The 2007-08 NBA season preview

10 reasons to be excited for the upcoming year

Romer Bautista, Staff

10. aftermath of Donaghy’s betting scandal

NBA referees will be under an even larger microscope than usual this season, after the July admission by former referee Tim Donahgy that he gambled on games in which he was an official. The trust between the fans and the referees has forever been compromised, and now everyone will scrutinize every late whistle that goes against their favourite teams, wondering if there are ulterior motives behind them. How the NBA goes about handling this situation should be very interesting.

9. Kevin Durant and the rest of the rookies

The season-ending microfracture knee surgery undergone by Greg Oden has buzz-killed the rookie of the year watch. The front-runner for the award is clearly the Seattle Sonics’ Kevin Durant. With the departure of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, Durant will have every opportunity to become the man in Seattle and, with his ridiculous scoring abilities, he will make the most of those chances.

Other players who look like they might have an outside shot of winning the rookie of the year award include Houston’s Luis Scola, Memphis’ Mike Conley, and Milwaukee’s Yi Jianlian.

8. More running and gunning

With the success of the Phoenix Suns in the last couple of years, and the Golden State Warriors’ improbable thumping of the Dallas Mavericks, more teams have vowed to go with the run ’n’ gun game plan. The Houston Rockets have dumped defensive guru Jeff Van Gundy in favour of the up-tempo stylings of Ric Adelman; The Sacramento Kings’ new head coach Reggie Theus plans to bring the up-and-down game back to Sacramento; and with Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony on board for a second year, the Denver Nuggets will definitely be shooting in bunches.

7. The re-emergence of the Eastern Conference

With the likes of Rashard Lewis, Zach Randolph, Jason Richardson, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett all heading to the east coast this year, the Eastern conference is beginning to reinstate themselves as a legitimate opposition to the West’s best teams. A testament to the conference’s new found competitiveness is that last year’s conference champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, could very well be the third-best team in this division. This might even be a year where a sub-.500 record doesn’t get you into the playoffs.

6. The West is still the best

Despite the improvements made by teams in the Eastern conference, there is no question that the NBA’s top teams still play in the west. From the Dallas Mavericks, who won a league-high 67 games last season, to the consistently great Phoenix Suns, to the surprisingly well-coached Utah Jazz, last season’s Western conference runner-ups, it will be yet another all-out war to get to the NBA finals out west. Oh, and there’s also a certain team named in San Antonio that will have a say about who’s representing the Western conference in the finals.

5. Texas three-step

There is no better representation of the West’s sheer wealth of talent than the three teams in the state of Texas: the Houston Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks, and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Rockets look to have finally assembled a talented supporting cast to surround superstars, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Steve Francis and Mike James are back with the team, as is a rejuvenated Bonzi Wells. These players should add some scoring punch to the 17th-ranked offence last season, while still maintaining the leagues third-best defence.

Emotions are still riding strong in Dallas after two consecutive playoff collapses, but the Mark Cuban and the Mavericks brass did the right thing in refusing to hit the panic button. Instead, they re-signed or extended come of the key components of last season’s terrific team: most notably Jerry Stackhouse and Devin Harris. Throw in the veteran presence of Eddie Jones, and you have a team that’s ready to right everything that went wrong during the last two playoffs.

Over in San Antonio, things are once again very ho-hum, which, for the rest of the league, is a very scary thing. The Spurs have a way of lackadaisically going about their business during the regular season, not drawing any attention to themselves, and then turning things in May and June during the playoffs. The defending champs will undoubtedly be in the thick of the championship hunt come the end of the year.

These three teams will be giving the rest of the league nightmares when thinking about their road trips through Texas.

4. The Boston Celtics: relevant again

It’s been a long time since the NBA’s most successful franchise was a team worth talking about, but this year all eyes will be on Beantown. Future hall of famers Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen have joined the team, and with Paul Pierce, the three of them will be looking to add the one piece missing from their cherished careers: an NBA championship ring. The Celtics mortgaged their future for the present, but will the risk pay dividends? And if it doesn’t, whose head will be on the chopping block?

