In L.A., They Don't Walk, They Drive

Five games into the 2012-13 season, the landscape of basketball in Los Angeles changed dramatically as Mike Brown was relieved of his coaching duties by the Laker organization. That appears to be a very polite way of saying Mike Brown got canned. The Laker PR department seems dead set on saying that this drastic, yet likely overdue, coaching change had more to do with scrapping the ill-fated Princeton Offense incarnation rather than a change in overall team philosophy. However, the move and Kobe's stares-of-death speak for themselves. Mike Brown had clearly lost the locker room and a team built to win immediately was floundering. Rather than wait out a losing hand, Jim Buss, Mitch Kupchak, and the rest of the Laker brass have decided to move onward and hopefully upward with one of the most polarizing figures in professional basketball today, offensive specialist and former Knicks and Suns coach, Mike D'Antoni.


The lack of Phil Jackson's all-too-familiar Zen on the sideline at Staples is certainly worth mentioning and questioning to an extent. Offering the keys to a classic car to an upstart valet known for driving fast and forgetting where and what the brakes are after passing up a game-tested chauffeur who has successfully navigated the road to victory eleven times is going to raise some eyebrows. The fact is, we'll never really know the semantics and vibe of the meeting with Phil Jackson; whether Jim Buss' ego got the better of him in wanting to prove the Lakers could win without Jackson, whether the Lakers assumed Jackson's eventual asking price and anticipated exceptions regarding his involvement in travel, practice time, and basketball operations would be too great of a price to pay for a championship still in doubt. Perhaps, the Lakers truly felt Jackson's Triangle really would mirror the failed Princeton method a bit too much and limit the production of the aged, but still kicking, Steve Nash. This last scenario is unlikely, but bear in mind, none of those Phil Jackson championship squads are known for their dynamic point guards. Regardless, Laker fans got the change they wanted so badly and writing about the coach that could have been seems as foolish writing about why the dish ran away with the spoon and left the fork behind with the salad bowl. With that said, very legitimate questions remain regarding D'Antoni's ability to lead the Lakers to more than flashy regular season wins.

Mike D'Antoni's success seems to go hand in hand with a high rate of play and a versetile point guard who can break down defenses early in the shot clock. Whether or not Steve Nash can sustain that kind of play for extended minutes over the course of the season is a major concern. However, let's not underestimate Mike D'Antoni's ability to adapt to his personnel. You don't get to be a part of the coaching staff of Olympic basketball teams by being a one-trick-pony. D'Antoni will likely do away with the seven second shot clock that made him infamous entirely and trust his nearly patented ball movement and spacing to do its work at its own pace. While Nash's age is a concern and Steve Blake isn't an ideal back-up for a point guard centric system, no longer will Steve Nash have to drag an otherwise mediocre team up the floor every possession and a freer offense should allow Kobe, Pau, and Dwight Howard to have their chance to shoulder the load respectively in spurts. Nash's minutes will likely decrease, but provided he can get and stay healthy, his contribution should be invaluable.

The lack of defense preached by Mike D'Antoni also brings skepticism in the L.A. coaching change. The Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks never had it in philosophy or personnel (not including the lockout season when the Knicks had Tyson Chandler). This severity of this flaw was made all the more apparent when the Boston Celtics blanked the Knicks in the playoffs of 2011. However, as much as Mike D'Antoni is responsible for sleeping in the bed he and James Dolan made, part of the reason for his semi-bitter exit from New York had to do with the players he was coaching not being motivated enough to commit to defense and do what it takes to win. Perhaps that is harsh criticism, but Melo and Amare's track records speak for themselves in that regard. This Laker squad recognizes that time is of the essence and has Kobe Bryant, a man who went to train with "The Dream" after winning a championship and whose motivation and effort speaks for itself. The Lakers have two-time defensive player of the year, Dwight Howard in the middle and, while not the player he used to be in both name and trade, World Peace's defensive talents should not be underestimated when he's focused. Quick shots and long shots can lead to run outs for Laker opponents, but  it also leaves room for offensive rebounding, which Howard and Gasol should do quite well to say the least. This team won't suddenly be tops in the league in defense (a stat ironically held by the Knicks), but D'Antoni arguably has at last found that happy medium between having a potent offensive team and sacrificing defense altogether.

