Andrew Bogut had surgery on his right hand on Tuesday and will need six weeks before he can fully begin rehab.
Bogut has kept up good spirits throughout this unfortunate ordeal. He wrote that Amare Stoudemire isn’t to blame, and added, “I will bounce back from this! Please keep supporting us, its a team game! Go Bucks!” He should be healthy and rested by the time the 2010-11 season rolls around.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Cleveland: LeBron James is dealing with a sore left elbow and other minor ailments, and has made it clear that he wants some rest in the next five games. The Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched the league’s best record (and home court throughout the playoffs), so there is no reason to push any of the starters.

Dallas: Jason Kidd confirmed that he won’t play in the World Championships, but he plans to be “working with the coaching staff and hanging out with Coach K.”
Kidd helped Team USA win gold in Sydney in 2000 and Beijing in 2008, and he’s a perfect 56-0 in his Olympic career (including exhibitions and qualifiers). This doesn’t mean that he’s done with all international competitions, but it’s a good possibility.

Miami: Jermaine O’Neal (hyperextended right knee) will return to practice this week, and he might even play Wednesday vs. Philadelphia. “The swelling is almost completely gone,” said O’Neal. “Strength-wise … I’m probably at like 90 percent.” Miami has won four straight without him (eight overall) so there’s no real urgency — we’ll get a better feel for his status after he tests his knee on Tuesday.

Denver: The Denver Nuggets are hoping that Kenyon Martin will practice on Tuesday after being out for a month with patellar tendinitis in his left knee. “All I know is he was on the court today,” said acting head coach Adrian Dantley. “It’s Kenyon’s decision. When he says he’s feeling good, that’s when he’ll practice. That’s when he’ll play.” Denver isn’t going to rush him into action, so we’re still not expecting him to offer much before the playoffs.

Phoenix: Robin Lopez (back) went through a light workout on Monday, but there is still no timetable for his return. “Today was the first day. It was good,” Lopez said, but he wouldn’t commit on whether he’ll return before the end of the regular season. “I don’t know. We’ll see,” he said. “I can’t really say anything about my timetable. It differs from person to person.”

Kevin Durant led the Thunder to an impressive road win in Dallas on Saturday — he had 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, five steals, one block and five turnovers. Durant fell a fraction of a point behind LeBron James for the scoring title, but the Thunder have more important goals in mind. They are riding a three-game winning streak (all on the road) and are on the verge of bringing playoff basketball to the raucous OKC crowds.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Portland: Andre Miller scored 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting as the Blazers defeated the Kings in Sacramento on Saturday. He was one of four Blazers’ starters to score 20+ points. Sacramento Kings beat writer Jason Jones summed up Miller’s style: “Andre Miller has old man game. Like that old guy who schools you at the park.” He’s settled in nicely since Steve Blake’s departure, and has guided Portland to 11 wins in their last 13 games.

Charlotte: Stephen Jackson has a strained hamstring, but he also has a turned ankle and a sore hand and elbow. “The way he was hurting, I wish I hadn’t played him at all,” said coach Larry Brown. “So we took him out for his own good.” Jax doesn’t want to sit out unless the Charlotte Bobcats have clinched a playoff berth, but said “I felt like I was running in quicksand … I couldn’t move.” Movement is essential to the game of basketball, so consider him questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. Atlanta.

Los Angeles: Baron Davis (back) is expected to play in Sunday’s home game vs. the New York Knicks, reports beat writer Lisa Dillman. The Clippers just completed an 0-3 road trip with Steve Blake at the helm, not that the losses were Blake’s fault. Davis should slide back into the starting lineup, and it’s nice to see him soldiering on until (we hope) the end of the season.

Minnesota: Wolves guard Corey Brewer shot 0-of-9 from the field on Saturday, finishing with one point, four assists and two blocks in 20 minutes.
Brewer has dramatically improved his shooting this season, but that doesn’t make him immune to awful games like this.

