NBA Wednesdays 02/10/2010

This is also a new column that will be updated every Wednesday. It will feature a comprehensive yet thorough analysis of events transpiring in the NBA. Like NCAA Manic Mondays, special attention will be paid to the few teams making headlines over the course of the week for their activities both on and off the basketball court. The column shall be known as NBA Wednesdays until I can think of a wittier name for it. Without further adieu, I present to you NBA Wednesdays...

How in God's name do the Cleveland Cavaliers have the best record in the NBA right now? When one thinks about it, the Cavaliers present the exact same team that took the court last year. And if one remembers correctly, that team lost to Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. So in retrospect, it is fair to say that the Cavaliers should finish no better than they did last year, right? The way the Cavaliers are playing this season would certainly have us believing otherwise. Yet such outstanding play is not a result of trading for the Big Witness Protector. Truth be told, the addition of Shaquille O'Neal really hasn't made that much of a difference in the way the Cavaliers win basketball games. They are not getting the Shaquille O'Neal of 10 years ago that was winning championships with Kobe Bryant and establishing himself as one of the Top 5 centers in NBA history. The Big Aristotle has been worn down throughout the years, with his body finally surrendering to the sands of time and old age. He plays an average of just over 23 minutes a night, splitting time with Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J.J. Hickson simply because he cannot carry a team on his shoulders anymore. The only ingredient that Shaq contributes to this awesome mixture of talent is the idea of presence. Shaq can still play with the best centers in the league because he still has that passion and intensity burning brightly within him. He provides the Cavaliers with a sense of stability underneath the rim; a confidence that allows LeBron's team to triumph in the paint and snatch the majority of offensive and defensive rebounds. Shaq's numbers are average at best with just over 11 ppg and 6 rpg. Yet his presence is felt whenever they need a stopper against Dwight Howard or Rasheed Wallace.

Make no mistake about it: the Cavaliers are winning because of LeBron James. Clearly that is a statement of the obvious only because it is irrevocably true. LeBron James is a sheer force whenever he touches the basketball. His ability to take over basketball games and carry his team in the fourth quarter is indicative of what a great player should always be able to do. To say that he will win his 2nd consecutive MVP this year is again a statement of the obvious. With an average of over 29 ppg, 8 apg, and 7 rpg, LeBron clearly has the statistics to justify the honor. Yet if one were to analyze the intangibles of this Cavaliers team, one would be able to see why LeBron deserves the MVP more than any other player this season. With the losses of Mo Williams and Delonte West, the Cavaliers have had to adjust their offensive game plan by making LeBron a point guard. What have the Cavaliers done since then? They've gone on a 13-game winning streak with LeBron averaging over 30 ppg. This proves how LeBron is not only the best small forward in the NBA, but is also one of the best point guards in the NBA. And he's only been playing the position for 13 games. This Cavaliers team hasn't missed a beat with convincing wins over the Heat, Knicks, Nets, and Magic over the last two weeks. Only time will tell if this team has enough strength and endurance to win the NBA Finals.

