The 2011-12 NBA season is upon us! Training camp starts in two days, so does free agency and the whirlwind of news is just beginning. Art tho ready? Here’s five storylines worth keeping an eye on.
Mark Jackson, Jerry West and the new construction of the Warriors organization. The Warriors are bringing in people that want to win. No longer is it about staying under the cap, just making a profit or selling off quality players. It’s about winning. That’s an exciting philosophy, this year we’ll see how they put it into action. They already have a solid young core, how will they try and build on that? Tons of trades aren’t the answer. The answer lies more heavily in practice, time allowing for improvement and free agency. Guys will be attracted to this type of organization. Why? Now they care about wins.
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Mike Brown and the Lakers (that’s their name right?). How will this team play? Will it be as terrible as Cleveland in LBJ’s days? How will Mike Brown and Kobe interact? Will they be hand in hand or will it be hand and Kobe’s head down? Can an offense that’s more traditional help this team? Will this team make major roster changes, or stay put? These are what to look for this year. The transition will be tough, but either way, as currently constructed, this is a talented squad.
Those stars that could be uhh… traded! Is Dwight leaving? Is CP3 packing his bags? Is Deron Williams going to live in Turkey for life now (I’ve got an unnamed source who totally tweeted that..)? Will Dwight and CP3 both go to the Lakers? Is some crazy, far fetched thing going to occur? Yes, hyping of player movement will be ever strong this year. While it’s a distraction that gets away from real basketball, it happens more and more, and this year will be no different. Let’s hope what’s happening on the court is number one and this stays secondary.
The Celtics last run at a ring. This is the last year the big three will be going after it. Can they do it? Does Ainge blow things up with another deal? Can Rondo stay healthy and propel this team? Are they too old, or can they still get it done? Is AARP affiliated with the team? They’ve still got fuel in the tank, no doubts about it. Can they win it? That’s all Boston cares about and rightfully so.
Kevin McHale and the Rockets. Kevin McHale is the new leader of the Rockets, who are poised to rebuild now with Yao retired. It’s time for them to retool their frontline and create a true identity. With McHale at the helm, the team will be a defense first team and they’ll run on offense. Similar to what Mark Jackson will emphasize in Golden State. Important for Rockets fans and observers to remember is that McHale is a big man. He’ll want to specifically mentor and focus on developing the Rockets bigs. A significant part of their attack will be inside. Whether or not they have great bigs, McHale will want them getting rough down low. McHale said in an interview he wants this team to make the playoffs. I wanna see that, but I don’t want the fight they had under Rick Adelman to go away. So long as that stays, this team will live up to expectations.