Opening night deja vu
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Tuesday, October 28
One day into the regular season and we already know everything we need to about the NBA season. . .
The Shaq-Kobe feud is much to do about nothing -- at least on the basketball floor.
The Mavs can add an extra $50 million in payroll and they still won't be able to beat the Lakers in L.A.
The Spurs can change their supporting cast all they want, but as long as Tim Duncan is roaming the middle, they'll find a way to win.
Ditto for Allen Iverson and the Sixers.
Despite the preseason hype, Joe Johnson is still capable of those horrendous 1-for-10 shooting nights.
Lamar Odom is more familiar with crutches and a protective boot than he is a basketball uniform.
That about sums it up, doesn't it? All of the offseason speculation, blockbuster trades, major free-agent signings, coaching firings and resignations and breathless predictions came down to this on Tuesday night.
One game doesn't make a season. And three games can't define the NBA. But if you felt a little deja vu late last night after the Lakers walloped the Mavs, you weren't alone.
Shaq and Kobe sitting next to each other on the bench joking around as the Lakers dominated? You've got to be kidding me? After the incredible media build-up that had folks citing sources "extremely close" to both players about missed birthday parties and phone calls, Kobe declares that everything is suddenly "cool?"
"We talked this morning," Kobe told the L.A. Times. "He said what he said, I said what I said, we put it behind us and move on."
It sure looked that way if you saw the Lakers dismantle the Mavs. Gary Payton and Karl Malone looked like they had lost nothing. Shaq was still unstoppable in the middle. At one point during the game, I swear I saw Phil Jackson mouth "Kobe who?"
Kobe and Shaq don't get along. But after seeing the Lakers pull out one of those "gotcha" endings to the feud Tuesday night, it makes you wonder . . .did the Lakers finally find a way to get the media to quit asking questions about Colorado and start asking questions about the Lakers?
You notice that Lakers PR director Joe Black did not revoke Jim Gray's media credential for going against the team's wishes and interviewing Kobe about the rift. After pulling about a credential a day for rouge media asking about Kobe's rape trial because it was distracting the team, that was a little hypocritical don't you think?
Apparently, the little Shaq-Kobe rift was better for the Lakers than we all made it out to be.
Walker
Remember how Antoine Walker was going to tone down the 3-point shooting and turn into the point forward guy for the Mavs? He really toned it down on Tuesday. His final stat line last night? One assist, six 3-pointers. Some things never change.
And don't forget Mark Cuban blaming the Lakers management for the Kobe-Shaq feud.
"If the president and the CEO of a corporation were speaking publicly like that, you'd have to say the board of directors was doing something wrong," Cuban told the L.A. Times. "By the time a problem grows in an organization to where the most visible figures are venting publicly, it means -- people are not doing their jobs. The organization didn't deal with the problem. If you don't recognize it in advance, it's going to come to a head. If someone has to vent publicly, it's probably not the first place they looked to vent. You would think they first tried to deal with it internally."
Be careful Mark. It's not like the chemistry in Big D is totally solved. In a month from now, Dirk may be screaming "Quit shooting the damn ball" in German to Walker and Antawn Jamison.
Duncan
Tim Duncan's 24 points, 12 boards, six blocks and four assists are all you really need to know about the Spurs. The team played five of their new players on Tuesday and the only one who really made any type of impact was Ron Mercer. Mercer looked more aggressive than we've seen him in the last two years.
Rasho Nesterovic, Hedo Turkoglu and Robert Horry were all basically irrelevant. Anthony Carter was pretty bad.
Jake Voskuhl outplayed Amare Stoudemire Tuesday night. Maybe the Suns don't need a real center after all or, maybe Stoudemire needs to get a few games playing against someone other than Tim Duncan.
Allen Iverson's 25 shots were par for the course. But his 11 assists weren't. Iverson showed his point guard skills for Team USA in Puerto Rico this summer. Wouldn't it be ironic if Iverson becomes the point guard Larry Brown always wanted him to be the season after Brown finally gave up and went somewhere else?
I'm still high on John Salmons. He was awesome in the summer league and looked very solid in place of the suspended Glenn Robinson Tuesday night.
Odom
It took Lamar Odom eight minutes to come up lame. Odom left the arena on crutches and wearing a protective boot on his right foot. The X-rays were negative, but given the precautions of crutches and a boot, Odom's prediction that he'll miss ''a game or two," seem to be a stretch.
Odom missed 78 games the past two season rehabbing from ankle and wrist injuries.
