Predicting the Starting 5 For Each NBA Team

I am going to predict the starters for each team this season.

This is my prediction for the Oklahoma City Thunder starting five.

Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague, Lou Williams, Kyle Korver, Josh Smith, Al Horford
Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo, Courtney Lee, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett
Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Brook Lopez
Charlotte Bobcats: Ramon Sessions, Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bismack Biyombo, Brendan Haywood
Chicago Bulls: Kirk Hinrich, Richard Hamilton, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah
Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, C.J. Miles, Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao
Dallas Mavericks: Rodrigue Beaubois, Delonte West, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Kaman
Denver Nuggets: Ty Lawson, Andre Iguodala, Dalino Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, JaVale McGee
Detroit Pistons: Brandon Knight, Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince, Greg Monroe, Andre Drummond
Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, David Lee, Andrew Bogut
Houston Rockets: Jeremy Lin, Kevin Martin, Carlos Delfino, Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik
Indiana Pacers: George Hill, Paul George, Danny Granger, David West, Roy Hibbert
LA Clippers: Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Lamar Odom, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan
LA Lakers: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard
Memphis Grizzlies: Jerryd Bayless, Tony Allen, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol
Miami Heat: Mario Chalmers, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh
Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, Luc Mbah-a-Moute, Ersan Ilyasova, Samuel Dalembert
Minnesota Timberwolves: Ricky Rubio, Brandon Roy, Andrei Kirilenko, Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic
New Orleans Hornets: Austin Rivers, Eric Gordon, Hakim Warrick, Ryan Anderson, Anthony Davis
New York Knicks: Raymond Felton, J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler
Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins
Orlando Magic: Jameer Nelson, Arron Afflalo, Hedo Turkoglu, Al Harrington, Glen Davis
Philadelphia 76ers: Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Dorrell Wright, Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum
Phoenix Suns: Goran Drajic, Jared Dudley, Michael Beasley, Luis Scola, Marcin Gortat
Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, Meyers Leonard
Sacramento Kings: Isaiah Thomas, Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton, Thomas Robinson, DeMarcus Cousins
San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Boris Diaw
Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Landry Fields, Andrea Bargnani, Jonas Valanciunas
Utah Jazz: Mo Williams, Randy Foye, Gordon Hayward, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson
Washington Wizards: John Wall, Bradley Beal, Trevor Ariza, Emeka Okafor, Nene

The Dwightmare is Finally Over

Dwight Howard finally got traded. But is it fair for the small market teams?

Dwight Howard finally got traded. After there were trade talks for what seems like an eternity, one finally went through. If you somehow didn't hear the news, here is the trade:
Lakers get: Dwight Howard, Chris Duhon, and Earl Clark.
Nuggets get: Andre Iguodala.
76ers get: Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson.
Magic get: Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, Josh McRoberts, Christain Eyenga, a protected first round draft pick from each of the other three teams, and two other draft picks.
Wow. What a mouthful. It took four teams, 12 players, five draft picks, and trade talking for a ton of time, but it finally is over. But what about the Lakers now? Is it fair that they have four all-stars and amazing depth of players on their team? Is it fair that only 4 or 5 big market teams have a real shot at the title, and that everyone else will be left in the dust? Is this league just a bunch of guys playing basketball, or is it more than that? Oh well. I guess I can write all I want about it, but it won't change a thing. I guess i'll just enjoy watching my favorite sport.

NBA Free Agency: The Leftovers

Now that free agency is almost over in the NBA, lets see who is left. Here are some players who are left and their old teams (in alphabetical order):
Lou Amundson- Indiana Pacers F
Chris Anderson- Denver Nuggets F/C
Gilbert Arenas- Memphis Grizzlies G
Leandro Barbosa- Indiana Pacers G
Matt Barnes- Los Angeles Lakers F

Free Agents like Leandro Barbosa (left) will probably
get a contract while Goran Dragic (middle) has already
gotten one and Lou Amundson (right) might not.

Andray Blatche- Washington Wizards F
Josh Childress- Phoenix Suns F
Carlos Delfino- Milwaukee Bucks F
Jordan Farmar- Atlanta Hawks G
Derek Fisher- Oklahoma City Thunder G
Jonny Flynn- Portland Trail Blazers G
Alonzo Gee- Cleveland Cavaliers F
Ryan Gomes- Los Angeles Clippers F
Donte Greene- Sacramento Kings F
Josh Howard- Utah Jazz F
Lester Hudson- Memphis Grizzlies F
Ivan Johnson- Atlanta Hawks F
Kenyon Martin- Los Angeles Clippers F
Tracy McGrady- Atlanta Hawks F
Anthony Parker- Cleveland Cavaliers G
Mickael Pietrus- Boston Celtics F
Michael Redd- Phoenix Suns G
Anthony Tolliver- Minnesota Timberwolves F
Martell Webster- Minnesota Timberwolves G
Of course, not even half of these guys are likely to get a deal, so they only will if they're lucky. There are many other free agents who could get a deal also, but these guys are more likely.

