nba's Eastern Powers Begin Taking Stock of Changes
CLEVELAND — Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers did not wear a heavy coat when he entered Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night, an indicator of the dawning of another N.B.A. season. His words, though, carried a trace of late-season plotting and positioning. Even a game between conference rivals on opening night can affect a playoff seeding.
“Before the game, it means more,” Rivers said. “After the game, it’s one of 82.”
After a summer of change to shift the power structure of the Eastern Conference and a preseason of dress rehearsals, Shaquille O’Neal officially wore the Cleveland Cavaliers’ wine and gold. Rasheed Wallace was featured as the new pride of the Celtics. Vince Carter, wearing a new shade of blue in Orlando, could loom as a significant barrier to O’Neal and Wallace.
In order for the teams to succeed, role players — Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon in Cleveland, Marquis Daniels and Shelden Williams in Boston and Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson in Orlando — will all have to be integrated into their new systems.
“It could take a few weeks,” LeBron James said of Cleveland’s status. “Not saying that we lose ballgames in that span, because we are going to try and win ballgames, of course. But as far as us meshing and having that rotation down and us having the same momentum going to every game that we had last year, it might take a little while.”
O’Neal’s acquisition carries the most risk and reward. Now the Cavaliers have a box-to-box scoring threat for the first time in the James era. At 37, O’Neal can no longer carry a franchise alone. He is cognizant of that, although some have expressed skepticism, speculating that O’Neal may want more touches as the season wears on.
The Magic exposed the Cavaliers’ need for a dominant interior player when Dwight Howard trucked through Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao en route to the finals last season. During the off-season, Cleveland General Manager Danny Ferry revisited talks with Phoenix and obtained O’Neal for little more than spare parts and the guarantee of salary relief for the Suns.
For O’Neal, endurance and health remain annual concerns. He played in 75 games last season, his most in nine years. O’Neal averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds and shared the All-Star Game’s most valuable player award with Kobe Bryant.
The Cavaliers seared a reputation in opponents’ minds last season through an exhausting defense. O’Neal can still be a lurking force and a human detour for opponents driving the lane. But he has lost a step — or two — on pick and rolls, the favored offensive move leaguewide.
In Boston, Wallace will be a sixth man and back up the frontcourt tandem of Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins. Their success may hinge more on Garnett’s recovery from knee surgery than on Wallace’s inclusion.
Wallace, 35, stretches defenses and offers the Celtics an added dimension with matchup problems. He and Garnett are regarded as the loudest and most demonstrative defensive communicators in the N.B.A.
At the beginning of the season, Wallace will play a larger role than originally scripted. Forward Glen Davis is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks with a broken thumb. He sustained the injury after an altercation with a former high school teammate.
Rivers expressed disappointment with Davis and said his main concern was extending early-season minutes to Wallace and Garnett. Boston also has to tend to the unsettledness of point guard Rajon Rondo’s contract negotiations. Meanwhile, Cleveland’s Delonte West has legal concerns as he battles depression and was inactive Tuesday.
There are no such issues in Orlando. For the first time in Carter’s career, he will not be looked on as his team’s main offensive threat or spokesman. At times, he has both embraced and shied from that spotlight. Howard will be the team’s conduit both on and off the court.
On some nights, Carter, formerly of the Nets, will not be the team’s second or even third offensive option. He can drift in and out as needed, a calling card that seems to snug fit.
The Magic took a risk in essentially exchanging Hedo Turkoglu for Carter. The organization assessed the roster and arrived at the conclusion that it needed to be tinkered to win a title. Enter Carter. Exit Turkoglu.
When the playoffs arrive, Carter will be depended on to rise to the occasion. The same goes for O’Neal and Wallace. That is when the value and weight of their movement can be assessed.
GRIFFIN OUT SIX WEEKS Blake Griffin, this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, will be out up to six weeks with a stress fracture in his left kneecap, most likely delaying his debut with the Los Angeles Clippers until mid-December.
Griffin was hurt during a preseason game last Friday, wincing in pain as he came down from a dunk late in the third quarter. He insisted as recently as Monday afternoon that he would play through the discomfort, but a magnetic resonance imaging test Monday revealed the stress fracture. The Clippers opened the season Tuesday night against the Lakers.