Milwaukee: Brandon Jennings had 23 points (7-of-15 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs) and four assists to lead Milwaukee Bucks past the Suns on Saturday.
The Bucks needed an emotional lift after watching Andrew Bogut leave the court after a scary fall (he was diagnosed with a partially dislocated elbow). Jennings’ shooting touch isn’t always there, but the impressive rookie continues to find ways to get his team the win.

The streaking Bucks defeated the Boston Celtics on Tuesday behind a huge game from Andrew Bogut, who posted 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting, with 17 rebounds, two assists, one steal and four blocks. Bogut has finally figured out how to play well consistently, and the Bucks are reaping the rewards. They are 9-1 in the past 10 games, fueled by Bogut’s surge and the seamless addition of John Salmons

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Cleveland: LeBron James (rest) is expected to play against the Sixers on Friday. The Cleveland Cavaliers decided to give The King two games off as he’s dealing with a left quad bruise, a right ankle tweak and a sore back. He won’t practice on Tuesday or Wednesday before getting back on the court Thursday. With a full seven days off between games, look for James to be especially fresh and focused on Friday night.

Cleveland: An MRI on Antawn Jamison’s left knee showed no serious problems and he plans on playing against the Sixers on Friday. Sore knees are nothing new for Jamison, who left Monday’s win in the third quarter after the back of his knee got tight. We’d expect him to sit out practice on Tuesday and Wednesday but be fine for his full complement of minutes on Friday.

Utah: C.J. Miles exploded for 26 points in a mere 18 minutes off Utah Jazz bench on Tuesday, draining 9-of-12 field goals, including six 3-pointers.

Chicago: Luol Deng strained his calf during Tuesday’s game and will not return. Deng was already battling the flu, and he’s recently dealt with a sore and swollen knee. The severity of the strain will likely determine his status for Thursday’s game at Orlando, so check back soon for more information.

Houston: Trevor Ariza (hip) came off the bench on Monday for 13 points (4-of-13 shooting), three 3-pointers, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 28 minutes. This was his first game since Feb. 21 and clearly conditioning was an issue. Presumably he will overtake Shane Battier (zero points, seven rebounds, two blocks) for the starting SF job before long, but we’ll keep a close eye on this situation.

LeBron James has been ruled out for Monday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. He’s not really injured, although his ankles are a bit dinged up. This is simply for some rest, and we do expect him to play Friday against the Sixers. NBA TV is not going to be happy with this news, as they’re showing the game tonight.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

New Orleans: Chris Paul, who is already in week five of his four-to-six week recovery period from knee surgery, has still not been cleared to run and may not be before the end of the week. With only 19 games remaining, coach Jeff Bower said there is no magic date to decide if Paul will play again this year. “Our plan is for him to return when he’s 100 percent healthy and that’s what he wants to do as well,” Bower said. This is not good news at all, and Paul’s chances to return this season will likely decrease with each New Orleans Hornets‘ loss.

Oakland: Andris Biedrins will have surgery to repair a small tear in his abdominal muscle. A timetable will be set for his return after the surgery is performed, but we’re guessing this means his season is probably over. Anthony Tolliver and Ronny Turiaf should hold value the rest of the way,

Memphis: Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph will miss his first game of the season on Monday because of lower back tightness, the team announced just before tip-off.

New York: Tracy McGrady will miss Monday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks due to fatigue and soreness.

Portland: Marcus Camby practiced despite his sprained ankle on Monday and is hoping to play on Tuesday against the Kings. He’s not the most trustworthy center around right now, but it does sound like he will be in the starting lineup on Tuesday, barring any setbacks.

Chicago: Luol Deng missed Monday’s practice with the flu and was sent home with the illness. Deng is now questionable for Tuesday’s game.

San Antonio: Tony Parker will miss approximately six weeks due to his broken right hand, but will not need surgery.

San Antonio: With Tony Parker (hand) sidelined, Manu Ginobili will start at SG for the Spurs with George Hill moving to PG. This is terrific news if you own either guy, both of whom should be safe starts in all leagues. Expect Ginobili’s playing time to increase significantly going forward — he was averaging 27:30 per game as a reserve.