KD vs LeBron-Who is a Better Scorer?

LeBron James and Kevin Durant. They can both score,
and everyone knows it.

Kevin Durant vs LeBron James. Who could wish for a better match up? Two freakishly talented forwards meet in the NBA Finals to clash. I sure loved watching them play against each other. But who is a more capable scorer?  It would probably be pretty easy to compare them, since they play the same position, they are both about the same height, and they are both amazingly athletic. They are possibly (and probably) the two best players in the NBA (you have to face the facts, Lakers fans, Kobe isn't young anymore). So lets figure out who is a better scorer.
Let's compare the average they score each game, for their careers (counting the playoffs). That's 27.2 points for KD and 28.9 for LeBron. However, Durant has been the scoring champion for three years in a row, and LeBron has only accomplished that once. And in the past three years, LeBron averaged 27.8 points a game and Durant averaged 28.6. LeBron, who has Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and now Ray Allen on the Heat, might not have as many opportunities to score as Kevin Durant, who pretty much only has Russell Westbrook to worry about.
Edge: Durant

LeBron James CAN Get It Done-When He Wants To

If the Heat want to win the Finals, they cannot mess around.

We have witnessed LeBron explode for 45 points in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and we now know he can get the job done when he has a real desire to do so. The question is, does LeBron really want to win an NBA Championship? Does he really have a strong desire to go the distance? If he really does, he will. He might have just procrastinated his explosion to move to the Finals. But you can not procrastinate anything in a series against the Thunder. they will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let them. If LeBron James wants to win a championship though, he will definitely need some help from his teammates. Wade and Bosh stepped it up with LeBron in game 7, but they cannot be messing around during the Finals. Those are the three best keys for the Heat in the Finals: 1. They need to want it. 2. They can not procrastinate. 3. They cannot mess around. I wish the best luck for LeBron and the Heat in the Finals this year, but they still need a lot more to learn and have a long way to go before a championship happens.

Eastern Conference Finals-Year of Surprises

LeBron high-fives Haslem as the Heat beat the Celtics in Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals.

Nobody expected the Boston Celtics to get to the Eastern Conference Finals. They could have easily gotten out in the first round to the Hawks. Nobody expected the Sixers to beat the Bulls in the first round just because of the Derrick Rose injury. This made it much easier to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the Boston Celtics. Nobody expected the Celtics to come back from being down 0-2 vs the Heat and take a 3-2 lead in the series. Nobody expected the Celtics to take the Heat to Game 7, and nobody expected LeBron to go off in Game 6. Nobody expected Linsanity. Nobody expected the NBA Lockout to end late and there to be a shortened season. Nobody expected a 7-footer to win the 3 point contest, or Jeremy Evans to win the dunk contest. Nobody expected the Indiana Pacers to get a 3rd seed in the Playoffs.Nobody expected the New Orleans Hornets to get the number one pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Nobody expected the defending champs to get swept in the first round, or the Thunder to win four straight games against the Spurs after the Spurs' 20 game win streak. Nobody expected all of this to happen in one season, but this was the year of surprises. 

Nobody knows what will happen in the Finals. Can LeBron and the Heat step it up? Or will the young Thunder take it all? This is the year of surprises, so we can't expect anything.

The Western Conference Finals

Durant and the Thunder took care of the Spurs. But can they beat the Heat?

The Western Conference Finals are now over and were defindefinitely full of surprises. Let's take a look at them, see what happened, and enjoy the Finals.
The Western Conference Finals were  definitely a surprise. The Spurs had won 20 straight games, had a 2-0 lead, and looked unstoppable when suddenly, out of nowhere, Oklahoma City somehow won four straight to advance to the NBA Finals. I like the Spurs, don't get me wrong. They have so much experience in the Playoffs and so much young talent as well, with players like Kawhi Leonard, DeJuan Blair, and Danny Green. The only thing I have against them is that they swept my team, the Utah Jazz, in the first round. But KD, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and the rest of the Thunder somehow miraculously stepped it up to advance. And believe me, their journey was not easy. They swept the defending champs in the first round, took care of the team that had gone to the finals three straight years before that in the second round, and pulled off a miracle in the Conference Finals. They beat the three best teams in the Western Conference and they are my favorite to win the Finals.