will have a tougher time bum rushing the hoop.  The keys here are if Westbrook can rip Mario Chalmers apart and still score when Dwyane Wade gets put on him, and if Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins can lock down the paint and exploit Miami's front court woes. However, a healthy Bosh, an attacking LeBron, and an active Wade could spell certain doom for OKC.

Thabo Sefolosha's defense on Wade will be a key to this series. Really OKC's team defense on Wade needs to take him out of the game since he may be more dangerous than LeBron in some respects.  If Wade is attacking and has it going then Miami is too tough to stop. How many games in the Boston series did Wade get shut down in the first half only to come and and start driving and get his shot going in the second, making the game wicked hard for the C's?  If OKC wants to win they needs to stop Wade from going off and they need Westbrook and Durant to play well. Also, on paper the Thunder hold a big edge on Miami in terms of the bench.  They need those bench guys to step up since one of Miami's biggest knocks is a lack of depth.

For Miami to win they need to shut down Russell Westbrook.  If he takes a ton of shots and misses a ton of shots, OKC is totally screwed. They also need to get the OKC bigs in foul trouble, which may not be that hard since the Heat are averaging 28 free throws per game these playoffs and if LeBron is driving then that opens everything up for his team and sends him to the line a lot. Miami has good defenders in James, Wade, Battier, and Haslem.  Durant and Westbrook are prone to turnovers and if you turn the ball over against Miami you're as good as dead.  Miami needs to use their great wing defending and get out and run in transition since that is where they break teams.

As for a prediction, my heart says OKC in six but my head says Miami in six. I would love for OKC to become this new dynasty and a superpower for years, but I think Miami has come too far to lose. You can blame it on NBA conspiracies, the Thunder's inexperience, or LeBron finally stepping up, but I think the Heat are going to win this series. I think LeBron and Wade are going to draw a lot of fouls and force too many turnovers. Westbrook is going to have two or three games where he takes way too many shots and costs the Thunder.  Miami may have had their struggles in the last two rounds, but for whatever reason I just can't picture them falling short here.  It would be pretty groovy if they lost though, but I don't find it likely.

Joe's 2011-12 NBA Regular Season Awards

The NBA regular season has finally and mercifully come to a close. There have been many surprises this year like Linsanity, the Spurs once again being the 1 seed out West, and Dwight Howard evidently having no soul. Now we stand just one little day away from the Playoffs, so like all people not good enough to actually be in the NBA we must declare winners for the regular season awards.

Rookie of the Year: Kyrie Irving, Guard, Cleveland Cavaliers - Good for the Cavs, man. You can’t match losing a once-in-a-generation talent like LeBron James, but Irving will be a pretty good player and most likely will be an All Star. If the Cavs can put a good team around him he will be able to make them a playoff team for sure and the assist numbers will go up. Though he’s missed time this year he has proven to be a leader on the floor and if he can stay healthy he will be the guy in Cleveland for a few years until he hosts a television special and leaves. If Ricky Rubio had stayed healthy and gotten the Timberwolves into the playoffs I would say he gets this award, but alas the Basketball Gods can be cruel sometimes and robbed us of that reality. Irving has had a great rookie year but it will be interesting to see if his health woes from college and now the pros stick with him.

Most Improved Player: Nikola Pekovic, Center, Minnesota Timberwolves - While my brother is may have won our NBA fantasy championship, I deserve a trophy for making this pick up during the season. In only 26 minute per, he put up 14 and 7. He has had absolutely beast games during the year but has also battled injuries. Either way, this was a guy who started the season behind Darko Milicic in the rotation and now starts. They thought freaking Darko was better than him, man. Ryan Anderson is also worthy of this award, but I take Pekovic since it is much more unexpected that he has had such a good year. I’m also partial to centers who can get it done down low rather than big men who have to camp out and shoot threes to get his points so I am more impressed with Pekovic.

