TOP 10 NBA Storylines (2012-13)

Whats up my peoples! With the 2012 NBA season ending up with Bron Bron, DWade, and Bosh getting that elusive NBA Title over the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder (brushing the haters off in the process), it setup a amazingly busy off-season which had some good (Olympic Gold), some bad (Dwight Howard  saga), and some ugly (Jeremy Lin / Knicks situation); With the NBA 2012-13 Season in gear, we here at SPORTSEFFECTLIVE.COM  would like to present you with the


                                      SELIVE  TOP 10 STORYLINES in the NBA


Drum Roll Please.......LETS GO!



(10) Will the Knicks make a serious run this season?
   The Knicks finished last season much like they started it - in a flux, trying to compete without a full team on display (Jeremy Lin knee & Amare smashing hand, Baron Davis hurt, changing of coaches) against a team the Knicks feel like they was as talented as and as good as (Miami). And while they was dealt a quick first round exit to the eventual champion Heat, the Knicks went away feeling as if they could - dare say it - beat that Miami Heat team, with a few changes, to say the least. So they ditched Twitter legend and 10 game sensation Jeremy Lin for a more solid, but sometimes silent Raymond Felton, and signed Hall of Fame PG Jason Kidd; They brang Rasheed (pronounced RAAAH-SHEEEED) Wallace out of retirement to shore up the frontcourt, and with Melo staying in shape year round and keeping coach Mike Woodson to start the season, there is no reason why the Knicks couldn't.....win a first round series this season?
Note: Amar'e Stoudamire is injured for first 6-8 wks with knee injury, making Rasheed that much more valuable.

(9) Are the Brooklyn Nets gonna take over crown as "King of New York?" 

  In the rap game, there are a few cats that could rightfully claim one of the most prestigous positions in history. Biggie, Nas, Jay-Z, 50, Diddy to name em. King of New York has one of the most powerful sounds to it in the english language.  Just ooooozes power, fame, fortune. And now, with the Brooklyn Nets in their new incredible playground (Barclay Arena), move over Knicks, as the Nets owner, (a Russian version of Ivan Drago In A Suit) tries to take the Nets where they have never been before. Teaming with Jay-Z definitely helped his cred (streed cred, to be exact) as Prokhorov has been loose with the pockets (signing Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, and Brooke Lopez) and has repeatedly said his 5-year plan will bring him a title. Will Prokorov take the Jay-Z Blueprint route? Or will he be more on the Vanilla Ice plan? I'd have to say right now, "Ice Ice baby" as Prokhorov has delivered a amazing one hit wonder with his new Arena and Team; Question is can he create a Classic Album? Remains to be seen.


(8)  Rookie Report 
Every season there is rookies who look to shape the future of the league, and this season is no different as colleges finest head to the pros. With Unibrow expert Anthony Davis leading the way, here is some rookies to look for to make a IMMEDIATE impact:

  Anthony Davis (New Orleans) - Davis reminds me of a young Marcus Camby, but with better skills on O. He can single handedly win a game without scoring 5 points, and he will keep the Hornets competitive every night. And he will be rookie of the year as well.
   Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte) - Kidd-Gilchrist is not the most recognizable player, nor will he amaze you with his high flying tactics or flashy moves, but one thing will be evident; his overall skills will help Charlotte climb up the ladder this season. He's a stat sheet stuffer who will become a lockdown defender and a 14 point, 7 board type of guy this year.
   Damian Lillard (Portland)  - Lillard lit up the summer league and preseason, and will get his chance to be the dynamic PG he is. With some good pieces already in place, he will fit seamlessly and could help the Blazers get to the playoffs. Rookie of the Year darkhorse.
   Harrison Barnes (Golden St) - Barnes had a good college career, but looked to be already thinking NBA while at UNC. Now that he's in the NBA, look for Barnes to average 15+ this season for the rising Warriors.
   Dion Waiters (Cleveland) - When the Cavs drafted Waiters, there was a feeling of "why they do that?" & "He ain't even start on his college team!"  But when you look more at Waiters, you realize he was the PERFECT pick. A confident combo guard who can shoot from real deep and can slash to the hoop as well, he will have ample opportunity to do his thing. If his defense turns up, he will be on the short list for Rookie of the Year.
   Jared Sullinger (Boston) - Sullinger dropped a little because of his "lack of explosion & knee problems" but his first bucket in the NBA was - a fast break dunk. Point made. Sullinger will be a key piece of the Celtics run if they want to get back to the NBA Finals.


