To kick off our NBA season preview, we talked about the Atlantic Division, home of the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics. With the Big Three finally getting rings, will we see Boston rule the Eastern Conference again? Or can the Raptors and 76ers, backed by big-time acquisitions, chase them in the division? Also, we talk about the New York Knicks and Mike D’Antoni’s impact on the team.

 

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Millions of kids want to be “like Mike” and with good reason. He’s a sports icon, one of the most marketed people in history, and after all these years, a swingin’ bachelor. But he’s no Allan Houston. Remember him? The sweet-shooting Knicks star who, two years after retiring, is still the 2nd highest paid player in the NBA. Houston sat on his ass and made $20.7 million. Beat that MJ.

Other hilarious entires on the report of NBA Salaries include Brian Grant, who retired in October and still made $17.3 million. An honorable mention goes to Jalen Rose, who made $16 million and was on the court for 246 minutes all season. Topping the list of the highest paid player is Kevin Garnett. Despite his years of bitching, it’s still hard to sympathize with a guy who made $21 million for the Timberwolves this season.

A look at the highest team payrolls leads to a familiar discussion. Once again, the Knicks got a terrible return on their investment. Their team payroll is $139 million, which leads the NBA by nearly $50 million. In Jalen Rose numbers, that’s more than 12 hours of basketball! The Knicks won 33, meaning they spent more than $4 million for each win. The 76ers and their $88 million payroll won 35 games this year.

Go ahead and take a look at the bottom of the team payroll list. These are teams that have built the right way. The Toronto Raptors’ payroll was a paltry $53 million and they won 47 games. Even more shocking, the Chicago Bulls’ payroll was also $53 million. All they’ve done is build the youngest core of talent in the NBA and swept the Miami Heat. Need a philosophy on running an NBA franchise? It’s all in the numbers.

A tip of the cap, ladies and gentlemen, to Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell for winning Coach of the Year. The Raptors, who are the third seed in the Eastern Conference, experienced a 20 game improvement from last year’s disastrous 27-55 season.

There’s a whole lot to like about this Raptors team. Lets not forget that this is the team that had the first overall pick in last year’s NBA draft, and is now sitting in the playoffs as division champions. Quite a turnaround. Don’t buy into this being a one year stint for the Raptors, as they are loaded with young talent that will assuredly be making playoff runs for years to come. Along with first overall pick Andrea Bargnani, the Raptors boast one of the best post players in the game in Chris Bosh, an explosive point guard in TJ Ford, and a fantastic core of role players such as Rasho Nesterovic, Jose Calderon, and Juan Dixon.

The highlight of this team, undoubtedly, is Bosh. A forgotten member of the 2003 draft class, Bosh posted an average of 22 points and 10 boards a game for the Raptors. His post skills are downright sick, and he still has room to put muscle on and become an even more dominant force in the low post.

The Raptors, who are currently down 1-0 in the best of seven series against the Nets, will play the Nets again tonight in hopes of tying the series up at one.

Well, this Allen Iverson saga is escalating quickly. Allen Iverson has been sent home for the weekend and will miss tonight’s game against the Wizards, as well as tomorrow’s game against the Magic. The 76ers are saying its back spasms but Iverson has some other ideas.

“As hard as it is to admit, a change may be the best thing for everyone. I hate admitting that because I love the guys on the team and the city of Philadelphia. I truly wanted to retire a 76er.”

This might be a blessing in disguise for Iverson. He’s been extremely loyal to Philadelphia and he’s never been surrounded by lots of talent. Iverson has been brilliant on the court, albeit tough to handle at times, but the 76ers haven’t helped him much. And as I typed this sentence, Rodney Carney clanked a dunk. Somewhere, AI is laughing.

North of the border, first overall pick Andrea Bargnani is quietly having a nice rookie campaign. He’s scored in double figures six games in a row for the Raptors, who are somehow tied for 1st place in the Atlantic Division. But then again the Atlantic Division sucks. The 7-11 Raptors have been a pleasant surprise for me so far this year.

My Magic bandwagon is leaving the station soon so you better jump on. They’re simply owning the Southeast division with a record of 14-6. The Magic are getting double digit scoring from five guys, including the beastly Dwight Howard. Howard is scoring about 17 a game and bringing down 13 rebounds. Even better, JJ Redick hasn’t been a factor this season. He’s played only 13 minutes all season, meaning ESPN can’t jock him. If Redick can get healthy, the Magic have some more versatility because he’ll benefit from Howard being doubled. If he’s not healthy, put Dick Vitale on suicide watch.

What do 19 points, 7 assists, and five rebounds in your debut get you? In the case of TJ Ford, it gets you a three year contract extension. Ford’s debut in the Raptors’ new “run and gun” offense went pretty well, as the team scored 92 points. But the Raptors have already signed him to a contract extension. On one hand, I like the Raptors’ speed in securing their point guard for the future. The Raptors may be quietly building something and a good team needs a good point guard. But isn’t it a bit too early to make that signing Raptors?

I understand the need for a young point guard but I still wouldn’t throw all my chips in for TJ Ford, a guy who has already suffered a brutal back injury in his young career. The speed at which the Raptors made this move is comical because they haven’t had a consistent track record with young players. Chris Bosh was a great pick but Rafael Araujo…wasn’t.

Ford will be a free agent after the season but I still would have waited to pull the trigger. I think you have to evaluate how the Raptors personnel can run a fast-paced offense before you commit to signing the point guard that runs it. The Raptors may want to reevaluate that Andrea Bargnani picked. He looked very timid in last night’s debut and collected more fouls (3) than points (2). I know, I know. He’s a rookie. But so are Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay. Both scored over 20 points in their NBA debuts last night.

Over the next month until opening night on October 31, I?ll be previewing one NBA team a day. Starting in the Eastern Conference, I?ll be starting with my lowest ranked team and continuing to the best, then switching conferences. Enjoy.

Lone Canadian Franchise Still Rebuilding

Just five years ago, the Vince Carter-led Raptors were one basket away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. 159 wins, 251 losses, and one shady playoff berth later, the Raptors have drastically changed their approach. The Raptors now have six foreign-born players on their roster, including Italian rookie Andrea Bargnani. The question remains whether or not that approach includes an attempt at winning.

Overview

Bryan Colangelo, the mastermind behind the exciting Phoenix Suns, is employing similar tactics in Toronto. Nine new players have been added in an attempt to model Toronto’s offense after the Suns, an offense reliant on good passing and the fast break. Key acquisitions include young point guard T.J. Ford and high-flyer Fred Jones. These two additions will go a long way in keeping star forward Chris Bosh (22 PPG, 11 RPG) happy and will make Bargnani’s transition into the NBA a much easier task. Read the rest of this entry »