LeBron James hit 16-of-27 shots and three 3-pointers on his way to 40 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks in Friday’s win. He didn’t have a triple-double tonight, but this is still one of his best lines of the year. The Cleveland Cavaliers fantasy playoff schedule isn’t great, but LeBron is still the top fantasy player in the league, and should remain so in the playoffs. LeBron said after the game that he tweaked his right ankle, but “hoped” to play tomorrow in Milwaukee.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Dallas: Brendan Haywood failed to score in seven minutes on Friday before leaving the game after his lower back tightened up. Eduardo Najera played 26 minutes in his absence, but had just one points and five rebounds, while Dirk Nowitzki also filled in some at center. Erick Dampier is still out for a week or so, meaning that Haywood will play if he can. Hopefully this is not a long-term injury and he’ll be ready to go for Saturday’s game at Chicago.

Oakland: Corey Maggette returned from a hamstring injury a few days earlier than expected, scoring 18 points in Friday’s loss to the Hawks. He came off the bench and added seven rebounds on 6-of-12 shooting. He played 23 minutes, but we still don’t really trust Maggette.

Toronto: Andrea Bargnani received three skin staples in the back of his head after suffering a laceration in Friday’s game. He finished with nine points, four boards, one block and one 3-pointer on 4-of-15 shooting, but at least returned to finish the game. He should probably be considered day-to-day at this point, but watch for an update over the weekend.

Cleveland: J.J. Hickson started at center again, but was replaced in the second half by Anderson Varejao. Hickson struggled tonight, hitting just 1-of-6 shots for four points and one rebounds in 16 minutes, while Varejao had 16 points and 10 boards on 8-of-10 shooting.

Detroit: Rodney Stuckey had eight points and 10 assists before leaving Friday’s game with some sort of seizure on the Pistons’ bench. A Detroit Pistons spokesman said Stuckey’s vital signs were normal, he was breathing on his own and was conscious at Cleveland Clinic where he was taken after the incident. However, given the fact the Pistons are out of the playoff hunt, and Stuckey’s seizure was termed “violent” on television, it’s possible he could be shut down.

Denver: Kenyon Marting will miss Friday’s game against the Pacers with a partial tear of his left patella tendon, and might need surgery. The Denver Nuggets will use the next 48 hours to decide on a treatment plan, which will include rest and injections, but he very well may need surgery.

Cavilers F LeBron James scored 31 points in 16 minutes during the first half of Saturday’s game vs. New York, then cruised to a huge night — 47 points (17-of-31 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), six 3-pointers, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals. LeBron scored 24 consecutive points for Cleveland at one point, a streak during which he made 10-of-11 shots, including four 3-pointers. The Kings keeps one-upping himself, and we expect the heroics to continue as long as Mo Williams is out

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Portland: Although Brandon Roy (hamstring) is targeting a return on Feb. 16, there’s no official timetable for his return. The Portland Trail Blazers are already very shorthanded and fighting for playoff position, but prudence won out “In the end, we had to do what was best for Brandon,” said GM Kevin Pritchard. Roy intends to rest throughout the All-Star break and we should have a few updates before Feb. 16.

Houston: Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry sprained his ankle on Saturday and will not return. He is also expected to sit out Tuesday vs. the Heat. We’re surprised he’s been ruled out of Tuesday’s game so quickly, which could be due to the severity of the injury or nothing more than the proximity of the All-Star break (or maybe both).

Detroit: Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko made all nine of his FG attempts on Saturday, including two 3-pointers, to finish with 20 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Jerebko’s line was even more efficient than it seems, as he did his damage in a mere 24 minutes. It’s safe to say he’s secured a starting gig whether the Detroit Pistons shake things up before the trade dealine or not.

Charlotte: Darren Collison had another excellent game on Saturday, leading the Hornets to a road win in Charlotte, he had 24 points (9-of-17 FGs, 5-of-5 FTs), five rebounds, four assists and one steal.

Los Angelas: Kobe Bryant will not play on Saturday because of his ailing ankle. This is the first game Kobe has missed because of an injury since Dec. 8, 2006. Consider him day-to-day, and expect all the usual suspects (Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom) to carry the scoring burden in his absence.

