Sorts of Sports

Drew's 5 Questions for 2010-11 NBA Season

Where Anticipation Happens…

NBA 2010-11 Season Preview

We are on the brink of one of the most highly anticipated seasons in the history of the NBA.  I can guarantee that even people who loathe today's version of professional basketball will be tuned in on Tuesday night to the showdown between the Boston Celtics and Miami Three.. uh I mean Heat.  It will be the first time that we'll see the Miami super team of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh in action, as well as the new look Celtics and their additions, namely Shaquille O'Neal.  And on deck,  only the start of the Quest for the Three Peat as the L.A. Lakers open up their season against the Houston Rockets and the return of Yao Ming.  And that's just opening night!

So what else is in store for the 2010-11 NBA Season?  Let's get this preview started and find out…

Starting Five…

Let's start by taking a closer look at the 5 burning questions looming over the start of NBA season.

1. Will the Nuggets trade Carmelo Anthony?

I think they have to.  All signs point to Carmelo leaving town at the end of the season and unless Denver can get him to ink the three year $65M extension before February, they'll lose him for nothing if they don’t move him.  The best return on their investment would be gained by dealing with Nets, who have young talent and draft picks to offer Denver, though New Jersey would have to get a third team involved to relieve Denver of some salary cap.  The only problem with this deal is that I don’t believe Melo wants to commit to the Nets under their current situation or else he would have pushed harder for the deal to go through in September.  The Bulls would be the best fit for Melo's skill set and whether you want to admit it or not, a Melo-Boozer- Rose (maybe Noah if he's not in the deal) would compliment each much better than the Miami Trio.  Sadly the Nuggets will ask for too much from the Bulls, so this deal will never get done.  Orlando's possession of skilled big men they never utilize anyway and Vince Carter's $20M expiring contract make them a player, but ultimately the Knicks will win out in the Melo sweepstakes, parting ways with Anthony Randolph, Eddie Curry's expiring contract, Tony Douglas, Wilson Chandler and the kitchen sink to obtain Melo's services.

2. Will the Miami Super Team work?

Of course it will.  It’s a superstar league, and the Heat will have three of the best in their starting five.  Regardless of their supporting cast, the combination of James, Wade and Bosh will be enough to win them a minimum of 55 regular season games.  Now will the super team work in the playoffs? That's a different story.  If the Heat can grab the 1 seed they will cruise to the Eastern Conference Finals where I think they will fall to either the Celtics or Magic.  If they fall in the 2 or 3 seed slot, same result.  Either way, I don’t believe you'll see the Finals running through South Beach for at least another year.

3. Will the Lakers Three Peat?

If the Lakers have a healthy Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum come June then I have very little doubt that the Lakers will win their third straight title.  They have too much size, a tremendously improved bench, the Zen Master on the sidelines and of course two big game clutch players in Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant. However, if health is an issue as it was last year, the Lakers may not be able to pull out a gutsy seven game series against an improved Celtics and Magic or star powered Heat team.  Then again, they still have a hungry Kobe Bryant staring down a sixth ring.

4. Are the Bulls and Thunder really contenders?

Every year, NBA experts and fans like to make their sexy picks for which teams are going to be sleepers and make huge strides in the upcoming year. For the 2010-11 season, those two teams we hear about most often are the Thunder and Bulls.  Now as good as Kevin Durant is, I think it's a little premature to crown the Thunder as the biggest contenders to dethrone the Lakers out west.  They have an MVP candidate in Durant and a young core, led by Russell Westbrook, on the rise, but still lack the size to be a legitimate title contender, especially in the West where L.A. and Dallas have numerous seven footers to surround their back court.

The Bulls are in the same boat.  Even with the addition of Carlos Boozer who fills a huge need for Chicago in regards to low-post scoring, they still are very undersized in the paint.  They are completely outmatched physically by the Celtics, aren’t as athletic on the wings as the Heat and have no answer to for Dwight Howard.  So I still see the Bulls one or two pieces shy of becoming a serious title contender.  They key from keeping them from becoming a huge disappointment this season, though, will be the play of Loul Deng.  They are going to need strong and consistent wing play from Deng if they want to begin the transition into the upper echelon of the NBA.

5. What else might surprise us this season?

I think a huge surprise may be how underrated this rookie class may be.  Most people see the ROY race as a two man race between John Wall and Blake Griffin, but a number of rookies are going to have the opportunity to make huge impacts on their teams.  Look for DeMarcus Cousins and Gordon Hayward to have something to say about who is the league's top rookie at the end of the season.