Mike D'Antoni's New York stock was at it's lowest was when Anthony, a isolation and shoot first player was thrust into the point-forward position and basically put himself on an island on a nightly basis. The only glimmer of hope for D'Antoni and the Knicks was a month long fad when they placed their hopes and dreams in the hands of a dynamic, and indeed, average point guard, Jeremy Lin, who, to his credit, performed and got a heck of a pay day out of the deal.  D'Antoni needs distributors on the floor to be successful. Something the Knicks didn't have; something the Lakers do, at more positions than the point.

Questions seem to circle around whether or not Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol will have their numbers negatively impacted by not being able to post up in a lane that until proven otherwise, D'Antoni uses as a freeway for slashers and rollers. As refined as Pau's outside stroke is, you don't want to negate his size and turn him into a glorified jump shooter and Dwight Howard should never have the ball for any meaningful amount of time outside the paint. Bear in mind, though that these two will continue to do the dirty work down low, just on flashes and pick and rolls. We're not looking at a drive and kick offense a la Phoenix anymore, we're looking at a pick an roll based offense where two of the best bigs in the game will be heading to the rim. If teams overplay it, Pau hits the 15-footer all day. If not, I'd hate to see the guy get in the way of Howard after getting a pocket pass from Nash and a head of steam. If anything, this should finally give us a look at the Laker team the fans expected all along. Pau Gasol's ability as a passer should also add multiple new wrinkles to this offense's flexibility. By the way, Kobe Bryant will be on the court, too, and have the space to do what he still does so well after 17 seasons. The nature in which the Laker bigs get their touches will change, but not their numbers.  The lack of shooters and depth on this team is perhaps the only legitamate concern for this squad, but picking up a shooter is a trade deadline move away (unless Meeks wants the job) and depth was a concern with or without D'Antoni.

Mike D'Antoni faces an uphill battle in Los Angeles and will have to buck a lot of old habits in order to silence critics and lead this Laker team to a title. D'Antoni will have to prove there's a little more to his coaching method than shoot first look at film later, but he and the Laker organization certainly have the tools to prove both he and this team were not brought together in vain. One thing is for sure, Laker players and fans alike seem excited about what this season will hold which, coming off of the Mike Brown era, has to be considered half the battle.

Pacific Specifics

A title much easier to read than say beckons me to share my thoughts on the season outlook for NBA teams in the Pacific Division.

Los Angeles Lakers: To get the obvious out of the way: The Lakers have improved a great deal this offseason and will certainly be legitimate contenders for the Larry O'Brien trophy, as they continue to prove that the draft is for squares. The one thing I will say that may raise some eyebrows is that I don't think Dwight Howard's acquisition has all that much to do with it. Dwight's an absolute talent on both ends of the floor by virtue of his size and athleticism alone. Couple those attributes with decent hook shot and work-in-progress Duncan-esque bank shot he's trying to cultivate and you have a man who's going to improve any team for which he suits up, to put it mildly. I only mean to point out that Lakers have traded, much to the euphoria of Sixer fans, the only center in the NBA whose name can justifiably be said in the same sentence as Dwight Howard in Andrew Bynum.(Unless that sentence is: Unlike Sammy Dalembert, Dwight Howard prefers to dwell in the paint.) Simply put, having a big man in the middle was never a problem in Los Angeles and I feel the Lakers' imminent success has a lot more to do with other new Lakers joining Dwight and the perennial Kobe in purple and gold.

For the record, I do think Howard is a better fit for the Lakers than Bynum was, which is saying something. Dwight runs the floor a bit better and will likely mesh more with the Princeton offense. Dwight's touches, should he be content with them, should come from boards and he should see plenty touches on pick and roll plays from a man who seems to define it for a generation; Steve Nash. Bynum likely is the better scorer at the position, but a team as suddenly deep as the Lake-show should fare just fine with Dwight down low. It's fair to at least wonder if Dwight will be reticently resistant to being the third or fourth option offensively (Kobe, Pau, Nash himself?), but winning can be the best panacea for those kinds of issues, and the Lakers will be doing a lot of that.