Chicago: The Bulls have suspended forward Tyrus Thomas one game for conduct detrimental to the team. He will not play vs. the Heat on Saturday. Thomas and coach Vinny Del Negro have had their share of conflict, and this will only fuel the recent trade rumors swirling around the promising PF. With Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis) already sidelined, expect to see plenty of Brad Miller and Taj Gibson.

Boston: Paul Pierce (mid-foot sprain) plans to play against the Orlando Magic on Sunday, but coach Doc Rivers said he will be a game-time decision. “I feel pretty good, light practice, I’m good to go tomorrow,” Pierce said. Doc Rivers, on the other hand, said Pierce looked “a little hesitant … And if he’s hesitant, then I will probably sit him.

Mo Williams scored 28 points to go along with six rebounds, seven assists and three 3-pointers, and LeBron James added 26 points and nine assists as the Cavaliers easily beat the Lakers in L.A. on Christmas Day. Kobe Bryant paced the Los Angeles Lakers with 35 points and a near triple-double, but took 32 shots to reach 35 points, as the Cavs controlled the pace and tempo of the game from the opening tip. Tempers flared on the court, as Lamar Odom was ejected with two technical fouls, while Williams, LeBron, Kobe and Derek Fisher all confronted each other, leading to angry fans littering the floor with foam fingers. This may now be the most contested rivalry in the NBA.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Los Angeles: Marcus Camby, who was iffy coming into Friday’s game with a hyperextended left knee, started, but then left the game after aggravating the injury and will not return. Camby’s injuries are always a major concern and his status for his next game is automatically in doubt.

Los Angeles: Kobe Bryant scored 35 points, but made just 11-of-32 shots in a loss to the Cavaliers on Christmas Day. The Cavs easily won today’s game, although Kobe’s fantasy line included a 3-pointers, 12-of-12 free throw shooting, nine boards, eight assists and two steals. He has been dealing with a sore knee and a broken finger coming in, but looked to be moving at full speed in this one.

Phoenix: Phoenix Suns G Leandro Barbosa returned from a sprained ankle on Christmas Day and had 12 points, four assists, a steal and a block on 4-of-8 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench.

Boston Celtics: Kevin Garnett, who clearly landed hard on his back and tailbone on Friday, also hit his head on the court during the fall. He didn’t return to the game, but says he’s fine. “I’m ok,” Garnett said. “I’ve had harder falls. I’m just glad we won to be honest. I’m sure I’ll feel it in the morning. But for now, I’m all right.” The key words are “for now,” but it sounds like KG is planning to play on Sunday at the Clippers.

Boston: Glen Davis returned from a broken thumb on Friday and failed to score in four minutes.
He’ll be worked into the mix slowly, but if Kevin Garnett is ever going to miss a string of game due to injuries, Davis should have some immediate value in deep leagues.

Orlando: Vince Carter hit 10-of-20 shots and a 3-pointer for a game-high 27 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists and four steals as the Magic fell to the Celtics on Christmas Day.

2008-09 NBA Team Preview – Orlando Magic

2008 Record: 52-30
Division Finish: 1st – Southeast
2008 Playoffs: Lost, 4-1, to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals

Head Coach: Stan Van Gundy
Season: Going into second season
Record At Orlando: 52-30
Career Record: 163-103

Offseason Acquisitions:
Signed Mike Wilks, G, 2.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, Free Agent
Signed Jeremy Richardson, F, 1.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg, Atlanta Hawks
Signed Dwayne Jones, C, 1.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, Cleveland Cavaliers
Signed Anthony Johnson, G, 5.6 ppg, 3.8 apg, Sacramento Kings
Signed Mickael Pietrus G-F, 7.2, ppg, 3.7 rpg, Golden State Warriors

Offseason Transactions:
Excersiced option on guard JJ Redick through 2009-10
Resigned center Adonal Foyle

