This season brings great expectations for Blake Griffin and Kyrie Irving: “Unfortunately, it’s an all too common reaction to a player who follows a spectacular first year with an equally spectacular second season. It’s not enough for a Rookie of the Year to put up similar numbers in the next year or two and develop the intricacies in his game; in order for that player to be considered on the path to superstardom, he must make “the leap” immediately after his rookie season. Otherwise, said player is simply perceived to have plateaued at an unacceptable level. The generation of expectations from an otherworldly rookie season leaves nowhere to go but down in the minds of too many observers. What was just yesterday celebrated becomes condemned. It’s production wrought by the weight of anticipation, ”What have you done for me lately?” warped and twisted upon itself to the point that previous experience may as well be for naught.”
This year is about patience for the Miami Heat: ““We’re just trying to get better and not waste an opportunity to get better,” James said. “We don’t have all our guys playing, but when guys were in the game, they played, worked hard.” Miami didn’t really work so hard rebounding the basketball – or scoring it, either, for that matter. The Heat were outrebounded on Thursday by a 53-31 margin, and head coach Erik Spoelstra admitted after the game that it was a concern. But with his shirt collar open and his gray suit jacket unbuttoned, Spoelstra didn’t seem worried in the slightest. After all, his team finished dead last in rebounds per game last season and still won the title in part because of the Heat’s 55.2 percent effective field goal percentage, the best regular season number in league history. Spoelstra’s main message was having a good shootaround Saturday before another preseason game that night against San Antonio. Spoelstra is focused on his team getting “not good shots, but better shots. Not settle for shots just based on our talent but playing with continuity, unselfishness and precision.” That hasn’t come to fruition just yet, but he knows that ball movement, spacing and patience (he stressed avoiding “throwaway shots”) is what will fuel the Miami offense. “We’re trying to develop better habits.””
Like the point guard position, the Center position is thriving in the NBA again: “Today’s NBA, to be clear, is still a ways from earning golden era status when it comes to the center position. But in the name of Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah, Roy Hibbert and the rest, can we please stop with this nonsense about the center position being dead and the basketball world being ruled by perimeter players? This revelation comes courtesy of a recent conversation with Shaquille O’Neal, the newest minority owner of the Sacramento Kings and resident mentor to young big man DeMarcus Cousins. O’Neal’s goal, you see, is to get the 23-year-old Cousins to the top of this ever-growing list of talented centers in today’s game. As he explained this new personal mission, he shed light on his view of the modern-day center landscape.”
“Some people say Dwight (Howard) is the best, and then some people follow up with Brook (Lopez), and then they’ll say Roy (Hibbert),” O’Neal told USA TODAY Sports. “(They) probably have DeMarcus (ranked) four. Some people say Brook is the best. All the stuff I’ve been reading, and I’ve been hearing, DeMarcus is always at that four.”
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China has taken its toll, and the Lakers are ready to return home: “”Today I felt about as jet-lagged as I’ve felt,” Nash said Thursday. “But just keep plugging away.” The Lakers play Golden State in an exhibition Friday and head home immediately after the game, complete with a quirky twist. They land at 10 p.m. Friday, three hours before their 1 a.m. Saturday departure from China, a 12-hour flight and a 15-hour time change adding up to a reversal in time. They’ll take it. On this trip, the Lakers have balanced practice time with NBA-mandated promotional appearances, including an “NBA Cares” charity event and a “fan appreciation night” Thursday at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai. “A very thorough day on the tour,” Nash said.”
The Indiana Pacers improved their bench to make a title run this season: “D.J. Augustin, Gerald Green, Tyler Hansbrough and Sam Young among other reserves didn’t cut it, which is why those players are no longer with the Pacers. In their place is a much-improved second unit that consists of C.J. Watson, Luis Scola, Chris Copeland and Lance Stephenson (who has moved to the bench since Danny Granger returned to the starting lineup). What was a weakness last year has seemingly turned into a strength, with Indiana looking like one of the deepest teams in the NBA.”
“I think we have one of the best benches in the league on paper,” Watson said in a phone interview. “We still have to play together and jell with one another and all of that, but I think we definitely have one of the best benches on paper. As long as we all go out there and know our role and do what we need to do to help the team and help each other succeed then I think we’ll be fine.
“I’m very excited and I can’t wait to start the season. I’m looking forward to getting the know the guys better and playing with them more. I really didn’t know any of the guys before I got here, except for just playing against them. I’m just ready to get the season start. I know Coach [Frank Vogel] is ready to get started; every time I talk to him he’s excited.”
Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.