Overtime | Predictions for the NBA season

Kyle Nelson Columnist

It’s time for another season of the sport that is both the most and least controversial on Earth. That’s right, it’s National Basketball Association (NBA) time. And while for some of you, the NBA is just an obnoxious game during Grey’s Anatomy, others recognize that we’re entering one of the most anticipated seasons in recent memory. I know that is not saying much, after so much boredom and failed expectations last season, but this year could give fans what they badly need. Here’s a look at some of the more fascinating plot threads of the 2007-2008 NBA season.

The Shame of the Knicks

Now that the regular NBA season has begun, there are questions on most fans’ minds involving New York’s finest, the Knicks. What can we expect on and off the court? There has been a good deal of scandal within the Knicks management recently. Starting from the top, immature and incompetent owner James Dolan had allowed the entire organization to get away with murder managing them about as well as Daddy’s business, Cablevision.

Then there’s Isiah Thomas, head coach and operations president for the Knicks. Thomas was one of the greatest players of all time (named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history), but for some reason, he is one of the most inconsistent coaches of his generation. Not only is he a questionable coach, but he is also one of the worst general managers ever. On top of all of this, Thomas recently cost Madison Square Garden and the Knicks Organization a total $11 million for his role in a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit.

The Knicks did have a decent off-season, however. Bringing in Zach Randolph was helpful, but the team still cannot play a lick of defense or consistently hit shots from the perimeter. Oh yeah, and cutting Allan Houston? Bad PR move for a team that is badly in need of something positive to happen to it. With this being Thomas’s contract season, a bad year could spell the end of the controversial relationship between him and the Knicks.

Disgruntled Kobe

Kobe Bryant is one of the most dissatisfied superstars of all time. He could not co-exist with Shaquille O’Neal or Caron Butler during their time with the Lakers, and now he is his own island among a group of inexperienced role players, far from the title hopes of years past. However, the Lakers are playing well, overachieving and hoping to convince their big star that it is worth it to stay in Los Angeles.

Elsewhere, things aren’t so great. The Chicago Bulls, one team that Kobe might join, are in a slump, and every player involved in trade talks is playing like he knows he won’t be in town very long. Kobe won’t be in Los Angeles by the end of this season, but for everybody’s sake, it might be better if this happens sooner rather than later.

Dirty Referees

Every zebra is going to be under intense scrutiny this year. Not only was referee Tim Donaghy exposed as an inside man for the mob and indicted for his involvement in gambling, but every NBA referee has failed the League’s gambling policy said NBA commissioner David Stern in late October. This means that the entire NBA refereeing contingent, to a certain extent, is dirty. The thing that annoys me, however, is that journalists tend to pen players as crooks, when the men behind the whistles aren’t angels themselves either. I am not entirely sure what the impact of this fallout will be, but I do know that I will be a little more suspicious.

Changing of the guard

Recent powers Miami and Cleveland seem to be on the way out. Could this mean the end of one-man teams? With the Boston Celtics’ style of three-superstar-team (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen) and a return to a team concept, it seems as though the much-maligned, me-first style of NBA is becoming extinct. Hopefully, a playoff devoid of do-it-all superstars is a thing of the future. One can only wish.

Playoff Prediction

Eastern Conference: Boston, Washington, Toronto, Detroit, Indiana, Chicago, Charlotte, New York
Western Conference: Denver, Utah, Phoenix, Houston, New Orleans, San Antonio, Dallas, Los Angeles
NBA Finals: Boston vs. Dallas (Dallas as the NBA Champion)
Most Valuable Player: Tracy McGrady, Houston
Rookie of the Year: Kevin Durant, Seattle
Most Improved Player: Ronnie Brewer, Uta

Kyle Nelson ’09 is an English and Africana Studies double-major. This semester he is editorializing on issues in national athletics.