Offseason Losses:
James Augustine, F, 1.6 ppg., 1.2, rpg, Waived
Carlos Arroyo, G, 6.9 ppg., 3.5, apg, Free Agent
Kenyon Dooling, G, 8.1 ppg, 1.8, apg, Traded to the New Jersey Nets
Maurice Williams, G-F, 9.3 ppg, 3.1 ppg., Signed with Atlanta Hawks
Pat Garrity, F, 2.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg., Retired
Bo Outlaw, F, 2.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg. , Wavied

Rookies:
Courtney Lee, G, 20.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg., Western Kentucky

The Skinny:
Outside of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, no player in the NBA may be more exciting than Orlando’s Dwight Howard. I haven’t watched the Slam Dunk competition in I don’t know how many years, but I was tuned into last year’s competition based solely on the performance of Howard. He did some amazing things with the ball and along with James could be the new face of the NBA.

Prior to Howard’s arrival in O-Town the team was struggling. They finished seventh in the Atlantic division and as a result were able to take Howard with the No. 1 pick. Within three years he had the team back in the playoffs despite a sub-.500 record which just goes to show that the East is a very weak conference.

Last season the Magic won the Southeast Division with a 52-30 record and won their first playoff series since the 1995-96 campaign as they beat Toronto, 4-1, in the first round. Their record was their best since that 95-96 campaign when they lost to the Bulls in the conference finals and was 31 wins better than the year before Howard was drafted. They were subsequently tossed from the playoffs by Detroit, 4-1.

Despite not being the prototypical NBA center that you normally think of at only 265 pounds on a 6-foot-11 frame, Howard is one of the best in the league. He averaged 20.7 points per game and 14.2 rebounds per game. He led the NBA with 69 double doubles and his 14.2 rpg. was a full rebound better than the next closest player (Marcus Camby).

As good as Howard is, he obviously can’t do it all by himself. He’s got a pair of really good supporting cast members in guard Hedo Turkoglu and forward Rashard Lewis. Turkoglu was second on the team at 19.5 ppg while grabbing 5.7 rpg. and handing out 5.0 assists per game. Lewis was just a shade back at 18.2 ppg., 4.2 rpg. and 5.4 apg. Also doing a solid job was point guard Jameer Nelson as he produced 10.9 ppg. and handed out 5.6 apg.

The problem with the Magic isn’t a lack of production at the offensive end of the court, it’s at the defensive end, particularly during the playoffs. Orlando ranked sixth in the NBA last year at 104.4 ppg. and were pretty decent at 99.0 ppg. on defense, which surprisingly ranked 11th.

However, as anyone will tell you defense is what wins you championships. If you don’t believe me, the top three defensive teams in the NBA – Detroit (90.1 ppg.), Boston (90.3 ppg.) and San Antonio (90.6 ppg.) – all made the conference finals. The Phoenix Suns have been mentioned a lot the last few years as a potential champion, but their model of all-out offense has yet to come to fruition. Twice the Suns got to the Western Finals, only to be beaten 4-1 by San Antonio and 4-2 by Dallas. Last year they dropped another 4-1 series to the Spurs.

When going up against a great defensive team like the Pistons in the playoffs, Orlando scored a mere 91.6 ppg. This shows the flaws in the idea of just trying to outscore opponents and not putting much stock in playing defense. Nine times out of 10 the better defensive team will win. Also, because Orlando had to work harder to score, they didn’t have the energy to play the necessary defense – not that they do anyways – but Detroit was only 0.5 ppg. under its regular season average of 90.7 ppg.

The playoffs is all about who can stick to their game plan and go about business as usual. Unless you’ve got a serious injury, the playoffs is not the time to have to change approach. Detroit was able to follow its game plan better than Orlando and the Pistons were the one who were able advance.

Between Howard and Lewis the Magic seem to have the defensive end pretty well covered. Where they are struggling on defense is the back court. Richard Hamilton scored more than 30 against Orlando in the final two playoff games and Chauncey Billups tossed in 28 in game two.

Prediction:
Orlando is a pretty solid team, but they need to get Howard more help. San Antonio and Detroit have five great players on the floor while the Lakers have a super star and a great player in Pau Gasol to help out Bryant. While Lewis, Turkoglu and Nelson are all pretty solid, they’re not great. The Magic must make a decision to either get one big gun, kind of like a Scotty Pippen, or build up the four other guys to be pretty good.

