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As the NBA season kicks into high gear, two stories surfaced on Tuesday that should come as no surprise. And of course, they are centering around none other than, traditionally, the leagues two most popular teams: the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers.
In just two weeks, both teams who are annually expected to compete for a title, and at the very least, the playoffs, have turned into the leagues biggest trainwrecks.
When the New York Knicks acquired Andrea Bargnani from the Toronto Raptors over the summer, plenty around the league questioned the move.
The former No. 1 overall pick has built a reputation over the years as a “soft” big who can’t rebound, defensively unreliable and isn’t efficient enough on offense – all things that the Knicks actually needed to improve on from last season.
So when all these things appeared to be true through his first four games of the season – he averaged 8.8 points, two rebounds and zero blocks during that stretch – it started to sink in that the team may have gotten worse than last season by acquiring the center. Things only got worse when Tyson Chandler suffered a fracture in his right fibula earlier in the week against the Charlotte Bobcats: it meant the Knicks would have to depend on Bargnani even more for the next four to six weeks.
It’s exactly 10 days into this NBA regular season, it feels like 10 weeks for those who cover the league on a regular basis, and a whole hell of a lot has already happened.
Few things have gone as expected, of course the undefeated start for the Pacers is an exception, and surprises abound across the league. Here are 10 that immediately came to mind, including a pair of dazzling young point guards, one major market team in big trouble and another that’s downright irrelevant right now.
For the last decade, the 11th pick in the NBA draft has been a crapshoot.
In 2011, the Golden State Warriors rolled a “yo” with Klay Thompson, who has shown All-Star potential. The previous year, however, the New Orleans Hornets selected Cole Aldrich, who has shown D-League potential.
For every Jerryd Bayless, there’s an Acie Law. For every J.J. Redick, there’s a Terrence Williams. And let’s not forget the immortal Fran Vasquez, who wants to come to the United States about as badly as Roman Polanski.
In June, Philadelphia 76ers GM Sam Hinkie had the 11th pick. He needed a point guard, having traded All-Star Jrue Holiday for the rights to Nerlens Noel. The two best point guards – Trey Burke and C.J. McCollum – were off the board.
So Hinkie grabbed Michael Carter-Williams. How’s that working out?
“I think it’s a point guard’s league,” coach Brett Brown said, “and I think Michael Carter-Williams is for real.”
