2007-2008 NBA Season
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2007-2008 NBA Season
The 2007-08 NBA Season officially kicked off last night. Time for predictions. The Spurs, Mavs, and Suns all got better, and look to be the runaway teams yet again in the West. In the East, the Celtics could be the next decade dominators. Acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, while keeping their key role players, will see them destroy the East, hands down. They have lost, however, key players in West, Szczerbiak, Green, and Gomes. The Bobcats made a smart move in acquiring Jason Richardson, while the Hawks have their point guard of the future in Acie Law IV.
The Bulls drafted Joakim Noah, who at this point, doesn't look to put up decent fantasy numbers, but will provide an energy spark with Ben Wallace and Tyrus Thomas on defense. The Rockets re-acquired 'The Franchise' Steve Francis, although he is expected to see a bench role. One of my favourite players, Desmond Mason, found his way back home in Milwaukee, and will start in either to 2 or 3 spot. The Magic also picked up a key offensive force in Rashard Lewis, who will make a powerful tandem alongside Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. Other key pickups: Grant Hill going to the Suns, Channing Frye/Greg Oden going to the Blazers, and Kevin Durant to the Sonics.
Now, on the the matter at hand. The Toronto Raptors have again, under GM Bryan Colangelo, bettered themselves in the offseason. The loss of Morris Peterson, lifelong Raptor, great shooter and outstanding defender, is going to hurt. He went to the Hornets, where he is likely to take over the gap left by Desmond Mason. The Raps also gave up on Pape Sow, who struggled to recover after a fairly serious neck injury. They did, however, acquire former Piston Carlos Delfino, and 2007 NBA 3-Point Champion Jason Kapono from the Heat. Jamario Moon is also expected to spend some time with the team.
Once again, the Raps lack athleticism, and a solid starting centre. As of today, the starting lineup appears set: Centre will be filled in by Andrea Bargnani; Power Forward is Chris Bosh; Small Foward is Jason Kapono; Shooting Guard is Anthony Parker; and Point Guard is T.J. Ford. Jorge Garbajosa, recovering from a queasy broken leg injury last season, appears to be starting the season as a bench player, and may have to play his way back to the starting five.
My concern for the Raps this year is 2-fold: one, being how amazing the Celtics look to be, having 'The Big 3' tandem in Allen, Garnett, and Pierce. These three players worry me because they are all all-around athletes - Pierce and Allen can hit the 3, Garnett is a terrific rebounder, while Pierce and Allen rebound well as well, and all three are good at passing the ball and getting other involved. My second concern is the fact that of the Raps starting five, four are shooters; Ford, Parker, Bargnani, and Kapono. Remember when the 1-5 for the Raps consisted of Alston, Rose, Carter, Marshall, and Bosh? Shooting was no problem, but rebounding was, and that was why Lenny Wilkens couldn't get us too deep into the playoffs.
I hope Bryan Colangelo makes a good move by the deadline - nothing drastic, because this team already has the chemistry to win, and has proven so. The Raps, in my opinion, need one solid big man - a guy who will rebound, give the ball up the the point guard, and get under the net on offense. A guy like (I'm not saying him exactly) is Ben Wallace - a stellar rebounder and blocker, terrible shooter and passer, and a slow runner. He puts up lines like 5 pts, 22 rebs, 2 ast, 1 stl, 4 blks. I had also originally thought that Sam Mitchell had to go, especially after the Vince Carter ordeal (see John Gibbons and Ted Lilly). I know believe that he is the right guy; he has the passion to win, and does everything he can to make that happen. He's like Gregg Zaun in a way, I guess. Not really, but kind of.
Let's see what the 2007-08 season has in store.