They lost Maurice Wiliams, who averaged 9.3 ppg., to Atlanta and replaced him with Mickael Pietrus from Golden State and his 7.2 ppg. Shooting guard JJ Reddick was one of the best college players of all time, but he has been a dud as a pro. Maybe he’ll get better or maybe he’s just going to be another in a long string of Duke players that are great in college but a flop in the league. If he could ever rise to anything close to the level that he had in Durham he could be that great No. 2 guy.

Rookie guard CourtneyLee has some potential to be a good player. He scored 20.4 ppg. at Western Kentucky, which is a pretty solid program that you’ve probably never heard much about. Lee is a good start, but he’s not going to be enough. Orlando should have another good record so they’re not going to have a draft spot where they can really get an impact player. To move up to the Detroit, Boston and Clevelands of the world they’ll have to make a trade or sign a big free agent.

There might not be a worse division in the NBA than the Southeast so unless Howard gets hurt the Magic should have no problems winning the division again this year. Orlando should win a first round series again, but that’s as far as they are going to get. Unless Stan Van Gundy can get the Magic to play better defense in crunch time they’ll be watching the conference semifinals from home.

2008-09 NBA Team Preview – Cleveland Cavaliers

2008 Record: 45-37
Division Finish: 2nd – Central
2008 Playoffs: Lost, 4-3, to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals

Head Coach: Mike Brown
Season: Going into fourth season
Record At Cleveland: 245-101

Offseason Acquisitions:
Signed Ronald Dupree, F, 1.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, from Seattle
Signed Tarence Kinsey, G, 3.6 ppg., 1.1 rpg from Memphis
Signed center Lorenzen Wright, F-C, 1.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg. from Sacramento
Traded Damon Jones to Milwaukee & Joe Smith to Oklahoma City Thunder. Got guard Maurice Williams, G, 10.2 ppg, 6.1 apg. from Milwaukee

Offseason Transactions:
Resigned guard Daniel Gibson
Resigned guard Delonte West

Offseason Losses:
Damon Jones, G, 6.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg., Free agent
Devin Brown, G, 7.5 ppg., 3.4 rpg., Signed with New Orleans Hornets
Dwayne Jones, C, 1.0 ppg., 2.0 ppg., Signed with Orlando Magic
Detemtris Nichols, F, 1.1 ppg, 0.4 rpg., Claimed off waivers by Chicago Bulls

Rookies:
JJ Hickson, F, 6-9, NC State, 14.8 ppg., 8.5 rpg.
Darnell Jackson, F, 6-8, Kansas, 11.2 ppg., 6.7 rpg.
Sasha Kaun, C, 6-11, Kansas, 7.1 ppg., 3.9 rpg.
Signed Jawad Williams, F

The Skinny:
If the Cleveland Cavaliers want to make that next step from a good team in the East to a great team in the NBA that has a chance to win a championship, they need look no farther than one of their Central Conference foes. The Chicago Bulls wrote the playbook on how to win with a superstar and Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry needs to not only read it, but take the necessary steps.

For my money, the Cavs have the best player in the league in LeBron James. He might not go out and score 50 points in a night like Kobe Bryant and may not play as much defense as Bryant, but he’s more consistent than Bryant. He can beat you in so many ways that I think he’s more versatile than Bryant. He also rebounds a lot better than Bryant and being around the basket creates scoring opportunities with second chance points.

Another reason that makes James a better player in my opinion is that he’s trying to get everyone involved and make them a better team. James’ idol was Jordan and he knows if he wants to be in the same company some day that he has to start winning championships. Jordan was a great player but his status was elevated even higher once he started winning titles. Karl Malone may be one of the 50 greatest players in the league’s history but he’ll start to fade into the background because he was never on a championship team.

James can score just about any time he wants. It’s not a matter of if he could; it’s a matter of does he want to. I’m sure a lot of team would like for him to just to try to score at will. Detroit will let James get 45 points, but hold the rest of the team to 30 and the Pistons will come out on top almost every time.

