NBA 2011-2012 Preview, A-to-Z
By Jason McIntyre
A ttila the Hun. One of the most feared rulers in the history of civilization … that’s how I think the Miami Heat treat the NBA in the Big 3’s second year. 59-7 is my prediction. Dan LeBatard is going to be in full beast mode.
B lake Griffin. Phenomenal rookie year: 22.5 ppg, 12.1 rpg. For his next trick, he’ll take the Clippers to the playoffs.
C hris Paul‘s name is going to get dragged through the rumor mill dozens of times. It started this week with talk of a Rajon Rondo swap (already debunked). Will he get dealt to the Lakers? Or perhaps the Knicks? Also: Chris Paul went on Family Feud recently.
D wight Howard is going to make Orlando cry. Will he follow Shaq’s footsteps and wind up in LA? Would he be willing to play in Houston? New York state of mind? Regardless of what Howard does on the court this season (22.9 ppg, 14.1 rpg, 2.4 bpg last year), his next stop is all anyone will talk about this season.
F ree Agents can officially be signed Dec. 9th. Nene, Tyson Chandler and David West are the three guys who could a) command the biggest bucks b) make the right team a serious playoff threat. Jamal Crawford, who could provide pop off the bench for a contender, would be the next unrestricted player on my list, yes, ahead of Jason Richardson.
G ibson, Taj. Had perhaps the most impressive dunk of the 2011 postseason. The victim, Dwayne Wade, even tweeted about it. Will Gibson continue to steal minutes from Carlos Boozer?
H arrison Barnes. UNC’s star forward will go … where in the 2012 NBA Draft? Behind Anthony Davis, but also behind Austin Rivers, right? I think Barnes would be a great fit in offensively-challenged Charlotte, who I think could be good in 2013.
J immer. Has Tebow-like potential because the fans and highlight shows will love him. Fans love white guy underdogs. And yes, Tebow’s an underdog in the NFL just as Jimmer is an underdog in the NBA. Too bad there’s zero chance Fredette gets the Kings to sniff the playoffs.
K enyon Martin, J.R. Smith, Wilson Chandler and Aaron Brooks – is this quartet that went to China really going to be stuck there until March?
L akers. Can you believe Mike Brown is coaching the Lakers? He’ll be in Kobe’s pocket the way he was LeBron’s bitch. Can you imagine Mike Brown trying to tell Ron Artest Metta World Peace anything?
M ushed. It’s a funny word that blew up this summer when Michael Beasley mushed a mouthy fan at a pickup game. Most likely to mush a teammate, opposing player or ref this season? Definitely DeMarcus Cousins or Stephen Jackson.
O den, Greg. The injury-plagued former No. 1 pick who can dance and likes to party will probably be playing his last season in Portland. Let’s just hope his penis doesn’t appear on the internet this season. My alternative choice for O: Olive Garden. I can’t get enough for the Gordon Hayward tie-in.
P lashcke, Bill. Remember what the LA Times columnist wrote about Pau Gasol’s relationship and Kobe Bryant’s wife when the Lakers were swept by the Mavs? That was funny.
Q uarter, 4th, as in Lebron’s biggest weakness. He shut down Derrick Rose in the 4th quarter repeatedly in the Eastern Conference semis … then vanished in the 4th in too many games in the NBA Finals. DOES LEBRON HAVE THE KILLER INSTINCT THAT MADE JORDAN GREAT?
S uspended. Andrew Bynum will miss the first five games of the season for this WWE-elbow to the chops of JJ Barea in the Lakers’ final game of the playoffs.
T attoos. Kevin Durant took off his jersey this summer, revealing some serious business tattoos. Everyone was shocked! The ink wasn’t ugly, like AK-47s or Birdman‘s, just … surprising.
U niverse, as in Masters of the. I’m talking of course about the two Mavericks who are dating former Miss Universe contestants. What, you already forgot about Rudy Fernandez and Helen Lindes and JJ Barea and Zuleyka Rivera?
W ither Brandon Roy’s knees. A budding star just three years ago, he’s now cartilage-less in his knees, and the Blazers may cut him. They’ll always have this memorable 4th quarter last postseason.
X avier McDaniel. Singles. Seattle. Easily one of my favorite NBA players of the 90s.
Y oung Money, aka, Brandon Jennings. Fresh off his internship at Under Armour, look for the flashy point guard to rebound from a rough sophomore campaign (down in assists and 3-point shooting). He missed 19 games due to injury.
Z ach Randolph. Nobody had a better postseason than Randolph – fine, Dirk did – who helped the Grizzlies upset the Spurs in the first round and push the Thunder to 7 games in the semifinals. Randolph posted eight double-doubles in 13 games and the Grizzlies may be a darkhorse in the West this year with the return of Rudy Gay.