Two other rookies to watch: Jae Crowder (Dallas) & Bradley Beal (Washington)









(7) Texas Roadbock

Lin-sanity to the Dirty South

  With 3 teams in Texas, there is a constant battle for bragging rights, but which team will be best? Dallas will have Nowitzki out early, but with newcomers O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison in the backcourt and rookie F Jae Crowder coming on strong, the Mavs could be a late season suprise; The Spurs will depend on their vets to keep them atop the league, but can they get back to the Finals with a old aging team? And the Rockets made the splash of the preseason, trading to get James Harden and Daequan Cook, but will they have enough to get into the upper echelon of the West? And will Lin-sanity continue to ball out in the dirty south? A Lin - Harden backcourt is very intriguing.



(6)  Battle for LA

  Last year the Clippers announced that they will be a threat last season by pulling a Kevin McHale (up and under post move) on the Lakers, sneaking Chris Paul and solidifying themselves as a player in the Western Conference Sweepstakes. The Clippers made it to the second round, and now with new players such as Lamar Odom, Matt Barnes, Jamal Crawford, and Grant Hill, can they take the leap over the Lakers? Not so fast Clip Joint, as the Lakers looked to do a one-up with the trade of Dwight Howard and the signing of Steve Nash. Should be a great year for LA. Which team will rise above the other?



BONUS: 
                                     Cavs, Pacers look to make major strides this season.

Cavs Season Outlook: Will the Cavs make the Playoffs?


The Cavs new dynamic backcourt duo

 The Cavs made a great decision to draft Kyrie Irving and Tristian Thompson last season, finally pulling away from the dark LeBron cloud that lingered over the franchise since the "Decision". Irving was the Rookie of the Year and proved the doubters wrong, that although he only played in a handful of college games, he was the real deal. With another bold draft in Dion Waiters, its looks as if he has his backcourt mate for the next 5 years; I said that Waiters would be a double figure scorer as soon as he touches a NBA court, and it looks as if he will (17 in his season opener). If  wild thing Anderson Varaejao can stay healthy, look for the Cavs to snag a 6 or 7 spot this season in the Playoffs.

Pacers Season Outlook:  Can they get to the Eastern Conference Finals?
The Pacers had a great season last year; They won a first round series, and won 2 games from the Heat, actually holding the lead in the second round series (2-1). However, DWade and LeBron woke up, turned up the juice and sent the Pacers packing. With budding talent in Paul George, Danny Granger, and Roy Hibbert, the Pacers will look to move up into the top 5 teams in the NBA. Won't be easy, but the foundation is there. George Hill will be running the show, and if George can take a step up, the Pacers will be a player again in the East. Only thing is, this season, nobody will overlook Indiana, which means they will have to come to play every night. Can they take it to the next level?

Note: They won't have Larry Legend looking over their shoulder this season.


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 NEXT ARTICLE : TOP 5 STORYLINES OF THE NBA SEASON (Friday)

Olympic Recap; DHoward to Lakers, Video of the Week, T.O to Seattle?, Reds Recap

What up Peoples!!  SportsEffectLive back to give you the updates on the hottest sports issues of the week / weekend...Heres the SELive HOT 5 ISSUES of the WEEK:



1) Olympic Talk                                                                                  SELive VIDEO OF THE WEEK

 Heading into end of Olympics, we have seen the Women step up in some crucial areas (gymnastics, water polo, volleyball, soccer, basketball) to help the USA surge to a 10 medal lead (90-80 over China) into the weekend...Usain Bolt wins the double 100 & 200 to do what NOBODY has ever done; win both events in back to back Olympics....And the mens USA hoops squad looks to bring home the gold this weekend....Has been a great Olympics, and should be a great closeout weekend for the USA squad.



                                                                                    
2) Dwight Howard gets traded to Lakers
    
       Finally the Dwightmare is over!! Howard was traded to the Lakers in a four team trade in which Bynum will head to Philly, Andre Iguadola to the Nuggets and Aaron Affalo and Al Harrington to the Magic; Id have to say the Magic gave up the MOST in this trade and got the LEAST...They did get some 1st round picks, but they should have gotten more than they did. And on top of that,the Lakers was able to keep Pau Gasol, in which Kobe is still doing backflips about.