But LeBron is smarter than that. He knows he has to get them involved because there are going to be nights when he can’t score at will and has to rely on his teammates. He also knows that he needs them because he already gets all of the attention off the court and if that spreads to the floor they won’t be as likely to play as hard. Look at the Lakers for the last few years up until this year. It was the Kobe Show and he wasn’t doing anything to make friends so no one wanted to play hard or play with him and they lost. He became more of a leader, wasn’t a ball hog, shut his mouth some and they went to the Finals.

So the Cavaliers knew they needed help last year when the acquired the services of Ben Wallace in a big midseason trade. Along with Wallace, Cleveland picked up guard Delonte West from Seattle and guard Wally Szcerbiak from Chicago. In the process they got rid of a lot of dead weight as the traded sent six players packing, topped by Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Shannon Brown.

Hughes and Marshall made sense. Both are getting long in the tooth and Marshall isn’t a great team player. Brown isn’t living up to the hype at Michigan State and he’s not doing it in the pros either. The one that surprised me is Gooden. He’s only been in the league six years and was averaging 11.3 ppg. and 8.3 ppg., but you have to give up something in those trades and they felt like Gooden was ready to go.

For his size, 6-foot-9, Wallace has been one of the best rebounders in the league over the last half a decade. However, he is getting a bit old. With a dozen NBA seasons under his belt he is getting close to hanging it up. Szcerbiak is a solid role player who can help a ball team win if he can stay healthy.

I like the edition of West. He’s a younger version of Hughes who averaged 10.3 ppg., 4.5 assists per game and 3.7 rpg. They also picked up Maurice Williams in trade during the offseason. He averaged 10.2 ppg and 6.1 apg for the Milwaukee Bucks so it will be interesting to see what happens in the battle between he and Hughes.

Most of the Cavs offseason moves besides getting Williams weren’t that spectacular. They drafted a pair of pretty solid forwards in JJ Hickson from NC State and Kansas’ Darnell Jackson. With Wallace as a mentor they don’t have to jump right into the fold and be expected to contribute, though they may.

Prediction:
I still think the Cavaliers are a year or two from putting together a championships team though when you’ve got a player the caliber of James anything is possible. If this team sticks together for 2-to-3 more years and they can keep some key guys in place then they may be a contender in 2009-10 or the following year. They have to resign James, but that’s a whole other blog.

They’ve got a great center in Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who averaged 14.1 ppg and led the squad at 9.4 rpg., and he’s locked up until the 2010-11 season. As I stated before I’m also a fan of West and Williams. One of them may have to play the point and the other the off guard because that’s where they’ve got a hole.

The Cavs have a pair of holes in their off guard and power forward. I don’t know if Wallace can hold up through the whole season, though being on the floor with Ilgauskas  and James may take some of the focus away from him and let him be productive like Dennis Rodman was with the Lakers. Hickson and Jackson could be good down the road but it’s hard to tell.

Since I predicted Detroit to win the Central and the NBA title the best I can give Cleveland is a second-place showing in the Central. I’ll give them the upset of Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but they’ll lose to Detroit in six.

2008-09 NBA Team Preview – Boston Celtics

2008 Record: 66-16
Division Finish: 1st – Atlanta
2008 Playoffs: Won the NBA Championship, 4-2, over the Los Angeles Lakers

Head Coach: Doc Rivers
Season: Going into his fifth
Record at Boston: 168-160

Offseason Acquisitions:
Forward Darius Miles
Center Patrick O’Bryant

Offseason Losses:
Center Scott Pollard, option was not picked up.
Small forward James Posey signed a free agent deal with the New Orleans Hornets.

Rookies:
JR Giddens, G, 6-5, New Mexico
Semih Erden, C, 6-11, Turkey
Bill Walker, G-F, 6-6, Kansas State

The Skinny:
Everything is right again in the world of old school NBA fans. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers played for the NBA Championship with the Celtics coming out on top for their 17th title. But the odds of those two teams meeting in the finals in two of the next three years like in the 80’s is pretty slim.