Defensive Player of the Year: Tyson Chandler, Center, New York Knicks - I guess somebody should throw him a bone for being the only guy on that team who plays defense. Amar’e Stoudemire has never been a particularly good defender, and despite his newfound dedication to defense Carmelo Anthony has never exactly been known for anything other than being able to score. Chandler holds it down on defense for New York and when he misses games it instantly becomes a worry as to how anybody will be able to stop the opposing team from putting points on the board. People compare what Chandler has done in NY this year to what Kevin Garnett did in Boston in 08 by transforming the culture of the team and making them focus on defense. I don’t agree with that completely since Garnett completely changed his style of play and was responsible for the creation of an elite team while Chandler is doing what he always does and has guided the Knicks to stay a few games over .500. I don’t mean to take away from what he does though. All of a sudden the Knicks aren’t this soft, candyass team down low. You have to be wary about going into the paint and you have to actually fight for rebounds since Chandler can boss people and has also inspired the other guys on the Knicks to hustle more. Chandler doesn’t get a ton of blocks or anything like he’s Dwight Howard, but the mere fact he is in the paint is enough to throw shots off course. He was the big reason Dallas could play defense and win last year, and now he’s inspired the Knicks to fight on the defensive end for the first time in years.

Sixth Man of the Year: James Harden, Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder - Here is a guy who people have been talking about a lot lately as somebody who could go start on any other team and be an absolute animal. He scores so efficiently and is the ultimate spark a great team needs off their bench. He is having a career year and has proven to be every bit as important to the team as Durant and Westbrook. Look at the Thunder’s recent loss to the Lakers. After Harden nearly died from Ron Artest’s brutal elbow the Thunder didn’t have that same spark to help with the scoring and defense and they ended up losing in double OT. Without Harden the Thunder are not even close to being the same team. He used to be furious about this role but he has since grown to appreciate it and is now thriving. Harden dropped a career-high 40 points on Phoenix the other night and was staring at a big role in the playoffs until Artest murdered him.

Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls - Gregg Popovich is also deserving but really nobody has had to overcome as much as Thibs. Last year Chicago won 62 games despite significant injuries to Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, their starting front court. This year the Bulls are once again the 1 seed in the East and were one of two teams (Popovich’s Spurs being the other) to finish with 50 wins despite even more injures. Reigning MVP Derrick Rose has missed significant time, Rip Hamilton has barely played, Luol Deng hasn’t been as effective as usual since he clearly needs surgery on his wrist, and CJ Watson has been nursing a few injuries and missed time. So that’s three injured starters and one of the most important reserves. In spite of this the Bulls have been able to scrap and fight their way to victory time and time again. This shortened season has been absolutely brutal and has taken its toll on a lot of teams, and there have been so many times when it looked like the Bulls were done and the injuries would be too much to overcome but somehow they keep winning. Sure Carlos Boozer has actually played well this year and all, but the main reason behind all of this is the fact Tom Thibodeau’s defense-first mindset has taken hold on the roster and keeps them in games always. Nobody else has had to deal with ⅗ of their starting line up being out or depleted, and not everybody could face that and still have a winning team that could win a championship.

Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant, Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder - I was thinking LeBron for a while, even when I first started writing this thing, but really I can’t go with LBJ since it just doesn’t seem right. I will explain that in a little bit. This year you could make the case for Durant, Kobe, LeBron, or even Chris Paul since it is all pretty wide open, and really there isn’t much to say when making the case for anybody since I feel this year hasn’t seen any particular standouts aside from LeBron filling up a stat line in historic fashion. Durant has had yet another stellar season and is still the guy in OKC. It has now become apparent that he can co-exist with Russell Westbrook and together they can form a devastating one-two punch. Westbrook has taken on more of a scoring load and is starting to share the spotlight more this year, but it is still Durant’s team through and through and he is the leader. Durant has no fear taking over in the fourth quarter and has inspired that team for years. He is shooting a career-best 49.5% from the field, he is having a career year in rebounding and assists, and his scoring is back up as well and he’s this year’s scoring champion. He has still been a killer this year, starting off the season right with that sick game winner over Dallas. It seemed like he took a step backwards last year after everybody thought he was poised to be a destroyer, but he is right back on track. Of course Durant won’t win and LeBron will since everybody gushes over the numbers only, but it is the little things that count and though some late-season struggles have hit OKC, this team has been poised to bust loose for a couple years now and it seems very likely that this is the time. We haven’t had to spend countless hours thinking about Durant’s drive or his focus or if he’s ready to finally make a statement, Durant just goes out and proves time and time again that he’s a great player and a great teammate. Durant inspires his team to win and they all believe in him, but with LeBron it comes across as the Heat all say they believe in him so he’ll man up and play better in the playoffs. This isn’t high school and I don’t like having to baby somebody to give him confidence regardless of how amazing his skill set may be.