Steve Nash's pedigree speaks for itself, quite frankly. A genuine floor general with still some gas in the tank at the helm of a veritable all star team. After years of clawing an otherwise pretty pedestrian team into contention with some help from Amare Stoudemire, he will have more weapons than he'll know what to do with in L.A. Visions of his pick and roll with Dwight, pick and pop with Pau, and just plain playing with Kobe is hard not to salivate over. The talent around Nash alone will lighten his load and with his court vision and scoring ability in his own right, he, in turn, takes pressure off his teammates (Pau should flourish with someone getting him his shots in his spots. In addition, the Lakers still have whom I consider one of the better back up points in the league in Steve Blake.

Antawn Jamison received a measure of vindication after putting in his time as a lone vet on a rough Cavs squad. Dan Gilbert likely had high hopes of Jamison finally being the Robin that (Batman) LeBron James never had. Obviously that never came to pass. Jamison showed class in playing hard night after night and will now have the best chance of his career to capture a ring. Jordan Hill and Jodie Meeks have proven that while inconsistent, they can contribute to a team with the right guidance and much success will depend on World Peace's mindset and conditioning, but Kobe has some pieces around him that should help lighten his load and unlike the past couple of seasons, the Lakers have a true bench and point guard. Should Kobe trust his teammates enough to take some of that burden off him (and he clearly has a habit of rising to the occasion and making writers who question him look pretty foolish), he should be able to lead his new teammates down Hollywood's Redemption Road towards a championship.

Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers have once again proven that they're no longer content with being perceived as the little brothers of the Staples Center and have had a solid off season in their own right.With the acquisitions of Lamar Odom and Jamal Crawford, LOB City should prove to have more dimensions to it than highlight dunks. Blake Griffin must prove a similar point if he wishes to show that he's up to the task of being the future of this team. His hard work is evident, as he showed flashes of a fifteen foot jumper and some post moves, but as of this writing he's still very much the raw, hard working, super athlete who jumped over a car and turned "Mozgov" into a verb, rather than a basketball player. Griffin has yet to even approach his ceiling and potential as a player, so don't read into this as too harsh of a critique, but there's no denying that his game has yet to reach the level of his vertical leap.

Blake Griffin did his part in turning Clipper culture from miserable to hopeful and Chris Paul turned hopeful into prideful. Chris Paul has led by example and injected toughness and winning expectations into a once lost franchise. Never was this never-say-die attitude more evident than during the Clips' unprecedented Game 1 comeback against the Grizzlies this past postseason. The new chip-on-our-shoulder attitude seems to run deep as they appear to have a roster filled with blue collar bad boys (using that term loosely) Matt Barnes, DeAndre Jordan, Caron Butler, and potentially Kenyon Martin to help continue the mental makeover. Grant Hill and Billups' veteran leadership should work wonders with the youth in the lockeroom, and time will tell just much those two can contribute on the floor.

Crawford should fill the scoring void left by Nick Young's absence exceptionally and you'd have to believe that Lamar Odom can only improve upon a failed season in Dallas as he once again calls Los Angeles home. You can't overstate the importance of the role Mo Williams played as the unsung backup last season. His absence puts more pressure on Billups to be healthy, Bledsoe to develop, and Crawford to run an offense when CP3 is catching a rare blow. Other than that I see the Clips team that appears to be growing into itself right on schedule and will look to advance at least one round deeper into the playoffs this time around.

Golden State Warriors: With the movement of Monta Ellis and Dorell Wright, the final remnants of Nellie ball appear to be behind us. The true Mark Jackson era has officially begun in Oakland, and as expected there's a lot of impetus on molding youth from scratch. The status of this team is a relative question mark because, quite frankly, so many of these players are largely unknown. Brandon Rush, Jarrett Jack, and Charles Jenkins have performed nicely in complimentary roles, but more will surely be asked of them this season on this team than there ever has been before. Klay Thompson will look to build off a solid season while Carl Landry will seek to prove that his issues with Monty Williams were an isolated incident and he's ready to commit to playing hard on both ends of the court. The Warriors have high hopes for Harrison Barnes and his ability to do a little bit of everything on the floor and there's a tremendous cast of vets to guide him along the way.