“It’s disappointing, especially when it happened, but I’m not going to feel sorry for myself,” Griffin said. “Everybody plays with a certain amount of pain, but it is a fine line, because you do want to take care of your body and make it easier on yourself.” (AP)
CLEVELAND — Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers did not wear a heavy coat when he entered Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night, an indicator of the dawning of another N.B.A. season. His words, though, carried a trace of late-season plotting and positioning. Even a game between conference rivals on opening night can affect a playoff seeding.
“Before the game, it means more,” Rivers said. “After the game, it’s one of 82.”
After a summer of change to shift the power structure of the Eastern Conference and a preseason of dress rehearsals, Shaquille O’Neal officially wore the Cleveland Cavaliers’ wine and gold. Rasheed Wallace was featured as the new pride of the Celtics. Vince Carter, wearing a new shade of blue in Orlando, could loom as a significant barrier to O’Neal and Wallace.
In order for the teams to succeed, role players — Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon in Cleveland, Marquis Daniels and Shelden Williams in Boston and Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson in Orlando — will all have to be integrated into their new systems.
“It could take a few weeks,” LeBron James said of Cleveland’s status. “Not saying that we lose ballgames in that span, because we are going to try and win ballgames, of course. But as far as us meshing and having that rotation down and us having the same momentum going to every game that we had last year, it might take a little while.”
O’Neal’s acquisition carries the most risk and reward. Now the Cavaliers have a box-to-box scoring threat for the first time in the James era. At 37, O’Neal can no longer carry a franchise alone. He is cognizant of that, although some have expressed skepticism, speculating that O’Neal may want more touches as the season wears on.
The Magic exposed the Cavaliers’ need for a dominant interior player when Dwight Howard trucked through Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao en route to the finals last season. During the off-season, Cleveland General Manager Danny Ferry revisited talks with Phoenix and obtained O’Neal for little more than spare parts and the guarantee of salary relief for the Suns.
For O’Neal, endurance and health remain annual concerns. He played in 75 games last season, his most in nine years. O’Neal averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds and shared the All-Star Game’s most valuable player award with Kobe Bryant.
The Cavaliers seared a reputation in opponents’ minds last season through an exhausting defense. O’Neal can still be a lurking force and a human detour for opponents driving the lane. But he has lost a step — or two — on pick and rolls, the favored offensive move leaguewide.
In Boston, Wallace will be a sixth man and back up the frontcourt tandem of Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins. Their success may hinge more on Garnett’s recovery from knee surgery than on Wallace’s inclusion.
Wallace, 35, stretches defenses and offers the Celtics an added dimension with matchup problems. He and Garnett are regarded as the loudest and most demonstrative defensive communicators in the N.B.A.
At the beginning of the season, Wallace will play a larger role than originally scripted. Forward Glen Davis is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks with a broken thumb. He sustained the injury after an altercation with a former high school teammate.
Rivers expressed disappointment with Davis and said his main concern was extending early-season minutes to Wallace and Garnett. Boston also has to tend to the unsettledness of point guard Rajon Rondo’s contract negotiations. Meanwhile, Cleveland’s Delonte West has legal concerns as he battles depression and was inactive Tuesday.
There are no such issues in Orlando. For the first time in Carter’s career, he will not be looked on as his team’s main offensive threat or spokesman. At times, he has both embraced and shied from that spotlight. Howard will be the team’s conduit both on and off the court.
On some nights, Carter, formerly of the Nets, will not be the team’s second or even third offensive option. He can drift in and out as needed, a calling card that seems to snug fit.
The Magic took a risk in essentially exchanging Hedo Turkoglu for Carter. The organization assessed the roster and arrived at the conclusion that it needed to be tinkered to win a title. Enter Carter. Exit Turkoglu.
When the playoffs arrive, Carter will be depended on to rise to the occasion. The same goes for O’Neal and Wallace. That is when the value and weight of their movement can be assessed.
GRIFFIN OUT SIX WEEKS Blake Griffin, this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, will be out up to six weeks with a stress fracture in his left kneecap, most likely delaying his debut with the Los Angeles Clippers until mid-December.
Griffin was hurt during a preseason game last Friday, wincing in pain as he came down from a dunk late in the third quarter. He insisted as recently as Monday afternoon that he would play through the discomfort, but a magnetic resonance imaging test Monday revealed the stress fracture. The Clippers opened the season Tuesday night against the Lakers.
“It’s disappointing, especially when it happened, but I’m not going to feel sorry for myself,” Griffin said. “Everybody plays with a certain amount of pain, but it is a fine line, because you do want to take care of your body and make it easier on yourself.” (AP)
Source: New York Times
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