A Little Something to Keep Your Eye On

Well, here we are again: another NBA season is upon us!

Now, we all know what the talking heads have been talking about. Can the Lakers repeat? Is KG back and if so are the Celtics going to challenge for the title? Are the Cavs for real with Shaq, or is this LeBron's swan song in Cleveland? Is Blake gonna save the Clips? Oh yeah, and the never ending Summer of 2010 nonsense. All of these stories are valid and in their own way, but I'm here to hit you with a few under the radar things to keep your eye on.

Every year we have one team that was god awful from the year before that becomes fiesty, yet they go into that following season as the keep you eye on them team. Last year it was Kevin Durant and his boys down in OKC. The Thunder didn't do a lot of damage as far as wins but did enough to make people notice. This year? My heart says Minny but with them botching the draft and the front office shake up I'm just not sure (although I love me some Al Jefferson). I'm gonna say the youngins up in SacTown. As bad as they were last year, I just have a funny feeling about them. Don't be surprised if Evans turns out to be a productive rook and Thompson and Hawes make strides too. I'm not saying they win more than 20 games but I think they are gonna surprise some folks.

Also every year we have our clear cut upper crust. Well this year is no different but with a twist.

•  Lakers bring in Ron Ron (only the instigator of the biggest brawl in NBA history)
• Celtics bring in Sheed (the leagues most notorious headcase and also the leader of the "JailBlazers")
• Cavs bring in Shaq (how Mr. Me First clogs the hole for LeBron should be interesting)
• Magic bring in Vince (Shoot first team killer brought in to replace Mr. Everything team glue in Turkoglu)
  

Only the Spurs seem to be fighting age and nothing else at this point. Either way, when Ron Artest, Rasheed Wallace, Shaq and Vince Carter are ALL in the mix? Things are going to be interesting.

A little side note on the topic that will be beaten to a pulp (and then to smithereens... and then as Iron Mike would say "into Bolivian"): the free agent bonanza of next summer. Let's just say I think LeBron stays put, DWade stays put and gets to play with his buddy Chris Bosh. Miami has only 2 players under contract after this season (Beasley and Chalmers); that's a lot of cap room. I do think the Knicks make something happen and here is where: what two high level free agents are going to be left that aren't in the best of situations and have a tie to the Knicks organization? Give up? Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson. They both flourished under D'Antoni in Phoenix, neither would be heartbroken to leave their current situations and both will be ready and waiting when LeBron, DWade and Bosh are off the table. As long as Amare doesn't get traded to Golden State, this is how I think the 2010-2011 New York Knickerbockers are going to be built.

Here's a little bit more for you to agree with, hate or just sink your teeth into a little bit:

• Overhyped player of the preseason - Lou Williams, Sixers
• Undervalued player of the preseason - Anthony Morrow, Warriors ... WATCH OUT!!
• Good team destined to fall off a bit - Orlando Magic
• Bad Team ready to make a move - Charlotte Bobcats
• Rookie of the Year - Blake Griffin on rep ... personally, my vote will go to Dejuan Blair

Opening Tip

I think I'm lucky.

I'm lucky because my best friend from childhood is still my best friend. Now, we all know that people change over the years - and in turn your friendship with someone can change as a result. I'm not suggesting that my friendship with Mark hasn't taken some twists and turns over the years (I did my fair share or twisting and turning, I admit), but what is cool about the friendship is that one of our main interests from childhood remains one of the key things that make our friendship what it is.

Basketball.

Growing up, neither Mark nor I had a real basketball hoop to actually shoot on. Sadly, we were reduced to shooting a basketball at street signs on either side of Grove Avenue in Albany, NY. My brain has gone south over the years, but I have crystal-clear memories of Mark and I blowing our opponents out back in 1985. Mind you, we played two-on-nobody and competed against fictitious teams - every now and again, we'd lose a game in a 7 game series but we were about as good as they come. Several years later, Mark's cousin and next-door neighbor Butch got a hoop attached to his garage (wait, the ball goes THROUGH a hoop???) - it wasn't much longer until Mark had one of those portable hoops with wheels on the bottom that you could roll down into the street. Needless to say, our formative years were spent with the game of basketball.

However, if there's one thing Mark and I love more than basketball, it's talking about basketball. A lot. Ultimately, we probably spent WAY too much time watching the NBA and chatting about it too. But let's be real: we had plenty to chat about. Mike, Magic, Larry, Chuck, The Mailman, Stockton, Ewing, Clyde, Hakeem, The Admiral, 'Nique, Pippen, The Reign Man, The Glove, and Reggie are just a few of the players we grew up admiring, mimicking, loving and hating. We've seen the Bulls at their best - and as a result we've seen each other at our worst (I'm a Knicks fan, and Mark bumped and hit his head as a child and woke up a Jazz fan. Just saying). Hands down, our favorite day of the year is the day of the NBA Draft. And neither of us find that weird either.

Rather than keep our passion of the NBA to ourselves (trust me on this: when you've known someone for 25 years, it pretty easy to keep the same routine), we've decided to share it with all of you. With that said, welcome to Hoops Bar.

Neither of us truly know what direction this site is going to go in, but we do know that we love the NBA. If you do as well, feel free to join us as we venture into our site together.

Enjoy!