3) NFL PreSeason Action, Signings
    Pre-Season action has kicked off this week with the Hall of Fame game, and now with the first week of games heading into this weekend...RG3, Peyton, and Mike Vick all got some action thursday...The Bengals will take on the Jets, who have been the Super Bowl champs of MEDIA COVERAGE....After months of pleading, Terrell Owens signs a 1-yr deal with the Seahawks...Word is that Plaxico Burress could be headed to Cowboys..hmmm
  

4) Norris Cole , Daequan Cook headline Charity Event

    Norris Cole and Daequan Cook will be headlining a Charity Hoops Event  Saturday at Stivers High School. The Charity event is Cook's, and will feature some pros on exhibition as Cook raises money for his foundation to get kids into college. Doors open at 6 and will start at 7.


5) Reds Recap
   After winning 10 straight and accumulating the best record in baseball, the Reds have lost 3 in a row; They still lead the division, but mounting up losing streaks during this time won't help the cause...Votto is a few weeks away, but I think that the Reds got a little bit of luck by running all those W's without missing Votto. Its starting to seep in, but Reds must continue to have a killer instinct in order to hold off pesky Pirates or late charging Cardinals.


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NBA Top 10 Biggest STORYLINES in 2011-12 season

      The labor lockout this year has turned this NBA season into a Autobahn, where teams are having to play, think, revise its roster, practice, add / release players, and travel at a rapid, record setting  pace. The offseason, while short, was memorable and the 2 preseason games? C'mon man!! As a whole the NBA games have been slightly under par, but most of the players are in shape. Finding out where your favorite role player is now who was on your team last season? Not so easy....No matter what, you gotta love the NBA and its great that its back, even if Principal Stern (oops, Commissioner Stern)  threatened to send all the players to China and Turkey...

Anyways, here are SportsEffectLive.com TOP 10 STORYLINES of the NBA 2011-12 season. Enjoy!

(1) Can the Heat rebound? (Norris Cole Effect, Humblization of Lebron)

Not 1, not 2, not 3....

     Last year the Miami Heat was the overhyped bullies of the league, figuring that if they team up, instead of going solo aginst the likes of Boston and LA, that they would have a better chance to win not 1, not 2, not 3 championships...etc. and so on...However, that fairytale ending ended with a suprised thud the size of Dirk Nowitzki's arc on his jumper every time it left his hand. The Heat had lost to the Mavs in classic meltdown fashion (after being up 1-0 & 2-1), had looked unclassy in the process (imitating Nowitzki's cold) and with it had Bosh on instant meltdown with LeBron going in hiding for a month or two. After workin' on his game this summer with Akeem the Dream, LeBron seems more at peace than ever before. Miami did do well in the draft, getting sleeper Norris Cole and aquiring Shane Battier through free agency, and looking at their early gallop out the gates, they could be headed back to the NBA Finals; Getting there won't be enough as they are win or bust this season.

Can LeBron get a ring ring?

(2) Will Lakers get over Paul trade block? (New coach, Odom traded, DHoward to LA?Kobe divorce)

      The Lakers tried to pull off the deal of the brief NBA offseason by doing a huge trade to get Chris Paul a few weeks ago; However, principal (I meant commissioner) Stern disallowed the trade AFTER ALL TEAMS in the trade had given it the stamp of approval, making it feel like the Lakers had pulled another doozie, only to be Kevin McHaled (SELivedefinition: up and under pump fake) by Stern and swooped on by the LA Clippers. Although the Lakers lost Lamar Kardashian Odom (Mavs) and Coach Phil Jackson (meditation school), they still have enough talent to win a NBA Championship. They are still on the Howard bandwagon, and dont be suprised if Superman ends up in Hollywood. However, will Kobe be able to play at the level he always has, with a (1)new coach(2)a divorce on the way and (3) Father time catching up with his leaping ability?...We think he will, as he always has. So look for the LakeShow to be in the Title Mix.

(3) Where will Dwight Howard end up?

Superman to Hollywood?

       Superman has one year left on his contract, and the Magic have tried (to no avail) to get Howard a second star to help them get to a championship; They lost in the Finals a couple years ago, only to move backwards since, while aquiring Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson and others; Seems like the Magic aren't sure what to do, as trade rumors had Howard going from Jersey all the way to LA...I think he will eventually be traded, although Howard has said if we get another primetime player that he would be willing to stay. One things for sure - wherever he goes, the shift in power will go as well. 

(4) Can the Mavs repeat?

      Dallas had a dream season last year, starting fast, and finishing strong with a dramatic Championship run; The hard part is that because of the new labor agreement, the Mavs had to let go of a few players who were catalysts in the championship run (JJ Barea, Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler, Deshawn Stevenson). Grabbing  Odom, Vince Carter, and Shawne Williams were good moves, but will it be enough to get them back to back Titles? Not so sure....Word is that the Mavs are in the hunt to get Dwight Howard, but that looks like a longshot.

