Five NBA Stories Begging for Coverage

Training camp is in full swing, and while that should mean I've got Hornets stuff to fill pages, I realize that Ron Hitley over at 24/7 has got most of it covered, and I think everyone should have to be exposed to his particular brand of insanity. So, although I aspire to be Ron with all my soul, I'm going to talk about something else entirely.

With a lot of the big site's previews coming out(or already out), I decided to use today's post to slam out a few thoughts about the league in general. That way I can use the post title above and not be considered a big, stupid copycat later when everyone else is pointing out the same stuff. And who knows, maybe none of the big sites will pick up on these things, and I'll be all cool and stuff.

Well, here goes:

Philadelphia 76ers - It's weird to be listing the 76ers as a team that's not getting much attention, but the 76ers have spawned only one or two articles of note all off-season. What little buzz that is out there is all centered on Andre Igoudala and his admittedly great potential. But I'm going to take a few minutes to sing the praise of the forgotten player on this team: Andre Miller. I really don't know how NBA commentators can continue to wax poetic about Allen Iverson and his incredible talent, yet forget that he was swapped for Andre Miller last year, and Andre made the 76ers better. Now, I'll admit I've had a soft spot for Andre from when he saved my Fantasy Team back when he played for the Cavaliers and led the league in assists, but this guy has been solid his whole career, posting very good PER and Win Scores year in and year out. It's a shame he's been on terrible(Cavs, Clips) or fatally flawed(Nugs) teams all his career - and if the 76ers are smart enough to keep him and add just one more significant piece to that team, he'll take them to the playoffs. So . . . I'm betting he'll be traded by their GM Billy King at the deadline for an expiring contract and a pet dolphin.

Charlotte Bobcats - Well, it appears that John Hollinger of ESPN has beat me to this, but I'm pretty impressed with the team the Bobcats have put together in Charlotte, and am predicting success for them this season. The team has a pretty solid rotation - Okafor, May, Hermann and Brezec up front with Wallace, Richardson, and Carrol at the swing positions. Felton is on a little bit of an island, with a poor backup in McInnis, but all in all, that's a solid group.(I'd like to throw in Adam Morrison into that mix, but he was NOT good last season) Richardson really was a big acquisition, and I'm expecting them to hit the playoffs.

Milwaukee Bucks - All of the stories this summer for the Bucks have been about Yi Jianlin, Yi Jianlin, Redd at the USA tournament, Charlie Bell, and then Yi Jianlin. Personally, I think the stories should be about Charlie Villanueva and Bobby Simmons. Last year, this team had a gaping hole at the forward positions, with only one player to fill them in Patterson. This year, they'll get those two guys back from injury. Now, I don't think either of them are a lot better than average players, but they'll be much more important to this teams success than Yi or Bell this season.

Memphis Grizzlies - Maybe my blogging friends over at Three Shades of Blue can tell me this, but I'm not certain who is intended to be the starting shooting guard for this team. I like the rest of this roster a lot, putting them 9th in my Western Conference Preview, but it's not obvious finding someone to fit into this slot. Mike Miller has always struck me as a small forward, Lowry and Conley are point guards, Navarro is a classic combo guard, and Jacobsen is not the answer. That leaves Terrence Kinsey - and he's my story for the Grizzlies. He was remarkable at the end of last year, but he makes Reggie Miller look fat, and his offensive game is far from complete. If(and this is a big if) he can bring that same intense defensive energy he had last season, eat a few cheeseburgers, and be more consistent on the offensive end, maybe the Grizz will have a breakout player similar to last year's Kevin Martin in Sacramento.

Phoenix Suns - Yeah, yeah, I know. They always get a ton of coverage, the sexy, fast-paced, MVP-wielding Suns blah blah blah. But behind all the stories about their wonderful offense, Amare's knee, Shawn Marion's unhappiness, the "unfair" playoffs last year, and all the draft picks being sold by the front office, there is something that doesn't get brought up nearly enough. This team is kiddie-pool shallow. Check that, it's Paris Hilton shallow. Take a look at this roster and count the legitimate NBA players. Barbosa, Bell, Diaw, Hill, Marion, Nash, Stoudamire. That's it. Most coaches want a base 8 man rotation, with two other guys who won't kill the team. D'Antoni gets 7. It's crazy - and at some point this season, I guarantee the team is going to pay for it. I dropped them to 4th in my Western Conference Preview, and the longer I think about it, the more I wished I had dropped them further.


Tomorrow, I intend to do 5 more stories that no one is covering(on the Clippers, Magic, Jazz, Blazers and Pacers), so if you only care about the Hornets, don't come back tomorrow. Er, wait - come back tomorrow anyways, I'm fun to read, right? Right?

Anyways, I've also got 5 stories about the Hornets that no one is talking about coming in two days, so we'll be back to your regular Hornets programming then.