The Boston Celtics were, and to some degree still are, thought to be one of the prime challengers for the Cavaliers this season. Many believed that with the addition of Rasheed Wallace, the Celtics were ready to bounce back from their injury-plagued season last year and return for another showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. Yet all is not well in the city of Boston this season. Those same nagging injuries have prevented the Celtics from establishing a rhythm and consistency to their style of play. Paul Pierce has been struggling with a sprained ankle, which has left him revolving in and out of the lineup. Kevin Garnett was out for an extended period of time with a hyperextended knee problem. And the Celtics do not have enough bench depth to compete with teams like the Cavaliers, Magic, or Lakers. Granted Rajon Rondo has become a vital part of the Celtics offense this season, averaging over 14 ppg and 9 assists per game. But the biggest problem of this Celtics team is that they do not have enough youth to compensate for their veteran experience. They have enough talent to defeat the mediocre teams in their conference. But they do not have enough energy to pose a significant challenge in the playoffs. The Celtics have been using Ray Allen and Glen 'Big Baby' Davis as trade bait to try and get younger on the offensive side of the court. Recent trade rumors have had Ray Allen going to Charlotte in exchange for D.J. Augustin, who is a good perimeter shooter and could help the Celtics in terms of stretching out the game. However, losing Allen would be a signature loss for a Celtics organization that had high hopes on winning multiple titles with Garnett, Allen, and Pierce at the helm. Trading Allen would be an admission that the grace period for the Celtics is rapidly coming to an end. The Celtics knew going into this season that there was a limited window for which to make a move to the NBA Finals. To give up on this team right now would be a big mistake because it would show that they are giving up on this season and looking towards the future. The Celtics should not give up on this season just yet. If Doc Rivers can pull this team together and convince them to play with the same kind of passion and fire akin to the championship team of two years ago, then the Celtics will be a dangerous opponent come playoff time. Ray Allen needs to be a dominant force on the perimeter. Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace need to drive to the hoop whenever they have the basketball and prove how dominant they can still be in the paint. And Paul Pierce simply needs to be The Truth. Yet in order for the Celtics to meet the expectations of its fanbase and deliver another NBA title to Boston, they will need to stay healthy and learn how to finish games against the top-tier teams. Right now, both of those issues are in serious doubt.

The Los Angeles Lakers have also been a team suffering from injuries as of late. If one were to look at the word INJURY in the dictionary for this season, one would find a picture of Kobe Bryant. Bryant has been battling all kinds of injuries this season with a broken finger, back spasms, and an newly discovered ankle problem. And like any true leader of his team, he has persevered through all of it and has emerged with yet another stellar season worthy of an MVP award. Bryant has been averaging 28 points per game with just over 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Yet if one were to analyze this team from top to bottom, one would come to believe that the Lakers are still a playoff team without Kobe Bryant in the lineup. Without Bryant in the lineup over the past week, the Lakers have gone on a three-game winning streak with wins over the Trailblazers, Spurs, and a red-hot Utah Jazz team coming off a 9-game winning streak. Lamar Odom has stepped up in a big way for this team, averaging 17 points and over 14 rebounds a game during that stretch. Pau Gasol has evolved his interior game to the point where he is once again becoming a dominant force in the paint. Over the course of the three-game winning streak, Gasol averaged over 18 points and 15 rebounds per game and showed why he is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. The Lakers illustrated why they are still the team to beat in the Western Conference simply because they won those three games WITHOUT Kobe Bryant. Granted Bryant makes a huge difference for the Lakers when he becomes the focal point of Phil Jackson's Triangle offense. His ability to hit clutch shots with the game on the line, combined with his intense leadership and determination towards winning a championship, makes Bryant the vital component necessary for the Lakers to survive all rounds of the playoffs. However, if the Lakers were to play without Bryant on a nightly basis, whose to say that they couldn't still emerge as the Western Conference representative in the NBA Finals. They still have an extraordinary interior game with Gasol and Andrew Bynum, both of whom average over 15 points and 8 rebounds per game at least. In spite of the fact that Ron Artest is having a down season, he is still an awesome defensive force for the Lakers and can serve as the ultimate stopper for top-tier shooters in the playoffs. He also contributes over 11 points and 4 rebounds per game. The key to the Lakers' success would obviously have to come from their bench in the form of Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown, both of whom would have to average better than 7 ppg to compensate for the loss of Bryant. However, if Odom was able to continue his streak of excellent play by develop consistency throughout the rest of the season, then the Lakers would still be a prominent contender in the Western Conference without Kobe Bryant. The fact that they have Kobe can therefore be described as a gigantic bonus prize because the Lakers are proving how they can win without him. It would be interesting to see how they would fair in a playoff environment without Kobe. Alas, the casual NBA fan will not have to worry about that.

That's it for now...tune in next week for a reaction to the All-Star Game