(5) Can the new BIG 3 make it happen in New York?

     New York Knicks hasn't been relevant since the Pat Ewing days and one magical year with Larry Johnson,(I do miss the grandmama ads) Allan Houston, LaTrell "choke em out" Sprewell and company; Now with Tyson Chandler joining Melo and Amar'e, the Knicks look like a team headed in the right direction. If they get any production from the guard spots, they will be a Top 4 Team in the East (along with Chicago, Boston and Miami). They had a winner in Billups, but didn't wanna pay 14 Million to the vet, so they let him go. Will that hurt them in the long run?

(6) Does the Old BIG 3 in Boston have anything left in the tank?

     Boston's Big 3 (now BIG 4 with Rondo) has won a Championship, lost a championship, and now looks like they have 1 last title run left;  Paul Pierce is now back and playing good nontheless, which means they still will be a player for the East; Will they be able to muster enough energy in a short compressed season to challenge the Heat, Bulls, or Knicks with all 3 of those rosters having young hungry talent?    

(7) Miami Valley Local Lookout...(Daequan Cook, Norris Cole, Derrick Brown, Chris Wright)

DCook with NBA 3pt Trophy

     For the first time ever, Dayton, Ohio has 4 guys, born and raised in the DYT, on NBA rosters; While Daequan Cook is the elder statesman of the group, he's only 24 with a NBA 3-pt Crown to his achivements; Norris Cole (Miami) has burst onto the scene stealing the Heatles show in his second game (14 of  his 20 pts in the 4th quarter to seal the win) and will be a Rookie of the Year Candidate; Derrick Brown is now in the rotation in Charlotte and Chris Wright is on the practice squad in Golden State, but making great strides and im willing to bet that he will be in uniform before the end of January. This is a GROUNDBREAKING year for Dayton, and hopefully all the youngsters in the Miami Valley will realize, with hard work, patience, and a little luck, they can too be on a NBA roster.

(8) Will the Cavs look good or bad about their draft decisions? (Rookie of Year talk)

Irving and Thompson

      Cleveland had 2 of the top 4 picks in the Draft, and went with Duke Guard Kyrie Irving and Texas big man Tristian Thompson; Irving has a load of potential, but due to the fact he only played in a handfull of games at Duke, this season will be paramount to him and the Cavs. Thompson is a athetic 6'10 who is in the LaMarcus Aldridge mold...The Cavs passed up on Arizona's Derrick Williams (Minnesota), will they regret that?...Meanwhile Cavs Coach Byron Scott loves the way Irving plays, and feels he will be a star in the league. Until that happens though, the Cavs will pray for 30 wins and continue to rebuild.

(9) Can the Clippers join the NBA Elite? Blake Griffin / Chris Paul MVP?

Rookie of the Year Clownin'

     The Clippers, up until this year, has been the JV team in the City of  Los Angeles. No doubt about it. After decades of penny pinching by the owner (Sterling), and horrible front office moves, they finally got it right by drafting Blake Griffin, aquiring athletic young stud and horrible FT shooter Deaundre Jordan,  trading for Chris Paul (giving up Eric Gordon sucked) and aquiring Caron Butler and Chauncy B-B-B-Billups through free agency..Now they look like a team ready to make a move from the JV and share the spotlight - or dare we say - take it over from the Lakers. Should be a special year for the Clip Joint.

(10) Is this the Year of the Thunder?

Durant Westbrook combo must work to win Title

      Anybody who watched the Oklahoma City Thunder last year in the playoffs KNEW two things; One, that this team has the talent to win it all and (two) can Westbrook and Durant get along? We feel like  Durant will be MVP this season, only because it is CLEAR that he is "the man" on this team, the Batman, the lead guy, the Superstar. Russell Westbrook is the x-factor that seemed to be pouting during crucial moments of the playoffs, during nitty gritty parts of key games against the Mavs. If Westbrook can accept the fact that he is playing with one of the GREATEST scorers (and soon to be players) in NBA history, then the Thunder will have a great chance to win a NBA Title. This season. If not, it could be a stormy end of year. Westbrook and Durant have already been arguing this season and if they can't iron it out, either a blockbuster trade or a unsettling situation will be the final result in OK City. They have all of the pieces to win a Title; Two great 1 on 1 players, athletic bigs who can guard and rebound, wing players of all sorts, and speed and defense at the top of the League. But can they get that cohesion that will lead you there? If you looked that the Mavs last year, their teamwork and team first mentality was unparalled in the NBA. Can the Thunder get to that level?


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