It's hard to know exactly what to make of this 2015-16 NBA season thus far.
A few things are clear:
The Lakers are a total Autobahn crash. Towns, Okafor and Porzingod are for real. Paul George may have missed an entire season, but hasn't missed a beat. Trying to box out Andre Drummond is a futile effort. Trying to figure out the Sacramento Kings is too. A defensive-minded coach was a good fit for Orlando. Lance Stephenson wasn't a good fit for the Clippers. You should never count out Dirk Nowitzki and Rick Carlisle. And most notably, it is a very, extremely, unfathomably stupid idea to piss off Chef Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
But lurking beyond is a murky quagmire of uncertainty that's yet to settle from the season's initial impact:
Sifting through the madness, here are a few random takes from the season thus far:
STATE OF WAR:
Getting the obvious out of the way; Golden State is completely crushing the NBA right now; off to by far the hottest start in league history, and seriously threatening to notch hi-scores for both longest win streak and best record ever.
That they're doing this is remarkable, but perhaps not entirely surprising. The Warriors were historically great last year, got to benefit from an unaltered roster, several guys who hadn't hit their ceilings yet, and listened to far too many morons crow about how they "got lucky" in the playoffs. For perhaps the first time ever, the champs came back with something to prove, and have served up a cold reminder of how golden silence can be.
- On a related note, the fact that Luke Walton can win Coach of the Month, but isn't getting credit for his victories on the Dubs' bench is one of the most ass-backward things I've seen in ages.
- How happy are the 5-15 Pelicans that they don't have to worry about Anthony Davis bolting for at least another five years?
LEAST NO MORE?
- Since Michael Jordan's 2nd Retirement (that just feels like a proper noun), the West has more or less dominated the NBA's balance of power. Sure, the Heat, Pistons and Celtics snuck in for a few titles, but the East has unquestionably been the weaker of the two conferences, accounting for both overall depth, and the several seasons where the title was effectively decided in the West Finals.
This season is so far suggesting an unlikely shift in that balance (the West was supposed to be better than ever this year), with the East's top 10 teams all above .500 for the first time in an eternity, and the 8-10 Wolves holding down the 8-seed out West. And this isn't just a result of the West roughing each other up. As I write this, 11 of the East's 15 teams have winning records cross-conference, including (gasp!) The Knicks.
There are many factors working against the West in this instant: The Warriors are beating the shit out of everybody. Several elite talents (Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, DeMarcus Cousins) have missed time early. The Rockets and Pelicans have gotten off to complete nightmare starts. The Grizzlies' first two weeks were nothing to write home about either. And the Blazers diiiid just lose five of their six best players.
Some of these things are bound to shift back to the Left Coast, but don't discount the possibility that - with so much money available to every NBA team next summer - this might be signaling a trend towards greater league parity.
- Watching Luis Scola in 60-70% of on-court situations is like seeing that guy at a bar who's like 20-30 years too old to be at said bar.
- Conversely, for all the talk of Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan's agelessness, Pau Gasol, at 35 - especially given all the international mileage he's clocked - is still such a beast.
- "They got Lawson for nothing" they said. "What's the worst that could happen??" they said...
HORNETS ABUZZ
One of the season's biggest early surprises has been Charlotte's wholly unlikely ascension to Legit Offense status, riding a balanced attack (six players averaging double-figures) to a robust 102 ppg - good for sixth in the league.
One obvious attribution is swapping in Nic Batum for Michael Kidd Gilchrist, who despite his defensive brilliance was limited on the other end, especially far from the hoop. Defenders were often able to sag off MKG, into the paint against Al Jefferson post-ups and Kemba Walker slashes. Not only does Batum's range prevent that, he's bluntly a far more-rounded offensive player. The Hornets also benefit from the addition of The Jeremys - Lin and Lamb - giving a pulse to a bench that sorely lacked a consistent scorer (unless you're counting the 13 games Mo Williams came off it).
This is all happening with Al Jefferson scoring fewer points than he has in almost a decade, which is a nice insurance policy for the Hornets in case of an injury/mismatch.
- To the suckers like me who took Nerlens Noel with your 2nd-round fantasy pick this year, my condolences.
- If Steph Curry ever allows the MVP Race to become a thing, Kawhi Leonard's looking like a very viable contender.
NEW EDITION
This year's rookie crop has produced encouraging early results, with the positive bolstered by the Towns/Okafor/Porzingis trio that are going to make Rookie of the Year a very fun race.
Okafor's endured some early-season um, turmoil, but looks every bit as good as advertised, with much more of an NBA body than he rocked last year (sidebar, to the guy(s) he banged out in Boston: you got what you had coming). Towns (who still likely has the highest ceiling of the three) might already be the best player in the Draft, and Porzingis (who figured to be a long-term prospect) is already an athletic multi-skilled asset with an impressive highlight resume (sorry LaMarcus).
Towns was my preseason pick, and despite the close margins (and his recent minutes cut), I still feel like he's the safest pick. He plays a sustainable, consistent game and is probably the least likely of these guys to hit the dreaded "Rookie Wall". But credit Porzingis; he's won over everyone from me to La La Anthony, and brought a badly-needed boost of optimism and excitement to the Knicks.
- The hypothetical 'Comeback Player of the Year' award would be an interesting sweat this year.
- And finally, one player who isn't coming back:
Kobe Bryant played his final game in his hometown this week, having recently announced his retirement after what will be two full decades in the NBA. It was a sobering reminder of the mileage and injuries he's endured over those years; watching him try and channel the player he used to be. He shot 7-26, meekly launching jumpers as the Lakers became the first team this season to suck more than the Sixers for 48 minutes.
As legendary a player as he was (we're talking - bar none - one of the ten best basketball players ever to walk the Earth), he couldn't dominate forever. The decision to hang it up must've been the hardest moment of Kobe's life (and yes, I'm counting this); not only a sociopathic competitor, but someone whose passion for the game was truly unparalleled - to the point of it alienating many who played with him.
Basketball has been Kobe Bryant's life. He walked, talked, ate, slept, showered, and breathed it. Through all the comparisons between Kobe and Jordan, the biggest difference between the two might've been that Kobe never, ever, in a million years would have quit to play another sport at the peak of his powers. He loved the game way too much.
For one of the most legendarily narcissistic egos in sports history to finally break down and admit he's no longer got it - consummating a divorce more painful for him than Colorado could've caused - is significant. An NBA without Kobe will take some getting used to; he was not only the closest thing to Jordan we might ever see, but a polarizing and fascinating persona. Instead of dwell on his somewhat lackluster exit from the league, let's remember the good times:
