We finally made it to another NBA season.
No longer do we need to rely on pre-season games, summer league games and off-season speculation trades and free agent signings to quench our thirst for NBA news, sights and sounds.
But, I must say that the months spent patiently waiting for the NBA to tipoff again was worth it because every decision made during the off-season has led to what could ultimately end in the greatest NBA regular season ever played.
I can't remember a time in recent memory where there were this many teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences that had a legit shot to either make the NBA Finals (Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers) or make the conference finals (Washington Wizards, Portland Trailblazer, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks). And then there are teams who may or may not make the playoffs but will still be exciting to watch because of the players and teams represent the future of the league (New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings). Barring any major injuries, the play on the court during the season should be at an all-time high and worth watching for the whole season.
Plus, there are tons of interesting storylines off the court to pay attention to throughout the season that don't focus on which team will win the title. Here are a few:
The Return of the Kings
No, this is about particular Akron, Ohio-born superstar's return home. The next biggest comeback stories belong to Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose.
After a knee fracture derailed his previous comeback from an Achilles tear six games into last season, it‘ll be interesting to see if Bryant can sustain his health for a full season. Last night against the Rockets, I got a chance to see him play for the first time in months and he looked good, while the Los Angeles Lakers as a team didn't.
Nonetheless, at the age of 36, whether Bryant makes it through an entire season is the bigger story compared to high far he can lead this hapless Lakers squad.
Rose was the youngest player, 22, in NBA history to ever win the NBA regular season Most Valuable Player Award in 2011. Since then, he's played in only 49 games and Bulls haven't been the same. Know that he's the back; can he return to his MVP form or will be watching from the sidelines once again?
Coaching Changes
The coaching carousel was in full effect this year and a number of coaches took it for a spin.
First, The Good: Derek Fisher being hired as the head coach of the New York Knicks was almost a foregone conclusion before he even retired after last season. While he may have some wiggle room in terms of wins and losses during his first season as the Knicks head, it'll be interesting to see how fast Fisher gets Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the team up to speed on the triangle.
The Bad: The hire of Steve Kerr to be the head coach of the Warriors was a bad move on management's part. Not for any basketball reason, but only because Mark Jackson was such a great coach for the team. He coached them when they were in the NBA cellar and mentored a young nucleus into back-to-back seasons of winning more than 50 games. After three years of success, Jackson gets canned for Kerr, who has no head coaching experience at any level of basketball. Can Kerr match or exceed the success that Jackson left in his wake out of town?
The Ugly: It can’t possibly get any uglier than the route Jason Kidd took out of New Jersey that led him to become the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. All details surrounding Kidd’s exit are sketchy enough to make me wonder why the Bucks brass wanted to hire him for their young, inexperienced team. And with a young talent like Jabari Parker, the number two pick in the 2014 NBA Draft who most NBA professionals think will be a superstar, why would you want him around a head coach who has the track record of bolting from situations when he doesn't get his way? It was a curious move on the new owners’ part that doesn't present much into their line of thinking. The Bucks only won 15 games last season, so if Kidd can win 10 or 20 more games this season, then the move could be justified, but it won’t change how Kidd got there and how the former head coach of the Bucks, Larry Drew, left.
There are so many more stories to keep an eye this NBA season on and off the court. I can't list them all here. Just sit down in front of a TV, computer, phone or tablet this season and watch for yourself.
Martin Rand, III, is a reporter for The News and a life-long Knicks fan. You can reach him at mrand@rockdalenews.com
