Top 5 Questions From NBA Media Day
Yesterday was Media Day for most of the NBA (the New Jersey Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Houston Rockets holding their earlier because of preseason trips overseas).
With Media Day coming and going that means one thing: the 2010-11 NBA Season is underway ladies and gentlemen.
Now it's time to take a look at the five biggest questions we were left with after NBA Media Day 2010.
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5: Greg Oden Still Not Ready?
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Greg Oden, the number one overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, has only played 82 games since he's been in the NBA.
That's one season worth of games in three years. Each year is supposed to be the year he's ready to make an impact on the Portland Trailblazers and each year he manages to get injured.
Trailblazers fan saw a glimpse at what Oden could bring to their team last season when he finally found a niche and was averaging 11.1 PPG 8.3 RPG and 2.3 BPG in 21 games.
However, at media day it was revealed that Oden would miss the all of the preseason and that his return was uncertain.
Over the summer Oden found out he has patella tendinitis which could keep him out longer than originally thought.
If Oden can recover in time to start the season and pick up where he left off last year the Trailblazers would be a team to give the Los Angeles Lakers a good run in the Western Conference.
4: Can the Okalahoma City Thunder Live Up to Expectations?
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Two seasons removed from winning only 23 games the Oklahoma City Thunder find themselves as the team on the rise in the Western Conference.
Coming off a summer where Kevin Durant emerged as the leader of the USA team that won gold at the 2010 World Championships and Russell Westbrook stepped up when called on upon by Coach Krzyzewski. People are looking for it to translate into the season.
The Thunder are a young team that surprised everybody but themselves and won 50 games and took the NBA Champion Lakers to 6 games in a grueling first round playoff series.
The question is, is this too much too soon? In a month we will see just what the Thunder will bring this year and everybody is anticipating it.
Oh and let's not forget Kevin Durant was the youngest scoring champ ever averaging 30.1 PPG.
3: Will Carmelo Anthony Be in Denver All Season?
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Carmelo Anthony has been the second most talked about story of the off season-behind some guy named LeBron James and this thing called "The Decision".
For a better part of the last month, reporters and insiders everywhere were saying Melo wanted out of Denver and fast. There was a list of teams he wanted to go to, with the New York Knicks topping the supposed list.
Going into last weekend it seemed as if Carmelo Anthony was about to be the newest member of the New Jersey Nets as a part of a four team blockbuster deal.
However, on Media Day Carmelo was in Denver and facing the questions of the press. "I've never said I wanted to be traded. I never once said anything about trade talk." Carmelo said when asked about a potential trade.
I feel a bit of lip service going on by Anthony, but as of right now it's still up in the air whether he finishes the season in the same jersey that he donned during Monday's Media Day.
2: Can the Los Angeles Lakers Three-Peat?
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Nobody benefited more from the "Summer of LeBron" than the Los Angeles Lakers. The defending champs barely had to deal with any media scrutiny as everybody was focused on what LeBron James will and did do.
All the Lakers did this off season was, well, get better. They lost Adam Morrison, DJ Mbenga, Josh Powell and Jordan Farmar from last year's championship team (not necessarily the biggest contributors). Who did they replace them with you ask? Only Matt Barnes (upgrade), Steve Blake (upgrade) and Theo Ratliff (easily better than Mbenga).
Still, Andrew Bynum is not yet ready to play after having knee surgery in the off season. Kobe Bryant is still on the mend from his knee surgery too-knowing the competitor Bryant is I doubt he misses any of the regular season. The big question is whether or not Bryant, at 32, still hold up through an 82 game season and playoffs.
1: Will LeBron, Bosh, and Wade Work?
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The story of the 2010 NBA off season was Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James announcing that they will all be playing for the Miami Heat in the 2010-11 season.
Almost anyone associated with basketball has weighed in, even legends like Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan, let their opinions about these three teaming up be heard.
These three friends and teammates have heard it all and from all sides, but they are ready to get out on the court and let their games do the talking.
Can these three All-Stars share the ball? Will they be able to carry a team by themselves? Is the roster good enough to compete for a title? Is Eric Spolestra the right coach to lead these superstars?
All these questioned will be answered and it all begins in less than a month when the Heat open up the season against the Boston Celtics.
Brandon Jefferson is a student at High Point University and a writing intern at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @DOTcom_2.
