Three NBA Observations

So this is mostly a college basketball and basketball recruiting blog, but let's face it; it all runs downstream to the NBA, and I've got three important NBA observations i'd like to get out there.


1. Stephen Curry might not win the rookie of the year, but he should. He's silky smooth, never going too fast, never out of control, head always on a swivel, shakes a defender not too much but just enough, and delivers the ball always exactly where it should go...not to mention his quick-release gun-line jumper which always keeps defenders honest.

If he didn't start out the season so slow I think he would definitely be the rookie of the year, but you can't knock any of the rookie PG's this year: Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, and even Eric Maynor have all been great.

Curry is a little different because he doesn't have the outstanding size, speed, or athleticism like we associate with most current day top point guards, but he holds his own just fine if not better.

2. The Dallas Mavericks are legit. They're not the same "make it to the playoffs every year and have no shot at a title" team like they usually are. They're not run-n-gun like the old days and they're not too soft like the less old old days.

The mid-season trade sending oft-troubled and -injured forward Josh Howard away and getting Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood was big for this team.

Butler was a great get but Haywood was huge, literally, giving this team the size to actually match up with the Lakers.

But more than anything, I think Dirk is focused. He's not messin' around this season, and he doesn't have the intense spotlight and pressure like years before.

It seems like a perfect situation for him to come up big, because no one really expects anything great from him.

For the most part the Mavs are an afterthought behind the Nuggets and the Lakers. Dirk scores effortlessly and is the greatest stress-release player in the game because no one can block that little elbow jumper of his.

He gets it off against anyone and always makes it, and it's almost an effortless two points. He hardly expends any energy getting it.

In fact if I had to pick today I would take the Mavericks as the West champs. They are big, they are athletic, good shooters all over the floor and led by arguably the best point guard in a generation, J-Kidd.

3. Brandon Roy is a monster. I don't think enough people recognize how good Brandon Roy is because he is on the West Coast, and most people don't really get a chance to see him.

Also he's not always involved in jaw-dropping plays or monster dunks so a lot of the time he's not ESPN highlight packages.

But make no mistake, Brandon Roy is a beast, when he wants to score, he can. His hesitation slash move to the bucket (or the giant first step) is one of the most effective I've ever seen, it works every time no matter how much you yell at the TV screen telling Rudy Gay exactly what Roy is going to do.

He just seems too slow until he hits you with move and then it's too late, Rudy's already just watching and probably a foul.

That 's all I got for now, but i'm working on a write-up for the McDonald's All-American game, so hopefully I should have that up soon.