LeBron is going to win this award but I still took the time to put together a case against him as only three people have multiple MVP awards with no title: James, Karl Malone, and Steve Nash. They all have two, and I can’t get behind LBJ with a third right now. Who can forget that even in the All Star game where nothing really matters, LBJ was afraid to take over in the clutch and ignored an open Melo to throw that ridiculous cross-court pass to Dwyane Wade that got stolen and cost the East the game, then looked like he wanted to cry since Kobe asked him what's wrong with him? Sure LBJ has more confidence this year, but he still openly shirks responsibility late in games to Dwyane Wade. I can’t get behind him as King no matter how much he says he’s changed. I am not cool with saying LeBron deserves to be a three-time MVP yet since I still am not certain he is the most valuable guy on that team. Sam Smith said it, a ton of people say it, and you can just tell by watching a Heat game that in the first half you have to beware of LeBron, but in the second half that is when you worry about Wade since that’s when he goes to work. I am not ready to crown LeBron for adding that ugly post-game and cutting out the three-pointer from his game since these are things he should have done back in Cleveland. It isn’t just about statistics to me, it is about the intangibles and it seems like Wade is the guy who is still counted on to drag this team out of danger when the game is on the line. LeBron fills up his stat sheet and is an amazing player, but he isn’t the player of most value since Wade has to do the dirty work at the biggest moments. Obviously LeBron is the greatest athlete to ever set foot on a basketball court, and his two MVP awards are a credit to that skill, but I don’t think he’s the one this year. I don’t think he’s totally undeserving at all, but I won’t agree with it when he does win in a few weeks.

So that’s that. Playoffs start Saturday and since this crazy lockout schedule has left so many teams nursing injuries, people seem to think there will be a lot of upsets. I’m not sure, and I probably won’t bother writing predictions, but each series will be pretty competitive and intense so I’m looking forward to it.

What's Up with the Association's Top Teams?

We are slightly farther into the NBA season and even though it has only been a few days since I last shared my thoughts on the world’s greatest game, there have been some developments worth discussing regarding some of the league’s biggest and brightest teams.

Miami Heat:Artist rendering of LeBron James last night

Wow have these last few days been a learning experience or what? First, we find out Dwyane Wade may have plantar fasciitis. For those unaware, that is a very painful inflammation in the foot. After missing three games due to soreness in the foot, Wade was adamant he was fine and returned against the Warriors on Tuesday and looked very good, scoring 34 points and shooting 48%. However last night he shot 35% en route to to 17 points and a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. With this vicious schedule putting teams in action with hardly any rest, that foot is going to be a nagging issue that could come back to haunt Miami big time since Wade has hit both game winners for the team this season.

As for LeBron James, he spent the summer training with NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon to improve his post game. Hakeem’s career highlight is leading the Houston Rockets to back-to-back championships, leading to the city being dubbed “Clutch City.” Apparently Hakeem couldn’t do much for him as LBJ has spent the last two nights constructing “Anti-Clutch City” for himself and his fellow Heatles by performing miserably in the fourth quarter and overtime of both games. LeBron did practically nothing against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, notching three points in the fourth and overtime...combined. Then last night LeBron went 1-6 in the fourth and overtime, and missed several crucial free throws down the stretch. Granted it was one game in January, but it is worth pointing out the Heat have won on two game winners this season and they weren’t LeBron. Now when he’s had the ball in his hands in the clutch he’s been ineffective and cost the team. It is great LeBron has taken his game inside the three point arc and is using his superior athletic skills, but until he gets over whatever it is in his head the Heat are in serious trouble if Wade is out.

