NBA: 5 Players Who Will Decide How the Western Conference Will Be Won
A lot of people think the Lakers are a lock for the NBA Western Conference title. Unfortunately, basketball is one of the few sports where an injury here or hurt feelings there can change everything. If you don't believe me just consider that two-and-a-half seasons ago the current NBA champs were looking at spending June at home again when the Lakers pulled off the Pau Gasol trade.
Here then are my picks for the five players who will have the most impact on the 2010-2011 Western Conference race.
Brandon Roy
1 of 5
As Roy goes, so go the Blazers. Brandon told the media that he wants the ball in his hands more this season—something that Coach Nate McMillen is probably in favor of as well.
The big question with Roy, and for that matter the whole Blazer team, is whether he can stay healthy for an entire season. Roy never goes down for long periods of time, but he does have a history of nagging injuries going back to his college days. With Roy on the court the Blazers can beat anyone—without him on the court they're not even a contender.
Tim Duncan
2 of 5
Does Tim Duncan have anything left in the tank? That's the big question for the San Antonio Spurs. Duncan will be 35 in April, and he's not the player he used to be when the Spurs were a threat to win it all...every year from 1998 to 2008. The other day, Gregg Popovich rested almost the entire starting line-up in an exhibition game. Normally I wouldn't think this was a big deal. It was a meaningless exhibition game after all. But if this team is already tired in October, how are they going to feel come April and May?
Carmelo Anthony
3 of 5
Melo has made it very clear he wants out of Denver, but he also knows he won't be moved before the season starts. Which begs the question: how hard is he going to play until the Nuggets move him?
So far he's said all the right things, but the proof will be in the pudding as they say. If he doesn't get traded by mid-season look for Anthony to start tweeting his discontent and the talented Nuggets team to implode.
Then we'll see if David Stern has the cajones to stand up to Svengali agent William "World Wide Wes" Wesley and the powerful CAA Agency that controls several top players, including the Melo, Bron and Wade. How this situation plays out could affect not only this year's standing but whether the owners lock the players out next summer.
Kevin Durant
4 of 5
Have no doubt, Durant will be the best player in the NBA for the next decade. He's got the skills, the drive and the temperament. And he's coach-able. The only question is whether he makes the jump this year or next.
But dominating in the regular season and dominating in the playoffs are two different scenarios. Just ask Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett, Shaq or Kobe. I guarantee that Durant will win more than one ring—but I don't think the first will be this year.
Andrew Bynum
5 of 5
I know what you're thinking. Why Bynum? What about Kobe's knee? Look, Kobe Bryant is gonna play no matter what. The dude is the Terminator. The Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Short of running Kobe over with a steamroller like Wiley Coyote, he will suit up and show up come playoff time.
Bynum is a different story. If you've ever seen Andrew play when he's healthy you would understand why Laker management refused to trade him for Chris Bosh. The guy is a 20-10 player who can go for 40 and doesn't need the ball in his hands to do it. But that's only when he's healthy. The last two years he made a huge difference for the Lakers in the playoffs even though he was playing at 50-60 percent. To be honest, I'm not sure they win those titles without him. Now he's starting out the season injured, and no one knows for sure when he's coming back. That's not good for Andrew, and it's not good for the Lakers. They need him on the court if they want to three-peat.