The Celtics had a great formula in place for last year. They’ve got a great core group of superstars that plays really well together in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Those three stir the drink and then they’ve got a great group of supporting players who know their role. This is pretty much the formula that will help you win a title.

While the formula works great, the ingredients are getting ready to expire. Those three, along with journeyman Sam Cassell have all played at least 10 years in the NBA. Now that all three have a title under their belts and they’re growing long in the tooth how hungry are they going to be to make a run like last year? It wasn’t easy as they didn’t win a road game until the Finals.

Another problem with the Celtics roster is that they seem to be at both ends of the spectrum. Fourteen out of the 17 players on their current roster have either played seven years or more or have only been in the league for two years or less. Those players that fall into that middle aren’t very good either.

Because of some of the deals they’ve made and the draft positions they’ve had, the young talent they haven’t isn’t very good either or needs a lot of work to keep this train going. The Celtics better strike while the iron is hot this year because after this season they could be back to being in the middle to the bottom of the pack in the Eastern Conference.

One problem the Celtics are going to have to figure out is how to fill the void left by the departure of James Posey. During the offseason he signed a four-year deal with the New Orleans Hornets. Posey did a great job picking up the opposing team’s best offensive player and was a good three-point shooter himself. Posey was the one responsible for D-ing up LeBron James and Kobe Bryant during the playoffs. He also had the intangible of being a winner after being a part of the Miami Heat’s NBA title run.

So how does Boston plan on filling that hole? During the offseason they signed free agent forward Darius Miles. In addition they drafted JR Giddens from New Mexico in the first round and wing Bill Walker from Kansas State in the second. These seem like more of the Danny Ainge trade that got rid of Tony Delk and Antoine Walker for Jiri Welsch, Chris Mills and Raef LeFrentz and not the ones last year that brought in Allen and Garnett and earned him NBA Executive of the Year.

Miles is just trouble, plan and simple. It’s probably an attribute of a rough childhood in East St. Louis, but he’s been trouble everywhere he’s gone. He’s going to miss the first 10 games of the season because of a drug suspension. Great first impression. Then there’s his lack of defense and problems staying health. Throw in a pension for alienating his teammates and you’ve got a great pick up. Maybe the vets can real him in, but I doubt it.

Giddens isn’t exactly a choir boy either. He had problems at Kansas and had to transfer to New Mexico. If he gets influenced by Miles you might as well write him off as well. I don’t know much about Bill Walker, but Kansas State isn’t exactly a hotbed for talent. He was recruiting there by Bob Huggins, but how many of his players have really panned out to be good NBA players?

One player who may pick up Posey’s slack is guard Tony Allen. The Celtics resigned the fourth-year player out of Oklahoma State during the offseason. He might be able to fill that role, but he’s got to stay healthy. No one is really sure of his potential because he’s been injured so much. If he can stay of the IR for the entire season he could be a great role player.

Prediction:
Too many things just don’t seem right for the Celtics to repeat. After so many years of not having a championships ring, how hungry are the aging Garnett, Allen and Pierce going to be? Maybe they know this is there last chance and they’ll throw everything and the kitchen sink at winning again.

It’s always tougher to repeat than to win the first one and the Celtics just don’t have enough of the pieces to maintain a run like this. San Antonio built such a strong core group of players that all fit into their system so if one was missing the other could pick up the slack. If Pierce or Garnett go down for a long period of time the Celtics are in trouble. They need to have a full squad healthy for the entire year to keep the home court advantage in the playoffs. If they didn’t have home court advantage for every Eastern Conference playoff series and the Finals the title might be in LA or Detroit.

Posey is going to be a bigger loss than most people realize. Maybe not over the course of an 82-game schedule, but come playoff time when defense is so crucial – that was the basis of Boston’s championship run last year – it will show. I don’t think Miles will turn his act around and Giddons won’t amount to much. There are too many question marks around Tony Allen’s health to count on him for the whole year.

Boston will go 55-27 during the regular season and win the Atlantic Division because it’s pretty weak. They will, however, get bounced in the second round of the playoffs.