David Lee is a double double machine and Richard Jefferson is another jack of all trades type that any team would love to have. The major concerns surrounding this team has to do with the fact that they seem to have invested a lot of their potential in some very injury prone guys. When healthy, Andrew Bogut is as good as any center in the league. I realize the implications of that statement and stick by it. Andris Biedrins is a nice reserve big man and looked like a future all star when the Warriors were thumping the top seeded Mavs in 2007 (the last time he was healthy), but he hasn't been the same since. In addition, the man worthy of being the face of this franchise, Steph Curry, is always one ankle tweak away from sitting out half the season. Couple these rather ominous "what ifs" with the fact that we're not entirely sure how Mark Jackson will use all of these pieces even if he has them all at his disposal and we're left with yet another rebuilding season for the Warriors, with flashes of brilliance and high hopes for next year. Here's hoping that they stay healthy enough for the outlook to be that bright.

Sacramento Kings: On paper, these guys don't look half bad. A lot of young up and comers with nothing but upside ready to ruffle some feathers amongst the West's elite. The only problem is, this game isn't played on paper, and on the basketball court this team has a lot of issues. The ebb and flow of DeMarcus Cousins' maturity aside, this team is full of players who need the ball to be successful and no one who wants to share it. This team had all but tuned out Paul Westphal, so there's something to be said for Keith Smart having his first full season as head coach, but there's a real log jam of score first guards on that team which the addition of Aaron Brooks doesn't help and Thomas Robinson walks into a program where the inside touches will likely be made by Cousins and Jason Thompson. The bottom line is that a lineup of Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, Aaron Brooks, and Marcus Thornton looks great on a fantasy team, but likely won't translate to real wins in the competitive West.

Phoenix Suns: If you'll excuse the obvious word play, as one sun sets another one rises. Steve Nash leaves the Valley of the Sun, but Alvin Gentry and management have done a tremendous job of ensuring that this team won't quietly fade off into the... well you get the idea. Former reserve Goran Dragic returns to Phoenix after cutting his teeth in Houston and after excelling in Houston, should be able to acclimate well to being the point man in Phoenix. The Suns have shown they have no real intentions of slowing the pace of play by signing swing man forward, Michael Beasley, who should rebound from an off year in Minnesota within a less stringent offense. For a time, Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat seemed to be the lone bright spots in Phoenix (excluding Nash, of course) they should continue to perform. I'm sure the Suns would prefer to have Eric Gordon rather than Shannon Brown in their back court, but the potential for Telfair, Wes Johnson, and Shannon Brown to improve is present and worth mentioning. The signings of Scola and O'Neal are eyebrow raising, and you have to wonder if they can keep up with the rate of play. I think you have to wonder if Jermaine O'Neal has anything to give period, quite frankly. Scola struggled last season under McHale and failed to contribute consistently in any facet of the game. You have to wonder how he'll fare under Gentry. Maybe the organization sees him a safety valve in half court sets, a la Elton Brand in his first years in Philly, but we all know how that looked for a while there. The post Steve Nash era will have it's rough spots, but it's definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Game of Thrones

Before you get too excited by the title of this article, I feel obliged to let you know that I've only seen the show once and was pretty darn confused by what was going on. I do know that in the middle of the episode a midget was walloped in the head with a mallet of some kind and wound up dozing through an entire battle. A bit sophomoric, I admit, but I'd be lying if said I didn't think it was really a very humorous moment. Anyway, from what I gathered, the show is all about four or five kingdoms fighting over control of the world, or at least a good chunk of it's land. While I suppose the concept of this show can serve as an allegory for not only the NBA, but professional sports as a whole, I'm going to zoom in my lens of a analysis a bit and focus on the in flux basketball hierarchy in the state of California.

California is no stranger to tectonic shifts of both the literal and metaphorical kind, and already I'm sure you've been preached to ad nauseum about the positives of Chris Paul's addition to the Clip-show and what it means in relation to the transitioning Lakers, who in the wake of the acquisition of CP3 have lost some of their luster and look a bit more like slowtime than showtime by comparison. And while an article focusing on a "Battle of Los Angeles" is about as catchy as can be and lends itself to the rarely used "Rage Against The Machine Pun Collection" (it exists), I urge you, in this shortened season, to take a closer look at L.A.'s California counterparts in Golden State and Sacramento, whose franchises may also be on the rise.

As if on cue, the hands of fate have seen fit to grant this article the backdrop of back to back overtime loses for the Heat to two of the very teams I'm to discuss. I'm not a fan of admitting this, but a team's performance against a complete Heat squad is about as good of a litmus test for success and heart as there is at this point in the season and thus far, California has yet to disappoint.

