Early Season NBA Thoughts

LeBron James will win an NBA championship before his current contract expires.

I trust Mike D'Antoni. Knicks fans should, too.

D Rose is already the best Chicago Bull.

For as much as people will focus on the importance of New Orleans signing Posey, Mike James and Julian Wright will be the role players who tilt the Hornets' fortunes.

As long as he stays healthy, which he should, D Wade will take Miami to the play-offs.

I love watching Kevin Durant play basketball, but I can't stomach the idea of watching the Oklahoma City whatevers. It just feels wrong.

If I was any player who was nearing the end my third contract and my team was more than 15 games under .500 in Feb, I'd ask for a buyout so I could go play with Kevin Garnett for the veteran minimum.

I'm lukewarm on the Sixers.

I still don't believe in the Rockets.

I do believe in OJ Mayo. And I can't wait 'til he escapes Memphis.

I also believe in the Hawks. Joe Johnson and Horfy are the truth. Acie Law IV is gonna be a ice-cold killer of a third wheel for them. Eventually.

The real Greg Oden won't arrive until sometime in 2010. He'll dominate when does show up, though.

I like the Clipper roster. In a best case scenario, they're this year's Sixers. In a worst case scenario...they're the Clippers.

If the world will simply let Dirk, Kidd and Josh Howard play basketball...I think they'll be pretty good at it.

Tim Duncan looks very fit, very rested, very aggressive and very focused to start the season. He'll probably win the MVP award after the Spurs clinch their division. Unless LeBron or D Wade averages a quintuple double.

Socialism has arrived in America and it wears a Laker uniform. Only two guys (Odom and Ariza) are playing for contracts and neither of them plays a game that requires them to get big numbers to prove their worth. The roster is two (three?) deep at every position. They can play any style they want to play and may invent four new styles this season just for the hell of it. The only thing standing between Showtime 3.0 and the employment of a no-star approach to spreading the stats around is...Kobe. Does Kobe still need the numbers at this point in his career or does he really only care about the ring? Could the effective Europeanization of his team be the intended destination of Phil Jackson's coaching career? I don't know, but it might be the most interesting subplot of this season. And, thankfully, there's reason to believe Mayor Villaraigosa may host a parade down Figueroa in June. Maybe. If Chick Hearn's ghost smiles on the Laker Nation and helps everything break right.

The People

Common made a song about 'em.

And there's a big group of 'em in Seattle who are fighting to make Clay Bennett and the new ownership of the Supersonics honor the contract the previous owners signed with the Jet City.

This is necessary, apparently, because Bennett and Co., who bought the team in the fall of 2006, have been trying to move them to Oklahoma City since the NBA Board of Governors approved the sale.

So the rumors go, anyway.

There have been plenty of stories of NBA, NFL and MLB owners holding cities hostage or pitting municipalities against each other while they seek the best deal on a new stadium, arena, whatever.

Generally, no elected official has the nuts to stand up and speak on behalf of the people who end up paying the taxes that finance the playing facilities they will one day have the pleasure of not being able to afford season tickets to attend games at.

Call me cynical, but that's why I stand with the people of the Greater Puget Sound.

I say: Honor the Lease! Keep the Supersonics in Seattle!

And, um, hold a couple of season tickets for me while I get ready to move across the country to the Emerald City. 'Cause I don't wanna miss a second of Kevin Durant's NBA career.