3. The Kobe Bryant soap opera; will he be traded or won’t he? That has been the question of the off-season, ever since Bryant publicly demanded a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers in May. He has since softened on his stance, but the story rose again in recent weeks when Lakers owner Jerry Buss said that his team was willing to hear trade offers for the star. Without the distractions, Bryant is arguably the best player in the world, but with this story hanging over the team like a black cloud, one has to wonder whether Bryant has become more of a hindrance than an asset.

2. The Toronto Raptors’ defence of the Atlantic division

The Toronto Raptors are coming off one of the best season in the team’s brief history, capturing the Atlantic division crown for the first time. With its young core of Chris Bosh, TJ Ford, Jose Calderon, and Andrea Bargnani back together with a year of experience under their belts, it would be a fair assumption to say that the Raptors will be at least be slightly improved this year. They’ve also brought in Jason Kapono, last year’s best three-point shooter to keep teams from double-teaming Bosh, and Carlos Delfino, an underrated two-guard from the Detroit Pistons, who will serve as a competent backup to Anthony Parker. There are still some question marks surrounding the team — where will the rebounding come from? Was last year’s success because of head coach Sam Mitchell, or in spite of him? — But the Raptors are definitely headed in the right direction. Raptors fans are all in agreement: “In Bryan Colangelo we trust!”

1. Steve Nash’s pursuit of a championship

The window of opportunity is closing for Canada’s Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns in their quest for an NBA championship. Nash is turning 34 this season and chronic back problems have taken its toll on the superstar, so he may only hold up for another year or two. Amare Stoudemire underwent yet another knee surgery during the off-season, so who knows how much longer his athletic talents hold up. And Shawn Marion’s continues to moan about not getting enough of the limelight in Phoenix. So time is running out on this rendition of the Phoenix Suns. This year Grant Hill joins the fold to help get the Suns over the hump. Will it be enough? I think so, but 29 other teams have different ideas.





Volume 95 Issue 10	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	October 24, 2007