I'll start with the Clippers. Honestly, there's not much to tell you that you probably don't already know. Chris Paul, as he would anywhere in the league, makes all the difference in the world. The man is responsible for the birth of LOB City. (Worse nicknames have stuck, but let's see them in the playoffs before we start doing backflips of exuberance.) A war-tested floor general with some of the best vision the league has to offer, arguably second only to Kobe Bryant and maybe Wade in his ability to take over a game on both ends of the floor at the drop of a hat without becoming reckless. (Before I get arguing tweets, Durant is right there when Westbrook gives him a chance, Dwight's just barely not on that level, and Dirk and 'Melo don't do it on defense.)

Paul's Punnett square has long proven to bear this trait that appears, in time, to have become recessive (science metaphor created with the indirect assistance of LeBron James) and he demonstrated biology at work most recently against the Heat as he willed his team to victory despite a pretty poor showing by Blake Griffin.

Let's be honest, though, a poor showing by Griffin is better than the best game of some players' lives. Griffin is still a phenom, so take this opinion with a grain of salt, but he's had a really hard time this year handling latent double teams in the post. Unless shots have been created for him on the break or in the half-court, he has been struggling with his decision making in the post, forcing shots, turning the ball over, settling for jumpers and not kicking the ball out when he should. The presence of Paul and the sudden presence of a supporting cast long since absent have prevented this squad from taking a very minute, yet important, step back in my opinion.

Caron Butler seems healthy this season and is flourishing as the third option on that team. His All-Star abilities are often overshadowed by the success of his own teamates, but the importance of Butler's injection of "Tuff Juice" into this franchise cannot be overstated. Mo Williams has acclimated nicely to his bench role, and Billups fills the multi-purpose 2 position well, so far. The Clippers suddenly find themselves very deep at the guard position. Bear in mind that young upstart, Eric Bledsoe, has yet to play a second this year. The Clippers have some pieces that can maybe be used to pick up a back up big man for DeAndre Jordan, but even if they don't, having so many heady guards on the same squad can only be an asset.

The Lakers are different. I suppose the jury is still out regarding how positive these changes are, but you can't help but be intrigued by the new style and glimpses of greatness that this team displays more often then not. I feel like I've mentioned Mike Brown's attention to defense often enough in these articles to skip mentioning it, so take that for granted. As a result of swapping the power of zen for the power of meticulous hard work, we see a Laker team that is grittier than any Laker squad I've ever seen. Barnes, Murphy, World Peace (*sigh*), and McRoberts are players whose blue collars at one time seemed to clash with the purple and gold, but now these players provide a hard-nosed toughness under Mike Brown not apparent in past incarnations of perhaps the most decorated franchise in league history. Just to be clear, I'm not saying the Lakers weren't tough, I'm just saying they resemble the bad boy Pistons of lore more so than the smooth, flashy game commonly associated with Laker-ball.

Offensively, Kobe's getting 30 points per game and recently wound back the clock for 48 against the Suns, whose defense is not as poor as it used to be. Maybe the amount of shots he's hoisting to get these numbers is a little disconcerting. And news of pain killing injections constantly being pumped into his wrist has to be a bit of a red flag and make you wonder just how long he can keep up his level of play, but Kobe is Kobe. He'll go until they drag him off the court and the system appears to get him the ball in the post easier than the triangle did, so until proven otherwise, I consider Kobe's 32-year-old glass of Gatorade half full.

Bynum has been an absolute monster since his return from suspension and he appears to be raising his already solid game to another level under this more traditional offense. Pau Gasol's versatility as a big now becomes a nice change of pace for the otherwise unrefined Lakers and he continues to be an integral cog in the the Laker machine. Steve Blake's minutes compared to Fisher's will be interesting to monitor as the season unfolds.

The Lakers have a new chip on their shoulder and it will be interesting to see if the new blend of glitz and muscle will pay dividends come playoff time. If World Peace resolves to stop shooting threes entirely, I'd say they have a shot.

The Warriors appear to have fully recovered from the hangover of Nellie-ball and have a new attention to defense under first-time head coach, Mark Jackson. The Warriors have had their share of growing pains, but players seemed to have committed fully to Mark Jackson's vision and have shown flashes of true promise.

