How the West Was Lost...

We have all heard the phrase "nothing lasts forever." One thing that I thought would be constant, would be the western conference domination of the NBA regular season. For the last 8 years, the western conference has dominated the eastern conference without a doubt and has been the top-to-bottom best. No doubt it is still early in the 2008-09 NBA season, but some things that have held constant are no longer what they used to be.

The Dallas Mavericks, and San Antonio Spurs have a combined 6 wins and 12 losses. And both are currently out of the top 8 in the playoff race. I concede that the Spurs are missing Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker, but I am not totally convinced with the rest of the their roster. Recent Spurs teams have consisted of veteran players that were poised to win championships. The current roster is composed of many fringe players that have struggled to make it on an NBA roster. After watching the Mavs, it is honestly just hopeless for them. They can only hope get in the draft lottery, and pick up a point guard that is not 35 years old with 45 year old knees.

The rest of the western conference is looking very weak as well compared to last season. To end last year, the top 9 teams in the west all had a minimum of 50 wins. In the early season, the Sacramento Kings hold the 8th spot with an under .500 % record of 4-6. There has also been as reshuffling of the teams in playoff contention. The Portland Trailblazers, and Sacramento Kings have replaced the Mavericks, and Spurs atop the best in the west. Like I have already said, there is a ton of season left , but the west just does not look like the dominate conference it once was...

I Heart the Utah Jazz

When John Stockton and Karl Malone were with the Utah Jazz, I honestly could not stand to watch them play, similar to how I feel about the San Antonio Spurs right now. It was typical pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop, not too different than the sets they run now. Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful basketball in the most fundamental of ways, but something was always missing for me, or maybe it was just a loathing of Karl Malone that bothered me. Like I already mentioned, the plays have not changed that much since Stockton and Malone failed to win championships in the 1990's, the thing that has changed has been the athleticism.

The duo of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer is one of the best in the entire NBA. Williams embodies what coaches want in a NBA point guard. He passes well, he runs the offense efficiently, and he can score the ball. Even with all he brings on the offensive side of the ball, he is not a slacker on defense. Teamed with Carlos Boozer at power forward, they have the same on-court connection as Stockton/Malone but with more athleticism, more dynamic plays, and they bring a certain swagger to the game. Although undersized for a power forward at 6'8", Boozer makes up for it in girth as he weighs in at a hulking 266 lbs. The future is bright as long as these two are in the mix for the Utah Jazz.

In addittion to the two stars, Utah has some of the best sets of role players to complement what they do. On any team, you want to have clearly defined roles and the Jazz have that and each player accepts their specialized role on the team. Mehmet Okur is a knock down shooter, and teams that with the ability to take leaner players to the post. Andrei Kirilenko is the defensive stopper, and the hustle player for Utah, and he also a reliable scorer. I love the freakish athleticism of Ronnie Brewer, as you don't find many people with the springs for legs that he has. Paul Milsap in the Jazz's designated rebounder, as he always down low mixing it up for every loose ball. Kyle Korver is another dead eye shooter for the Jazz, but his defense and athleticism are underrated. The rest of the Jazz players like Ronnie Price, CJ Miles, Matt Harpring, Morris Almond, and Brevin Knight provide solid veteren play coming off of the bench.

But to be honest, one of the best things about the Utah Jazz is their cornerstone, and solid block to which the rest of the team is built around is coach Jerry Sloan. He is the longest tenured coach in professional sports at 20 years with the Jazz. His gritty, take no excuses attitude has lasted 2 decades in a era of sports where the attitude is what have you done for me lately. He is one of the coaches I respect because very little "family" stuff involving the team leaves the locker room, and he does not hesitate to discipline a player, whether you are the highest paid star, or the last man on the practice squad. He has adapted with the times, and that is a testament to his foresight, and ability to change as the league has changed. Despite never winning a championship, or even a coach of the year award, many coaches and organizations envy what he has done in Utah throughout his coaching career.

As the Utah Jazz continue to grow, and if they add a couple of the correct pieces to the team, it is highly likely that they could compete for a NBA Championship in the next 3 years. Many teams fall into that same category, but I believe Utah is one of the best run organizations in pro sports from the owner down to the ball boys/girls and will find a way to get it done and make those moves. If they don't win a championship I will still enjoy watching them play, because they play the game of basketball in its purest form.

Season Opener 2008-09

After a pretty uneventful summer as far as the NBA goes, I could feel the anxiousness approach as I sat down to watch the season opening games with the Cleveland Cavaliers v. the Boston Celtics.Of the regular questions pop into your head as to what teams will be good as usual, who will be this year's surprise winners/losers, who can stay the healthiest, and of course who will end up in NBA Finals?

As good as the talent is in the NBA right now, a lot of the previously asked questions are just too difficult to answer. The Finals question might be more clear cut in the Eastern Conference as the top 5 or 6 teams are pretty much know. But as you look at the Western Conference, it is just as hard as it has been in previous years. The good news for all the teams is that everybody starts 0-0 and everyone is in first place.

Last year in the west it was a 50 game minimum to make that playoffs, and I don't see that changing very much this year. But I do expect a few teams to drop as they have aged, roster moves, or other up and coming teams will just come up and take spots. I expect the Dallas Mavericks to drop, or even possibly miss the playoffs as I feel the hasty trades of last year will continue to hurt them for years to come. I think the San Antonio Spurs may have struggles as Manu Ginobli will be out for extended time, and the roster is just aging.

The only teams in the Western Conference that basically have no chance to make the playoffs are the Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, and possibly the Sacramento Kings. But the rest is so wide open for those that are going to step up and take the challenge. The Eastern Conference is more clear cut as Boston, Cleveland, and the Detroit Pistons should battle for the top spots. The last 2-3 team that make the playoffs in the East will be unable to make any real impact, as opposed to the West where many of the teams are evenly matched.

I have been away for a while, but since the season is back, so is my excitement. I look forward to dropping 3-5 blogs every week. This is going to be one of the greatest NBA season's we have seen, and last year will be hard to top, but the possibilities are endless.