Home About Us Advertising Rates Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Volunteer Online Classifieds St. Vincent's Academy Diaries	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly The 2007-08 NBA season preview 10 reasons to be excited for the upcoming year Romer Bautista, Staff 10. aftermath of Donaghy’s betting scandal NBA referees will be under an even larger microscope than usual this season, after the July admission by former referee Tim Donahgy that he gambled on games in which he was an official. The trust between the fans and the referees has forever been compromised, and now everyone will scrutinize every late whistle that goes against their favourite teams, wondering if there are ulterior motives behind them. How the NBA goes about handling this situation should be very interesting. 9. Kevin Durant and the rest of the rookies The season-ending microfracture knee surgery undergone by Greg Oden has buzz-killed the rookie of the year watch. The front-runner for the award is clearly the Seattle Sonics’ Kevin Durant. With the departure of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, Durant will have every opportunity to become the man in Seattle and, with his ridiculous scoring abilities, he will make the most of those chances. Other players who look like they might have an outside shot of winning the rookie of the year award include Houston’s Luis Scola, Memphis’ Mike Conley, and Milwaukee’s Yi Jianlian. 8. More running and gunning With the success of the Phoenix Suns in the last couple of years, and the Golden State Warriors’ improbable thumping of the Dallas Mavericks, more teams have vowed to go with the run ’n’ gun game plan. The Houston Rockets have dumped defensive guru Jeff Van Gundy in favour of the up-tempo stylings of Ric Adelman; The Sacramento Kings’ new head coach Reggie Theus plans to bring the up-and-down game back to Sacramento; and with Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony on board for a second year, the Denver Nuggets will definitely be shooting in bunches. 7. The re-emergence of the Eastern Conference With the likes of Rashard Lewis, Zach Randolph, Jason Richardson, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett all heading to the east coast this year, the Eastern conference is beginning to reinstate themselves as a legitimate opposition to the West’s best teams. A testament to the conference’s new found competitiveness is that last year’s conference champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, could very well be the third-best team in this division. This might even be a year where a sub-.500 record doesn’t get you into the playoffs. 6. The West is still the best Despite the improvements made by teams in the Eastern conference, there is no question that the NBA’s top teams still play in the west. From the Dallas Mavericks, who won a league-high 67 games last season, to the consistently great Phoenix Suns, to the surprisingly well-coached Utah Jazz, last season’s Western conference runner-ups, it will be yet another all-out war to get to the NBA finals out west. Oh, and there’s also a certain team named in San Antonio that will have a say about who’s representing the Western conference in the finals. 5. Texas three-step There is no better representation of the West’s sheer wealth of talent than the three teams in the state of Texas: the Houston Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks, and the San Antonio Spurs. The Rockets look to have finally assembled a talented supporting cast to surround superstars, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Steve Francis and Mike James are back with the team, as is a rejuvenated Bonzi Wells. These players should add some scoring punch to the 17th-ranked offence last season, while still maintaining the leagues third-best defence. Emotions are still riding strong in Dallas after two consecutive playoff collapses, but the Mark Cuban and the Mavericks brass did the right thing in refusing to hit the panic button. Instead, they re-signed or extended come of the key components of last season’s terrific team: most notably Jerry Stackhouse and Devin Harris. Throw in the veteran presence of Eddie Jones, and you have a team that’s ready to right everything that went wrong during the last two playoffs. Over in San Antonio, things are once again very ho-hum, which, for the rest of the league, is a very scary thing. The Spurs have a way of lackadaisically going about their business during the regular season, not drawing any attention to themselves, and then turning things in May and June during the playoffs. The defending champs will undoubtedly be in the thick of the championship hunt come the end of the year. These three teams will be giving the rest of the league nightmares when thinking about their road trips through Texas. 4. The Boston Celtics: relevant again It’s been a long time since the NBA’s most successful franchise was a team worth talking about, but this year all eyes will be on Beantown. Future hall of famers Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen have joined the team, and with Paul Pierce, the three of them will be looking to add the one piece missing from their cherished careers: an NBA championship ring. The Celtics mortgaged their future for the present, but will the risk pay dividends? And if it doesn’t, whose head will be on the chopping block? 3. The Kobe Bryant soap opera; will he be traded or won’t he? That has been the question of the off-season, ever since Bryant publicly demanded a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers in May. He has since softened on his stance, but the story rose again in recent weeks when Lakers owner Jerry Buss said that his team was willing to hear trade offers for the star. Without the distractions, Bryant is arguably the best player in the world, but with this story hanging over the team like a black cloud, one has to wonder whether Bryant has become more of a hindrance than an asset. 2. The Toronto Raptors’ defence of the Atlantic division The Toronto Raptors are coming off one of the best season in the team’s brief history, capturing the Atlantic division crown for the first time. With its young core of Chris Bosh, TJ Ford, Jose Calderon, and Andrea Bargnani back together with a year of experience under their belts, it would be a fair assumption to say that the Raptors will be at least be slightly improved this year. They’ve also brought in Jason Kapono, last year’s best three-point shooter to keep teams from double-teaming Bosh, and Carlos Delfino, an underrated two-guard from the Detroit Pistons, who will serve as a competent backup to Anthony Parker. There are still some question marks surrounding the team — where will the rebounding come from? Was last year’s success because of head coach Sam Mitchell, or in spite of him? — But the Raptors are definitely headed in the right direction. Raptors fans are all in agreement: “In Bryan Colangelo we trust!” 1. Steve Nash’s pursuit of a championship The window of opportunity is closing for Canada’s Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns in their quest for an NBA championship. Nash is turning 34 this season and chronic back problems have taken its toll on the superstar, so he may only hold up for another year or two. Amare Stoudemire underwent yet another knee surgery during the off-season, so who knows how much longer his athletic talents hold up. And Shawn Marion’s continues to moan about not getting enough of the limelight in Phoenix. So time is running out on this rendition of the Phoenix Suns. This year Grant Hill joins the fold to help get the Suns over the hump. Will it be enough? I think so, but 29 other teams have different ideas.


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