The pieces there are strong. Ellis and Lee are two of the most underrated at their respective positions and, more importantly, these players seem to be fully invested in Mark Jackson and vice versa. Jackson's deep rotation reminds of how Rick Adleman gets the most out of what's put in front of him. This team has no quit and Jackson wants to give everyone on his bench a role. He just may have the skills to do it. As a former player, Jackson seems to have a horse whisperer type of presence in the locker room and some real camaraderie appears to be forming in Oakland. If Jackson can get this squad running on all cylinders consistently and injuries under control, look out league.

My only issue with Jackson is that he's been quoted several times as saying the Warriors are a "random" offensive team. While having that kind of trust in your players to "just play" is admirable, I wouldn't mind, as a fan, a bit more of a formal system. With that said, a "random" offense is the kind of set in which Nate Robinson can thrive, which may prove important if Curry shuts down his ailing ankles for any extended period of time, and they seem to know to run through Monta through crunch time. The Warriors are a gang of lost boys who appear to have found their Peter Pan (without the tights) and in the long term have a chance to spoil the dreams of some contenders this season.

The Kings have cut ties with unpopular Paul Westphal and his crazy rotations and seemingly appeased a frustrated Cousins. Keith Smart is not a long term answer to coaching woes, and no one on this team passes the rock. But on paper, the talent and potential of this team can't be denied, from Evans and Thornton all the way down to the young rookie, Isiah Thomas. Fixing this team's woes may be as simple as teaching the players to share. That won't happen overnight, but winning their first game under Smart in dramatic fashion with an excited bench and fans alike has to be a good sign. Look for subtle improvements for the Kings this year. Perhaps the return of the master of the little things, Chuck Hayes, will spark a change in Sac-town's mindset. Whether it was his fault or not, Westphal screwed up the King's book. Keith Smart brings about a new chapter and a chance for these young princes to get on the same page and live up to their "Kings" moniker.

In California, we're witnessing a game of thrones, indeed. Perhaps the path to ascension is more up for grabs than it appears.

Traveling Violation: The Implications of a Darwinian NBA

Back in 2008, I had the amazing opportunity to make the trip to the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts and watch the Celtics and Lakers renew their rivalry (then for the first time in decades) on the grand stage of the NBA Finals. I have a lot of memories from that day that I’m sure I’ll never forget:

1. Having a legitimate conversation with Magic Johnson and lying by saying I played high school ball because I sincerely doubted he’d care to hear about the fact that I chose musical theatre instead and my reasons for doing so.

2. Sitting behind Trevor Ariza on the team bus and wanting nothing more than to say I wish
he was still a Knick. Present company made that statement a little inappropriate.

3. DJ Mbenga… Enough said.

4. Donovan McNabb’s atrocious-looking red sweater vest.

5. The awesome Laker-Celtic highlight reel accompanied by Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight.”

And plenty of other little moments that would be worth an article in itself and, of course, the actual game.

Something else occurred to me that night and I admit it didn’t feel as profound to me back then as it does now, but as Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant acknowledged each other at center court it dawned on me that both Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant had been on the Celtics and Lakers,
respectively, for their entire careers and, incidentally, my whole life.

Despite the similarity of playing their entire careers for one team, Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant’s individual back stories heading into that series could not be more different. Kobe’s character
was often questioned in the sense that he was, at times, viewed as a self-centered hot dog, whose ability to emotionally and mentally lead a team and raise others to his level of, let's face it, greatness was in doubt. Kobe was a proven winner who, while yet to win a title without Shaq, never had his heart, guts, and individual abilities questioned.

Paul Pierce had very good years with the Celtics and had nice run of playoff pushes with Antoine Walker throughout the early 2000s. The Celtics never quite got over the hump and as the once proud Boston franchise tried and failed to rebuild around him, the team’s winning percentage suffered and Pierce bore the brunt of that burden as some of the Celtic faithful unfairly doubted his heart and desire to win and, in some cases, called for his release via trade or head via guillotine.

However, in the summer of 2008, none of that seemed to matter. For both men that season was a journey towards vindication as each player picked up some All-Star (Pau; Allen, KG) help and were rewriting their legacies as I sat there counting the banners in rafters; nearly all of them from the old Boston Garden.

