NBA Thoughts

I'm taking a break from the Detroit brawl with some early season observations:

• Memo to ESPN, ABC, and TNT: forget about Iverson, McGrady, Kobe, and Yao. Show more LeBron and Wade.
• I wouldn't mind seeing the Jazz once in a while. The only thing I know about Kirilenko is he puts up good fantasy stats. Also Boozer averaging over 20 points a game and he's double digits in rebounds.
• Speaking of double digit rebounders, 18-year-old Dwight Howard is averaging 11.4 a game.
• In Boston, people are getting excited about rookie Al Jefferson. He still looks lost on the court a lot, but he's a quick jumper and has good hands (probably 2 of the most important skills for a big man).
• The Celtics run and pass well for three quarters. Then in the fourth, they stand around as Paul Pierce tries to take on four defenders. The legend of Jim O'Brien's offense lives on.
• I wonder if O'Brien actually coaches offense. Watch the 76ers and you'll know what I mean.
• One reason Grant Hill's early success is so enjoyable is how he excels in all aspects of the game. He may not put up as many points as players like Kobe and Iverson, but he puts them to shame in other aspects of the game like rebounding and passing.
  
• Dumb quote of the day goes to Lakers owner Jerry Buss on why he traded Shaq: "I keep looking at Chicago. They haven't won a game, they haven't come close to the playoffs for seven years. Quite honestly, that was because they didn't make any trades while they had an opportunity. They let their team get older and decayed. I just don't want to do that."

So what's he suggesting? That the Bulls trade away Jordan or Pippen before they won a championship in 97 or 98? I can't think of an example of an NBA team helping itself by trading away a star before he "gets old." In my NBA preview, I criticized Jerry Krause for making the same sort of statement about the Celtics. In both cases, they're ignoring the bad moves and unfortunate events that occurred after the retirements of Bird, McHale, Jordan etc.