"As an athlete, there are some things that you hate being mentioned with your name," Odom told the Miami Herald. "Those are being detrimental to your team or a problem or injury-prone. It's just something where I have to rehab, get the ankle stronger and get back out there."
The bright side was that, with Odom out of the game, rookie Dwyane Wade took over. Wade played brilliantly in stretches. His ultra-quick first step was put to the test when Iverson, one of the quickest and toughest defenders in the league, matched up with Wade. Wade had no problem getting by him.
He finished with 18 points and four assists. However, a hip injury puts his participation in tonight's game versus the Celtics.
"I hope they can work some magic and get me ready by [tonight]," Wade said. "I hope it's feeling just a little better and it'll be a lot better than it was feeling in the second half."
What's Next?
If the first three games can tell us that much, what about the 11 games set to take place tonight? Here's a quick sneak peek.
Heat vs. Celtics -- The Truth? Paul Pierce may be great, but if Vin Baker doesn't do big things against Udonis Haslem, we'll have a good idea how far along that "comeback of the year" is.
Hawks vs. Hornets -- Twenty points, eight rebounds and another loss for Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
Pacers vs. Pistons -- Before we annoint Rick Carlisle as the best young coach in the league, let's see him win a title first. Wait a minute, I guess that applies to you too Larry.
Bucks vs. T-Wolves -- With so many injuries, Kevin Garnett still has to do it all.
Magic vs. Knicks -- It's the beginning of the end Knicks fans.
Nets vs. Raptors -- Lamar Odom lasted eight minutes. Can Vince Carter last 20?
Wizards vs. Bulls -- Kwame, Eddy or Tyson? Which 2001 newbie will be the first to break out?
Spurs vs. Nuggets -- Our first big upset of the new season? The Spurs looked pretty weary Tuesday night. The Nuggets have the fresh legs, the thin air and a run-till-you drop game plan. Will the champs be tugging on their shorts all night?
Blazers vs. Jazz -- Talent vs. chemistry. Evil vs. good. Cheeks vs. Sloan. Can the Blazers end the Jazz surprising preseason success?
Mavs vs. Warriors -- Mavs 140, Warriors 138.
Cavs vs. Kings -- LeBron stops. The defense stops. The crowd stops. You can hear a pin drop in the arena. Your first clue that Nike has taken over the NBA.
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Tuesday, October 28
One day into the regular season and we already know everything we need to about the NBA season. . .
The Shaq-Kobe feud is much to do about nothing -- at least on the basketball floor.
The Mavs can add an extra $50 million in payroll and they still won't be able to beat the Lakers in L.A.
The Spurs can change their supporting cast all they want, but as long as Tim Duncan is roaming the middle, they'll find a way to win.
Ditto for Allen Iverson and the Sixers.
Despite the preseason hype, Joe Johnson is still capable of those horrendous 1-for-10 shooting nights.
Lamar Odom is more familiar with crutches and a protective boot than he is a basketball uniform.
That about sums it up, doesn't it? All of the offseason speculation, blockbuster trades, major free-agent signings, coaching firings and resignations and breathless predictions came down to this on Tuesday night.
One game doesn't make a season. And three games can't define the NBA. But if you felt a little deja vu late last night after the Lakers walloped the Mavs, you weren't alone.
Shaq and Kobe sitting next to each other on the bench joking around as the Lakers dominated? You've got to be kidding me? After the incredible media build-up that had folks citing sources "extremely close" to both players about missed birthday parties and phone calls, Kobe declares that everything is suddenly "cool?"
"We talked this morning," Kobe told the L.A. Times. "He said what he said, I said what I said, we put it behind us and move on."
It sure looked that way if you saw the Lakers dismantle the Mavs. Gary Payton and Karl Malone looked like they had lost nothing. Shaq was still unstoppable in the middle. At one point during the game, I swear I saw Phil Jackson mouth "Kobe who?"
Kobe and Shaq don't get along. But after seeing the Lakers pull out one of those "gotcha" endings to the feud Tuesday night, it makes you wonder . . .did the Lakers finally find a way to get the media to quit asking questions about Colorado and start asking questions about the Lakers?
You notice that Lakers PR director Joe Black did not revoke Jim Gray's media credential for going against the team's wishes and interviewing Kobe about the rift. After pulling about a credential a day for rouge media asking about Kobe's rape trial because it was distracting the team, that was a little hypocritical don't you think?
Apparently, the little Shaq-Kobe rift was better for the Lakers than we all made it out to be.