Such a revelation was worth note back then and in my mind its significance has only been magnified since. As I look at the league today, I see Darwin’s “Survival of the Fittest” theory come to the wide world of sports. With the advent of these new Super Teams in Miami and New York, it seems to be the new fad amongst the NBA's elite to unite in your favorite metropolitan area and gang up on everybody else. Now, this really is not the end of the world. I wrote an article last year about how the small market “little engine that could” teams will always find ways to be relevant and a thorn in the side in these luxury tax welcoming Goliaths and I definitely stick by that statement, but a couple of things have changed since I wrote that article that may change the game forever.

While I’m not 100 percent sure, I feel pretty confident in saying that no longer are current teams with free agents able to offer their current players more money than their other suitors. That is to say that (hypothetically) no longer can the Mavs offer Caron Butler more than any other team in the league. The cap on what amount suitors can offer Caron no longer exists. Therefore it’s a free-for-all as to who can offer Caron the best deal and from Caron’s perspective there is no longer a monetary incentive for Caron to sign an extension, mid-season or otherwise, so it’s in his best interest as a professional and businessman to wait until his contract expires to hear multiple offers from whatever teams are interested in him.

Now, Dallas is arguably a championship contender, so maybe Caron is inclined to stay there anyway and he may not be the best example. But apply that same situation to Brandon Jennings and Kevin Martin and you can see why and how many players would wind up changing their scenery and joining and/or forming and makeshift All-Star team and instant title contender.

League owners are wise to this and don’t want to end up hanging in the breeze waiting for their particular superstar to decide to stick with, or ditch them. Owners are now being proactive and seeking to eliminate the possibility of winding up with nothing by trading these stars to other teams to ensure at least some sort of return on their investment, even if it’s not the All-Star himself. Hence, all this madness (compelling, but madness) regarding the future homes for 2012 free agents Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. Even if a player is leaning towards staying with one franchise, there’s a chance that the team’s owner ship won’t take the risk and ship him out, just to be safe. These factors are creating a future NBA with players more mobile than at any other point in league history.

Simply put, get used to the Super Team trend and be careful whose jersey you buy as a result. The league is evolving and while I’m not ruling quality basketball coming from small market teams, franchise players may indeed be even more of an endangered species than they were before. Players will graze where grass is greener and so as not to be left with no lawn at all, NBA owners will help them slide under the fence.

With all that said, I’m sure there will be exceptions to this rule throughout history and already I find it hard to believe that Dwayne Wade or Dirk Nowitzki will ever leave Dallas and Miami,
but nonetheless the game is changing and both the mindsets of the players and owners are adjusting, potentially at the expense of career franchise players.

In hindsight, Bryant and Pierce’s nod at center court ran deeper than Paul acknowledging Kobe and vice versa. These future Hall of Famers seemed to be paying an homage not only to each other, but to their franchises they represented which after 19 long years had finally come
full circle to revitalize something that albeit unspoken, was perennial in the first place. In that moment Paul and Kobe embodied the NBA’s fabled past not only through the jersey’s they wore that night, but the route which they took to get to get there. It was "The Truth" versus "The Show". The same as it ever was. The same as it always will be.

The CBA makes me wonder if such a moment will ever happen again.

Booth To The Huddle: Manifest Destiny in the West

The following is my analysis of new coaches in the Western Conference.

Mike Brown (L.A. Lakers): Let's get it out of the way. It is a near impossible feat to step into the great Phil Jackson's shoes and fill them overnight. Phil leaving was his choice, not the organization's. Too much criticism for the Brown hiring is unwarranted. I don't think there was any hiring to be made that wouldn't be met with similar skepticism. Adleman and Larry Brown come to mind as possibilities, but even then, none of those coaches have the zen of ten to prove worthy of tenure.

Think about what Mike Brown walks into. He sets up shop in one of the biggest cities in America surrounded by glitz, glamour, smog, and people who expect as much perfection on the basketball court as they do from their hairstylist. Surely I'm generalizing, but the prevailing attitude is relevant. Brown is inheriting a championship worthy team filled with players who, while not in the twilight of their careers, are certainly not as young as they used to be. This is also a squad that in spite of a semi-ironic name change clearly has its issues off the court regarding chemistry and Lord knows what else. Not being caught up on gossip rags and reality television, I'm not the guy to tell you that aspect of the game. Brown certainly does have his hands full. With that said, he's also walking into a place where Kobe Bryant is your starting 2 guard, Andrew Bynum and Matt Barnes fix to be healthy, Mr. Peace steps out of the beguiling triangle, Shannon Brown improves every year, and two of the most versatile bigs in the league, Gasol and Odom, are still in the tail ends of their respective primes. I feel pretty safe saying Brown's glass is half full.

