Catching Up with the NBA

OK I'll admit it-- the start of the NBA season caught me totally off-guard. With all the hysteria over postseason baseball, plus the happenings of the college and pro football season, I was mentally unprepared for the return of The Association. So here, a week late, is my season preview:

* For the first time ever, I've joined a fantasy basketball league this season. I figured it would be a great way to maintain interest in the NBA during the endless regular season (which can be even more monotonous than the baseball season). So far, it's been even more intense than I anticipated: since my league is playing for prize money, my competitors have been making roster adjustments every single night- I'm just trying to keep up. I had a great draft (Yao, Pierce, Amare and Vince Carter were my first four picks) but constantly tinkering with a 13-man roster for the next seven months isn't going to be a piece of cake.

* One of the most under-discussed changes for the new season is the new divisional realignment. Going from four divisions to six is a change that's been long overdue, but I marvel at how unbalanced things are competetively. It's ridiculous that division winners each get one of the top three seeds. For example, the Southeast division is going to be gawd-awful; the Heat will feast on the pathetic competition, "earning" an easy 2 or 3 seed. Meanwhile, the addition of New Orleans means that the Western Conference will be even more cutthroat. If this were the World Cup, the Southwest Division (with the Texas teams, Memphis and N.O.) would be considered the "Group of Death."

* With all the free-agency manueverings and offseason trades, I think the smartest acquisiton of the summer was the Pacers getting Stephen Jackson. Despite his delusions, Reggie Miller does not deserve to be an NBA starter anymore, so Larry Bird was smart to replace him before he completely decomposed.

* Well, I guess Dwyane Wade doesn't plan on being Shaq's sidekick this year.

* Sign #432 that ESPN has completely lost its touch: the network didn't renew David Aldridge's contract. Aldridge is by far the most intelligent, trust-worthy NBA voice on TV, but I guess he doesn't scream enough for ESPN's taste. What hath Stephen A. Smith wrought? Thank goodness TNT had the sense to snap Aldridge right up as soon as ESPN dropped him. Now they need to take the next step and slide DA in at the Inside the NBA desk alongside Ernie, Barkley and Kenny Smith.

* I just don't get these new LeBron Nike ads that have been all over SI.com and ESPN.com. Don't they realize that "Street Fighter II" hasn't been popular for a decade?

* Alonzo Mourning used to be my favorite player way back in his Hornets days. I loved the intensity, the Georgetown background and the fact that he was the anti-Shaq. It was hard to watch him suffer from his kidney ailment and his failed combacks. But it's even harder for me to hear that he now wants to abandon the Nets and be traded to a contender. Alonzo, this is the team that gave you a contract when everyone else left you for dead-- have you no loyalty?

* While their diamond-encrusted championship rings were a bit too gaudy, I must admit that I dig Detroit's championship belts.

* The Chicago Bulls will be the league's most-improved team. Has one team had a better crop of rookies in the past ten years? From all accounts, Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon both have a strong shot at the Rookie of the Year award, while Luol Deng and Chris Duhon are nothing to sneeze at either. With Kirk Hinrich coming of age this season and Tyson Chandler finally reaching his potential (forget about Curry- he's always be a bust), Scott Skills will push the Bulls to at least a seventh seed.

* Conversely, the Dallas Mavericks are the playoff team headed for a fall. You just can't replace Steve Nash in that offense. Dampier only had the season he did last year because he was in his walk year and he's never been a great rebounder anyway. Let's face it- the Mavs missed their last chance two years ago when Dirk got injured in the conference finals.

* Page 2's newest columnist, Paul Lukas, is the undisputed expert on sports uniforms. His columns are always entertaining and esoteric, and his review of NBA unis doesn't disappoint. What were the Grizzlies thinking with their blatant ripoff of UCLA's logo?

MR. PREDICTO

MVP: Kevin Garnett
Defensive Player: Andrei Kirilenko
Sixth Man: Troy Hudson
Most Improved: Quentin Richardson
Least Improved: Allen Iverson (The guy was great in his prime, but now he's spent)
Coach of the Year: Terry Porter
Biggest star to be traded midseason: Vince Carter
First coach fired: Lenny Wilkens

Eastern Conference Semis:
Detroit over Indiana
Miami over Cleveland

Eastern Conference Finals:
Detroit over Miami

Western Conference Semis:
San Antoino over Phoenix
Minnesota over Sacramento

Western Conference Finals:
Minnesota over San Antonio

NBA Finals:
Minnesota over Detroit