Chicago Bulls:

I get so nervous thinking about Chicago's issues so I look at this to relax

You want to talk about a team in trouble? Chicago has the deepest team in the league and may very well be the best team in the league, but there are some concerns moving forward. The most important is Derrick Rose’s health. He missed last night’s game with a sprained toe and has been having issues with his left elbow. He says he is fine, but who is really going to come out and say “Yo I’m fucked up, man”? If his toe is hurt badly then he won’t be able to drive as much and this is not a good thing. No Rose means no offense in the Windy City since there is not one person on that team who can create for themselves consistently.

The other major issue here is Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. The Bulls are paying them a whole lot of money and in the fourth quarter of the last few games they’ve been doing a whole lot of sitting on the bench. People have theorized that coach Tom Thibodeau doesn’t trust them enough to play them in the late game situations, but I feel it is too weird that they are sitting for an entire quarter. My theory on it is that they are both injury prone so he is going to limit their minutes in the early season to play them longer stretches come playoff time. At least that is what I hope this is all about. If Rose is jacked up, their next best scoring options are Boozer, Rip Hamilton, and Luol Deng. Rip is nursing a groin injury, Deng plays too many minutes to be relied on too often, and if Boozer isn’t even playing then this is all very bad. And Joakim Noah’s defense and rebounding is key to the team’s success, but if he isn’t being used due to ineffectiveness, then Chicago is in some serious trouble in their quest for a ring.

Oklahoma City Thunder:

I have no clever image for this one

People are saying Durant and Westbrook are fine, but I just don’t buy it. I also don’t like how Westbrook’s percentages are going up, but his assists have stayed the same. I don’t buy that Westbrook and Durant will coexist peacefully and win a title. Well maybe they can win one, but I don’t know how great this relationship will be in the future. The Thunder also have a bit of an issue now with Eric Maynor, their back-up point guard, going down for the season with a torn ACL. He was an important piece of that Thunder depth and if the injury bug starts hitting them harder this is going to be a long season.

Los Angeles Lakers:This is all I think of when I think of Kobe

Some will say Kobe is playing great, I will say Kobe is hogging the ball because he wants to send some kind of a message that he’s still good. Yeah good for him, let’s see how taking 30 shots a game works for them come playoff time. I still refuse to believe that the FIFTEEN YEARS of wear and tear on his body aren’t going to come back and haunt him during this insane schedule. He is already nursing like four different injuries, and if doesn’t take time to heal and keeps trying to do so much this won’t end well. And even if the injuries don’t pile up for Kobe, the Lakers can’t win a championship if he is playing like this. I am glad for Mike Brown that the Lakers are playing better than people thought they would, but sadly reality is going to hit this team at some point.

Also, Andrew Bynum is going through the best stretch of his career. Let’s give it about six more games before he gets injured. And that is very sad because Bynum and Gasol up front gives LA an advantage over almost everybody, but for some reason Kobe is taking the most shots per game he has since 2006...when they had Kwame Brown and Smush Parker. Keep in mind Kobe is older and more beat up than he was back then. The Lake Show is almost over so we should enjoy it while we can. Kobe doesn’t have Phil Jackson there to stop him from being so enamored with being Kobe. Mike Brown is an enabler who allowed LeBron James to build up the biggest ego on the planet, so we can expect more of the same here.

That is it for now. There are games on TNT tonight that will be so bad I will more than likely spend my night reading Keith Richards’ autobiography and watching WWE’s Bret Hart compilation from 2005. Why on Earth do I want to watch the unbelievably overrated Knicks take on a Grizzlies team missing their best player? And why would I want to watch Dwight “I am half-assing it because I don’t want to be here in Orlando” Howard play the Warriors? Yuck.