Walker
Remember how Antoine Walker was going to tone down the 3-point shooting and turn into the point forward guy for the Mavs? He really toned it down on Tuesday. His final stat line last night? One assist, six 3-pointers. Some things never change.
And don't forget Mark Cuban blaming the Lakers management for the Kobe-Shaq feud.
"If the president and the CEO of a corporation were speaking publicly like that, you'd have to say the board of directors was doing something wrong," Cuban told the L.A. Times. "By the time a problem grows in an organization to where the most visible figures are venting publicly, it means -- people are not doing their jobs. The organization didn't deal with the problem. If you don't recognize it in advance, it's going to come to a head. If someone has to vent publicly, it's probably not the first place they looked to vent. You would think they first tried to deal with it internally."
Be careful Mark. It's not like the chemistry in Big D is totally solved. In a month from now, Dirk may be screaming "Quit shooting the damn ball" in German to Walker and Antawn Jamison.
Duncan
Tim Duncan's 24 points, 12 boards, six blocks and four assists are all you really need to know about the Spurs. The team played five of their new players on Tuesday and the only one who really made any type of impact was Ron Mercer. Mercer looked more aggressive than we've seen him in the last two years.
Rasho Nesterovic, Hedo Turkoglu and Robert Horry were all basically irrelevant. Anthony Carter was pretty bad.
Jake Voskuhl outplayed Amare Stoudemire Tuesday night. Maybe the Suns don't need a real center after all or, maybe Stoudemire needs to get a few games playing against someone other than Tim Duncan.
Allen Iverson's 25 shots were par for the course. But his 11 assists weren't. Iverson showed his point guard skills for Team USA in Puerto Rico this summer. Wouldn't it be ironic if Iverson becomes the point guard Larry Brown always wanted him to be the season after Brown finally gave up and went somewhere else?
I'm still high on John Salmons. He was awesome in the summer league and looked very solid in place of the suspended Glenn Robinson Tuesday night.
Odom
It took Lamar Odom eight minutes to come up lame. Odom left the arena on crutches and wearing a protective boot on his right foot. The X-rays were negative, but given the precautions of crutches and a boot, Odom's prediction that he'll miss ''a game or two," seem to be a stretch.
Odom missed 78 games the past two season rehabbing from ankle and wrist injuries.
"As an athlete, there are some things that you hate being mentioned with your name," Odom told the Miami Herald. "Those are being detrimental to your team or a problem or injury-prone. It's just something where I have to rehab, get the ankle stronger and get back out there."
The bright side was that, with Odom out of the game, rookie Dwyane Wade took over. Wade played brilliantly in stretches. His ultra-quick first step was put to the test when Iverson, one of the quickest and toughest defenders in the league, matched up with Wade. Wade had no problem getting by him.
He finished with 18 points and four assists. However, a hip injury puts his participation in tonight's game versus the Celtics.
"I hope they can work some magic and get me ready by [tonight]," Wade said. "I hope it's feeling just a little better and it'll be a lot better than it was feeling in the second half."
What's Next?
If the first three games can tell us that much, what about the 11 games set to take place tonight? Here's a quick sneak peek.
Heat vs. Celtics -- The Truth? Paul Pierce may be great, but if Vin Baker doesn't do big things against Udonis Haslem, we'll have a good idea how far along that "comeback of the year" is.
Hawks vs. Hornets -- Twenty points, eight rebounds and another loss for Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
Pacers vs. Pistons -- Before we annoint Rick Carlisle as the best young coach in the league, let's see him win a title first. Wait a minute, I guess that applies to you too Larry.
Bucks vs. T-Wolves -- With so many injuries, Kevin Garnett still has to do it all.
Magic vs. Knicks -- It's the beginning of the end Knicks fans.
Nets vs. Raptors -- Lamar Odom lasted eight minutes. Can Vince Carter last 20?
Wizards vs. Bulls -- Kwame, Eddy or Tyson? Which 2001 newbie will be the first to break out?
Spurs vs. Nuggets -- Our first big upset of the new season? The Spurs looked pretty weary Tuesday night. The Nuggets have the fresh legs, the thin air and a run-till-you drop game plan. Will the champs be tugging on their shorts all night?
Blazers vs. Jazz -- Talent vs. chemistry. Evil vs. good. Cheeks vs. Sloan. Can the Blazers end the Jazz surprising preseason success?
Mavs vs. Warriors -- Mavs 140, Warriors 138.
Cavs vs. Kings -- LeBron stops. The defense stops. The crowd stops. You can hear a pin drop in the arena. Your first clue that Nike has taken over the NBA.
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