Regarding this team's window closing, I personally don't get the debate. Kobe is noticeably showing the effects of his years on the grind for the first time I can remember, but he's still Kobe, and I challenge you to drop him out of the ten best players in the league this season (15, maybe). D. Fish may well be over the hill, but Steve Blake is backing him up. Everyone else of championship importance, excluding Bynum, may not be a spring chicken, but if the Spurs can keep in going for as long as they have, and the Celtics can be favored in the East before that regrettable trade, I think we're at least two seasons away from this being a true discussion.

Regarding Brown as a coach, I think this past year's playoff run by the Heat shows us that the success of the Cavs had a little more to do with Mike Brown than one might have initially thought. LeBron certainly makes all the difference, but to have the best record in the East two years in a row and a Finals visit with LeBron and relative nobodies as of now trumps a star-studded Heat team coming off a Finals loss that in hindsight wasn't as close as it felt in the moment.

Brown's teams always hung their hat on defense and rebounding hard. Of course, a lot of that had to do with LeBron having next to no jumper early in his career, but nonetheless, Brown loves the little things, and after being destroyed almost single handedly by JJ Barea this past May, perhaps a dose of the little things is just what Dr. Buss ordered. I am curious to see what happens on offense. So much of what happened in Cleveland was LeBron dominating the ball, driving and dishing to West, Gibson, and the great Donyell Marshall. The Lakers will need more formal sets and ball movement to properly utilize their wealth of talent.

Mike Brown is not Phil Jackson, but he is Mike Brown, and Phil Jackson did just get dismantled by the title-bound Mavs. Until proven otherwise, Brown may have the tools to hold a metaphorical mirror up to this Lakers squad and get the Lake-show back on track before the title window closes for the foreseeable future.

Mark Jackson (Golden State): Let's be honest, when it comes to catchy mantras, Mark Jackson is second to none. However, I question how the 2-3 zone known as "hand down, man down" will translate to the sidelines. Now, I tend to think that anything that steps away permanently from Nellie-ball is a step in the right direction, but here is a man with absolutely no coaching experience to his name. Definitely a risky pick for the Bay Area. With that said, you don't get to be third all-time in assists without knowing a bit more than catchphrases.

The point guard truly runs the team and is, in a sense, responsible for knowing everyone else's role as a position and individual so that you can get your teammates the ball where they and the consequent team can be successful. As fun and admittedly easy it can be to make fun of Mark Jackson, the St. John's alum is no dummy. With a re energized Monta Ellis, a presumably healthy Steph Curry, Dorrel Wright's breakout season, and a ton of youth around him, perhaps Jackson can grow into coaching as his squad grows into playing. If he can get David Lee to be the 20-15)player he's capable of being, the Warriors may well have picked up the steal of the coaching market. Mama, there goes that coach.

Kevin McHale (Houston): A solemn moment of silence for McHale's announcing career. There are a couple commentators a really enjoy, but his honesty, analysis, and levity in his work made him by far my favorite analyst. It was great to have a guy who knew at heart that it was just a game and still managed to be insightful and intelligent. I'll miss him this season, assuming we play it. Houston is not an easy place to roll into as they come off a fire sale of most anyone of value this past year and Yao calls it quits. Former Suns backup, Dragic, has some promise, and they still have the human army knife, Luis Scola and the hardest working man in high-tops, Chuck Hayes. Lowry and Martin appear to be flourishing and Patterson appears to be on the verge of blossoming. With that said, Rick Adleman was always great at making the most out of what he had. McHale's gig is definitely a rebuilding one, but he's got some blue collar guys that can help his cause in the long run. Coming off a brief coaching stint in Minnesota, clearly rebuilding is something McHale is comfortable with attempting.

Give Peace A Chance

Check out my other miscellanious blog for my thoughts on Ron Artests name change and some very minor Laker notes centered around Mike Brown.

Check back in later this week for fresh material regarding new coaches for a season I hope will still take place.

In the mean time: http://polidmb.blogspot.com/2011/06/give-peace-chance.html Ron Artest keeps the peace.